What follows is the dialogue exchange between myself and Paul H. I consulted with him and have compiled a mutually agreed text of the events which followed the nights drinking in the Drunken Morkoth after you returned from the Lucky Monkey.
This is basically the story that Paul H's character will recount upon his return.
Enjoy
DSB (10/05/05 10:52 ) The night after you arrive back in Cauldron you finish quaffing early (accepting all those free drinks in the Morkoth in exchange for stories of daring) and retire to bed not feeling too well.
The next morning you awake. You feel slightly cold. You ache, you have cuts and bruises all over your body and several sets of parallel score marks zigzag across your body where you have been raked with claws. More to the point you are naked. Oh and lying somewhere in the jungle. As you become more aware of your surroundings you realise you are being watched by about 2 dozen baboons sitting in trees.
Could you role me a DC check add you wisdom adjustment and let me know what you got.
PH (20/05/05 11:32 ) Do I know where I am? Other than there is jungle all the way round me and that I might know north/south etc? Also since it's jungle I will make some 'body coverings' (clothes to you and me) out of either palms leaves or bamboo leaves or another large plant leaves and the soft shoots to act as twine to tie together with. I cannot find my die at this moment in time
DSB (20/05/05 12:05 ) OK. D20 = 11.
You don't have any recollection of what happened. You remember drinking heavily the night before (or at least you think it was the night before, you don't know what day it is yet) You remember staggering upstairs not feeling too well (you now don't recall exactly whether it was the beer or something else, but beer doesn't normally have that effect on you).The next thing you recall is waking in the jungle.
You can climb a tree to get a vantage point view of your surroundings. You can see the mountain/volcano that is Cauldron some way off in the distance (you estimate 8-10 miles). You are North West of Cauldron. The sun (weak) is just coming up and the mist is starting to evaporate. It is quite cool but not life threatening (it is late in the year). A steady drizzle is falling and the sky looks broken but threatening.
From memory and judging your position you reckon that you are about a 1/3 of the way back along the road between the Lucky Monkey Inn and Cauldron. The road is probably due south of your current position.
All the while you are doing this the baboons watch you. After a while you are approached by one of the larger females. She offers you food!
PH (20/05/05 12:12 ) Err, I don't have thick hair all over my body...........and a pink arse
DSB (20/05/05 12:15 ) Well no more hair than is normal for a dwarf. And your arse could be pink depends what your skin colour is.
PH (20/05/05 12:27 ) Just thought I might have changed race! OK, what food is she offering (by the way how do I know it female). If it's a banana etc; I will see if I can see other given/receiving food to see if there is a way that you accept it (ducking the head or something) if I can before accepting it but not taking too long as she might get offended.
DSB (20/05/05 13:28 ) No not that you are aware of. Yes, fruit (you can tell by the lack of dangly bits). No one else is giving food, they are all watching you. In fact she is the one with bowed head.
PH (20/05/05 13:49 ) So do I get the feeling that this is a offering to a superior? What are the others actually doing
DSB (20/05/05 14:01 ) Yes, they are just watching you
PH (20/05/05 14:04 ) I assume then that this is a peace offering? (as leadership is normally fought for in Baboon's) and accept their offering by bowing back and accepting
DSB (20/05/05 14:20 ) Sounds about right
PH (20/05/05 14:37 ) OK, I shall like the Indians take a bite off the fruit, check that it's not rotten and looks OK, then I shall chew and swallow it. What is there reaction? I shall TRY by sign language, mime and hand gestures to indicate if they had seen the men/beings that brought me here and which way did they go? If unsuccessfully in communicating and they return to their 'duties' then I shall get on with my return to Cauldron, I assume I am near the road? As I assume I was kidnapped-ish and they carted me to here (maybe even rescued by the Baboon's). Now the indecent bit, I want to gather leaves (long type) to make (or straw) to make a Honolulu style kilt/(or to women skirt)
DSB (20/05/05 15:21 ) The fruit is indeed fresh and very good. They continue to bring you more, first the initial female then others follow suit until you have eaten your fill, others start to join you in eating the fruit after a while. Skirt not a problem. All attempts to communicate are met with quizzical looks.
You head south-ish and after about 1 hour you meet the road running Northwest to Southeast. Before you reach the road you pass the shredded remains of two large male baboons, one obviously older than the other by the presence of grey fur around the head and muzzle. The baboons follow you up to the road and along it for a while, before they retreat back into the jungle and leave you to your own devices. You find it easier walking on the softer verge not having any footwear. After about an hour walking you hear a wagon approaching from behind you, also heading in the direction of Cauldron.
PH (20/05/05 15:34 ) So I wasn't near a road when I woke up? Was there any drag marks or jungle chopped away to the point where I was?
I shall try to retreat slightly off the path/hidden to see if I can see if it's a trader's wagon or something else?
DSB (20/05/05 15:49 ) No drag marks.
Quite a bit of the vegetation has been destroyed where you found the male baboon remains. Looks like quite a fight.
You retreat off the road as the wagon draws nearer. It is a single wagon draw by one mangy looking horse. The man piloting it is quite old, looks like a farmer. The wagons content is piled high and is covered but you can smell fruit and root vegetables in the back.
PH (20/05/05 16:15 ) I shall hail him down and ask politely if he's is going into town. If he is I will ask if he wants my 'company' on his long journey
DSB (20/05/05 16:20 ) He is somewhat startled when you appear from the undergrowth. He probably hasn't seen a half naked, battered and bruise dwarf before, certainly not wearing a grass skirt! He feebly waves a sword in your general direction until he realises you are not threatening and are not a bandit. He says he is off to Cauldron to sell his wears and you are welcome to join him. He offers you a straw hat to keep the rain off
PH (20/05/05 16:28 ) Rain, rain what rain I thought that was coming (IE the wands required for)? I shall accept his offer (on both accounts as it seems to be raining) and join him on his journey. I shall make pleasant chat see how life fairing for him (and try to find out if there's been more 'problems' with criminal activity recently for him out on the farm.
DSB (23/05/05 07:07 ) Yes rain. It has been about 2 hours since you woke, ate and made you way to the road and along it for a while. The threatening, broken clouds, you observed earlier have congregated and decided to dump their content. The farmer is not surprised as it is typical weather for this time of year, albeit somewhat heavier than has been experienced for a number of year previous.
(Note: The missing wands are of control water and have been used in years gone by to lower the level of the water in the Cauldron basin to stop flooding as the winter rains accumulate faster than it drains away. Although the last ten years has seen a decrease in the amount of rain fall to the point where it has become of minor concern, until this year)
DSB (23/05/05 06:53 ) Farming is good, very fertile land round here. Not much of a one for chit chat, being a farmer who works mostly on his own, there are some long distended silences on the journey. With regard to criminal activity, there has been very little to speak of lately, he doesn't have much worth stealing and gets little trouble.
Unless you wish to do something before you arrive back at Cauldron, you will be at the city gates in around 2-3 hours
DSB (24/05/05 15:07 ) Unless you want to do anything before you arrive back at the city - you arrive and can return to the inn, complete with grass skirt and straw hat (the farmer lets you keep it)
PH (24/05/05 15:09 ) Can't think of anything at the mo, other than take note of the farmers name/place so I can repay his help.
DSB (24/05/05 15:23 ) To All: Shortly after you arrive back at the Drunken Morkoth following your shopping expedition (around lunchtime) PH's character wonders into the bar wearing a grass skirt and a large brimmed straw hat. He is soaking wet, covered with cuts, scratches, bruises and mud. (PH: You can fill them in on whatever details you want.)
