Seri Survival plus Guidance:  14 + 1 = 15

Despite being a "native" of the Windward Isles, the oceanic elf looks completely out of place in the thick jungle.  The sweat that appears on her brow looks a bit like sea foam.  Panting, she nevertheless tries to do her part to keep track of which way the party has come and look for ways forward.

(Seri does not remember to do anything in particular with the supplies or documents.  She may not even have known about the documents.)

OOC: I feel like William was the one interacting with the documents, but I could be wrong

William swatted a fly that had landed on his arm. He felt like that was all he had been doing for the past couple of hours: nothing more than swatting flies, one after another, until he could not tell the difference between his skin being red from slapping it or a myriad of insect bites running across his entire body. Were it not for his sense of duty he felt he would have turned around at this point. The beach had less to offer but at least it did not have flies.

He tried to use his rapier as well as he could to cut through the underbrush. Alas, the weapon was made for piercing flesh and William soon found himself cursing every so often of not taking a machete along. To his credit he never expected to be marooned on an unknown island but life had a way of surprising you.

At the edge of a rocky canopy the group paused. William took the moment to get a swig from his water flask. He wiped his mouth and looked around. The surroundings were lush, beautiful even, and he had the feeling that his dad would greatly enjoy the scenery and perhaps the chance to hunt. That was if they ever managed to encounter something other than bloody flies.

Nature check: 10

Thea's attempt to climb a tree results in little more than grazed flesh and frustration. She has little idea where she is, how far you have travelled or in which direction, other than upwards.

William's unfamiliarity with the terrain and the vegetation leaves him fairly clueless about most of what he sees as you struggle through it and up the hill, though he does notice some wild Setroka here and there.

Kairouani, on the other hand, has a much keener eye for the local flora, and identifies some Manasitana flowers, known for their restorative properties if prepared correctly, crushed and steeped in boiling water.

Seri, despite the thick jungle, largely impenetrable canopy, and your mazy route through it, has a pretty good mental picture of how far you've come and in what direction. She could likely navigate back the way you came if necessary, though the trail you've left could be followed by any halfway-competent tracker.

As you stand on the edge of the ravine observing your surroundings (or trying and failing to climb a tree), Seri half-notices a shape in the shadows on the far side. It must have moved, which caught her peripheral vision, and for a moment she thinks there might be a person over there. But as she turns to look, there is nothing. Just trees. It must have been some kind of animal, presumably, but it did seem quite humanoid...

A monkey swings into view nearby and perches on a branch, its long, dextrous tail coiled around it. The creature is holding a mango and it starts tearing at the soft flesh with its fingers and then taking great bites of it. You see wickedly sharp canine teeth as mango juice courses down a hairy chin. Whilst engaged in this gastronomic enterprise, its eyes are fixed on you. It seems curious.

"There!  Across, I saw..."  Seri trails off as her eyes scan the far side of the ravine.  "They are gone, or hidden now.  But I believe I saw someone moving on the other edge just now.  I do not know they were human or... in any case, we should be watchful if we cross.  If we can cross, that is..."

She trails off again as the hungry monkey appears.  Instinctively first summoning her invisible telekinetic Mage Hand to swat away any attempt the primate might make to swipe her or or her companions' gear, she muses:

"If this monkey waits for me to complete a boon Trondro has granted me, I may be able to communicate with them, hoping to gain information if there is a way across.  Or ask them if there are other humanoids such as us living on this island.  Perhaps in exchange for some more food."

Seri begins murmuring and gesturing to ritually cast Speak with Animals, concentrating carefully as she is unused to being so far from the sea.

Kairouani, gathered a dozen or so of the Manasitana flowers, she regarded the simian dubiously.......she had had mixed relations with such creatures in the past.

Thea kicks the tree in frustration, resulting in a stubbed toe. She hops around in pain for a second then rights herself. 

"You... you can talk to animals?" Thea asks Seri.

Having been only an acolyte at her temple and not authorized to cast rituals, Seri looks suddenly absurdly guilty at Thea's question.  Clearly the sea elf is not supposed to be doing a few of the things she has been doing since washing ashore on the island.  In truth, Seri looks up to Thea almost as much as she does to Kairouani and to William, considering them all her elders (maturity-wise), even though Seri's actual age as an elf may be greater than any of them.  In Thea's case, it is because of the young Aseri woman's courage to forge her own path away from home and authority, as Seri is just starting to do.

She merely nods lamely:  "I am not... it was not my role at the temple to perform such rituals, nor the one to purify the food and water.  But I feel a connection to Trondro ever since the storm.  Something has changed, and I feel I can never go back.  In truth, I have never even needed the ritual to speak to beasts of the sea.  But for this monkey, I require Trondro's aid..."

As Seri finishes the Speak with Animals ritual, if the monkey is still watching, she uses her Mage Hand to hold a copper piece 30' from the monkey's grasp, up in the air, and begins to speak in the beasts language, chattering and whooping and gesturing with her hands in simian fashion.

She offers the monkey the shiny plaything that it has hopefully never seen before (copper piece) in exchange for information:
- Do any others who walk on two legs inhabit this island, and if so, which direction are their dwellings.
- Is there a way suitable for two legged ones to cross the ravine that the monkey has seen.
- Is there great danger nearby (and if so, of what nature) that should be avoided.
(She offers 1cp for answers to each of the above questions, delivered at a distance using her Mage Hand).

William watched the birds pass by before turning his attention to the latest development. A monkey had appeared and was biting down on some fruit. He did not know much about them other than the occasional captain would have one as a trained pet. They fit better into small spaces, one would say. William did not much care for it. He doubted that his mother would approve of him holding one on his shoulder anyway.

It was Thea's words that piqued his interest. 'Please, I know some people would be delighted to actually understand their pet but-' He promptly shut his trap when seeing Seri initiate some kind of communication with the beast. He was equally curious as to how this would turn out and what, in the gods' good names, a monkey would have to talk about.

As Seri breaks into chittering, screeching sounds, the monkey is so startled that it drops its half-chewed mango. The pulped fruit lands at Seri's feet. The creature stares at the elf for a few moments in apparent disbelief, then its gaze shifts to the hovering coin. It glances back and forth a few times, then responds in a stream of noises similar to the ones that Seri is making. The meaning, as far as Seri can make out, is something along the lines of:

You look like the grey two legs, but you move like monkeys. 

If you want to cross the ravine you should head that way (an extended arm indicates that 'that way' is east).

You're on its territory and you'd better get off before it calls the rest of its family and things get ugly. Clumsy two legs get chased away.

With that, the monkey leaps and snatches the coin out of the air. It lands on another branch and scampers higher up into the canopy, clutching its prize to its chest. It stares down at you malevolently. It seems to be implying that now's your chance to leave and if you don't take it, it's going to raise the alarm.

Seri nods at the monkey as serenely as she can, then turns to her companions, a note of urgency coming into her voice.

"Not the friendliest creature I have conversed with, but intelligent.  I can tell you which questions I asked, and the responses.  But I also sense we will receive no more, and that we may be in peril very soon."

"I asked whether any others who walk on two legs inhabit this island, and if so, which direction are their dwellings.  To this, the monkey responded that we look like 'the grey two legs', but that we 'move like monkeys'.  I am uncertain who or what 'the grey two legs' is or if there are more than one."

"I asked if there is a way suitable for two legged ones to cross the ravine that the monkey has seen, and the monkey responded that to cross, we should proceed in the direction that it pointed, which I believe is to the east, that way."

"I asked whether there is great danger nearby (and if so, of what nature) that should be avoided, and the monkey responded that we are 'on its territory' and we had 'better get off before it calls the rest of its family and things get ugly' saying that 'clumsy two legs', meaning us I think, soon 'get chased away'.  And now the monkey seems to be conveying that the monkey themselves will raise an alarm if we do not depart.  Perhaps east?"

Seri comes to a stop, somewhat breathless.  Ready to move east in the direction the monkey indicated, but looking to the others.

Thea sits in silence for a second, looking at her daggers (I just stab stuff. but she can talk to animals? how am I even important?) 

"Well, I'm sure these 'grey two legs' are no match for the likes of us. I shall scout ahead as we move east, as long as no one objects." Thea then begins stealthing towards the east, slipping in and out fo the jungle, knives drawn, alert for danger.

Stealth: 8

Perception: 7

Kairouani nodded, " Lets get moving then."

Thea leads off to the east along the edge of the ravine. Tucking into the treeline to avoid the direct heat of the sun, she surprises the native islanders with her ability to slip silently through the tangle of leaves, vines, and branches. When she puts her mind to it, she puts the lie to the monkey's apparent description of her kind as 'clumsy.' So deftly does she move through the greenery, in fact, that before long she approaches a small reddish-brown deer without it noticing her. The creature is chewing on some leaves and appears alert to the sights or sounds of predators, yet despite this, it seems entirely unaware of Thea's proximity.

The rest of the group follows at a distance, allowing Thea the space to use her agility and keen senses to scout ahead without interference. The monkey watches you depart without making any further protestations.

As Thea watches the deer, neither she nor the unfortunate creature notices the Jaguar that had been stalking it. That is, until the cat explodes out of the undergrowth with extraordinary speed and athleticism. Thea sees a blur of tawny fur and a flash of teeth a heartbeat before the deer reacts.

DM roll: 10

It is too late. A consummate hunter, the Jaguar snaps the deer's neck in one swift movement and stands with the limp body hanging from its powerful jaws. It too, fails to notice Thea lurking silently a mere 20 feet away.

Thea remembers the cats last night, how they nearly killed her. For a second, she flashes with anger. how could that jaguar do that? that deer didn't do anything to them. Then, she remembers how that was the cycle of things: the strong thrive and the weak suffer. She reports the jaguar to the party.

"I saw a deer up ahead. then one of those cats snapped its neck and began eating it. should we go around?"

" Best to avoid it though I doubt it will be hungry for a while yet.", Kairouani noted.

Seri has never seen a jaguar before arriving on this primeval island, but something about the way the large predator hunts resonates with deep memories she has of large predators of the oceans.  She instinctively knows how deadly it can be to surprise such a predator as it captures its prey or immediately afterwards - to appear in any sense to be a threat to compete with it for its hard-earned catch.

"I agree with Kairouani.  Surprising the jaguar just after its hunt seems unwise.  We should skirt around, giving it a wide berth, continuing onward to the point the monkey suggested we could traverse the ravine.  Once we are well clear, I can attempt to speak with the birds in the trees to ask advice."

Nevertheless, something sticks in Seri's mind about having seen the three jaguars, and before them the birds of prey, the Ankoai, approaching the party boldly the previous day (and night).  Could they have been scouting on behalf of these "grey two legs" to whom the monkeys referred?  Are they... trained?

Seri attempts to help Kairouani and Thea steer clear of the jaguar, while still observing the beast's behavior, including whether it appears to be eating its kill or taking it somewhere.  She imagines it might be difficult for even a big cat such as this to drag an entire deer carcass far.  She wonders whether it may be trained to return with its kill by these grey humanoids, and if so, might it be trained to attack the party.  Reaching out to Trondro for guidance.

Seri Survival (or Perception or Insight, same bonus) plus Guidance:  21 + 4 = 25

(Note that Speak with Animals, once the ritual is complete, does not require concentration, so she can cast Guidance, which does).

William stared at Seri for a couple of seconds trying to process the entire talking to animals ordeal. 'You got all that... from a monkey?' He asked slowly to make sure he was not dreaming. He sighed. He might have suffered a heat stroke for all he knew but if it could help them manoeuvre around the island, he would take it. 

The directions were fine but it was the other part of the conversation that worried William. 'Grey and walks on two legs but not like us?' His mind cycled through a variety of creatures he had seen or heard of but he came up blank. The best he could do was perhaps a greyscaled lizard of some sort but those usually did not walk on two legs. He gave up on the thought process. If push came to shove, he still had his weapons in hand and comrades at his side. With a shrug he resigned himself to taking directions from a wild simian and followed the others.

The deer and jaguar encounter gave William pause. The words law of the jungle flashed through his mind. Prey or predator. Kill or be killed.

'Yeah, let's go around it. I'd prefer to avoid as much trouble as possible with our limited resources.' Nonetheless he reached for his bow and held an arrow in hand just in case.

Once again, Thea sets out, blazing a trail pointed out by Seri (I'm assuming the 25 beats the DC to for a level one skill check. then again, Uhtred could be waiting to go hardcore on us and all the DCs will be like 30. Glad I'm a rogue with all those skills in that case. :p), She stealthily skirts around the jaguar, and keeps moving east, searching the edge of the ravine for a way across.

Stealth: 13

Perception: 9