"I seen a few weird things here and there, investigated to find nothing. I just think the heat is getting to me that's all," Silas states while tapping his heavy armor.

Boris nods slowly, his brain clearly trying to process this. His eyes drift back to the new comer.  "Um, oh right, you.  Sorry, did you tell us your name?"

"Didn't I" A confused look crosses her face, "Hmmm, maybe I did not, my apologies. I would stand an offer your a proper greeting but that might mean I would bleed out. Name is Mal Fillion one of the best guides you can hire from the city of Nav." Chuckling some more and then winces with pain, "Might not look like the best guide mind you, but I blame all this on my last employers. They were not ones to listen to any of my warnings and this is what I get for agreeing to accompany them into the jungle. I could not say no to the gold they were offering, not that I am going to see any of it now. Damn feral lizards!"

Let me see those wounds, says Badger and he approaches Mal to examine her (Medicine:16). As he does so, he asks: Where were your employers headed, may I ask? You are deep in the jungle indeed. We would not have ventured thus far without the aid of our own guide, who just recently vanished.

Mandra opens her eyes from her meditation to survey the new traveler. In a previous life she may have been suspicious of a sudden oportune arrival, but she supposed that the Soul Monger was drawing all sorts of unfortunate people towards it to devour. 

"You wouldn't have happened to see any large snails or doomed children around here?"

A little puzzled by the questions, Mal responds, "No I have not seen any of that. We only ever encountered the typical denizens of this jungle until that beast of a lizard attacked our camp this morning. And I hope to never see that particular creature again."

Badger, you examine the woman's wounds.  She appears to have some cracked ribs, several lacerations, and a lot of bruising. The lacerations need to be cleaned and healed with magic, or sewn up. Based on the amount of mud and dirt on her, you figure she's probably contracted several diseases, and probably some parasites in her wounds that will grow if not taken care of. She'll probably die in a few days without magical healing.

Badger calls Silas over, assures him that this is no hallucination, and asks him to work his healing powers on the mystery woman.

"Ok, come here," Silas will gives her a check over and cast any healing spells as needed.

Medicine: 18

"I thank you." Mal sighs out. "You all seem like quite the capable adventuring group, mind if I tag along for awhile, at least until you travel back to the city. There is safety in numbers, though that did not help my last group any. They were a group of Thayan Wizards in search of something they called the "Soul Monger" that had something to do with the wasting disease that seems to be taking over this island. The entrance is just north of this very city but they speculated we needed nine special cubes of some sort in order to open the entrance. They surmised the nine shrines were somewhere in this city and the group was about to start searching for the shines when that beasts laid waste to your camp and well here we all are now. What brings you all to this wretched place?" Mal sighs as the healing washes over her.

(OOC: 29 HP's to heal Mal to full)

SIlas will use cast Healing Word twice, "Hopefully this will keep you up until you can get a proper night's rest," 

Healing Word #1 6
Healing Word #2  6

As Sickle relaxed back from his defensive stance, lowering his staff, he said, "Good.  Someone else to die with us here in the jungle."  He stalked back over to his corner.

He re-emerged after his rest and after Badger and Silas gave the newcomer a thorough check.  He sighed, "Here. Perhaps this will help." He will cast Healing Word and Lesser Restoration, healing Mal for 7 HP. "I'm Sickle. I hope we can bring each other better luck than we've had so far."

He will walk around a bit and look for any gloves that might be remaining in the tattered remains of the party that fell here.  Assuming he finds some, he would like to present them to Boris, then hold out his hand, and with a flash of blue-white arcane magic there appears a glistening ice form of a greataxe.  "This will last you only for a day, but perhaps it will fare you better than a shortsword."

Finally, he will walk over to Mandra and Badger, and present the mask he found.  "Maybe this is related to the writing on the obelisk?  Perhaps if we wear it down the hall?"

Boris looks wide eyed at the axe.  The tattered leather gloves seem to keep the worst of the cold from him.  He tentatively bangs it on the wall, clearly expecting shards of ice to shatter off, but the blade stays true.  He smashes it harder into the stone, cleaving gouges out of the rock.  He turns to Sickle with a big smile on his face.  "Awesome!  Thank you!" 

(OOC: Who gets the magical helm?) 

(I'd be happy for Badger too use it, if no other takers. Will save me a spell slot)

We too seek the Soul Monger, although I doubt for the same reason, if I know anything true about the Red Wizards of Thay. Badger says, slumping down into a crouch. Then rubbing his nose he says, half to himself: So cubes it is! We saw the mechanism but knew not its purpose. We will seek the shrines then, but I doubt we shall do so unless we face this monster. Then turning back to face Mal, he asks: Urgh, we have battled mighty lizards before - how is this one so formidable as to defeat so many?

Mal is looking much better, her bones are mended and the lacerations taken care of.  The lesser restoration spell should have taken care of her disease or parasites, but you'll need to check her again tomorrow to be sure. 

While you wait for your new companion, Mal, to describe how a single dinosaur defeated a group of wizards and their soldiers, you begin to feel the ground tremble. The irregular "thud...thud....thud" traveling through the ground seems to get closer and closer until it feels like its overtop.  A bit of sand filters down through the cracks above as the thudding ends with a final elongated thudding sound. From above, through gaps in the ceiling you hear the heavy breathing sounds of a large creature. 

The group does a bit of looking about this underground maze, staying quiet as you try to determine your options. The tunnels under here seem to expand throughout the entire area underneath the amphitheater. There are seven different exits leading out. Three of them lead into the amphitheater, from which you spot the creature. It's looks much like a tyrannasouraus rex, but where the other you fought was huge, this one seems to be about twenty percent bigger.  Perhaps 24 feet tall? It's covered in colorful long feathers down it's back and has a massive horn coming out of it's snout. The creature is currently crouched down in the amphitheaters main space. It looks to be resting, though it's eyes appear to be open. 

Mal whispers, "It seemed to ignore much of the magic flung at it. The spells that made the wizard invisible didn't help them, it seemed to be able to spot them regardless.  The thing also seems to vanish and appear in other locations....a creature that massive popping away and appearing next to someone to just eat them...."  A shiver seems to run up her spine.  

While three exits to the tunnels lead into the ampitheater, four lead out, and it would seem it should be easy enough for you to sneak past and away from here without disturbing the creature should you choose to. 

"I suggest we avoid that thing, I am very much NOT looking forward to fighting it again and especially so soon after the first route. I have not been in this part of the city yet, which direction should we go, I can scout out a bit ahead and keep a look out for traps or any other hidden enemies that which to pounce on us." Mal Shivers.

Badger's spine shivers too at the sight of the huge feathered dinosaur, and it's not out of courage that he suggests battling it here and now:

Urgh, I don't cherish the thought of meeting that thing out there in the jungle when we are unprepared. Would it not be prudent to attack it from the safety of these tunnels? Surely it cannot reach us in here...

"Definitely something to avoid," Silas whispers as he tries to keep his heavy armor from clanking to attract attention from the beast. 

Sickle shakes his head looking at it.  "I understand the urge to take it from a position of strength, but if it behaves the way Mal here suggests, we'll be weak against it either way.  Plus the noise we would make in attacking it... best to avoid it I think..."