"Don' feel too bad 'bout findin' nothing ta hunt," Rhogal reassures the young tortle. "I've had my fair share of days where critters don't seem ta want to show up, leading to many a hungry night. I s'pose you could say it's literally feast or famine, heheh."

He will take take second watch.

Perception: 21

Damu thanks Rhogal for the understanding words and Hun for an overview of kobolds, another species the young tortle never heard about. Meanwhile Eeyal laughs along with Yulmiath and Krodhen about the whole 'son' deal. Nonetheless, night in the jungle calls for less merriment than otherwise, lest its threats find the group more easily. Kairus still plays a song or two but, after a campfire is built, some rations are distributed (some fresher than others), and some conversation/banter is had, the group settles in for the a relatively early night.

@Kairus: You take the first watch after all others embrace sleep. The first hour goes by uneventfully but, shortly after that, your nose picks up a sweet and spicy aroma in the air. Intrigued, you look about to eventually find its source: a single, plump white fruit hangs from a tree in the distance. (@Blue: I'll move on with the rest but feel free to let me know if and how you interact with the fruit.)

@Rhogal: The bard eventually wakes you up for the next watch. While walking around camp and a bit beyond it, you come across a fist-sized piece of broken but clearly worked stone. It has been left to the jungle's growth, creepers covering almost all of it. One part of the stone seems to be darker than others. (@Drache: I'll move on with the rest but feel free to let me know if and how you interact with the stone chunk.) 

@Yulmiath: The druid wakes you up for the third stint. You try to shake sleep off your eyes and is successful for about 10 to 15 minutes... just enough for the dwarf to fall back asleep and leave you with the full responsibility of the watch. Eeyal eventually shakes you awake again, making you realize that you slept through your watch after that initial figurative fight against the sandman. There is little to do at this point as she is already waking up the paladin for the last watch, which she joins. Shrugging, you just fall back asleep.

@Krodhen: If you had hoped for a quiet early morning watch, you fail to get it. Eeyal is awake, and so is Damu. The two tortles go to the opposite end of camp and start talking in a language you do not understand. You have heard enough of it in Ahyhoy to venture a guess that it is Aquan. Much as the artificer of the group had suggested, Eeyal appears to spend some time sharing her wisdom with the younger tortle, even though Eeyal seems quite young herself. They leave much of the watching duty to you but you can't help but keep paying attention to their interaction. It makes you think of your mother and the good memories you might have had with her. Unfortunately, it also takes your mind away from the watch and you can't say you are very proud of the level of attention you paid to the overall environment around you.

The team rises with the sun and beings preparing for the second full day of walking toward the Shrine of Fangs.

(OOC: Let me know if you prepare in any different way for this second day of exploration. I'll also pause here to give @Blue and @Drache a chance to let me know what they do with the items they found during their watch. Finally, if you haven't yet deducted a ration from your inventory for the first day of exploration, please do so now.)

Luring is one of the most common tactics of deep-sea creatures. Kairus was yet to see the same behaviour from the land predators but was not careless enough to ignore the possibility. If it was not one of the turtles who shared the shift with him (otherwise he would simply point and ask), he would carefully approach the sweetly smelling wonder and, when at the range (and preferably behind some cover 21), summon his helping hand - the best magic he ever learned. The hand would first softly touch the fruit, and if nothing happened, try to pick it up.

@Kairus: Your Mage Hand plucks the white fruit without any trouble. You can't really feel its texture through the spell, but you specifically commanded the hand to apply a soft touch, so the fruit doesn't react much (it doesn't get bruised or pressed inward where the hand touches it.) You are confident in your hiding abilities. What happens next?

Slowly moving back to the camp (not an easy task to do with constant looking back and forth) Kairus returned with the fruit to the campfire and placed the prise nearby. He was honestly going to leave it like this! Untouched! So, others could look at it first. Then he touched it with his own hand and weighted - was it even enough for everyone? Would dragonborn eat anything without meat in it?

The fight between desire to eat the fruit on spot and to show others his finding ended up with waking Rhogal good quarter of an hour early. "Look what I found!" excitedly greeted Kairus not fully awaken druid. "Just smell it! Do you know what it is?"

Yulmiath awakens in the morning, dappled light falling through the canopy of leaves above. Feeling more rested than usual, he realises that he slept through his watch. Groaning at his own stupidity, he is at least glad of two things:

1) Everyone at camp last night is still here.

2) He's not aboard ship, so having ignored his duties at watch, he's not going to be subject to punishment.

Grateful as he is for those two things, Yulmiath checks his weapons and pack. Just because everyone is still at camp, doesn't mean that someone (either at the camp or a stranger) hasn't paid them a night-time visit. 

Investigation - 10

While not exactly eager to awaken its creator, Mr. Thicc intrinsically knew or seemed determined all the same to do so, gently dragging the Kobold from his burrow. For all the constructs initial misgivings however, Hun let out the most satisfied yawn of satisfaction after having slept like a king, certain at last of having a watch dog that would unfailingly protect him int he night!

Him and only him, not that the others knew that. But be things as they may, Hun busied himself the next morning completing some tweaks to his Yklwa and gloves, slapping on some rings that -- when finally given a test throw -- the rings about it glowed just before vanished without a trace. Seconds later and piece by piece, it reassembled itself in his clawed hands. Just as soon he's done and saw the others were relatively intact, Hun hops aboard Mr. Thicc in readiness for the venture ahead of them.

Unless shown the fruit or whatever Rhogal found for a third opinion...

(Rations already deducted)

Before his shift

Rhogal is not entirely enthused about being woken up by an energetic Kairus. Regardless he groggily sniffs the fruit shove in his face because his half-asleep state basically makes him more pliable.

Nature: 13

During his shift

Interested in this shard of carved stone, Rhogal picks it up and examines it. 

Stonecunning:

 History: 10

As the other wake he greets them each with a "Morning", whilst breaking his fast with another portion of his rations, washing it down with some water, then proceeds to check and pack his gear and ready himself to continue the trek to the shrine, and as he walks near Eeyal and Duma he asks "Have either of you been to or into the shrine before?" and will continue the conversation with Eeyal whilst walking if the party heads off

DURING KAIRUS' WATCH

Kairus can't quite fight back his excitement and ends up waking Rhogal up earlier than expected. The groggy dwarf barely has a hold of his senses, sniffing the bright-white round fruit while only barely conscious. The druid can't even formulate a response in time. He falls back asleep for the last 15 minutes he still has before his watch properly begins.

Kairus is left nearly in the same spot as he was before deciding to wake Rhogal up. Touching the fruit with his own hands now, he notices it has a silky feel to it, so at least he has that one additional piece of information.

DURING RHOGAL'S WATCH

Here's what you conclude after examining the chunk of stone:

• It is clearly a broken chunk of a larger, properly worked, parallelepipedal piece of stone.
• It is common stone, certainly not precious enough to go for a high price.
• It is the type and shape of cut stone to be used in the construction of a large structure.
• It would be the kind of structure that might be housed somewhere in this island but not near your current camp, from what you have observed around you.
• The darker spot is not part of the original work. It looks like old, dried blood, or perhaps an ichor of some kind.
• How this chunk of stone ended up here is a mystery. Perhaps it was used to bludgeon something.

DM's Screen:

IN THE MORNING

By now, each member of the group is getting familiar with the others' morning routine. The introduction of Mr. Thicc and Damu to the group adds some novelty to the usual hygiene, meal, and packing camp motions, but the sense of familiarity adds something of a positive note to everyone's morning.

Yulmiath spends some time going through his belongings, perhaps longer than usual. He can't be sure of exactly how many strips of Eblis jerky he had claimed earlier and how many of them he had already eaten, but he deduces that there is a non-zero chance that he is missing a few more than he should. All other items are there as expected.

Hun comes out of his burrow, tinkers with his many gadgets, and prepares Mr. Thicc for another day of marching. Damu's eyes are glued on the construct for most of the ordeal.

Regarding Krodhen's question, Damu is quick to admit he has never visited the shrine. Eeyal's answer goes as follows: "I have passed by it enough to know its location, though I have never entered it. I simply kept moving. It is hard to miss it, though. It is located at the base of a mountain, and a large snake's head is carved at its entrance. You'll know when we arrive without me having to tell you."

Once all is ready, you begin your second day of walking toward the shrine. Two hours into your walk, dark clouds come in up above and a moderate rain begins to fall. Many jungle critters find shelter from the falling waters, while others, like earthworms, come out of their hiding holes. Later that same morning, Eeyal calls your attention to something she has spotted on a tree ahead of the group. There is an arrangement of once brightly colored, wilting, flowers pinned to the tree's trunk ahead with the name of a stranger carved underneath: 'Gura'. Eeyal is the first to admit she knows of no one by that name, although it does sound like it could belong to a tortle. Damu just shrugs.

(To not drag the event any more than necessary)

Kairus was about to simply bite the fruit (can something bad smell so wonderful?) but an overly sensitive conscience stayed his hand and he left the delicious surprise for the morning to share with everyone. So, for the breakfast in addition to the jerkies, the group had some vitamins as well (and hopefully, one of the locals was able to enlighten the triton about the name of the fruit).

"Gura... And what do the flowers mean? Is this a love letter to someone leaving nearby?" Kairus was full of genuine tourist curiosity. "Not answered, it seems."

Despite being soaked to his scales, Yulmiath is happy to be out in the rain.  For one thing, it wasn't too cold and in the island heat he would soon dry off.

Stopping at the makeshift shrine, he hopes that whoever left the flowers and carved the name received some measure of the solace they were looking for.  He thought quietly about the names he would carve in remembrance of those he had lost or missed.

(OOC - Dragonborn will indeed eat fruit and not being one to turn down some free food and its inherent vitamins (gotta keep scurvy at bay somehow), Yulmiath will take and eat some of Karius' offered fruit.  He has no reason to think the triton would be trying to poison him and despite his personal misgivings over the symbol of Umberlee hanging from Karius' neck.)

If anyone tries to take a bite of the strange fruit before the Tortles offered their insight on it, Hun /immediately/ has Mr. Thicc slap their hands away before waggling his fingers. "Give'm a sec." He admonishes. If there's still no answers either forthcoming or a clear approval given, Hun at that point takes it upon himself to examine the fruit from stem to scent, making sure it was safe for consumption. If even he is however stomped though, he frowns and mutters "Meh. Ya'll have it", as he sets back down for others to consume. 

Nature: 26.
(if Survival would be more appropriate, subtract 4 from the above roll. The d4 is from guidance, as per the usual)

Hun makes a point of having Mr. Thicc collect a few earth worms along the way to keep for later, as well as slurping down a couple as nice little snack, blissfully ignorant or completely unconcerned with how others might react to the act. Though given he'd had happily chowed down on an uncooked bird but a day or so before, none of the party at least would be all too surprised. He otherwise hadn't seemed all that bothered the rain.

He is later drawn from his thoughts at the latest discovery, and would more quietly muse over the words and arrangement, wondering if it might have any connections to the words found back at the wreck. With his curiosity only further stoked by the thought, Mr. Thicc is bade to carry the kobold on closer so the Kobold could really examine the writing for further connections, if only in the style, deepness of the carving, and any other little clues.

... with a little help from the constructs scalp massages.

Investigation: 27.

.

STILL AT CAMP THAT MORNING

Kairus had successfully fought back the urge to munch on the mysterious fruit and instead waited to present it to the rest of the group during breakfast. Yulmiath shows interest in taking a bite, but Hun slaps the fruit out of the dragonborn's hand. Once asked to have a look, Eeyal says: "Wise of you to wait. It smells like fruit but it tastes like spider silk, because that's what it is." Intrigued, the kobold immediately picks up the circular 'fruit' and examines it more closely himself. Now knowing what it is, he can confirm that its 'rind' is made of thousands of thin strands of white silk placed together so closely they look like a plain surface. Looking at it against the sunlight, something Kairus couldn't have attempted in the middle of the night, Hun can see the shadows of numerous tiny spiders crawling on each other, waiting for someone to take a bite of their temporary shelter so they can rush into their mouth. (The silk still smells marvelously sweet, though.)

TRAVERSING THE JUNGLE

Noticing Kairus' and Yulmiath's attentive eyes on the flower arrangement, Eeyal shares a comment: "Nothing I've seen before. Someone with an artistic inclination clearly wanted to pay tribute to this Gura, but I have nothing to offer in addition to this guess." Damu goes off on another series of questions: "Could it be a jungle witch trying to charm a passing tortle? Or perhaps someone died and they are only putting together some type of remembrance, right? Oh, I know, it must be a love gesture to a runaway partner, don't you think?"

Hun gets closer than anyone else. Given the fact that the flowers still hold some shape, the arrangement can't be too old, and certainly not as old as the ship he is thinking of. Perhaps the carving at the wreck was more recent that the ship itself, but it would be hard to tell based only on memory at this point. One thing is for sure, though: there is no magical influence on this flower tribute. It can probably be safely ignored, Hun thinks, if that's what the the rest of the group choose to do.

Whether the group leaves Gura's shrine be or decide to take the flowers with them (or something else, let me know), they soon find themselves back on the figurative road. The rain eventually ceases and the temperature rises. Jungle insects come out to play, as do the small birds, toads, frogs, and rodents that feed on them. Many hours of traveling go by and, only by late afternoon almost evening, does the group come by something else that gives them pause. They come upon a moss covered statue of a serpent, fallen and showing the decay of centuries. The statue is no larger than 2ft tall, and it depicts the serpent coiled around a generic cylinder. Rhogal would notice it is made of similar stone to the chunk he had found. Eeyal admits: "We are not far from the Shrine of Fangs now. This statue is proof of that. Do we want to reach it this evening or call it a night?"

That was disappointing. Not the fact that he did not take a bite, of course, but Kairus already imagined the taste of this fruit and now felt cheated. "You know, smells might be the best thing about dry land. Underwater you do not get it. Tastes - sure, but not smells. A pity you can not get both in this case but I am fine with just sniffing. Or do you think the spiders will climb out anyway?" Arachnophobia is not something a person can develop under the sea, and for Kairus it was just a ball of curious creatures. "Should we release them? Or leave their house in the bushes?" He did not have a quarrel with little spiders, doubted they were eatable and was inclined to simply let them go.

Of course, Kairus did not take the flowers and would argue with anyone trying to do so. Whether it was a love message or a memorial, in both cases it was someone's tribute to the memory of someone dear to the person. He did not add his own flowers either and would rather leave the place alone.

"Can we reach it this evening? I mean, with enough time to set camp near the entrance and observe it during the night? We are not going in tired, of course," (he certainly would but others would as certainly disagree), "but getting a good look before diving in might be useful."

"My vote is to press on - better to be near the shrine than camp in the jungle another night" Krodhen says gruffly, somewhat over this seemingly endless trek through the jungle.