CH 1: You All Meet in a Tavern

[JadedDM]

"I don't think going by yourself is a good idea," Jocelyn says to Ouragana "Especially when you are armed with only a dagger." She looks up the wall as Areilon easily scales it. "I guess we could try and climb it."

Once on top of the cliff, the birdman backs off a safe distance from her. She sees that the trail continues up the mountain further. There are also two pikes sticking out of the ground, one on each side of the trail. Both have a skull sitting on top of them.

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(OOC: These are the odds of anyone passing a climbing check without rope:

Jocelyn - 40%
Ouragana - 40%
Areilon - 70%
Val - 30%
Dahn - 60%

Note that if Val does offer the use of her rope, and I leave that up to Nuke to decide, then one can add another +55% to any of those odds. If your total chance is 100% or more, you don't need to roll, you automatically succeed.)

[Jenara]

"The trail continues along here, and there is something... You will see." She shouts down.
(waiting on Nuke)

[Nuke]

(Sorry)

Of course the rope is freely used. Val only takes a moment to fish the rope out of her pack.

During her climb, she has to remind herself to "Don't look down, Don't look down, Don't look down."

Gaining the top, she simply carries her trident and looks about.

[Breila]

Holding tight to Val's rope, Ouragana climbs up the cliff, ready to use her spell in case she slips at a point where the fall would be dangerous, but she arrives safely on top of the cliff with the others. Seeing the pikes and skulls, she shudders. "These birdmen are fierce warriors" she mutters. "Let's hope they have a code of honour, too."

1d100=62

[Jenara]

"Let us hope.." Arei comments to Ouragana, keeping her eye on the Birdman.

[JadedDM]

Assuming that Areilon ties the rope off somewhere and tosses one end down to the others, the party can now try to climb up.

Ouragana, Val and Jocelyn have no difficulty in scaling the cliff. Jocelyn shudders at the sight of the skulls. "They look kind of dwarven," she comments.

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Val makes a climbing check (1d100): 75, pass.
Jocelyn makes a climbing check (1d100): 49, pass.

(OOC: Now that there is a rope, Dahn can climb up without even needing to roll.)

[Jenara]

Arei ties the rope against a rock and throws it down the cliff. "There you go." She shouts, moving back to the pikes she gives them a curious glance. "Dwarven?"

[xelphyn]

"Hmm? Rope!" Dahn climbs up to join the others.
"What about dwarves?"

[JadedDM]

Indeed, on closer inspection, the broadness of the skulls seems to indicate they once belonged to dwarves--or creatures that closely resembled dwarves in build.

"Shaka kek," the birdman comments, nodding to the skulls.

[Breila]

"If only I could understand what you say" Ouragana mutters. The she looks up at the birdman. Pointing to herself, she says "Ouragana" with a slight bow to him.

[JadedDM]

The birdman whistles, then points to himself. "Koh'kra," he says, and he attempts to mimic her bow. He steps closer to Ouragana and sniffs at her. "Kel? Ko kek, kel?"

[Jenara]

"I wish we knew what you were saying." Arei gives the Birdman a blank look, "Lead on Koh'kra." She opens her palm motioning onwards.

[Breila]

Summing up her courage as the beak comes close to her, Ouragana smiles, then remembers that the bird people probably have other means of showing friendlieness. So she simply holds still, hands open, palms upwards, and lets the birdman examine her.
When he seems mostly done, she cautiously extends a hand to softly touch his feathers, then she, like Arei before her, points onwards.

She remains in thought. Kek, could kek mean something like "people" or "race" in "Birdish"? The man had identified the skulls as being to "shaka kek" and asked something with kek of her, too.

[Nuke]

Val has no intention of letting that thing anywhere near her neck like that, so backs away to to inspect the pile of bones.

[JadedDM]

Val need not worry about Koh'kra sniffing at her. Indeed, the half-orc's feelings toward the birdman appear mutual. Whenever Koh'kra looks at Val, he glares daggers at her. Likely, he is not very happy about having been shot at.

There are no pile of bones, just the two skulls sitting on pikes. Val carefully examines them, and notices there is something small and shiny inside both skulls, glinting off the sunlight from within the eye sockets.

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(OOC: By the way, does Val retrieve her rope or just leave it there?)