CH 4: Heart of Darkness

[HorizonsDream]

Jocelyn lets out a small sigh of annoyance before she finally draws her warhammer. She moves forward towards the female that just drank the healing potion, and takes a whack at her.

Init Roll, Hit Roll (4, 1 fumble)

OOC: Figures.

[Breila]

Ouragana uses a little magic energy to make the tribal male's hand slippery, hoping he will lose his hold on anything he draws out of his satchel.

(OOC: cantrip if it is powerful enough, Grease spell otherwise, but she would like to avoid it because her comrades would slip in the grease if she used the full spell)

[Nuke]

Val continues the attack, not overly concerned she is starting from scratch since she is also at full strength.

1d10=9, 1d20=17, 1d8=2

init, hit and damage.

[JadedDM]

The blinded female cries out, swinging her staff wildly in the general direction of Dalam, but he easily blocks with his own staff. The old dwarf then whacks her hard as a counterattack.

Grey remembers he was always better at throwing than stabbing, so he backs up a bit, takes aim with his dagger and tosses it at the male. It bounces, hilt first, off the man's barkskin, which invokes a groan of annoyance from the gnome.

Oren, with a battlecry, brings his axe down on the male just as he pulls out a waterskin, like the one the female drank earlier. The axe cuts the tribal down before he can drink it. The waterskin tumbles aside, still corked. As blood pools beneath the fallen tribal, the zombie continues attacking anyway, as does Oren continue hacking away at the body. Ouragana finishes her cantrip, only to find she's moments too late.

Areilon gets fed up with all this stalking and sneaking, and just walks out of the shadows, ready to attack. But suddenly, Jocelyn runs out of hiding and jumps right in her way, swinging her hammer with all of the grace of a drunk landlubber out to sea for the first time. The hammer goes flying out of her hand and clatters against the wall to the south. This completely cuts Areilon off, she can't reach the female now. With no other choice, she circles around the whole group, steps over the dead male, and attacks the female from that angle, cutting into her side.

Finally, Val strikes again with her own axe, giving the woman a slight cut. Grey then tosses another dagger over Areilon (thankfully she's fairly short, at least compared to the tribal), giving her a cut himself. The female tribal wavers after a moment's hesitation, then drops to the ground, unmoving.

=============

Initiative
Areilon (1d10+4): 12
Jocelyn (1d10+4): 8
Ouragana (1d10+2): 11
Val (1d10+7): 16
Oren (1d10+7): 10
Dalaim (1d10+4): 10
Grey (1d10+2): 6
Maua (N/A)
Zombie Male (N/A): Last
Tribal Male (1d10+4): 14
Tribal Female (1d10+4): 5

Round 6!

Tribal Female attacks Dalaim with her quarterstaff while blinded (-4) (1d20-4): 3, miss.
Grey withdraws to the west 10 feet. He then throws (+1) a dagger at Tribal Male (1d20+1): 5, miss.
Jocelyn drops her sling and moves 50 feet toward Tribal Female and attacks with her warhammer (1d20): 1, critical fumble! She drops the hammer.
Oren attacks Tribal Male with his axe (1d20+1): 19, hit for (1d8+3): 5 damage. Tribal Male falls.
Dalaim swings his quarterstaff at Tribal Female, who is blinded (+4) (1d20+4): 19, hit for (1d6): 3 damage.
Ouragana uses a cantrip on Tribal Male, but he has already fallen!
Areilon moves 55 feet around the group to reach Tribal Female, stepping over the fallen Tribal Male. She attacks with her sabre (+2) while her opponent is blinded (+4) (1d20+6): 22, hit for (1d6+1): 4 damage.
Tribal Male is unconscious.
Val attacks Tribal Female, who is blinded (+4) with her battle axe (1d20+4): 21, hit for (1d8): 2 damage. Tribal Female falls.
Zombie Male attacks Tribal Male automatically for (1d8): 4 damage.
Grey throws (+1) a dagger over Areilon's head at Tribal Female who is blinded (1d20+5): 16, hit for (1d4): 1 damage.
Oren attacks Tribal Male automatically for (1d8+3): 11 damage. Tribal Male dies.

(OOC: End combat. Post at will.)

[Jenara]

"I have no qualms doing so, but do we plan to kill everyone we meet?" She asks, collecting the waterskin in her hands, before moving to the door, glancing outside she looks left and right.

[JadedDM]

"What now? Oh, right," Dalaim says, noticing the zombie still beating on the dead tribal. "Stop," he says. The zombie ceases immediately. "Darn things just keep going forever if you forget to tell them otherwise," he says, adjusting his glasses.

Oren, now splattered with blood, wipes his face and puts his axe away. "Just got a little excited, that's all," he says. He goes to retrieve his dropped crossbow, as Grey goes to pick up his daggers.

Dalaim examines the remaining zombie. "Hmm, thing's on its last legs. One more good hit should do it in for good. Ah, well. No matter. Once I have time to finish my prayers, I can reanimate these two to take their place."

Areilon picks up the waterskin that the male dropped when he died. It sloshes about, indicating there is liquid inside. Peering outside, she looks around, but sees nobody else coming at the moment.

=========

Areilon picks up a waterskin.

[HorizonsDream]

"We have no way to communicate with these people," Jocelyn points out. "Though, I am curious as to what that woman said to these two before they attacked."

[Breila]

Ouragana looks at Jocelyn, then at Maua and nods. "Yes, it would be better if we had a way to communicate. Like Areilon says, at the moment, our only choice seems to be to kill everyone who comes. And that's not good, for two reasons.

One, I don't think that we are strong enough really to do that. Two, as interesting as these ruins are, I don't think it's justified to kill so many just to be able to study them. In the Academy, killing a whole population is called genocide, and it is counted as a crime against humanity. I know that at present, no court will try anyone for it, but still I don't want to be part of it. My suggestion is to retreat, with Maua, and learn her language before we come back. Maybe it will then be possible to find an arrangement with the natives that makes it possible to study the ruins in peace."

[Jenara]

"I don't want to kill these people if I can help it. I know little of magic or prayers, but is there not someway we can communicate that way?" She asks, still worried.

[JadedDM]

"As I said back at the campsite," Dalaim says, "there is a prayer that will translate any language instantly. But it is beyond my ability."

As Oren picks up his crossbow and Grey grabs another of his daggers, Dalaim adds, "There is a wizard spell that can comprehend other languages, too. The mage that used to adventure with me back in our youth, the gods rest his soul, could use it. It would only allow for one-way translation, though. He could understand others, but they couldn't understand him. Still, it seems neither option is currently open to us."

[Jenara]

"My apologizes, I don't recall you saying that." Arei explains, "Then it appears we have no choice." Shaking her head she looks back to the wall. "How long would it take to figure out what the words mean?"

(OOC: Arei was not in the camp when he said that, she was looking for water.)

[JadedDM]

"A couple weeks, at the least," Dalaim says. "Longer if she," he gestures to Maua, "doesn't cooperate."

[Jenara]

"Right." Looking around a little lost she gives the idea some thought. "And some basic words? Something... anything?" Sabre still in hand she approaches Maua.

"They fight." She points to the dead Savages waving her sword. "We kill." Bringing the blade to the woman, inches from her throat. "They no fight." She sheaves the blade. "We no kill." She shakes her head.

[JadedDM]

Maua glares darkly at the elf. "Huwezi kufanikiwa. Nafsi yako itakuwa walivamiwa na mungu wetu, Kulak." She turns and looks toward Ouragana, then back to Areilon. "Binadamu yako zitatumika kwa ajili ya uzalishaji, na watakuwa na maovu kupigwa kutoka kwao kila siku."

"Hmm, I didn't get most of that," Dalaim admits. "Kulak is the name of their god. "Nafsi. That means 'souls.' And 'binadamu' is the word they use to describe themselves." He shakes his head. "I've no idea what else she said, I've only learned a handful of words from the wall."

[Jenara]

"Anyone else think she was saying. "You kill us and our souls will go to Kulak?" She frowns, "The rest of it is probably suggesting they will kill us non-humans." Making sure her sword is sheaved she takes a look at the dead Savages once more.