Ikethru was startled by Kara's reaction, and stammered in her attempt to calm her fears. "No, please do not be offended. You just seemed troubled, and I wanted to help. I thought Dashki's harsh words had upset you." She remained kneeling, holding out her hand.
"We will be going out to keep an eye on Dashki during his search soon. It would be best that all of us have our thoughts in order before venturing out, would it not?" She smiled gently, hoping to disarm any suspicions the halfling may have had of her intent. While she did intend for her last question to pressure the girl into opening up, she was genuinely worried. The desert was dangerous enough without losing one's focus out there.
The look of panic starts to drain out of Kara's face as she realizes she's not in any immediate danger and is reminded of the rescue mission. "Oh! I'm terribly sorry! No, I wasn't offended." She does not meet Ikethru's gaze as she addresses the woman, but manages a weak smile. "We'd better go find that lost animal then."
With that she turns away, making a smooth gesture with one hand to pull her shoulder-length hair out of her eyes and behind her ear.
Ikethru was relieved that the girl had seemingly regained her composure. "Yes! We still have to ask the others about that!" she said with overly high spirits in an attempt to raise Kara's. It was obvious something was bothering the girl, but she felt it was best not to force the issue now. She thought Kara seemed ready enough for the venture out, though she suspected it would be best to keep an eye on her during the search, for her own sake.
"I will be ready in just a moment. I must retrieve my armor and supplies, just in case." She headed for the camel that bore her pack, to do just that.
"If I may ask, lady, what if we cannot find one of these creatures? How long do we search if we get no results?"
Almah turns to Khalit and answers, "Return by morning's light, with or without one of these...pugwampis. But, for Dashki's sake, it had better be 'with'. Almah walks away toward her tent with her guards in tow.
"So, let's get this hunt startet! I need to have something to do now!"
With that, Mirama stands up and starts gathering her gear.
Ikethru came back lightly armored, but more well dressed for their venture than she had been before. She sought out the others, seeking out Kara first to give her an encouraging pat on the shoulder for which she later chided herself silently. It was difficult at times to not treat the smaller races like children.
"Are we ready to set out?" she asked.
Kara makes no obvious preparation, instead watching silently as her companions ready their armor and weapons. Kara herself holds no weapon, yet her eyes glint fiercely in the firelight as her dress billows in the breeze.
"I am ready."
Javeed stalks off to the animal tracks he located, following the dragged animal, should prove fruitful, Javeed croutches low and inspects the tracks he looks to Dashki, and points off in the night flatly stating This way Dashki, do you agree?"
Javeed stalks off to the animal tracks he located, following the dragged animal, should prove fruitful, Javeed croutches low and inspects the tracks he looks to Dashki, and points off in the night flatly stating This way Dashki, do you agree?"
Leaning heavily upon his wooden staff, Dashki snorts his assent. "Obviously." He seems none to pleased at having to strike out into the badlands at night. Gesturing out into the utter blackness past the firelight's edge, the ragged man asks of no one in particular, "Did any of you mighty hunters think to bring a light? Or can you see in the dark?"
Javeed's heart leaps as he spies yet another opportunity to win Dashki's respect. Quickly, he produces a lantern and flask of oil, and within moments, the comforting warmth of the lantern illuminates the night. With all of the party assembled and ready, Dashki limps forth, leading the way into the scrubland hills north of the Sultan's Claw. "Let's get this over with." Up close, the gnoll expert's body odor only offends all the more strongly with every passing night breeze.
In spite of the welcome light from Javeed's lantern, the party finds the going somewhat difficult in the rugged hills at night. The rocky terrain and numerous spiny cacti elicit more than one cry of pain or yelp of surprise as ankles turn and feet are pricked. Uneven shadows cast by the lantern seem to highlight otherworldly, phantom creatures haunting the underbrush...until closer inspection reveals nocturnal birds or rodents which scrabble away when approached. Dashki mutters a reminder of what the group is looking for, "Don't forget, we're looking for a little humanoid creature, with light fur, dirty claws, and a tiny jackal head."
After passing several hundred feet out from the campsite, Dashki abruptly halts, and signals everyone else to do the same with an upraised hand. Wordlessly, he sinks slowly down to look more closely at the dirt underfoot; has he found something?
Ikethru winced as she brushed against some cacti. I should have bought some torches. To think that I only thought to buy candles before setting out...
She kept a wary eye on Kara and the shadowed desert around them until Dashki made his discovery. "What is it?" she asked quietly.
At each yelp of pain, Kara's mouth turns slightly upward in a smile. For the first time in my life I'm actually grateful for my tough, ugly feet. Even though her feet are only protected by thin fabric shoes, more for show than protection, she makes no complaints about the harsh trail.
As Dashki studies the ground, Kara draws close and bends over sharply to peer at whatever he's looking at, obviously not seeing anything herself. "Whad'ja find?"
"I can't see a damn s#&& in this darkness...", Mirama whispers angryly, while trying to not step on any of those cacti.
Khalit is actively trying to numb his senses, due to the ... fragrance .. being emitted by Dashki.
Martika watches their new guide in continued uncharacteristic silence. Many things about this situation did not add up in her mind, and she feared that this might be a wild goose chase. She certainly accepted that these pugwampis could be a danger to the caravan, and it was certainly suspicious timing that they had evidently stolen a goat at the time of the fire... but the fire seemed like to big a risk and too dangerous a distraction for the simple task of stealing a goat. She imagined a street urchin setting fire to a market stall to steal a loaf of bread. It was so... reckless. And too likely to draw retribution.
Did the fortune teller really burn down his own wagon? It seemed unlikely one so experienced with candles would be so careless with them. Another thought occurred to her. The man used cards to read the future, but there were the remains of a cracked crystal ball at the centre of the fire. That bore further investigation in the morning.
As for Dashki, she did not trust him, as her companions seemed to. She doubted he would murder a "rival" through Arson, or even that he would view Eloias as a rival in any real sense. He probably felt only disgust for the old scholar, judging by his behaviour. Still, a man who feared to talk to a woman he claimed to love, and instead skulked around watching her in secrecy... it was pathetic, and cowardly, and it showed he was not trustworthy. Still, he was probably not the murderer, and how important could this goat be?
Martika elbowed Khalit and whispered [b]"We are getting distracted here. I am anxious to return to the camp. What is he doing now, anyways?"|b]
Khalit shrugs and whispers, "Who knows. Something rural. Remember, we have to do as Almah instructs until she helps us find Haleen."
Javeed's Perception Check: 1d20+4=22
Dashki begins muttering something under his breath about 'blind city-dwellers,' when Javeed abruptly states, "I see them too, Dashki." The gnoll expert turns his head and regards the ranger with something that might begin to border on a newfound respect.
"See there," Dashki rasps for all to hear. "What do you suppose made those? Pugwampi." The scruffy man points out that there are dozens of small footprints leading to and fro here. Some lead toward the camp at the Sultan's Claw, while others retreat further into the dark hill country. Once pointed out like this, they really are quite obvious. "We are on the right track, let's press on."
The group proceeds onward into the night. Now several hundred feet away from the campsite, the party begins to feel an ominous change in the air around them. Although nothing about the terrain has changed, each person feels an inexplicable rise in the tension of the environment....almost as though they expect something terrible is about to happen. Shortly thereafter, a sound not unlike the brief cry of a human child resonates from the darkness ahead.
Knowledge (Nature) Check: DC 10
As the party progresses toward the sound, the profusion of local cacti grows more and more intense, until the hunters find themselves at the edge of a dense thicket of the prickly plants. The 'crying' sound seems to be coming from somewhere deep within the cacti.
Javeed enters the cacti field at the sound of the crying, he is unsure of what makes that noise. Whatever it is, it needs Javeed's help!
Kara's eyes light up at what she hears, "Hey, I know that cry! It sounds like one of the goats from the camp! Sounds like it's in trouble, just like when we were chasing them around during the fire..." her voice trails off a bit at the uncomfortable memory. "Anyways, we'd better go help it!"
She follows Javeed into the thicket, nimbly avoiding the spiky thorns.
Acrobatics (1d20+10=19)
Mirama follows Dashki into the cacti field, Rapier ready in hand.
Ikethru's heart skipped a beat when she heard the cry, as she thought it was that of a child at first. After Kara recognized it and explained, she was relieved not only that it was just the goat, but also that Kara's spirits seemed to have risen.
She quickly followed the others through the cacti, taking less care than she should in her hurry to retrieve the poor animal.
"It sounds like a child to me, but in either case we should investigate!" Says Martika as she carefully slides forward through the cacti. Not much different from moving through a crowded market full of potential pick-pockets and cut-throats
As the party plunges ahead into the cactus thicket, Dashki growls, "Be careful..." but his words fall on deaf ears.
What should be a relatively simple task to navigate through the forest of cacti abruptly becomes painfully difficult, as a horrible rash of bad luck strikes everyone in the group. Martika's feet become tangled in her own robes, and she falls into Khalit sending both tumbling into the prickly plants. Kara twists her ankle in a rut, and stumbles forward into a particularly spiky specimen, while Javeed trips over an untied bootstring and lurches sideways, pushing himself and Mirama both into the cacti. Ikethru's skullcap somehow slips down over her eyes, leading the cleric to tromp blindly over some nasty thorns as well. All in all, the entire situation would be quite comical if it weren't so painful for all concerned. Everyone is scratched, scraped, and poked in various places by the time they've covered fifteen feet of ground.
Mal
Rambler,
With the -5 penalty for moving full speed while balancing, Khalit's first total would have been 13. That's what got him.
Rambler,
** spoiler omitted **
Mal
We 1st level arcane types have to be stingy with our hp.
:)
"Ouch."
Javeed shrugs off the pain, rips his armour off and continues ahead towards the goat.
Damn Vegitation, ouch! Javeed stumbles after moving a short distance looks back to the group and suggests, "maybe just one of us continues, and the others slowly hack a path and provide healing, I think I have the best chance, I have experience in the desert"
Kara extracts herself from the cactus plant, looks horrified at the tangled mess that has become her companions, and steps around them to continue towards the sound, albeit much slower and more carefully this time.
Acrobatics (x2) (1d20+10=24, 1d20+10=13)
Unfortunately, for all her care, she still sticks herself on another cactus and starts whimpering "It hurts!"
Martika picks herself up and pulls Khalit up with her. "Sorry little brother!" she says with a self-mocking smile. "Only one way to proceed, but maybe I'll at least clear a path for you." She draws her scimitar and charges through the cacti, cutting and shoving them aside as needed. She makes her best effort to protect herself with her armour and shield, but the needles slide between scales and joints, and find the flesh beneath. Because sometimes you need to use the other way of getting through a crowd...
Ikethru readjusted her skullcap, flustered at her blunder. That's never happened before..., she thought as she pressed it back into place. Seeing everyone else's accidents, she asked "Is everyone alright?" She followed Martika's lead, pulling out her scimitar and slashing at the larger cacti before them and moving forward more slowly.
"Be careful JaveeEEED!" she called out as she misstepped again. It was so hard not to curse, sometimes.
Khalit decides to stay where he is, and looks around for whatever is causing the group to be so unlucky, but sees nothing in the shadows.
"If anyone is badly hurt, please come to..." Ikethru rethought her suggestion. "Let me know, I will come to you."
The party disentagles themselves in the middle of the cactus thicket.
Javeed decides to remove his armour and proceed forward more slowly, hacking at the cacti. Oh, how unlucky! While he was watching where he was swinging his falchion, he failed to notice the round stone under his foot, and stumbles into the quills.
Kara tries to avoid the rest of the party and pick her way through the thicket. Oh, how unlucky!! One of the straps from Javeed's discarded armour wrapped itself around her ankle, sending her into the outspread arms of a nearby cactus.
Eschewing subtlety, Martika makes a mad dash through the remainder of the thicket, sending gobbets of cactus flying around her.
Ikethru also moves forward more cautiously, with her scimitar out. Oh, how unlucky!!! A few of the chunks of cactus flying back from Martika's sword-swinging dash hit Ikethru right in the face!
Khalit stays where he is and peers ineffectually into the darkness, while Dashki remains outside the thicket, sighs, and shakes his head.
Javeed, Martika, Kara, and Ikethru manage to make it through to the far side of the cacti. They emerge on a thin strip of open land beside a 15-foot-wide ravine.
At the edge of the ravine, tied to a scrub bush, is the frantically bleating little goat, Rombard. His eyes roll madly as he strains at his tether, prancing and weaving about.
Martika stops abruptly upon reaching the clearing. Cacti were one thing, but a cliff edge was another altogether. And with the goat tied in place, this certainly looked like a trap.
Transferring her scimitar to her shield hand, where she can retrieve it quickly, Martika instead readies a javelin and scans the area for threats. She focuses primarily on the ravine edge itself, imagining that these little rat-creatures might be clinging to the edge.
Martika sees that the small ravine is not actually all that deep, only about 10 feet or so, with a large, many-armed cactus growing beneath the ledge which holds the frantic goat.
She sees no other creatures moving, but there are several possible sites where something could hide: the cacti, large rocks, depressions in the ground, the ravine edge...
Picking up on Martika's anxiety, Kara backs up and hides herself under a patch of thistles.
Ikethru nearly broke into a string of curses when the nettles pricked at her face. Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus on prayer to help stay her tongue.
Seeing how badly many of them seemed to be hurting, particularly Martika, she stepped closely behind them, clasping her hands around her holy symbol and whispering a prayer to Sarenrae to soothe their pain.
Javeed caresses his prickly arms and mutters under his breath, that which is not ment for the ears of children! Sighing heavily he stands next to the sister of Sarenrae and holds his falcion at the ready. What do you see? Javeed asks the Paladin scanning the hills
The party members all feel the warmth of Sarenrae's sun soothing all of the scratches they received from the cacti. Even Rombard the goat stills for a moment, before resuming his frantic motion.
Rombard continues to dance madly about at the end of his rope, bleating in terror. One moment his gyrations take him close to falling into the ravine that he is secured next to, the next he charges to the end of his tether, tongue protruding as he nearly strangles himself.
After her last experience dealing with that animal, Kara is not about to go anywhere near the crazy beast. She's staying put right where she is hidden.
"I don't see anything. Whatever they are, they are well hidden."
Martika begins to slowly circle towards the ravine, looking around her for danger. She does her best to avoid the cacti while staying out of reach of the frantic animal.
"Javeed, you know about animals, right? Can you calm this thing down? Khalit, are you still thinking about getting a familiar? Maybe you'd like a goat."
As she approaches the ravine, she tries to peer in without getting close enough to fall over the edge.
"The poor thing..." Ikethru winced at the sight of the goat nearly choking himself. She started forward to help before realizing what Martika has suggested, and instead waited to follow his lead. "We have to hurry, he's only going to hurt himself again struggling like that." she urged the ranger.
In a softer tone, she spoke aside to Kara, "It's alright. We'll get him out of there safely."
Javeed approaches the beast relying on his knowledge gained in his short life, he tries to calm poor Rombard, he pulls out a sack and calmly approaches the animal and attempts to cover the animal's head in hopes of calming it and leading it to safety. "Come little Rombard, everything is gonna be ok..."