Progressing round a particularly large tree, the halfling ranger notes some a strange patch of grass. The crimson roots are noticed by the halfling hunter (DM note: Only Tak notices anything funny and he does not say anything at this moment.) who is careful to avoid it, stepping well wide. This, however with hindsight, was a bad move.

The rest of the party hear a muffled whoosh, and simultaneous a sharp cry of surprise from their halfling guide, quickly followed by a loud crash. Rushing around the corner, they see Tak’ trapped in a crude trap, two four-foot long logs bracing a strange sticky net. Tak’, knocked flat by the impact, is motionless.

Mendi cautiously closes on the unconscious halfling, signaling the other to stay behind. "I'll try to free him, but leave me some free room", the elf says.

Aryus quickly rushes to Tak's side to investigate the situation. He tries to determine how to free the halfling. But when Mendi comes and attempts to disarm the trap, Aryus decides that it is better to let the elf work alone.

Mendi carefully walks around the crude trap, observing the nature of the device, and then crouches to begin the delicate work of freeing the halfling. "The owners are probably around, so keep your eyes opens," mumbles the elf while working. That gummy substance is probably nothing good, let' avoid it..." The elf carefully uses his knife and some sticks to try to free the diminutive halfling.

Mendi works carefully, avoiding contact with the gluey substance. He cuts the net with his short blade, and Tak is soon free of the net's embrace. The elf then carefully pulls Tak out of the trap's area, and ask: "Is anybody able to revive him? Ayrus, do the wind lords give you some magical knowledge of healing?" Mendi then stands up and begins to look around, unsettled by the absence of animal noise. "We should not dally here. I'll try to find some place to rest and wait for Tak's awakening."

Coming back onto the trail, Elric congratulates the elf, "Good work Mendi, I think we need to leave this area quickly. We have seemingly found someone's hunting area."

Ptellac quickly drops his weapons and cradles the small halfling, "C'mon, little one. You must come about or we are lost here. We can sure use ye in this place." The saurian shakes the hunter and proceeds to pour some water onto his face. Ptellac checks the hunter and feels a nasty bump on the back of his head; the pterran presses hard on the bump as Tak comes about. The halfling is slow to recover but recognition soon comes to his eyes as he struggles to regain full consciousness.

Koreth draws his sword, holding it out before him. "I don't like this.... Everyone keep your eyes open. Gaigin you get that side, I'll cover this one. If you're not helping Tak, keep your back to someone else and have a weapon ready. And above all, be quiet...."

Koreth holds his sword tightly as Ptellac works to help Tak, sweat and mist dripping down his face and staining his shirt. He watched in front of him carefully, straining to see or hear that which had made the forest quiet....

The windmage loads an arrow into his bow and stands guard with Koreth and Gaigin, inspecting the area quietly. The dense forest was also an alien setting for him. "I don't like the looks of this place either."

Slipping silently into the brush beside the trail. Softly Elric draws a single blade, cursing the lack of strength in his left arm. Attuning his senses to the strange forest Elric keeps watch of the forest around him.

Meanwhile, the would be hunters screech about angrily as they see their food being taken from them. Large, ugly spiders click their mandibles and slowly start to walk along their sticky web trying to surround the companions. The strong web shakes visibly as four of the large arachnids start to descend from the dense canopy above.

Koreth turns to face the oncoming attackers, brandishing his sword before him with both hands gripping its hilt. He cursed his luck, his shield only a memory somewhere along that path in the Ringing Mountains.

The halfling hunter jumps into actions as he finally regains his senses. He steps in front of the warriors and slowly puts down their swords. "That's OK, the spiders are only defending their hunting territory. They won't follow us and will leave us alone if we abandon their place." The warriors slowly backtrack keeping a wary eye on the large spiders. The arachnids screech out a challenge that was the only sound heard in the jungle. Everyone tensed for a few seconds but did as Tak told them; the halfling hunter faced the spiders coaxing them into retreat; strange sounds not unlike those made by the spiders escaping his mouth.

The heroes make good their escape and Mendi immediately moves back along the trail and searches for a shelter where the party can lick its wounds. The elf is not aware of the other danger that Tak sidestepped before getting caught into the spider's trap until it was too late. Soft tendrils moved along the elf's long legs and pricked at his exposed calves. The elf raised his leg instinctively and tried to get out of the place as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, he went the wrong way and got himself into deeper trouble.

Suddenly, the elf's legs went numb and he plummeted to the ground screaming, arms flailing. Everyone rushed to the elf's aid but Tak screamed everyone to a stop. "Do not step onto the patch. 'Tis blood grass, a noxious weed. We have to pull the elf out without stepping onto the weeds." The halfling slowly steps onto the patch prying the grass in front of him with his spear. He finally reaches the elf; Koreth and Ptellac followed closely behind. The noble warrior and saurian pick the elven trader up while Tak cuts loose the four tendrils that had wrapped themselves up the elf's legs and were greedily drinking his blood. The numbed trader was taken out of the deadly patch; he watched in horror as the four holes in his lower legs still dribbled blood freely. Tak admonished, "The weed injects its sap which allows blood to flow free. You will loose a bit more blood but you will be safe enough."

Koreth follows the Tak with the rest of the group, his sword still in his hand. He keeps his eyes warily on the forest around them. Such a place of lush vegetation and such beauty, but so cruel and unforgiving.
He sighs, such is the way of the world. Koreth finds himself a relatively comfortable spot to sit. "I suggest we stay here at least until Mendi can walk again, if not until the morning." he announces "I think that tonight we should have three watches, two on each watch...." He pauses, his eyes glancing at everyone and their reaction.

DOWN THE TRAIL

Going through the forest trail was not an easy task. The humidity seemed to permeate everything and everyone. They had steadily descended in altitude and breathing should have been easier but the oppressing heat and vegetation made them labor hard for each breath they took. Everyone had quickly overcome the beauty of the forest with all its colors, shapes and cacophony of noise and had started to feel the harshness of the environment. Sure, water was more plentiful but living in the forest seemed no less arduous than living in the desert, different but not a bit easier.

The only one who continued light of spirits was the halfling. He had taken his job a lot more seriously after that close call with the ettercaps spiders where he was left at the mercy of the predators. He would have been their meal just like the mountain spider had been his. That would have put many an Athasian on the edge of insanity but not Tak nor any of his companions; these men were used to dancing with lady death. They had all put that experience behind and everyone concentrated on the present. They would go on living one day at a time and today it was in a forest trail somewhere in the forest ridge.

The heat had made more than one companion shed his clothes. Ptellac was the first to put away his lizak hide armor and bare his scaled torso under the thick canopy. Everyone in the group had taken similar actions but not all shed their armor. It was a funny sight as everyone endured the discomforts of armor on top of their bare skin. The pterran trusted his own thick hide to protect him from any attacks. Although that was doubtful, the pterran's scaled skin did protect him from the many colorful insect that seemed to swarm around the heroes. Tak laughed as none of the critters seemed interested in him and shrugged it off saying, "It's all in the attitude you take, just ignore them and they won't bite you."

This wasn't quite that easy, to ignore a constant buzzing and stinging of the many small and some large bugs. Elric and Gaigin were having the worst time of them all. Soon, both their bodies were speckled with blood and gore from the insects smashed against their bare skin. When they stopped for a rest and to drink up some of their lost fluids, Tak looked at a couple of insects that were smashed flat against Gaigin's and Elric's torso. The halfling frowned and asked, "When were you bitten by these critters?" Gaigin was quick to answer and in a sarcastic tone added, "Kank's sour offal, hunter. I have no idea, I have been bitten by more than these critters ever since I laid foot on this damned jungle of yours."

The caravan guard was apprehensive to say the least and Tak did not press the matter further. "When we camp for the night, I will brew an unguent with local herbs and animal dropping. It will help you keep away the bugs… and everyone else for that matter." The halfling chuckled at his own joke and went back to the forest trail. (DM Note: Matt, please fill in your favorite animal droppings here. I want you to please describe the unguent, how you make it, apply it and what it smells like.)

The companions went back to the trail and continued their trip across the jungle. Tak noticed that Gaigin was having a harder time trying to keep up, the halfling hunter frowned and feared the worst. He kept a close watch on Elric who seemed to be doing no worse than before.

CAMP AT DUSK

A clearing was found by the companions just when the little sun allowed through the thick, green canopy was dwindling away. It did not take long for the jungle to become quite dark and gloomy and the heroes were glad this clearing allowed Ral's and Guthay's semi-brightness to illuminate the night. The noise had changed radically. The light singing of the birds and buzzing of insects had been replaced by grunts, coughs and growls that forebode death and worse to unwary travelers. The night predators were about looking for an easy kill for their meal.

The clearing had an old fire pit and was no doubt used by the forest dwellers on their outings. As such, it meant that small predators knew to stay away from it but it also encouraged larger predators to come by and drop in for dinner. Unfortunately, the companions were to be the main course. The night breeze had cooled the heroes who quickly found out that they would need their blankets to keep away the cold. Apparently, the forest ridge was almost as cold at night as was hot during the day. A distant thunder told the heroes not to complain too much; things could be worse…

Gaigin stumbled into the clearing; the warrior did not look well at all. He had put all of his clothes back on and had even covered himself with his thick blanket. He sat down around the fire that Elric and Mendi had started and the warrior shivered. Tak went off into the trails again followed by Ayrus and Ptellac. The three of them gathered fruits and berries from where the halfling hunter indicated. They soon had more than they could possibly eat and headed back to camp. They stopped just before entering the clearing as Tak approached an obviously rotten log. The hunter dropped his fruit and proceeded to pry loose the upper half of the log. The halfling smiled as he surveyed his handiwork. On the underside of the rotten wood were more than two dozen purple, slimy grubs writhing about. Tak popped one in his mouth and began munching on the poor worm. The halfling grabbed another finger-sized grub and offered it to Ayrus, half-chewing and half-speaking, "Umm…good…really good… desert."

They were met with a distressing sight back at camp. Gaigin was feverish and weak; the warrior was shivering albeit his closeness to the now large bonfire and his blanket. Tak gathered everyone around the campfire and while they ate their fruits, spoke to them. "Gaigin has been bitten by a fire gnat. These critters are not dangerous if the proper care is taken at the right time. Whoever is bitten by these will develop a natural immunity to them." He pauses and looks about, "All halfling children are bitten by these gnats as soon as they can crawl. Their mother keep them warm and dry for a few days unti the disease wears off. The children, however, must be kept in a cool place and as dry as possible lest the disease get worse and they die." The hunter looks toward Elric and states, "Some people, like the warlock, are naturally unaffected by these flies and show no ill effect to their bite but Gaigin is not one of them."

The hunter looks towards Gaigin and bows, "You must leave the forest immediately, you must go back to the mountains to try and reach the desert. A dry place is the only way to try and save yourself from the disease. We will choose a new leader and continue on. If Gaea allows it, we may still meet again under the crimson sun." Everyone in the group is struck dumb by the halfling's revelation, instantly plans are drawn and opinions are heard. Gaigin is about to protest when his speech is cut short by a terrible sneeze and a racking cough; the once mighty warrior could not stop his body from trembling and shivering…

Your actions…

OUT OF CHARACTER

HEALTH STATUS

Remember the scale:

Healthy (H) 100% hitpoints remaining

Slightly Wounded (SiW) 75% to 100% hitpoints remaining

Wounded (W) 50% to 75% hitpoints remaining

Seriously Wounded (SeW) 25% to 50% hitpoints remaining

Mortally Wounded (MW) 0% to 25% hitpoints remaining

Ptellac (SiW)

Koreth (W)

Elric (SiW)

left arm out of action for 2 more days unless "aided"

Ayrus (H)

Gaigin (W)

sick

Mendi (W)

Chit (MW)

Tak (W)

Please roleplay this current turn bearing in mind that Gaigin IS leaving. I will roleplay Gaigin for this last time. I have been talking to my "one and only" lurker and he is dying to have a shot at this so I will introduce another character as soon as it is convenient. The only requirement I had was that he be a "fighter" type.

I have been chatting with Trevor (Koreth) and he feels that combat happens rather frequently in this PbeM game and that there should be more character interaction and plot development. He wasn't complaining since I had asked for his opinion.

I will try to encourage more character interaction by having the NPCs talk more often between turns but I need your input for this. I will try to work on plot development as well and move the story one a bit faster but, to tell you the truth, I kind of like the details of the story that you guys are playing out.

I would like to hear from the rest of you what you like and don't like about the game, please.

Other than that, enjoy.

Questions, comments, and suggestions please.

L8r,

Fabian