Rukn takes the goat in his arms. -Hey! Someone help here, I have a dying goat!- Then he tries to get the goat and himself out of the thicket and back to the caravan.
Kilarra yells "Zhalet or even Solomon can heal it...get it to them!!"
Zhalet winces at the pugwumpie squishing, and is more than happy to hear Rukn's call that she's needed somewhere else. She hurries to Rukn to help him with the goat.
Gripping the corpse tentatively, as it is now a squishy corpse, Dashki picks up the pugwampi and begins making his way back out of the cactus thicket.
Zhalet rushes over to the injured goat and calls upon the power of Sarenrae to heal the goat. Its labored breathing eases, and it kicks in reflex, but does not regain consciousness.
Either carrying the goat or with it trotting dazedly along on its own power, the party returns to the caravan bearing the broken body of the pugwampi in triumph.
When the returning party presents Almah with the body of the pugwampi, she examines it closely for several moments and listens to the descriptions of the strange clumsiness that seemed to vanish with the creature's death.
She addresses Dashki first, "Dashki, I am very pleased that the true culprit is discovered and that the circumstances that implicated you were nothing more than stories and happenstance. Welcome back." Dashki offers to dispose of the corpse, and Almah simply nods her acceptance.
She then turns to the rest of you, "Thank you for assisting once again in this matter. Garavel has conveyed to me the terms of your employment. I can with pleasure confirm your employment and for the time being, the terms will remain the same as outlined by Garavel." She pauses and her face takes on a pensive look, "There must be more of those creatures living in the nearby hills if you were able to find one so easily. This position is obviously far too exposed a location. I know of an old monastery to Sarenrae that stands near the village of Kelmarane. That old building would likely make a much better base for our early stages of reclaiming the town."
She nods decisively, "Yes. We will move our operation to the Dawnflower's abandoned monastery. While we travel, your daily rate will be 1 scarab with a 3 scarab hazard pay per day in which you face such dangers as we might find. Once we have secured the monastery, we can revisit the topic of our contract. Will that be acceptable?"
-It seems a perfectly acceptable agreement to me, my Lady, but...- Rukn hesitates for a moment -But, if I may ask you... how do you know it was that creature that... that provoked the fire?
"The monastery you mention Lady Almah, it is not the same place as the church? My understanding is that the church is in Kelmarane itself?"
This may be an even more promising expedition than I thought! Perhaps both could eventually be restored!
Almah smiles at Rukn, "A good question, but it seems highly logical. Dashki has thus far given no reason to suspect he would do such a thing. Most of the evidence against him is circumstantial at best. He is an expert when it comes to gnolls. He claimed it was highly likely that a pugwampi, or more than one, was responsible. You found tracks of tiny creatures leading to the camp, and one of our goats tied in a cactus thicket and watched by the very creature of which Dashki spoke. Further, none of you are particularly clumsy or incompetent, yet you described an odd run of the worst luck even when attempting something so mundane as untying an unruly goat or climbing a rough, sloping wall; bad luck that seemed to end the moment the pugwampi died. Given the number of candles my countryman enjoyed burning in his wagon, a mild bit of bad luck would have been enough to start a fire, much less the misfortune you describe. It is enough to satisfy me at the very least that Dashki is not responsible. Even if there is nothing more out in the night to threaten us here, the monastery would make a better base of operations for our campaign to retake Kelmarane. Have I sufficiently explained my motivations?"
"The monastery you mention Lady Almah, it is not the same place as the church? My understanding is that the church is in Kelmarane itself?"
This may be an even more promising expedition than I thought! Perhaps both could eventually be restored!
Almah nods to Zhalet, "The monastery is outside the immediate vicinity of Kelmarane, and the church is within Kelmarane. Both are buildings that were dedicated to Sarenrae."
Solomon smiled, giving a small nod to Zhalet, knowing she was thinking as he was.
"Restoring the temple would be a worthy task."
-Alright. Let's get moving, then.
Rukn offers himself wherever needed to help with the preparations. -Once we depart, I should go ahead of the caravan to scout.
"The agreement is still acceptable," Alexander says. "This monastery, though... Would it not be wise to scout it out before moving in? An abandoned building is far too inviting for any number of foul creatures as an easily-acquired dwelling, or so history teaches us."
The old man gazes speculatively at the dead pugwampi. "There might yet be things to learn from this carcass... Might I spend some time analyzing it before it is thrown to the scavengers?"
Almah shrugs in response to Alexander's request, "Do as you wish, we leave at first light. We will scout and clear the building once we are closer; if something truly fearsome had taken up residence there, word would have spread of it by now."
"I too find the previous agreement acceptable and should a scouting party for the monastery be formed then I would like to accompany it."
Oh yes, I would like to be part of a scouting party if there is one. I can't wait to get a look at the monastery.
"The agreement is acceptable to this humble servant as well. Is there by any chance one here skilled in healing? I can't reach some of these thorn wounds, and my knee throbs from the fall".
-Uh... by the way...- Rukn produces his broken bow. -Is any of you capable of fixing this? I think it's a bit beyond my possibilities for now...
Father Zastoran comes forward and, with some swiftly muttered prayers to Sarenrae, heals the wounds suffered in the night. He looks closely at the broken bow and with another small spell it is once again whole. He mutters fussily the entire time offering 'helpful' suggestions about how you could all be more careful. There is no malice in it, and it seems more the typical nagging of the old to the comparatively young.
The Next Morning
As the first rays of the rising sun break over the horizon, all six of you are prepared to depart for the monastery. The camp is full of the sounds of the caravaners breaking camp and the mercenaries are obviously taking up guard positions around the perimeter. The Pactmasters Guards are in position near Almah's tent, and they fall in around her as she exits the tent flanking her approach to the assembled party.
"Good morning to you all. I was prevailed upon by my majordomo and the captain of my guard, and I have decided to follow their unceasing advice." Her eyes flash with minor irritation as she glances aside at Garavel and the leader of the Guard; the two men show no sign that they have noticed. "I will remain here and prepare the caravan to travel. You all will precede us to the monastery and scout it out. If there are hostile creatures living therein, evict them. If they are too powerful, return to us here and we shall make alternate plans."
She glances back over the waking caravan with a resigned expression, "It is unlikely that we will be moving before the sun is three hands into the sky, and we will be traveling at the blistering speed of the water wagon. If all goes well, we will join you at the monastery this afternoon. Go with the blessing of the Everlight, fight well, be safe, and we shall see you as soon as the gods allow."
About a mile from the Sultan's Claw, the old ruin of the monastery looms on a hillside. Once the holy to the faith of Sarenrae, the forlorn edifice now stands only as an empty ruin, a reminder of the brief era in which civilization tamed the Uwaga Highlands.
Most of the Monastery's walls remain intact, though a few of its towers have collapsed and gaping holes mar most of the structure’s ceilings. Most wooden structures have rotted away and nature has begun to intrude upon the monastery’s interior. Some of the old red and orange tile work remains intact, but where walls and ceilings have fallen the decoration has cracked and faded.
Scrub brush and a light, patchy carpet of weeds invade the monastery through two huge fallen sections of the western wall. The exposed nave beyond is a huge hallway littered with bits of debris ranging from tiny rocks to enormous sections of collapsed masonry. Most of the roof above the long promenade is gone, but several jagged pillars remain.
The view of the monastery up on the hilltop is... disappointing. Zhalet comments ruefully to Solomon "the site needs builders at least as much as priests. How are you at driving nails and spreading plaster?"
Looking around at her more experienced companions, she asks "So, how do we do this?"
"Suggest we make a circuit around the place, first," Alexander says. "Look out for signs of inhabitation. I shall be on the lookout for magical auras."
"It is wise to observe the location for a while to note any comings or goings. How much time do you think we have before we need to move"?
Zhalet will scout.
"Agreed, If there is anyone knowledgeable in looking for tracks then I would be happy to assist, if not then I shall look on my own. Additionally, if there are anyone that would be hostile here then the element of surprise should help, us provided we can maintain it. As such I would suggest that we all do our best not to make too much noise or stand in open obvious places."
Kilarra turns away and begins looking at the ground for any sign that someone else has passed by recently and promptly walks into a low hanging branch, shaking the tree and making a bit more noise than she intended.
"UGH!!!"
Erizi tries to keep watch, but the constant buzzing of insects, and the warm sun make it difficult.
Perception
Rukn uses some fabric stripes to tighten his clothes and wares, and proceeds to scout the area. He's done it a thousand times before, but still feels the thrill of the uncertainty. -Ok, here we go.
The view of the monastery up on the hilltop is... disappointing. Zhalet comments ruefully to Solomon "the site needs builders at least as much as priests. How are you at driving nails and spreading plaster?"
"Fair. Good enough for the grunt work. Finishing touches will need to be done by someone with a more delicate touch." Solomon replied with a self-effacing shrug.
He whispered a quiet prayer as they began their circuit of the area. As they scouted he kept quiet and low, his eyes sweeping their surroundings.
The scouting party seems to be fairly successful at seeing and not being seen, but there is not much to see. The windows are either grimy with age or made of stained glass. Here and some of the windows are broken, but the contrast between the light flooding in and the deeply shadowed interior makes seeing anything not standing in the patches of light quite difficult.
The two that stayed back to watch the front of the monastery are similarly challenged by the contrast of light and dark.
That is not to say that there is nothing to be seen.
A huge bird, easily as large as a horse, lifts off from an interior courtyard and flies away to the north, visible to both groups.
Also, the group watching the front gets a chance to see a furry primate move through the light from the openings in the walls.
"Only animals so far. This should be doable," Alexander says.
"That's a really big bird." Solomon said, impressed as the creature took off.
After a circuit of the monastery the scout group reconnected with the watch group to report in.
"Nothing but that bird I'm sure you saw."
"Fair. Good enough for the grunt work. Finishing touches will need to be done by someone with a more delicate touch." Solomon replied with a self-effacing shrug.
Zhalet suppresses a smile at the priest's answer. She had meant her words as something of a joke. There was no denying his sincerity, and that was a virtue to be sure. She also had to admit to herself that he was probably right about what was in store for them if the monastery was really to be restored.
Zhalet works hard to keep up with the others on the scouting excursion. So hard in fact that she has to spend most of her time just trying to be quiet and unseen. She's left with little time to actually scout and notices little except the impossible to miss bird.
Erizi starts out of his almost nap when the others rendevouz. "Were you able to scout out any entrances or exits on your scouting trip"?
The man stands and stretches.
"I would be for seeing what is inside before darkness falls".
"Too dark inside. We couldn't make out any details." Solomon said with a shake of his head.
"I shall provide the necessary light, then, as before."
Rukn looks at the others.
-Uh... anyone knows if those animals are dangerous? I never had any experience with them.
He produces his bow again.
-Shall we break in?
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I am Ready to go
Kilarra produces a pair of wicked looking knives (Kuri) seemingly out of thin air.
Also, since we haven't been working together long, might I suggest letting me stay towards the front whenever there is a choke point or narrow passage so that I can more easily look for traps that may be along the way? I am not suggesting that I be in lead but maybe second in procession perhaps.
"I'll take point for you, sis." Solomon said resolutely. He drew his falchion and started quietly moving forward.
"The rest of you, keep back and stay quiet. Thirty feet at least. Cover us as well as you can. We'll talk door breaching when we get to one."
Solomon moved forward slowly and quietly, his eyes sweeping.
A1:
This section of the Monastery is, as previously described, mostly open to the sky and littered with bits of debris. You enter cautiously and move to where you can peer through the first door off the Nave.
A13:
This large but plain interior hallway leads to the various chambers of the monastery’s southern wing. A weatherworn statue of a winged woman stands in the middle of the hall. The statue is obviously a depiction of Sarenrae. From your vantage point you can see partially into areas A16 and A17. You can also hear the muffled sounds that can only be the baboons from beyond the statue of Sarenrae.
A16:
Beyond a doorless arch appears to be a large kitchen. You can only see a portion of a counter top with some broken implements and smashed pottery. You can also hear the sounds of some type of creatures moving and talking inside in the language of gnolls.
A17:
You can see the remains of the end of a wooden table and some wooden chairs. This room also seems to be more brightly lit from the inside.
Zhalet hangs back with the main group while Solomon and Kilarra scout ahead, only moving forward when they signal. She has her scimitar drawn, moving and breathing as quietly as she can.
I wonder if that bird will be coming back? I didn't like the look of that bird.
Rukn enters the hallway and takes position beside the wall, so as to have a clear line of vision to the East and North and keep the thirty feet distance Solomon asked for. He puts an arrow on the bowstring and gives Solomon and Kilarra some ranged cover.
Alexander moves with the rear guard, a frown on his face and his fingers restlessly drumming the head of his cane...
At the sound of the Gnollish voices, Solomon raised his fist in a halt. He gestured toward the sound in case Killara hadn't heard it and then gestured again to encourage her to go back and inform the main group of what they were hearing.
For his part, Solomon held steady where he was, keeping watch and out of sight, hoping the gnolls wouldn't make themselves known before the group was ready.
They do not sound like gnolls, the voices are far too high pitched. But they are using the language of the gnolls.
Kilarra makes a questioning motion that looks like she is wondering if they should see who is ahead before going back.
Alexander quietly mouths 'More Pugwampis?' at the others.
The timbre of the voices is fairly reminiscent of the pugwampi you killed back near the Sultan's Claw.
Do you wish to go into area A13 or further down the nave, or something else entirely?