Arcadia - Land of Opportunity (Inactive)

Game Master Nazard

Noche'Wa keeps his smile even though he can hardly follow the conversation. He offers: "Big Eagle, danger, yes!"

"Like he said,there's a bird out there the size of a house..I'd say that was a..'clear and present danger' we need a plan to deal with it or it could be here next."

Wondering if removing the bird was truly a good idea, Finnegan speaks up,

'Back home we once had a problem with a Manticore. The men of my Clan banded together and hunted the monster down, slaying it after a running battle of several hours. Once they killed it, Goblin attacks in the area increased,doubling within a week, and again within another week. The little vermin burned three villages and had killed near a hundred folk by the time they were driven back into the forest from whence they had skulked.
I think that we should explore more, see what 'goblins' this mighty bird might be keeping in check, before we remove such a powerful hunter from this nw ecosystem, eh?'

After, Finn will head towards the nearest fire, hoping to find a spot of tea of (Wistfully) something stronger to drink.

"Like Foxes and Rabbits hmm..? Aye I can see where the problems might be..but perhaps it's the crabs it likes and was only defending it's hunting grounds..I really don't know enough about animals to make any sort of judgement."

We can set up a defense in case. Perhaps spears that an settler can grab, or hedgehogs of spears big enough for settlers to duck under if attacked. In the meantime, we can have the watch keep an eye on the skies. We may be too far north to be part of its hunting grounds.

Noche'Wa nods in approval as he makes sense of the words spoken by his companions. "Explore more?"

"Explore more, yes. I would like your group to try further up river...perhaps a few days' travel, again, taking care to avoid contact with any Skraeling settlements, and determine if it's navigable beyond that lake you discovered. Of course, we'll take tomorrow as a day of rest and mourning for our lost compatriots."

"Yeah". "Now that we know about big hungry bird...we can stay away from him". "I'm all up for some more exploration".

"Lake... Boats?"

Lilo spends the evening in contemplation walking the shore..his mind on Rorse. Looking to the south his eyes narrow..

"one day" he mutters to himself.."one day you are going to get a big surprise my fine feathered friend"

Nodding his assent with Lord Brycen's decision from the warmth of a campfire, Finnegan returns to his meal.

Rommin listens to Brycen quietly. After he goes, Rommin smiles and says to the others It will be good to get out in the wild again. Away from these crowds.

That evening, Noche'Wa will make renewed efforts to practice speaking in the language of metalmen. He will not allow himself to slip to Skraeling when confused.

Are we going to try and keep this game going? Seems to have slowed beyond a crawl.

Earth to Nazard..come in Nazard

It has slowed down, my fault I'm afraid. Although we still have two original players, every time we lose one, my enthusiasm for this game takes a hit (despite always picking up new and excellent players). Then I was moving, which made all my PbP games take a big hit.

If we're all still interested, I'm ready to give it another go and push on. We have a whole interior of a continent to explore (or at least a small part of one).

The mood in camp that night is sombre and still, as all the colonists (save Kuras who comes over to make some lewd crack about how if you're all so afraid of big birds, you should never walk in on him in the bath) feel the weight of your recent loss. The half-orc's rough laughter jars the mood.

Despite the dark night, the next morning dawns bright and clear as you assemble for your trip inland.

Good!

Noche'Wa wakes before dawn and walks to the embers, reviving with care the fire. He begins a soft and quiet chant as he shovels the smoke above his head with his feather, cleansing his spirit and asking for guidance.

He'll pack his things and walk back to the fire to enjoy a big, if very weird, breakfast. "This time, we bring shovel..."

Lilo and Hickory are ready to go immediately after breakfast.

"So what is our plan..there was a canoe or something wasn't there?"

I'm more comfortable on foot, but we'd make better time by water. I'd be inclined to say the slower pace might be to our advantage; we're less likely to miss the lair of a creature that is a threat to the colony, or a grove, mineral deposit or similiar valuable find.

"Well the simple fact is some off us just don't walk as fast as the rest off you..mind you we couldn't take the horse with us on a canoe.."

"Anyone know how to build a canoe? If yes, then we build canoe at the lake! Shadwath can wait for me here if it is better." He points at his horse for the last sentence.

Pulling on his boots, a biscuit of some hard tack in his mouth, Finnegan joins the group of companions.
"Mind ye, Iam not the best rower of boats, but those canoes do look easy enough to port about, should we be'needin' ta move fast,or easy to hide in the brush... I vote fer them."

"By land or by water matter not to me". "I am ready to explore". "This is why I came on this merry chase".

Assuming the group wishes to leave Noche'Wa's horse behind, Lord Brycen swears that it will be well tended, and fodder found for it.

Either way, it's a little more than half a day's journey to return to the waterfall, scale the bluff, and make your way to where you left the canoe you found. The long, narrow lake opens up ahead of you, clear and fresh. No hint of woodsmoke or sign of buildings scar the pristine landscape before you.

Are you using the canoe?

I think we wanted to bring canoe along with us. Does that make any sense? If it doesn't, then I wonder if the five of us (if there is no NPC coming along) can fit in it.

Cue appropriate music

So you all drag the war canoe to the edge of the lake and climb aboard. It's a wobbly craft, much more prone to tipping than the rowboats or dinghies you might be more familiar with, but Noche'Wa knows the way of it, and with a few gentle instructions, it's not hard to figure out how to make it go (finding paddles in the bushes certainly helps). The canoe, while tippy, is lithe and quick in the water, and you can propel it with very little strain. The war canoe acts like a rowboat, but with only 50 hp, a speed of 50, and an acceleration of 20. It can seat 8.

You head out onto the long, narrow lake, zipping across the surface of the cool, clear water. A couple more hours brings dusk to the land, and you pull over at a likely camping spot to rest.

Unlike camp back at the colony, the animals had not abandoned this place, and the forest is alive with the sounds of squirrels, owls, wolves, and other forest denizens. Although you hear many rustlings in the night, nothing approaches your fire.

The next morning dawns clear and fresh.

I should get a watch rotation from you for future nights. Which direction do you wish to go - further up river, or more inland?

Put Lilo and Hickory on permanent last watch..that way the halflings make breakfast an advantage for everyone

I think we are light in the darkvision department, so Rommin will take a middle of the night watch with his low light vision and high perception rolls.

Rommin grimaces the first time they put the boat in the water, but reluctantly goes along with it. His face blanches as they push out onto the relatively calm river. When the time comes for a choice on inland or more river travel, Rommin will advocate for going inland.

He is still haunted by his experience travelling to Arcadia, but won't show his discomfort in front of the others.

So, for watches, we have Rommin in middle shift, and halflings in last shift. That leaves Noche'Wa, Finn, and Landis to place. Shall we put Landis on with Rommin, and the spellcasters on first watch? Spell casters usually like having unbroken sleep. Do we still have Warg with us?

Rommin votes for moving inland. Other votes?

Watch schedule sounds good to me. And we are here to explore not cruise, so sure...let's head inland.

Lilo and Hickory have a whispered conversation during their watch so as not to waken anyone

Come breakfast Lilo announces the result of that.."We are off the opinion that the chances are higher of finding a village somewhere on the lake shore..possibly the one this canoe came from originally..if that is the case then we propose that we travel the length of the lake before making any decision as to what course of action to follow next...we can see both sides from the water so it should be easy to see any habitation."

Survival 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Rommin concentrates on the world around him, trying to determine what the weather for the day will be. If he thinks it will be windy, he'll make a tea out of the remaining dose of herbs meant to combat sea sickness. Regardless of whether he thinks he'll need the tea or not, he'll examine closely what herbs are in the mixture, hoping he can duplicate it closely for further waterbound adventures.

We can certainly circumnavigate the lake, staying close to the shore. Remember, on the water, out from under the canopy of the forest, we are vulnerable from the air. We'll have to keep a sharp watch as we travel.

Finn will happily take first watch, either with somebody else, or merely with Brannagh to keep him company.
"As far as inland or elsewise, I am fer skirtin' the shore a bit. perhaps we kin fine signs of folk, and then head inland from that point."

I'm good with the watch schedule.

Noche'Wa looks at Finnegan and frowns, slowly deciphering the man's accent to get to its meaning. He then busts out: "Ah! Ah! Yes! Yes! Very well done Friend! I agree we should follow the bank in the boat. It's the simplest way to navigate through this territory. Shores are often bogged and straddled with fallen trees. Best is lake." a big smile remains on his face as his eyes fill with laughter. "I'm good with walking too."

So the consensus I seem to be getting is to stick with the lake, looking for Skraeling settlements along the shore. What I'm not sure about is whether or not you are canoeing along the shore, or heading out into the middle of the lake. I will point out that a canoe full of people in the middle of the lake will be obvious for people on shore to spot. Lord Brycen did ask for the group to be discrete (although looking back now on my earlier posts, I think I forgot to include that rather extremely important piece of information, so I'll mention it now! You were asked to avoid direct contact if possible, as Brycen is concerned that if local settlements learn of the presence of the colony, they'll move in to attack it out of fear. Scouting and noting the location of settlements is your mission at the moment.)

"Hugging the shore is best! I don't know if Skraelings are dangerous or aggressive here."

"Agreed then we explore from the water first and if we find somewhere suitable to forge inland then we take that."

OoC:Skirt th Lake,I think...

So, the next morning the group piles into the canoe and sets off again, Rommin looking slightly green, but otherwise hale and hearty. You paddle along the shore, which takes very few dips or turns, as the lake runs pretty much straight and true, with no coves or inlets to speak of. There are also no settlements - no signs of human life, no smoke curls, no ruins, nothing but pristine wilderness.

As the sun is getting down and your shoulders and arms are protesting so loudly you can almost make out the words, a small, stoney beach presents itself as a perfect spot for camping for the night.

As the canoe closes,Finn casts Light on a stone,itself within a small bag. As the canoe reaches the shore (Should that be the choice), Finn will disembark, the stone ready to be brought forth as the darkness requires,Brannagh cradled on his shoulder, in case He is likewise needed.

Perception 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

Rommin will find a nearby high point to keep a watch over the landing site while camp is set up.

Noche'Wa, as they reach the shore, warns his companions: "What is good for us is good for others. This place might have been used by others. Stand back friends while I look for signs of their passage!"

Survival: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Noche'Wa finds signs of previous campfires on the beach, but they look to be months old, if not longer.

Lilo and Hickory make notes on the jouney as they progress down the lake the young bard taking an interest in evey new bird and tree she spots.Lilo suggests that someone try fishing as he's fed up with salted rations and berries.

"How far do you think we have come today" he asks as they prepare the evening meal

Noche'Wa, showing the signs of old campsites, asks Rommin: "Do you think they used this place to go further on the lake, or to go in the forest?"

Survival: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

Later, he'll ask whether they should try to hunt some game, though it is late in the day.

"Anything is better than salt pork again." is Lilo's reply

Between Rommin and Noche'Wa, it should be easy for the group to catch some fish while the party is paddling along. Hickory is certainly willing to give it a try under Rommin's tutelage, and while the bigger folk are paddling, the little folk can fish. Fresh lake trout is indeed much tastier than salted pork.

Noche'Wa can't tell who used the campfire, although he can find evidence of several over the years, meaning this is or was probably a popular stopping point for travelers.

Finn searches the banks for worms of other small critters to use as bait for the fishermen

Survival (+2Synergy for their roll)1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11