D100 roll: 58

D100 roll 21

Thanks to the thick mud, even the rain could not wash away the trail of footsteps and thick wagon wheel ruts of the Khaasta. Ahead of you lies a land undiscovered. The clouds clear away, and hot, humid breeze begins to drive the metallic haze from the air. Do you begin your pursuit?

Misha begins walking along the tracks and the trail.

Barkas begins the pursuit and follows Misha.  

These tracks are clear to see.  Let's try to not leave any ourselves.  Barkas can cast with his staff at will pass without trace, he casts this on the party so that we hopefully remain unobserved...

Simply put, travel is a slog. It's humid. It's miserable. The mud sticks to everything. For the first few hours, the terrain is flat and boring. Monotony is setting in, though, at last, on the horizon, a mountain range comes into view. Just after lunch, you make your ways into the mountains, following the Khaasta path. The mud is slowly giving way to dirt and sand. As of now, the trail remains easy to follow. If the way turns to stone, though, things may get tougher. Eventually, as dusk begins to come once again, you find yourselves deep in a mountain range, weaving along a path, likely created by these Khaasta. Fortunately, the skies remain clear and you find yourselves slowing your travels in an area that includes a number of pools...some with hot spring-like waters; the others bubbling a crude, tar-like substance that is an off-dark greenish color. 

The mud is slowly giving way to dirt and sand."

"Finally.... I'm so tired of all this mud, it's enough to stop an undead kraken in its tracks!"  

Eventually, as dusk begins to come once again, you find yourselves deep in a mountain range, weaving along a path, likely created by these Khaasta.

"Best keep a keen eye out, being on this mountain pass with the sun setting and all..." She says as they pass by a bubbling hot spring.  "Those are interesting... " Ada stops for a moment and observes the crude off-dark greenish tarlike substance as it bubbles - "What do you think that is?"

Barkas, with much trepidation and doubts as to his potential success, edges over to the greenish tarlike substance and tries to examine it, to see if there is anything akin to it in his known universe.  

Survival :  9

Now, see, Daetris enjoys a good tracking of a creature. There's something about being able to follow something's trail all the way to where the creature finally resides. Something satisfying, if she's honest. But this is ridiculous. There is mud caked on her boots that she's sure will never come off, and there appears to be no real end to this trail in sight. As the day's continued, she's stayed quiet - keeping most of her grumbling internal. But she is grateful for the break in the sheer monotony as they find these pools, whatever they may be.

Her nose twitches a little as she resists the urge to push Barkas in as he stands nearer the pool. It's something she's done loads of times to her own siblings, a very natural reaction. But not until they know what the substance is, at least. Her hands twitch, but she keeps them at her sides. "What are you thinking, Barkas?"

Kel softly hums to himself as the group travels along the trail, he is used to walking for long periods of time having been traveling the land for the last four years.  The mud is bothersome but why worry about it when there is nothing to be done about it.  He's glad for the decent weather and excellent company.  Coming upon the pools he stops to look them over, always curious to see new things.    

Barkas studies the bubbling crude -- sniffing, poking and, yes, maybe even tasting. The dwarf concludes that despite its odd color, the slime is organic in nature and much like tar. It's possible just the strange makeup of the surrounding elements and such have affected the coloring. It's harmless, if not hot and sticky. 

"Hm. Like mud bath. Good for skeen." Misha mused.

"Hm. Like mud bath. Good for skeen."

Chuckling a bit at Misha's comment "The mud... maybe... but this stuff... just looks like slimy sticking hot greenish tar.... I don't think there's any good use for this stuff"

“This.... “ Barkas pauses for effect “is tar.  Potentially flammable.  Definitely not edible.”  He turns to look at it... “Potentially the source of the fart smell around here.”  He spins with a twirl, like he was giving a lecture, of material that you all know.  “Applied properly, can be good for your skin, if you had an eczematous or psoriatic condition.  But this doesn’t help us.”   Bored faces meet Barkas.  “Let us be on!”

With a raised eyebrow, Ada looks at Misha and laughs a bit "Looks like you were right, it IS good for the skin.... who knew."

Misha smiled. She liked this one. Was brave, and wanted to conquer. "Meesha ees no smart, but sometimes lucky. HA!"

ACHERON
AVALAS, THE FIRST LAYER
13 YEARS AGO

Acheron is the Plane of War. It is made up of numerous immense iron cubes of various size floating in infinite space, very different than other places I have been. It has four main layers. But, it is my home. When I was 13, by His Command, I was allowed to visit the different cubes of Acheron. Avalas, the first layer, is where I spent most of my training to fulfill my destiny as a Prime. It is often called "The Battlefield".  It contains the highest density of metal cubes and is thus host to the most fighting on the plane. The cubes are dotted with fortresses and covered with battlefields, hence the nickname. Collisions between the cubes causes them to break apart in to smaller cubes, thus, the smallest cubes are the oldest on the layer.

Taetanicus, The Great Legion Commander, the one responsible for my military training, took me one day on my thirteenth birthday to see the edge of the Cube. I remember that day like it was yesterday, and when he showed me it was unlike anything I had seen in my life. The Infinite Battlefield. My home. When Taetanicus spoke, his voice rumbled and shook my core. I have a deep respect for him. He made me strong. He made me tough. He taught me discipline and forged me into a weapon of Conquest. "Acheron is the bridge between the ultimate order of Nirvana and the regimented evil of the Nine Hells, the Great Enemy. As such, each layer is emphasized order over evil. You were created NOT to be a pawn in this War, but something greater - a Daughter of Conquest. Your destiny has been written long ago. Soon, you will fulfill it.

"With your great wisdom, I understand, Commander." I said, genuflecting. It was the best birthday ever.

Misha remembered the memory fondly, this place reminding her of a time long ago. While Acheron was not famous for it's mudflats or oozepools, the sky and the smells did not have the same effect on her as it was having on her new comrades.

After exploring the tar pits, Barkas urges the group to press on.  "We don't want to camp next to these tar pits, I have a bad feeling here."  We press on marching for the next hour and then search for a camp site after marching for an additional hour.  

Barkas asks for Misha's help to find a camp site, she seems less bothered than him by the change in the stars and strange smells of this land.  

Survival w/adv :  16

As the sun begins to set behind the mountains, Barkas and Misha team up to find a comfortable -- well as comfortable as this gods-forsaken land allows -- spot among a crop of low trees at the base of one of the mountains. Through teamwork, a quick campsite is set up. Who's on watch and when? Once determined, I need Perception checks for the watch teams in order.