A quick barrage of bursting flames and splashing acid quickly breaks up the hostile swarm of ants, which disperses into the trees on either side of the path, leaving the way ahead clear for you to investigate the body. Willem prods the folds of the dead man's clothes aside and sees that his fingers were just grazing the edge of a flask similar to what Farshaya had just tossed at the ants.
Further investigations reveal that the man was fairly well equipped, even if his luck and good equipment did not save him from the dangers of the jungle. On his person, you find a rapier, a masterwork composite longbow, a potion of invisibility, a potion of cure moderate wounds, two oils of magic weapon, two sleep arrows, and two flasks of alchemist’s fire.
As Willem kneels down to check for any indications of the corpse's identity, he notices a bit of stitching inside the man's vast. The now familiar insignia of the Aspis Consortium is stitched there, and below it is the name, W. Jace.
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"One of us? You mean he was a Pathfinder?" Great, now we have to report this. "Wait, no, he's an Aspi. Look, that's their sigil. And wow, you weren't kidding about his gear. Guy was prepared for just about anything-- maybe he fell asleep or something."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Meredith isn't sure what's happening, but it's over before it begins.
Meredith eyes one of the vials of alchemist's fire and reaches for it. "I should have stocked up on one of these...anyone mind if I hold onto this?"
Laiashi points out this man was an Aspis agent. "Good thing we cleaned up. Maybe we would have wound up like this guy if the ants smelled us. Let's hurry up then, Aspis must be ahead of us."
Denair grins, pleased she did a good thing.
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Willem files away the name in case he needs it later and leaves the spoils to the others. "Most of those items I wouldn't be able to use effectively, so have at it, but let's get a move on. Aspis folk are not known to travel alone. "
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"I trust Aspis as far as I can throw my fist." Meredith grumbles. "A child was tagging along with me while we helped Captain Dreng locate some kind of research. They went right for the kid. I had to hop in there to distract them so the child could escape. I'll never forget their bloodlust, their zeal."
As he examines the body, Saritirnen finds that the body is still somewhat warm. If this was indeed one of the people they are pursuing, they are probably only an hour or two ahead.
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Laiashi apparently looks at all the wrong things when trying to follow the trail.
-Posted with Wayfinder
While Saritirnen and Laiashi examine the body, Meredith notices about half a dozen sets of humanoid tracks that ran through this area and don’t appear to have returned. Eventually, you all decide you've seen enough here, and you follow the tracks further down the ravine.
The floor of the ravine slopes downward slightly and the foliage overhead gradually thins. The ravine is wider here, and numerous boulders scattered throughout the area attest to steady erosion. Some of the boulders bear strange carvings and are even hewn into rough pillars, but they jut at odd angles out from the landscape and don’t seem to be a part of any surviving structure. Nestled in the shadow of two such pillars is a shallow pit scraped out of the earth by some massive creature’s claws.
The nest contains several branches, the half-eaten body of a leather-clad humanoid, several broken shells, and several large, intact eggs. In the trampled foliage near the nest lies the corpse of a massive, bipedal dinosaur, its tooth-lined maw agape and its hide pierced with dozens of crude javelins.
As you approach, you see the figures of two scaly humanoids deeply engrossed in tearing off chunks of flesh from the massive dinosaur. They are larger and look more muscular than the kobolds you faced back in the Bandu Hills, and for now, they seem not to have noticed you.
What will you do?
Denair quiets everyone, and decides to sneak ahead.
She is promptly distracted as she kicks an egg shell.
Despite Denair's misstep, the creatures still do not notice her as they continue to gorge themselves on the dinosaur's flesh.
Willem and Destrier both have a good look around and notice that the area seems to be vacant aside from them and the feasting creatures.
Denair moves a little closer...
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Looks like we found our egg. Drawing her daggers, Lai moves forward as quietly as she can.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Willem watches as the others move forward. He readies himself to leap into the saddle and charge forward should his more stealthy companions be heard..
-Posted with Wayfinder
Surprise Round is a charge! "BONZAI!" Denair leaps ahead and lashes out at the Green-tinted lizard.
Round 1
She continues her assault (or 5 ft steps up to yellow if Green is down)
As usual, Denair is too excited to be useful.
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Willem quickly gets astride Destrier, wheeling him around and getting ready to charge into the fray, his thoughts of attempting to talk to the lizards racing quickly from his head.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Lai continues her silent approach and takes cover behind a ruin, preferring to wait for the opportune moment over simply rushing in.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Denair and Laiashi rush in and strike at the feasting lizardfolk, but their thick scales repel the attacks. Jann's command, on the other hand, pierces deeply into the green-tinted creature's small mind and turns its innate violence against its ally.
*Whack whack*
Both of Farshaya's kicks hit home against the green lizard man's jaw. The second strike sends a few bloody fangs flying out from its blunt snout. A dazed look comes over the reptilian warrior's face and he begins to turn, not towards his attackers, but toward his ally.
The yellow-frilled lizard, meanwhile, turns his attentions on Laiashi. He raises a crude weapon fashioned of a large, jagged rock strapped to a broken branch, and hisses at the fiery young woman. "Die, ape! This is our kill!" As he brings his weapon down, he also snaps at her with his sharp fangs.
The greenish lizard then turns around, Jann's magic still turning his violent nature against his companion. The lizard man strikes at his fellow in the same way the latter had attacked Laiashi.
"Focus. Right. Focus. FOCUS!" Denair scoots around the battlefield and flanks with Laiashi.
"Uh, did I focus enough?"
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"Oh you did not just call me an ape, you stupid skink." Laiashi's daggers glow red-hot in her hands as she stabs forward.
+1 fire
+1 fire
-Posted with Wayfinder
Jann's spell hardly has time to take effect before the barrage of attacks rain down on both lizardmen. First, Laiashi's blades flash out in flaming arcs to cut two massive, glowing gashes across the yellow lizardfoik's torso. Then, Meredith steps forward with her trusty Gold Crown longspear (The only spear you'll ever need!) and pierces the green lizard through the throat. With both enemies needing only to fall to the ground in death, Willem rides forward and cleaves the green lizard man deeply in his shoulder, sending him sprawling to his final resting place on the floor of the ravine.
"Did I focus right?" Denair wonders.
Meredith pets her head. "You did good, Laiashi here benefitted. Good job."