Serpent's Skull: City of Seven Spears [IC]

[lostsole31]

"I will respect your exploratory claims for anything where the mouth of the river empties south, just as your camp is south - yes, yes, we know where your camp is - and you will respect our permissions to explore anything north of the river's mouth. Meanwhile, once our survey is complete north of the river, just as we can provide a courtesy of allowing you - escorted - to explore our claims north of the river mouth, you will hopefully allow our people to do the same south of the river mouth - your section. Agreed?"

[BuckGodot]

"Well, that sounds fair to me? But... I'll need to take the offer back to the decisioners and let them have the official final say." replies Book.

[lostsole31]

Are there any pointed inquiries you have to make of the general? or ready to go back?

[BuckGodot]

Book has nothing to ask.

[silphael]

Similarly, Xhanfaerd has nothing more to add.

[lostsole31]

Well fed with simple fare, the Pathfinders return to their encampment. It is assumed, of course, that you give a briefing to Amivor, who is amenable to what the general had mentioned.

Do you all turn in to bed?

[BuckGodot]

Book will bed down for the night if there is nothing else needing to be accomplished... after he reads through some more of his notes and begins transcribing for his book.

[lostsole31]

Wealday, 1 Pharast 4711 AR
Day 42 of Exploration of Saventh-Yhi.

The following morning, do you change anything in your morning routine?

[BuckGodot]

Books routine will be the same. His poutine, however? May add a new ingredient…

[lostsole31]

(With no input from the player,) Xhanfaerd's daily input is the same as before.

Book and Xhanfaerd each take 90 minutes for daily preparations (as do Sersheelda & Gelik). It usually takes Fronaldo an additional half hour; he normally only takes an hour for daily preparations (as with Aron), but then he takes another hour to brew his mutagen.

As you all coalesce where you do in readying to wait the final 30 minutes ... you realize you don't smell the pungent odors of Fronaldo's daily cook.

[BuckGodot]

"Where's Fronaldo?" Book asks the group...

"Fronaldo! This is no time for goofing! Show yourself!"

After a few seconds of response, Book will go to Fronaldo's camp spot to investigate.

[lostsole31]

Fronaldo's tent appears a-jumble, but that just might be a lack of hygiene, you don't know as you've never actually visited his tent.

That said, his pack and equipment are not here, so he is up and about.

Book takes a closer look at what signs he can tell, and then realizes that nothing has been touched for awhile, and the cot and blanket are cool (well, for the weather and humidity of this jungle, that is). Tell-tale signs to his sharp and trained eyes tell him .... Fronaldo did not spend the night here. In fact, it seems that it has been nearly 24 hours since he's been to his tent ... from when he left it yesterday in preparation for the longer stay at the recon site.

[BuckGodot]

Book reports back to the others what he finds and grabbing his gear, suggests they head to the recon site.

[lostsole31]

"Do you think he stayed out all night and went back to the site himself?" asks Gelik.

[BuckGodot]

"He's sometimes over-enthusiastic but he's no fool... I don't think so." replies Book.

"Before we go, let's alert the CinC."

[lostsole31]

Upon telling Amivor, he strokes his read beard thinking. "Either he has left on his own - though who knows for how long - or he has been taken. Search any tracks that you can that might make sense. I will come with you. When did each of you last see him. Don't speak 'for the group,' but the last time, individually, you each last saw him?"

[BuckGodot]

"Hmmm. Well... The last I recall, he had been chastised by Aron for talking about poisoning the food of the Sargaven camp. He was upset by their treatment of him..." says Book, thinking.

[lostsole31]

"How so? How were they treating him?" asks Amivor.

[silphael]

Shaking his head, Xhanfaerd confirms.

"I remember about it as well... do you think he has been captured by the Sargavan ? Given our agreement I think they would have brought him back with a stern warning, or something like that, I suppose ?"

[lostsole31]

Amivor seems confused. "You remember ... 'about' it? What do you remember? What happened?"

[BuckGodot]

"At our first encounter with the Sargaven troops, one made a comment about Fronaldo being my pet. Something about small dog energy. Later Fronaldo suggested to Aron that it would be easy to sneak into their camp and poison their food. Not to kill but to inconvenience. Aron, who Fronaldo is quite taken with, responded harshly to his statement. He may have taken it to heart and has decided to act on his own. We should ask around and see who has seen him last." Book responds.

[lostsole31]

Aron shakes her head. "If there is any intent to put any guilt or sadness in my heart, it won't work. I am not sure if I hear that conciliation in your voice or not. There is not now and never was a chance I would ever entertain Fronaldo, but upon his talking about poisoning the Sargavans ... and I don't remember him defining to what end like Book may have just editorially added ... that was it for me. I yelled at him, as best my voice can do these days, asking 'What is your problem?!'"

Asking about camp will uncover that Fronaldo was last seen last night talking with a Pathfinder at the river's edge, though when further asked, they can't remember who that Pathfinder was. It was dark, after all.

[BuckGodot]

Book looks at Aron with concern and sincerity in his voice,"Oh, no... No implied guilt or anything of the like. I was just retelling the facts from the way I recall them. I'm sorry if there was a perceived slight. It was not intended..." He turns back to address Amivor. "Of course we all recall things as we remember them."

[lostsole31]

Aron is fine, her perturbation being with the goblin that made her feel increasingly uncomfortable with his sophomoric attempts to get her attention.

Amivor questions the Pathfinders of the encampment, but none admit to being the one that talked to Fronaldo in the dark.

[BuckGodot]

Book suggest that some trackers might be of help, although if Fronaldo wanted to conceal his path, they would be hard pressed to find it.

[lostsole31]

"Well ......" says Amivor, drawing it out. "With Fronaldo gone, the best tracker award goes to the druid Sersheelda, doesn't it? With you and I a close second, but only a second? And she was with you at his tent to make those determinations. Otherwise, I don't know where you think I'm going to dredge up a tracker. That's a skill held by the vanguard, not the main book-smart archaeologists in the main company."

[BuckGodot]

"Well we need to do something. He could be up to something... or he could have been grabbed. I'm at a loss as to how to proceed. As you said, I'm just an archeologist... this is outside my wheelhouse." Book replies with a look to the others.

[lostsole31]

"You are the best trackers ... and you found nothing. You are the best at determining clues from a site ... and you gave us a timetable. I and the junior Pathfinders can offer no more help than that," admits Amivor.

He looks to the half-Ekujae, "Xhanfaerd, might you have any insight?"

[silphael]

After considering his options, Xhanfaerd answers.

"I might get some answers by listening to the sounds of the land where Fronaldo disappeared, but I doubt it would be better than what Sersheelda can do. Still, we should probably thoroughly search all the places he might have been, there could be tracks, either of him, or of whoever captured him."

Spoiler: OOC

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I'm talking about the Whispering Lore spell, which technically doesn't give information, only a bonus to knowledge, so... can't be certain.

[lostsole31]

Amivor nods, "I leave it to you, then, vanguard. I am not sending out the rest of the Pathfinders. They are not meant to go rolling off in the dangers of the jungle alone."

What does the party do?