The characters consider their options as the sun descends and temperature begins to drop: head on north toward the Keep, or turn aside and follow the chaos creatures.
Are we gonna do this? I mean, I guess we have to... right?
We are are among a few people that even know these things exist, here... in our world. I can't even believe I'm saying a sentence like that.
And, I don't want to be negative but... what if Pious and the Knight didn't make it? We're... the only ones that know.
He spreads a blanket over Djill.
"Not to sound all selfish-like, but we won't be good help if we freeze or starve. I say tonight we do our right best to make this a decent winter den if'n we need it. Make one shack sturdy and gather what food remains here, then go from there. Those wobbly thingies might come a lookin for us, and I'd rather have walls around us than grass."
Rocko has been careful not to add anything to the cooking pot that any of his companions might find objectionable. That hasn't kept him from taking a quick nibble off a dead pet that he found behind a ruined shed.
You sounds sensible, nothing else.
With that, Rocko sets about making the abandoned farmhouse they'd come across a hundred yards off the road into a warm place for the night.
Bringing the horses into the abandoned house and giving them a room of their own, Djack begins to prepare his bedsack.
Spizz eats the stew, greedily picking for pieces of whatever meat Rocko was able to spare to put in it.
The night is cold, but a fire and the confines of the walls help everyone stay warm.
Novum 8 dawns even colder, and a gusty wind feels like daggers of ice hitting any exposed skin.
You delay starting until the sun begins to warm the air a bit, and then head (presumably) into the fields, following the path of the creatures. After several miles, however, the tracks get muddled with something else.
Rocko has never experienced this particular creature before, but it looks like they encountered some sort of very large lizard. Not a dragon, but a natural beast. The creatures scattered in various directions (except one, which lies dead here, a large bite take from it).
The smaller groups of creatures are much harder to follow, but the large beast's tracks are unmistakable to Rocko even in the dry dirt.
Yoltzin was kneeled by the ground where Rocko had observed the tracks, a frown ad the edge of lips. Truthly the centruy old elf was beginning to feel a pressing sense of impatience. Every second longer a product of the Decay was allowed to roam was another spent disrupting the natural cycle of life and death upon this plane. Xenxolotl bayed in her mind for this incurrision to be addressed and ended now.
Yet she and her god both would be forced to wait just a little longer still.
Rocko deduces the group of remaining creatures split into four groups, plus several individuals. He's able to track the largest of the groups, 20 creatures, heading almost due north toward several mesas that dot the horizon.
Djack kneels, watching and listening to Rocko.
Let's follow the creatures, they are the task at hand... Of course, we been to make sure whatever this creature it, it doesn't surprise us.
You travel on, enjoying the warmth of the sun after the cold morning. The ground cover is sparse, mostly brown grasses and shrubs, with large areas left open entirely. The occasional cactus breaks the landscape as well.
As you get closer to one of the large mesas, you note that there are several small buildings at its base, as well as some carved into the southern side of the mesa itself. These are not the same design as the quaint Espan cottages of Albarra, seeming in some ways more primitive yet altogether more structurally solid. Nevertheless, a couple seem to have taken major structural damage recently.
Djack squints into the distance.
The elf gave the Mesa a curious look, more so when they approac the makings of an old village. She'd never seen something quite like this before, having never imagined stone to be so... pliable to hands. We're these left by dwarves? Certainly not. The spacing was all wrong.
Her musings were silent and unnoticed as she joined Djack in her own observations.
You note movement on the upper edge of the message; people are moving down a trail toward the buildings with baskets. At the bottom, five or six people work to repair one of the damaged buildings, while a few with spears stand on the outskirts of vision, seemingly guarding the scene.
One of them seems to notice you, and runs into one of the buildings, and soon, a trio of riders comes forth.
As they approach you, you note that they are not of Rican or Espan stock. They appear to be natives to this land. Yoltzin's people are familiar with the natives, of course, if not this particular tribe.
The men wear heavy blankets as clothing and armor, and carry spears and shields. They do not appear to be immediately hostile.
One rides ahead slightly, while the others hang back.
"Greetings," the weathered middle aged man speaks in reasonably clear Ricoan (common).
"This is Guapichi Pueblo land. State your purpose." He is not harsh, but very matter-of-fact.
Djack tries to be unintimidated, he's always shrunk from authority.
Unholy creatures walk the land... we give chase. Our... tracker has led us here.
There was also something big around these parts, we know little about that. Is whatever that is, what did... this?
"The strange, twisted men with many eyes came this way. We chased them away and they broke into smaller groups, running in all directions. They will not cause us any more problems."
"The other thing of which you speak is yongosaura. Guapichi myth, or so we thought. Very tall, very strong. It has come here several times now, killed many strong warriors."
My sympathies and prayers for the warriors and any you have lost and their loved ones. Djack pauses out of respect.
How may we be of service, at this time?
At the mention of myth, Rocko's mind takes an unusual avenue.
"Strong thing from myth you say? I don't reckon you folk have stories of clever ways of dealin' with beasties like it? I know my people tell firetime tales of the Great Fang Walker that was fed sweet honey porridge laced with special herbs until it fell into a deep sleep. Old granpa tales may have truth that could help."
The closer they got to the village, the more her memory came to her with bits of information on these quicklings. They were more closely matching of what she'd expected to see when she went to their city, having been left confused by all the pale faced hominids instead.
When the man spoke his information a scowled marred her features as it became all the more important that the threads of chaos would likely be forever out of their reach. She could only hope that Fate would intervene as it often does, bringing the beasts to an end.
"Great Fang Walker?" She mused, turning some of her attention to Rocko. "Something about that story reminds me of the Tlācamāyeh, an enormous beast which drank greedily of a poisoned stream where it too fell into a magical slumber. Perhaps there is a connection between our stories?"
The speaker nods, a slight smile on his face at Rocko and Yoltzin's bedtime stories.
"Ah, yes, we too have such tales. Our peoples," he says, gesturing at himself, then Rocko and Yoltzin, "who have lived here in this land long, our stories are connected."
"But this particular beast is all too real, seemingly."
One of the other riders comes to the man's side now, for the first time, and speaks to him in their own language. The speaker nods, and turns to Djack.
"You asked what you might do for us. My fellow has a suggestion. We are down many warriors. We have enough to defend our town, but not against things such as this. And here you come to our land, equipped for battle and from appearance, experienced at it as well."
"If you can hunt this beast down, we will give you food and shelter until you are ready to leave. And in exchange, we will send out riders to search for and, if possible defeat, these many-eyes."
Djack feels the slight weight of his fine chain shirt and isn't sure he's earned all the compliments.
He kicks the dirt, Awww, shucks!
But, at the help with impossible task of tracking down and ending the eyeslies that have scattered, he perks up.
He can barely contain himself, but throws his head back at Rocko and Yoltzin, in deference.
She tilts her head forward, the golden jewelry catching a ray of miday sun. "This sounds to me a fair trade. Rocko?"
Is the creature evil or just wild? Is there any form of... coexistence possible?
"Something of this size is too dangerous to try to live in harmony. But our people also do not bring death lightly. We would prefer to be notified of its location, upon death, if kill it you can. In that way we can salvage what we can of the body to honor its life."
He looks sad, but Rocko knows his logic is solid. Wolves and coyotes can be scared off by fire or large gatherings, or hidden from behind walls. A hungry animal that eats large volumes of food? It will return, either here, or somewhere else. Humans provide to great a food source in this sparse land.
She nods her head to both, "It is something my people often must make peace with as well."
Would you have a shortbow I could borrow or purchase... trade? Something for someone with extra strength in their draw... but, just a little.
Maybe a girl child's bow? Joking... He smiles sheepishly.
But, I do need a bow, arrows too... yeah. And, would you watch over my horse? If that creature is hungry, it might attack Djill on sight.
A small smile graces her usually impassive face, "Hm, I'm in need of some more arrows myself. It has been some time."
"Yes, of course. Come with us to the village. We will get you some food and you may talk with our weapon makers."
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The party finds themselves in a large communal building. Some women were clearly just cleaning up from the mid-day meal, but upon seeing the party enter with their escort, they stopped picking up trays and began going into another area and pouring food into wooden bowls.
A young girl and boy sit in the corner, staring at Rocko and Spizz intently. The boy puts his hands on either side of his head and holds his face in a grimace, clearly mimicking Spizz's horns, and the girl laughs before the two run off.
The food is similar in some ways to what you're used to at friendly mesa, but is both plainer and yet somehow heartier. The flatbread is about the best you've had, though it doesn't hold a candle to the elven breads Yoltzin remembers from home.
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After lunch, you are able to acquire arrows as well as the requested composite shortbow (designed for people with 12-13 Str, in game terms). Both items may be retained for the normal cost, though the venders prefer you pay with gems as opposed to coins.
Rocko is agreeable to dealing with the beast. He'd prefer to divert any large natural animal elsewhere to where it can live freely, but he understands the risk it represents to this village
Djack is grateful for the fresh food and water.
And, happy to pickup a shortbow and some arrows for himself and Yoltzin. Though he does hope he's picked the right ones.
It's late afternoon by the time you've finished eating and gathering your equipment. The elders offer you to stay in the common hall that night if you wish, and begin your hunt in the morning.
Would you like to do that, or get started now?
Hmm... Is the beast nocturnal?
"It attacked us when the sun was high in the sky." is the reply Djack gets from one of the artisans.
"A bold beast. With the size you've told us it possess, I do not find myself surprised. In a way that makes things simpler."
The evening, even in the common room of the lodge, near the fire, gets quite cold. Djack checks on Djill and the pack horse early in the 3rd watch of the night, and finds the horses as well cared-for as the party themselves. Satisfied, he returns to the lodge and moves his sleeping gear closer to the fire.
Come morning, the temperature is close to as low as the party has yet felt it, even when they were in the mountains. Fortunately, the natives are quite used to this weather, and are able to provide the party with furs, some with straps for hands, arms, legs, and face, to add to their limited cold weather gear.
The sky is overcast, and a moderate wind blows across the desert plain, as the party heads out in search of the killer beast.
Just before lunchtime, Rocko finds the tracks.
A short time later, you hear a sort of cackling noise that sounds like a chicken that's been enlarged to the size of a small house.
Finally, you catch sight of the creature 40 yards away, moving out from behind some cacti. It is definitely no chicken. The creature walks only partially erect, but even in this posture, it is twice the height of a man. Its length is massive. It's front arms, though short, are ended by long, sharp claws, and its mouth could easily bit the head off a horse.
The creature does not seem to have spotted you as yet.
As you watch it carefully, you feel small, cold flakes hit your face; it's beginning to snow.
Do you want me to bring it towards us, after I wound it... is there anything that we could hide behind if things got bad? He looks at Rocko, then Yoltzin.
Maybe Rocko can brace that spear...
The elf lightly shakes her head, "To put yourself in such immediate and unnecessary risk is unbecoming. I may call a spirit of the land to act as our 'bait' instead, to lure it to a more optimal position." She gestured towards the rock face, "Perhaps draw its attention there, and we come up from behind while it's distracted."
It's not heroics I need to get close enough to strike... he indicated his bow and arrow, before it is aware of any threat.
Rocko considers. Lizards do not like cold, this is true. But despite having some features of a lizard, this creature appears more similar to a large bird in some ways. While it does not appear to enjoy the cold, it is just as mobile as you are.
I can run to the other shrubs there, it will see me... we can probably shoot it once now, and again as it approaches. I don't know.
There will be no time to waste. It can destroy us rather quickly, I'd think.
He readies his bow. I've never encountered such a giant beast.
Rocko quietly suggests to Djack. "Be quick, be quiet."
He also adds, "Maybe dust up a cloak and hold it sneaky-like over you to hide up better?"
Rocko then thinks of another lure. "I know what hurtin lil' critters sound like. I can try callin' to maybe lure it where we want, all surprise like."
Rocko pauses, "Course, me making them noises will lead yon big beastie right to me." Rocko grins. "But I'm good for it if you all got my back."
"Hmmm, maybe fill a sack with a bit a meat and junk and tie a rope to it? If we can get that big beastie to go after that first, we can get a bit more smacks at it."
pause. "if'n we got the time to make anything like it."
The creature continues cackling and begins shuffling around the catcus. It probably won't stay still much longer.
Rocko calls out in what he judges would be an appealing noise for a giant, featherless chicken. The creature definitely seems to have heard the noise and begins moving forward.
The snow and wind whipping in his face, Djack moves out of cover when he notices the creature moving forward. Now or never.
Map updated.
Yoltzin calls a spirit from the great beyond and places it...where?
And finally, Spizz prepares to light the creature up with flame when it approaches.