"Indeed it would appear to be so. About the creatures, I only know that it was a priest of your deity that solved the problem. I was actually hoping you wold have more of an idea how."
"Which problem?"
"Indeed it would appear to be so. About the creatures, I only know that it was a priest of your deity that solved the problem. I was actually hoping you wold have more of an idea how.""Which problem?"
The sound may, in fact, be made by a young goat ... although the timbre of the cry suggests the creature is in pain.
"Indeed it would appear to be so. About the creatures, I only know that it was a priest of your deity that solved the problem. I was actually hoping you wold have more of an idea how.""Which problem?"
Priests of Sarenrae are often formidable warriors; it is entirely possible that the priest in the story simply defeated the ‘spirits’ in battle rather than using any tricks specific to the church … or not. The story Nasir heard did not go into detail.
The sound may, in fact, be made by a young goat ... although the timbre of the cry suggests the creature is in pain.
Farasha speaks quietly again
"Did that cry sound like something in pain to you all?"
'If that is so then we may be close to our quarry. Prehaps it may be good to continue without the light ey? Or rush in before they can prepare for us.'
You’re currently in a relatively wide valley between two steep, craggy hill-tops … although valley is a relative term, the land has been rising the whole time, so you are at elevation. The vale is filled with tall cactus growths, although at this location they are fairly widely spaced, and the tracks wind between them.
Up ahead, it is difficult to tell for certain in the dark, but it appears that the terrain opens up somewhat, as you have passed the mid-point of the peaks to either side. The cactus growths appear to become denser ahead.
The moon is setting, and has fallen below the western rises, but if you can make it to more open terrain it should be brighter.
Mus'ad nods to the lady to acknowledge her whisper. He then steps ahead of the group as the Wayfinder is opened, staying behind Sefu and Dashki, but ahead of the others in an effort to preserve his lowlight vision. He flinches visibly at the sound of the cry.
"Whatever it is, it isn't happy." He whispers to Zephyr, who nods solemnly in agreement. A little louder he asks, "Sefu, can you tell from where the sound came? Can we follow it?"
The cry seems to come from directly ahead of the group, although its source is not visible.
Listen check 12+ :
'I think the cry was no more than 100 feet away' wispers Al to the rest of the group. 'It also looks like it may be a little lighter ahead.' Al starts to move forward and to the left of the group, moving as quietly as he can.
Al creeps forward, moving slowly and carefully away from the light and out in front of the group. Moving with exaggerated care, he is as silent as the north wind.
As he heads forward, the cactus growths around him are more, and closer together, until after about fifty feet, the halfling finds himself at the edge of a dense thicket of the prickly plants. These cacti are as tall as a man, with thick, fleshy bodies and branches, covered in dozens of two inch long spines.
The cactus forest stretches out across the width of the valley and partway up the slopes of the steep hills to either side. It looks possible to maneuver between the plants, but one would need to be very slow and careful to avoid getting pricked.
The sound of the bleating goat is obvious now. It appears to be coming from somewhere within or beyond the cactus.
Mu’sad:
Seeing Al'Kazeer move off Sefu fallow after drawing his weapon and he moves forward
Sefu moves stealthily forward to stand beside Al, just in front of the dense field of cactus. The urgent bleating continues from within or beyond the plants.
Sefu:
Al:
DM
Bashad will follow Nasir for the time being
Zephyr disappears in a wink to go and fetch the spells you ask for.
Nasir and Bashad move up behind Sefu and Al’Kazeer.
The goat continues to bleat mournfully.
Farasha attempts to find a safe passage through the thorny plants
Farasha (and anybody else trying to move carefully through the cactus field):
Al: ** spoiler omitted **
moth
All peers at the cactus' and also listens for any other movement/sounds besides the goat
As the others join him at the edge of the field, Al wispers softly; 'Why is the goat not being eaten ey? This feels like it could be a trap. We head into the field to find the goat and then are ambushed. And in such confined spaces these small creatures have all the advanatages. Prehaps if we go in we should spread out and come from different sides. Just a suggestion.' He waits in silence for the others to comment.
Al:
Al,
Listening carefully, you think you hear something small rustling about in the cactus, somewhere out near the goat, but the braying of the goat makes it difficult to pinpoint a location. It could be anything, a small animal, bird, pugwampi …
The cacti are between about 5 and 6 feet tall and very thick, with wrinkled, leathery skin and long sharp spines. Cutting through them with scimitars, knives and long blades would be difficult at best (and even machetes and axes may not make it much easier). Also, unless you spend a lot of time and effort cutting a wide path, and cut the cactus plants right at the base, you will still be risking getting pricked by the plants. It’s not like hacking aside hanging vines and thin branches at chest height in the jungle.
As Al and Sefu peer into the cactus field (Sefu notices nothing unusual), and Al offers his suspicions on the situation, Farasha slips past them and begins navigating her way carefully between the densely packed plants.
'I think I see the goat, about 30 feet in, there.' Al wispers, while pointing out the direction he believes the goat to be.
Seeing the priestess enter the cactus, Al shrugs and starts to follow, but heads more to the left as well as forward, moving stealthily and blending with the shadows around him.
Mus'ad, seeing that they are facing a probable battle, quietly casts a spell, murmuring an incantation that produces a silvery sheen that surrounds both him and Zephyr before fading to a translucent, shimmering aura that rides above the skin of the two friends.
He then waits until the others have made it clear which is the best way, or at least the way they intend to take, and then follows them.
Bashad tries to move very slowly protecting mainly his hands and face.
Bashad tries to slip through the cactus field. Unfortunately, his foot finds a loose stone a few feet into the thicket, and he stumbles against a large cactus stand,
Farasha slides effortlessly between the cactus … for a moment. Unfortunately her clerical robes snag on some cactus spines, throwing her off balance, and without thinking she puts her hand out to prevent a fall, only to have it speared by several long cactus spines Such bad luck.
Meanwhile, fortune and small size is favouring Al as he picks his way carefully between the plants a short distance away from the others.
Al continues on his course, moving through the shadows and scanning the area with ear and eye for hostiles.
Al moves most quietly and carefully through the cactus field. Only at one point does Desna desert him, and – most unluckily – he treads on the tail of a small lizard, startling both the reptile and the halfling, and his arm catches some sharp cactus spines
Al:
A small white goat brays loudly and tugs at its tether, a frayed rope tied to a small scrub bush at the edge of the ravine. The goat is covered in narrow cuts and cactus quills.
Partly muffled by the sounds of Bashad and the others blundering through the cactus behind and to your right, you can hear what sounds like a small animal moving about within the cactus field, somewhere maybe ten or fifteen feet away to your right, but you cannot see anything. It is very dark here under the cactus.
"I think you sre right" He says in a low voice. See the priestess and AL head toward The cacti he speaks low again "I will circle around from the other side" With that he tails off into the darkness
Sefu:
You move to the right, about thirty feet away from where Bashad and Farasha are navigating the cactus, and start moving into the field of spiky plants.
Al moves most quietly and carefully through the cactus field. Only at one point does Desna desert him, and – most unluckily – he treads on the tail of a small lizard, startling both the reptile and the halfling, and his arm catches some sharp cactus spines
Al: ** spoiler omitted **
Mothman
Seeing that Nasir intends to bring up the rear, Mus'ad bows his head to her, and the slender half-elf does his best to emulate Al's nimble tip-toe walk,...
1st Dex:1d20+4=12, 2nd Dex: 1d20+11=23
;P
1d20+2=16, 1d20+2=15, 1d20+2=15, 1d20+2=8
Farasha grimaces as the spines prick her, then atttempts to keep moving forward.