Djebel Tarik

[Spearmint]

Geoffrey is plastered with the mud by an old man, rough hands. "I was a baker, goods hands for kneading dough. Made the finest pies in all the settlements. Fisherfolk could keep my pastries free if mild for a month or more, good that when you're at sea for a while," he boasts. Of the 'Hurtloam' he says that it is harvested from 'the western caves' though the way through the marsh is tricky and the bats in the cave grow to a big size. "Their bat shit guano mixed with a few bits of special herbs. Causes some enzyme reaction which seems to work through the mud poultice. I understand it a bit like yeast going through the bread.".

He points to a few wheelbarrows. "You lot are in a right mess, him with his neck, his chest, you in the legs. We've about run out. Don't suppose you'd care to adventure for it. Take a barrow each, bring them back full and I'll show you how to apply it. Get yourself a Barrow to keep on ship."

Rexlin comes along with Cobb, excused duty while the officers finish festivities and 'Capt talk'. You may suspect certain negotiations are taking place. Certainly the chest you carried into Tariks' marquee has been delivered. A tribute, a bribe, payment for services?

Iggway is greeted by Tarik who tells you of the Lucayan natives who first inhabited the islands."Then colonial bastards came along and converted their religions, took their womenfolk and schooled their children. Decimated they integrated into good Iberian subjects or left. The only history now the hieroglyphs scrawled on the western cave walls." Djebel Tarik waves in a general direction, "but we are making a new history here, free peoples, under no government but our own." ( did he say our own or my own...you are not sure, but the though does enter your head for he is seated as chief and warlord here.)

"Bring your settlers, if they want freedom they can find it here. But no Padre, we have enough of foreigners doing things in the name of god." For Captain Lazarus that seems a good offer and he doubts wether Padre Claude would willingly leave his life's vocation."Would you be happy with that Miss Gweequay?" he asks.

It seems the matter among others get settled, the scholar takes you after dinner around the camp, then eventually Iggway is escorted by the scholar to the medic way station. A place for you to stay overnight us made with the injured Cravat and marine. It is early evening, you may stay to meditate and replenish spells or take up the offer to fetch more hurtloam from the old native caves.

In your enquiries around the camp you find a mage who offers to identify the potions for you at a basic cost of 100gp or to keep one potion as a fee.

The silver portrait and leather bound Psalm book may be sold or traded, Geoffrey would you have a specific wish in mind with them. You can keep them of course.

You notice the three prisoners being lead away further up the creek. Their fate looks grim.

actions for the evening please, any questions, anything you want to do, find out, explore.

[onlyme]

Geoffrey looks around for a buyer, but decides he would rather keep the items and sell at a more populated area.
He mentions to the others about the guano opportunity. He tells the medicine man that he will let him know once he can determine if they have the arms to haul it back safely. No sense dying for medicine.

[Spearmint]

Geoffrey, the former baker, tells you that the mud is harvested from beneath a cave which drips sanctified water into a slurry pit. The water creates enough mud to fill the barrows every few days but the caves contain dangers. The men are afraid to disturb the caves and the old natives enshrined therein, so only venture to the pool which forms in the cave mouth. He only knows that dark brown 'humanoids' attacked them and they appeared impervious to their blades and musket shot.

[Bluehorse]

Rexlin "Devil's Scowl" Dupre

Turns his nose up at first but seeing the fine job the rub did on his crewmate he signs and looks at the wheelbarrow. "Well, guess it'd be good to have some of that on board next time one of us winds up holey... Shoveling bat shit wasn't my first idea of fun for tonight." He looks at Cobb. "Guess the ladies might have to wait. The Captain might like having some of this crap barreled up on the ship... Still, if there are natives around that think this cave is holy, maybe we should go fetch that shaman wench before we go."

[onlyme]

Geoffrey nods.
Of course, I haven't the blade to cut through impervious critters, do you?
Where might we find one. Spect we should ask.

And he will ask about for leads on such weaponry that might work against the humanoids.

[Bluehorse]

Rexlin "Devil's Scowl" Dupre

"Bat guano and brown humanoids... better not be terd gollums... Still, I've yet to see anything that couldnt be burned. Maybe we can get a few fire jars in case we run into something. We should get that shaman of the Captain's too."

[Spearmint]

Geoffrey and Rexlin ask about. The baker cum healer tells you that one of the 'rangers' can show you the way. As for enhanced weaponry that is the preserve of Tariks' men. "Folk ain't just going to give up the arms they got. Some folk at the forge can craft masterwork items but it is a long and slow process, and expensive. The 'barrow boys' just try and sneak in and dig what they can, often a short window of opportunity. Folk been in to the caves beyond of course but some don't come out so we leave that area alone."

The baker looks over to Cravat, covered up to his nose and rigid like a mummified body and the injured marine next to him. "They'll both need more or be resting for weeks. Even with divine help they are close to death."

He offers you a lantern and two flasks of oil ( you could buy more if you need in the merchant camp) and he sends for Sully, a lean looking youth who carries a bow and spear. "Suleiman knows the tracks to the caverns, he can keep you out of the tidal bogs."

A full Barrow full seems enough to body coat two doses of 'Hurtloam'. You have three wheelbarrows.

I will wait for Iggway to agree to come or post another action.

[Hotgoblin]

Iggway Gwequay responds to Tarik...Yes, that sounds fine. Iggy will go with the Geoff and Sully. She's very interested to see the Hieroglyphs within the cave.

Iggy will barter with the mage, offering 2 of her magic candles for identification of the viles.

[Spearmint]

Iggway , offers to do a trade with the mage. He checks the potions and surmises they are the same type, the vials have an engraving on the bottom of the flasks, something about 'property of Her Gracious Majesty's Royal Fleet, Santo Domingo'. "Certainly issued to naval command not street vendor make." He declines the candles saying he will study the potions overnight, keeping the half flask as payment. You can pick them up in the morning.

Iggway joins the group of Marine Cobb, Rexlin and the newly healed Geoffrey. The boys push the barrows, following the young ranger Sully.

He crosses the creek and lantern in hand leads you through a mangrove swamp in the centre of the island. A few scattered wooden huts, highlighted with candles in windows and heavily barred doors, line the fringe of the track. Pays if the swamp are below sea level so floods regular, especially winter tides," your guide speaks pointing out high water markings in the trees. "Make good arrows from the marsh willows here, and cricket bats. (Cricket is a new sport in the Carib regions). "

Pushing even unloaded barrows is hard work along sludge filled tracks, progress is slow and heavy labour for the lads lugging muskets each. You don't want them getting filled with mud and dirt from the journey so each musket bearer make a 3d6 Dex skill check to keep them free of grime. Failure means a turn to clean the weapon.

Iggway wonders of these native histories. The Lucayan peoples a different tribe, different tongue to her own. give me a hard 4d6-1 vs intelligence, -1due to it being native not 'colonnial' history. Success gives you some information on the tribes who lived here.

[Hotgoblin]

Iggway

[4d6-1] = 19-1 = 18 vs Intelligence (13)

[Bluehorse]

Rexlin "Devil's Scowl" Dupre

[3d6] = 13

[onlyme]

My apologies. I missed the request for the 3d6...
dex [3d6] = 12

Geoffrey keeps his focus on his weapon, knowing a dirty weapon is a useless one. So far, so good.

[Spearmint]

Iggway struggles to recall much of the Lucayan history of the islands. Like many native settlements, they were forcibly Integrated into adopting 'colonnial' cultures or driven away. The Iberians had a poor reputation as far as indigenous peoples were concerned. The promise of hieroglyphs may offer more if you can study them effectively though.

The Barrow boys, manfully wield both musket and cart, trudging the few miles through the boggy marsh, trusting in the guidance of your young tracker. After a couple of hours you find the landscape begin to alter and more steep hillsides and dark valleys lie in your path. Great country for goats and crag critters but not for farming. Eventually Sully stops and points to a cleft in the hillside where the path abruptly stops.

"Beyond are some caves, old burial grounds I think. The entrance cave is fine though large bats frequent the nooks and crannies. Beyond that it opens to where the mud flows like a slow waterfall, dripping in sludge waves to the cave floor. We gather the 'Hurtloam' from there but normally one at a time lest we wake the guardians and have to flee. An anthropologist went up the falls to look at the native histories deeper in but he never came out." Sully describes the way ahead, quite pleased with himself for remembering the vocation of the explorer.

Entering the first cleft you stand on the edge of the first cave, a large cavern. The lights from Sully's lantern play shadow games off the hanging stalactites above you, reflecting off luminescent fungi and cave mosses. A foreboding dark maw is at the back of the cave, small wheeled tracks and old boot prints lead in that direction.

All is quiet and still for now save the distant drip of thick muddy splodges dripping further in.

[img]

indian-echo-caverns.jpg (26.95 KiB) Viewed 3174 times

[/img]

[Bluehorse]

Rexlin "Devil's Scowl" Dupre

"Before we get dirt in the barrows, we'd best find some vines or something to lash our muskets and the like to our backs."

[Spearmint]

Sully cuts a few creeper vines and ties your stuff I easy to carry bundles."I don't normally go any further," he says. "They normally cut a few spades worth for each barrow. It depends on the rain really, too much and the water just runs off into the pool and not enough splodge forms, a short drought and the Hurtloam dries up rock hard so they harvest it carefully."

Marine Cobb hesitates about going in first, "You are the big brave one," he says to Rexlin, "Or shall we send in the squaw first to cleanse any evil spirits out of the place?"

[onlyme]

Geoffrey readies himself, but follows the others' suggestions. He has never seen a cave before, and this is much different than a ship.

[Bluehorse]

Rexlin " Devil'sScowl " Dupre

Grumbles and goes forward. Bunch of pansies... just a cave..." he pauses as he moves forward. "A big... dark scarey cave.... probably full of shit demons or something..." looking over his shoulder to the Native. "You're behind me. Start your prayers or whatever. The rest of you, look lively. Sully, don't get yellow. Wait here and try to make yourself useful. Maybe you'll get a cuaff of rum out of it as a bonus, eh?"

[Hotgoblin]

Iggway will say a short prayer, Yanauluha, protect your Earth children on this quest, it is to help those in need of healing!! She lays one of her magic candles by the cave entranceway.

[Spearmint]

Iggway blesses the group and sets up a ward over the cave entrance. Cobb genuflects a religious motion and Sully notches an arrow. Geoffrey gives way to the spade and musket baring 'devils scowl' Dupre.


Rexlin moves forward pushing the wheelbarrow into the cave, the lantern light guiding his steps around puddles and boulders. Above your head you note flickering movement and a couple of startled cave bats rise from their stupor to flap ungracefully out of the cave. Your lantern light doesn't show the ceiling so it must be more than 30+'ft high, faint stalactite tips appearing out of the gloom. Across the lichen moss and damp cave tiny critters scampe away. It is only as you approach the maw, dark and black at the cave rear that your hair heckles rise. Just over the lip of the cave, a step into the next is a long thin skeletal hand reaching out of the mud pool. Is it a creature reaching to grasp you or an unfortunate wretch clutching for light and life as thick sludge overwhelms him(her?) like quicksand.

Beyond the first cavern, you can only hear the constant drip of water and occasional splodge landing at the bottom of the mud falls. All is dark, quiet and chilly beyond.

actions please

[onlyme]

Geoffrey quietly asks,
"How much further before we start digging? This place is creapy."