Quest #6.5 "Escaping Camp Water Fall"

[OGRE MAGE]

The Cave Is Getting Full
Waterday, 24th of Reaping
Mid Morning

After more time is spent watching and learning, the captives get another surprise. They see another smuggler dragging the limp body of their druid friend Wes up the trail and into the raucous camp. He calls for some help and 2 others help him toss the unconscious Wes right into the cave with you.

Keilif sucks in an audible gasp when he sees the druid has been badly beaten and cut. Rushing to his side to lend aid, he starts administering magical healing as soon as the goons who dumped him on the floor leave the cave again.

A quick touch and a prayer bring the half-elf back to his senses, healing some of his wounds and making him feel much better than he has for the last 12 hours or so. He is actually happy to see the strange, wrinkled up face of the sea priest again, despite his lingering sour stench and their past differences.

After sipping down some of the fresh water, the druid looks around the cave. Krystal the elf is there, as is Ferris the gnome. They stare down the druid uncomfortably, not sure who to trust anymore. Brufrig the dwarf stands at the cave opening, cursing under his breath and threatening any smuggler who comes within earshot of his makeshift prison cell. None of the three have been really talkative lately, not enjoying their current situation in the least.

Keilif helps the woozy druid up to his feet and makes sure he is hale enough. "Are you well, friend? What happened to you out there? Why did you not follow the rest of us here to this place? Was Franny with you? How did they capture you?" Realizing his barrage isn't helping, he reconsiders his inquisition. "Why don't you get some rest? I'm sure you still need to do your meditation to gain your magic this day. Can I get anything for you?"

Actions?

Ferris 7/7 DM, RM, 1/1 first
Krystal 5/5 CL DM RM 1/1 first
Keilif C2 8/15 3/4 first
Bonnie 6/6
Brufrig Granitesunder 12/15
Waesfaren Rhey 5/10 0/4 first
Aldo (Deceased) R.I.P (In Bonnie's Bag)

alone in the dark jungle:
Franny Buurlslammer 9/12 (private thread)

[Scott308]

Brufrig Granitesunder

The dwarf quietly confers with the others. We are heavily outnumbered and weaponless, but they left us our armor, so we have that going for us. The guards don't really seem to be too concerned with keeping an eye on us. Let's continue to be good prisoners for now. We'll see what Bonnie has to say, but I think our best bet is to wait until night. Most guards will be sleeping, and the darkness will work to our advantage. Humans will be blind without lights, so if we can stay to the shadows it will be harder for them to find us. Keilif, you may need to stay behind at first because you will also be unable to see.

The ogres worry me, I won't lie. I believe they have the same night vision we have, so our advantage goes away. However, as we saw before, if we light the plant they are harvesting, it can affect them and help level the battlefield. Clearly, we need the element of surprise or we'll be in a lot of trouble. Any lights that are on we should put out when we make our move, trying to kill as many guards in their sleep as we can. Keilif, I don't want to hear any objections on this. If we give them any chance,
It might mean our deaths. We still might not get out of this alive if we try to escape, so if anyone does not want to do this, speak up. There is time to think about it, and we'll have to run it by Bonnie when she gets back.

I was in the middle of typing this when Rob made his post and opened a new thread. We'll say this took place before Wes was brought in.

[Bluetongue]

Ferris

stretches his muscles as he works out complaining that"there is not enough room in the cave to swing a cat.". To Wes he asks if he saw anything of the dwarf maiden Franny?

He paces about the cave and checks out various nooks and crannies for hidden niches or signs that the cave had other uses. Maybe other folk were kept here before and scratched info on walls. Is there any fire hearth here, Ferris complains they are wet and cold and asks for a few logs to be supplied so they can keep warm and cook the last of the Gronk camp sausages.

[Jernau35]

Waesfaren

“Greetings all! It’s good to see we are all still in one piece. Keilif, I want to thank you for your ministrations, considering all the crossed words we’ve had in the past. Now I feel slightly less like I was eaten by a wolf and, crapped over a cliff.”

“No, Ferris, I’m afraid I don’t know where Franny is.”

Wes looks around at the cave. “Well, at least if it rains we’ll be nice and dry.” He grins. “Now, I’m not sure how we got in here, but I assume we are working on a plan to get out?”

“I have a couple of ideas to throw into the pot. Whilst I was unconscious, I received a vision of new magical powers that had been granted to me. I’ll need a few hours to pray to receive them”.

He pauses for a moment.“Now this might sound obvious, but we really are going to have to pull together on this. A good solid plan that we all agree on. If we start running in three directions, or just go tear-arsing off into the jungle, we’ll get caught again.”

“So are we going to escape? Or get our weapons back, then escape?”

[OGRE MAGE]

Keilif wonders what has gotten into the uncharacteristically silent elven......whatever she is.

"Ignoring our problems wont get us out of here any faster."

He listens to Brufrig's suggestions, nodding along in agreement as he makes many valid points.

"I badly want to go right up to these bastards and give them a good what for, but I don't think that will help. I am certain that Wes is correct. Simply fleeing out into the daylight will get at least some of us killed. We are going to have to work together to get out of this mess."

Ferris requests some fire wood to cook his breakfast over. A fallen tree branch is dragged to the cave and left there for him. He does not find anything scrawled on the cave walls, but there is evidence that fires had been used in there before as soot is easily found on the rocky ceiling.

Wes goes to one wall so he can meditate quietly while the others await Bonnie's return. They all hope that she has new information to shed some light on their current situation.

[Spearmint]

Krystal

troubled by the surroundings of captivity, she has remained silent and concentrated on reading to keep her mind occupied, while making notes in journals and watching the guards with suspicion.

"Only thing running stuff by Bonnie is if she decides to run stuff by Bing!" she says thoughtfully."We have to trust each other, even the priest. So cough up that bowl you nicked from Gronk and we'll take a look-see at it. With these sedative herbs we might be able to put some of the guards in a stupor if the bowl has any enchantments attached?"

[OGRE MAGE]

The magic "bowl" is currently smoldering in the middle of the of floor of the cave. The first of the 4 strange square pieces of charcoal is about half consumed and still lightly burning inside of it.

Again, there are no insects bothering you while you remain inside the pleasant smelling aroma of the cave, but you can still see them buzzing around outside of the opening. The grate that the herbs were burning on when you found the bowl is still sitting right where you left it, back at the last clearing.

The priest stares down his pale, wrinkled nose at Krystal's comment.

"Unlike the gems that you conveniently confiscated, I don't consider the bowl to be in my possession. It was found by the group, so it is for all of us to use. If you think it does more than repel bugs, go ahead and tinker around with it. Oh wait.....that's right......you don't know anything about magic, do you."

The not so well liked priest looks around at the others to see if anyone got his attempt at humor.

Eventually, the gang spots Bonnie returning to the cave over the shoulder of a huge, mean looking smuggler. She is bleeding from her head area, but otherwise looks fairly intact.

[Jernau35]

Waesfaren

Since Ferris, Brufrig and Krstal seem to be all intent on escaping, Wes confides some of his ideas to them.
“Firstly, some of the new magic that I have gained may be helpful here. I have gained the ability to heal wounds, which will come in handy I’m sure, although Keilif should still be our go-to man for this. I’ve also gained the ability to Charm people and animals, and a spell that can cause a 20’ area of mist to arise around me. As well as keeping us concealed, it will block the night vision of the ogres.”

“Secondly, we need to use our resources here in the cave. We can break up the table and use the legs for clubs. The soot on the wall can darken our faces so we will be harder to see at night. Perhaps we can use the lamps they have given us to light the herb fields as a distraction, although this should be a last resort, since it will rouse the whole camp”.

“If you think it strange that a druid would be in favor of burning the fields, remember: druids seek a balance between man and nature. Huge bloody narcotic plantations are not natural. Better to burn them and let the jungle return!”

“Personally, I think our best course of action at this point is to sneak down to the river, grab some skiffs, punch holes in the rest, and sail away. Hopefully we’ll be long gone before the smugglers find out. We are too weak to tackle these men at this time.”

Wes arches an eyebrow“Ah! Here comes Bonnie. Oh dear, it seems our drug-pushing, slave-taking captors are not as benevolent as they would like us to believe” he remarks drily.

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

When she is escorted to the entrance of the cave, she attempts to dismount the huge human with a measure of grace. "Thanks, Sparky! See you around."

"Wes! Glad to see you alive! I heard they found you."

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

Having gotten the attention of everyone, and then waiting a rather long time, she continues.

"Glad to see everyone is still here." She looks around. "Still no Franny? Hmm. Hope she's ok."

"So I talked to Snake-Eye, and he seems quite reasonable. He even offered me wine and peaches. Captain Bing is in charge, but he's not in camp right now. Snake-Eye feels he can't just let us go without permission, so I suggested a compromise. But first, some history."

"Apparently Bing and Quark came to the island to ship those trees we saw. Soon after, Bing found a more profitable venture and they had a bit of a falling out." She stops and notices Ferris and his pipe. "It seems the herb we've found is quite the hit on the mainland. Very profitable. And since there are a few openings in his crew..." She looks at Brufig at this point. "...Snake-Eye thinks he might be able to get us in."

"I mentioned that he was reasonable. Don't mistake that for kind. While I was there, the guy who found Wes came in screaming about how Wes killed his friend Cyrus and how he wanted to kill Wes for it. Snake-Eye pulled a wand and stunned the guy, then had him killed."

"I truly believe that he would have us all killed if we tried to escape. Our best bet may be to work with him, or at least play along. As I left, he did mention that he is coming around later to offer us a job of sorts."

Bonnie takes a breath, stretches a bit and resumes. "Thoughts?"

Sorry about the double post. Wasn't sure if an edit would send the notification or not.

[Jernau35]

Waesfaren

“He sounds like an…interesting person.” says Wes. “I assume his job offer will be equally interesting”

“By the way,” he enquires, “how’d you get that bump on your head? Slip on a slice of peach?” He grins.

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

Seeming a bit embarrassed, she quickly brushes her hair over the wound to cover it. "Um...when that guy came in, the one who found you, he recognized me from the shore. Apparently, he and his buddy were the ones on that raft we saw. When he recognized me, he ran at me and shoved me into the wall of the hut. I banged my head, and Snake-Eye didn't...approve of his behavior."

She stops and grins at the druid. "It wasn't all bad, however. In the commotion, I did manage to pocket this dagger." She pulls the dagger out of a sheath on her thigh.

[Jernau35]

Wes

"Ahhhh! I suspected there was something specifically about us that made them run away. At the time I thought perhaps, seeing our armor and weapons, they thought we were the people attacking villages and taking slaves. Still, perhaps you should be flattered that you have such a memorable face." He smiles again.

Wes looks at the dagger. "Well done indeed! I'm sure that will come in handy whatever we decide to do. Which does make me think of one thing: accepting their offer should mean that we get our stuff back."

[OGRE MAGE]

By the current posting rate, I am getting the impression that being incarcerated is not a challenge that some of you find particularly entertaining or fun. Therefore, I will speed this part along as best I can.....

After 4 full days pass.......

This type of time shift is all completely normal, nothing to see here. House Rules (2nd paragraph)

If you have ideas about how to put your down time to better use in your characters favor, let me know what you did while you waited and I will write that stuff in.

Otherwise.......moving on!

The Job
Sunday, 28th of Reaping
Afternoon, Hot, Humid

With the group nearly fully assembled again, discussion about what to do continues......for 4 more long, boring days.

You are still not allowed to leave, but you have been kept alive and well, with enough food and fresh water. Everyone is at full strength and with full spell capabilities. Keilif has been very sick, but is showing signs of recovery. His sickness has kept his overzealous attitude towards this situation at bay. He is down to 2 squares of the magic charcoal now however, but the cave is still pleasantly sans insects. It is starting to smell a little bit from inside of Bonnie's bag, though. Wes spends a lot of time whispering into the ears of a tiny black sparrow he has recently befriended. There has been no sign from the strange dwarven fighter, Franny. Perhaps she has completely abandoned you to your fate here.

The group waits out yet another hot afternoon when they finally spot Snake-Eye making his way back to the cave again. Sparky is with him as well, lugging along several sets of chains and shackles over his massive shoulders.

Upon reaching the cave opening, the huge brute of a man drops the chains to the ground wth a loud clanking before the sweaty robed Snake-Eye addresses the group.

"Apologies on the long delay, folks. We are busy little beavers here as I am sure you have already noticed. I trust that Bonnie has told you I have a little task for you all to do while we wait for the captains return? Well, I have finally thought of something. So, who is up for a little buddy system hike into the jungle?"

Actions?

Ferris 7/7 DM, RM, 1/1 first
Krystal 5/5 CL DM RM 1/1 first
Keilif C2 15/15 4/4 first
Bonnie 6/6
Brufrig Granitesunder 15/15
Waesfaren Rhey 10/10 4/4 first
Aldo (Deceased) R.I.P (In Bonnie's Bag)

alone in the dark jungle?:
Franny Buurlslammer 12/12 (private thread)

[Urson]

Aldo

Bonnie hears a soft voice that might be Aldo- if he were still around.Dis looks like trouble, kiddo. Watch yer ass!

[Scott308]

Brufrig Granitesunder

The dwarf frowns. Hmm. I see no weapons. I'm not interested in hiking into the jungle without all our gear. I'll pass.

[Jernau35]

Wes

The druid takes heart from Brufrig's cocky reply. He scans the scene. Do Snake Eye and Sparky appear to be armed? (he looks especially for the wand Bonnie described). Do they have any backup with them? Are there any other crewmen nearby watching?

Wes doesn't like the idea of trying to break out right now, but wants to be aware in case the opportunity arises.

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

Hearing Aldo's voice once more doesn't faze her at all. She hisses back "Could be. Took him long enough. Thanks for the heads up."

Bonnie stands, stretches, and moves towards the entrance. "Hello again. I was feeling neglected, you know." She waves to Sparky. "Hey Big Guy."

"So...don't mind grumpy over there, he hasn't killed anything in at least four days. What did you have in mind? Really, anything beats sitting in a hole in the ground another minute. I'm not a dwarf, you know."

[OGRE MAGE]

The Job?
Sunday, 28th of Reaping
Afternoon, Hot, Humid

Snake-Eye speaks with Bonnie before addressing the surly dwarf's less than excited response.

"Yes, I am dreadfully sorry about keeping you all in here this long, my dear. But, I must do whatever it takes to protect our little operation here. Believe me when I tell you that the captain wont be long. I suspect him back any day now."

The massive human called Sparky does not react to the elf's kind greeting. He looks.........mean.

Wes sees that the big man carries a large broadsword at his side, but neither he nor any of the other smugglers are currently wearing any armor in this heat. He does not spot any wand on the greasy looking mage. The pair is alone at the cave opening, but it is clear that the confined group is always being watched from a distance by the many smugglers that go about their daily business.

Snake-Eye shakes his head at the negative response from Brifrig.

"I have heard that your kind can be stubborn and difficult, but none of the dwarves I have ever known have lasted long enough for me to see that for myself. I will remind you that you have killed men here that were friends of my crewmates. I am having a difficult enough time keeping them from coming in here and teaching you a permanent lesson. Another comment like that and I might change my mind about letting the captain decide your fate."

He turns back to Bonnie and Wes, hoping they can speak for the others a bit more rationally.

"When we first came to find this place, we had a strange encounter out there." He points out over the fields towards the very back of the huge clearing, a few miles off in the distance.

"We encountered a mysterious sentient tree of all things, at the edge of the jungle, but it didn't seem to have much to offer us in the way of information. Captain Bing spent some time trying to understand the thing, and I even tried to enscorcel it to bend to my will, but that proved to be of little use. It is a strange being to be sure, and I am convinced that it knows more than it wishes to tell."

"Since you have elves and other nature lovers in your group that might be better suited for such things, I was hoping that you would give an attempt at communication with the thing another try for me."

"Does that sound better to you than sitting on your ass in a dark cave? You would have to be chained together of course to prevent you from simply running off."

Actions?

Ferris 7/7 DM, RM, 1/1 first
Krystal 5/5 CL DM RM 1/1 first
Keilif C2 15/15 4/4 first
Bonnie T2 9/9
Brufrig Granitesunder F2 15/15
Waesfaren Rhey D2 16/16 4/4 first 3/3 second
Aldo (Deceased) R.I.P (Still Chatting Away From Inside Bonnie's Bag)

alone in the dark jungle?:
Franny Buurlslammer 12/12 (private thread)

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

Her eyes light up at the mention of a sentient tree. It starts to take her back to her childhood and she gets a faraway look in her eyes for a split second. Unfortunately, it's quickly replaced by a frown as a shadow falls over her face as she lowers her head.

When she raises it again, a smile is seen and she remains upbeat. "A tree you say? Outside of this dreary cave? AND we get to wear handcuffs?" She blows a kiss to Snake-Eye. "You just get me, don't you?"

She turns to the others. "Got anything better to do?"

"Hey! Can I pick who I'm chained to?"