"Badgers. At least they aren't snakes."
From down below, Antonio called out; "Hey! What's the hold up?"
Nala doesn't raise her voice to repeat what she'd just said moments before. She didn't want to spook or anger the creatures. Instead, she waits to see how Baldek will react, not asserting herself; druids could calm beasts... but she'd always been terrible at that. She'd give him a chance to see how he would do things; he'd volunteered himself, after all. And Badgers and Dwarves have a lot of things in common.
"Very large animals." she said, rolling her shoulders. She then attempted to show the creatures that they were equals and did not need to either be food to the other; it was often better to not fight unless it was vital. Even still, she made efforts to cross the stream, rather than stay on their side.
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The male looks at the two (soon to be three, and so on) of you, and huffs a couple times, then there's a low growl issued from the back of his throat. It's apparent that he's decided that this is his territory, and you are uninvited guests.
It seems to be that time.
She'll follow his lead, so they take actions on the same initiative.
He's not terribly practical. ;)
"We can avoid it by moving away from it and giving it a wide berth. Don't approach him." she states simply, as she awaits her allies to move along. She repeats the same warning as they come up.
"Long way or hard way?" she calls back down over the edge.
Reiko pokes his head above the ridge as he climbs up, seeing the badgers.
I have no idea. Your call Nala. I'm no woodsman.
He whispers to her, and then slowly goes back down a little bit, getting out of view of the beast.
Nala nodded. "There will be a lot of homes, here. Go on back down and I will come behind you."
Nia looks to the others. "Umm, I am guessing we take the long route?" she asked calmly.
"Well, if that is so we should mark our path around. I am definitely not the best at finding a path that isn't that obvious. You can call me hopeless in that. Find me a Library and I know it like nothing else." Makes a light joke.
Looking around she would look for somewhere to mark this as an off shoot of where they came from.
Backing up, Antonio decides to go around the badger obstacles.
Nala, on the other hand, was effectively a monkey. Years of living in the wilderness had made her quite capable of moving about freely. She'd be more than capable of aiding anyone (and everyone) who needed it, though being standoffish, she wouldn't outright offer.
"Anyone got rope and such to help. Not the best climber." Nia tried to joke as she used what was provided to head up.
Nala, recognizing another's need, would do her best to aid Nia... who seemed to be having a terrible time at each juncture. "We could perhaps make the travel easier by looping the rope and hauling people up?" she asks those gathered above.
Reiko uses Baldek's knotted ropes to climb, offering to donate his own as well.
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Nia seems to be the only one having significant trouble, but after people see that, all the aid offered gets her up the hill as well. The forest is thick, here, and the underbrush all but prevents movement - unless you happen to be one of the endless supply of insects surrounding you, the birds higher up, or the surprisingly large rodents you catch sight of on a regular basis.
Oh, and snakes. Most do appear harmless, but within the time it takes for the group to ascend the worst of the slope, you spot five or six three to five foot long - what you might otherwise think of as garter snakes and their ilk - just very large ones.
Nia looked around at all the snakes and bugs and things and sighs. "If only I had time. I know a wizard that would pay good money just to have info on these animals in this environment. O'well, let's continue on and hope that we don't run into the bad variety of these things. R.O.U.S's seem to be common here. As long as we don't have the Lightning sand and the flames we are good. Nia looks at the undergrowth and such.
"I am guessing we are hacking our way through carefully?"
Nala paused and frowned. "If they would be of value, I am certain we could find a few specimens to take back with us. It's why I had originally intended to come here; everything is lush and overgrown. I'd... expected to be alone once I arrived. I'd also expected to arrive safely." she stated.
Then she actually looked to Nia as she suggested hacking through. "I... do not have anything to hack with. The wilds tend not to bind me as much as they do others. While the beasts do not always respect me quite so much, nature itself tends to at least react passively."
Hacking his way through the dense undergrowth.
"What, Rodents Of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist..."
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Though several times as you slowly work your way up toward the precipice of the island, there are eyes that glare glistening at you from a height far beyond what would normally be appropriate, they fail to materialize as an actual threat.
Eventually, you break through out of the thick woods and spot a clearing at the actual apex. There is something of a shrine, there, with a seven sided stone structure open to the air except for the columns supporting it, all carved in the form of beautiful women, somehow reminiscent of Arya. All are armed differently, the one in the back, carrying a dagger and wearing a prominent pearl. She looks the most familiar.
In the center is the apex itself - a stone rises an extra seven or eight feet, and the stream trickles out from a crack about halfway up, to flow down the island and into the lake.
Antonio took his hat off and wiped his brow.
"Well, I think we're here.
"What do we do now?"
"Indiana Jones! I love his stories. Well almost all. I think the writer got into to many drugs with the last one." Following Antonio and helping him hack with her sword where necessary.
"Well, I would feel....a little bad about sharing a friends sacred place and taking things off the island. Plus, that is weeks journey into the kingdom and other things. But thanks for the offer Nala. Yeah, getting here is obviously dangerous."
Shifting she looked around at the apex. "Wow, beautiful. That...That large statue in the back looks like Alyra. We have her pearl and necklace."
Nia would cautiously move forward. This looked like a sacred sight and probably had protectors.
Nala simply stayed back for now. She hadn't expected to find an ancient monument here. Then again, what had she expected, precisely?
"Is this what you were looking for... Or will we need to move underground somehow?"
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As you head to the stoneworks, out of the corner of your eye, you catch movement. The first step inside of the irregular circle brings the sound of stone grinding on stone, as one of the sculptures detaches, and, wielding a scimitar, moves toward you.
It isn't very quick, being stone, but the movement is decisive.
Reflexively, Antonio leveled his crossbow and fired.
for a possible piercing damage.
Nia studies it as she backs off and pulls out Alyra's things. "Alyra sent us here." She would say seeing if the items may be a trigger to get it to back off.
"If your spell will affect me, it will be of particular aid... but I seem immune to several common magics." Nala explained as she stood outside of the 'temple', head tilted, watching the woman come forward.
"I have never encountered something like this." she stated, simply. "Are we to fight this creature, or bargain with it?"