((If not for the scent of charred hair, roast dwarf and baked apple might not be too bad.))

Fortunately, with you being in the swamp, the vegetation is quite wet, and that which can burn off does so quickly, and the rest smolders for a bit, but is easy put out. After a minute or so, you all return to visibility.

Randy is still trying to track down the larger mind signal. 

((It wasn't super nearby, waiting for the others, or heading off before Coljin patches Randy up?))

((Randy will wait for the others)).

"I'm getting a...sense I guess is the best way to put it...that there's something that way.  Not a portal. Maybe something that came through?"  He points in the direction of the mind signal.

((Go ahead and dose out heals retroactively if your all following Randy.))

The ranger's unerring guidance towards whatever he is sensing brings you in time to a the mouth of an oft used cavern. It is harder to be more certain, but the large clawed tracks and size of the pathway are in line with it being the hydra's lair, and those of you more in tune with the ways of the wild would find it unlikely that two large apex predators such as the hydra would have overlapping territory... Unless it was a breeded pair, though they seem unlikely to hang around once the deed was done, and hunting to keep that many mouths feed? 

Much more likely it was a solo creature.

Regardless, the ping Randy is getting is beyond the mouth of the cave, and below, seemingly deeper within.

"Healing will be appreciated before we go off and fight with something else."

Dornikal will sigh when he sees the cave and the hydra tracks.

"Great. We thinking the one we got or another one? Doubt they are much for sharing, but maybe all those heads make them confused as to who is and isn't part of the main trunk."

He'll ready his shield and sword.

"Anyhow, Dumathion protect us!"

Before taking off, Randy makes sure to reclaim his pack and Messy.

Randy looks the cave mouth and shakes his head.

"Too bad the invisibility wore off.  It'd be handy now." Randy puts up his bow and gets out his sword. "Wish I had those dark vision googles, too. Although I think I may need to have them modified a bit now."

As Randy ponders the desire to scout the cave, there is some rattling in his pack and a little metal hand taps him on the shoulder.

Randy turns and gives a questioning look at Messy. "Yes?"

Its little arms pump up and down at its side as if marching, and when it stops points to itself, in what seems to be an offer to scout the cave.

Randy smiles. "That's a brave offer. If you were to go, how do you plan to let us know what's in there? What would you do if discovered?  A scout is useful only if they can share the information they get with their comrades.  To be honest, this is one of those situations where we usually do a reconnaissance in force and send a team in.  If you have a viable alternative, I'll be happy to entertain it." 

Messy seems unsure how to respond, the limitations of communication something it hadn't considered. It scrambles out and swings itself down Randy's side with a clatter. Upon reaching the ground, it opens it's lid and starts removing the contents, handing them to Randy instead of tossing them on the ground. It keeps the fork, but it's otherwise empty.

It skitters off into the swamp, not in the direction of the cave, returning a short while later and running up to Randy. For tiny legs, it can move pretty fast, perhaps quicker than the gnomes.

When it gets to Randy, it opens its lid and hands the ranger some berries and leaves triumphantly.

Randy raises his eyebrows, then looks closely at the leaves and berries.

Nature: 17

Unfortunately, swamp vegetation is not Randy's specialty. "Coljin, what do you make of these?"

Ulmwin, not being too great at nature himself, just plays a little diddly to help inspire Coljin.

(Bardic inspiration!)

Colin takes a look at the berries and items from Messy.  He smiles coyly when he hears the others think he if so knowledgeable about nature trivia.    He does however look at them to try to figure out if his medical knowledge or survival skills will help him figure out what they are for

 +8 to either skill if applicable.    Can someone roll for me with advantage please

(I’m in GA for two weeks training in my new job   Can someone explain how I roll dice on here if using my phone to post?)

((If you rotate your phone 90 degrees, the editing bar with the dice roller will pop up. It's a bit touchy with the dropdown menus, but if you touch and hold, it should make them more usable. I can't scroll down on the dice pop up to tell it to roll, but if the cursor is in a field and I hit enter enough times, it will post into the text field. Can also do [roll] then put what you want to roll (eg, 1d20+8) between that and a second bracket that has a /roll in between the brackets.))

27

Coljin recognizes the berries as being edible, a sweet, slightly tart fruit known as a huckleberry in some regions. Some of leaves are of the same plant, while others are from a handful of other plants in the area, but he doubts that Randy's animated mess kit was showing off its botanical knowledge, and more demonstrating a way in which it could possibly bring useful information back to Randy despite not being able to communicate.

"All right.  We'll let you try.  1 hour.  If you're not back by then, we'll have to go in ourselves.  If it looks dangerous, come back immediately."

Messy cocks its pan to the side, before saluting in a manner that is pretty spot on to the scouts and outriders that Randy has worked with in the past, before scuttling away through the underbrush.