The fine white dirt of the Chalk Road stretches out before you, gleaming and dull in places as the sun peeks around the clouds that scud across the sky.  Thick jungle arises along both sides of the wide road, cleared back enough to give a clear view, but also something that must be constantly tamed and cut back.  The heat is the usual sultry humidity, with the hint of a charge in the air that warns of a storm earlier rather than later.

You are all on your way to Kelanio for the Wild Walk, a celebration of dinosaurs and humans working together.  Some of you have been working as roadknights, stumping for people to come to Kelanio, others as scouts-for-hire, some as traveling healers or storytellers, others searching for information or new discoveries, or just protecting the others.  The Wild Walk is one of the most interesting and amusing celebrations in Grevakc, and for anyone who loves their dinosaurs (and really, what Grevakcian worth their DNA doesn't?), it is not to be missed.

You're at least a week away from Kelanio, and even then you estimate you'll have several extra days at least before the totorix return to nest, which will signal the start of the festival.  That'll give you plenty of time in case of delays.  Storms, dangerously hungry or angry dinosaurs, or groups of bandits and ruffians are always a threat, along with the more unpredictable delays of a wash-out in the road, a time terror, or something else.

Last night you passed a large merchant's caravan, with large aptasauruses and brachiosauruses hauling their goods in panniers big enough to fit most of your party, dinosaurs included.  But the slower pace dictated by the size of the group meant you got a fair distance in front of them.  Today, you have the road completely to yourself so far.  Aside from watching for the usual dangers, all has been calm.

Mid-morning, the usual routine of travel is interrupted by two things: gathering stormclouds and wind have kicked up grit in the road and made things quite uncomfortable, and two, the jungle to the side of the road thrashes and cracks like a large dinosaur is moving in there.

Abruptly, a fully-grown tricertops breaks out of the heavy growth, shaking her head to rid her horns of trailing vines and broken foliage.  She sees you as she lifts her head, and she trumpets her discovery.  And it becomes clear this is no simple animal, because on her side, in foot-high letters in bright orange paint is written the word, "HELP".

Loric had been studying the gathering clouds for some time now. He was concerned if shelter wasn't found soon the road would be turned into a dust swirling funnel and it would be easy for people to get disoriented and lost in the dust storm.

He was just about to suggest to his fellow travelling companions they should make for shelter when the beast of a dinosaur broke cover from the jungle.

It wasn't the sudden appearance that got his attention, he lived in the wild all his life this was normal to him, it was the "help" sign on its side.

With a clicking sound deep in his throat the long brown grey collar that was wrapped round his shoulders suddenly raised its head, gave a yawn and stretched.

Leaning in close a series of sounds passed between then and the little mammal the size of a large domestic cat bubbly climbed down and raced off past the dinosaur.

Loric had instructed his little companion to track the trail the dinosaur had made in the jungle to see if Click could locate the creatures owner.

Meanwhile Loric moved slowly towards the agitated dinosaur, arms outstretched, head down. As he moved he kept an eye on it from under his fringe.

Ooc 08:18, Today: Loric Landel rolled 18 using 1d20.  Instruct Click .
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:17, Sun 11 Mar 2018.

The young female anzu looks back at the gray-haired man with a slightly reproachful look.

You stopped back-scratching me...

The man sighs, leaning forward slightly to hug her neck.

Now, now, my Pet.  Is it not my turn to rest a bit?  I already scratched you all the way up the last incline, did I not?

Her response is somewhat derailed by the neck hug, and she almost purrs as her neck snuggles into the embrace.

The peaceful moment lasts for several steps, before her head swivels alertly toward the jungle by the side of the road.

What is it, my Pet?  What do you sense there?

The man follows her gaze, just in time to see the jungle start thrashing... and the tricertops emerging.

His eyebrow rises as he sees the writing on her side, and he takes a deep breath, and concentrates...

RPoL Dice Roller:

23:50, Today: Oiktirmon rolled 1 using 1d20.  Mental Link Attempt, with Range Extension Effort.

Having signed up to guide a few people along the road, Roam waved them back.  Usually there were better ways of getting help than paint on the side of a dino, but

"Tarla, lets stop her!" He signaled his Raptor around the beast.  He noticed another guide putting his arms out and moving forward.  Roam mimic'd him to move in and remove the vines.

Roam put his arms out and strode toward the Triceratops.

"Hey sweetie, calm down.  We want to help."

The raptor moves in front to prevent the Triceratops from thrashing on and Roam moves to rub its sides.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 08:58, Fri 09 Mar 2018.

“Call Tarla off, Roam.  She's a pred.  You gotta think like an herbivore can’t just charge in.  Typical Karn.”  He strokes Arlo’s neck gently before placing his left hand on the metal filigree on the dinosaur's flank that he uses to control it instead of reins.

OOC:  05:07, Today: Rain rolled 19 using 1d20.  Control Dinosaur. To ride closer,trained.

Arlo begins mewling at his fellow ceratops making soothing noises as he bears Rain closer and,  strangely enough, Rain mimics similar noises as he looks the dinosaur over for wounds and occasionally mixes in soothing words.  “Steady there baby.  You're lost?  Your owner sent you?  We're here to help little one.”  It’s a display of compassion unlike anything anyone has ever seen out of the awkward and cold Rain and definitely a departure from what he just was saying to Roam.

“That’s a sweet baby.  Just calm down and we’ll help...”

OOC: Today: Rain rolled 16 using 1d20.  Soothe dinosaur, trained in calming Dino’s, level of effort intellect.

Esmul spent most of the time up the road so far, especially with the other caravan, telling fanciful stories and reading fortunes, always with a smile on her face and a tune hummed when she was busy with other things.

As the Help-o-saurus burst from the foliage, the short young woman paused, her mouth gaping open. "Well isn't that the..."

Bumpy the ankylosaurus began to shuffle its feet happily, and Esmul quickly began giving it's neck a scritch.

"I know, I know! You want to say hi! But those words on the side mean 'let's see if it's scared or hurt or just wants to tell us something first'"

That's a lot of words for four letters!

Jesikah loves these trips across the Cretaceous landscape. They are unbelievably dangerous, of course, but fascinating in every way: scientific, instinctive, immersion in this most primeval frontier. And oh, the mornings over the Cretaceous! Sun filtering through viridian tangles, warmth filling the earth, a cool breeze a gift from Pangaean gods. All around life is at its strongest: the buzzing of insect wings, the rustle of small dinosaurs and mammals in the growth, the piercing cry of a distant pterosaur, the low rumble of a herd of sauropods. It is a heartbeat of the Earth itself, vast and interconnected and rich with blood and life.

An explorer at heart, a field scientist, Jesikah would love the Laramidian wilderness just for its savage purity. But there is something else, something deeper, an intimate connection to that primal pulse. For the creature with which she shares time and space, if truly that is their arrangement, it is home. Strangely Jesikah feels at home, as well, deep in her breast, a call of the wild.

Whether this is good or bad remains to be seen. Jesikah absently checks her chronometer, the special one she's rigged to tell her just exactly when she will change places with her counterpart. It is the first of many times that day she will do so out of habit.

Beside her, Blue rumbles a low warning growl, and then the triceratops bursts from the jungle. Jesikah's surprise is temporary, as she runs to help the beleaguered animal. "Blue, stay with the others! They might need your help!"

Click gives the agitated tricertops a wide berth, then vanishes unto the undergrowth, nose twitching away madly as she hunts for the trail with single-minded focus.




Oiktirmon focuses his empathic awareness on the trike, only to be inundated with what can only be described as emotional feedback, like from a poorly-wired sound system.  The grating "squeal" he can nearly feel in his teeth.  He hasn't done something like that since he had been first practicing with his heightened sensitivity as a boy.  Clearly he'd been tuning into the wrong aura...




The trike moves back nervously from the velociraptor and her flashing teeth and talons, inadvertently backing into Roam's soothing words and motions.  The trike still seems quite nervous, but allows Roam to get close.



With a fellow-species member, along with Arlo and Rain's coordinated effort, the trike does begin to calm more visibly, her breathing coming easier, her stamping settling down to sidling.



Bumpy looks at Esumel, then back at the trike everyone seems to be greeting, snuffles, and wanders closer to the new friend.  He sniffs her all over, bumping heads and getting in the smaller humans' way.




Blue actually pays attention, looking about at the road and other friends, seeing what else might pop out to enliven the day.

Jesikah finds the trike in the final stages of settling down, her breathing easing.


As everyone concentrates on the new arrival, they can spy on the side of her head, mostly hidden in one of her spikes, a small video/broadcast unit.  Those that didn't spy the device itself definitely notice something odd when a small voice, very human-sounding, begins to speak!

"Hello?  Oh thank you for stopping!  And thank you for not scaring Gaytha.  She's had a bad day already.  Can you help me?  Please?  I'm hurt and don't think I should move, and I'm too far from the road to really signal.  I- I need a favor, please, if you'd come and hear me out..."