[IC] SOLO - Toot's Adventure

[DM Surranó]

PRESENT: Toot
This thread may contain spoilers for the rest of the characters.

... Toot had many small adventures with his pet and has learned a lot about the outside world of the Giants.  Which were pretty much anyone bigger than him.

On an occasion he venture into a forest that was apparently the territory of a female black bear. He tried to make friends with the huge animal but apparently it was shunned by all the attempts, even magical ones in an attempt to talk to the mammal. The bear simply... didn't act in a natural way and this unsettled the tiny druid.

He tried to follow her in secret but, strange as it may sound, lost her tracks in the temperate forest near a moor. There a
small hill at the northern part of the moor and Toot heard something... big... roaming the hilltop but couldn't see the bushes. Definitely not the shy black bear. Maybe an oliphant? Carefully, he crept forward until finally...

... he encountered a crocodile.

A big one.

Oh gods that was huge.

Even compared to the bear.

But the croc didn't really move. It just opened its jaws wide, as if waiting for the jermlaine to come and investigate the depths of its throat on all fours...

Croc in front of him, the hillside to the left, he just heard the subtle growls of the she-bear to the right.

Map: None yet...

[Toot]

Spotting the Croc, Toot squeeks, "Eep," then scurries away and dives into some underbrush.  When it feels it's out of site, it hides and peeks out from behind a large leaf.  Toot chatters quietly to itself about big things being too big while looking around for any other big things that might be hiding.  Crocodiles were known for ambushes but they don't usually leave their mouths hanging open.  And then there was the bear.  Doubtful they be together unless one is an animal companion to the other that's a shape changed doodad.

"Hmmmmm..."

Toot takes a moment to make a peace sign toward the reptile and squeak a word of power.  Suddenly Toot's overall aura and demeanor becomes more pleasing toward the Crocodile.

[OoC: Charm Animal DC: 17]

[DM Surranó]

OOC - yeah Pikel rules

The croc scrambles a little closer to the bush, the hinges of its jaws still wide open. Interestingly, it doesn't bat an eye on the incoming spell, which reminds Toot of their kind completely missing eyelids...

[Toot]

[OoC: Pikel?  It took me a few minutes to figure out what you were talking about but then I remembered.  I've never read the books but a couple of my friends have and they mentioned him.

Sorry I'm a little slow at replying.  I'm trying to get a bunch of stuff done in my games and IRL.  Hopefully I'll get my shit together soon and post more regularly.]

Toot didn't know what's up with this crocodile but Toot wasn't going to blow the animal up over a misunderstanding.  So the little critter scurries away from the beast (Move 40) as fast as it can until the croc is no longer following.  Once Toot is certain it's safe, it will take a different route around the Crocodile, being sure to give the beast a wide birth and then scurries up the hillside as quietly and stealthily as possible.

[DM Surranó]

The croc doesn't follow; it's as motionless as if it were taking a sunbath in the early morning rays of light.
The slope to the hilltop proved to be an easy one and the druid had a face wind so he noticed the nest first.
If the croc was huge then the inhabitant of the nest was gigantic. However, Toot has never heard of such a thing before. The closest thing it reminded him to was an armadillo but this thing was as big as a covered wagon settlers of the big folk (meaning humans and dwarves, not goblins and gnomes!) use. Apparently it had some offspring in the nest, squeaking occasionally in a demanding manner, like a baby sea lion asking for dinner.

Toot felt the heavy footsteps behind the bush to the left and he realised that the other parent of the cub was nearby, probably dangerously so.

[Toot]

Toot couldn't help wonder what was going on.  The Jermlaine had been around for a long while and it was unusual for the little one to be in the dark about such things. [Know Nature: +12]  Not wanting to pick a fight with an animal who might be just protecting its young, especially one that size, Toot decides to get its little butt out of the area.  The little fey bounds away from the nest at breakneck speed [Speed 40' x4 run=160'].  And as Toot does it's like the plants seem part themselves slightly to allow the Jermlaine to pass unhindered [Woodland Stride] and then erase any evidence of the little guys passing [Trackless step: a druid leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked.]  When Toot feels safe, it will hide behind a tree and peek out and survey the area.

[DM Surranó]

As time passes the druid doesn't really discover anything new. Well maybe a bit of disturbance in the water behind the croc, at the mound's root. (OOC not sure if this English sentence makes sense )

Something or someone may be moving underwater.

[Toot]

[OoC: Mound's root?  Do you mean the Croc tooted too?  :p  

I'm kind of lost and I'm not really sure what Toot is suppose to be doing.  Is there some kind of direction I should be going?  It seems like every creature in the forest is size Huge.  Then at first it seemed like there might be something in the Croc's mouth because it's just sitting there with its jaws open but I can't see Toot running up there to jump into the things mouth. ]

[DM Surranó]

[I'll try to summarise because my English is apparently affected by sleep deprivation caused by our daughter ]

There's a mound, or a small hill, in a bushy, light sylvan flatland.
The top of the mound seems to be dominated by the nest of those H.U.G.E. things.
At the bottom of the mound, about ten or twenty yards from where it starts, there's the croc jaws wide open. Now that Toot goes its way from behind with all his stealth, the croc doesn't seem to notice him.
The black bear's moaning can be heard from some distance. In Toot's experience it's a kind of warning moan bears usually use to alert their kin and not the kind that's used to ward off enemies.
And behind the croc, again, about ten to twenty yards, right where the mound starts to rise above the wet flatland, the water seems to be stirring. That may be some life form, or simply a natural event like some kind of current.

[Toot]

Toot whispers a supplication.  [Casts speak with animals]  Then from Toot's hiding place he calls out to the Crocodile. "What you doing?  Why jaws hang open?"