GM Ladile & the Pathfinder Society Present: The Night March of Kalkamedes (Inactive)

Game Master Lady Ladile

Liasna looks for a more tenable path. She doesn't want to fall too far behind, but she's also not exactly great at climbing, so her first reflex is to look for something less terrifying than another fairly sheer cliff face.

Well, it looks sheer to her.
Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

If her chances are in vain, she'll follow Baiju's lead and see if she can't at least find a few good spots to start the climb from.
Climb: 1d20 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (7) - 2 + 1 = 6

YIKES

Winded from the climb, bruised from retrieving his boots, and simply thankful to be at the top of the ravine, Doctor O'Mayga collapses to the ground with his back to the large oak tree at the edge of the cliff.

"Ayla, would it be too much to ask... for something to eat from your... pilfered, I mean..., foraged food supply?"

It's not like *she* did any of the work getting us up here, after all.

As he munches on a cookie, he contemplates an alternative method to secure Kalkamedes.

I could really just use a nap. A nice soft bedroll.... Wait a second....

"Ayla, do you think we could... secure him... *inside* a bedroll? Tied off with... hmmm... my belt?"

I am running out of ideas here. But if a Pathfinder bedroll is anything like a modern sleeping bag then we stuff him inside and tie off the open end with something other than the rope. Creative enough for you?

Bwahaha! I love it!

Ever the clever thinker, Dr. O'mayga quickly devises a plan to retrieve their rope for the others. While Ayla manages to grab hold of Kalkamedes' legs the Doc grabs his bedroll and manages to slither it down over the sleepwalker's head and arms; once they manage that part it isn't too difficult to untie the rope from his waist and then pull the bedroll the rest of the way down over Kalkamedes' legs. As far as keeping the open end secure is concerned, the application of a heavy rock or two over that end prove sufficient enough to keep the man secured within the bedroll - though he continues to squirm and thrash around as always.

With Kalkamedes now safely occupied, it's little trouble for gnome and samsaran to tie the rope off to a nearby tree and lower it down for the rest of the group. Even better, Koani's keen eyes also pick out yet another alternate path that can be used to scale up this side of the ravine; between those two options the rest of the group finally manages to climb up and reunite with Dr. O'mayga (and Hogo) and Ayla.
______________

Both Baijiu and Liasna's climb checks will succeed when using the knotted rope to climb up (DC 5) and Koani's also managed to find another route to scale (DC 15) - which might also come in handy should the group have to pass back this way at a later point.

"Hoo wee, am Ah glad t' see everyone back t'gether again!" Gamin exclaims once everyone has regrouped at the top of the cliff. "That was some clever work there, gettin' Ol' Kalk up here like ye did. An' this lot here; usin' their noggins t' find another way up! Now Ah see why th' Society sent you all t' help mah friend out!"

Climb the rope 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17

As Korivan climbs his way up to join everyone

"Are we almost there, yet? Anyone?"

Ayla passes out a snack she stole packed to everyone. "Here, guys! Might as well stop for a bite to eat while he's contained." Then she sits down on top of the thrashing Kalkamedes as if he was a chair. "Whoo! Wonder how long I can hang on!" she laughs.

Acrobatics to sit on Kalky!: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

"Nice try, Kalky, but I've had rougher rides! Why, did I ever tell you about the time I rode a dire rhino bareback through a windstorm? Man, that was a challenge! So there I was...."

Amazing Storytelling!: 1d20 ⇒ 18

"...and that's why you never bring a cheese roll on safari!"

Ayla hops up to her feet, dusts her hands off, and grabs onto the belt. "Ready for me to free him? Someone grab that rope of ours, we're going to need to leash him all over again."

Liasna gratefully accepts and nibbles on a cookie. Climbing, as she'd said before, had never been her thing. I hope we don't have to do much more of it! she thought to herself as the group took a short rest.

"I don't know that we're ready to free him, but I suppose we can't exactly hold off forever," Liasna admits ruefully as she polishes off the last of the crumbs.

Halfway through Ayla's story, the Doc sputters, chokes on the bite of cookie in his mouth and begins coughing. He grabs his waterskin, washes the remaining cookie down his throat, and looks at Ayla in utter horror. Too polite to interrupt (and knowing he'd never get a word in anyway) he waits until she reveals what not to bring on a safari.

"Ayla, are you saying... that you actually... utshortsher ushitsi kumtiiholii?" In such shock that he's unable to translate the words from his brain into Common, he says the last in a language none of you recognize.

He shakes his head and takes a last sip of water, then stands and readies to reattach the rope to Kalkamedes and resume their journey.

"Haw! That's a good one, lass!" Gamin chortles as Ayla spins her tale. "Ah wish Ah could've been there t' see it meself!"

Though it seems a bit strange to be taking a break and casually sharing snacks and tales while a sleepwalking man thrashes around in a bedroll, the night is still quite warm and pleasant. From your position on the far side of the ravine you're afforded a beautiful moonlit view of the forest that stretches out before you. You're not sure how much farther you have to go until Kalkamedes reaches his destination but hopefully it'll be soon.

"Ahhh...Ah know we gots to get a move on helpin' Ol' Kalk but a part o' me kinda wishes we could all just sit here an' enjoy th' moment," Gamin continues after a pause in the conversation. "Mebbe we can chat a bit though, even while we're movin'. Ah know all you folks'r part of th' Pathfinder Society like Ol' Kalk used t' be. If you dinnae mind sharin', what made each of ye wanna join up?"

After packing up his bedroll and putting his belt back on, the good Doc makes sure that Hogo is secure atop his head and takes hold of the rope tethered to Kalkamedes. As they walk - and before the next misadventure befalls them - he eventually positions himself so that he can talk with Gamin at his own pace. He's speaking in the same halting manner, but I took out the ellipses to make it more readable.

"Hogo and I are students of death. More specifically, we are scientists trying to understand certain aspects of death. Such as: why does Pharasma hate the undead, yet samsarans are allowed to be reborn over and over? What precisely happens when a being dies, especially an unusual one such as an outsider, undead, or samsaran, or...? Well, or even one such as yourself?"

"I was reborn in this form in Geb. Samsarans are a special class of citizen in Geb, neither undead nor normal mortal, since it is virtually impossible to create an undead from a living samsaran. I was apprenticed to an especially powerful undead necromancer, and I flourished in his employ, but I knew that I needed to leave Geb eventually."

"On an expedition to the Shattered Range on behalf of my master, I encountered Hogo. His connection to Pharasma influenced me to leave Geb, though I did not feel a pull toward our ancestral home in Zi Ha. I gained my freedom from my master, and we journeyed north. In Osirian we encountered a team of Pathfinders researching the death rites of the ancient Osirians. I had some familiarlity with that both from my studies in Geb and from my own past lives."

"I hope to go to Zi Ha someday, and to speak with the great ancient samsarans there about life, death, and rebirth. But in the meantime, the Pathfinders give me a place to continue my research and to advance my skills. As Hogo says, they give me plenty of opportunities to study death."

"I started my research with the Concordance long before I had heard of the Pathfinder Society. I was the head of a group of Gnomish Kinetic elemental specialist's that would defend nature and the balance of the elements from anyone looking to disturb them.

Everything was going great..."

Korivan's smile disappears from his face as his voice flattens

"...Until we were requested to go to Ravenmoor."

The faint stomping of Tim, the chicken, comes to a stop as a somber cluck can be heard

"We were sent there to look for a missing person, a tax collector with an alcoholic problem. At first it just seemed like some random back water town. They even invited us to join in a monthly festival in the town. We didn't have anything better to do because we could not locate the person and just assumed he left with the money.

As my research furthered, I started having flash backs to my squad, and Tim. Before one day a loud crash came from behind me. It was Tim. Back from the void to stand by my side once more. A reward from the Great Azathoth for me research."

Korivan puts the hood of his long black and white robe over his head, showing an eight pointed star made of dried blood on the hood as he walks down the path

"Now I study the Void for the Society and the great Azathoth. Doing missions to better the survival of everyone in the society."

She sat down with the rest of the group, and after hearing a couple of stories, she felt sad... Uneasy. She had never explained her life, nor had she ever the will to do so. She usually just drank it away and never worried about it. But for now, she would sit, and tell her tale.

"When I was young, I was taught to always respect the Gods and to find my own path. Though my human mother never expected me to choose Cayden Calien. She thought I would have joined an Lord from Heaven or something, not the drunkard from Elysium." She takes another drink from her gourd before refilling it with a couple of spells before conitnuing the story.

"That was the start, and when I went over to the main temple in Absolom, they quickly put me to work... Doing paper work. Now, I enjoyed being there, but do you know how HARD IT IS TO DO PAPERWORK FOR A BUNCH OF DRUNKS!!!!" She breaths heavily as her rage was beginning to boil, and then breathed out and said, "Sorry about that... Anyway, I went to a local monastery with dwarves, lovely little things. They taught me that living the drunk life wasn't a bad thing, and that if I wanted to learn more to go to Tian Xia. And that is what I was going to do." She drinks some more, and offers it to her party.

"Comes to the point of, why am I still here? I had no funds to go to Tian Xia, and I had no sponsor. So I joined the Pathfinder Society as a drunk monk, hoping to be able to go over seas to that country to finish my training, and spread the wonderful brew of Cayden Calien! And it was working, until after one mission, I grew so upset that I caused a major brawl in a tavern, and..... Don't remember what happened. They were just in a pile of knocked out bodies. Besides the bartender. Rule 1 of tavern brawls, NEVER, EVER attack the bartender!" She laughs and wipes the tears from her eyes as she then said, "He told me that I kept on drinking, and raging, and drinking, and laughing during the brawl, and that I should use that to my advantage in my travels, gave me a pat on the back, and then tossed me into the pond next door as I began to hurl my guts out for what seemed to be hours. Ever since, I have been classified as many things, but the one thing I am...." She takes a long drink, finishing off all of her gallon of alcohol, "Is one hell of a drunk!!!"

Koani smiles at the stories her fellow Pathfinders are telling.

"I found Blarg as a baby, and brought him home to my family in Kionin. They did not approve of him, althought they let me keep him. They thought I would get tired of him and move on to something more 'fitting.' When they began to hint strongly they did not want Blarg around any more, I left to find somewhere my little buddy would be more welcome. Blarg and I have found the Pathfinder Society to be the friends we need, and everyone here is welcoming to this little guy."

Koani starts to chuckle. "I'll never forget the look on my stuffy uncle's face when he realized I was choosing that 'stupid little dinosaur' over my home and family. But I love Blarg, and will never send him away."

The little dino obviously returns Koani's love, because he starts nuzzling her, and then starts sending little puffs of dino breath to move the loose hairs dangling on her cheeks.

Ayla pulls out ink, an ink pen, and her journal and begins taking copious notes in a scribbled shorthand. "Wow, I'm loving the backstory talk, guys. Usually it takes forever to tease the troubles out of people! I hope you know I'm going to use all of this as inspiration for the characters my book. Yup! The world will know your tales! ...In slightly exaggerated and a much more entertaining fashion! Good stuff here, guys! Good stuff!"

She looks to Liasna, curious if she's going to spill her secrets as well.

When Liasna's done, Ayla pats Kalkamedes on the leg as she packs up her writing supplies. "You can tell me your tale when you wake up, pal. Alright? Yup! I hear ya'!"

She prances in place for a moment, points off into the distance, and shouts, "And.... WE'RE OFF!"

A piercing orange glare shoots out from under my hood at Ayla

" A story teller who refuses to tell their own tale? But steals the stories of others? We are all letting each other know why we are here and what we stand for. My friends are not for you to profit from in a story. Now why don't you share why you stand with us."

Ayla laughs. "I already did! A long time ago! Yeeesh! Don't you listen? Oh, yeah! You weren't here! Hahahahaha! Well, that's what you get for showing up late, I suppose!" Ayla shakes her head at Korivan. "Well, no worries pal. I happen to have my entire life story available for purchase in my memoirs! Only ten gold! A steal of a deal for a book this quality. And cause you're so passionate about it, I'll even give you a signed copy for no extra charge!" Ayla pulls out a signed copy of her autobiography and offers it to Korivan. Then she holds out her other hand, waiting for the gold. "Well? Pretty swanky looking, huh?! It's a best-seller!"

"As for your accusations, I made everyone well aware they'd be the inspiration for my life to fiction novels starring Ada Mantine! There were no complaints, which constitutes a verbal agreement by non-refusal as per Absalom Freedom of Speech act 2673, Article 9." She grins widely. "You can thank my good pal Geico All-Hearth for that little gem! He's an Abadaran insurance adjustor I had the pleasure of working with on my first mission. Well, my first officially sanctioned mission, mind you. It pays to have friends in the know, you know!"

She waggles her eyebrows at Korivan, still waiting for her gold. "Actually, come to think of it, since you were late, you never got that information. Well, you know it now! So, do I have your permission to retell our tale and feature you in my next Ada Mantine novel? Or are you refusing to be a part of this amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity, friend?"

I'm so sad, guys. I had a nice, long post to go with all of the story bits and it apparently joined a couple of other posts last night in the unfortunate, fuzzy white space of the internet... so here's round two!

Liasna listened as her allies spoke, curious to hear what they had to say and... impressed. Everyone, it seemed, came from a different walk of life, from a different place, a different starting goal... There was a lot to admire here, in these people. She was pretty embarrassed when she thought of her own story, simple and... well. Bland. Especially in comparison to Baijiu's!

"My story isn't really much of a story," Liasna confessed, when Ayla turned towards her expectantly. "Just, I always wanted to be a warrior when I was younger. I dreamed of armor and weapons and fighting to smash aside my enemies and bring safety to my allies." Gesturing towards her decidedly non-metallic armor, she said, "But I wasn't suited for it. I was looking for too much, seeing too much of the shine." The oracle sighed.

"The gods saw fit to punish me by taking my sight when I was younger. They allow me to channel their energy and bring life to my friends, but I haven't been able to see past - oh, a tree's length? - for a very long time."

"It's, ah. It's not very interesting." She fell silent as they gathered up their things to proceed. It hurt, sometimes, to think about just how hopeful she'd been, about the way she'd woken up and suddenly couldn't see. Adapting to her altered vision had been difficult, nauseating, and an absolutely dreadful time for everyone. It had taken her a long time to adjust and she'd been confined to a sickroom for most of it, unable to keep most food down and unable to keep from crying.

"Let's be on our way, shall we? I'm sure good Kalkamedes still has a lot of ground to cover if those movements are any hint."

After taking a few moments to secure Kalkamedes to the end of the rope and then peel the Doc's bedroll off of him, you all resume your journey. As you walk and talk, you descend back down towards more forest. Great bands of stars sweep across the cloudless night sky, illuminating a series of game trails that chase through the mountain shrubs and berry bushes.

Gamin listens intently to everyone's stories, occasionally interjecting a thought here and there.

"What precisely happens when a being dies, especially an unusual one such as an outsider, undead, or samsaran, or...? Well, or even one such as yourself?"

"Ah think that's th' second time ye've asked me 'bout that," Gamin replies. "Truth be told, Ah don't rightly know. Th' dwarves made me but Ah dunno if I got a soul or anythin' like what you folks have."

The sword is silent for a moment. "But Ah still got a personality an' all that, right? So Ah guess that makes me somethin' in betwixt, mebbe?"

""I hope to go to Zi Ha someday, and to speak with the great ancient samsarans there about life, death, and rebirth."

"An' Ah hope ye get th' chance to Doc, Ah really do," Gamin replies, sounding dead serious.

"My team had been slaughtered by the townspeople. My friendly Chicken companion here's screams were what had woke me up as they were coming for me."

"Ye gods, man! So they just up an' slaughtered th' lot of ye!?" Gamin exclaims, sounding rightly horrified. "What in th' world would possess 'em t' do somethin' like that?"

"It was Tim. Back from the void to stand by my side once more. A reward from the Great Azathoth for me research.""

Gamin snorts. "A ghost chicken, eh? Ah...Ah guess all th' gods work in their own ways though. Don't know anythin' really 'bout this 'Azathoth' feller but if he gives ye purpose then mebbe he can't be all that bad a guy...er, god."

"do you know how HARD IT IS TO DO PAPERWORK FOR A BUNCH OF DRUNKS!!!!"

Here, Gamin laughs so hard that you're certain he'd be crying if he had proper eyes to cry from. "Bwahaha! Ah can only 'magine! An' you gotta remember, Ah was made by th' dwarves meself so Ah can vouch for that account o' yers - they definitely know a thin' or two 'bout th' drunk life!"

"Is one hell of a drunk!!!"

"That ye are, lass, that ye are. An' mebbe with some more practice you'll get t' where ye can hold yer liquor a little better," Gamin offers encouragingly. "'Cause, uh...right now yer kinda leavin' a slime trail o' puke all over these hills. It's a good thin' there ain't no one tryin' t' find us!"

Another post incoming to respond to the rest, please stand by~

"When they began to hint strongly they did not want Blarg around any more, I left to find somewhere my little buddy would be more welcome."

"Th' pow'r true friendship," Gamin sniffs, sounding touched. "Ah told ye all it was kinda th' same with me an' Kalk - neither one o' us able t' be th' things others wanted us t' be."

The little dino obviously returns Koani's love, because he starts nuzzling her, and then starts sending little puffs of dino breath to move the loose hairs dangling on her cheeks.

"Ah can tell he loves y' too, Miss Koani," Gamin chuckles softly. "An' it's good t' see folks who have it in them t' give kindness t' creatures that don't usually get it."

"I already did! A long time ago! Yeeesh! Don't you listen? Oh, yeah! You weren't here! Hahahahaha! Well, that's what you get for showing up late, I suppose!"

"Yeah, guess Ah'm outta luck too, considerin' Ah ain't got any legs t' scoot around on an' Ah didn't know ye folks were comin', what with being stuck in th' chest an' all," Gamin remarks dryly. "That'll sure teach me!"

"He's an Abadaran insurance adjustor I had the pleasure of working with on my first mission."

Gamin groans. "An Abadaran? Ah think you folks are outta luck then; th' few me an' Kalk met can talk circles 'round a person better'n any snake oil salesman! Better get used t' hearin', 'Oh yeah, I read a story about somethin' like that once!'"

"I dreamed of armor and weapons and fighting to smash aside my enemies and bring safety to my allies."

"Pshaw! Nothin' wron' with th' at all lass," Gamin interjects. "Lot nobler goal than most folks have, ye kin? It ain't just anyone that's willin' an' able t' try liftin' a weapon!"

"The gods saw fit to punish me by taking my sight when I was younger. They allow me to channel their energy and bring life to my friends, but I haven't been able to see past - oh, a tree's length? - for a very long time."

For a long moment, Gamin is silent at this. Then he says, quietly, "Well, mebbe th' gods don't always know what they're doin'. Healin' talent ain't nothin' t' sneeze at either but there ain't nothin' wrong with dreamin' o' protectin' yer friends an' mebbe gettin' a little glory in th' process too. An' whichever god cursed ye? I'd tell 'em th' same thin' t' their face!"

Liasna lets out a startled laugh at Gamin's quiet endorsement. "Thank you," she says, obviously surprised. "I don't think anyone's been kind enough to say that. Mostly, folk tell me that the gods must have some other plan in mind for me or that it was hubris that brought me low." Liasna chuckles.

"I don't think anyone's quite considered that its the gods themselves that might be making mistakes!" And if she didn't get smited for thinking that, much less saying it... Well, maybe Gamin was onto something.

"Thank you," she repeats the sentiment. "I don't know that I'd be able to laugh about it without this new perspective you've shared with me."

It's not an easy idea to accept, but it's an idea and she can accept that. It'll take a lot more consideration, long conversations in her own head, philosophical debate with others, but she thought it wasn't something that would go awry. Perspective, after all, was always healthy.

Ayla grins at the sword. "Don't worry, I'll slip you and Kalky a copy of my memoirs at a discount. Then you'll both know the glory of my history! Why did you know -- OH!" She points at the ground. "HEY LOOK! A tweetle beetle! Oh, nope. Just a normal beetle. LAME! Tweetle beetles are way cooler. Hey, have you ever seen a tweetle beetle battle? Talk about epic! Why you haven't seen a duel until you've seen a pair of tweetle beetles battle in a puddle with their paddles! OH! Tweetle beetle bottle puddle paddle battles are pretty great too... "

"Hey LOOK! Kalky's moving! Onward, to ADVENTURE!"

Koani grins at Ayla. "I don't see any poodles around either, or noodles, unless you have some in that pack of yours..."

"Are the poodles eating noodles? Cause that'd be pretty rad," Ayla remarks. "If only!"

Bemused and befuddled, the Doc looks back and forth between Ayla and Koani. "Tweed-wearing dogs... fighting over... ramen? Do you have any idea... what they are talking about, my friend? “ he asks Hogo.

Hogo giggles (as evidenced by a slight and particular wiggle) at both the silliness and the Doctor's confusion. They attribute both to sleep deprivation, before curling up in their nice little nest of hair and falling asleep themselves.

"That's th' spirit!" Gamin laughs as the group is forced to pick up the pace a little bit as Kalkamedes speeds down the hill. "An' Ah don't know what th' heck tweedle beadles an' poodle noodles are but Ah'm sure they're both somethin' to see!"
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Having gone back to scouting ahead, Baijiu does her best to move quietly through the shrubs and bushes. As she moves along she begins to hear what sounds like grunting and snuffling coming from further ahead. Rounding around some bushes, the drunken aasimar freezes in her tracks as she spots what looks to be a grizzly bear and two juvenile cubs enjoying a late-night snack of berries no more than maybe 30 or 40 feet away. Despite her best efforts to move quietly, Baijiu stumbles over a log and all three bears pause in their eating to look up. The two juveniles quickly return to eating but the bigger bear watches Baijiu cautiously for a few moments more before returning to her meal.

Even Baijiu knows that tangling with a trio of bears probably isn't the best course of action but Kalkamedes' path is sure to bring him and the rest of the party right through their feeding area...

No map just yet but let me know how you proceed and if you approach any of the bears, how close you approach!

Koani tells Blarg to stay with their new friends, and asks her friends to restrain Kalkamedes for a moment. Then she carefully tucks her weapons away and moves slowly and carefully towards the mother bear, her arms held in front of her in a non-threatening manner. She speaks gently and soothingly, trying to convince the creature she is not a threat.

wild empathy check: 1d20 + 3 - 1 ⇒ (1) + 3 - 1 = 3

Whelp, that certainly didn't work! Do I still have time to cast a spell before the bear attacks?

Ayla gives her fingers a snap, clears her throat, and moves over to the bears. Staying about thirty feet away, she starts to roar at it, making a surprisingly good bear impersonation.

Liasna pauses with the others and does her best to help restrain Kalkamedes while Koani and Ayla step forward. She jumps a bit at the sudden roar, but calms when she realizes it was only Ayla...

What kind of lungs does she even have? she stared, impressed.

She slowly backed up, letting Ayla take the lead here as she tried to think of a way to get them to be less aggressive....

K.Nature+Guidance: 1d20 + 0 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 0 + 1 = 5

She might know very basic things about bears, nothing to take home to the bar about. One thing she does know, is that alcohol is everyone's friend, and begins to look around for some berries that the bears are eating.

Perception+Guidance: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 9 + 1 = 16

Grabbing some berries, she begins to put them in her gourd to let them soak in her alcohol.

Doc starts hauling back on the rope hoping to slow Kalkamedes' date with a furry death.

Is Koani speaking to that tree? Maybe that's why the bear is not responding. Ah well, WHAT THE....??? his thoughts suddenly interrupted by Ayla growling and roaring at the mama bear.

"Oh Pharasma, let me not... end this incarnation... as bear chow." he quietly intones. Though in truth he too has nothing to offer the situation.

As Koani carefully approaches the bears, all three of them stop their eating and watch warily. Though Mama Bear bristles and utters a low warning growl, she doesn't attack - which is the good news. The bad news is that try as she might, Koani can't seem to properly translate her intent across to the little bear family and her outstretched arms seem to frighten one of the cubs - who turns and takes off through the brush with surprising speed!

Because your GM totally didn't almost forget the 4-player adjustment or anything...*whistles*

At this, Mama Bear roars angrily and seems ready to charge Koani...until Ayla boldly steps forward and begins communicating in the bears' own tongue. Both Mama Bear and Cub look at each other and even those of you who can't understand bear-speak can sense their surprise and confusion.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group wait a short distance back while mightily attempting to keep Kalkamedes restrained at the end of his leash. Well, except for Baijiu, who casually begins soaking some berries in her flask...

Current Map

Putting a note over in Discussion re: Speak with Animals and such, so please go check it out~

Seeing Ayla start speaking with the bears, Korivan casts Speak with Animals as well

In Bear "I am sorry for the two legged one that startled you and your children. He is hibernating and does not know what he is doing. We are following him to make sure nobody gets hurt. But, we have a very difficult time controlling his path. We are just passing through and do not wish any harm on anyone."

Keeping his had behind his back with a blast ready to attempt to dazzle the mother bear with Dampening Infusion

Ayla nods.

Mama Bear seems to consider the words of the two gnomes, at least as much as a bear can really consider any sort of speech. After a moment, she responds with a series of snuffles and grunts and sharp growls.

Ayla dumps out her backpack and pulls out a bunch of foodstuffs.

She gives all of her rations (four days worth) to the bears, even the food they didn't ask for and her last cookie.

Ayla quickly stuffs the rest of her stuff in her backpack and turns to the others. "Hey anyone got a fresh fish in their bag? I want to sweeten the deal!"

Koani sees Ayla giving the bears food, and looks around the area to find particularly tasty bear food.

survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

She will add to the pile the soaked berries that she found earlier before moving slowly backwards and around at a safe distance.

Between Ayla's donation of her rations, Koani's discovery of a particularly juicy-looking root that's not too difficult to unearth, and Baijiu's booze-soaked berries, Mama Bear and her remaining cub seem quite pleased. She offers a few more growls and snuffles...

...and then begins scooping and nosing the offered food away from the path, leaving it clear for Kalkamedes and the rest of you to pass through unmauled and unmolested.

"Quick thinkin' there," Gamin remarks, having been surprisingly silent through the entire bear encounter. "Those bears kin be right vicious creatures, or so Ah've been told. Hopefully all that food oughta keep 'em busy fer a while...an' if not, mebbe those booze-berries'll put 'em out fer a while, in case we gotta pass through here later!"

"I know, I'm brilliant," Ayla acknowledges as they leave the bears behind. "Of course I'm out of food now, so someone's going to have to share with me later. Oh! Or maybe I can try to live off the land! Ha! That'd be fun! I can eat bugs and berries and potentially poisonous plants! Man, this is going to be the most exciting road-trip ever!"

Doctor O'Mayga watches the growling exchange in silence given that he does not understand Bear.

Though certain of the sounds are similar to words in Cyclopean and Draconic. Fascinating. I wonder if the animal 'languages' are influenced by those primordial ones or vice versa? he muses to himself, the language of his thoughts shifting between Draconic and Cyclopean as he does.

“Did she really have to... donate the... last cookie? It's... unlikely they will find it... to be to their tastes. “ He grumbles well out of earshot of the gnome whose "brilliance" (in this particular situation) he does begrudgingly acknowledge.

"I'm sure we'll manage," Liasna puts forth, very much impressed. "But you must tell me where you learned to roar like that! It was very interesting! Does it hurt your throat? Did you have to practice a lot? Do your lungs feel differently afterwards?"

Moving along with the others, she can't help but want to know about these things. They'd just avoided a tussle with an actual bear and all because some of their party had managed to wrangle those sounds from their throats!

"Oh, I can talk to anything," Ayla points out, "But not for long! Want to hear a squirrel?"

"Squeak, squeak, mcsqueakum!"

"Or... a frog! Ribbit, ba-rup! CROOOOOOOAK!"

"Oh... with a mrrrooowww and a rufff and a quack waaaaak waaaaak!" she sings. "And a twitch twitch -- awwwww! It wore off. Shucks! Well, you'll have to wait for tomorrow to hear my monkey sounds. I make a pretty good gibbon if I do say so myself! You ever seen a gibbon? Why, I once spent three weeks living with gibbons in the Dembe valley. That's in the Screaming Jungle, mind." She laughs for a while, as if at a memory. "Ahhh... good times! Greatest brachiators around, those little scamps! How about you, guys? Any of you live with gibbons? Maybe gorillas? Particularly wild halflings?"

Tim comes back out to a very loud thud as the void chicken makes contact with the ground

Tim looks at Ayla and then up to Korivan

"Cluck cluck cluck. Cluck. Cluck cluck cluck."

Korivan laughs and looks down at the chicken

"I'm aware. But, we gotta deal with that at another time."

The two walk down the path as the blast is Korivan's hand dissipates

She was glad that they avoid conflict with the bears, mostly because she knew how defensive she got when people interrupted her chow time. She moves back to Kalk and gives a hand with getting him safely out of the bear's territory.

Thankful to have avoided a tussle with the bears, the group hurries on after Kalkamedes. Over the course of another two hours, the rough, mountainous scrubland gradually flattens and gives way to thicker copses of trees sustained by a series of chilly, narrow streams as Kalkamedes' trail meanders northwards again. Baijiu ranges ahead of the group as she's done all night, scanning for potential threats and other obstacles. She eventually comes upon an old dirt trail that cuts through the thick trees and underbrush and branches into a Y-intersection.

She quickly moves back to the group and says quietly, "Shhh, there are some people up ahead. Might be best if we tie Kalk down somewhere so we can take care of the people up ahead, with talk or fist.... Or drink if they want..."

"Tim, bad guys. Get out of here."

Korivan looking to Tim as Tim disappears into a cloud of purple smoke

"Alright. I will stay back and be ready with blasts for you guys."

Korivan's hands start glowing purple with kinetic blasts ready

Ayla looks around for a nearby tree that they can quickly tie Kalky to.

The Doc works with Ayla to tie Kalkamedes' tether to a tree, hoping that will be sufficient. As he does so, he pops out the wand from his right wrist sheath and activates it causing a sheen of magical force to envelop his body briefly.

“Who will approach them first? “ he asks, though he looks at Baiju and Koani as he does so.

Mage armored