Quest #29 “Raiders of the Lost Obelisk”

[Urson]

Luther
Well, now we know where big scary went... Luther nods toward the big hut, and the half-seen creature on top. He continues his trek, trying to get close enough to the well/crow cage to see who's inside.

[OGRE MAGE]

Are there any slizards between her and the well? The picture has a few level with the chief, but the grid does not.

I know the pics I used were a bit off, so always use the position map for verification until I get a chance to straighten the view out. Thanks!

[Karaunios]

Grimm licks his index finger again, to ascertain if the wind's still coming from the same side. He will communicate the results of his experiment to Avaala and Wes, so they don't get into dangerous territory.

[OGRE MAGE]

I just got a PM from the groups fearless leader who regrets to inform us that he needs to take a break from the game for a few months.

So, once I figure out exactly how to handle that situation, I will update this mission accordingly.

Sorry for the delay.

[Karaunios]

Oh, ChubbyPixie. I hope that, whatever it is, everything will turn out well

OM, take your time. Don't worry.

[OGRE MAGE]

I believe the issue was mostly work related, but I’m sure he appreciates the support all the same. Though, we will all miss CP’s wit and sass while he’s away.

I have a couple of ideas and have received some great feedback in private, so I think we should get through this just fine. Besides, a few months of real time is what? Like, one encounter in game time?

[OGRE MAGE]

Again, sorry about the sideways pics. I wish I knew how to fix that!

The Obelisk
Meet The Slizards
Sunday, 21st of Goodmonth
Late Afternoon, Hot, Humid, Buggy

Wes, Avaala, and Grim continue creeping closer to the larger hut, trying to remain unseen by the chanting slizardmen. Grimm detects a southwestern breeze, meaning that their scent will likely soon blow across those in the clearing if they continue moving north. Treasure sniffs the air and whispers over the jungle din in his high, squeaky voice. “I don’t think that’s a temple. What are we doing here again?”

Bonnie and Luther share the same idea, to find out what’s in the cage hanging over the rocky well. Moving closer still, the pairing of Bear-man and Paul stop for a concentrated look, seeing a dark figure inside the cage, though it is clearly making no sudden movements. Reeds and other watery plants grow between the rocky area below the cage, indicating it might be a wet spring-like area of some kind.

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Bonnie heads away from the ring, moving closer the cage area as well, with Chauncey close behind her. The elf can see a shadowy human sized figure in the cage, standing upright but not otherwise moving. Deviating from the circle of chanters causes a few of the slizards to notice the pair and turn to look in their direction, not excluding the shaman leader himself. The large orange shape atop the bigger hut appears to be a flying creature of some kind, likely the monster they saw earlier, apparently roosting comfortably at the moment.

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Chauncey notices their unwanted attention and looks back to see if his hidden party members noticed as well. With no plan in place to do so, the mage becomes a bit shaken when he no longer espies his five waiting friends. “Bonnie? Could you use your slightly superior vision to look for our friends over there? If I’m not mistaken, they appear to have gone missing. That.........can’t be good.”

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Actions?

position map:

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Bonnie AC5 17/17
Cealwyn AC3 17/19
Paul AC6 7/7
Luther AC3 30/30
Chauncey AC8 21/26 CL, DM, RM first 2/3 second 0/2
Mr. Wrenly AC7 4/4
Wes AC7 34/34 first 5/6 second 3/4 third 3/3
Avaala AC8 12/12 CL, DM, RM first 2/2 second 1/1
Treasure AC2 12/12 35%MR
Grimm AC5 10/10
overall map: viewtopic.php?p=366477#p366477

[Urson]

Luther
Luther watches the crow cage closely. I think whoever was in there is dead now. I hope it wasn't one of our friends. Let's keep moving.

He continues the patrol, trying to watch the Scalies and the creature on the hut at the same time. He snorts quietly. Maybe it's nesting.

[Karaunios]

Grimm raises his hand, signaling his friends to stop. "The wind comes from the southwest. If we go further north, they'll smell us." He whispers. "And they don't look as distracted as I thought." He points at the Slizards that turned they heads around to watch the activities of Chauncey &Co.

[Paladin]

Cealwyn Blackthorn

His sole purpose for coming this far, which was to speak with the lizards, hasn't panned out. Cealwyn is at loose ends. He decides to shadow Bonnie, remaining close to her and Chauncey, but notices the increased attention directed at the pair and pauses.
, not wishing to draw any more.

He will remain perfectly still and continue his charade of reverence, hoping to use any distraction provided by their getaway to make one of his own. His muscles are coiled and ready to spring, if a good opportunity arises.

Apologies for neglecting my action last round. I've been so blessed busy I just missed one. Loving the pics, btw!

[Jernau35]

Wes

Wes nods at Grimm's news. "Hmm...I'm not sure if there's much else we can do from here then. At least we know what it is now."

He looks at Avaala and Treasure. "You know, you both might be the ideal ones to talk to these folk. A human and a dragon working together might be the right ones to show them we're here in a spirit of peace and cooperation".

[Karaunios]

Grimm

"As boring as this may be to us, shouldn't at least two of us stay out of the way in case they need help? It's better if they don't know how many of us are there."

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

At Chauncey's words, Bonnie stops her egress and turns back to the obelisk, resuming her ceremonial charade. In between bows, she tries to spot the other members of the group. She starts at the opening where they left them and looks at the treeline around the clearing.

"What's the plan, boss? I'd like to take a closer look at that cage, and we still need to get that staff. Do you suppose that they can command the creature on the hut over there? Either way, I think it's time that we try to use magic to talk to this guy. Are you able to do that?" She then smiles mischievously "Or...use some magic to put on a show while I go snoop around."

[OGRE MAGE]

The Obelisk
Meet The Slizards
Sunday, 21st of Goodmonth
Late Afternoon, Hot, Humid, Buggy

Seeing the attention his friends have already drawn, Cealwyn stays put, continuing his bowing and chanting along with the slizards at his sides. Chauncey stops as well, speaking quietly to Bonnie, the two of them trying to decide what they should do next. The adequate wizard touches his nose and nods at the suggestion to use some magic, then starts moving closer to the shaman. This movement actually causes the two closest slizards to stop their chanting and brandish their primitive weapons towards the mage, who stops his advance just as suddenly. He looks nervously back to Bonnie. "I can attempt to understand what they say, of course, but I will need to touch one of them first, which doesn't seem likely at the moment. I suppose a ruse would work nicely as a distraction for you. I am open to suggestions, if you have one. That placard with the red hand print on the side of the obelisk must mean something. Perhaps that is our next step?"

Luther and Paul see it all play out before them, still working their way around to the north of the clearing. The ranger points out the big orange monster on the roof of the hut, hoping it stays right where it is. They edge around a bit further towards the dark cage, but still cant make out its contents.

Grimm suggests his group stop moving any further, and that at least 2 of them stay hidden in case things turn ugly. Wes looks at the scaly creatures, and then back to Avaala and Treasure, suggesting that they might be the perfect ambassadors for this meeting. The grey mage looks back at the druid as if he just insulted his mother before thinking about his words for a moment longer. "Hmmmmm, that idea might actually hold merit. What do you think, Treasure?" The tiny dragons eyes bulge even more than usual before he replies. "I dont know. It seems dangerous and a bit reckless to me. But, I am willing to give it a try if you are, master. I am not afraid." The look on his wrinkled face shows that he is clearly lying.

The orange winged creature on the roof suddenly squawks loudly before taking flight itself, soon disappearing over the nearby tree tops. As it flies away, it becomes pretty obvious that this was indeed the flying creature you spotted earlier.

Actions?

position map:

08C857D3-31F6-47C9-BD9B-EB50C0E5D94E.jpeg (101.73 KiB) Viewed 422 times

Bonnie AC5 17/17
Cealwyn AC3 17/19
Paul AC6 7/7
Luther AC3 30/30
Chauncey AC8 21/26 CL, DM, RM first 2/3 second 0/2
Mr. Wrenly AC7 4/4
Wes AC7 34/34 first 5/6 second 3/4 third 3/3
Avaala AC8 12/12 CL, DM, RM first 2/2 second 1/1
Treasure AC2 12/12 35%MR
Grimm AC5 10/10
overall map: viewtopic.php?p=366477#p366477

[Jernau35]

Wes

"Well, if you do decide to go talk with them, we should probably go back to where we started from," says Wes, pointing back to the other end of the clearing. "There's no sense in alarming these folk by making it look like there's strangers lurking in the bushes all around them."

"Or," the druid says, "we could wait here awhile, and wait for our folks out there to take the next step. "

[Karaunios]

Grimm

"We should take the best position we can afford without being detected. The faster we can help our companions if they're in trouble, the better."

When the flying beast starts flying, he looks at it, worried. "Oh, oh. Let's take cover, quickly." The dwarf tries to take cover against a tree trunk or under some bushes, whatever is closer, trying not to be noisy.

[Monsieur Rose]

Now that she's seen the slizard's hands up close now, does she think that the handprint on the placard was done by them?

[OGRE MAGE]

Now that she's seen the slizard's hands up close now, does she think that the handprint on the placard was done by them?

Definitely not.

The slizards have very strange looking clamp hands, while the red image on the plaque was of a human hand print.

viewtopic.php?p=504579#p504579

[Urson]

Luther
When the beast takes off, Luther freezes in place, watching. Once he's sure it's not hunting him, he'll move on.

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

The departure of the orange creature causes her heart to skip a beat. "That thing is terrifying! Why doesn't it attack these people? Maybe they taste bad?" She remarks out loud.

After the thing is clear, she refocuses on the task at hand. Bonnie moves to Chauncey's side to get the attention of the Shaman and others. Then she kneels down and clears a space down to loose dirt. She places her hand in the dirt, hoping to create a good handprint.

"Look! Hand!" She calls to the Shaman. Holding up her splayed hand, then pointing to the handprint in the dirt and then to the placard. "Same." She tries to impress upon the Shaman the similarities.

She then shakes hands with Chauncey and offers her hand to the Shaman. "See? Friend."