Impermanence Expedition: (Elpis):

Elpis touched down on a new world, having signed on for it.
He even had a gun now to defend himself with, should the need call for it.
He checked it out. The gauntlet fitted nicely where the old one had been, as amongst the equipment Elpis salvaged for this body, the gun had been sadly rendered defunct.
Until now, that is.

Thus, the explorer set out to explore.
Make it quick, he knew. That was what he had been told.
Of course, he could always claim he got lost if he took to long...
Ah well.
"Let's begin, shall we?" he muttered to no one in particular.

"Remember! You're exploring, not hunting... We'll open Permanence up for exploration once we're sure it's safe. Good Luck out there... You... ARE a Seeker right? Ah to hell with it, you'll be fine. If you meet up with the main party don't travel with em, we're trying to cover ground here." The officer who dropped Eplis off on the surface took no time for pleasantries before speeding off back into Junction, taking the transport with him

He nodded.
Not that he needed company. Worst came to worst, he'd have to pick up a new body on this world, probably.
To him, death was something that only took up a faint amount of possibility in his mind.
He arrived at a crossroads, though.
Which way to go?
Obviously not west, that lead back to Junction, which he wouldn't go back to just yet.
The woods east looked interesting, but he could get lost in there, which would not be good depending on how large it was.
The north was an overcast path that might be okay, but taking chances with visibility on an unknown world was not a good idea.

So to the south it was, he decided, making his way that way.

Action: :

As he walked, he found himself thinking of how often he had seen landscapes like this in his many travels.
The feel of the ground underneath him, and all of that, sensations he had experienced many times before.
As he walked, he began to see smoke rising from a group of trees, indicating that at the very least, there was a fire.
Although, if he began to really listen carefully, over the horizon, he could hear... singing?

He tried to listen to what it was, and was indeed interested by it.
Singing meant there was definitely some kind of life. But then, the same could be said of the smoke.
He thought carefully over which one had the higher chance of leading him to intelligent life.
He chose the singing.

Action::

His eyes beneath the mask widened.
Intriguing.
He had heard of a similar ceremony during his stay on Junction, but this was the first time he had seen such a thing in action.
As for the maypole, well... that would be interesting.
There were also humans, about 7 to ten feet tall. He was intrigued, so much so, that he decided to say something.

"Excuse me. What song are you singing?" he asked them.

The group would stop singing the moment Elpis spoke and regard him for a moment before a young man among them screamed loudly and began to back away quickly "C-C-Cog! Run!". It did not take long for the group of singers to heed the young man's called. Quickly they would disperse into the wood, their song and dance long forgotten as mothers scooped their children in their arms and took to the safety of the tree line.

In mere moments they would be gone and Elpis would be left alone in their makeshift camp. Around him would be the remains of the previous nights tents and fires.

Cog?
What did that mean...?
"Wait, I... I do not mean... Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong!" he yelled, before feeling intensely stupid that they had all left.
He sighed.
Why were they afraid? Had they somehow sensed what he was?
No... impossible.
He had taken every measure to hide it.

He sighed once more before he decided to start examining the makeshift camp. Pursuing the natives into an area they knew well was a bad idea. If they genuinely thought he was hostile, doing so would be definitely inviting a death sentence.
He was in no rush to die, after all.
Perhaps he could find some clues about what was going on here.
He had been an archeologist at some point in his very long life, after all.
He might need a refresher, but how hard could it be?

Action::

Little remains of the campsite save for the embers and discarded cooking utensils from the previous night. The utensils themselves seem to be made from a material not to unlike crude iron, and resemble basic pots and spoons. The charred remains of what could have been camp fires dot the camp. At least five.

The tents, while simple, are far more refined then the cook wear. Should Eplis have a strength related to materials or fabrics, he would know instantly what this tent was constructed from. Regardless the fabric itself is of a yellow color and smooth to the touch, with a good amount of give when pressed. Inside the tents would be simple bed rolls and wooden instruments resembling drums and simple stringed instruments.

Inside, the largest of the tents is a simple chest made of wood, it is locked with a crude iron lock.

He inspected the place. It appeared this civilization was in the early ages, still only beginning to use iron in their constructions.
The tent fabrics were smooth to the touch, and indeed, appeared to match the level of civilization present here.
The drums and instruments were also worth nothing.
As for the largest one, he saw the chest made of wood. The iron lock would be a problem, yes, but...
It was still worth a shot, he decided, to try and at least open it.
If not, he could try bursting through the wooden part to get at what was inside.
But he didn't want to risk damaging the contents potentially of what was inside.

Action::

Please make a roll of 3 successes out of 10, for every relevant strength please add 2 to the roll, please contact the DM to confirm relevant strengths.