Quest #34 "The Search For The Ruined Tower”

[Jernau35]

How about a vote?

The Knife

"Obviously both courses of action have something to recommend them. Why not do a show of hands?"

"I vote for the cave".

[Karaunios]

Elnaerel

"I for the native village."

1x cave
1x village

[Darklin2]

Darklin

I vote Village. Damn cave almost killed me last time.


Max

I vote cave. I want to see this creature.


Still tied at Cave = 2/ Village = 2

[Bluehorse]

Elnaerel

The elven cleric puts a hand on her hip and answers to Keg: "I know how to fight. I don't need to stay at the back like a good-for-nothing. You wouldn't be planning on being there alone at the front, would you?" She looks at her club. "Well, maybe as long as I have this I won't risk it."

Keg

Was that a grin? I like your fire. Turning to the others. So to the cave or not? We can take some of this wood we gathered dup too if we are going to but we need to make a decision. I plan to head to the tower with this lot unless you two are heading back to town. If that is the case I will escort you back, but I'll try to meet back with the rest of you at the cave in the morning.

List of decisions to be made:
Stay in the native/former pirate village and make an early start to the Ruined Tower in the morning rested with full spells etc.

Split, Keg, El, & Keyon going back to Beachtown and the rest continuing to the Cave now to start on the Tower in the Morning.

Everyone move to the cave for tonight.

Pool and split loot from the Jungle Cache and/or rations/torches.

Anyone going to the cave:
How deep can you safely go inside to be clear of the bugs but not in reach of the Tentacles?

Fire to stave off bugs from outside?

What about the crabs? Possible seafood meal!

[Karaunios]

The only reason I see for going back to town would be to get a morningstar for Elnaerel (and that can be a failure, since who knows if they've got any), unless anyone else has reasons of his or her own, and I wouldn't want to do that to you.

I'm at any rate against splitting the party. I think it's cool that the group (and some additions) is together again.

[Jernau35]

The tentacles are in the final part of the cave. There are two long passages and two rooms before that.

[Bluehorse]

The only reason I see for going back to town would be to get a morningstar for Elnaerel (and that can be a failure, since who knows if they've got any), unless anyone else has reasons of his or her own, and I wouldn't want to do that to you.

I'm at any rate against splitting the party. I think it's cool that the group (and some additions) is together again.

I agree with both accounts here. Betting on a morning star at all much less one that is affordable is betting green on a roulette wheel.

I personally think going to town is off the table barring Keyon having a reason.

The tentacles are in the final part of the cave. There are two long passages and two rooms before that.

Also a good point. We could sink back into one of those passages and set up a fire to dry out the space pretty well, so we likely need to take whatever we can of what we gathered for the stay here if we move to the cave. Maybe we can find enough of those little crabs to eat so we can save our rations for moving forward too.

[OGRE MAGE]

I guess I should post this here as well, since some of you probably aren't reading the other threads.

This would apply to Feanol, Darklin, and TK.

viewtopic.php?p=533231#p533231

[Paladin]

Keyon

"Let's head to that cave," Keyon says. "And from there to the tower. Sounds like fun."

[Ahlmzhad]

Feanol

"Well last time we were at the cave we recognized it was not a suitable place to stay, so we left and went in search of a better location, and wound up at the Ogre camp. So what has changed to make it a better option than these fine huts now? Convince me or I'm for the Huts."

[Jernau35]

The Knife

The Knife smiles ruefully at Feanol's point. "You're right", he admits. "It wasn't a good place. But the first twenty or so feet were habitable enough. With a fire at the cave mouth, that should keep the bugs away".

"And the ogre's lean-to was dirty, unpleasant, had a wild boar inside, poisonous weed bundles outside, and giant bugs crawling down the cliff in the night. It wasn't so nice either"

The Knife shrugs. "It just seems a shame to let the day slip away when we could be further to our goal. And eating rations that we hope we can replace by fishing. When none of us are fishermen."

[Paladin]

Keyon

The footloose rogue sighs. "The longer we stand here talking, the better the chance some nasty beast finds us and attempts to eat or mutilate us. Let's talk on the move."

[Bluehorse]

Keg

Fine, Cave. Let's go, but if no one is going to carry the rest of this stuff they you need to be the ones carrying wood if we are taking it. He begins packing up what is left of the jungle cache which is most of it.

Making adjustments to inventory now.
Rope to TK -7.5lbs
Oil to TK -2lbs

[Darklin2]

Max

Max will take the 7 days rations for everyone

[Ahlmzhad]

Feanol

"None of the cave is usable, Now you're proposing carrying enough wood to build a fire through the night while camping on top of a cliff so we can provide a beacon to where we're at. Exhausting the party giving up a chance to find some alternative food and instead probably need to use more rations from all the exertions of hauling wood with us for miles through the jungle. Once again please give me one good point to going to the cave?"

[Jernau35]

The Knife

The Knife furrows his brow. "Why do we need to carry wood? For firewood? The jungle runs right up to the cliff face. It's only about fifty feet from the cave. We'll find enough wood there.

"As for being habitable, we only need to stay there for seven or eight hours. Not for days. It's good enough for that."

"Even if we stay in in the huts tonight, where are we going to stay tomorrow night? Probably in the jungle somewhere along the cliff top. There are no huts up there. If that's the case, then let's stay in the jungle near the cave tonight. At least we'll have made progress."

[Paladin]

Keyon

"Bless you lot," he mutters with a cheeky grin. "I'll either be eaten by some awful beast or talked to death." He gazes around them. "These are not our huts," he says simply. "I don't like to assume we're welcome."

Keyon shrugs. "One good thing about the cave is it's closer to our goal and no more dangerous than sleeping here. After all, these huts won't provide protection from anything seeking to eat us. They aren't a fortress. The sooner we make it to the tower, the better. Then we can go home."

The rogue glances in the direction of the aforementioned cave. "So...I'm going this way." He flashes another grin and winks before cinching his gear up and moving to depart. "And I'd very much prefer that some of you meaty types with big swords come along. I'm quite charming, you know...but very squishy."

[Karaunios]

Elnaerel

"Let's move then. And let's not forget to gather some wood at the end of the way."

[OGRE MAGE]

The Search For The Seaside Tower
Waterday, 24th of Goodmonth
Mid Afternoon, Hot, Sunny, Buggy

After a good deal of discussion on the topic, it is decided that the group will leave this village and head back to the cave where they can set up camp and get an early start on their long journey in the morning. The idea to haul firewood the entire way is scrapped to save energy along the way, since they can gather wood from the nearby jungle once they arrive.

Setting out from the empty village with plenty of time left in the day, the group makes it back to the beach with little opposition other than the bugs. They cross the area where they forded the river mouth last time, setting up ropes and safety lines for the weak and overburdened to make their crossing easier. Once everyone has made it across with all of their gear, the dark beach cave awaits their second exploration.

Some of the small tracks they found in the sand last time are still evident, but it doesn't look like any more have appeared since their last visit here. The mid afternoon sun indicates they still have plenty of daylight remaining to gather firewood and set up camp before dark.

Actions?

positions:

626E5277-C34E-410E-A97C-C0E1085B2736.jpeg (59.51 KiB) Viewed 253 times

Darklin Sylvanas AC4 8/8 1/1 CL, DM, RM
Feanol AC10 4/4 1/1 CL, DM, RM
Max AC2 8/8 CL 2/2 MU 1/1 CL, DM, RM
The Knife AC4* 5/5
Gnodric AC5 10/10
Keg Woodwright 12/13
Elnaerel 10/10 0/3
Keyon 6/6

[Bluehorse]

Keg

Happy for some decision to be reached he takes up a position near the front, Happy to have his personal load lightened a bit.

7 days (now unspoiled?) rations transferred to Max. 7lbs

When they get back to the cave he looks over the tracks, trying once again to determine what they might be from. Kobolds? The Giant Bugs from the cliff face over the Ogres' Camp? Something else? This right here still bothers me. Anyone have an idea what it might be? The only thing I can think of using a cave would be kobolds or the big bugs, but the bugs we saw climbing down from the cliffs, not up... and last I checked kobolds dug borrows rather than live in caves. I don't remember seeing signs of them when we explored the cave before.

Sometime after that discussion, he will get to work gathering wood and a little bamboo while the others make whatever preparations for the night that they do. His mind now fully on defense for the night as well as shelter he looked over at the others and takes out the tarp from his pack and lays it out at the mouth of the cave, to see if it is at least close to the same size to make a partial screen against the empire of bugs that will be assaulting them soon enough. Maybe we can rig this up and provide a bit more shelter from the swarms. We can also set up some pungi sticks for outside the door for anything else that comes looking for trouble. Wouldn't hurt having a few sharp sticks to throw either, and worst case scenario we can still just burn them towards morning for the fire before we leave.