The lizardfolk, joined by the rest of the expeditioners (save Edwina, who is fishing upriver). They lay out sevral odds and ends, like wooden clubs and charms made of animal bones. Of interest are four things: a ruby ring bearing an expeditioners seal, a thigh-bone about the same size as a humans with some pictoral scrimshaw, and two wooden containers. The trade is interrupted when Edwina makes her way over. The lizards spot her pointed ears and grow suddenly violent. They shout in their lizard language.
The groups separate and tensions simmer just below boiling. Peace is retained (Tealas mind-link spell lets her explain 10 minutes worth of information to the lizardfolk in a moment, but they cannot reply) long enough to trade Maddox’ bastard sword for the scrimshaw, ring, and one of the containers. Then the lizards break off.
After packing up camp, the expeditioners break from the trail and go south. Millicent is following the vague notion from the lizards that Gaian might be nearby. After 8 hours of slogging through the brush, they set down to sleep.
Teala is on watch, and she hears something. At first it’s faint, more of a distant pressure in her ears than a sound. Then it gets louder - rhythmic thumping through the jungle. She realises just in time that they are footsteps. She makes it back to camp and rouses her compatriots just in time for a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex to burst on to the scene. It snaps Millicent up in its jaws, but she escapes and fights back. The dinosaur thrases through the terrain, making a path of fallen trees. Edwina spots the reason for the dinosaurs clumsiness - fresh scratches over its eyes, rendering it totally blind! The expeditioners manage to fight back, and Prold scores his to-date most impressive kill. Zornān, who fled when the T-rex showed up, does not return.
After harvesting some parts (and leaving the rest of the carcass to some wild apes) the Expeditioners debate somewhat about the direction. Southwest to Kuljak, or Southeast into unexplored wilderness. They opt to go southeast, right into Oto’s Gully.
Oto’s gully is swampy, but the blanket of trees above their heads becomes open sky. Not that the ground becomes any easier to walk over. They first investigate a giant statue of Ikkish, the elephant headed god who acts as the agent of karma. Maddox and Edwina manage to convince Millicent that stealing a gemstone eye from the statue of the god of karma is a bad idea, and the expeditioners continue on. They spot two caves - one up high on the northern hills, and another to the south, closer to the ground. They investigate the lower cave, but find nothing except a low shuffling. Panowin sets a snare, accompanied by Tealas alarm spell, and they make camp seveal hundred feet away. Nothing triggers the alarm, but the expeditioners do spot a manticore flying to the northern cave. Maddox and Prold know about this creature, but don’t know it’s name.
In the morning, the expeditioners set off for a standing stone they spy deeper in the valley.
Zornān stumbles through the woods, panting. It’s very likely his compatriots are dead, but he’s seen how they handled themselves around Gaian. And they took out the giant flytrap in the temple. Not to mention Ashē-Manara. A tyrannosaur might get one or two of them, but not all. He plans to circle back in the morning and see what’s left of them.
He realises the trouble in the morning when he can’t find his bow. He calls out preemptively in the Gaian tongue.
“I’m one of you! My home is Sayashilo, but I do not trespass without reason.”
The faces of 10- no, 20 gaian peer at him through the trees. A party this big can only mean one thing. His spirits fall when he sees the streets of red across their faces.
Zornān picks up his flask and takes a swig.
“Shit.”