Letting out a long breath of relief as Mica took down the last of the wasps that were bothering them, Danica starts at Hew's question, looking back at Ran and Velan, "Did they get either of ya? One got me a bit..." Blood slowly leaking from the puncture wound at her side that thankfully had gotten mostly fatty tissue, though it still stung something fierce. Hissing at the pain she asked to no one in particular, "Those weren't - I don't know -, acid wasps or something awful like that, right? I know regular wasp stings well...sting. Hm, guess I answered my own question. I'll live." Sheathing her scimitar, the elf ignores her wound in favor of trying to use her weight as a counter to help either of her fellow canoe mates to bring the barrel back in. 

The brunette druid chuckles at Mica's comment towards her, "Serves em right, ack, damn." Wincing as she twisted just so and making her wound twinge. Considering a moment as she looked over her companions and deciding something, the woman holds a hand to her side before murmuring, "Te curo." A soft white light faintly emanating from her palm as she pressed it against the wound, after which it stopped bleeding as badly. Calling over to the other canoe she asks, "Anyone need a heal?

Overhearing Meili's question, Danica shrugs and guesses, "The honey in it?" Looking to Hew to see what the real answer was. 

Ran shakes his head when asked if he got stung.

"Sweaty and rank smelling Waterdhavians didn't appear to appeal to the big bugs," Ran says. "Liked you well enough, and that one was making a beeline to Velan."

Seeing, Danica adjust her weight, he tugs on the barrel to drag it up and over into the canoe.

(Don't think the weight is an issue, but rolling an Athletics check in case needed to heave it in without falling down: 12  )

((Totes forgot to roll for healing lol  Cure Wounds: 7 ))

Hew examines his perforated stump and rolls the shoulder a little, seemingly satisfied that he isn't terribly injured.  "Nah, boss.  Save your magics in case we really need them later.  I've been bit worse than this."  Confirming no one has been hurt badly, he continues, "Right, then.  Let's get back to moving.  I can't say for sure if more of those won't be following along behind, or if all our shouting and hollering hasn't drawn the attention of something worse, and I don't want to be here to find out.  We aren't too far from the village now."

He resumes his peculiar rowing still, though he makes sure he answers the various questions that are presented to him, like a slightly annoyed school marm bothered by chatty children.

"Why do they want the tej?  Likely 'cause it tastes good and it'll get you drunk!  Har!  Honestly?   Who knows what goes through the mind of an overgrown murder hornet?  Honey?  That seems a likely enough guess."

"They call the fish 'pyrahnees'.  Back home they used to call them 'quippers.  Swimming won't harm you none... it takes blood and gore to get them riled up and going.  Not that I recommend swimming."

"(Sigh) No boss.  No acid wasps.  Not that I've seen.  But it still burns like hellfire."

While Hew answers the others, Inete leans forward and whispers to Meili, "That was most impressive.  Where do you find the courage to punch such a horrid thing with your bare hands?"

"Honey"... Meili still did not try tej and could not know but it did seem logical. She nodded to Danica's explanation.

Hew seemed to be fine and Meili did not insist on checking ups, trusting that the guide knew better when the danger is real. She picked up the oar and resumed rowing, now alert to the sudden threat that could come from any direction. Meili only glanced at the unfriendly waters, saving the information about "pyrahnees". Should she die on that quest, she could get satisfaction in dying quite knowledgeable.

"Thank you," Meili slightly turned her head acknowledging that she heard Inete's question. "Though I do not deserve praises, this was instinctive. Or, maybe, a learned trait. My Master back in the monastery always said "neither size nor shape of your opponent does not matter. Answer fast and precise, and the victory will follow." I think he taught me better than he thought." She turned to look at the priestess. "Do you still think you have to go? It's not too late to return."

“Definitely no swimming.” He echoed Ran observation while watching the voracity in which the fish devoured the wasps corpses. His mind drifting on why the insect had even targeted him. Tarban was an experienced warrior, knew better than to leave a spell caster alone and with space. But a wild beast? Considering his Fire Bolt barely touched the creature it should be far more worried about the armored fighter. Maybe, he started conjecturing, this attack was not so random. Could those bugs be tamed? They couldn’t be familiars. Their corpses remained after defeat.

The wizard was about to ask if anyone knew how to extract their poison, assuming that like the normal sized wasps those had it too, when Meili asked how everyone was. Danica voiced similar question, offering healing.

“I am fine, once again, thanks to you.” Velan answered the Druid without moving his eyes from the corpse in their boat. “And it seems that I am far too good with animals.” He turns to the warrior, recognizing the bad pun, then ached his arms and pressed his hands, one upon the other, over his chest. The spellcaster then whispered arcane words, placing Mage Armor upon himself. “And we are on the same page, Mica. Let me examine the thing.”

Fortunately, he had his share of natural studies. Shouldn’t be too hard to appraise the carcass. Scout ahead and return if you see anything dangerous, he commands Ninlil telepathically.

Notes: Velan casts Mage Armor upon himself, tells Ninlil to scout ahead and dedicates his time appraising the giant wasp's carcass.

Nature Check: 23

Meili, Inete smiles at your question.  "Of course.  My god has asked me to help him with a task he cannot complete on his own.  This is no burden... it is the greatest honor and privelege I could imagine."

Velan, you let Ran and Danica paddle while you examine the Giant Wasp carcass.  

• The exoskeleton of the creature is sturdy enough to support it, but would not be practical for any repurposing.
• Inside, the creature has flesh that is extremely unappealing, but could probably be safely consumed if one was at risk of starvation.
• The wing material is strong and water resistant, though their long thin shape doesn't lend itself to any obvious practical use.
• The stinger is 6 inches long, hard and strong, and could probably be repurposed into a tip for a spear or javelin, but your allies already have far better steel equipment.
• Inside the abdomen, powerful muscles control a large venom sack.  This creature stung Danica once, but it feels like it may still contain some venom that could be milked from the carcass.

[Thanks to Velan's successful skill check, he will be able to advise Mica and grant him advantage on a hypothetical later check to harvest anything from the corpse.]

Soon, Ninlil returns and communicates to Velan that a small village is coming up around the next bend, along with some waterfalls.  The sun is dipping below the western treetops and a light mist is rising over the river.  You'd all guess nightfall is coming within the next hour.

It is not long before the village of Waxan'abu comes into sight ahead of you.  It is a small community with less than 20 buildings built of wood, sticks and thatched rooves covered with palm fronds.  It sits at the base of a 20' cliff, with two waterfalls, one of which falls within the pallisade wall.  Several docks extend out from the shore into the river.

[Image stolen borrowed from the internet.]

Hew draws his paddle out of the water as you glide toward tonight's destination.  "These folk are friendly enough, but be on your best behavior all the same.  Its tough out here, and they will have little patience for shenanigans or tomfoolery.  Also - and you will see this often with communities in the jungle - they keep to the worship of Ubtao.  They may even ask us to participate in prayer with them or somesuch.  Just agree.  I don't care what god or gods you may bend the knee too... but I'm sure those gods won't mind if you play along just enough to buy us a safe campsite for the night."

Ran helps with unloading the tej from the canoes once they arrive.

"Never found any worth devoting myself to," Ran says in response to Hew's comments about the gods. "Always best to have a touch or moral flexibility. And not going to temples and churches means you never have to put up with some pompous priest giving you a right rark up about how you've got to this or that. If this lot are giving us a place to stay for the night I'll pretend to worship whatever they want."

He nods at the tej.

"Anywhere this has to go?" Ran asks. Then he pauses and looks at the village. "Most people stop here on the way up the river, do they?"

"Any god should be respected," softly commented Meili. "I will join my voice in the prayer to Ubtao if villagers allow it." If that village was indeed a common spot for travellers, there probably was - literally - a common spot for the camp. Meili was less active with unloading the barrels but joined the camp setting. It was time to put all the equipment to the test.

Some fire for cooking and to through repellent into, two tents to rest safely, and life begins to look much better. Meili planned some exercises (rowing was an unfamiliar activity and muscles needed to be properly stretched or it would be a nightmare to paddle tomorrow) but that will be done later.

"What is the custom here? Should we introduce ourselves or wait for the villagers to come to us first?"

As you approach, a pair of villagers sit at the end of a long dock, retying and repairing an old net.  They nod at Hew with minimal expression and he does the same in return.  Rather than pulling up to a dock, Hew aims for the shore, hopping out into the shallow water and gripping the front of the canoe, pulling it as far up as he could before it stuck on the sand.  He gives Ran a 'thumb up' as he starts to unload the barrels from both canoes onto the beach.  "Just set them right there.  They'll send someone along to fetch them."

"Yeah this little spot sees about as much traffic as anywhere else out here.  There are some grasslands just east of here where the dyemongers come to collect plants and wee bugs for their pigments.  And this is the first of the portages," he points up at the nearby cliff and waterfalls, "so anyone looking to go further upriver has no choice but to get out and hoof it up the ridge."

"You should be fine to walk around.  I'll go find the elder and let him know I've brought them a gift."

Danica rights their canoe so that she was at the rear to steer better and kept them as steady as possible while Velan looked over the corpse of the wasp. She couldn't help but occasionally glance into the water at the 'pyrahnees', though quippers sounded much more familiar. Following Hew's lead, the elf pointed their canoe in the same direction before drawing up her paddle. Humming at their guide's advice, she then huffed at Meili's. "I don't know about every God, but it wouldn't hurt to be open minded. The best deities I've found are the ones most accepting and tolerant." Thinking a moment as they look at the village she asked Velan, "Ubtao was the one that made those twelve followers and then the war started, right?" 

Once the canoes were beached in the sands and the barrels unloaded, Danica nods as Hew walks off to find the leader. "Hm...well let's not split up at least." She recommended, stretching out her muscles from being cramped in the canoe. "Want to get a closer look at this waterfall and ridge? Get an estimate to what we'll have to be scalin'?" 

"Oh, Ran! Should we try askin' around to see if any folks have seen your sister? Or at least any of the group she was with or the ones they were chasin' after?"

Ran nods at Danica and touches a finger to the side of his nose.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," Ran says. "Them white robed wizards might not have stopped and might have just gone straight on up with their magics and all, and it's possible my sister just slipped by in the dark, but it's worth asking. Any sign would be good."

He then gestures at the village proper.

"Worth taking a look around."

Ran looks around to see if there's anything like a watch tower or guard post. But then he goes over to the two villagers that helped tie up the canoes.

"Hey. Cheers." Ran says with a smile. "Are you two usually down here on the docks? Was wondering if you've seen a woman come through here in the past month, looks a bit like me only about half as ugly?"

Taking in the village as twilight begins to settle in, you notice a few things:

• It's hot.  At least as hot as all of you - save Velan - have seen since you arrived here.  It's nice to stop paddling and exerting yourselves, but now that you are off the water the heat and humidity feel smothering.
• Your arrival doesn't seem to have warrented much attention.  Some young women are starting a fire in what must be the village square and an old man is threading fish onto skewers beside them, but otherwise there is not much activity.
• The cliff forms one side of the village.  The other is a nine foot pallisade wall.  A single gate is surrounded by two watch platforms.  No one is currently on the wall and it doesn't appear there is a guard posted.
• There is a mineshaft leading into the cliffside near the waterfall.

Ran, you approach the two villagers and ask your question.  They look at each other and one says something in the strange, sing-songy native language.  The other answers you in broken common, stating they see many people, but he is not sure if they have seen the sort of wonderful, ugly woman you are talking about.

Ran waves a hand and gives the two villagers a smile as thanks for there answers, as unhelpful as they are.

"Was worth a try," Ran says when he joins up with the others.

He then takes a deep breath and shakes his head.

"Feels like I'm trying to breathe water," Ran says. Then he nods at the mine entrance they saw near the waterfall. "Wonder if it's cooler in there?"

(As a matter of course, Ran will ask anyone else he encounter in the village the same questions about whether they've seen someone like his sister or have seen the white robed wizards).

Mica helps Ran unload the barrels of Tej and place them on the beach and then moves to grab the wasp carcass out of the canoe.  He pulls his arrow from the body, looking closely to ensure it is not badly damaged and will still fly straight.  He needs to be careful with his arrows, they will be hard to replace in the jungle.

Kneeling down next to the carcass, he pulls a slender knife and a glass vial out of the harvesting kit and sets to work trying to remove the usable portions.  Thanks to Velan’s study and assistance, Mica attempts to remove the stinger and the venom sack, storing the poison in the glass vial.  It will be a good complement to the poisons they already secured.  He offers the meat to the villagers by the dock, perhaps it would be useful for bait.

Dexterity: 19.

Finished with the task, he secures his equipment and joins the others in their exploration of the town and the falls, trying to find out what he can of the journey ahead.  

Mica, you are able to pull your arrow out from the segmented joint at the top of the wasp's thorax.  It looks reusable.  The same goes for Meili's dart.

As Mica begins to butcher the wasp, he draws strange looks from some of the villagers.  A few children gather around and watch him, whispering among themselves.

You extract the stinger successfully and are drawing out the poison sacks when you see to your bitter disappointment that they are empty, drained out through a tear at the backside, their contents spilled and mixed with the ichor and tissues inside the wasp's abdomen.  The men on the dock accept your gift of wasp flesh.

One of the children who'd been watching you approaches and tugs at your scale mail.  "Sir.  Stone-man.  I... I found this in the river.  Perhaps it belongs to you?  Please, take it.  Take it and bless our little village.  We remember and honor the mountains that fly."  He bows and hands you a citrine geode the size of your palm.  [It weighs 5lbs and is worth 10gp.]

It isn't long before Hew returns with a pair of old villagers, one man and one woman.  Some young men from the village gather the three kegs of tej and carry them off to a large building near the mineshaft.

"We are welcome here.  This is Cha-Kwikkut," he extends a hand toward the older woman.  Her thin grey hair is threaded with beads of silver and turqoise.  "She is the elder and leader of this settlement.  She has kindly offered us safety here for the night."  He then gestures toward the old man.  He is completely bald with a wrinkled face, but his eyes are clear and bright.  He wears a necklace of dinosaur claws that hangs over his bare chest.  "And this is Bolélé.  He is a druid dedicated to Ubtao and guides these people in their worship."

"You are guests.  Please, drink and fill your waters from our rain basins," says Cha-Kwikkut.  "You may setup your camp over near the main gate.  We do not expect any visitors from the jungle tonight."

Bolélé smiles and points to the fire.  "We will hold a ceremony and song when the sky goes to full darkness.  I encourage you to join us."

Ran, both these figures have information for you.  They clearly remember the white wizards.  There were 10 of them and they arrived with 3 canoes and some were injured... they had lost one canoe and their guide in an attack by a river serpent.  They had many questions about other wizards in the jungle, but the village had few answers for them.  They hired some men from Waxan'abu to carry their canoes and left, continuing upriver.

They believe they may have seen your sister as well.  A tenday after the wizards passed, two women arrived by canoe.  Neither were known to the village and appeared to be foreigners... a human matching Ran's description; and a half-elf.  The half-elf had been expecting to meet another traveler here, but the village had not had any other such visitors.  They waited two days and then traveled on upriver together.  They did not say anything about their objectives and motivations, but had quietly questioned a few of the villagers about the white wizards who had passed by before.

Ran thanks he elders for their information and smiles. 

"Well, at least that's confirmation that this is the right route." Ran says then adds to the others. "Might as well set up camp then pop round to this party they've got planned."

He heads over, carrying his gear, and one of the tents to the spot Cha-Kwikkut point out and starts setting it up. 

"Case it rains."

Nudging Ran after he gave such a stellar description of his own sister she prompted, "Ye could ask about the group they were following. Bunch of white robed wizards are bound to attract attention. Assumin' they were still dressed up like that."   

Smiling as the child approaches Mica, the elf's eyes raise at his words, eyes trailing as the boy ran off. "Well you heard the boy Mr. Stone-Man. Gonna bless the village with your magic river rock?" She couldn't help but tease, though her smile indicated it wasn't malicious. "I wonder what "the mountains that fly" are though..." 

Nodding at the leader as she was introduced, Danica's ears perked up at mention of the druid, blue eyes focusing on him in interest, nodding at the invitation. "I'm a druid myself. Danica Amastacia. And we're the Seekers." She introduced, about to hold out her hand for a shake but hesitating, not knowing the local customs and looked to Hew and Velan for guidance. "Well, we thank you for your generosity and hospitality. We hope to cause no trouble or inconvenience for you or your people."

She kept silent as they told Ran about what they had seen concerning the group of white robed wizards and possibly his sister that had followed them but she replayed the conversation back in her head as he walked off to the area provided them and asked, "How long ago was it that these women passed through here?" Trying to get a guestimate of how outpaced they were. 

Hearing Ran's comment about rain she states, "Let's find out. Druidae artis." Casting Druidcraft with a flick of her four fingers from her thumb.