Rawlings Survival  10

Sigi Survival: 23

Sigi Perception: 15

Vandeyr perception 12 

Survival 4 

(Maybe I'll pick up survival next level)

Quote from nschrock >>

Vandeyr perception 6 

Survival 15 

(Maybe I'll pick up survival next level)

 I'll use another Flash of Genius to bump the 15 up to 20

The first three hours pass relatively uneventfully. The first hour, in particular, is quite easy going, and quite easy to be stealthy, but the going gets harder thereafter. Nevertheless, following the path for three hours is relatively easy, the sleds cutting a relatively wide path through the undergrowth. You think you've managed to make some time on the trail, even while traveling stealthily...at least until the rain starts. 

Night has fully fallen and with it, the rain that has been threatening all day has begun. As Vandeyr had promised, the rain is mild at first, but is likely to increase as the night progresses. The party will need to decide if they wish to continue on tonight or rest for the night and continue in the morning.

The risks of continuing at night are losing the trail in the darkness and/or coming upon one of the many dangers of the Mere that hunt in the dark.
The risks of pausing for the night are that you don't know how the plans of the captors and thus how long the captured will remain alive.

Continuing at night will result in: a higher DC for Survival checks, and disadvantage on Perception checks due to the rain and the dark (even with darkvision you're seeing in shades of gray).

"Friends, my vote is that we brave the darkness and press on.  We agreed to take up this mantle... with it comes responsibility.  Those captives' lives depend on us."

Vandeyr nods in agreement. 

Tor nods too. "Exactly. Let's keep moving. If we need light, this maul Vandeyr made can glow a bit, but for now I'd rather keep a low profile."

The light rain makes the path harder to follow but, as yet, not fully obscuring it. The night air is oppressive within the Mere and, the further you travel the more the twisted trees seem to press down above you. Everything feels wet and sticky, there's a feeling that you might never be dry again.

You catch glimpses of things in the night, glinting off predatory eyes, and splashes as sinuous forms move through the deeper water. You catch sight of a giant alligator swimming away in the dark, a group of eels splashing at the surface, and the croak of giant frogs further in the night.

(Please make a new set of survival, perception, and stealth checks for the next few bits).

Throughout the night, Brother Siegfried offers near constant prayers to the Earthmother that they do not lose sight of the trail.  Dangers and beasts of the Mere they can handle, but all is lost if the cannot track the prisoners.

Survival: 13 + guidance: 1

Stealth:  6

Perception:  11

[As Guidance is a tool in his toolbelt, I do think Sigi would use it, but I am just applying it to the Survival check as I don't want to just spam Guidance for every skill check being made.  And I think it makes the most sense RP wise, as he could stop and offer a quick prayer before looking for footprints... as opposed to the more constant need to stay stealthy or alert.]

Tor has mixed feelings about his ability for the earth to accept him as part of it. On the one hand, it had made his career, his role in the unit solidified. It was very handy, and going unnoticed without it was much more difficult. On the other hand, it was a reminder of what he was, where he came from. On balance, he would gladly have done without it. 

As the first hour passed and the effect of his ability faded, they seemed no closer to their quarry. Hours passed, as they pushed on, the dark and the rain making it increasingly difficult to follow any remaining trail. But they had no choice. There were soldiers, and now possibly others, relying on them. Tor remembered the last time soldiers had relied on him, and scowled in the dark. It wasn't a good memory.

Survival: 9

Perception: 23

Stealth: 13

Rawlings shrugs her shoulders when the rest say they want to continue following through the night, through the rain.  The night doesn't bother her, but being wet all the way through?  Not her idea of a picnic.  But she keeps her mouth shut and follows the rest of the crew as they go.  Wondering that when they finally do catch up to whoever it is they are following... are they going to be too late?

Survival:  16

Perception:  6

Stealth:  20

Vandeyr 

Stealth 5 

Perception 11 

Survival 17 

Vandeyr clomps along, managing to step in every noisy pool an heavy breathing making more noise than he realizes. 

As the rain has started to pick up, the trail becomes harder and harder to follow. At the same time, while the earth itself no longer seems to bend itself to your addition, the loudness of the rain falling on the trees around you makes it easier to remain stealthy. 

Nevertheless, you realize a few things at once. Brother Siegfried, Vandeyr, and Rawlings have recognized that you've strayed off the path just before Tor realizes that the party is about to blunder into an open area where two loud, violent voices are raised in argument accompanied by the sound of biting and ripping flesh, along with glimpses of large hulking forms slamming against one another. A second later, the party is hit with a rancid, rotting smell.

Tor recognizes the language as Giantish.

Tor flags the others to stop with a wave of his hand, then gestures the old mercenary sign for giants, before realising that the chances of the rest of the group knowing the sign are extremely low. Instead he mouths 'Gi-ants', and gestures to indicate height. 

Regretting using his merging ability so soon, he puts his fingers to his lips, points to his eyes, then towards the source of the giantish shouting. He leads the others silently to get a better look.

(Do you need another Stealth check?) 

If they go unnoticed by the giants and no immediate action is obviously needed, Tor will take a minute to study the giants, and get a feel for how difficult they might be to take in a fight.

Know Your Enemy - Tor would assess their AC and hit points in comparison to his own (higher, lower, equal).

(Yeah, new Stealth checks please, as it's a new action... Plus they can't be much worse than your previous ones.)

Regardless of your stealth checks, you all see two massive green-brown bodies, humanoid in shape, grappling with each other. They're at least 10 feet tall even hunched over. Their long arms reach almost to the ground where their hands end in long sharp claws. Their bodies are covered in pustules and sores that weep black ichor and sticky green blood, and covered in growths that appear almost fungal in nature. Their heads are flat and brutish and mostly mouth, though they also have prominent fat noses and tiny, beady solid black eyes. Their mouths are filled with rows of sharp teeth and two huge underbitten tusks.

As you watch, one of the brutes claws a large furrow in the other, leaving a huge rent in the creature's side that releases a greenish fog of rot and gore. The wounded creature lets out a howl of pain and anger. And you're hit with another wave of rancid, rotten odor. 

At their feet, lies the body of a lizardfolk scout, nearly torn in half, with bite marks taken out of it.

Those who make a nature check above 14 recognize:

Rawlings watches the two giants grapple and fight, glad they haven't noticed the party yet.  But when the second wave hits her, she is almost overcome with the odor.  She hopes they can get around these two quickly and quietly...

Stealth  19

Nature  15

Nature: 20

Stealth: 18

Stealth: 7 (Wanna bet they can't be worse :P )

Nature: 18

Tor covers his nose and mouth with his arm as the stench rolls over them. He daren't risk melee combat with these things - who knows what that poisonous rot would do to you that close up. So they either go around, or attempt to remove the obstacle from range. Not Tor's specialty. 

Turning to Siegfried he mouths the word 'ge-nie', then mimes a 'poof' with his hand. He hopes the cleric will realise he's referring to the Banish spell he cast on the Efreeti back on the road, days back.