"I will also watch. We can look for dead branches, make a tiny fire for food and warmth. We do not want to alert others, but predators will smell us no matter. When night falls I will see the stars and know perhaps more. Maybe Muuki the wind spirit will be kind to us tonight."
Thoros will take 20 on his survival check to set up camp.
"I need solid sleep to use my spells."
"Well, I'll take 2nd or 3rd watch. If we have three splitting, that'd be roughly 3 hours, with 4 it would be 2 hours each watch."
He digs around in his bag for a lantern, and a flash of oil, and checks the levels in the reservoir.
"Unless we find more oil, we've got only a very limited supply, please light it only in emergency, so we can make it last. I'm glad to hear that we have some magics with us, it may save our lives. I know the adventurers that come through rarely went anywhere without any."
And with that he nods thanks to the expertise of Thoros, takes a minute to unbuckles his armor, and tries to go to sleep.
Xipe takes first watch and sits with her back to the tree, her bow strung and arrows at the ready. She pulls a blanket around somewhat to give herself a shapeless form against the tree trunk. She maintains vigil until she wakes Even Fell.
She returns to her blanket and strips off her hide shirt armor. Deciding to maintain a watch of the watch she sits for a bit not sleeping, then determines that if the wolves come she will give them what for. She pulls her dagger from its sheath, and blade in hand, lets a light sleep take over.
Before going to sleep,
"Wake me up when its my turn"
Vladimir gets a comfortable location near the fire. It looks at Even and thinks to himself,
Too Too happy I don't wear the armor like some of them, I would never sleep.
Vlad gets out a blanket, lays his sickles at his side and removes his wrist sheath and associated dagger. He then goes to sleep.
"Sleep tight people"
The night passes, as each unwilling participant take a watch. Xipe, hears crickets chirping in the grasses. Even gets up, when his turn and takes watch and hears a hooting of an owl in the tree overhead. The owl looks down upon him, and hoots again. Vlad takes his turn, and is kept in check by Thoros' light snoring. Vladimir is fortunate as no predators of the plain want to try and claim them as food.
The group is full rested, Thoros' connection with his deity seeming to be strong. The survivalists continue northward, hoping to find a landmark, Firestone...anything as a sign of hope, but not before Even ascends the tree to gain a better advantage. He focuss his eyes, as the sun rises due east. He focuses northwards, squinting and he happens to see what looks like a treeline. He just hopes this isn't the wizard playing mind games, as a forest would mean more shelter, food source, and possibly another way out of the damned place they are in.
"See anything up there?" the boy asks Even.
He has been doing his best to keep up, and to his credit, has not been complaining about the pace. Regardless, a look of near panic seems to be concealed just beneath the surface of his youthful face.
Vladimir happy that another day is upon them begins to whistle as he gathers his things and they move further northward.
Speaking to no one in particular Vlad begins to ramble,
"Hmm curiously the wizard choose us, why us? What do you think?
Xipe wakens, crawling from under her blanket, and dressing. She nibbles at a portion of her single day of rations. Perhaps some game will make itself available.
If she waited long enough, surely a bird would land in the tree.
"Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news! I can ... JUST make out what looks like a tree line. The bad news? I can only just see it, so it's another goodly walk before we get there. We've already walked farther than I was hoping that the Island would be. I wish I remembered how big the island was..."
"As for why us? Well, I really don't know much about it, other than it happens every couple years... and that the Wizard seems to have an aversion to grabbing actual adventurers."
He finishes climbing down from the tree and reaches for his breastplate and looks to Yurian, hoping to distract him for a moment. "Mind helping me back into this? I can do it alone, but it's so much more comfortable with an extra pair of hands.'
After that task is done, he gathers up his gear and carefully stows the unused lantern back in the bag, and finishes the last of his quickly perishing food.
Once they head north again, he tries to stay a few feet/yards ahead of anyone else, Halberd loose in hand, used mostly as a walking stick for the moment.
Your group starts walking north, with a slight northwest angle. Your morning is very uneventful, which can be seen as a good thing. Around midday, as you travel across the plains, Vladimir, keeping an eye out for any predators sees something strange up ahead, a tuft of grass seems out of place. He pokes at it, and with enough pressure caused it to collapse in on itself.
Before him is a pit, only about 7 feet deep, and crudely made. Inside at the bottom of the pit appears to be a set of bones, a cloth bag, and 4 spikes.
Even takes a good long look around (Take 20, 28 perception) looking for a: signs of anyone lying in wait for their pit trap to claim someone, b: signs of tool marks vs claws on the pit, c: sturdiness off the walls, d: signs that there are more than 4 spikes in the bottom and e: A safe place to drop down into.
Once he's satisfied...
"If someone's willing to give me a hand up, I'm willing to carefully drop down and collect what's there. Anyone want to give the poor fellow last rights? I'm afraid I might misremember something important."
As the group seems to travel cautiously, Xipe will occasionally attempt to use her bird call kit to rustle up grouse, pheasants or any other birds that may nest in the grasses.
"So you want to be dead guys friend and go down de hole. You must be careful of poisons you know. How about we try dis?"
Vlad decides to lay down beside the hole and see if he can snag the bag with his sickle.
"Someone hold my feet and I grab no hook de bag wit my sickle or anyone have fishing line and a hook?"
"Hook, no line." Xipe pulls and unwraps a fishing hook from her gear.
"Great! Great! My 50' of twine and your hook, we got a bag."
Even takes a good long look around (Take 20, 28 perception) looking for a: signs of anyone lying in wait for their pit trap to claim someone, b: signs of tool marks vs claws on the pit, c: sturdiness off the walls, d: signs that there are more than 4 spikes in the bottom and e: A safe place to drop down into.
Even looks around, there isn't a peep made, there appears to be nobody lying in wait. He shimmies down the side, grabs the satchel and gets back up top. While doing this, Xipe grabs her bird call. A few whistles and nothing comes. A moment later a pheasant flies towards her, which she easily nabs with an arrow.
The retrieved satchel appears in good condition seeing as the spikes have seen better days and are quite brittle. Inside the satchel is trail rations for 2 days, and 10 sling bullets.
The group continues to travel north, towards the treeline spotted by Even. It is the early afternoon. 60 feet ahead of the group is a wolf in the grass, it appears to be gnawing on something. It's ears perk up, and it looks in your direction. It begins to move towards your group, looking angry its meal was interrupted.
Initiative
Initiative tracker: wolf is 60' away, flat footed
Vlad: go
Xipe: go
Yurian: go
Me:
Even:
Thoros:
Yurian brings up his crossbow, siting down on the growling wolf.
Xipe hangs the pheasant from her pack, a few of its long tail feathers make their way woven into her hair braid.
--
Upon seing the wolf and curious about its kill, Xipe brings an arrow to her tattooed cheek. It seems unlikely a lone wolf would attack a group of humans. But it may have a deer kill or other meal, and one less wolf is one less wolf hunting them at night.
Vlad seeing the wolf in the distance pulls out his blades and moves directly northeast of the party 15' while trying to stay low.
"We get behind him, take him and his dinner."
Yurian and Xipe both let their projectiles fly. They embed themselves in the side of the wolf. It howls in pain and rushes forward in anger at the intrusion of its meal. Vlad tries to move stealthily but it easily pinpoints the man with the strong odor it is giving off. It takes a bite at Xipe instead as she is closer than Vladimir.
Initiative tracker: wolf is next to Xipe, charged
Vlad: go (round 2)
Xipe: go (round 2)
Yurian: go (round 2)
Me:
Even: go (round 1)
Thoros: (go round 1)
Vlad moves back to flank the wolf as planned.
Even watches the wolf rush in, and moves to flank with Xipe, glad that she was missed.
"I got him! Wow!"
Trying not to let his momentary excitement get the best of him, Yurian lines up another shot and again let's his quarrel fly.
Vladimir comes towards the wolf and with two quick slashes brings the wolf's threat to an end. A slag across the back and then the final o e to the throat line.
The group sees why the wolf was so...unhappy with your presence. Near the wolf's original location there is a dead and partially gnawed on antelope. There is enough food left on the antelope as well as the wolf itself to sustain the group for 3-4 days of sustenance, as well as the remaining time if today; if the meat is prepared in a timely manner.
Thoros will charge at the wolf with his spear.
Longspear attack
"That's ... quite a bit of meat. I think that we should take our time and prepare that for the long road ahead. I can't imagine that we won't regret not doing so if we skimp here."
Even down looks at another creature felled before he's had more than a chance to blink, and wonders to himself if the wizard underestimated the group, and hopes that things don't suddenly get harder than they can deal with.
"De work is done for de day. Excellent idea Even, take care of it."
Vlad cleans his blades on the grass around and starts helping the others setup camp for the night while Even prepares the meat.
"I'll take de first watch tonight, aye."
After all is setup and the others set down for sleep Vlad walks the edge peering into the surrounding area for any movement.
Yurian dashes forward to get a better look at the 'monster' they just defeated.
"I know a few things about preserving! Can't live on the street if you don't know how to make the meat last, when you get it! This wolf looks amazing! Can't believe I got him! On the first try too! I want to make a cape out of his pelt, and a necklace out of his teeth!"
"We don't have enough salt or anything like that for the meat, so we'll have to either smoke it, or hang it somewhere for the wind to dry it, but that takes a lot longer. Can somebody start digging us a pit for a fire? We'll need to trap the smoke in, so the deeper the better!"
Yurian pulls his durable crossbow bolt from the carcass before drawing out his knife to start to work on skinning it.
"Yes we can smoke it, or cook over a fire tonight."
Xipe looked at Yurian, trying to decide how old he was. She was only sixteen herself, but felt the equal of any adult here. He seemed so...boyish. She decided he wouldn't last long out here, and might even start crying if things got bad. But then again, she saw a tenacity in him. Perhaps she misjudged. Who was she to know people anyhow. She had scarcely been in contact with anyone but the fierce nomadic people of her or other tribes.
She assisted with the skinning, and preparation of the meat, adding her own pheasant to the mix.
Xipe and Yurian are able to take the wolf carcass as well as the antelope carcass and efficiently skin them and prepare the meat for the long smoke ahead. The group makes camp, as they all decide having plenty of meat can never be a bad thing. After preparing the meat and wolf pelt, the group sets watches and beds down for the night.
Everything goes smooth for Vladimir. He paces the perimeter, and with a few cricket chirps, there ate no other sounds except for the fire and the sleeping. Vladimir wakes Even for his watch. All goes well for the first half, but during the second half things get less carefree.
In the moonlight, he sees a figure approaching, it appears to be a humanoid silhouette, about human size and 60 feet from the group.
Even lights the lantern and calls out loudly enough to wake the others.
Well met by Moonlight! Who goes there?!
Xipe stirs instantly, her dagger immediately ready. She grabs her hide shirt and immediately start buckling it on, donning it hastily.
"Bah, What now? I just went to sleep."
Vlad sits up looking to see what the ruckus is all about. As always he sleeps with his wrist sheath off and sickles by his bedroll and blanket.
Thoros grudgingly wakes up and grabs his longspear.
The figure keeps coming closer, it is now 30 from the group. You can see tattered rags hangs from the individual. The stench is...well...putrid to say the least. Any worse and your stomachs would churn.
Initiative
Tracker: round 1: enemy is 30' away
Xipe: go
Even: go
Thoros: go
Me:
Vlad:
Yurian:
Thoros steps forward raising his right hand and casts burning hands
Reflex save vs DC 13 for half damage.
Even moves forward and steps between Thoros and the advancing creature and takes a good look. As soon as he determines it's a foe he attacks defensively. (AC 18)
As the creature closes Xipe will abandon her armor donning and instead strings her bow and knocks an arrow.
Slipping back into the foliage/grass, she draws another arrow.
The creature takes the full brunt of flame that envelops it that Thoros so graciously bestowed upon it. The stench is stronger than ever, like burning, rotting garbage. As Even closes on the humanoid, he sees it is smaller than a normal man. It could have been a halfling, gnome or even a small boy like Yurian.
He can see the clothes are ragged and torn. The flesh is rotted and putrid. Even recalls takes of bards and minstrels with creatures who were once dead and walk amongst the living. These are known as undead, skeletons and zombies wanting to spread their destruction on the living. Zombies are slow and can only be really hurt by slashing weapons.
Even, is shocked and fails to connect. Xipe easily hits the clumsy enemy. The rubbery flesh absorbs the brunt of the arrow that would kills most animals, but still seems to do considerable damage.
The zombie retaliates against even who is nearest it. Even easily dodges the futile slam attempt.
Tracker: round 1: enemy is 30' away unless noted
Xipe: go round 2
Even: go round 2 (next to it)
Thoros: go round 2 (15' away)
Zombie: done (9 damage)
Vlad: go
Yurian: go
Even, impressed with the gout of flame erupting in the night, recenters himself and strikes true.
"Let me know if I'm in the line of fire. I think this is one of the undead, perhaps a Zombie? Don't zombies resist all but the strongest of blows, but can be cut relatively easy?"
If someone asks him to move, he 5' steps away from Thoros' and Xipe's line of attack.
Vlad grabs his sickles and heads to the party whereby he begins to encircle the walking dead creature. He expects that he could eventually attack it unaware of his presence.
Xipe creeps sideways in the underbrush moving slowly to snipe at the creature, keeping within 30'. She looses another arrow at it, careful to not hit her companions.
Even, with a quick slice of his halbred, cuts the putrid walking abomination off at the legs. The threat is over, and the night returns to quiet after a few moments.
The remainder of the night goes by uneventful, Thoros manages to sleep enough to get his magical prowess back, and if all goes well the treeline spotted a day before should be reach around midday.
Thoros gets up and spends the first hour preparing his spells.
"Shall we continue for the treeline? "
Come daylight Vlad gathers his things and decides to take a closer look at the thing they killed. It was hard enough going to sleep as he kept picturing the thing getting back up.
"Morn all. I wonder what brought dis ting back from de graves? We best get a move on before more come."