Surraruthru's Tree (Surraruthru)

[Iron Dragoon]

Surraruthru waits for Pearwood before taking off.

[Anastasia]

The four of you fly low, not far above the water. The water shine reddish-gold from the eternal sunset as you fly onwards and onwards.

> roll 1d100
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d100 --> [ 1d100=23 ]{23}

It's been over an hour of following this river. Your wings keep up a steady pace as you see something far ahead on the river. A flat barge sails downstream, keeping a low profile on the river.

[Iron Dragoon]

Surraruthru eyes the barge and calls it out to the others.

"Any ideas who that is?"

[Anastasia]

Pearwood flies by walking on the air directly at a steady pace, keeping up with all of you. "Yes. There's two likely possibilities. The first is that it's a trade ship that managed to secure a cargo here and is heading back to another plane. The other is a lost ship that's gone off course."

"Hmm..." Kascha peers ahead, while Simmer crosses her arms and looks up at the sky. "Well," Kascha says, "All the more reason to fly by. If they're in trouble, we could help them a bit, and if they're traders, they're likely not objectionable. After all, isn't the Beastlands alright with hunting?"

Pearwood continues is pace as the barge slowly comes closer. "So long as the hunter can manage sometimes being the hunted, yes. That is the way of nature."

[Iron Dragoon]

"Or maybe, if we're especially lucky, or maybe unlucky, it's poachers trying to escape with their kill. Then we can get some vengeance."

[Anastasia]

"The only poachers here are fiends and those who follow evil, as they are not welcome," Pearwood says dryly, "It fiends are so foolish as to sail in the open, then I disbelief they were able to succeed in the first place."

Nonetheless, the barge is getting closer. You can see there's several humanoids on the deck. Your draconic vision is more than sharp enough to pick out that they're elves in light leather armor, bows at the ready as the barge sails downstream.

[Iron Dragoon]

"Elves with bows ready. Light armor... I wonder what elf tastes like..."

[Anastasia]

"SURRURUTHRU!" Kascha gasps, "How could you!? Elves are fair-hearted and intelligent! That's cannibalism! They're not just animals here to hunt and eat!" She gives you a rather unkind gaze, and for a moment, you feel the ghaele's gaze on you, as if a physical thing.

As Kascha exercises her exclamation points and interrobangs, Pearwood clears his throat. "We can descend to meet them or rise higher, so that we are unlikely to be hit even if they choose to fire at us. Choose and choose quickly, or we make a choice by not choosing."

[Iron Dragoon]

"It was objective idle curiosity and dragons have been eating intelligent and kind creatures since... forever. I have a stronger craving for meat now than I had before the transformation, you know. Start worrying when I actually try it, until then my musings are harmless. As for the elves, they may know how to find or navigate to a closer portal. It wouldn't hurt to ask them."

[Anastasia]

It's perhaps as well that Simmer isn't Kascha, because the gaze you're getting would probably immolate you if Kascha were a pyrodryad.

"Very well," Pearwood cuts in before Kascha can add anything more to that digression, sinking down. As the ship comes closer, "Ahoy!" Pearwood calls in elven, "We are not your enemies but fellow travelers! May we come on board and ask you a few questions?"

Simmer ignores all this, still pointedly looking anywhere but towards the river below.

Your chance to chime in here with anything, Surru.

[Iron Dragoon]

Eh, not really.

[Anastasia]

One elf comes forward - he wears a visibly finer suit of armor, green threads woven throughout it for decorating swirls and loops. "You have permission," he calls back, cupping his hands over his mouth.

Pearwood leads the way down and then the elf says something quietly - it's a language you don't know and probably weren't supposed to hear, but your draconic ears and listening training pay off. Pearwood nods back, expression relaxing as he replies in the same tongue, just as quietly.

"Pearwood," Said druid offers his hand, the elf taking it and shaking it.

"Orole," The elf says, a clasical blonde haired elf with too beautiful features and a hint of mystery to him, moving with a grace that would leave a human looking crude. "You travel in interesting company."

Meanwhile, the elves turn back to watching the river, forest and sky, largely leaving the rest of you alone.

[Iron Dragoon]

Surraruthru lands with a graceful hop and begins strolling around the barge inspecting the things on it like a store owner inspecting his wares, largely ignoring the elves except to inspect them as he nears one.

"Surraruthru."

[Anastasia]

It has a lot of shiplike things on it, as well as things useful to running a ship. Things like rope and barrels.

"I'm Kascha and this is Simmer," Kascha replies, "Don't mind this, she just has a problem with water, sort of like an overgrown cat." She flashes the elf a smile while Simmer visibly bristles, but nothing more.

"Charmed," The elf matches Kascha's smile as you study ship-based things and elves. They're elves - leather armor, bows and blades as well. Well equipped and it's reasonably high quality gear.

"To get to the point of this," Pearwood asks, "We seek a portal to Karasuthra, we're following this river in the hopes it leads to one."

"It does, we come from there," Orole gestures back, "Though it has been over a day since we left it and the current of this river is fast. You have a journey ahead of you."

"It is no matter. Thank you," Pearwood says, walking up into the air like climbing stairs.

[Iron Dragoon]

"Mildly interesting. Thank you for the diversion." Surraruthru waits for the others to take off before following them.