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Doomykins
Jun 28, 2008

Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?


OOC Thread

Day breaks following a cloudy night and cold sprinkles punctuated by distant flashes of lightning. The tiny coastal village of Nellen faces the rising sun, a collection of hand-made wooden houses that have grown over each generation as stability and prosperity allowed room for a bit of luxury. Sturdy docks extend just out far enough to make for good fishing with a few small boats and canoes tethered off. Smoke rises from the small expanse of rocky cliff along the beach sturdy enough to satisfy the two Dwarven clans Sandbar and Clawhammer, wood-workers and carpenters who dabble in the art of forging when they happen upon a rare patch of minerals in their private tunnels.

Further up the Human cabins and a trio of buried Halfling houses enjoy temperate surroundings. Founded at the end of a mighty river delta the second largest house in Nellen sits comfortably along one of the tiny river branches. It passes beneath a neat little dam anchored to the home which is itself adjacent to a pair of smaller homes, one being the honorary "library" of Nellen, where some magnificent eleven tomes from the outside world and whatever assorted diaries, journals and spontaneous acts of creativity rest after being committed to parchment by the offending villager.

Although the library belongs to Elder Marco, he sees little reason to keep an eye on it and would permit a local bookworm to spend the nights there so long as the place was kept clean. All other youths in the village would be receiving calls, bellows, pats on the head and pokes in the back to rouse them from slumber. Today was the day Marco had asked them to meet at his home to receive instructions. Firmly in his middle age, he was the only adult in the village who practiced magic, declaring himself a skilled warlock. He would tutor talented youth, a strict but fair mentor with a streak of impatience.

The world beyond Nellen was many things. Huge, sparsely inhabited, vastly green and overgrown in all ways. It was also home to things beyond the simple villager's minds, or at least that's what they told one another. For anyone who left Nellen never returned. The village itself is kept safe by arcane protections Marco invoked against the wild Fey, but word has drifted to you all that your help is needed. The protection must be renewed or it will fade away soon...

Sariya: Your room is on the top floor, the nicest one. The rooms adjacent to it are short-term store rooms for non-perishable goods, including spell reagents your father doesn't plan to use for awhile, if ever. On the first floor of your home are some simple spaces for food preparation, having guests around a small fire pit or drawing water from the dam. Father is probably in the underground chambers beneath the home, simple stone-lined affairs that he declares make for better practice of the arcane arts, particularly the part where nobody bothers him.

Everybody Else: WAKE UP!

Orokos for Rolls, #letsbeheroes or PM/Steam me for contact, ( ) for OOC and " " for Dialogue.

Heroes

Sully the Fighter
William the Warpriest
Sariya the Witch
Lucan the Ranger/Seeker
Korinna the Paladin
Hope the Avenger


Retired

Victe the Paladin
Alena the Bard
Lerissa the Blackguard

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 16:47 on May 27, 2015

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Plutonis
Mar 25, 2011

Sariya

"Oi, oi, give me a break..." Sariya slowly lifts from her bed, yawning and stretching herself while trying to get full control of her senses. She hated the goddamn Rooster that woke all the village up at dawn so much that she considered freezing the stupid bird into an ice cube, but she never could get it. She extends her hand, and a small ice crystal forms atop it.

"Heh, think I'm almost done learning the cool spells." She says while taking a look at the spellbook she snatched from the library downstairs. Sariya usually took those every night and spent hours reading and learning the spellcraft on them, avoiding the other disciples that her father taught. "That kind of power... That's mine alone."

Kurieg
Jul 19, 2012

RIP Lutri: 5/19/20-4/2/20
:blizz::gamefreak:
William Baker

William sat up with a start, he had fallen asleep at his desk again with another book. He didn't really need to read them anymore, but he still found it fun. It was more enjoyable to read the books at your own pace than to just know the information when it became pertinent by the force of divine will. Well that and it was probably best to keep up appearances. He hadn't quite told his parents everything about how this whole 'Cleric of a Dead God' thing worked, a little white lie here and there kept the whole thing from becoming too awkward.

But... oh yeah, the book! Crap! It had to be back at the library today! A quick rush through his routine of getting washed and dressed and he was down the stairs in a flash, a quick hello to his parents and a breakfast roll snatched from the case and he was on his way back to the library to resume his day of fun.

Reading, that is, he was going to do a lot of reading.

ArkInBlack
Mar 22, 2013
Sully

The rooster had made its declaration, the sun crawled over the hills to spread its cheer to others, and even the Schmidt's old hound has risen. And yet Sully slept on. Ma Schmidt stood over the lazy man and sighed. "Sully it's time to get up and go to ol' Marco, you said you'd help him with his arts and here you are sleeping still!" Groaning Sully turned over "Yeah well he waited this long Ma, he can wait another ten minutes..." As Sully turned back over Ma's hand shot out and grasped his ear, Ma shouting "SULLIVAN SCHMIDT YOU GET YOUR LAZY BONES OUT OF BED AND DRESSED AND MARCH STRAIGHT TO MARCO'S HOME RIGHT NOW!" being dragged out of bed Sully relented with "Gyah, okay, okay, yes ma'am, YES MA'AM!".

Fully dressed Sully started out of his family's home, passing by his youngest brothers wrestling near the table. "Bring back somethin' cool!" John shouted after Sully, with James adding "Yeah, like a big critter's tooth or claw!". Acknowledging the pair with a wave on the way out the door, Sully ran into Pa Schmidt "Alright boy, I know yer goin' and it's not a nice place out there, but here's how it is. If I hafta go out their and drag yer sorry rear end home, I'll beat ya twice as bad as whatever you couldn't handle. Ya got that?" Smirking Sully replied "Yeah right Pa, nothin' stronger then a Schmidt. I'll bring y'all back somethin' while I'm out." Nodding, Pa gestured toward Marco's home. "Well ya best git on then son, don't wanna keep the warlock waitin'."

With his family having said their goodbyes Sully saunters up to Marco's front door and starts banging on it.

Trier
Aug 8, 2011

Stupid Newbie
Victe

Victe had been training since before dawn, mostly against her homemade training dummy behind the house. Little more than a hay-padded scarecrow, it served its purpose in allowing her to whack at it with her wooden sword without breaking. As the sun begins to dawn, her training ends and she heads to Marco's without a word to her step-parents. Their relationship is strained, they disapproved of her religion and her focus on martial training rather than learning a useful trade. She had always fought, both for fun and with ill intent, and her relationship to "ilmater's blessings", as she called her bruises, only made her more focused on her single-minded purpose.

Doomykins
Jun 28, 2008

Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?
The door to Marco's home swings open and standing there is an older man of immaculate fury!



His black robes with raven feather trim, his long-balded head framing eyes of intense focus, finding everything with Sully's garish dress and bulk worth criticizing, his expression always paired with a suggestion of boredom! Marco Draene, 51 years old and the master of magics in Nellen, his sneer is tempered by willpower into a polite closed smile. "The Schmidt child, how punctual..." He steps aside, permitting him and anyone else to enter. He picks up the set of parchment and quill he was working with and heads for the kitchen, seizing a bit of dried meat and ignoring everyone as he sits at a table and writes feverishly. The circles under his eyes have become darker than usual but he writes with perfect form. He pauses and barks: "SARIYA! THIS IS NO DAY TO SLEEP IN, CHILD!"

Classtoise
Feb 11, 2008

THINKS CON-AIR WAS A GOOD MOVIE
Lerissa

With a grunt, she pulled herself out of bed. The structure practically sighed in relief as she went about her daily routine. Marco had left her a letter, according to her family. She had places to be today.
Heavy footfalls brought her downstairs, to a nearly empty table with only a few plates of food. All for her, it seemed, as her family hovered around the kitchen.
Fruits, sausages, bacon, eggs...even pancakes. Lerissa doubted even she could eat all this alone.
"What, celebrating me leaving forever?" She chuckled. Her mother looked fearful, and ashamed.
"No, celebrating you proving to us you're the hero I know you are," Victor spoke up, a proud smile on his face as he sat down.
Breakfast was quiet as everyone took their seats (after a bit of coaxing).
"So...you're taking that dreadful axe off our hands?" Her mother was the first to speak.
"Yeah! Dad says I'm really good with an axe! So if I get attacked by any monster I can fight them off!"
Her mother looked concerned, "Oh...that's nice. It's good that you've got...talents."
Lerissa winced, "Yeah. Right. Like being a six and a half foot wall of muscle everyone treats like a monster."

Lerissa returned to her room, doing her best not to stomp, even as angry as she was. She could hear her parents arguing downstairs. Monster, freak, disaster...thrown around as usual. She pushed it to the back of her mind. Today was the day she would prove them all, one way or another. Cinching the belt of the scale armor, and slinging the axe over her shoulder, Lerissa headed outside.
"Lerissa, darling..." her father stood, flanked by his daughters. In an act that she had not felt since she the summer of her growth spurt, her sister Sasha hugged her, even amidst the heavy metal plates she could feel the warmth.
"Make us proud," Her father smiled up to her.
"Kick some rear end!" Her eldest sister chimed in.
"Clara! ...Kick some rear end, kid."
Her mother, however, remained distant and worried, not even daring to look.
"I better get going. I don't want to be late."

Marco's house was not far from her own. Of course, being the elder meant the center of the village was his own, so it wasn't far from ANYONE really. But all the same, her trip was short. She arrives, just in time, it would seem, to see another person entering.
"Marco! It's me! Lerissa Metzger!" She waved, as if there were OTHER towering, horned, monstrous girls in the village.

Lurks With Wolves
Jan 14, 2013

At least I don't dance with them, right?
Alena

Alena is too excited to sleep. Not that she has ever slept, strictly speaking, but that's not the point. The point is that today is the day that she will join Marco's expedition on a grand adventure and is thus no time to be resting. It's a time for action! It's a time for swordplay! It's a time to prove her worth!

...

Okay, so Mother may have heard her yell that. Alena's escape will need to go somewhat faster than she planned. She doesn't have anything against her dear mother, but if she comes up here she'll make her help sow the fields, and if she sows the fields she'll be stuck out there with her father all day, and if she's stuck out there with her father all day she can't join Marco's expedition. She's been dressed for hours, so there's no worries there. She hasn't strapped on her sword yet, but she can carry that out. Same with the picks, and the lyre, and the bottle of cider she's kept hidden away for a special occasion. She was going to grab some food from the kitchen before she left, but she doesn't exactly have the time for that. All she has to do now is go to the window, look down on the road below, let herself drift out of sync with the world and...

There! Alena has successfully slipped out of the house, and she only had to use her blatant magical abilities once. It won't be long before Mother figures out what she did, but she'll be halfway to Marco's house by then.

Kurieg
Jul 19, 2012

RIP Lutri: 5/19/20-4/2/20
:blizz::gamefreak:
William

William stumbled in late, which was honestly somewhat surprising for the kid. What wasn't surprising was the book he held clutched in his arms.

"Uhm..sorry, I forgot and.. uhh, my parents uhh.. Anyways I'm here now. right?"

In truth he hadn't really told his parents much of anything of what was going on. He knew they disapproved of his 'faith healing' and this task was far too important to risk on them saying 'No'.

They'd understand when he got back. Saving the world is more important than parental disapproval.

Doomykins
Jun 28, 2008

Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?
Marco waves Lerissa and any others in. "Yes, yes. I can see that you're late. Come in."

He trades the meat in his hand for an apple from a bowl on the table and takes a bite, then yells! "SARIYA! DOWNSTAIRS! NOW!" He swallows and takes another bite, savoring it with smug closed-eye joy while Sariya is given a few beats to actually show up. One a six teen party is formed, Marco speaks as he writes on a fresh page.

"I don't need to tell you that the Fey of the world bear ill tidings for any mortals they find, yet I have. Let that be your one reminder. A full moon will be upon us soon, marking the same moon that rose when I last renewed the seal. You will cross the western river and travel two miles, there will be a marked trail through the wilderness. I trust you can discover it. You should remain within the seal during this time." He finishes with his current page and shuffles it away before beginning another. During the shuffle he produces another filled page, showing you all a sketch of a vague chubby plant of some sort. It has an awkward Human face and is topped with a giant three-leafed sprout that frays at each end into inch-long tendrils. "The trail will lead you to some old ruins which houses a particular strain of plant, the legendary Mandragora."

"To perform my ceremony I require a single living Mandragora root. Now clear the wax from your ears and listen to what I say next: removed improperly, the cry of the Mandragora will kill anyone nearby." He holds the page up to anyone who will accept it and resumes his hasty writing after they do so. "Once you've located one, I suggest you unearth it and an overly generous amount of the dirt around it... without disturbing it's rest. Do you understand me? Pack it in a pot, cradle it like a newborn and return it to me as quickly as you can. You will have two days." He sets his quill down and lines the notes up before going back to that apple. "Well? That includes today. Return by tomorrow night."

Plutonis
Mar 25, 2011

Sariya


"Rarrgh! God loving damnit, leave me alone, dad!" Sariya yells back, but eventually leaves her room and heads downstairs, her lavender hair still messy, but her day clothes on perfect condition. "So those are the losers who are going to fix the barrier? The brat who keeps taking the books I want, the musclehead, horn girl, noble brat and the Ilmater freak." The girl snorts as she examines the group disdainfully from the staircase. "It's okay, dad. I just need to freeze that stupid plant so it doesn't scream and we can bring it here pronto."

Classtoise
Feb 11, 2008

THINKS CON-AIR WAS A GOOD MOVIE
Lerissa

She arched a brow at the brash girl who had come shouting down stairs, ranting and insulting each of them.
"Uh, I might just be a farmers DAUGHTER, but I'm pretty sure freezing a plant kills it."
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. For once enjoying the fact that "Muscle Head" and "Horn Girl" were not both aimed at her, for a change.

ArkInBlack
Mar 22, 2013
Sully

"Ha ha, I've more muscles then just on my head!" Sully remarks and he flexes, showing off his chiseled arms with his smug pride shining like a beacon, not realizing the insult at all. "Don' yank out the thing it screams real loud, a'ight." Looking around at those gathered, Sully nodded "Well at least there's three other people here who might hold themselves in a scrap, so 'less y'all wanna waste some more time le's go get that root so Mark can waggle his fingers an' keep things outta town."

Kurieg
Jul 19, 2012

RIP Lutri: 5/19/20-4/2/20
:blizz::gamefreak:
William
William glares at Sariya, or more to the point glares near Sariya.

"I put the books back when I'm done with them... you're just mad that there's someone in this town that might know more than you about something."

He adds, much softer.

"Or did you accidentally freeze your brain too."

Trier
Aug 8, 2011

Stupid Newbie
Victe

She takes the insult as just another welcomed bruise, and utters a silent "thank you", to Ilmater or Sariya, hard to tell which.

"Excuse me but how far does the seal reach? Two days travel seems it would cover a long distance."

Trier fucked around with this message at 14:52 on Apr 27, 2014

Lurks With Wolves
Jan 14, 2013

At least I don't dance with them, right?
Alena

"Jealousy does not become you, dear." Alena makes a great show of turning her nose up at Sariya. Not that she's entirely sure why she's turning her nose up at her, but nobles turn their nose up at people who insult them so that's what she will do. Not that she really sees the point, but she is sure they had a good reason.

"Ahem. Anyway, Sullivan has the right of it. There's an adventure out there with our names on it. There's no time to begin it like the present."

Doomykins
Jun 28, 2008

Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?
Marco cringes. "Yes, yes, quite right. There will be time enough to bicker on the journey." He squints at Victe. "You've two days to travel there and back, girl. You have quite a trek before you reach the river and you will only be a few miles past it. My seal goes beyond whatever property lines any deluded barony might draw around our fair hamlet." He sighs and gets back to his writing.

You've time to ask any other questions you might have or to otherwise prepare for the journey before setting out within the next hour.

---

Heading for the western trail out of town(directly past Alena's "stately" manor), your motley crew comes to the small bit of wood post fencing the great d'Montaigne family uses to mark their impressive stretch of land. Resting with his back to the gate is a weedy little Dwarf, a fellow you all know as Melvin Sandbar. 3rd son of the youngest Sandbar generation, he's grown into an awkward young man at the tender age of 52.



"Hey, you lot! Come over here!" He waves you over to the only gate in the fence that he happens to be blocking. A stroke of strategic genius for sure. By his feet is a heavy burlap sack. "Hey, my old man told me about your little journey this morning. I thought that for the cutest girls in the village I'd do a little something to help you out!" He reaches over to the sack and rummages around to get a good two-armed grip, then produces... a small wooden barrel! It's corked shut and marked with three crude white Xs. He beams with pride and taps each X. "X, X, X. That spells quality! Well, come on, take it. Yeah, every hero has to have a little of this before they die. Try it tonight, yeah!"

Trier
Aug 8, 2011

Stupid Newbie
Victe

The young girl pauses for a moment, ponders for a few seconds, then nods. "Ilmater says it's ok." she utters, and grabs the barrel, then leans down and ruffles the dwarf's hair. "Thanks, Melvin!"

Lurks With Wolves
Jan 14, 2013

At least I don't dance with them, right?
Alena

Fortunately for Marco, Alena was already out the door by the time he insulted the d'Montaignes.

---

Well, this is a fortunate turn of events. Alena hasn't brought nearly enough supplies for today's trek, so she'll take whatever aid she can. At least if it's actual aid. She wouldn't put a childish prank past Melvin. She leans over and raps three times on the side of the barrel. Satisfied that it's at least full of something, Alena turns back to the dwarf and smiles.

"On behalf of the expedition and the barony, I thank you for your aid. Now if you could just step aside, we really do have a long hike ahead of us and we must be going."

Plutonis
Mar 25, 2011

Sariya

Sariya lifts two middle fingers, one at William and another at Alena. "Get bent, bitches."

---

The witch is silent during most of the quick travel to the gate, looking around and waiting for any opportunity for one of her companions to lower their guards. "I ain't into dwarves, Sandbar." This doesn't stop her from grabbing one of the XXX barrels. "Hell yase! Dad never let me drink. This quest is finally getting good!"

Kurieg
Jul 19, 2012

RIP Lutri: 5/19/20-4/2/20
:blizz::gamefreak:
William

William peers at the dwarf, somewhat confused.

"That's not what the Xs mean, and that's rather incredibly unwise for a number of reasons... but thanks for the thought I guess."

I'm guessing we can just assume we paused to get equipped, or we just were equipped and didn't realize it. Since William for one probably doesn't trudge around town in a Chain Shirt.

Doomykins
Jun 28, 2008

Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?
Yeah, you guys have time to get equipped before you set out.

Also you get a set of 6 rations because your families probably won't let you starve. Probably. I just forgot to say as much IC!


Chortling as he gets hair hair rustled, Melvin steps aside. "Just remember your old friend tonight, eh? Bring us back some stories."

---

Traveling Westwards you find the freedom of the open wilderness to be a welcome respite from the rituals and quiet safety of the village. There's nobody here to warn you about how everything in the world is filled with a secret malice, there's no need to work from dawn to dusk just for the privilege of eating for the winter and no family is around to impart upon you the importance of... well, everything they say.

Just the natural splendor of the forests.



After nearly four hours you come to the river, much wider than the one that runs through Nellen. There are great bits of tree debris sticking out of it, fallen branches as large as a person that stick out for several feet from near the center of the river. The water rushes at a steady beat and you occasionally see some dragonflies dart about, inspecting reeds and one another.

If you head straight West you should move on to the next part of your quest, to find Marco's trail that leads to the ruins where the Mandragora grows. To the Northwest, almost due North is a sight that is unbelievable. As naturally as a treeline might rise in the distance there are great pulsing lines of flames running through the hills, each glowing as though the planet itself had just started cracking up! Occasionally vivid orange birds made of the same flame rise up and swoop around a hundred feet in the sky, looking for random new spots in the magma to dive into.

Amazing. Now, as to the task of crossing the river...

Skill Challenge

Cross a River. Skills/Powers/Items/Etc may be used before a crossing is attempted to gather information or to make beneficial circumstances... but once you enter the waters, its sink or swim!

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 05:41 on Apr 28, 2014

Classtoise
Feb 11, 2008

THINKS CON-AIR WAS A GOOD MOVIE
Mine might :ohdear:

Lerissa

Lerissa is deep in thought as she examines the river, watching the flow. She does her best to judge if she can actively swim it, but isn't particularly versed in the natural world outside of her farm. All the same, she hoped she'd be able to tell how fast was "too fast" to swim, as she held her hand in the water.

After a few dips of her hand, she spied the branches and debris.
"Hmm...do you think we could get enough of this stuff across the river to cross safely? I'm pretty sure Sully and I could swim across, but I don't think the smaller of us will be able to. And Victe's armor will just drag her to the bottom fast."

"Push comes to shove, my axe should be able to break some of the flimsier trees down."

ArkInBlack
Mar 22, 2013
Sully

"Before we die?" Sully skeptically eyes the dwarf "Are ya implyin' somethin' there Melvin? Like that I'm not the strongest there is?" Flexing his left bicep, Sully eyes it before looking back to the dwarf. "I'd love to see something try, I would. If I didn' have Marco's errand to run, I'd be more 'an happy to show ya just how likely me dyin' is." With the barrel of booze already grabbed, Sully leads the walk away, not bothering to give Melvin a farewell.

~~~~~~~

Reaching the river Sully rubs his hands together excitedly "Ha, and here I was thinkin' this would be all borin', I could use a good swim!" hearing Lerissa fret over what was probably nothing, Sully shrugged, "Well if any of y'all brought a rope I could easily swim 'cross an' tie it to somethin'. That is, if the bookworms can't handle a little current."

Lurks With Wolves
Jan 14, 2013

At least I don't dance with them, right?
Alena

Alena watches the debris bob in the river with mild disinterest. Yep. This river sure is deep. Wide, too. Didn't she hear a joke like that once? Must not have been a very good joke, if she can't remember it now. Of course, now it's on her mind so she'll be thinking about it all day. How did it start? Two men are... are...

Wait, did Sullivan just imply she couldn't do something.

"Please, Sullivan. It would take a wider river than this to best me. I simply do not want to get my clothes wet. Lerissa's plan is much more to my liking."

Kurieg
Jul 19, 2012

RIP Lutri: 5/19/20-4/2/20
:blizz::gamefreak:
William
William looks at the river nervously. Maybe if he wasn't weighed down by armor and his big heavy books he could swim the distance, but the water looks cold and it would probably not do anyone any good without protection. The slight problem with only having the library for education was that the sort of people who go into the forest on a regular basis were not the sort of people who wrote books.

"No, I doubt that I could make the distance under ideal circumstances, definitely not when it's like this. Though I can pray for assistance in whatever task we choose."

I can give us all a +2 power bonus on one skill check each.

Plutonis
Mar 25, 2011

Sariya

"Meh." Sariya just picks up a small blue wand with a crystal on the end of it. She pilfered it from her father's stash before leaving Nellen, and it turned out to be useful much earlier than she anticipated. The wand touches the river, and it quickly starts to freeze, forming a small icy bridge 10-foot long. "Well, that's it I guess."

Using my Wand of Frost daily utility. Two squares worth of icy terrain are made!

Doomykins
Jun 28, 2008

Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?
Sariya's icy bridge will cross 1/3 of the river at the nearest narrow point, leaving another 20 feet(4 squares) to cross. The two squares count as Difficult Terrain so a Long Jump made with Athletics would involve moving 4 squares, then jumping to try to clear the last 4 squares, possible by using Two Move Actions to Double Move.

Edit: If you want to look around for debris/chop down a tree/etc, roll a check for it. Don't gotta wait for Skill Check prompts to do safe stuff.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 02:52 on Apr 29, 2014

Plutonis
Mar 25, 2011

Sariya

"Huh, guess it's not enough." Sariya shrugs and casts another quick spell, and a small crystalline solution forms on the witch's foot soles. She walks off the end of the icy bridge, eventually reaching the other side. "Done my part! Now you guys find a way to cross!"

Walking to the edge of the ice bridge and casting Water Walk. Even if it's difficult terrain, Sariya manages to walk to the shore easily!

Trier
Aug 8, 2011

Stupid Newbie
Victe

With a very rudimentary understanding of, well, anything that doesn't involve fighting or praying, Victe looks around and tries to spot something that could be of help. A tree to fell, a shallow to cross, anything that could help them with crossing the river.

Nature: 1d20+4 16
Perception: 1d20+4 14

Doomykins
Jun 28, 2008

Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?
(Lerissa has 50 feet of hempen rope, if we want to assume it is free for everybody to use.)

Victe: (Perception) You discover a few things: a very long and narrow branch(10 feet), a few dried out old branches half as thick as logs that will float and finally a grounded birds nest, a pair of eggs within it undamaged by the fall.

(Nature) You recall from your Father's advice that a river is must stronger than a calm surface suggests and often deeper than it looks.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 13:34 on Apr 29, 2014

ArkInBlack
Mar 22, 2013
Sully

"Enough with the hemmin' and hawin', le's git 'er DONE!" suddenly tossing his backpack with bedroll and food across the river, Sully grabs Victe and hefts her, full plate and all, over his head! "Ha, barely anythin'! I could do this all day! Someone wanna pile on their junk, I can handle it!" Not waiting for a reply, Sully marches straight into the river, intending to walk his own drat way across!

Athletics: 1d20+11 28
Endurance: 1d20+10 23

Trier
Aug 8, 2011

Stupid Newbie
Victe

Taken aback by the Schmidt boy's brashness, Victe lets out a little "ooh!" as she's lifted into the air and gets carried across the river, barely getting wet at all. As Sully puts her down on the other side, she gives him a light punch on the shoulder and tells him "Ilmater would be proud." before checking on whether the eggs in her pack made it across safely.

Doomykins
Jun 28, 2008

Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?
Challenge Success

Trier: Eggs are fine.

Sully: With your athletic prowess it is in fact child's play to cross the river, which by the way is deeper than you are tall at the middle part. Where your comrades spend their time examining trees and conjuring ice you take a casual swim across, carrying each one of them with you one or even two(William is a bit light) at a time. There is in fact no way you could fail to cross this river!

How dry anyone remains is a bit less guaranteed.

Once you've crossed the river, Marco told you to find his trail and to follow it 1-2 miles until you've discovered some old ruins.

Thus the next part of your Challenge is to find the trail markers and not get lost in the woods. forever

Trier
Aug 8, 2011

Stupid Newbie
Victe

Victe strains to find the first trail marker, Failing that, she begins to pray for guidance from above.


Nature: 1d20+4 20
Perception: 1d20+4 5
Religion: 1d20+5 16

Trier fucked around with this message at 15:10 on Apr 29, 2014

Kurieg
Jul 19, 2012

RIP Lutri: 5/19/20-4/2/20
:blizz::gamefreak:
William
William does not take to the water well, particularly because soaking his clothes probably doubles his weight. But he manages to keep his books dry, that's all that matters.


He looks around at the trees and the ground, brushing aside some of the foliage.

"I.. I know this place I think."

History: 1d20+10 15
If that history check is a failure I'll use sudden inspiration to bump it to a 19
Potentially failing that he'll try to find the trail markers.

Nature: 1d20+5 6
:v: nope

Try being the operative word.

Kurieg fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Apr 30, 2014

Classtoise
Feb 11, 2008

THINKS CON-AIR WAS A GOOD MOVIE
William can hitch a ride with Lerissa, he's tiny enough for her :3:

Lerissa

She scoops William up quickly, "Keep those books high, boy, and grab on to my horns if you need to."

With that, she dips her foot into the river, feeling the rushing beneath.
"Ehh...I'll...take my time."
She tries again, paddling across slowly but surely. She would swear that her feet touched the bottom, but she wasn't willing to dunk under to see how far it was, for risk she just stepped on a fish or something.

On the other side, she gently placed William down, and rang herself out.
"Eugh. I can't wait til we set up camp. I need a campfire badly."

~~~

As they approached the markers, Lerissa stared, dumbfounded, at them. She had rarely ventured outside the farm, let alone the village. The world beyond it all was so...strange.
"Wait, is that it?" She squinted. She motioned to what LOOKED like a path. She wasn't sure, but she'd seen enough dirt running through fields to know what a designated path looked like, she hoped.


Nature: 1d20+0 18

:smug: Get it together, nerds.

Lurks With Wolves
Jan 14, 2013

At least I don't dance with them, right?
Alena

When Alena agreed to be ferried across the river, she thought that she would look regal. That she would stand upon Sullivan's shoulders like a conquering general, eager for the battle that awaits him on the other shore. Or sitting astride him like a noble knight, as the case may be. In practice... well, let no one say that she did not try. It's just hard to look lordly when you are hiking up your jacket with one hand and holding your sword and scabbard above your head with the other. Still, she would have looked so cool if Sullivan just kept his shoulders above water like she thought he would.

---

Ah, nature. This would be a lovely day for a walk, if Alena's shoes weren't completely waterlogged. The squelching does put a real damper on any enjoyment she could get from looking at the way the sunlight filters through the leaves. For now, all she can really do for now is put one foot in front of the other and keep an eye out for anything that's more interesting than yet another tree.

Perception: 1d20+5 13

Plutonis
Mar 25, 2011

Sariya

Sariya simply looks for any traces of displaced vegetation. Dad couldn't even put a friggin' sign to tell them the way, couldn't he? drat it. Still, she is remarkably drier than her companions, and still keeps chuckling at the moistness of Sully and the others.

Nature: 1d20+8 19

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Doomykins
Jun 28, 2008

Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?
Successes: 3 Nature, 1 History. *Pass*

Looking about for anything unnatural you eventually discover a recurring oddity between the trees! There are small leaf-sized and leaf-shaped bits of debris in a curious black iron color, radiating a subtle chill. Getting within a few feet of one makes Alena feel a bit uncomfortable. These cold iron markers were crafted to blend in with the woods while still serving as a popular charm against fey creatures. Occasionally you come across one that has been crushed underfoot or has been blown a little off path but each charm gradually shifts itself back to a default position by waiting for a natural breeze to pass and then seizing control of a very small bit of it.



Following the trail for nearly an hour brings you to the site of some truly magnificent ruins. You're not sure how Marco thought you might miss something this large but it is only when you clear the trees that you can see anything further than a hundred feet out! You also realize that the trail has taken you a fair bit to the North, the forests extending far to the West and a bit to the South before meeting the coast.

A quick check reveals an entrance into the ancient architecture...



Nobody has been by here for years. Decades. Maybe even centuries. Parts of the wall are smashed in where ancient stone has fallen inwards, the place smells greatly of damp mildew and that rustic scent of old water on stone and there's overgrown vegetation everywhere. At three spots throughout the room there are particularly thick sheets of it, long ropey vines with vibrant red flowers. One of the walls nearby is actually a set of very thick and fogged over glass. You might be able to look through it if you got closer.

Oh! Playing around the Southwest patch of vegetation is an adorable two-inch tall naked woman with the wings and antennae of a butterfly. Dipping down in elegant zigs and zags she has made a game of snatching up pollen-based powder from one of the flowers and thrusting it into her hair, occasionally gliding on her back and running her hands through her luxurious little mane to help the dye spread. She catches sight of your group during one of her twirls and lets out a loud giggle with a coquettish little wave.

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