11 Rova
Way station (??) in Huntersgate
9:30am

Although the passage still held the acrid smell from both the burnt people and the fire itself, it did not appear again. We quickly made our way to the other end of the dim passage and exited to …

… bright daylight and as our vision adjusted, we could now see a couple of dozen arrows aimed at us from a semicircle of elven archers.  Some days it just doesn’t pay to get out of bed.

Slowly, each of us held our hands up, and Aemi quickly said (in elven, I was told later) “we mean you no harm – we are seeking the Cinderclaws.”

Their gaze didn’t waver, but neither did they loose their arrows.  (Aemi continues to be a surprise.  Who knew she could speak elven?  Note to self … take elven language lessons.)

At first, badmouthing the Cinderclaws seemed to have no effect.  But as the conversation continued, it didn’t take long to realize that we at least shared a distaste for the Cinderclaws. I noticed that while their leader Jahsi seemed a smidge more at ease, not a single archer’s aim wavered.  In fact, it wasn’t until after we’d given our names and talked a while longer that with a glance from Jahsi, the archers relaxed.  A little.

Apparently this is their job.  Jahsi said it has been the duty of the Leopard Clan for many generations to guard the temple against anything passing either way.  During his and the current tribe’s lifetimes, nothing had. Until now.  And thus the archers. and the vigilance, and the suspicion.  I’m surprised we aren’t dead already.

About this time, Qantrip complained that these people should feed us, which seemed woefully inappropriate to me.  It’s not how I was raised.  You don’t just invite yourself to someone’s table.  And yet they seemed amused rather than offended.  What a strange group.  Jahsi explained that others in the village would probably like to meet us, and that we would be their guests tonight.  His daughter, he mentioned in particular, is a linguist and would not only be better able to answer some of our questions but also better able to simply speak our language.  With that, he formally invited us to join them for an evening meal with the clan.

But the feast would not be until evening, and the village was ten miles distant. There’d be a bit of a hike, but once there, we were encouraged to mingle with others in the village and feel free to ask questions.

11 Rova
Akrivel
1:00pm

The jungle is indeed hot, and humid.  The breastplate does not let much air through.  Ordinarily you do not want loose fitting armor, but right about now I would love if my armor had some ventilation.

I was startled when we came upon the Ekujae village.  It blends very smoothly into the trees and plants of the jungle, and it makes good use of the trees to raise many parts of it above the ground.  There are even gardens created in the trees .. yet I could have walked past it had I not been told it was near.

So we have the rest of the afternoon to mingle?  I am interested in seeing how their weaponsd compare to ours.  This question had me directed to some of the hunters, and talking with them led me to exchanging soe technical points with my peers.  I made an offhand comment about how his the weapon he was working on would fetch a good price in the market and was surprised to learn there was no market here.  Skills, yes, sales no.  Items were only made when there was a need for it, at which point it would be given to the person who needed it.  Everything was made-to-order.  No profit, no loss, no haggling.

Akosa found me and invited me to join on the hunt for tonight’s feast. Akosa’s apparently one of the chief hunters, and I could tell that he had the same enthusiasm  to have me along for the hunt as he might had he might have had for a thorn in his sandal.  In other words, I sensed he’d been told to invite me.

But the hunt went well.  We had one wild boar escape, but still plenty of meat for all.  One hunter suffered a mild injury and I used a fervor to heal him.  That raised some eyebrows but raised no questions.

Later I went to show Akosa a blunt arrow, not being sure if he’d ever seem one. Hoo boy, yes he’d seen one.  Turns out part of his story was having once been captured by humans, shackled, tortured and forced to work in the gold mines at Whitebridge Station.  The elves were also used as target practice for blunt arrows.  Oops.  I apologized on behalf of all humans past, present, and future, but, gosh, how was I to know?

An hour or so before the meal (and it was smelling good!) the Twin Leopards – the twin women who led the clan –  asked us to participate in a demonstration of skills and answer a few questions about ourselves and our families.  There followed some awkward revelations about ourselves that in some cases we hadn’t even shared with each
other yet.  But in the end, the demonstrations and the stories apparently passed muster, and we were formally declared friends of the Leopard Clan.

We were given one more small test as the meal ended and entertainment began.  Jahsi’s daughter Nketiah, took us into her confidence and asked if we might help her father realize he was a match for Akosa.  They had known each other for many years, but she wanted to end the stalemate.  Aemi was able to set the mood with her music, and by switching partners in mid dance, we were able to get them to dance together.  Mission accomplished.

12 Rova
Akrive1
morning

I think the biggest surprise of all was that during the activities yesterday and before our leaving today.  we were given small gifts to aid us in our efforts to root out the Cinderclaws.  We are now the owners of a +1 shock bow, a +1 shield with spell immunity,  a dragon’s eye charm with special powers, and a +1 keen cold iron dagger.  They also provided us with some “jungle supplies” like tents, mosquito netting, and waterskins, along with some healing and antiplague potions, special arrows, and magic boots.

I am both thrilled and apprehensive, but I take comfort in knowing I’m unquestionably in the right place at the right time.