Zaine snorts in amusement. "If you listened to me, you'd be the first."
Nkechi looks at Zaine, "Do you feel like your tribe is undervaluing you?"
Faith makes a small shrug. "My inclination is to invite her closer so that we can keep a better eye on her, but I will defer judgment on this."
Once someone makes the 'you're hiding but you really aren't very good at it' overture, a woman comes out into the open, a human-sized dinosaur (smaller than Tulip) following on her heels. Her fingers are white-knuckled on the bone crafted spear she carries. Carefully, in a rusty voice, "Saw group. Make leave before you hunt," she reaches back to pat the dinosaur, but you no hunt?" her voice is confused and she indicates Tulip with a chin.
Pakshee worries at her lower lip with her tongue, "Which one mean most to you? That should be day to celebrate."
Pakshe shakes her head, serious, "We make son, no hard work, fun." She puts her hand on Faith's arm, offering him the bite of tiramisu, "You make us safe, very hard job."
Nkechi looks at Zaine, "Do you feel like your tribe is undervaluing you?"
"I don't have a tribe," Zaine says easily.
Once someone makes the 'you're hiding but you really aren't very good at it' overture, a woman comes out into the open, a human-sized dinosaur (smaller than Tulip) following on her heels. Her fingers are white-knuckled on the bone crafted spear she carries. Carefully, in a rusty voice, "Saw group. Make leave before you hunt," she reaches back to pat the dinosaur, but you no hunt?" her voice is confused and she indicates Tulip with a chin.
"She'll hunt when she's hungry," Zaine tells the woman. He watches the other dinosaur warily. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"
"I don't have a tribe," Zaine says easily.
Áine's eyes scan their surroundings, resting very briefly on the two men indicating some attention.
"Saw group. Make leave before you hunt," she reaches back to pat the dinosaur, but you no hunt?""She'll hunt when she's hungry," Zaine tells the woman. He watches the other dinosaur warily. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"
Áine smiles at the woman and dinosaur with welcome and quiet self-assurance. "We are traveling to Kalabuto and have our own food. Is food scarce for your people? Are you protecting something?" Áine asks curiously.
Faith claps Zaine on the shoulder. "Your input is invaluable, lad. I am bound to seek and destroy evil, but that doesn't mean your preference is wrong."
Faith watches the conversation and doesn't say anything. He seems more interested in Tulip's reaction to the conversation.
"The day I went from initiate to priest," Faith says. "It is traditionally the shortest day and longest night of the year. Sitting vigil and contemplating."
"That is the day we will celebrate." Faith looks at Pakshee. "The day I met you is also one to celebrate, but not as a birth day. And we have most of the year until that day comes around again." He puts his hand on hers.
Faith accepts the bite of tiramisu, then offers one to Pakshee. "It is a job that I do gladly. But you are diverting your entire life to follow me into the jungle. Not so easy."
"She'll hunt when she's hungry," Zaine tells the woman. He watches the other dinosaur warily. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"
The woman's brow creases and she shakes her head, "Most who come with," she motions around, taking in their clothes, the tents, the things of civilization, "come to hunt," she pats the dinosaur behind her, who has been keeping a very close eye on the heavier predator near Zaine. "But you come with, so no hunt?" The confusion but also the wanting to understand clear in her voice.
Áine smiles at the woman and dinosaur with welcome and quiet self-assurance. "We are traveling to Kalabuto and have our own food. Is food scarce for your people? Are you protecting something?" Áine asks curiously.
She shakes her head, "No people. Just me and Jaji. Others like Jaji we protect."
The woman's brow creases and she shakes her head, "Most who come with," she motions around, taking in their clothes, the tents, the things of civilization, "come to hunt," she pats the dinosaur behind her, who has been keeping a very close eye on the heavier predator near Zaine. "But you come with, so no hunt?" The confusion but also the wanting to understand clear in her voice.
"Oh! No. No hunt. I'm a mercenary, so technically I hunt... you know what? Never mind. Not important. We're not here to hunt."
"Oh! No. No hunt. I'm a mercenary, so technically I hunt... you know what? Never mind. Not important. We're not here to hunt."
Áine seems to be trying hard not to laugh, and not quite making it. "We are not hunting those like Jaji. Though if attacked, we will fight back...or if we need a meal, though I do not think that will happen." she glances at Faith. "We do hunt evil though...if it will not take us too far off our course. We heard about a settlement that disappeared, and something about abandoned salt mines. Don't suppose you know anything about those?" Áine asks conversationally.
"By the way," she turns to Faith, "If I invite her and Jaji to join us for dinner, are we going to have enough or should I see what we can turn up?"Áine turns back to the woman, "I am Áine, what should we call you?"
"We should have enough," Faith says. "If our supplies are that tight after a few days, we're in a lot of trouble."
The woman relaxes against her dinosaur friend, the beast easily taking the pressure - although Jaji noticeably doesn't relax, continuing to be on guard against the other toothed predator. "Good." She looks up the direction the group is headed, she swallows, taking time to form words, "The way you go, no way over little mountain. Only find cave where no one comes back from. To go to city, you need to go around." Motioning to the south.
She nods at Áine, blinking for a long moment, like she is having to dig up a very old memory. "Before cave, Mama call Athyra." She says her own name slowly, like she hasn't used it for a very long time.
Zaine points to himself. "Zaine." To Tulip. "Tulip." To Sasha. "Sasha." To Zephyr. "Zephyr."
..."The way you go, no way over little mountain. Only find cave where no one comes back from. ..."
"Yeah, that's probably it." she comments dryly, her eyes flicking to Nkechi for confirmation.
She nods at Áine, blinking for a long moment, like she is having to dig up a very old memory. "Before cave, Mama call Athyra." She says her own name slowly, like she hasn't used it for a very long time.
"Where's the rest of her pack?" Áine asks the woman, indicating Jaji with a nod of her head.
Zaine points to himself. "Zaine." To Tulip. "Tulip." To Sasha. "Sasha." To Zephyr. "Zephyr."
Her polite bow is equal to both humans and dinosaurs.
"Yeah, that's probably it." she comments dryly, her eyes flicking to Nkechi for confirmation.
The old man shrugs, but in a probably way.
"Where's the rest of her pack?" Áine asks the woman, indicating Jaji with a nod of her head.
Athyra shakes her head, "Raised Jaji from egg. Try to give pack when older, but he no leave me. Now he old man." She pats the dinosaur. "Family."
Once she realizes the group is going to continue on to mine despite her warning, "Things move in the dark there. I run from them, then find Jaji."
At the head of an overgrown path, Nkechi stops. "If you follow this, it will lead to the abandoned salt mine." He says. "I'll met you on the other side of the mountain." And he turns to a tree and scampers up with the ease of a monkey.
Down said overgrown path, after about another quarter mile of travel, you find the sagging and overgrown remains of a small camp at the mouth of a old mine, the gaping entrance on the far side of large building that likely housed workers, an attached office, two storage buildings - doors open to the jungle, and a small house whose carefully tended window boxes have grown over the entirety of the house - door carefully closed.
Athyra shakes her head, "Raised Jaji from egg. Try to give pack when older, but he no leave me. Now he old man." She pats the dinosaur. "Family."
"Same thing happened with me and Tulip, more or less." Zaine pats Tulip's neck.
Once she realizes the group is going to continue on to mine despite her warning, "Things move in the dark there. I run from them, then find Jaji."
"Don't worry. We're professionals."
At the head of an overgrown path, Nkechi stops. "If you follow this, it will lead to the abandoned salt mine." He says. "I'll met you on the other side of the mountain." And he turns to a tree and scampers up with the ease of a monkey.
"That's not the best sign," Zaine mutters to Tulip.
Down said overgrown path, after about another quarter mile of travel, you find the sagging and overgrown remains of a small camp at the mouth of a old mine, the gaping entrance on the far side of large building that likely housed workers, an attached office, two storage buildings - doors open to the jungle, and a small house whose carefully tended window boxes have grown over the entirety of the house - door carefully closed.
Zaine pulls his musket from a pocket on the bandolier and pulls the hammer back. "All right, Faith. Let's go find that evil of yours"
"Same thing happened with me and Tulip, more or less." Zaine pats Tulip's neck.
"Tulip just starting to grow. Tulip get," She looks at the jungle trees, most at least thirty feet tall, Athyra smiles without showing teeth. "Jaji all big."
"Don't worry. We're professionals."
"Miners?"
Faith laughs. "I am a professional warpriest," he says, "name of Faith". He gestures to Pakshee, "She is Pakshee. Pleased to meet you and Jaji."
Faith adjusts his headlamp. "Ready," he says. "Anyone need Light cast on anything before we go in?"
"Don't lick anything."
Spells prepared today are:
Level 2: Bull's Strength, Communal Protection From Evil, open slot
Level 1: Comprehend Languages, Protection From Evil, Protection From Evil, Shield of Faith, Shield of Faith
Level 0: Detect Magic, Enhanced Diplomacy, Light, Stabilize
"Tulip just starting to grow. Tulip get," She looks at the jungle trees, most at least thirty feet tall, Athyra smiles without showing teeth. "Jaji all big."
Zaine sighs. "It's hard enough to keep her fed as it is."
"Miners?"
"Are you joking? Faith's like... sixty."
"Are you joking? Faith's like... sixty."
Faith puts his hand on his chin. "Good guess, lad. But wrong."
"I think." Faith starts counting something on his fingers, eventually coming to a conclusion. "No, not yet."
Zaine sighs. "It's hard enough to keep her fed as it is."
Athyra looks confused again, sounding shocked, "Tulip not hunt for self yet?"
Faith laughs. "I am a professional warpriest,"
"Still should not go to death place." She shakes her head when she sees the determination to do just that. She considers, "If do stupid thing anyway, maybe look for Mama and Papa? If they dead then," she smiles sadly, "No need to keep looking for them to come back."
The old barracks proves to be empty, although the beds and belonging inside look like they were torn about in a fight. Thick dust and mold has moved into the building, creating a green fuzz over everything.
The small office is neater, although you see some damage to the door, which can no longer lock. Tucked at the back of a big table you spot logbook.
The storage sheds are empty, although the shine of crystals on the ground gives evidence to the salt that was once stored, melted by the humidity of the jungle.
The little house is untouched by the violence seen at the barracks. A kitchen, sitting room and two tiny bedrooms - one a little girl's room. Mold covers the interior, but is not as thick as the green growth in the barracks.
"We will look for them," Faith says. "How will we know them if we find them?"
Faith walks over to the logbook, and frowns. "Anyone have a small stick or something to open this with? There's a lot of fuzzy mold. And I can't do the open books without touching them spell."
Athyra looks confused again, sounding shocked, "Tulip not hunt for self yet?"
"Hunting for herself in cities is why we're not welcome in Westcrown anymore."
"You could pray for it," Zaine suggests.
"Hunting for herself in cities is why we're not welcome in Westcrown anymore."
"City bad place." She says with some understanding, although probably not the same one that Zaine may have intended.
"We will look for them," Faith says. "How will we know them if we find them?"
"Papa had silver," Athyra touches just below her throat, "To keep me and Mama."
"You could pray for it," Zaine suggests.
Sasha walks outside, you hear the snap of wood, and a muttered, "Oh great and powerful bug who kills... f#~* that, I can get a stick myself."
She comes back in and pokes at the book until it falls onto the table with a billow of spores. She manages to force the hard cover of the book open, but the stick proves hard to flip pages except by large chunks. The few dates you see in the thick flipping shows no dates more recent than twelve years previous.
"City bad place." She says with some understanding, although probably not the same one that Zaine may have intended.
"Expensive too. The street food isn't bad, though."
She comes back in and pokes at the book until it falls onto the table with a billow of spores. She manages to force the hard cover of the book open, but the stick proves hard to flip pages except by large chunks. The few dates you see in the thick flipping shows no dates more recent than twelve years previous.
"The gods work in mysterious ways," Zaine said solemnly.
Faith rolls his eyes at the Zaine and Sasha Show. He attempts to go through the logbook in a more fine-toothed fashion using the hem of his robe to keep from touching the pages of the book directly.
"Vildeis doesn't grant that spell," he says to Zaine. "But if I want to punch something, she has many different options available."
"Expensive too. The street food isn't bad, though."
"Need to be careful about eating food from the ground, most of it is tainted." Athyra says utterly seriously.
Faith's robe develops a decided green patch where he uses it to carefully turn the pages. The last entries in the logbook are dated 15 years ago. The mine's owner, Feran Crinhouse, - and the author of all of the entries in the book to that point - decided to connect his mine to one on the far side of the hills which had been abandoned under mysterious circumstances two decades previously. His miner reported a strange orb pulsing with blue light that Crinhouse writes he will be investigating in person.
There is one entry after that, the writing a scrawl and very different from Crinhouse's neat block print: 'They’ve come up from below! They’re all dead, and their touch withers the flesh! May the gods have mercy on us!'
Time and the jungle have erased all other clues that may have existed a dozen years ago.
The first 100 feet past the gaping maw of the mine entrance is a twisting 10-ft wide path, the wooden beams that support the weight of the hills above weathered and sagging. Water trickles down from the jungle in slow rivulets among wooden footholds as you move down the shaft in the dark (offset by Faith's headlamp).
As the shaft opens into a mining cave - the wall grey salt you see much of the mine floor is flooded with water, small walkways of rock at the edges connected by old wooden bridges.
"Need to be careful about eating food from the ground, most of it is tainted." Athyra says utterly seriously.
"Good tip," Zaine says with an admirably straight face.
There is one entry after that, the writing a scrawl and very different from Crinhouse's neat block print: 'They’ve come up from below! They’re all dead, and their touch withers the flesh! May the gods have mercy on us!'
"Oh good," Zaine remarks.
Zaine, shocking himself more than anything, points out what's under that perception spoiler.
There is one entry after that, the writing a scrawl and very different from Crinhouse's neat block print: 'They’ve come up from below! They’re all dead, and their touch withers the flesh! May the gods have mercy on us!'"Oh good," Zaine remarks..
”Excellent!” Faith says. The eagerness in his voice is entirely genuine. ”He steered us right.”
Faith looks at what’s under the first spoiler and scratches his head (the light bobs a bit when he does this). ”I have no idea what that is.”
"Do we have anyone following us on this leg?" Áine asks. "If so, we should probably let Athyra and Joji know. ..and make sure they know to not even think about hunting." she adds.
Faith's robe develops a decided green patch
"Knew I should have bought those gloves." Áine mutters under her breath.
"Well, it's an ooze, so we know there aren't any particularly good places to hit it." Áine says, and takes a deep breath, drawing dark particles from her surroundings and into her arrow. It almost seems as if there is a minute pull in her direction.
Zaine Initiative
Tulip Initiative
The head of Áine's arrow virtually disappears into blackness with the accumulation of graviton particles. Her aim is true, the arrow slicing through the water and piercing deeply into the amorphous body of the creature.
Faith gives Áine the blessing of destruction. +2 damage
Faith gives Áine the blessing of destruction. A prayer his goddess is more than willing to grant.
The head of Áine's arrow virtually disappears into blackness with the accumulation of graviton particles. Her aim is true, the arrow slicing through the water and piercing deeply into the amorphous body of the creature.
Sasha moves in front of Zaine and Tulip, weapons out but keeping 15-ft between her and the ooze.
Zaine fires his musket, speckles of ooze flying. Tulip interposes herself between Zaine and the ooze, alongside Sasha.
Zaine reloads and fires.
Tulip takes a bite of ooze.
or
or
Depending
Faith moves up to take his place in front of Áine.
He draws Charity and attacks the ooze.
Faith moves up to take his place in front of Áine. And everyone else given the narrow walkway. He draws Charity and attacks the ooze. With success.
Áine shoots twice, her arrows making a plik in the body of ooze. The remnants of the creature sinks into the water... the first danger of the caverns destroyed before it could move.
The group continues in the mine the copper sharp smell of the salt for another 200 feet along the small walkway that follows the edge of the scarred mine wall. As you head across the second wooden bridge, you see a preserved remains of an old camp just above the water line. There is an old canvas, salt crystals growing on it and on the mine carts supporting the cloth. Behind the carts you see the desiccated remains of three mules. Just under the salt-encrusted cloth you see the corner of a rusted iron strongbox.
Surprise
Áine breaks the silence, "Mother's Spawn!" unfortunately the warning comes a little too late.
Her arrow packs enough punch to blow out the side of one of the creatures, however.
Faith moves to investigate the remains of the camp.
Faith moves up towards the iron box, ready to sacrifice himself to set off the traps that must be there. Instead, he is surprised when Áine turns back towards the bridge.
Áine breaks the silence, "Mother's Spawn!" unfortunately the warning comes a little too late. Her arrow packs enough punch to greatly damage the side of one of the creatures, however.
The damaged wight rushes towards Áine but the nimble archer, warned, manages to dodge the attack. Sasha, on the bridge with Zaine, doesn't prove as lucky as the undead creature slams into her, the hiss of pain not quite matching the minor wound from the contact. Salt grows on Sasha's armor where the wight slammed into her.
Áine steps away from the undead horror briefly. Her arrows continue to find their mark.
”These wights will suck the water from your body with a touch,” Faith says. ”Be cautious.”
Faith moves up to the eight and draws Charity, which glows with a bright light. He stabs directly at the center of the wight.
”Death will release you from undeath,” he says.
Zaine Initiative
Tulip Initiative
Zaine fires at the closest wight.
Tulip lunges forward to chew on the same monster.
Aine wight -17
Tulip reacts immediately to the unded threat, lunging forward to chew on the monster that slammed into Sasha. Her large teeth just barely sink into the salt encrusted flesh, she spits out the jerky she bites off.
Sasha falls back just a bit, pulling out her sharp toothed sword, which bites into the desiccated flesh, just a little.
Faith moves up to the wight and draws Charity, which glows with a bright light. He stabs directly at the center of the wight.
”Death will release you from undeath,” he says. A point of light blooms where Faith's dagger sinks into the undead flesh, ripping away creature, leaving nothing behind.
Zaine fires at the closet wight. The bullet slams into the undead and the creature falls to the ground, the animating force destroyed.
Sasha kicks undead once, just to make sure. Then she leans against Tulip, rubbing her right arm where the wight slammed into her.
Moving along, the main tunnel continues turning in the dark. Suddenly the quiet is shattered by metal slamming against stone.
You have 1 round to react before the ceiling goes, falling on the group.
"Dive for cover! Roof's coming down!"
Áine pauses just momentarily, assessing where the majority of the cave in might be, then tackles/pulls anyone who might not react fast enough.
"Or more specifically, since talking takes no time, 'there are two wights pounding on a weak point in the ceiling and we have 1 round before it falls on us.'"
Zaine and Tulip get out of the way of the roof falling before Zaine returns fire.
Initiative Zaine
Initiative Tulip
Áine pauses just momentarily, getting caught in the fall of the rocks as she makes sure that everyone else gets out. Everyone does - except Pakshee but Faith grabs her hands pushing her beyond the fall of the rocks, but takes the hit from the rocks instead.
The two wights who caused the rockfall drop into the water, moving to attack. Zaine gets a successful shot off, wounding one of the two undead.
Zaine reloads and fires.
Tulip scampers up to a wight and takes a bite.