Quest #19 "Mapping Out The Jungle"

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

"Good gods, can no human males multitask?" Bonnie grumbles as she hands Nehru her waterskin. She too notices Fiona. She looks at her traveling companions and sighs. "Hiding may not be your strong suits. I suggest moving up the trail a bit, then off the path. I suspect dwarves, but who knows."

She herds Nehru up the trail about ten paces, then off the trail. "Hrothgar, come on. Observe, then act."

[OGRE MAGE]

Loggers Trail
Godsday, 9th of Goodmonth
Late Morning, Warm, Humid, Buggy

The explorers make for the trees on the opposite side of the trail. Bonnie and Hrothgar move a bit further north first.

After some more growling from Liam's wolfhound, a large figure is suddenly spotted moving towards the loggers trail from the west. Once it makes it between the stones and into the trail, it is obvious that this thing is a huge, green lizard about the size of a short horse.

The lizard is walking a little funny, with a few obvious bloody wounds showing. There appears to be a thin strip of dark cloth or leather hanging loosely around the animals neck as it makes its way to the trail. It looks around once in the larger clearing, licking the air with its long forked tongue. It appears as if it is about to start heading north. Mr. Nehru breaths a sigh of relief as he puts Bonnies proffered water skin to his lips to take a long drink.

Actions?

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

Bonnie whispers to Hrothgar. "You see that thing around its neck? It almost looks like a collar. Do you think this thing is domesticated?"

She waits and watches as the lizard comes a bit closer. She wants to see what is on its neck.

[OGRE MAGE]

Loggers Trail
Godsday, 9th of Goodmonth
Late Morning, Warm, Humid, Buggy

The clearly injured huge lizard moves up the trail to the north, passing the spot where Bonnie and Hrothgar are hiding. The leather strap around the beasts neck definitely looks like a harness or collar of some kind.

Actions?

[Bluehorse]

Liam

Pets Fiona to keep her calm and quiet. He remains still and studies the lizard, looking for anything specific like markings on it or the collar, what kind of injury it has, evidence that it might make some kind of aggressive motion.

[OGRE MAGE]

The wounds on the lizard appear to be fairly fresh as a little bit of blood still trickles from a few of them.

They look as though they were made by a spear or sword, though there is also obvious bruising along the entire length of the battered animal.

The creatures mouth and cheeks are also badly cut and bruised, these injuries seem to be the most fresh.

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

Bonnie winks at Hrothgar. "You said you wanted some action, right? Give me a hand if this goes wrong." She steps out onto the trail and tries to jump on the back of the horse sized lizard.

[OGRE MAGE]

That will require a Very Hard Dex check, please. [5d6]

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

Very Hard Check (18): [5d6] = 19

[OGRE MAGE]

Loggers Trail
Godsday, 9th of Goodmonth
Late Morning, Warm, Humid, Buggy

While the others wisely stay put right where they are, Bonnie tries out her wrangling skills. She leaps from the underbrush, attempting to mount the clearly injured lizard. She is able to get to it right before it takes off, leaping up to try to grab onto its back like a horse. There she sees just how bad the poor things injuries are. She can tell it has many broken ribs and more injuries to its upper back. She can see where a harness or some kind of yoke was attached to it at one time by the cuts and bruises all along its back. When she tries squeezing onto it for a better grip, it only intensifies its flight mechanism even more.

Once the beast takes off up the trail, it bucks her violently and the elf flies off, landing painfully on her ass on the hard logs of the path.

As the lizard bounds away, Hrothgar laughs at the antics. "You want I should rub that soreness for you a little?"

Actions?

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

Her pride as bruised as her ass, Bonnie stands and stretches the kinks out. "You know, I might take you up on that later. You look like you have strong hands." Bonnie eyes the large human then calls out for Liam. "Hey! It's gone."

"When I was...examining...the creature I noticed that it seems to have been used as a beast of burden. It has marks that indicate such. Lots of broken bones. Part of me wants to say that it escaped from those dwarves, who undoubtedly mistreated it."

[Bluehorse]

Liam

Had already come out from his hiding place after seeing the rodeo. He looked up the trail where the lizard had run. Then looked down at the ground to examine the beast's footprints, then looks where the lizard came from as well as where it is heading again. Lizards the size of horses and used as draft animals. There's something... I agree. But I wonder if it was mistreated so or if something else happened... maybe the dwarves themselves were attacked and the lizard was caught int he fray? Take it from me... most people who take the time to raise, care for, and train an animal, much less get used to the benefit of having them, will rarely treat them like that. No. I think this is a clue to something more happening here. The way I see it... we are already heading up the trail... lets track this animal while we are at it and if we can, catch it... much more calmly... If we can come back here returning what I am sure would be considered valuable property... and knowing what I know of dwarves and their ideas of property, it might be our in to more diplomatic relations with at least someone in that colony. What do you all think?

[OGRE MAGE]

Loggers Trail
Godsday, 9th of Goodmonth
Late Morning, Warm, Humid, Buggy

The injured giant lizard bounds off up the trail as the conversation continues. Liam watched the lizard come form the western trail and escape to the north, up the loggers trail. The tracks he searches for confirms this.

Mr. Nehru shakes his head at Liam's idea. "The dwarves on the beach were NOT much on negotiating. Or even talking, for that matter. I doubt they would be too keen on diplomatic relations."

He watches the lizard disappear around a bend in the trail. "If we are going to track that thing, perhaps we better go soon?"

Actions?

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

Bonnie makes a show of rubbing her own ass as she speaks. "Sure. We're going that way anyway. I saw an opportunity and I took it. It didn't work out."

"Let's keep going. We can think of a more elegant way to trap it as we go."

[Bluehorse]

Liam

Onward and upward it would be then. he gestures up the trail and begins walking.

[OGRE MAGE]

Up The Loggers Trail
Godsday, 9th of Goodmonth
Noonish, Hot, Humid, Buggy

The group sets out again up the trail towards the north. They walk along for another short time, still keeping track of the important parts of the mapping as they go. They aren't able to catch up to the much faster lizard, and that creature is soon out of sight up the trail in front of them. After about another hour of hiking, Bonnie knows that they are nearing the clearing where she found the loggers shack earlier in her travels.

Hrothgar stays alert and only watches Bonnies ass when he is sure she isn't looking. He keeps his sword out now that the group draws near to their first checkpoint. Mr. Nehru finally stops and turns to Bonnie again.

"I hope this trek is nearing its end. I am already exhausted from this heat. Can I bother you for another drink of your water? I didn't think to bring any of my own and I have developed a powerful thirst out here in this humid jungle."

Hrothgar takes another short swig from his own skin, looking at Liam and his huge hound, wondering if they are actually part camel. The dog is really starting to look thirsty now.

Actions?

The group is now less than a half hour from the loggers shack.

[Bluehorse]

Liam

He had not bargained on the trail being this long. And he hated to admit it, but despite all his careful planning, he had not brought a waterskin. He began looking for sources of water, like dew trapped in leaves etc as they walked. Anything he found he would bring over Fiona to slack her thirst.

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

She turns to Nehru and smiles. "Of course. The jungle is a bit unpleasant, especially the first few times. We'll take a rest just up ahead." She offers her waterskin to the younger gentleman.

As they walk, she sidles up next to Hrothgar and whispers "Be extra vigilant. There was some unpleasantness the last time I was here."

She notices Liam foraging for dew. "There may be a store of water at the shack. I never was good at the whole woodsy thing, myself."

[OGRE MAGE]

Up The Loggers Trail
Godsday, 9th of Goodmonth
Slightly After Noonish, Hot, Humid, Buggy

Fiona pants hard, not having a drink of water in this heat for several hours now. Liam searches the sides of the trail for any drinkable water as they travel. He has heard of vines and bamboo that can store water, and he knows that large leaves sometimes act as natural water catches in the jungle. If it were early in the morning, he might have found a little water to share with his dog, but out here at high noon, in this heat, any water that was around has already evaporated back into the moist environs.

Bonnie tries not to enjoy the scene too much, telling her bodyguard to stay alert once they get closer to the loggers shack. She mentions to Liam that there may be water at the shack where they are hoping to take a short rest soon.

Pressing further north, the group continues walking through the uncomfortable conditions, hoping the elf is correct about the stored water. The group walks another half hour or so before they spot the clearing they seek up ahead. Stopping about 100 feet from the shack, the group sees movement through the trees there. At least 4 human sized figures are wandering about the shack and clearing. None of them appear to be talking or making noise of any kind.

Actions?

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

Bonnie holds up her fist and crouches low. She quietly switches to her bow and whispers. "I'm assuming these are hostile. Let's get a closer look." She starts creeping forward at the very edge of the trail, trying to get closer without being seen.