The Colony - Turn 19 - March On

After searching around and testing the obelisk, the party continues their mapping expedition.


Start Date: July 25, early afternoon
Start Status: Twist and turn
Start Location: In the Wilderness (hex 39,27)

White Tulip: Smoke, Rennard, Shade, Zenobe, Mendel, One-eye, Maarek, Hagan, Sim
Exploring: Xon, Adrienne, Nogg, Aaron, Brigg, Candle, Kessel, Jinx, Javiera

The Turn

The party spends about an hour at the obelisk site. The magic users determine that the obelisk and base are magical (arcane). A few party members try to use poles inserted into the holes in its sides to turn the structure, which proves to be quite solid. A careful search of the cleared off platform reveals no further marks or lettering. The surrounding area shows no signs of life other than a number of game trails and the usual selection of birds and small animals. There are no signs of caves or other buildings, and the nearby plant life is the now-familiar mix of thorny trees and wiry undergrowth that dominates this dry region.

Finally, Javiera suggests the group moves on. "We have more mapping to do, and we lack the knowledge needed to figure out what this thing does." The others agree and the party continues mapping, moving northwest. When night falls, they're still in scrubby hills, but they can see more open ground to the north and northwest. "Maybe we can make up some time tomorrow," says Aaron, who is somewhat displeased with the mapping progress.

July 26

Plans for faster mapping are quickly shattered by powerful storm that blows in from the coast. The party follows the line of hills southwest and spends the morning traipsing up and down wet slopes covered in unpleasantly spiny plants of various types. After a soggy lunch the group turns northeast into lusher, forested lands. The trees here are a mix of pines and hardwoods, including some huge evergreens with drooping branches covered in dark-green, almost black needles that are almost a foot long. "Guess we know how this place got its name," observes Kessel. By prior agreement, the party marches out of the woods in the late afternoon, unwilling to camp in the shadows of the trees that have claimed two prior expeditions. The rain stops in the early evening, and they spend the night northeast of the woods, on the edge of an open plain. The watch wakes the party several times during the night when they hear loud tck-tck-tck-tck... tck-tck... tck-tck noises coming from the forest. No one really wants to venture into the woods at night.

July 27

The morning dawns gray and humid. Thin mist obscures distant objects and low clouds hint at more rain to come. The plan is to move northwest in the forest and hopefully come out the far side north of Vine's Strike. The group breaks for lunch near a spring-fed pool of potable water. As they prepare to get moving again, Nogg shouts "OW!" and clutches at his neck.

"What is it?" asks Adrienne.

"I don't know. A sharp pain, and... this." He holds out what appears to be a thin branch just over a foot long. "Must have fallen from the tree," he points to the looming forest giants overhead.

"Wait... Kessel, look at this. I don't think it's a branch!"

The ranger takes the object and gives it a close look. "You're right Adi, it's a... OW!" Like magic, a tiny stick appears on Kessel's forearm. "They're not sticks! They're spears!" Indeed, the spears are made from woven pine needles and tipped with tiny fragments of wood or nut shell. "Everyone up! Do you see anyone?"

Party members scramble to get their packs on and draw weapons. Suddenly, Aaron yells "Quiet!" Everyone stops moving. There is silence for a moment, then everyone hears it, a directionless sound.

Tck-tck-tck-tck... tck-tck... tck-tck

Jinx catches a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye and turns to look, but all he sees is more of the spears headed for party members. Xon, Javiera, and Aaron are each struck by one of the tiny missiles.

"I don't see anyone!" calls Brigg.

"Me either," answers Kessel.

"Maybe it's the trees themselves," says Candle.

OOC

Nogg, Kessel, Aaron, Javiera, and Xon have all been struck by the tiny missiles, which seem to be coming from up in the trees somewhere. No damage, YET. No one has seen any sort of creature.

End Date: July 27
End Status: Needle sharp
End Location: In the Wilderness (hex 35, 26 more or less)