Finnabar breaks into a run to catch Bein and Xarafine.
We are in the next round but i should've waited till after Finn before posting the creature's actions (sorry didn't see you there)..
Anyway,... Jack and Xerafine are up, then the horses (which we'll ignore since they're either calmed or some distance away) then Volpe, Bein and Finn.
Jack takes both the mules' ropes in one hand, also calling to the horse to follow, to slowly lead them back toward the camp (which seems safest since the creature is running away from it). He keeps his sword in one hand in case anything happens.
Calling upon Belan's Might , Xarafine swings her staff at the creature.
That settles it! The dagger never comes out of the boot again! I can't afford to be unarmed!
Bein focuses on urging Arundel to attack while assisting his warhorse to avoid the worse of the predators savage bite. When Volpe suddenly appears and starts flanking the creature Bein gives a hearty yell just before Arundel savagely stomps down again...
Realising Bein has no weapons to strike at the creature, Finnabar moves to the knight.
"Take my axe", he says, extending it to him, "and give me that bow"
Xerafine steps up to the beast and brings her staff down hard on its nose. The animal, momentarily dazed takes a step backwards just as Arundel rears and lashes out with his hooves, crushing the animal's skull. As it lies, still twitching slightly and covered in blood from its head wound, you finally have a chance to look at the creature more closely.
It is large, about the size of a smallish lion, and has yellowish-grey fur with darker grey stripes leading down its body and tail. Whilst at first glance it closely resembles a very large wolf, its eyes are more cat-like and its tail is much thicker and tapers slowly to a point. The creature doesn't seem to be in very good condition, its fur is dirty and there are patches along the animal's side where the fur is missing and it has scabbed patches of bare skin and its ribs are clearly visible.
With the predator defeated, Bein bows his head respectfully to Lord Finnabars proffered Axe, it was a beautiful weapon but now that the threat was over he had no right to it. "Thank you my Lord but I must get moving, I will try and gather up the rest of the draught beasts. If someone wishes to come with now is the time!"
He lingers only a moment more before giving Arundel a light tap to the ribs to spur him on. Running hard after where they last saw the rest of their draught beasts escape. He had to catch upto them and fast or else they would be lost to them...
The horses stop running after a few hundred meters and, with little fuss, you manage to return them safely to the campsite. Finnabar's horse has a large open wound in its flank, which is bleeding freely, whilst the other animals seem unharmed apart from a few minor scratches sustained in their headlong flight from the striped beast.
As you return to the campsite the sky begins to lighten as dawn approaches...
After getting the horses back to camp Bein's adrenaline finally begins to wear off, he sags in the saddle before shaking his head furiously and rubbing at his face. This was going to be a long day...
He dismounts, inspecting Arundel's wound that was inflicted by the predators nasty bite. He rubs Arundel's neck affectionately before moving to the other draught beasts, he moves to Finnabar's horse and hisses through clenched teeth at the severity of the injury. Cursing at his own inexperience, Bein seeks out Teacher Xarafine for her assistance.
Still shirtless and covered in sweat, he bows respectfully to her as he speaks. "My apologies for disturbing you Teacher but, when you have a moment, Lord Finnabar's horse is in dire need of a tender hand, i'm afraid that it's wound may become infected, if it doesn't bleed out before then. Arundel was wounded as well, but not as badly. I will do what I can to stem the bleeding." He bows again as he withdraws and quickly pulls a spare cloth from his saddlebag and presses it hard against the bleeding wound.
He hums gently to the injured horse trying to keep it calm as he tries to keep it's bleeding under control. "That is the last time I sleep away from the horses or unarmed..."
"Of course, Master Ramaloce. The horses indeed need care, and now would, perhaps, be an opportunity to test the efficacy of the healing waters away from the spring."
Xarafine unshoulders her waterskin and pours some of it into each of the horses mouths. She watches their wounds for any sign of improvement.
She moves as if to speak, falters momentarily, then continues.
"My...apologies to you all. I was on watch, and I failed to spot the beast approaching. This whole situation could have been avoided, had I been more vigilant."
She blushes, and lowers her eyes, clearly embarassed.
Bein watches what she does intently, hoping to learn something he can use later. When Xarafine speaks however he shrugs his shoulders. "An animal like that is born to hunt and naturally very quiet when they choose to be. We are lucky it chose to strike our horses and not you instead Teacher, thats all that matters."
Jack walks the mules and Volpe's horse back to the camp, seeing the panic is over, muttering to them softly along the way. He ties them up and tends to anything they need, seeing Bein is already caring for the more injured creatures.
When he finishes, he walks around the campsite, looking out for any further signs of trouble--unlikely, as the dawn comes and the sun begins to drive away the shadows. If it was not taken care of, he pushes the dead creature well away from any travel path, where scavengers will not find it close to their own path and track them down in hopes of an additional meal.
He returns shortly thereafter. If there is a stream nearby, he will remove his shirt, wash his hands and face, and splashing water about him, further waking himself. "The creature that attacked was mangy and starved. Likely he approached the camp in desperation, unable to find an easier meal." He returns to his bedroll and reaches for his headband, tying it about his head (ever trying to cover up those damned ears)."I wonder if he was simply ill, or if food is hard to come by in these parts..." As he muses, he puts his shirt back on, followed by his leather cuirass.
Xerafine tries the springwater on the injured horse and, whilst the wound does lose some of its redness and stop bleeding, the injury remains.
Bein nods, trusting the trackers experience over his opinion. Seeing how Xarafine took care of Lord Finnabar's horse, he retrieves one of his water skins that contains the healing water they had obtained and douse's the wound on Arundel's leg. After dousing it throughly he gets the destrier to drink some down before pouring the rest over his own head to wash away some of the sweat and stink of the fight from earlier.
Feeling cleaner he works on brushing down the ruffled draught beasts, before strapping the saddles and gear back on. After several minutes of work, with the help of Volpe and Jack hastening it along immensely, they have the draught beasts saddled and ready for when they decide to depart.
"It is sad to think that animal was possibly starving or sick, but we were lucky no one else suffered today as well, excellent work my friends..." He pauses as he kneels down to inspect Arundel's wound again and frowns. "It looks like the healing water isn't as strong as it was before Teacher. I guess we can't fully rely on the boon of that ancient font."
"Healing energy is strangley unpredictable. Sometimes a near-fatal wound will close completely, and other times a fairly minor injury will only partly heal. I wish I knew the answer to that mystery, but even the most Learned have yet to unravel that secret. The water isn't necessarily weaker. It will take several more uses before we can make a reasonable assessment of its true efficacy."
Bein was at a loss of words as he listened to the Teacher's learned response. She continued to remind him of how his sister had become after a couple years of learning from private tutors and her books. As he turned to face her respectfully he tried to focus. Focus Bein! Don't look lost, nod and agree with her. Then figure out exactly what she said later... I knew I should have hired a tutor for myself....
"Yes... Of course Teacher. Forgive me for my assumptions."
"Huh?" Xarafine breaks from her pedantic lecture at the cavalier's apology, then blushes.
"I...apologize if I have shamed you, Master Ramaloce; that was not my intent. As a Teacher, I am expected to instruct. Your assumption was merely premature, given the present evidence."
Bein bows his head respectfully to the Teacher, cheeks burning lightly with embarrassment. "You have never shamed me in the slightest Teacher, it is my own failing's in that regard. Sometimes it is hard to understand those who are more scholarly then myself, but I will manage." Straightening himself, he adjusts his sword belt for a moment before adding. "As always I look forward to assisting you, Teacher."
With that he puts on his helm and straps it tightly to his chin. He was ready for the day.
Finnabar limps back to his horse, looking at it's health and checking it for wounds.
"Thanks, every one. I could not have caught it on my own."
Putting on his armor, he joins his companions and strikes down the camp and mounts back, ready for the day.
"Let's finish exploring this part of the woods. We need to take our bearings first. Jack, can you show us the map."
For the life of me I swear I've never seen a bunch of people apologize to each other as much as we do! That's a lot of wound, and a lot of horse! I for one am grateful to the Nine that it helped at all! It could have been one of us! And it still could be if we're not careful. Come on, let's learn from this. The animal is a born hunter and stalker. Hiding and sneaking is what it does. Any one of us might have missed the signs. Which is why I propose that we adjust out watches so that two of us are alert at any one time. Jack, Do you think this is the sort of creature that normally runs in packs?
"I apologize for apologizing, Master Coltello *snicker*, I certainly didn't mean to *snicker* contribute to an environment that would *snicker* dull the edge of your rapier wit!"
Xarafine breaks into a tittering laugh, obviously amusing herself, if no one else.
You are currently in Hex 19
Volpe's sudden outburst made Bein stand rigid for a moment as he quickly tried to comprehend the man's words. But he could barely stifle a small chuckle at Xarafine's counter, to cover up his chuckle he pretended to be clearing his throat. After a moments consideration he bows respectfully to Volpe before speaking. "I am grateful for what was healed, it would take months to train a new steed and it would take years to raise another. I sadly had too high of hopes for the healing properties of what we found and was surprised to find myself wanting. Nonetheless I fully agree that we should start to pair up for watch, we can discuss how we shall accomplish that once we are on the move again."
He left Lord Finnabar and the others to discuss the route to be taken and peruse their maps, while he finished saddling up the horses and readying them for travel. He paid special attention to Arundel and Finnabar's wounded mount, hoping that with any luck they would avoid further trouble and not reopen any of the horses wounds.
Jack hands the map to Finnabar. "I reckon we should stick to as gentle terrain as we can find, while the animals are not at their best."
For the life of me I swear I've never seen a bunch of people apologize to each other as much as we do! That's a lot of wound, and a lot of horse! I for one am grateful to the Nine that it helped at all! It could have been one of us! And it still could be if we're not careful. Come on, let's learn from this. The animal is a born hunter and stalker. Hiding and sneaking is what it does. Any one of us might have missed the signs. Which is why I propose that we adjust out watches so that two of us are alert at any one time. Jack, Do you think this is the sort of creature that normally runs in packs?
Jack does not burst into snickering like Xerafine, but he smiles appreciatively at Volpe's much needed light approach to the matter. "I think adjusting our watches is a good idea. As for the creature, I'm not sure. It is a scavenger, and many scavengers run in packs, but this and the similar creature we saw the other day eating the trapper were obviously on their own."
"I apologize for apologizing, Master Coltello *snicker*, I certainly didn't mean to *snicker* contribute to an environment that would *snicker* dull the edge of your rapier wit!"
Xarafine breaks into a tittering laugh, obviously amusing herself, if no one else.
Aha! So there really is a girl underneath the stola. It's comforting to know that our Teacher is human after all. Though, sarcasm works best if you can keep a straight face.
"Perhaps Volpe could give us all lessons," Jack suggests drily.
13th Day of Pharast (hex 19)
As the sun starts its climb into the sky clouds, dark and heavy with the promise of rain draw in nearer from the east. The air itself seems to thicken and a warm wind plays with the leaves in the forest's canopy.
Bein, unable to hold back his amusement, laughs heartily as he finishes strapping on Arundel's saddle bags and adjusts the parade armor. After a few moments he nods, satisfied with how everything is looking, and mounts up as he waits for them to continue on their way.
Jack looks up to the ominous clouds to the east. "Looks like we might be in for another wet day, depending on how those clouds move."
Bein watches the approach of the ominous clouds, after a moment he shrugs his shoulders and mentally prepares himself for a possibly wet day. He chuckles as he adds, "And to think we just got the last of our clothing dried from the last storm. Oh well it'll make brushing the draught beasts easier."
If everyone's fit to move, let's be getting along. We should cover as much ground as we can before the rain fouls our vision. Alas, it's going to be another day of practical dress. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever have cause to be fashionable again.
Continuing onwards through the muggy forest, stopping only to make notes on the map. As mid-day approaches you pause, having mapped this part of the forest.
Inspecting Arundel's wound Bein keeps a wary eye to the woods around them, being more used to open terrain he was never fond or trusting of enclosed surrounding's such as forests. Too many places for an ambush or a group of snipers to fell horsemen unseen. Satisfied that the wound wasn't bleeding and looked to be stable enough for them to continue he gives his suggestion on their possible course, now that they had mapped this small part of the forest.
"We could continue Northward and map out what lies between us and Oleg's in this massive forest.
Jack surveys the terrain surrounding them carefully. He's not used to dealing with wetness normally being an issue, but still being a caravanner he's used to dealing with various unexpected turns of weather. He looks at his map and the forest paths before him--if a storm comes, would it be safer to be clear of the forest and of washed out paths and falling trees, or would it be better to stick to the cover of the forest canopy? Is there anything he knows or can deduce about what might lie ahead of them besides "more or less trees"?
Xarafine tries to watch for signs of danger or anything unusual. The threatening weather reminds her of a rather morbid soldier's song, she once heard, about marching off to war, dying horribly, and being buried and forgotten in an unmarked, mass grave. She hums the tune quietly to herself.
Knowledge: Geography...
The land should slope gradually down away from the mountains in the west towards the eastern part of the forest and it wouldn't be surprising if there were swampy areas or lakes further in that direction, though they might be some way off. The land seems to grow rockier towards the southern part of the area of forest you're in and that area might have caves or other natural shelters.
Knowledge: Survival...
Generally you'd be safer staying within the forest unless the storm is a big one, when falling tree limbs might be a problem. Looking at the clouds, and judging from the wind you think that this storm shouldn't last too long. Maybe just overnight. After that the weather should improve considerably.
I'll post an updated exploration map as soon as possible.
After a few moments of looking around, Jack nods with a slow reply to Bein. "Yes... I think sticking to the forest should be okay for now--I think the storm will pass in a day or so. And the ground slopes slowly eastward... better then to go west while it is raining, because the water will settle downhill.
"If we head toward the northwest, we will tighten the circle back toward Oleg's. If we head southwest, things will probably get rockier. More difficult terrain--but also some caves or shelter. Especially since the animals are mending, northwest might be our best choice."
He quirks his head to the side as Xerafine begins to hum, but he cannot place the song.
Bent on the map with Jack, Finnabar nods at the scout forecast.
"Let's swing towards the north-east," , he says, pointing at hex 26,"We can then go back through the bandit's camp and explore fully the place. I want to be sure no one has taken the spot."
Teacher, that's a rather mournful tune for an already gloomy day. Perhaps we should have some entertainment that brightens our spirits. Perhaps a game to exercise our senses. I spy with my little eye, something that start with "c".
Bein raises his lance so that it's tip points to the sky, he nods in agreement to Finnabar's judgement. "A sound plan. We will have to watch for mudslides as Jack suggested. Mayhap we shall find our missing bandits as well."
When Bein heard Xarafine humming, he somewhat recognized what she was humming. It was different from the songs and such that the border patrol had sang during their forays. He couldn't help himself and soon was humming along with her, but over time began changing his tune to what the boys and him had called "Johnny comes marching home again". For those times when you were marching home and away from danger with good men, and women, at your back...
Xarafine starts at Volpe's comment, "Huh? ...oh...my apologies, gentlemen. I'm not sure what came over me."
Jack purses his lips, not liking that his counsel was ignored, but also understanding there was little point in standing in the rain to argue. "Perhaps I should clarify: I do not think going east while it is raining is wise. And I recall our movement through the camp when the rain hit was poor. And if any bandits have returned and attack us in the storm, we will be at a severe disadvantage." He paused. "But if that's what the group desires, then we will take it as it comes."
"Huh? ...oh...my apologies, gentlemen.
Volpe chuckles out loud at this statement.
All right, then. It doesn't matter to me which way we go, but we should move on, the ground isn't getting any drier.
