Wardove's Rumble in the Jungle

Game Master Laithoron

Priyya nods, "Whether we attempt to swing around them north or south, we're headed into a hornet's nest. Lureene's path seems as good as any other. It seems the giants like to set up ambushes overlooking the path and from on high. As long as we avoid the road and try to retain the high ground where possible, maybe we'll keep them on their heels. The aren't exactly geniuses."

"The more dangerous gamble, since we foiled their latest trap and they aren't likely to set up a second ambush so near their first, is to race down the road South a short way and then cut over west. The big problems there are we would be exposed, they could have traps set, and eventually we'd have to cross the parallel path it looks like they are using to move in and out of their village. The advantage would be we could get behind their lines quicker and before they know we are there."

Lureene shakes her head, "Priyya, I think your plan overlooks one thing...that Demon which likes to dive bomb us with baboons. I don't feel comfortable being anymore exposed than we absolutely have to be."

Priyya regards the blonde, "What plan? It's an option which I haven't endorsed - merely presented. As for the Fiend... unless you plan to crawl through the jungle making sure we are always under the canopy, your route will expose us to its possible view as well - just for shorter periods of time at the cost of us moving slower. Moreover, it seems to hunt from dusk to dawn. If we're lucky it rests during the day. Either way, you better get used to the idea that this beast is going to be watching us. I don't expect the canopy to keep us from its sight." She chuckles, "Why, Lureene... you're not getting a little scared of a tiny blood-sucking Fiend and a few giants, are you?"

She chuckles, "Why, Lureene... you're not getting a little scared of a tiny blood-sucking Fiend and a few giants, are you?"

Lureene chuckles nervously, "Why, noooo...what makes you say that? It's not like you have a bunch of fiends hunting you down..."

"Well we can have your family over for tea, scones, and croquette with cold-iron mallets the next time Princess Larathiel visits. How's that sound, El?"

Still working on some Wiki and other tracking stuff so I can get Mal's spells sorted out and continue...

Lureene laughs lightly, "That sounds wonderful 'Lis! I hope we have plenty of mallets available...ummm...what flavors of scone?"

"So Alis, the choice, as always, is yours. Up and over or down and around. Either way - scones are on the menu." She negligently wipes some dirt from her cheek and inspects it, running it between her thumb and fingers. "Hopefully we can find a stream or pond at day's end. I'm starting to look and smell aboriginal. Sorry, Mal, I'm sure scouting with me hasn't been a treat for you." She gives him a small smile.

Bluff 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

These SM checks are a challenge now, he he...
Sense Motive 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Lureene nods at the priestess, completely missing the undertone of her comment. "Don't worry Priyya, I still love you." She sidles next to her, "Especially if you make the honey glazed scones, those are SOOooo good!"

Sweet! Priyya can actually bluff someone now!

Priyya looks at the markedly less grimy, and overly voluptuous blonde feeling briefly like an ugly duckling next to a swan. She shrugs, "Sadly, I don't have any flour, milk, or honey. But I'm sure we can borrow some of that from the giants and I plan on milking that Fiend like a goat. I hear demon milk makes fluffy scones."

"Hmm..." Alis stands on the other side of Priyya looking over the map with them, assessing the different routes. Distracted by it she comments. "This creek is as good as any other, take a swim if you like, there's soap in my backpack... I suppose I could try and jury-rig Lureene's disguise pin if we need demon's milk..."

Not looking up to see who if anyone blushes, she continues, "So El, you're suggested we head back north then cut to the west towards that hill overlooking the tidal basin. And Priyya, you're suggesting we race south along the trail just west of here then cut thru the jungle and cross the other trail by the creek you found flowing south from behind that hunting blind?"

"Something to think about Alis," Mal says towering behind them and tracing a line between the giant's camp and your current position. "They already suspect we're here, otherwise why check that holy site of theirs?"

"How do they know?" He points to all the buzzards in the sky. "You'd have to be blind not to see that on an island this size. I'd bet they keep that blind above the gorge manned at all times too. Relief probably showed up, found our kills, reported back in the night, and then sent that patrol out to find us."

"The other thing is, we know the path to the south is trapped at least two more times along this north-south stretch. Can you move at a jog and still spot a snare, Alis? Even if we have to bypass some evil tree spirit near that river inlet, if the giants are afraid of her, that might give us an advantage. Hell, I kind of like the idea of sneak-attacking these goon from the sea side."

"I think there is a higher risk but possible advantage in racing south along this road that borders the water between this part of the island and Red Mountain. Maybe just a few miles, then we cut inland, hopefully behind the giants that are probably coming this way. If we're fast and that road isn't littered with traps, we might be in good shape. BUT, I'm not advising that course. I think the safer choice would be some variant of Lureene's 'up and over' preference."

"Well I can tell you that even taking our time yesterday, there were a couple traps I didn't notice until it was almost too late. A bigger problem though is manned traps. I did not trigger that snare in the ravine last night. It didn't go off until you scuffed your boot on that rock Priyya. That means the lookout set it off when they noticed us. I know I'm not as much good in a fight at Mal, but I still took down two giants this morning anyway. If I fall into a trap I didn't see, you're not only down me but whoever's helping me get back out which is either you or Mal, no offense El."

She stares at it intently for a few more moments and says, "Didn't you say those two archers fled from you towards that river?"

Mal nods.

"Well, they must be going for help right? What about we follow right after them then just keep heading west towards The Shiv's western shore? Those kids said there was an 'evil tree spirit' living over there but that's coming from a group of cannibals who actually worship some kind of a devil."

She looks at Priyya and says, "Have you ever heard the saying that the blessings of an evil man are like a curse, but that if an evil man curses you it is like a blessing? These giants don't seem to be great philosophers. Don't people tend to call those who oppose them evil? Even murderers are usually justified in their own minds, right?"

"No objection from me."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, huh? Well, can't say I know of too many nature spirits that are genuinely evil. Nature doesn't have much use for morality."

"Well, we know the giants fear it, whatever it is, so I say we head towards it."

LK Calendar: Uniens 07, 4210 — Alsday (day 3)
Time: 9:00db (daybreak, 9:00am)

To avoid exposing yourself to line-of-sight from the south, you head north along the clifftops for a bit before making your descent.

Lureene easily glides down from the cliff top while the rest of you begin to climb down the cliff. However, as she draws near to the group, you look down and hear the frenzied screeching of a number of rodents of unusual size who haven't quite made it to the feast yet, instead opting to wait for the tasty morsel drifting down from on high.

"Heh," Alis laughs and jumps off the cliff much to Tut's dismay. As she plummets past Lureene she draws her rapier and a light mace and calls out, "don't worry El, I'll save you from a ratty doooom!"

At the last moment, she activates feather fall and lands softly. Immediately, four of the giant rodents attempt to attack, but she easily evades their gnashing teeth. Two of the drop right away as she cracks one on the skull and skewers another.

Eric: Lureene has time for one standard action before she lands amidst 3 big rats.

Priyya climbs down in a conventional fashion, not worrying about whether she encounters dead rats or live ones.

As they climb down, Mal moves closer to Priyya.

A ratty doom? That sounds horrible! Lureene does not panic here, as she coasts down the slope she utters the words to a protective incantation and a softly glowing field encompasses her body.

Cast Mage Armor, duration 5 hours.

She smiles at the tall hunter. Even when whispering, Priyya is circumspect.

Mal grins at Priyya's remark.

Lureene gets her protective barrier up just in time for the ravenous, dog-sized rats to bounce off of it harmlessly.

Nearly Alis just barely misses when she attempts to brain a rat yet she she succeeds in putting another down. After doing so, she skips over to Lureene flanking one of the rats by her curvy friend. "Nice of you to drop in El! Now remember, the pointy end of the rapier goes into your target."

Next Up: Lureene & Grak; rats, Alis

At the words 'filled' and 'position', Priyya seems to recall something memorable (based on the far-away look in her eyes) and lets out a very satisfied sigh... almost a purr.

"Ya know, I think they have that rat problem well in hand. No sense rushing down this hill." Priyya slows her descent, treading carefully, and watching Mal move perhaps strictly more than necessary to ensure his safety.

Lureene looks at ‘Lis intently, her eyes flashing. If that was anyone else…they would be eating those words! Still, she focuses on the task at hand and slips into a defensive posture, while striking at one of the rats pestering her.

Combat Expertise declared.
Attack Rapier 1d20 + 5 - 1 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 5 - 1 + 2 = 15 expertise, flank
Damage 1d6 + 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 1 + (4) = 9 sneak attack
AC is 19.

Grak hovers out of range of the combat, ready to assist his mistress if needed. Delay.

Alis laughs lightly at Lureene's glare and gives a little cheer when she puts down one of the rats. A moment later, the rat Alis moved away from a moment ago charges at her with a loud shriek but stumbles and succeeds only in spitting itself on her blade, although it's not quite dead yet.

The other rats swarm around Lureene and one actually manages to get luck and bites her on the leg, however its teeth are unable to tear her otherworldly flesh.

"Well that's handy, but don't you think Grak's going to get jealous?"

With a flourish Alis spins about ending the rat that just attempted to snack on her friend and putting the other she stabbed out of its misery with a crack from her mace. She then scoots around a bit to put herself in a better position to help finish off the last two.

Next Up: Lureene; rats, Alis

Lureene smiles actually enjoying herself, somewhat. It had been a while since she was actually involved in swordplay. Quite invigorating really, she thought. She maintains a defensive posture, while striking at one of the two remaining rats, maneuvering into flanking position with her Princess.

Attack Rapier 1d20 + 5 - 1 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 5 - 1 + 2 = 17 expertise, flank
Damage 1d6 + 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 1 + (1) = 8 sneak attack
AC is 19.

Lureene puts down another rat and easily avoids the last squeaking creature's frenzied attack.

"Almost feel bad for them," Alis says skipping to the side, before lancing the last one thru the brain. "Almost..."

Not long there after, Mal, Tal, and Priyya reach the bottom, the hunting cat giving a low rumble. "You two took all of Tal's fun away you know."

Lureene wipes the rat blood from her rapier and sheaths it, then favors Mal with an amused look. "If Tal is really hungry, we could just gather them together and she can dig in..."

At Lureene's insult Talvyra's eyes narrow to slits and a deep growl fills her throat.

Lureene swallows hard as the panther voices her displeasure, "Ummm, Talvyra, I did not mean anything by that, just having a little fun with you." She waves a hand towards the pile of rat corpses. "Next time I will let you have your fun, OK?"

Talvyra glowers at the woman, licking her teeth as her tail swishes in agitation. She casts a glance at Priyya and Malandraenas as if to ask if it's actually necessary to keep the winged woman around.

Without further discourse, more than a knowing look between the Darkmanes and a pat on her shoulder from Alis, everyone begins scaling the cliff ahead of them.

Seemingly raised by mountain goats, Priyya and Mal practically race up the cliff with Talvyra lagging behind and she makes her way up more carefully. Alis seems to lag behind trying to make sure Lureene is ok before she begins climbing, but the Darkmanes have practically reached the top before the winged wizardess is even able to make any progress at all.

Once she gets going, Alis makes a swift yet steady ascent, slowing her pace only briefly mid-way up and reaching the top only just after Talvyra. Lureene however, seemingly becomes stuck for quite some time until she finally manages to find a place with better handholds and at last finishes the climb.

Although it gets a good laugh from Mal, the succubus near falls off when she peeks her head above the cliff to find herself face-to-face with Talvyra crouching at the edge.

Shaking her head, Alis extends her friend a hand and pulls her up. Using the thick tongue of Malatesta she winks and speaks with a thick accent. "Careful El..."

Lureene laughs weakly at 'Lis' statement, responding in Common "Cannot argue with that!" As she pulls herself up, she mentally notes to start exercising her wings, hopefuly to actually use them for the purpose for which they were intended.

As Grak flies over to inquire what took her so long, she simply looks at him, and he cringes from her gaze.

Feeling not quite as cheered as she was before, she curtly asks "Well, are we ready to move on?"

Priyya kneels down next to the big cat, scratching hard on her chest and behind her ears where she gets itchy. She listens to Tal's growls as the cat watches the winged woman, and answers as if she understands Tal's language.

"They might taste like chicken but I really can't say. I really don't think you want to find out. She's probably stringy."

Handle Animal (Take 10) 10 + 9 + 5 = 24 familiarity

"They might taste like chicken but I really can't say. I really don't think you want to find out. She's probably stringy."

Lureene flounces her long blonde hair, shaking out the dirt and grime from it, and lets her long blonde tresses fall to her shoulders while glancing at the dark-haired priestess. She deigns not to respond to the jibe, preferring to let her attributes speak for themselves.

At Priyya's comment Alis arches an eyebrow.

Lureene stringy? I think not...

"No, she tastes more like a plum actually. Sweet and tangy. Just make sure you don't choke on– ah, nevermind, bad analogy."

For a moment, Alis turns bright red before getting a far-away look in her eyes as if she's imagining something amusing.

Priyya looks amused. Her eyes sparkle. "We were talking about your wings not the rest of you." She gives the cat another affectionate pat before standing up. "If you think it wise to try to convince 300 pounds of irritated feline that you are more tasty than you look... well, it's your funeral. Perhaps you should just slather yourself with barbecue sauce, if you want to convince Tal you're worth eating."

Lureene looks first at Talvyra, then her gaze shifts to Priyya, "I am sorry but Tal is just not my type. I am quite picky about such things, as you can imagine!"

Priyya looks offended for the cat, whom she stands next to protectively. "I'll have you know this cat has eaten some fine people! Chivane was one of her snacks as I recall."

Lueene snorts in a most unladylike way, "I rest my case."

'Rest my...' Priyya looks confused for a moment before drawing a different conclusion. She bursts out laughing, "Whatever you say, 'El'."

LK Calendar: Uniens 07, 4210 — Alsday (day 3)
Time: 4:45db (morning, 10:45am)

Alis grins and looks at her slightly taller friends, "What's the matter El, cat got your tongue?"

Biting her lip in amusement, she hurries after Mal before any of the catty females can do her in.

The five of you proceed westward thru a thin stand of jungle, soon crossing over the creek Mal found the night before. Sniffing around with Talvyra and examining the ground, he quickly surmises that the two giants you just encountered made for their large canoe and escaped downstream.

Crossing without second thought, you plunge into the jungle on the opposite side. Even though Mal is taking is slow while he scouts, his ability to move thru the undergrowth without impediment doesn't leave much time for the rest of you to dally. In just over an hour, you reach another trail, this one not quite as well-used as the other yet still clear of encroachment from the jungle. It leads south and northwest passing between some low hills.

Now out from under the canopy once again, you look up to see that the sky is once again growing dark with the threat of coming rain.

[ REAVER'S SHIV: Map | Position (019) | Overland Rules ]

Priyya approaches the succubi, her mood becoming sober. She says quietly "Can I offer you a bit of advice? You wanna pick on me or Mal, have at us, we can take it. But Tal is sensitive; please don't mock her... it just pisses her off."

Priyya approaches the succubi

Whoa, did Alis earn her wings or something? O_O

Priyya approaches the succubi, her mood becoming sober. She says quietly "Can I offer you a bit of advice? You wanna pick on me or Mal, have at us, we can take it. But Tal is sensitive; please don't mock her... it just pisses her off."

Lureene bites back a caustic retort, instead just nodding to Priyya. "I have nothing against Talvyra. Please tell her I am sorry."

Guess L is really getting under Priyya's skin, he he.

Psha! She was there to begin with. ;)

Priyya Surya-ka-Vahaak wrote:

Priyya approaches the succubi

Whoa, did Alis earn her wings or something? O_O

You wish. That was a reference to Lureene and her pet cantaloupes.

Guess L is really getting under Priyya's skin, he he.

Priyya may be catty but she isn't a cat. She was actually trying to prevent Lureene from getting mauled which, if we leave out the metagamey 'PC v PC invulnerability' stuff, is the likely outcome if L keeps poking this kitty.