*TONK* By Loki's frigid teet! Toki exclaims as the coconut clips his head
The Northman stumbles just out of the way, avoiding a bulk of the fiery burst!
Seeing Sorala fall, he curses yet again, Odin's eye!
Placing his hand upon her shoulder, he whispers a childhood tune, one that always brought him comfort...
Freya's valkyrie wish to see more of your valor, young Sorala...
Rilkus stood still as the flames washed over him, not even trying to get out of the way. A metallic grunt was all that indicated the gearforged to have experienced any pain from the fiery assault. He stomped over towards the swarm and brought his hammer down upon all that he could catch under it.
"Ok, maybe not my best plan," Dur yelps as he notices that Sorla seems to have succumbed to the fireball born from his mind. Springing from Beordt's back, he tries to find a still burning bit of foliage, or a stick to swing at the swarm.
His hammer glittering in the sun as he swings, Rilkus crushes a multitude of gem colored carapaces upon its heavy metal weapon. Between the clockwork dwarf's efforts and those of Dacknar, Dur, N'Dateh and Lilly, the remaining beetles are either burnt, crushed or driven away.
With it's hoped for meal no longer within reach and several of its limbs much shorter than they were at the beginning of the day, the bog kraken sinks below the surface of the big swampy lake to nurse its wounds and wait for an easier lunch.
Sorala's eyes blink open after Toki's magic heals the worst of the burns and other wounds suffered during the morning's trek through the dangerous jungle.
Rilkus looked down upon the remains of the insects and then tapped his hammer to his metallic chest. As he did so, the dents and tears on his body mended.
"Is anyone else injured?" He intoned, his concern mostly lost due to the mechanical nature of his speech.
"Couple of scratches, nothing worth fixing right now."
Sorala's eyes flutter open, her eyes growing wide and wild. Sitting up, she begins patting herself, making sure she's not on fire. Only then does she look around. "We're all alive?"
Aye, we are all okay. Maybe we should rest... You okay? Toki smiles warmly, Bugs are no fun... At home, it's usually too cold for these kinds of swarms.
Moving further away from the dangerous bog, you all return to the beach where the waves crash against a rocky stretch of the shoreline. The big rollers burst against the rocks creating great fountains of sea water and shake the ground beneath your feet while thunder rumbles.
As you settle for a few minutes to take care of wounds and catch your breath, Qwerbrac and his companion squat nearby. Both are clearly relieved to have survived the ordeal and to be further away from the creature's haunt. But both also continue to glance all around with nervous glances.
Lil says nothing as she sits a little away from the party, staring out at the sea, and whispering her silent thanks for survival, and hope for wise decisions to Eshu.
Sorala thinks to the swarms in her jungle home, huge biting clouds of insects which would move through the jungle with a pulsating, ominous hum. She had seen them strip a cat to its bones in a matter of hours. "Your home sounds... pleasant, Toki," Sorala says, getting to her feet. Casting a longing glance towards the direction of her iron blade, Sorala follows the others to the shoreline.
Toki smiles, I do miss it from time to time... especially the mead. Do you know how hard it is to find the stuff? Even if they have honey, they do not think to ferment the stuff...
The Northman lays back onto the sand, I also miss the honesty... Why do people not say what they mean here? At home, it is plain to speak. Lies are the domain of Loki and his tricksters. The common folk have no need of that. Here... everyone wears masks.
The little rat chirps, It was the opposite for me I'm afraid. Double speak and trickery was basically the language of the land. I find that the people here are refreshing in the way that they speak their mind!" Dur shrugs. "Guess it's just perspective really."
N'Dateh listens but doesn't share. Her life depended on secrecy. Speaking the tongue of Nuria Natal was as far as she dared go. Her heart was pounding from the battle, but the it just stopped. For an impossibly long minute, it just stopped, then resumed like nothing happened. Yet she knew she had no time to count on.
Taking a deep breath, she collects herself as tears well up. She feels sadness, yet she feels more connected to the fury inside her. Something lays there, dormant, something she believes she can wake...
She shakes these thoughts away, turning back to her companions: "I have berries... If you're in pain, they'll help. Just ask."
Toki looks thoughtful, pondering Dur's words...
Beordt seems distant. "Our foes here are strange. We are but prey to mindless things. I prefer being hated and answering to my opponent's face. There is little purpose beyond the next dreary moment to crushing a bug."
The remainder of the morning passes uneventfully as a cool breeze blows off the sea. The sun sits high in the sky when a pod of pelicans glide over the surf heading south along the rocky shore. Higher up in the sky, there is a great screeching call that causes Qwerbrac and his companion great agitation when they spot the creatures. A pair of massive reptilian creatures with leathery wings, long narrow heads, claws and a spiked tail circle in the sky to the north. Quickly the frogmen usher you off the rocky beach and back into the cover of the jungle a good distance north of the swampy bog and it's many tentacled inhabitant. Qwerbrac croaks in D'Nateh's ears while his trundles along the shore and toward the cover of the jungle.
"Sky hunters *croak* look for slaves like Bobogluup. But they are not civilized like us. Crazy egg worshippers. Sometimes hunt *croak* Bobogluup *groak* to feed to beasts and sacrifice in great pyramids. We stay in cover so they not see us. Hurry! Hurry!"
After a short while the lizard riders disappear to the west, seemingly unaware of your presence. But this does little to ease either frogman's nervousness as they urge you to hurry so they can reach your destination as soon as possible.
Another couple of hours pass. Even only a few hundred feet inland, the jungle becomes hot and stifling compared to the relative comfort of the shore. Yet your guide insists you stay within the cover of the jungle, despite the insects, snakes, birds, and constant chatter of monkeys. Between the jungle noise and the constant slapping at mosquitos and other insects the afternoon hike becomes a tedious jungle slog. But finally you are able to make out the towering black rock. There is maybe only another mile or two to go when D'Nateh and Lilly both hiss warnings that someone is moving along the path ahead.
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Making his way toward cover, Toki tells the others, They are wearing metal armor. If any of us could use some, we could lure one or more down...
The Northman lets the comment hang in the air, checking to gauge interest in his fellows...
Toki, oblivious to the warning, is yanked back into the brush by Beordt!
Beordt lifts his heavy finger to his lips and even with making no sound there is a rumble to his breathing. He motions with his muzzle to D'Nateh and Lilly himself looking where the others are pointing to. Trusting the eyes of others though he sees little but jungle.
Toki quickly nods his understanding, waiting for a sign from their druid or cleric for action or safety...
N'Dateh nods at the Frogkin, remaining hidden: "Let's stay focused on our current crazy endeavour, yes? We don't new enemies just now..."
N'Dateh catches sight of some rustling of leaves and signals to the others that someone is coming, just as she hides in the thickness of the jungle.
"Hey uh, correct me if I'm wrong, but those guys look like they're following our old trail. And there's a lot of them this time. 6. Think that now that we aren't tired anymore we can take them? They obviously know that we're here, hit and run might make them more scared of us"
”Sorala. You are unarmed?” Rilkus intoned. ”If so, take my hammer. These fists of mine are not as dangerous, but they are still solid enough to crush a face.” He held the hammer out. They were a team, and if they were going to survive then everyone had to act like it.
"If our intent is to make a deal swatting at the hornets makes getting the honey harder.
With N'Dateh's warning you all slip into to the cover of the jungle doing your best to remain hidden. For just a moment, the two frogmen prisoners hesitate, but then they follow you as well. A few moments later, six frogmen followed by a large man work their way along the path. The frogmen are similar in size and equipped the same as Qwerbrac and the others were on the beach. Light leathers, spears and bows or darts.
The other tracker stands a good eight feet tall with filed teeth and extended canines that jut from his mouth. His skin is that of moss and earth. Tinted green or brown depending on the angle. A thin wisp of scraggly hair swirls in the breeze at the top of his head but otherwise he is bald.He wears leather covered with iron studs and a large curved blade currently slung across his back. A heavy whip is in one hand and in an easy practiced motion he cracks it over the head of the lead frogman.
"C'mon you louts, let's pick up da pace. I wanna get back 'fore dark." The big one says.
"*croak*croak* Yes, master Sawtooth. We hurry. Trail is clear now. We reach them *groak* soon!" Replies the one in the lead after ducking from the whip crack over its head.
"You best be right, otherwise I'll drop you in the pot tonight. Haha! I haven't had frog legs for days." The half-ogre says with a belly rumbling laugh.
As it turned out, with the right hiding spot a gearforged was nearly invisible. This was due to his ability to be completely without movement or sound, something a person of flesh and blood could not replicate.
Perception
Lil points to the sky and whispers. "They have riders" While signaling with her hands to demonstrate for those too far away for speech.
Stealth
She then notices the search party, and starts to head for the thick bush that Rilkus is headed for, but he gets there first, so she finds a blackberry bush to crouch behind.
She also keeps a close eye on their two captives to see what their reaction might be.
Insight
Toki whispers, almost too loudly, as he pulls one axe out from his belt, That big guy does not seem very nice...
"I dunno, they don't sound very friendly... negotiations from a position of strength anyone?"
Beordt, Lilly, Rilkus and Dur quickly and easily blend in to the surrounding jungle. A quick acting Beordt slaps a massive, furry hand over Toki's mouth before the bard can give away their position. At about the same moment, Dur cleverly grabs several large palm and elephant leaves recently fallen from the storm and tosses them over an all too visible N'Dateh. Although hurried, the additional cover seems to be enough to keep the lazy scouts from spotting the druid.
The hunting party continues to move along the trail, coming up and even with where the survivors of the Delightful Rose lie hidden and ready to strike, talk, or let them pass.
Toki gestures to his axe, with a questioning look.
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Slavers. Rilkus thought, bitterly. The speech, the easy way that the bully handled the whip...it was clear. Which also meant that so too was the correct course of action. Without saying a word, the gearforged surged into action. The complete silence and stillness was broken by the crashing of underbrush and the swing of a hammer towards the whip-handler.
"In Rava's name!" He intoned, his hammer glowing with divine light.
Toki grins as the stone dwarf charges, drawing his second axe, and follows quickly to back the paladin's play...
Beordt roars in furry charging the half-ogre. He leads in with his dagger sinking in deep. He holds the dagger in place as he wraps his free hand around the half-ogre squeezing.
Here we go! thinks N'Dateh as she flings fire at the slaver, aiming just above Rilkus's shoulder.
"Let's try not to hurt the slaves!"
"Hah! Take this! Dur uses the trick shot bow trick, giving him disadvantage on the shot, but if the lower numbered shot hits it crits, and he already has advantage!
Lil holds her action until she sees if the half-ogre still stands after the onslaught. If he remains standing she unleashes her Guiding Bolt spell at him. If not she just keeps an eye on their two captives.
If needed
Guiding Bolt
Radiant Damage
Dacknar drops back from the group being a safe distance from the swamp monsters lair. He ties a piton to his string and swings it around over his head. He then lets the piton fly trying to have it loop on the hilt of Sorala's sword sticking out of the muck.
He tries several times before giving up, getting the sword, or running for his life.
Seeing that the group is far ahead he sees everyone duck back into the jungle so he fallows suit looking around for the cause of the alarm.
Spotting the the large flying lizards, he figures they are meat eaters and stays hidden from sight. Slowly he starts to make his way back to the group until he hears combat break out and then makes a run to help his companions.
Rilkus bursts from hiding like a metallic angel of fury. The big, burly slaver barely has time to scream before the paladin is upon him. Sunlight glitters on the gearforged dwarf and his hammer as it slam into the half-ogre's chest. Bones shatter within the half-ogre's chest leaving its jaws gasping for breath but unable to gather it into his now collapsed lungs.
With deadly grace, Toki slips behind the staggering half-ogre and with two quick blows from his axes slashes the slaver's hamstrings. Rocking back from the blow the creature can do little to ward off Dur's arrow as it purposely glances off the hard surface of Rilkus' shoulder and slams into the half-ogre's throat. Finally, D'Nateh's ball of fire smacks into the slavers face, further punctuating the half-ogre's calamitous afternoon. A bloody gurgle is all that burbles from the slaver's lips as it falls to the ground dead.
Beordt jumps from his concealed spot and let's loose a furious, rage-filled roar. The sight of the angry ursine, along with the devastating death of their leader, sends the frogmen into a panic. The jungle is suddenly filled with frightened *croaks* and *groaks* as frogmen leap in every direction seeking any kind of cover and or place to hide.
After recovering Sorala's lost blade, Dacknar arrives to see Rilkus and Toki standing over the dead half-ogre while Beordt stands in the middle of the path, frogmen fleeing as fast as they can from the big northern barbarian.
Beordt, the Northman wipes his axeheads on the half-ogre's clothes, Let them live. Let us be gone from this place and continue on our way... Let them spread rumors and build our legend.
Beordt looks over the broken half-ogre.