D&D 5E (IC) Fitz's Folly

[FitzTheRuke]

"Certainly!" answered the half-elf with all the charm inherent in his hybrid race, "It is a ruin atop a two-thousand-foot high cliff. My Chultan friends say it used to be the royal seat of some long-forgotten king. The clever ancients built a road that switches-back up the cliff side. It's the only reasonable way up, otherwise one would have to cut through miles and miles of dense jungle at an incline. We spotted the ruin, and the road, while scouting the outskirts of the Aldani Basin - a vast swamp that covers much of the Chultan peninsula's interior. We would have explored further, but one of our number was carried away by terror-folk."

 

[Ancalagon]

On the way out of the tend, Rodrigo said in a low voice "True brother Chrysagon, we aren't sellswords... but we do need some funds to finance our activities. I would be willing to take a smaller amount as a gesture of of good will. Not everyone will admit they were wrong

Rodrigo listened carefully to the scout. "And why is this ruin considered to be of importance to the commander? You know where it is located, why do you need it explored? Also... what kind of terror folk?"

(if the druid is with us). Rodrigo turned to the druid: "What do you know of this location?"

 

[FitzTheRuke]

"I don't think the ruins are particularly important, but the location is. The old Chultan kings (or so I am told) would rule over 'all that they could see'. This particular king was very clever building Mbala where it is: from that cliff one could conceivably see most of the peninsula on a clear day. Our orders are to use the spot to gain knowledge of our surroundings, and draw up some proper maps." explained the scoutmaster.

"Our mission in Chult is to rid the jungle of the accursed undead. A seemingly impossible task so far. Perhaps from up there, you can find out where they are coming from!" added Perne enthusiastically.

Qawasha shrugged, "Mbala fell into ruin many generations ago. It is said to be cursed (but so is everything that falls into ruin.)"

 

[Fradak]

"What would we be facing? What kind of perils lie in this part of the jungle, beside common zombies and beasts? And how long does it takes to draw those maps?"

 

[gargoyleking]

"As low as you are on supplies, it may be prudent to take some with us anyways. This sounds to be a hazardous journey and who knows what we may find at our destination."

Harb glanced around the camp as he spoke, his eyes seeking out the true state of the situation.

 

[Kobold Stew]

When the group leaves, Miss Imogen is ushered out of Breakbone's tents without acknowledgement, the letters still in her hands. She clicks her heels again and departs. She wraps the letters up again, and tucks them away in her sash for the next opportunity she has to give them to him.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

"The more people we take with us, the more gear we will need. And the more trouble will likely attract (though we may be better situated to take care of the trouble). The Terror-Folk are also known as Ptera-Folk... winged lizard-men. Very savage. Of course, there's always the perils of undead, the great ravenous beasts, pitfalls, quagmires, swamp-gas. Insects (some of them giant but the small ones are bad enough). Beyond that, there is the heat and the weather, all of which can kill a man." said the scoutmaster, with a wry smile. "It will take four days to slog our way to the cliffs and probably another to climb it. Two or three days for the cartographer to complete the maps, and then the trip back. We will not delay - If we do not return in a fortnight, they should start to worry."

 

[Ancalagon]

"Ahh... so the goal is not to map the ruins, but the surrounding areas. For a a moment I thought that your commander wanted to scout the place to relocate the camp.

Hmm... if Qawasha already knows the area well, there may be no need... but if not, we could all benefit from this expedition.

As far as flying lizard men goes, we do have a very skilled archer with us..."

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Qawasha replied, "I have made the trip up the Soshenstar to the Aldani Basin once before, but I would not be able to add much in the way of accurate dimensions to a map. My expertise lies in my knowledge of the various species of plants and animals; I am good at not getting lost; and I can answer general questions about Chult. However, I am not a cartographer."

The scoutmaster, Wulf Rygor thought about Rodrigo's words and said, "I suppose it's possible that Commander Breakbone would consider moving the camp to the ruins if it seemed like a good idea, but I expect that it would not be the best place from which to conduct our mission. It would always take us nearly a full day to descend in order to carry out any opperations. Then again, we have mostly been on the defensive recently."

 

[Kobold Stew]

Miss Imogen nods at the mention of her. "A smaller team may make the ascent quicker, and perhaps not attract as much notice," she offers, and then returns to help Sister Cyas as much as she can.