Cavalier seemed less concerned about digging down to hide and more about protecting itself and the group. Giving the floatsam and debris a quick look-over, it spots what it deems to be a fine additions to his collection, and after walking over to the table sticking out in the sand, pulls one of the table's legs off with a loud wrenching crack. It gives it a few swings around - this would do, until it found a replacement. A good whack to the head of a creature and it would brain it good.

**Adding a Club to my sheet**

"I agree. The faster we can find a place to survive, the better. This beach does not give you any material for living." it states, very matter-of-factly. Sure, they could stay and fish, it supposed, but was that any way of living, truly?

Seth remained fascinated with the molekin named Gren, he was going to research and understand their people. Back in the cities no one knows about molekin race, he might be the first one to report something. He will have to search the libraries once he hopefully gets back to surely ascertain it. Right now, they need food and most notably a pathway to local village or town.

He nodded at Klaine, "I agree, the woods seem to have several game trails. Maybe if we can explore the woods, we might find a path? We also need food and it would be better if we can hunt some games. Everyone has their weapons with them?"

With a general consensus reached that there was little to be gained from waiting on the beach you decide to forge ahead into the jungle to see if you can find some shelter or at least something you can fix up into a form of shelter.

As you feared the undergrowth is hard work, even on the animal trails that you can find you have to hack your way through overgrown vegetation and plant life which looks like it has been largely undisturbed for years. Cavalier suffers the most - his bulk preventing him being able to duck and dive easily through lighter patches and even his prodigious strength not being a match for some of the thicker patches. Even worse - While the thick canopy gives you merciful cover from the beating sun but the trade-off is that the cooling sea breeze is replaced by tropical humidity.

As you move out of sight of the beach you find the jungle itself is oddly quiet. A few strange birdcalls can be heard here and there but there is little of the animal noise you would normally expect from such lush and unspoilt greenery. It is perhaps this unusual quiet that means the sudden noise of something moving, fast, through the undergrowth back and to your left is so unmistakable and so shocking. The sound erupts almost out of nowhere initially faint but growing louder by the second...

Skitterlung dove straight into the brush at this sound, hoping to silently hide before anything could approach.

When Seth heard the sound he was taken aback, "Wait, something is approaching us. Be careful everyone, stay prepared." He clasped his staff tightly, preparing for what was coming.

Gren used his claws as effective blades slicing through branches where he needed to.

Noticing the mechanical man had difficulty he lent his claws to clearing some of the branches in front of him to allow the man to move forward.

When he heard the noise he stopped not having good site he listened to locate the sounds direction.

He noticed the little goblin dive into the undergrowth the molekin stepped off the path and crouched arms spread out ready to attack anything that came too close

Finding his staff intact amongst the wreckage had been a blessing, doubly so Kaine realized as he used it as a walking aid during the trek through the jungle. Thankfully the rest of his equipment had remained on his person but much of it was of little use at the moment.

The strain of moving through the undergrowth meant Kaine had little time for talking or for reflection, only simple hard-work with a focus on surviving.

Therefore it was a shock upon hearing the loud noise, so jarringly different to their current environment. At first he could do little but but stare into the jungle, but then Kaine leapt off the main path and tries to use the heavy undergrowth as cover, in case what came was hostile.

With the difficulty of the growth and the jungle, the clockwork was thankful for the help given by Gren. It thanked it, wordlessly but with a nod, as it tried forward. Its massive frame surely was not built for this kind of adventuring. In the future, perhaps, a blade to cut the fauna to help itself. A club made little use here though.

"Stay behind me if you wish. I was built for this." it says, matter-of-factly, inviting anyone to use him for a shield, while he brandished the table's leg as a club.

You barely have time to take positions - Kaine, Gren and Skitterlung taking cover in the undergrowth - before the jungle behind you erupts in a spray of branches and foliage. Crashing through the trees, swinging through the branches by long hairy arms, come four small forms unlike anything you have seen before.

Each is about three foot long from the tip of one outstretched arm to the bottom of it's equally long leg and the entire body is covered in a short fur. You would take it for some kind of tropical ape but for the head which is unusually large for the body, hairless and sports a stunted snout with sharp tusks. You've never heard of anything like these beasts but, beyond that initial thought, you don't have much longer to ponder what they might be.


Upon spotting Seth and Cavalier - especially, the large clockwork is hard to miss - all of the creatures erupt into grunting barks and fix their piggy little red eyes on their you. Two drop to the ground and charge forward on all fours while the other two remain in the trees swinging forward at a startling pace!

OOC: It's the obligatory (and I promise not entirely gratuitous) early game combat! Anyone wishing to act 'fast' can go right ahead and anyone wishing to hold off just drop a line somewhere. Currently all four creatures are about ten feet away and closing fast...

Such strange creatures. But they were a threat, no matter how exotic or interesting they were. The clockwork was sure that a swift blow to the head would set them straight.

Fast Action: Prepare;
If a creature gets within range for me, I'll use an Attack action.

Seth was equally surprised and excited to see these new creatures that he has never seen or heard of in his studies. He braced with his staff and took a defensive stance while these creatures rushed towards them.

OOC: Fast action, Defend.

From cover Gren squinted and waited for one of the creatures to run past him within range of his claws.

Ooc fast action attack
 
This message was last edited by the player at 17:46, Sun 17 May 2020.

Nestled in the underbrush, Kain gazed at the abominations with a mixture of disgust and horror. Gritting his teeth, he grasped his staff tightly with both hands, waiting for one of the creatures to pass by so he could thrust at it with his staff, preferably at its skull.

---

Fast Action (Prepare): When a creature moves past him Kaine with thrust at it with his staff with 1 Boon

Attack Roll (Finesse, Prepared): 14; Boon Dice: 03; Total: 17

15:41, Today: Kaine rolled 3 using 1d6.  Boon Dice.
15:41, Today: Kaine rolled 14 using 1d20.  Dex Attack Roll vs Beast (Prepared; Finesse).

The creatures come on fast, grunting at first and then making a half hoot, half growl as they close with clearly murderous intent and then charge at those they can see with teeth bared.

Clearly focussed on the more obvious targets of Seth and Cavalier they pay no heed to their surroundings and so are vulnerable to the attacks of those in hiding. As the two still in the trees close Kaine steps from hiding and strikes one out of the air with a vicious staff thrust to the head. The blow is true and the impact shatters the skull – the blow immediately fatal. The other aerial creature completes it's charge by hurling itself through the air at Seth, bypassing his best attempts to fend it off and clawing furiously at him with sharp nails and slashing with tusks causing a series of shallow cuts.

Gren also manages to catch one of the ground based creatures by surprise, tearing a gash across it's chest as it closes with the feet of Cavalier. The blow isn't enough to stop it but does put it off balance enough for Cavalier to finish it easily with a mighty downward blow of his club spreading pieces of it across the jungle floor. The remaining beast latches to one of the clockwork's legs, tiny fingers getting in between metal plates and wrenching at vulnerable parts.

OOC: If in any doubt all four creatures 'charged' (though it worked out pretty badly for two of them...) so they've all gone. Skitter kept his action(s) so he goes next but after he's taken his action if you intend to take another fast turn you may as well go ahead and post as you'll go before the creatures in any event.

Seeing the metal man finish off the one he hurt Gren moved up on plodding stout legs and thrust his spear like claws into the back of the one trying to attack cavalier

Ooc
Fast action prepared / attack from behind?
18:44, Today: Gren rolled 5,5 using 1d20+1,1d6.  Claw attack...1boon for prepare total attack 10
18:46, Today: Gren rolled 3 using 1d3.  Damage
This message was last edited by the player at 17:51, Sun 17 May 2020.

Skitterlung moves through the brush to pop out on the other side, sling in hand, and lets loose a stone at one of the creatures.

OOC: I think this roll hits, right?

16:44, Today: Skitterlung rolled 2 using 1d3.  Damage roll.
16:44, Today: Skitterlung rolled 19 using 1d20+2.  Attack roll.

Pain surged through Seth's body when the creature bit in but he was not going to backdown now. He swung his staff aiming the one that attacked him.

OOC: Seth Avano rolled 3 using 1d20.  Attack roll. A complete miss!.

"Ho there creature!" Kaine called out to the furred beast attacking Seth. He slammed his staff onto the trunk of a nearby tree, trying to get its attention.

---

Fast Action: Distract against the creature attacking Seth

Intellect Attack Roll: 11 (vs creature's Intellect) On a success the creature makes its next attack roll or challenge roll before the end of the round with 2 banes.

Gren's approach sadly telegraphs his intent and, as he strikes, the creature dodges nimbly to one side and skitters up Cavalier's side still frantically clawing and gouging but this time cannot find a way to penetrate his armoured exterior and can do no damage.

The other creature fares even worse. It proves easily distracted by Kaine, predictably spinning to face its new target but so confused its leaping attack misses by miles and the thing lands in the brush a short distance to one side where Skitterlung's stone connects with it's shoulder with a sickening crack though seeming to infuriate it further more than stop it!


OOC: It's now the slow turn for this round. Cavalier and Skitterlung have yet to act (as Skitter's action was technically the slow action from the last round) and then it will be the next fast turn. Probably not too much need to stand on ceremony with the order of posting as I suspect the monsters aren't going to last another round...

Skitterlung launched another stone, hoping to peg the same creature again.

OOC: "15:22, Today: Skitterlung rolled 13,2 using 1d20+2,1d3 with rolls of 11,2.  attack plus prospective damage." Don't think that hits...

As the creature tries to climb up its side, it hefts the club and aims to give it a good whack, to put it out of comission. He brings it down hard, hoping it would connect with something vulnerable on the creature's body, so it felt the pain properly, and perhaps it would let go of him.

---

Attack to hit at 11, with 3 damage from Club.

01:00, Today: Cavalier rolled 11 using 1d20+1.  Attack Roll, +1.
01:00, Today: Cavalier rolled 3 using 1d6.  Club Damage.

As the beast crashed into the brush close to him, Kaine pivoted on his feet and attempted to bring one end of his staff down upon it...just as Skitterlung lobbed a stone at it. The sudden shot caused Kaine to flinch instinctively and his strike missed!

---

Fast Action: Attacking. Attack (Finesse): 02 :(

Not wasting any time, Skitterlung launched another stone.

15:30, Today: Skitterlung rolled 22,2 using 1d20+2,1d3 with rolls of 20,2.  roll to hit + prospective attack damage.

With the swing missing the creature on him - an unfathomable thing, in its logic, and if it had a way to express itself visually, it would be surprised - Cavalier takes a faster swing, hoping this one would be it. Of course, its logical mind was not attuned, it seemed..

---

22:01, Today: Cavalier rolled 3 using 1d20+1.  Attack Roll, +1.

Gren took two solid steps and used his stout legs to propel him as high as he could after the one attacking the metal man with claws out he attempted to rake them gown it's back

Ooc
10:56, Today: Gren rolled 19 using 1d20+1.  Claw attack
10:57, Today: Gren rolled 4 using 1d3+1.  Damage.