To New Horizons(2nd ed game, game thread)

[PurpleXVI]

Evon

Being able to follow in the track that the others had made through the jungle, Evon made good speed towards the lake. Just as he burst from the trees, thunder rumbled in the distance and he could see dark clouds creeping closer. They would soon occlude the sun, and by his estimate they'd be above the area in just a few minutes.

Further up the beach he saw Bas, Gan, Lorath and Anne, just as Lorath and Gan stepped through the trees, Evon saw another lizardman trio slipping out of the woods behind the group, closer to himself.

(Evon is about 100 yards from the group, the second cluster of lizardmen is about 20 yards from them.)


Tamora

As she stepped out of the vegetation, the lizardmen first raised their weapons to strike, but upon seeing that she wasn't holding her weapon in a threatening manner, or charging, they seemed to relax. There was a moment of uncertainty, they seemed to be considering their options, and then the one closest to her reciprocated the gesture.

It looked to her like they were waiting for her to make the next move when Gan and Lorath stepped unto the scene from the beach. Instantly, the lizardmen dropped back into their wary stance, gathering, back to back, so that they were an equal distance from the friendly ranger and the two newcomers. While they held their spears lowered, ready to jab at someone, they weren't attacking. Yet.

Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled, and a faint breeze sprang up, bringing alien smells and fresh air into Tamora's lungs.


Gan, Lorath

Lorath and Gan stepped into the darkness of the jungle, as their eyes adjusted from the bright sunlight outside, they heard a commotion in front of them, as if large animals were suddenly moving about, taking up new positions.

When they could see probably, they saw two lizardmen having spears levelled at them, while a third had it's spear levelled at Tamora, who appeared to be making a gesture of peace, but none of them were leaping to impale anyone with their weapons.

The distant crack and rumble of thunder, more felt in the pit of their stomachs than heard, seemed to underline the tension of the scene.


Bas, Anne

Bas and Anne saw the two warriors disappearing into the jungle, as they waited a few seconds before following, allowing Gan and Lorath to make their way through the outer brush, Anne heard something crunching on the sand behind them.

Coming up the beach from the same direction as they had were, only twenty yards away, three lizardmen. They were carrying spears, and they were wearing brown colouring on their green scales to camouflage them, but they didn't seem hostile. They were quite clearly advancing towards the druid and the rogue specifically, rather than just being out for a walk, but not charging.

Farther away, maybe about a hundred yards, a skinny-looking man had just come out of the jungle, apparently following the same trail as they had.

The sound of thunder rolled in from the distance, and a fresh breeze sprang up across the placid lake, briefly making the waves lap against the shore.

[Encard]

Evon quickly slowed down and stopped once he came out of the woods, pausing for several seconds to catch his breath. Looking at the lizardmen and the farther-off pair of more human-like figures as he leaned over with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily, he considered his options. Levering himself back into a full standing position, he started walking toward the pair, roughly matching the lizardmen's pace. Giving the pair in the distance a large wave as he walked, he called out, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but Jonas sent me to help you out a tad!"

Evon made sure to keep his hands away from his weapons and to keep his stance non-threatening, not wanting to provoke the lizardmen (or the pair in the distance) by accident. Should the lizardmen turn to him he'd give them a pleasant nod, but keep walking forward unless threatened.

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Gan Vahnsen

“Anyone speak ‘Lizard’? Gan muttered, eyeing the lizardmen. He lowered his bow slightly, but only enough to suggest he wasn’t going to attack unless provoked. Maybe the lizards would understand bodylanguage, even if they did not speak ‘common’. He kept his arrow notched though – if a fight did break out, he didn’t intend to be caught with his guard down.

“So who wants to do the speaking?” Gan called/suggested to his companions, implying very much so that he did not. “But let's avoid a fight, if at all possible. I don't know about you, but wounds are so messy.” The last was said sardonically, and not for a moment did he take his eyes off their potential foe, despite his decidedly forced causal manner. With luck, the lizards would understand his words...

[dplax]

Anne Evasdottir

Caution was the key to everything here. If the lizardmen, who she guessed were those who had followed them had chosen not to use an element of surprise in attacking them, they were probably safe for the moment, but the situation still had to be played with utmost caution. Anne very slowly resheathed her dagger. Should the lizards show any sign of hostility she was pretty sure she could get to it before they got to her. But she hoped it wouldn't come to that. Her weapon wasn't the best against spears.

"Can you understand me?" she asked in common and then followed up with the same question in the only other language she knew, elven.

[Armen]

Tamora smiled at the creature’s reciprocal gesture but it faded as the Gan and Lorath came into sight and the lizardmen brought their spears to bear. She was encouraged that their instinct was defensive though and she visibly relaxed as soon as she heard Gan’s words of caution. She nodded to him and gently let her spear fall to the ground behind her its point facing back into the jungle and took a step away from it towards the others. She slowly knelt down and then sat back on her heels. Looking towards the lead lizardman she gestured to the ground a little way in front of her before resting her hands palm up on her knees.

Looking towards Gan & Lorath she called to them “is Bas with you? The Learned One will be far better at communicating with these creatures than I.” The druids she knew at home could communicate with all manner of forest dwellers and hoped Bas might be able to here.

[ 01-18-2007, 08:50 AM: Message edited by: Armen ]

[Man Who Fights Like Woman]

Lorath simply nodded in reply to Tamora, not wanting to yell too much for worry of setting off this volatile situation. He kept a stern eye on the lizardmen and stayed tense, his weapon and shield still at the ready, though he was slowly lowering them to his sides.

The others had already tried to see if these creatures spoke Common so he wouldn't try that, though he would wait and see if their responses were similar to any language he might know.

[Kazilan]

Bas gazed at the lizard creatures intently for a moment, then followed Anne's example and added greetings in his woodland languages. He doubted they would understand, but he felt excited about making contact with sentient creatures with a close tie to nature. He maintained a light grip on his staff with his right hand and kept to within a step of Anne's position.

[PurpleXVI]

Evon, Bas, Anne

The lizardmen didn't seem to comprehend any of the greetings thrown at them by Bas or Anne, nor did they bar Evon's way. Before the group could try any further means of negotiation or communication, one of the three suddenly pointed out towards the middle of the lake while hissing something to his comrades and all of them turned to look.

After a few moments of careful watching, one of them raised it's voice in a spine-chilling, ululating howl that sounded like a battlecry of some sort, and the others readied their spears.


(When Bas' read their auras with his gaze, he got an impression of law and neutrality towards the issues of good and evil.)


Lorath, Gan and Tamora

The creatures that were facing Lorath and Gan were busy sizing up the elf and half-elf when the cry rose from the beach.

Instantly upon hearing it, they lifted their weapons and charged off northwards through the thick vegetation, abandoning all stealth. The sound of their heavy passage was marked by snapping branches, screeching animals fleeing in all directions and constant repetition of the battlecry.

Judging by the sound of their trampling progress, they were following the treeline and probably heading for the village.


Everyone

The approaching clouds now block out the sun, throwing everything into sudden darkness and making the humid air feel freezing, rather than choking.

[Man Who Fights Like Woman]

As the sky and ground around him went dark, Lorath shivered. He hadn't expected the storm clouds to progress that fast, nor to be this thick. He was broken from these thoughts as the lizardmen charged, and he gave them ample berth to avoid getting trampled.

A second time he shivered, and quickly reached into his bag looking for things he had left there previously. He put on his robe and wizard hat, and looked at his traveling companions. "It looks like there's going to be a thunderstorm on us in just a couple of minutes," he told them, "and I have no plans to be out in the open or under a tree when it gets here. We can take cover in their huts while the storm passes. I'm sure we can make them understand somehow that we mean them no harm and simply don't want to get struck by lightning." He started off at a slow pace, then getting quicker as the weather worsened.

[Kazilan]

Bas gripped his staff in both hands as the creatures howled. He stayed close to Anne as he spoke to her in elvish, "I looked at these creatures magically, and they are neither good nor evil by nature. If we can learn more about them, we should be able to pass through their land without trouble." The druid glanced at the village, then at the lizardmen's spears. "Without too much trouble, anyway."