Sami Johoro |
Sami takes the boat into land, stopping at the edge of the forest and anchoring it in for the evening. He leads the others off and a bit away to set up camp.
We'll need to set up watches; I'll take the first. I'm thinking that a fire may draw too much attention; it will be a dark night without it, but I hope it will be a quiet one. Who will take second watch?
I'd assume that we can find some dry, flat land to squat on near to where we anchor the boat. Not too cold out tonight, is it?
Darc Jonash |
Darc has darkvision, so its best he takes watch from midnight to 3am, if we have 3 hour watch slots. I'd go with Eretria or Xavier take the first and last spots, Sami and Rashun take the spots each side of Darc.
So possible slots are:
8-11pm Eretria +4 ,
10pm-1am Rashun +15,
12-3am Darc(darkvision) +6,
2am-5am Sami(low-light, can see further with light from the fire in darkness, or if a clear night lit by the moon) +11,
4am-7am Xavier +1,
So every other hour we have 2 people on watch, and the other only 1 hour. For the first hour of Eretria's watch, I expect one or two others would be awake as well.
Darc builds a fire in the centre of the circle made by the magical chain. As he grimaces, eating the dark grey matter called rationed food, he takes a stick and draws 6 parallel lines in the dust of the bare ground near the fire. As he speaks he points to lines in the ground, writing in the brown earth, E,R,D,S,X, "No Sami, you better watch later. We likely awake first watch. I see dark, take midnight, Rashum and Sami see good, take watch each side, Eretria and Xavier, take first and last watch. You happy?"
Eretria Whitethorne |
Well! I believe I just found what I am putting around my bed at night >_>
Watch? Well Eretria does use the chain around her bed that night. (For anyone who wants to ask why) While she doesn't like to have to do a watch she won't argue as long as she gets the sleep she needs for her spells.
Darc Jonash |
When Darc wakes the next morning, heaing the sounds of nature's morning chorus, he looks over some of his sleeping companions. He sees Xavier sitting up, occasionally stretching his legs as he wakes over to Eretria, stopping and looking down at her sleeping face, her hair spread across her pillow. The big half-orc yawns loudly and stretches his arms, a long slow sounds comes lazily from his lips, "Morning, hunt soon, breakfast."
He almost creaks as he gets up, his limping gait more pronounced than you have seen before, as he rubs his thigh, grimacing with each downward rub. He gets dressed and silently takes his weapons, with his armor worn, yet untouched since yesterday. With his crossbow loaded and ready he goes off to hunt in the immediate surrounding area for breakfast, nodding top Xavier as he departs the camp.
Survival 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Xavier Longsaddle |
Xavier watches the Orc move off, Damn! I meant to get out first, but couldn't leave the group asleep with him awake.
With the Orc out and about and Eretria's chain making the (rather small) camp invisible to outsiders he felt secure enough to do some calaisthetics. He keeps his leather leggings, cestus and boots on but takes his shirt and breastplate off. Pushups, Situps, Squats etc make up his morning routine and by the time the others awake he is lathered in sweat.
Finished his workout he washes himself with a rag and some water to clean up then modestly dons his armor, (but not before Eretria has had a chance to see his muscles. The women liked when a man worked shirtless because they got a chance to look, but they could pretend they weren't). He quickly trims his beard and is ready for the day.
DM Carbide - Dark Road |
The day's weather is a lot like yesterday's--little wind, and blowing against you to boot. Darc finds enough for him to eat, but not enough for anyone else. As with the first day, the boys row and Eretria steers. For a short time, a trio of wolves parallel the boat along the west bank as you go north, but when the wind shifts and they catch your scent, they break off and retreat to the west.
As the sun is lowering in the sky, you're passing through a marsh with a few dry spots.
Miscellaneous roll W: 1d100 ⇒ 24
Miscellaneous roll A: 1d100 ⇒ 23
Knowledge (Planes) check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Sami Johoro |
Sami nods at Xavier's routine, satisfied at one who makes such an effort to maintain his condition, even if the workout is a bit different than one that Sami would do. He instead goes through his series of forms and patterns that make up his stricly taught arts, then allows them to flow into the free-form art that was of his own creation. He finishes with several minutes of meditation, seemingly lost to the world, before helping to break down the camp for the day's travel.
As they start into the marsh, he notes the sky. We'll not want to sail into the dark with such shallow spots about. We could beach the boat and damage the keel if we can't see. Say we call it a night and find a dry spot to camp on...preferably a small island?
Perception to find a fine little island to call their own
1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19
Xavier Longsaddle |
Survival to find good camp spot[1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Xavier keeps an eye out as he rows, and manages to find a not too aweful spot to set up for the night.
We should be ok here. Eretria, does that chain of yours hide a fire?
Xavier pulls to shore on a nice rise out of the muck and hops out, dragging it far enough out so Eretria doesn't have to soil her feet as she exits.
My lady, He says with a deep bow.
DM Carbide - Dark Road |
Between Sami and Xavier, you can find a decent-sized and reasonably dry raised tussock to camp on. The water here is still slightly brackish; you haven't come far enough to be completely clear of the estuary, but one day with a good onshore breeze should take you well out of it. The night is mostly quiet, with the exception of a lot of biting insects and occasional splashes as of some large creature moving in the deeper part of the river. Everyone make a DC 12 Fort save, please.
Darc Jonash |
Hearing the lady's request for a nice dry bed, Darc searches for a dry mound, that would be defensible and dry. However he seems to have little luck in such an endeavor.
Survival 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
DM Carbide - Dark Road |
Fortunately for Darc, Xavier and Sami were looking in the right direction, and found someplace adequately dry and defensible.
Sami (and everyone else who fails the save), the insects were annoying enough that you didn't get much sleep. You're fatigued until you can get a decent night's rest.
Darc Jonash |
If seems the smell of flesh attracts the flies to Darc, as they buzz around his dirty dressing. His arm waves languidly around, disturbing the flies as he can. It's nothing he hasn't experienced before, as the blood of flies mixes with his leg's secretions, the vermin having been been squashed by a swinging hand. Darc feels little but annoyance at the flying insects. "Damn flies, I hate this terrerain"
DM Carbide - Dark Road |
As if to make up for two of you being tired and bugbitten, the wind picks up a bit and it's coming from mostly behind you. There's enough of a cross-path component to it that you occasionally have to furl the sail and row back from one bank to the center of the river, but for once you can spend most of the day relaxing (and by the end of the day, Xavier and Sami are no longer fatigued). Those of you who have the skill can make Survival checks to catch fish.
Miscellaneous roll W: 1d100 ⇒ 58
Miscellaneous roll A: 1d100 ⇒ 86
Sami Johoro |
Sami sighs in relief at his rejuvenated muscles, and stretches them out before going though some quick, snake-like snapping motions with his hands to make certain that his muscles are back to form.
Alas, I fear I have no talent for catching fish, though they'd make a fine meal. I must learn the skill some day.. He looks forlornly at the water's depths, as if willing the fish to boil to the surface.
Eretria Whitethorne |
So competitive...
Eretria laughs softly to herself as she watches Darc and Xavier seeming to compete again, she wondered what drove them to try so hard to be better then the other, shrugging to herself, she wasn't about to try fishing, she had enough issues being on a boat as it is.
DM Carbide - Dark Road |
Darc and Xavier between them catch enough fish to feed two people one day. Because you're not rowing, you can travel for more like ten or eleven hours before you have to stop. You figure you've covered more distance that day than in the previous two.
Towards the end of the day, Xavier is reeling in one last fish and Besmarial is communing with the Powers (or something like that); the rest of you notice a few mats of vegetation on the water, drifting downstream with the current. Curious, Darc snags one with his fishing line and pulls it over. He, Eretria, and Rashun are able to see that it's long fragments of vine held together with some sort of silk.
Eretria Perception check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
Rashun Perception check : 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (7) + 15 = 22
Sami Perception check: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17
Xavier Perception check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
Besmarial Perception check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
Sami Johoro |
Should be easy enough to avoid these for now, so I'll stay on course unless anyone has any objections or other ideas.. Sami guides the boat on, keeping his eyes focused ahead to watch out for any large masses of the stuff that might come their way.
Perception
1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28
Darc Jonash |
Darc lays out on the beach, taking in the rays of the late afternoon sun, he seems less tense than on previous days. His knuckles not so white. With a sigh he gets up, replaces his armor. "Check threats" as he starts to patrol around the cove.
Perception 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
DM Carbide - Dark Road |
Yes, well.
The evening passes uneventfully, though you hear wolves howling to the west, across the river.
The next day, the weather isn't quite as advantageous, but there's still enough wind to make some headway. According to the map that Luntz found for you, you should be approaching the confluence of the Sellen and the Verduran Fork. In years past, the Isle of Arenway at the confluence was the site of the annual meeting of druids at the Summer Solstice; Luntz mentioned at one point that his stepmother left to try to reach the Isle and never returned. You're seeing more of the floating mats, all of them around the same size range as the ones you saw the previous day.
Miscellaneous roll W: 1d100 ⇒ 43
Miscellaneous roll A: 1d100 ⇒ 64
Darc Perception check: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
Eretria Perception check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Rashun Perception check : 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (14) + 15 = 29
Sami Perception check: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21
Xavier Perception check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Besmarial Perception check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Sami Johoro |
Sami looks at the mats, his brow furrowed in concern. He watches them throughout the day, making certain once again that he tries to avoid them and takes note if they begin doing anything non-floating mat thingie-like.
So, should we attempt to make camp at the Isle that Luntz had mentioned, or do you think that we should skirt around it?
Rashun Tollinger |
"Hey everyone there are spiders on the mat that is closest to us.
I don't think spiders are aquatic so if we can destroy the mat we may not have to deal with them unless you prefer to hope for the best."
Rashun does not like spiders, but he decides it is better to leave the spiders alone unless his partners decide to strike first.
Darc Jonash |
"Yeah, well said Xavier, lets keep going on." Darc's face becomes paler at the thought of fighting or anything that might disturb the sedate passage of the boat. His knuckles once more tighten, one holding the side of the craft.
Sami Johoro |
Sami looks at said mat, then shakes his head in confusion. If they don't like the water, then I wonder what they are doing floating in it. Are these mats floating downstream, or are they floating away from someting more perilous than the water...to the spiders at least.. He shrugs as if the answer was inconsequential. Good idea, Xavier; I agree...I'd rather they simply float by, maybe with a little push by us.