Once everyone is safe and relaxed Cale goes to examine the safe [b]"hey did anyone find a key, or know anything about lock picking? No judgement if you do""
The half-giant leads the way off to the west to what looks like a large thicket of pale greyish-pink bushes and grass. The shimmering thing in the distance appears to be a pool of silvery water, reflected in the dying light of the twin moons. The air hangs lazily above the pool.
Curiously, there are also several patches of violet, leafy herbs around the edge of the pool.
The violet herbs around the edge of the pool are a plant called methelinoc--also known as elfroot. It's an herb cultivated by elves that possesses an especially powerful poison. It's specifically bred to not have any effect on an elf's body--or on a kank's. Anyone else who ingests it will likely die if they don't get immediate treatment or immediately vomit it back up.
"watch out for purple plant there, it's toxic to... well, anyone but elves and some livestock, it's quite tasty, but well... poisonous. And the grass there is a blood sucker, just stay away from it when you go to drink" Cale warns, happy that his time with the mystics is coming in handy.
Crow grunted his acknowledgement, wrapping his shovel sized fists with cloth before ploughing his way towards the water, tearing his way through the Elfroot since the other was a bloodfeeder. He paused a moment. "Is the water good?"
Once everyone is safe and relaxed Cale goes to examine the safe "hey did anyone find a key, or know anything about lock picking? No judgement if you do""
Laurelin tugs down the collar of her poncho and produces a matching key from inside her halter. ”Found this in the argosy,” she explains as she hands it over.
He happily takes the key "oh good, lugging this safe around was bound to get annoying but the curiosity was already starting to get to me.." at the half giant's question he frowns "... I don't know honestly, I think so, but... hm
He looks closer at the water
"The only way that I know to be sure is to see what happens if someone who isn't an elf or a kank drinks the water," says Laurelin dubiously. "There must be some small animals or birds around here. I'll see if I can find one, maybe we can see what happens if it drinks the water."
The psionicist ranges out, though always staying within sight of the group, looking for a small lizard or bird that might live in or near this watering hole.
Cale shrugs, that was one way to check. He should be fine regardless here so he just takes the key and opens the chest
Laurelin explains in more detail "If the water isn't poisoned, there should be small animals here that don't hesitate to drink from the oasis. We should see lots of small lizards and birds that come up to the water, drink, and amble away. If the water's poisoned and animals can't tell, we should see lots of sick or dead animals around the oasis. If it's poisoned and the animals can tell, the area should be free of animals - they'll leave it to go elsewhere for water - meaning there should be a clear dearth of small animals of the sort that you'd normally see at an oasis like this."
There's no sign of any other small wildlife in the vicinity.
As Crow plods his way through the grass, the timiris lurches forward to try to engulf his leg!
The half-giant stomps through them with ease, but ten of them still stick into his shin, drawing blood. A trickle of blood flows into the grass, briefly staining it red before it's hungrily swallowed up.
Cale pops the key into the safe and opens it with a twist of the wrist.
Inside is a small leather pouch. Opening it reveals no fewer than 25 silvers engraved with the image of a lion's head on one side and a mountain on the other. Etched at the bottom of each coin are the words "The Lion Protects."
Laurelin swings wide around the bloody timiris and crouches down. With a stick she prods the corpse of a small lizard.
"Nothing left alive. Even the plants won't touch the remains. Definitely poisoned."
She stands and says, "The water's not safe. I'm not sure how to cleanse it. This place is a trap. Either we need to look for something else on the map and move on, or wait until someone comes by and then follow them back to somewhere else."
Ick-tk-chk-ka avoids the dangerous plants and water, "Elf is the water poisoned by the plants? If so then you would safely be able to drink it and the water you gathered from the Argosy could be given to the others."
"Could be useful, even if poisoned," Crow suggested as he absently crushed the attacking plant.
Cale briefly attempts to sense for danger just prior to drinking the water. On approach he slices at any of the blood sucking plants that are close. He wants to make sure that the poison is one that he's immune to.
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You see a vision of yourself drinking heartily from the water. You don't appear to be suffering any ill effects.
He sighs in relief as he drinks deeply, [b]"only poison in there is the elfroot. I feel fine, so this is still a good find for us"
Crow nodded and began to gather as much as they had spare bags.
The poisoned water tastes bitter to Cale's tongue, but it refreshes his throat all the same.
Hauling the tainted water back, Crow hands it over and returns to camp.
Once the party has finished their examination of the poisoned pool, it's time to follow the map once again. They set out as the sun's burning rays begin to creep over the eastern horizon.
Following a direct, southwesterly route on the map takes the ex-slaves down a gully between two large sand dunes. The shade offered by the dunes shelters some of the smaller members of the party from the rising sun's glare. A strong breeze starts to pick up, blowing sand and grit from atop the dunes into the party's clothes and gear.
As the trek winds on, however, the shade offered by the dunes thins and eventually disappears as the sun rises higher into the sky. Rounding another bend in the dunes, the party comes across the bones of several creatures. Some of these bones are of humanoid origin, but others appear to be of herd animals or other wildlife.
Ick-tk-chk-ka motions for the party to stop. She points out the tracks and says in a low voice, "Some sort of predatory reptile. See there, it's dragging a kill."
"I see it," says Laurelin. "If we're cautious, that could be dinner."
As a beast handler, Laurelin is pretty familiar with all sorts of animals - whether from keeping domesticated ones, or protecting her herds from predators.
Jhakar are territorial lizards that prefer to hunt in packs. They're notorious for their powerful jaws--once they bite someone, some say that not even a sorcerer-king would be able to pry them free. An exaggeration, of course, but one that is not entirely unwarranted. Their senses of smell are nothing short of exceptional.
Their natural tenacity, keen senses and vicious bite makes them a popular choice for a guard-beast or tracking creature... assuming, of course, that they don't forget who their owner is in their aggression. They're not especially bright creatures, even by animal standards. However, they do lack any form of psionic ability, making taming them or warding them off an easier task for a beast handler.
They prefer to hunt at night, and they're known for claiming a wide area as their territory to hunt in.
"These look like jhakar tracks. They're, uh, a kind of stubby-headed lizard - four legs - often with a sailback and knobbly skin. Move in packs, hunt at night over a wide range. They'll almost certainly sniff us out and attack if we stay in the area. Very tenacious once they get their teeth on you. But edible. If we manage to fight them off we'll have something fresh to eat," explains Laurelin.
"They've probably already smelled us."
Ick-tk-chk-ka says a prayer, "May the light guide our hands for the hunt ahead of us."
Cale pulls out his sword, frowning but nodding, thankful for the words of warning and the prayer.
Crow looked around, trying to spot any approaching predetors, as if they might be attacking now.
"I have not yet fought this beast," says the mul as he readies his weapons and adjusts his armor. "I do not know the best method for a take down of it."
"generally I suggest sticking them with the pointy end"
As the party crests over the northwestern sand dune, they see what looks like a stone tower that's been broken in half. The tower's aged grey slabs of rock lie strewn about the sand behind it, scoured almost completely smooth and bleached white from prolonged exposure. The tower's bottom half remains somewhat intact, with a stone archway on its southern face providing a means of ingress.
Ick-tk-chk-ka approaches the entrance as silently as she can.
Crow hung back, assuming that if there was stealth to be done he should be somewhere else. He could charge the creatures from behind when they appeared. He pulled out his spear, unsure whether it would be better to use it or his fists.
As Ick-tk-chk-ka approaches, she gets a better view of the inside of the tower.
The tower's interior has collapsed in several places, with a wooden spiral staircase going up halfway to a no longer existing second floor. Enough of the roof remains in places to offer shade from the ever-burning sun. A wooden desk sits in the middle of the room, and several weapon and armour racks are arrayed around it.
Sitting in piles of refuse scattered around the outermost edges of the room are five jhakar, quietly sleeping in the shade. Several humanoid skeletons litter the room, some still wearing pieces of armour or clutching a broken sword hilt in their hands. The smell coming from the tower's interior is one of animal dung and decomposing meat.
One of the jhakar snorts and starts to rise to its feet, groggily blinking its liquid yellow eyes.
Seeing the creatures about to wake up Ick-tk-chk-ka focuses on augmenting her strength to her limits. She says, "I see them. There are five. They are sleeping but won't be for long."
"Let's go! Take 'em down one at a time. Anything we finish off, we can try to cook up later," says Laurelin. "And this old ruin might give us some shelter for a little while."
The rest of the jhakar start to groggily stumble to their feet as the rest of the party bears down on them!
Crow rose up and charged in with heavy thuds, levelling his spear like a lance. At the last moment, he thrust the spear forwards twice in rapid succession at the first one he could reach.
Laurelin advances cautiously, letting the warriors take the front as she concentrates on the putative lunch.
She focuses her Will as she gazes at one of the sleepy lizards, connecting to it, through the pulse of the shared fragile thread of life remaining in the world. Her own body's humming, soothing beat connects to the tiny, fragile creatures and plants in the soil like a thin web. Through those threads she pulls, the rhythms dipping and soothing. Just stay asleep... stay asleep.
Ick goes in for the kill with a whirl of claws.
Cale focuses and gathers magical energy carefully before flinging a single bolt of "telekenetic force" at the closest monster, trying to cave in it's skull
Khar meets the gaze of one of the creatures and watches as the half-giant leaps forward to stab at it. He grants him priority on the assault, not wanting to throw off his angle of attack, then leaps forward as soon as he has an opening.
The party rushes to the attack, with several things happening at once.
Ick-tk-chk-ka bears down on one jhakar, tearing it in half with a burst of strength. Crow impales another on his spear, but in his haste to strike another drives his weapon into the tower wall with his second blow. Cale summons a piece of his Will and casts it into a jhakar's eye. Khar descends on a jhakar and dispatches it with two blows, coating his blades with its rank-smelling blood.
Laurelin focuses on another jhakar and tries to find her centre... but, as before, it eludes her. She feels the strain on her mind, but has nothing else to show for it.
The remaining two jhakar, cornered in their own nest, gnash their teeth and leap at the thri-kreen!
The thri-kreen manages to fend one off--but one of her arms is bitten hard by the predator lizard, and it tries to yank her off her feet! She keeps her footing.
The two jhakar keep trying to savage the thri-kreen!
The first one starts yanking its head back, causing the thri-kreen's chitin to crack. The other jhakar jumps on the mantis warrior's back and bites down hard!