Quest #19 "Mapping Out The Jungle"

[Karaunios]

The dwarf smiles. He doesn't believe the drinking vessel is so easy to find and it would have seriously suprised him if the native had. "It looks like a rams horn. But bigger. Way bigger! Almost as big as my arm." He makes a spiraling form with his hand, to show the form of the horn. "It has a gold ring on the top part and at the tip of the horn. With gems..."

As he finishes his description, Grimm clears his throat. "Thank you for your help, Poestap."

[OGRE MAGE]

The Search Continues
Moonday, the 15th of Goodmonth
Mid Afternoon, Warm, Humid, Buggy

Powstap just smiles, showing off his 3 or 4 good teeth. "Grimm fren. Powstap elp him friend. If mi see you horn, I tell you."

The duo continue their hike, passing another village and ending up back at the communal pavilion clearing where they stayed 2 nights ago. The thatch building has been completely burned to the ground and there isn't a soul around the place.

Grimm shivers when he remembers swimming through the underground tunnel and almost drowning on his way to the river. Powstap looks around the burnt clearing with a sad look on his face. "Powstap elp build dat hut long time ago. Now it gone. Pirates make I very angry."

Action?

Grimm 7/8

[Karaunios]

Grimm prods around with the tip of his sword, knowing that nothing will remain after the fire.

"We have to do something against the pirates. But I don't know what." He looks up at the native. "I now this is difficult to say but, how do they fight? What weapons do they use? How they started their attacks?"

He'll try to do his best and clarify any of his questions as needed. Actually he starts by saying them with a break between them, so his friend has the time to process them.

[OGRE MAGE]

The Search Continues
Moonday, the 15th of Goodmonth
Mid Afternoon, Warm, Humid, Buggy

Powstap also pokes through the ashes with a disturbed look on his face. Nothing of value is found in the aftermath of the fire.

The jungle native looks around at the clearing, up in the trees and towards the river trail. "We watch dem close. Dem no attack we again. But chief say we lose enough warrior fighting dem, so it hooman time to fight dem. Him not offer any elp fi we."

"Mi don't tink der is too many leff, dough. So maybe hooman can finish dem off?" Dem fight wit shiny steel. Very sharp. Dem haff hooman dat can cass spell, too. Very dan druss."

Action?

Grimm 7/8

[Karaunios]

Grimms strokes his beard, still looking at the ashes as if he were reading something in them. Almost absent-mindedly, he says:"Then... I guess... We should go back to the beach. Around the pirates, and try to talk to the humans in Beachtown. Actually, it's due time for the gathering at the beach..." This last sentence he says more to himself than to his native friend. He now looks at Powstap. "Are you coming to the beach again, Powstap? Talking with the other humans it's our best option."

[OGRE MAGE]

The Search Continues
Moonday, the 15th of Goodmonth
Mid Afternoon, Warm, Humid, Buggy

Grimm remembers that he was supposed to meet up with Liam and the others in the morning, so he asks Powstap if he intends to join him to speak on the natives behalf.

"Do all dwarf like to walk roun so much?"

"Of course mi go wit ya. You already be dead wit no Powstap roun." The native laughs at his own joke as he walks away from the ashes.

"We should ress ere now? Start walk to beach early in morning?"

Action?

Grimm 7/8

[Karaunios]

Grimm laughs at Powstap's joke, but he knows in his inner self that what he says it's true. As much as the dwarf has always been seen as a survivalist by the people of his clan, this jungle is way different from the mountains and hilly forests he was used to back home.

He looks at the distance, as if expecting something to come out from among the trees. "Dwarves like to stay in the mountains. But I like to move a lot." He chuckles. "Let's rest here, yes. Tomorrow morning we can go to the beach and try our luck with the humans." He looks at his friend. "You are a human too. See how tall you are? You just live in the jungle, unlike the others." He smiles at the native and starts looking around for a place where they can take some refuge from the mosquitoes. Maybe setting up a tipi with some branches and such.

[OGRE MAGE]

The Search Continues
Moonday, the 15th of Goodmonth
Late Afternoon, Warm, Humid, Buggy

As soon as Grimm gives the word that they will rest in this clearing again tonight, Powstap gets right to work cutting fronds and long sticks from the jungle to construct a viable shelter to protect them from the insects.

“No man! Powstap no hooman. Kelief say dat us all in da juns. Or maybe him say...in din jin, us. You know, like, we all in da jin? All of us.”

Action?

Grimm 7/8

[Karaunios]

Grimm smiles at the native: "You're both! Human indigens! Like, the people from Beachtown... They are human townsmen..." He considers. "I guess." He keeps on preparing the shelter.

[OGRE MAGE]

The Search Continues
Moonday, the 15th of Goodmonth
Early Evening, Warm, Humid, Buggier

Powstap seems confused, as usual. He nods his head and continues working on the shelter as they talk.

"Indijin, us? We all hoomans? Hmmmmm....."

After a while, the roof of the shelter is complete and the native takes a trip to the water for a drink. He moves to where the trail heads into the jungle to the south and stares up into a tree there. He makes a few clicks and other noises that sound like an animal of some kind, and there is a soft answer to his calls from above.

He moves to the trail head at the north of the clearing and repeats the same process. When he is finished, he points up into the top of the tree and smiles at the dwarf.

Action?

Grimm 7/8

[Karaunios]

The dwarf seems puzzled at first. But when Powstap smiles at him he starts to realise what's going on here. "Guards?" He says in a low voice. "Aha... We're on the limit of the occupied territory..." he finishes, talking more to himself than to his friend.

Since the shelter is finished, Grimm will munch some of the food they brought with them after asking Powstap for some of it. Before going to sleep, he has a last query: "We can sleep the whole night? I really need it!"

[OGRE MAGE]

The Search Continues
Moonday, the 15th of Goodmonth
Early Evening, Warm, Humid, Buggier

Once Powstap is convinced that they are safely being watched over, he sits down inside the makeshift bug hut with Grimm.

"Oh, yes man! Go to sleep an ress, mi fren! We walk to beach at firs light."

Action?

Grimm 7/8

[Karaunios]

Grimm nods: "Finally some sound sleep!" He lies down and goes to dreamland.

[OGRE MAGE]

The Search Continues
Moonday, the 15th of Goodmonth
Early Evening, Warm, Humid, Buggier

It isn't more than an hour into his sleepy time when Grimm is harshly awaken by a shouting Powstap.

"Grab you fia an steel! We got big problem!"

When the dwarf rises he sees a pack of cat sized ants crawling directly towards where they were just sleeping.

Action?

map:

87CC009E-339B-4EE0-A1C9-477F8605962E.jpeg (60.9 KiB) Viewed 724 times

Grimm 7/8

[Karaunios]

Grimm jumps on his feet and draws his sword. Used to sleep in the wilderness, the dwarf's reaction is swift and will immedietaley hack at the first ant that he'll see.

1. I guess waking up, standing up, unsheathing one's sword and attacking is not doable all in one round.

2. How many of them are there at first sight?

[OGRE MAGE]

Looks like about 5 of them on the map.

The Search Continues
Moonday, the 15th of Goodmonth
Early Evening, Warm, Humid, Buggier

By the time Grimm gets his bearings, and his sword out, the ants have already advanced upon him. The closest attempts to bite at the dwarfs leg, but catches only boot.

Powstap jumps forward, swinging his staff in a wide arc down into one of the huge insects hard enough to prevent it from biting him, but not hard enough to kill it.

"Deese tings we can kill!!! No problem, der! Ol' jungle's crawling wit dem!"

Action!

map:

066510F3-8C31-4D79-8A5F-32BF32EEF311.jpeg (68.23 KiB) Viewed 713 times

Grimm 7/8

[Karaunios]

Grimm attacks with full force one of the ants.

To hit with long sword [1d20] = 20; dmg [1d8] = 5

"Old forest. What do you mean?" He raises his eyes fast enough to look into the background, fearing that something enormous might be moving towards them.

[OGRE MAGE]

The Search Continues
Moonday, the 15th of Goodmonth
Early Evening, Warm, Humid, Buggier

Powstap smacks another giant ant with his staff, killing it instantly. "Wha? Me no say ol' foress. Mi say ol' jungle! Ol' jungle, not ol' jungle."

Grimm follows suit, chopping the ant he attacks in half with his sword.

Powstap is bitten on his left leg as the next insect jumps at him, but the ones attacking the dwarf aren't as lucky.

Action!

map:

58331F1F-2F9B-44E6-AEBF-129A3FF23184.jpeg (62.38 KiB) Viewed 697 times

Grimm 7/8

[Karaunios]

Grimm whacks at another ant! To hit with long sword [1d20] = 10; dmg [1d8] = 3

[OGRE MAGE]

The Search Continues
Moonday, the 15th of Goodmonth
Early Evening, Warm, Humid, Buggier

The antennae waving invaders continue their assault on Grimm and Powstap, biting each of them with their thick mandibles. Powstap's leg is badly bloodied, causing his counter attack to miss its mark.

Grimm has about the same luck, missing his target in the confusion of the dark battle with the huge insects.

Action!

map:

No change. 3 ants remain.

Grimm 4/8