Jovial Jungle Jaunt (ToA)

Boosey raises his eyebrows at Nenne as she starts to speak.  "Sometimes need outweighs the risk.  Don't think I'm some green pup unaware of the risks of travelling through this land without a guide.  We are better equipped now than we ever have been to travel unguided, and we have certain protections," he gives a wry smile, "even if when they are offered they are seldom used.  Yes it would be dangerous, but I do not believe it to be reckless, there is risk to everything.  We could be killed here while we wait, who's to say we wouldn't even with Eku.  There are lives on the line here now, to delay would be the bigger folly.  How many could die because of our inaction?  That is the course of recklessness"      

To Allister he says.  "Just exploring all options, my friend.  All options should be considered and a judgment made.  Just because I suggest something," he shrugs, "doesn't mean I want to do it.  Creative thinking!" and he grins at the fighter.

"I would like to hear what others think," the cleric states, inclining her head toward the bard for his last comment. "I have given my counsel and will abide by the wishes of the group."

Getting up from where he previously was, Funderburk walked over to the group. "I believe Boosey to be right in this decision making. Waiting too long is just putting others at risk because 'we don't feel safe'. Sleeping now and continuing our journey, we can just have Eku meet with us at a certain point if she is comfortable with it. However, we need to save as much time as possible. I stand with the gnome."

Allister looks at Boosey, finding it strange for the bard to be so... stubborn? He walks to him and whispers something in his ear.

After Allister whispers in his ear, Boosey stands and says, "Come with me, Allister."  To the rest of the group, he says, "whatever decision the group makes, please be assured I will abide by it."

The two then make their way to the edge of the camp.

Allister returns after a while. He looks at Nenne, Funderburk and Sthara and says „I changed my mind. We should leave while we still have some hours of daylight. Waiting here for Eku might take longer than we anticipate, and we have no guarantee that she will ever reach. Better risk a day or two lost in the jungle than a tenday, maybe for nothing.“

After hearing the discussion back and forth between the pairs of her companions and with Allister and Boosey gone off to talk about something in private, Sthara voices her opinion.

"Funderburk is right – waiting because we fear for our own safety is a selfish thought, because we know where we are headed. But at the same time, these people who suffer the Curse are suffering no more by our actions–they would suffer regardless, until the artifact is sealed away. It's true that we may, with luck and divine intervention, navigate ourselves to Omu, but who's to say we are even capable now of ending the Curse? Then we have just wasted our energy rushing into a wall."

She reviews their map, tracing a finger along paths from their general location.

"We should learn where it is that the Flaming Fist are headed. If they are headed East, we can travel with them as far as the River Olung. It runs down from Mezro, which would help Eku in finding us, if she's even willing to journey this deeply into the jungle by herself. And then–you see–it empties here, the delta near Mezro, but it also must originate from somewhere. If we follow it down and Eku believes it does not bring us too far East, we may have a clear path to get to the Peaks of Flame and Omu."

Smiling, she looks to both Nenne and Funderburk.

"So my decision is both."

When Allister returns, Sthara asks, "But would you head straight for Omu?"

Allister leaves the gnome staring out in to the jungle.  He lingers there a while before returning to the group, sitting down and rubbing his face.  "This is one unholy mess," he says simply.

Nenne inclines her head in acquiescence and leaves the group to trance by herself. As she passes Allister, she says under her breath, "The storyteller - you noticed it too, I see." And she walks away before he can respond. 

As Nenne walks away, Boosey watches her go sadly.  He shakes his head and moves closer to the fire, staring into it for a good while.

When the rest of the group awakens the next morning, they find Nenne off by herself, deep in prayer. Sunlight falls on her pewter hair, and there is no hint of warmth in the powder blue of her skin.

Day 47

The soldiers bid the party farewell as they set out on their own the next day. Nenne sets the way tentatively, guided by magical means which prove to feel successful as the party ventures away from the Heart of Ubtao. As it disappears into the background the day winds on. Soon enough the companions find themselves around their evening campfire quite a distance from where they camped with the Flaming Fist soldiers. It seems the first day of unguided travel was a complete success.

Day 48

Around midday the party begins to make their way through a stretch of land that is caught somewhere between rough plains and swamp. The cleric keeps a wary eye out for anything out of place being this close to the swamp land. The pace is slow, but steady and as they go along Nenne realizes that the log right there is a massive snake. It's all to close for comfort and when she signs for the party to halt it rears its head and lunges for the leading cleric.

//roll initiative\\

As the creature begins to move towards Nenne, Boosey quickly mutters a spell which results in a cylindrical cloud quickly gathering over head.  A moment later a spear of lightning cracks into existence, striking the snake in the centre of its head.  

"Mka!" Sthara hisses as she leaps to catch up to Boosey and Nenna in the lead, "I could have spoken with the snake and had it leave us. Eku's lesson about killing the Tyrannosaurus left no impact I see."

She winds back her wrist and fires a bolt of flame at the snake.

Allister steps in front of the snake, trying to present himself as the main target. He mainly tries to dodge, jump around and avoid the attacks of the giant snake. (ooc: Dodge action). He only makes a provoking attack with his cutlass, causing a minor injury. (ooc: hit 19, 7 damage with the bonus action)

Boosey's spell was too fast for the incoming serpent and the lightning strike takes it by surprise. It pulls to the left in pain, causing Sthara's firebolt to miss by only inches. The thing lunges for Allister, but the fighter dodges to the side of its snapping jaw. It rears up higher ready to bite straight down on the man this time.

Funderburk reaching and taking out his staff once more, begins to chant and draw power from his staff. Once he does so, he produces six miniature meteors. He points his staff at the snake, and fires two of those meteors.

 Dex save: 15   Damage ( or half): 18

Distraught by the sudden danger and the risk the fighter had taken in protecting her, Nenne slams the sigil of Kelemvor on her shield as a legion of tiny, sparkling panthers burst into existence around her. (Spirit Guardians - DC 14 Wisdom, 11 or half on a save)

With the snake under pressure from the party, Boosey aims for a spot to the side of the snake, sending another lighting bolt crashing to the ground, narrowly avoiding Allister in the process.  "Keep moving and distracting it," he shouts at the fighter.  "We can break this thing quickly."  OOC: The encouraging words give Allister 1d8 Bardic Inspiration