The Aftermath

[OGRE MAGE]

The Fall Of Lazereth

Knowing they need to get off this rocky beach before they are spotted, Valkrina suggests looking for a cave or some other shelter, walking away towards the east, distancing herself from the possibly detached arm waving at them from the bushes.

Xenos yells up at the former captain to be quiet before half the denizens of the forest are upon them. He takes the water cask again once everyone has had a chance to drink, securing the wooden lid back onto the invaluable magic item.

Drest watches as the two trusting Atlanteans move closer to the waving arm, which suddenly morphs into an entire human body that suddenly slips out from the bushes. It is none other than their drunken old friend from Port Zangerios, the waterlogged Viking Hakon, still wearing his carved idol around his neck. The man has a very serious look on his face, silently urging all of you to follow him back into the forest by waving you towards him and nodding his head towards the trees.

Lazereth continues to shout out from on top of his rocky pulpit, his words verging on complete insanity at this point. He continues to yell about the Isle of Mu, pointing out over the open sea. He lifts his stolen idol to his lips and kisses it gently as suddenly a crude black spear head rips through his chest, spewing blood and gore out in a hot crimson spray. Another spear pierces him through his throat from behind, causing him to gurgle and begin to drown in his own blood. A third spear explodes through his abdomen, the dying mans innards slowly spilling from the horrible wound.

As he starts to fall forward off his rock, an eerie sight can suddenly be seen in the forest background behind the now dead captain.

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Actions!

position map:

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Apollonius AC:8 1/5 2/2
Valkrina AC:6 4/8 1/1
Drest AC:7 1/7
Euripides AC:5 4/7 2/2
Xenos AC:5 3/9 1/2
Hakon AC:4 4/9 1/1

[shaidar]

Xenos

"At least I won't have to do it it myself..." Xenos thinks as the Captain starts to topple forward. He moves forward to catch the body, or rather remove the enchanted water cask from the corpse.

[Rex]

Drest

As he sees Xenos grab the cask, Drest rushes forward and grabs the enchanted necklace, "We may need this, lets go" He turns and runs for Hakon.

[shaidar]

Xenos

Once he has the water cast, Xenos follows Drest.

[Scott308]

Euripides Nereos

Seeing their Viking companion, Euripides turns toward the others. Hey, it's Hak...on, he finishes as he sees the captain fall. Get the water! This way! He shouts to the others, frantically waving his arms to get their attention.

[Bluetongue]

Valkrina

Was walking the opposite way when she heard the gurgle and guttural spluttering of the shafted captain. Without making a clear distinction, the shadowy figures in the forest look like some spindly humanoid form. She doesn't hang around to wait for a clearer view, her actions are clear enough. She runs across the beach towards the trio of arms waving her 'this way'.

[OGRE MAGE]

I will assume Apollonius follows along with his group.

Lost On Land

Watching the horrible demise of their former captain Lazereth, it doesn't take long for Val and the others to hustle back over to the beckoning Viking. Grabbing up the cask and the idol from the dying seaman's corpse, the group quickly rushes into the forest behind Hakon. Moving as quietly as they can, they hear several beings rush through the underbrush towards their downed prize, spewing forth incomprehensible grunts and shouts in some unknown tongue.

The half dazed Hakon leads you through thick forest to another rocky area about 50 yards off the beach before stopping and pointing to a small opening in one side of the large stone outcropping. "I think I found a cave entrance over there, but I aint gone inside yet. Maybe we can rest up in there and stay out of sight of whatever it was that threw them spears?"

Actions?

Apollonius AC:8 1/5 2/2
Valkrina AC:6 4/8 1/1
Drest AC:7 1/7
Euripides AC:5 4/7 2/2
Xenos AC:5 3/9 1/2
Hakon AC:4 4/9 1/1

[Bluetongue]

Valkrina

Prepares to go inside the cave by cutting some long staffs of dry bark from nearby trees and wraps around the tip lots of dry vines and bracken, twirling the ends to create a 'candy floss' appearance that she can strike a flint into some splinters to create a useable firebrand torch. It might burn away within a few minutes but should help us explore the first yards inside and make sure the den has no denizens.

[Rex]

Drest

Drest will try and hide behind some cover and keep watch while the others look at the cave.

[shaidar]

Xenos gets no closer than he needs to to the opening and looks for obvious signs of occupation like gnawed bones, detritus, etc.

[Paladin]

Apollonius Triton

The quiet Atlantean observes the murderous newcomers with great curiosity, but prudence tells him to quickly follow the others. He steels himself to follow Valkrina inside and examine the interior.

[OGRE MAGE]

I will give Scott a break since I am sure he has a slight Garycon hangover this morning.

Lost On Land

Staying as quiet as they can, this close to the still grunting and shouting forest dwellers currently relieving their former dead captain of everything he had on him, the group of half dead adventurers slowly move in to investigate the cave Hakon found for them. Val fabricates a makeshift torch from dried foliage as Drest keeps a close eye and ear on the strange sounding humanoids nearby. Xenos looks around the ground, determining that the little path they found is likely a game trail of some kind. He sees a few normal forest animal tracks, along with some larger paw prints that might be bear tracks, but luckily, they all appear to be at least a few weeks old.

Apollonius and Valkrina get the temporary torch lit and head inside the dark opening. Inside the narrow stone cave, the ceiling is low, only about 5 feet in height at its highest point. A small pile of dried leaves and moss sits on the stone floor at the back of the cave, and there are fish bones scattered throughout the entire interior, but fortunately there is nobody dangerous home at the moment. Finding enough room inside for the entire group, and nothing that looks like it wants to kill them, their torch eventually sputters and fades.

Actions?

Apollonius AC:8 1/5 2/2
Valkrina AC:6 4/8 1/1
Drest AC:7 1/7
Euripides AC:5 4/7 2/2
Xenos AC:5 3/9 1/2
Hakon AC:4 4/9 1/1

[Rex]

Drest

Whispering, "Is it a good spot to hide until they are gone?"

[Scott308]

Euripides Nereos

It's better than nothing. Maybe they won't find us, but if they do, it'll be hard to get in and attack. We can attack them as they crouch through the tunnel.

Yeah, I was pretty worn out last night and today. But, since not everyone can play online, I feel it's important that I play as much as I can for those who can't. It's for the good of all mankind, really.

Seriously, I was trying to work on a post. I actually looked up the Omen spell, but it wasn't going to allow me to do what I wanted, and that was as far as I got.

[shaidar]

Xenos

"Agreed, we'll have to make do with what we've been given"

[Bluetongue]

Valkrina

Did the smoke from the torch drift anywhere upwards and out the cave or is the cave a solid roof. That might determine if we can build a fire for warmth (we are in wet clothes) and cook the crab meat.

The bard thinks laterally. If the cave has only one way in, then it has only one way out. If the forest trogs (her word for the unseen humanoids) know we are here, they could simply 'starve us out'.

In her satchel of 'ladies personals', she has a couple of scented candles. Created for romantic bathing routines rather than flickering incense laden 'fresh forest pine and summer haze' or 'lavender bliss and coconut oil' wispy smoke plumes in a grizzly cave with a retinue of equally grizzly men. But it will give us some light to see by. She sets one up at the back of the cave and uses the other to explore the nooks and crannies of the place.

[OGRE MAGE]

Pally seems a bit swamped for time lately, so I will NPC Apollonius this round.

The Dark Cave

Agreeing to use what they have been given, the soaking wet, badly injured party decides to move inside to get some rest if they can. Drest uses his abilities to keep a watch out for the humanoids they saw earlier, but he doesn't find any indication that they are coming closer, or even know where they are. After a short while, hearing no more from them, the unruly Pict is certain they have left this area completely.

Valkrina notices several cracks in the stone ceiling of this cave where the smoke from her torch had risen and collected before naturally escaping out to the atmosphere again, diffused nicely by the foliage growing atop the rocky structure. She seems convinced that they could gather dried wood and keep a small fire inside the cave so they can keep warm, cook, and dry out what is left of their gear.

Nearby fronds and branches are cut to be laid out for bedding, and eventually everyone crawls inside to get settled in for some much needed rest. Val sets up some candles for light, making the stinking wet leather, natural body odors, and fresh seafood scents a bit easier to tolerate. She finds no other secrets inside the cave.

Hakon finally speaks in hushed tones, pulling out his prized drinking horn fashioned from some unknown animal. "If we got any fresh water, I can create some healing ale. It wont be enough to get us all drunk, but it should make everyone feel slightly better."

Actions?

Apollonius AC:8 1/5 2/2
Valkrina AC:6 4/8 1/1
Drest AC:7 1/7
Euripides AC:5 4/7 2/2
Xenos AC:5 3/9 1/2
Hakon AC:4 4/9 1/1

[shaidar]

Xenos pulls out the captains cask.

"It's a good job I grabbed this from the Captains corpse, the fool. Rather him than us"

[Rex]

Drest

"That would be good, I am not in very good shape."

[Bluetongue]

Valkrina

Resists the temptation to test the cave acoustics.
She drunks from the horn, a toast to everyone's health.

A plan then? Best to stick together. With no knowledge of which is the best way to explore she asks if any of the mages and clerics of the group could use their evening meditations and study to prepare any kind of soothsaying or augury spells. Any knowledge that one direction is more safe versus more dangerous is vital.

She asks Hakon what he knows about the region. He was washed up and in the forest before us. Has he explored the interior? Did others arrive with him. Did he survive due to a totem? Who are those humanoids?

She is ready to leave the cave when we make the decision.