Sekathral, while he can speak Olman, doesn't wish to complicate things further by sticking his oar in, so he lounges in the sun on the dead dino, surrounded by a cloud of flies and the reek of tar, amusing himself by pointing out likely looking projectiles to Kyson.
"We are phanatons, the mighty tribe of TreeStrong! You are mighty monster hunters. Come with us. To our village. We will show you!" they say excitedly, beckoning you to follow them.
Kyson, with Sekathral's help, finds a +1 keen cold iron kukri lodged deep in the folds of scales on the dinosaur's right foot.
Khaz relays the invitation to the others. "Come, they say we should go to their village. These are the Phanatons that we have heard so much about!"
She returns to talking to the phanatons, asking the speaker his name. "I am Khaz-mia. These are my friends -- SE-kathryl, ZStel-i-On, KY-son, and Li-nAH. We are pleased to meet you." She points to each in turn as she repeats her words first in their tongue, then in common for the others.
Kyson looks surprised that these are the phanatons.
"These little guys are the Phanatons? Neat...not what I was expecting," Kyson replies.
"The phanatons are a group of rodent-like creatures, while local legends also tell of a race of catlike humanoids called rakastas. The locals believe that the last of the rakastas have died out, but they were renowned for their masterwork weapons. Perhaps hidden caches still exist at the sites of their old temples," Kyson recalls from memory.
Kyson follows them back to their village.
They repeat the names, and introduce themselves as well.
With the greatest threat apparently gone, several agree to stay with the Farshore villagers and help them gather tar, while the rest lead you toward the village.
The journey, which turns out to be about 50 miles, takes several days, during which the phanatons rarely stop talking. They ask you endless questions, about where you came from and how you got here, especially when they learn you didn't start your journey in Farshore.
Their irrepressible curiosity seems to extend to your items, as well. As you begin to unpack the first night, they watch closely, often grabbing items you pull from your pack and passing them around, chittering in what is apparently their own language.
When you arrive at the village, you're greeted with noisy excitement, especially as your new friends apparently explain of your triumph over Temauhti-tecuani. In short order, you are welcomes to sit at an impromptu feast. Each of you receives a wooden bowl full of fruits and what looks like fried insects, each about the size of a halfling's finger.
With the greatest threat apparently gone, several agree to stay with the Farshore villagers and help them gather tar, while the rest lead you toward the village.
"But Linah, they might have weapons we could use to fight off the pirates! That's what they said. Can someone ask them if they can help us against pirates? Maybe they want to come help us."
Kyson isn't ready to go to the village yet with so much to do at Farshore, but if they phanatons can help, he will.
"I agree with Zstelian. We could use all the help we can get."
"We might be able to rope 'em in to helping out Farshore when the Fleet come back", points out Sekathral. "Besides, they might have something to drink. I'm as dry as a locust's loincloth"
He acts very tolerantly when the phanatons start turning over his possessions, explaining the use and function of each item in passable Olman and making sure they don't eat the gunpowder or accidentally set off his pistol.
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Kyson allows them to inspect his goods, offering many speeches and sermons as they examine his holy symbol. He will preach on the Sun's warmth and her many blessings reciting those that he knows.
Including this one:
The sun is high above us
shining down upon the land and sea,
making things grow and bloom.
Great and powerful sun,
we honor you this day
and thank you for your gifts.
Ra, Helios, Sol Invictus, Aten, Svarog,
you are known by many names.
You are the light over the crops,
the heat that warms the earth,
the hope that springs eternal,
the bringer of life.
We welcome you, and we honor you this day,
celebrating your light,
as we begin our journey once more
into the darkness.
Kyson will preach and sermonize like he never has before, trying to get them to understand Sarenrae's many blessings and how she helped defeat the tyrannosaurus with many magics and blessings.
Khazmia patiently goes through her things with them, casting tongues at least twice a day to both talk and listen to the phanatons as they chatter amongst themselves in their mother tongue.
”If you feel confident that the thunder lizard was the last significant threat to this expedition I have I have no reason to doubt you. We will accompany the Phanatons to their village. Hopefully we will be able to secure another ally in the defense of Farshore. I look forward to see you again on our return”, Linah tells the villagers and then follows with the Phanatons.
She tries to answer all the questions with great patience, although the language barrier hinders much of the communication. Linah is generous with her gear with the exception of her scimitar which she holds close to her.
During the feast Linah politely accepts the offered bowl of fruit and insects and says thank you with a bow, then takes a bite not wanting to seem rude.
Linah especially seems to charm the phanatons, and they soon have declared you "tribe friends," inviting you to stay in the village as honored guests.
As you describe the dilemma, their leader, Teketek, promises to send a group of his strongest hunters south to Farshore to do what they can to aid in the colony's defense.
Kyson's teachings seem to not go over incredibly well, however. They seem to consider the sun a spirit, one of many who can give blessings to their local shaman, and don't understand his explanation about Sarenrae as a goddess.
"Here", asks Sekathral, "What else is hereabouts? Do you know anything about an old temple built by cat-men full of weapons?"
Teketek nods excitedly at Sekathral's question.
"You want to go to the Temple of the Jaguar. The cat people are gone now, but they were very warlike. They might have weapons hidden in the remains of their village."
Based on their directions, it's about 20 miles to the northeast.
Kyson looks at Sekathral.
"Hey! Good job, pirate. Maybe they like pirates here? Ever think about that Seka?" Kyson asks.
"We should go get the weapons, huh? There might be some that will help us. Zstelian, this is the right thing to do, huh? We have so much work to do back at Farshore."
"We have come this far. It is only about another days travel. Can you ask them what they know of the temple, Sekathral? Is it abandoned?"
Sekathral quizzes the phanatons regarding the location and status of the temple, trying to put together a (reasonably accurate) map giving the party a route to it and asking politely if any of the little creatures want to accompany them as guides
"How are we going to get the buggers back once we've found 'em?" he asks, referring to the weapons.
"How are we going to get the buggers back once we've found 'em?" he asks, referring to the weapons.
"I'm... I'm pretty certain I can get us and quite a bit of stuff back to Farshore if we plan it out right. It shouldn't take more than a blink or two longer than figuring out how to lug it all less than a foot."
"I... think... I can ...hrmmm... *blink* us back, I guess. Think us back, perhaps. wish us back. Not all of us at once, but I could probably do a couple of trips."
Linah looks quizzically at Khaz. "I am not sure I understand. What do you mean by 'not all of us at once'?"
Khaz tries to explain to Linah, though finds herself struggling. She is no studious wizard to know the ins and outs of Magic, it just...happens. for her.
"Magic isn't infinite, Linah. Or rather, my command of it isn't, though it has grown since we started this trek. I... I feel... that I could...*port* us back, even over the long distance to Farshore. The magic, you see, - once I think upon it - telescopes like a spy glass, only much further and quicker. But it is difficult magic, and I am not as great with it as I would like. I think I might take myself, and two or three others back...but no more than that. I could come back though, in a near instant, and bring back two or three more. That would be the most I might do in a day, I think. It is... not as easily done as it sounds."
One of the creatures, Kimmety, volunteers to guide you to the temple and in the morning you depart. The trip takes a couple days before you finally arrive at the remains of the overgrown village and its stony temple.
Kimmety points you toward a squat ziggurat crouching in the embrace of the green jungle. Tall niches along its walls hold moss-covered statues of men with jaguar heads. A natural curtain of thick vines and creepers hangs over a wide opening at the base of the southern wall.
Kyson casts Air Walk and walks up 30', trying to get a view from the sky while Seka (possibly) scouts on the ground.
Perception
"I'll be up here if you need me...just yell. Loudly."
"Alright, mates"
Dropping into a low crouch, Sekathral takes cover and creeps towards the ziggurat, eyes peeled for trouble.
Linah takes a deep breath to calm her nerves and follows Sekathral with her gaze. She did not like sending the pirate into potential danger. She would preferred to go herself. Although she had to admit that Seka moved far more quietly than she ever could and his keen elven senses would detect danger way before she even knew it was there. Still she couldn't shake the feeling of unease, irrational or not.
Khazmia casts fly upon Seka to help if he needs to escape.
Sekathral, taken by surprise by Khaz's sudden spell, swoops up into the air, shrieking.
"Mate, warn me before you do that!", he says, before returning to ground level and hovering along towards the temple.
Seka notices, on a ledge above the entrance to the ziggurat, a massive snake.
Once it's pointed out, Zstelian can recognize it as an anaconda, which prefers to constrict its prey.
Kyson despairs as Seka mentions the snake.
"How big is it? As big as that jerkosaur we just killed? Maybe we can lead it away or something?"
Kyson air pads up to 30' to take a look for himself.
"Well, if that things around, it's probably the only predator right? Zstelian, what do you want to do?"
After a few tense moments trying to figure out what had Sekathral so agitated, Linah breaks down laughing when she understands the elf's predicament. All the tension rushes out of her and the paladin continue to giggle uncontrollably as Sekathral adjusts to his new ability. Unable to stop the laughing continues through out the pirates whole scouting session.
"Mate, warn me before you do that!", he says, before returning to ground level and hovering along towards the temple.
Khaz sniffs and glares at Linah as she giggles, the half-orc's tusks jutting forward and her cheeks turning a deep dusky olive.
"I was just trying to help!"
She huffs and casts the spell once again, this time on herself with utmost dignity, regardless of Lanah's giggles.
"We could feed it something to put it to sleep, assuming it ain't already et.", remarks Sekathral. "I couldn't frigging well tell either way"
He reloads his pistol, inbetween bouts of flapping his arms around to see whether or not it makes a difference.
Puffs of flame?!? Kyson looks mighty miffed that his goddess's work through him would be condensed down to 'puffs'.
He gives Zstelian a strangely defiant look.
"My lordess, the great Sun Goddess, Sarenrae the Everflame, does not do 'puffs of flame'...she does mighty torrents of fire and burning. It is that my mortal shell can only hold so much of her greatness less I catch afire, you know." Kyson seethes even as he air walks higher to do Zstelian's bidding, albeit with some very serious pouting.
If Kyson can wall of fire the creature away, he will...I figure walls of fire and snakes are pretty good combo.
If not, Kyson will fire bomb it with 'Lights of the Candle'.
touch to hit;
fire damage.
Kyson casts wall of fire above the entrance and the snake rapidly starts slithering away, leaving the entrance seemingly safe.
As Seka continued to look around, he realized there were signs of a previous battle: statues with deep gouges, strange bones of catlike humanoids and other telltale remnants of an assault at least some years ago.
Shafts of light from broken portions of wall and ceiling thirty feet above illuminate the large open chamber within the crumbling pyramid. The walls are covered with faded murals and bas-relief carvings, while the center of the room is filled with a variety of antique totemic statues facing a central platform supporting a large jade figurine of a jaguar -- the statues seem curiously untouched by the passage of time and retain the finest lines of details, as if the unknown sculptor had finished the job only yesterday. They depict gorillas, snakes, crocodiles, bats, tigers and other wild animals in positions of rage and territorial defense.
"I thought there would be weapons. Does anyone see any weapons?" Kyson asks, still walking on air.
Percpetion
Kyson will cast Detect Magic as he peers around.
You see no weapons. However, you detect a faint magical aura coming from the statues, platform and jade figurine.
It's illusion magic.
"I thought there would be weapons. Does anyone see any weapons?" Kyson asks, still walking on air.
1d20+15 Percpetion
Kyson will cast Detect Magic as he peers around.
"Stands to reason they wouldn't leave 'em f***ing lying about for any bugger to pick up. Let's see, now..."
Sekathral inspects his surroundings much more closely
"Seka, there is magic by those statues...careful now...but maybe go touch them? They might not be real or something. Or they might explode, I dunno for sure...but something ain't right," Kyson mentions, continuing to concentrate on the magic.
"Right you are"
Sekathral concentrates his search on (and around) the statues.
Khazmia waits with the others as Sekathral moves toward the statues. "Be careful, remember the last crazy vault thing with the nasty undead. They could be hiding behind whatever illusion Kyson picked up on."
Sekathral's hand passes through the statue; they're apparently ethereal or something.