As you are readying to depart, a messenger boy runs in to hand Cort a note. He smiles and dashes off as soon as it is handed over.
"My good sir,
I have managed to transcribe one phrase that may be useful in your attempt to control your new 'friend'. Try 'Mwen mare ou, bèt nan lagè. Li sèvi je a' next time you call upon him."
It means 'I bind you, beast of war. Serve the eye'... at least I think it does.
Yours,
Holmburg"
I just need to grab my kit and we're ready to go. Im sure Baran will be just as happy as Lucky to get out of the city.
The druid will walk off to get the afore mentioned gear. He'll strap on his new Leaf armor and belt his scimitar on before returning to where the others were gathered.
He'd waited by the door when Sentis went inside. He wasnt sure what was happening but he could feel the excitment as his new pack looked to be preparing for a hunt. He hoped it was so. And when his friend came back out with all the stuff that had been in the room he knew it was so and jumped up to start pacing.
Darkbiter is ready to go. Lucky is puzzled by the activity, but goes along with it, figuring just about anything is better where he was yesterday, and that these new people seem much more trustworthy.
"I told the captain we'd leave as soon as possible, so everybody make sure you've made all preparations, ran any last minute errands, etc. I would like to be gone within the hour, if possible." Blaze doesn't really have much gear himself, so all he grabs from his room is his copy of The Birth of Light and Truth which is also serving as his spellbook.
Kaavel moves to grab the little gear he uses before waiting for the others to get ready for the job. He thinks to himself "I wonder what happened at the mine. There are a lot of things that do not come near cities but a mine out of the way? Might of made something mad."
Sentis sat leaning against a wall ruffling baran's fur as they waited for the go ahead from Blaze. Finding out that they were leaving within the hour was good news indeed. The city had started to become oppressive.
I just need to grab a few things that I could probably find on our way out of the city.
Cort, fully outfitted and feeling good, stands ready to depart. "Good to be in action again, even if it is in this blasted jungle."
The squad gathers it's belongings and strikes out once more. The Captain gives you a cursory salute from the door of his office and you strike out through Kalabuto and into the wilds once more. The map that Blaze was given shows that the salt mine was in the Western Bandu hills, so you track in that direction.
Gozreh is kind for the first few days as you travel, offering you fair weather and nothing rises in front of you to bar your path. This luck however changes in the afternoon of the fourth day out. You can see a wicked storm is building in the distance, and gauge that shelter would be a better place to weather it's effects.
From your position on the plains you see a village ahead that sits on the outskirts of a copse of jungle. It is roughly two hours hike away and you think you could reach just before the storm breaks. The other options are trying to ride it out in the plains or making for the jungles edge.
Blaze glances up to the darkening skies "I think we should head for shelter. That village up ahead looks promising. Let run for it!"
"Oh, wond'rful." Doc gripes, picking up the pace, pots and equipment clanking and bouncing in his pack.
Darkbiter moves toward the village in his usual forward position, motioning Lucky to stay near Sentis until he could determine the state of the village.
Kaavel looks up at the coming storm than at the village shrugs to himself before heading off once more.
As you draw closer to the village, you can see many of the inhabitants making themselves busy battening down the hatches for the coming storm. Loose items being gathered and stowed inside, livestock being hobbled and corralled.
The natives notice you as well, and as you reach the outskirts of the village - one of the men comes forward to meet you "Hail and welcome, what bring you to this place?"
"Just looking for shelter." Cort calls over the rising winds. "Doesn't look like we should be out in the open when this comes."
The Mwangi smiles broadly and replies "You help us secure the village, you are welcome to stay with us until this passes."
Darkbiter will accept that offer, and start to grab any loose stuff, though for now he leaves the animals to the others, still not entirely comfortable around them. He keeps an eye out on the storm and the locals just in case, as much to judge reaction to Lucky as anything else, as he does so.
If there's any horses, Blaze will see to them if necessary. Otherwise, he'll just help out where needed.
Survival - Predict Weather -
Sentis didnt like the look of this storm at all. It was beyond good luck that they had found this village to hole up in while it passed. If it passed...
While the others helped the villagers secure the loose ends he kept Baran and Lucky calm and out of the way.
Handle Animal -
The squad busies itself getting the hatches battened down before the storm breaks and with the extra help, all is made safe. Most of the villagers are taking refuge within the central hut and the squad is invited to join them.
Once inside the hut, the Keleshite sits down with his back to one of the walls. "Thank you for allowing us shelter from this storm. It kind of snuck up on us." He says with a chuckle.
The Mwangi who greeted you is sitting near you with his wife "The sky thunder can surge quickly at this time of year. Do not worry overmuch, it is usually strikes and moves on just as quickly"
Sentis sat on the outskirts of the group with their two animal companions mostly to reassure their guests. Hearing the chief's prediction he spoke up.
He's right Sunny. The storm will pass quickly but we'll be sloshing through mud and soaked through for days to come as the rain will persist.
"Well that is good to know that it will pass quickly. So the rest of the way got to walk in the mud? This is not going to be very fun or clean." Kaavel says after hearing Sentis.
You can hear the wind starting to pick up outside, and rain starts to thunder down on to the roof of the hut.
"Ah could make ye some stilts?" Doc said with a grin.
"Mud and rain are easy enough to deal with. Just can't wear fancy garments that fail to protect." Darkbiter takes advantage of the close quarters to continue to work with getting Lucky and himself comfortable with each other and others, though he still tries to discourage children from being too close without him being around.
Cort laughs. "Fancy garments that fail to protect are my specialty Dark." He grins, showing off his oddly colored breastplate. "I'm a noble, remember?"
"That may well be, but there is a reason you don't see very nobles out here, so you are either unusually tolerant, unusually unlucky, or unusually foolish, or more perhaps a combination of all three."
"SO err we havin a meal an a fire o jus hunkerin down fer some furby action?"
Blaze had been quietly studying his spellbook, but when Grusk made his odd comment he had to speak up "What in the name of Dawnflower is 'some furby action'?? Doc, I think Grusk might have suffered some sort of head wound, maybe you should check him out then mix him one your special cure alls."
Now that the storm is in full force, the noise is confronting as waves of rain batter the hut. It seems to be holding up however, and the Mwangi look unconcerned.
There is a central fireplace that the Mwangi are now starting to tend, the smoke swept out of the room through a ceiling design that allows for some wind passage at the peak.
maybe you should check him out then mix him one your special cure alls."
"'Fraid there's no cure fer what he's got." Doc said lighting a cigar. "Best ah could do is put 'im outta yer misery 'til mornin'."
"Doc I werent sure if yah was offerin tha misery tah me o tah Blaze."
Kaavel laughs at the exchange before saying "Grusk has a point there."
"This conversation goes on much longer, Blaze won't need me tah help fill 'is misery quota..."
Handle Animal -
Something's wrong guys. The storm shouldnt be affecting the animals like that. Theyre spooked.
"Dark yah up fer a look outside?"
"I will go out first an head right yah come out just a bit after an head left..."
"Quietly now"
Slips outside carefully.....
Stealth
Perception
Darkbiter agrees to that plan, following Grusk out the door.
The livestock are hobbled close by, though the driving rain restricts your ability to see beyond them. You notice that they are crowding towards you, though cannot see what could be causing this from your current vantage.
You would need to move further into the storm to get a clearer view...
Grusk moves forwards again going towards the right flank.....
Darkbiter will position himself so that the animals are between himself and the hut, pulling out his greatsword, and keeping an eye on Grusk.
As you move around the animals you notice that one of the cattle has slipped it's hobble and run off towards the edge of the jungle bleating. As you watch you see a large ape-like bear drop from a nearby tree onto the cow - breaking it's back and crushing it into the mud. The shaggy beast raises itself onto its hind legs and beats its chest like a gorilla.
You don't believe that the creature has noticed you yet, though at its appearance the hobbled cattle are starting to mill around in panic.
Those in the hut notice that the agitation of the animals is heightening and the Mwangi are starting to get worried.
Darkbiter holds position, unable to get a message to those in the hut, but unwilling to leave the animals unguarded.
As the animals grow more and more agitated, Blaze stands up from his reading spot. "Wolves, I think we should go back up the half-orcs, I know a bit about animals from my time around my family's horses and camels, and I think something might be out there to get them this worked up." He looks to the team's Druid. "Your our expert Sentis, what do you think? Is there something out there?"
Perception
Knowledge local
He nods to Dark before he attacks