The Unseen Servant forums

Dawg Dann

Taking the advantage of a break,"Well I be stripped off and I ain't going to get any wetter. C'mon Whiskers," he says and after the boat pulls into a shallow part of the creek he will duck under the water and check out the hull of the barge. He takes his spear-type weapon with him for protection and begins to test for soundness and scrapes away any fresh water barnacles too. He stays under the water for an inordinate amount of time, surely someone can't hold his breath that long? Yet in the clear waters you can see him swim or float, cheek muscles bulging with air. By his side he has some pouches, one of which contains a large conch type shell. Finally he breathes out, bubbles rise to the surface unlike the logger who sucks in fresh air from the shell.

After checking and giving the watchers a thumbs up, he returns to the barge and the beer and the drier clothes. As a choice I would give the squid time to go hunting elsewhere. It may not be as easy to frighten away next time. So a journey through 'the boonies' is fine with me.

The tranquil creek.

The team bond over some ale and fried calamari. Even Whiskers enjoys a morsel or two. In the shallows Dawg Dann can check the boat from any sprung leaks from the pressure of constricting tentacles. The cypress plankwood 'Crocodawg' is sound and and as creaky or leaky as before. The wet clothes are hand wrung and steamed but still damp. Galmit gets healed up, his wounds closing by divine blessing and sealing a crescent scar over the chunk of flesh bitten off him.

There is no rippling wake of water to announce the predatory squid has returned to the creek. It possibly has knowledge of many suitable feeding grounds. The primates are unknown to you. Sloth like with rusty orange fur and the largest at least as tall as a man. Griswold studies them and picks up they must be omnivorous from large canines and incisors displayed from yawning mouths. It seems even when they do that, their jaws dislocate and spread wide as if melting in an unearthly silent scream. Certainly brave apes in the tribe gather small fish from the still waters and chomp on long earthworms pulled from the mud. You note that they have some kind of organisation for some 'watch' while others feed. Their dark eyes look like large black bruises and have hateful simian frowns. There are no obvious 'alpha' males, all look equally dominant. Some creep along branches to hoot or yap at you from a distance but since neither threaten the other, border wars don't break out.

After the break, rowing continues. This time with just one pair at the oars, dipping light strokes to sneak the barge through the backwaters. Dawg Dann takes his peavey to fend floating logs from the prow. Even during the midday hours, the creek is very overshadowed by the tall boughs and thick canopy. You tack parallel to the river, navigating around buttressed trees and large reed beds. As you get further into the swamp, you begin to notice on your right, intermittent rubble remains. Perhaps former stone houses built along the riverbanks. Most are totally covered over in lichens and moss, not more than chest height and derelict.

The progress is slow but the barge has a draft shallow enough to stay above underwater branches. The cypress groves line the river bank to a depth of a couple of miles at least. Muddy reed covered banks and small rocky islands allowing patches of firmer ground. Upon one, basking lethargically are some large crocodiles. Some watch you go by with disinterest, others crawl off the bank to submerge beneath murkier waters. A warning then that dangers lurk.

Zig-zagging east between the trees and you spot a stone jetty. Old cut stone that perhaps formed the base for a longer wooden platform, now fallen and washed away. Beyond the stone jetty a decrepit building stands. The roof at one end broken through by a spreading tree. A thin line of wispy grey smoke leaks from a gable the other side.

actions please

Golgarth

"I don't think the boglings use fire? A campfire or cooking stove? Indicts people at least. Let us take a sneaky look."

Perhaps the most silent of us will be Tollander? Sneak ahead, I will follow behind. Dawg guard the boat, we might need to retreat ( well that don't sound right to an aspiring Baudh knight), others spread around the side of the room with the tree.

An action plan. Any objections or other ideas?

"Sounds fair", say Griswold. He will approach by the east side, spear in hand

Dawg Dann

Pitches the bow of the barge up against the stone jetty and ties off a rope to secure it. "Sure you go explore and I'll come running if you call, and vice versa too." He watches for threats from the water and if any 'floating logs' crocodiles want to try to surprise us.

Galmit "Fair enough. Yah sneakier types go do what ya do I'll wait ere I aint that light on me feet."

"Sounds like a plan", Tollander replies. "Maybe you should stay a little way behind me so we don't make too much noise".

The cleric leaves his staff in the boat and walks slowly up the jetty, as quietly as he can. Before he reaches the building he takes a few moments to scan the surrounding area. Smoke might be bait to lure us in, he thinks to himself.

If there are no obvious threats, he approaches the building even more carefully. He pauses to listen for any noise coming from within. Once he reaches the structure, he tries to find any small small holes or gaps that might allow him to see inside.

Tollander recalls his training "Beware the light that illuminates the dark". If he does find any holes, he's careful not to stand where he would block the incoming sunlight and thus reveal his presence outside.

Sten Danilmaga

The cleric quietly waits on the shore, intoning a quiet pray and waiting for the scout to return

Ruin in the creek.

A plan is put into place. Tollander sneaks ahead of Golgarth and Griswold who fan out a short distance behind. They use the waist high clumps of reeds to crouch behind and wait for any signal from the scouting monk. Tollander surveys the two storey ruin and creeps up to the east side where the tree has broken through the roof. Looking through a former window frame you can see the entire ceiling of the room has fallen from the trees centuries old growth. Rubble litters the floor under the green canopy of leaves. The room buzzes with large flies and creeping insects which gather about the viscerated legless remains of a large toad like figure.

A broken interior doorway opposite you, leads into the next room. The source of the wispy smoke indicated by the smell of a cooking hearth. Some inhuman grunts and language is faintly heard from within. At least two distinct guttural sounds.

Looking up you figure that you could climb the tree to gain access through a broken wall into the room above them if you so chose.

Outside the ruin, the duo wait for any signal. To the right the treeline thins and opens up into marshland before, miles away the ridge of hills marking the Yoldessi plains rises as a border. To the left and around the front of the ruin are the remnants of some activity, a leather belt casually hanging from a low branch, the broken shaft of a spear.

Back at the barge, Dawg Dann, [Sten] and Galmit stay alert for cries of battle and help. The creek is quiet until a couple of mallards take to a sudden flight behind you.

Dawg Dann

hushes the other pair, signalling for them to crouch in the long grasses or reed beds. "If something is out there I can't see it." He readies his peavey against any intruders intent on stalking them or sabotaging the barge. Could just be nervy wildfowl getting ready for the south migration. Or Ole Beaky or a croc?

He points a finger to Whiskers who sniffs the air, his olfactory senses a good way to alert us of dangers.

Tollander looks at the clues around him and tries to join the dots. Somebody was outside. Human or similar. Piece of clothing. Broken weapon.

Now there's definitely something inside. More than one. And they don't sound human.

I reckon somebody met a bad end here. Might even be roasting over that fire inside.

He waves to his companions to move up slowly, while he considers his next move.

Galmit whom has remained silent the entire time since the sneakier folk went to scout the dwarf looks around for whatever might have sent the mallards into flight.

Nervous, Griswold will just wait to see if he can get a clue about what creature may lurk inside. He remain undercover

Golgarth

Kisses the edge of his drawn sword, he creeps to the monk trained pugilist. The smell of the body and flies is not good.

"Any tricks we can use for a distraction? Do you want to climb the tree and access the room above or favour a frontal assault ... I mean appearance?"

Ruins in the creek.

The team wait, contemplating next moves. The scout three make it to the broken wall of the ruin, peering over rubble into an insect infested room, in the centre of which a large tree grows and flourishes, pushing rafters and roofing away from its spreading limbs.

Discerning some other limbs may be spread across a cooking spit, they debate. Climb the tree into the room above, sneak past the grubs, face them down from the front door?

Back at the barge Whiskers chirps, an alert. But the foe is unseen. Galmit doesn't sense anything with his infravision. The waters are cold and distant birds give just a faint hue as they roost. Even the logs which float by alarmingly conspicuous are just logs not crocs. The barge trio breath a sigh of relief.

next actions please.

Golgarth points to the insects crawling over the half body tossed there. "Is that a large toad or one of the boglings?"

I called the trip. Feeling it is not right to ask others to take a risk he wouldn't do himself, Golgarth will sneak as best he can in mail armour, around the rear of the property and peer into the next room through the nearest window or door.

A river troll attacked the loggers before so thinking that sort of creature is munching on 'frog's legs' within, he will attack any such creature without hesitation.

Paralyzed by indecision, Tollander finally shakes it off. He considers climbing the tree, but without a rope he has no way to haul anyone up after him. He doubts any of them would try to climb a tree in heavy armor.

Seeing Golgarth move off, Tollander follows him as quietly as he can.

Galmit decides to follow Trollander and Golgarth trying to be as stealthy as possible.

Dawg Dann

Pets Whiskers and tells him to stay put. The otter barks back, runs around his feet then, shaking his coat dry, takes a place by the stove.

"Okay, well let's go look see with them." He says tapping Sten and following after Golgarth.

Sneak in the creek.

Assessing the situation the trio of forward scouts decide to sneak around the rear of the property and inspect the insides from outsides. Tightly gripping swords, medallions and holy symbols in clenched fists they pass along the side of the house. It is very overgrown with lichen and climbing ivy. The stone is chipped and yellowed with swamp stains and the grass is boggy so that your footsteps seem to squelch in the ankle deep mud. Still stepping as light toed as mailed warriors can you make it to broken window frames which must be in the alcoves either side of the chimney hearth. Blackening faces with some dirt, you peer through the creeping vines and spy into the interior of a sitting room. A stone flagged floor of a room about 20ft' wide and 30ft' long. The chimney breast is in the centre of the wall and must be quite open for some spit roasting is going on over a makeshift fire. One humanoid figure is turning the spit, pouring a jar of some liquid spices over the skinned meat while another sits on a bench made of logs nailed to some stools. A larger figure, larger by some height grunts by the front doorway, holding a long rolled brown leaf stuffed with grainy flakes, it's tip turning to ash and embers as he smokes whilst he nods to some other unseen guttural speaker. The large figure has pale blue-green skin that shimmers with a dampness and his overlarge feet and hands look webbed between their toes and fingers. Big trout pout lips puff out rings of smoke. The shorter figures, not short be any means they are certainly man sized, are dressed in simple garb and outfitted with what appears to be homemade armour, some shiny gloss black carapace. A couple of large round turtle shell shields are on the floor. Also in the room is a broken open staircase which ascends to the room above. Years of decay has rotted any semblance of furniture in the room, most of it tossed onto the fire or through the doorway into the 'tree room' next door.

The rear trio leave the comfort of the barge to follow behind the scouts but have lost sight of their progress. They walk through the reed beds and suddenly a small dry twig goes snap underfoot. Ordinarily it would be nothing but the sudden sound alerts the two figures by the doorway who step out to scan the creek, the larger one muttering and spitting on the floor indifferent but the smaller one seems more urgent in his attentions. The trio duck when the branch is snapped and can grouse later as to whose fault it was. But for now you can choose to remain still and hidden or rush the figures by the doorway.

Similarly, noting the two humanoids move out of the room means the sneaking trio can act in reaction to what they see.

So next actions please everyone, and attack rolls if you make them