"Just thinking that if Lily's Minotaur people are any kind of war like, having the hide could bring respect to our group. So even spending a extra night or so near the beach might be worth the effort. What say the rest of you?" Dackanr says, he would hate to see the hide go to waste. On ship you try and use everything two or three times and leave nothing for waste.
Toki frowns, That would be wise. If I can take a bath, I don't care what we do... Besides, my dagger has gone to Hel in a handbasket...
"That would salvage the time spent so far."
"Just thinking that if Lily's Minotaur people are any kind of war like, having the hide could bring respect to our group. So even spending a extra night or so near the beach might be worth the effort. What say the rest of you?" Dackanr says, he would hate to see the hide go to waste. On ship you try and use everything two or three times and leave nothing for waste.
Lily turns to the haughty elf with an aggravated glance. "I don't know about this group of my people but if they're anything like my people we are a nation of displaced sailors and scholars. Are you judging my people by our appearance? Have I done anything Savage or warlike? I don't assume all of your race are haughty, nose in the air judgmental, mighty magicians"?
"As far as a spell to help keep the hide from rotting... that is something I could ask for... but I would hesitate to do so, as that spell might be more wisely spent. I'm not sure what the fascination with preserving this nasty hide is anyway. It is of no great value, we're not even sure it makes suitable armor, as you'd have to take care not to stab yourself donning or removing, you couldn't wear it in a bar or civilized setting, as you'd end up poisioning anyone about you, and you want to take extra time to cure it".
She then snorts, and paws the ground with one impatient hoof. "I will go along with the majority, because it's foolish to strike off on your own in this cursed land, but just keep in mind that the more time we spend here the more danger we are likely to face... all for a stinky hide"?
Update:
"Lily I mean no offence to you or your people. But I think when a group of slave trading and eat your or anyone else's kind frog men fear this group of Minotaur's that we are going to. I don't think that they are the scholarly type. I hope to the gods that I am wrong and we can use our voices and not our swords to get the help that we need. But this place brings out the most viscous out of the most gentle of people. So I would be leery of going to a halfling village in this jungle.
And yes, if you could cast your spell to keep the hide from rotting, that would be most appreciated. Then we can keep moving to this village and see how peaceful they truly are."
Great... I will never get this smell off me! Toki groans, Well, let us get to civilization then!
Lily is in no mood to get in an argument. "Just be wary or passing judgement. Often the Evil fear the just... and if you remember I had an omen that things in that direction were good, and in the direction we went bad, but closer". Lily does as asked and completes a ritual to preserve the hide.
"It might not be worth a fortune, but we don't have much these days."
It takes a little bit of time, but Lilly soon completes the ritual and the hide appears to be safely stowed within Beordt's pack for the time being. Rather than back track, you continue forward, hacking your way south along the overgrown trail. As hoped, it winds back toward the shore and within another couple of hours you find yourselves entering a quiet, semi protected cove.
The place is idyllic. Tropical flowers are everywhere, their bright colors soaking in the warm southern sun. Birds chatter and call from the massive trees that grow right up the edge of the rocky shore. The trickle of a fresh water stream can be heard dropping into the cove from where the higher ground drops into the warm waters of the plant filled cove.
Beordt and Toki immediately head for the water to try and clean some of the muck and stench of dealing with the dead drake from their own hides. Unfortunately, they soon realize, that like hounds sprayed by a skunk, it may take longer than one simple dip in the sea to get the stink out.
The second misfortune to strike the two northerners are the nets, covered in barnacles and seaweed that line the shoreline. The sticky, cleverly disguised traps quickly start to entangle the two bathers and draw them under the surface.
Toki struggles against the netting! Tearing himself free, the northman looks around for Beordt...
"I hate this place."
You and me, both, buddy! Toki says before taking a deep breath, Hold on, I am going to check it out...
Toki dives down, trying to see if this looks like a deliberate trap, or something left and long forgotten...
After freeing himself and seeing that Beordt escaped, Toki dives beneath the surface again to investigate. Fortunatley, the waters are clear making it possible for the bard to get at leasf a cursory glimpse before the currents and lack of air force him back to the surface.
What he finds is that the netting, is made of a most unusual substance. Some kind of thin woven filament. Much more like spider silk than rope. And its sticky which is apparently why it is so covered in bits of ocean debris and plants.
What put it there? The bard sees nothing....for the moment.
Toki heads back to the surface to tell Beordt that maybe they should head back to shore...
Beordt nods.
Toki and Beordt come hurrying back to shore. Scurrying out of the water they turn back to look out into the rippling waters of the cove. Both are breathing heavily.
It is unclear if the bathing improved their situation or not, Beordt now smells like a wet bear whose been sprayed by a skunk and rolled around in toxic drake innards. Whereas Toki, who lacks the fully furred body, simply smells of toxic drake innards.
Rilkus shook his head, though it was nearly impossible to tell. "I take it from the way that you run, that there was some sort of predator in the water." He stated, not even phrasing it as a question.
"There are predator's in the flowers. The sea is never a case of if but how close. But there is some sort of net trap. Let's be wary of the trap setter."
Wary of the warm, inviting waters of the cove, you watch for any sign of the mysterious net maker. At one point, you all notice a disturbance in the surface of the relatively calm waters and slowly undulating seagrass as if something fairly large passed through, but little else beyond the occasional brightly colored fish.
"There in the water. A great spider or crab creature it is dapples with green, brown and black though its underside appears to be a bright yellow."
Toki nods, I would think a spider... There were some weblike filaments among the netting... Let's just go.
Electing to leave the shore in peace, you all resume your journey around the cove. It takes another hour of hard work to hack your way to the apex of the cove and the mouth of the small river that pours into the sea. Water cascades down a wide staircase of volcanic rock filled with pools and a variety of tidal life that mostly scurries, scuttles, or ducks back into its shells as you approach.
Exploring a short distance up stream for an easy place to cross, you quickly discover the moss and growth covered remains of a stone path that leads still further up stream. Although old and clearly unused for quite some time, the path is still in surprisingly good shape and easy to follow as it dives west into the jungle.
Looking around at the vegetation up near the mountain stream, Toki tries to find fragrant berries that aren't too caustic that might help with the smell... and maybe a gourd to turn into a canteen. Additionally, he will check to see if the mountain stream is potable...
Hey, we should refill our skins with this! Who knows how much longer we will be in the wilds...
"Agreed Toki, fresh water may become hard to come by. Man you both still smell bad. I remember what an old boat wizard did to clean things. Lets see, he held his hands like this and said...."
He casts Prestidigitation on Toki and Beordt.
"This stone path might take us some where we co find shelter. Do you the we should fallow it?"
Dacknar checks the path to see if it was naturally made or not.
Aye, we should follow...
That is a handy trick, Dack! Good to remember... Toki laughs, sniffing his hands.
Working his way a bit further up stream, Toki does manage to find a few ripe berries and even a few wild beans growing along the edge of the path. The bard also tests the water in a relatively calm, crystal clear pool and finds it cool and refreshing with slight hint of mineral or sulfur taste to it. Probably the result of a hot spring somewhere further up stream.
While Toki fills canteen's, Dacknar manages to remove the stench from Toki and Beordt before he begins exploring the mysteries of the stone path. After just a bit of poking and digging, the elf determines the path is definitely something that has been crafted and not natural. In fact, it is during his exploration that he moves a hundred or so paces further upstream and discovers a ziggurat. The three tiered stone structure is completely covered in jungle vines and plants and easy to miss but for the keen eyes of the curious pirate. Small streams trickle out of pools eroded from the stone and eventually make their way into the larger creek leading back to the cove. Based on what Dacknar can determine, the path leads to the ancient stone structure.
Toki looks at the stone ziggurat, Does this look familiar to any of you? Anyone familiar with the architecture? Connected to any religion in particular?
Turning to Rilkus, You got some divine sense-thingie, right? Is this evil?
Rilkus turned to it. The holes in his helm where his eyes would be flashed with a golden light, as he scanned for any sign of the celestial, fiend or undead within the vicinity, or either consecrated or desecrated ground.
Lily takes advantage of some of the food, and water they found, and is relieved that she can stay closer to her formerly smelly companions. She is startled to see the structure along the trail.
History
She then turns to her companions.
"We are tired, beat up, and ill equipped to explore this building. I say we find my people, and we can return here to explore after better equipping ourselves, and recovering a bit. I promise that I can find this place again with no problems".
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Dacknar tries to remember if he has seen anything like this building before in his past.
"That's it, it's a shrine to to the great and mighty Pan. We will find food and shelter with in it's walls. There are riches with ....Oh wait that was a kids story with a flying boy and a pirate eating crocodile."
Lilly just finishes speaking when suddenly her eyes glaze over as they stare toward the ziggurat and her body goes rigid as one of the nearby jungle trees. No one is quite sure at the moment if it is Dacknar's mention of Pan that triggers the minotaur's response or some other mystical working.
A rather large four-legged, long necked reptilian creature pulls a wagon loaded with goods in front of you. It's trundling form ponderously making its way along the smooth stone road toward the big stone ziggurat. It's frogkin master holds the reins lazily apparently content as long as the beast keeps moving even if a bit slow. He waves at a couple of other frogkin travelers, tipping his wide brimmed straw hat at a brightly speckled girl in yellow robes.
Her face is bright, cheerful, full of excitement and anticipation as she returns the merchant's wave.
"Returning to the temple then child?" The merchant asks with a nod toward the west. "I hope you're pilgrimage among the barbarians wasn't too rough. Must be a pleasant sight to see a bit of proper civilization again."
"Oh yes it is nice to be coming home again." She says. "Although I wish that was the temple in Walamghoor and not just the boundary post."
The merchant laughs. "You're fortunate they sent you south. The city is only a few days further. I had a hatch mate who got called to the east. Took him another month after passing the border to get home."
The two laugh, but the merchant's eyes turn sad and worried. "Of course, that was before the latest troubles. Word is the eastern border's been pushed back more than a hundred leagues." He clucks at the lizard and shakes his head. While the girl nods quietly.
"I'd heard as much, even in the south. The tribes are restless and tired of sending their young warriors to the front lines." She says. "If Chosen don't do something soon, I fear rebellion in the southern holdings."
The merchant hisses and shakes his head again. "That's poor news indeed. If the tribes turn on us, we're beset on two fronts and those fiends to the north just drooling at a chance to loot the city."
"Oh! Surely it won't come to that. I've faith in the Chosen and Schaphigroadaz to see us through these troubles." The girl replies as a horn sounds from the top of the ziggurat. The sound echoes across the open valley and its many fields of rice or cultivated rows of beans and fruits. "Oh my, is it the afternoon hour already. I'll be late if I don't hurry." She waves again at the merchant and then sets a quick place that soon has her disappearing through the center of the ziggurat, following the road deeper into whatever lies beyond.
Toki looks back and forth between Rilkus, Dacknar, and Lil... Then he casts a look to Beordt and gives a shrug... Maybe we could rest out here for a bit? Maybe there will be something of use in there that we could use to barter with when we get to your people?
"If the flowers eat you here. Imagine the children." Beordt lets out a laughing roar.
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Some rowdy kids to be sure!
Lil freezes in place and her eyes glaze over. She sways a bit, and you can see her facial expressions change. After a couple of minutes she shakes her head, and turns to address the others.
"This is a place that was once holy to the Frogkin. They relied upon their god Schaphigroadaz to protect them, but I'm not sure he did. I feel they were beset by enemies from many fronts... and obviously fell. I believe our friends to the east may be survivors... or the ones who dwelt here have moved on or perished. It is worth exploring... after we recover a bit".
Should we continue on to your people, then come back to this?
"Ah think we should keep going. Ah am look forward to some real hot food and a bed to sleep in. Or at least a way home.
But some of you look a a little run down, should we rest for a bit?"
Dacknar enquires.
Toki shakes his head, I can keep going. Everyone else okay with that? A hot bath and hot meal sounds good...
Beordt nods in agreement.
"It seems that we are in agreement then. We move." Rilkus said, putting words into action.
Deciding to leave the ruin and continue south, you ford the river and continue hacking and slashing your way along the shore. The weather sticks to its usual pattern of hot, humid days and warm, wet evenings and nights. Two more days pass with no sign of civilization. And now without the druid's constant bounty of magical berries, food rations are running low.
It is the afternoon of the second day after passing the ziggurat, that you find yourselves stopping for a break in a sheltered alcove of natural stone just a few dozen paces from the crashing waves of the sea shore. Although the only obvious sheltered spot you come across in some time, this is no peaceful, quiet, tranquil cove. Massive rollers break upon the broken rock cliffs of the shore. Although the edge of the cliff is a good thirty feet above the sea, mist and spray from the waves constantly douse anyone foolish enough the stand near the edge.
Sitting in the alcove tired, hungry, or suffering from various maintenance needs, you can feel the earth shudder every few minutes as yet another big wave pummels the cliff. The air smells of salt and rotting seaweed, while the roar of the surf drowns out everything but shouted conversation.
You go to start pull the long bottle from its hiding place only to discover a skeletal hand still clings desperately to the end. You pull just a bit harder. There is a snap of ancient bone and the bottle comes free, the long dead hand still clasping the bottle while the other half of the arm bone sticks out of the crack in the cave.
Hey, check this out! Dack, you are skilled in the arcane, aren't ya? Can you identify this? Toki pulls a stoppered bottle, with a skeletal hand still grasping it, hanging...
"I would not say that I am skilled. I just watched the ship's wizard do some tricks."
Dacknar takes a look at the bottle. He takes time looking at the writings. A few of them he remembers right off the others take longer to try and figure out.
"What would be so important that a man would give up his life to keep hold onto it." he mumbles to himself.
Lil looks over the shoulders of Toki and Dacknar at both the bottle and the hand holding it.
Arcana
Medicine (To Determine species of the hand).
"That is strange writing. If you give me a few minutes I have a ritual that might help in reading the script".
Toki hands the bottle over, a look of wonder in his eye...
Lil haltingly reads the script out loud to anyone interested and listening in. "Does this mean anything to anyone"?
She then starts to prepare a spell to speak with the bottle. "I can hold a conversation with this object though I might not get useful information from it. Can you think of any questions other than 'What is your purpose, or how tell me your story"?