Quest #31 "Jungle Beaver"

[wolfpack]

gramble has alight stone and also gained a level HP should be updated on sheet

[OGRE MAGE]

Hunting For Experience
Moonday, 22nd of Goodmonth
Very Early Morning, DARK, Warm, Misty, Humid

Lerrick readies her magic glow stone and assumes her position in line, just as Tlachtga pulls out her light and moves to the rear. Almost impossibly, the nasty cloud of bugs somehow suddenly gets even worse, possibly attracted to the bright light in some way. The priestess looks around for any more of those nasty flesh eating trees, pleased that she doesn't see any in this area. Swatting the bugs away from his stern, young face, Gramble also pulls out his light stone, ready to lead the group along the hard packed sand trail that follows the tree line.

Andron tries to keep his eye on the shoreline, searching for any signs of tracks or disturbances in the wet sand, but in many places, the view of the water is outside of their circle of light. But at least he doesn't hear any sea monsters from the trail.

The insects are truly unbearable to deal with, stinging, biting, and getting into every crevice of robe and armor. Constantly slapping at them might work to keep them at bay, if each member of the group had 12 more hands to use. The mist in the air does little to deter the onslaught, and even that seems to be lightening up as the light of morning approaches. After one full hour of marching through the darkness and the cacophony of noises from the jungle, everyone is already bleeding slightly from the bites and completely sick of these conditions. (1 dam each from the constant biting and stinging)

Maag has an idea that requires the group to stop and wait in these horrible conditions as he moves off the trail into the thick, black, unrelenting jungle to set up a snare in the darkness. (I will assume that he took a light along with him, but please, everyone remember that it is dark out right now) Never really doing anything like this before back in the city, it takes the half-orc some time to get the snare situated to his liking. Once he returns, he detects a rather unfriendly feeling from the others when he mentions that he intends to do this several more times along their trip. Though Andron expresses that it is actually a good idea.

The misery of this short trip causes more than one in the party to long for the cool, dry, dangerous conditions back in the tunnels on the small island again. Fortunately, none of the shrieks and other strange noises they hear in the jungle comes out to investigate their lights.......so far.

Actions?

(You are currently one hour from town, and approx. 3 hours from the river. With around 2 hours before first light.)

Gramble 20/24 Light stone 40'
Alordan 21/22
Andronichishche 10/11 ?/? 1st / CL, DM, RM ?/? 1st I don't see any indication as to how many spells Andy has on his sheet
Lerrick 10/11 5/5 1st 4/4 2nd Light stone 40'
Maag 16/17
Tlachtga 15/16 4/4 1st 3/3 2nd Light stone 40'

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche

Oops, meant this post to come before the last update.

As they're walking along the beach in the early morning hours, Andronichishche pulls out from his pack the reinforced potion box shaped like an egg, along with a piece of parchment. He hands both to Lerrick.

"I examined and tasted each potion in the box. The first is an extremely potent poison. One sip is enough to cause a ...", he clears his throat uncomfortably, "... a severe reaction." Andron indicates the odd yellowish brown liquid with a grimace. "Aside from that, there appears to be two healing potions; of different potency perhaps. Another I'd guess to be one that enables breathing underwater. The clear potion, I'm really not sure. Maybe provides enhanced speed? The pink potion I have no educated guess. As I said earlier though, I unfortunately need to use your other pearl to see if I can determine how the pink powder mixture must be applied to Sir Crestbrook."

He taps the box itself. "Now, as you may have inferred from the tests, those are not potions of protection as I had assumed. The box's name, Protecting Egg, refers to its likely power. Protection of potions contained within, as the box itself is magical. A very valuable item, indeed."

Notes in red are the results of tasting.

• A weird yellowish brown tint. It is far more viscous than the others and has an odd metallic scent to it. The flavor is far worse than the smell, causing a stinging pain to both mouth and throat.
• A pink liquid without smell or taste. Sipping a drop or two does nothing to reveal its true nature.
  
• A golden yellow, and smells of burnt wood. It has a refreshing taste, and only a few drops on the tongue makes any of the imbiber's aches and pains hurt slightly less.
• Clear and smells of elderberries. It has an incredibly bitter taste, and a few drops on the tongue leaves the entire mouth feeling tingly, which quickly fades to a thick numbness.
• Green, and smells of fresh meat. A tiny taste gives a similar effect as the yellow potion.
• A bluish green color that smells of dead fish. Other than a slightly salty flavor, nothing is gleaned from a small taste of the magic liquid.

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche 10/11 ?/? 1st / CL, DM, RM ?/? 1st I don't see any indication as to how many spells Andy has on his sheet

Oops.

Sorry, never occured to me. I added it to the notes page. He already used both magic-user spells this morning.

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche

After thoroughly and completely underestimating the insect conditions at night, so often bantered in grumbles in town, Andronichishche begins to contemplate several different variations of spells to deal with them. Most involve rather unpeaceful and definitely not serene methods. Before the group's trapper heads into the bush again, Andron cautions against it. "Perhaps, Mr. Maag, due to the current ..." He swats away a gigantic bug from his neck, "... conditions, we should make haste for the river and take shelter in Alordan's magical hut?" He strains to check the shoreline again in the relatively dim light of the stones. "Any delay also puts us at risk of ambush from the sea monster."

[Jernau35]

Maag

Maag spits out a few particularly adventurous bugs and nods at Andron's suggestion. "Yer right. It's not worth it fer a couple of rabbits or wotever. We need to get der as fast as we can."

[kruk]

Lerrick

The cleric looks to the heavens and gives thanks to the fact that Alordan has a hut that we can soon enter and escape the misery of the attack of the bugs.

Lerrick has 20 hp now...less 1 hp from the damage caused by the blood sucking bugs. 19

[Rex]

Tlachtga

Tlachtga keeps quite and tries to keep herself as bug free as possible.

[kruk]

Lerick

Andronichishche
As they're walking along the beach in the early morning hours, Andronichishche pulls out from his pack the reinforced potion box shaped like an egg, along with a piece of parchment. He hands both to Lerrick.

Lerrick takes the egg and the parchment containing descriptions of each liquid. Thank you Andron. This information is most helpful. I will come back to you one day in the future with 100 gps worth of pearls so you can solve the mystery of the pink powder. Now lets catch these so called tasty rodents and get back so we don't get killed by these...extremely irritating bugs!

[Jernau35]

Maag

"I 'ave got a pearl," Maag tells Lerrick. "Which I will be 'appy to exchange for a mere fifty pieces o' gold".

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche

Andronichishche appears very perplexed with Maag and Lerrick's exchange. He casts his gaze over the cleric's face with a careful, evaluating expression. "A bit too much rum last night, Miss Lerrick?" His demeanor softens, replaced with a warm smile. "You already gave me your large pearl to identify a potion. Instead of Cora's mace, that is. That is the pearl I propose for further analysis of the powder."

He pauses for a moment. "... unless, you would prefer I use it for a potion?"

[OGRE MAGE]

I'm not sure if I am waiting on Gramble and Alordan, or if they are waiting on me.

[ravenn4544]

Sorry for any delay. busy weekend.

Alordan is happy to be stretching his legs on this early morning walk, but can't help but sigh at the circumstances that had recently seen the brutal death of his friend. So much has changed since that day - natives, pirates, cats, minotaurs, and medusas. What a long strange trip. He absent mindedly tumbles the cube in his pocket but is quickly distracted by the bugs. He remembers the mud trick and will try to suggest that and try it himself. Finding some mud, or cupping some water from the ocean to suitable dirt, he'll try and smear the stuff on his exposed skid to spare the nuisance.

[kruk]

Andronichishche

Andronichishche appears very perplexed with Maag and Lerrick's exchange. He casts his gaze over the cleric's face with a careful, evaluating expression. "A bit too much rum last night, Miss Lerrick?" His demeanor softens, replaced with a warm smile. "You already gave me your large pearl to identify a potion. Instead of Cora's mace, that is. That is the pearl I propose for further analysis of the powder."

He pauses for a moment. "... unless, you would prefer I use it for a potion?"

The cleric thinks for a moment. Yes, definitely a lapse of judgement on my part. Please proceed with the plan to identify the pink powder. She gives the mage/cleric a warm smile, then looks away inspecting her mace.

[wolfpack]

gramble falls in line wherever the group wants him axe in hand

[OGRE MAGE]

Hunting For Experience
Moonday, 22nd of Goodmonth
Very Early Morning, DARK, Warm, Misty, Humid

Alordan dabs some wet mud on his exposed skin, helping to deter the bugs, but only slightly. The ranger looks around as the group moves closer to the river. In the slowly growing light, he sees the large log trap his group set up at the edge of the jungle all those weeks ago when he first arrived here. The thought of that horrific battle, and of losing his friend, is more than the man can take. He gulps loudly and sheds a few muddy tears for his old friend as they continue along their way.

Not much further beyond that area, the group spots a disturbance up ahead in the deep sand. Large ruts and uneven mounds dominate a narrow portion of the beach, looking like someone or something was dragged from the jungle, all the way into the shallow waters. Though they cant tell what it was from this distance, something definitely happened recently here.

Actions?

Gramble 20/24 Light stone 40'
Alordan 21/22
Andronichishche 10/11 4/4 1st / CL, DM, RM 0/2 1st
Lerrick 19/20 5/5 1st 4/4 2nd Light stone 40'
Maag 16/17
Tlachtga 15/16 4/4 1st 3/3 2nd Light stone 40'

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche

Andronichishche points to the disturbance in the sand and motions to the ranger. "Mr. Alordan, the sea troll that was slain, do you know if it had a mate? It appears like something struck from the water into the trees, dragging its prey into the sea." After their experiences with Marquees, Andron is extremely wary about approaching any further. "I will create a light to help us see more clearly. If it's the sea monster, it may be using the cover of darkness to hide." He casts Light about ten feet above the disturbance at the shoreline. If necessary, he will approach just enough to get within spell range.

[kruk]

Lerrick

The cleric looks onward towards the disturbance. She thinks about climbing a nearby tree but thinks better of it. Perhaps if we can get a little closer.

[Jernau35]

Maag

"So it can go as far as der trees?" asks Maag "We can't even count on slippin' around it by stayin' off der sand den".

He casts his untrained eye over the tracks. "If it 'as snagged sumfin', den it is probably not 'ungry right now. Just sittin' out der[ chompin' away. Unless...dis is a trap...der yer reckon wotever it is might be smart enough to make it look like we've missed der action? But it's just buried itself under one of dem mounds over der?" "

[Rex]

Tlachtga

Tlachtga keeps her distance as well, staying close to Andron.