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Daisy
Daisy pauses, puzzled. Funny- Ah thought there were guards here. Well, follow me, ya'll.
Daisy steps forward, past the gateposts and onto Dwarftown Trail.

Urson wrote: ↑Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:56 pm Daisy
Daisy pauses, puzzled. Funny- Ah thought there were guards here. Well, follow me, ya'll.
Daisy steps forward, past the gateposts and onto Dwarftown Trail.

Liam

Perhapse they have gotten comfortable. Best be on the lookout all the same.

Sir William Narramore

The knight never truly relaxes as they walk, his hand never straying far from the hilt of his sword. He follows in Daisy's footsteps, hanging near the center of the party with a watchful eye all around them.

Stonegut Meet And Greet
Godsday, 23rd of Goodmonth
Late Morning, Rainy, Warm, Humid

Pushing past the standing stones along the wide trail leading west, there is no sign of any dwarves, but the damage they have done to the landscape here is unmistakable. The trees are cut and the land is trampled flat along the recent trial for as far into the jungle you can see. Looking around on the ground, there are more signs of lizard tracks, along with plenty of the ruts caused by the heavy wooden sleds they pull.

Marching due west through the rain for over an hour, the party eventually stops at a horrible sight slumped along the side of the trail. There they find a huge rotting lizard carcass that appears to have been there for a few days. It is badly bloated and gnawed on in many spots. The stink coming from it is enough to unsettle a halflings stomach.

Actions?

Dexter 23/23
Daisy 16/16 3/3 first 2/2 second
Jaxsen 19/19
Narramore 12/12 LOH
Princess 5/5 CL, DM, RM 1/1 first
Liam 9/9
overall map:
viewtopic.php?p=366477#p366477

Daisy
Daisy turns distinctly green at this. Sophie sniffs, taking a couple of steps toward the carcass before Daisy snaps her fingers.

Ah hate to say it, but this don't surprise me that much. There's somethin' very wrong happenin' here. Daisy skirts the carcass wide, and continues down the trail.

Sir William Narramore

"They're either wicked or very careless. Or both," Narramore mutters. "Culture be damned." He frowns and shakes his head. "Poor beast. We need to tame these creatures and find ways to use them against these dwarves, somehow." He pitches his voice low enough that it won't carry to any who might be lurking within earshot. Again Narramore has visions of a mounted charge of lancers atop the massive lizards thundering down upon the Stoneguts.

"Well. I'd rather not tarry beside this any longer than necessary. Shall we go?" He follows Daisy down the trail.

The Princess

"That they just left it to rot shows a few things. There is no empathy for others, they are just useful or not." She looks away from the carcass.

"We should remember that. If the town is no longer useful, or even worse, a nuisance, they will dispose of it. We need to show how the town can be useful."

She attempts some humor to lighten the mood. "On the plus side, this trail looks well worn and relatively safe." The Princess moves along with Daisy.

Dexter Broadleaf

"OK," says Dexter, pulling up short and not taking another step. In a voice that would not be heard beyond the small circle of the group, he continues, "I'm small, and in my line of work, it often helps to go unnoticed. But I asked a question a little while back that went completely ignored, and seeing this, I think it bears all the more on what we are doing here. I grew up in a country lead and run by Dwarves. Dwarves do not act this way. We have to consider that these are NOT Dwarves, but something else." He gives this just a moment and then goes on, "After all, it is not like we haven't encountered shape-changers on this island. And Sir William and I may have found their breeding ground just before we came out here. And it wasn't far from a corral for the Lizards."

Jaxsen Reiter

Jaxsen takes in the wreck and ruin around him. "This gets stranger and stranger. That carcass has already attracted predators and scavengers. And if their water supply is anywhere near here, it risks contamination from whatever drains off of it. Who would do this near their dwelling? This isn't just cruel, it's foolish."

Stonegut Meet And Greet
Godsday, 23rd of Goodmonth
Midday, Rainy, Warm, Humid

Skirting the stinking death, Daisy continues along the newly forged dwarf trail while the others opine aloud, most of them warning about the wickedness of such behavior.

Dexter actually stops, refusing to go any further until the validity of this mission is discussed. He mentions again that this kind of dastardly, wasteful behavior is unusual for most dwarves he knows, reminding Narramore of the area they found earlier, very near to the lizard habitat.

Not sure about the idea that all these dwarves who recently arrived on a ship have anything to do with the shape shifting incident in town, the party moves along, willing to discuss options, as long as they are making progress towards their goal of meeting with the Stoneguts.

After another hour or two march up the trail, the group finds a convenient place to take a break to continue their conversation. A newly constructed wooden structure sits just off the side of the trail. There are no side walls, and the floor is mostly comprised of smoothed dirt, but they find cut logs set up as benches and tables, and at least the thatch roof looks sturdy, giving them a short respite from the rain while they eat.

The place doesn’t seem to be guarded at the moment.

Actions?

Dexter 23/23
Daisy 16/16 3/3 first 2/2 second
Jaxsen 19/19
Narramore 12/12 LOH
Princess 5/5 CL, DM, RM 1/1 first
Liam 9/9
overall map:
viewtopic.php?p=366477#p366477

Daisy
Daisy hesitates to use the shelter. She walks a slow circle around it, looking for indications of a trap, before she sits.

Ah'm sorry, Dexter. Ah don't think Ah heard you before.
Ya'll could be right- but if so, they're mighty good at pretending. Ah don't wanna trample your seedlings, but don't forget: Grimm was their captive for a while. He believed they were just rotten-bad folks. But ya'll got a good point- we should keep the idea in mind.

Dexter Broadleaf

Dexter nods enthusiastically at Daisy. "No doubt, no doubt. But think of Glansandi. I met him before that... thing.... stuff... whatever, took him over. He was a stick in the mud, but otherwise a good guy. After it took him over, he became a villain. The Stoneguts could be the same way. The Dwarves that arrived here by ship are strict, as Dwarves can be known to be, and they made Grimm work off his supposed debt. But since then, we are looking at something completely different. Cruel, vicious and...welllll look around. I have never seem Dwarves live in a pig sty. And we KNOW that this island is home to some kind of slime monster that takes over other beings. Are we willing to write off all those coincidences?"

The Princess

She listens to the outlandish theory proposed by the scout and takes a deep breath. "I can't say you're wrong. All I can say is that the group I met and talked to on the beach seemed like normal Dwarves. Unfriendly, surly, and selfish, sure...and I'm not saying that all Dwarves are like that, but..." She trails off with a smile.

"Even if you're right, how does that change our situation? Should we return, giving up on starting a conversation, and assume that they are all possessed? Or do we proceed as planned, but a bit warier and open to strange possibilities?" She looks around. "I'd like to know if they are possessed, or just mean bastards."

She pauses and thinks. "But it would be wise to devise a way to signal each other that we found something very wrong. That it's time to go, quickly. A code word. Perhaps that it's time to go milk the cows?"

Jaxsen Reiter

"If the Halfling is correct," says Jaxsen. "Then we would be in extreme danger. I dealt with the possessed Glansandi firsthand. Its primary concern was spreading itself to others. And you need to keep in mind that the Dwarves you met on the beach may not even have been .... infected yet..." The Monk stops suddenly, apparently listening to something.

Daisy
The Halfling's face goes very pale, her eyes wide. Oh, glory! This puts a whole different light on the situation. Ah wish we could have learned more about that thing before it disappeared.
Ah hope you're wrong, Dexter- but we need to be real cautious. In fact, we need to consider the option of cancelin' this trip. Ah ain't sayin' cut and run, but we may be walking into the dragon's jaws.

SirOwen wrote: ↑Fri Nov 27, 2020 7:09 pm Dexter Broadleaf
"No doubt, no doubt. But think of Glansandi. I met him before that... thing.... stuff... whatever, took him over. He was a stick in the mud, but otherwise a good guy. After it took him over, he became a villain. The Stoneguts could be the same way.

Liam

Nods and snaps his fingers. I was just going to say we need to consider that something is affecting these dwarves. They might not even be aware of it. But the only way to know for certain is to somehow investigate. But I would think if this is one of the.... Gray Ones, if you will... why would they only go for humanoids? Why not the other beasts here? Like these giant lizards for example... And after the way the one in Glansandi ate my poor Henrietta... he cringes. Why would they leave one to rot like that? I think we are answering some questions here, but causing more.
Akums Razor... the idea that the simplest question is often the correct one, I would say it is sage advice to approach this as we have so far, that we are dealing with particularly... proud people. But let us remember these are people. We may not understand them but that also means they likely do not understand us any better. Let's keep open minds... and ears... and eyes. And assume from this point forward, that there are eyes and ears upon us as well. The closer we get, the more likely we are to be spotted, tracked, and followed. Our interview as friends begins now.

Stonegut Meet And Greet
Godsday, 23rd of Goodmonth
Midday, Overcast, Warm, Humid

After looking this rustic rest area over carefully, Daisy is confident that it isn't dangerous, so the group takes a break to discuss their options.

On one hand, this trip could be more dangerous than they first anticipated, especially if Dexter's suspicion of mass possession is accurate. On the other, they did come out here to explore and to learn what they can about the dwarves and their situation.

After talk of possibly returning to town, and making up a few code words to use in case they are needed, Liam reminds the others that the dwarves are people too, and though they aren't acting exactly as expected, they deserve to be treated with respect.

The rain finally breaks as the group finishes up their meal of rations, offering a bit better conditions for finishing their trip, or returning to town, whichever they decide to do.

Actions?

Dexter 23/23
Daisy 16/16 3/3 first 2/2 second
Jaxsen 19/19
Narramore 12/12 LOH
Princess 5/5 CL, DM, RM 1/1 first
Liam 9/9
overall map:
viewtopic.php?p=366477#p366477

The Princess

She turns to the Mayor. "So. What's the plan? Move forward or not? I don't have a strong opinion either way. It's been a lovely walk so far."

The Princess looks at the clearing rain and smiles. "The rain is breaking. At least that's good news."

Daisy
Proceed with caution. Ah won't insist anyone go further if you think the danger's too much. But Ah hope ya'll stay. Daisy shoulders her gear and leads the way.

Sir William Narramore

"I'll do as you bid," Narramore says to Daisy, checking his gear and striding forward.