Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound

[ewancummins]

MEELA discovers tracks and signs not far from the derelict boat (and the submerged human remains Benn had discovered in his aquatic scouting): web-toed footprints, muddy drag marks, bloodstains, a boot-shaped puddle in the sand, a broken spear shaft floating in a pool.
Slowly, carefully, she tracks...

By evening the trail moves up from the misty marshlands into a dank, cold region of leafless trees and wide mudflats, a desolate triangle a couple miles on each side with marsh to the west between it and the main stream of the Lys, a tributary flowing along the northeastern side, and an eroded spur of barren hills to the south. Here the heavy mists of the marsh have thinned to wisps of ground fog.

Unable to go any further by longboat, the party finds a hiding spot for the craft, in a stand of deadwood near a stream that runs back through the marshes and toward the river.

Meela loses the trail in the swamp but after some scouting, she finds more webbed footprints along the sandy shore of a dark crescent shaped lakelet, beyond the inner curve of which rises a long earth-and-timber mound as large as a lord’s granary. The mound has the look of a constructed thing, with some timbers showing hewn tool marks.

As she turns to go back to the others, she sees her unicorn sniffing at something buried in the mud.

When the ranger uncovers the object, she sees it is black, glinting dully in the evening light.

A scale, the size of her hand...

The sun will set soon.

The party has time to make camp in a relatively dry area not far from its stowed boat or to investigate the mound, but not both before dark, unless it splits up.

[SkiBird]

"Lizard men." Meela intoned, her voice grave. "We are in their lands now. Not all of them welcome the intrusion. It is safe to assume that our passage has not gone unnoticed."

"The best of them steer a wide berth around the world of man. Scavengers and fishermen mostly, keeping to their own and rarely venturing from the marshes and swamps."

"The worst though, are a barbaric, war loving sort. Raiders. Savage killers. They'll have no compunctions about eating manflesh."

To the less worldly of the group, she continued. "When we make camp, don't go wandering off."

[SkiBird]

"But this," She said, hefting the dark palm-sized scale, the ebon sheen glinting like obsidian in the wan light. "Is sign of our quarry. A dragon most-like."

She let the words hang there without expounding on them, for there was no need to tell the group what sort of danger they were in.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

To ewancummins:

VIEW CONTENT:

Somewhere, in the growing dark, she looks up. The world is turning to night, and this time is as good as any to test her restraints...

I have no idea how this ruddy dice roller is supposed to work... I basically want to roll Escape artist, as I assume I've been tied up: 1d20+9

[ewancummins]

To ewancummins:

VIEW CONTENT:

Somewhere, in the growing dark, she looks up. The world is turning to night, and this time is as good as any to test her restraints...

I have no idea how this ruddy dice roller is supposed to work... I basically want to roll Escape artist, as I assume I've been tied up: 1d20+9

VIEW CONTENT:

IN THE COVERED PIT

Shadows move in the weak orange light coming through the wicker lattice set out of reach of the bound woman (if only she could stand erect, she could grasp the closure with her fingertips, at least).

A scaly, elongated head thrusts into view above the dank prison-pit, tilted sideways so that one baleful red eye glares down at the captive woman.
The creature clacks its long jaws, flashing white teeth.
The guard makes no sounds like speech, only a soft hiss.
Then it rattles its angular scimitar of bright metal against the frame covering the sunken cell before stepping back, out of sight.

Her efforts have chafed her wrists. The springy vine-cords feel as tight as before, if not a little bit tighter.

Something small slithers under her rump in the thick mud of the pit floor.

The injured man bound hand and foot and rolled against the pit's earthen wall to her right makes a weak groan and stirs, but soon afterward falls silent and still again.
He hasn't regained full consciousness since the sun rode high above the prison.
Flies buzz about him in the gloom, made lazy by the chill in the air but drawn to his bloody bandages.

[ewancummins]

"But this," She said, hefting the dark palm-sized scale, the ebon sheen glinting like obsidian in the wan light. "Is sign of our quarry. A dragon most-like."

She let the words hang there without expounding on them, for there was no need to tell the group what sort of danger they were in.

THE PARTY, GATHERED
UNDER A STAND OF WILLOWS

Alwina gives a little gasp, shivering at Meela's mention of man-eating reptile-people.

Theophilus casts nervous glances toward the evening shadows cast by the leafless trees to the west and peers hard at a long line of brown reeds edging a mudflat to the east.

Tonio cleans mud from Sir Clive's gear, his face showing weariness but no sign of alarm.

[kintire]

Kat looks at the scale and frowns slightly, as if the first sight of a clear remnant of the monsters has focussed her mind.

"These Lizard men. And dragons for that matter. Do they wake by day, or by night? If the latter, we might want to investigate the mund quickly. that's the most likely place for them, and better to find than be found!"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

VIEW CONTENT:

While the reptilian stares at her, Everline opens her eyes wide, silver suffusing their blue depths.

Hypnosis if possible. 1d20+7

[ewancummins]

VIEW CONTENT:

While the reptilian stares at her, Everline opens her eyes wide, silver suffusing their blue depths.

Hypnosis if possible. 1d20+7

VIEW CONTENT:

The creature seems not to notice, withdrawing its head without any great haste.

[alhoon]

Raen is still in shock after personally meeting a Unicorn. So far he has been court and shared just a few words of greetings to the knight-woman, explaining his name and profession.
As they all gather under the willow, Raen takes a look at the scale and gives his opinion on the origin based on what he has read about the great reptiles. He doesn't seem too phased about man-eating lizardmen. No, it's something else he has to gather his courage for.
Moving closer to the majestic magical creature he says.
"Greetings honorable creature. I am Raen, a simple human wizard. It is an honor to meet you, you are the first of your kind that I meet. Can you speak our language?"

[ewancummins]

Raen is still in shock after personally meeting a Unicorn. So far he has been court and shared just a few words of greetings to the knight-woman, explaining his name and profession.
As they all gather under the willow, Raen takes a look at the scale and gives his opinion on the origin based on what he has read about the great reptiles. He doesn't seem too phased about man-eating lizardmen. No, it's something else he has to gather his courage for.
Moving closer to the majestic magical creature he says.
"Greetings honorable creature. I am Raen, a simple human wizard. It is an honor to meet you, you are the first of your kind that I meet. Can you speak our language?"

Karathos the unicorn replies in musical tones,
''I speak the Common Tongue, Wizard."
It turns its head sideways, regarding him with one gem-bright eye.
"Have you ever seen a dragon?"

[alhoon]

Raen manages to suppress his excitement from the unicorn replying back but he's still smiling.
"A dragon? No. But I doubt any meeting with a dragon would be as pleasant as this meeting with you. From the scale I could tell that the creature we hunt is much bigger than a man, which agrees with the descriptions and well armored by these scales.
Do you know a lot about dragons honorable creature? Where do you come from? "

[ewancummins]

''Dragons...''

The unicorn's nostrils flare.
It whinnies shying away from Raen, sidestepping toward Meela.

Head held high, breathing deeply, it glances about the shaded evening landscape.
To Meela, in the Sylvan tongue, it says,

VIEW CONTENT:

''I smell smoke.''

[SkiBird]

Meera had just finished reassuring Kat that the lizard-men would be less active by night as her celestial companion murmured his warning.

"We are not alone." She said, her tone even, hoping not to draw any overt reactions. "Karathos tells me something nearby smells of smoke."

Instinctively, the warrior's hand drifted toward her pommel.

[Adam]

Bennedict is just getting ready to ask some details about these lizard men, when the unicorn starts to speak.

Shaking his head, he fetches out his pipe and lights it. "I suppose I should be on the look out for gingerbread houses, next."

He turns, however, at the mention of smoke. "Is there a camp somewhere nearby? Perhaps the lizard people know more about how to find the dragon."