The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

[Nioca]

Syli approaches the shrine, taking a quick glance at the carving. However, she's too keen to keep moving to give it much thought.

Religion (+1): 4

"Okay, from here..." Syli pulls out the chunk of hide with directions on it. "..we dance north to-" Syli stops short, frowning, before turning it around. "...we go SOUTH to a clearing, and I think this marking might mean it's a travel distance of roughly one mile. Everyone ready?"

Syli waits in case anyone opts to stop and study the shrine further. When they're ready to depart, she starts digging into her jerkin for her totem... before frowning and, with a seemingly self-conscious glance around, opting to work out their heading the old fashioned way.

Survival (+3): 9

((...and my bad luck's back))

[Rodgeir]

Varsk narrows his eyes at the sight of the flower.

"Someone has visited the shrine since last night. Looks like they left a flower."

He will peer around to see if he sees anyone or thing hiding in the glade, from the water holes up to the tree tops.

Anyone/thing lurking about?: 1D20+4 = [16]+4 = 20

He frowns as Syli indicates a direction. He glances back the way they came then up at the sun.

"Pretty sure you mean this south, ya?"

Are we actually heading south?: 1D20+2 = [17]+2 = 19

[Dlover]

"Hopefully the visitor was one of the druids." Mehr's still just following the leader.

[Theis2]

Merric starts tasting the air and sniffing around.

Smells like dinner gone wrong or a funeral pyre? Maybe someone played with alchemist fire and dropped it. It's coming from *sniff* that direction. Worth checking out right?"

Merric will point in the direction of the smell and start wandering towards it.

[Arch Lich Burns]

Gwen tries to figure out who the shrine is for, but her knowledge of the gods are weak.
Religion: 1D20-1 = [5]-1 = 4

Gwen tries to follow the directions Syli gives.
Survival: 1D20+3 = [19]+3 = 22

[spiderwrangler]

"Hold up." Korrik grabs a fist full of Merric's shirt so he doesn't go wandering off alone.

((Can we smell it now that we're alerted to it?))

[thinkslogically]

((Sure, now that Merric has pointed it out, you do notice a faint burning smell on the wind))

[spiderwrangler]

*sniff*

((What sort of check would you like for me to see if I can tell if it is burnt dinner, funeral pyre, alchemists fire, or the scent of some other burning thing?))

[thinkslogically]

Hmmm.... Give me a nature check.

[spiderwrangler]

Smells... like burning...

What is that smell?: 1D20+0 = [11]+0 = 11

[Nioca]

"Pretty sure you mean this south, ya?"

Syli frowns, then glances up at the sun for a moment. "Eh. Either one works."

[WearsHats]

"You recognize the horn blasts as a recall pattern? I thought you didn't know this tribe's signals."

[thinkslogically]

Lizard Group

"You recognize the horn blasts as a recall pattern? I thought you didn't know this tribe's signals."

"Ah! You have found me out! I am secretly a spy working in cahoots with the tribe!" He grins at Kal. "I jest, of course. I do not know the system the tribe use for their signals, but I have heard that one before. I was trying to get close to their encampment and that signal was sounded, and it was all I could do to keep hidden and not get myself caught and killed by the returning patrols. So I don't know many, but I remember that one. I assume it still means the same.

Korrik smells the air. It smells like rotten meat on a fire, but he can't tell how recent or large it might have been.

Druid Group

Varsk hops a little ways up a nearby tree and startles a group of monkeys, which startles a group of birds, which upsets an alligator. He doesn't see anyone lurking around, but near the alligator, he spots a large pawprint in the soft mud.

Gwen and Syli take a quick look at the shrine, and wonder if crocodile-people might be a real race out here but neither really recognise it and

Syli is keen to be off and, pulling out the little note, heads roughly towards the south, then actually towards the south as Varsk helps out. Gwen also notices the big, feline pawprints in the mud. They seem to be heading south as well, and Gwen suspects they may have been deliberately left for them to find.

((Ok, let's have a marching order from you guys))

[Arch Lich Burns]

Gwen will be rear guard.

[Nioca]

Syli's being grumpy providing support from the middle-front.

[Rodgeir]

Varsk will encourage Mehr to follow behind Syli,

"After you, boss."

As he takes up the front, cus why the abyss not?

"You three see the big prints here? Your cat friend has been back."

((I like the imagery of the Varsk/animal reaction chain))

Edited.

[Nioca]

"Huh. Makes me wonder exactly what it is they... want..." She glances up, then back at the group, all of which seem to be vying for the position of rearguard. Sighing, she mutters something under her breath before forging onward.

[spiderwrangler]

((Hard to be in the middle with everyone standing behind you!))

"What do you two think? The scent of burning takes us away from the horn blasts."

[Rodgeir]

Varsk shrugs at Syli, they seriously don't want him to lead, right?

Whatever. He will show them how walk at the front.

((Edited the above to do just that.))

[thinkslogically]

All right, Varsk can give me a survival check then please. I assume Syli is helping, so you can roll with advantage.

[Dlover]

Mehr frowns at Varsk's suggestion for positioning, "Why is the warrior proposing he stand in the middle of the group toward the back? That is... Quite literally the worst position you could be in."

[Rodgeir]

((When I wrote it I thought I was putting Varsk at the back, not in the middle - missed Gwen's post about being in the back. It seemed crazy for him to be leading, especially given his very recently having been lost, but that seems to be where no one with any stronger survival skills wants to be so Varsk is stepping up.))

Leading to victory!: 1D20+2 = [19]+2 = 21 ((now with advantage!))

[Nioca]

((Syli was going for middle front, but at the time, it looked like a matter of Varsk and Gwen already having picked up the trail, so it made more sense to have them take point. Syli's still taking middle front if Varsk is taking point, which makes some sense as she'll be assisting on keeping the trail))

[Rodgeir]

((Had I seen that Gwen was already at the back I would have sent Varsk up front from the beginning. Either way looks like we are going to find the druids, for good or ill!))

[Theis2]

Merric has already given his input on the burned meat and thinking about it doesn't make him much wiser in that regard.

"I would like to find out what the smell is."

Merric nature: 1D20+1 = [7]+1 = 8