A few hours after their encounter with the snake, the caravan reaches a place where a small stream crosses the trail. The jungle opens up into a wide grassy clearing bisected by a shallow, burbling stream. In the center of the clearing lies the partially eaten carcass of a gaur. Its throat has been torn open, and the grass all around the dead bison is covered in dried, sticky blood.
"This is the place where it happened last time," Baron Rudyahm explains. "It's been five years and I still can't get that ambush out of my head."
"That kill looks fresh," he continues. "The tiger will probably return to finish the meal later tonight."
Count Matsanda declines to accompany you any further. He and the porters take the elephant half a day farther down the trail to a hunting lodge outpost, where they can wait in safety while you finish this final hunt.
The baron gives instructions on how to set up portable hunting blinds in the trees. "You should avoid descending once night falls," he says. "You don't want to find an angry tiger in the dark."
The tracks around the half-eaten carcass appear to belong to some kind of leucrotta.
A leucrotta is an intelligent, magical variant of a hyena, that stalks its prey. It can imitate voices, and charm foes with its speech.
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Varian frowns.
"Those aren't tiger tracks - they belong to a leucrotta, if I am not mistaken. Those beasts are intelligent, magical hyena-variants, which delight in stalking and tormenting their prey. They can imitate voices, and charm foes with their speech. If this is indeed the beast you are after, Baron, we should be very, very careful."
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After hearing Varian's insight on the animal tracks, Mercutio scans the area and then rolls his eyes. Almost at a whisper, "What have these nobles gotten us into?"
Mercutio then leans over to Varian and in a low voice,"If they can imitate our voices, then we should make a code word so we know it's you and me we are talking to. Our code word is: spaghetti pants. Got it?"
With a smirk, Mercutio scampers up the ropes into the tree to join the baron.
He draws his bow, looks out toward the partially eaten carcass of the gaur, and says loud enough for the baron to hear:"Now the fun begins."
The sun lowers in the sky as you wait, quietly, in the hunter's blinds. Dusk comes, then night fall.
About an hour after dark, you hear some thrashing in the jungle to the east. You hear Count Matsuda screaming, "Rudyahm, help me! I'm being attacked!"
Varian and Mercutio see the baron cock his ear toward the count's yelling. The baron frowns and shakes his head.
You recognize the voice as wrong, somehow. It's likely the leucrotta.
You feel a strong urge to go help the count. You are drawn to the voice.
It's nearly pitch black. What little moonlight exists is swallowed by the jungle canopy.
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Not buying it, but keeping his mouth shut because he somehow feels compelled, Mercutio climbs down the tree to help the count.
Muttering to himself quietly as he descends the tree, "This count better be fat with gold and even more generous after we rescue him..."
Ouch!
Mercutio then attempts to stealth up to his comrades he already sees to the west. Good ol' elfy eyes. He draws his rapier.
Doodle climbs down quickly to help the count. Mercutio attempts the same, but lands hard in the mud.
You hear the count's voice, screaming, off to the east. "It's eating me! Aaargh!"
You feel but don't really see a shape move through the dark night. Varian, with his elf-sight, watches a large beast effortlessly climb the tree at great speed. This creature is fast, as fast as any horse.
It's definitely not a tiger, but it's hindquarters are colored much like one. It is more evil and more degenerate than a typical leucrotta, its fangs threatening the baron. It calls out, using Doodle's voice, "Come to me, my little morsels!"
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Drat. Trying to maintain his cool in the heat of danger,"You all should probably get out of that tree. I don't think we are going to have much success climbing up it with all that grease on it."
Mercutio returns his rapier and takes out his bow, notching an arrow.
I hope there's only one of these things...
The evil beast digs its claws tighter into the tree, and manages to ignore the grease.
Mercutio prepares his next attack, while Tomren fires magic.
Varian releases a flash of color, but the leucrotta-thing seems unaffected.
Renedar moves closer, and throws his shuriken.. Unfortunately, the partial cover from the hunting platform and the distance make it a difficult throw.
The baron raises his musket at the crocotta (this is a crocotta, a degenerate form of leucrotta), and fires. The close distance and sudden attack has thrown him off balance, and the shot goes wide.
The crocotta retaliates, biting at the baron, but is attempt is deflected by the baron's armor.
The crocotta bites again . The beast's teeth sink deep into the barons leg, and he is pulled to the ground, shrieking in pain. The beast mocks his screams in an eerily similar voice.
A flurry of magic missiles come in from all sides, and strike the crocotta unerringly.
Mercutio just barely misses with his arrow.
Varian again tries his illusion spell, and succeeds, but not as well as he'd hoped. The creature appears to be only stunned, rather than knocked unconscious.
Rendar throws shuriken again. Despite the additional cover from the platform, it's much easier with the crocotta stunned, and his strikes land true.
The baron, still in pain, stands from prone and draws a kukri. "How long will this beast stay stunned?"
Varian takes advantage of the situation and bashes the helpless beast with his quarterstaff. The baron raises a hand. "Please, allow me," he says. The baron draws his blade across the crocotta's throat, ending it. "Perhaps I will find peace now." He turns to look at the party. "Thank you. It is enough."
There is no treasure to find. The baron removes the beast's head and throws it in the jungle. He has no need of a trophy for this hunt.
Satisfied, the baron leads the party to the hunting camp for the remainder of the night. You rise late in the morning, finally feeling somewhat acclimated to this oppressive heat.
"It is time, I think for me to help you, as you've helped me," the baron says as he approaches. "I have provisions prepared for your investigation into the temple. I was going to simply provide you directions, but after your assistance last night, I'm willing to join you as a guide, if you wish. You must still investigate on your own, however."
You arrive at the temple after half a day of travel.
The site is almost completely overgrown by vegetation, and only bits and pieces of its brown sandstone exterior are visible from the outside. The weight of the massive roof and the passage of centuries have caused the ceiling to collapse near the building’s center.
The first chamber of the temple is inviting.
Columns line the walls of this small room, each decorated with a high-relief carving of a monkey in a different pose. Some of the monkey sculptures sit serenely in meditation or reach out with their hands as if to deliver blessings to the viewer, while others adopt more naturalistic poses. The floor is littered with decaying plant matter and mud, and the stench of rotting muck pervades the area. An open archway leads south out into the jungle, while a second leads north deeper into the temple.
You see another group coming from the temple proper. Their apparent leader, an unarmored human female, is surprised to see you. They take a defensive posture, as you're blocking the exit. "Let us pass, or suffer our wrath!" she calls. The two men behind her pull axes from their belts.
There is a bit of fear in her voice. She's probably putting on a show, and is afraid of you.
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Hmm. Can't get a bead on her. That's means I don't like this. Nope. Not one bit. We should probably just kill them and get it over with, but probably some wizard or gnome will want to chat them up before they pull knives on us. Op.. Yep.. There goes the gnome with the talky talky. Sigh
Hmm. Can you sigh in your thoughts? I guess so.
Mercutio, while wanting blood, aids Doodle in Diplomacy.
"We come in peace." For now. "If you want to pass, pass. But let's be friendly about it." Oh, please don't be friendly. Please.
Mercutio smiles.
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Varian nods to the Baron.
"I am just glad that we were able to help you find some closure. We would be delighted to have you direct us to the temple."
"This temple is dedicated to Ragdya, a Vudran God of Monkeys."
When the thugs put in an appearance, Varian raises an eyebrow.
"We outnumber you. If you really started something, we would finish it, so let's not do that."
Asvika, smiles, her face a bit warmer than it was. "We are willing to depart peacefully. Simply step aside so we may pass."
She makes sure the pouches and bag at her belt are secure. "I'll give you this tidbit for free. There is an evil force at the heart of this temple. You would do well to be prepared."
She points at the exit. "Sure, I'll tell you. Would you mind moving out of the doorway first?"