The sun sets and the chittering sounds of insects fills the darkness. You are farther into the jungle than you have ever been. If the high-pitched squeaking of peepers keeps you awake as you try to sleep, the sound of branches cracking and leaves rustling startles you as something (or possibly nothing) moves about in under the cloak of night. Those with darkvision see glowing eyes of countless frogs and what might have been an alligator, but nothing treads on your patch of land.
The morning sun finds the party mostly recovered, but covered in bites from the day before and heavy eyes from a restless night. The jungle is not an easy place to stay. White rolling mists have formed during the night, blanketing your small island in another island of muffled sounds and ominous whiteness hiding the swampland. The air is surprisingly cool, though not unnaturally so.
"No need for thanks," Mud says about the chain shirt. "I wear wood," he taps the wooden slats strapped to his chest and back. "No drown in water, help swim. When rains come, I dive and bring you to surface, ha ha. You sink like stone."
As Mud unravels his hammock, a light mist starts to fall as if to emphasize his words. He looks about the swamps and nods eastward. "Ready? How you want travel, Mudzuzhi in front?"
After the party has gathered up their things and moved out in their specified order, Ood and Odie notice a large animal soaring above them some fifty feet up, but a hundred or more feet away. It is wheeling with the wind in the east, and the rising sun is preventing a clearer picture of the creature at this distance.
"Seems a sound plan Mud! Wearing wood to aid in swimming. I like the idea."
Ood looks cautiously upon the creature soaring above.
"I'll follow next behind Mud. Feel free to point out anything interesting while we travel. Say, what are those flying critters up there? They look pretty big, are they some that you and your companions hunt?"
I should pick up a hammock, that seems like a good idea in this climate.
Mud scans the sky, but shrugs when he spots the creature. "Not sure. Maybe flying reptile called Pterosaur. No good meat, much chewy. Or maybe is dragon. Only one, not more, so should be no harm."
He pulls out his sling and loads it with a stone. "But Mud not be too safe."
He sets off after camp has broken down toward the east and the flying reptile, Ood directly behind him and the other four bringing up the rear. The swamp is thick and heavy, and Mud appears to be following a large current of water through the thick of the swamp. Your boots are soon soaked again, and the mosquitoes continue their attacks in earnest.
The creature continues to wheel overhead, a small green reptile some 200 feet above you.
Alset questions Mud, "Are there any of these dinosaurs that are safe or tame? Any that your people have domesticated?"
The others can hear Stonewall grumbling and mumbling to himself in Dwarven.
The others do see Stonewall eye the reptile warily and ready a javelin.
Odie lights up one of his self-rolled cigarets, hoping it will drive off some of the pests.
"Song'o no tame dinosaurs. Against order of nature."
Round Surprise
The mud is thick and difficult to walk in. The morning wears on for an hour, but the flying reptile still soars above you. As Mud leads you through an unavoidably sticky spot, you hear a keening roar from up above. The reptile swoops down, green wings tucked in tight, straight for the party. About 60 feet above you it scaly mouth opens and a ball of green acid sprays out, splashing directly onto Stonewall in the center of the group. The acid mists into a cloud, filling everyone's lungs with noxious fumes. Stonewall's lungs fill with the gases.
The cloud's pain quickly dissipates, but the green mist still obscures your vision beyond 5 feet away.
Mud coughs and says, "Forest Drake!"
Initiative Order:
1-Forest Drake
2-The party
Round 1; AC 17; HP 42/42; 10 ft. in air
Vision concealed (50% miss) past 5 feet
The forest drake swoops down and speaks in Draconic behind Odie. He clamps down on his arm and gives him 9 damage.
Round 1, Mud; 2/9 HP
Mudzhuzi screams at the party in Polyglot, quickly followed by "No wings, no fly!" and then hurls a sling faster than your eyes can catch at the drake. The stone hurls through the mist but lands far away in the swamp.
Round 1
HP: 13/29
RRR: 8/9
Odie screams and jumps at the flying creature, but doesn't jump high enough to make contact, enraging Odie further as he lands beneath it.
Round 1
HP 5/20
Stonewall’s skin is severely burned as the acid falls on him and he screams in pain. He draws a potion from his belt and downs the contents as he moves out of the mist.
HP 20/20
Round 1, HP 18/25, Wand CLW 44/50
Alset performs Detect Evil on the drake.
Alset refuses to use his crossbow, knowing he'll miss, and, instead takes out the wand of CLW and heals Mud. Odie is next for healing.
"Mud, hold on, I'll heal you. Keep on slinging those stones."
Ood moves toward the Drake and readies his kama for a strike.
I wonder if we can knock him down.
We can do it! Seems a foul creature!
Round 2, AC 17, HP 42/42; Breath recharge: 2 rounds; Mist dissipate: 3 rounds
+1 attack/damage on Drake
The drake flaps its wings to stay aloft, striking out with his bite and whipping his tail around at Odie. His swings miss wildly in the acidic fog. He flaps backwards, descending slowly into the muck and mire. Thick, muddy waters soon cover his green scales and leathery wings, hiding him from view. Soon nothing but the muddy water is visible, a small lump that might be a log, or the creature itself, under the waters.
Mud HP 7/9
Mud grabs his chest, wheezing heavily, green spittle flying out of his mouth. He points to the "log" and shouts, "That's not log! Drake no makomoro Mudzhuzi, ngori waiswana!" He slips back into Polyglot in the heat of the battle, grimacing in pain.
While still injured, Mud attempts to hide behind Alset.
Ood moved toward the "log," and takes a swing with the kama
Round 2
HP: 13/29
RRR: 7/9
Odie sees the drake in the muck and attacks!
Round 2
HP 20/20
Stonewall spots the drake and charges forward drawing and swinging his terbutje as he approaches.
The hasty swing bounces off the drake’s hard scales.
Round 2: HP 18/25 | Wand CLW 43/50 | Smite Evil on Drake - Attack +1, Damage +2, AC +1, DR negated | Freebooters Bane - Attack +1, Damage +1 | Bolts 10/10
Alset, sensing that the drake is evil, calls on the holiness of Iomedae to help him smite the evil creature. "Bless my attacks on this evil drake, Iomedae!"
Alset runs closer to the drake but away from the cloud. As he moves, he calls to Mud, "Stay with me. I'll protect you."
Without thinking about all the previous misses, he fires his crossbow at the drake out of pure reflex.
The bolt misses wide to the left.
"Blasted crossbow. It Is Time For The Sword!!!
Round 3. HP 13/42; Breath recharge 1 round, Mist dissipate 2 rounds
The drake rises from the pool, thick mud and plant detritus sliding off his back. He rises eight feet tall, his spiked tail skimming the surface of the water behind him before lashing out at Odie and Ood.
Odie is crushed in the mouth of the drake, red blood and green spittle dripping from the beast's mouth. The drake tosses Odie to the waters with a splash and grins, a guttural but incomprehensible voice coming from the reptile. You can see two throat sacs fill up again with a translucent green hue.
Mud runs through the swamp to hide behind Alset. "Don't leave me!" he says.
Ood discards his Kama and punches the drake in a flurry of blows!
Round 3
HP 20/20
Stonewall carefully moves around the drake and swings his terbutje again.
Stonewall curses his rotten aim as the vicious blow clanks against the drake’s scales once more.
Round 3: the Balad of Odie the Drowned
Status: Unraged, Fatigued, Unconscious, Drowning, Dying, lol
HP: -4/25
After being bitten nearly in half, Odie's unconscious form lies dying in the mire, unmoving.
At least I hurt the monster, maybe my friends an avenge me even if they cannot save me. I wonder if I'll come back as a Paladin or what in my next life?
Round 3: HP 18/25 | Wand CLW 43/50 | Smite Evil on Drake - Attack +1, Damage +2, AC +1, DR negated | Freebooters Bane - Attack +1, Damage +1 | Bolts 9/10
Alset moves next to Odie and touches his dying, bitten body with the tip of the wand.
"Odie, perhaps this will pull you through, but I'm going to have to fight this thing, NOW. Mud? Can you pull Odie out of the mire before he drowns?"
Round 4; AC 17 HP 8/43; Mist dissipate 1 round
The drake squeals as Ood's fist slams into its nose. Reeling back, the drake flaps its wings and takes a 5' "step" into the air, thrashing against Ood. Blood pours from various wounds and mixes with the sludgy swamp water. He takes a gouge out of Ood as he lifts into the air.
Mud plunges his hand into the water, grabbing a knotted mass and pulls Odie up by his hair. The half-orc spews water and plant matter before gasping for air, the halfling's two small arms barely high enough for Odie's mouth to clear the surface of the water.
Round 4
HP 20/20
Stonewall splutters as he is splashed by the murky, muddy water from the drake’s take off but drops his terbutje and draws a javelin, takes careful aim and hurls it.
round 4
HP -2/20
Ood lets out a groan, "ugh"
Round 4
Status: Unraged, Fatigued, Unconscious, Drowning, Dying, lol
RRR: 7/9
HP: 1/25
Odie gasp a breath of "fresh" air.
"Huuuh, bleh. That was unpleasant." Seeing Mud was the one that pulled him up. "Thank you Mud"
Odie climbs out of the swamp and attempts to jump and swing at the drake.
"Why do they always hover just out of reach?"
Round 4: HP 18/25 | Wand CLW 43/50 | Smite Evil on Drake - Attack +1, Damage +2, AC +1, DR negated | Freebooters Bane - Attack +1, Damage +1 | Bolts 9/10 | Healing 2/2
Alset sees the javelin hit the drake and sensing that the drake won't make it far, he uses the Wand of CLW on Ood. He will pull him out of the mud/slime if necessary.
"Ood, that should help! Mud, you've done very well. Stay back, now, and we'll finish the drake off."
"We've all been looking up! The drake keeps flying up!"
Rising from the waters, Stonewall throws his javelin, an arc of water trailing behind the javelin like tiny jewels. The head sinks deep into the drake's skull through its nostril, green blood spewing out. His head jerking back, neck falling limp, the drake sinks into the waters with a slap.
Ood is breathes again, healed by Alset's wand, and the party gathers themselves on the dry ground. You heal your wounds as Mud begins to strip the drake of skin and flesh.
"Meat no good food," he says, knife slitting the drake down his belly. "But skin good for pots and bowls."
Mud cleans the skull as best as he can and offers the horned visage of the drake to Stonewall. "To the one that kills the beast."
Stonewall listens to Mud’s explanation and decides to assist him in harvesting the drake for usable parts.
He tries to keep the skin as whole as possible.
Upon seeing the skull and realizing Mud was cleaning it for him, he says, ”Thank you Mud!”. I wonder if I can make that into a helmet...”
Wand of CLW 42/50 | Healing (Lay on Hands) 2/2
Alset begins to heal those who are injured with the Wand of CLW.
Hit points needed: Odie - 24, Ood - 14, Alset - 7, Mud - 2
Alset lays hands on himself.
Alset uses the wand on the others for 40 total points of healing.
Running total: 41/50 | HP Restored: 3
Running total: 40/50 | HP Restored: 10
Running total: 39/50 | HP Restored: 15
Running total: 38/50 | HP Restored: 21
Running total: 37/50 | HP Restored: 29
Running total: 36/50 | HP Restored: 35
Running total: 35/50 | HP Restored: 38
Running total: 34/50 | HP Restored: 41
"There! We're all healed up. Let's find a good place to rest for the night. Mud, what would you suggest?"
Mud motions further eastward. "We have much sun left. Almost through swamp."
He leads the party further toward Cahshil, the halfling village for the rest of the day. As the sun sets, you find the marshy ground give way to thicker jungles. Mud finds a sheltered place in the shade of the trees for you to rest for the night. He is much more at home in the trees than the swamps.
After Mud picks out a place to camp. Stonewall tries to get a fire going to dry clothes.
Stonewall busies himself about trying to gather up enough kindling and tinder to get started but has trouble finding enough. ”Well boys, looks like we’ll have to air dry tonight.”
Stonewall eventually gives up and sits down with his Dwarven Trail Ration (sausages, dried salted ham, hardtack and dried fruit). He sets his pack, shield and newly acquired drake skull on the ground next to him. As he’s chewing, he pulls out his red and white hand bag to contemplate it. The others see him staring at it for a long time and gather himself up. He plunges his hand into the bag and feels around.
Stonewall digs around, but the bag is a normal bag of holding. Nothing else is inside.
Alset asks Stonewall, "Hey, Stony, got any nice gifts we could give to Mud in there?"
Mud points to Stonewall's sausages and says, "You eat the...?" He motions to his gut and makes a gurgling sound. He digs into his own pack of dried fruit and root vegetables the lack of fire of no concern to the halfling.
That night on the edge of the jungle is full of sounds even more wild than the night before. As Odie rises to take the last watch in the predawn light, he hears a light rustling in the branches. His darkvision is not enough to see any movement in the branches.
From behind him, he hears a harsh, quiet voice say, "Hello?"
The voice sounds like a parrot imitating human speech, but deeper.
Stonewall looks at Alset askance. ”Nope, it’s empty. If Mud journeys with us, we’ll have to pink him something up in town.”
To Mud, ”mmm yes, and it’s delicious!”
Loud swallowing and chewing noises
"Uh?" Odie grabs his sword. "Who's out there?"
Odie sees a 3 foot tall reptile about as long as Odie is tall, but weighing much less. It has a long nose and inquisitive eyes, the reptile's head tilted to the side. The claws are not particularly deadly looking. It is covered in light feathers, the tail particularly impressive, and the brown and white coloring helps it to blend into the undergrowth. A red, fleshy caruncle hangs from its lower jaw.
The dinosaur hops forward until it's about 40 feet away from Odie and says in the same parrot-like voice, "Hello?"
Odie's exceptional ears hear a rustling in the jungle around him louder than the normal night sounds.
Round 1, maybe even surprise?
RRR: 10/11
HP 43/43
"EVERYONE UP! THERE IS SOMETHING OUT THERE BEING SUPER CREEPY!"
Odie does not wait to see if his companions wake up or not as he rushes into the jungle towards the beast that, if it were friendly would have waited until daybreak.
As Odie is within striking distance, he says "HELLO!" as he swings his sword at it.
Stonewall hears something that wakes him up and jumps to a sitting position glancing everywhere saying, "What is it, whats going on?" as he reaches for Igvir and draws a handaxe from the inside of the tower shield.
Ood arises and tries to figure out what is going on...
Round 1 | HP 37/37 | Smite Evil 1/1 | Lay on Hands 2/2
Detect Evil on creepy dino who says, "hello."
"Odie, be careful, but it doesn't sound too dangerous or it wouldn't be talking."
Alset stands, draws his sword, and moves toward Odie at a run.
Surprise Round
The dinosaur dodges barely away from Odie's swing and hisses.
Ood hears the sounds of four more creatures moving swiftly on their location from the surrounding woods. The dinosaur seems mostly curious, but you have a hard time telling what these reptilian creatures think.
The dinosaur is not evil. Alset hears two dinosaurs to the south.
Four other dinosaurs converge on the party from the dark jungle and swipe at Ood, Mud, and Stonewall.
Mud takes the only hit for 1 damage. He awakes with a start and curses in Polyglot before seeing what woke him.
Round 1; AC 13; HP 13/13
The Party is up.
Troodons after that.
Round 1
HP 28/28
AC 17
Stonewall takes a swing at the nearest troodon.
Stonewall then steps toward Mud to close ranks with him and Ood.
”Mud! I’m coming!”