It is not easy to wait long hours in the late afternoon heat for something that may never happen. Nevertheless, Castile, concealed in a thick patch of camouflage cleverly arranged by the Irregulars, is alert when a stealthy footstep sounds a few yards away from her. She nudges Pezock, who is hidden nearby. He produces a remarkably realistic birdcall as a signal to the others.
There are two in the hunting party, both strong-looking men of savage aspect. They are not tall, but they are muscular and broad, with fierce glares and skin heavily marred by ritual scars. They have wide feet with splayed toes, as is typical of folk who wear no shoes. But their appearance in other ways is surprising: both are fair-haired, and their skin, though deeply tanned, looks to be naturally fair as well. One is blue-eyed--not the sort of coloration one expects on people indigenous to such a climate.
The two crouch down to observe the camp. They are well-hidden from the three people in it, but Castile is just able to see them without shifting her position. They watch the camp for ten or fifteen minutes and whisper together, at which point one gets up and moves stealthily back down the trail. The other remains behind for about an hour, continuing to observe Hú Lí’s “show.” The sun is sinking low when he finally leaves, and once again the adventurers must wait for action. It is painfully slow to arrive. But after an exhausting day of travel and interminable hours of night, Castile once again is alert enough to spot the very thing that Pezock predicted--a war party of cannibals walking in two files, keeping under cover on either side of the trail.
| GM: | Skill challenge successful!
Benefits of success:
1. The good guys get a surprise round against the cannibals.
2. The good guys are considered hidden at the start of their first turn, no matter how crap their Stealth is.  They must be positioned so that this is possible (i.e. at least partial cover or concealment; see below).
3. Gelik and Pezock can act in the surprise round without PCs having to spend actions for them. (In subsequent rounds, they are handled as usual.)
The map is shown below. The red arrows indicate the route the cannibals are following. You can position yourselves as follows:
--In a blue highlighted square (i.e. hidden behind a tree, a rock, or a shelter)
--Inside a shelter
--Prone in a heavy undergrowth square that’s at least two squares away from the cannibals’ path.
Dark green terrain is difficult. The greyish-brown terrain is normal. The light grey blobs are rocks with tops about five feet higher than the surrounding terrain.
When everyone is positioned, I’ll begin the fight! |
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