Quest #27 "Detecting Snares and Pits"

[OGRE MAGE]

To The Pits!
Sunday, 21st of Goodmonth
Mid Afternoon, Hot, Humid, Buggy

Rejoining the others again, the groups paladin is not happy to hear that the dwarves are involved with these lizards in some way. With the little knowledge he has of them, he is sure they must be up to no good.

The group decides to press on towards the west instead of starting up a confrontation with the distant dwarves, so they continue their hike along the trail. After a few more hours of marching, they eventually come to what must be an abandoned former campsite. There is a small man made clearing along the side of the trail that has a temporary thatch and bamboo shelter constructed in its center. A small fire pit sits just outside the rough building, its remnants of burnt wood appears to have been extinguished at least a few days ago.

There doesn't appear to be any signs of anyone using the shelter or the fire pit recently, so the group has a quick look around. They notice that the landscape here is starting to change a little. While they were in thick jungle along the trail this whole time so far, the ground is beginning to get rocky here, and the foliage noticeably starting to thin. There is a slight reprieve from the usual onslaught of insects in this area, and the air has a strange tinge to it that you cant quite put your finger on.

Actions?

map:

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Dexter Broadleaf 15/15
Cornelius Fitzenbell 8/8 1/1 RM, DI
Sir William Narramore 12/12 LOH
Drakkar Deepcrag 7/11
Maximus Fleetfoot 8/8 (C) 0/2 (MU) 1/1 CL, DM, RM

[hedgeknight]

Fitzenbell

Fitz takes a swig from his waterskin, grateful for the reprieve from biting insects.
"Rocks...more to my liking. Wonder what that smell is?" he says, sniffing loudly.
"C'mon Dex, let's go check it out."
He begins to move ahead, slowly, a dart in hand.

[Darklin2]

Max

Max sniffs the air.

Even I can smell that what is it. The snake aren't even that bad. And this ground is getting better to walk on too.


He looks around picking up and 1 inch size stones and adding them to his belt-pouch for sling ammo.

[SirOwen]

Dexter Broadleaf

Dex nods at Fitz' words. "Indeed, partner. Onward and upward!" He falls in with the Gnome as the two continue scouting ahead, just off the trail. He keeps his head low and sticks to the foliage shadows as much as possible.

[Paladin]

Sir William Narramore

The big man chuckles as the pair of eager scouts slips out in front to find the source of the odd smell. He slows his pace to give them a chance to get ahead a sufficient distance and examines their surroundings while he awaits an update regarding what lies ahead. Narramore pauses and kneels to scoop up a handful of stones and inspect them idly for interesting features as he drops them one by one.

"Strange place," he muses. "But I'm glad to get a moment's relief from the insects, at least."

[OGRE MAGE]

To The Pits!
Sunday, 21st of Goodmonth
Mid Afternoon, Hot, Humid, Buggy

“I’m no Dwarven whelp, complainin constantly bout every little thing, but this march is akin ta torture! Bugs!....Heat!....Stink!” Drakkar moans as they finally take another rest. He drinks down the last of his water supply and tips his skin upside down to show the others he’s out. “Don’t suppose anyone’s brought extra?”

Max and Narramore look around for stones or gravel, but they find the ground here to by very rough and rocky, almost volcanic in nature, with nearly no loose stones to be seen. The paladin and dwarf are glad to see that most of the insects seem to be staying in the vicinity of Max, at least.

Fitz and Dexter creep further along, finding that the trail is eventually absorbed by a vast open area ahead. The trees and other vegetation look stunted here and eventually everything green stops growing completely, leaving a massive barren wasteland that stretches out nearly as far as the pair can see. By looking at the tree line far off in the distance, they guess that this clearing stretches out for at least another 5 miles.

The entire area is bathed in multiple shades of deep grey. The ground, roughly flat but with jagged hunks of sharp grey rock protruding up in many places, appears to be scattered with pock holes or rough pits everywhere you look. The pits are all roughly shaped and none of them are identical or even close to the same shape or size. A few of the pits off in the distance, towards the center of the clearing, have wisps of smoke or steam rising up out of them, giving off the strange sulphuric stink you can smell in the air.

Actions?

map:

36E472A9-033D-4992-8EC7-3C59F1FE9108.jpeg (98.56 KiB) Viewed 669 times

Dexter Broadleaf 15/15
Cornelius Fitzenbell 8/8 1/1 RM, DI
Sir William Narramore 12/12 LOH
Drakkar Deepcrag 7/11
Maximus Fleetfoot 8/8 (C) 0/2 (MU) 1/1 CL, DM, RM

[Darklin2]

Max

Well Big Man. What do you think is going to be up this trail? I am wondering where we are going to have to spend the night. We are definitely not making it back tonight. We have taken all day to get here.

[SirOwen]

Dexter Broadleaf

Dex takes a long look at the 'Wasteland' as he immediately thinks of it. "I'd bet those steaming pits up there are full of the goop we're after," he tells Fitz. "And with everything around here dead or dyin', I doubt we'll just be able to walk up there and dip some out. I'll be that steam'll kill ya dead if you're not careful. Unless you have a better idea, we prob'ly ought to head back and warn the others."

After getting back to the company, and hearing Max' opinion, Dex adds, "I don't think walking up there and just dipping some out is going to work. What we are talkin' about is something on the order of 20 square miles of land so poisonous that nothing grows. Nothing at all, that I could see. I'm no expert, but I'm not going to just walk out there."

[SirOwen]

Dexter Broadleaf

Dexter pulls out a water skin. "Here ya' go. I've only taken a couple of slugs out of it, so it's nearly full," he says to Drakkar as he hands it over. "But the area up there looks really dry and hot, so try to go easy, OK?" He looks around the group, "Same goes for the rest of us. Even if we can move around in that dead zone up there, and I don't think we can, it's going to be drier than .... well.... drier than smoky dead zone on a tropical island."

When they get closer again, Dexter crouches and looks for dead bugs on the ground along the edge of the dead zone.

[hedgeknight]

Fitzenbell

Fitz uses one hand to shade his eyes as he fumbles for his waterskin with the other. Taking a long pull, he smacks his lips and says, "I'm interested in checking this area out. Wonder what's causing that stink and those columns of steam? Must be something hot. Reminds me of a hot spring me and my buddy Cheezwizzell once came upon in our young days of rock hopping. Boy, that sure was something! Cheez's family were great tunnelers and they figured out a way to pipe the hot water directly into our village. Hot baths in the winter time was a treat...except you smelled like rotten eggs for a day or two."

Back with the others, Fitz listens while the "big folk" talk it out.

[Paladin]

Sir William Narramore

He surveys the area with a cautious, inquisitive gaze. "I suppose we'll keep our eyes open," he says in reply to Max. "For the moment, my mind is working on this goop. Perhaps we might cover our faces to filter out some of the stink, or prevent any gasses in the air from harming us as badly." He shrugs. "I've little experience with this sort of thing." Narramore fashions a sort of face mask from a strip of his cloak and ties it around his nose and mouth.

With no shade from the trees to block the searing heat, he begins loosening the uncomfortably hot metal armor around his chest and attaches it to his pack for the time being. "I hate feeling unprotected, but I can't breathe in this heat," he mutters before pushing his mask aside and taking a drink from his waterskin. He pushes the mask back down and looks at the others.

"Only way to find out what happens is to try it." He'll set out toward one of the pits with the wisps of steam rising from them, his steps cautious and eyes sweeping the area for potential threats.

[OGRE MAGE]

To The Pits!
Sunday, 21st of Goodmonth
Mid Afternoon, Hot, Humid, Buggy

Drakkar takes the extra waterskin from Dexter with a sincere nod of thanks. "If idda known it were gonna be this bad out ere, Ida brung more water." He sees the paladin rig up his makeshift face mask, so he follows suit. "Stink aint gonna kill nobody, but if it's gas making the stink, that just might do the trick."

With the need for scouts all but gone, Narramore does what paladins do and takes the lead, walking out into the wasteland towards the first crater he sees. Dex stops at the edge of the clearing to look for dead bugs. He finds a few laying around if he looks real close, but it isn't exactly the remnants of a mass genocide of insects or anything like that.

Drakkar follows the paladin, even if the others decide not to. The pair walk a few hundred yards out from the diffused trail to find the first of many of these shallow pits. This one looks completely empty, but the next closest pit over appears to contain a filmy grey watery liquid. Neither of the pits have steam or smoke coming from them, but the rocky ground here is so hot from the oppressive and relentless sun, they can already feel the heat through their boots.

Actions?

Sir William Narramore 12/12 LOH
Dexter Broadleaf 15/15
Cornelius Fitzenbell 8/8 1/1 RM, DI
Drakkar Deepcrag 7/11
Maximus Fleetfoot 8/8 (C) 0/2 (MU) 1/1 CL, DM, RM

[Paladin]

Sir William Narramore

"We need to work quickly," the man says with a swipe of one bear-like paw across his brow. "But cautiously. I don't imagine this substance would do our clothes or belongings any good if we got hasty and splattered it."

He seeks out Fitz and smiles at his diminutive comrade. "Well, friend. Still got those glass vials?" He then regards the pool with a furrowed brow. "Now we just have to get that goop into the jars. And, as I am vastly intelligent--" he says, voice dripping with sarcasm--"I brought no sort of spoon or ladle or bucket with which to dip it out. I don't suppose any of you thought to grab something?"

[SirOwen]

Dexter Broadleaf

Dexter still looks skeptical about entering the area. "Sir William," he says. "I think I'm going to wait here, just in case. You have my word that I will, at the least, make a mad dash in there to pull someone out should that become necessary, but there cannot be anything in there that's good for you. I mean, everything else is dead around here, except us. And I don't care to join..... everything else." Dexter stands at the last point where any kind of vegetation is still alive and keeps watch. While he watches, he keeps his hands busy taking one end of his rope and tying a harness, in case he needs to drag someone out.

[Darklin2]

Max

I have an extra sling if we tie the vials ot one end and to a stick with the other end we could do a big of fishing. Might do the trick. At least that way we don't need to get close. I will stay here with Dexter. My armor may be to much for the area to hole and I don't want to sink in that stuff.

[hedgeknight]

Fitzenbell

Fitz looks up at the paladin and then pulls the vials from his pouch.
"I don't know if it will work, but maybe if you hold me by the arm, I can scoop some of the goop up with my dagger and then put it in the vial. What do you think?"

[Paladin]

Sir William Narramore

The knight grins rather like a wolf. "If weight is a concern," he says while striding toward the pool, "then I'm doomed, armor or no." He ponders the various suggestions offered by the others and looks from Fitz to the muck.

If Drakkar accompanies them to the pool, he will look to the stern-faced dwarf with a raised eyebrow. "What do you think, mate? Any suggestions before we dangle Fitz over this pit?" If nothing is forthcoming, he will ready himself near the edge. "Ready? It's worth a try, I suppose."

[OGRE MAGE]

At The Pits!
Sunday, 21st of Goodmonth
Mid Afternoon, Hot, Humid, Buggy

Dex does not join the others as they move out towards the pits, instead staying near the safety of the scruffy trees at the end of the overgrown trail, adjusting his rope. Max also decides to stay behind, worrying about the weight of his chain mail.

300 yards away, with their mouths and noses covered with cloth, the other 3 gather at the first pit they run across that has something in it. A few ideas are mentioned about how to gather the runny liquid, but Fitz eventually offers to grab some out if he is lowered in by the others. Narramore looks to Drakkar to see if he has any better suggestions, but the grumpy dwarf just shakes his head and mumbles something under his breath about elves.

When the huge human lowers the much smaller gnome down into the pit, Fitz finds the task of collecting the grey water with his dagger to be impossible, since it wont stay on his blade long enough to transport it into one of the vials. Drakkar then points out that he has been carrying a very long pole along with him this whole time.

"Maybe this aint the stuff the shop keeper was talkin bout?" He dips one end of his pole into the liquid and then brings it up close to his face for a smell. "This dont look like the right goo to me. Looks a lot more like grey water." Then he looks back over the vast area of pits beyond them. "Maybe we gotta chack a few more a these pits fer the right stuff?"

Actions?

Sir William Narramore 12/12 LOH
Dexter Broadleaf 15/15
Cornelius Fitzenbell 8/8 1/1 RM, DI
Drakkar Deepcrag 7/11
Maximus Fleetfoot 8/8 (C) 0/2 (MU) 1/1 CL, DM, RM

[SirOwen]

Dexter Broadleaf

Dexter takes the opposite end of his rope and secures it around his waist. "This way," he tells Max. "If we do need to drag someone out, I can put my back into it, and still use my hands."

He then coils the rope around his left shoulder, the harness available for quick use.

"What are they doing out there? Looks like they are trying to make Fitz into tea or something."

[Paladin]

Sir William Narramore

"Aye. Bit runny to be called goop, I suppose." He scans the area and selects a second pit deeper into the dead zone to check. He'll poke around exploring others to see if they find one containing a thicker, goopy substance rather than the runny stuff.