VI. Returning to The Mistress

[dmw71]

Round 1
The bird creatures continue to zip and zag en route to engage the party, squawking and honking the entire time. Dorin makes an initial move towards the water, then stops abruptly and turns to face the oncoming threat with his axe in his hand. Sasha readies her bow and provides coverage for Bingus, who cowers behind her, while Pendleton hastily starts chanting a lullaby at the weird creatures... which, upon its completion, causes the birds things to fall face first into the sand, collapsing into a deep slumber.



Actions?


Rolls
Initiative: Monsters [1d6] = 6, Players [1d6] = 1

[AleBelly]

Angry that these birds spoiled his view (as it were), Bingus draws his dagger and approaches the huge pair. He slits one of their throats.

"Atta boy, Penny! Way ta drowse 'em! Woo-hoo!"

[Zhym]

"Wait!" cries Pendleton, running after Bingus as the other mage approaches the creatures with knife drawn. "There's no need to kill them! Hold on just a moment please!"

[OGRE MAGE]

Sasha cringes at Bingus and his blood lust.

Thats a great way to make a first impression on the water sprite.

She looks back to the pond to see if the watery tart is still visible.

[dmw71]

Bingus draws his dagger and approaches the huge pair of birds, slitting the throat of the first of them before Pendleton can call for him to stop. Sasha cringes at Bingus and his blood lust, "That's a great way to make a first impression on the water sprite," he says, before turning and realizing that the mysterious Sefina is no where to be found.


Actions?

[Zhym]

Pendleton shakes his head sadly. "I was thinking that these might make good mounts, if we could train them," he says. "They look very similar to the axebeaks some people use as mounts back in Absalom."

"Besides," he adds, "maybe they were just defending their territory. It seems extreme to kill them."

He pulls his research journal from his pocket and begins taking notes on the creatures, taking special care to describe any differences between these and the domesticated animals he saw back at the Arcanamirium.

"It's a shame there's only one left," he says. "I wonder if there are more where they came from? Or were they a mated pair?" The scholar peers at the birds, trying to determine their genders.

[GreyWolfVT]

Dorin comes out of his defensive stance and walks over to the slumbering bird(s)? Looks at Pendleton and Bingus "Ya both sure are full a surprises aint ya?" shrugging not bothering the beasts "Can't imagine they'd taste very good then again....hmmm. Nah aint worth pluckin all them feathers any ways. well where too next eh?"

[dmw71]

Pendleton shakes his head sadly. "I was thinking that these might make good mounts, if we could train them," he says, commenting to the fact that the creatures looked very similar to the axebeak some people use as mounts. "Besides," he adds, "maybe they were just defending their territory. It seems extreme to kill them."

He pulls his research journal from his pocket and begins taking notes on the creatures, taking special care to describe any differences between these and the domesticated animals he saw back at the Arcanamirium. "It's a shame there's only one left," he says. "I wonder if there are more where they came from? Or were they a mated pair?" The scholar peers at the birds, trying to determine their genders and, after examining the two more closely, and discovers their reproductive organs identified suggest there was one male and one female. The female now in possession of a slit throat.

Dorin, relaxing his defenses, walks over to the slumbering bird creatures. "Ya both sure are full a surprised ain't ya?" the dwarf says, looking at Pendleton and Bingus. He shrugs. "Can't imagine they'd taste very good then, and it ain't worth pluckin all them feathers anyway.

Well, where too next, eh?"


Actions?

[Zhym]

Pendleton looks sadly at the dead bird. "A pity," he says. "Still, I suppose even a dead bird offers opportunities for study." He kneels down in the sand to get a closer look at the bird's head. "For example, by looking at the size of the cranium, we might learn whether these birds are as intelligent as their domesticated cousins, and thus worth trying to train."

"I wonder if these birds mate for life," he wonders aloud. "If so, it might be kinder to kill the other one, too. But let's just tie him up for now."

After a thorough investigation of the bird's skull, Pendleton rises and looks towards the forest from which the birds came. "Perhaps we should follow the birds' tracks to their nest. Axebeak eggs were quite valuable back in Absalom."

[GreyWolfVT]

Dorin "Well in that case... Eggs hmm them would be mighty taste bout now." the dwarf starts following the tracks thinking about how good some cooked eggs would taste. But does not go far from the others before he stops and looks back "Well what ya waitin fer? Good eatin eggs might be out there." he exclaims pointing where the birds came from.

[Zhym]

"The eggs are prized because they hatch highly-trainable axebeak chicks if fertilized, not because they are tasty," chides Pendleton. "Only someone who is both rich and a great fool pays the value of a freshly-hatched axebeak for a mere omelet."

"Would someone please get the dwarf a snack or something so he'll stop looking at everything as a meal?" he calls back to the others as he follows the tracks. "I thought he was drooling over Sefina for the obvious reasons, but now I'm starting to think he was picturing her as a roast."

[GreyWolfVT]

Dorin snaps back "Yah may have forgotten but I've been a prisoner on a pirate ship. What yah think they feed their prisoners eh? Ale and mutton? Guess again. It was a pleasure ta get bread with out mold er meat with out maggots. An egg would sit well bout now."

[dmw71]

Assuming Dorin allows the group to use his rope to bind the surviving bird creature, the foursome begins to track the zig-zagging footprints left in the sand by the axebeak lookalikes.

The trail leads them northwest; opposite their most recent eastern bearing, and eventually is discovered to lead directly into the forested area, through a very narrow crack in the foliage.


Actions?

[Zhym]

Pendleton turns back to the others. "What do you think? Should we go on an egg hunt, or do you want to continue along the beach?"

[OGRE MAGE]

Sasha thinks about it for a bit.

Im up for either but, it might be a good idea to see where those giant birds came from, just in case there are a bunch more of them running around.

[GreyWolfVT]

Dorin after giving up his rope "I'm fer searching fer them eggs an the lady here has a good point. Best make sure we know if more of them are around."

[Zhym]

"Then it's into the forest we go," says Pendleton.

[dmw71]

Much like it was when the group was chasing spiders, the forest in this area consists primarily of newer trees. The opening is extremely narrow, and the surrounding trees are thick, providing a lot of shade which is a welcomed change from the blazing sun the group had been contending with. The ground has an abundance of grass and plants, but no trails and is again very uneven. While tall, the birds were not very heavy and attempting to track their path in the overgrowth littering the floor brings the groups movement to a crawl.

The forest here still presents the smell of wet dirt, and wood. As expected, the group hears frequent rustling sounds and the steady buzzing of insects. The occasional bird call is heard as well, but the general sense is that the forested area is eerily quiet.



After only exploring a couple of feet, the movement pattern of the bird creatures, coupled with the difficult terrain, is leading to much frustration, and continuing with this current plan promises to be a significant challenge.



Actions?

[GreyWolfVT]

Dorin throws his hands up in frustration "Bah! We're gonna need a better tracker fer this job. How bout we go back and continue explorin the coast line?" the dwarf suggests.

[Zhym]

"I suppose so," says Pendleton. "There's no point getting lost in the forest."