A tall young man, in his twenties, of obviously Ulfen descent nods to everyone, but says nothing. He wears full armor with silver sword insignias on the chest piece and the hilt of great sword stretches behind his right shoulder. His long light-blond hair is pulled in a tight warrior braid and his steel-blue eyes seem to be open and honest, but determined.
Harrolayne sniffs loudly as Finn "drops" his glaive.
"Make good use of him," she mutters as she stalks off. "No country in all the world could ever have had a more humble beginning. You! Sailor! Come set up my hovel!"
Rommin watches the discussion go back and forth. He finally pulls Warg to the side and comments. Welcome to the outliers. If I can make a suggestion...? When we are away from the ships and camps, why don't you tie a rope around your waist and leave the coil slung over your shoulder? That way if you encounter an obstacle that would be hard to extract yourself because of your gear, you can toss us the line and we can help. Likewise, if one of us gets in trouble, you can toss it to us and it will already be anchored.
"I shall do as you instruct. A good rope is always of use, of course. Please, do not hesitate to instruct me further if you see the need to do so."
Finn takes stock of the new surroundings, setting off to survey the immediate area.
Survival
Perception
(Whichever is more appropriate)
"I am grateful for your offering of food. May it seal an everlasting friendship between us."
As is his habit Landis is standing naked in the surf, vigorously trying to scrub off the last few days worth of rot, and blood, when his keen nose catches the scent of fresh blueberries. Quickly donning a clean smock he rushes forward to claim his share before they are all gone.
Several colonists watch Landis frolic in the (very cold) waves. A young girl named Corda Velpar and a mid-twenties man from the Cloud Climber pay extra special attention.
Falcon Gray comes over and smiles at the sight of the baskets of blueberries. "Very smart, Mr. Deepburrow, Miss Coopersmith. We shall immediately send out foragers to add to this wonderful take you have begun. Would you be so kind as to let them know where you found this bounty for us?" He holds his hand out for the blueberries.
"I shall do as you instruct. A good rope is always of use, of course. Please, do not hesitate to instruct me further if you see the need to do so."You are certainly welcome. Finn! He calls them both over. Finn and Warg, will you join us for dinner tonight here at the camp? It will give us a chance to share with you what we've found so far. From there, we can work on a strategy for exploring the nearby region.
Rommin will urge the others to give a detailed narration of what they've seen so far, enough so that you two should be able to reference anything that has happened since leaving the port back in the East.
Finn will take one last look around at the immediate area and then reply to Rommin's generous offer 'Aye, a meal'd be a welcome thing. I do'be lookin' forward ta gettin' ta know ya lot a sight better.'
To Falcon: 'I think I'll be taggin' along to the blueberry patch. I'd like a better look around these woods, if'n ya don't mind.'
"By all means. Round up some of the folks not unloading cargo, take a few soldiers, and start gathering whatever looks like food, especially fruit. We don't want to get all the way here only to have people dying of scurvy."
He's still standing there waiting for the halflings to hand over the basket of berries.
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Lilo looks back at Falcon..
"There's a huge patch more than enough for everyone about a quarter mile over to the northwest...Sir" The pause isn't quite insulting.. almost not quite
He picks up a juicy fat blueberry and pops it in his mouth.
"They are very sweet I'm sure your men will be able to harvest more than enough for everyone..and now, if you will excuse us, Hickory and I are going to have elevenses."
He turns on his heel and heads towards the camp fire. his whole manner suggesting that famous Andoren motto....
Don't tread on me
From his place near the fire, Warg looks at Lilo with obvious hatred.
Falcon Gray watches Lilo depart. "There are several nations in the world where people of certain skills and abilities consider themselves above laws and the common good of the people. I believe there's one country out there, that thinks itself above all that, however. What's it called again? I think it starts with 'A'."
"I'm not sure what this little bit of attitude is about, sir, but Lord Brycen has decreed in this colony that all foods brought and found will be shared equally between all of its citizens until such time as said citizens are able to fend for themselves. We are all grateful for your heroics, Mr. Deepburrow, but don't think that we will stand for the creation of any elite class above and beyond the common man here in Arcadia."
As the tension quickly escalates on the beach, your thoughts are interrupted by the clip-clopping of hooves on the cobbles. The tall shadow of Sir Kheiron looms over the situation.
"Lord Brycen re..." he pauses as he senses the tension. He looks several ways before continuing. "Lord Brycen requests that the lot of you come for a meet about sending out some scouting parties tomorrow."
He points up the beach to where Lord Brycen and Harrolyane seem to be having words, with Imogene the prisoner woman standing behind and off to one side. Come to notice, all of the prisoners seem to be unshackled and (with the exception of Imogene) helping in the labours.
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"..and there are certain nations... Mr Gray..where a man thinks he is superior just because he has a few words in front off his name..and thinks he can rob people of the fruits of their labour with a word and a hand wave. One beginning with T springs to mind.."
"Now Hickory and I have had a hard morning fighting the undead..we are hungry..I'm not claiming the blueberry patch..just this basket and I will happily go and pick another basketful after elevenses"
He turns at Sir Kheiron's words, sighs and lays the basket down.."Come on Hickory..his Lordship demands our presence. So much for the common man being the only class here"
He glares at Falcon and stomps off up the beach
Falcon calls up at Lilo's retreating back. "Actually, good sir, my country starts and ends with the same letters as yours. I've just seen enough of the world to be able to see the flaws our nation possesses."
Falcon picks up the basket and passes it off to the colonists gathering the food before hurrying after to join with Brycen.
Once you've all gathered at the quick meeting, Lord Brycen starts off with smiles and an excited, intense energy. His first priority is to hear from the group the things they've learned and discovered. With that done, and reports that no natives other than the two bodies, he turns towards exploration.
"While we have an infinite number of directions to explore, three come to mind as important: along the shore in both directions, and up river. The guards and soldiers we need to protect the village, so that leaves you folks. And yes," he adds at a throat-clearing from Harrolayne, "our recently-liberated prisoners as well. Imogene and her crew will head north along the coast, Mr. Grainbreaker and Vero will take Niesen, Maenir, and a pair of soldiers south along the coast, while Rommin will take the rest of you west along the river. Each group will go half a day's travel, avoiding direct contact with any natives if possible, and return with news on what they find. Questions?"
"Well, my assumption is that this won't be a straight line out and back for any group, but will involve a certain amount of back and forth. My primary concern is to locate any native settlements in the area, and along the river and coasts are the most likely places for any such villages."
"I'm ready to go whenever everybody else is"
Finnegan looks up from his musings, his eyes a bit glazed. Gripping the haft of his weapon, as if it might spring up and out of his hand, he adds
'Aye, that plan be Sound enough,Sir. Have we any maps of the area as-of-yet?'
"It is well to be prepared", murmurs Warg, with strong Irrisien accent.
"I must say, I was a bit too busy chasing zombies to take detailed notes of the topography," Hickory comments dryly. "Perhaps it would be wise, however, to see to it that pen and ink and parchment go with each group, so that at least crude sketches of terrain and geography can be made."
"Of course, I'll see to it."
So with that, Lord Brycen concludes your meeting. Elevenses have come and gone, although lunch time is fast approaching. Returning, Lilo sees the basket of berries gone, although as lunch is given out to all, it seems that he and Hickory do have a much larger portion of the berries than others. All of the rations of lunch are depressingly small, however, as it is clear the limited food stores are being spread quite thin as it is. Supper is even more meagre, as the blueberry patch had already been stripped of everything ripe. Dark mutters circulate around camp at the lack of food; worries about what to do if the forest animals do not return soon to be hunted.
The next morning dawns clear and bright as you say good-byes to those remaining at camp, and to Rorse, Niesen, and Maenir as they prepare to head south. Whether you wish to say good-byes to the former prisoners heading north, I'll leave to you.
With good-byes said, you turn west and begin following the river.
North or south bank?
Looks like good weather for the next few days at least, although with enough moisture in the air to suggest perhaps a brief late-afternoon shower.
I'll assume a marching order of: Rommin, Varg, Lilo, Hickory, Finn, and Landis. If that doesn't make sense to people, let me know.
The forest is unusually quiet with no chattering of squirrels or calls of birds. Rommin suspects that it may take several weeks for animals to realize that the area is now "safe" to return to, longer for animals to once again frequent the area enough for hunting. The quiet of the forest is oppresive, especially as the heat of the day builds beneath the canopy.
After travelling for what you estimate is about a mile, the group finds a horrific mask attached to a tree trunk. Carved from wood with painted features and actual human hair for hair, the mask is fearsome to behold, partially due to the rictus of a snarl on the mask itself. You get uneasy just looking at it. The mask is positioned in such a way that anybody walking towards you would immediately see it. It appears to have several years of weathering on it.
While the others are studying the mask, Landis spots a well-used game trail just past the mask, complete with a few animal prints left in the moist earth. A squirrel from several trees further west chatters insults at you.
Finn approaches the mask, taking in the details of the barbaric thing, 'There Be nothin' O'beauty in this monstrosity. Whoever made it is fairly set on lettin' us know that we're not welcome.'
DM
untrained SoH
Edit: Ahahaha...a 3. Ahem.
Lashed with a leather cord.
"Actually, I'd say it's more a warning to not proceed to where we just came from, if I had to guess." Hickory says.
Leaning against his Glaive (Preparing to set it against anything Charging at him), Finn says (In his only other language, Elvish, hoping a few know it) 'We seem to have picked up a new traveling companion...in the bushes back behind you folks
"I think this might be a protected area, and the mask might be a marker for that". "Look here is a well used game trail behind this mask, and there are fresh prints here as well". "Obviously this area was not effected by the curse".
As you maintain your air of casualness in the face of a possible observer, Finn peers across the small clearing at the thick bushes, looking for more signs of movement. A whiff of wet dog and a low growl are the only warning you get as a massive, massive wolf leaps out of the foliage, baring two-inch long fangs at you. It's eyes glow red with an infernal fire.
Initiative:
Rommin:
Lilo:
Hickory:
Landis:
Warg:
Finn:
Fiendish Dire Wolf:
Initiative Order:
Rommin, Fiendish Dire Wolf, Finn, Lilo, Hickory, Landis, Warg
Up next: Rommin, Wolf, Finn
ROUND 1
OoC: Glaives do not have Brace,so... Also, the War Sight Insight (oracle) allows me 2 Initiative rolls, and I take the better of the 2, not that 16 isn't good, but If i can squeak out a 21...XD).
If the Warg Charges Finn, and he remains on his feet (CMD 17/16 FF vs. Trip), he will 5 foot step back and attack, Power Attacking +6 1D10+10
If he is not Charged, he will Charge the Warg, Power Attacking=Charge +8 1D10+10, Flanking of possible.
If he is knocked off of his feet, he will crawl (1/2 speed) 5 feet away, then Stand, rather than risk an AoOp from the Worg.
Sorry, Finn.
Roll 2
Well, it's better, but doesn't change the order.:)
Rommin, are you there? I'll give you a few more hours.
As the wolf steps out of the bushes, Rommin looses his arrow. The arrow flies true, scoring a nasty gash across its snout. As the arrow flies off, fiendish energies crackle along the wound, causing it to partially close over.
The wolf then turns to the source of the attack, snapping with its jaws.
Attack: ; damage: ; trip attempt:
Rommin ends up gashes nastily on his shoulder and upper chest, and then finds himself down on the ground.
As the dire wolf if making a snack out of Rommin, you notice the bushes to the northwest start to move.
Up next: ??, Finn, Lilo
Out of the bushes, a horse and rider break onto the scene.
The horse, unfortunately unable to charge due to the foliage, is unable to pierce the beast's hide. The warrior's spear, on the other hand, is more successful, digging a nasty gash that only superficially closes over.
Finn takes a 5-foot step back and plunges his glaive at the beast, missing miserably.
Attack: ; damage:
Lilo casts a spell, putting mage armour on himself.
Hickory stares in shock at the Skraeling on horseback for a moment before starting up her traditional inspirational song, giving everybody (including Noche'Wa) a +1 bonus to attack and damage.
Up next: Landis, Warg, Rommin
Landis cries out in rage, and steps to attack the beast with Demons Fate
Demons Rage Attack
Demons rage damage.