In the darkness there was a light and Giles walked, staring into something unknown, feeling like every footfall's echoed into a long unending night. He felt alone, and truth be told, scared of the vastness of the place and the singularity that stood infront of him. But just for a moment.

It came then, as the light undulated. It pulsed like a heartbeat. One. Two. Three. But somehow Giles lost count and it became irrelevant as time's passage dispersed into meaningless concepts. "What are you?" he called out, feeling consciousness's focus upon him. As its attention fell there were shocks of agony through his body, through his back and into his heart they pulsed out into his hands to the rhythm of the pulse. Tearing and rending his spirit with its appraisal. Giles could feel the overwhelming power of that whose domain he had entered and questioned. The response came soon after, it was laughter. With each reverberating thrum of the laughter Giles could feel explosions of pain inside him feeling his spirit diminish with every guttural laugh that followed. The laugh felt to be filled with pure malice and an unsatable hunger. It went on for days, or perhaps years, Giles couldn't tell. He just endured and felt his very being diminishing while the echoing laughter permeated him.

He wasn't sure how, but Giles somehow managed to pull his essence back together into a form that he could recognise again. In that moment of clarity he could feel the mind of the vast and eternal presence, its mind and its intent. He felt an overwhelming hunger, his stomach ached and he could feel it's visceral need to devour as he viewed through its mind.

"Whyyyyy?" he called out into the light in between gasps that were between choking and agony.

"You are mine!" It spoke, and with that the full darkness came again.
This message was last updated by the GM at 16:07, Sat 23 May 2020.

"What the fuck do you mean they were building artillery!"  The sound of Brashear's enraged voice woke Giles with a start.  His head was hanging off the edge of a bed, though he did not recognize it as his own.  Somewhere just next to him was another bed, with another of the soldiers laying asleep, his whole arm bandaged and propped upwards with a makeshift high table.

"There's not a goddamn tree between here and Al-Wazif!  Where the hell did they get the wood to build it?"

Giles attempted to roll over, though the immediate fire in his back made him stop, ceasing all motion in the hope that the pain would ebb away.  Only vaguely did he remember being struck on the hill...

"I don't know sir."  The second voice was Lieutenant Hetrick's, seeming somewhat resigned and defeated.  "The whole thing was abandoned... There's no sign of how the pieces got there, but they weren't finished building it.  The good news is that they don't seem interested in trying to reclaim it."

"Ugh."  Brashear groans.  "We'll have to take it down and get rid of it.  Lord knows we could probably use some of the wood here for repairs...  Still, this shows they were much more serious than we had thought.  If we hadn't sent the counter attack...  We're going to have to find out how they got it here... if they come back we do not want them to be able to start over again."

"It's going to have to wait, sir."  Hetrick sighs.  "We're down over thirty men, at least fifteen killed.  Almost half the horses are lame or dead.  The patrols have been cut for the time being, we've got a duty caring for the injured, and we're disassembling the machine and somehow we have to keep a watch that's capable of repelling an assault if our neighbors come back.  We are prioritizing the things that have to happen now."

"I know..."  Brashear admits, his voice low as Giles hears the strain of creaking wood on a bed somewhere near him.  "You're right, it'll have to wait."

His mind too encompassed in pain to do much more than listen, Giles hears Hetrick's footsteps retreat as the world swirls around him, carrying him back off into a state of sleep.

---

Giles tossed and turned, his mind shackled somewhere between sleep and wakefulness.  His head felt like a furnace, his body spewing out heat and sweat as he threw off whatever sheets burdened him.  His upper back throbbed in pain, sending spasms of hurt through his body with only the slightest touch... sensations which seemed nearly impossible to avoid as the wound had seemed to expand to fill a space twice its normal size.

"It's not good."  Giles wasn't sure if he was dreaming.  Disembodied voices floated around him like water, brushing his awareness when they drifted close enough.  "The infection's spreading.  We've got to keep the fever down..."

Giles felt a wet cloth press against his forehead.  The cool sensation made him shudder with pleasure, though the feeling was only momentary as everything sunk back into a state of hazy grey.

---

"Hey there."  Lieutenant Hetrick pulls a seat up next to Giles as he moves a small table over between the two of them, plopping down a small piece of cloth down on top of it.  "How are you feeling?"

It was a loaded question.  It had been four weeks since the fort had been sieged and Giles was still bedridden, his bandage still changed every few days.  In fact, he was the only one still in the infirmary.  From the more than dozen who had started off there with Giles, most had been discharged back to service, some with broken bones that they were still nursing - though at least they were able to care for themselves.  Some however, had been discharged from the service to return home, permanently scarred or missing limbs from the battle.  Some four or five had died in the infirmary.  It could always be worse.

Still, Giles had a difficult time that his body was not healing faster.  Only a few days into his stay, Giles had been gripped by infection, coming as close to death as he had ever been, though the dedicated care of the fort nurse had managed to pull him back from the brink.  The infection had made his wound much worse and had lasted for over a week, leaving his shoulder swollen and puss-filled... a difficult place to start his recovery.

Still, the recovery had progressed, and though he was not yet allowed to move around much walk than around the infirmary, he was able to sit up in bed with a few pillows propping him up comfortably.

"Found this in your room too."  Hetrick places a small statue, one of five wolves, down on the table as well.  "Figured you might like some of your things here.  Nurse says you'll be a few days here yet."

Giles recognizes the statue as the one he found in the harpy cave, the place where he had realized at the first that there were forces conspiring to attack the fort from the South.  He had not thought of the statue for some time.  It had merely taken up a corner of his own desk, forgotten.

OOC:  It is 1200 on the 16th of August.  I made several healing rolls for you, and while you stayed alive, you earned a particularly nasty infection that delayed your healing significantly.  You are hovering somewhere around 1/4 HP, and thus are at half move, dodge, and ST, though that shouldn't significantly affect the thread.  You will heal eventually, you are just weak now.  Feel free to take the conversation where you want to.
This message was last updated by the GM at 16:08, Sat 23 May 2020.

Giles nodded at Hetrick as way of thanks and took the statue to inspect it. The effort of leaning to reach it sent shocks of burning pain through his back, but having suffered weeks of torment and delirium, Giles was unaffected by the sensation, or perhaps slightly happy that the pain meant he was alive and on the mend.

"Thanks" he said simply, feeling the words catch in his dry throat, and send little sharp pains through his lips where they'd dried and split.

Taking the time to turn the object in his hand, Giles looked at the wolf and felt some form of kinship to it. These people were like the pack and he was one of them, but despite his relative joviality at being awake and conscious once again he felt dismayed at how much punishment he had taken. It had affected him greatly, more in his mind than body; deep down he could feel a rock of obsidian, that spoke of anger and fury and the more his mind lingered on it the more it seemed to pulse with dark promise. Through his mind's eye he could see the faces of Wazifi reflecting in its glassy surface.

"They had catapults?" he asked Hetrick

"One."  Hetrick answers Giles question.  "One of the guys who was in the engineers before took a look at it and said it wasn't balanced enough to work right, couldn't have thrown anything straight if it wanted to, and probably would have completely broken after a few tries...  Still, it doesn't sit well.  They were definitely in it to break the fort.  They had the manpower and they were working on the firepower.  We've still got no clue where they got the wood from, though there is some evidence they dragged the heavy lumber up from the river.  Brashear wants someone to look into it, but we just don't have the manpower."

Hetrick takes the small cloth and spreads it out over the table.  Giles peers forward and sees a small game board with a dragon scrawled in black across the top with a depiction of a man in a bottom corner.  Spread over the board are various boxes marked two through twelve.

"Up for a game of Dragon and the Thief?"  Hetrick asks, smoothing out the bit of cloth.  "I'm not keeping you company for free."  He smirks.  "How about a farthing per roll?  Or if you are feeling frisky we can up the ante to a penny."



OOC:  As a reminder, a farthing is $1 and a penny is $4.

Giles smiled "anything to take my mind off lying here in pain... lets go for a penny per pop. When I win, will you fetch my book, it's one of the ones written in Wazifi language, the thicker one I think. It's called "The Masters". he asked before nodding to Hetrick to start the game.

As they began to play Giles asked "what do you think of this life? Why'd you choose it?" the depth of his injury and the weariness he could still feel, bone-deep from his very near end had left the spirit of Giles shaken and his resolve to continue the soldier life weakened.

"I also do wonder where they might have gotten the extra lumber. Perhaps  my other book ''Raphael and the Surrounding Environs' might provide some insight

Hetrick nods, a wide smile lighting up his face.  "Good to see you're making this worth my time."  He jokes, taking up the two dice in his hand, which he rolls across the table.  A five and three show, and Hetrick places a small silver penny down on the eight square of the board, before pushing the dice across at Giles.

"I don't know, I suppose I got into this for the same reason as most of the young officers.  My dad was titled, but didn't have enough money or land to split among the three boys.  So he brought my older brother up to take his place, pushed me into the service, and pushed my younger brother Alec into the clergy."  Hetrick suppresses a laugh with his fist.  "I can't wait until that blows up.  I can't think of anyone less cut out for feigning piety.  Alec has been a playboy his whole life.  Something about being the youngest."  Hetrick shakes his head.  "Suppose it's worked out well enough for me.  Brashear has been a boon to work for.  Man knows his shit."

Hetrick leans back in his chair, thinking as Giles ponders on the location of the lumber.  "Yeah.  I mean, none of us can think of anywhere that would support trees that thick between here and the great forest.  And I can't even imagine having the gall to go and fell trees there.  All sorts of beast are supposed to live there, not to mention the elves which don't take kindly to woodsmen.  It's a hell of a question."

OOC:  Roll 2d6.

"Aye, and if you decide to play a game that's not just chance, then we'll see who can really shine! he said, taunting in response with good humour that belief his internal angst.

"Much the same as me, in fact. My family is from the area near Kethalos… funny how I seemed to end up in the furthest part of the empire from my home. he said, chuckling at the description of Hetrick's brother. "Mine were on the wilder side too, caused my family no end of headache. I suppose all the fire had gone out of the blood by the time it got to me, I was far more studious than the rest of them. I suppose it's why I was sent to The Academy he said continuing the conversation while musing through his own thoughts.

He rolled the wolf statue in his hands and looked at it, having played his hand at the game and continued without raising his eyes "Yes, Brashear I think is the only thing stopping the south of West Megalos from getting overrun by Wazifi. I'll admit I am surprised he's still only a captain and still commanding this fort at all. While it's important, we just sit here most of the time and act as deterrent. he said, and then gestured for Hetrick to make his game move.

"While Al Wazif doesn't have many trees, and is mostly arid, I'm sure there are areas with enough trees to make one catapult. They probably got it from nearby a city, or in the mountains where it's cooler and trees can grow more easily.  I can't imagine them going to the Great Forest, aside from being filled with all kinds of things, it's also three hundred miles out of the way. If they were so committed to taking this fort, why would they only bring one device after venturing so far to the Great Forest? It also could have been a wizard, to have conjured the wood... Giles elucidated, before adding his final thought more offhandedly.

<edited out the spell>


11:56, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 6 using 2d6.  Roll for the game.
12:19, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 10 using 3d6.  illusion (probably simple).

I edited out the spell - Hetrick didn't react to it anyway, so I suppose it's not a big deal if it happens.

This message was last edited by the player at 09:15, Wed 27 May 2020.

When Giles motions for Hetrick to move, the other gets a confused look on his face before pointing down on his silver penny on the eight square.  "I did.  You ever played Dragon and the Thief?  There's nothing to it.  Most rolls all you have to do is put a coin down if the square is empty, or pick the coin up if there's a coin there already.  Only exceptions are two, seven, and twelve.  Seven is the hoard, if you roll a seven, you put a coin down, regardless of how many there are yet.  Two is the thief.  If you roll a two, you pick up everything on the board with the exception of the hoard.  And the twelve is the dragon.  If you roll a twelve, you pick up everything and the game is over."

Hetrick waits on Giles to put his penny down on the six tile before picking up the dice and rattling them around in his hand.

"Yeah, you've got something to that.  Certainly there are places that grow trees to the South, though there's not much between here and the Pillars of Heaven.  Even if it's not three hundred miles to the great forest, it's at least a hundred, and that's a hell of a river ride for a ton of timber.  Still, it had to come from upstream if it was pulled out of the water, so we're fairly certain at least they're harvesting it from the west... unless there is some serious deception going on here."

Hetrick throws the dice and turns up a six, grinning wickedly as he picks up Giles's penny from the board.  "Already winning!  I told you I'd make this worth my time!"

OOC:  Penny on 8.

Giles frowned "There's this type of game all around the Empire, sometimes the rules are a little different.. he said, defending himself from the accusation. "Though I'll admit I've not played much of it, I try my best not to leave my fate up to chance Giles added with a chuckle.

He picked up the dice, and held them in one finger, before gesturing the throwing of them, a the same time Giles spoke a few words under his breath and then cursed when his spell didn't work. Instead he just threw the dice and hoped.

"What if we had a carpenter look at the wood? Maybe he'd be able to tell what type of tree it was from, it could give us some indication where it came from? If it did come from up river though, It'd be easy enough to float it down the water, rather than carry it...

I suppose it makes more sense to come from that way than to come from the east though. So perhaps the guess is right. Though if they're starting to build siege weapons then I'd be concerned that our little skirmish was the first of many - and perhaps only a first attempt.

We are well positioned, but not the only potential target along the border. From what I remember of the battle, their emissary spoke of Raphael. He continued before stopping to let the meaning sink in.



OOC:

DO you have an available map of the area? (which I would guess upstream is to the west, if I recall the map correctly - the sea is off to the east of Raphael, right?)

10:19, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 14 using 3d6.  Complex illusion (roll dice).// damn

10:21, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 9 using 2d6.  Game.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:11, Sat 30 May 2020.

Hetrick looks at Giles somewhat skeptically as he suggests the rules for the game vary across the land, though he does not put up any counter to the argument.

Then Giles attempts a little slight of hand, trying to cast a spell to make it appear as if he had thrown the dice.  However, the attempt fails, and luckily Hetrick does not seem to recognize Giles's attempt to cheat, though he looks thoroughly confused at the sequence.  Giles recovers naturally however, rolling the dice and placing another penny down on the nine.

"Yeah." Hetrick muses, picking up the dice.  "We could have somebody look at it.  Though I'm not sure we'll get much more than places where that particular tree grows normally.  It'd be hard to rule out anything..."

Hetrick throws the dice, rolling a 6 again, and he places his penny back on the board with a shrug.  "Right back down I suppose."

He looks back over at Giles, taking in the last words the man spoke.  "Yeah, Brashear was saying the same thing.  He's worried they are going to try and use their loss as the impetus to drive a bigger army together, with bigger goals.  I think either way, they're probably going to stop back here again first, from what Magnus was saying, their emissary was a real dick.  Seemed like they had a grudge or something.  I think that's why cap wants the artillery situation cleared up."

OOC: Penny on the 6, 8, 9.

 I updated the Maps thread to include Caithness, which is where the Great Forest lies.  Depends on which map you look, but it's somewhere between a 100-150 miles from where you are (near the tri-border of Caithness, Al-Wazif, and Megalos) and the edge of the forest, though perhaps there are thickets of woods in between.
link to a message in this game

Giles rolled the dice and looked down at the number. When I win all this, I'll be having a nice long drink in Raphael... he taunted.

Then what do we do about it? We barely seemed to win the last fight - granted we had no support from Raphael - but a bigger force we'd be unable to deny without a swelling of our numbers.

If they are intent on invading, or causing some serious conflict, we'd need a legion here to deal with the issue. Our current numbers are a skeleton crew at best, when put in contest to a serious army. Even the Wazifis that were here a month ago seemed like irregulars more than a dedicated army.

My suggestion is that we petition the lord of Raphael to deploy a legion in the area. Though it's hard to justify without some proper intelligence.


OOC:

Penny on 6, 8, 9, 10
11:33, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 10 using 2d6.  Game.

From the maps, the one that focuses on Al Wazif, that's the one I looked at. I was roughly assuming the fort was at the fork in the river between Raphael and Quazr As Sawh - which looked to be 300miles from the scale.

However, I guess maybe the fort is a bit further up river. Fair enough 150-miles, just assume he said that I suppose (as I guess he'd roughly know)
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:10, Sat 30 May 2020.

"Yeah,"  Hetrick agrees.  "I think that the Captain has already redoubled his efforts to try and reinforce the fort with some extra people.  It's been really odd.  Normally we get some new blood every month, but I think that you were the last person we've picked up, and that was most of a year ago.  It's like someone in the system is trying to deliberately short us.  I think it's plain that even if we saw the same attack again we'd probably be in a tight spot to repel it.  There was a good bit of luck and surprise in the outcome..."

Though Hetrick starts to disagree when Giles starts talking about bringing an entire legion.  "I think if they were serious about invading, they would probably skip us all together.  The roads out to the east are much better for movement, and there's nothing of much value this far West until you get to New Jerusalem.  Brashear seems to think it's more likely that they are using us as an excuse to drum up support for a real assault towards the bigger cities.  That's why he was so keen on defeating the siege without making a massacre of it.  Didn't want to stoke the fire."

Hetrick throws the dice, coming up with another eight and smiling as he takes the penny off the board.

"In any case, he wants to know where they are getting the support for the artillery so that maybe we can cut off that avenue.  He thinks if they saw themselves as close to breaking us, they might try again."

Penny on 6, 9, 10

He rolled the dice again and then grinned when he leaned over to take the coin, grimacing at the inside sensation of tugging he felt. "Aye, we'd need to find out who is supplying such things... I do have the sense that this may only be the earliest stages of something bigger but maybe I'll be wrong. Lets hope so. he said.

"Do you have an idea how we'll get that information?


OOC:

16:39, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 9 using 2d6.  Game.

Penny on 6, 10

Hetrick shakes his head as he takes the dice, throwing them on the board and turning up a one and a four.  He places a penny on the five square.

"No."  He adds, passing the dice back to Giles.  "I think that Brashear wants to send a party to look, but we just don't have the manpower at the moment.  He sort of mentioned you were our local expert," he winks in Giles direction.  "So I expect he'll want you to get better soon."

OOC:  Penny on 5, 6, 10.

We can continue the game a post at a time, or if you want to speed things up, you can roll your next ten rolls individually labeled by round (1, 2, 3, etc.)
 Just note that if you roll 10 rounds, don't act out any but your first one (as Hetrick may pick up or put down coins inbetween your turns).  The game ends when someone rolls a 12, so it may take quite a while to happen with only a 1/36 chance each time the dice are thrown.  I think the big picture stuff has been gleaned from the conversation, though you are free to continue it if you wish.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:51, Mon 01 June 2020.

Giles looked at Herick, and then resolved himself, leaning forward and pushing himself slowly up, before pulling his feet from the bed.
"Well, I better start walking then, hadn't I

Giles struggled to sit up on the edge of the bed, then leaned over to the dice and rolled another roll.

"Ill sit like this for a while, then i'll go walk around the fort


OOC: // it starts from the bottom
08:20, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 12 using 2d6.  Game.
08:20, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 8 using 2d6.  Game.
08:20, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 6 using 2d6.  Game.
08:20, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 5 using 2d6.  Game.
08:20, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 4 using 2d6.  Game.
08:20, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 11 using 2d6.  Game.
.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:21, Tue 02 June 2020.

Giles sits up in his bed, his back and shoulder lancing with pain at the movement, though he manages to get himself upright.  Hetrick for a moment looks like he is going to protest, though he holds himself off, letting Giles settle back into a strained comfort.

"Take it easy alright?  I already said we aren't expecting anything to happen any time soon."  Hetrick protests mildly, though he smirks at Giles's enthusiasm.

And then Giles mentions that he'll take a walk around the fort... and that's when it happens.  First he thinks that it is the board that is moving, some coy trick by Hetrick to slink away with whatever is left on the board, though that impression lasts only a moment.  For the swelling is happening just to the side of the board, his wolf statue is growing like an inflated balloon.  In another moment, the whole table clatters over, the silver coins and the cloth board spilling off to the side as Hetrick stands up in surprise.

And in another moment, five wolves, full grown are standing off to the side of Giles's bed.  One of them lolls the tongue out of its mouth, looking up at Giles before all of them bound off out the door.  The nurse gives a cry of surprise, though he does not have the wherewithal to do anything more than step back as they pass.

In another moment, they are gone.  Hetrick stares at Giles in complete shock.  Though after a little time passes he does the only thing that seems left and picks up the board.  The two finish their game, with Giles rolling the dragon and cleaning the five coins off the board.

"Oddest game I think I've ever had."  Hetrick murmurs as he puts the cloth back in his pocket, nodding to Giles as he heads out of the room.

OOC:  In fifteen minutes or so, the wolves will come back in the infirmary and return to a small, handheld statue of five wolves.  I've been sitting on this one since you went into the Harpy cave...  You missed your initial roll to recognize that the item was magic and haven't thought twice about it, neither have you sold it.  I figured I'd give you a shot to see if we could get out a 'command word' here, and "go for a walk around the fort" was close enough for me.  You also won the game of Dragon and the Thief, which netted you about $12.  None of you rolled a 7 through the whole game...  makes me wish that I could have been that lucky at a craps table.  I decided to stop things here to give you a reaction rather than keep moving forward.  No need for anything specific though.

The lances of pain shot through Giles and caused him to grimace and be forced to stifle a guttural growl of frustration. He managed to keep silent enough through the struggle though. The next few rounds passed in a blur, with relatively little said. Most of the man's focus was on keeping his torso positioned in a manner that would cause as little discomfort as possible.

"Remind me to never let another bastard put a spear through me..." he grimaced through clenched teeth as he readjusted. The shock of it was followed up by the momentary bulging of the world around him, the movement of the board and the desk and the wolf statue made Hind think that the pain was causing him to dizzy and sway, but he was wrong.

A moment had passed and there were a pack of wolves infront of him. Giles locked his eyes on them and frowned in confusion more to do with his own lack of fear - though a man having come so close to death so recently could perhaps be forgiven for such an omission - and interest in how this situation had unravelled.

He stood mute as the wolves dashed out the room, and then glanced over at Hetrick. The man picked up the board, and began to play again, so GIles, with nothing better to do continued also; though, truth be told, his mind was on the wolves.

"Odd indeed..." was all he could muster as the other Lieutenant left the room.

---

After some time the wolves returned and Giles again had time to see them. He tried to burn the picture of them into his mind, and eventually gestured a wave "Hi, welcome back..." though he wasn't sure to what end it would come.




OOC: Honestly, I had suspected that it was magical of some sort - but honestly in all my efforts to come uyp with a justification to 'meta-game' that I thought it was magic, I never could quite convince myself.

I figured he might have sensed the magic, and that could have prompted him - if he had an appropriate spell he'd have used that too, but alas. He was ignorant.

I think i'll buy 'eidetic memory' if possible. There are a bunch of ways he could contrive having just 'acquired it' - maybe he always had it, and just never paid attention, or it could have developed from the shock of nearly dying etc. I would save the points for something else - but I actually think that Eidetic memory kind of fits the character concept AND might serve to be good use during the game.

The only game I play in Vegas is poker for 2 main reasons:
1) not playing against the house
2) you can play favourable odds. (t's not really gambling tbh)

"Already told you that did they?"  Brashear grimaces somewhat slightly leaning back at his chair in thought.

It had been close to exactly what Hetrick had predicted.  Once Giles had managed to get back into a state of working health, Brashear had asked him into his office, inquired on his recovery, and then mentioned the looming problem of the artillery piece and where it had come from.  Rather than make force Brashear to weave the story on his own, Giles quickly mentioned that he had heard he might be the top choice for going on an expedition, looking for wherever they might have been importing the lumber from.

"Well, I suppose they aren't wrong.  We need to find out where it was coming from, and more importantly, whether they are still using it to build.  We think they were just floating the timber down the river, which at least gives you something to follow until you find a likely place they could have done it.  Who knows if they are still there...  I just can't shake the feeling that they are building up a whole unit of artillery pieces to bring back here."

"So if you are willing to do it, we need someone to find out where the wood came from, whether they are still gathering it, and if they are, where the hell it is going now.  You think you are up to it Giles?"

OOC:  It is 1400 on the 28th of August.  You are almost entirely recovered, and have spent the last two weeks out of the clinic.  You still have some issues with tiring quickly and breathing deeply, though you think you are as fit as you are going to be anytime soon.

Poker is a fun game, but it's an enormous time investment.  I like putting taking out a small bit of money and just playing the tables.  Blackjack, craps - those are both fun because normally, the table all wins together.  Poker is a very solo game where it's hard to make casual conversation.  I don't mind losing, the way I see it, it's all lost once it's out of the ATM anyway.  Anything I take home is just bonus.

Eidetic Memory added to your character sheet.

Giles nodded "word of things spreads fast round the fort... it wouldn't surprise me even if the horses knew by now" he said with a shrug.

He listened intently to Brashear, focused more on the pain down his side than anything, but could still recall the words and understand the flow of conversation despite his relative lack of attention.

Repeating, he said "Okay, so, we find where the woods is from, where it's going and what's getting done with it.

The question I have is this. What will we do about it? If we find out where it's coming from, a supply chain like that could add threat to the entire border. Knowing where they intend to strike might not be enough by itself. If it keeps coming, they might end up having multiple locations where these devices are being created... then he paused a moment and stroked his thickly stubbled chin ... I know it's early days yet, in theory, and perhaps i'm getting ahead of myself - but this is a new threat and one that feels like it is not singular.

Giles shuffled from one foot to the other and then stifled a wince at the shooting feeling he felt run down his leg. Absently, he wondered whether the pain was real or just a phantom of the real horror that had crystallised in his mind so clearly. It didn't matter though.

"I'll go. Heading up river seems to be the best bet. Though, if it is coming directly from the great forest, I'll hit the border of Wazif or Caithness before reaching it... he mused. ... though less likely to get killed on sight in Caithness." came the wry comment.

OOC:

Right, he's ready and willing to go.


As for poker, aye - massive investment, but a great pay off if you're not emotional or stupid. I much prefer putting my 'win potential' into things that can be favourable, and aren't just based on random chance. Also, there's a skill and competitiveness to poker that I like.

I was in Vegas a year or so ago, managed to come back with more money that I took because of pokwer (at least the money I gambled) in terms of spending and drinking and enjoying the 'glories' of Vegas, i haemorrhaged cash.

Alright ramblers, lets get ramblign.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 16:20, Sat 13 June 2020.

When Giles asks what to do if they actually find where the wood is coming from, Brashear shakes his head.  "What we need is information.  For now I would say, if you can find it, bring back what information you can.  How bit the operation is, how far, how many people.  Things like that.  The last thing we need though is for you to try and do too much and get captured or worse."

Brashear nods as Giles mentions just following the river Westward.  "You're probably right.  I can't think of any better way.  Just be careful.  We've already seen how hostile the Wazifis can be and I'm fairly certain that Caithness is still wracked in civil war.  Be careful Giles."

OOC:  Before I fast forward, look at your equipment and give some thought to what you want to bring.  Most all of what you want will be provided by the fort, so long as they have it.  Unfortunately, due to the shortage of people you'll be limited to one other person to come along.  You may choose Edenburg if you wish, or otherwise you can pick a single skill you want your cohort to have at 15, or you can choose 2 skills at level 12.

"I'd think it's better to stay on the Megalan side as much as possible. Though I'll cross if there are no fords for a long time. If they're using the river, and it's not too wide, it should be easy enough to spot from either bank.

Once we see the activity we can push deeper to see where the wood is coming from. he said, stifling a grimace at the idea of being captured by Wazifi forces.

"i'll do what I can... I'm just glad they're using the river at all. It will lead us right to their operation, I think. Either way, i'll find what I can and relay the information back here.


OOC:

The 'most' important skill is outdoorsy/tracking/stealth. Ranger-type skills are probably most needed - so anyone with the most abundance of that kind of thing. Giles can kind of do some, but I wouldn't count on his ability to survive in the wild for any length of time on his own - at least not in difficult terrain.

Naturally riding is important too. And some form of fighting skill, should it be required (though this is tertiary). IF there's another mage, maybe 'divining'.


Equipment, we'll be initially taking the north (megalan) side of the river, and I expect most of the river bank on either side is fairly green, with copses of trees and bush.

Equipment:

Chakram
Wolf Statue
Armour
Shield (medium)
Horse
Sword, Knife x2
'Survival stuff'
Money

Does the fort hold anything like poison? Or 'mass effect' type things?



Before heading off, he'll take time to memorise
"The Warrior's Code"
and
"The Masters: A study of great warriors (Wazifi)"
7:59, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 6 using 3d6.  IQ+5.

He will also take the time to Memorise the most detaild maps the fort has.
18:00, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 8 using 3d6.  IQ+5.
17:59, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 8 using 3d6.  IQ+5.

The morning dawns bright and warm... tipping on hot, an ill sign, especially when the previous day had been scorching with heat by the late morning, approaching unbearable by the early afternoon.  It was not the right time of year to start this expedition.  Right in the middle of the summer when the heat was at its peak and the days lasted long enough that it never cooled down enough at night.

Still, a job was a job, and Giles couldn't ask for a more reasonable person to be taking the trip with.  Edenburg was completely healed from the fight at the fort, though he still had a nasty scar of the slash down his leg.  He didn't seem to let it get to him however, and often told the story of standing on the top of the hill, taking the brunt of the attack with Giles as the horsemen charged their position, cutting a few of them down before he was injured by three of them attacking him at once.  It was a story which had garnered him some attention and admiration within the ranks.

The two had left early two mornings ago, taking a pair of horses, Firebrand and Sage, starting along the normal patrol route which had not been swept since the beginning of the fort's troubles.  They hadn't overexerted themselves, letting the horses stop often for water and grazing, while the two men searched the hills for any sign of disturbed vegetation.

As the sun rises in the East, it illuminates the badlands to the South and marks a few high columns of rising stone in the distance that were not nearly as clear the previous evening.

"The pillars of Heaven."  Edenburg remarks to Giles as the latter routs himself from the tent.  "Never seen 'em myself, but there are a few of the guys who've talked about coming out this far.  They say there are some crazy monks that live up at the top of em."

Edenburg passes Giles a slab of dried meat from their rations.  "So what's the plan boss, just keep on cruising along the river?"

OOC:  Ok, I think I'm done with all of the admin stuff I needed before moving your thread along.  Sorry I stopped you again here, but I wanted to make sure I cleared a couple of points and asked a few questions before we went too far.

Giles:

I expect most of the river bank on either side is fairly green, with copses of trees and bush.

The bank itself is green, with some scrub that grows close to the edge, but we are in the middle of the dry season, and the river has ebbed significantly with some healthier grasses growing in places where there would be water flowing in wetter times.  You don't need to move far from the bank though before things dry out almost completely.  There is scrub brush and high, amber grasses, and that's about it.

Giles:

Does the fort hold anything like poison? Or 'mass effect' type things?

No.

Your equipment has been edited on your character sheet, with those items that have been checked out of inventory noted.  Edenburg has also taken bandages, a two person tent, and rations for your trip.  As for the study, your look into the two books refreshed some of your knowledge on soldiering and tactics, and gave some insight into strategy.  You earned one point into the Strategy skill.

What are your plans for the movement?  Do you want to just keep moving along the northern bank going Westward until you see a forested area on one side or the other?  I'm not suggesting there is a better option, just want to make sure I have your intent clear.


A much closer shot of what the Pillars of Heaven may look like

Everything seemed calm out in the open. It was a familiar feeling to Giles and as he breathed deep in the hot summer air, feeling the scents of the world touch him, a sense of calm passed.
"Nice to be away from the fort, for a time isn't it Edenburg" he said casually as he stopped a moment to let his horse eat grass.

After Edenburg spoke Giles looked at the arid land, noting the rockiness that was so different from the place he grew up, full of yellows and ochres rather than the greens and browns and blues of North East Megalos.
"Me neither, they look very strange to my eye. It could be here, but this river leads to the great forest and it isn't so much further.

It wouldn't surprise me that the wood be passed through this area, but given the climate, and the ease of which to transport wood in the river i'm inclined to say we keep along the Makaram until we make for more wooded areas. My sense would have me believe that the most logical decision he said, raising his hand to his eyes to shield from the sun and get a better look at the surrounding areas.

While scanning the area Giles said again "Under normal circumstances, i'd suggest we go visit the monks and see what they're about.. but maybe this is a bad idea at the moment" a grin came to his lips.

"At least lets find somewhere to cross, and then move along the river on that side..."


OOC:

We'll  keep moving up the river, it seems the most reasonable course of action - but we'll cross at the next easy fording spot.

Taking the time to admire the sights of the pillars of heaven from afar, Giles presses Firebrand forward, looking over at the river to find a gentle enough spot for fording.

As luck would have it, the dry season gives Giles plenty of opportunity, and within only a few miles, Giles finds a wide, shallow section of the river that seems to be running slowly enough for an easy crossing.  Giles and Edenburg push themselves across, making easy work of the waters which barely rise up past the horses' bellies.

An hour or so later, as Giles is riding, he notices the mana draining from the air around him...  He had heard that the farther West one traveled, the weaker the mana got, though this was his first time really experiencing such a change.  Perhaps it was a lucky thing that Giles had not come to be very reliant on his magic, for he was not sure exactly what sort of differences this environment would make.

The two soldiers make relatively good time.  Giles keeps his eyes out for woods or forrest, though for the most part all of the terrain to the south remains the hilly badlands and scrub that Giles has become used to for al-Wazif.  While the North side of the river does seem to get a little greener, most of the changes seem to be livelier grasses and small bushes.

On their fourth day of travel, Giles is beginning to wonder just how much farther the great forest could be.

The day is clear and blue... and swelteringly hot.  Even before the horses had been set with the saddle pad, they had already begun to sweat, a sign which makes things clear to Giles that they will have to have another easy day of riding.  It wouldn't do to exhaust the horses in this heat.  Lord knew that if they lost one of the horses to heat exhaustion, things would be significantly more difficult.

At least they had the river to plunge into and cool themselves off Giles mused to himself.

But just then, a small shadow crosses near him in the sky, and Giles searches between the wisps of clouds to find a thick-bodied bird with massive wings, high above them.  Giles is no expert on animals, though the beast appears to be just doing circles.

His hips rocked with the gait of Firebrand as he lowered down to the level of the river began to ford. The coolness of the water was too much to resist, and he leaned over and splashed some water in his face, and then onto the neck of the horse while they crossed.

"The water is good" he said to break the silence.

It was a small respite that the man revelled in throughout their journey. Every camping site was close enough to the river that he could cool himself off after the heat. He was beginning to feel it deep in his skin, like the other times he'd crossed to Wazif. Coming from the northern parts of Megalos, Giles had grown up in colder climates, where winter was marked with thick snow and ice in the seas and rivers. After such a life, he could never quite get comfortable with the temperature of the southern empire but Al-Wazif was a different beast and almost an hour after sunrise Giles sweated worse than his horse.

---

When the sensation of magic first hit Giles, he thought maybe he had just not eaten enough, or that the sun was affecting him a little too much, it took him an embarrassingly long time to realise that magical energies had dropped - though when he realised, it became so obvious. He was just unused to the sensation of something that had been so intertwined in his life until that point.

"We're in Caithness, or at least very close..." he said to Edenburg. "... I would guess heading north now would take us deeper into their lands, but it means the Great Forest must be close by....


As he spoke, Giles glanced up and saw a large bird soared across the sky, notable due to its size and distance, that the man couldn't quite fathom. "Look at that... Can you tell what kind of bird it is? Circling means there's something nearby, right? Dead or food or even a body of water? he asked, with Edenburg being more outdoorsy than he.


OOC:
18:29, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 12 using 3d6.  observation.

Edenburg glances upwards, shielding his eyes from the sun.

"Yeah."  The corporal responds, staring for another few moments before he clarifies his thoughts.

"Look at the thing's backend.  Doesn't look like a normal tail... more like it's hanging its feet out the back...  Whatever it is, it's big."

Giles asks his question and Edenburg answers with a little hesitation.  "Yeah, carrion birds circle.  I'm not much of a bird expert...  You think it's looking for something?

Giles covered his eyes to block the sun and kept looking at the flying creature. He wasn't sure but it did look a little too big to be a bird, or at least a lot bigger than the ones he'd see before. He wondered wryly whether his initial assumptions had been off, and rather than signalling the enemy it might just be hunting the only game in the immediate area... him and Edenburg.

"Lets just hope it doesn't see us as prey, eh?" he said with a light chuckle, shrugging at the fatalism he felt in that moment.

"Birds are usually drawn to things, seagulls often near the coast, vultures near carrion and corposes, and lots of other animals are drawn to places of watering. But if neither of us can tell the kind of animal it is then maybe it's not worth considering.

For now, lets just keep an eye on it and keep moving. despite his unwillingness to share much information about his magical background, Edenburg was as close to him as anyone in the fort and Giles didn't mind mentioning it every now and then.

"There's no spell I know that could help reveal what it is, and as we're this close to Caithness, if not there already, I don't think I could draw enough power to be successful even if I knew the right spell.



OOC: I am right in thinking Giles has a -5 to cast penalty now, right?

Giles decides to simply keep moving along, keeping an eye on the situation.  However, the day is so exceedingly hot, especially in his armor, that Giles finds that the slog of riding is wearying almost immediately.  After only an hour and a half or so Firebrand is lathered in a thick coat of sweat and Giles feels much the same, his clothing steeped in sweat underneath the chain links of his armor.

"Doesn't look like it's getting any farther away from us does it?"  Edenburg asks, gazing into the clear, blue sky as he takes a long draw of water from his skin.

Indeed, the creatures has only seemed to get closer.  Giles takes another closer look and can now more clearly see the beast as it circles away from the sun.  It has a massive wingspan, he would guess twelve feet or more and thick, muscular legs that trail behind as it glides lazily in circles above.

"I don't like this."  Edenburg replaces his skin, his face tensing into a grimace.  "The horses aren't going to last long in this heat.  We're going to have to rest and water them soon...  and that thing still won't leave us alone."

OOC:  Yes, you are at -5 for spell casting due to the low mana area.  Critical failures do not produce spectacular results as normal though, so apart from the one fatigue from a failed spell, you can cast with near impunity.

It is 1030 on the 4th of September.  Roll vs. HT-2.  For every point you miss by you are down 1 point of fatigue from the rather brief ride.  The flying beast seems to be following you.  Feel free to take any sort of precaution or action you wish.  If you wish to find some sort of shelter, you can roll vs. Survival: Mountains +2 or Survival: Plains.  Otherwise you can look to water the horses at the river or anything else you can think of.

Giles nodded as he wiped a thick torrent of sweat from his brow. The heat is ungodly he said, taking pains to look up at the airborne creature again.

"Alright, we can't keep like this, lets water the horses as best we can and then go find some shelter. There will be some caves around here i'm sure, or some shade we can find until the sun passes its worst  he said pausing, and tugging at his mail to readjust the clothes underneath that felt sodden and were clinging to his body.

"Lets get to the water..." he said, having an idea.

Upon arrival, he glanced up at the flying creature again and squinted trying to figure out if it might be them it was waiting for. Perhaps waiting for them to falter under the sun.

Reaching down to the Wolf statue, Giles closed his eyes and concentrated a moment, speaking the words he had before, and then hoping that they could listen to him, or had some vague intelligence. When they arrived, he would point the direction he indicated and speak "find men, and return when you see them please". It was worth a shot, he reconsidered a moment, wondering just what connection he might have to the wolves that emerged from the device, but was fairly sure they would not attack him.


17:39, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 9 using 3d6.  HT-2.
//pass

Ah, i was going to cast a spell, but there's almost no chance of him actually succeeding.

Survival:
17:43, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 11 using 3d6.  survival.

//pass

Giles decides to water the horses first, and then get to some shelter to wait out the the creature that seems to be stalking them.  But first thing was first.

Giles takes out his small totem, the wooden statue of the five wolves and speaks quietly to it.  Instantly the thing grows and comes to life, five full sized adult wolves which lope in circles and loll out their tongues in the afternoon heat.

Chaos immediately ensues.

Firebrand panics, rearing back as he paws the air with his fore-hooves.  Sage too, whinnies as she quick steps backwards, her ears immediately back.  Giles grips onto Firebrand with his heels, trying desperately to keep from falling, pulling back perhaps over hard on the reigns as he looks for any hold to keep himself upright.  Firebrand lands and rears again, and Giles slips ever so slightly, nearly falling off the saddle as he grips the front with his other hand.  Mercifully, <i>Firebrand calms enough that Giles can reseat himself and renew his grip while he attempts his best soothing voice towards the animal.

One of the wolves yips in Giles's direction before the five run off.  With their absence, Giles manages to calm Firebrand down enough to dismount, and let the horse drink.

Of course, in all the commotion, Giles had not paid much attention to their visitor.  Looking over his shoulder, Giles nearly panics again as he sees the thing in a dive, close enough that its whole body is now plainly in view.  It is an incredible beast, with the body and wings of a giant eagle, and the aft body of some jungle cat.

Panic courses through Giles for a moment before the thing's motion across the horizon makes him realize that the beast cannot be diving at them.  Though in the next moments, things become more clear.

Effortlessly, the beast plucks one of Giles's wolves off the ground mid-stride.  The wolf yips as it is carried off the ground twisting futilely in the thing's grasp.  Giles watches the two struggle for a moment as they grow smaller in the distance.  And then they are gone.

"I guess that's one way to get rid of it..."  Edenburg offers, watching just as intently himself as he blocks the sun from his eyes with a hand.

OOC:  Firebrand failed a will roll when you called the wolves, which set you into a several second long battle for control that took all of your concentration.  Though you managed to keep from falling off, there wasn't anything you could to recognize or stop one of your wolves from getting picked off.  The good news is that the wolf snack seemed to satisfy the Gryphon's appetite.  I'm assuming that you are going to water the horses, rest and then just keep moving along.  However, the direction you pointed for the wolves to go is fairly important.  You can see the Pillars of Heaven still just off to the Southwest (closer than previously), and you can see some hilly country rising up towards the West and Northwest.  The river is directly north, and most of the Eastward directions go back into the scrub lands that you have been traveling through the last few days.  Please give me a cardinal or sub-cardinal direction that you pointed for the wolves to go.  Or if you'd rather, you can take back your 'pointing' in which case they will go out semirandomly.


The Bird

He cursed when the Gryphon swooped and took one of his wolves, and Giles secretly hoped that the magical creature wasn't permanently gone. The man had barely been able to keep his saddle though when it had swooped, and he fantasised momentarily about people he'd heard of who had fallen from a horse and damaged themselves beyond repair. He was glad it wasn't him, again.

"Glad it wasn't us..." he said sheepishly, as he re-adjusted his seating and then looked down at the wolves, and gestured out west in an arc to give them more understanding of his intention.

OOC:

The goal is to have at least one push along the river, to see if we can spot the location where the wood is getting loaded into the water, the others should fan out south-westerly, to essentially cover parallel tracks at something like:

100m-> 1500m, 2500m 3500m away from the river, parallel.

I assume that this will take them into the great forest, and give us the best 'coverage' of ground south of the river to see a logging camp or transportation. Should they pick up the scent, it needs to be relayed back to us.

However, Giles intention is to keep the pack within range of each other. It's kinda like doing a sweep through forest, set at wide distance (still within visual range of each other, fo humans, but perhaps audible for the wolves).

Giles gives his direction quickly the the wolves, who fan out towards the South and West, paralleling the river at various distances.  No longer seeing any reason to seek shelter with the Gryphon gone in the distance, Giles takes his time to refresh himself and the horses in the cool water of the Makarem.

It is less than a half of an hour later when the wolves return.

Somewhat more sensitive to the effect the wolves have on the horses, Giles moves away from the equines to meet them.  They yip and loll their tongues, signs which Giles don't seem to easily translate for Giles, though they can only seem to mean that the wolves found something since they are back.

Edenburg rounds up the horses and follows at a distance, a somewhat less convenient arrangement than riding, though the slower speed more than made up for the danger of spooking the horses.

Perhaps an hour goes by before the wolves stop, sitting on the edge of the river, their tongues dripping from the sides of their mouths like hanging sausages.

It takes Giles a moment to realize what they have found, though as he glances across the river, he notes a darkened grove of trees that seem to climb out of the plain in the distance.  As he looks closer, just on the opposite bank, he notes a well worn track of mud and ruined grass four or five feet wide that seems to trail up in the same direction as the grove.

"What is it?"  Edenburg calls from several dozen yards back.

Giles patted the horse when the wolves returned and gave it hushed, soothing whispers to alleviate some of its concern. "There's a good boy, don't worry they're on our side..." he continued, placating the animal as best he could.

Following the pack, Giles kept distance too so he didn't kill himself when the horse inevitably bucked, but noted that it didn't appear to be war trained in the slightest, and so should any conflict occur, he'd have to ensure he'd be unhorsed first before engaging.

---

Some time passed, as they followed and Giles wondered whether he was right to trust the creatures, or even if they understood what he wanted. "Maybe I'm being stupid, who ever knew anyone to talk any sense to and from wolves. If anyone back home knew of this they'd think me a bloody loon and have me locked in a dungeon somewhere. Maybe that spear to the gut should have been a hammer to the head to knock some damn sense into.... he paused, and unconsciously let his mouth drop open and loll in the mimicry of the wolves.

What is it? Edenburg asked, but all Giles could manage while squinting to see more clearly was point in its direction.

"Look, you see that track? It looks too wide for a game trail.... This could be it, but I was sure it'd be on this side of the river... he said, confusion obvious in his tone.

"Well, I guess we should go look... Lets find somewhere to cross and we'll make our way along the trail"

It takes a moment for Edenburg to catch up to Giles, and in the meantime, the wolves, apparently with no further tasking shrink back into the small statue.  Giles notes with a certain pang in his gut that the totem now has four wolves, rather than the original five.  When Edenburg does arrive, he immediately notices the same hewn path.  He places his hand against his forehead, blocking out the worst of the midday sun.

"Yeah, I guess that's about as good of a clue as we are going to get... and looks like there's a wood on that hill over there.  This is the wilderness part of Caithness, I don't think there's many settlements other than a few farms here and there.  All the cities and towns are way up to the North."

Giles decides for the two to ford the river again, and finds a shallow enough trough for the two to ride across.  They trace their way back to the area where the grass has been trodden down, and slowly follow the path away from the shore.

The woods turns out not to be that far away from the shore, less than a mile certainly, though Giles stops a few hundred yards short as he admires the trees from a distance.

Hundreds of trees spring up from the plain, with the outer rim seeming to consist of fir and pine, though a thick layer of brush and bramble leak out of the edges of the wood, spilling out from the edges of the trees like a wave before crashing into the plains grasses, where they stop abruptly.

With his eyes, Giles follows the path up towards the forrest, ending in a small area where the bramble and wood have been cut away, where the trees seem to open up into a black maw.  Above, the canopy reconnects, leaving the entire area in darkness.

It is 1400 on the 4th of September.  You are about a quarter mile from the wood, and don't see any particular activity in the area.  The wood is thick and there is no obvious way in other than straight ahead along the path.

Giles frowned as he looked upon the wooded area, the abrupt stop made him think that the whole place could have been made with magic but he wondered just what kind of mage would be able to create such a den in this land; each time he focused on his own internal power he felt it stifled somehow, followed quickly by an irritable itch that told him of supressed energies.

He cocked a wry grin at Edenburg and spoke, while looking at the woods "Well at least if we're in Caithness we're not going to be instantly identified as infidels eh? But perhaps this place will be just as unwelcoming. he glanced around and kicked his heels and led the group closer, trying to stick to the most concealed areas so he could get better vantage.

The grown grew deeper and he felt a pit in his stomach develop, leaving him with an ill sensation and a shock that ran through his back and down his leg. Giles twitched at the memory of the spear impaling him and felt his lower back throb with the dread he could feel when considering entry to the dark entrance of the wooded area.

He pointed at the entrance How do you feel about that Edenburg? Awfully welcoming isn't it?" he said with a mirthless grin.

At Edenburg's acknowledgement Giles felt his insides tighten with fear as he set his horse to a slow walk into what he felt was a heart of darkness.

"I guess there's something to that."  Edenburg responds to Giles's comment about being in Caithness, his own eyes glancing around the rim of the forest, looking just as skeptical as Giles.

"It sure doesn't seem natural does it?  Though I guess the Great Forest isn't that far off, maybe it's just natural spread... just seems weird being this close to home where there isn't shit that grows."

The two trot on, making a slow and careful progress towards the neat opening in the tree line.

The wood climbs like a mountain in front of them, the canopy seeming to grow higher and taller at each step closer they take.  Before they have reached halfway there, it seems that only the front line of trees are visible at all, their thick branches and thin leaves reaching out towards the oppressive heat of the day.

Though the signs of recent activity are prevalent, there does not seem to be a single being in sight.

The two make it all the way to the mouth of the forest before they stop to take stock.  Here, it seems obvious that men were here and quite recently.  Freshly hewn stumps are prevalent.  Though grown over with vine and moss, the cuts are still lightly colored and the stump is dry.

Here and there, fresh shoots of pine and spruce float up from the coat of needles, already beginning a cycle of rebirth.

Ahead, the dark maw of the wood radiates an empty, foreboding shadow.

"You think they're still around here somewhere?"  Edenburg offers, glancing towards the wood with an uncertain expression.

OOC:  If you wish to search the area more closely, roll vs. Perception.  Otherwise, you can take any action you wish.

As they approached Giles wiped sweat away from his forehead, unsure whether it was caused by the overwhelming heat or simply is burgeoning panic at the thought of being killed so nearly yet again. The trees infront, and indeed everything about the place that he and Edenburg approached seemed ominous and unnatural.

"Too dense, too clean..." he muttered as his anxiety grew but he was paused when he saw the trappings of human interaction and recent growth. Giles blinked twice and looked around the area.
"Well, it seems this is where the wood is coming from... but look at that. It's already growing back. There's definitely something odd about the place" he mused thoughtfully with a furrowed brow.

"These tracks and cuts look recent to me, even if there is regrowth about the place. Let me try something..." he said and kicked his horse to a light trot to the area inside the perimeter that had some of the speedy recovery.

The man looked around, glancing into the area to check his surroundings before holding a hand, palm up, out. He muttered some words and took extra time to be careful about the gestures, thoughts and pronunciation of the spell.






15:33, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 6 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,1,2.  perception.

15:37, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 11 using 3d6 with rolls of 6,1,4.  shape air.

// he'll just create a spinning sphere of air, like a mini tornado that's round in shape.

Giles trots his horse closer, wondering if perhaps there is something he missed.  He Gestures intently, saying a few words of power as he tries to conjure a small ball of whirling air... though the magic does not seem to come.  It seems this place is truly sucked dry of mana.

But as he is casting, something catches Giles's eye, an oddly straight line that peers out of the brush closer to the edge of the forrest.  Giles dismounts and approaches, his hand straying towards his sword as a precaution.

For the moment at least, it seems that nothing lurks out of the shadows of the forest.

Giles nudges the bit of earth he was eyeing with his foot and he kicks up the long blade of a logging saw, some seven or eight feet in all.  The whole of the steel blade is percolated with rust bubbles, ranging from brownish red to white.  The wooden handles seem to have fallen off, for they are not attached to the metal blade, though there is no sign of them  around the underbrush.  As Giles lays the thing back down with his foot, the thing breaks under the stress of its own weight, and the two pieces fall back down into the brush, the fresh new edge a powdery white rather than the shiny grey of steel.

This did not seem like a tool that had been left a few months ago at most.

OOC:  Shape air spell failed, and you are down 1 fatigue from the effort.

Confused Giles looked around the area, hoping his eyes could be drawn to something that might explain what he was seeing. Recently cut trees but with ground and tools that looked years old. "what could this be, if not magic?" he asked himself. He couldn't quite bring anything to mind, but he was sur ethat there might be something that could do this.

After a few mimnutes locked in an intense battle of his own mind trying, and failing, to recall some of his readings at the library - the annoyance only being enflamed by the clarity of all things happening since his rebirth back at the fort.

Giles cursed aloud. "I don't know what could do this..." he said to Edenburg simply "... but it is odd. New cuttings, old tools does not make for a good omen. But I feel that the knowledge of what may have happened  lays in this area" he continued, resisting the urge to state outright that deeper was the way to go, or so his gut told him.

"See what your tracker eyes can make of this... lets take a moment's rest and in ten minutes, we'll go deeper." he said, feeling an involuntary shiver spread down his back, sparking a spasm of pain from his recent wound.




OOC:

I think imigh thave an inkling as a player. "what doesn't like iron but might also consider chopping down trees as an abhorrent act?" So I don't know if Giles would have heard of such things, but it's probably worthy of a roll.

15:53, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 12 using 3d6 with rolls of 2,6,4.  thaum.
I guess it's a skill here, to 'remember things' Im not sure in this case eidetic memory would help, but?
This message was last edited by the player at 16:00, Sun 01 Nov 2020.

Giles put his mind to work, trying to sort through the various readings he had devoured as he was a student of the magic college.  He had a good mind to remember these sorts of things, sometimes whole pages would jump to his mind completely unaltered as if he were looking at the book itself rather than the memory of it, but alas, for now at least, Giles cannot think of anything that would cause such odd behavior of the trees and the tools.  Nothing other than Magic at least... which seemed like the wrong answer at first glance.

Though the more Giles thought on it, the more Magic seemed to be a real possibility.  After all, while magic was not easy in Caithness, it was certainly possible.  For there were many battles in the Caithness war where wizards were used quite extensively.  Of course, Caithness wizards seemed to have the edge - for they were used to the lack of mana in the environment where Megalan wizards found it something new and onerous.

Giles sits down for a moment as Edenburg searches the area, looking at the saw blade and immediate surroundings.

"There's more here."  Edenburg grunts after a moment.  "An axe that's nearly been rotted through.  Some other tools, can't even tell what they are, but looks like the earth's tried to swallow them whole."  Edenburg pauses, looking back at Giles.  "It's weird is what it is.  Looks like this place hasn't seen anybody in years, but all of the trees seem like they weren't cut more than a few months ago... Squares up with what we would expect from the Wazifis...  But what happened?"

Edenburg thinks for a moment, dropping down to the ground where he shifts through some of the sprawling creeper vines.

"I guess the important think is though that it doesn't seem like they are using it anymore...  It's been at least a month since anything's been cut, and I'm not sure any of these tools are fit to be used anymore anyway."

OOC:  No dice on your roll for more information, but the above is for clarity.  Magic is possible here, just more difficult.

"Well, I suppose we'll find out soon enough, lets get to seeing if there are any other tracks around and we'll treat everything else as normal. I'd also like to go deeper into these woods and see if there's anything around of note." he suggested with a shrug.

Either way, he thought, it looked like the logging had stopped. So perhaps there was no growing of force to move against the Fort.


"At least it seems like they've stopped logging, or changed location."

Edenburg nods to Giles, and for several moments the two search the area for any newer prints or signs of life.  However, the two have no luck in their search.

Not satisfied for the moment, Giles decides to move on into the forest, if only a short way in and for a short time.  Taking extra precaution, he moves slowly first to the tree line, then tentatively a few steps beyond, and finds that in the gaping maw between the trees a clearing of sorts, with more signs of life and recent occupation.

Moss, lichen, and fungus spread wide across the clearing floor so there is not so much as a speck of brown earth visible through the underbrush.  Here and there the greenery pops up in small little protuberances which poke out of the earth like carpeted rocks.  Off to the side, the remnants of an enormous canvas carpet the clearing floor, though the cloth is obviously eaten away and tattered with age.  A few yards closer to the center of the clearing, a large pit, a circle some two yards across and a yard deep has been dug, it's center lined with white and grey, though the greenery hangs over its edge, already dipping its tendrils down to overwhelm the feature.

OOC:  Make a roll vs. Perception.  Nothing else that you noted outside the forrest, so I had you just move in for now.  Do you plan on leaving the horses outside the forrest, riding them in, or leading them while you walk?
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:59, Fri 13 Nov 2020.

Giles was awestruck, it was hard to even imagine such a life-filled area and he was quite certain that he'd never encountered such a rich greenery in his life. "Have you ever seen anywhere quite as... blooming as this?" he said to Edenburg while slowly making his way into the area.

Despite the lustrousness of the area, something was still tickling the back of his mind, like a little poking splinter that struck a dissonant chord with him. This was enhanced when he saw what remained of a camp.

"look, that's a canvas, probably from a tent. That hole over there might be a latrine. It looks like some people may have camped here but suffered the same fate... rapid decay. "

Giles shrugged off a chill and then wondered what information they could gather from the area. " Okay, let's search the area see if we can find anything that could give some idea about what happened or if the logging operation occurred in more than one area. Though, I'd say whatever happened here is long finished, and there's something a touch unusual about it.

Reminds me of stories my older brothers used to tell me about spirits of trees seeking revenge on those that failed to respect the wild places - though he never mentioned anything of decay like this.


OOC: If the woods looked too thick, then they would dismount and walk with them. If the woods were sparse enough to let a rider meander their way slowly through then they'd just ride.

23:17, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 6 using 3d6 with rolls of 2,2,2.  perception.

As the Glade offered more than enough room for Giles to maintain his mount, he simply let the beast walk about, meandering through the moss and lichen, investigating the large swath of canvas, which indeed seems to be some sort of eroded tent or marquee.  As he looks, the hoof of Firebrand steps down with a sharp crackle in response.  Giles at first thinks the noise is just a fallen branch the hoof has cloven through, though the horse nickers and steps quickly away from the noise, turning the greenery up under his feet.

Protruding from the moss, Giles can now see a large, thick, broken rod... too pale to be wood.  It takes Giles a moment, though he knows after a moment that the thing is surely bone, and a large one at that.

Giles dismounts, and dregs up the two or three pieces that remain after the hoof cleft through it.  Put together, the thing is some foot, or foot and a half long and thicker than Giles's thumb.

He cocked his head at the sight of the object. It looked like bone, but wasn't sure if it was human or part of some animal. " Looks like rusted metal isn't the only thing here.
It could be that the people taking the wood also died here. Either way, I think it's pretty safe to assume that no more wood is being taken from this place.

We should give it another ten minutes and then see about the surrounding areas. Make sure that there are no other logging camps nearby. Also, on the way out we can estimate roughly how much wood had been taken, and try to figure out how many of the siege devices it may have built"

Taking another several minutes to scour the area, Giles only finds more evidence of habitation: a few more tools, a rusted knife buried under a thicket of moss.  All in all, he finds it unlikely that there is anyone here, or that has been here very recently, and nor does Edenburg find any trace of more recent activity.

Finding nothing in particular, Giles decides to press ahead slightly into the wood, just to be sure there is no evidence of other logging camps in the close proximity.

Searching only for a few moments, Giles manages to find a game trail of sorts that weaves back towards the center of the forest.  It isn't large, but it is wide enough to give a decent view of the ground below and gives a narrow track where the horses can be sure of their step.

Slowly and carefully, Giles makes his way into the wood.  On both left and right, the trees grow thick together, making a near impermeable canopy, and obscuring vision in any particular direction to no more than a few yards.  The moss and lichen grow thick as well, spreading out over the forest floor nearly everywhere but the narrow trail.

Giles has not gone far, perhaps for thirty yards, when he notes another small trail, crossing perpendicular to the path he is on.

Ahead too, Giles notes a break in the canopy and a glade of bare earth.  Among the barren dirt, a single tree grows at the center, its ashen grey trunk and deep red leaves illuminated in a dazzling display by afternoon sun.

"Odd place."  Edenburg murmurs, his horse just a length behind Giles.



OOC:  The forest on either side is thick enough that you would want to get down and lead your horse (rather than ride) if you strayed from the path.  The trees are simply too dense and the ground too overgrown to see or avoid obstacles.  The game trail is large enough though that you can ride at a walk fairly comfortably.  Ahead, you have the large, barren clearing, and on the smaller trails to either side you can't see far enough to make out anything of value.

Giles looked at the odd tree, centered in a glade and thought it felt out of place. It was almost a totem of some kind, or so it appeared, but he didn't know. The whole place was quite strange and Edenburg captured it perfectly with his observation "Odd place indeed" he said.

Being from the North East of Megalos, Giles was no stranger to incredibly thick wild areas, and forest that were white covered and shaded with the palette of winter, but here and in the heat to see such a stark change of colour in a single, isolated tree felt jarring on his insides.

"There's no grass either, this glade looks like it should be deep into winter..." he said, his curiosity piqued. He wrapped the horse reigns around a nearby sturdy branch and called out to Edenburg "Wait here, let me go get a closer look... Don't disturb anything"


OOC:

Giles will make his way to the red-leaved tree to inspect it closely. He'll avoid doing anything to 'damage' the natural area, as his inkling is towards some kind of magical retribution

10:59, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 11 using 3d6 with rolls of 5,1,5.  for what is needed.

Edenburg nods, following Giles only so far as the edge of the clearing, reigning his horse in to a pause as the Giles continues on into the glade ahead.

The place has a sort of other-worldly feel...  The soil below seems soft and presses down underneath the Firebrand's hooves.  Still, though the hot summer sun splashes down through the open canopy above, there is not so much as a trace of life.  Not a single blade of grass, nor an exposed root breaks the earth...  Only the solitary tree ahead, which shoots from the ground like a pale monolith.

As he walks towards the center of the glade, Giles notes a single leaf... different than the vibrant red ones.  This one has fallen to the ground and is not the normal, bright brown which holds the history of a once vibrant green, but instead is pale grey, as if the very life has been sucked from its pours...  Giles cannot help but feel like the very earth of the glade is draining the life of everything around, that only the tree in the center seems immune.

As Giles approaches the massive tree, he can't help stand in awe of the thing.  He is not an expert on nature, though he finds it hard to believe he has ever seen anything like it before.  The bark is an ashen grey like the northern maples in the dead of winter, but the leaves are bright red in the middle of summer...  though the leaves are crimson, not a single one has fallen to the ground.  To Giles, the thing seems vibrant with life, though if it has any secrets, Giles cannot divine them.



OOC:  More description, but not a whole lot more explicit information.  The glade expands about 30 yards in each direction with the tree at the very center.  Giles has hung back at the edge of the clearing, though you have him in sight.  You haven't found anything particular about the tree or the clearing beyond the obvious, though if you wish to investigate by doing anything more specific than just looking, feel free.

Awestruck, the juxtaposition of the greenery and then the ash and bright red leaves was stark and Giles could feel the specialness of the area; though why it was special he could not say. He assumed magic, but his grasp of it was tenuous at best. As he looked down at the leave, though, he did become progressively more uncomfortable standing on it.

"Alright, we've looked as much as we can here. Lets make a note of this place, and see if it makes sense in hindsight. Otherwise, lets get out of here.



It looked like the logging had happened here, he was sure of that but it also seemed like those people had come to an untimely end. Giles couldn't help think that something greater was afoot, but it was more than he knew, and beyond his own ken. He inwardly shrugged, and chalked one more mystery up to life's great unknowns but rather that that a crowd of bastard men wishing to skewer him again.

Giles, walked back to the edge of the clearing, having studied the leaf skeleton as much as he dared and then shrugged at Edenburg. "What's going on here is anyone's guess. I suppose we can at least report that no more trees are being cut for siege weaponry... We should make some rounds of the area though before heading back. I'm not entirely satisfied with the answers, and it does feel like we have more questions now than before - but the intelligence is needed back at the keep"

Giles jumped up onto the back of Firebrand and affectionately patted it reflecting on the simple joy one could get from a relationship with a horse. He thought back to the horses he'd had before while at the keep Cutlass, notably, and soothingly spoke to the horse "If all life was so easy my friend, maybe horses, like soldiers, wish for the simple things" and then squeezed his heels to have it move out of the clearing.

"Alright, lets take a different, wide path back see if we can find any other areas. You can buy the first ale. he said with a grim smile.

Though Giles still had many questions left unanswered, he had at the very least assured himself that there were no longer any of the Wazifi soldiers or workers here.  Perhaps this glade was where the bulk of their logging had occurred, which would explain at least why there was only one tree left standing... though that the tree remained at all seemed a jagged-edged puzzle piece that didn't seem to quite fit the picture he had painted.

In any regard, there was little reason left for Giles to remain.  He and Edenburg had accomplished their mission, and loitering seemed to promise few benefits for the wasted time.  Giles was happy to get out of here and get back to the fort, and told Edenburg so.

"Ha!"  Edenburg says, smiling as Giles offers him the first brew.  "They'll be owing us a liberty after this!  How long has it been?  Though I suppose there has been some concern over another attack..."

Giles picks his way back towards the edge of the clearing, picking another gap in the trees that seems to be some sort of wide trail large enough for the horeses that goes in general back towards the south, though is different from the path that the two entered from.  It runs on for a few dozen yards before opening up on another small clearing, this one which is smattered with grasses, odd green flowers, and low-lying plants that have overgrown the path.  The glen is forty feet or more across, and the trees at the other side seem to grow thick together like weeds.

OOC:  Roll vs. Naturalist+2 or Forest Survival.  No default.


The plants growing across the glade

"Liberty, could you imagine? (OOC: Im assuming that means freedom from the army) what would you even do? he said walking along feeling somewhat more comforted with the surrounding greenery. "We have it pretty easy as far as I can tell, campaigning is pretty terrible from what I've heard. We get a warm place to sleep and stone walls to make sure we don't get our throats cut in the night. Can even slip and get some beer fairly frequently without too much issue. he said casually as they strolled into the new clearing.

Giles felt something funny, but couldn't quite place it and instead just ignored the sensation, thinking the White Tree's memory was prickling him. "Truth be told though, I'm not sure how much I want to feel another spear go through my gut again. Kinda has a way of putting some things into perspective, makes me think that I'm missing a trick, or something.

I've always been a good soldier, just maybe I could be even better if i'd not have such a one trick mind, you know? at this point he was more talking to himself than to others and considering his options. As much as he owed a lot to Brashear, and had made good friends of the fort, Giles had really started feeling a strong desire for more. He was too vulnerable.



OOC: I have no skill related to that, so can't make the roll

Giles chats with Edenburg jovially as the two saunter into the glade, pushing their way between the largest of the bushes as they skirt their way around.

"Aye."  Edenburg agrees.  "Though I wouldn't complain to being removed a little farther back from the border, if for no other reason than it's easier to take a few days to yourself.  Though you're right, we don't have things too bad.  Couldn't ask for a better than Brashear, I've heard horror stories from some of the soldiers about other outfits."

Giles finds as he glances around the edge of the glade that there is little of help here.  At the rim of the glade, the trees grow thick and are interspersed with thicket and briar.  It's likely he could hack his way through, though the footing would not be solid and he worried about the horses making it through without injury.  Even alone, cutting through all the brush would be significant work, likely slowing their progress down to a crawl until they were free from the wood.

"Aye, I think it wasn't an accident that Brashear ended up in command of the fort. It needs a man with a good head on his shoulders to keep from starting a war, or losing Raphael. he said, acknowledging their commander's real ability.

Giles himself held no short amount of gratitude to Brashear, even just for noticing his ability and assigning him to his current position. The man had found himself in a laudable position and given responsibility enough to have some say in what went on. Giles was confident that the outfit of the fort was enviable by many soldiers - even if they did have to deal with hostile Wazifi on a regular basis. Despite it all though, Giles thought that perhaps he should look to elevate himself further, as good as the place was and as great of a commander as Brashear was, he didn't want to spend the next decade of his life patrolling walls and being speared through the gut.

After pausing a moment, Giles removed his hand from the bristles on his chin and glanced at the edge of the glade with a puzzled look "Do you see a way out here?"

"Does seem to be a bit thick doesn't it?"  Edenburg replies, glancing around at the brush surrounding them.

"I don't see anything here, unless you're looking to cut our way through.  Maybe heading back out the way we came in, or try and find another way out?"

Giles nodded Aye, lets head back out now. There's no use dallying, Brashear will want an update" he said, before turning Firebrand back towards the path they'd taken and leading the group out of the forest.

In the back of his head Giles had a prickling that caused shocks to cut through his stomach. Some kind of intuition that this place had a magical effect, even though he'd not managed to feel anything or divine it, he was inwardly annoyed that he'd not dedicated more time to such studies. He grimaced but tried to justify it with a combination of things, his work, the recovery of his injuries and even more important the absolute lack of anything in the way of study material.  Could he fix that? He wondered.




OOC: I presume that eidetic memory would help him re-traverse the path they'd taken

Edenburg nods as Giles makes mention of returning home.  "Aye, I'm not sure there's anything much left to do here.  There sure aren't any Wazifis left to be afraid of."

Giles turns his mount and begins back out the way he came.

Only things have slightly changed in the large glade in the few minutes they have been away.  Giles rears his horse back as he nears the clearing, though Firebrand is already pawing at the earth and shaking his head with a snort.

Up ahead, a fantastical beast seems to float midair.  A lizard of some sort with a body as thick as a man's that stretches some seven feet to the tip of his tail.  The thing is speckled with brilliant colors, purples, greens, and blues that stand out even against the vivid red of the tree at the center of the clearing.  The thing has wings too, sprouted from its midbody that seem as thin as rice paper and ineffectual... and yet the thing flies, like it is swimming through water, unaffected by its own weight.  Rather than a lizards claws, the thing has paws like a massive cat.

Giles holds out a hand for Edenburg to stop, unsure for the moment of his next move.

The beast takes sight of them, wriggling its body like a dolphin through a wave to a low branch of the single tree, where it grips the branch with all fours, stooping its head down to watch the two men on horseback.

OOC:  Eidetic memory doesn't help with direction finding, as you are seeing everything from a new perspective on the way back and have to interpret the direction.  That is what absolute direction is for.  That being said, it is a fairly easy path to make your way back, and no dice roll is required.


The beast in the tree
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:24, Sat 17 Apr 2021.

Giles chuckled and nodded "It looks like anyone that was here has gone back to the Yrth, so I dont think we'll be seeing any more siege machines in the near future. he said as they walked.

The scene looked different, and then Giles blinked and turned his head to try and re-orientate myself, while asking Edenburg "Do things look different?" he said with an edge of caution. This was only exacerbated when Firebrand started pawing and acting in an agitated way. Instinctively, Giles reached down and uttered some words of comfort to thehorse "Shhh, it's okay girl, relax... everything will be okay", he said while not taking his eyes off the environment around him.

Then he saw it. Some kind of lizard, a large one that was flying in an unseemly way. Not like a bird, but perhaps by magic? "Look...." was all he could say to Edenburg as he appraised the creature.

He took more than a few moments, holding Firebrand and Edenburg still as he looked upon the creature. Then speaking to his companion "Lets not do anything hasty here, I don't know what it is... We can probably walk past it but lets keep everything slow and not startle it to action" he said.

Slowly, the man raised his hand in a placating manner and gestured while softly cooing "Hey there... it's okay, we're friends and we're just going to walk over here" as he slowly edged Firebrand to walk around the edge of the area, and keep distance from the creature.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 02:15, Wed 14 Apr 2021.

Though Giles knows not what the thing in the clearing is (though the word dragon seems to ring true despite it's relatively small size), he knows well enough that he doesn't want to have to fight it if he can help it.

"Good Lord!"  Edenburg swears behind Giles, clearly unnerved by the beast.

Undeterred, Giles nudges Firebrand forward, keeping as much distance as he can between himself and the beast at the center of the clearing, while still keeping his eye on it in case the thing attacks.  Edenburg follows behind, his own horse nickering and shaking its head.

"Easy there."  Edenburg murmurs, slipping forward in his saddle to get a firmer grip on his animal with his legs.

The thing does not stay motionless, but instead, it slowly glides down to the dead forest floor around the brilliant red tree, it's eyes always on Giles as it slinks ahead, its body lowered in a prowl, forward shoulders down, back legs coiled... ready to spring.  It halts for a moment, some eight yards away, where it's eyes narrow and it lets out a low, guttural hiss.

Firebrand's shoulders tense uncomfortably and Giles has the distinct feeling that he is being hunted.

OOC:  The animal hasn't done anything overt yet, though he's closed about half the distance between you and the edge of the wood and doesn't really seem friendly.  Feel free to keep posting general intentions unless you want to preempt with combat.

Giles didn't like the posturing of the creature, perhaps a dragon, but he couldn't be sure - at least nothing like he'd ever read in a book or been told in a story. But what did he know?

"Alright there now, don't come any closer. We're not here to harm..." he said, reaching up behind his back to unhook his shield, and with his other hand grabbing the wolf statue.

"You walk behind me... go first, I'll rear guard. Keep an eye out for any more of them" he said in short staccato commands to Edenburg.

While he uttered to his companion, Hind continued to usher Firebrand to the path he thought would lead them out, hoping upon hope that the creature was just proving to be territorial rather than aggressive and wanting to kill them. The fresh scars in his abdomen tingled with sharp stabbing sensations and the man knew in his heart that these were folly and that his life could well end in this place.

"Ah fuck..." he said to himself in resignation while catching his shield on his arm between brace and hold. How did he keep getting himself into these messes, Giles joined the army to be a soldier and yet here he was on another mission fighting some beast that would likely maul him into a thick reddish paste. He'd already acquired a scour of scars across his face, and a rather large mangling of flesh in his gut and here he was again in the thick of it. It caused Hind to feel an elevated sense of fatalism that countered his initial conclusion: being good at his job meant he got all the more interesting missions. The new sense displaced it and made him think perhaps that his path was supposed to be cut short or pushed onto something greater.

"It's a dragon, I think. he said to Edenburg, without letting his appraising eyes slip from the creature.





OOC: I was considering using some spells here - just part of his arsenal that have, as of yet, gone under utilised - but I have a supsicion that i'm in a low-mana area. Is this true?

I believe the mana level can be roughly determined by those with magic, right?

If it's normal then it's probably best to 'ignite fire' on all the dry leaves and twigs and stuff that appear to be kindling - I think it'd take light pretty quickly. If this is a normal mana area, please do that - between the Dragon and Giles/edenburg. I want it to go up fast - so if giles could determine that it wouldn't light and flare up quickly then he wont do it.




// Actions:

- Reactionary Block vs any attack
- If the dragon attacks he will release all of the magic wolves with the command to attack the dragon
- Possibly cast a spell

Giles is unsure of the situation, as he is of the thing with a lizard's body and feline paws.  He pulls his shield off his back, and takes the wolf statue out of his bag... all while nudging Firebrand on towards the fastest way out.

Though the dragon edges forward, its shoulders low and eyes foreboding, the thing does not attack.  Giles, Edenburg and the horses make their way through to the path, and as soon as they can no longer keep their side to the beast, Giles nudges Firebrand forward into a canter.

"Ha!"  Edenburg drives his heels into his own horse, taking the thing into a full gallop and he quickly passes Giles as the two approach the remnants of the Wazifis old camp.

Giles spares a glance behind him, and it seems that the dragon does not continue to approach them.

"Come on!"  Edenburg shouts from up ahead, already clearing his way towards the edge of the forrest.  "What are you waiting for?"

OOC:  If you wish to leave the forrest, you can feel free to make a last post.  You have your shield strapped to your left arm, the the wolf statue in your right.  If you wish to stay, you'll have to find a way around the dragon/cat thing, as he is sort of perched in the center of the glade where all the other paths converge.  Alternatively, you can wait for the thing to move or do anything else you can think of.

"Go ahead and wait for me..." Giles called before rotating firebrand around and facing the dragon-like creature again. His heart pounded, but he stepped a little closer, close enough that he felt he could turn and run with a reasonable chance of success. He doubted it was close enough, in reality, and his heart certainly didn't agree.

Despite the spikey feeling in his insides, Giles wanted to appraise the thing more. He'd never seen anything like it, nor had he even heard description of such things and before he left he wanted to make sure he committed everything about it to memory.

Giles readied his shield and kept himself ready for a pounce but spoke in a soothing voice "Hello... what are you now? . Replacing the figure he held out his free arm, and opened his hand, palm up.



OOC:
I know 'evaluate' is a combat maneuver, but could I have an equivolent roll for out of combat? Observation perhaps?

Reactionary Block.
18:23, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 10 using 3d6 with rolls of 4,4,2.  perception?

Giles ushers Edenburg on as he quickly stows the wolf statue in a close at hand saddle bag.  Edenburg takes a tentative step away, though he keeps his head turned towards the beast and does not leave the glade.

Giles nudges Firebrand on softly and encouragingly just a little ways towards the thing.  He attempts to size the thing up, memorize every detail while he opens his hand, palm up in a peaceful gesture.

It does not seem that the thing takes it to be such.

The thing growls and launches itself forward at full speed!  The cat paws land silently on the barren dirt, claws extending as it hurls itself forward to strike!

Firebrand snorts with nervous energy, though he holds his ground...

OOC:  You have 2 turns of evaluating the creature for a +2 on your next action.  Your shield is still readied on your left arm and your right arm is empty.  You have one more second before the thing is upon you (think of it as one free action before you need to make a defense).  Let's just do one second of combat to start off with.  If you wish to make an attack, roll vs. riding (at -1 for only having one hand on the reins.  If you use block as a defense, you'll have to drop the reins and all riding rolls will be at -3).

The gambit failed and the creature attacked. Giles felt his insides swell and the familiar rush of sensation to his body that indicated his life was in danger. If he wasn't seasoned, he knew that his awareness of surroundings would diminish to nothing as all focus lensed into the oncoming assailant.

"More claws..." he thought sardonically in the split second before he knew the inexorable clash of bodies.

Without telegraphing his readiness, Giles tensed and braced for the impact deceptively reaching for his weapon while feigning surprise. Secrently, he hope this gambit would pay off and reflected how often he seemed to be fighting at a disadvantage; most often caused by his own poor decision making.

But he was ready, and as the creature came to leap at him he was ready to smash it right in the face as it lept. When it took off from the floor, he kicked Firebrand hard to make him go at full acceleration then aimed the boss of his shield centre-mass to slam it as hard as he could.

Spells out the window, he'd never achieved enough level of mastery to make them viable in a moment-to-moment life and death situation. He'd rely this time on wood and steel.


OOC: presumably evaluating would also work for casting a lightning strike?

I was going to cast my spell actually but figured it'd just waste the evaluate.
Also, does drawing a weapon cancel the evaluate? If so then just imagine I'll

// if cancelled:
Evaluate +1
Wait action for it to leap then shield bash into the creature - I will also kick firebrand into action to get the additional speed and ST
This should give me 18 skill, and I'll take a -2 deceptive attack to enhance the likelihood of striking successfully.

11:57, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 8 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,4,1.  Shield bash (18) (deceptive -2/-1.

I rolle dfor shield bash, but i think it's actually a Slam i mean.
I Think the calculation is:

ST x (velocity/100) +2 for the shield? =  ???

quote:

if your attack delivers thrusting damage, you may substitute slam damage (HP ¥ velocity/100), if
that would be better. For instance, a centaur with ST 18, HP
18, and Move 12 thrusts for 1d+2 but slams for 2d, so her Move
and Attack with a spear (thr+3 imp) would inflict 2d+3 imp.

If it delivers more damage, then I can use that - but I don't know the ST or speed of firebrand.

Giles spurs Firebrand forward, putting his shield up in a ready position to fend off any blows if the dragon attacked.

And attack it does.  The thing churns the ground with its cat like paws, then launches itself into the air to meet Giles's strike.  The soldier leans forward, readying himself for the impact as the thing bears its claws mid-leap.

Thunk!

With the full force of his charging steed, the two collide, though Giles's braced position makes all the difference.  The dragon hits the shield square with its torso and neck, smashing the aegis back into Giles's shoulder as it creaks with the strain.  The shield does its job however, redirecting the force of the blow away before it rolls slightly to the left.  The beast seems to roll with it, sliding and wriggling haphazardly as it staggers and falls away to the side.

"Giles!"  Edenburg shouts, and Giles can hear the other horse charging forward even as he struggles to slow and turn his own steed to rejoin the battle.

The battle, however short as it was, now seems over though.  It takes the beast a moment to regain its feet, but it does not delay, giving neither Giles nor Edenburg a chance to close the distance before it launches itself into the sky in the shortest direction towards the trees...

OOC:  Wow.  That was decisive.  It took me a moment to parse through all the rules on mounted combat, and work my way mentally through the reasonability of doing a shield bash, though I think everything makes enough sense to carry on with.  You managed to max out damage while the dragon rolled the minimum, leaving you completely uninjured.

As for your questions on evaluate, I think you are right looking at the rules.  You only get it on your next action, so even drawing a sword (so long as it isn't fast-drawn) would eliminate the accumulated bonus.  Magic does not gain bonus from evaluate as it isn't a combat action in the same sense.

Also note that any attack while mounted has a maximum level of your riding skill, so your shield bash was rolling against a 12 (with the +2 from evaluate) rather than your normal skill of 16.  Not that it makes a difference in the outcome, but it might in affect future combat decisions.

You can attempt to chase/follow the dragon if you wish or anything else you can think of.

Giles smashed the creature as it dived at him and inwardly sighed relief when he saw it collapse to the floor before running off. He felt a weight lifted off him, viscerally feeling the sensation of being predated lift from his shoulders in a physical way. The dull ache in his stomach seemed to lift too. Though he could still feel the pounding of his heart in his chest while it slowly ebbed down to something normal again.

At Edenburg's exclamation Giles raised an eyebrow, and smiled a wry grin.  "It's not going to try that again for a while, at least..." he said with sardonic humour.

Giles looked around and admired the small wooded area again. "Interesting that a magical creature like this makes a home here... we'll have to make note of this on a map and perhaps conduct further investigation when there's more time.

He took a moment, a deep breath and turned to Edenburg before kicking his feet. "Let's go, I dont think anything is here that can provide us more information. We've found what we were looking for and maybe it was this dragon-ette that killed the logging party.

"Before we go, though let me try something", while Firebrand walked Giles closed his eyes and concentrated letting his fingers dance along the strings of magic he could feel in the air. Hoping that the effects of magic within the treeline were not diminshed like the rest of Caithness...

He searched for smithed steel. Hoping he might be able to identify any people in the nearby area who carried rings, swords, knifes or any other form of worked iron.


14:38, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 14 using 3d6 with rolls of 6,2,6.  magtic.

This message was last edited by the player at 13:40, Thu 27 May 2021.

As the dragon thing flees back to the woods, Giles does not even entertain a thought of pursuit.  It strikes him as odd, however, that in this low mana world that a magical creature such as that could be living...

"Holy shit!"  Edenburg finally catches up to Giles as the thing disappears between the trees.

Giles felt that he had only scratched the surface of his magical training at the Templar College - he had only been there one year before being forced out and into the army.  Even the stories that Judoc had brought back from the college after just another year of teaching, of Brother Loke and demons, had made it clear there were depths to magic that seemed unfathomable to him now.

Perhaps he should attend to those deficiencies in his training...

Before leaving, Giles attempts a spell to find steel... perhaps to find any other groups.  But the spell fails on his fingers, yet another reminder of the holes in his magical training.

"Come on Sir."  Edenburg turns his horse around yet again, heading for the place where the entered the wood.  "We're not going to find anything else here.  Those Wazifis are gone, which is good news at least.  Good enough for Brashear anyway."

OOC:  Feel free to write an exit post for the thread.

The way back was quieter and felt longer because the destination, while familiar, proved to be an unknown in Giles's life. What was he to do upon return? Spending more time in the fort didn't seem unpleasant but it certainly was at odds with the itch he felt in his gut.  It became stronger as they both appraoched Raphael's lands and time seemed to go more slowly while they stepped ever closer to his home of the past few years.

Giles had considered asking Edenburg to tell Brashear that he'd died on the trip, and just wander off to seek his own fortune but the man had never been able to just walk away from things, or the people in his life. The consideration was fully quenched when he envisaged his mother's face receiving news of her son's untimely demise. He chuckled at the thought, and then the idea that he'd never do better than his siblings or indeed his own father. In that moment he realised that the core of many of his decisions and ambition came from the drive to show them what he could truly become.

---

The fort was in its usual state, and he nodded to passing soldiers on the way to  Brashear's office. Providing the full report about the trees, bodies, events and the dragon he made sure to emphasise Edenburg's role in the mission and make note of the fact that it was at leat the third of fourth critical mission he'd successfully been involved with.

"One last thing before I go, Captain if you will spare a moment.

I would like to continue studies and education of magic, and so I will be writing to the Magic academy to see if they would accept me as an apprentice wizard and perhaps assign me a Master wizard to train under.

I would expect that given my current experience within the military, and should my application be accepted, they may assign me to an operating wizard who would train me while deployed to various missions rather than another sting at the academy proper. I know that I was previously expelled, but perhaps with a recommendation from a noteworthy and vastly accomplished captain it may be possible to waiver my previous transgressions.
 

He spoken his ideas to Breashear hoping he could convince the man to provide a recommendation or at least, some kind of sponsorship to re-instatement as a wizard.  Giles wasn't particularly interested in being bound to the rules of the organisations controlling magic, but it would allow him to see more of the world and help him develop one of the truly underused abilities that he possessed.


The future held something for him, of that he was sure. Giles stood atop of the ramparts of the fort looking South to the plains of Wazif and letting his mind fathom the world with the wanderlust he felt within.


OOC:

Naturally, if there is a better way of doing this, that Brashear might know about, Giles would certainly consider it - he'd rather have someone to help him that wasn't compelled by the politicking of Megalos.

Free to roam, but bound by duty is slightly a better deal for him than
Locked to the fort and bound by duty.

Giles looked down on Brashear at his desk.  He had given him his report on the Wazifi camp, the fallen trees, the tools, and the bodies, all withering to nothing.  He had told him of their cursory search of the surrounding area, of the eerie tree and the odd dragon and he had told him of their decision to leave the grove rather than investigating too far.  Brashear had taken it all in stride, pleasantly surprised even when Giles had told him about the abandoned camp.  Giles had thought he has set the stage rather well for his request.

Of course he had hoped that Brashear might have taken it rather better.

Brashear has slumped his head into his hands for the moment, hiding his expression from Giles.  It was for this reason in particular that Giles had considered just wandering into the wilderness and leaving Edenburg to return with a story of his death.  It would be simpler... a cleaner cut.  Of course, that would require Edenburg to be more honor bound to Giles than he was to his service... a tricky and unpredictable variable for sure.  Yet Giles had decided that he was better off approaching the problem straight on, rather than slinking off and potentially earning the title of deserter.

"I can't lose you."  Brashear finally says, lifting his shaking head.  "I'll be honest Giles, I thought when you showed up that you would be a spoiled kid who'd fall on his face as a Sergeant.  But you've been more valuable than I could have possibly predicted.  I simply can't lose another officer.  Especially not now.  Not with the Duke standing up a damn town on our doorstep with the threat of war looming at all moments...  There's too much going on.  But... maybe there's another way where we both get where we want."  Brashear pauses, his eyes unfocused for the moment.

"I'm not sure if you'll like this, but it may get you what you want...  Just give me some time and we'll get you trained up.  And maybe you'll be able to serve in a very important capacity..."

To be continued...