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Totach & Dawa's Interrogation The bandit sneers back, but his face is stiff. Fear perhaps has touched him after all. "That's the work of the snake-lovers. We take their coin and keep the nosy neighbors out of the river valley. Whatever they do with the weakling farmers they catch is no concern of mine, I just want to get paid." He casts a sideways glance over at Dawa then leans in close and speaks low. "You're a man of strength. Why are you running around with these over-noble curs? Ditch them, and come join us. Cash and drink, and any woman you can catch! Those snake-lovers pay well, I assure you." Truan's Lodge The map is simple and symbolic, and easy to read by even the most unlearned of men. A rough scale gives an idea of distance. As the crow flies, roughly 21 miles to the snake cult. Ragnar recognizes the hand of Truan on the map and the tiny notations that denote what kind of terrain that make up the region. Ragnar: A series of small tributaries flow down the valleys into a larger waterway that leads eventually into the Icewater. The glacial waters are filled with silt and braid to make a wide and passable route. Longer though than a straight shot. The ridges make up a series of barriers that obstruct a straight line to the camp of the snake cult, full of trees and brush and tiny water crossings. The ridge line on the east sits above the treeline and most vegetative obstructions to travel and a route shorter than the river. It is however a rugged path without much forage.  Navigation vs 14: 3d6 6 - Map analysis complete! OOC: Ragnar interprets the map. The triangles are mountains and hills, the blue line is water ranging from mountain streams to broader waters. The red X is where Truan has marked, the green circle is roughly where you guys are now.
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Feb 18, 2015 05:50
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Totach Redmane Totach smiles, his head cocked. "Thank you for your information." He never intended to leave the man to die. But he could sure as hell pretend that he did. He hoists the man up onto his feet and prepares to march him back toward the lodge. "Let's take this man back to our friends and see what they think of the bandit plot."
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Feb 18, 2015 07:45
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Ragnar "Its good that old Truan left us a map to find these whore-son snake lovers. " He then looks over the map to figure out the best way to get to the snake's lair. OOC: Naturalist-12, Navigation (Land)-14; Survival (Woodlands)-15
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Feb 18, 2015 22:37
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Dawa Dawa stares at the man, quickly making the connections when snake-men are mentioned. He stares at the man, color draining a bit from his face. "Yes," he says softly to the man's suggestion. "I bet they do pay well." He follows after Totach, shouldering his bow, and drawing his sword.
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Feb 19, 2015 01:38
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Alhert Lorimer Alhert looks at the map, trying to figure out the best route. "I say we try to avoid the high hills. Above the treeline like that, we'd be visible for miles. I don't want these Settites to see us coming.
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Feb 20, 2015 04:21
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Truan's Lodge The group pores over the map looking for the best route from the lodge to the Set cultists camp. Opinions fly, but Ragnar's intimate knowledge of the lands yields three possibilities that are worthy of further discussion. The route by the river is the longest, but the most navigable. The river makes for quick movement along banks and sandbars even though the river valley encourages heavy brush. Water naturally won't be a problem and forage likely be available. Going straight towards the cultist camp would be short, but very difficult due to the changes in altitude and battling through the thick brush in the valleys. Water and forage would be available as well as plenty of cover and avoidance of natural pathways to approach unnoticed. Following the ridgeline would be rugged, but without brush or forest to impeded progress would make for surprisingly quick travel. Shorter than the river route, but still longer than a crow-flies path. Though there is little cover from being observed, there is also little cover for observers. Water and forage would be hard to come by, making it just as rugged. As they are debating over the map, Totach and Dawa walk through the door. Bound and kept cowed by drawn steel is a rough looking bandit seeping blood from a leg wound. Navigation vs 14: 3d6 10 Survivalist vs 15: 3d6 10 OOC: There are basically three viable routes to the Set camp. Via the river, via the ridgeline, or a straight shot. If you have other ideas, please let me know. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, which one you guys decide to take will be based on what your priorities are.
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Feb 20, 2015 06:19
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Dawa "Setites," Dawa says coolly. "Set's treasure made these bandits more bold than they might have been otherwise. No wonder they harry the farmers; it wasn't the commoners' coin that they were after. The farms were just easy targets for spreading fear. They may have helped collect people for Set's plans, whatever they might be."
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Feb 20, 2015 14:28
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Totach Redmane "Aye," Totach adds. "This man told us himself. The snake people pay the bandits to keep the river valley empty of prying eyes, so they may do as they please."
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Feb 20, 2015 14:42
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Ragnar He looked over at the prisoners and then asked, "Do they have any more useful information?"
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Feb 20, 2015 19:49
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Totach Redmane Totach gives the bandit a harsh shove forward, pushing him towards Ragnar. "This is the only one who didn't run fast enough."
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Feb 20, 2015 20:53
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Rohan Looking over the bandit, Rohan turns to Ragnar. "I do not enjoy the prospect, but if this bandit refuses to speak, I can break a few of his limbs with minimal chance of killing him. The longer this takes, the more innocent lives will be in jeopardy, so I am willing to take whatever measures necessary to obtain the information we require." The monk's voice is flat and emotionless as he discusses the prospect of torturing the captive, unchanged from his usual tone. (Not rolling Intimidate, just letting Ragnar know that I can Judo this guy's body apart if needed.)
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Feb 21, 2015 01:58
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Truan's Lodge The bound bandit looks at Rohan with a sullen challenge in his eyes. "Big talk against a bound man."
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Feb 22, 2015 00:23
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Ragnar "I didn't give you permission to speak." Ragnar then hits the man in the face for being insolent. OOC Modified striking ST 21 (Dam: 4d-1), Brawling-13
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Feb 22, 2015 01:06
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Rohan Rohan looks at the bandit impassively. "If you think I take pride in this, you are mistaken. However, need I remind you that you had the advantage in both numbers and number of allies with bows, and that, if I'm not mistaken, you were attempting an ambush? You have little room to criticize others for disreputable tactics."
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Feb 22, 2015 01:07
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Truan's Lodge Ragnar's smack lays the bandit out on the floor with an audible crack of breaking bone. He recovers from the stunning blow after a moment and struggles back on to his knees with blood leaking from his nose and his eyes struggling to focus. OOC: The bandit doesn't have much else to say, Totach & Dawa already got most of what he knows. Feel free to ask him more questions, but I suggest you guys discuss and choose a plan of action. Also, Ragnar WRECkED his face. Face-slap: 4d6-1 13
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Feb 22, 2015 17:18
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Alhert Lorimer Alhert limps over to a chair, takes off his chausses, and begins to bandage his wound. He glances over at the captive as a thought strikes him. "How many other thugs have the Settites hired? And where do they patrol?" OOC: Gonna use First Aid 12 to bandage my leg and whatnot. I'm stuck phone posting for the time being so El Spamo could you roll for me?
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Feb 22, 2015 20:22
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Truan's Lodge The bandit spits out teeth and blood. "Many. River." he says through a broken jaw. Alhert's wound is not deep, but badly bruised in addition to the cut. The wound is bandaged, but it will take a good night's sleep to get rid of the ache. First-Aid vs 12: 3d6 10 HP Recovered: 1d6-3 -1 1 HP recovered.
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Feb 22, 2015 22:14
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Dawa "Thank you," Dawa snaps to the bandit as no more questions are asked of him. "You've been most helpful." He grabs the man by his bonds and forces him back outside, crunching through the snow. "You must know," Dawa says as he walks, "that you have died the way you lived. I hope you have gathered some peace from that." With that, Dawa rakes his blade across the man's neck, slitting his throat in one smooth motion, even as he shoves him neatly into a snowbank that would serve as his grave. He stalks stiffly back into the cabin. "Are we leaving? If you'd prefer to stay I am going to hunt down the bandits who fled. They might lead us somewhere but more likely they are driven by fear, not a plan to regroup." He glances at the map. "I say we take the ridge. We should make much-needed quick progress, and I am used to such poor conditions."
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Feb 24, 2015 01:21
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Totach Redmane Totach grimaces as Dawa leads the bandit to his death. The dead man was a nasty piece of work, no doubt about it, and was probably well on his way to his demise even without their intervention. But still...executing defenseless prisoners? It left a bad taste in his mouth. Just not enough to speak out yet. He began studying the map. "I would suggest the straight path. We will need to rely on stealth to approach the snake-lover camp and scout it out undetected."
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Feb 24, 2015 03:47
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Ragnar He watches as the prisoner is taken outside. Ragnar knew what was coming and had no interest in stopping it. The bandit lived by the sword and now he would die by it. A fitting end. "Stealth? Bah, never had any use for it." He scratched his beard and thought. "Perhaps being stealthy would be good. We should move out in two groups to make sure the stealthy among us aren't hampered by those like myself that are like a large bull moving through the forest."
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Feb 24, 2015 20:02
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Dawa Dawa grunts. "That's two votes for the crow's path, which I wouldn't argue with - following the river would be folly. I know some tricks that might help the not so sneakily inclined. Any other votes? We should head out if time is a concern."
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Feb 26, 2015 00:32
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Alhert Lorimer "I say we take the crow's path. We can hide in the shadow of the trees as best we can, and I can walk, but I'd rather not go up and down any mountains that I can avoid." He finishes bandaging his wound, and then examines the ragged hole torn in his mail leggings, trying to figure out a way to repair them. Try as he might, short of a pair of pliers and some new rings, it looks like the gap will remain. OOC Armory (Body Armor) 10. Armoury (Body Armor), fixing the chausses: 3d6 15 Well that didn't work. I'm ready to move on to the march. Also HP is currently 16/20.
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Feb 27, 2015 09:19
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Rohan "Per Ragnar's plan, I shall accompany the more nimble members of our group. While I have had little practice with the art of stealth, my agility should be enough to compensate." Rohan appears as fresh as he had before the earlier skirmish, his deep breathing exercises having completely revitalized him.
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Feb 27, 2015 11:21
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OOC: Sounds like the crow-flies path is the route of choice! I'll get a post worked up soon. Beardless/Alhert, and maybe Doc can help me out here, did I miscount on armor somewhere? I only registered two hits on Alhert, one of which was stopped by armor and another where only 2 damage penetrated. Ah, I think I forgot to count the cutting multiplier but that only takes it to 3 so I think you're at 17/20? Well, it's not too big a deal since it'll only take a couple of days to heal it up. If you want to keep track of your armor's repair, I found an article here: http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=2406. I will use hiking skills where appropriate to speed travel. Right now it sounds like the obviously stealthy members will range in front to scout. If you have comment on what I've taken to be your plans please let me know.
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Feb 27, 2015 17:39
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"I believe I can stay quiet, but not as quiet as Gang." OOC: I have Stealth 14, relatively low for our group but still good. I also have Hiking 12, Swimming 15, and Climbing 16 for rough or nonexistent terrain.
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Feb 27, 2015 20:12
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El Spamo posted:OOC: Sounds like the crow-flies path is the route of choice! I'll get a post worked up soon. Beardless/Alhert, and maybe Doc can help me out here, did I miscount on armor somewhere? I only registered two hits on Alhert, one of which was stopped by armor and another where only 2 damage penetrated. Ah, I think I forgot to count the cutting multiplier but that only takes it to 3 so I think you're at 17/20? Well, it's not too big a deal since it'll only take a couple of days to heal it up. If you want to keep track of your armor's repair, I found an article here: http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=2406. Huh, I could have sworn I took 5 damage, I must have read it wrong. So if I took 3 (With the cutting mod) originally, I should be at 18/20 with the First Aid then. Thanks for pointing that out.
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Feb 27, 2015 20:56
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Given the route, Dawa will use Hide Path - 12 to try and help prevent patrols from seeing where we've passed by.
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Feb 28, 2015 02:02
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Ragnar Strong he might be, but silent he isn't. Ragnar knew the stealthy among the group would be best used as the advanced party, while the rest would be a short ways behind to bring the pain if needed. OOCBasic Speed 6.25; Basic Move: 7; Hiking-12
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Mar 1, 2015 01:46
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As the crow flies The company departs the lodge without any delay. Gang stashes his loot in an out-of-the way place nearby the woodshed, out of the weather that is thankfully remaining clear and clearing. The snow melts as they progress into the first valley, soaking their boots and making mud out of the hillside. Dawa brings up the rear, ministering over their passage away from the Lodge leaving not even small depressions in the snow as they depart. Hiking is slow going straight cross-country. Down the side of the valley into the streams below leads to a battle through thick brush of alders and pines that only seem to get more and more impassable. Small rills and streams criss-cross the landscape, pouring down to join the unnamed tributary of the Icewater at the valley floor. At this point it's clear where the river's name comes from. The meltwater is frigid despite the sun's warming gaze. Crossing the tributary takes no special effort besides the grit to endure the cold, knee-deep water. It's picturesque here though, at the bottom of the valley. One could nearly forget that they were on a quest to vanquish a hidden cult of snake-worshippers amidst the evergreens and sun-dappled forest floor. The water from the stream is crystal clear, and sweet to the taste. A small patch of berries growing by the banks supplement the midday meal as the company dries off. Continuing onwards, Dawa, Rohan, and Gang range ahead to scout the paths and spot any trouble. Totach, game as he is to help out, finds that he is simply having too hard a time with the terrain. Perhaps it is the cold, perhaps it's simply the altitude, but keeping up with Ragnar and Alhert is the best he'll be able to do. A few miles further finds the sun falling too close to the horizon to continue, and camp must be made. The three scouts return without news of the snake stronghold. Over the ridge ahead shows the next valley, as trackless and thickly wooded as this, and will likely take the full day to traverse. Gang reports what he thinks is a shortcut, along the eastern side where the rocky outcroppings of the ridgeline disrupt the trees and reduce the underbrush. If his observations are correct, it could shave several hours of travel off the journey. But that is a task to tackle in the morning. Right now a gentle evening wind blows down the valley, threatless and cool. It is time to rest for the evening. 'bout halfway there lads! Choose a campsite as detailed below, we'll see if anything bothers you at night. Hiking rolls: Ragnar - Hiking vs 12: 3d6 9 Pass! Alhert Hiking vs 12: 3d6 12 Pass! Dawa Hiking vs 12: 3d6 12 Pass! Totach Hiking vs 12: 3d6 13 Fail! Rohan Hiking vs 11: 3d6 8 Pass! Majority passes, Hiking bonus applies. Navigation: Ragnar Navigation vs 15: 3d6 8 Pass! Navigation bonus applies. Survival - Camping first night: Survival vs 15: 3d6 11 Pass! Your choice of 2 from Comfort (more FP recovered), Concealment (obvious), Defensible (easy to spot intruders) Technically Dawa's roll, so if you want to describe your campsite choice please do. Hide Path - Dawa- Hide Path vs 12: 3d6 9 Gang's Stealth & Scouting: Gang - Stealth vs 18: 3d6 16 Pass! (phoning it in though) Gang - Observation vs 13: 3d6 18 whoopsie Dawa's Stealth & Scouting: Dawa - Stealth vs 13: 3d6 13 Pass! Dawa - Tracking vs 16: 3d6 12 Pass! Rohan's Stealth & Scouting: Rohan - Stealth vs 15: 3d6 4 Pass! Rohan - Per vs 12: 3d6 7 Pass!
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Mar 3, 2015 02:48
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Totach Redmane Totach nearly collapses as the group makes camp. It's clearly not his day to shine. While the rest prepare to make camp, Totach removes his blanket from his backpack and spreads it across the ground; he doesn't feel much like sleeping directly against the cold ground. His wool cloak will make a fine blanket. OOC: I'll chose a defensible camp. I have little faith in us not being watched as we enter enemy territory.
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Mar 3, 2015 03:00
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Rohan (I'd say that defense and concealment are the best combination, since I don't think any of us spent enough FP to need to use the bonus to that. Aside from Rohan, who used Breath Control to recover all that FP in a fraction of the time.) Rohan arrives at the campsite little worse for wear. Long-distance hiking was one of the few things he'd never gotten much practice with in his monastic training, but he was in good enough shape that he usually made it through without trouble. Following his scouting trip, he immediately begins to assist as necessary with making camp. He has no need of comfort, a clear patch of ground near the fire is more than sufficient. "I am not certain that risking lost time on what appear to be shortcuts is the most prudent course of action. It is almost certain that we will make it to the enemy stronghold before the new moon, when Alhert said this ritual is due to take place. That is, in fact, the reason we all agreed on this course of travel in the first place. Attempting to augment expediency with further expediency risks wasting what little time we have." In truth, Rohan doesn't entirely trust Gang's judgement, given his erratic behavior.
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Mar 3, 2015 04:31
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Totach Redmane "Aye," Totach agrees. "We have a marked path we can take from the map. It wouldn't be wise to stray from it. Normally I'm not one for staying the course, but this is a strange land to me."
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Mar 3, 2015 04:42
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Alhert Lorimer Alhert takes off his mail armor, and then begins setting up camp. He lays out his blanket, and then begins to make a fire. After a few minutes gathering wood and kindling, and a few more fumbling with flint and steel, he gets a merry blaze going. He steps back, warming his hands, and then looks around at the others. "We'll need some firewood, just enough to get through the night, in this weather we'll want to keep it burning. And someone should go see if there's a creek nearby, to fill our waterskins. And I have some dried meat and hardtack, do the rest of you have rations or will we have to send someone out looking for a deer or some rabbits?" Survival 11, lighting a fire: 3d6 11
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Mar 3, 2015 06:02
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Dawa Dawa's travels had rarely taken him into the snowy reaches, and he pauses more than once during their careful travel to ogle the view, marveling at snow-coated trees and pocket dells and valleys that somehow managed to huddle free of snow - patches of green moss and yellow lichen a vivid coloring of the landscape. It was slow going, and Dawa was thankful for that, at least. Running along the ridges might make good time, but you'd spend more time watching your step than the stunning view. The camp wasn't much, but it was enough. A small outcropping of rock sheltered enough area for them to sleep, and a trickle of snowmelt a few dozen paces away would be welcome, if a little too refreshing. The bank behind the outcropping rose steeply, but smoothly, dotted with tall, think-trunked trees. Approaching from that direction would be fairly noticeable. He eyes the fire. It wasn't his first choice of comfort, but he wouldn't deny the others. He turns to Rohan. "I don't see the problem with shortcuts. I mean if you hadn't noticed, this whole trip is a shortcut - we don't have any roads or trails to follow." He shrugs, not wanting to argue. It wasn't his shortcut, after all. "I have some dried possum a caravan I was with gave to me," he says to Alhert brightly. He pulls out a small package and unwraps it, then makes a face. "Echhhh. No I don't. Forget it, no possum tonight." He digs a little hole with his boot and buries the rotten meat. Definitely choosing defensible if we're going to have a fire. Undecided on the other.
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Mar 4, 2015 03:04
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Totach Redmane "I have some rations, but I would not be against fresh meat." He settles back and relaxes on his blanket, using the backpack as a pillow. "I'll retrieve some firewood in a few minutes, but I shan't waste my sword blade chopping logs."
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Mar 4, 2015 03:14
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Rohan Rohan takes a pair of small bundles from his pack, tossing one over to Dawa. Inside is some dried meat and fruit. "I have several days' worth of rations, and would advise against hunting until after we have dealt with these cultists. It would be unfortunate if our attempts to find game were to alert a patrol to our presence."
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Mar 4, 2015 06:47
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Ragnar Trekking across the land, Ragnar enjoyed filling his lungs with the crisp cool air. It reminded him of his childhood in the mountains between Vanaheim and Cimmeria. The chill winds that blew helped him cast off the stink of civilization. As the camp being set up, Ragnar could feel the pangs of hunger that always come after a long day of hiking. Hearing his companions speak of their rations, he knew what he had to do. "I am going to go out and hunt. If I see any patrols, I'll make sure they never make it back home." Ragnar picks up his maul and heads off into the wilderness to seek what food it would provide. OOCPer 12, Survival (Woodlands)-15; Tracking -15, Stealth -12, Naturalist -12, Fishing -16. Gonna see how much food he can collect by hunting, fishing and gathering.
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Mar 4, 2015 20:33
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Totach Redmane Totach sits on his laurels for about five or ten minutes, then finally grunts and lifts himself off the blanket while taking a swig from his waterskin. "Well, I'll see what I can find." OOC: Going out to find firewood. Only gathering kindling and broken sticks unless someone volunteers an axe to chop. Defaulting to Survival 5, so......you're hosed.
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Mar 4, 2015 21:00
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As the crow flies Ragnar head's out into the woods to gather up some food before night falls firmly on the valley. As he roams, he realizes that six men in the forest are not the most stealthy of creatures to a deer, even when trying not to be noticed. However, the clear mountain streams are wont to be filled with trout fattened for the winter. He fashions a rough fish trap out of strips of bark and willow branches and sets them in the water. While he waits for them to fill he wanders out to gather up bits of the forest bounty. It's mushroom season, and many tasty fungi have been protected from the frost underneath bushes and fallen logs. Before long his arms are full of late-autumn vegetables and a few spicy herbs. The trap has yielded a treasure as well, three plump cutthroats. Packing away the tasty meal, Ragnar notices fresh tracks in the soft soil next to the stream. Large, clawed prints from an animal, and less than an hour old. The shape is familiar to him, and after a moment's thought he recalls it as likely wolf tracks. At that size, it would be a dire wolf. At this time of year, they must be hungry. Dusk is fully on now, and he'll have to hoof it back to camp to make it before dark. Back at the camp, a cheery fire crackles in the hollow of some rocks that hide it. Totach's pile of twigs and sticks he gathered seem to be sufficient to keep it burning, and fuel is plentiful here if a little damp. He made quite the ruckus breaking off limbs from deadfall and branches. Not his fault of course, there really isn't a stealthy way to gather firewood, and the result of the labor is a bed of coals that ought to keep warm through the night. It won't be the most comfortable of shelters as the slope that gives it such a commanding view also makes for awkward sleeping arrangements. Ragnar ought to be back soon with whatever he's found in the forest. Ragnar @ -3 to skill due to oncoming winter. Fishing @ -5 total: Fishing vs. 11: 3d6 11 Trout! Survival @ -3 for gathering: Survival vs. 12: 3d6 12 Fruit & Nuts! Perception vs 12: 3d6 10 Hmm, what's that? Naturalist vs 12: 3d6 11 Dire wolves. Defensible and Concealed campsite seems to be the general consensus. You'll all be down 1FP for tomorrow's hike which will accumulate over multiple nights. Everyone mark off 1 meal, and Ragnar may distribute 3 meals worth of catch about the group. Set a watch rotation as you like, you'll need 3 3-hour watches. If not I'll pick the three with the highest Perception/Observation to keep watch. Survival 5 is enough to gather wood in the woods I think. 
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Mar 4, 2015 22:28
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Ragnar The bounty of the land turned out to be meager. Ragnar did what he could to find food, but there was little to be found. Collecting up the fruits, nuts and fish he caught he made his way back to the camp. As he retreated to the camp, he kept his wits about him looking for any signs of wolves. He didn't know if they would attack, but the chance existed. OOC Heading back to the camp.
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Mar 5, 2015 21:16
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