Seeing Egan and Sparky walk into the clearing the kobold leader looks interested, "Dog will trade, two dog for basket. Where rest of softscales, always come with four."
Egan looks a little concerned. No! Dog not for trade. Dog is strong fighter. he says firmly. We have dried meat. It is better. It does not fight back. Egan then slowly pulls what jerky he has in his pack out showing it to the kobolds. He will offer a taste to the speaker, tossing it underhanded to him in the most unthreatening way he can throw it.
The kobold leader sniffs at the dried meat you hold out, "Gah! Not fresh, two dog one basket. That dog or other dog, not matter."
This meat is better. It does not spoil.
Andrej stays hidden, being careful not to startle the Kobolds leaving the glade.
This could be messy - if they insist on that dog I think it will come to blood.
"We no want dried meat softscale!" The kobold exclaims with a dramatic wave of his arms. "Father laugh at me if i bring that back, must be fresh or no basket."
Survival
Erastil guide my search.
Silva searches the nearby area for some sort of tracks.
Silva spends most of the day hunting and then returns with a large doe slung over his horse's saddle.
A beast fit for a king little ones!
Egan nods his head and puts away the dried meat. You are a wise leader then. And will make your father proud with the meat we will bring you. You must come from a strong tribe. What is your tribe's name?
"Father is Big Black Kobold, Chief Sootscale! We are Sootscale tribe. We live here forever."
Egan nods, agreeing with the kobold. Since you been here so long, maybe you can tell us about the land. We do not want to go anywhere you do not want us. You help us understand the land better and we can give gift. He starts sketching the area with a stick in the dirt, making crude map. We are hear, and over here is the human trading post. He will then get a few items out of his pack and lay them on the ground.
Clay mug
2 Fish hooks
Sewing Needle
Signal Whistle
50ft String
50ft Thread
He offers the stick to the kobold and says Draw more of the lands you know, and then pick a gift.
The kobold tips his head in a curious look, drawing in the dirt he says. "Big tree here, many small faeries with much shiny. Mean faeries."
He reaches for the whistle...
On his way back from hunting Anza discretely joins Silva, helping him with the elk he has brought down with his bow.
Overjoyed with the size of the beast the kobolds happily trade a basket of radishes for the elk then begin to argue in their own language, presumably over who is carrying the beast back to their tribe.
As they depart struggling with their loads the kobold blows his whsitle, "Good trade softscales, you want trade more look for Mikmek."
After the creatures drag off the Elk, Andrej steps from the bushes.
That was well done. Normally I'd have fought such a band or retreated and tried to track them.
He thinks for a minute and then sheaths his sword.
Those things can be more than a nuisance so it is good that we don't have to worry about them short term.
They have a tribe near by. We do not want to risk having to deal with all of them and the bandits at the same time. Besides they have helped us with our mapping, and maybe saved us days of trekking. Egan indicates the crudely drawn map in the dirt.And we are invited to trade with them in the future. Never a bad thing.
What do you make of the big tree that they pointed out with the faeries. Egan, this may be what you have been looking for?
Yes, but Mikmek was clear that these faeries are mean. I would had to expose the rest of you to risks for potentially no reason. I say we make that location and avoid it for now.
Agreed, says Andrej with a nod.
Given we have what we set out for and it may spoil, do we head back now?
Anza "We are less than a days hard ride from the trading post, we could probably make it back just after dark. If we set off tomorrow morning i could have us back here at midday, i have also completed mapping this area so we can use the time to plan where to move on."
I think it is best we push on to the bandit camp before they realize their companions have not returned.
Anza "So, onwards to the bandits or back to the trading post? Or do you have something else in mind?"
Not back to the post just yet. I say directly West.
Very good - lets move out
Andrej goes back to his position in the group.
Silva mounts up and follows the group.
Anza leads you west as requested deeper into the woodland, as you move you find the forest becomes a brighter and more friendly place. Small animals are spotted more often and the plants and trees are greener.
You have a fine first day and cover a lot of ground with Anza thinking she has mapped almost half the region in less than 12 hours, however when you make camp for the night things start going wrong.
As Egan is lighting the fire to cook dinner the wood flares up in his eyes, scorching what remains of his eyebrows and blinding him for a few minutes.
The normally sound woodsman Silva ends up tying the horses to a tree covered with poison ivy and getting an itchy rash.
Andrej watching stoicly while this all happens seems to escape unscathed until the ants who's nest he has sat on begin to swarm around him.
Anza watches the proceedings with some barely hidden amusement, busying herself with tasks around the camp.
Damnit all!, exclaims Andrej, slapping at under his padding under his chain shirt and also at his pants.
Damned if we aren't the sorriest lot of woodsmen - I'd have laughed if I had seen a similar camp and then called them 'Tenderfeet' to a man.
Giving up on his padded shirt, and heedless of his audience, he pulls at his breeches draw strings, swearing, and starts to grope within his pants.
Gaaaaah!
Azna Through sounds of choked laughter Anza suggests to Andrej, "Take a dip in the stream, fire ants tend not to like water."
[ooc]The situation is punishment enough, they won't deal actual damage. But you might have some awkward bruises for a few days.[/ooc[
I must have gotten in some poison ivy. Weird...I usually can spot it.
Silva searches for a natural remedy to cure the poison or at least decrease the itching.
Survival
Egan laughs at himself when the fire flairs up in his face. And after observing the other mishaps he comments out loud in common and then even louder in Sylvan. It is likely that we are visited by my cousins. I suspect the fey are here with us.
Egan searches through his rations and prepares a small mean of his choicest foods and leaves it on a rock or stump off to one side of the camp. For you, my little friends. he comments in a light and friendly manner, wearing his most diplomatic smile the entire time.
Scouting around near the camp Silva will find a plant which he recognises which will have a soothing effect on the poison ivy rash.
After watching Egan's offering for several minutes nothing happens and the normal activity of arranging camp for the night resumes.
Silva and Andrej pitch the tents while Egan boils some dried meat with some vegetables that Anza has picked up on the ride, everyone has an uncomfortable meal feeling as though they are being watched.
Later in the night when Silva gets up to take over guard duty from Andrej even stranger things have happened...
[spoiler=Silva]Upon waking to take over watch you find Andrej sat sleeping on a fallen log, walking over to wake him his face has been painted to resemble a clown.[spoiler]
[spoiler=Andrej]You start from sleep as Silva walks over to you to take over your watch, you don't remember feeling sleepy during your watch, and as Silva comes across the fire you can see his face as been done up to resemble a painted lady.[/ooc]
Sorry Silva... I appreciate the effort but not interested.
Hey I'm not the one who looks like a clown! I don't think I like Egan's cousins.
Hearing a ruckus Egan wakes and begins to get up. Suddenly he calls out in alarm. Hey! Something is wrong here. It has me! Help!.
Silva pulls out his bow and runs over to Egan.
Andrej takes up his sword and looks into the darkness for danger... leaving Silva to help Egan.
Egan thrusts and rolls but is unable to escape from the creature engulfing him. He seems to be putting up quite a fight, but is unable to break its grapple.
Silva runs over to the sound of Egan's voice, worried that he has been dragged of by some denizen on the forest while Andrej slept on guard duty. Arriving at Egans tent and looking inside he is greated with a squirming bedroll, after taking a closer look to top end has been neatly stitched shut.
Your cousins have sewn up your sleeping bag Egan. Hold on. I'll help you out.
Silva works to open the sleeping bag.
What? Well, he he, that is a little funny, now isn't it. Good one on me. Egan laughs at himself and calms down letting Silva cut him out. Try not to damage the bag.
I don't find it funny in the least, Andrej says sour faced and dour.
Its all fun and games until a bear wanders into our camp site and starts tearing us up.
After breakng camp and preparing to set off you each swing up onto the back of your mounts. Sparky, ever the obedient mount stands perfectly still as Egan settles in to the saddle which slowly slides from Sparkys back, the straps normally tight under Sparky's somach loosened. While concealing their enjoyment of Egans misfortune everyone notices their straps are also loose.
The rest of the morning passes uneventfully as you slowly trail Anza around marking the streams and trails on your map before you come across a fallen tree blocking your path.
Silva at the side of the tree there are several rocks and twigs arranged to form some kind of symbols, but they are not in a language you can understand.