Quest #21 "Island Hopping"

[Rex]

Tlachtga

Tlachtga and Cu will debark from the boat and stay back away from shore for now.

[Storm11]

Saracen gets out of the boat swiftly and nods to the sailors. Thanks fellas! Look sharp now. Careful when collecting your fruit.

He will head off up the beach towards the cats and kneel down about 20 feet away, and hold out his hand encouraging them to come say hello.

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche turns about to regard the fishermen, an expression of doubt lingering around his eyes. "Indeed", he says simply, and gathers up his gear and steps out onto the beach. He takes a few steps to join Saracen and stops to look back at the boat. "Do the cats usually keep their distance from you, huddled like that?"

[Storm11]

Saracen shakes his head. No, this is most unusual behaviour.

[wolfpack]

Gramble gets off the boat and unslings his axe

[Jernau35]

Maag

In response to Joe's request for instructions, Maag replies "Same fing as last time fellas. 'ang around as long as yer can, an if we don't come back by dark, make yerself scarce. But keep yer eyes open for signals from 'ere der next day".

He glances over at the cats. "Different is not a good fing..." he says softly.

Maag turns to the rest of the group. "If der creepy trees can remember der way we left der stone circle, maybe dey can remember der way we come an' go on der beach. Maybe dat's why der cats don't wanna 'ang around 'ere."

"Can any of you nature types tell if der trees are waitin' over der?"

[ravenn4544]

Alordan backs away from the shore and, seeing nothing come out of the water, will check out the beach for tracks - or moving trees.

[Rex]

Tlachtga

Tlachtga will also search around for anything, especially moving trees.

[kruk]

Cresty

The paladin gets off the boat and immediately equips his sword and shield, then scans the area for any threats as he walks further away from the shore.


Lerrick

The cleric bowls slightly as a sign of respect to Joe and the other crew. She then gets off the boat and walks with the others. The urge to climb a tree and scout is strong but she resists doing so, remembering her encounter with the snake. She shutters at the bad memory, then quickly equips her mace.

[OGRE MAGE]

Back To Work
Freeday, 19th of Goodmonth
Early Morning, Partly Cloudy, Warm, Humid

The party disembarks safely and visually searches around the area for trouble.

Pete nods at Tlachtga’s offer as he checks the floor of the dinghy over carefully. “Thank ye, miss! Can ye help me rock this side back a bit ta have a look from the outside?”

Saracen moves closer to the cats at the other edge of beach, unconcerned about his boots. The beastly figure tries to get the cats attention, but fails. They completely ignore him.

Andronichishche asks the boatmen if the feline behavior is normal, wondering if they might be avoiding something. Saracen assures him that this behavior is most unusual. Then Joe replies. “We don’t pay us no never mind ta them weird cats. They’re creepy as shit, and best left ta themselves.”

Maag instructs the boatmen while wondering about the cats behavior himself. In a brief bout of pure genius, the powerful half-orc asks the outdoorsy types to have a look around at the vegetation, where they immediately spot a slight change in the foliage near the trail they have been taking into the jungle. Several of those same tall, vine bearing trees have lined both sides of the trail, dribbling their vine-like tendrils in amongst the other hanging foliage in a fairly convincing display of camouflage. The trees blend in so well with the other jungle brush that they likely would have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Lerrick breathes a sigh of relief.

Actions?

map:

D02990BD-D003-4269-B0EA-7F73B970E02F.jpeg (114.06 KiB) Viewed 320 times

Sir Crestbrook 11/11 LoH
Gramble 16/16
Tlachtga 8/8 4/4 1st
Cu AC:3 13/13
Lerrick 11/11 4/4 1st
Saracen 33/33 5/5 1st 2/2 2nd
Alordan 18/18
Andron 6/6 3/3 1st CL, DM, RM / 1/1 1st
Maag 12/12

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche raises an eyebrow when he learns of Alordan and Tlachtga's discovery. "That would indeed be reason for the cats to avoid this side of the beach. They were wise enough to avoid the minotaur, as well." He looks back again at the boat as Pete examines it apparently considering something, but after a few moments moves to look a bit more closely at the strange trees. "They're definitely exhibiting a pattern of adaptive, intelligent behavior", he says, pointing to the foremost trees with the end of the bamboo pole he's carrying.

Andron then uses that same end to draw a rough map of the island in the sand while he continues speaking. "I had wondered why the trees did not do the same after the group's first foray onto the island." He draws circles near a depiction of the stone henge to illustrate his next point. "They blocked the lintel the first time leaving, and then on the second trip blocked the lintel and the section of wall used to avoid them." Drawing a line now to indicate the path, he says, "Now this time instead of continuing the same strategy, have adapted ..."

Andron looks up again at the trees with intense curiosity before glancing back at the boat, noticing Pete preparing to tilt it. Calling out, "Hold that thought, please!", he walks over to the boat and plants his bamboo pole into the wet sand. Pointing to the pole he says, "Here, use this to prop up the keel, there could be something attached to the bottom."

[Rex]

Tlachtga

Tlachtga moves over and helps Pete with the boat.

[wolfpack]

we should set those bastard trees on fire.

[Jernau35]

Maag

Maag looks at the map Andron has drawn in the sand. "Since der trees always show up where we 'ave been, I reckon we should do dis:"

"Cut through der jungle 'ere, where Andron has written der letter 'e', and go through der entrance to der stones. On der way out, we climb over der rocks on der north side and cut back through der jungle until we get back to der beach 'ere, at der letter 'J' "

"Dat way der trees are always one step behind us".

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche struggles to contain a chuckle when Gramble shares his latest incendiary inclination. He is a man of few words ... but very succinct, at that. "We could, Mr. Gramble, but given their numbers a large part of the island might also burn in the process." Leaving his bamboo pole at the boat he rejoins Maag at the sand drawn map. "I agree, Mr. Maag. It's a good plan that should confuse them with multiple paths. I also suggest that Mr. Alordan take point. The trees may have adapted their strategy closer to the stone henge as well."

[ravenn4544]

Alordan can't argue with the plan to blaze through the jungle and sighs. Sword in hand he heads to that location to examine the jungle - tracks or sounds that are unusual.

[kruk]

Cresty

The paladin looks towards the tree line. I wonder how fast these so called trees can move?


Lerrick

Lerrick moves closer to the rest of the group.

[Rex]

Tlachtga

Tlachtga and Cu move over and get set in their spot in the marching order once she is done helping Pete. "We best be moving."

[OGRE MAGE]

Back To Work
Freeday, 19th of Goodmonth
Early Morning, Partly Cloudy, Warm, Humid

Finding nothing wrong with the boat, attention is again focused on the task at hand.

With Maag's direction, the group lines up at the southern end of the beach and starts their way into the jungle from a different angle then they usually take. The strange trees dont attempt to intercept, or move at all really. They just stand along the old trail as if they were completely normal, unconcerned in the least at the party's third invasion to their island.

A few more statues of minotaur are found enveloped in the bush along this new trail, they too remain stationary. Maag sees one covered in foliage that appears to be picking its huge bull nose, which entices a chuckle from a few of the groups members when he points it out.

The party makes it through the jungle to the area just outside the stone ring entrance, finding none of the dangerous trees remaining there either.

Actions?

map:

02E4F221-9B91-4BBF-823D-41B35EC0BD5C.jpeg (106.6 KiB) Viewed 249 times

Sir Crestbrook 11/11 LoH
Gramble 16/16
Tlachtga 8/8 4/4 1st
Cu AC:3 13/13
Lerrick 11/11 4/4 1st
Saracen 33/33 5/5 1st 2/2 2nd
Alordan 18/18
Andronichishche 6/6 3/3 1st CL, DM, RM / 1/1 1st
Maag 12/12

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche appeared more annoyed than amused when Maag pointed out the nasal spelunking minotaur statue. "Unfortunate we didn't notice that particular specimen earlier. We could have avoided a lot of time wasted in conjecture." Quickly realizing that some clarification was required, he adds, "No self respecting sculptor would carve anything so ... low brow ... in taste. Therefore, the monster was obviously petrified. Accordingly, so too were the others."

As they reach the stone lintel Andron gazes down the central trail towards the strange trees silently standing in wait. He was still unsure whether they were actually dangerous or intelligent, but they couldn't risk moving closer to better assess their nature. This thought lingered in his mind as he considered if perhaps there was a way they could do so, from a safe distance. An amalgation of a simple detection spell with the Identify ritual?

Andron set this thought aside for the moment to note a more relevant detail to the current situation. "It would appear their number is rather limited. The odd trees, I mean. Unless a few are yet hiding around the stone perimeter? I suggest before entering the cave we do a quick check of our escape options."