Doral frowns. "Well, it doesn't seem as if there is anything here for me. I'll just keep the piece of cloth. It's a mystery, and I have a thing for mysteries." He cleans the cloth and pockets it.
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Player of Doral Kinsman the Beguiler in Who Wants to Be a Wayfinder IC
The remainder of the evening passes uneventfully. The area around you remains quiet, as if the animal life is hesitant to come back. Midian's ape seems restless as well. When the morning arrives so too does the sounds of returning birds and primates. You break your fast on rations and pack up your camp.After checking your bearings once more you continue making your way towards where Dorel saw the smoke.
The day passes slowly as you make your way across the interior. Most of your day is spent crossing two large ridges whose steep faces present a challenge to your climbing skills. Between the ridges is a densely forested region hung heavily with spider webs. You move quickly and quietly through the area before its denizens notice your presence.
The day is waning when you top the second ridge. Your eyes widen as you take in the view before you. Hidden in the folds of land is a large valley teaming with activity. You crouch lower and move under the trees so your profile is not seen highlighted against the sky. The valley before you has been ravaged. Dead trees and brush extend for hundreds of feet, radiating out from a central encampment. You can see several dozen tents set up in ordered lines around the site. Earthen banks and a palisade of sharpened tree trunks ring the edges. It appears as if a massive excavation is underway. Part of the opposite ridge has been scoured and huge chunks of stone have been quarried away. Large sections of the cliff face have been covered in tarps, either to protect it from weather or spying eyes. Whatever it is, it is colossal in size. Humanoids move about the camp, some in armor, some in robes, and a few in rags and chains.
Midian
Spoiler:
For several hundred feet in all directions from the camp the forest has died off. Dead trunks and skeletal branches lie closest to the camp while the trees farther out still have leaves just beginning to brown and curl away. It seems to have a definitive edge to the corruption, which leads you to believe that the blight is not natural or the result of a poisoned water supply.
Dorel
Spoiler:
Raising your spyglass you look over the encampment with an expert eye. You can immediately tell that whoever laid out the encampment had some military experience. The tents are in ordered rows and spaced out to prevent a fire in one from spreading to another, yet close enough that an alarm raised from one would rouse the others. The earthen banks, ditches, and palisade are likewise carefully formed to create a formidable defense. You get a closer look at the figures moving about and see that they are mostly human, though here and there you catch sight of dwarven faces. The ones in rags and chains all seem to be human, and likely some of them are the missing ones from Kraken's tribe. You watch them trek up to one of the covered sites and duck underneath. They don't reemerge indicating that there may be further sections underground that you cannot see. Perhaps the most significant sight however, is seeing one of the slaves carrying several long grey bones on a cart towards one of the larger tents.
OOC - I'll put up a map later when I have more time
Doral says to the group as he peers through his spyglass, "Looks like we have a sort of military camp down there. Whoever placed the tents and defenses knows what he's about. We would have a tough time assaulting that place even if followed by a small army. There are a number of human slaves in rags and chains, though I think I saw a few dwarves. Some are working inside short tunnels and I also see some large bones being brought to a large tent. Our monster creator might be in there wielding his necromantic powers. If you want, I think I may be able to sneak in and take a better look."
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"That's some operation they've got down there. And I don't like the look of that big tarp. From you what you said, miss, about these deadfellas being more like animated stone bones, reckon they're putting something big together down there.
"Don't reckon we could fight our way through those earthworks, reckon Doral's right and we play it sneaky, eh? I can call up a mist to hide us, but it might look odd unless we did it at dawn or dusk. Dunno if it'll be much use, maybe Miss Whisper can tell us, but I've learned a new chant from the spirits that can break crystal and things like it.
"Also, Doral mate, if you're going down there, I can put a chant on you so that the spirits will keep you from harm, provided you don't start a fight no other bugger will be able to lay a finger on you."
OOC
Talking about obscuring mist, shatter and sanctuary, in case you hadn't realised.
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AC 19 (T13, FF16), HP 46/46, F +5,R+5,W+5
Eldritch blast: +6/+7, 3d6 damage
"That sounds good. I know words that will shatte crystal, too. And just use your mist. I'm used to fight in obscure locations. I don't know if it will be helpful, but I can teleport myself an two others a short distance."
ooc
Baleful Utterance, Blind-Fight, Flee the Scene
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Midian frowns. "Whatever they've dug up, it's the cause of this blight," he says, "This isn't just contaminated water. It's unnatural. And it's spreading."
The druid stops a moment, laughing to himself. "Guess you were right, Whisper, back when we first left school. Remember that nonsense I thought about how everything was natural? Live and learn, yes?
"As to sneaking, if we just want a scout, I can take an animal form and take a look about. If I choose something they're not likely to be hunting for food, I might be able to move about without drawing attention."
Trying to come up with a reasonable form, Midian's gaze sweeps across the camp, checking to see what wildlife might be prevalent.
((OOC: I'm thinking that if the camp has any dogs (and most seem to, whether of the guard or stray variety), Midian could take a similar shape. If he casts Hide from Animals (dog) beforehand, he needn't worry about the camp's native dogs giving him any trouble and calling attention to him as an outsider. I just had Midian take Natural Spell as his 6th level feat, so he could wait to cast the Hide spell until he's just outside the camp, which would give him a full hour to explore before he might be spotted by any canines.
Kraken can advise Midian on any local fauna that might be common enough to ignore. Survival +9 or Knowledge (nature) +2 (from synergy bonus).
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Whisper doesn't really know this IC, but Doral's a Beguiler. He can cast Invisibility Sphere and Zone of Silence, and we can all just walk right up to the camp as long as no one's got See Invisible running down there.
Last edited by Shayuri; 24th October 2008 at 12:02 AM..
The two of you hunker down on the ridge beneath a leafy bush to study the encampment. The sun is setting quickly, lengthening the shadows in the valley. Other than the humanoids, you see very few signs of animal life in the area. Midian spots the occasional hawk circling overhead. After scanning the area you also spot a lone buzzard perched on a dead tree very close to the edge of the camp. Later on you see a figure emerge from one of the tents dressed in tattered brown clothes. At the figures side is a massive boar, easily four hundred pounds and four foot tall at the shoulder. It follows the figure from the outer tents to the larger ones at the cliff face and they disappear from view. Just before the sun disappears entirely, you spot guards emerge from tents with four legged canines at their sides. They begin patrolling the outer edges of the camp.
Whisper crouches in the hiding place that had been chosen and watches as best she can at that distance. She wonders as she observes...would it be possible perhaps to take the place of one of those slaves... Perhaps approach it under cover of invisibility, and then stealthily swap one for her.
Of course, that would be potentially very unpleasant for her, not to mention dangerous.
Hmm.
Maybe there were guards she could mimic as well, though she couldn't see them well enough from here. Hopefully the report of their scouts would provide such news...
Midian's mouth twists as he thinks. "A boar form might be good in a fight, but that one seems to be alone, and probably conspicious. Dogs might be the best bet, though they all seem to be paired with a guard. Might be suspicious if I were wandering humanless.
"They haven't seen fit to chase off the carrion-eater, though. And I might get a decent overhead survey that way. I have a ritual that can hide me from the dogs' notice either way."
OOC
Figured I'd stall a bit to see if Shayuri's OOC suggestion for Doral was what we preferred. If not, Midian'll take on buzzard form, then use Natural Spell to cast Hide From Animals (dogs), when he gets close enough that they might spot him.
"I'd go with the bird form, that way you can fly away if anything happens. The dogs'll likely smell you. And that was a bloody big boar. Midian mate, you've got the chant with animals, reckon you could make it friendly, or ignore us, or something?"
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Midian steps out from under the bushes and moves to the edge of the ridge. He closes his eyes and concentrates. You feel the air around you stir and watch with amazement as Midian undergoes his transformation. His body folds in on itself growing rapidly smaller. Feathers sprout from his arms, legs, and head. His face lengthens and hardens, becoming a yellow beak. In seconds the transformation is complete and a hunting bird stands before you. The bird calls twice before turning to the ridge and leaping off with its wings spread.
Midian
Spoiler:
Soaring over the world fills you with an exhilarating sensation unlike any you've experienced before. The full freedom of movement in any direction is new and exciting. It is with some difficulty after a few minutes of free flight that you bring yourself back to the task at hand. With your sharpened eyesight, you circle over the camp and observe the activity below. Immediately you notice several things amiss. The "dogs" you saw patrolling with the guards are not any canine you've ever seen before. They're not even alive.
The "dogs" are four legged skeletons with some leathery hide stretched over their grey bones. Their backs are covered with a stubble that reminds you of a porcupine, though most of the tips are broken off. The guards at least appear to be living. Every bit of exposed skin is heavily tattooed in red colors giving the impression that they are bleeding from numerous wounds.
You can see the layout of the entire camp from your altitude. You cannot see any pens for slaves, most likely they are kept below ground at night. At least 6 guards with their undead "dogs" move about the outside of the camp. It may be possible to slip past them if the group was stealthy enough, though you're sure the undead will have excellent night vision. You do see another possibility however; it seems that no guards regularly patrol the ridge above the camp. It may be possible to rappel down from there.
Night has fallen by the time you are read to return to your companions when activity in the camp draws your attention. A group four of humanoids have emerged one of the larger tents and are ringed by another four of the strange skeletal monstrosities you fought on the beach. The figure says something you cannot make out and points his hand towards the valley. The skeletons howl and depart at a run, soon disappearing into the dead forest. The four figures continue towards the cliff face and disappear under one of the tents.
As you swoop lower to try to get a better look you see movement out of the corner of your eye. The vulture perched on the dead tree in the camp is watching you. It is slowly spreading its massive wings revealing a gruesome sight. The creatures body is skeletal, its feathers somehow attached directly to bone. Two small, clawed arms attach at the chest and the head rises up from a too-long neck. It's body is large, but the skeletal nature allowed it to hunch lower and pull its wings in tight, disguising its true nature. It takes to the air with clumsy wing beats as it heads towards you. Luckily your superior maneuverability and speed allows you to lose it among the trees before you return to your companions.
When he's sure he's lost the undead vulture, Midian melts back into his human form. Though his body suddenly feels heavier, the boons of his training and natural magics insure none will be able to follow his trail to the others. Still, he moves cautiously until he catches sight of them.
"Looks like the fauna around here are in the same shape as the flora," the druid reports. "My hiding spell would have done none of us any good, since both those dogs and the vulture are nothing of the sort; they're more undead constructs, this time in the shape of animals. The vulture almost had me for a minute, point of fact.
"The only place that doesn't seem to have a regular patrol is the ridge above the camp. If we have the means, we might be able to repel down to get inside.
"One more thing, though," the druid says grimly. "Whoever's running that place also sent more of those large undead toward the valley."
OOC
Whew. Hooray for druids being untrackable.
Also, did the people from the ship make camp in the valley when we left, or did they stay on the ship? Seeing as we were attacked, I'd think we'd warn them off coming ashore right away, but I honestly don't recall.
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