"Ben, when you let the Captain know our timeline, might be good to remind him that the lizardfolk are still forming their opinions of Marshswampers, be friendly, stay out of trouble, that sort of thing...?"

To the image of them walking into the sunset back,

<Yes! Exactly.>

Ben lets his pleasure at the image of the hearts around his face project back to the dragonkin.

To the name disagreement,

<You're still Bimz!> He projects Kay and thinks, <He is actually Korrik.> Then Ess and says, <He is Storm-something.> The Ash, <She is just Ash.> Image of Bimz and thoughts, <You are Bimz but fit in as Bim!>

Persuasion(still rocking eagle's splendor): 24

---

Ben plays some music for Bimz to introduce him to the world of culture. He plays some of his old favorites along with the songs any self respecting bard's familiar should know. He will also get a run down on Bimz feeding and cleaning needs. He will clean the dragonkin with some prestidigitation.

He'll also get all the details on Bimz's abilities.

((He is smart enough to manage the bathroom part, right? I mean, he is as smart as Ben and he only pees on his feet a little bit occasionally.))

---

((Ben wouldn't see the harm in telling the crew the plan and selling it as: 'improving relations'.))

Ben would have small conversations with Aryte, never bad to be friendly with your slightly unhinged guide. He'll have Bimz help with the translations if needed.

He'll keep his eyes open for threats and have Bimz do the same. He'll help Ash and himself with the muck as much as he can with prestidigitation.

"Let's just kill this thing and get back. That bed was surprisingly comfortable! Also, someone remember to skin it. And the snakes if we run into them. There is a woman in town paying good money for exotic skins. Honestly kicking myself for not remembering for that toad."

"Think the Queen will have an issue with us skinning it?"

"She wants it's head for her wall, i can't imagine she is that worried about preserving the rest of it's corporeal integrity so that it can slowly rot in this marsh."

He looks of the slightly crazed Aryte and decides she isn't going to be the best to confirm this with.

"So, try to focus your piercing, slashing damage on the head or spots the tanner won't notice."

((OOC: sorry for the slight silence from me! Everything got a bit busy! I’m back! Omg loving everything that’s happening!))

Ash is almost overwhelmed when Bimz approaches her, and feeds her feelings of happiness and love. She enjoys the feeling of scales on her fur almost as much as Bimz seems to enjoy the sensation of fur against his scales. And the telepathic link only goes to reinforce just how nice each other feels, cuddling and snuggling together. All the time this is happening, the thought that’s hovering in the background from Bimz is always, Tiefling… … and in her heart she knows.

Tiefling. You. Ash thinks back. I know. The thoughts are overlaid with unrestrained thoughts of: He’ll love... He’ll care… He’ll protect… He’ll heal… as Ash’s experience of Ben just floods out unfiltered. Then Bimz flits off, over to Ben.

As Ash prepares for the excursion, she cleans and readies her gear. Showing any interested lizardfolk her three magical- and unusual-daggers, with great pride.

She is very businesslike in her preparations, and since everything is proceeding in line with her own preferences (leave in the morning, overground route, take a guide, etc) she simply nods, growls, or purrs her approval, and keeps on with preparations.

On the overground journey, Ash IS grumpy about the mud and slime, but she’s getting used to it, and Ben’s occasional freshen up is very welcome. She gives Bimz a look — and a thought too, if it gets through((?)) — saying, See? Caring!…

On the Approach to the lair and the Croc, Ash acknowledges that she’ll be careful with the skin where possible. And then she watches, listening, and sniffing the air…

Perception: 25 

"Less about it being skinned, and more if there's an issue with the hide being taken and sold off. One thing for her to display the head, another for someone to turn it into armor?", Korrik remarks with a shrug.

"We won't bring it up."

He looks at everyone to make sure they understand that it isn't a topic of conversation for the queen.

He considers Aryte again and decides to skip that discussion until after they have a dead croc.

Ben, Bimz sends you an approving smile but seems a bit overwhelmed when you start projecting each of the party members and their different names. Probably a concept that just doesn't make any sense to him, but at the least you now know the look he gives when he is confused. With the persuasion roll though, he's going with it and is fine with you and the others calling him Bim.

Ben, at first the music startles Bim but then he really starts to get into it and enjoy it. He's never been exposed to music and so that is why he didn't respond initially but definitely enjoys it. Regarding his cleaning and feeding and bathroom needs - he's pretty self sufficient. His previous master didn't baby him. They had a mutual understanding that Bimz would take care of those things himself. So, he will clean himself similar to a cat and also sometimes bathe in water if there's any shallow pools around. As long as he gets outside a few times a day, he'll take care of bathroom stuff. (I mean he will go inside if he can't get out... haha). As for food, he is also very self sufficient. He only needs to be let outside and he can find his own food. He'll roll a survival check each time, but he eats insects, rodents, small birds, small snakes, eggs and fish. He will rarely have a problem finding at least some insects. He likely wouldn't like the processed types of foods.

As far as Bimz's abilities, for sure he'd explain the best he can the abilities he has. I think given you spend an entire night with the dragon that you'd be able to figure out everything as he explains it slowly using the limited telepathy. So you and everyone would know all of this [Tooltip Not Found]

Ben, the crew is on board with waiting a day or two for the party to complete this quest. 

Marshswamp & Lizardfolk alliance formed + 2, 4:00PM, Thousand-Teeth's pond

Ben, on the way to the pool, Aryte would've likely talk about how she never understood this particular lizardfolk tribes bond with crocs. She's killed more than she can remember. But she admits this croc one is the strongest one she's seen. Particularly in that it seemed to attack more frequently than other crocs she's seen. And it seemed to be able to take a real beating since no one's been able to kill it, and it's eating up a ton of lizardfolk.  

Ess is in total agreement about the skinning of the croc and will focus all of his attacks on the thing's head. "Dudes...I reckon maybe I'll hang back, use my bow a few times to soften her up and then go in blazing with sword and shield, homeboys. Yeah bros. We got this." 

I have updated the map 'TT tab' to show you what the pond looks like. "Here. This is place. This is Thousand-Teeth's home" says Aryte as she points to the large pool in front of you and kind of gives a 'get down' or a 'silence' sign so the party can take stock of what might be here. "Water deep. Deeper than your body at least. You swim?"

I am using Ash's perception roll to start as she initially scans the area immediately after Aryte tells the party to stop. The results of that are detailed in the following text and shown on the map 'TT Tab'

The ground slopes slightly downward into a tangle of marsh trees. Squishing your way closer to where Aryte points, you arrive at a large pool of brackish water. The pool is quite large in diameter and has a few different water entry points, specifically the 2 gurgling streams to the north and the smaller one to the west. There is a rickety bridge which goes to a great muddy mound rising from the pool’s center which also has some trees, and a few yellowed bones are visible in the shallows of the pool itself. 

Ash, it takes you only a few moments after Aryte points to the muddy mound in the middle to notice the croc's nose sticking out of the water. You also notice 2 very large snakes that are moving around in the vines near the east and west edges of the pool. They are 10 ft up in the trees.

The party would be able to quietly discuss strategy here a bit here as you're far enough away that the snakes and croc don't notice you yet, but you wouldn't be able to have a long conversation about it before the opportunity you might have for surprise goes away and one of the creatures notices someone. Any movement from your current position will likely require a stealth check but let's see what the plan is first and go from there. The snakes may or may not be hostile. Aryte seems to think so. 

Aryte would say "Those snakes always hungry. I sneak up on croc. Any of you swim? Swim and sneak up on croc with me. No swim, walk around and take snakes. Yeah?"

Ess would whisper "I.... Yeah, with my armor, I can swim, bros." Ess would be willing to go with the lizardfolk in the pool and try to sneak up on the croc. I will say that the disadvantage for his noisy armor is removed since he'll be underwater except for his head. He says to Aryte "you sure we can get it in one go?" Aryte does not respond but growls under her breath and gently hits her morningstar against her shield with a bit of a crazed look in her eyes. 

He also says to everyone "look at the size of those SNAKES bros. Imagine the skins we'd get of those suckers homeboys!? Cha-ching, bros."

What's next?! 

The croc and the snakes have been added to the bestiary tab as well.

Ben shows Bim a chamber pot and demonstrates its functionality should he not be able to get out.

He also forces Bim to accept a diet of highly processed starches, fats and sugars along with gnomish produced 'meat' (containing no less that 50% meat!). It is just going to be cheaper, well until Bim gets dragobetes.

Ben is pleased Bim likes music. It would have been a tough relationship otherwise.

"There will be much more of that to come, Bimz my companion."

---

"Arrows first to soften it up seems the wisest course of action."

On hearing the plan to jump in the water and fight the snake Ben smiles thinking it is a joke until it becomes clear it isn't.

"That plan seems to put us in it's watery domain rather than bringing it to us. It also doesn't deal with the snakes."

He looks at the snakes then back to the crocodile.

"Can people hide in the trees to jump down on it if we shoot it and draw it to us? Optimally I would like to deal with the snakes first but I doubt our chances of TT ignoring us until then are very good."

He looks to Ash and Kay for input.

((Ben wants to lure the croc out rather than go in. He would also prefer that the snakes be dead first if we could kill them sneaky like!))

"I can swim with the best of them!", Korrik says with a wink.

((Can we say on the ship to the lizardfolk that he riding experimented enough to know that daggers are the way to go?))

"Okay, you want to swim in to crocodile Kay?"

His expression twists slightly then he smooths it,

"I'm going to let everyone in on a secret. If I can't see you, I can't heal you. You will be on your own should things go less well than expected."

He looks to Ash,

"You're not planning on diving in I hope?"

Ash too looks concerned about going over there at all, “I would recommend ranged weapons at least to start. Then only go in close if it comes here to us. Otherwise we keep pelting it from afar”.

She raises her crossbow, checks her range from here, and is ready to fire...

((OOC: also… LOVE the map!!!))

Ben points at Ash,

"There! That's excellent thinking."

Quote from Spiderwrangler >>

"I can swim with the best of them!", Korrik says with a wink.

((Can we say on the ship to the lizardfolk that he riding experimented enough to know that daggers are the way to go?))

 

Sorry Spider let me know what you mean here

((I was also confused but I figured it had to do with the super secret quest!))

Ess is relieved to hear that trying to sneak up on the croc in the water might not be the best idea. He was just going along with Aryte and really wasn't keen on the whole thing to begin with. 

Aryte grunts. "Alright. I've no ranged attack. I get as close as possible to whatever you shoot first and will be ready."

Reading the OOC chat, it seems like one of the snakes will be the target of the first round of ranged attacks along with some others hiding and waiting for what happens next. Let me know if that is the general plan. We will say that it's the east snake as it's the closest one right now. 

((I also am a huge fan of this map!!))

Ess happily gets out his longbow and preps for the attack.

So the snake that you're attacking (as well as any other creature that might become involved in this) will be surprised for round 1. Also, all of the ranged attacks that you make in round 1 are going to be with advantage because you are currently unseen.

The other creatures (the other snake and the croc) may or may not attack depending on how this all goes down. You'll just have to see. (re: snakes and crocs in cohorts)

Ok, please roll for initiative and then make those ranged attacks. Oh, Ash did have to move ahead a bit for her 80ft range and I've positioned Aryte and Ess accordingly as well. They plan on hiding on their turn to remain unseen IF the creatures should come and investigate the missiles. Please let me know if I have everything correct on the map as well as the technical stuff that's going on here with combat and then let's run this!

Thanks again for your patience. Looking to crush a good bit before my vacation on Friday.

Map is updated. Bimz added and the illusion spell is active. 

((I think we meant the croc first? I wasn't very sure either. If it is a snake, Ben would indicate the one to the east as it is presumably out of sight of both the croc and other snake.))

Initiative: 8

Crossbow:Attack: 18 Damage: 6

I was also assuming it was the east snake. The snake is currently out of sight of both the other animals yes, although only because they are not paying attention. If they were to look and/or move a bit they'd see it, and especially if the snake starts to react in pain if it gets hit, the other animals will at least see what is going on. If the snake drops down dead into the water - something like that will get the other animals attention. 

It is possible for this to go down without the other animals noticing, but I'd think it's unlikely if not completed in the first wave of attacks. If the snake is killed during the first wave I think I will roll a check to see if the snake falls down dead into the water :)

Ess takes a shot (+3 prof bonus but I haven't updated his stat block yet. GAH!)

Initiative: 14

Longbow shot: 12 Damage: 1

I'll roll snake/croc initiative last.

Ash was already poised, already aiming… and she fires!…

Initiative: 22 

Attack action (crossbow, light): Attack: 17 Damage: 5 (piercing damage)

…if it hits, take an extra 13 sneak attack damage.

Bonus action (Cunning Action: hide): stealth: 24