With higher spirits and rested bones (and new fungi), the Snackers begin to plan for the days ahead. They know they'll have to give Volo some time to recover, so they agree they might as well engage in some additional island exploring and evil cleansing. They pick two or three spots for the next several days and land on revisiting the shipwrecks in High Horn as their first stop.
Before they can restart their exploration, however, there are a few things to check in Ahoyhoy. The group replenishes their rations (1gp for a pair) as they see fit and check on Volo. The human man is doing slightly better and has regained some color on his cheeks, but there is still a long way to go. Rhogal wonders if he might be able to help speed up the healing process, but Hun suspects that time might still be the best remedy.
Following some training with his new axe (a gift from Hun), Yulmiath rejoins the group just in time to hear the rest of his companions ponder on whether they had warned the locals about the dangers of the mud pools. Kairus confirms that he did just that and, if prodded, Mudgraw confirms it as well. The group checks to be sure Krodhen is ready to go as well and then heads out, confident they may no longer need the services of a guide.
(OOC: As I understand it, your planned route is from Ahoyhoy to High Horn, by way of the Mud Pits. Accounting for the time you may want to spend in the pools, you estimate this is going to be a 1.5-day trip. There is a footpath from Ahoyhoy to the Mud Pits, so there is no need to navigate the land. This is not the case for the second leg of your journey. If you do not take a guide with you, I'll ask for two separate survival checks.)
Hun may have been gifted much in his dreams, but the skills of a proper guide had not been one of them! He instead stayed true to form riding on the back of Mr. Thicc for optimal comfort and personal protection. Plus someone had to keep an eye out on the skies throughout the trip -- painful though it ever was for him -- least they be taken off guard by the islands abundant bird life!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Discussing a bit further, Hun admits not being one to lead the group through grassland or jungle, so the decision to whether or not hire a guide belongs to others. Rhogal is confident the group has earned enough experience exploring the island that they should be able to find their destinations without costly help.
Before leaving Ahoyhoy, Kairus finds a grateful merchant willing to offer a significant discount on foodstuffs and calls the rest of the group to the stall. Coconuts, wild fruits, leafy greens, scavenged tubers, dried and fresh fish, bird eggs, and even small reptilian jerky all make part of packed rations up for sale. It would seem Kwilgok's hunting and gathering party was quite successful in restocking the settlement. Some of these foods will last longer than others, but it is up to the party to sort that out.
-> As mentioned in the OOC Chat, this vendor is selling four rations for 1gp. You are welcome to buy as many as you'd like.
(OOC: I still need two survival checks since it sounds like the group is going back out without a guide.)
Rhogal pays a gold for the package deal. Again, he is confident in his ability to read the island. But, he gets some help from the fungal spores around him, just for assurance.
With their supplies refilled and their charge in good hands, the Snack Pack leaves the relative comforts of Ahoyhoy behind one more time. They leave through the northern gate, waving goodbye to the two tortle guards atop the rudimentary wall. The path from here is quite simple to follow. The tortles themselves make this trip to the Mud Pits with some frequency, so the path is well-trodden.
Flanked by thick jungle on both sides, the Snack Pack travels for hours under the direct heat of the sun. It is yet another sweltering jungle-hot day and the shade from nearby trees only helps a little. Drinking water from their waterskins and creeks is a must, but the group has spent enough days in the Snout of Omgar to know this already. Even Krodhen is slightly more used to wearing heavy armor in this environment, though it will never be comfortable.
Although the path is known, it is not short. A third of the day goes by before the party spots the Mud Pits in the distance. You wonder if you'll find Florrb here again, though you are quite certain that the creature was successfully sent back to the Elemental Plane of Earth with your help. Now, it is just a matter of remembering the mephit's exact instructions to bathing in his mud pits. Should the party do just so, they may benefit from a cleansing and invigorating mud bath before resuming their trip to High Horn.
"So uhh, there was something that we were meant to do here and something we were definitely not meant to do here, otherwise it's a trip to wherever Florrb came from, right?"
Yulmiath looks down at his feet and paws at the dirt beneath his boots, "But uhh, I can't remember what those things are and I don't need to see where Florrb came from."
"Hm?" Hun finally averts his attention from the accursedly bright heavens, which despite no longer hurting his eyes like before, still very much irritated him on at least a psychological level. "About the pool? Just don't be in it when there's ash about, Mr. Yully. Simple. Though if that impish punk Flurb or Florb or whatever he was called is there, he'll want another tribute of course." Hun sighed.
"But if he's wise, he'll have kept away from this area on his side, least he wind up stuck again. So, we shouldn't have worry about that." He further assured the dragonborn, and by extension of the group. "If any of you are that concerned though, you don't /have/ to get in. But I certainly am, seeing as we could use the break anyhow 'fore continuing on our way. I might not quite sweat like the rest of ya, but this atmosphere sucks!" He further asserts. And if there was no further objection to stopping by, Hun would spur Mr. Thicc to pick up the pace so that he'd reach the pools all the sooner for a dip!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"Ashes? Not flame? I thought we used a torch last time to open the portal to his plane." Kairus was looking at the mud with mild disgust. He did remember the refreshing feeling the group got after the "bath" but was not sure it was worth it. "You know, I will pass this time. Was curious enough last time but rather stay clean today. It's too far to the water still to go around all caked in mud."
He would stay on watch duty while others enjoy the mud.
After watching Hun (and any others who fancied it) get into the mud baths, Yulmiath waited a suitable amount of time - to check that none of them were being transported to some far off plane - before carefully folding up his clothes and slowly getting into the mud-bath himself.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Despite some confusion or forgetfulness about the exact do's and don'ts of the Mud Pits of Florrb, and in the absence of the mephit himself, the group seems to agree they need to be careful with open flames and/or ashes near the mud. It is easy enough to follow that step, especially for a party where each and every member rarely needs to use a torch. The choice to not bring a torch-wielding tortle guide along seems even more justified now.
Hun is the first to go into the mud after removing his clothing. Yulmiath waits a tad until the kobold and others are well relaxed within the mud pools before feeling comfortable enough to jump in himself. Kairus prefers to keep watch this time, not wanting to be caked in mud for the rest of the day. Mr. Thicc is unlikely to benefit from this treatment, so the construct is instructed to help the bard.
(OOC: I am assuming that Krodhen and Rhogal also take a mud bath.)
A full hour goes by before Hun feels the invigorating effects of the elemental mud douse his body. Soon, all other bathers enjoy a similar feeling.
-> All bathers gain temporary hit points until they are either spent or they complete a long rest:
Putting their clothes and armor back on while still keeping some of the soothing mud on their body is not exactly an easy task or a comfortable feeling. Kairus watches the rest of the party struggle with the task with a sense of amusement on his face. A good 20 or so minutes go by before the group is ready to depart the mud pits. Once ready, however, they slosh onward.
Perhaps least bothered of all, Rhogal takes the lead and guides the party through the deep jungle. Making sure to take guidance himself from the nature surrounding him, the druid maintains a path north with little issue. Despite the lack of a marked path, this portion of the trek is not necessarily a complicated one. Not only is Rhogal's directional sense on point, but also the hot sun's light has trouble directly reaching the traveling explorers through the thick canopy above, and the caked mud offers some relief as well. Despite the ever present sounds and smells of the forest, another third of the day goes by without the Snackers being bothered by the island's wildlife.
Around the time Rhogal begins to signal for someone else to take the lead, the group comes across that same lone mountain they discovered on their first trip to High Horn. As he had mentioned in Ahoyhoy earlier today, Hun reminds the group they had spotted a cave entrance in this mountain, it being the only feature of notice the rocky gray mountain had to offer. Here, the group pauses for a moment, wondering if they should explore this cave or if they'd prefer to keep hiking towards High Horn.
(OOC: This is the mountain in the bottom of hex {D5} in your map.)
"Mmn-knowing our luck, that cave will probably be another Geonid hideout."Hun admits as well after point out the mountain. "But given their habits, we could find something pretty valuable and interesting... Plus, we don't have a stupid canoe to worry 'bout this go around."He adds, rubbing his chin thought. "And its sorta on the way too, so.... what'cha say fellows? Up for a climb? If nothing else, it aughta be a bit cooler up there, and give us a nice view of the surroundings!"
Kairus sized the mountain, looking from under the hand to protect his eyes from the bright sun. "Honestly, I feel like I had enough of spelunking for the lifetime. But it is as you said - on the way. If you are eager to check that hole, sure, why not. How many cave monsters did we kill already? What's one more."
Yulmaith simply shrugs. "We can do another cave, not like the other stuff on our to-do list is going anywhere."
Rubbing his chin for a moment, he thinks back to their first encounter with the sea-monster stalking the wrecks at the shoreline. "Actually, if that sea-monster did fancy being somewhere else when we got round to it, that wouldn't be so bad."
"My take, we've seen several o' the caves an' had a samplin' of what they be offering. Rocky things, shiny snails, three-armed freaks an' disguised tentacle things. We're prolly more prepared to take on such things," Rhogal says.
Yulmaith shouders his greataxe and looks at the other Packers.
"Ready to go. Lead on Karius!"
With higher spirits and rested bones (and new fungi), the Snackers begin to plan for the days ahead. They know they'll have to give Volo some time to recover, so they agree they might as well engage in some additional island exploring and evil cleansing. They pick two or three spots for the next several days and land on revisiting the shipwrecks in High Horn as their first stop.
Before they can restart their exploration, however, there are a few things to check in Ahoyhoy. The group replenishes their rations (1gp for a pair) as they see fit and check on Volo. The human man is doing slightly better and has regained some color on his cheeks, but there is still a long way to go. Rhogal wonders if he might be able to help speed up the healing process, but Hun suspects that time might still be the best remedy.
Following some training with his new axe (a gift from Hun), Yulmiath rejoins the group just in time to hear the rest of his companions ponder on whether they had warned the locals about the dangers of the mud pools. Kairus confirms that he did just that and, if prodded, Mudgraw confirms it as well. The group checks to be sure Krodhen is ready to go as well and then heads out, confident they may no longer need the services of a guide.
(OOC: As I understand it, your planned route is from Ahoyhoy to High Horn, by way of the Mud Pits. Accounting for the time you may want to spend in the pools, you estimate this is going to be a 1.5-day trip. There is a footpath from Ahoyhoy to the Mud Pits, so there is no need to navigate the land. This is not the case for the second leg of your journey. If you do not take a guide with you, I'll ask for two separate survival checks.)
Hun may have been gifted much in his dreams, but the skills of a proper guide had not been one of them! He instead stayed true to form riding on the back of Mr. Thicc for optimal comfort and personal protection. Plus someone had to keep an eye out on the skies throughout the trip -- painful though it ever was for him -- least they be taken off guard by the islands abundant bird life!
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Rhogal reasons that they've been around the island enough that he's confident he know what's where.
Extended Signature
Discussing a bit further, Hun admits not being one to lead the group through grassland or jungle, so the decision to whether or not hire a guide belongs to others. Rhogal is confident the group has earned enough experience exploring the island that they should be able to find their destinations without costly help.
Before leaving Ahoyhoy, Kairus finds a grateful merchant willing to offer a significant discount on foodstuffs and calls the rest of the group to the stall. Coconuts, wild fruits, leafy greens, scavenged tubers, dried and fresh fish, bird eggs, and even small reptilian jerky all make part of packed rations up for sale. It would seem Kwilgok's hunting and gathering party was quite successful in restocking the settlement. Some of these foods will last longer than others, but it is up to the party to sort that out.
-> As mentioned in the OOC Chat, this vendor is selling four rations for 1gp. You are welcome to buy as many as you'd like.
(OOC: I still need two survival checks since it sounds like the group is going back out without a guide.)
Rhogal pays a gold for the package deal. Again, he is confident in his ability to read the island. But, he gets some help from the fungal spores around him, just for assurance.
Survival: 19
Guidance: 2
Extended Signature
At these prices, you'd be crazy not to buy some rations!
Feeling slightly more comfortable with a long stint outside of Ahoyhoy, he takes the lead, for at least part of their journey.
Survival - 20
DM's Screen:
d20: 17 -- 19 -- 7 --
d100: 92 -- 37 --
other: 2 -- 12 -- 12 --
(OOC: Thank for the rolls. I'll keep them in mind for the portion of the trip that is not benefiting from a marked path.)
With their supplies refilled and their charge in good hands, the Snack Pack leaves the relative comforts of Ahoyhoy behind one more time. They leave through the northern gate, waving goodbye to the two tortle guards atop the rudimentary wall. The path from here is quite simple to follow. The tortles themselves make this trip to the Mud Pits with some frequency, so the path is well-trodden.
Flanked by thick jungle on both sides, the Snack Pack travels for hours under the direct heat of the sun. It is yet another sweltering jungle-hot day and the shade from nearby trees only helps a little. Drinking water from their waterskins and creeks is a must, but the group has spent enough days in the Snout of Omgar to know this already. Even Krodhen is slightly more used to wearing heavy armor in this environment, though it will never be comfortable.
Although the path is known, it is not short. A third of the day goes by before the party spots the Mud Pits in the distance. You wonder if you'll find Florrb here again, though you are quite certain that the creature was successfully sent back to the Elemental Plane of Earth with your help. Now, it is just a matter of remembering the mephit's exact instructions to bathing in his mud pits. Should the party do just so, they may benefit from a cleansing and invigorating mud bath before resuming their trip to High Horn.
"So uhh, there was something that we were meant to do here and something we were definitely not meant to do here, otherwise it's a trip to wherever Florrb came from, right?"
Yulmiath looks down at his feet and paws at the dirt beneath his boots, "But uhh, I can't remember what those things are and I don't need to see where Florrb came from."
"Hm?" Hun finally averts his attention from the accursedly bright heavens, which despite no longer hurting his eyes like before, still very much irritated him on at least a psychological level. "About the pool? Just don't be in it when there's ash about, Mr. Yully. Simple. Though if that impish punk Flurb or Florb or whatever he was called is there, he'll want another tribute of course." Hun sighed.
"But if he's wise, he'll have kept away from this area on his side, least he wind up stuck again. So, we shouldn't have worry about that." He further assured the dragonborn, and by extension of the group. "If any of you are that concerned though, you don't /have/ to get in. But I certainly am, seeing as we could use the break anyhow 'fore continuing on our way. I might not quite sweat like the rest of ya, but this atmosphere sucks!" He further asserts. And if there was no further objection to stopping by, Hun would spur Mr. Thicc to pick up the pace so that he'd reach the pools all the sooner for a dip!
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"Ashes? Not flame? I thought we used a torch last time to open the portal to his plane." Kairus was looking at the mud with mild disgust. He did remember the refreshing feeling the group got after the "bath" but was not sure it was worth it. "You know, I will pass this time. Was curious enough last time but rather stay clean today. It's too far to the water still to go around all caked in mud."
He would stay on watch duty while others enjoy the mud.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
After watching Hun (and any others who fancied it) get into the mud baths, Yulmiath waited a suitable amount of time - to check that none of them were being transported to some far off plane - before carefully folding up his clothes and slowly getting into the mud-bath himself.
Despite some confusion or forgetfulness about the exact do's and don'ts of the Mud Pits of Florrb, and in the absence of the mephit himself, the group seems to agree they need to be careful with open flames and/or ashes near the mud. It is easy enough to follow that step, especially for a party where each and every member rarely needs to use a torch. The choice to not bring a torch-wielding tortle guide along seems even more justified now.
Hun is the first to go into the mud after removing his clothing. Yulmiath waits a tad until the kobold and others are well relaxed within the mud pools before feeling comfortable enough to jump in himself. Kairus prefers to keep watch this time, not wanting to be caked in mud for the rest of the day. Mr. Thicc is unlikely to benefit from this treatment, so the construct is instructed to help the bard.
(OOC: I am assuming that Krodhen and Rhogal also take a mud bath.)
A full hour goes by before Hun feels the invigorating effects of the elemental mud douse his body. Soon, all other bathers enjoy a similar feeling.
Putting their clothes and armor back on while still keeping some of the soothing mud on their body is not exactly an easy task or a comfortable feeling. Kairus watches the rest of the party struggle with the task with a sense of amusement on his face. A good 20 or so minutes go by before the group is ready to depart the mud pits. Once ready, however, they slosh onward.
Perhaps least bothered of all, Rhogal takes the lead and guides the party through the deep jungle. Making sure to take guidance himself from the nature surrounding him, the druid maintains a path north with little issue. Despite the lack of a marked path, this portion of the trek is not necessarily a complicated one. Not only is Rhogal's directional sense on point, but also the hot sun's light has trouble directly reaching the traveling explorers through the thick canopy above, and the caked mud offers some relief as well. Despite the ever present sounds and smells of the forest, another third of the day goes by without the Snackers being bothered by the island's wildlife.
Around the time Rhogal begins to signal for someone else to take the lead, the group comes across that same lone mountain they discovered on their first trip to High Horn. As he had mentioned in Ahoyhoy earlier today, Hun reminds the group they had spotted a cave entrance in this mountain, it being the only feature of notice the rocky gray mountain had to offer. Here, the group pauses for a moment, wondering if they should explore this cave or if they'd prefer to keep hiking towards High Horn.
(OOC: This is the mountain in the bottom of hex {D5} in your map.)
"Mmn-knowing our luck, that cave will probably be another Geonid hideout." Hun admits as well after point out the mountain. "But given their habits, we could find something pretty valuable and interesting... Plus, we don't have a stupid canoe to worry 'bout this go around." He adds, rubbing his chin thought. "And its sorta on the way too, so.... what'cha say fellows? Up for a climb? If nothing else, it aughta be a bit cooler up there, and give us a nice view of the surroundings!"
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Kairus sized the mountain, looking from under the hand to protect his eyes from the bright sun. "Honestly, I feel like I had enough of spelunking for the lifetime. But it is as you said - on the way. If you are eager to check that hole, sure, why not. How many cave monsters did we kill already? What's one more."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Krodhen eyes the climb warily "I'm up for it....surely it can't be worse than what we have already faced...the usual precautions?"
"Bubbles the Barbarian" (Locathah - Lvl 9) - Locathah Rising; Shai'ere Delatete (Githyanki Monk - Lvl 9) Rrakkma (deceased - MindFlayer); Saros Rockfoot (Deep Gnome Diviner - Lvl 5) - The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above; Tagret (Goliath Barbarian - Lvl 2) - Tales of Faerun;
Yulmaith simply shrugs. "We can do another cave, not like the other stuff on our to-do list is going anywhere."
Rubbing his chin for a moment, he thinks back to their first encounter with the sea-monster stalking the wrecks at the shoreline. "Actually, if that sea-monster did fancy being somewhere else when we got round to it, that wouldn't be so bad."
"My take, we've seen several o' the caves an' had a samplin' of what they be offering. Rocky things, shiny snails, three-armed freaks an' disguised tentacle things. We're prolly more prepared to take on such things," Rhogal says.
Extended Signature