Since Oorvid and Wrenn are still facing two opponents each, and Wrenn seems to be more injured than Oorvid, Astrid will will send a visible bolt of lightning at the uninjured Nishurin taking aim at Wrenn.
As Maka is not much of a Bender but he has enhanced himself, he will continue to fire arrows at the enemy. Wrenn, who is a Bender, will also continue to fire but will also attempt to corrode the insides of anyone at whom he shoots. “What is that warming sensation in your gut? Did you eat something that disagreed with you?”
The uninjured and little hurt Nishurins fire arrows before anyone in the party can act. Thanks to Star Wolfess throwing the remaining opponent shooting at Astrid farther away, his next shot misses. The remaining opponent on Maka shoots him, but the arrow does not go through his tunic. While Oorvid is still facing two enemies, his luck seems to have improved. His injured opponent misses and the second only hits his clothing. The remaining shooter facing Wrenn also only hits clothing.
Still crowding one of his Nishurins, Oorvid cripples his opponent’s left arm with a nasty gash of his axe. The damage almost incapacitates him. Maka then releases his fourth arrow, targeting the uninjured Nishurins facing Oorvid, which punches into his gut, putting him down. Star Wolfess reaches one of the Nishurins next but is plagued with some bad luck. Unable to make effective contact with her tomahawk, her mystical assault also proves little effective, but it is just enough. Being knocked to the ground had done almost enough damage to render the archer unconscious, the bombardment of sound does.
Wrenn fires his fourth arrow just after that, striking his remaining foe across the ribs on his left side, doing significant harm. The internal corrosion finishes the incapacitation. Acting last but seeing that Wrenn has downed his enemy, Astrid trains her lightning on the Nishurin that Star had knocked down for her. The electrocution hurts but does not take him down. Having some distance away from anyone in the party, that Nishurin runs back to his stone structure. The one with Oorvid tries to flee but he is too close and too injured. oorvid cuts him down. There are seven Nishurins down on the field of battle. All are still breathing and five are still conscious.
As Astrid is injured, she is content to let the remaining enemy run. She sits and attempts to tend her own wounds. She will then help others in need. She calls over to Oorvid, who is near. "Will you make sure the rest of these cannot get back up. I will help gather arrows in a minute."
Maka, who somehow came through the skirmish unscathed, walks around the Nishurins, putting arrows in their necks. He then tends to his wounded friends; afterward, he intends to glean the field of battle, keeping an eye on the structure to make sure no new enemies appear. Wrenn takes a deep breath and checks his wounds. “That could have gone better, but I am thankful it did not go worse.”
Oorvid assists Maka and Star in finishing the fallen enemies. The fleeing Nishurin remains in good enough health that he can distance himself and escape before Star Wolfess can mystically assault him. She then turns her attention to her own needs. Since the unconscious or incapacitated enemies can little resist having their life siphoned away. The necromantic talent of Star almost instantly restores her to full wellness, but she is now ravenously hungry.
With everyone who is later gleaning the field, more arrows are recovered than Maka and Wrenn can efficiently carry. It is not monetarily worth keeping them all; so after keeping a total of 40 each, the remainder are broken so that they cannot be used by someone else at a later time.
In addition to the arrows, they were carrying two fresh rabbits and two fresh tree rats from their hunt. Astrid discovers an Azurestone and a Parrot Skull on the one she searches. Maka and Wrenn each discover a Teal Skull, an Ingot of Manganese, and a measure of dried meat. Oorvid discovers a Beaver and a Mourner Skull. Star Wolfess discovers an Amberstone and a bag of edible nuts.
Maka and Wrenn also see something on the bodies that they had seen on the previous group; but until now, it was of no significance. Each Nishurin has a brand of a jagged line on the inside of their left arm that looks like maybe it is supposed to be a lightning bolt. The significance is not known, but everyone agrees that there must be some.
Oorvid then encourages Star to not give chase and suggests that the party return to the cluster of fig trees to rest and examine their finds.
Thinking aloud, Astrid makes an off-hand comment. "I do not know where we are after being transported from where we were, but this sure seems to be a dangerous area. I wonder why. I wonder who branded those people." She then tries to determine if any of the trinkets have mystical potential after making a fire to cook the game they took.
Knowing that they need to rest until the morrow, Maka will set a few snares within the copse of trees than take a hidden position near its northwest edge to keep an eye on the stone structures. Wrenn decides to help cook the confiscated game and assist with identifying the usefulness of the collected items. Since Astrid voiced her concerns, Wrenn will discuss theories of why the people could be branded.
No further activity is noticed in or around the two stone structures that Maka can easily see. At dusk, he returns to the others, since people cannot see well enough during the night to be a threat. The Azurestone is opaque brown with streaks of semi-translucent blue running through it. Astrid determines that if it is bodily carried by anyone in the party, it will augment physical movement (Motility +2). Together, she and Wrenn determine that the Beaver skull, if bodily carried by Oorvid or Star Wolfess, will augment overall wellness (Health +2). The Mourner skull will augment personal interactions (Persona +2). The Parrot skull will augment mental assuredness (Will +2), and the Teal skull will augment the impetus for the physical function and intellectual cognizance (Cohesion +2).
It is also determined that the Amberstone, if bodily carried by any member of the party will augment personal interaction (Persona +2) or it may be sacrificed by Astrid, Maka, or Wrenn, to enhance any type of negotiation a single time (Compulsion or Enthrall x4).
There is a low fog the next morning, as is typical in this environment, that completely obscures anything at a greater distance than 20 strides. The fig trees have gone into budding new leaves and full flower, overnight, and the fragrance is pleasantly strong. It is suspected that the low fog will burn away in another couple of hours.
Astrid: full wellness
Mantle: 19
Stones: 20
Maka: full wellness
Tunic: 58
Ularin Arrows: 40, damage 8
Oorvid: full wellness
Tunic: 50
Star Wolfess: full wellness
Jerkin: 36 - 2 = 34
Wrenn: full wellness
Tunic: 51
Ularin Arrows: 40, damage 8
41 marks: currency
(helps Astrid)
Aluminum: 2, {shock x3}
(helps all characters)
Bat Guano: 5 measures, {heat x2}
Spider Claws: 3 sets, {toxicity x2}
(helps Maka & Wrenn)
Viper Blood: 1 measure, {athleticism x3}
(helps Star & Oorvid)
waterfowl skull: 2, ??
(helps all characters)
Coal: 6 stones, {heat x3}
Magnesium: 3: {Mend x 2}
Slate: 1, {sound x2}
Astrid begins thinking that the low fog can be an advantage or disadvantage for the crew or their enemies. It depends on how it is used. “I am thinking. We know where that nearest stone structure is located and we can see a little bit. Let move up to it under the cover of this fog. We may be able to get inside and see what is going on before the hostile residents form a plan to come looking for us.”
Thinking on the previously collected spoils, she adds, "I would also like to hang onto the Azurestone and the Emberstone, if no one else is specifically wanting the two."
"Let's do it and find out what's there and then maybe even attack them from a direction they would never suppose." While whispering that, Star Wolfess hands the amber she salvaged to Astrid.
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