Kairus took a deep breath of fresh air as he stepped outside the Temple. The welcoming smell from the camp (better than a snail, no questions!) made his stomach rumbles in hunger. "Nice job, Kwilgok," he said, giving the tortle a thumbs up, then unceremoniously picking up one of the birds and taking a bite. "Great job with the sled too. We'll haul all we have then."
He looked over at Deadly Treasure, still napping, and chuckled. "Smart dino. Knows to take to rest before so much work. We might do the same. We all deserve a break after what we've been through."
Kairus threw a now meatless bone into the thicket behind and wiped his hands with a leaf. "So, full rest? Or do you think we can make it to Ahoyhoy today? Provided we are not attacked on the way?"He looked along the slightly beaten path thoughtfully. "Good easy walk but we are quite beaten up."
Should the group decide to stay, Kairus is happy to take the first watch. (Perception: 17, with last Luck point if needed: 22)
"Eh, it's not too bad. Seen better, but not too bad work, Young Green."Hun commented as he went about inspecting Kwilgok's work almost as soon they group returned to camp. "And all good points to be made and questions to asked. I believe with this haul, assuming we can get all back intact, I wouldn't mind cutting him in, even if its only part of my share."
Hun said, grunting a little towards the end as he straightened out his back. "Much as I'm at least eager to get back too, I don't figure we'll get far without making some adjustments to the sled and the load. Last I remember, though... my memory is a bit spotty, BUT last I remembered, it darn well near took us a full day and a bit more just to get here 'fore. And if we gotta deal with those darn, dirty apes on the way back again, defending our goods, better we take it easy, get some shut-eye, and then depart first thing in the morning!"
On that note, Hun looks to the party. "And that way I can have a bit of time to make those adjustments to the sled. Maybe even figure out how to turn those sliders into wheels using a bit of spare parts and junk I keep in my bag. But up to you all!"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
A half-compliment from a professional artificer is nothing to bat an eye at, and Kwilgok takes it with pride: "Maybe I can watch you work, Hun, pick up a few bits here and there. I shall give Eeyal and all her tools a run for her money one day! Hahaha!" The laughter disturbs Deadly Treasure enough for the dinosaur to grunt in complaint. Kwilgok apologizes and moves closer to his pet to sooth her back to sleep.
With three-sixths of the extended party leaning toward a rest, and at least Yulmiath not voicing a contrarian opinion, the Snackers soon find themselves upgrading their temporary camp for a full night of rest. Tents were still in place but bedrolls will need to be rolled out again and those roasting birds are good enough for a late lunch but won't carry hungry warriors over to the next day. Thankfully, at least the treasure has been catalogued ahead of time. That said, you suspect that barrel of salt you found might be a few grams lighter after today's meals.
The party enjoys the rest of the afternoon with good travel-food, some music shared by Kairus, and even a shanty or two by Krodhen. Hun works on the sled and Kwilgok repays the compliment paid to him by Yulmiath by serving the dragonborn the biggest portion of leftover bird when comes supper time (there is still a need to supplement it with your own rations). Time goes fast when it is enjoyable and, surely enough, soon the group reckons it is time to call it a night. Kairus volunteers for the first watch.
@Kairus(Luck Point used): Perhaps it was your music and the sounds of merriment in general that attracted this visitor here, but your watch is interrupted by another tortle. This one is young, but not too far from adulthood, you'd venture a guess. She is well-armed and looks ready for a challenge. "Hello, I'm Ini. Have you been to the temple yet? Mind if I give it a crack in the morrow?" She points to the the obvious large structure taking most of the view. You do not recognize her from your visits to Ahoyhoy, but she might have been there. You can't recall every face.
(OOC: It is still early in the night so feel free to say your characters weren't fully asleep yet. They are welcome to join this conversation. Also, anyone looking over those magical items?)
Kairus greeted Ini with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Ini. Looks like we have not seen you in Ahoyhoy. I'm Kairus. Yes, we've been to the temple already. Just finished exploring it, in fact. I believe we killed all the monsters that were lurking inside. It was quite the adventure, let me tell you." (The whole look of the triton clearly hinted "You want to hear about the adventure - just ask!")
"We also kind of collected all valuable treasures. It was definitely worth our effort but not sure you will find something worth yours. Still think you want to go?"
Should Ini insist, Kairus would take off the Umberlee's symbol he kept around his neck and give it to the turtle. "There are places there that you can only pass if you have this thing with you. Keep it."
"There's plenty of beasties in the gardens if that takes your fancy. We cleared it out, but likely something will be moving back in. Oh! And don't sit on any chairs if you don't want to be bird or an octopus."
Perception check for when Yully's watch comes around: 8
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Hun grunted in response to Kwilgok, not seeming all too enthused or concern about the prospect of a watcher at first. But once satisfied over further initial inspection of the craft, he'd finally add, "Fine by me, Young Green. And if you want to assist, then... feel free to s'pose. Mrs. Thinn is a fine enough assistant, but it rarely hurts to have more than the one."
(@Lerus: Not sure if you want any additional checks for Hun's tinkering with the sled to -- if not at minimum correct any errors in its construct -- then for any attempts he might make to jury rig wheels using the slides and other random junk he's collected and has stored in his bag. Though not proficient in them, he can create some Carpenter's tools or the like to help with the process over the free time they got before bedding down if need be)
As things begins to wind down with night fast approaching, Hun, who had been in the process of making some sort of parameter out of sticks and wire, started cursing up a small storm in draconic and kicks it over. "Stupid, stupid, dumbold not preparing the materials for an alarm. Just stupid!"He continued to quietly grouse before clocking on the exchange between Kairus and Ini. Though he only watches the tail end of it for a second or two, before brushing of her appearance and turning to elicit Mrs. Thinn's help in digging a fresh burrow for him to rest in for the night while she took over last watch for him.
(OOC: Hun is busy working on the sled, so up to the rest of you on the new itmes. I will suggest for the 2 potions of healing found however that at least one be given to Yulmiath so he has a quick means of picking someone up.)
"I s'pose ya can... We took care of anything dangerous that crawlin' around in there," Rhogal says. "But the place itself has a few noticeably dangerous tricks we don' know how ta disarm."
(@Ori: I'm happy to go with a passive tool check here and say that the sled now has temporary wheel attachments.)
"I've been away from Ahoyhoy for a bit," Ini explains without elaborating any further. The totle listens carefully to all bits of wisdom the party is willing to share and summarizes it, picking up from were Rhogal left off: "You killed most living dangers, but the non-living kind remains since you didn't disarm them. I can use this pendant you are offering to avoid those. And, if I am lucky, some of the beasts who claimed the outside gardens may still offer me some challenge." She nods along as she says all of that.
"Well," she looks at Kairus,"I wouldn't mind hearing more about it by the fire then. Come morning, I'll decide if this is the challenge I have been looking for." With that, Ini joins the party for the night and enjoys Kairus's tale, clearly taking mental notes of each described detail. Eventually, Kairus asks Yulmiath to take over watch duties and Ini takes this as an opportunity to get some rest too.
@Yulmiath: Old habits die hard and your sleepy eyes betray you once more. You can't be sure how long it lasted, but you are certain you dozed off during your watch. Luckily, you killed most of the living things in the vicinity, so chances that something came in close and slipped away while you were incapacitated are small, or so you hope. A bit embarrassed, you ask Hun to take over, but the kobold only grunts and sends Mrs. Thinn instead.
The next two watches go by uninterrupted. Mrs. Thinn never saw a need to wake Hun up and the artificer has learned that this means that nothing required his attention. In the morning, you all learn that Kwilgok took the last watch himself. As it is becoming tradition, he greets you with a fresh cooked meal the next time you see him (a.k.a., breakfast.) This time, he offers fire-roasted tubers and fruits.
The morning also brings Ini's decision: "Thank you for letting me camp with you and for sharing your story. I shall still see the temple with my own eyes. Perhaps being the first tortle in there after you have cleaned the place up will allow me to claim the title of the tortle who explored it the deepest! I think that will be enough to complete my right of passage." Then, without feeling the need to elaborate any further (again), Ini collects her belongings (including one of the Umberlee pendants) and begins walking to the side entrance the group presumably described at some point during the night.
(OOC: You may complete a long rest. The day is yours!)
(Kairus would love to keep one Umberlee pendant as a souvenir (we have three after all) but if Yulmiath wants to hold to the one found in the snail cave, he would not ask it from him)
Come morning, Kairus was all enthusiastic about getting back. There was a grateful audience for the stories, a scholar (hopefully alive by now) to talk to, and all of it at the end of a walkable road. Add to this good weather and even though the group was leaving the seashore, he felt happy.
He said as much after breakfast. "Let's move already. Hopefully the noise of this contraption," he pointed at the sled, "will keep the wildlife away too. We might get to the turtle village this very evening." He was fully ready to go.
"Mn. Good luck, new green. And do keep in mind not to underestimate any birds you find. Those feathered demons aren't above take advantage of any opening they can!"Hun warns, as the new day brought with it a renewed sense of concern for his fellow scaled brothers and sisters, even if they might not quite be a kobold.
But with that out of the way, Hun turned to really start digging into his breakfast while Mrs. Thinn kept vigil just a few feet behind him. "Hmph! One could hope, young Blue. But those apes from before were a bit of a curious lot, to say the least, so who really knows! Just be prepared to defend our haul on the way out."He asserts. "But otherwise, I don't disagree with you. The sooner we get to the village the better, as this has been quite the exhausting trip." The kobold added with a bit of a chuckle to his voice. "'fore we do head off though, did any of you look into that shell and other thing we picked up and figure out what they could do?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
(OOC: There are three Umberlee pendants: the one Kairus is wearing, the one Hun is wearing, and the one Yulmiath is carrying. Which one is being donated to Ini?)
The group says their final farewells to their new tortle acquaintance but get little more than a polite message of gratitude in return. Ini seems to be friendly enough but somewhat timid. Brave but unwilling to share much. Focused but lacking a bit of empathy. On she goes, seeking her own adventures and victories.
Shortly afterwards the suggestion to leave for Ahoyhoy once and for all leaves Kairus's lips. The triton seems eager to go back to their temporary home-base and his enthusiasm seeps into the others' minds easily enough. Hun tries to check if anyone had a moment to spare for the new magical item the Snackers claimed the previous night, but it seems they have mostly learned to rely on Hun for this particular type of skill. Since the artificer was otherwise busy, the glass sphere and the one-time-use conch will have to wait.
The immense haul the Packers now own is quite heavy but, thankfully, they have a huge dinosaur-of-burden with them. The sled does it job too, though it is obvious to even the untrained eye that its wheel attachments will only last so long. Hun's craftsmanship is not to blame here; the original design was never meant for such alterations.
The rest of the morning trip is smooth enough. The party never comes across that band of baboons who gave they some trouble on the way to the temple. In fact, the trip under the hot sun is generally a pleasant one, including the time the team takes to stop, rest, and grab a quick meal around high-noon. Two hours into the afternoon hike, however, you all notice some smoke rising in the distance. Kwilgok has no trouble identifying it as coming from Ahoyhoy's direction. It is not the white smoke of water vapor, but a grayish one. Kwilgok looks at the group with a worried expression, a first for the jovial tortle guide.
(OOC: You may all level up to 5th LEVEL! Woot Woot!)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
At the camp:
Emerging from his tent a little alter than all the others, Yulmiath stretches his body from bottom to top. First his legs and hips, then his back and arms and finally his neck. His calestenics exercises finished the dragonborn takes up his greataxe and swings it over his shoulder in a smooth, easy motion.
Surprised by the return of his strength, the dragonborn takes a moment to look his body over, the rest within the temple and the night in the tent seem to have worked wonders. Not only has his strength returned, he feels tougher, more sturdy. And he feels lithe, like he's suddenly found a new turn of speed. Most pleasingly, he feels more dangerous. Just how he likes it.
"Kairus, if you're giving away your pendant to Ini, you best take the one I found as replacement. I know I don't want to wear it, but you seem to like it, so here."
Yulmiath hands of the pendant and should Kairus resist, Yulmiath becomes quite insistent before offering the item to Hun to look over.
Finally free of the pendant one way or the other, Yulmiath begins to break camp and falls into a easy marching order with the others.
On the trail:
Sniffing the air on seeing the smoke, Yulmaith tries to determine what is being burned, if he can. He hopes it might just be wood-smoke for some kind of ceremony, or cooking fire to celebrate their return, but on this island, that doesn't seem likely.
"Black smoke is worse than gray, but unexpected smoke isn't good at all. Reckon we should get a closer look at what we're dealing with before we go breaking heads though... Although, I do always like the simple plans best."
Yulmiath flexes his axe-swinging muscles and the knuckles whiten around the half of his greataxe.
Kairus was quite grateful to Yulmiath for offering his pendant instead, so he could keep his silvery beauty to himself. The good deed of the dragonborn only added to the good mood he had this morning.
The walk was as easy as expected too and the triton felt quite relaxed when Kwilgok's sudden gasp attracted his attention. Kairus stared at the smoke a bit, listening to Yulmiath's explanation. "Can it be they are simply preparing a big feast because, say, our human is finally conscious? No? Well, let's get closer or... Wait a moment."
Lacking the wonderful ability to turn into a bird, Kairus still has an option to "swim in the air" and was glad to use it. A moment later he began to float and raised higher and higher to see what is going on up ahead.
-Forgotten Charge Recharge Roll for Wand: 4. (C'mon 3+~ Papa needs a full charge baby~)
Once it became clear none had the mind to bother with the new magical items, Hun facepalmed and grumbled, but nevertheless resolved to check at least the conch shell during the first break the party had on their journey. "Honestly, I shouldn't be surprised at this point," He further quietly groused all the same as he went back about his business readying for their departure.
And unless there's plenty of counter arguments during the high noon rest, or the rest promised to be a fleeting one, then Hun would prove himself to be a Kobold of his word for even unspoken thoughts, as he eventually badgers whoever last had the conch shell last about it!
Later still on the trail...
"I'd certainly take it as a sign that whatever it's cause probably happened good while ago at bare minimum given the coloration. So no amount of hurrying now we'll do us much good anyhow." Hun commented, prior to then looking to the sled. "Not that the wheels would survive such rushing anyhow. So for now, we keep going. Young Blue will catch up in due time unless he gets too sidetracked peering through that new spyglass of his." Hun assured and encouraged from the back of Mrs. Thinn. He then sets her to moving again as if to lead by example. Yet despite his somewhat dismissal of any concern, Hun continued from time to time to look at the smoke, and try to get a feel for how long it might've been going on based on size, coloration, and so on.
Kairus does not hesitate in releasing his cittern's Fly charge for the day upon noticing concern in Kwilgok's face. The triton has to fly up quite a bit, but eventually he spots Ahoyhoy at the edge of the jungle, where the vast green merges with the infinite blue of the ocean. There is no doubt that the smoke is coming from the village, but picking up detail from this distance is quite the tall ask. Kairus sees many sources of smoke, which blend together as the gray plume moves upward. He also sees a large ship anchored nearby and rowboats ferrying between the larger ship and the village.
Whether this is enough to conclude that the village is in trouble, well, that's up to Kairus and the group to decide. That said, the strange sense of dread Kairus has been feeling ever since replacing his Umberlee emblem with the one Yulmiath gave him might push the triton to conclude the ship is bad news.
From down below, Yulmiath reacts by trying to sniff out any clues on the distant smoke. It then dawns on him that the village is still quite a ways off, so his sense of smell is unlikely to be useful at this distance. Relying more on his eyes than his nostrils, Hun also tries to derive some information from the smoke. He'd guess that, since the smoke is not roiling upward in deep black clouds, whatever happened in Ahoyhoy must have occurred either earlier today or the night before.
Edit: Over lunch, Hun had spent some time looking over the conch. It is a single-use magic item with the following property: a creature can use an action to blow the conch like a horn, creating an effect identical with that of a Leomund’s tiny hut spell. The conch disappears once the spell takes effect. The effect ends if the creature that blew the horn leaves the spell’s area.
((Had to tell that Kairus would rather keep his own Umberlee symbol. Oh, well.))
Kairus went down, fished the spyglass from the little mountain of the loot and flew back up to get a better look. "Did you expect any ships, Kwilgok? Because there is one there and quite a few boats sailing back and forth between her and the village. The smoke is not coming from one place, by the way. It's like they put on fire several things around the village. I feel like we must hurry."
"Best we push on and make good time to Ahoyhoy. Unless the largest ship had any distinguishing marks? A flag, a figurehead maybe? It's name handily painted on the side?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Kairus took a deep breath of fresh air as he stepped outside the Temple. The welcoming smell from the camp (better than a snail, no questions!) made his stomach rumbles in hunger. "Nice job, Kwilgok," he said, giving the tortle a thumbs up, then unceremoniously picking up one of the birds and taking a bite. "Great job with the sled too. We'll haul all we have then."
He looked over at Deadly Treasure, still napping, and chuckled. "Smart dino. Knows to take to rest before so much work. We might do the same. We all deserve a break after what we've been through."
Kairus threw a now meatless bone into the thicket behind and wiped his hands with a leaf. "So, full rest? Or do you think we can make it to Ahoyhoy today? Provided we are not attacked on the way?" He looked along the slightly beaten path thoughtfully. "Good easy walk but we are quite beaten up."
Should the group decide to stay, Kairus is happy to take the first watch. (Perception: 17, with last Luck point if needed: 22)
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
"Kwilgok, whatever we're paying you, it isn't enough. You are one magnificent Tortle."
"Eh, it's not too bad. Seen better, but not too bad work, Young Green." Hun commented as he went about inspecting Kwilgok's work almost as soon they group returned to camp. "And all good points to be made and questions to asked. I believe with this haul, assuming we can get all back intact, I wouldn't mind cutting him in, even if its only part of my share."
Hun said, grunting a little towards the end as he straightened out his back. "Much as I'm at least eager to get back too, I don't figure we'll get far without making some adjustments to the sled and the load. Last I remember, though... my memory is a bit spotty, BUT last I remembered, it darn well near took us a full day and a bit more just to get here 'fore. And if we gotta deal with those darn, dirty apes on the way back again, defending our goods, better we take it easy, get some shut-eye, and then depart first thing in the morning!"
On that note, Hun looks to the party. "And that way I can have a bit of time to make those adjustments to the sled. Maybe even figure out how to turn those sliders into wheels using a bit of spare parts and junk I keep in my bag. But up to you all!"
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
DM's Screen:
d20s: 5 8 14 10
d100s: 100 16
other: 5 10 16
Strange... This post originally had actual rolls in it. Now it doesn't. Perhaps it will have them once again after I finish this edit.
A half-compliment from a professional artificer is nothing to bat an eye at, and Kwilgok takes it with pride: "Maybe I can watch you work, Hun, pick up a few bits here and there. I shall give Eeyal and all her tools a run for her money one day! Hahaha!" The laughter disturbs Deadly Treasure enough for the dinosaur to grunt in complaint. Kwilgok apologizes and moves closer to his pet to sooth her back to sleep.
With three-sixths of the extended party leaning toward a rest, and at least Yulmiath not voicing a contrarian opinion, the Snackers soon find themselves upgrading their temporary camp for a full night of rest. Tents were still in place but bedrolls will need to be rolled out again and those roasting birds are good enough for a late lunch but won't carry hungry warriors over to the next day. Thankfully, at least the treasure has been catalogued ahead of time. That said, you suspect that barrel of salt you found might be a few grams lighter after today's meals.
The party enjoys the rest of the afternoon with good travel-food, some music shared by Kairus, and even a shanty or two by Krodhen. Hun works on the sled and Kwilgok repays the compliment paid to him by Yulmiath by serving the dragonborn the biggest portion of leftover bird when comes supper time (there is still a need to supplement it with your own rations). Time goes fast when it is enjoyable and, surely enough, soon the group reckons it is time to call it a night. Kairus volunteers for the first watch.
@Kairus (Luck Point used): Perhaps it was your music and the sounds of merriment in general that attracted this visitor here, but your watch is interrupted by another tortle. This one is young, but not too far from adulthood, you'd venture a guess. She is well-armed and looks ready for a challenge. "Hello, I'm Ini. Have you been to the temple yet? Mind if I give it a crack in the morrow?" She points to the the obvious large structure taking most of the view. You do not recognize her from your visits to Ahoyhoy, but she might have been there. You can't recall every face.
(OOC: It is still early in the night so feel free to say your characters weren't fully asleep yet. They are welcome to join this conversation. Also, anyone looking over those magical items?)
Kairus greeted Ini with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Ini. Looks like we have not seen you in Ahoyhoy. I'm Kairus. Yes, we've been to the temple already. Just finished exploring it, in fact. I believe we killed all the monsters that were lurking inside. It was quite the adventure, let me tell you." (The whole look of the triton clearly hinted "You want to hear about the adventure - just ask!")
"We also kind of collected all valuable treasures. It was definitely worth our effort but not sure you will find something worth yours. Still think you want to go?"
Should Ini insist, Kairus would take off the Umberlee's symbol he kept around his neck and give it to the turtle. "There are places there that you can only pass if you have this thing with you. Keep it."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
"There's plenty of beasties in the gardens if that takes your fancy. We cleared it out, but likely something will be moving back in. Oh! And don't sit on any chairs if you don't want to be bird or an octopus."
Perception check for when Yully's watch comes around: 8
Hun grunted in response to Kwilgok, not seeming all too enthused or concern about the prospect of a watcher at first. But once satisfied over further initial inspection of the craft, he'd finally add, "Fine by me, Young Green. And if you want to assist, then... feel free to s'pose. Mrs. Thinn is a fine enough assistant, but it rarely hurts to have more than the one."
(@Lerus: Not sure if you want any additional checks for Hun's tinkering with the sled to -- if not at minimum correct any errors in its construct -- then for any attempts he might make to jury rig wheels using the slides and other random junk he's collected and has stored in his bag. Though not proficient in them, he can create some Carpenter's tools or the like to help with the process over the free time they got before bedding down if need be)
As things begins to wind down with night fast approaching, Hun, who had been in the process of making some sort of parameter out of sticks and wire, started cursing up a small storm in draconic and kicks it over. "Stupid, stupid, dumbold not preparing the materials for an alarm. Just stupid!" He continued to quietly grouse before clocking on the exchange between Kairus and Ini. Though he only watches the tail end of it for a second or two, before brushing of her appearance and turning to elicit Mrs. Thinn's help in digging a fresh burrow for him to rest in for the night while she took over last watch for him.
(OOC: Hun is busy working on the sled, so up to the rest of you on the new itmes. I will suggest for the 2 potions of healing found however that at least one be given to Yulmiath so he has a quick means of picking someone up.)
-Mrs. Thinn's Watch(eventually): 8.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"I s'pose ya can... We took care of anything dangerous that crawlin' around in there," Rhogal says. "But the place itself has a few noticeably dangerous tricks we don' know how ta disarm."
Extended Signature
(@Ori: I'm happy to go with a passive tool check here and say that the sled now has temporary wheel attachments.)
"I've been away from Ahoyhoy for a bit," Ini explains without elaborating any further. The totle listens carefully to all bits of wisdom the party is willing to share and summarizes it, picking up from were Rhogal left off: "You killed most living dangers, but the non-living kind remains since you didn't disarm them. I can use this pendant you are offering to avoid those. And, if I am lucky, some of the beasts who claimed the outside gardens may still offer me some challenge." She nods along as she says all of that.
"Well," she looks at Kairus, "I wouldn't mind hearing more about it by the fire then. Come morning, I'll decide if this is the challenge I have been looking for." With that, Ini joins the party for the night and enjoys Kairus's tale, clearly taking mental notes of each described detail. Eventually, Kairus asks Yulmiath to take over watch duties and Ini takes this as an opportunity to get some rest too.
@Yulmiath: Old habits die hard and your sleepy eyes betray you once more. You can't be sure how long it lasted, but you are certain you dozed off during your watch. Luckily, you killed most of the living things in the vicinity, so chances that something came in close and slipped away while you were incapacitated are small, or so you hope. A bit embarrassed, you ask Hun to take over, but the kobold only grunts and sends Mrs. Thinn instead.
The next two watches go by uninterrupted. Mrs. Thinn never saw a need to wake Hun up and the artificer has learned that this means that nothing required his attention. In the morning, you all learn that Kwilgok took the last watch himself. As it is becoming tradition, he greets you with a fresh cooked meal the next time you see him (a.k.a., breakfast.) This time, he offers fire-roasted tubers and fruits.
The morning also brings Ini's decision: "Thank you for letting me camp with you and for sharing your story. I shall still see the temple with my own eyes. Perhaps being the first tortle in there after you have cleaned the place up will allow me to claim the title of the tortle who explored it the deepest! I think that will be enough to complete my right of passage." Then, without feeling the need to elaborate any further (again), Ini collects her belongings (including one of the Umberlee pendants) and begins walking to the side entrance the group presumably described at some point during the night.
(OOC: You may complete a long rest. The day is yours!)
(Kairus would love to keep one Umberlee pendant as a souvenir (we have three after all) but if Yulmiath wants to hold to the one found in the snail cave, he would not ask it from him)
Come morning, Kairus was all enthusiastic about getting back. There was a grateful audience for the stories, a scholar (hopefully alive by now) to talk to, and all of it at the end of a walkable road. Add to this good weather and even though the group was leaving the seashore, he felt happy.
He said as much after breakfast. "Let's move already. Hopefully the noise of this contraption," he pointed at the sled, "will keep the wildlife away too. We might get to the turtle village this very evening." He was fully ready to go.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
"Mn. Good luck, new green. And do keep in mind not to underestimate any birds you find. Those feathered demons aren't above take advantage of any opening they can!" Hun warns, as the new day brought with it a renewed sense of concern for his fellow scaled brothers and sisters, even if they might not quite be a kobold.
But with that out of the way, Hun turned to really start digging into his breakfast while Mrs. Thinn kept vigil just a few feet behind him. "Hmph! One could hope, young Blue. But those apes from before were a bit of a curious lot, to say the least, so who really knows! Just be prepared to defend our haul on the way out." He asserts. "But otherwise, I don't disagree with you. The sooner we get to the village the better, as this has been quite the exhausting trip." The kobold added with a bit of a chuckle to his voice. "'fore we do head off though, did any of you look into that shell and other thing we picked up and figure out what they could do?"
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
DM's Screen:
d20s: 3 11 6 19
d100s: 98 85
other: 5 11 15
(OOC: There are three Umberlee pendants: the one Kairus is wearing, the one Hun is wearing, and the one Yulmiath is carrying. Which one is being donated to Ini?)
The group says their final farewells to their new tortle acquaintance but get little more than a polite message of gratitude in return. Ini seems to be friendly enough but somewhat timid. Brave but unwilling to share much. Focused but lacking a bit of empathy. On she goes, seeking her own adventures and victories.
Shortly afterwards the suggestion to leave for Ahoyhoy once and for all leaves Kairus's lips. The triton seems eager to go back to their temporary home-base and his enthusiasm seeps into the others' minds easily enough. Hun tries to check if anyone had a moment to spare for the new magical item the Snackers claimed the previous night, but it seems they have mostly learned to rely on Hun for this particular type of skill. Since the artificer was otherwise busy, the glass sphere and the one-time-use conch will have to wait.
The immense haul the Packers now own is quite heavy but, thankfully, they have a huge dinosaur-of-burden with them. The sled does it job too, though it is obvious to even the untrained eye that its wheel attachments will only last so long. Hun's craftsmanship is not to blame here; the original design was never meant for such alterations.
The rest of the morning trip is smooth enough. The party never comes across that band of baboons who gave they some trouble on the way to the temple. In fact, the trip under the hot sun is generally a pleasant one, including the time the team takes to stop, rest, and grab a quick meal around high-noon. Two hours into the afternoon hike, however, you all notice some smoke rising in the distance. Kwilgok has no trouble identifying it as coming from Ahoyhoy's direction. It is not the white smoke of water vapor, but a grayish one. Kwilgok looks at the group with a worried expression, a first for the jovial tortle guide.
(OOC: You may all level up to 5th LEVEL! Woot Woot!)
At the camp:
Emerging from his tent a little alter than all the others, Yulmiath stretches his body from bottom to top. First his legs and hips, then his back and arms and finally his neck. His calestenics exercises finished the dragonborn takes up his greataxe and swings it over his shoulder in a smooth, easy motion.
Surprised by the return of his strength, the dragonborn takes a moment to look his body over, the rest within the temple and the night in the tent seem to have worked wonders. Not only has his strength returned, he feels tougher, more sturdy. And he feels lithe, like he's suddenly found a new turn of speed. Most pleasingly, he feels more dangerous. Just how he likes it.
"Kairus, if you're giving away your pendant to Ini, you best take the one I found as replacement. I know I don't want to wear it, but you seem to like it, so here."
Yulmiath hands of the pendant and should Kairus resist, Yulmiath becomes quite insistent before offering the item to Hun to look over.
Finally free of the pendant one way or the other, Yulmiath begins to break camp and falls into a easy marching order with the others.
On the trail:
Sniffing the air on seeing the smoke, Yulmaith tries to determine what is being burned, if he can. He hopes it might just be wood-smoke for some kind of ceremony, or cooking fire to celebrate their return, but on this island, that doesn't seem likely.
Perception - 5
"Black smoke is worse than gray, but unexpected smoke isn't good at all. Reckon we should get a closer look at what we're dealing with before we go breaking heads though... Although, I do always like the simple plans best."
Yulmiath flexes his axe-swinging muscles and the knuckles whiten around the half of his greataxe.
Kairus was quite grateful to Yulmiath for offering his pendant instead, so he could keep his silvery beauty to himself. The good deed of the dragonborn only added to the good mood he had this morning.
The walk was as easy as expected too and the triton felt quite relaxed when Kwilgok's sudden gasp attracted his attention. Kairus stared at the smoke a bit, listening to Yulmiath's explanation. "Can it be they are simply preparing a big feast because, say, our human is finally conscious? No? Well, let's get closer or... Wait a moment."
Lacking the wonderful ability to turn into a bird, Kairus still has an option to "swim in the air" and was glad to use it. A moment later he began to float and raised higher and higher to see what is going on up ahead.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
(OOC: EyyY~ Lvl 5 baby~)
-Forgotten Charge Recharge Roll for Wand: 4.
(C'mon 3+~ Papa needs a full charge baby~)
Once it became clear none had the mind to bother with the new magical items, Hun facepalmed and grumbled, but nevertheless resolved to check at least the conch shell during the first break the party had on their journey. "Honestly, I shouldn't be surprised at this point," He further quietly groused all the same as he went back about his business readying for their departure.
And unless there's plenty of counter arguments during the high noon rest, or the rest promised to be a fleeting one, then Hun would prove himself to be a Kobold of his word for even unspoken thoughts, as he eventually badgers whoever last had the conch shell last about it!
Later still on the trail...
"I'd certainly take it as a sign that whatever it's cause probably happened good while ago at bare minimum given the coloration. So no amount of hurrying now we'll do us much good anyhow." Hun commented, prior to then looking to the sled. "Not that the wheels would survive such rushing anyhow. So for now, we keep going. Young Blue will catch up in due time unless he gets too sidetracked peering through that new spyglass of his." Hun assured and encouraged from the back of Mrs. Thinn. He then sets her to moving again as if to lead by example. Yet despite his somewhat dismissal of any concern, Hun continued from time to time to look at the smoke, and try to get a feel for how long it might've been going on based on size, coloration, and so on.
-Nature: 11.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Kairus does not hesitate in releasing his cittern's Fly charge for the day upon noticing concern in Kwilgok's face. The triton has to fly up quite a bit, but eventually he spots Ahoyhoy at the edge of the jungle, where the vast green merges with the infinite blue of the ocean. There is no doubt that the smoke is coming from the village, but picking up detail from this distance is quite the tall ask. Kairus sees many sources of smoke, which blend together as the gray plume moves upward. He also sees a large ship anchored nearby and rowboats ferrying between the larger ship and the village.
Whether this is enough to conclude that the village is in trouble, well, that's up to Kairus and the group to decide. That said, the strange sense of dread Kairus has been feeling ever since replacing his Umberlee emblem with the one Yulmiath gave him might push the triton to conclude the ship is bad news.
From down below, Yulmiath reacts by trying to sniff out any clues on the distant smoke. It then dawns on him that the village is still quite a ways off, so his sense of smell is unlikely to be useful at this distance. Relying more on his eyes than his nostrils, Hun also tries to derive some information from the smoke. He'd guess that, since the smoke is not roiling upward in deep black clouds, whatever happened in Ahoyhoy must have occurred either earlier today or the night before.
Edit: Over lunch, Hun had spent some time looking over the conch. It is a single-use magic item with the following property: a creature can use an action to blow the conch like a horn, creating an effect identical with that of a Leomund’s tiny hut spell. The conch disappears once the spell takes effect. The effect ends if the creature that blew the horn leaves the spell’s area.
((Had to tell that Kairus would rather keep his own Umberlee symbol. Oh, well.))
Kairus went down, fished the spyglass from the little mountain of the loot and flew back up to get a better look. "Did you expect any ships, Kwilgok? Because there is one there and quite a few boats sailing back and forth between her and the village. The smoke is not coming from one place, by the way. It's like they put on fire several things around the village. I feel like we must hurry."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
"Best we push on and make good time to Ahoyhoy. Unless the largest ship had any distinguishing marks? A flag, a figurehead maybe? It's name handily painted on the side?"