"Doin' Ok, thanks."  He greets the cleric.  "Just waiting for everyone to show before taking off."  He yawned hugely, and stretched.  "How're you?"

When the half-pints showed, the orc pretty much ignored them, but suddenly he look up wth interest.  "Bar fight?"  He looked hopefully toward the quiet bar, then slumped when he heard no signs of mayham.  "Don't get my hopes up like that."  He scolded the redhead terror.

"Hey, if you want, we can make one on the way back. Then I might for once have the money to pay reparations in cash. Being stuck in an inn washing dishes for two months isn't something I want to try again."

He checks his equipment and weapons.

"A little tired but ready to travel. This plate mail suits me well, I've worn in it finally, over our last journey. Hopefully we'll see some action in these hills."

Gimuld gets ready in the morning with his usual stretches. The night before was a good one, with the beer and the food. A little loopy, and still not in the greatest condition, Gimuld is still ready.

Ok all, hope you are all ready to roll... cause I'm slightly not. Bit too much ale for me, but I never was one to drink a lot.

"Lets roll then."  erdthar declared, and shouldered the heavy pack, easily stepping off for the not so distant mountain.

Heading out on the journey as the morning sun starts to warm the crisp cool air you follow the river Rauvin along the banks. After scanning the surrounding terrain it looks as though the best route will be nearly that described on the map. The hills in this area are very rocky and sharp, they would hamper travel. The north banks of the Rauvin however are well worn by pull team traffic, making travel light and easy.

After a few miles travel upriver you see a heavily wooded valley open between the rows of rocky hills. This looks to be a good location to begin the journey north and into the mountains. The stands of pines grow thick, making travel difficult at best and impassible at worst. The valley floor is rock strewn and boulder infested with long dead trees laying this way and that. On the few occasions when the tree covers breaks, one can see the massive mountains lying in wait off in the distance.

The sun travels its way across the sky as the group trudges onward through the tree blanketed valley. The day’s weather has been nearly perfect for this time of year. The occasional gust of wind causes a chill, but the surrounding forest does well at blocking it out.  As the sun gets lower the valley ahead begins to open into a wide treeless field. The field must be some hundred feet in circumference, if not a thousand. It is scattered with large boulders and scrub oak. The clearing sets lower in elevation than the surrounding trees; it looks to have a few springs running through it with fresh water. Some deer can be seen below; they hop this way and that as they pick berries from bushes and drink from the springs. It is doubtful that you will make it across the valley before nightfall.

OoC: Do you wish to travel onward or stop for the night?

"My feet have taken enough steps today. Lets stop here for the night and set watch. It looks pleasent enough, and theres game a plenty,...see those deer waltzing about? How about venison tonight?", Renoart smacks his lips in anticipation, and takes a drink from one of the natural springs running about.

"This all reminds me of all I've seen and heard of elf lands, pristine, untouched by man and orc."

"Venison sounds good." Pello replies.

"We can set up the torches to give us a defensive perimeter against the animals of the night, and set up a campfire in the middle."

OoC: If you camp will you be camping in the cearing or under tree cover?

I vote in the clearing, away from the trees.

Milo looks around at the area"The trees will provide us cover and warmth in the cool night. I suggest we camp at the tree line and set 2 for watch.The elevation will give us an advantage." he says.
Milo points to a few choice spots for camp sites and starts to walk toward them.


23:58, Today: Milo Hardbottle rolled 15 using 1d20+8. Wilderness Lore

"Aye, aye, mon capitan." Pello says and after Milo.

"If you guys set up a watch plan, I'll consider what spells to prepare to tomorrow."

"The treelin is fine, as long as the fire isn't facing the clearing.  Lets find a rock outcropping or a big fallen log or something - to set the fire behind, blocking direct view from the clearing.  A fire can be seen for miles, if it's out in the open.  The glow escapping from around a barrier is only visible for a few hundred yards, on a moonlit night."  The orc suggested.  "Unless we want visitors?"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:48, Sun 12 Feb 2006.

Once the group has a good start on setting the camp Milo scouts the area a bit looking for signs of what might sneak up on them in the night. He and Ruff try to flush up a few rabbits or squirrels for dinner also.

The party finds a suitable boulder about 100’ inside the tree line, it will work well once a pit is dug. The group goes about collecting wood and preparing the camp sight as the sun slowly works its way to rest.

Milo comes back with a brace of conies and a squirrel. "Hey, I saw some tracks down by the brook hooflike but not like deer or elk. Do mountain goat come this far down out of the Mountains?" he says laying the dead animals down by the fire.

"I dunno, maybe this time of year, with the upper slopes bare of graze, they might.  Or maybe it's pigs?  I'll go look."  After a while the orc rturns, a scrawny deer slung over his back.

"Don't know what ta make of those tracks."  He tells the druid.

"Maybe a Gorgonius Petrificitus? Or a Minotarus Alpha? A Faelin Satauri? Or a Celestius Unicornian?" Pello offers.

"I hope it's not a gorgon. Unless.." Pello looks hopefully at Renoart, "You know how to depetrify people, right?"

Milo gives Pello a queer look shaking his head "What they hell did you just say?"he says obviously confused. "Depetrify? Gordon?"

"Bulls with breathe that leaves you stiff.  Orogs use them for bullfights."  Erdthar explains helpfully.

"Oh, you'd think they were bulls." Pello says with a shake of his head, "But they're an entire different species. Crafted from a mix of rock elementals and the protomedusas if I don't remember quite wrong."

His brow wrinkles in thought, "But I actually don't think it could be one of those. They don't usually hang out in the mountains. Unless there is an entrance to the Underdark nearby." he ends thougtfully and looks around.

"I sure as hell hope there's no entrance to the Underdark around here.  We'll probally have enough problems with the normal wildlife without creepy crawlies from below."

"Oh, a few aberations have never hurt anyone.." Pello says, but then pauses with a thoughtful expression.

"Oh, my bad. Come to think of it aberations has probably hurt a lot of people. And I don't want to meet those critters that go after the people with the big brains first."

 The camp comes together rather nicely as everyone works in unison, each member sets out in a specific task and completes it. The campfire comes to a small blaze as the sun’s final ray’s fall out of the sky. The woods and clearing have been very tame up to this point with nothing but forest creatures to be seen and heard. Birds chirp and hum, the deer get braver and work their ways ever closer to the camp, but always staying at least a bow shot away. The sunset is an awesome sight as bright orange rays jump from the heavens beyond, slowly descending to earth as the cool night air begins to bite. The fire will be a pleasant necessity this night.


As the final rays come to rest the darkness of night starts to set in and the forest creatures run off to their burrows, bunkering down for the night. When the winds pick up to a slight breeze. With the breeze comes a faint tune. An eerie, sad, and lonely tune. The tune persists and gets louder. And LOUDER still until it deafens out the night. Then the crackle of the fire is gone and all you are left with is “the tune.” Eerie and dark the tune fills your ears….

”The Tune”: Imagine bag pipes playing a song about a battle that took place on a frigid day were hundreds of villagers died by the hands of a monstrous onslaught. That’s what it sounds like.


Fear effect: Stricken with Panic.
Panicked: -2 morale on saving throws and must flee. Panicked creature has 50% to drop what they are holding. Chooses a path randomly and uses whatever means necessary to run away. If cornered begins to Cower.
DC: 14 Will Negates.

Roll the Save and post accordingly (I.e Failed or Saved and the actions you take because of that), roll the percentile dice as well if you like.

The music continues to approach on the night breeze, and Renoart, ever the light sleeper anyway, is awakened, and stands up, preparing his weapon.

"What foul dirge is this?! Some undead parade, or I'm no man of the holy watch of Helm!"

"HARKEN TO ME, DEVILS CHILDREN, I AM AN ACOLYTE OF HELM! I FEAR NO DARKNESS, NOR THY FOUL SONG!, he shouts, brandishing his mace and holy symbol.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 03:12, Tue 14 Feb 2006.