Session 1: Between a Rock and a Hard Place. 2nd Day of Dusk, 255 TTE
General Summary
Jax, Meris, and Rowan all join with a group of about twenty other travelers unwilling to wait for the seas to calm before making the rest of the trip into the Yova Bay. The stony gates of Sard vanish as they enter the dense jungles of Okanu. The majority of the journey is uneventful, but then they begin their ascent to Baypass. Halfway up, they come to a substantial river crossing. A waterfall is only a short distance downstream, so getting swept away could prove fatal. On the other side of the river, a Slothclaw has taken up residence in some ruins. Initially, it is unphased by the presence of the party, keeping an eye on them as they cross the river either by leaping across it as a whole or making the much shorter jump onto a rock in the middle of the river a little downstream.
However, as the larger members of the party make their way to the rock, they are attacked by Chokevines, a carnivorous plant native to many jungles and forests. Meris is attacked first and is battered around a bit before breaking free and rapidly swimming across the river using her Blastbow with a modifier grappling Blast Charge. Rowan is also attacked but uses magic to destroy the vines and escape. Unfortunately, Rowan, hailing from the Sandsea, has never swam before and struggles to fight the current. Only through sheer strength does he manage to keep his head above the water. Jax, Meris, and one of the other travelers, a Sandsea Hawkkin named Kalas, catch Rowan and pull him ashore.
This flurry of activity has aggravated the Slothclaw. It charges out of the ruins and begins to attack, knocking an Ohedyn Foxkin into the river, sending a Morydal Goatkin flying across the river and crashing onto the rocky cliff's edge, and deeply slicing Morydal Snakekin with it's long, sharp claws. All other members of the group bombard it with arrows and bolts, but it's thick hide severally limits the damage dealt to it.
During the fight, Jax sneaks through the underbrush to reach the Ruudyn leading the expedition. She attempts to get his attention, but startles him instead, causing him reactively throw her to the ground and knock the wind out of her. The animosity between them grows as they verbally joust and exchange minor blows before focusing their attention back on the major threat.
Rowan, temporarily unable to cast spells due to his components being soaked by the river, rapidly works to dry them with the help of Meris. Finally, he is able to conjure a dense fog that temporarily blinds the creature, allowing most of the party to flee up hill and gain the high ground. With his components dry, he is able to assist in dealing damage to the Slothclaw.
Finally, Jax gets in a lucky shot, putting a final arrow through the Slothclaw's eye socket and killing it. With the beast down, the party quickly attends to the wounded. Most injuries are minor with the exception of the three that took direct hits from the Slothclaw. The Ohedyn Foxkin likely has some broken ribs, but will be able to make the rest of the journey with some help. The Morydal Goatkin flung across the river remained unconscious until attended to by the Ruudyn. The Morydal Snakekin's cuts were deep and, by all accounts, should have proven fatal, but is holding on to life despite his injuries. Rowan, upon inspecting the Snakekin, detected residual magic and suspects that its was used to keep the Snakekin from death. He also noted that the Ruudyn was the first to reach the Snakekin.
With the wounded taken care of and a stretcher made of the Snakekin, they set out to continue the rest of their journey. The majority of the group now keeps their distance from Rowan after his display of magic. Kalas, however, shows no fear and advocates on his behalf to convince the group not to mention the use of magic to the authorities when they reach Baypass, even paying off a few of them.
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