Jungle Ruins of Madaro-Shanti [IC]

[Mercurion 2]

Pisco saw the four individuals are they entered Jaguar Sqaure. The dwarf he had seen before, though he didn’t know his name; he looked doughty enough. Of the others, two appeared to be shamans of some sort, while the third seemed to be some entitled fop. He raised his eyebrows and silently sighed to himself. Ah well, soon enough we shall see if they can swing a maskab’.

He rose from his seat atop the barrel, sucked the last juices from his teeth, and called out to the group, who were busy surveying the gathered porters and guards. “Ai, are you the boox muyal kaxan? That is, the hunters of the black cloud?”

[Koral]

Ignasio entered the Jaguar square, nimbly avoiding yet another puddle of rain that was lurking with evil intent in anticipation of an unwary step.
Spotting the caravan waiting for the expedition was easy as there was not much else of note in the area, it seems that a formal goodbye proceeding was out of the question. he tossed the two promised coppers at his guide and surveyed the gathering people for another few seconds before approaching. A few wagons short aren't we? There must be a few more waiting outside as these will never suffice for the amount of food and conveniences required for such journey.
He approached the burly man who seemed to be in the center of attention and bowed stiffly and formally, trying to look as competent as the next guy "You are Picso I presume? Pleased to make your acquaintance my good man, Ignasio Fluentio de San Christobal Guanahato at your service. So happy to be here on this exciting event. I trust that we will be leaving promptly?"
It was only then that he noticed the tiny figure standing right next to him, he had to look twice, and then let his brain process what he was seeing. Was that?..... a gnome……. Lady? Behind all those furs and trinkets? It was!
In an instance he lost all formality and his flashing smile took over his entire face, reflecting in his eyes. He took off his hat and bowed deep, leg stretched forward, hands waving in an elegance worthy of the king's court.

"Mostovoyarany, mondarai geshper'ty alten!" he exclaimed, hoping that he got the formal greeting correctly for once.

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Yes, I actually gave Ignasio Gnomish as a second language, trying to go for something as useless as the rest of his skills. And yet, lo and behold, it is useful after all.

[Mercurion 2]

Pisco nodded at Ignasio’s question, answering, “Yes, I am Pisco. I am to be your guide, if you are…” he trailed off as Ignasio’s attention was suddenly diverted to Niala who had just introduced herself to the youngsters that were to drive the wagon that were to bring along.

With a shrug, Pisco turned to the other three. “You are the hunter’s then?”

<tag for introductions to Pisco>

“Very good,” Pisco said after introductions had been made. “Niala there, she will be joining us as well—another with a good eye for the jungle.” He tugged on his bandolier, touched his maskab’ and asked, “Are there any other preparations you need to make? You’ll find the expedition is well stocked for the jungle once I have the cart brought around. Plenty of space yet if you need to add anything.” He glanced at the animated Ignasio. “Do you, too, wish to set out?”

[Stepfan]

Alan let out a soft chuckle, "I do believe this is the first time I've been called a hunter, but we are here to deal with the black cloud yes. My name is Alan, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. The only preparations I might need is to acquire an outfit more suitable to this climate, I'm afraid I am dressed for much cooler climes.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Sorry I got quite sick recently and while thankfully it turned out to not be coronavirus it still was not pleasant

[A.A.King]

"I've got nothing to prepare, and frankly, after being stuck on that boat for a while I'm looking forward to a nice walk through the jungle. The name is Cederick, and the bird's name is Jacob. We are ready to leave when everyone else is."

[Niobaran]

Ignasio entered the Jaguar square, nimbly avoiding yet another puddle of rain that was lurking with evil intent in anticipation of an unwary step.
Spotting the caravan waiting for the expedition was easy as there was not much else of note in the area, it seems that a formal goodbye proceeding was out of the question. he tossed the two promised coppers at his guide and surveyed the gathering people for another few seconds before approaching. A few wagons short aren't we? There must be a few more waiting outside as these will never suffice for the amount of food and conveniences required for such journey.
He approached the burly man who seemed to be in the center of attention and bowed stiffly and formally, trying to look as competent as the next guy "You are Picso I presume? Pleased to make your acquaintance my good man, Ignasio Fluentio de San Christobal Guanahato at your service. So happy to be here on this exciting event. I trust that we will be leaving promptly?"
It was only then that he noticed the tiny figure standing right next to him, he had to look twice, and then let his brain process what he was seeing. Was that?..... a gnome……. Lady? Behind all those furs and trinkets? It was!
In an instance he lost all formality and his flashing smile took over his entire face, reflecting in his eyes. He took off his hat and bowed deep, leg stretched forward, hands waving in an elegance worthy of the king's court.

"Mostovoyarany, mondarai geshper'ty alten!" he exclaimed, hoping that he got the formal greeting correctly for once.

Hearing the words in Gnome, Niala spins around to see the strangely behaving man in front of her. While the words made sense on their own, the whole sentence was ... curious to say the least. Assuming it to be a formal greeting of Gnomes wherever this fellow comes from, she also slightly bows. "Mostovorany, may your cellar also be full of walnuts during the harsh winter." She thinks: Not that we have much winter around here..., but instead says: "My name is Niala, and it appears we will be going on the same expedition? That should give us time for you to tell me where you acquired our language, as few fall folks do."

As Pisco introduces her to the rest, she smiles and waves. "What a beautiful bird." she exclaims and turns to inspect Jacob.

[Goby]

Thorik respondes to the guide's greeting.
"Ah, Pisco. Figures that we'd meet on this expedition. Hunters of the cloud, I like that. My name's Thorik. Good to see you're prepared, let's see what kind of gear you've got us outfitted with."

Thorik checks out the supplies, wagon, and the rest of Pisco's crew, making note of any items that he hadn't thought to bring, or pointing out anything important that he things is missing. Satisfied with the gear, he surveys the rest of the group, and notices the gnome.

"Niala, is it? You look like you know your way around the jungle, good to have you along. You weren't at the council meeting, so what convinced you to join this crew?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Thorik is ready to go.

[Mercurion 2]

“Ai, that I can help you with,” Pisco said to Alan. “I have very good clothing, suitable to our heat and rains. Paid for by the Council-at a suitable mark-up!” he said with a wink. Pisco helped find Alan a set of light clothes for the journey, thereafter gathering the five volunteers around him to give a briefing.

“I am Pisco,” he repeated for the benefit of everyone. “I will be your guide through the jungle. We have porters, guards, and a mule team to carry supplies as we hunt the black cloud.” One-by-one he introduced the expedition members that had been hired to get them to Madaro-Shanti. “Once we leave through the Jungle Gate, it will take only half of an hour to reach the edge of the jungle. There we will see the road that once led to the city, but now it is very broken and thrown up in places, so it will be a trying journey, though I have no doubt tz’iik boox like you have faced worse. It will take two nights to reach the edge of the city, if this cursed cloud does not stop us before then. Have you any questions before we take leave?”

Spoiler: Expedition Team

Show

So you have a full team at your disposal, though they are merely low level hirelings. Other than Pisco, however, you can use them however you’d like-even as living 10' poles if you will. The guards will even accompany you into the ruins (if they live that long)

The expedition hired by the town consists of the following:
Expeditionary Force
Jungle Guide – Pisco (Expert 4)
Porters (Commomer 1)—Andres, Mazaro, Juilliam, Jastaki, Tammic
Guards (Warrior 2)– Henekki, Overi, Henri, Nephi, Fastas
Drivers (Expert 1)—Minnee, Donnal

[Koral]

Hearing the words in Gnome, Niala spins around to see the strangely behaving man in front of her. While the words made sense on their own, the whole sentence was ... curious to say the least. Assuming it to be a formal greeting of Gnomes wherever this fellow comes from, she also slightly bows. "Mostovorany, may your cellar also be full of walnuts during the harsh winter." She thinks: Not that we have much winter around here..., but instead says: "My name is Niala, and it appears we will be going on the same expedition? That should give us time for you to tell me where you acquired our language, as few fall folks do."

As Pisco introduces her to the rest, she smiles and waves. "What a beautiful bird." she exclaims and turns to inspect Jacob.

"Oh yes" said Ignasio cheerfully "I will tell you all about that Gnomish teacher I had back in the wizards guild, just before they kicked me, it wasn't my fault really, he never mentioned any nuts though….." the rest of the sentence was left hanging a Niala turned to Pisco and he found himself mumbling to no one at all.
Why can't people focus for just a few minutes?
He did not care much for introductions and small talks and so he found a wall to sit against in the shade and practice his limited juggling skills with 3 apples. He'll get the hang of it one day.

[Niobaran]

Niala

"Niala, is it? You look like you know your way around the jungle, good to have you along. You weren't at the council meeting, so what convinced you to join this crew?"

She smiles, broadly. "Oh yes. But while the jungle talks to me, it still likes to keep secrets. Regarding your other question -- I think the cloud is unnatural, and it has to be ... dismissed. What did you talk about at the council meeting?"

[A.A.King]

"No questions from me yet, good man" Cederick said "I say we move on and start exploring. The sooner we walk, the sooner we find the ruins."

[Stepfan]

"Thank you, that is indeed much better. I was worried I was going to collapse in those. Quite generous of you, Pisco was it?"

These men smell almost as bad as the jungle, I hope we find this ruin quickly, though it does sound promising for some connection to the darker forces so hopefully I will find what I am looking for

[Mercurion 2]

“Yes, Pisco it is,” the guide replied to the shadowcaster. He looked around at the group once more, and seeing no further questions he clapped his hands together. “Let us set out for glory then, eh?”

The wagon full of supplies—a tar bucket to grease the wheels, a small toolkit for repairs, and a feedbox for the mules piled in with the expedition supplies— was brought into position and hitched to the mules and everything was made ready to get started. The drivers climbed up to the hard, wooden seat behind the buckboard and flicked the reins to get the animals started. Pisco himself walked to the left of the mules.

The expedition approached the Jungle Gate, with its elephants, constrictor snakes, and a huge jaguar so cleverly carved it appeared ready to leap on anyone passing under it and out into the surrounding jungle. As they slowly drew away from Chologadi, the company passed through fields of rice, sugar cane, and banana groves, mostly abandoned although a few stalwart (or, too poor to leave) workers continued to toil.

With the jungle just ahead of them, and the ancient road that Pisco intended to travel just beyond that, the guide spotted a half-orc standing along their route, as if waiting. The train, drew closer, and Pisco recognized the fellow somewhat by sight, but was not closely acquainted with him.

“Ai, xib,” Pisco called to Karan. “Why do you wait at the edge of the k’aax?”

[Auranghzeb]

Karan

Karan heard the expedition long before he could see them. And when he finally had them on sight, he shook his head visibly. What a waste and what a mess, he thought to himself. He counted the men and animals and considered whether the killing fog was perhaps preferable to this parade.

When they were close enough, Karan answered pisco with a snarl:

Pisco, What is this? we are only missing the jesters and the clowns...

Then he saw Ignatio...

Well, perhaps only the jesters. I'm going ahead. I'll try to keep you informed.

He looked at the gnome druid, he had seen her before in the jungle. He respected her though they had never talked, Karan recognized her jaguar. He asked her:

Your Balam* could ward one of this parade's flanks, we will need it, anything in the jungle will hear us rumble in from miles away... Sigh

He prepared his bow and arrow and moved silently and effortlessly away, his feet barely leaving any markings on the mud and snaking roots...

Spoiler: Actions and status

Show

Listen and spot bonus +11, Step of the Wind Stance, ignore difficult terrain.

*Balam: Mayan word for Jaguar

[Mercurion 2]

“Ai, another hunter of the cloud joins,” Pisco said as Karan snarled at him and then darted off. “Uts swerte,” he called after the departing figure [1] After a short trek they reached the edge of the jungle, a cacophony of various shades of green and browns as those on the Bannor’s Pride had seen as they approached the town. As Pisco had told them, an old road constructed of great stone blocks, sunk deep into the ground except where some force had thrown them up and buckled the path, began at the edge of the vine-festooned trees.

Pisco directed the mule drivers, Minnee and Donnal, to proceed onto the cracked and broken blocks and the company began a slow march towards the ruins of Madaro-Shanti. The going was stop-and-go as frequently Pisco directed the porters and guards to hack at the overgrowth that encroached on the old road before they could move on. Three hours into the journey they came upon a huge, ancient stone idol of a feral looking elephant that bore fangs and a double set of tusks, sitting a-kilter adjacent to the road, the buckling of the land causing it tilt over the road at a 30 degree angle as if about to pounce on travelers. Pisco called for a halt for food and water.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

[1] Very good, you’ve noticed that Pisco is using a Mayan dialect. I am going to grant Karan a one-time boon: he gets a +4 insight bonus on any one d20 roll of your choosing. Just declare it before you make your roll.

[Mercurion 2]

Pisco stretched and then stood in front ofthe tilted idol as Minnee and Donnal rummaged in the cart for water jugs forthe mules. “Ten minutes!” he informed the caravan. “Then we go onwards to reacha good place to stay the night.”

Spoiler: For Karan only

Show

Though the roadbehind him had twisted eastwards enough that he could not see the caravanbehind him, Karan could certainly hear them as Pisco shouted for them to take abreak. They were, frankly, noisy as the porters chattered amongst themselvesand the drivers began getting water jugs from the cart for the mules.

Spoiler: For Karan only

Show

As he stood contemplating this fact, amovement amongst the shadows on the ground caught his attention. He had beenfortunate that the sun happened to be making an appearance between bouts ofheavy rain, and his hunter’s eye distinguished the difference between the shadowsdappling the ground from swaying foliage and those made by something moving throughthat same foliage.

Karan looked up to see shapes, perhaps half-a-dozenof them, moving above the road rapidly towards his position. He would have saidthat they were monkeys, only these looked ragtag and moth-eaten, and besidesthey possessed six arms each. Oh yes, and also two head a piece.

OOC: OK, that it the weirdest hiccup--I don't have two spoiler tags in the text I posted by for some reason the site added a 2nd one.

[Goby]

Thorik

Niala

She smiles, broadly. "Oh yes. But while the jungle talks to me, it still likes to keep secrets. Regarding your other question -- I think the cloud is unnatural, and it has to be ... dismissed. What did you talk about at the council meeting?"

During the water break, Thorik approaches Niala, curious to see what else she might know of the jungle.

“Not much to learn from the council, I’m afraid. They seem anxious, putting much faith in this expedition to solve the problem. Typical townsfolk, their solution to a threat is to hire people to take care of it. They might be grateful if we succeed, or they’ll blame us if we fail.

Has the jungle spoken any clues of this unnatural cloud to you? The elders of my clan have not been able to get much information, though I was warned something about monkeys with two souls. Sounds a bit creepy to me.”

[Auranghzeb]

Karan considers for a fraction of a second to unleash a barrage of arrows against these aberrant monkeys, but he isn't even sure they are hostile, so he retreats quickly down the road, covering as much ground as possible.

Spoiler: Knowledge Dungeon? Nature?

Show

Knowledge Nature (1d20+4)[24] Knowledge Dungeons (1d20+2)[15]

[Mercurion 2]

As Pisco was admiring the elephant idol and taking a drink from his canteen, an eerie screeching began in the trees just to the northeast of where the caravan had stopped. It sounded somewhat like moneys, but there was a plaintive, haunting quality to the screeches.

As the sounds echoed through the jungle canopy, the townsfolk in the expedition began nervously looking around with the guards grasping the hafts of their spears with white knuckles. Pisco, too, scanned the canopy above with a concerned frown on his weathered face. “I know the calls of all the monkeys in this jungle, but this…” he grumbled with a worried shake of his head as Karan came running back up the broken road.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

With Karan spotting the creatures in the trees and returning to the group, you have two rounds before the monkeys arrive if you care to do anything.

Note that on the map, the broken stones represent difficult terrain requiring 2 squares of movement, while the jungle on either side of the road is thick and requires 3 squares of movement. Also note that the jungle canopy fully overhang the road at a height of 30 to 40 feet, I just didn’t want the foliage to interfere with the ground view on the map.

I also rolled randomly to see where Niala was at this point since she was moving about the caravan as it went along.

Spoiler: Karan

Show

Karan recognizes them as spire monkeys, a simian about the size of a large baboon that are frequently seen around temples and shrines. They are Animals, usually only aggressive if approached too closely.

Here is the map. I can't seem to get an image from imgur to post.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pp9i4p_qB6lV4Sp3QeVIziOgwCduwTp2

[A.A.King]

As he heard the eerie screech, Cederick got of the cart and made his way forward so he could have a better look. What was that? He thought to himself before he saw Karan running back towards the caravan.

[Niobaran]

Niala

Hearing that something was going on in the front, she commanded her cat to carry her forward towards the front of the caravan, throwing an "Everybody stay calm" to the villagers on her way.

[Mercurion 2]

The screeching in the jungle canopy increased as several smallish brown figures could be seen swinging through the trees, moving south towards the group’s rest stop. The noise reached a crescendo as the branches above the broken road began to shake and a face emerged from the wide leaves above the elephant—make that two faces, in fact, on one set of shoulders. Half a dozen figures moved above the group: monkeys, weighing perhaps 25 pounds each, with two heads and six arms each. Their light brown fur, however, was unnaturally torn and shredded in spots, exposing muscles, ribs, and random bones, while their slavering faces were missing fangs, ears, and eyes in places.

“Siim! Tuucha iik’!” Pisco cursed. “Spire monkeys! But not amongst the living, I think,” he said as he moved back towards the wagon.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Everyone can roll initiative. You still have a round to reposition yourselves or take any other action that you would like.

Monkey Map

[Niobaran]

Niala

She slides from her cat's back and commands her to defend the caravan. She then holds her hands up into the sky, speaks a few syllables in an unknown language and from thin air, a lion dire bat appears in front of the wagon and between two of the tainted monkey creatures.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Free round: Cast Summon Nature's Ally 3 in lieu of "Magic Fang, Greater", targeting the squares between M4 and M5.
initiativeNiala - (1d20+2)[21]
initiativeCat - (1d20+5)[13]

[A.A.King]

"These seem to be some interesting creatures" Cederick says as he starts looking up and seemingly stretching his neck to try and get a better look of them.

"THEY'RE GONNA KILL US!!!" Jacob squaked from his shoulder

"Oh shush" Cederick calmly replied.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Initiative (1d20+2)[21]
Knowledge Nature (1d20+8)[18] (contains an extra +5 from the Collector of Stories skill trick).
Last roll is both to try and it identify these creatures as well as to see my bonus from my Knowledge Devotion feat incase they do attack us (with or without laser-coconuts)

[Mercurion 2]

Spoiler: Cederick

Show

Yup, they are definitely spire monkeys, the two-heads and six limbs makes that pretty easy to confirm. But, as indicated by their torn up condition, something is definitely wrong with them. What, exactly, you can't tell beyond the physical description given.

[Stepfan]

At first Alan had been dismissive of these men worrying over strange sounds, he had heard far worse while exploring in search of ties to the shadow. However as the creatures became visible he noticed the missing fur and flesh, these were more what he had become accustomed to.

So he waited and tensed not wanting to use his limited magic before he could truly evaluate these new opponents, better to see how they would react. At least the gnome seemed to have some answer to the problem at hand. He did ready his sickle in case he needed a bit more physical answer to this threat.

Spoiler: Rolls

Show

(1d20+4)[13] intiative

[Goby]

Thorik

Thorik looks up in alarm at the screeching of the monkeys.

“Huh, the elders warned me about the monkeys, but guess they forgot to mention they’re already dead. Time to see if they can be killed twice.” He thinks as he prepares for battle.

Drawing a large axe his belt, he grips it firmly with both hands and prepares to strike any monkey that comes down from the trees.

Spoiler: Initiative

Show

(1d20+1)[6]

[Koral]

Ignasio raised his head curiously as the screeching started, it was not any less, or any more alien to him than the myriad of noises and smells that surrounded them since they entered the jungle. So far, this adventure was all that he was hoping for, and more. If only the company would have been more friendly...
At some point he also spotted some of the brown figures hopping through the trees "Oooh, monkeys!" he shouted, pointing to the general direction where a figure just passed through the canopy. He then noticed the more peculiar features of the creatures around them and looked at Niala, who was riding behind him "Ummm, two heads, is that normal?"
Seeing the confused commotion around him and mostly Pisco's worried response he decided to follow suit, he stuffed the spice samples he's been picking into his backpack (these will be useful tonight) and took his crossbow off his back, making sure a bolt is ready, just in case.

Spoiler: initiative

Show

[roll] (1d20+9) [/roll]

[Koral]

Ignasio was not trigger happy, those monkeys were ugly, yes, and with a rotting smell to match which drifted all the way to his sensitive nose, but as far as he was concerned, they could have been just another exotic breed. If he was in the habit of shooting everything smelly many of his townsfolks would have been dead or wounded by now.
He did watch them warily though, noticing the concern of the locals. And should any of the monkeys advance he would shoot the nearest one

Spoiler: OOC

Show

shooting at any monkey approaching within point blank distance to hit [roll]1d20+8 [/roll]

[Koral]

not sure what is going on with rolling so I am breaking immersion, sorry.
Ignasio to hit at point blank (1d20+8)[24]