As Melock answers Dren, he seems to slowly fade in to the darkness even though he isn't moving. He completely disappears from sight by the time he's finished talking.

Keeping watch

In reply to Elwood of the Blue Sword (msg # 911):

Hoskar smiles, as is his wont. Bless you all. It's a noble idea. The Red Thorns are a mixed bunch. Their khan knows the difference between Right and Wrong for sure and he has some trusty men. Kolar for a start. But their shaman. Now there's a shifty man I'd not trust out of my sight.

Maybe if we could sow discontent between them the Red Thorns could be allies and good blood not shed for the sake of a shaman. Or are there more reasons to hate them?

He looks briefly down before resuming the watch I've been away a long time and don't know the score
This message was last edited by the player at 17:14, Thu 07 July 2016.

Kobal nods at the report, and smiles and says "A good omen" at the news of Aida, but frowns at the mention of the Red Thorns.  He's wondering how to respond to that, and is grateful when Hoskar chips in.



"Aye," he adds.  "We came across both Khan and shaman at the Giant's Finger Holes.  The Khan is like any other khan - thinking of his own clan.  It's the shaman who is twisted, and whom we should beware.

"As for kicking them out of the Giant's Finger Holes, that is a site of an Earth Temple.  Even if we Rangers were not sworn to the temple," he taps the helmet of Emesh-Ga on his head, "we should be careful of doing anything that might affect our clans' relations with the temple."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:36, Fri 08 July 2016.

"It isn't about how we got the herd of bison, but we cleared out a nest of chaos harpies and set free the pure harpy queen.

We had to climb way up into the statues and then go into their nest and fight them, Greeshar and Tarnessh had been left down in the camp to guard it and had to protect it against broo. Up in the harpies nest things looked bad, but I called on Storm Bull to help us and He put some of his spirit into me so I could slay this ancient chaos harpy demon and their shaman".

Henal grins after telling this story.

Ohanzee places the gem back into the pouch ensuring that it the opening is tightly closed and that he can feel it next to his skin.

Then he takes a swig of the offered firewater feeling the heat as it flows down his throat.

"Good stuff!" he says, though his voice is different, perhaps the result of the strong drink.

He coughs to clear his throat "Your theft was good, I never knew. Was it your greatest theft though? Tell us of your greatest theft and I will tell of mine. We can let those gathered judge on the theft and on the abilities of the teller to entertain."

"Oh, and the Sun Hawks can verify of the actual fact of the theft." he adds with a smile handing back the firewater and retrieving his pipe "Anyone have any weed, mine is all used?"

The woman is impressed, moving closer as Henal tell his tale "You called Storm Bull and he answered?" is all she can say, a mixture of admiration and disbelief on her face.

Ohanzee laughs from the shadows away from the fire, unaware of some things "It's true, ask the Sun Hawks if you don't believe him... though he was running from the fight at the time."

"When Storm Bull answered my call though it was to help us get to the fight and he was happy to give me a hand!" and he laughs again all the louder.

"Hey Sun Hawks, make the fire brighter will you?" hoots Choway, which Tarnessh and Voras do, both braves curious at what is going on...

The sudden flare of light illuminates Ohanzee, but not Melock who is nowhere to be seen. Ohanzee's skin has turned bright Indigo. Not just his arm but all his skin.

Choway falls over she's laughing so hard.

Ohanzee looks at his flesh in surprise, shock even, and he looks from the laughing form of the Raven woman to the flask she gave him and then to his flesh again and the realisation dawns on him, she did this!

He looks back at her and then he too begins to laugh too alternately looking between Choway and his blue skin.

Eventually he gathers his wits enough to say "Someone once tried to trick me by turning my arm blue once. It backfired on him because I liked it. I like the rest of me blue just as much, it suits the path I have wandered!"

From out of thin air, Melock's laugh is heard, "Indigo does suit you," Having come to the same conclusion Ohanzee has, he raises his arm to look at himself. "As you've turned indigo, what colour...." The rest of his words are swallowed by a gasp, followed by the sound of someone getting up and running into the darkness.

This makes Chowayand her other Black Shield companions  laugh even louder,  whilst the Prairie Thunder braves frown, unsure at what is going on....

"We've years of bad blood Skywatcher....Raids, foiled plots and the shaman's predecessor antics...Too many to mention, though if we went back far enough i'm sure we'd find something small that started it all."



"Don't you think it would be better if we were in control of the Giant Finger Holes?" replies the Humakti

Ohanzee looks, but sees no sign of Melock where the sound comes from and smiles saying to himself "No colour!"

He then turns his gaze back to the laughing Black Shields and says with a broader smile and in a loud voice, perhaps to e heard above the laughter, or perhaps to be heard further away "An invisible Raven brave in the darkness... I hope you lot have your prized belongings on you!"

Then turning his gaze to Choway he asks "How long does it last?"

It was on Storm Day so the Storm Bull was already active, I called on him and Waha to help me slay chaos that looked like it was likely to destroy us without assistance.Storm Bull lent his strength to me so I could end that chaos and help us green the land making the rivers run cleanly with no taint and freeing the harpies from the twisted abominations that were causing them to come and spread chaos.

Keeping watch



"Of course it would be better if the Prairie Thunder were in control," agrees Kobal with a nod.  "I remember my own frustration when we first learned that the Red Thorn had moved there.  But I'm concerned that if we try to force them out with the sword, it will frustrate the work of the Earth Witch.  If we can take control through other means, this would be best..."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:30, Sat 09 July 2016.

From out of the darkness comes a thud, a loud whinny and the sound of galloping hoofbeats.



"A day, a week, a season, a year? Only Trickster truly knows....."

The conversation about the Red Thorns will have to wait.  "The unicorn!" Kobal exclaims, as he gets up.  Haaro, let the other familiars know the unicorn is running off.  Then meet me at Black Hoof.

He runs to his bison to give chase for the unicorn.

It's pitch black, Dark Season at it's worse....Ahead of Kobal lies the boulder, cactus and ravine filled Wastes....And a Unicorn galloping into the distance.

Dorcha flaps out of the darkness chasing after a big moth, there's a loud crunch as she manages to catch it. She calls out to all the familiars in range with a note of awe in her voice, "Melock's riding the unicorn!" Dorcha heads back in to the darkness towards the sound of fading hoof beats.

You have good eyes, Kobal thinks to his manul cat sitting behind him on Black Hoof.  Give me a warning of any danger up ahead.



"Waha's beard!" he shakes his head in frustration.  "Of all the stupid Raven-"  Then he checks the thought as new ones rush through his head.  Perhaps he rode the unicorn off because the other braves were thinking to eat it...?  But can a man ride a unicorn?  Is he in control of it?  Or was the beast spooked by him mounting it?

Haaro, ask Dorcha if Melock's in control of the beast, or whether it's out of control.  In the meantime, Kobal slows Black Hoof in the darkness.

Ohanzee looks into the darkness in the direction of the noise and the whinny and Kobal's shout and mutters "If her beast wants to run off into the darkness that'snot our concern." having no familiar to pass the message on and so no idea of the cause.

He looks back at Choway "So where'd you get such a strange brew?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:46, Sun 10 July 2016.

With the help of familiars, dogs and Hoskar's detection spells Melock is found after half an hour. Well kind of...

He's unconscious and invisible. A healing charm brings him round with a loud groan.

Of the Unicorn there is no sign.

"Quested for it more like" winks the Raven brave "So how'd you get one blue arm then? Seems like that's a story waiting to be told."

She moves closer to Ohanzee, but stays out of touch range, the conversations starting up again as the rest of the nomads go back to sharing their own stories, drinking and eating.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:27, Sun 10 July 2016.

The sound of a wide smile is evident in his disembodied voice, "I've just ridden a unicorn!" The location of his voice rises, "Thanks for healing me." After a few moments, he can be heard from between them and the camp, "We should get back to the others, I need to talk to Choway."

"And what was the point of that?!"  In the dark, Kobal's face can't easily be seen either, but it gives the sound of exasperation.  "Now the unicorn is gone."

He thinks of offering Melock a lift on Black Hoof back to the camp, but isn't sure there's space on the beast with Haaro already riding on the back.  And besides, given the Raven brave's jape, he's not in a generous spirit.