Quest #10 "Beetle Juice?"

[SirOwen]

OOC: I notice you mentioned their size in diameter. Do these things look like rays, rather than more common fish?

[Storm11]

are they hovering over the sea, or on the surface of the water?

[Inferno]

Jack, lost boy:

"Fish?!" Jack yelps. He falls to his knees and digs for worms.

[OGRE MAGE]

are they hovering over the sea, or on the surface of the water?

They're swimming......in the water.

OOC: I notice you mentioned their size in diameter. Do these things look like rays, rather than more common fish?

Maybe...... Do you want to go in for a closer look?

[tkrexx]

Lightfinger tries to be focused.

Ahh, He waves off the circling aquatics, We are on a bug-hunt, not fishing. We may want to stick to one thing at a time.

[Bluehorse]

Monocar

Lightfinger tries to be focused.

Ahh, He waves off the circling aquatics, We are on a bug-hunt, not fishing. We may want to stick to one thing at a time.

Shrugs and moves on, assuming the others do. Seemed reasonable enough to him. Distractions here seemed to by and large lead to bad luck.

[ChubbyPixie]

Chauncey barely notices the fish creatures, whatever they may be, so intent is he on the bug-hunt and the deadly acidic resources he hopes it may bring. Finally, he snaps out of his uncharacteristic silence. "Now, look sharp! We don't want anyone's face being melted off unnecessarily..." he says. "I need hardly remind the fighting types that ranged attacks may be the best option to deal with an acid spraying insect. Wait. Did anyone think to ask the previous party at what range the creatures are able to deploy their caustic payload? I was busy studying my books, I can't be expected to socialize...."

[SirOwen]

Avaala

Noting Rollo's distrust of the fish creatures, Avaala makes sure to keep him at his side and not rushing off.

"Rollo, heel."

"Good boy." And a scratch behind the ears.

[Storm11]

Saracen will move along in whatever place he is assigned. The holy champion asks the rangers "Do you see any giant beetle tracks at all around here, I can't see any acidic evidence thus far. I do wonder if arrows and sling stones and crossbow bolts are going to be all that effective in penetrating the hard shell of such creatures. I got the impression there may be more than one of the insects too! That could prove .... problematic. Perhaps we could rig up some kind of trap again and lure one to chase us into it, where some of us could be lying in wait to ambush it perhaps?" he says thoughtfully, knowing how slow he is in his armour.

[Inferno]

Jack, lost boy:

"But what about my worms?!" Jack asks, holding forth a wriggling handful.

With regret, he returns them and joins the group's advance, wiping his palms on his thighs.

[Urson]

Luther

Those fish might be a good target for another day. Depends on what they are, they might be good eatin'- or maybe allies against that damn troll. Need to see if the druid can talk to dolphins an' such.
As he heads up the trail toward the beetles, Luther slows his pace even more. When the group reaches the area where they found the kids yesterday, he stops.

Ok, let's split up. Jack- stay here. Lightfinger, you're with me. We'll move up dead slow and see what we can.

[OGRE MAGE]

Seeking Beetle Juice
Earthday, The 25th of Reaping
Late Morning, Hot, Muggy, Buggy

Luther and Lightfinger take the time to search around the area where the children were found, but they don’t see anything different there than they did yesterday.

The bug hunting party wisely decides to ignore the swimming figures in the water. They stick to the plan and begin to head down the westernmost jungle trail. Luther and Alordan look around at the trail entrance and see many, many footprints, going in and coming out. Although, there seems to be a lot more going in than there are coming back out. No giant insect tracks are seen in the sand or on the beginning of the trail.

Getting into a straight line formation, the group heads into the much darker opening of the trail. Like most of the trails they have been on here, the jungle grows high and tight around them. There are a few spots along the way where you can see the sky through small clearings in the canopy above, but for the most part, the trail is mostly enclosed around you and minimal light penetrates the thick, tangled bush this close to the ground. If you thought the pesky flying insects were bad on the beach, they are much worse once you enter into their domain.

After about another hour of walking, the rangers begin to notice many distinct single holes poked into the ground along the trail and further into the jungle. The holes are everywhere and might indicate that there are giant insects living nearby this area. Moving along more cautiously now, the group starts to notice an acidic, acrid stink to the very air they are trying to breath. The scent is so strong, it starts to sting the more delicate throats and sinuses of members like Chauncey and Lightfinger. The many leg holes poked into the soft ground in this area are everywhere, making following one distinct set of tracks neigh on impossible.

After searching for a bit longer, Luther makes a grisly discovery along the floor of the jungle. It looks like something that once stood here was partially melted into the earth. There are a few scraps of slimy metal, possibly armor or weapons at one time. There are also remnants of stained and tattered leather and cloth lying nearby, possibly clothing at one time, but there is no sign of the person that they may have belonged too. The group starts to wonder if they discovered one of the unfortunate members of the last group that encountered the acid shooting beetles.

Actions?

Please look at your characters spot in the marching order below. If you want to make any changes, now would be the time.

Luther R2 20/20
Jack 10/10 CL, DM, RM, 1/1 first
Lightfinger T2 10/10
Chauncey 6/6 CL, DM, RM, 1/1 first
Saracen 12/12 3/3 first
Avaala 5/5 CL, DM, RM, 1/1 first
Monocar F2 21/21
Alordan 10/10

[SirOwen]

Avaala

'OK, smart guy,' Avaala thinks. 'You wanted to be an adventuring wizard. Rich and famous, rich and famous. So buck up. This is the hard part.'

Avaala reaches down and smacks Rollos armor, as much to keep the dog close and out of trouble as to reassure himself. He rolls his head and drives the fear from his thoughts. 'Just focus.'

The wizard slows, letting Saracen pull a little ahead. At the same time, he signals to Monocar to open the gap between them. "Look," he whispers. "If that thing sprays acid like a long stream, we don't want to be too close together. No sense in you getting melted if it's pointing at me."

[Bluehorse]

Monocar

Makes a face at the smell as it grows stronger. He didn't like it at all, and he was already growing uneasy before they spotted the pock marks in the trees. He was trembling a little already when they found the.... remains...

When Avaala turns to talk to him, it's obvious he is staring at the "puddle" pale faced. For a moment at least, no one appears to be home. He snaps himself out of it and looks this way and that. "I... I don't like this... we're too closed in here... this is an ambush waiting to happen... and we've walked right into it..."

[Storm11]

Saracen finds a large tree to take cover behind, plants his two handed sword in the ground within easy reach but also covered, and takes out his bow. He strings it and knocks an arrow ready.

[ChubbyPixie]

"Hmmm. Yes. Spreading out is a bit is not the worst idea," agrees Chauncey. "Still, with all this tree cover to either side, I doubt their weapons can be employed effectively. And they are bugs, are they not? An ambush takes planning..." His hand hovering near his component pouch, he looks slightly less confident than his words would imply.

[Inferno]

Jack, lost boy:

When the grownups talk about splitting up, Jack happily wanders into the jungle, keeping within sight of the others, planning to keep pace with them.

He figures the giant bugs eat the other dangerous animals around here, and that they might not be able to fit between the dense trunks.

Still, once he's far from the buzz of the grownups' voices, Jack stops, looks up and listens for the buzzing of giant wings.

[Bluehorse]

"Hmmm. Yes. Spreading out is a bit is not the worst idea," agrees Chauncey. "Still, with all this tree cover to either side, I doubt their weapons can be employed effectively. And they are bugs, are they not? An ambush takes planning..." His hand hovering near his component pouch, he looks slightly less confident than his words would imply.

"People thought the Treefolk were dumb animals too. Look what we learned...." his eyes look up and around, even over his shoulder.

[Urson]

Luther

this is exactly what I didn't want to have happen. Keep spread out as much as you can, ya'll.

Luther stirs the slimy remains with a short branch, holding his breath. He's visibly green from nausea, given the damage done to the victim, but is hoping to find out something about the bugs and their weapon from the remains. He'll also check the trunks of nearby trees for splash damage.

OM: how big are the 'track' holes? Is there any way to guesstimate a size for the bugs from these holes?

[tkrexx]

Lightfinger nearly retches.

Dis-GUSTing! The Hobbit laments what must be a corpse, I must concur with Clancey, I can't believe these insects would be planning an ambush, per se, no, I think it's more likely they used their weapon in self-defense... Or what they thought was self-defense. Think about it: He clears his throat. The acid sprays from the abdomen, likely the very end, yes? This would indicate a defense mechanism designed for use during flight. It's probable the other party we encountered ran upon these creatures by accident, not too far of a stretch in these tight conditions. Spreading out is a good plan, but range weapons might prove a difficult task. We may well need to rely upon the skills of our spellcasters in this endeavor.