Chult Hex Crawl - IC

[Pyrophilios]

"Well sure, I'll hang around for a few hours to and then find a workshop. Lot's to do while I have a dry place to work at."

The Red Horns shrugged, not intending to go into his lack of needing sleep, food or air.

[agignac]

As you head back to Kaya's House of Repose, you all notice a young Chultan man following you. He has short, tight curls, a clean-shaven face, and is wearing a colourful orange and yellow kaftan and wide pants. He clearly is trying to be stealthy, but failing miserably.

[Pyrophilios]

"Let's wait around a corner and ask that idiot what he's playing at."
The Red Horns whispered to his two companions, while taking out his construct from the bag of holding while he was reasonably sure that line of sight had been broken for a moment and having it stay behind next to a stall, so it could flank and cut of lines of retreat for their stalker.

[agignac]

The problem with breaking line of sight, is also loosing sight of your pursuer. He doesn't come past the stalls where you're waiting, and when you finally look out to see if you can find him, there's no sign of the man.

[The Hellbug]

Nolwenn had been about to call out to the pursuer when Red whispered his plan to her and Draelin. Now, moments later, with no sign of the man, she shrugs. It had seemed like a fair bet but no luck this time. "Not a friend of either of yours, then? she asks somewhat rhetorically before continuing, "if he was following us, I'd bet we'll see his face--or that of someone like him--sooner rather than later. At least he didn't look armed so probably not an immediate danger. We're out of the jungle, after all!"

Despite the joking, though, the wizard isn't tremendously comfortable with someone trailing her. "We'll just need to keep a careful eye out, that's all," she adds more seriously.

[Pyrophilios]

The Red Horns frowned. "I am wondering who would want to follow us. Maybe that mage in the Heart of Ubtao has sent spies to learn where we are going. We have to be very careful if we aren't going to lose out in this race."

He recalled his construct and had it assist him with looking out for any more surveillance.

Spoiler

Show

I'm using the help action of the construct to improve my passive perception by 5

If you want an active perception roll (w/ advantage) (1d20+6)[9]/(1d20+6)[25]+(1d4)[2]

[Volthawk]

Draelin shrugs. "That mage didn't seem the type to just give a local some gold to do some spying. She'd probably do..." He trails off and shrugs again. "Some magical method. And besides, a guy that bad at tailing someone...probably not the kind of person who does this for a living. Either he had some personal reason, some problem he thinks we either caused or can fix, or someone wanted us followed but didn't know anyone more professional to do the job. Either way, Nolwenn's probably right, we'll see him coming sooner or later."

[The Hellbug]

"It could be anyone around the city," Nolwenn agrees, "if they had a tail so fast, though, it's likely someone with a good amount of influence. Assuming it's not personal and just him, that is."

"The most likely culprit, actually, may be the Order of Gauntlet themselves," she continues as they walk into Kaya's and approach the front desk, "they're the ones who knew where we were and where we're going, after all. Oh yes, let's see. We'll need..." The wizard shoots a quizzical look at Red. "Do you need a spot or not? I think you'll push us over into two rooms."

[Pyrophilios]

"I'll just hang out in your room for a few hours - no need for a second room. I'll set up shop in a quiet corner and keep working on my stuff."
The Red Horns replied. "Maybe I'll find a bath house - some nice hot water would be very welcome - actually we probably all should go and get clean before you sully Kaya's sheets."

[The Hellbug]

Nolwenn nods. "Absolutely!" she agrees amiably, "in fact, clean clothes, a bath, and food, in that order, ideally. And the food needn't be fine, but it must be prepared. I think I'll scream if I've come back out of the jungle and end up eating dried meats and breads and nuts. But we'll need a place to come back to after so, with that in mind..."

The wizard turns back to the person behind the desk and raises a single finger. "We'll have one room, and if you can help guide us towards those other things we mentioned, I'd be exceedingly grateful."

[agignac]

The young woman at reception nods vigorously at The Red Horn's suggestions. "Oh yes, a bath would be just the thing after your long trek!" She manages not to wrinkle her nose. "You can leave your things in your rooms if you like, they will be very safe. If you have any clothes that need laundering, there's a cloth bag in your room. You can put the....soiled...clothes in there and leave them on the hook outside the door. Our laundry services are one silver piece per bag, and they'll be ready tomorrow."

"If you don't have anything clean to wear, there are plenty of options at the market. The public bathhouse is only a fifteen minute walk from here, and is by donation. If you want something closer, there's a private bathhouse just down the lane. It's seven silver pieces each."

At the mention of food, she perks up. "Our kitchen will be serving a variety of dishes for supper. If you're hungry now, my second cousin has a curry stall at the end of the lane, near the bathhouse. I recommend the compy curry and injera bread, it's so delicious!"

A bedroom with two hammocks is one gold piece. They have a large open workshop outside, and you can rent a table for 3 silver pieces per day. She stares openly at the construct. "Will your...um...friend?...be needing lodging as well?"

[Pyrophilios]

"Excellent. We'll make use of the service then. Prestidigitation to clean your gear is all nice and well, but having actual scented soap being used has a whole different feeling.

Oh and no, the construct goes back into the bag."

The Red Horns motioned and the twig construct folded itself up and into the opening of the bag of holding.

[The Hellbug]

"Perfect! Clothes, bath, food!" the wizard repeats for emphasis as she leaves the inn, having dropped off her non-valuables at the room.

______

At the market, Nolwenn is almost overwhelmed by the sheer selection of styles and colors of garments on display in the stalls, from traditional Chultan clothing to overseas wares, a reminder of Port Nyanzaru's status as Chult's main exposure to foreigners. She looks at this and that, and is more than once feels the lack of a lady companion to bounce her opinions off of--a twinge of homesickness perhaps? The wizard shakes herself out of her sentimentality, though, and finally settles on her purchases: a short-sleeved white blouse, reminiscent of the style of her home but with what looks like local flair, a colorful sarong patterned with palm trees and pea fowl for wrapping around her waist, and a wide-brimmed straw hat, accented with a blue ribbon. Satisfied, but realizing that how they look on her will have to wait until after the trip to the bath house, Nolwenn hunts down her companions and lets them know she's ready to go.

[Pyrophilios]

The Red Horns followed quite willingly. Though he stayed true to his usual style: A simple undergarment made from cotton, over that a rough spun tunica out of hemp. A new pair of leather leggins, his half plate and over that he put back his heavy leather overcoat. He definitely looked more for durability than for style in his choice.

[Volthawk]

While he comes along, Draelin doesn't buy anything at first. He doesn't even particularly look at the clothes much, instead just watching the people they pass with a thoughtful expression, nodding every so often - looking out for pickpockets, perhaps. After some time, he nods to himself one last time and excuses himself from the others, explaining that he wants to double back and check some places they passed before.

When Nolwenn finds him again, he has some clothes - several outfits in fact, with a fair amount of variety to them. If they look more closely at his choices, and were paying attention to what he was doing earlier, the others may or may not realise what he's done - these outfits match those worn by various people they passed while exploring the market (or at least as closely as he could manage), and Draelin's little nods about lined up with when those people were in his sight. Evidently, rather than pick out an outfit himself he'd simply copied people whose outfit he liked the look of (or perhaps it was just going off whoever fit his body type and seemed to be dressed in a way others approved of), leading to an array that was...varied, yes, but not exactly coherent or indicating a particular preference for style or colour. Still, he seems satisfied enough with the haul.

[Pyrophilios]

"Alright, we are clad anew, time to scrub clean." The Red Horns wasn't one to spend much time thinking about fashion.

[The Hellbug]

Nolwenn eagerly appraises her two companions' purchases. Draelin almost looks like he could be preparing to be a member of a theater company with all those outfits, but she supposes he just wants a lot of choices. At Red's selection, though, she frowns. "That jungle where practically everything could kill you--you know that's behind us, right?" she asks, a bit judgmentally, "I know you don't eat or sleep or breathe (do you breathe?) or anything, but I know you feel things, and I know there's no way that stuff's comfortable. Plus, you'll stand out like a sore thumb."

The wizard pauses, glances back and forth, and adds in a conspiratorial whisper: "can't forget we're being followed."

[Pyrophilios]

The Red Horns frowned:
"You are right - it's behind us - but it's certainly before us also.
As for being inconspicuous..."
He gestured to his prominent Horns and wings, "That waggon has left the station some time ago. I probably should start working on a hat of disguise.

My outfit is actually pretty comfortable - it's just the outer layer that looks like a hair shirt."

[The Hellbug]

"Yes yes, less so, then. You know what I mean," Nolwenn concedes with an impatient wave but her tone is more thoughtful as she continues, "the horns, by the way, might be easier than that. A headwrap or hat, cleverly applied, might be able to hide them. The wings, I'll admit, are more difficult. Even my magic wouldn't do it easily, short of turning you invisible entirely--which has numerous other shortcomings. Claws, fangs, gills, any appearance you want, easy. Spell for that. But an extra set of arms or wings? Nope. If you were an amputee I don't even think it'd compensate for it. Something to test if I meet one. Regardless, a shortcoming in spell theory if you ask me."

[Pyrophilios]

"Let's not talk about amputation. I rather like all my appendages as they are. The lack of inclusion in spells is just the humanoid bias showing. Let's get moving I want my bath now."
With renewed purpose, The Red Horns strode on.

[agignac]

You find the bathhouse as promised, and enter to a cloud of fragrant steam. The Chultan people, not being prudish, do not separate for bathing; instead, there are several types of tubs in a large communal, tiled room. One is large enough for a dozen people, and built into the floor, with steps on one side. Three more sunken tubs would comfortably hold 4 people. One wall has several decorated nooks, separated by partial walls, and each contain a raised tub, clearly meant for solo bathing.

After taking your money, the attendant (a black-skinned dwarf with golden curls) offers you a variety of scented and unscented soaps and shampoos, thick cloths, pumice stones, and towels. She then waves you in, explaining that you can take your pick of tub. The place is nearly empty, with only one single tub occupied (it contained so many bubbles that the occupant is invisible), and two elderly Chultan humans chatting quietly in one of the smaller sunken tubs.

[Pyrophilios]

The Red Horns took the offered soap - one with a nice citrus aroma - and headed for the tub furthest away from the other visitors. While disrobing, he put each piece away into the bag of holding, revealing bit by bit his Abyssal script covered body. Before anybody could start trying to read the carvings in his flesh, he hastily went into the tub and began to scrub his scarred body.

[The Hellbug]

Now, if one were to ask Nolwenn if she were prudish, her answer would confidently be 'no, definitely not. Whatever gave you that idea?' However, when the woman at the inn had said that these baths would be private, the wizard, whose idea of a private bath would be her, alone, with only a servant to draw the water and supply soaps and chat if Nolwenn herself so desired, had held different expectations. Private. Not a situation like this. She's still hesitating when one of her companions bids her to pay the dwarf. "Oh, yes, right here," she mutters as she fishes the coins from her still-light coinpurse.

Soon, Nolwenn finds herself in front of one of the tubs, still fully clothed but with soaps, stones, and cloths in hand. It would be one thing, she awkwardly deliberates, if it were divided by sexes--the vagrant noblewoman has been to many such places since she began her journeying--or even just her and Red and Draelin, that division be damned! There is, after all, little room for modesty after spending a month in the jungle with them. But this...

It's a glance over at Red that finally spurs her on. Of course he wouldn't mind something like this, even with all those horrible question-and-attention-begging tattoos, nothing seems to bother him. And so, struck by a sudden idea, Nolwenn cautiously glances around, reaches for her mirror pendant, and speaks the words her invisibility spell. Suddenly vanishing from sight, the wizard swiftly undresses and slides into the tub, slowly lowering herself into the blessedly clean and warm water. As soon as she's situated, she releases the magic from her mind and reappears.

It's...as wonderful as she had imagined and then some. Nolwenn had known that she was filthy, but she suddenly realizes that she had perhaps forgotten what it feels like to be truly clean. After not a brief time of fierce scrubbing and lathering and rinsing and doing so again, she's relaxing in the now-clean water, already having requested it to be changed once, when another idea strikes her. She leans out of the tub, stretching towards the end of her reach, and gropes about her clothes until her hands find her magical focus once more. This time, a different spell, one that reshapes her, webbing her digits and adding gills to her neck. This time, Nolwenn lowers herself fully into the water and just stays there for one minute, two, more, allowing herself to just forget the passing time and enjoy existence itself and nothing more for the first time since she's come to Chult.

[agignac]

The baths are lovely and relaxing. The two elderly men get dressed and go out, leaving the only sounds in the room the ones that you make. The dirt of the jungle is scrubbed away, leaving you clean and beginning to wrinkle. Desdemona, perched invisibly on the edge of Nolwenn's tub, dips a paw in the water when the wizardess doesn't come up for air. It looks like the water is alive, swirling around the invisible paw, and it seems that the cat doesn't mind being wet. In fact, a moment later, she splashes fully into the bath, mewoing plaintively while trying to reach Nolwenn with her paws.

[Pyrophilios]

Not needing to breath makes it easy for The Red Horns to submerge and clean out his hair completely.
When he finally felt clean, he leaned back and relaxed in the hot water.
He looked over to Draelin, to see how he got on.

[Volthawk]

Draelin takes his time in the tub, finally letting himself relax and enjoying not feeling like he needs to keep an eye on everything and everyone for a little while. He doesn't seem particularly bothered about the communal setting, and just focuses on cleaning himself, moving with a little more calm serenity than usual. The cleaning was necessary, of course, but right now he was mostly just enjoying the time - it was a little hard to initially get his mind off their next journey into the jungle, but now he'd managed it...it was a nice break.

[The Hellbug]

Nolwenn is just about dozing off when Desdemona starts disturbing the water's surface. It's fascinating to watch, but, knowing that the cat is not particularly large, the wizard realizes exactly how precarious her position must be just moments before the hapless feline slips into the bath with a splash. Coughing the water out of her lungs as she comes to the surface, she swiftly grabs Desdemona and deposits her just out of the tub, sheepishly apologizing to a staring attendant: "sorry, I slipped."

Well, it probably wasn't a good idea to fall asleep anyway. Lot's to do, but it was good while it lasted.

Nolwenn dismisses her spell, gets out of the tub, and dries and dresses herself, less self-consciously this time (and taking a towel to Desdemona as well). No time (or help) to deal with her hair, but a quick inspection in the mirror and she's very satisfied with her picks at the market.

"So, food?" she urges when she meets back up with her companions.

[Pyrophilios]

"Sure." The Red Horns replied - not quite enthusiastic, after all he neither ate nor drank, but ready enough to leave again, no matter how nice the hot water felt.

[agignac]

Clean, fresh-smelling, and newly attired, the three of you head back into the market. As Nolwenn decides what to eat, Draelin notices a familiar face. Your tail is back. This time, however, he advances towards you, pointing. "There they are! These three! Arrest them!"

A quick glance shows you four women approaching you. All are armed with thick, heavy blades on the end of a long pole. One of the women says, "Please, come wit' us. Do not make dis difficult."

Around you, other market patrons are backing away from you.

[Pyrophilios]

"Are we allowed to know, why you are arresting us? And more to the point, who are you that you presume the right to arrest us." The Red Horns asked.