Balifor Bay - Hot on the Trail

20 Gildember 348 AC

"Lizardfolk are near!" exclaims Grotto. "From the looks of it very near. Maybe a half day ahead. We better tread lightly lest we find ourself in an ambush!"

Ornforithalas crouches beside the footprint and frowns, "Quite a bit bigger than any lizardman I've ever seen. And I've never heard of them cooking their food before they eat it. I don't think we're dealing with lizardfolk here."

Shadow points out a fainter print about 40" away. "Don't ask me how I know this, because I'm no tracker, but, if my math is correct, the mysterious owner of this footprint is about 8½' tall."

"They look like bird prints to me," Cassidy replies, "Can you imagine that? An eight foot tall bird? Thing is probably yellow with big googly eyes and a huge beak." He pauses, "Actually, that might not be so bad. Maybe it's friendly!"

“Have you ever seen a group of chickens attack a beetle?” Shadow asks in return.

The kender looks thoughtful for a moment, an impressive feat in and of itself, "No. My family raised ducks though. And let me be the first to tell you, their eggs STINK when you leave them out in the sun for too long."

Shadow refrains from covering his face with his palm, “Point was that an 8’ chicken might peck you to death. And most eggs will spoil and smell ‘foul’ after a certain amount of time. Don’t be some bird's dinner.”

"What does Bubo see ahead?" Grotto asks Kysek.

Kysek checks in with Bubo to see if he spotted anything while hunting. The owl indicates that he would have noticed a giant lizardman in his travels with a huff of disdain. The two approach the track and examine it. They then search the area for other tracks or signs that could point us in a direction of travel.

While Kysek searches, Arthur studies the track and reaches into his bag and pulls out a tome titled "Creatures of Limbo" and looks to see if that may have any insight of what this track might be. After flipping through several pages, which seem to constantly rearrange themselves as he reads, he is quickly able to determine that whatever made this footprints is terrestrial in origin.

Kysek calls out after a few minutes of searching. "It went this way and I found at least two more sets of tracks running alongside of these so there's at least three of them heading south."

Ra’ziir stands aside, hands folded in his dark robes, and lets the others investigate the tracks. He focuses his attention on the surroundings, watching and listening intently for any sign of a threat.

The black-robed Elfemental hears distant thunder, carried on a wind heavy with the scent of rain. Breath, already fogging in the cool morning air, is whipped away on the breeze as the sky grows ever darker.

Ornforithalas motions for his scouts to take up the chase. The elves immediately spring into action, running down the trail at a trot. He turns to the party, "They will mark the path ahead for us. If they lose the trail, they'll split up to continue the search." He looks up at the sky. "We should get moving too. We don't want the rain to wash away the tracks or all of this will have been for nothing."

Kysek replies, “Let’s pack up and move out! I’m wondering if some of this party isn’t the remnants of the cloth and bone fragments found where we procured last nights dinner. We need to ask them."

Shadow looks around the group, “Who has speak with dead?  Anyone? Anyone want to chat with the dead?”

Cassidy chirps up, "I saw a guy speak with dead once. He used a bellows pump to inflate the lungs and talked really loud. Of course, the chap he was doing it to was only mostly dead."

In moments, the group is back on the trail in pursuit of these mysterious track makers.