OOC: Good to move forward

Gustav Nodded at the Village leaders, not his place to speak and gathered his gear...

They'd only used a few days food, weight was still a serious factor, so he was careful not to fill the casks all the way, but to a bit over 3/4s full (Figure 16 Gallons out of 20)

I am ready

With a rather odd outburst from Gustav, Finn finds himself quickly agreeing that the conversation is not progressing and the risk is not worth the potential reward of information already denied.  Rather than tempt things to declining farther, Finn bids his goodbyes - finding that Azraa's demeanor softens quickly on the words as she nods her farewells, the crease of an appreciative smile touching her lips.  Though Finn pauses overlong at the doorway as he rounds up his horse, there is no opportunity to converse with the others discreetly and soon he has no more excuses to linger.

Finn and the others round up their animals and press forward, making their way farther south towards the mountain in the direction that Azraa had said the other party had gone, generally following the small stream that trickles down from higher ground.  Judoc sends off Aiah to scout the way ahead, knowing that with the dire warnings from the townspeople it is impossible to be too careful.

After only a few more hours of brisk walk the terrain has shifted from rolling, rocky hills to an upward slog, the small stream making its way down in rivulets through rock faces and over small waterfalls.  Though the horses and mules seem to make their way well enough, the going is slow and the path must be carefully chosen.  The path of the hundred men of al-Hassan seems to have long disappeared, though at times Terri will point to a shrub or stone to point out evidence of their march.  The day is warm, and though the sun is mostly blocked by a curtain of clouds above the high mountains above, it is just hot enough so that the exertion of a hike brings an uncomfortable perspiration which only desists after packs have been shed for a break of several minutes.

And so midday approaches and passes, the sun crests and begins it slow fall towards the horizon.  It is as the terrain finally levels out slightly in a plateau, revealing ahead a thin forest ahead of sharp angled brown and green that Aiah finally returns, alighting upon Judoc's shoulder.


Ahead, the river climbs on, weaving to the right of the copse of trees, to the left the growth runs on into the edge of the mountains...


OOC:  It is 1400 on the 11th of May.  Above is a look (though it's a closer view than you have) of the trees ahead.  Both the bark and 'leaves' are disfigured into sharp, jagged thorns.  There are essentially four 'paths' you can take.  You can either go left of the forest along the mountain ridge, straight through the forest, right of the forest along the stream, or cross the stream and go along the other side (which ahead looks to rise into mountains as well as if you were climbing up a draw).  Let me know which path you want to take onward, or if you would rather do more scouting.

"Trying to slip in that attendant's bed sheets, Finn?" Judoc says, a smile playing at his lips. "Work before pleasure, my friend." The meeting with the women had gone about as well as Judoc thought it would. Of course the females had had little in the way of real information to offer them, but what they had given them almost assured their chances of success -- a warning of the dangers to come, and an assurance that the men of the village were captives, not willing combatants. The menfolk would be overjoyed upon their rescue, and the necklace Azraa had given them would ensure that the small band of adventurers were their saviors.

Now, the group pauses on the edge of a small forest. Judoc watches as Aiah gracefully glides down to land on his shoulder. He listens through the telepathic link the two share. "Aiah says she doesn't see any people," Judoc relays to the group. "And she's located the temple, a few days' journey up the river. She says the cliffs are too high on either side to go that way, though. The way ahead lies past the forest."

He shades his eyes and looks ahead at the greenery. "What do you think man-eating plants look like?" the young wizard muses. "Something like the trees in that forest? Thorniest foliage I've ever seen -- even the thorns have thorns. Let's go around the trees along the stream's edge."

In reply to Judoc the Merciful (msg # 24):

"Yes indeed, though coming back I can't help but think we will want a raft. Not such a good option going up though. But fresh water is always important, and Terri can catch fish in the river. Maybe Big Fish..."

His friend and fellow wizard quips, "Trying to slip in that attendant's bed sheets, Finn?"  Razzel smiles longingly as he casts a wistful glance back in the direction of the beautiful attendant.  His voice tells in a sing song kind of way his regret of missed opportunities.  ”Ya.   You see her eyes?  They're...they're...magical.  And that shiny black hair.   Ooooo-weeee, lookin' at her is like fallin' off the apple cart.  Makes my head spin and my belly feel funny.  I might have ta pay her a visit on the return trip.  Finn winks.

The group begins their trek as planned and thanks to the scouting of Judoc's bird Aiah has recommended a favorable trail, the one that Finn would have chosen anyway based on his superior survival instincts.  ”I like it.  Follow the stream.”


OOC:
Follow along the stream at a normal pace.  If Judoc is willing, continue to have Aiah scout ahead via the air with the intent to avoid ambush by giant creepy crawlys.

This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 19:41, Wed 14 Nov 2018.

Given the stream they are following, Gustav drains both casks down to about 3 gallons apiece to ease the load on the Mule.

Thinking to avoid extra work for his mule, Gustav near empties his water barrel, spilling the contents back into the stream before replacing the near empty barrels back in their place.  His mule seems highly appreciative of the lighter burden as the party sets off again this time following the lazy curvature of the stream as it winds its way up towards the mountains.

As the afternoon wears on, the stream runs on into a thin lake which flattens out with the terrain, spreading on several dozen yards across in a muddy, silty murk.  The treeline grows ever closer as the group plods on and though Finn glances with increasing concern at the vegetation encroaching upon his left, he discerns no movement, he has no cause to think the trees would swallow them alive apart from the dire warning from Azraa...  Luckily for him, the edges of the lake seemed to have ebbed with the beginning of summer, and the shallow slope of the dry banks provides several extra feet of avoidance from the potential menace.

It is perhaps only two hours on though that the plan of following the banks of the lake begin to fail.  The waterline begins arcing rapidly to the right, while the mountains climb high ahead.  To the left, the line of the forest seems to melt right into the mountain face, affording not even the smallest of paths that would avoid both entering the thicket and scaling the cliffs.  To the right, the lake edge meets with the steep slope.  Some hundred or so yards up and on near the rockiest parts of the cliff, a thin waterfall splashes playfully down in white spray, rejoining the face of the mountain to splash onto the rocks of the lake below.  It seems Aiah was not exaggerating, there seems to be no realistic way to follow the river onward...

At the thought of the bird, Aiah lands again on Judoc's shoulder, an abnormally large rat clamped between her jaws.  She turns her head towards the mage, the rodent still twitching in death throws just inches from his face, as if displaying her kill for her master. 

OOC:  It is 1600 on the 11th of May.  There is perhaps another hour or hour and a half of daylight left.  I had intended to do this on the last post, but forgot, so please roll now for fatigue for the climb.  HT-4, or Hiking-3.  Fit adds +2 to the modifier, or Very Fit adds +4.  If you fail, you take one fatigue from your exertions.  The water from the lake is filled with sediment, making it seem less than desirable for drinking, though undoubtedly the water from the falls is clean if you wish to traverse the rocky southwest bank to get there.  Let me know your plans.

In reply to Raddek (msg # 28):

Rondald is tired from the climb, though not excessively. This particular part of the river seemed quite good for the mules to gather some food, so he suggested that they set up camp here, and if anyone wanted water, they could use the rest of Gustav's, before filling Gustav's from the lake and allowing it to settle through the night while they used Rondald's and Terri's. That would give Terri a chance to catch some fish. If people really wanted to, they could transverse the rocky back for some clear water at the waterfall, but by leaving the rest of their gear at the camp, such a trip would be less perilous.

Regardless, this seemed like a good place to camp for the night unless someone had other ideas. His axe is ready to increase the size of the campsite.

Magnus trudged along, leading his mule with his typical plodding stride. The injury to the wall of his left hoof has seemed to take forever to heal, and if one watched carefully he still favored the right one even if just barely. The keratin was clearly marred by the wound, a sort of cloudy colored vertical depression that joined the growing collection of injuries from the groups exploits.

With his shield slung over his back and his axe at his belt, he led his mule by the halter seemingly oblivious to the irony of one furry hoofed creature leading another. As they went, he tried to dissuade Finn, in a friendly sort of way from pursuing the foreign women. From the sound of things he had been threatened before for merely looking at the wrong girl, so he seemed wary about the whole thing.

With his new armor getting worn in, and his body still recovering from their idleness and injury, the road seems to take its toll on Magnus and he is left looking a little weary by the time they reach the waterfall.

He smiled up at the little waterfall when they arrived, delighting in the sound and shimmering droplets, and looked to Finn. "Hey Finn, What do you think about setting up camp.?"

   Bjorn's travels, burdened by the heavy pack he carried over both shoulders, weighed him down considerably. The sound of its contents faintly could be heard to move inside, and the rustle of his shield as it clattered against the back of the pack was one of the few sounds that could be heard. He'd also removed his leather helm after he'd begun to swelter - the warmth of the air on the trip was proving to be far more than he was used to in the Northern Mountains.

   He kept his facial features calm despite the pains that began to be felt in both his feet and legs - this had been the longest journey that he had undertaken since his arrival in Megalos. Several times, he found himself wiping sweat from his brow and shifting the weight of the pack as he moved, trying to make himself as comfortable as he could. But even this step proved of little adequacy to the hulking Vestenmannavnjar.

   When they reached the proposed camp, Bjorn looked to the dark waters and grunted while he used his arm to wipe away another gathering of sweat from his brow. His blue eyes looked up from the water to where the waterfall was and he quickly gauged the distance and began the trek, following the Horned One. The water looked sweet - drinkable and suitable for refreshment - which was just fine for the Northman. He began to start walking toward the waterfall ...

With the village disappearing behind them with each step Finn passes the time with casual conversation.  After all, they've got days to kill before they reach the ancient prison of evil and chatting about almost anything makes the passage of time feel faster.  Finn sidles up to the two men who he feels most associated with, Judoc and Magnus.  The big shaggy beast talks of the reasons to be cautious in spending too much time with the women of the village but he just doesn't see what Finn sees.  Their dark skin and eyes, the intoxicating way they move and speak.  There is just something magnetic about them, and Razzel does his best to communicate the virtues of these beauties.

Next Finn turns his attention to Judoc, who he's spent quite a bit of time with sharing the books on spell casting and language.  Both magical men cooperated to teach each other the new tongue and translate the multitude of pages before them.  Now Finn asks a very important question.  ”So, Jude.  I'm tinkerin' with the notion of a pet.  What'd'ya reckon?  Snakes make great spies.  Wolves make great trackers.  And birds, well, ya know.  But ya can't whip out a snake in a tavern and ask 'ol Tapper for a mug and a mouse.”  Finn chuckles at the thought.

Later the small party and their team travels about as far as they can while sticking to the stream.  The sun begins to dip low in the sky, coming close to the mountains and threatens to block off their light soon.  It seems the company is of one mind to camp and Razzel does not object.  The young leader turns in a circle slowly taking in the scenery all around as he wonders which is the way to the den of danger.  ”Right.  I'm gonna fly around a bit and see what I can see.   I don't want to wander around blind tomorrow.  Be back in a jif.”


OOC:
When you say abnormally large rat, how abnormal?  25% bigger?  200% bigger?  Finn is assuming the larger the growth, the closer we are getting to Perdition's evil.

Finn is a little confused on the best path to Perdition.  To that end I will transform into a falcon to do some recon of my own.  We'll camp here and when I get back I'll do my protective spell.

Can we ret-con to say that Judoc and I did some rocks with Continual Light, so that we don't need to rely on lanterns or a bonfire?  I was thinking about it before the launch but with all the other admin I forgot to mention it.  If its ok I was thinking by this time everyone would have 1 rock the brightness of a torch as a safety measure.   Its mostly if we get attacked at night and once inside the ruins.  The rocks can be bound on a cord necklace for hands free light.  Plus 1 rock for 'bright as day' to put in the middle of camp.  This rock wouldn't move and provide light for the camp and horses regardless of who moves around.  If saying we thought ahead to make continual light stones is not ok then I will ask Judoc to work on them while I am gone and I will help when I get back.

When Finn speaks of animals he is talking about familiars, which I imagine that subject has come up since their defeat of the necromancer.  Its something that Finn desires and is a bit jealous of, seeing the cool relationship between Judoc and Aiah.  Finn is still in the research phase and can't make up his mind what animal to go after.

This message was last edited by the player at 21:46, Thu 15 Nov 2018.

Gustav manages to keep up fairly well, and by lightening up he mule's load, she seems much more able to keep up as well. He  keeps to himself mostly as it's hard to talk when in column and the path doesn't lend itself to walking side by side very often. The load doesn't seem to get any lighter and he is glad to call it a day when the others suggest camping.

”You want my advice, Judoc? Choose a familiar with a good grasp of Anglish.”  Snakes, rats, wolves, birds - all have their advantages. ”I figured I’d be on the battlefield the majority of the time once I finish at the College, and Aiah was a godsend. Always good to have some eyes in the sky watching out for you. You’re more in the urban line of work, right, Finn? So something like a wolf would stick out, but a more domestic animal like a dog or a cat would blend right in.” He grins at the thought of ordering a cup of milk for a snake familiar. ”Something like a cobra or a rattlesnake would be amazing, though. You could get yourself a turban and a flute and play the part of a snake charmer.”

Though this isn’t Judoc’s first hike, the heat from the sun and wear on his muscles have taken their toll on his otherwise hale constitution. He grimaces at the thought from Aiah. ”Just like a female,” he grunts. ”Aiah says the forest is safe and won’t take a long time to traverse. She says black-eggs, whatever those are, are few.”

He shrugs his shoulders. ”We could do worse for a camp. There’s not much shelter here, but at least there’s that waterfall, so we have fresh water. Or we can push on through the forest and make camp on the other side.”

OOC: According to Aiah, the forest is safe, and there’s a path through it. There are some “black eggs” inside, but she doesn’t see many.

It seems as good a place as any to camp and the group is readily in agreement as the travelers begin to unburden their beasts and set them out to graze what meager foliage they can while there is still daylight.  Bjorn, with only his own pack to care for is quick to sling it to the ground, taking up his waterskin and walking towards the edge of the lake.

Aiah, still sitting atop Judoc's shoulder, hooks her beak near the neck of the rat, while clutching its bottom half with a single talon and balancing on the other.  Riip!   With a quickly stifled shriek, the rat's head is torn from his body, spraying blood all across Aiah's beak and feathers, not to mention sending a healthy portion over Judoc's shoulder and cheek.  The mage spasms with disgust, sending the bird flapping forward to the ground where she casts back an annoyed glance before digging her beak greedily into the exposed flesh, pulling away fat strips of crimson. 

As he reaches the southern shore, Bjorn finds that the lake quite suddenly hits the slope of the mountain, such that while there was a wide swath of dry lake bed on the eastern side, there is no such easy border on the southern one, making him walk near the edge of the water on slick rock, leaning against the higher ground with his left hand as he carefully chooses his way forward.  The ripples of his foot splashing in the water seem to cause eddies further on, stirring up clouds of silt to a darker brown.

His horse cleared of its saddle and bags, Finn turns to the group, hoping to make use of the rest of the daylight to scout.  "”Right.  I'm gonna fly around a bit and see what I can see.   I don't want to wander around blind tomorrow.  Be back in a jif.”  He closes his eyes, putting a hand to his head in concentration...

OOC:  Really we are talking a normal sized rat, though on the largest end of the scale.  Something like 20% larger than a normal sized adult.

The continual light "necklaces" are fine and can be essentially done for free seeing as you had 3 or 4 on the last adventure (I can't remember).  Finn roll 1d2+2 for the number or them left over, and roll again 1d3 for how many days ago you/Judoc cast the spell so that we know when the spells expire.

Holding up here for a few other rolls, Finn, I'll do your scouting mission in PM.

In reply to Raddek (msg # 35):

While Terri tries to catch fish, Rondald sets up the tent, clearing a section with his axe, shield over his shoulder, in order to do so. Probably heavy work, but the downed trees can also form a makeshift fence around the site.

”God! Aiah, watch where you’re eating!” Judoc recoils in disgust from the rat’s blood spray.  ”Feh! Pigs have better manners than you!”

He throws his hands up in the air in disgust. ”Yeah, so black walking eggs. Turtles, maybe? Some kind of giant roach? I don’t speak hawk-metaphor.”

He turns to his mount and begins digging out gear for making camp. ”You’re sleeping outside tonight, lady, and don’t go begging for warmth later from me.” His face softens after a bit, the creases in his forehead fading.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:21, Sat 17 Nov 2018.

Magnus tied off his mule then set to helping Rondald with the tent. The big legionary style campaign tent was an unwieldy thing even with two people, so every extra hand helped. The benefits of being able to share heat, change shifts easily and know that the others were close and safe could not be underestimated however, so all the trouble was more than worth it to him.

Some smooth shore rocks for the fire pit, a cat hole dug with his shovel about twenty paces from camp and a high line for the stock all helped to make the site that much more comfortable. In many ways it reminded him of his youth and there was a familiar comfort to the whole affair that helped with the days weariness.

Gustav Unloads his Mule and ties it up with access to food and water, then lends a hand in setting up camp. He takes one water keg at a time over to the falls, filling them at least ¾ full, in case they need to move away from the stream.

As Gustav unloads, Magnus turns to him as he lifts the pack frame off his own mule.

"Hey Gustav..." he began before setting the frame aside with a grunt, then peeling away the sweat soaked blanket beneath it. "What's Arraterre really like?" he asked as if he was uncertain about what he had been told in the past. "Is it true that they're...you know..." he trailed off and then shrugged. "Is it true that they are pretty far ahead? of Megalos?" he clarified.

Gustav Frowned ... in some ways perhaps, and in others not so much. Our Metallurgy seems a bit better in general, maps, sailing ships and some tools. Farming is little different. Armor is fading slowly as many have been experimenting with the forbidden powder which allows devices to shoot lead balls, stone and cast iron balls half the size of a mans head. Such is forbidden in Megalos, although Pirates steer well clear of an Aralaise vessel with ports for such devices along her side. Gentlemen carry weapons more like mine than such heavy swords as we use here.

Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.
-Mark Knopfler

And so the group devolves into banter, Finn with his casting, Rondald heaving an axe over his shoulder to clear brush, Judoc in his conversations with a bird.  It is in this state that Terri's scream pierces the stillness like a dirk exploding through chainmail.

"Bjorn!"

Conversation halts as everyone rapidly shifts their eyes from the source of the racket to the Northman, who now stands on two feet and a hand on the rocky southern shoreline, and it only takes a moment to realize what his going on, from the lake, a thin trail of eddies breaks into a red and black shell that bursts from the water only inches from Bjorn - luckily the man has scrambled high enough that the bug's initial swipe of the beetle's front leg only splashes across the rocks at the water's edge.

The thing is massive, even with only half of its body out of the water it is easy to see the thing is over the size of a man, and may be more like a bear.  Its head and antennae reach upward, grinning expectantly at a future meal.  It's legs click furiously and the beetle begins to draw itself forward out of the water towards the fleeing man.

Bow in hand, Terri has already started running as fast as she is able towards the scene, her boots leaving thin indents on the dry earth beneath...



OOC:  For those who have posted long actions in the last two posts, they have not taken place yet.  I need everyone to make a few rolls for me.  The first is perception.  The second is a mental stun roll vs. IQ.  Those with combat reflexes are exempt from this second roll.  If you make the second roll you may post a normal action, otherwise you are suffering from a mental stun and must make a roll vs. IQ each turn to recover.  Everyone is loaded out the equipment on their sheet with empty hands, the exceptions being Magnus who has his armor, shield and weapon loaded on his mule and Rondald who has an ax in his right hand.  Finn is still concentrating on his shapeshift spell - if you make a roll against IQ-1, you may shift this concentration to some other spell, or you may abandon it altogether if you wish.  Sorry for the woefully inadequate map, but I figured something is better than nothing.  The blue is obviously the lake, the tan is the dry parts of the lakebed which have no obstacles.  The grey is the base of the cliff, which can be traversed, although any action (including attack, defense, or movement at more than 1 hex/turn) requires a DX-2 roll to avoid slipping.  Please post 4 rounds of action.


This message was last edited by the GM at 01:33, Mon 19 Nov 2018.

Gustav looks up and sees the bug.... can you call something the size of a cart a Bug? He draws his saber and Main Gauche as he moves toward Bjorn at a run.

There are those who might chide the beast man for doffing his armor in camp, but Magnus would wager that most of those sorts have never worn armor for any length of time. Even without the pack the ache in your back and shoulders can become downright distracting by the end of the day, sweat soaks the aketon (fur in his case) and clothes beneath. One becomes subject to all manner of skin conditions only known to a select miserable few.

Suffice to say that when he had the chance to take it off, he did.

But in this particular case it likely meant that he would be the last one into the fray. When Magnus looked up with wide eyes, his experiences and instincts seemed to serve him well. he fought down the initial wave of adrenaline and rushed over to his mule where he began to slip into his hauberk. He was not exactly going to be of much use with his bare fists, and he was in no hurry to see if his horns would be enough to crack the massive things carapace.

At the scream from Terri, Judoc’s head swivels around, the young mage trying to locate their Northern companion. What he sees puts a clearer image to Aisha’s report of the hazards around them as he spots Bjorn being menaced by a giant beetle. Ah. Yes, walking black egg. An apt description, he thinks.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he snatches up his staff and begins to cast a spell. I wonder if that thing’s wings are strong enough to lift it off the ground, he wonders. Well, they’ll know soon enough.

OOC: Concentrate.