A New Day - DM Jess- Maps and documents Wednesday May 22nd, 2024 9:45:58 AM Yofiel prays, inviting, but not pressuring her friends to join her.
Colt has no real interest in religion, but he is invested in his private food-eating contest against Grim. He loses.
Kaze cleans his armor and enjoys some breakfast.
Dapple agrees with Yofiel that they ought to return to town.
Marest feels refreshed after meditating and stretching.
Yofiel officially gives Grim her bow, claiming the bow they found for herself. She gathers books from the library, adding them to the journals you recovered.
Ezekiel talks with Patches, but is less than impressed with his skills as a conversationalist.
Siolo offers to turn into a bird and scout the upper egress.
Siolo takes bird form and flies up to the upper exit of the cave. He notes that the way seems to be clear. From his aerial vantage point, he can easily spot T-Rex tracks, the beast itself is gone.
He reports back to the party, letting them know that they can safely exit.
The party carefully returns to the lower levels of the facility. They cautiously venture into the tunnel that Maya and her dinosaurs used to escape. At the end of it, they find a solid iron door, currently ajar. It has a lever handle, and claw marks mar the door around it. The door seems to lock from the inside.
Anything you want to do before returning to Cloudhaven?
Siolo (Kim subs for Joe) - AC 15/13/13; HP 28/28, NL 0 d20+2=21 ; d20+11=17 ; d20+11=13 ; d20+11=20 ; d20+11=30 ; d20+11=22 ; Wednesday May 22nd, 2024 2:41:25 PM
Once they arrive at the slightly open iron door, Siolo, in the guise of a red-fronted macaw, tries to figure out how to communicate he would like to fly out and look around briefly. He is not certain how also to get across the notion of his plan to be cautious and brief.
If there is dirt on the ground, he uses his beak and talons to begin a sketch. He draws something representing the door. Then he sketches three long slightly curved lines a little distance from the door, topped with short curved lines at the top of each of each long line such as one might see at the top of a palm tree. Then, near the door symbol, he adds a stick-figure shape of a bird in flight - not detailed, just a few joined curved lines to represent such. He uses one wingtip to point to himself, then back to the 'bird' sketch, then, back to himself. Then from the bird, he draws a line with a few arrowhead shapes along the line to indicate direction, the main line continuing up to the right side of the treetop, then curving around the far side, then back down, and inside the door.
Macaw-Siolo then walks to the small opening in the door, looks out, then back at the party, then out. He tries a shoulder shrug. If it seems like any of his friends seem to understand, he waits for someone to give him the signal to go ahead. Then he works on perceiving what there is to perceive. First he listens (Perception 17) to discern what sounds are coming through the door. Next, he hops out to where he can look around the edge to the left and right and upward to see if there are any creatures lurking nearby (Perc: 13). If he can't see any too close at hand, he flies upward toward the higher nearby vegetation, alert to what he sees and hears (Perc: 20).
When he reaches the highest nearby treetop, he checks to ensure he sees no snakes or other critters in the treetop, then, if clear, settles there for a few moments. From that vantage point, he takes a territorial view (Perc: 30), including the cliff face, looking upwards and all about. He marks any outstanding local landmarks, especially mentally marking along the cliff face in the direction to the right (well, from his left perched up in the tree as his body faces the cliff) that would eventually lead back to where the lift would be. If while up there anything stands out in particular, he will mark that in his memory.
Not wanting to risk being alone for too long a time, satisfied with his sightseeing, now he visually checks his planned flight path through the trees and back to the door (Perc. 22), and descends. He loves the feel of the air over his wings, and the sense of muscle, bones, and sinews coordinating together as he banks and turns this way and that.
He finally settles to the ground just outside the door and hops back in. Assuming he survived the tour, once well inside, he stretches his wings, tucks them back to his side, bows his head a couple of times, then tilts his head to the side.
Siolo loves this form of scouting! ----------------- Draw, untrained, with +2 from dex: 21 - not too bad for a handsome bird! - This for his map sketch.
Dapple [AC 18; HP 28/28] (Kathy) Wednesday May 22nd, 2024 4:53:35 PM
"Siolo, can you carry things? Like pebbles?" Dapple asks. "You could come back with a white or light-colored pebble if it's safe, and a black pebble if there's danger."
Kaze (JonS) HP 23/36 AC 19/Touch & Flat Footed AC 14/ CMD: 18/ CMB: 6/ Grapple: 7 Wednesday May 22nd, 2024 5:04:47 PM
Kaze snickers when Ezekiel asks if Patches talks. "Trust me, if she talked it would be a never ending stream of what I'm doing wrong, and that I starve her. But yes, I can have her go scout as well, if needed."
Siolo (Kim subs for Joe) - AC 15/13/13; HP 28/28, NL 0 d20+11=29 ; Wednesday May 22nd, 2024 7:17:33 PM
The macaw turns his head on his left shoulder after hearing Dapple. He finds a bit of smooth dirt. He sketches the letters GRN, then points to the green coloration on the side of his head, well below the red patch. To the right of GRN he writes SAF.
A few feet to the left he writes PED. Just to the right he scratches out NOT.
He looks at it, and adds a scratch in the ground to change PED to RED.
Since he plans to fly up high, out of reach of most ground-based critters, he has no plans to pick up pebbles.
He points to the top of his red head, then points a talon at NOT. Macaw-Siolo waits to see if others want something before he leaves. If not, fine.
Once he is out flying about, if it seems generally safe once he gets to the top of the highest nearby tree, he will catch a bit of leaf in his left talon. Should it seem dangerous, and he believes he can do so without too much chance of harm, he glances about briefly to see if some plant matter is colored red that looks all right to take a portion of.
[weird: I hit Roll, and the screen went to the posting confirmation. So I hit back, and finished the roll. 20+11=29 on Perception to discern whether red and/or green look safe to take a piece of, to satisfy Dapple's curiosity.]
Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 23/29 d20+13=24 ; Wednesday May 22nd, 2024 7:27:13 PM
On the walk down, Yofiel picked up some more iron bars from the cages, and a length of rope.
Now the elf bard looks at Siolo's chosen coloration. "Can't let go of that red hair, can you, Siol-bird? Very fine plumage. I can't think of anything to add. Oh, I will cast message - not that I'll be able to understand you, but you may understand should I whisper in your direction." Yofiel adds in Dapple, Colt, and Marest to include in the spell.
She attunes her ears to hear what may be outside. She peeks through the narrow opening.
Does the door latch on the left side, or the right side, from the perspective of those within? Does it open outward, or inward?
============= Perspective: 24 to listen (and a little for peeking through the doorway, too)
Marest (Jon-Paul) AC:16 (T:12, FF:10), CMD:13, Saves:(F:3/R:8/W:8), HP:30/30 Wednesday May 22nd, 2024 8:20:49 PM
Marest just watches the group, being a bit lost in her own meanderings.
Colt Human Rogue (Tim) AC 16 T 14 FF 12 HP 31/31 CMD 19 Wednesday May 22nd, 2024 9:52:59 PM
Even without the sketch, Colt divines that Siolo wants to go out. He's seen this dance often enough with Foggy. " I'll let you out if everyone thinks it's safe."
And he will too if no one objects.
Grim Ripr 4th (JonathanT) AC 17 Tch 11 HP 46/51 CMD 19 Wednesday May 22nd, 2024 11:31:46 PM
Grim had said his own silent prayers and felt rewarded with a message from The Great One. What the message was he's not sure, it could be that greater challenges lie ahead (the Thunder God of larger size roaring) but that the Great One would be there to protect.(fact that it didn't attack).
After the discovery that the way on top seems clear, he comments, "Most likely Maya never had any interest in the experiment journal, considering her obvious opinion of these Cloudhaven leaders. She didn't need it to continue her own work. But she wanted to continue her work here, so close to Cloudhaven, thus set her Thunder God bodyguard up there. She might not even have known the way was blocked, since she travels through Tree Magic. But, we kept any future Cloudhaven upstart from finding it and getting the same ideas."
We watches the bird scratch the dirt, "Who would have guess he turned into a bird from the Itapemirin tribe? That's how they write!" and laughs.
Waiting patiently for the bird to return, he thanks Yofiel for the bow.
Ezekiel (BrianW) - AC 17/13/14; HP 31/31 Thursday May 23rd, 2024 6:33:38 AM
"She? Huh, I always thought R.J. was male," replies Ezekiel. "Though as long as they're still good with a crossbow I suppose it doesn't matter."
A New Day - DM Jess- Maps and documents Thursday May 23rd, 2024 10:28:37 AM
After working out a communication system, Siolo in bird form (with beautiful plumage) scouts the jungle area outside of the facility’s lower door. Yofiel casts Message on him, should the group need to communicate with him.
As he listens at the door, he and the rest of the party hear the ambient sounds of the jungle, but nothing that suggests immediate danger.
Around the door there is a small clearing, but the encroaching jungle makes it difficult for him to see anything more aside from a few dinosaur tracks.
He flies up to a tree, needing to go pretty high in order to clear the canopy. Because of the thick tree cover, he is able to make out little of the jungle floor from his vantage point. He scans the cliff face, observing the vegetation that clings to its sheer side, finding what small footholds it can. Life finds a way, flourishing in even the most seemingly inhospitable of places. He notes a band of almost whitish stone against the darker rock of the cliff face. Just to the left of that is a large tree root hanging down almost in the shape of a wishbone. They are markers that should help you to find this entrance again, if necessary.
As he finishes looking about, he grabs a leaf in his talon and flies back to the group, dropping it where he has written “grn saf” in the dirt in response to Dapple’s earlier inquiry.
Yofiel examines the door some more. It opens inward. You notice scratches around the handle that seem like they could be scratches from dinosaur talons.
The rest of the party discusses Maya and Patches as Siolo explores.
Dapple [AC 18; HP 28/28] (Kathy) Thursday May 23rd, 2024 2:34:34 PM
"Well, like the bird said, it's saf out there," Dapple says. "Are we ready to go?"
Kaze (JonS) HP 23/36 AC 19/Touch & Flat Footed AC 14/ CMD: 18/ CMB: 6/ Grapple: 7 Thursday May 23rd, 2024 3:56:48 PM
Kaze answers "I am. I am looking forward to visiting Cloudhaven and seeing where I can pitch in to rebuild the place."
On Siolo's return, Yofiel says, "I'm stepping outside for a moment to get the ground view. If you want to come, fine. I hope to survive, come back inside, and go back up to the plateau through the complex. I just want to get a good look."
She intends to get a feel for the area about 100 - 200 feet around the entrance, then head back inside, shut the door, and maybe use the iron bars and rope to prevent easy entry through the lower doorway.
Assuming she and whoever else wants to join her is able to check out the immediate vicinity and get back in, then she says, "Shall we head back up, and out? Should we get rid of the remaining slime crawlers before we leave, or let them keep snacking and breeding and bypass them?" She is open to either option. She has a feeling that folks would just like to head back home. Really, so does she.
================== Perception: 26 Survival: 19
Siolo (Kim subs for Joe) - AC 15/13/13; HP 28/28, NL 0 Thursday May 23rd, 2024 7:20:58 PM
Siolo enjoyed the flight and reconnaissance. When Yofiel decides to go out, he hops out, hearing she wants to know the area about 200 feet around. So as she goes on foot, he finds pathways he can fly through the lower vegetation, perhaps 15-50 feet off the ground (more or less as needed), and flies a somewhat random grid through the area, then returns.
He wants to go back up and out. He does not relish dealing with slime crawlers anymore on this time out. He chooses to remain in bird form because he wants to fly for a while on the plateau, too.
Marest wonders about fresh tracks that may have been left behind by Maya and her T-Rex...Marest using her Perception skills tries to hone them while the team waits for Siolo's return.
Perception check: 1d20+10=25
Grim Ripr 4th (JonathanT) AC 17 Tch 11 HP 46/51 CMD 19 d20+8=25 ; d20+4=21 ; Friday May 24th, 2024 12:17:57 AM
Grim also follows outside. Perception +8 (get a good view of the area and key markers) = 25
He feels confident that he will be able to find this entrance if coming from the forest floor from Cloudhaven.
"Ready to back up."
He helps secure the iron door. Aid Another (Str +4) = 21, or 17 if not Str based
Colt Human Rogue (Tim) AC 16 T 14 FF 12 HP 31/31 CMD 19 Friday May 24th, 2024 8:34:15 AM
Colt also follows Yofiel out to see the forest and some sunlight, to breathe fresh air.
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