Quest #23 "Even The Jungle Wanted Them Dead"

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

"I'm still worn out and would rather avoid crowds. The rumors around the common house are that Bing's ship was destroyed and there was some concern about an escaped prisoner. I'd rather keep any discussions private for now. Something isn't right around here."

She motions for Wes to lead. "As I said, my hut was rented to Hrothgar, so lead the way. I actually don't know where you are staying."

When they find an acceptable place: "You mention poor choices. I'm not sure what you're referring to, but it seems like you are unsure of my motivations."

She smiles and opens her palms face up. "So...what would you like to know?"

[ChubbyPixie]

Chauncey will spend his first morning back getting Avaala started in his magical rehabilitation, rehearsing basic formulae and concepts.

Once that is underway and progressing quietly in the corner, feeling his magical power cresting to new levels of understanding, he will turn his attention to the transcribing and learning of a new spell. In this case a spell from a scroll acquired from the cave near the natives' camp, a spell that would allow its incanter to shed the mundane effects of the attractive force that binds all to this sphere and rise freely, untethered. A spell he has, in his flawless translation, labeled Majestic Rise.

(He will begin transcribing Levitate from his spell scroll into his spell book, a process which will consume two full days.)

[Jernau35]

Wes

"Well", begins Wes, "the matter isn't your motivations. It's a matter of trust. You want people to put their lives in your hands, out there in the jungle. Others have done that and not come back".

"You can give me explanations for what happened in Snakes Eye's camp. But I saw enough there."

"You took Nehru off into the jungle and he didn't come back"

"Now I will agree," says the druid, clasping his hands together, "that you did risk your life against Gorman. But your association with him doesn't do you any favors. Along with... Wes breaks off, unwilling to go any further down that road.

"Look, even if you mean well now, what you've done before is going to make people think twice".

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

She listens and considers Wes's words. Then sighs and speaks.

"I hear what you're saying. The real shame of it all is that each of the situations is more nuanced than at first glance. But sometimes the truth is slow to be revealed." Bonnie smiles sadly at Wes and walks to the wall and reaches out to examine it.

"The life of an adventurer is dangerous. I'm not the only one whose allies didn't return, but I seem to have received all the blame. Maybe if I had let people know what I was doing, they wouldn't have run off into the jungle to die. I don't claim to know what to do in every situation, but I'm alive."

"When we were outnumbered and overwhelmed at the river, I chose to live. When everyone was fleeing or committing suicide by the tree, I chose to live. When Bing demanded service, when Gorman tortured and abused me, when I was used as a human sacrifice by the natives, when the Dragon tested my resolve, I chose to live."

She turns and faces Wes. "People make choices. I tried to call them back, I tried to diffuse the situation, but I didn't kill them. They chose to scatter into the jungle or blindly attack a superior foe instead of biding time to live another day. Nehru made a choice too. He wrote a letter to Gorman in case he was killed before he could reason with him. Nehru knew, more than I, the risks involved."

"I never once betrayed a fellow adventurer. I haven't left anyone in the jungle but have been abandoned twice. I only did what I had to do to survive when I was alone. Making deals with the people who determine whether you live or die isn't reckless or stupid. It's common sense."

Bonnie takes a deep breath and releases it. "Maybe you would have done something different. Maybe you would have fought to the last breath in one of the situations. Maybe you would be one of the dead of the island."

"I would like to move forward and work together at some point. We could do great things and discover the island's mysteries if we did. You mention trust. The funny thing about trust is that it isn't a one-way path. Knowing people will follow my lead at times, like finding that hidden passage to flank Gorman, helps greatly. Shouting and ruining the surprise doesn't." She grins slightly.

"Listen. I can promise to include others in any plans or schemes I have if you can promise to have my back if something goes wrong. Like you did in the temple. I can't recall if I thanked you for healing me, so thank you, again."

"What do you think? Could we have a working relationship at some point?"

[SirOwen]

OK, just checking.... to keep us from interfering in things that have already come to pass, the party that returned from the Temple shouldn't post in anything from the 15th to the 20th, correct? So we can get involved in the new adventures starting now, right? (From the 21st onward?)

[Jernau35]

Wes

Wes nods as he listens to Bonnie. “I understand that we all have to make choices. And sometimes in the end the choice doesn’t matter. Blind luck decides the matter. Make the right choice and die anyway”. He grimaces.

“But some choices do matter. We were outnumbered and overwhelmed because you stepped out and told them we were there. Some of us chose to fight back at the tree because the alternative was to be bitten by it and succumb to who knows what. Which is what Snake Eye wanted and something you were quite in favor of too.”

“Did I abandon you at the tree? Betray you?” The druid shrugs. “I think at that point we abandoned each other. We chose either to submit or resist. We could both say we did what was necessary to survive. But it seems to me that your choice only led you on a path of constantly having to submit from then on”

Wes remains silent for a long moment and looks at the ground, rubbing his forehead. Eventually he looks up at Bonnie. “Your talk about this Mist dragon, and keeping the island in balance is laudable. I hope it succeeds. But I can’t work with you. It’s not that you once made the choice to put yourself first. It’s that you’ll always make that choice.”

[Bluehorse]

I for one, would really like to see that letter from Behru to Gorman.

Dear Gorman,

Oh how I love and miss thee... Let me count the ways...

[OGRE MAGE]

OK, just checking.... to keep us from interfering in things that have already come to pass, the party that returned from the Temple shouldn't post in anything from the 15th to the 20th, correct? So we can get involved in the new adventures starting now, right? (From the 21st onward?)

Correct. It will be less confusing for everyone if those who are behind simply stay out of the public threads until they are caught up again. Now, I am not going to hunt through posts trying to call someone out for saying or doing something irrelevant that is out of the natural order, but I will hope that you can all police yourselves when it comes to not deliberately doing things against the pre-established timeline.

So, once your character has expressed anything and everything that they want to do in their downtime, they will essentially be caught up in time with the others in town. Only after that business is complete, will they be able to interact with other groups.

As you know, there is a lot of stuff happening in the private threads right now because of this. So if there is something particular you need to do in your downtime, it can be accommodated there while you wait.

[OGRE MAGE]

I will try to keep this up as we go, but if I forget or miss something, please let me know.

Chauncey holes up in his shack for a couple of days, transcribinbg important magicks from one place to another.

Wes heals the sick and injured, creates nutritious food for the commoners to share, keeps the communal water barrels topped off, prays a lot, and fends off several more townsfolk who want him to act as their spiritual leader. His tree in town is decorated with even more trinkets and flowers than before he left and folks regularly ask him to tell them more about his hunter god. The druid is quickly becoming the most admired adventurer who calls Beachtown home.

Luther gets some much deserved rest, thinking of his fallen friends often. While he heals himself, he also improves his arms and armor, creating arrows and a carved club inscribed with the names of the people he intends to liberate from their horrible state eventually.

Avaala also uses his time to perfect his magic, studying with his now superior wizard friend and guild member. Plans to increase his own stores of magic commence normally while talk of finally getting their guild off the sand seems to be at the forefront of their eventual plans.

Bonnie skulks around, avoiding nearly as many as she seeks out. Her and Wes have a long conversation about how they think things are going here on the island so far.

[SirOwen]

I will try to keep this up as we go, but if I forget or miss something, please let me know.

Only that Jaxsen is going to spend his first couple days:

Prayers, Katas, and work around Beachtown (water fetching, taking care of the common house and those within. etc)
Since he is not a Cleric, I didn't think this would affect Daisy's doings at the Common House much. Jax can tend, but he cannot heal.

Caring for and improving the hives,

and Resting in anticipation of long nights

And spend his nights laying in wait for the hive raiders, very much as in his last post.

He does have a few other things for the 19th and 20th, but that can wait.

[SirOwen]

Avaala the Grey

Since most of this time will be spent in seclusion, I'm going to pass on the roleplaying and just get through some days.

On the 17th and 18th, Avaala will be transcribing the spell Knock.

Learn the spell "Knock" (75%) [1d100] = 48

On the morning-til-lunch of the 19th, however, Avaala will be crushed to discover that he cannot seem to master the spells Spider Climb, Erase, or Levitate.

Learning the spell Spider Climb (75%) [1d100] = 76
Learning the spell Erase (75%) [1d100] = 97
Learn the spell Levitate (75%) [1d100] = 82

Geeeesh!!! OM, remember me, long ago, expounding on how the dice on this system liked me? That's what I get for bragging!!

He does, finally spend the remainder of the day, into the evening, discovering he can understand the spell Push.

Learn the spell Push (75%) [1d100] = 71

Still working on what to do with the 20th....

[OGRE MAGE]

Jaxsen spots a possible culprit late into his second night of watching the hives for the larger invaders.

There are three or four smallish figures that come to the edge of the clearing. They stay there for a moment, looking around at their surroundings. The monk can’t tell if they spotted him or not, but they never exit the jungle, staying in the heavy foliage just out of sight except to the most well trained eye.

No damage at all is done by the creatures this time, and when the area they were in is searched in the daylight, some tiny three toed tracks are found in the dirt.

[OGRE MAGE]

Those are some great rolls.......for exceptional strength.

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

Bonnie looks incredulous as Wes revises history. "What are you talking about? I went into the camp first, when we were thinking they were the loggers. Which they were. And they weren't hostile until Ferris shot one. You weren't even there!"

"And the tree! I didn't suggest getting bitten, Krystal talked to it and told us to. Did you mix up female elves!? I allowed it to bite me, as did Krystal, Ferris, and Keilif! I was just trying to get that weapon so we could fight properly."

"I went back to help Keilif and Brufrig. You abandoned everyone, and now you merely shrug it off! And how dare you make light of what happened to me. We didn't interact at all from then until the temple, but somehow you know that I deserved everything? It seems like you've been listening to rumors and making some up yourself!"

She is quite upset at this point. "Wes. We've been on two outings together. They both ended horribly, but you are also a common factor in those failures. I also seem to remember a rumor of a failed trip across the river. More allies didn't return."

She stands, seething at the druid for a moment then calms herself. "Look. I get it. Guilt is a powerful thing. Blaming me for the deaths of all those people won't change your part in it. I was trying to put whatever ill will there is behind us, but you're not even making sense. It's like you're a different person..."

Her eyes suddenly go wide and she starts backing away to the door. "Yeah. Ok. No, you're right Wes. I've got a lot to learn about teamwork and putting others first. I'm...uh...going to go work on that now."

She quickly backs away and exits while keeping Wes in sight.

[Jernau35]

Ha! I guess I did get them mixed up The downside of spreading 3 weeks over three years

Wes

"Aye, I wasn't there. But I spent a week in the cave with the people who were. While you were hob-nobbing with Snake Eye. I learned enough from them. You walked right out and gave everybody away. The men weren't hostile? They were pirates, which you might have noticed if you weren't too busy chatting to them. Burned villages all up the river ring a bell? Slaves working in the fields?"

"And you tried to help at the tree? Fair enough, my memory played me false there. My apologies."Wes nods in acknolegement, then continues. "But as for abandoning everybody? Well, we both watched them die. But only one of us tried to stop it. I didn't go anywhere until they were dead."

Wes smiles sardonically as Bonnie tries to lay a mound of dead at his feet. "Aye, more than a few died. I'll admit to that. How many came back with you? As for what happened over the river, why don't you go talk to Greff, the fella we dragged back after the hag froze him? Or the parents of the baby we rescued?"

"If I was half as fickle as you seem to think I am, you'd still be back there on the floor of that temple, waking up to a nice chat with the King and Queen."

"I've a feeling that there's still a lot more folks that'll take their chances out there with Wes the Angel o' Death than with you. I don't need to blacken your name. You're doing it all by yourself."

[ChubbyPixie]

Chance to Learn Levitate (85%): [1d100] = 81 Phew! Two Days almost wasted...

Now that he's mastered Majestic Rise, Chauncey will spend the next two days attempting to transcribe Unseen Manservant and another spell which is different and unclear (not sure how to approach this one, OM.)

Chance to Learn Unseen Servant (85%): [1d100] = 96 WASTED... DAY. Ug.
Chance to Learn Unknown Spell (85%): [1d100] = 48

[SirOwen]

CP, according to OM, failing to learn a spell does NOT take a full day. (Avaala has really bad track record with this. ) That is resolved pretty quickly. Nor does failing to learn the spell remove it from the source. That it how Avaala was able to figure out he couldn't learn three spells in one day. (Oh god it hurts to say that!!!)

[SirOwen]

Jaxsen Reiter

OK, so we add one more night of hunting.

19th

Jaxsen, seeing the small tracks, is careful to sweep away his own tracks, doing his best to make the approach look as undisturbed as possible. He wants them to come in from this same direction again. The Monk continues to do as he has been doing, praying, working out, and working around the town during the first half of the day, before resting to prepare for the evening.

"It may be," he thinks later. "That the raiders are smart enough to know that the hive will take some time to rebuild a reserve of honey. At least I hope they didn't see me up in the tree." Nonetheless, as darkness begins to fall, he takes to the tree again, Halberd hidden below, and his Javelins with him. He is careful to arrange the leaves and branches to give him the best coverage and still allow good viewing.

[OGRE MAGE]

Really digging the RP guys!

And SO is correct about the burned day of study.

I will allow you to make the "chance to learn" roll beforehand so the time isn't wasted.

[OGRE MAGE]

Jaxsen Reiter

OK, so we add one more night of hunting.

19th

Jaxsen, seeing the small tracks, is careful to sweep away his own tracks, doing his best to make the approach look as undisturbed as possible. He wants them to come in from this same direction again. The Monk continues to do as he has been doing, praying, working out, and working around the town during the first half of the day, before resting to prepare for the evening.

"It may be," he thinks later. "That the raiders are smart enough to know that the hive will take some time to rebuild a reserve of honey. At least I hope they didn't see me up in the tree." Nonetheless, as darkness begins to fall, he takes to the tree again, Halberd hidden below, and his Javelins with him. He is careful to arrange the leaves and branches to give him the best coverage and still allow good viewing.

Hiding his presence from the tiny invaders doesn't seem to do the trick when Jaxsen has an almost identical encounter with the hidden jungle monsters.

They move to the edge of the clearing and stay right where they are, sniffing and peering all around the area. This time there are a couple more figures, some jump around from branch to branch, staying lower to the ground than a monkey or a phanaton. But just like last time, they do not enter the clearing or cause any commotion with the hives of farmette.