[IC] The Cult of Brannulv, Chapter 2

[Izzarra]

"One of them got away!!?!"

Imrin begins looking around for tracks but only manages to find where the footprints vanish near Taara had ben standing when the fight ended.

"Where did they go?"

[Xihirli]

"What do we do?" Lana asked Taara. "Are we ready to fight her again?"

[Fay]

Rose also walks over to the edge and looked out over the landscape below. Not expecting to find anything, her eyes still instinctively scanned the area.

"Did anyone see where the cultist who got away actually went?"

Spoiler: ooc

Show

Perception check to try to spot the leader or any other cultist activity down there

(1d20+1)[11]

[Izzarra]

Imrin looks to Taara "You where the furthest down the path, what happened?"

---

Looking out over the cliff you see a thick forest with a small river running down into the open valley ahead.

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Taara took Lana's hand and hugged her. She clutched her head suddenly, trying to recollect anything that just happened. "She... I... She went down. Off the cliff. Same way she escaped before. I think..." Taara coughed a little blood and looked around. "S... Sorry. My head was hazy. Wh... Umm, who is this?" She pointed at Imrin, seemingly genuinely confused.

[Zergrinch]

Zarron sits himself down unceremoniously. He is in no condition to go to combat right now, and he knows it.

"I'm all for going after her, but can we rest a while? She... They... got me good," he lamented.

[Izzarra]

Imrin hustles over to the cliff and walks along the edge for a little it before realizing that it has been to long and shouts something in dwarvish that should not be repeated in polite company.

[Xihirli]

Lana looks around for a bit, too. "Did she leave anything behind? Or bleed?"

[Izzarra]

Looking around you find no signs of anything that was left behind by the cultist that got away.

The trail that they marched in on is easy enough to follow.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

What is the plan? It is an hour or two after noon.

[Xihirli]

"I say we follow the trail," Lana said. "We can try to beat her to the place."

[Fay]

Rose walked back to the group, trying to clean some of her wounds. "I don't think we're really in a good state for another fight. How about we look for somewhere to rest a little, maybe eat something?"

[Xihirli]

Lana frowned. "Well... alright, but we'd better find a place where we won't be attacked."

She searched for some dense foliage or cover off the road.

[Zergrinch]

Zarron helps stuff what can be stuffed into Lana's handy haversack, and loads the rest on Ghiso's backpack. The combustible medallions, he carried separately. He wasn't going to risk them exploding at the whims of their enemy.

"I don't think she's coming back with reinforcements so quickly, but yeah, let's look for somewhere less open."

[Izzarra]

After finishing up at the site of the fight you continue along the path and are able to find a spot to recuperate. Then once you are done with the break you move on going further down into the valley for several more hours until it starts to get dark.

[Zergrinch]

As they dig into their rations, Zarron regales the party with a bawdy song rhapsodizing about what he intends to do with the lady cultist if he ever finds her at his tender mercies.

===

As night falls, the young half-elf manages to bring down a solitary quail, and is now contemplating how to cook it. It probably wouldn't make a good feast, split among six people, so perhaps soup is the way to go. They have the cauldron for it, at least!

OOC:
The party can regain an extra 1d6 HP if they spend one or more hit dice to recover health during the short rest.

Healing:
Hit die #1 (1d8+2)[6]
Hit die #2 (1d8+2)[10]
Song of Rest (1d6)[3]
Possible hit die #3 (1d8+2)[7]
Possible hit die #4 (1d8+2)[3]

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Taara finds a spot to trance as the group finds a location to rest, with the intention of waking up sooner to take most of the necessary watches.

[Xihirli]

Lana laid down and rested her head on Taara's lap. "Hi!" She said. "Promise to grab me if I float away?"
She still didn't have her anchor.

[Fay]

Rose went foraging for edible berries, nuts and mushrooms. While she was out anyway, she made sure to look for any tracks or signs of cultist activity or any large animal or monsters roaming the area that might be good to know about.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

Survival check to see any signs of cultists/notable animals/monsters: (1d20+3)[12]

[Izzarra]

While foraging Rose is able to find some holly-leaved barberries, miner's lettuce, and parasol mushrooms. The berries are edible but very tart.

She notices some bear sign, but it is a few days old.

The night passes without event. When dawn breaks it is partially cloudy.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

It is the wrong elevation and biome for trees that grow nuts.

[Xihirli]

Lana overslept everyone else, holding Taara tight and smiling in her sleep. At one point it seemed she was about to stretch and wake up, but her arms simply settled in for a better grip on her sweetheart and she settled back into sleep.

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Taara subconsciously gripped Lana's hand in her trance. She had a restful trance for a change, and let Lana keep holding her without waking her up when she woke.

[Zergrinch]

Another new day, another set of new scars, or in this case, scorch marks from getting flambeed by a cultist he would very much like to throttle if he can. Zarron Gemblossom stretches out the kinks, and the rumble in his tummy -- he is after all a growing boy -- informs him that the unsatisfying meal last night needs to be rectified by something more substantial.

Ignoring the gripping going on near him, the half-elf climbs a tree and looks around the surroundings to see if there are forest animals that could help nourish him.

Perception: (1d20+5)[9]

[Xihirli]

At last Lana was up.
"Hi, Zarron! You’re climbing a tree!" she informed the half-elf.

[Izzarra]

Zarron finds a climbable fir and manages to get a ways off the ground. Down in the valley he can see that there is a heard of bison grazing but there is no way to get to them in time for breakfast.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Everyone ready to move out and head down the path?

[Zergrinch]

Zarron climbs down, visibly disappointed. "Couldn't find something good for breakfast," he replies morosely. "But maybe we can have bison for lunch?"

[Fay]

Rose had woken up from a bad dream and had been keeping to herself for the morning. As the party started getting ready to head out however she seemed to get better.

[Xihirli]

Zarron climbs down, visibly disappointed. "Couldn't find something good for breakfast," he replies morosely. "But maybe we can have bison for lunch?"

Lana shook her head. "I've got you covered!" She lifted up her coral and it sprouted ten big, ripe red berries. She passed them out.
"Eat up, they're good!" She held Taara's hand. "Let's get going, everyone!"

[Izzarra]

After packing up camp you head out following the trail down into the valley. After traveling for a few hours you get to the floor if the valley.

The path leads up to a narrow river. At one time in the past there was a small bridge that went over the river, but all that remains are the old footings.

On the other side of the river are some old ruins and the remains of a road that goes to the north and the southeast.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

The river is in a shallow gully 10 feet deep and about 30 feet wide.

[Xihirli]

Lana happily jumped into the river. "Come on in, guys! The water's great!"

[Izzarra]

The small river comes from glacial melt of the snow on the surrounding mountains, it is very cold to anyone that is not accustomed to spending winters underwater in the ocean.

While swimming Lana finds a few fish that hurry away and around a bend there is a section where the walls of the gully have collapsed making for an easier crossing.