Cameroon was an experience. Words had failed the Librarian, from the moment they had arrived in the city within the trees, to the moment they had begun their journey down into the undergrowth. Seeing it for the first time, he realized the scope of the task he had been set upon. Given a lifetime he might be able to do this city justice in his records. Where was he even to begin? He had filled pages with descriptions and had barely scratched the surface. Without his companion, the orc, he may have become lost, unsure how to proceed. Luckily, the orc had set off in search of a local drinking establishment, and he had followed. What else was he going to do?

The tavern was built into the tree itself. Into it! Carved out of the living wood, in such a way that did not damage the integrity of the tree itself. The scope of the tree was magnificent, the tavern being little more than a notch when compared with the scale of the thing. He wondered how they managed it, though. While his companion was off securing a table and refreshment, which was sorely needed as the awe gave way to allow him to feel the humidity which was almost oppressive, the Librarian took the opportunity to inspect one of the walls. Unsure of the protocol, or even if there was any, he reached out a hand and lay it against one of the walls. So smooth, he couldn't even feel a tool mark as he closed his eyes and really tried. Beautiful was a word that just did not do the craftmanship justice.

"Sit." The orc, who somehow managed to move without drawing the Librarian's attention despite being almost eight feet tall and as wide across the shoulder as two men, rumbled out in that heavily accented voice of his, from just behind the Librarian. He flinched, he was not afraid to admit it. He may even have squeaked a little. It was a natural response, when approached from an orc.

"Y-y-yes, of course." He managed to stammer, as he turned in place, only hesitating a little. He was getting used to this strange company he had found himself in. If he kept telling himself that, he was bound to believe it eventually. Yet, he did not wake up, see the orc or one of the goblins which trailed him, and scream nearly as loudly as he used to. Baby steps. He would get there. He had met many people along his travels, of races he had not known existed until managing to get an interview with them recorded in his journal. The Library itself collected strange people from across the world, and he had lived among them. It was just that he had never been this close to an orc or goblin before. Greenskins, many people called them with a mixture of fear and disgust. The classic villain in many a story, or the underlings of villains. Brutal killers, that was what all the texts had agreed. Except, here was one who claimed his duty, given by who knew who, was to protect the innocent and uphold the law of the land. Which included some strange combination of being the Librarian's sword protector, and possible kidnapper. Any time he had tried to leave, the orc had followed him, and somehow led him toward destinations of his own choosing. He was not going to complain, it had led them to many interesting places so far, but somethings he wondered whether he was free to leave or not.

The questionable state of the Librarian's freedom aside, this latest location was something he had not expected. Here he was, sitting in a tavern on a strange continent, with the orc and a cup of what turned out to be a sweet juice after a cautious first sip. He nodded his approval and looked up at Gronk, Sir Gronk he reminded himself, who had a much larger tankard of something else which he appeared to have no interest in. Instead, the orc's eyes were searching the room, head cocked slightly to one side, as if listening to the conversations going on around them. The Librarian squinted thoughtfully, and looked around the bar, trying to listen in on the conversations too.

".. lucky to make it! They say they hunt merchants who.." Two humans sitting at the nearest table, heads bent close together, whispering. They wore clothes unsuitable for the heat and humidity of Cameroon, something the Librarian was glad to have asked about beforehand so he could make a change to his wardrobe and pick out a lighter set of shirt and pants. The clothes were obviously worth more than every stitch of clothing he had owned throughout his life, and their accents, familiar to the Librarian but foreign in these lands, marked them out as merchants. They seemed worked up about something.

"… then something should be done about it! How are we expected to…" A large humanoid figure with a shaggy main of brown hair, the rest of his body covered in a much shorter coat that looked almost golden, wearing loose fitting clothes which looked like they would be comfortable, was sitting across from another humanoid covered in scales. This was the first time he had heard one of the local lion-folk talking, and while their accent was strange, he found he could understand them quite clearly. There was something almost comforting about the low growling that accompanied his words, and the Librarian made a mental note to slide on over to that table to inquire about an interview. The other figure at the table could have been a dragonborn, except there was something off about the proportions. He had read about the crocodile-folk, so maybe? They were upset about something, too.

"… would think the insects would have done for them by now. I hear they're just jaguars…" The Librarian was unsure exactly where this had come from, but he thought it might have been coming from a table of dwarves in the corner. He was hard pressed to make out too many of their details, as the corner was not well let, almost as if on purpose to suit the preferences of certain people. There were five of them crowding around in the shadows, and they kept glancing around, suspiciously. He wondered what that was all about, but aside from heading over there to admit he was eavesdropping and asking them directly, he was not sure how he would find out.

"… hiring bounty hunters, as I heard it…" The Librarian was piecing together all the fragments he had been hearing, and suspected they had come to the city in the middle of something which was upsetting a lot of people. Merchants attacked? Bounty hunters hired? It was all very exciting, and sounded just like the plot to some fantastic piece of fiction he might have found himself reading on a dark and stormy night. Not anything he was interested in seeing up close and personal, though. He and Sir Gronk were better off here, exploring the city, keeping themselves out of trouble while the Librarian begin filling more of his notebook.

The orc's chair scraped against the floor as he stood up, and walked confidently over to the table of dwarves in the corner. The Librarian froze in place, unsure of himself for a split second before remembering he was here to record events as they unfolded, and so needed to hear what was being said. He hopped down out of the chair and hurried after the orc, bumping into no fewer than three patrons on his way. By the time he got there a full on conversation was going on. The orc and dwarves going back and forth in a harsh language he suspected was Dwarven. The Librarian spoke a few languages, and read many more, including Dwarven runes, but he did not speak Dwarven. Apparently the knight did. One of the dwarves, the eldest looking of the bunch with a long grey beard, quickly made a chopping gesture and threw out a final comment. It seemed the conversation was done now he was here. Sir Gronk nodded, rumbled something in response, and then turned and walked away, casting back a single word toward the Librarian, "Come.".

So it was that they found themselves searching for a local, or a guide of some kind, who could get them down to the undergrowth far beneath the city. Someone who could get them moving in the right direction to do what the orc saw as his duty today. Resolving the danger a band of jaguar-folk bandits posed toward traders heading to the city of Cameroon.

Evanis stared up at the tremendous trees that towered over Cameroon's inhabitants like a city.  It was quite humid, but he was thankful that he was not wearing heavy clothing to begin with.  His quiver was loaded with arrows as he made his way down the path where there were businesses in operation and a tavern was straight ahead.  Evanis had no interest in dousing his liver with rum however.  His arrival in Cameroon was due to reports that jaguar people were causing trouble for the merchants.  Such rabble-rousers meant that the locals had to have placed bounties on some of them, and it would no doubt be useful in filling his coffers.

The deerman stopped by a wood carver's shop, where he peered through the window and saw a Maasi beetle carving a wooden sculpture of a woman dressed in fancy clothing seated on a couch out of a block of wood with an impressive display of precision and patience.  A dwarf that Evanis assumed was the beetle's client observed the skillful work with anticipation.  Evanis stroked his chin, considering a visit to the artisan's shop after he collected the bounty on the jaguar bandits.  He continued walking, searching for anything that resembled a bounty board.  Evanis strolled past a store where a man and a dwarf emerged with sacks that contained only what they knew.  A view inside via the window showed the store to be a general one with an assortment of wares that were suitable for most day-to-day activities.

As Evanis continued his search, he spotted a centaur and a goblin having a rather heated discussion.  Evanis decided to listen in for a moment and made out that the goblin was frustrated with the centaur for not running away from the jaguar raiders fast enough, and as a result lost all of their supplies.  The centaur shot back with an agitated rebuttal that they should have taken an alternate, less dangerous route to Cameroon.  Evanis cared little for who was right, and as the two novice adventurers bickered, the deerman continued on until he came across a man in spectacles reading a newspaper with an irritated expression who groaned, "Bloody hell."

He tossed the newspaper aside and stomped off grumbling, "Can't I find one place in this world that doesn't have a bandit problem!?"

Evanis picked up the newspaper and saw that it was primarily about the jaguar bandits.  He read on, interested in getting more detail about the ones causing the merchants trouble and learning if there was a place that was offering bounties for each outlaw dealt with.  His eyes caught a brief glimpse of a man and a tall orc on a stroll before they returned to the paper.

For every one of the orc's long strides, it felt like the Librarian had to take two. Maybe even two and a half, but who was even keeping track of things like that? No matter how many steps the Librarian had to take, the simple fact was that the orc was simply eating up the streets, taking turns and crossing the strange rope bridges as if he were a local who knew where he was going. For all he knew, the orc was a local. He knew next to nothing about the orc, and all attempts to find out more were met with silence, or one-word answers. Even something as simple as a question about the staring eye the orc had taken for his crest, an eye which was eerily similar to the symbol of the Library, had received nothing but a long, awkward stare across a campfire. It was a mystery, and one the Librarian had committed himself to solving.

Another mystery was where they were currently heading. They had been in the tavern, doing what the Librarian could only assume was gathering information, then there had been that conversation with the dwarves which had done nothing but raise even more questions. He had started to jot down the questions he had within his notebook. It had it's very own section now, growing larger by the day. Which reminded him, he needed to add a few more to the list. He stopped in place, retrieved his notebook from it's place in the pouch on his belt, and drew the quill and ink from his sleeve. It took some juggling, but he eventually got quill inked, pages opened, and began jotting down his questions, completely forgetting he had been following the orc somewhere which was, quite possibly, very important.

How does the orc know Dwarven?
Are dwarves and orcs not mortal enemies?
How does the orc know so much about Cameroon?
How does he always seem to know where to go?

There was sudden shade, and the Librarian looked up, expecting to see the orc. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but it froze upon his lips when he saw, instead of the scarred green bulk he was expecting, a completely different creature. It still towered above the Librarian, being somewhere in the upper range between six and seven feet. It was covered in a glistening green carapace, it was whipcord thin, and it had multi-faceted eyes. He knew about the insect folk who lived on this continent, he had seen many of them since their arrival. Just none quite so close. From here, he could see all the fine hairs covering it's body. He could smell the strange scent which emanated from it. He could feel his breath slowing, as he stared into those eyes, his thoughts seeming to drain away. He felt strange, and it alarmed him for a split second, but then he could not for the life of him remember why he should feel alarm. Those eyes were quite beautiful. Maybe he should take a sketch of them…

His hand twitched, but his eyes seemed unable to stop staring into those of the mantis folk. Had one of them spoken? He could not quite remember if it had been him…

A rough hand pulled him back, breaking his eye contact. His head felt fuzzy, and his thoughts were coming slowly, but he was aware that he was currently having thoughts, whereas before… Had he been having thoughts before? How long had he been standing there? Surely no more than a moment.

"Guide." A deep, comforting rumble from above and behind him, the voice of the orc. The Librarian tried to order himself, to remember what his purpose was, but he was still finding it a little bit difficult. He turned and saw a thick green finger pointing at the mantis folk. His mouth was completely dry, and he wondered if they would have time to stop for some more of that sweet juice before they left.

Evanis's eyes continued to read through the newspaper until he found the answer he was looking for.  Some of Cameroon's inhabitants had set up bounties for the raiders.  It seemed like a money-making opportunity was present after all.  Now came the matter of finding it, and in a curvy woodland place such as Cameroon, his efforts of searching may very well be akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.

Despite the challenge, Evanis knew that he needed to locate them if he wanted to turn the jaguars in for the money.  He began his search, taking the newspaper with him.  Evanis checked up and down each street and looked at various boards to see if there was anything that related to bounties.  Unfortunately, his luck was at rock bottom for the time being.  He passed a group of merchants who were discussing hiring mercenaries to protect their cargo when the time came to exit Cameroon.  Among the merchants was a Chokwe who gave Evanis a curious glance before he returned to the conversation with his peers.

Several more minutes spent searching Cameroon brought Evanis to a street where he spotted the man and the orc from before.  This time, a large mantis creature was with them.  Evanis figured that the mantis was one of the locals, so he decided to try and prod him for knowledge regarding the location of a bounty board.  The deerman stepped up to the beast while giving the orc an inquisitive look.  The orc could no doubt fold him like an omelette if a fight ensued between the two, but a fight was the last thing on his mind.  When Evanis was in front of the mantis, he held up the newspaper with the main focus being on the jaguar brigands and asked, "Excuse me, I've come here with word that raiders were harassing merchant convoys that were coming in and out of here.  Could you point me in the direction of a bounty board for these troublemakers please?"

The mantis folk turned his, though the Librarian was unsure of gender he decided referring to their guide as an "it" would be rude and problematic, head and regarded the orc. The mantis opened his mouth and began to make a sound which could be described only as a musical hissing and clicking. It was fascinating, and the Librarian felt that he was on the verge of understanding what was being said, as if somewhere below the surface, there was common. He just needed to shift his thoughts and he would be able to…

The orc's deep voice barked out in a language which was harsh and full of consonants, something he had never heard before. The sound was almost purifying, clearing the Librarian's head and making him realize there was something about the mantis folk, something which drew in those who were unprepared, luring them in like prey. It was as if everything about them was designed to hypnotize and ensnare. He wondered whether it was a natural talent, one which could not be fully controlled, or whether the mantis folk had darker motives for him. He wondered, vaguely, if this might instead be a female of the species. He swallowed, hard, remembering that which he had read about the female mantis folk. It might do him well to keep the orc firmly between himself and their guide.

The two went back and forth, giving the Librarian a rare opportunity to observe the orc engaging in conversation. Whenever he tried to start a dialogue, the orc was all stony silence. Even when they met other travelers the orc always seem to parcel out his words as if they were worth silver. Every time the mantis folk spoke, the Librarian felt a tug at his senses. Every time the orc spoke in return, he felt his head sharply cleared. The ebbing and flowing against his consciousness like a tide had him struggling to put thoughts together clearly. He felt like he was forgetting something, as his two companions began walking. Something he should be doing…

His notebook! The thought came to him, entering his mind like a thunderclap. His notebook. He should be taking notes, writing down his experience. He did not know enough about anything going on around him right now, but he did have a section dedicated to observations. Indeed, this section is the one which led to his further research and questions, giving him a place to start each day. It was a fact which saddened the Librarian that he never had the opportunity to answer all the notes he took. For every observation he followed up on, it only led to him writing down a dozen more, which in turned each spawned their own further observations. He was quickly running out of room within his first notebook, and would soon need to invest in a stack more, unless he could find the magical device he was meant to be using. It would make things much easier, had he arrived with it. That was an old wound, though, and not one he wished to pick at.

The mantis seemed to be looking for something, leading them around the town, stopping at notice boards. The Librarian took a moment at each one, jotting down a note or two, asking himself a question to attempt to answer later. There were many things which could be seen at these boards. Bounties were a common occurrence, as were notices for local gatherings, professionals looking for work, people looking for professionals, a missing pet poster here and there. There was one particular poster which caught his attention, where one lovestruck individual seemed to be looking for another they met by chance at the local tavern, a passing of ships in the night leaving one searching desperately for the other. The wording used was poetical, making him smile before they moved on.

It was not long after this when another figure joined them. He was tall, and the antlers atop his head gave the Librarian an idea that this must be one of the deermen. Who spoke common, thankfully. The sound of the orc and mantis speaking had faded into the background for the Librarian as he had taken to writing things down in his notebook, allowing him to clear his head and think. The deerman wanted to know more about the bounty, the very one which the orc had set out to take care of. This new figure looked like he was serious, and his interest in the bounty allowed the Librarian to come to the conclusion that this must be a bounty hunter. A bounty hunter looking for the same bounty as them? This could help their situation, as far as the Librarian was concerned. Before anyone else could say anything, he stepped forward.

"Yes sir!" the Librarian started brightly, trying to decide how to play this situation. "Yes, well, no. Actually, I am sorry." He thought about it, and then regretted his tendency to talk first and think second. He had seen the bounty posted at one of the boards, and had been surprised it had not been more widely posted. He had made a note of the bounty in his notebook, to have it ready for when he wrote his account of this little adventure later. "What I mean is, I could point you in the direction, but I have the information already. Here. With me." 

Evanis watched as the mantis conversed with the orc, seemingly oblivious to his presence.  His head turned to a response of affirmation from the man which made him feel a sense of silent gratitude.  The hope of light that Evanis had was swift to dim when the man instead said that he did not have the bounty, but he did offer to point the deerman in the direction of a bounty board.  Evanis waited for an answer when the man revealed that he already had the information on him.

The deerman looked between the orc and the man, wondering if they were going after the same jaguar bandits that he was.  The man claiming that he had the information should have already answered his question.  Just then though, through a nearby alley, Evanis spotted a bounty board.  On said bounty board was a professional sketch of three dangerous looking jaguarmen.  Evanis could go with what the man said, but he liked to have a picture or at least an accurate rendition of the bounty he was searching for.  He raised a hand to the man and said, "Wait right there for a moment."

He strolled down the alley to the bounty board and peeled off the poster with the feline raiders.  The poster was then rolled up and placed inside his back.  Satisfied with his small venture, Evanis returned to the group and examined each of them.  The orc seemed like he would be quite the brawler in the fight as did the mantis, but the man did not seem to be a combatant, but the deerman knew all too well that life was full of surprises.  Nevertheless, while Evanis preferred to take on bounties alone, he did not mind working with others so long as they did not try to screw him out of his fair share.

Evanis asked the man regarding numbers, "Do you have anybody else in your stead, or is it just you and the orc?"

The Librarian was quite glad when the deerman halted him, because he realized he was beginning to ramble on just a bit. It was his nerves, he supposed. Shot, after being so long in the company of someone who was quite terrifying. His eyes flickered to the orc and the mantis, who had stopped in their conversation to watch the interaction between himself and the deerman. Those eyes. He was unsure which were more unsettling, the multifaceted insect eyes, or the small, dark pits of the orc's. Both were inhuman. Both, he suspected, would continue haunting his nightmares for a long time to come. He glanced in the direction of the deerman, and wondered if this was the start of a relief from the discomfort his life had become, or if it was just going to continue to add to it. 

The deerman took a bounty from the board down the way a little, and the Librarian could just make him out slipping the paper away, perhaps for later reference. He had been unsure of the correct etiquette with these boards, but had he known he could take samples! Well, he would have to start that himself, just as soon as they had resolved the current situation. The deerman was quickly approaching them once more, and posed him a question about the makeup of their group.

"Well, good sir, it is actually just my orc companion." He was unsure how much needed to be explained in an initial meeting, and he was trying desperately not to sound ridiculous. "Well, I mean, I am here too. So it is my orc companion and I. Oh, and our guide. Yes, can't forget that fellow." The Librarian gestured toward the mantis-folk. "Or… Erm, lass? Is lass the feminine of fellow… I may need to check on that…"

Suddenly a large shape loomed over the Librarian, and he let out the quietest of squeaks in response. "Bandits." The orc rumbled, eyes focused on the deerman. "Hunt."

The Librarian waited, to see if there would be any addition, but there was just silence from his orc companion once more. "Yes. What Sir Gronk here is saying is that we are indeed hunting the bandits who have recently been preying on this fine city. Or the merchants of this city. Well, is it just merchants from this city? I am not sure, actually. But we are hunting them. Wait! He is hunting them! Not we. I am just… Observing." Where was his filter? He needed one, desperately. 

Just then, a goblin came scampering up out of an alley, looked around the group, shrugged, and approached the orc. "Boss, boss, where we headed boss?" The Librarian refrained from groaning, as he became more and more overwhelmed by the situation.

Evanis looked between the man and the orc when the man described who would be going on this bandit hunt.  He listened and could not help but have an internal chuckle as the man tripped over his own words explaining the situation.  Admittedly, he was ready to just get this job under way and get his reward.  It was then that the orc came up to Evanis and told them that they would be searching for the marauders.  He nodded at the orc in response.

The man confirmed that the duo was in fact hunting down the jaguar bandits.  Once again, he began to stumble over his words, but Evanis raised an eyebrow when the man said that he would be just watching the action.  He examined the man to see if he had any weapons or spell books on him.  Then Evanis asked the man, "Do you have any weapons on you or know any spells?  We're venturing into dangerous territory here and there's a good chance we'll be outnumbered when we finally find them."

Evanis patted his bow and continued, "Sir Gronk seems to be a skilled melee combatant and I can pick them off from range, but we'll have to exercise caution and be strategic to avoid getting surrounded."

The deerman tapped his chin and suggested, "If we're lucky, we could come upon them when they're resting and pick them off one-by-one via stealth.  Of course, they probably wouldn't be foolish enough to leave themselves unguarded."

Then the deerman gave the man a slight bow and said to the man, "Oh, Evanis Pinestill, a bounty hunter from the Leaf Glider tribe."

At that moment, a goblin appeared and asked Sir Gronk where their destination was.  Evanis lifted his eyebrow again at the man and said, "I thought it was just you, Sir Gronk, and the guide.  Are we about to get an entourage of goblins joining us?"