Ood converses with Diomco and had not tried the wine, but sampled it after the recommendation. "It was a fine wine, If you can't find wheat or a hive, I think you could do no better.
Heading up to bed, A good dwarf I think, but I have no interest in fisticuffs for sport.
"Ah, a pig, I've never owned one before but she'll match my mask."
Odie pulls out his battle mask to compare it's fierce and teeth bearing pig face.
"You are much prettier my beloved." talking sweetly to the pig "Beloved, it's fitting, I will name you Beloved."
Odie strolls up to the BU and gets a mead or 3 for himself through out the evening, occasionally sharing a bit with his new friend Beloved.
"I've got a job and new friend, what else could I want from life?" He smiles to the beach in general, talking to nobody in particular but seems amicable to anyone around him.
Only the tough-looking patrons are interested in talking with Odie. They ask him about joining in the Mud and Foam fights that night, but talk of little else; there seems to be little other sources of excitement in town. Maharbel prepares him the drinks he asks for from her rhinoceros.
Those inside their rooms hear the usual noises of a loud tavern's carousing mixed in with the chirps, buzzing, calls, and other mysterious noises of the jungle. Soon the talking and shouting goes quiet, and only the gentle waves of the river and the myriad denizens of the jungle can be heard.
For those outside, as the night wears on, a few of the town's rougher denizens make their way to the Bloated Unicorn. Around midnight, when the tide is at its lowest point, Maharbel pulls a chalkboard from her rhinoceros with over two dozen names on it, numbers and tic marks in some sort of columns beside each name. She calls out six names and checks off the names as she calls them out.
Two humans get up to cheers among the crowd and go face each other on the sand. They're weaponless, armorless, and muscled, but not particularly fearsome looking. The bard stops his singing and casts some spell around the beach, and all noise from outside is silenced. Maharbel takes bets, and from town another half-orc and a few others that were not present on the beach before join to watch.
The fight goes quickly, as do the two that follow. No one is grievously injured, but those with bloody noses or purpling bruises go to the lame bard and have their wounds healed without formality. Shouts and jeers of encouragement or disparagement come from most of the crowd, though no champion is seen or crowned, as if this night's contestants were a simple exhibition and not part of a larger competition. As Maharbel updates the chalkboard, you notice the names called have few tick marks and a low ranking next to them.
In the darkness of the night, the tide moves up the sands again, covering up any blood and ruts and in the beach. The bard dispels his silencing magic and most of the patrons return to their homes. A few have already fallen asleep on the beach, and a few more decide to join them.
"It's always good to observe your opponents before you fight them, if you can." Odie whispers to Beloved "Makes it easier to find their weaknesses and such when you don't have to worry about dodging their blows at the same time. Maybe I'll have a go at them next time."
Odie finds a nice place on the beach, gets out his blanket, and uses his pack as a pillow to sleep for the night, in preparation for tomorrow's journey. Beloved leans up against her new owner and settles down for the night.
Early the next morning, Stonewall gets up and carefully organizes his backpack with all of his equipment. He meticulously inspects his chainmail and dons it. He hoists his pack onto his back, grabs Igvir and heads to the common room. "Maharbel, I'll take a loaf of bread, cheese and honey now. That bed treated me well last night, I thank you.". Once he gets his food items, he briefly greets any of his party that are near by but heads straight to the gate to wait. He greets the guards on duty and eats some of his bread slathered with honey offering some to them and making small talk. After he finishes his small meal, he starts honing his sword. As he finishes with the sword, anyone watching him sees him reach to the back of his tower shield and pull back holding a dagger and a pair of throwing axes. After he finishes with them, he returns the dagger and axes and waits for his party.
Upon waking up, Ood secures his pack, slings his kamas over his back and heads to the common area.
"Maharbel, do you have anything going for breakfast? Nothing fancy, but a meal sounds good before I hit the trail.
Ood pays for the breakfast, and sits down to eat. When Stonewall came through, Ood waved.
Looks like Stonwall is ready to hit the trail already. I wonder if the others are out there already. I better get going
"Thank you for the fine meal and a place to rest my weary head after the boat ride." Ood says as he finishes his meal and starts heading out the door.
Approaching the gate, Ood sees Stonewall and says "did you try the house wine last night at the Bloated Unicorn? There is a dwarf here that made it, it was no mead, but it was pretty stout."
Maharbel says to the dwarves, "I'm glad you found the beds comfortable. I've got all the bread, cheese, and anything you can think of to eat. I'll have both your rooms ready tonight; the jungle's no place to sleep."
-----
Alset wanders the streets at night, praying for the souls he sees. Eventually he turns in to the Bloated Unicorn, before any signs of the nighttime brawl, and reserves a simple room. The next morning he prays to Iomedae in his room before donning his armor, shield, and sword to fight what evils come this new day. He paces the streets again that morning, praying and observing who is poor and destitute, and who is sleeping off their drunkenness before meeting the rest of the party at the gate, sword and shield ready.
"May Iomedae protect us this day. 12 miles south, is it? When the half-orc arrives, we shall set forth. Who will take the lead, who will scout ahead?"
Waking up in the beach, Odie grabs a quick bite at the Unicorn and then heads to the beach to join the party.
"Everyone! I'd like you to meet the newest member of our group! Beloved! Our lovely pack-pig! Isn't she just the cutest!" Odie gets fish on one knee and puts his face in hers, looking into her eyes and tussling her ears.
"With everyone here, I say the dwarves take the lead and I'll bring up the rear. If it comes down to it, Alset and I can attack over your heads! Haha!" Odie says this last part intended as a joke but thinking about it after, wonders if these dwarves are ok with short jokes.
Stonewall sees Ood coming and greets him, "Hail Ood" and listens to him. "I did not but it sounds like I need to!"
Stonewall greets Alset and says, "I have given some thought to our roles should we face combat. I can take the lead. I have some skill in tracking but I have no talent for stealth as a scout.i propose that, if necessary, Master Kirk provide ranged cover for us with his bow. In the event of foes with ranged capabilities of their own, Odie use his mobility to engage them in close combat."
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Alset assents to Kargold's marching order, "Sound perfectly acceptable. I'll have my crossbow at the ready."
Smiling broadly at Odie, "Beloved is a fitting name. I thought you were kidding (since you do it often) about your, ah, fondness for pigs. My apologies for trying to dissuade you from purchasing Beloved." Chuckling quietly, "I'm sure she will come in hammy, I mean handy being a pack-pig and all."
"Ood, do you think you could scout for us when necessary? Stonewall just now notices the pig. "Is that a pig? Good idea Odie, some fresh meat might come in handy. Are those bags on it? Good thinking."
"A sound plan, I have little weighing me down and I may have an easier time of it than the rest.
"Thats a fine idea Odie.". Stonewall doesn't realize Odie was joking. "Well, let's be off then. I was thinking we might want to stop at that farm Adaela mentioned on the way. They might know something about Fort Breakthrough."
As they start to walk, if the others hadn't yet, they realize why Stonewall said that he had no talent for stealth. He makes an awful racket, clanking and stomping as he goes.
Thick, hot, and humid, the jungle presses on the party the second they leave the walls of Pridon's Hearth behind them. Not even a hundred feet down the trail the stone walls and trails of smoke are lost in the tangled weave of vines, lianas, thick-limbed branches, and broad leaves. Hoots from primates, calls from birds, and countless unseen creatures rustle through the plants, out of sight but not out of mind.
The hard packed earthen path soon melts into a muddy trail, barely wide enough to stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Wet fronds slap against your armor as your boots slide and sink into the brown muck. The bright greeness of it all begins to sting your eyes as you head south.
After a half an hour, however, the thick jungle gives way to grassy lowlands. The air is less oppressive and you can see the coast a half a mile to your right and the gently rising lowlands to your left. The trail becomes hard again, even through soaked gullies, though it does not remain wider than three feet. Birds wheels high above in the air and a fresh breeze blows off the coast.
To the east, as the trail turns south, you see raised tracts of land known as hummocks, a place for farmers to keep their soil dry and untainted by the marshy lowlands. Banana trees, plantains, and other tropical crops line the elevated tracts, a group of sheds a mile or two off the road that can be none other than the Witherroot farm. The trail itself continues southward.
Alset takes a quick drink from his waterskin without slowing the pace. He looks in the direction of the sun and says, "We're about half way to the fort. We should be there before the heat of the day really sets in, unless we stop at the farm. What do we gain by stopping at the farm?" Farm, I don't remember any mention of a farm when talking to Adaela. I must have been distracted by the Iomedaen tattoo.
Alset takes a quick drink from his waterskin without slowing the pace. He looks in the direction of the sun and says, "We're about half way to the fort. We should be there before the heat of the day really sets in, unless we stop at the farm. What do we gain by stopping at the farm?" Farm, I don't remember any mention of a farm when talking to Adaela. I must have been distracted by the Iomedaen tattoo.
"I don't have a map, unfortunately. But 12 miles south along a muddy trail should take you 3 hours," she eyes the two dwarfs small stature, "Maybe four. The Whitherroot farm lies halfway between if you need a place to rest. And every one of my militia speaks Common well enough, even if their writing leaves something to be desired." She sighs as she eyes her office's label.
Odie is leading Beloved down the path at what to him is a slow pace.
"I think we can skip the farm, it sounded more like a landmark than a destination."
Plus, if we get side tracked, it'll take us even longer to get there.
I wonder what knowledge they may have of the fort. Well, we'll be there soon enough if we keep moving and find out for ourselves.
"We can swing by on our way back through if there is need."
Ood continues walking down the path with an ear out for trouble whenever Stonewall is still enough.
The path winds along the coast before heading a few hundred feet inland up a slight slope. You see the wooden fort up ahead on a slight rise, high enough to see most of the surrounding marshlands and coastline. It's a square building, roughly 100 feet on each side. Four two storey towers make up the corners of the fort. The roughly hewn logs stand about 15 feet high, the towers stretching up another 15 feet.
You can see no activity as you head up the rise toward the single entrance. The door, however, has been shattered inward, the remains strewn across the opening in the log walls. Several of the flinders are trampled into the dirt. Some pieces of wood still remain attached to large metal hinges at the sides of the exposed entrance.
Odie examines the door more closely. Is this damage recent or does it always look like this?
Stonewall stops and listens to see if he hears anything out of the ordinary.
Stonewall doesn't hear anything strange and blunders on into the fort. "I don't hear anything." Anyone that tries to stop him has to be especially loud or vigorous in shaking him to get his attention as he clanks and rattles his way forward. He does however look at the ground and check to see any tracks that match lizardfolk or boggards on his way to the ruined door.
"Better safe than sorry" he thinks as he hefts his shield and flail.
Several of the flinders are trampled into the dirt.
Alset raised is crossbow to his shoulder in anticipation of an attack. As he does so, he checks to detect evil.
Anything obvious about what we see? If so, Alset believes he has seen it and will quietly share it with those nearest him.
Odie cannot tell how much time has passed, the humidity already working its way into the shattered wood.
Stonewall's ears are assaulted by the sounds of nature as he eyes the ground. He spots multiple humanoid tracks, but the earth is hard packed and he cannot make out what kind they are.
Alset detects no presence of evil. The gate seems to have been smashed in, and Alset remembers that battering rams are rare here, but some local tribes of halflings and lizardfolk are known to use ramming dinosaurs (pachycephalosaurs) to break down barriers.
Inside the courtyard, Stonewall sees a wide muddy courtyard with three buildings clinging to the sides of the fort's interior walls. The buildings to the southwest and east are sealed tight, while the door to the building in the northwest is slightly ajar. A well is in the northeastern end, and an animal pen is built on the western side. In the center of the courtyard, three small reptilian creatures are feasting on two human bodies in the center of the courtyard. The bodies are decaying in the sun and one has a spear sticking out of his chest. The three creatures run up to Stonewall and nip fruitlessly against his armor.
Stonewall is next up, then Ood.
Initiative 20
HP 12/12
Surprise Round
Stonewall charges at the nearest lizard and swings his flail at the little bugger, ”Kill them! Their eating the bodies!”
Stonewall misses his surprise attack and curses his luck.
Round One
Stonewall steps around the lizards and swings again with his flail.
Stonewall deals a mighty blow to the side of the creature. "Take that you nasty scavenger!"
If there are any scavengers remaining when Alset's turn occurs, he'll fire a bolt at the nearest one.
After they are defeated (optimistic at this early stage), Alset will begin searching the closed doors for survivors or more badies.
Splat! Stonewall's flail splatters the animal, only a bloody pulp left on the ground.
Ood is up next. 2 left.
Initiative: 16
HP: 12
Ood runs forward quietly, picks up a piece of the broken gate and throws it at the small creatures.
Initiative: 9
HP: 14/14
Calmly Odie says to Beloved "Stay here pretty one." as he rushes into combat against the right most of the two remaining creatures.
As Odie runs, he draws his sword from his back.
I should have drawn this when we saw the broken doors. These years of planned combat in the cage did not prepare me properly for a real fight.
Snarling and screaming like a mad-orc, Odie swings with all his might at the creature.
Roaring Odie takes the head off the creature's shoulders in a single swing.
Odie locks eyes with the remaining creature, letting it know that it is next.
Ood's chunk of lumber thuds into the ground as the small critters scurry away from his attack.
After Odie's kill, Alset lets fly a bolt that just misses the creature and sticks into the wooden palisade.
The remaining animal snarls and hisses at Odie, biting into his much more yielding flesh. Odie feels the monster's saliva sting at the wound on his bitten calf.
Stonewall is up. 1 creature left.
Initiative: 9
HP: 12/14
Rage: 6/6
"Filthy scavengers!" Odie screams at the creature.
Round 2
Initiative 20
HP 12/12
Stonewall brings his flail down on the last lizard to smash it into the ground.
The feisty dinosaur dances away from him.
Initiative: 16
HP: 12
Ood continues to run after having throw the plank and missed and attempts to punch the lizard! Unfortunately he misses the target
so close twice! Agile little fellow.
Initiative: 9
HP: 12/14
Rage: 6/6
Odie takes a swing at his new opponent.
Odie cuts the little monster in half and says "What even are these things anyway? It gave me barely more than a scratch, but it kinda burned for a second there. Maybe they're rabid?"
The courtyard has 2 dead human bodies, one with a spear in it. The east and southwest doors are shut, the northwest door is open. There is an animal pen to the west, a well to the north.
"Well, I doubt the little guys were using this."Odie states while shaking the spear still in the body."What do you guys think?"
Looking around at the rest of the scene.
Stonewall trudges through the courtyard toward the well to check out the far end of the Fort. As he walks, he looks around to inspect the Fort itself and its condition.
"How long did Adaela say it had been since she should have heard from the fort? It seems like it has been a while since the attack."
"I would agree, but that only narrows down the options to everything else." Ood also looks around the interior and starts walking north toward the open door, but pauses about halfway there thinking, what could have caused this mayhem.
Odie, Stonewall, and Ood see the fort has been unused for a few days, possibly a week. Signs of a scuffle in the center courtyard are the only signs something is out of place from what you can see.
"We should probably go check for survivors before we figure out if these guys have anything worth taking." Pointing to the door to the north with his sword in hand "That looks like our best option, let's go check it out together. Beloved, come stand guard at this door as we go in." Odie begins walking to the north door that is ajar.
Alset joins the others in the courtyard and examines the remains in the courtyard, human and otherwise.
"I don't know much about these small creatures. There isn't enough left of them to recognize much more than that they are dinos, kind of a lizard-bird creature."
He assists in the search of the rest of the fort after retrieving his bolt from the palisade. He unsheathes his long sword, but doesn't think the owners of the spear are anywhere near the fort. It has been too long. They're most likely far away.
Alset finds no identification marks on the spear, but he does see that one of the bodies has the holy symbol of Abadar on a chain around his neck.
"I agree with Ross there. Well let's look deeper." Ood continues toward the door.
Ross and Ood slowly open the northwest door. Inside, broken halves of a large table lie askew in the center of the room. Half a dozen four-foot-long spears protrude from one half of the table, and brown bloodstains mar the floor. A basic map of the region covers most of one wall, hanging next to a picture of an austere-looking man. A shut door is in the northwest corner.
Stonewall follows Ood and Odie into the room. He investigates the map and any papers to see if the militia knew who were attacking them.
The room was the mess hall; only decayed food and wooden dishes are strewn about the floor. Stonewall realizes the portrait is of Baron Utilinus, Grand Custodian of Sargava, the head of state. As you examine the portrait, you notice a hidden cache in the wall behind the Baron with a small metal box.
Ood walks over to the portrait and says, "Hey, a box we should take this back to the commander, but let's see what's in it in case it might help in our search for knowledge of what happened here."
Ood finds the box is unlocked and contains 100 gold pieces as part of the fort's payroll.
"Ok, lets check the other rooms" says Stonewall. He heads back out into the courtyard and plods over to the west door to open it. We need to get a body count for when we report back to Adaela. Wait, before I open this door, I'd better listen.
Stonewall barges in.
Ood follows Stonewall. I guess when you have that much armor, you don't have to use caution...