Once ashore, Ato watched with amusement as Vesra kissed the very ground. He, at least, would miss the freedom of the water they were leaving behind.

"A have to agree with Vesra. Most of us can't see in the dark, though at least it isn't the pitch blackness of underground.  Still, better to find someplace defensible to camp and wait until morning to travel the unknown wilderness." 

Ellangil disembarks with the litter, then sets it aside and removes dozens of water bladders from the burlap sacks.

"There's a hundred-and-twenty here, packed in small bundles for easy distribution. Load up. we're going to need it."

He also hands garments of soft, breathable linen to Vesra, Vasha, Veythe, and Kayn.

Vesra gladly took the soft linen and a few water pouches. "You are so prepared, thank you!" She grinned. "Shall we venture into the woods a little before we make camp? I'm sure I could find a nice, friendly tree."

Kayn accepts the water happily, guzzling a few mouthfuls as he does. He then straps a few to his pack and a few more on his dog-self's saddle. When offered the clothes, he beams with joy! 

"I hardly never get new clothes!" He yells, "This is great! Normally I forget about changing clothes because these already feel nice." He accepts the clothes and gives them a once-over in the sand. It'll be odd not having the crusty sand rubbing on his scaly skin under the clothes. Once they're perfectly dirty, he stuffs them in his bag as well. 

"A friendly tree? I hope. I don't want to meet a mean tree." He nods at Vesra. It was a great idea! He could lay snares and traps all around the area and the friendly tree will lure the animals in. 

As the ship drew closer to the shoreline, the group was able to get a fair look of the upcoming terrain: desert, foothills, and off in the distance, mountains. All dry, with sparse, short shrubbery. By the time the rowboat reaches the shore and the group has their belongings and supplies unpacked, night has set in, with the sky a deep purple and bits of red off to the northern horizon [approximately 9:00 pm]. "Uhh... Bye." Etsio awkwardly farewells, quickly getting into the boat and sailing back to the ship.

Where the group has landed, the immediate land is fairly flat, though slowly climbs in altitude. Two small cliffs, separated by more continuous terrain, about ten to fifteen feet tall, fifty feet away from the shoreline, seem to offer coverage from any prying eyes westward. Small bundles of yellow flowers defy the sandy terrain, sprouting out from the sand and dry dirt.

Vesra druidcrafted herself a new crown made of the pretty yellow flowers that were native to this region. "Shall we make camp near those cliffs?" She asked cheerfully. 

"Sounds like a great place to start!" Kayn says. Usually others made those decisions and he just goes along with them. He mounts dog-self, the weight of the pack and waterskins a little heavy, but manageable, and waits for the rest of the group to get ready for the short trek. He was pretty sure he'd be able to remain warm throughout the night cuddling dog-self in his bedroll, so the thought of a chilly desert night didn't really bother him all that much. 

"Hm, depends on the direction we need to go." Veythe glanced over to Ato and Ellangil. They had better knowledge of the terrain than she did, not that she could see much anyway. "Are the cliffs you see in our path?" She paused to think. "Also...dangers." She didn't know this continent well, so she frowned. "What could we reasonably expect to run afoul by the cliffs? All sorts of creatures roam the world."

They had rations, plenty of rations--and Veythe fingered the water Ellangil had passed out in thought. She'd spent most of the trip lamenting sea travel and hiding away because no one deserved to see her green-gilled and frustrated. Veythe paused.

"Also...anyone have a torch? This is really unsettling."

"I shall defer to Ellangil, if he has a better sense of the area. I looked at the same map as everyone else, but admit I'm out of my element here in the wild." He took his share of the water and stashed it in his pack, and offered to take the clothing Vasha refused as well. "I spent time in Nimana, but am no native to this heat by any means. In the Wastes, at least, I'll want the protection from the sun."

He gestures towards the cliff face.  "I agree we set up camp there, for what little protection they offer, and try to get a fire started. Do you really need a torch to get that far, Veythe?," Ato teases the bard. We'll have more light in a bit."

Kayn rummages through his pack and pulls four small torches out. Dog-self walks him over to Veythe and he hands her the small bundle of torches. "I have a lot of them!" He says excitedly. "You can have some too. Now you can have light whenever you want! The beasts out here are really dangerous," he adds, "But that's part of the fun! If we find some, can we try not to kill them? I want to see if I can bond with them..." 

Veythe grinned and carefullytied the torches into place. "Thank you." She listened to Kayn's request and shrugged.

"I don't see why not," she told the little goblin. "If it doesn't work though we reserve the right to kill them too save our hide. Agreed?"

When Ato teasingly joked about her sight, Veythe huffed and nudged him with her shoulder. "As if you would be any better, water boy." Veythe couldn't be certain, but she most of the party didn't seem to be able to see in the pitch of darkness. "Shall we get a move on then?"

Vesra produced another flame in her hand, creating her own little torch. "The heat, or cold depending on the time, is one of the most deadly things we'll need to worry about," she said as she began walking towards the cliffs. "But we should also look out for dragons, minotaurs, wurns, and hellions. They can kill you much faster."

She paused for a long time, listening to Ember. "Yes, friend, I'm sure you could take on a whole Minotaur by yourself."

Veythe pursed her lips. That was quite the list. At least now there was light, which gave her a better sense of people and the situation at hand.

"We'll need a watch, then," Veythe murmured. "It's always good, but in this case essentially." She couldn't tell who was most rested, not that it mattered much. Veythe dragged a hand across her face. "If anyone needs aid in sleep when we reach camp, I can offer a bit of song to ease any worries." She planned to drum out some music to help herself drift off even if the others didn't want it.

Once they reach the spot, Kayn immediately sets to setting up his traps and snares. He's a little rusty while doing it, but they're all up eventually. He also summons Sear, who many have yet to meet, high up in the sky and he flutters around eating the various insects that fly too close to camp. Since Sear has been resting the whole journey, Kayn's confidant that he will be able to stay up all night to help keep watch. 

Once all is settled, he snacks on some rations before trying to sleep until his watch. He snuggles with dog-self for warmth in his bedroll, but is excited to see what his snares might catch in the morning.

(Rolled 5 on snares)

Deciding the order of watch, the group lights up a fire for warmth, falling asleep near to it. The stars sparkle with brilliance and light as the crescent moon offers little light to Zendikar herself [level of light is darkness]. Sear flutters about, eating insects and scanning the area immediately surrounding the campfire.

Vesra's watch goes by uneventful. The night is silent, the constant chirping of cicadas offering a soothing background noise to those already accustomed to them. Passing off the watch to her sister, Vasha, Vesra gets some much needed rest.

The rest doesn't last long, however. Only an hour into Vasha's shift, the lip of the hill west of the group's position seems to shift in form, drawing Vasha's attention for a brief second as the silhouettes disappear. Listening, she can hear deep grunting noises and the sound of footsteps pattering on the sand and dirt, seeming to draw closer. She cries out, alerting the party to a potential enemy's presence, pulling out her hooks and assuming a battle stance.

Map:

Sear began chirping in Kayn's mind slightly before Vasha sounded the alarm. The goblin got up quick, disengaging from dog-self and standing up. "Yes... ok Sear... 3 Goblins with short bows!" Kayn calls out. "I will talk, more goblins will be near," he adds.

He then yells out in goblin, "I am Booyahg of Grotag Clan! If you plan to attack... you will die. Leave now if you wish to live!" He then begins to get an angle on the ridge, keeping his eye out for the goblins.

Kayn-dog immediately responds as well, standing quickly and moving to take cover on the left side of the ridge.

(Stand, move 15 D9, Dodge)
(Stand, move 20 B7, Dodge)

Vesra woke with a start, as did Ember. She couldn't see anything. You really think that will work? She asked, Ember's idea seemed far fetched, but not nearly as unheard of being an Invoker. Alright, I suppose I'll try.

The druid focused for a second before feeling her body morph and transform. Where once sat a Kor woman now stood a giant badger.