East is in front of Geth. 11/13
West is by Jing 3/13 HP 2 non-lethal
Round 2
The wolf in front of Jing howls in pain from the explosion and the ice shards. He closes with Jing and bites at her again.
The wolf goes for Jing’s neck and would have gotten her but the winds from Rakkaw’s incantation throw him off and the wolf bites Jing’s shoulder dragging her to the ground.
The wolf in front of Geth tries to attack him again.
She bites at Geth’s chest but his armor deflects her teeth.
Round 2 | HP 2/8
Jing falls to her back, the heat of her own blood and the wolf's putrid breath mixing in a nauseating infusion. She feels around on the soil next to her sleeping roll, flailing in the leaves for the handle of her crossbow, a loose flask of acid, or anything else useful.
Jing's hand finds a wooden handle. She grips it with what little strength she has left and drives her glaive up and at the wolf.
She drives the point of her glaive up and into the wolf's throat. She stands and tries to talk, but only blood comes out of her mouth.
AC 14 (no armor) | hp 2/8
Bombs 3/5 | Acid flask 3/3 | Alchemist's Fire 2/2
Extracts Prepared: Heightened awareness, expeditious retreat
Round 2 | HP 5/11
Geth glances in Jing's direction and, seeing that the wolf has been taken care of, he focus on the one in front of him.
Geth deftly swings his sword back toward the other wolf and stabs it in the side, skewering it and then pinning it to the ground as it gasps and squirms and slowly goes limp. Once the final wolf has breathed its last, Geth slumps to the ground, exhausted and bleeding from his leg.
With the final wolf's end, the immediate threat to the group has been neutralized.
Aside from caring for each other's wounds, the night passes uneventfully from here on, though the desperation of these creatures casts a pall of unease on the group.
"Nice work, team," Jing says, slumping back down to the ground. "It was neck and neck there for a second. Without your icy wind I would have been wolf food. Thanks, Rakkaw."
After we are certain the wolves are gone Jing says, "Anyone have any healing?"
2/8 hp
"Oh, come close Geth and Jing. Did you come to any harm Rakkaw?"
Galin mutters a few words of supplication to Korada
The 4 Adventurers, healed by the soothing magic of Galin, rest easy that night with no more complications.
The next morning, Jing rises, well rested, and prepares her same extracts for the day.
"Where to now? The lake, right?"
Relaxing at the swift end of the final wolf, Rakkaw notes "Wood is ailing..." as ke looks mournfully at the dead animals.
Rakkaw passes the uneventful watch preparing the bodies of the wolves to be retaken by the Wood. After waking Galin for his watch, Rakkaw meditates on ker spells for the following day.
As morning comes, Rakkaw makes .
Ke gives one each to the members of the group, giving the extra to Geth.
Each is meal. Will also help mend wounds. Good Berries!
Rakkaw scales a tall tree and looks out toward the lake, taking note of any potential odd happenings along the rivulets that lead the way.
When ready, ke navigates the forest.
As the morning comes, Galin stretches and prepares his spells for the day.
"Oh, thanks for the Berry Rakkaw! If anyone needs any water or is not sure about the safety of their food, I can help, just let me know."
Galin puts his armor back on and prepares to leave the camp.
The group travels though the early morning and arrives at the lake a couple hours before noon. The trees begin to thin, revealing a field of short, green grass that leads to the shores of a wide, calm lake reflecting the overcast sky above. A dense fog hangs over the center of the lake, obscuring the far side. Near the shore of the lake, a dark form lies next to the water.
Throughout the morning hike Jing is glad to be walking through trees and the forest, enjoying the chill of the fall air and the solitude with one's own mind a long walk can give.
On approaching the lake, she looks around for any other signs of life before approaching the dark form.
"Well, I say we check it out."
If seconded, and if she does not see anything else dangerous, she approaches the dark form and examines it, looking for what kind of creature it was, cause of death, and so on.
She shrugs. "An anatomist, I am not."
"What is it Jing?" As Galin approches, he looks at the corpse and sighs, "If only we had gotten here sooner I could have done something to help.
Jing notices as shortsword of exceptional quality and a coin pouch with 87 gold pieces inside on the ground a short distance from the body. His body has what looks like several large bite wounds in various locations. In his pocket is a shred of parchment that looks like part of a diagram of a temple. No indication is given of it's actual location or purpose.
Alas, neither Jing nor Galin can tell how long ago the man died or what exactly killed him.
Geth takes a look at the bite wounds to see if he can determine what animal bit the unfortunate man.
Geth can tell that the man seems to have been attacked my a giant snake. Some snakes are know to live in the water and it’s possible that there is one living in the lake.
Rakkaw examines the body, but is perplexed by the clues at the scene. If Geth indicates a giant snake, ker brow furrows in confusion and a touch of fear.
Whatever did this, it is beyond nature.
Seeing the others try their craft, Rakkaw sprinkles some herbs and mutters druidic blessings over the corpse to speed its return to livelihood, whether through fecundity or mystic healing.
Regarding the parchment, Rakkaw's fear is piqued.
Seems he may have been at temple, is this maybe the crypt? Geth, is familiar?
Has there been some sabotage already? Did this man's dire deeds bring about his terrible end?
"Oh, now this is a fancy sword. And a quite a bit of money..." Jing says as she sits on her heels, examining the treasures laying not far from the corpse. Turning back to the snakebitten body she says, "Well, these things aren't doing any good out here. See if there's any way we can identify him, maybe we can return these things to pay for a proper burial, or at least return them to his next of kin."
"Snake, huh?" She says and stands up. Snakes usually swallow their prey, not chew it up and leave it for the scavengers. "Well we best avoid the lake shore then."
She shows the party the paper and offers the sword and money pouch to anyone that wants them. She is appropriately solemn as Rakkaw gives the body a small blessing. "That will have to do in these circumstances. As for the paper, I'm at a loss. Was he headed to the crypt? Leaving it? I'm certain this is not what our "test" is about, but this is not a coincidence. We'd best be even more vigilant."
First the mutterings from the gnome, then the wizard's bird, and now this? What is going on at this Crypt? This is *so* much better than staying at home watching my siblings all day. Even if I may get eaten by a snake.
Galin examines the parchment and mumbles a spell under his breath . Galin also checks for messages or something else that might indicate hidden details of the parchment.
Galin also pays respect to the dead.
"If our path leads to the water, we should be wary. Let's keep moving."
By studying the rate of decay on the body and which fungi have started growing on it, Rakkaw estimates that the body has been here for at least 2 months.
Rakkaw and Jing both know that the gold coins were minted in Tamran, the capital. Because of the fractious nature of Nirmathas, which has no real central government other than a military, different regions mint their own coin so it is usually easy to determine where coins come from in Nirmathas.
None of you recognize the body.
Galin detects no magic on the map but determines that what few words shown, though the spelling is poor, seem to be a Razmiri dialect. Galin knows that Razmiran is a country on the Eastern shore of Lake Encarthan.
That is all that you seem to be able to learn from the body, but its possible a description in Kassen might give you more information. Its state of decay would not allow you to transport it easily intact, and the Green Faith is one of the strongest belief systems in Nirmathas so Rakkaw finds the plants and fungi that will most quickly return the body to the earth and plants them on the body to hasten decay. With the impromptu funeral complete, the 4 adventurers continue on their way.
The group continues on toward the crypt, now following the trail marked by the Trail Map. You can tell that you are entering a more ancient part of the forest around noon when the trees gradually get older and more gnarled. The journey becomes more grueling as a light rain begins to fall. A quick lunch is all that you can stomach because of the desire to get out of the rain. The trail leads ever deeper into the Fangwood, through a twisting maze of trees and confusing ravines. As it tops a small rise, a broad valley spreads out before them running from east to west which looks like a writhing serpent. The Serpent's Gorge lies before them at the bottom of a steep slope down into the valley. The cold rain continues to fall, making the Trail slick and treacherous.
"I'm afraid I have no aptitude at this kind of descent.I miss the forge..." Looking only moderately forelorn, [B}"Geth at least looks burly,[/b] and looking toward the others, "I don't know if you Jing or Rakkaw have any skill in that direction too. I would be a light load if anyone would mind tethering me with a rope. Or there may be value in everyone tethering, but admittedly this is not my area of expertise."
Hopefully with the assistance of a peer or 2 or 3... Galin descends.
Braggar forgive me. Galin uses the spearhead to try to gain some traction in the mud as well.
Rakkaw seems to brighten up as they enter the old growth forest. The untamed places call to ker, as ke is similarly feral in nature.
Ke listens to the wind in the branches, and mimics their tune. Before long, Rakkaw is boldly praising the rain in chorus with the Wood.
When they reach the Serpent Gorge, Rakkaw peers along its depths scanning the area for danger with ker sharp vision.
Even with ker talons, the narrow path and steady rain makes the passage precarious.
Rakkaw keeps kerself close to Galin just below hoping to help steady him during the difficult climb.
Geth listens to Rakkaw rejoicing in the weather and shakes his head. Geth is quite familiar with ranging in the wilderness but the rain is trying even his patience. Geth’s boot even threatens to get stuck in a particularly sticky patch of mud and he starts to curse the rain. When they reach the Gorge, and Geth sees Galin’s short little legs, he says, ”I’ll tie the rope up to this big tree, that should give us a little bit of help balancing. Who ever is most confident on this slope should go last and untie the rope .”
Geth follows Galin and Rakkaw at a safe distance.
Rakkaw finds a convenient place to stop the descent after a few minutes where they can stop and rest a little. Rakkaw’s keen senses don’t detect any dangers lurking for them other than a the natural difficulty inherent in the climb. There does seem to have
Galin manages to travel a little ways down the slope when, His foot slips out from under him and he starts to slide down the slope!
Galin slides down the slope and slams into a tree right next to where Rakkaw ends up finding a place to rest.
Geth starts down the slope after Galin and suddenly starts to tumble down when he trips on a tree root.
Geth manages to catch a hold of the rope and stop himself from slipping down the rest of the slope and makes it to Rakkaw’s safe spot with no more incidents.
"Oh, the body is over two months old? Forgive me, I assumed this was a recent kill. Maybe this isn't connected at all, especially if the map is of a *different* crypt."
...
Peering over the gorge, Jing sees the steep ledge and dangerous trees poking out down the slope. Then, as if her caution was not already warranted enough, she sees both Galin and Geth slip and slam into the trees as they make their descent.
Well, let's be smart about this. She uncorks a large vial on her bandolier, chugs the oily liquid, and makes her own descent. She unties the rope before descending.
She slides down carefully, keeping her feet beneath herself as she balances herself using various branches and undergrowth protruding from the soil.
She lands with a quick stutter of her feet next to Rakkaw and laughs. "Oh come on," Jing says to Geth and Galin. "You guys made this look hard." She looks back up the hill smiling before turning to look down slope. Her smile fades when she remembers they are only a third of the way down.
[b]Your magic strong, I thought you were in trouble! Should we try and wait out rain?/[b]
Ke looks ahead again to try and asses the path before them.
Rakkaw’s assessment of the next section spots an unstable bit of ground that can be avoided.
"What's a little rain to adventurers like us? Observe," Jing says. She ties a rope to the roots near her companions and takes the loose end down with her.
She leaps over the edge recklessly, dancing around the unstable rocks Rakkaw pointed out and lands at the next safest spot. She stamps her feet to ensure the ground is solid.
"Here, this place is stable. We're almost down."
She holds the rope taut, adjusting it to help anyone scaling down the cliff.
Geth again waits for everyone else to go and then unties the rope and hikes down himself.
Geth steps lightly and surely as he navigates the treacherous path.
Rakkaw starts to lose his balance at the very end but does an agile flip and lands right next to Jing on the safe level ground.
Galin moves down gingerly trying to be extra careful this time...
Galin stumbles a little bit but doesn't fall like the last time.
"Thanks for securing the rope!"
As Rakkaw over-confidently barrels down the ravine, ke stumbles on a thin root protruding from a recess. Tumbling forward, ke disappeas over the edge.
After an immensely long short period of time Rakkaw comes swinging back up, having hooked a talon on a hearty branch below the outcropping, to land deftly on the ledge.
The first breath of the rest of my life....
*Hwhoooooooooo.*
Ke looks up at the others.
First Among Travelers!
Once the others have begun to rest, Rakkaw looks over the edge into the freshest of the ravine's slopes.
Been close so far, this one pretty steep. Should be better prepared?
Ke estimates the distance and difficulty of the descent.
Galin makes the final descent upon securing the rope to a nearby tree.
While attempting to be careful, there were still some near misses that could have spelled his doom.
"Good observations Rakkaw and the rope without that I think I might have taken a worse tumble"
Feeling her mutagen wear off, Jing still descends with grace. "That's the biggest slope on this trek, right?"
Geth unties the rope for the final time. Seeing Rakkaw, Jing and Galin manage the descent, Geth learns from them and takes the path that they had already blazed. Geth plants himself down on the ground next the rest of them, ”Whew, that was pretty tense. Thanks for the tips Rakkaw. Glad they gave us that rope. I probably should have thought to pack some myself. Well, should we wait here and let Galin recover from his tumble or push on?”
It’s mid afternoon and from checking the map, Rakkaw estimates they have about 2 hours of travel left until they get to the Crypt of the Everflame. A little searching might find some cover from the rain to rest, if desired.
Want to have some day left when we arrive at Crypt, yes? Galin could eat extra goodberry, walk off strain from tumble...
We don’t want to have the disadvantage of darkness when we arrive at our destination. If we are going to be ambushed, the entry is as likely a spot as any.
Rakkaw was finding it surprisingly easy to take Olmira’s advice and trust in ker companions. Ke had almost forgotten to be anxious while Geth held the rope during ker descent down the steepest part of the ravine.
And now here Rakkaw was, concerned about getting the group to safety before the sun got too low.
US versus them, not just me!
The sensation was foreign to ker.
"Almost forgot about the berry," Galin says while pulling the berry out of his pocket. He picks off a bit of detritus from the inside of his pocket and pops it into his mouth.
[b]Oh, you weren't joking, they are good berries. I feel better already.
"So no resting, just pressing on? I'm okay with either," Jing says. She pulls her hood deeper onto her head to keep the rain from dripping on her nose.
If we press on, Jing will keep an eye out for anything suspicious while they walk. If we decide to set up camp here, she'll spy for a flat area out of the way of any game trails to camp for the night out of the rain.
Best get there, I think. As always, I defer to the Elders.
Rakkaw defers to the judgment of ker senior party members.
The group presses on down to the bottom of Serpent's Gorge and back up a gently sloping rise into a crevasse that leads out of the Gorge and into some low hills with the trees coming closer together as they had been before the Gorge. The path is slick from the rain and the walk is miserable but not difficult and the rain lessens on their heads as they travel back into thicker forest.
The trail leads on into the hills in a meandering path and ends at the base of one of the larger rises in a clearing. An archway of stone is set into the side of the hill. Moss has overgrown many of the details, but one is still quite clear. The keystone of the arch is carved with a flame symbol with a stylized rune in the middle. Beyond the archway is a darkened tunnel that leads to a pair of massive wooden doors, one of which is slightly ajar. A pair of horses and a trio of ponies lie slaughtered next to the archway, each corpse still tied to a post set into the ground nearby. A swarm of flies hangs lazily in the air above them.
As spirits sank during the trudge, Rakkaw took to singing quietly to the Wood, hoping it would somehow embolden the Whole to ker favor.
Though the vegetation sings its songs to Rakkaw, the geology here is different; deeper, older songs that do not harmonize well with ker river language are all ke hears.
Even the land unsettles me here.
Rakkaw quickly joins the silent trudge uphill in the mud, reserving ker breath for aerobics.
Though the thick, damp air bolstered the plants ke sang with as they moved further into the wood, it also made scents die on the wind. But as they approached the crypt, one odor broke through.... Maggots.
The clearing was rank with death, and Rakkaw inspects the corpses from a distance to assess the scene.
If safe, ke moves forward to inspect the archway from a short distance, scouring for runes or tracks.
I knew we should have stayed back...
Jing looks around for signs of the mounts' owners, either alive or dead, and holds her glaive at the ready. She is nervous and scared at the sight of the dead animals.
Jing whispers to her companions, "We're the only ones that are supposed to be here, right?"
Rakkaw thinks that, from the state of the bodies and seen at a distance, the best that can be determined is that they’ve been killed recently. A closer inspection will be needed.
Rakkaw does not find any sign of any living creatures or conspicuous writing in the area, but given the rain, there probably would be nothing visible from before today.
Jing sees that the horses still have their saddlebags on, but most of them are empty or their contents smashed by the quadrupeds’ falls, one however is salvageable. It contains 2 days worth of rations for one person, one large rather soggy pillow, a quiver with 10 blunt arrows and two pints of lamp oil.
I’m her investigation, Jing also finds humanoid bones sticking out from under one of the horses . The bones done gave any flesh on them and they were underneath the horse so the were probably significantly older.
"Blunted arrows, that could be handy, if anyone has a bow."
Galin moves to assist anyone moving the horses and inspects the bodies.
"Has anyone heard of trouble from this area?" Galin says as he shares what little he knows.
.
Galin inspects the horses bodies, looking at the rents in their flesh, the swarms of flies and the small numbers of maggots visible and estimates that they have been dead for around 2 days. They appear to have been killed with crude blades or maybe claws.
The bones underneath are devoid of any flesh and the only thing he can extrapolate from this is that they died much longer ago than the horses.