Quest #16 "What's On The Other Side Of The River?"

[OGRE MAGE]

Wes is looking for someone to accompany him to see what resides on the other side of the Dutty River. He hopes to find some game there, but is more excited about starting to lay out the beginnings of his Plan.

I will fill this thread out and get this mission rolling as soon as anyone going along is ready.

[Jernau35]

Wes

Wes arises early, hoping to utilize all the daylight hours for his one-day hunting trip.

[tomlowshang]

Gwethglersinwen Larendirina

"Alright, lets go," Gwen says to Wes.

[OGRE MAGE]

The following morning.....

Marge and her water gatherers are geared up and ready to head out to the river when Wes and Gwen arrive. The large woman recognizes the druid and smiles as you approach the community water barrels next to the Hi-Lo.

"Well, hello there! What do we have here? More friendly folks willing to pitch in to help the town? Grab a yoke if you want to join us! My name is Marge! And I am in charge.....of the water gathering."

[Jernau35]

Wes

"Good morning Marge! I'm sorry to say that although we' re going out to the river this morning, we're not planning on coming back until this evening. We're going hunting across the other side. But when we come back, I'll use the power of Obad Hai to create some more fresh water and save you a trip, I promise." Wes hopes this will mollify Marge somewhat. He knows the amount of work these women put in every day and doesn't want to look like a freeloader.

Once the group heads out Wes will go along with them, keeping a watch out for threats both from the sea and from the tree line. He also remembers the appearance of Pterry when he was returning from the jungle with Chauncey and the others a few days earlier.

[tomlowshang]

Gwethglersinwen Larendirina

"Hello again, Marge. We met yesterday. If nothing goes wrong on today's hunt, and we make it back tonight as Wes has promised, I'll collect water with you next time. But you know men and their promises." She winks to show she is pulling Wes' leg.

Noting Wes' watchfulness, Gwen says to Marge, "Have you talked to the new Constable yet? He may not be aware that water collection is very important." And sometimes dangerous.

[OGRE MAGE]

Marge looks down her wrinkled nose at the two of you before responding.

"Yes indeed I remember you. We don't really need any lallygagging onlookers traveling with us, but if you will do what you say once we get back, I will allow you to accompany us empty handed. We could use the protection of some experienced adventurers anyway."

"We've never seen much across the river, but I don't think anyone's been over there yet."

"And if the Constable wants to know about what we do here, he can grab a yoke and come along to see for himself."

[tomlowshang]

Gwethglersinwen Larendirina

To avoid annoying Marge any further, Gwen falls silent and walks a short distance away from the group, but keeps a watchful eye on jungle, sea, and sky.

Note to self. Next time, leave before or after the water collectors.

[Jernau35]

Wes

The druid admits to himself that he was expecting a slightly better reception from Marge, given that he had, only a couple of days ago, used his magic to create a substantial amount of fresh water and thus saved the water carrying team a whole day of labor. On top of which he was offering protection for the team and the promise to return with better food, as well as further use of his water creation magic...

Oh well, she's probably just pissed off at having to spend another day doing this. I know I would be. That's why we must begin The Plan of The Shalm as soon as possible

"How about I carry one of those yokes for one of you ladies on the outward leg at least?" offers Wes. "It's not much, but it will give you a little break".

Once he has the yoke, Wes will return to keeping an eye out for trouble as the group trudges up the beach.

[Jernau35]

Wes

After walking for a while, Wes wanders over to Gwen. "Once we cross over the river, I'd like to scout around for a while and see what we can find. As you've said, there could be some of Bing's men working over there. If it's clear, we can find a spot to hunt from."

The druid continues, "As you can see, I hunt with a spear, but I also have some of Obad Hai's magic that can help us. I can make us vanish from the animal's sight for a short period. I can make the animal an easier target to hit, and perhaps use the grasses, bushes and trees to slow animals down, or even hold them still."

"Is there anything you think we should do while we're out here?"

[OGRE MAGE]

Wes
"How about I carry one of those yokes for one of you ladies on the outward leg at least?" offers Wes. "It's not much, but it will give you a little break".

Marge looks at the druid like she doesn't necessarily want to say anything, but she does anyway.

"Oh no, that's quite all right Wes. Each of us knows how to work hard out here. We don't need any help with the heavy lifting. You two can just keep an eye out for us and don't worry about doing any actual labor."

It is hard to tell if the strange woman is being sarcastic or not, but dealing with her a few times now, Wes starts to develop his own theory. He gets the impression that when she is in her position of leadership, and in front of her workers, she really puts on an extra flare of command. But when he has seen her around the town, she has been much more cordial to him and the others. He wonders if she doesn't respect the fact that some folks can just "create" water for the town without putting in any back breaking work to obtain it. Simple thinking for simple folk, maybe?

Hunting and Exploring:
Earthday, The 4th of Goodmonth
Morning, Hot, Sunny, Buggy

The morning walk is pleasant enough, despite the insects constantly buzzing around you. Fortunately, you are not accosted by anything more dangerous than bugs along the trip. After about 3 hours of marching through the hard packed sand with the jungle forest on your left and the beautiful Azure Sea softly lapping at the sandy shore on your right, you finally see your destination just up ahead.

The Dutty River, as the locals now affectionately call it, rolls powerfully into the sandy, brackish shoreline of the much larger sea. The entire area is mostly just rolling sand that swirls and recedes with the natural movements of both bodies of water, though there are a few green plants, shrubs, and trees growing around the river’s edge. The jungle forest has receded here, allowing a wide open area to get to the potable river water. You see a few various animal tracks in the sand. There is also an obvious dirt trail following the western shore of the river that disappears up into the dark jungle.

The other side of the river bank is also bare and sandy as it too is constantly shifting and eroding. A few hundred feet beyond the opposite shore is a different story, however. There is a long flat patch of black rock that slowly rises into massive black volcanic cliffs that grow taller the farther east you look. The cliffs seem to slowly grow directly out of the blue water to an eventual height of about 100 feet from the seas surface. Large waves crash against the cliffs a few hundred yards past the rivers mouth to the east, making a loud yet soothing noise as they do so. A few dark openings in the cliff face might indicate that the cliffs are inhabited by something, but you don't spot any movement as your eyes search the surroundings.

The townies basically ignore you as they move north up the bank of the river, almost all the way into the recessed tree line. They start dipping their pails and filling their buckets.

Actions?

Wes 16/16 4/4 first 3/3 second
Gwen 8/8 1/1 first

[tomlowshang]

Gwethglersinwen Larendirina

Before they reach the river, Gwen comments on Wes' strategy.

"I have a couple of useful spells but inexperience makes magic my weakest asset, so I must rely on sword and stealth for now."

"As for Bing's associates, your plan is a good start. Lets see what you find and take it from there."

Once at the river, Gwen looks around at the open terrain and eyes the cliffs nervously, but resists the urge to dash across and find cover.

Gwen asks Wes, "Do you suggest any precautions before crossing? Looks shallow enough to me but looks can be deceiving."

[Jernau35]

OM - You mentioned earlier in my private thread that the river is about 40' wide at this point, so I'm going to base Wes' plans on that.

Wes

"Yes, some kind of precautions would be wise. I have some rope in my pack, about 50' of it. I'll tie it off on one of those trees over there and loop the other end around me. I'll wade out as far as I can, using my spear to probe ahead of me, in case there's quicksand or something worse. Then I'll swim the central channel and wade ashore. Before I swim the channel, I'll toss my spear across to the far bank." Wes chuckles. "I only need to hit the ground with it. Even I can do that!"

He looks at Gwen. "If you can keep an one eye on me and one on the rope I'd appreciate it. If I get into trouble, either pull me back or let me go. Use your judgement. Once I'm across, untie the rope, I'll tie the other end over there, then I'll pull our gear across, and finally you."

"Does that sound like a plan?" Wes drops his pack and starts to unloop the rope attached to it.

[tomlowshang]

Gwethglersinwen Larendirina

Gwen shrugs and says, "Lets try it. See what happens."

She watches as Wes executes the first part of his plan, ready to help if he gets into trouble.

[OGRE MAGE]

Hunting and Exploring:
Earthday, The 4th of Goodmonth
Mid Morning, Hot, Sunny, Buggy

The water gatherers fill their pails and start heading back as the pair of hunters execute their plan to cross the river. Marge looks over her shoulder once, shakes her head, and leads her team back down the beach.

Wes ropes up and starts across the wide expanse of flowing, sandy water, using his spear to prod the ocean floor in front of him. He gets a few feet into the water when the bottom becomes soft and squishy, thankfully still holding the half-elf's weight. He continues across, peering up the quick flowing river way as he moves. Staying out away from the rivers mouth turns out to be a pretty good idea as the water level is quite shallow until he reaches the center portion of the mouth. There he tosses his spear across the rest of the way, indeed hitting his mark perfectly. Once the water gets up to over his waist, he swims the rest of the way across without incident or trouble.

As he is untying himself, he looks around in this new area for a minute. He sees tracks in the sand here that look to be human sized boot prints, but in the soft sand, it is impossible to tell for certain. They look like they lead from the water and head towards the black cliffs to the east. He also spots several very small animal and bird tracks around, but nothing that looks like it might be a real threat to his safety.

Actions?

Wes 16/16 4/4 first 3/3 second
Gwen 8/8 1/1 first

[Jernau35]

Wes

Wes looks around for a small tree or bush to tie his end of the rope to. Once he finds one, he’ll signal to Gwen to untie her end and lash his end up.

Since there may be people around, Wes will try to accomplish as much as possible with signals and sign language. He gestures to Gwen to tie Wes’ pack to the rope, then walk into the river as far as she feels is safe. Wes will do the same on his side. Gwen can then toss his pack over to him and Wes will use the rope to reel it in. They can repeat the process with her pack and then Gwen can cross using the rope to assist her. Once done, he’ll retrieve the rope.

Assuming they cross safely, Wes will point out the boot prints in the sand to Gwen. Using his modest skill as a hunter, Wes will try to estimate the age of the tracks. He tries to gauge if they are hard around the edges and fresh, or soft and worn down by the elements.

“What do you think we should do? Follow these people and try to find them before they find us? Or head inland and continue with our hunt?”

[tomlowshang]

Gwethglersinwen Larendirina

OOC: Are there any boot tracks heading back to the river? Are there just one set of prints?

Lacking detailed information, Gwen decides quickly.

"If anybody is watching us from the cliff, its pointless heading towards them in the open. Lets find cover away from the beach and river. We'll wait a little bit for anyone that might come looking for us. Stay alert for the signals that Bing's men use."

"You lead. You're better at this outdoor shit than me."

[OGRE MAGE]

Hunting and Exploring:
Earthday, The 4th of Goodmonth
Mid Morning, Hot, Sunny, Buggy

Once safely across the wide river mouth, Gwen looks around the area for any more tracks. She only sees the one set that seems to lead right up from the sandy shore on this side of the river, straight towards the hard rocky ground that eventually turns into the tall black cliffs to the east.

Wes studies the tracks for a moment, which is all it takes him to realize that he knows almost nothing about tracking through this soft, shifting sand. He cant tell how many folks might have made them, nor can he tell how long they have been here. The tracks appear to be nothing more than oval depressions stretching across the soft sand.

The pair think it might be best to get away from this wide open sandy area that provides them with absolutely no cover whatsoever. They move north to the tree line and try to blend in with the foliage there. Much to the displeasure of the druid, there are almost no signs of large animal activity on this side of the river. Looking up towards the rocky cliffs, they periodically spot quick shots of color against the black rock setting and it appears that something is glinting in the suns rays up there.

Actions?

Wes 16/16 4/4 first 3/3 second
Gwen 8/8 1/1 first

[Jernau35]

Wes

The druid waits awhile under cover of the trees so that he and Gwen can try to hear anyone approaching. If it seems that the way is clear, Wes tries to ascertain if the flashes of color are caused by something stationary, or by someone moving around up there. He moves short distances, from tree to tree, to try and get a different perspective. Eventually he turns to Gwen.

"I was hoping to stay away from those cliffs while we were over here. But you may well be right, there could be someone up there watching us. We may well be better off investigating and clearing up the mystery. And there doesn't seem to be any sign of game around here anyway." he says quietly.

Wes takes a look at the cliffs and tries to see if there is a way to approach them and find a way up by passing through the trees. "We should be ready to get out of here fast if we run into more than one or two fellas up there. Especially if we don't suprise them".

Once Wes knows that Gwen is ready, he'll begin slowly moving from tree to tree, as he learned to do during his escape from the smugglers camp.

[tomlowshang]

Gwethglersinwen Larendirina

Gwen looks intently at the objects reflecting the sunlight to determine if they are moving.

She looks for obvious paths up the exposed cliff and counts the number of caves visible from their position.

"The cliffs and caves are very important, but we should keep our distance today. I have a strong feeling that they are too dangerous for just the two of us."

OOC: Caves are level 3. Is that like a dungeon level?

Gwen explains her feeling.

"The boot tracks head toward the cliff. None return. Why?"

"Bing's men are not active around here even though there is obvious strategic value. Why?"

She thinks about what to do next, then says, "Today we scout and avoid contact if possible. Learn what we can about this side of the river. See if Bing uses this side at all. Confirm the cliff continues inland to the waterfall. Look for paths up the cliff."

"And, we may find game further inland. The Pteranodon feeds in this area which may explain the lack of game."