Session 22: Jungle, Being Bored, Not Knowing if Stupid Bird is Alive or Dead, Traitor Bird People, Curious Monkeys, Stupid Lizard People, Gross Torture Not Committed by Me, Climbing

General Summary

We are all of us sitting around in stupid fucking jungle with thumbs up asses and listening to Baermek telling us what it is Skreek and Edgar are seeing as they scout ahead. 
“...a high plateau… with a sinkhole… ruins on the edge… hard to see through the mist… there is something…”
He gives little jerk and eyes snap open. “Edgar is down. There was a bright flash as he was approaching for a better view, I could not see the source.” Even as Baermek is talking, he is sitting down and is pulling out from his bag components to summon yet another Edgar (because one was not enough).
It is not fast spell to cast, and it is many minutes, maybe ten, before that little pervert pops back from wherever he goes when he is dead (not Černo I am guessing). So through all this time we are not knowing whether Skreek is being alive or dead, and it is so upsetting that I even feel my mouth make little frown at thought of him not being around to giev mentorship to anymore.
Edgar flies off toward mysterious plateau and finally Baernek can tell us that Skreek has managed to survive, but he is being bullied by couple of other bird people – bird people with Sylvan markings on clothes! (I am thinking loud popping noise I heard few minutes ago was sound of tiny bird brain exploding in rage.)
Sylvans have beat us to ruins! Oh no, everyone is saying!
But me, I am so happy. It has been too many days since I have hit one of those shiny bastards with stick. I was worrying I would not be getting opportunity again so soon. Крутo!
When Skreek finally returns, he is looking like he got shit kicked out of him and his feathers are all standing up in way they do when he is so very angry. I am all ready to go with him to kill more Sylvans and their little pet bird people right away, but boring old people will be insisting that we need to get rest before we head that way, so we make camp.
Next morning we keep moving toward area where Skreek fought bird people and now we are seeing much evidence of sylvans marching through forest – they are not trying to hide passage at all, because of course, they are arrogant pricks. From look of tracks, they passed through few days ago, definitely no more than one week. Still this is much too much of head start for them. We pick up pace.
It is not too long before we come to scene of small battle. There are four bodies of weird lizard-like people and also one grave marked with sylvan helmet, so good job to lizard people, I say! It is looking to us like lizards set up ambush for sylvans, came in from both sides, then vanished back into jungle after. Tracks disappear not too far into woods and we are guessing lizards probably are moving through trees. Ingoria says fight happened maybe 4 or 5 days ago. Also, Skreek is seeing strange monkey who is paying very much attention to us as we move on from fight scene.
Up ahead of us, Ingoria can smell sylvan, so she and I creep up to take better look. There is, hanging from branch over path, body with all of skin removed and placed on ground underneath like someone has laid out clothes for wearing when they get out of bed. It is probably Sylvan, but hard to be sure for reasons that are maybe pretty obvious. Ingoria also sees that underneath Sylvan is snare trap, which we leave alone because we are not stupid.
After quick look, we leave gross body alone and continue on. Now both Ingoria and I also are seeing same (I think) monkey staring at us. Also, I see that Grandfather keeps bending over to pick up crap off of ground. I ask him what is it he is doing and he just mutters about how fascinating is stupid mushrooms and twigs and shit. I tell him fine, but he is going to hurt back again if he keeps bending over like that. He does not seem to hear my wisdom and keeps poking at ground. I just make shrug and keep walking. If he is thinking that we will carry him when back goes out, then he has very shocking surprise waiting for him.
There is small excitement when Skreek and Ingoria shoot at spying monkey, and it is hit. We run forward to look at body but there is no body, just little bit of blood. So that is end of excitement.
But then there is more evidence of Sylvan/Lizard war. Pinned to tree with own spears, are bodies of two more lizard people. If they are keeping up like this, Sylvan assholes and lizard assholes will take each other out, and we will not have to fight either one. This is disappointing thought.
Also, it is wrong thought.
There is smell of smoke and up ahead we can see is trees on fire. We creep up closer and now we are seeing that there are buildings in trees, little huts and things. From tree in center is hanging another body, but this one still has Sylvan skin on and is alive! Wrists are tied behind back and it is wearing blindfold. Again there is snare trap underneath. Grandfather casts little healing spell on body and it starts thrashing around and making terrible noises. Like this, YAGAGJGSJGYG! but maybe little bit more pain and despair.
And this is point where, of course, we are jumped by lizard people. You would think maybe they are learning lesson from fighting Sylvans, but maybe they think we are not as tough as Sylvans. Or maybe they are just stupid lizards. We get little bit banged up, but it is embarrassingly (for them) short period of time before we chase last lizard who is still alive off into jungle.
We grab body of Sylvan and take it with us into jungle for little rest and interrogation time. After traveling away from smoking village for maybe 10 minutes or so, Skreek does rope trick and we climb up inside. It turns out Sylvan is missing eyes and tongue, though, which is too bad for him I guess. Bearmek finishes him off and we drop body out of bubble.
From tracks at scene of village fight, we are now maybe only two days behind Sylvans. It is time to start being sneakier. After short rest, we keep moving, but now we travel through jungle off to side of where is path Sylvans took, and I use ki to help hide us from anyone who is looking. We do not see any more signs of fighting and nothing else bothers us. So boring. But finally, we reach bottom of plateau that Skreek and Edgar told us about.
As I look up, up, up all I can be thinking is, I hope Grandfather does not expect me to carry him. I loop staff over back and reach up to climb.

Report Date

06 May 2023