Having lost sight of the small dragon for a moment Bein quirks an eyebrow just as Pervilash reappears next to him, Bein barely holds back emitting a startled oath. He looks at the little dragon and laughs. "I was right, no way I can use your tricks! Because I definitely cannot do that..." Bein realizes that the little dragon hadn't stopped laughing yet and he finally noticed where it was looking."The drawing isn't that bad... Hmmm..." He sighs as he starts to redraw some of the little dragons features. Brushing away carefully so he doesn't mar the whole picture. "I guess your snout was a little off. And Tyg's nose is a little big as well..."
Xarafine's eyes follow the strange creatures as they flit about, and is unable to stifle a gasp at the tiny dragon's vanishing trick.
She swallows hard, and pastes on her best friendly smile.
"If you know this area, it would be helpful for us while we explore. We want to make a pretty picture of the...uh...leafy-land, but we do not want to wander into something dangerous simply because we did not know better."
They like the music-box. I'm glad. The corner of Volpe's mouth turns up a bit. No disrespect, Jack, but have you ever heard of a child's toy named Jack-in-the-Box? I'm thinking they haven't.Jack whispers to Volpe, finally a sense of humor returning to his serious green eyes.
"You are thinking of something, friend, I can see it. Should I be worried?"
"I have heard of such a thing." The way he leapt up at the sign of danger when he was younger caused some of his caravan mates to nickname him that, but he tried to conceal his chagrin. "Do we have one?"
"I have heard of such a thing." The way he leapt up at the sign of danger when he was younger caused some of his caravan mates to nickname him that, but he tried to conceal his chagrin. "Do we have one?"They like the music-box. I'm glad. The corner of Volpe's mouth turns up a bit. No disrespect, Jack, but have you ever heard of a child's toy named Jack-in-the-Box? I'm thinking they haven't.Jack whispers to Volpe, finally a sense of humor returning to his serious green eyes.
"You are thinking of something, friend, I can see it. Should I be worried?"
No, and now's not the time. It shouldn't be too hard to get one, though. Besides, I think it might be fun to replace the jester with some thing more ,um, interesting before I bestow the gift upon our new friends.
"If you know this area, it would be helpful for us while we explore. We want to make a pretty picture of the...uh...leafy-land, but we do not want to wander into something dangerous simply because we did not know better."
You want not to go to hurting places? Big hurting place sun-down end of forest. Metal-ground-teeth there hiding in grass, bad biggens who leave metal-ground-teeth not like tricks, he long-sleep now. Big furry-walker live in horn-head stone-biggens place he big-hurt.
Xarafine's brow creases with obvious unease.
"Long-sleep? Do you mean he is dead? Did he try to hurt you because he did not like your tricks, or did the...uh...big furry walker attack him?"
Bein is thankful to be hidden behind his horse, because listening to Teacher Xarafine try and keep up with these strange little creatures logic and... choice of words. Was making him chuckle, albeit very quietly behind Arundel, he gave Pervilash a wink as he smiled broadly and continued to draw. He did his best not to laugh out loud though because this was still serious business, but to hear Xarafine of all people say 'big furry walker' made him want to laugh.
Trying to distract himself Bein clears his throat roughly, to push past his chuckling and pipe's in. "Perhaps they could lead us to this place Teacher? It sounds like something we should scout out and see what danger it may hold for unwary travelers. Just a suggestion."
He didn't comment on the long sleep between children's stories and his days of fighting with the border patrol. The long sleep wasn't earned through magic, but with an arrow in the throat or an axe in the chest...
He hoped fervently that he was wrong...
Yes, yes, bigguns word for long-sleep is dead, Tyg remember. her eye narrow, Bad bigguns dead. Tyg and Pervilash not like bad bigguns. He make dead furry-runners, he make dead furry tree-climbers, he make dead stripy-furs, he make dead many furry-four-legs. He not eat! He just take skin from furry-four-legs! He not take skin from some, just leave! Furry-four legs hurt for long-time in metal-ground-teeth before dead! He bad bigguns! Pervilash make falling-tree fall on bad bigguns. Now bad bigguns not hurt furry-four-legs.
You want go to bad-bigguns? We take. Stripy-furs eat some bad-bigguns, not smell pretty. But if yous good-biggunses want go we take. she pauses, If we take good-biggunses to bad-bigguns you take away metal-ground-teeth?
You want go to bad-bigguns? We take. Stripy-furs eat some bad-bigguns, not smell pretty. But if yous good-biggunses want go we take. she pauses, If we take good-biggunses to bad-bigguns you take away metal-ground-teeth?
"I think this is a good idea. If we go together, we can take away all the wolf traps and the go and see where the dead trapper is. What is done is done, but next time, when you see a biggun do lots of things you don't like, come and tell us. We will try to talk to them."[b], says Finnabar, holding one of his hand out. [b]"Do we have a deal?"
"Oh, on before I forget, can you tell us where is that stone place with the big furry walker?"
Turning slighly towards the two conspirators, he adds "And Jack, when you have time, do you have any idea what that beast can be?"
Bein's journal closes with a loud snap, as Tyg's words echo deep in his heart, his mind locked on to her words and the border patrolmen in him was enraged. {Metal ground teeth... Sounds an awful lot like a powerful hunting trap, wasteful trapping.... That could only mean...! Bloody Poacher!} His eyes take on a bit of his inner fury, the only other thing he hated dealing with other then bandits were poachers. Bandits you were allowed to kill, but poachers... OH no you had to drag they're sorry carcasses back to the stocks and most of the time they were back at it within a WEEK!
He'd lost a good horse to such damnable traps that some sorry sack decided to leave 'just in case'. If the man were still alive, chivalry or not, Bein would flog them to the very inch. By all gods of creation he hated them so...
Taking a few slow breaths, to steady himself, Bein replied his voice nearly breaking. "It would please me greatly to remove such vile things from the forest. If you lead me there I will make short work of those devices and hopefully no other poor creature will suffer the foul bite of the metal-ground teeth."
Making sure he wouldn't strike Pervilash, Bein quickly put helm back into place. After strapping it on he removed his lance pennon and placed it, along with his journal, back in his saddlebags. With that he was ready, he stood by Arundel and awaited the command to mount up.
Arundel twitched as he grew excited about finally GOING somewhere! All this standing around wound up the young destrier like no other!
Xarafine pales at the mention of a tree being dropped on the trapper. She swallows, and again puts on a calm, friendly expression.
"Lea..lead on small friends. Let us see what we can do."
Jack, still smirking slightly from his hushed conversation with Volpe, looks up at Finnabar and nods.
"Could our new friends describe the, ah... 'big furry walker' a little more?
"And yes, let's keep an eye out for those traps." Jack frowns, as if he has a bad taste in his mouth. "It's a cruel and lazy way to hunt."
Considering the things they find funny, I'm worried to find out what scares them.
Tyg and Pervilash will take, yes? You take away metal-ground-teeth, good. You follow, Tyg and Pervilash will take now?
Xarafine exhales slowly, and her eyes warily follow the darting, flitting creatures. She keeps her smile pasted firmly on, though.
"Our thanks to the both of you."
Any results on Jack's attempt to identify the creatures the fey are talking about?
As his companions seems to be eager to go, Finnabar stands up and moves to his horse, signalling for the group to mount up and ride.
"Show us the way, then. Let's remove those traps."
As Lord Finnabar gives the command, Bein is already mounting up and Arundel snorts impatiently at the delays. once back in the saddle, Bein takes hold of his lance and raise's it so the tip is in the air, pointing towards the heavens. He then looks to Pervilash and nods his helm politely to Tyg "If you two are in need of rest you can rest yourselves on my saddlebags behind me, the blankets are near the top so it should be somewhat comfortable. I think there is sufficient room for the two of you. It is your choice." He waits a few moments for them to make a decision and get comfortable before moving to follow his comrades.
Pepper, yep, salt for pepper is nicely poetic.
Volpe checks his saddle and bridle with extra care, double checks all his equipment, and mounts up.
This is going to be more complicated than it seems, I just know it. If this turns out to be the punchline of an even larger prank, I might forget I'm a nice guy.
Jack re-mounts, looking about to his companions, Tyg, and Pervilash.
"Shall I take point as usual, or is Bein going to lead us with our friends pointing the way?"
The two fey flitter lightely onto Arundel's saddle, Tyg taking up a comfortable position whilst Pervilash, seeming unable to stay still for more than a minute at a time frequently launches into the air flitting between the different members of the party.
They lead you on small game-trails through the forest until the sun streaming through the trees starts to take on a reddish hugh as night approaches. [ooc](You have trecked through hex 18 and are just about to enter hex 12)
10th Day of Pharast
As darkness falls and you set your camp the two fey dissapear into the trees where they insist they will be more comfortable. The night passes uneventfully, and the fey return to lead you into the next area of the forest. After an hour or so of travelling the fey stop and Tyg points out a large bear trap hidden in the leaf-litter on the trail ahead. "There metal-ground-teeth. You take away now, yes? You take away all, Tyg will take to dead bad-bigguns."
The trap is well-hidden but you think that it should be easy to disable simply by jamming a stick into the mechanism, however whoever set the trap has chained it to a nearby tree and padlocked it.
Jack finds a roughly pole-sized stick and pokes it at the trap till he sets it off.
"It's chained to the tree, so someone might be able to come along and reset it. Do we have something we could break the padlock with?"
Jack finds a roughly pole-sized stick and pokes it at the trap till he sets it off.
"It's chained to the tree, so someone might be able to come along and reset it. Do we have something we could break the padlock with?"
"From what Tyg said, the owner won't reuse them. Can anyone deal with the padlocks? If not, the key must be on the owner body."
"Good idea, I hadn't thought of that. But if we leave these here, let's just hope he didn't have any associates."
As long as no one asks any more questions about it, then yes, I might be able to do something with it.
Volpe dismounts, retrieves a large leather wallet from his pack, and carefully approaches the trap. Depending on the real prey, the trap itself might be bait something more clever.
Bein smiles roguishly behind his helm at Volpe's comment, as he slowly surveyed the forest around them, before responding in turn. "A good man is skilled at what he does, a great man has talents no one knows of until it's needed. Once we remove these damnable devices, and sell them for scrap, I say Jack and Volpe get extra pay for their service."
Volpe moves forward and, after initial difficulty with the lock manages to open it. As you remove the trap Pervilash does a small cartwheel in the air whilst Tyg pipes up... "Yes, yes, you take away metal-ground-teeth. Good, very good! Tyg show you others now yes? Then take you to bad-bigguns?"
After your initial success you continue onwards through the forest. By the time Tyg announces you've finished the sun is setting but you've managed to collect 10 bear traps and have been able to map almost a third of this region of the forest.
"Where are these..uh..bad bigguns, Tyg? Are we close to them? Are we in danger of them finding us in the night if we set-up camp?"
Tyg looks slightly confused at your queation; "Bad-bigguns is biggens leave metal-ground-teeth. You ask see bad bigguns. Bad-bigguns long-sleep."
"Oh, Goodness! Yes, the dead..er..long-sleep bad-bigguns. Please..yes...take us to him."
Xarafine blushes at her obvious mistake.
Jack eyes the traps with a strange disgust as they collect them. "Thank goodness we have not so far found a creature mangled by these things."
Bein smiles roguishly behind his helm at Volpe's comment, as he slowly surveyed the forest around them, before responding in turn. "A good man is skilled at what he does, a great man has talents no one knows of until it's needed. Once we remove these damnable devices, and sell them for scrap, I say Jack and Volpe get extra pay for their service."
Jack self-consciously appraises his boots. "By all means, Volpe, certainly. But for me, I don't think poking a trap with a stick calls for combat pay, so to speak."
"Oh, Goodness! Yes, the dead..er..long-sleep bad-bigguns. Please..yes...take us to him."
"Actually, Teacher, you bring up an interesting point. We should check to be sure no one else is in the area or checking these traps, though I'm sure our companions," he nods, regarding Tyg and Pervilash, "Would likely have noticed."
Still, ever wary, Jack kneels down by the nearest trap with which they had been tampering, and looks around, checking for tracks and other signs of unusual presences--or if he can determine when was the last time a humanoid passed through here.
"If you had seen what one of those did to a horse I was riding... It was a horribly way for a beautiful horse to go and sadly I couldn't do anything to the sod who ruined her..." He dismounts and keeps a close eye on where Arundel is stepping, he moves back to Avari and grabs up some spare rope as he prepares to tie up the traps for easier transport. After securing the traps on Avari's back, he turns to look back at his comrades. "Shall I ready camp or are we pushing onward to meet the sleeping-biggun?"
Jack eyes the traps with a strange disgust as they collect them. "Thank goodness we have not so far found a creature mangled by these things."
Bein smiles roguishly behind his helm at Volpe's comment, as he slowly surveyed the forest around them, before responding in turn. "A good man is skilled at what he does, a great man has talents no one knows of until it's needed. Once we remove these damnable devices, and sell them for scrap, I say Jack and Volpe get extra pay for their service."Jack self-consciously appraises his boots. "By all means, Volpe, certainly. But for me, I don't think poking a trap with a stick calls for combat pay, so to speak."
We've all seen combat, if you're dishing out bonuses. Aside from momentarily forgetting that these were eastern locks, this was a pretty simple task. as far as I'm concerned, I'm just doing my part.
Bein smiles roguishly behind his helm at Volpe's comment, as he slowly surveyed the forest around them, before responding in turn. "A good man is skilled at what he does, a great man has talents no one knows of until it's needed. Once we remove these damnable devices, and sell them for scrap, I say Jack and Volpe get extra pay for their service."We've all seen combat, if you're dishing out bonuses. Aside from momentarily forgetting that these were eastern locks, this was a pretty simple task. as far as I'm concerned, I'm just doing my part.
Shaking his head at the ongoing conversation, Finnabar replies:
"Wow, wow, wow, I think you're getting a little out of focus, Bein. We'll be paid once the mission is accomplished but in the mean time, we pay ourselves with our findings and I'm not going to make differences based on "normal" activity. I'm not going to turn into an accountant.""For our next move, let's explore fully here now and tomorrow morning to be sure we do not miss other traps or something else.We'll go to see the trapper body tomorrow afternoon."
Mentally recoiling as if he had been slapped, Bein leans back in the saddle before righting himself and regaining his composure. He slowly places his lance in its cradle and draws his sword, moving to a defensive position near his comrades. His tone is serious as he speaks again. "Yes, Sir. My apologies comrades, it shan't happen again."
Mentally recoiling as if he had been slapped, Bein leans back in the saddle before righting himself and regaining his composure. He slowly places his lance in its cradle and draws his sword, moving to a defensive position near his comrades. His tone is serious as he speaks again. "Yes, Sir. My apologies comrades, it shan't happen again."
It's all right, Bein. The sentiment was appreciated. We all have talents. Without your care, our horses wouldn't be nearly as capable or well behaved.
11th Day of Pharast
After another restfull night you wake to a new, sunny day. Gathering up your belongings you once again set off to finish exploring this section of the Narlmarches forest. This area of the forest is somewhat more open and the going is consequently easier. As you travel, stopping occasionally to take your bearings and sketch in the area you've travelled on your map.
As you move eastwards the land slopes gradually downwards and you come, finally to a small area with few large trees and the ground seems firmer. The ground is covered with a thin layer of leaves and moss which give way in the centre of the clearing revealing a spiraling pattern of black paving stones which converges on a pedastal on which sits the bottom half of a now-broken statue. The statue has a similar style to the arch through which you came into the Stolen Lands - the Restov Gate. This statue seems to have originally been sitting in a cross-legged pose, all that survives being the naked legs of a very thin woman. The upper half of the statue (also naked) lies on the ground but there is no sign of its head. At the base of the pedestal a small basin catches a trickle of water which flows from a small hole in the pedestal.
Xarafine studies the statue intently, trying to recall if its pose or depiction matches any specific references from her studies.
Raising her hands and the Speaking Staff before her, she speaks a prayer in Canari:
"Great Fillan, Scholar of Scholars, grant me revelation."
"There is something unusual about this water. It may have restorative properties. I would like to take a sample of it to study. Do we have any empty flasks or waterskins among our supplies?"
Jack thinks. "I think we have a spare pot... otherwise maybe we can make something makeshift out of some canvas?"
Bein dismounts and studiously checks the packs mules for a spare waterskin, after finding nothing more then the cooking pot he gives up. Moving back over to Arundel and his personal saddlebags, he unstraps his second waterskin and quickly downs what little water is left. Shutting his visor again he pours what little remains on the ground and before moving over to Teacher Xarafine.
He proffers the now empty waterskin to Xarafine. "Will this work, Teacher?" As he waits for her to take it he keeps his eye out for movement around them.
Xarafine takes the skin, and smiles at the young cavalier.
"Thank you, Bein."
She kneels down by the spring of water and fills the empty skin from it. She steps away from the statue and kneels down onto her heels.
Removing one of her stars from her belt, she whispers softly in Canari:
"Blessed Viardi, forgive this act that harms your gift. Master Fillan, grant me discovery, so that the knowledge gained will serve you both."
Using the point of the star, she lances the end of the smallest finger of her left hand, drawing blood.
Unstopping the skin of spring water, she carefully pours a small amount of it over the wound, and observes the results. If nothing happens, she puts the waterskin to her lips and drinks a mouthful of the water.
The statue appears to have been broken some time ago - the stone of the cut is worn and lichen is growing over the break.
As Xerafine drinks the water the small cut on her hand seems to somehow close over and knit itself back together. The water itself tastes wonderful - somehow purer than the freshest springwater.
Now that's impressive! That water could come in handy. Not that I'm eager to test the limits of its ability. We should be careful how we reveal the location of this font. Someone with a more mercantile than compassionate mind might try to take advantage of it.
Finnabar eyes widen at the sign of the gods.
"This must be an ancient god sanctuary. If the remaining power is healing, this place was truly blessed."