Poole only finds one arrow of hers, and she stops by the man who spoke up to the group. "I'm Poole. Service? Alternative's to let 'em eat you. What'll the princes do when they hear the tale?"
She'll listen for an answer and follow along with the group to Qawasha.
Poole finishes her strike and slows the backswing, amazed that the zombie keeps coming. The bell sound rings and it finally goes still.
“Peculiar flotsam and jetsam. Men walking, swimming, but not. Who sent them? And is this river good for canoeing?”
She turns and asks her two questions to a local Chultan who survived the melee, helping them to their feet.
"Sent themselves. Part of the ebb and flow of life in the Port. I don't know if the jungle will ever stop spitting them up."
Regarding the idea of canoeing, he says, "No, this ravine only looks like a river when the rain pours. The Tiryki and the Soshenstar...those are the rivers that lead inland."
Anzircoils up his whip. Wiping rain from his eyes, he says, "We gotta get out here. I'm going to findQawasha."
Anzir will look for Qawasha first in his known residence and then by asking the locals that came out to fight.
Finding Qawasha proves to be an easy task. The druid is the one of the locals that's cleaning up the undead mess at the western end of the ravine. His gratitude to the party members is evident despite the fact that he uses an economy of words. "You seek a guide? I am willing and can leave at dawn tomorrow if that is acceptable."
Poole only finds one arrow of hers, and she stops by the man who spoke up to the group. "I'm Poole. Service? Alternative's to let 'em eat you. What'll the princes do when they hear the tale?"
She'll listen for an answer and follow along with the group to Qawasha.
"Hard to say. At the very least, a fine meal in one of their villas."
Poole finds Qawasha when Anzir's talking to him. "Poole. Hear you know these lands well. Will this camouflage on my armor help keep me hidden out there? And if you know good provisioners you'd recommend to get supplies, provisions, and insect repellent, we'd love to hear it. You can see we're not too bad at fighting undead, so you might actually enjoy this journey. It'd be better if you tell us how to prepare. I only like nice surprises."
Qawasha nods, silently studying Poole's armor. "But it will not hide your scent or silence your footsteps," he remarks matter-of-factly.
"Insect repellent, yes. Please bring a rain catcher. And, depending on our destination, canoes may be necessary," he adds.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
That evening, the six adventurers are summoned to the villa of Ekene-Afa, one of Port Nyanzaru's merchant princes. The food and drink, although unusual, are more than satisfying, and Ekene proves to be a rather down-to-earth person despite her position of power in the city. She inquires about the party's plans but doesn't probe too deeply, respecting the group's privacy and freedom. Upon learning that an expedition will soon be underway Ekene explains that she will outfit the group with the necessary equipment.
"Food and drink is little reward for what you have done today, friends. I will send word to the Red Bazaar this night. In the morning, if you wish, canoes and yklwas will be available to you. Insect repellent and rain catchers as well. I wish you well, and I wish you wealth."
All that remains is to determine the party's destination/route of travel. Then I will advance the story.
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
The following morning, the six adventurers and the half-orc Undril Silvertusk gather at the mouth of the Soshenstar River. Despite the early hour, everyone is well aware of the heat and humidity.
"Thankfully, we'll be in the canoes rather than hacking our way through the jungle," muses Undril.
Four Chultan canoes provided by the merchant prince Ekene-Afa rest on the shore as the river water gently slaps against their sides. Stowed within the tiny boats is everyone's gear, including rain catchers and jars of greasy salve that will serve as insect repellent. Additionally, Ekene has placed one yklwa in each canoe. Apparently she believes the party will be better equipped if they have traditional Chultan weapons in their possession.
The party's guide--the druid Qawasha--and his strange vegepygmy companion, settle into a canoe with Undril, leaving the others to sort out who paddles with whom. "The five pieces of gold per day will be collected at journey's end. Let us not bother with that now."
For the first few hours, the adventurers work at overcoming their lack of familiarity with their new means of travel. But by the time the sun is high overhead, the technique and rhythm of paddling against the slow current has become second nature to everyone. As the party takes a short break, resting in the shade on the river bank, Irma draws everyone's attention to five aarakocra soaring high overhead.
"Scouts from a nearby aerie," explains Qawasha. "They are peaceful creatures."
Later in the day, just before sunrise, the party hears the gentle thunder of a waterfall. Exiting the canoes and carrying them upstream pass the waterfall takes approximately thirty minutes. Another hour of paddling brings an end to the first day. "Six more days until we reach Camp Vengeance," announces Qawasha.
The next day is very similar: heat, humidity, hours of paddling, and hundreds of strange animal sounds coming from the nearby jungle. In the early afternoon, a noisy group of giant frogs jumps in and out of the river water as the canoes pass by. "We are too large for them," remarks Qawasha.
The druid's tiny vegepygmy companion utters an audible squeak, indicating its disagreement with the druid's assessment.
That night (of the second day) the members of the expedition, weary from the oppressive heat and hours of paddling, settle in for a night's rest. The first watch--which belonged to Melanthios--passed without incident. An hour later, however, Poole is on watch, and she hears the sound of a growling animal not far from camp, somewhere in the trees directly away from the river. It is not the sound of creature she knows, but it is, clearly, a growl of some sort.
Poole quickly throws seven pebbles at each of her sleeping companions and whispers a few times, "Animal. There. Awake. Not sleeping. Growling. Hungry? Overconfident, we hope."She climbs up into the first bough of a nearby tree to hide. Stealth: 23
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Poole quickly throws seven pebbles at each of her sleeping companions and whispers a few times, "Animal. There. Awake. Not sleeping. Growling. Hungry? Overconfident, we hope."She climbs up into the first bough of a nearby tree to hide. Stealth: 23
Sorry, I can't resist the hilarious possibility that Anzir sleeps through this. Is a pebble and a whisper enough to wake Anzir? Let's find out! DC(11): 7 (LOL!)
Anzirsnorts and opens his eyes as he sits bolt upright. He then looks right at Pooleas she whispers at him. As the rogue moves onto the next person to wake them up, the dragonborn lays back down, closes his eyes, and begins softly snoring.
Koris wakes and attempts to keep quiet like the others, but on seeing Anzir’s sleeping, used a careful casting of mage hand to wake his sleepy dragon butt.
Koris wakes and attempts to keep quiet like the others, but on seeing Anzir’s sleeping, used a careful casting of mage hand to wake his sleepy dragon butt.
Boo! Robbing me of my comedy bit! Fine. Rolling it again: DC(11): 8 (Bahaha!))
Anzirswats at the mage hand as it slaps him, covers his nostrils, and jabs him in the ribs. He then pulls the covers up and rolls over as Korispulls the magical hand out of range...
With the exception of Anzir, all members of the expedition shake the sleep from their eyes and minds as they take a position somewhere near the camp. Poole, catlike, stations herself about 12' off the ground in a tree close to the water's edge. Koris is nearby. Hana crouches near a trunk, straining her ears but hears only the rhythmic snoring of the sleeping dragonborn a few feet away. Melanthios darts past Irma and hops into the closest tree that will afford him a perch from which to shoot.
Qawasha and the vegepygmy are awake and alert; so too is Undril, who has her mace in hand.
As everyone stares northward into the darkness, a large portion of the campsite is momentarily filled with a twisting, mesmerizing pattern of colors. Poole,Koris, and Melanthios are unaware of the incident because of their position in the jungle. Anzir, sleeping soundly, is also oblivious to it. The others, however, are struck by the visual display. Most of them quickly regain their senses, but the vegepygmy and Hana are so entranced that they become charmed.
The causes of the growling sound (which continues) and the hypnotic pattern are unseen, however.
All players may act, in any order. The yellow square is for informational purposes, denoting where the hypnotic pattern occurred, but there is no lasting visual effect. Qawasha and veggie are marked in light green; Undril in grey. It is well into the night; those without darkvision take note. Ignore the rectangle on the opposite side of the river (not sure how I put that there...)
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Poole only finds one arrow of hers, and she stops by the man who spoke up to the group. "I'm Poole. Service? Alternative's to let 'em eat you. What'll the princes do when they hear the tale?"
She'll listen for an answer and follow along with the group to Qawasha.
Irma checks the fallen chultans and if one can be saved then she'll use Cure Wounds for 8.
"More often than we'd like. The jungle is overrun with them."
"Sent themselves. Part of the ebb and flow of life in the Port. I don't know if the jungle will ever stop spitting them up."
Regarding the idea of canoeing, he says, "No, this ravine only looks like a river when the rain pours. The Tiryki and the Soshenstar...those are the rivers that lead inland."
Finding Qawasha proves to be an easy task. The druid is the one of the locals that's cleaning up the undead mess at the western end of the ravine. His gratitude to the party members is evident despite the fact that he uses an economy of words. "You seek a guide? I am willing and can leave at dawn tomorrow if that is acceptable."
"Hard to say. At the very least, a fine meal in one of their villas."
Irma's spell does its work. The local sits up, dazed but thankful.
Anzir nods. "Tomorrow it is."
He informs any of the others that he passes on the way back to the tavern.
Poole finds Qawasha when Anzir's talking to him. "Poole. Hear you know these lands well. Will this camouflage on my armor help keep me hidden out there? And if you know good provisioners you'd recommend to get supplies, provisions, and insect repellent, we'd love to hear it. You can see we're not too bad at fighting undead, so you might actually enjoy this journey. It'd be better if you tell us how to prepare. I only like nice surprises."
Qawasha nods, silently studying Poole's armor. "But it will not hide your scent or silence your footsteps," he remarks matter-of-factly.
"Insect repellent, yes. Please bring a rain catcher. And, depending on our destination, canoes may be necessary," he adds.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
That evening, the six adventurers are summoned to the villa of Ekene-Afa, one of Port Nyanzaru's merchant princes. The food and drink, although unusual, are more than satisfying, and Ekene proves to be a rather down-to-earth person despite her position of power in the city. She inquires about the party's plans but doesn't probe too deeply, respecting the group's privacy and freedom. Upon learning that an expedition will soon be underway Ekene explains that she will outfit the group with the necessary equipment.
"Food and drink is little reward for what you have done today, friends. I will send word to the Red Bazaar this night. In the morning, if you wish, canoes and yklwas will be available to you. Insect repellent and rain catchers as well. I wish you well, and I wish you wealth."
All that remains is to determine the party's destination/route of travel. Then I will advance the story.
Are we going to bring that guy begging for a ride with us? I think we are heading towards towards Mbala and Camp Vengeance is en route.
(I believe that was the plan as well.)
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Class Guides: Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer, Bard General Guides: PvP
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Poole nods along with whatever Anzir's got planned for tomorrow.
Undril Silvertusk (half-orc priest of Torm) did indeed hope to travel with a group toward Camp Vengeance (which is en route). I'll update accordingly.
18, 13, 7 || 5, 18, 18 || 20, 16, 5 || 18, 1, 6 || 9, 12, 14
26, 52, 48,
73, 60
11, 1
The following morning, the six adventurers and the half-orc Undril Silvertusk gather at the mouth of the Soshenstar River. Despite the early hour, everyone is well aware of the heat and humidity.
"Thankfully, we'll be in the canoes rather than hacking our way through the jungle," muses Undril.
Four Chultan canoes provided by the merchant prince Ekene-Afa rest on the shore as the river water gently slaps against their sides. Stowed within the tiny boats is everyone's gear, including rain catchers and jars of greasy salve that will serve as insect repellent. Additionally, Ekene has placed one yklwa in each canoe. Apparently she believes the party will be better equipped if they have traditional Chultan weapons in their possession.
The party's guide--the druid Qawasha--and his strange vegepygmy companion, settle into a canoe with Undril, leaving the others to sort out who paddles with whom. "The five pieces of gold per day will be collected at journey's end. Let us not bother with that now."
For the first few hours, the adventurers work at overcoming their lack of familiarity with their new means of travel. But by the time the sun is high overhead, the technique and rhythm of paddling against the slow current has become second nature to everyone. As the party takes a short break, resting in the shade on the river bank, Irma draws everyone's attention to five aarakocra soaring high overhead.
"Scouts from a nearby aerie," explains Qawasha. "They are peaceful creatures."
Later in the day, just before sunrise, the party hears the gentle thunder of a waterfall. Exiting the canoes and carrying them upstream pass the waterfall takes approximately thirty minutes. Another hour of paddling brings an end to the first day. "Six more days until we reach Camp Vengeance," announces Qawasha.
The next day is very similar: heat, humidity, hours of paddling, and hundreds of strange animal sounds coming from the nearby jungle. In the early afternoon, a noisy group of giant frogs jumps in and out of the river water as the canoes pass by. "We are too large for them," remarks Qawasha.
The druid's tiny vegepygmy companion utters an audible squeak, indicating its disagreement with the druid's assessment.
That night (of the second day) the members of the expedition, weary from the oppressive heat and hours of paddling, settle in for a night's rest. The first watch--which belonged to Melanthios--passed without incident. An hour later, however, Poole is on watch, and she hears the sound of a growling animal not far from camp, somewhere in the trees directly away from the river. It is not the sound of creature she knows, but it is, clearly, a growl of some sort.
Poole quickly throws seven pebbles at each of her sleeping companions and whispers a few times, "Animal. There. Awake. Not sleeping. Growling. Hungry? Overconfident, we hope." She climbs up into the first bough of a nearby tree to hide. Stealth: 23
Melanthios copies Poole, whirling into the shadows of a tree.
Stealth: 16
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Class Guides: Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer, Bard General Guides: PvP
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Sorry, I can't resist the hilarious possibility that Anzir sleeps through this. Is a pebble and a whisper enough to wake Anzir? Let's find out! DC(11): 7 (LOL!)
Anzir snorts and opens his eyes as he sits bolt upright. He then looks right at Poole as she whispers at him. As the rogue moves onto the next person to wake them up, the dragonborn lays back down, closes his eyes, and begins softly snoring.
Koris wakes and attempts to keep quiet like the others, but on seeing Anzir’s sleeping, used a careful casting of mage hand to wake his sleepy dragon butt.
stealth 23
Paladin - warforged - orange
Boo! Robbing me of my comedy bit! Fine. Rolling it again: DC(11): 8 (Bahaha!))
Anzir swats at the mage hand as it slaps him, covers his nostrils, and jabs him in the ribs. He then pulls the covers up and rolls over as Koris pulls the magical hand out of range...
Irma grabs her shield and warhammer and gets near a tree trunk to see if the source of the growling turns out to be.
She's doffed her armor an hour after the paddling started on the first day and hasn't put it on since. Definitely not sleeping in the armor.
Qawasha: 13 | veggie: 8 | Undril: 20 | Irma: 17| Hana: 9
With the exception of Anzir, all members of the expedition shake the sleep from their eyes and minds as they take a position somewhere near the camp. Poole, catlike, stations herself about 12' off the ground in a tree close to the water's edge. Koris is nearby. Hana crouches near a trunk, straining her ears but hears only the rhythmic snoring of the sleeping dragonborn a few feet away. Melanthios darts past Irma and hops into the closest tree that will afford him a perch from which to shoot.
Qawasha and the vegepygmy are awake and alert; so too is Undril, who has her mace in hand.
As everyone stares northward into the darkness, a large portion of the campsite is momentarily filled with a twisting, mesmerizing pattern of colors. Poole, Koris, and Melanthios are unaware of the incident because of their position in the jungle. Anzir, sleeping soundly, is also oblivious to it. The others, however, are struck by the visual display. Most of them quickly regain their senses, but the vegepygmy and Hana are so entranced that they become charmed.
The causes of the growling sound (which continues) and the hypnotic pattern are unseen, however.
All players may act, in any order. The yellow square is for informational purposes, denoting where the hypnotic pattern occurred, but there is no lasting visual effect. Qawasha and veggie are marked in light green; Undril in grey. It is well into the night; those without darkvision take note. Ignore the rectangle on the opposite side of the river (not sure how I put that there...)
Melanthios will peer into the trees, trying to make out where the growling is coming from.
Perception: 18 (add 2 if this counts as forest)
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Class Guides: Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer, Bard General Guides: PvP
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Koris heads East and slightly north (keeping away from the edge of the river) to see what’s growling.
Paladin - warforged - orange