KHAZUUL

Whether it is the result of the harsh and unrelenting rain or the shadow of perilous alliances, the Hunters, stoic and inscrutable, shun conversation beyond their circles.

Indeed, their response to any attempt at dialogue will be brimming with hostility, likely met with a curt, "Piss off." On the plus side, their insular attitudes make it trivial for Cutwell to obscure his metal arm. If you dally to watch which direction everyone is heading in, you see one group is heading north, another is heading east. Both groups are striking a path within arms' reach of the cliffs, a strategy that will make getting lost difficult, but not likely to take them directly to the Black Skull's camp. They each move at a swift pace. Likely independent Hunters.

The supply team is unloading their crates and arranging for pack animals. The guards are suspicious of your loitering and cast menacing stares your way as they don the feathered regalia of the Dreadwing gang.

Amid these unusual and exotic surroundings, or maybe this was all normal, how would he know, Thorn's eyes, widened with wonder, drinking it all in. Strange sights and curious sounds came at him from all directions. For a man who had spent half his life in a jail cell, Khazul was indeed a wonder. The subtle curve of a smile played on his lips. This was his idea of adventuring. Even the rain didn't dampen his spirits as they dropped down and down, the creaky pullies sounding as if they would burst apart.

Finally having reached the end of their slow journey to the bottom, Thorn's eyes fell on his companions. Sow didn't appear to be bothered by the furious rain and neither was he. He shot her a happy smile.

"It's true Freki. Sleeping dry and safe would be welcome although I don't mind this free bath, eh?" he says slapping the man on the back.

"I'm not sure where the Black Skulls camp is. We can probably ask that herdsman over there," he replies to Cutwell through squinted eyes as he tries to see through the rain and get the lay of the area.

The old, gaunt herdsman is looking out into the distant jungle with wild eyes as you approach.

"Do you hear that song? My men cannot hear it. What a shame, it is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard."

He breaks into a wheezing cough, and spits some phlem into a mud puddle.

If pressed about the Black Skull camp, he frowns. "I don't get involved. Bad for business, bad for my health. That's my final word on that."

If you look over his stock, you see a pack of big lizards with wide, colorful ridges on their backs (as mules) and several giant flight less birds with long tails (as horses).

Sow marvels quietly at the flora at the bottom of the basin as they approach the hut and the pack animals. She has seen nothing like this rainforest, and wonders what would happen to it were the withering to come here. It is so vibrant and robust... could it resist that black root rot? Are these vines and branches too green, too strong?

When the herdsman mentions a song, the dirty girl cocks her head, attempting to hear it. She wonders briefly about asking after an animal that might know the way, but also knows they yet have coin to pay for such luxuries.

Freki laughs in agreement and cups his hands to catch and splash on his dirty face. It feels good after the arid journey to Khazuul, although, despite the weather, the heat still persists, but feels heavier now.
"That's a good idea, there's probably a good reason they aren't taking the more direct route! However, we might want to keep our distance. They don't know we're Black Skulls yet because we don't have masks, we only have these wooden carvings. Not sure if that's good enough membership status yet. But I might be able to follow their tracks if we let them go on ahead."

Cutwell also listens for the song, or what might pass for a song to a man that spends all day down in the jungle like this. Nothing…

"Whats the sales pitch on them?" he asks, waving a metal hand in the direction of the pack animals.

For size comparison and more:

Once Sow realizes these are giant lizards — or rather giant lizards and also giant lizard-bird-things, she wanders closer to the pens while the others converse with the herdsman.

"They are incredible," the girl says quietly and hoarsely to herself, marveling at the beasts. She’s never even heard of the like, let alone seen them! "That one can carry as much as three horses!"

"Interesting looking animals the herdsman has but he's not all right in the head, is he?"

Thorn supposed that was neither good nor bad as he thought about following those they thought to be Black Skulls.

"If you can track them Freki, why not? Let's follow," Thorn says, anxious to reach their destination. His head becomes suddenly itchy, or so it seems. He was used to having lice when he was a convict and it became a habit to scratch his head. Sometimes he didn't even know he was doing it, and with his long locks now, it felt strange. Maybe he should consider being shorn clean. But he shakes his head no at the distasteful thought.

"Wouldn't it be nice to own one of those creatures someday?" he asks their group. Something to work towards, eh?"

Freki approaches the big beasts cautiously and curiously. "They are beauties!"

"They seem quite docile. What are they like in the wild, is it difficult to tame them?" he asks the beast herder.

"Maybe we can befriend our own!" he says to his companions.

Replying to Thorn's question, "I can usually follow animal tracks, so I don't see how this would be much different. Although the weather complicates things. It's both good and bad for tracking. All the mud makes for deep recognizable footprints, but also erodes and hides them quickly, so we need to be careful not to get too far behind."

"If a man could afford a beast like that, he wouldn’t be down here soaked to the skin, would he?" Cutwell said with a sneer.

Noticing the man scratching his head, Cutwell sidles up alongside him:

"Extraction’ll set you back two gold, and an hour of your time. Does it with this hand, don’t I?" he says, brandishing the metal hand. "Stops them nesting in the hair on my arms, don’t it?"

Done with the herdsman, the group embarks into the deluge, confronting the wilderness in pursuit of the Black Skulls' encampment. As you leave the cut, you are immersed in a loud soundscape of all the thriving life in the Jungle. Mixed with the sounds of roaring thunder and heavy rain, you hear the howling and hooting of unseen creatures in the canopy above, and the chirping of insects all around.



You encounter ruins of ancient stone structures. Sometimes you'll be climbing over a ridge only to realize it is a crumbled old wall, or a boulder is actually a carved stone block. Arches seem particularly common. Remembering Dario's words, you use them to orient yourself toward the camp. The journey is hindered by the sluggish and treacherous ground turned to mud by the relentless rains. The effort to reach the camp before nightfall pushes you to the brink, and Sow, burdened by her oversized armor, transfers some weight to Cutwell to press on. Exhausted, you catch sight of the flickering torches marking the Black Skull camp in the distance.

The Cut
Freki is very interested to learn this information and hopes that he comes across an egg himself. He has cared for various young beasts in his past life growing up at the university, but never one of these giant lizards. They seem truly spectacular. But it sounds like he'll have to be wary of any adults that they come across. I wonder how many different types there are in the jungle?

After a bit more discussion, the party decides that neither of the two groups of hunters are likely Black Skulls on second thought, so following them would be out of their way and dangerous, so they decided to venture into the jungle directly towards the Black Skull camp as best they can tell.

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Black Skull Camp

The afternoon journey is full of new sights and sounds hinting at the wonderful wildlife hidden in the jungle, but it is much more exhausting than Freki imagined it would be. Tired and soaking wet, he is relieved to finally see what looks like the Black Skull encampment. It is much larger than he expected. Dario was right to call it a fort!

He pulls out the wooden carving of a lotus flower that Dario gave him and says to his fellow adventurers, "I guess we just knock on the gate and ask for Tully? Show him these carvings? I sure hope this works ..."

Sow simply nods at Freki, giving him an exhausted, we need to get out of this rain look that doesn’t quite reveal just how happy the young woman is that they found the camp…

Cutwell keeps an eye over one shoulder, worried that at any moment the group would be encroached on from out of the wet, noisy jungle. They’d be dead before they knew what was happening in these conditions.

"Don’t suppose they shoot on sight out here, do they?" he says; with water dripping off his eyebrows. "Who wants to do the honors?"

By now Thorn has lost his earlier sunny disposition. He's had about enough of being wet as he can stand. The torrential rain was not only a hazard with the slippery footing below but it also prevented them from hearing any threats that might sneak up on the group to do them harm. He was stressed and thoroughly tired. He was ready to arrive at camp and sleep for a week.

"Hope not," Thorm replies as he too pulls out his lotus flower carving.

"Too bad we weren't given a lotus flower flag as well. Let's hope they meet us before they shoot." He also removes his dagger from his backpack and hides it up his sleeve.