It was decided. They would follow the coast north, allowing for easy return to the Scilandar and a less exhausting battle against the jungle vegetation. The rise ascended slowly, its highest point obscured by the trees. As they paced up the slope, a terrible roar echoed somewhere within the jungle, a primal bellow that shook the air with its intensity. Its must have come from several leagues away yet it felt like whatever beast produced it was on their shoulder and the whole group flinched collectively.

Slightly more nervous from the experience, they continued on, eyes scanning the gaps between branches. At the head of the line, Abbas seemed to be leading them towards a clearing he had obviously spotted. Powerful sunlight speared through the trees, illuminating the countless flying insects and spores that drifted and swirled in the heavy atmosphere.

Finally they reached it, shielding their eyes as they stepped out onto thin grass. About seventy feet across and the same wide, there was no discernible reason for the trees to have failed to find root in the clearing. Indeed even the grass around its edges faded quickly onto dry ground, its surface grey and cracked like old clay. In the centre of the clearing a large rock rose from the earth, its ancient and eroded surface covered in strange runes. The monument was at least twelve foot high and formed a perfect cube of solid rock. It seemed unlikely its creators had dragged it all the way up here - though its stone, a dark hewn basalt, was not the same as the pale limestone forming the cliffs and various outcroppings along the rise. You notice something even more strange about the area. Silence. Nature, for some reason, had abandoned this small section of the jungle...

A lone figure stood before the huge monument, a feminine physique and long chestnut-brown hair betraying her gender. She was seemingly trying to make sense of the language across its rock face, her back to the group.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:56, Mon 02 Jan 2012.

Like the others, Lambrac looked around at the loud roar. Though he was not as surprised by it, he was perhaps more disturbed, knowing all too well what it signified. "Dinosaur." he grunted knowingly before pressing on.

*

Stepping into the dead clearing came as something of a relief from the incessant insects, the scratching branches and the constant hacking to clear a path. Finally someone had gotten rid of all that pesky nature! But in time, that quiet deadness took on its own disturbing air, a feeling of wrongness here in the jungle. He saw the great block of stone first, a Cyclopean fragment of some ancient ruin, that he did not doubt. He marveled at the craftsmanship that must have gone into it, to carve such a perfect cube from basalt, and the engineering and logistics required to transport it here from wherever it had been quarried, likely from near the Peaks of Flame.

Its appearance or presence did not surprise him. It was not so out of place here. But the woman did surprise him. He only saw her after he gazed upon the stone, so her sudden appearance was like a ghost out of the rock itself. Where else could she have come from in this vast, empty, inhospitable jungle? "Well met!" he called in a voice thick with tiredness and dehydration.


OOC: Architecture 23 - anything about the stone block?
This message was last edited by the player at 12:35, Wed 28 Dec 2011.

Krogan smiled ferally at the sound.  He wondered if he'd get to test himself against some of the denizens of this bizarre place.   As sweaty and cranky as he was, he'd relish the idea of killing something, only for the distraction.

They walked onward, Krogan concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other.   When they came to the clearing, Krogan was also glad to see the lack of undergrowth.   When he saw the cube, he was intrigued.  When he saw the person, he hoped it was someone he could beat up.   But he waited, just in case it wasn't.

The woman stood with her back to the advancing party of water-seekers, tapping a pursed lip thoughtfully as she regarded the stone. Her long brown hair cascades chaotically across her shoulders and down her back, falling over leather armor dyed in a variety of splotched hues in order to provide better concealment. At Lambrac's call she spun to regard them, seeming surprised to find anyone else this deep in the jungle.

"Ah... yes, well met, indeed!" She called back hesitantly. A large bow was strapped to her back though she made no moves towards it or the heavy, well-crafted dagger at her belt. Suddenly she seemed to glance around, a quizzical look on her face as if she expected to see someone or something else, before returning her gaze to the wayward party of the airship.

"I didn't expect to find anyone else out here," she began honestly, taking in their number and odd mix of races. "I'm Asha Toulmin." Though she was dressed in a manner reminiscent of the wilder cultures, she spoke with carefully cadenced Common and showed none of the roughness about the edges which is common with such folk. Her eyes flickered to her side once more before she fixed her eyes on the group and smiled.

Holding his large shield in one hand, with his morning star in the other, Krogan looked out at the figure, impressed by her powerful stance and confidence.

I am Krogan Cha'Tok.  It's good to see such an impressive warrior in this place.   We just arrived.  What can you tell us of the land around here, if you don't mind?

The muscular orc was still prepared for the worst, but kept his own stance casual.

"Lambrac SeKilderic." Lambrac said with a bow to Asha. "We, ah, just dropped in."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:03, Wed 28 Dec 2011.

The quiet elf that had been near the forefront of the group when Asha turned to greet the party turned from examining the area broke from his own examination of the area and joined the others up close with Asha and the monument.

Although he had demonstrated significant caution previously, Abbas' read of the new arrival left him with no doubts, and he focused his guard elsewhere... although still somehow managed to keep being reserved.  " I am Abbas Kareem," he nodded in greeting, and respected the privacy of the other party members in providing their names.  "We, too, were not expecting others to be about - especially alone.  The nearest community is a long trek away from our now-grounded airship.  A pleasant surprise for a foraging trek, this is.  I had expected more of the great bat-lizards, not fellow travellers."

Keeping an eye and ear to the jungle, and blades resting ready, the elven warrior carefully approached the centrepiece of the clearing, and looked it over before glancing to the apparent two experts, such as they were.  "What have you learned of the monument?  It certainly does not match the stone native to here... and the clearing free of flora and fauna - and dinosaur, did you say Lambrac?"

OOC:
10:58, Today: Secret Roll: Abbas rolled 12 using 1d20+3. arcana.
10:58, Today: Secret Roll: Abbas rolled 23 using 1d20+3. history.
*nat20
10:39, Today: Secret Roll: Abbas rolled 23 using 1d20+4. listen.
10:39, Today: Secret Roll: Abbas rolled 18 using 1d20+4. spot.

Thaniel bowed his head in silent greeting to this woman, not offering his own name from his place near the rear of the group. Even the fairly reserved Abbas seemed like a conversationalist compared to the group's other resident Moon elf.

Happy Asha meant no harm, he left the others to speak with her and instead moved quickly towards the stone, his interest evidently piqued. He traced long fingers over the runes engraved in the basalt, muttering to himself in elven. He turned and spoke up in Abbas' direction, his words methodical and lacking any emotion, "Abbas, [Language unknown: nt re celiri rattedset li aton foday ulasun. Trol wheundorehis ni oulverhas, ee, but is ughdayore wa wihaaiet ne somersfor liall ndev adheom. Hani not eveos, ca tinwhinte nc omlawe ersderred olfoic. Utie Everesoerenther ome ur yinwhioer asck ta beni alca mi i yinventhioul osla ai ut reslinlat."]
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 12:09, Sun 01 Jan 2012.

Asha smiled at Lambrac's comment. "Ah, so you're from that... ship?  That I saw crash." She replied with understanding. "I suppose that explains it. You're all unharmed?"

"I'm not as familiar with the area as I am with some others on the island; I've served as something of a guide in the past but this is fairly new territory to me also." She said as she turned back to indicate the monument. "As for this? I've seen something like it once, long ago... but I didn't understand much about it then either." Asha shrugs curtly at the mystery. "There's some writing on here I can't make out. Probably ancient."

"And I'm not... um... precisely alone," she mentioned with a strange expression. "It's just that my companion is hiding somewhere here. He's a cautious sort, probably thought you would be hostile... um... he's a dinosaur." She blurted out, unsure of how they would react or indeed how to broach such a subject.

Krogan could understand caution, especially with the unknown.   You usually only got one change to be casual with unknown situations, then you died.

He raised an eyebrow at the elves chattering in their language.  It was a bit rude, but he wasn't going to worry about it.
Looking back at the woman they'd just met, he nodded.
We're just explorers, not conquerers, so we, and myself most of all, have no intention of killing or hurting anything that doesn't want to hurt us.   I have a feeling that there'll be lots of folks here with murderous intentions to go around.
He grinned toothily, as if to imply that he welcomed the attempts.
But, for what it's worth, I give my word, by the fire in my belly and the strength of my arms, that we mean no harm to your friend if he means the same to us.   

"We are, unfortunately." Lambrac answered Asha glumly. It was odd to meet someone who claimed to know the land well enough to serve as a guide — he would have expected a native Chultan or an old and grizzled explorer — but wouldn't say no to the stroke of good fortune of happening across her. He'd considered being more cagy about their situation, the possibility of some trap here, but they really couldn't afford to be choosy. "We're fine, but not for long. We lost much of our supplies and seek more. We're looking for water, in particular, and if you know of a good source, we would be obliged, milady." he explained, hoping that she could help in some way.

"Wait, dinosaur?" he asked with a note of alarm.

"Yes, dinosaur... a young carnosaur, to be precise..." She turned and gazed about the clearing. "Yaotl! Heel! They're friendly." Her next words were whispered, barely clearing her lips. "At least I'm pretty sure."

She turned to Lambrac when he mentioned water. "I think I may have seen one on my way here but it might be hard to find again. Like I said, I don't know this area as well... I was born a long way from here, still along the coast but further north." She brushed an errant strand of loosely curled hair from  her eyes.

"I'd be happy to try though. Do any of you know how to read this, maybe? Before we go?" She gestured casually to the monolith and the archaic script crawling across it.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:09, Thu 29 Dec 2011.

Making no sudden movements, Lambrac's eyes roamed the surround jungle for this carnosaur, anxious that it might decide otherwise. "Um..."

Well, with a pet dinosaur and maybe knowing where water was, helping Asha study this megalith was a top priority in Lambrac's book. He peered up at the stone block, and tried to determine the script and anything else that stood out. "Hmm."


OOC: And to think I chose not to put a point in Decipher Script.

Architecture 23 - anything about the stone block?

Lambrac stared uncomprehending at the block for a while. There was something oddly familiar about it... Then he tilted his head at an angle. All he'd needed was a change of perspective. "Ah! I've seen something thing like this before, east of the Mistcliffs. That one must have tipped over into soft earth, because we thought it was a pyramid. It seemed odd so far from Mulhorand. The expedition leader seemed to think it was something to do with wild elves, but I don't know..."

He stepped up close to the stone block, now regarding it from the proper angle. He laid a hand on the hard, dark basalt. It felt warm from the accumulated heat of the day, sitting out here in the open. He swept his hand across, feeling the rough texture, then eyed the straight edges. "It's basalt, likely quarried near the Peaks of Flame. By the wind erosion, I'd say this was carved about a thousand years ago. But the dark grey colour is more like a fresh block; there's no lichen, no calcium carbonate layer, no chemical erosion. Someone made this thing to last."

Drawing his parchment note-book, ink and pen, he began to make a sketch of the find, with copies of what runes he could glimpse and some notes and observations. He'd previously started drawing and noting a map of their route from the Scilander.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:59, Fri 30 Dec 2011.

At Asha's command, the tree line on the other side of the clearing began to rustle. It took a few seconds for the group to register that something was standing amid the undergrowth, such was the effectiveness of its camouflage. The creature took a few tentative steps into the clearing, its ridged, elongated snout sniffing at the air. It was about the size of a small horse but that was where the similarity to an animal ended. Inky eyes blinked horizontally as it regarded the group, evidence of a species of reptile - however instead of walking on all fours like a normal lizard, it balanced lithely on two, the arms sticking from its chest ending in razor-like claws. Its hide was a mottled dark green with intermittent yellow stripes and dark ridges of bone ran the full length of its body. A long tail swung lazily behind as it strode further into the clearing and dagger-like teeth were visible protruding from its closed mouth.

So this was a dinosaur...

Krogan was tempted to help copy down runes, but decided to wait until asked.  There might be plenty of these darned things around, and they only had so much paper.   There was no sense in doubling up on sketches if they could help it.

The heat and humidity was making Krogan angry.   He hated to be dirty and sweaty, and was beginning to curse his ignorance of this bizarre land, and was starting to regret ever coming here.   He knew that was just weakness on his part, that he was just whining to himself.  So he tried to buck up and ignore it.

The rustle of the undergrowth caught his attention, and he waited to see what the new arrival would be.   When the lizard creature emerged, Krogan's face lit up in child-like wonder.

It's.....beautiful......
The animal was...like a little dragon.  Were dinosaurs related to dragons?  It didn't seem to matter.  The horse-sized monster was large, but still reminded Krogan of the baby dragon he'd saved in the river of his mountain home, and had returned to the angry red dragon mother, on that day that had started him on his destiny.

"Oh by the Gods," Jibril mutters when he spots the dinosaur. "We've now officially become a band of circus freaks.  Pashas in Calimport would certainly pay good money to see this traveling show."

He wipes the sweat off his brow with frustration, as he approaches the stone monolith to examine it.  With a flourish of his hand, he casts a spell upon the stone.


OOC:  Jibril rolled 9 using 1d20+3. knowledge skill (religion).
           Jibril rolled 14 using 1d20+3. knowledge skill (arcana).

Casting Detect Magic

Lambrac looked at the dinosaur, turning pale and the sweat of humidity becoming the cold sweat of fear. Sharp fangs, sharp claws, all primal killing power. "...Oh hells."

Asha listened intently to those examining the obelisk, seemingly ignoring the alternatively terrified and reverent stares of the rest of the group. After absorbing all Lambrac had to say on the matter she turned and rested a hand on Yaotl's muscular shoulder.

"Now, now... I know he's intimidating at first, but he's really a big softy. Well, other than the razor sharp teeth and armored hide... hrm... so I guess not so soft." She shrugged.

"But he's been with me for a few years now and he's been well-behaved since he was trained. I'm thinking once he gets a little bigger I'll teach him to wear a saddle." She beamed at the young Carnosaur as she mentioned this.

Krogan grinned at Asha.
If you ever do, come find me.  I'd love to ride him sometime. 

It sounded perfect to Krogan.  It would be like riding a dragon.  Just the thought filled him with excitement.

Thaniel watches the dinosaur come into view and considers it with passing amusement before turning back to his monolith. "It has been a while since I studied runes, though I might be able to make something of this with time," he says as he feels each engraving, trying to remember its language.

19:36, Today: Thaniel rolled 25 using 1d20+8. Knowledge: Arcana.
19:36, Today: Thaniel rolled 14 using 1d20+8. Decipher Script.

Abbas nodded slowly in reply to Thaniel's melodic, but less common speech.  "I fear your recall exceeds mine, Thaniel, but what I do recall makes me inclined to agree."

Tilting his head towards the group, Abbas added to dispel some of the questions and open new ones, "These runes resemble a variant of an ancient elvish script, but between the change in language and the style of the carving, I cannot follow it." The elven swordmaster paused somewhat pregnantly.

"The runes I do recognize speak of death ahead - whether that is a warning marker or tied to the object itself, I cannot be sure."

The arrival of the dinosaur put an end to Abbas' further investigation, however.  His keen senses had made him well aware of the creature in the jungle, but Asha's concern for it had removed the elf's worry about it.  Seeing it present, claw and tooth bred for violence... that perhaps warranted a touch more attention than a script he could only vaguely recognize.

"Interesting... I imagine training such a fierce creature must have been challenging, in the least.  They can be trained to be ridden as well?  Perhaps other of the flying ones could be trained for flying mounts - surely a quick method of travel in this land," he added politely.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:22, Fri 30 Dec 2011.

A pet dinosaur, a trained dinosaur, a dinosaur you could ride... That's it. Asha was mad. And so was Krogan, and perhaps Abbas too. "Good dinosaur..." he muttered, then took a step back.

Processing what Abbas said about the block — it made more sense than the dinosaur — he mused "So he was right about the elven connection... But I've never thought of elves as megalithic stone carvers. It seemed more of a dwarven thing... So, death ahead, huh? Does it happen to mention in which direction, or what brand of death awaits us?"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:48, Fri 30 Dec 2011.

There's a surprised shriek from the monolith, as Jibril reels backwards and stumbles on a rock. He lands firmly on his ass with a loud grunt.

Krogan raised an eyebrow, but held in any humorous reaction.  He felt a bit out of place, as well.  If Jibril could refrain from making fun of him for sweating like ice in the summer, he could behave himself as well.
The muscular orc walked over to the cleric and held out a hand to help him up, his face neutral and non-judgemental.

He couldn't read the writing on the stone block, so was getting bored with the proceedings.   Krogan wanted to fight something, but knew that the old Waterdhavian expression "be careful what you wish for" might be more true here than anywhere else.