Vexas accepts the vials but starts off to find Brannart, Malakar, and Sho; who would make better use of such enhancements.
Thank you, Kowal. A most useful skill. He nods in appreciation.
Catching up to the group he holds up one of the vials. The strength of a bull, for a short time leastways. These are better used by the professional warriors among us, not the silver talkers and nimble fingers such as myself.
He offers the four vials to Brannart, Malakar, and Sho.
Malakar opens the door while Brannart, Fenna, and Sho stand by as backup. As the door opens, light from outside filters in the shadowy building. Inside, the ground has been dug out to a depth of three feet. A short flight of steps set with flagstones leads into the darkened floor area, lit only by the ambient light coming through the door. Malakar takes note that the building lacks interior walls except for a few short partitions, and four stout posts supporting the roof. The temperature is cool and the smell of rotted vegetables and meat is strong. Strings of garlic hang suspended from ceiling crossbeams alongside chunks of salted meat and bone. Debris and refuse are strewn across the floor between stacks of crates, boxes, and barrels against the walls.
"Mostly provisions, but there is something else"
"Clever, someone has taught the settlers some tricks of nature. Take some of this paste and rub it in to repel insests" Malakar takes his own advice and scrapes up some of the paste and rubs it all over.
Judging from the size of the building, its lack of windows, the smell from the entrance, and Malakar's comments, Fenna astutely concludes the place is a free standing provisions storage cellar.
While accounting for provisions will be important down the road, there are bigger things to be concerned about at the moment. Fenna decides to wait outside unless there's a reason to do otherwise.
Vexas walks up behind the rest of the team crowding at the entrance of the building.
What have we found here?
Using the ambient light from the open door to the outside, Malakar inspects the interior and finds the insect repelling paste. While rubbing some on his body, he feels something on him. At the same time, movement catches his peripheral vision on the containers he just took the paste off of. Then he feels it; tiny pinches on the lower half of his body. He looks down and around and notices in the dirt walls, between the barrels and containers, crawling everywhere, tens, maybe hundreds, maybe thousands of cockroaches. Malakar looks above, cockroaches. To his right, cockroaches. To his left, cockroaches. Climbing up him from the floor, cockroaches. MALAKAR IS SURROUND BY COCKROACHES!
What would you like to do?
The swarm continues to make its way up Malakar's body and drops from the ceiling onto his head.
Malakar will step out of the building and close the door hoping to stop the spread. If he can drop prone as a free action he will. Otherwise on his next turn he will drop prone and roll around to smush the bugs since hitting a swarm with a stick doesn't do much.
Malakar makes for the exit. He starts losing the vermin, the closer he gets to sunlight. The few remaining are squished or run back to the shadows as Malakar closes the door and drops to the ground.
The chittering of the insects can still be heard as they take interest in the unprotected sealed provisions.
"Well that certainly wasn't my intent. However I have a feeling we will find more of the same as we move through the encampment. Whatever made the people leave must have do e it in a hurry otherwise they wouldn't have left so much supplies. Also the amount of vermin suggests they have been gone a while."
Malakar looks himself over and wipes off any remaining bugs and dabs his wounds with a cloth. "The damage was minimal waste not your magics on me yet if you were thinking anout it."
Brannart was about to shout "Head for the water!" when he realized the bugs weren't coming out into the sunlight.
He sees the bard looking the roof.
"Good idea, Fenna. But if that would take to long, I can run in and bring some barrels out."
The strength of a bull, for a short time leastways. These are better used by the professional warriors among us, not the silver talkers and nimble fingers such as myself.
He offers the four vials to Brannart, Malakar, and Sho.
"Thank you, Vexas. I have used such enchantments before and they are very helpful when you know you are going into a fight. Are there four vials? Maybe the last should go to Fenna."
----"Best to not wreck this if there is another way."
Brannart runs into the building and grabs the biggest barrel that is now in danger. As the cockroaches try to swarm him (presumably), he tries to escape with the barrel out into the sunlight.
Fenna takes a torch from her pack and lights it.
"Maybe firelight is as good as sunlight?" she tells the others with a hopeful tone.
Fenna moves inside the entrance of the building and holds the torch high so the light will travel as far as possible into the room's interior.
I don't know, how long do we have to hang around here fighting roaches? If we locate the townsfolk we can still come back for the supplies... Vexas offers.
Fenna takes note that the roaches back away from the firelight. Since the floor is dug out with minimal wood support, Fenna believes there is a low chance of setting the structure on fire, as long as she is careful.
Brannart doesn't stand around debating it. He acts, grabbing the largest barrel he can.
This probably happens while Fenna is still retrieving a torch.
Brannart gauges the quickest and most efficient route to the largest intact container he thinks he can carry. With adrenaline running through his veins, he takes his chances against the swarm. Running in he grabs the container, squishing many cockroaches in the process. With a good grip, he lifts the container and is able to carry it into the sunlight while avoiding the swarm.
I've got limited healing access, but I think using spells is better than our even more limited potions so I'll be out here ready to heal if need be
Fenna hands off the first torch to Vexas.
Keep this one here close to the door. I'll give them some more room to work."
She lights the second torch from her pack off the first one and moves in farther, taking care not to go so far it creates a break in the light between the two sources.
"I guess I am partially to blame for this. Make way bugs I am coming for your food!"
Vexas continues to pace about outside of the structure. And we're sure the supplies aren't already ruined by this swarm of roaches? They've had quite a go at it before we arrived...
"As long as they are still covered in paste and the barrels don't have holes they should be good. But I am with you that we shouldn't spend too much time here while we still don't know the fate of the settlers "
As he brings out the last intact barrels, Brannart takes a breath and nods to his companions.
"Good idea with the torches, Fenna. Thanks for backing me up, Malakar."
"I guess we can leave these here in the sunlight. When it gets towards afternoon we'll have to think about a safe place for them - unless, Malakar, can you find the ingredients to make more of that paste?"
"Well, let's keep looking around."
"I am not sure if the ingredients are local. There was some garlic in the building, but cat nip and bay leaves I am not sure about but I can look around and maybe make some."
The companions work diligently using firelight and muscle. Within a half-hour, the protected provisions that were easily accessible have been removed from the storehouse, several crates and barrels in all. There may be more items of use still in the room; but inaccessible due to the swarm. Most of the rescued provisions have a thin layer of the insect repelling paste, but it does seem to be degrading in the late-morning sun. You're also not sure if keeping the provisions in direct sunlight for an extended period of time will damage any goods inside.
Malakar does find a basket with loose herbs and garlic that seems to be untouched by the vermin. All three ingredients to make the paste are here.
This mud wall building has a door facing east and one shuttered window. Above the door is a plain wooden sign that reads ‘Tool House’.
Opening the door reveals an assortment of tools hanging on the walls. Various other implements, such as ladders, barrels of tar, and shovels are neatly arrayed in the room.
Out of all of the equipment, one item does capture your attention. There is a wooden box about two feet in length, one-half foot in height, and one foot in depth. Inscribed on the top lid are the words ’Emergency Only’. The box is locked and there is no key that can be found.
"I have nimble fingers but no training or tools. Anyone here think they can get in that box? It might have equipment we can use to help us find the settlers."
The halfling wanders into the tool house and scans the contents of the shelves. His gaze stops at the box.
Emergency indeed. Here we are...
He pull his tools out of his pack and leans in close to see what he's working with.
Give me a minute. I don't want to rush this.
Once the box pops open he reports the contents.
Two alchemist's fires and some sort of netted infestation-protection suit, complete with a hate. The latest fashion.
Most of the rescued provisions have a thin layer of the insect repelling paste, but it does seem to be degrading in the late-morning sun. You're also not sure if keeping the provisions in direct sunlight for an extended period of time will damage any goods inside.
If it took half an hour to move the barrels and crates just out of that building, it would take at least as long to move them into another one.
So Brannart tries to protect them from the sun as best as he can. If there is a canvas tarp in the tool shed, he will use that, and if not, then he will cut some leafy branches to pile over the supplies.
It's not a long-term solution but it should be better than nothing.
|
It took Sho several minutes looking at the ingredients, but finally she manages to find out how to use them
You know, if we boil these ingredients together, I would say for half an hour, then stir it as it cools, we could make some new paste. That might be handy.
I do believe the colons wouldn't have let these tools behind, if they went away on their own will. These are too useful, and worth more than gold in the current conditions
agreed Sho
Brannart finds a usable tarp in the toolshed to protect the provisions from the sun’s immediate exposure. Holding on to the swarm-suit and alchemist’s fire for potential later use, the companions continue their exploration of the colony. Following the set paths, they approach the next building and complete a perimeter inspection.
This L-shaped building is constructed of mud bricks on a wooden frame. The western portion of the structure in enclosed by four walls. This section has a single open window on the south side, with a canvas curtain hung across the opening. This window seems big enough for a small creature to move through easily. The single full entrance is a wooden door, standing slightly ajar, on the southern end of the eastern face of the building. A ten-foot extension connects to the building on the east side. This extension has only a northern wall and is otherwise just a roof sheltering the space below, which is open to the outside. Underneath this cover is a forge with an exhaust flue directly above it, a worktable covered in metal scraps, a small tub of black water, and a partially sheltered anvil.
This forge his only been cold for about a week.
The halfling doesn't stop to reconcile this with any other timeline they've built from the observed clues so far.
Eww... what is that smell? Pungent animal lingering by the door and window. I woudl think that whatever happened here, such evidence would be gone by now...
Brannart looks at the scraps to see what the latest work might have been, but he is no expert at smithing.
He walks to the window and peeks in.
Fenna takes a peek along with Brannart.
"I don't smell nothing let me get closer.
Malakar will peek his head in the door to take a wiff and maybe get a glimpse of the source.
Brannart inspects the outside smithy table and finds weapons, tools, and farming implements in various forms of incompletion. Then he and Fenna work their way to the window while Vexas and Malakar sniff around the door.
As Brannart, Fenna, and Malakar scan the room from different viewpoints, they see a room divided into a sleeping area and a work area. The whole place is in disarray with tools, piles of blankets and clothing, weapons, and armor strewn around the floor.
"Ah, now I smell it. Something odd in there though blankets all over the floor. Maybe weasels or skunks?"
"Can we lure it out with food?"
"Yeah Malakar. Do you think you could convince it to go away?"
Fenna does her best get get a look at whatever is in there without going in after it, stretching and craning her head to check up, down, and all around.
Kowal will meander over to the door staying 10 feet away or so if anyone begins moving to go in he will shift his Ward over to them.
Weasles Huh