Carefully, at first on all fours, the Professor is making his way across the tree trunk. About two thirds in, the Professor slips, and as he falls, he casts featherfall, allowing him to grip the edge of the other side of the chasm. Gruk, at first shocked at seeing the Professor fall, quickly gives you a hand up and out of the ravine, and you carry on your path. After another short while, B'ark puts up her fist and the others come to a halt. "Lizards are close. Careful now." With that, she signals her grung to fan out and search the nearby area for the scouts, while she stays close to you and Gruk.

Please roll perception to spot either the lizardfolk colony, or the scouts nearby.

The Professor:

A bit embarrassed at his lack of coordination, Snively is nonetheless thankful for his magic that has, once more, saved him.  Following along quietly, he keeps an eye out for any indication of the Lizardfolk or the Grung scouts they are here to find.

Perception: 10

Shae would begin to open her mouth to offer to lead the way when B'rup would beat her to the punch, leaping in front of her and taking her arm. "Uh. Okay. Yep. Let's go!" She would fumble a little bit as she gets tugged along at the beginning, but would eventually find her footing and be able to navigate a lot better as they went along. It was impressive how fast they moved through the jungle. Though, it definitely wasn't as easy for the rest of their group, especially their heavier geared.

Con save: 18 + 3

Regardless of how she felt, she'd worry about the others in the party. One glance over to Berrus, Shae knew the jungles heat in his chain mail could be taking their toll on him. There are also others with recovering wounds that she would not wish to risk pushing too hard should they be reaching their own threshold of exhaustion.

Shae will twist her wrist in B'rup's hand to gently, but firmly, grab onto her wrist to get her attention. The medics intent stare would meet B'rup's eyes, hoping to convey her plea in her expression as she speaks "We have injured among us. I understand haste matters, but we must take care as we move. If we push too hard, we will only become slower." she'd study the grung's eyes for signs of comprehension. "Can we slow our pace, even a little?" She believed it was worth a try.

Persuasion: 8

Maxine Con save: 17 

Even in her newly found health, Maxine was not ready for marathons in the jungle. She could not talk frog-tong, of course, but used universal language of gestures: pointed at struggling people around, then bent, dropping her hands on the knees and breathing heavily.

Thanks to Maxine's pantomime, B'rup starts to understand and slows down, for the rest of the party to catch up. The little guy seems anxious to move faster, but understanding the limitations of non-grung, instead spends time now to find the easiest path through the rocky terrain. 

At the slower pace, it takes you all another half hour or so, until you reach the summit of the small hill, but you can't really enjoy the view, as everything is thickly overgrown. Following on toward the top of the next hill however, you come across an ancient statue, covered in strange symbols or hieroglyphics, and moss. B'rup gives the statues some berth, and soon after tugs at Shae's arm, and points toward a crevasse in the rocky cliff. "Koro-arak hunak. Hua mae aymaht grung filkahf."

Professor, you see reed-thatched houses on stilts out in the marshy ground, barely visible through the foliage. A light scent of burning wood and the smell of cooking fish is a further indication of your proximity to the lizardfolk colony, and the cooking fires likely indicate that the village itself isn't expecting a raid. You see no obvious guards posted.

Gruk quitely whipsers: "What should Bro-fasser and Gruk do now? If scouts are not found, Gruk and Bro-Fasser do what?"

The Professor:

"It would be best if we found the scouts, of course," begins the Professor, "but failing that, do you think the Grung scouts would attack the Lizardfolk village if you and I were there, in the open, talking with the lizardfolk?  The same magic that allows me to converse with you would let me translate for the Lizardfolk.  Perhaps this could even be the start of a peaceful trading relationship between the Grung and the Lizardfolk?"  Thinking a bit more, the Professor adds, "But it could be dangerous, and the scouting party could misinterpret our interaction with the Lizardfolk if it goes poorly, and they might attack to try and free you.  If we can't find the Grung scouts soon, we may not have a choice, though, if we are to prevent a blood war."

Shae would take a moment to investigate the statue during their short pause, curious of what it could be and what it means to B'rup and the grung. When her arm gets tugged, she'd look to the grung, trying her best to understand. It would take a minute for the wheels to turn in her head. Koro-arak and grung I definitely heard. I don't recognize the rest... She'd look back to the others in the group, then to the rocky cliff. After a moment it would hit her. We're here.

Shae also remembered that the grung look to strong leaders, and B'rup wasn't too impressed by our team's indecisiveness earlier. Swallowing hard, she would straighten her posture. The medic would try to shift to gears to show a little more assertiveness. The warlock would nod to B'rup indicating that she understood. Turning back to the others, Shae would point towards the crevasse. "Koro-Arak and his team should be in the cave over there. Now's the time to be diligent." She would look to Berrus, "I trust you will keep an eye on our perimeter with the crew. Assign them as you see fit. If they're elite warriors as stated, we need not be caught off guard by any scouts."

Then she'd look to Maxine before looking back out to the cave to see if she can tell how wide the opening of the crevasse could be from where they are. Shae would pat her nose in thought also looking for any water nearby. "B'ark insisted we don't let them leave the cave. Think we can cave in and block the entrance?" Her eyes would continue to scan the rocky cliff from where they are, in hopes she might be lucky enough to see a potential weak point from this distance.

"That's what I was hoping to do with Professor's Mold Earth incantation," agreed Maxine. "Berrus said he might have something more efficient. Ready to help with anything I have." She thught a little: "Professor did show me his "Catapult" spell. Not sure if it will be enough to cause cave in, but it there is nothing else, we can try just that."

Berrus looks at the cave entrance and surrounding area to look for weak points etc

Using stonecunning.  17

"I was hoping but not close enough fer a good look"

Second check.    25

After the crew cordons off the area, Berrus spends a couple minutes investigating the rocky cliff. It's chalk, with some layers of limestone. With all the humidity, the erosion is extensive, and likely means a wide network of tunnels and caves with stalagmites and stalactites, created by millenia of water washing out the rock. The inside is likely to be cool, humid, and slick. Chalk has a very violent reaction to certain types of acids, but otherwise is easily mineable with stonecutter's or mason's tools. Unfortunately, powdered limestone has a dampening effect on explosives. The stone is also very porous, meaning that water can easily drain from nearby surfaces, even after torrential rains. This benefit nearby vegetation, as there is a near-constant water table nearby, but it reduces the chances for mud slides, since the buildup of earth on top of the chalk is reduced.

You also can't help but notice that the statue you passed looked a lot like a small bearded humanoid to you.

-------------------------------

Professor, Gruk looks at you and swallows hard, before saying: "Bro-fasser is right. Grung need to trust Bro-fasser and talk to lizards directly. This is only way to prevent useless violence." Then, turning to the Professor, he implores: "Grung are enemies of lizards for a long time. Bro-fasser needs to speak to lizards, as neutral being. Dangerous, but only way to prevent lizards thinking, grung attack. Gruk and grung can wait in trees nearby, ready to help if things go wrong, but grung cannot enter village without lizards thinking grung attack. Bro-fasser needs to go first."

"there are ways to bring it down, but they arent easy and will take more'n we have handy,  lots of chalk an lime,  so much fer the easy way"

The Professor:

Nodding to Gruk, he says, "I am not a skilled negotiator, but I will do my best."  After a few reluctant steps forward, he says, "Are you sure we can't just find the Grung scouts and leave?"

Assuming the answer is no, the Professor refreshes his Comprehend Languages spell (using a spell slot if they are in a hurry, or using a ritual if Gruk wants to take another look for the scouts) and heads into the camp, calling out, "Hail the camp, may I enter?" (or whatever the proper greeting is for Lizardfolk, if he knows:  History, maybe?:  18)

"i do want another look at that statue fore we leave tho"

Gruk hesitates, looking to B'ark to see what she recons, since this is primarily a tactical decision. She slowly shakes her head, knowing that time is running short and that once arrows were flying, it would be too late. 

Putting on a determined visage, the Professor parts the leaves in front of him and steps confidently towards the camp, making sure to be loud and obvious, and outstretching both his hands. You know from your studies that lizardfolk are cold hard survivors, that only gather in communities because of the added chances of survival given greater strength in numbers. Approaching so confidently would give most of them pause, since they would assume he held some secret power that protected him.

The Professor can't help but notice a little trembling in his voice at first, but quickly forces the fear back inside. Lizardfolk can smell adrenaline, and it would tell them that he was in fact unarmed and afraid. As soon as he started speaking however, he saw a section of the thatched roof on two of the flanking houses lift up, and a lizardman with a loaded crossbow and a female lizardfolk with a half-drawn bow motioning him to stop. Even through the arcane comprehension, you can make out the typical clicks and whirrs of the draconic language, though their version has a different lilt to it.

""Hold there, Meat with Glasses! Why do you come to this village?"

---------------------------------

Berrus, as you approach the statue, you can tell that it is made from a different, likely volcanic rock, meaning its contours have been preserved far better than the nearby rockface. You're quickly removing the lichen and moss that has covered about two thirds of the statue, to reveal a small statue of a crouching humanoid figurine with a beard, decorative headgear fitted with plumes, and large earrings.

Roll a history check, if you want to find out more.

The Professor:

The Professor stops in his tracks, looks up and addresses the Lizardfolk, "Greetings, Defenders of the Tribe, I am Professor Snively, scholar and traveler.  I come to you with urgent news important for the safety of your village."  He pauses, waiting for his words to sink in.

"Why does Meat with Glasses care for Lizardfolk? We have tough skin and sharp teeth, your flesh is soft, and your nails brittle. We can take care of ourselves, even as hatchlings. What news are these?" 

The questions come from the female lizarfolk, while the male is keeping you in his sights. You spot two more roof sections being raised, with the guards carefully scanning the nearby foliage for any other creatures nearby.

The Professor:

”The Horned Lady is an evil hag with powerful magic, and she seeks to use Lizardfolk and Grung blood to fuel a ritual to summon her sisters here.  If she is successful, her coven will enslave us all—Lizardfolk, Grung, and Traveler alike,” responds the Professor, as confidently as he can manage (and loud enough to be heard from the surrounding jungle).

Continuing, he says, “But we fought the hag once already and found her plans—plans to use an enchanted stone to poison the minds of the Grung into violence, to force them into senseless war for her dark purposes.  Yet there is one brave, wise Grung who has seen the truth of her evil, taken the enchanted stone and broken its power.  Even now, he is here to seek peace.  I introduce to you Gruk, wisest of the Grung and soon-to-be new chieftain!”

Snively takes a step back and kneels, hopeful that his words have bought a chance for peace with both the Lizardfolk and the Grung scouting party hidden somewhere nearby.

Continuing to examine the statue....history:  14