"We're doomed," says Aerys, putting her hand over her face.
"Nonsense," says Jask, "Banter is good for the soul. Let's get moving."
When everything is packed, the group begins its trek.
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Anyone else for the scouting party?
Malchi has his spell's prepared first thing come dawn... The rest of the camp wakes far more slowly... Perhaps it is the stress of the previous day making everyone tired. Nevertheless, eventually others start to awaken (we hope). Jask spends about thirty minutes in prayer and meditation. Sasha starts scrounging for food to feed her pet. The others seem more sluggish.
The night passes uneventfully. The morning dawns.
As the group once more gathers, and prepares camp, the sun moves towards the horizon. Jask and Sasha both do what they can to assist with the camp site, but some of the others are far less helpful. Food is prepared. "I am assuming," says Jask, "That come morning we are moving further south? And this is not meant to be a permanent camp?"
Actually that's mostly in the domain of Profession{cooking} but survival will probably work in this circumstance Survival will help you cook to stay alive. Cooking just makes it palatable.
"How about Omelet or din din... I'm hungry, lets get back to camp" "Oh, you're mean," says Sasha poutingly. Arinka:
You think they mostly eat fish, but likely will eat any meat, and maybe soft fruit. Janrose and Klania: Jask walks with Klania and Janrose a little out of the hearing of the others.
"I wanted to know if you thought maybe you could help me, and I thought that perhaps the solution to a problem of mine might be near at hand. Many years ago, I worked as a book-keeper, and when I found some irregularities in the money, I reported it. However, the ones I reported it to were the ones guilty. I was subsequently framed and forced to flee. Recently, I was apprehended and being taken back for trial. But some of the records of the financial dealings were on board a ship, and last I had heard, that ship just happened to have crashed off of Smuggler's Shiv."
"Oh, ruby, like a drop of blood... That's a good one."
so, I should read malchi as me in that post?
Caasi makes it up the rope, back to the top of the cliff, with the infant fangbird tucked into his pack. Almost as soon as he is at the top, Sasha is eagerly claiming her new "pet." "Ooo, who's the little cutie," she coos happily, "She is so adorable, look at all those little teeth." "You guys are the best," says Sasha, grinning broadly.
"What should I call her," asks Sasha, "And we'll have to make sure she has plenty of food..."
The nest, which is about five feet wide, is taking up most of the ledge, and is made of large sticks, and a few bones, held together mostly with what appears to be fecal matter. Putting the creature in your pack is doable, but you will have to make a climb check to get back up that way.
They are far enough away that you are not close enough to just head over there and find them.
Caasi makes it down the twenty feet, moving slowly and well aware that he is fifty or sixty feet above the rocks below and that a fall would be potentially lethal... He pulls even with the nest and finds himself looking at the dark eyes of the bulbous headed reptile. It's about the size of a his two fists put together. The creature snaps at him as Caasi reaches for it, but he manages to grab it with one hand, without getting bit, while hanging from the rope with the other... The small creature already has its fang like teeth, and Caasi recalls that they were supposed to be venomous... one wonders whether or not the young are more or less poisonous than the adults... One also wonders what the plan is for climbing the rope with one hand while the other is holding onto a fanged, poisonous monstrosity which does not seem too pleased...
"Hurry up!" Yells down Sasha. "I want to see it."
Malchi and Klania: After the camp is built, Jask motions to Malchi,... "I'd like to talk to you," he says, "I had an idea... well, more of a possible solution to a personal problem of mine." Klania overhears and Jask nods that she can join the conversation.
The camp is made, with the canvas used to keep off potential rain, and a fire pit for cooking. Aerys lays down upon a bedroll from her pack, and Ishirou sits and rests, his back against a tree. Meanwhile, after about thirty minutes of searching along the cliff wall above the beach, the party looking for the nest spot it,... about twenty feet below the edge of the cliff, on a wide ledge. There is, in the nest, what appears to be a miniature version of one of the creatures that attacked... no doubt it is a child of the mated pair just killed.
After Malchi tends to Aerys a bit, she does feel somewhat better, but its clear that she is not fully functional, and is getting quite drowsy. "None of this is helping us find that nest," says Sasha somewhat impatiently. "I can stay here and look after Aerys," interjects Ishirou, "I don't think she is up to egg hunting." "As can I," says Jask.
Arinka:
The nest is probably on the cliff wall. The creatures have poisonous bites, but you assume the flesh might be decent to eat. "Really," says Sasha, suddenly cheerful, her anger forgotten,"That would be great." "I think I am going to be sick," says Aerys. "Tell me about it," says Gelik, "Ugh." "No, really sick," Aerys groans and she lurches over to a tree and proceeds to make good her words. "Ugh," says Gelik, again, but with a completely different tone of disgust. "Where should we look?" asks Sasha.
"Not funny," says Sasha to Caasi, frustrated, and seemingly growing angry. "Well, I'm not going to find you a pet," says Aerys, smiling cruelly, maybe you should head out and find it yourself. More food for us."
"Ugh," says Gelik, "Nasty looking things they are, if I do say so myself. Likely a little one would cuddle right up to you and then eat you while you slept." "Nobody asked you," says Sasha angrily.
"Really?" says Sasha,"I would love to have one."
"Oh my," says Sasha, "Those were the most adorable looking things... I wonder if they had any babies?"
The creature wheels around, as Janrose and Malchi try vainly to hit it, and flies at Klania...
She ducks beneath the sharp fanged attack, and as it swoops up back into the air, a well placed arrow from Caasi pierces it and it smacks into a tree and falls to the ground.
The force strike also hits the creature, rocking it as it moves in to attack, but not felling it.
Timing her movements to the flight of the incoming beast, Klania leaps forward as it swoops down, piercing its hide with the point of her rapier.
is the one on the ground about to die if so i want to attack the other one if i can but if the one on the ground isn't then i want to attack it As the one on the ground is not attacking, it is probably dying. But the one in the air is not next to you either at the moment...
Nope, didn't beat 15. At least i tried. How big are these birds? If they don't look strong i might send my thrush after them. They have about a five foot wing-span. And, though their colloquial name is "Fang Birds," they aren't feathered birds. They are flying multi-colored reptiles with really big heads. And they are considered animals. The creature smacked to the ground with Janrose's sword makes a lunge at the warrior...
The teeth scrape on armor and then the beast falls to the ground, its energy spent. The second of the winged animals makes a fly-by lunge at the drunken Aemyrs,...
She drunkenly stumbles out of its way, and it soars back up. Caasi's arrow clips its wing as he looses it, but the creature continues flying as it veers around for a second attack, screeching angrily now.
Klania pulls out her rapier and lunges towards the creature flying in the lead, piercing its hide as it swoops in. The creature flaps madly, preparing to strike her and then Janrose hits it from the side with his mighty sword. It flops to the ground, thrashing angrily... Malchi and Caasi both need to roll initiative. If you beat a 15 you can act.
Yes and yes... Klania can charge and then you can act - the creatures are flying in to attack, but your initiative beats theirs. So you don't get the surprise round, but you get to act right after it.
The creature will be in charge range if you want to change.
Malchi draws out his sling and launches a stone up through the branches, drawing attention to the onrushing flying reptilian creatures swooping down to attack through the trees. The creatures have bright red, yellow and blue markings, and huge, oversized heads filled with sharp needle-like teeth.
The wind rustles through the top of the trees, and a bird erupts from the branches, taking swift flight. Malchi and Klania:
You are each aware of movement above the trees, and spot the onrushing creatures: brightly colored Reptilian flyers with oversized heads; likely the very creatures you saw flying above the cliffs. They are rushing in to attack. You may each act in the surprise round. The creatures are forty feet away from you, with partial cover from the trees. You have one action. "They're beautiful and so cute," says Sasha delightedly, looking up.
DM Rolls...
After half an hour of cutting your way through the brush, trying to avoid going over the edge of the cliff, listening to the calls of the jungle life, the hoots of monkeys and the screechings of birds, hopping over streams, slapping at mosquitos...
The party intrepidly begins the journey through the jungle somewhat following the line of the cliff... The vegetation is thick. Movement is slow... Slower even then down on the beach.
After about forty minutes of work and climbing, the entire party, along with gear, has reached the top of the cliff wall and the edge of the jungle. You can hear the sound of animals calling each other in the island jungle, but other than insects, you see nothing threatening.
Climb the ropes is a DC 10, but if you are not in a hurry, you can always take 10 on basic tasks, giving yourself a minimum of 15 (with your +5).
So, down the beach further, or back the way you came?
Whatever else they are, they are still half a mile away at least, and not currently flying in your direction.
Malchi: It appears somewhat brightly colored, reds and yellows on the wings, though its hard to tell against the bright sky. It is certainly not like any bird you have ever seen. Maybe some sort of flying lizard?
What are they? Arinka:
You suspect they are dimorphodons, or fangbirds, brightly colored reptilian fliers with overly large heads and needle like teeth. They are poisonous, primarily fish eaters, but also highly territorial, attacking other creatures which enter their territory, especially if they have young. If caught young, they are quite trainable - if one wants a poisonous flying lizard with a five foot wing-span as a pet. Klania: It appears somewhat brightly colored, though its hard to tell against the bright sky. Is certainly not like any bird you have ever seen.
"Hey look at that," says Sasha, and she points at a flying creature, possible a very large bird, flying above the cliff about a half a mile further down the beach. There are two of them in fact, and their shape is not quite bird-like, the body is odd, and the head is overly large. They are circling the area, like birds of prey... "Blood," says Sasha reverently, enraptured by the sight.
Caasi:
The Tide is going to come in seven or eight feet high in approximately 4 hours. Where you are at the moment is safe enough, for the moment, and there are rock outcroppings that will be above the tide, but it is possible that there might be areas of the beach that will be completely under water at high tide further on, with no safe spot. The rock cliff does appear to continually gradually climb and it looks like further down it reaches over a hundred feet in height. Your best educated guess is that the beach is going to become untenable at some point, but you do have a few hours before it happens. Whether the cliff will be easily scale-able at that point and time is anyone's guess. "I don't know why guys you think I drunk," says Aerys, breaking indignantly into the conversation, "But nobody likes a drunka an, an, and I don't get drunk. But I think I could use a nap or a nap. But the sun's too bright." She drops her empty flask onto the beach. She has apparently consumed a full flask of very potent liquor of some sort or another...
You have, incidentally, only traveled about half a mile ...
"I would hate to get stuck between the tide and a rocky place," says Ishirou, looking at the beach and the high water marks "the full low tide was about an hour before noon... We could get to a place where the beach is entirely under water come high tide..." "I don't know that we need worry," says Jask, "If our guides here say it is safe, we might trust them... though I do not know a lot about tides..." There is no doubt that the original cove was a little higher than the beach is now, with a more gradual slope up to the island. On the other hand, the jungle did look fairly dense and a lot easier for dangers to hide in.
As you depart the cove in which you first found yourself, the cliff wall of the island begins to climb in height so that the beach becomes a wide strip of sand at the bottom of forty foot wall of stone climbing up to the edge of the jungle.
Because of the weight of the supplies, the crate of books in particular, movement is slow...
It is about noon when the ten companions begin their trek east along the beach. Jask helps by carrying some of the supplies, but none of the others step forward and volunteer. Aemyrs in particular is less than helpful, drunkenly stumbling along, bemoaning her now empty flask.
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