I bought 20 ;)
:)
Let's....ride......
After re-equipping, the travellers follow the river valley to the south-west. The river here is fast-flowing and runs in a steep-sided valley thick with willows and alders.
"Yum! I found some nettles!"
forage
can this clay be edible?.....
The day and the following night pass without incident.
The next day, the explorers continue heading along the Shrike. The landscape here is quite dramatic, with the valley deepening and narrowing between rocky outcrops that rise to cliffs. To the south and east can be seen a chain of mountains, grey and craggy. Normally a hazy line in the distance, at this location the Tors of Levenies are quite close, though the party's course will take them away as they head down the river towards the site of the kobold lair. The mountains are not especially high, and here the peaks are clear of snow in the summer heat. However, they are reputed to rise much taller further south.
After a few hours, the adventurers come across a series of cascades, each about thirty feet high, as the river drops through a gorge. Halfway along, another river enters the Shrike from the south-west, adding to the water that tumbles over the jagged rocks. Clearly the hunter the party had bumped into was telling the truth - these falls make the Shrike all but unnavigable. In fact, it's tricky getting round these falls on horseback, never mind in a boat.
athletics check.....
forage
The walls of the gorge close overhead but, against better judgement, the explorers press on in hope of a path through it. Sadly, their painstaking picking across wet rocks and along sheer cliffs comes to an abrupt end at a high cataract. The water tumbles over the edge in a frothing spray, casting permanent rainbows. But there is no route alongside the river and the gorge is sheer without even a goat path. The adventurers are forced to turn about and make their way back, to follow a more roundabout route across the rugged plains, losing a day in the process.
Fortunately, that night is restful and quiet. And even knowing there is no easy route along the Shrike here is worthwhile to the mappers.
The following day, the party rejoin the Shrike below the falls and continue south-west.
"Well. THAT was fun!" Marc declares, obnoxiously cheerful as they set up camp after retracing their steps for an entire day.
"At the very least, we found that great spot for swimming!" :)
Picking up on Marc's tone... Terra remarks "You'll be by yourself for that sort of swimming..."
"I don't know how to swim."
Taking in the beauty of the area and enjoying the travel, Hasren "forgets" his former daily travel ritual.
Picking up on Marc's tone... Terra remarks "You'll be by yourself for that sort of swimming..."
"What a shame." He replies straight-faced. Clearly not at all put off by the obvious rebuttal. (Either he's he's simply used to it, or he's simply clueless as to what Terra's tone meant. Either way,...) ;P
"Maybe we can catch some fish here? A change from dried meat and grass soup would be nice."
:)
The next day, unlike the previous, is relatively restful. The group continue to map, travelling roughly south-west along the valley. The terrain is fairly rough, with outcrops of dark rock amidst rough grass and scrubby bushes, but much easier to negotiate than the gorge. The terrain drops fairly quickly here, following the tumbling river down along its course.
After progressing a few miles further, they rest up for the night, which is quiet. Another day dawns and they set off again. The explorers have not been molested by the wildlife or supernatural forces since setting off from Oleg's. This could be considered a comfort - or perhaps simply ominous.
"Nice. I could get used to this."
Aid another for foraging
"Hey, naturebabies. I hasn't seen any wild things for a while. Is that normal?"
"Of course!" Marc immediately Pipes up. The relatively uneventful travel has brought the dandy's joviality back out in full force. He seems to be taking this particular trip as a sight-seeing vacation.
"No doubt the very wildlife has heard of our exploits by now. They give us a clear path out of respect for our prowess!" He grins.
"I've got a baaaaaad feeling about this...."
"They're out there Aleph, they're just making sure you don't see them!" Hasren teases.
[ooc]nature check to see if i can figure out why so quite...[ooc]
The explorers' sedate passage down the Shrike River continues the following day. The group pausing to forage and survey the landscape, the sunny day stretches on. In fact, it is hot, humid and sticky, the temperature dulling the senses.
I have no idea why everything is so calm but it looks like that is about to change.
We have a big thunderstorm coming in, let us start looking for a place to weather the storm.
The sky darkens and thunder rumbles in the distance.
Marc glances upwards at Terra's warning. He shakes off the lethargy the heat and humidity have brought on and sits a little straighter in the saddle. (Not too much straighter, he's still getting used to actually riding more than a block.)
"I'm guessing that the tents are a bad idea? So we're looking for a cave then? or at least higher ground?" He asks while looking about, as if expecting the landscape to provide the answer to his request.
"Won't running for the high ground just get us hit by lightning?" Heimoth nervously eyes his heavy armour. "We should wait it out underneath big tree, unless we can find a cave."
"Well, unless you can swim in that cast iron kettle, i suggest you look for a tree that's not on the valley floor." Marc expounds as if he actually knows what he's talking about.
aid another
perception
"I see.....a castle. With a guy in a bodice and nuthuggers. He looks sorta vampirey..... Just kidding."
With her ability to read the land coupled with her elven senses, Terra finds a narrow cleft in a rock face besides the splashing river.