"I am not sure how much you know of water elementals conjured by one such as myself, but my best effort will yield elementals that last about a half of one minute. Our friend with the dragon can conjure much longer lasting creatures, or so I am told."
Krovax summons his water elemental minions and sends them to collect anything valuable from inside the drake's lair. Several minutes later after locating it they begin transporting the loot to the surface to the waiting boat. While you are all waiting and identifying the items as they are brought up, Grim and Bigzy are busy repairing the damage the drakes had caused.
Arcane Scroll, Mnemonic enhancer {4th/7th}
Potion of Keen edge {3rd/5th}
Long-bow
Chainmail +1
Arcane Scroll, Fireball {3rd/5th}
Arcane Scroll, Protection from energy {3rd/5th}
Expensive/noble hunting jacket with matching leather boots (noble outfit)
Arcane Scroll, Sleet storm {3rd/5th} : 375gp [+]
Shield, heavy steel
Banded mail Armor +2
Shortbow, composite
Potion of Shield of faith {1st/1st}
Tent, slightly damaged
Dwarven runic great sword (masterwork)
Caltrops
Sealing wax
Red garnet 77gp
White pearl 74gp
Black pearl 161gp
Aquamarine 226gp
Necklace 115gp
Deep blue spinel 188gp
Turquoise 3gp
Malachite 1gp
Obsidian 3gp
Obsidian 1gp
45 gold pieces
5 platinum pieces
You continue along the river for another day before you notice that the weather is beginning to turn bad. Dark storm clouds can be seen collecting out behind you over the ocean and the wind is picking up, scattering leaves and small branches across the deck of the barge. Bigzy and Grim are both looking uncomfortable and discussing something quietly before Bigzy gets everyone's attention. "Look, the weather is gonna be getting very bad in the next day or two. I don't think that storm will be heading out to sea, I think it's gonna wash right over us. Have any of you been out during a monsoon or a hurricane? We're too far out to head back to Bloodcove now so we have two options. We can take the time we have to prepare and hunker down, anchoring the boat securely with enough slack to deal with the rising tide and hope it doesn't hit us directly or try and outrun the storm and get as deep as we can, may e it'll break itself before it gets to us."
Krovax looks to the sky and thinks for a moment, then says, "You gentlemen know the area and it's weather best. If you happen to know of a safe area to camp until the storm passes, let's head there. Otherwise, we press on as far as possible, but not to the point that we no longer have time to get to shore and set up camp elsewhere. Unless there are objections from the others of our company..."
The fetchling looks at Krovax and nods once he makes his suggestion.
Leon nods his approval as well. "If there is no place to camp I would prefer to err on the side of caution. We should moor down and prepare to weather the storm rather than risk being caught in it if we are unable to outrun it."
Mordecai glares out at the clouds as if his stare could tame them. Finally, he stands down. "An hour's meditation and I can divine the weather in the next two days. Then we can make the best decision."
Ezra listens to the others, and nods quietly as they each speak their peace, speaking quietly to her familiar in low tones as the debate takes its course. "I bet you are at least a little happy to be back home, eh? Be careful, I doubt the jungles are the same now as they were a century ago."
Content that everyone that has an opinion has given it Bigzy double checks his maps then looks to everyone. "There's a spot of deep water nearby, a little bit more than a day out that's our best chance. If we're lucky we can make it there in time to properly anchor and wait out the worst of this but to do so you'll have to do exactly as we say when we say it."
Grim and Bigzy begin rushing around the ship, pulling out supplies and yelling orders over the fast building winds. "You, lash down and secure those crates and supplies. Stack the flats and the crates on the outside to keep everything else from rolling free. Pretty, take this bucket and keep the water out of the boat. Silver, help me with the rudder. You two, help Grim with those oars, we need as much speed as we can. Miss, stay at the front and look put for debris and sandbars, all we need is to hit something right now."
Shadow: Survival check
Aluria: Dexterity check
Mordecai: Strength check
Leon and Krovax: Constitution checks
Ezra: Perception check
Anyone can make a profession sailor roll instead.
Mordecai's eyes widen. "The storm- it shall be gargantuan, and it is heading directly towards us. But the speed it is moving at, the speed it is building at... it is not natural."
Mordecai hesitates for a moment and then shakes his head quickly. "No- Shadow, you take over for the rudder; I'll go lash down those crates."
Nodding to her familiar's growls and hisses, as if the beast were taking to her, Ezra rises and takes her post.
Straining against the oar, Krovax is visibly straining against it. Damn, how does anyone actually desire to make a living working these accursed things? Surely there is a better way...
After a couple minutes of futile rowing, Krovax sets his oar down and turns to Dreadmaul. "Be gone for now, dragon. You are doing us no good here at the moment."
As Dreadmaul's form dissipates, Krovax immediately begins another summoning ritual. Once he has given the summoned creatures their orders, Krovax resumes his duties at the oar.
Fool, why set me on a task I am not skilled at!
Irritated the fetchling says, "Mordecai, strength is not my strong point! It appears you have already begun tying down the crates so I won't waste time arguing."
While everyone works to complete the tasks set forth my Bigzy, Mordecai works on his ritual designed to raise the shell of the dead drake still on the boat to unlife. Once complete he lashes the body to the front of the boat and bids it to swim, pulling the boat forward while the summoned water elemental pushes the boat for the few minutes that it remains. After a tense day of rowing, bailing and fighting to keep the ship under control you manage to make it to a large, wide open stretch of water. Just in time to drop four heavy anchors into the water and hunker down inside the tiny boat house. The rain and wind tear and you and soak you to the bones while outside Grim stands defiant amidst the storm, reveling in its destruction all the while fighting to keep himself on the boat.
When the storm passes, sometime the next day you find yourselves exhausted, barely able to move due to the cold dampness. But when you finally manage to step out you are rewarded with a view of supreme devastation al around you. Enormous trees have been uprooted and now float amongst the refuse and debris that normally litter the waters here.
The strangest thing though is an odd stone partially uncovered sticking out of the now visible bank. The stone looks like it was originally precisely cut and shaped many years ago.
Sir Leon rolls his neck and shoulders. "Well. That was pleasant. Let us get on land and make a fire. Near that odd stone perhaps? I rather miss being dry at the moment."
That stone appears curious. I wonder if I can make out any details off the stone.
We should be focusing on our quest not how pleasant we feel.
"How far out are we from where the map shows we need to go?"
Ezra casts detect magic, and begins studying the stone along with the Mantis.
"Something cut and shaped may well have been part of something larger at one point. Engineering has never been of interest to me so I know naught about it, unfortunately."
Ezra searches her moderate knowledge of History to see if she can recall any castles, fortresses, or similar buildings ever existing in these swamps. .
Krovax steps into the sunlight and surveys the damage of the storms onslaught. For some reason, it reminded him of a grisly battlefield after a hard fought victory. He then takes a moment to summon Dreadmaul, casually observing the others as he does so.
So, have you cooled off yet, Dreadmaul?
"Yes, mortal, but that speck of insignificance that calls herself Aluria had best watch her tongue around me, lest it be the last words she speaks..."
As if I would allow it. If you are grievanced by her words, offer her harsh words in kind. But no physical harm is to come to her from you unless I command it or she physically attacks us first. Understood?
"...Understood." With this, Dreadmaul spreads his wings to fly over to the stone where the others are gathering, but is halted by Krovax's mental command.
Wait. Let them poke around there. No need for us to expose ourselves to potential traps, and someone ought to watch over the boat anyway. Let them take the risk on our behalf.
"There is the general I once knew."
Several of you signal Bigzy that you want to move the boat to shore to get a better look at the stone. The boat is moved as close as possible to shore leaving you ten feet of waist deep water to wade through before you make it to the muddy shore. The shore is so wet that your feet sink well below ankle depth in the mud with every step. Moving closer to the stone Ezra trips on something submerged below the muck roughly thirty feet away from the large stone. There are no markings on the stone which is roughly twelve feet tall and over thirty feet wide in a square shape. You haven't heard of any civilizations or forts out in the Mwangi, only the mysterious ziggurats that dot its landscape and no one has found the source of. Wiping away soe of the mud and other debris beneath Ezra you find the top of another stone made of the same material as the first.
"This is a distraction from our purpose here. We should continue on our way."
Mordecai nods in agreement with the mantis.
"Have you ever had bootrot, Mr. Night?" Leon muses. "Taking time to get dry will save us quite a bit of trouble later. The jungle is not a place to cut corners on hygiene and health."
"Yes, that may mean baths with actual water," Dreadmaul says while casting a sidelong glance Aluria's direction.
"And let us not forget, there are multiple sites we need to search out here. Bigzy, Grim, are we perhaps near one of the three points we marked on the map?"
"If your maps are accurate, we're another days ride and two days of walking from the closest. If they're not..."
If you're taking this opportunity to rest, relax and dry out i'll move on tomorrow. If you want to explore or do something else, or leave right away let me know.
Deciding to move on after taking an hour or so to dry off and stretch sees you well under way again before dark.
Bigzy and Grim manage to get you through the rivers without incident but when they anchor down amidst a bigzy stretch of land and start making preparations to leave the boat many of you can't help but think that your guides could've found a better location to start your hike.
Slogging through the mire and muck subjects you all to a plethora of insect bites and leeches as well a the slithering of water snakes unseen in the dark green waters before finally arriving at the base of a vine ruined city.
Dreadmaul
By the time you reach the outermost edge of the ruined city Krovax has a decidedly nasty rash forming along much of his extremities while Mordecai and Shadow have developed sore throats and mild coughs.
The city before you spans the inside of a small valley with the jungle steadily encrouching all along the edge. It parts where the incline is slim the jungle has thrived, retaking entire blocks of the city. All that is left of the buildings are rough and ramshakle clay walls, collapsing under their own weight. The ground is covered in white dust that burns the nose as its kicked up by your feet. Deep within this decaying landscape is a still mostly intact ziggurat standing defiant over the rubble surrounding it.
One thing you can tell from pieces of walls that are more intact is that the buildings seem to be built upon a scale larger than you're used to. The ziggurat looks to be at best an hour walk through the city provided the roads farther in havent be buried in rubble.
Are you heading straight for the ziggurat or search the ruined city first?
The fetchling suggests, "Why don't I scout out the ruined city and report back before we head to the zuggart?"
"I could do a general sweep of areas, return, and the group could move forward so that you wouldn't be too far behind in case of trouble."
"Does anyone have anything that could help with this cough? I'm worried it might give my position away while scouting."
Krovax fumbles through his backpack a moment, eventually removing 5 vials of liquid. "This may help, I picked it up prior to our departure. Keep in mind, however, that we have a limited supply of these, and I won't tolerate one person draining our supply. If you want it, I'll give you one to use, but keep in mind, if you fall ill again later on this trek, there may not be another available to you based on the circumstances. Same to you." Krovax says, finishing his statement with a nod in Moedecai's direction.
Krovax will pause long enough to clean off his armor and clothes enough to reduce some moisture in them and remove the jungle filth as best he can, but will not do so long enough to hold up the group.
Shadow moves off ahead of the rest ranging as far as he dares while the rest make their way as best as they can directly for the ziggurat. Aside from a group of rats that flee at your approach you arrive at the massive stone structure unmolested. Before you, on the other side of an obvious clearing or town square, lies the ziggurat. A wide set of stairs lead up the side towards the only obvois entrance near the top. The stones of the stairs are a reddish colour unlike the yellowish grey of the rest of the stones and the stairs are flanked by two large, one eyed statues at the base peering inwards at each other.
As you move from wrecked building to wrecked building using all of your discipline to hold back your coughs until your certain nothing is nearby you begin to notice several things. Large humanoid footprints can be found throughout the rubble, some as recent as a few hours ago, wandering about the city in no particular pattern or order. In a few places you also find traces of humanoid footprints but never any complete imprints, always heel or possibly a toe near a stone or other hard surface that doesn't show. Near the ziggurat you also find signs of a struggle and blood, then drag marks moving towards the ziggurat.
Shadow joins you an hour later coughing quite harshly now that he has begun to relax. As soon as you step into the clearing the eye sockets begin to emit a pale red light.
The fetchling approaches the others and coughs violently as though he has been containing a number of coughs that have suddenly erupted.
"This place is not abandoned. I have not seen the creatures that wonder in the area but there are recent footprints from large humanoids. There was a struggle near the ziggurat recently, with blood and drag marks headed toward the ziggurat."
Krovax listens intently, then says, "Then we best prepare ourselves in expectation of trouble. Especially since it would seem our presence has not gone unnoticed...", pointing to the statues as he finishes speaking.
Krovax then mutters some words of arcane magic and his skin and Dreadmaul's bones both become firmer and darker toned.
Once Krovax completes his preparatory defences the group moves forward towards the stairs. The moment one of you touch the steps the cylopean statues come to life and begin to move, lifting monstrous greataxes and stepping off of their pedestals.
Ezra will attempt to enlarge Leon. (Enlarge Person).
Mordecai stifles an oath and grabs his necklace, raising his hand imperiously while muttering an entreaty.
Krovax and Dreadmaul move to attack the statue on their left, Dreadmaul with tooth and claw, Krovax with his flail.
The fetchling looks around at the group in an attempt to determine which figure the melee combatants move towards. He attempts to move to a flanking position with his allies while drawing his sawtooth sabres and attempting to avoid the creatures blows.