Return to Northmoor IC

[pathfinderq1]

Aiffe helped nudge her canoe in towards the stern of the stuck raft, now that they knew the situation. She looked around the crew of the raft, setting each of the crew members' faces in her mind, trying to remember which of them she knew from previous meetings or by reputation.

Once they had taken stock of things, it was time to get to work- with both crews working together, they ought to be able the wrestle the raft off the sandbar, but it would take some serious effort. For her own part, Aiffe knew that hard physical labor was not her strong suit, so she tried to put her brain to work...

She stepped over to the side of the raft, and looked both upriver and down, trying to get a sense of where the sandbar had the strongest grip, and how the current was pushing. She tried to remember the lessons that MacLynn had been giving her in river navigation, factoring in what she could see of this specific situation.

OOC: Skill challenge, round 1; attempting to use Nature, as a knowledge roll factoring in both general river navigation,and the specific natural elements of this problem; Skill is at +6, roll 13; link Roll Lookup ; failure, but hopefully not bad enough to drown anybody. Next?

[Sparky]

Orthanach says a prayer for the departed. Maeger was unlikely to have skipped that necessity, but it couldn't hurt. The young man makes a warding sign over his heart.

He rubs at his palms, the itching feeling persists, though the crew seems fit enough.

When its clear that all that would be required of him is hard labor, Orthanach bends to the work. Years of cutting peat attuned his body to mind-numbing labor. And numb his mind it did. Where Aiffe summons her intellect, Orthanach draws on strength and stubbornness. It is not a delicate balance or an nuanced reading of the currents, Orthanach's efforts are a controlled, sustained rage that borders on the bestial.

He shoves a barge pole deep into the bank where the others have shown. He shoves until his hands ache and his arms shake and his legs take fire. As fire seeks fire, a deep well of anger ignites in the young man - quite untempered by his quiet faith - and fuels his strength. His jaws clench, lips peeling back from teeth in a rictus of effort.

OOC

Skill Challenge Round 1: Endurance check for Orthanach

[Redclaw]

Dive right in, lads, Breccan says with a smile. Nobody's getting out of this with clean boots. With that, he jumps into the shallow water around the sandbar and grabs hold of the raft. Despite his attempts to muscle the large craft loose, he fails to get it to so much as budge.

ooc

Athletics 15

[Lukeworm]

Cian

As Meager and Mclynn exchange tales about the encounters with the bandits Cian visibly relaxes, there will be no more fighting this day.

“Sorry about your departed men” he tells Meager” I’m sure they were good men who gave as much as they got. You must have softened those bandits pretty good yesterday or it would have been tougher for us when we run in to them. As it was the lads and lass here gave them hell when they attacked the Cat. Then I got on deck and they all run to their holes like the rats that they are. It all means we are fresh and ready to help.” With a hearty laugh Cian jumps to the raft side “Come on lads Breccan can’t do it all by himslef”.

OOC:

Diplomacy check to encourage the crew of the other raft 1d20+8=16 not that good…

[PrecociousApprentice]

The tone on the stranded raft changes quickly when the crew of the Blackwater Cat throw their lot in with the remaining raftmen on the Rose. Morale increases almost instantly, and everyone seems to get an extra level of hustle.

OOC

Damn! Those are really terrible rolls! You all need new dice. Remember, I will be giving secret bonuses for narrative excellence, so don't get discouraged by evil dice. Besides, the consequences of failure aren't too terrible. A few masochists might even like it better . Hope everyone's holidays have been just what they wished for.

[Atanatotatos]

Culhwych has put away his bow and, instead of getting to help by the raft, he walks quietly up a tall mound nearby. There he stands, hand covering his eyes from the sun, and observes the river, back and forth. Culwych is the member of the crew that spends the most time watching the waters flow. He's almost always on watch duty, and has maybe the best eyesight of the party. And obviously, an archer is as good as his eyes are.
So he always watched the river and the whereabouts. And though he was no sailor, he got used to the currents, to the slow flowing. And now he was trying to find the exact way the river was flowing around the raft. Maybe he'd find the way to free it more easily and put it right back on its way.

OOC:Nature Roll Lookup, phew!

[PrecociousApprentice]

Culhwych notices that a slight eddy just behind the raft is pulling the boat in the opposite direction than the one that everyone is pushing. The silt being churned up when the men struggle in the front of the raft drifts back underneath it, to swirl slightly and then get pulled into the current in the center of the river. A slight change in tactics could lead to better results.

OOC

Nothing much mechanical here, just fluffing the non-standard skill success of Culhwych.

[pathfinderq1]

Aiffe knew she was missing _something_ about how the current was working to keep the boat pinned- it was only when she noticed how Culhwych was watching the water on both sides of the boat from his better vantage point that she realized just what she had missed.

With everyone else working, she looked around to see how else she might help out. Grabbing one of the heavy bargepoles, she dug in under the back corner. Already aware of her lack of mass and upper-body strength, she tried to put her training as a dancer to use, leaning out from the boat's edge well past a safe point- and sure enough the pole slipped in her grasp, just at a critical moment. It was only her practiced agility that kept her from ending up in the river, and even so her recovery was clumsy enough to draw glares or patronizing chuckles...

OOC: Skill challenge, round 2; using Acrobatics +7 for another miserable failure; roll Roll Lookup

[Lukeworm]

Cian can barely hide his chuckles at Aiffe’s effort. “The idea is to use the pole to push the raft not the other way around Aiffe. Here let me try.” He gives a hearty shove and notice with satisfaction that the raft seemed to move a little closer toward the main chanel.
“May grandfather used to say that the only way to deal with a hard task is to try harder, and he should know as nothing ever came easy for him. Now let’s try together!”

OOC: Athletics check 1d20+8=24.

[PrecociousApprentice]

The raft shifts slightly at the mighty shove from Cian. It settles back to where it sat before, but the initial movement draws mutters of satisfaction at the effort. The raft will move, it just might take a little extra effort.

The sun suddenly sneaks behind a cloud. The absence of the sun and the slight breeze combine to create sudden a feeling of chill. Not unusual this time of year, but being in the water has made this chill rather uncomfortable. Everyone is reminded that it will be nice to get this raft out of the muck, and the thought occurs to you that working harder might be the only way to keep the chill off right now.

Though working harder might not be the only, or even best way to get the raft moving down river.

OOC

I count 4 successes, and about halfway through the encounter.

[Sparky]

Working hard is one of Orthanach's virtues. Working harder as well. He follows the others into the water and sinks calf-deep into the soft and sucking mud of the river bottom.

Pale hands reach out through dark water, they are lit from above by shifting rays of light that filter through the bone-biting chill. His feet are trapped in the mud... he can't escape...

A shadow crosses the young man's face and vanishes. He wedges himself under the weight of the boat and pushes... holding the weight on his shoulders so that others could rest or reposition.

OOC:

Sweet, another Endurance success... honest, hard work is the path to righteousness. 1d20+3 = 20

[PrecociousApprentice]

Hard work seems to distract everyone from the chill, the fight earlier this morning, and any unknowns that the future might hold. No matter who you are, honest work definitely makes time pass quickly. The steady pace of the effort also adds it's own distraction. It is obvious that the raft is slowly becoming unmired, and this seems to add to the ease that everyone is feeling.

The soothing sounds of the river continue through the day. As the effort continues, three wood ducks come near to see what the comotion is about. Their interested calls are refreshing, and remind you of the natural beauty around you. If it wasn't for the attack of the morning and the mired raft, the day could possibly be called idyllic.

[Atanatotatos]

Culwhych has descended from the mound and is trying to find a way to help despite his not incredible physical prowess. He too takes a pole and looks for an ideal place from where to apply leverage. He seems to find that from some small boulders in the water he could reach an easy spot to push under the water with his staff, so he starts jumping over the water on stones and thick tree roots extending in the river, coming near to the intended place, but not exactly where desired.

ooc:acrobatics 17

[Redclaw]

Breccan does his best to follow Cian's example. Setting his feet, the warlord attempts to throw his own might into a similar push. However, it becomes apparent that he chose a less stable piece of river bottom from which to stage his assault, and he just feels his feet sink further into the mud instead of sensing any movement from the raft.

Athletics check: 9

[Lukeworm]

Cian

“If I have to push this raft by myself then that is just what I’ll do.” Cian grumbles as he pushes the pole in to the river bunk once more. “One step at a time.”
The raft nudges again and Cian leans back on the pole taking a moment to wipe the sweat off his forehead.
“This is hard work and we’ve been at it for some time, my feet are wet but my throat feel quiet dry. We need to call on the spirits for help, not any spirit but the kind that dwell in a keg. How about a round of ale for the boys Master Meager? it will help raise their sprits for sure and may just make the raft a little lighter.”

OOC: Athletics check 1d20+8=19.

[PrecociousApprentice]

"A man that interested in my ale might not be too useful once he got it!" Maeger's crooked smile is both hard and sincere at the same time. "I assure you that your help is not going unnoticed, and I plan to camp near to the Cat this evening, but for now we will push onward. We are getting close, as I can feel the raft shift with your efforts." Maeger tosses a waterskin to Cian. "Drink this. You have worked hard, and we still have the better part of the day to go before we camp. I would hate for you to get thirsty on me!" His raucous laughter echoes across the water. "You will have your ale tonight, and I am sure that Cad and Rone will give us some fiddle to go with it. Put your impatience into the bargepole. That will get you ale faster than that pathetic attempt at sweet talking me. Trust me boy, your cleavage is not near to large enough for my tastes!" Another round of laughter from Maeger is joined by the men of his crew. Their spirits seem to have already changed for the better. Even MacLynn lets his mirth errupt at the comments.

[Sparky]

Orthanach secretly hopes that Cian's prodding will earn them some ale. He'd never have asked for it himself, but a mug after a long day was just the thing.

And it had been a long day. He breaks with the others, mopping sweat from his brow with a sleeve, smearing mud across his face as he does so. He is oblivious to the smear. He perks up at the mention of fiddle and peers suspiciously back at the boat, wondering if indeed they'd get it free before darkness fell. He wasn't optimistic.

His muscles, sorely taxed, trembled as he stood up. He was frustrated at how watery and weak they felt and willed them to steady, which they did under firm pressure. A little. But the young man's strength was spent. The best he could offer as they bent to the task of freeing the boat was a steadying pressure against the keel, but no force approaching anything that would move the boat. Worthless, put some steel in your back, Orthanach!

Frustrated, the young man strains against the keel and feels a sharp pain in the back of his leg. Charlie horse! He collapses into the water and splashes miserably to the riverbank where he angrily kneads his leg muscle until it relaxes.

ooc

Endurance check for Orthanach, an awe inspiring 4!

[PrecociousApprentice]

The raucous laughter continues, this time at Orthanach's expense. There is definitely a feeling of good cheer about the group now. One of the red headed brothers, -the one you have learned is called Rone-, splashes over to Orthanach and offers him a waterskin and a piece of salted meat. "Here," he says quietly. "Don't mind them. It has just been a hard day. We are almost out, so everyone is just feeling a little silly. Take a break if you need to." He splashes back to the raft and some of the others coarsely chide him. "You going soft too?" The laughter continues as the men get back to work. The day is still somewhat young, but standing around won't get the raft out.

[pathfinderq1]

Aiffe moved back away from the edge of the raft, watching as her more physically capable crewmates went to work. As they began to make some serious progress, the mood on the raft seemed to be shifting for the better- she could feel it. But she still wanted to contribute to the task- for a brief moment she toyed with the idea of harnessing her magics, but the idea passed quickly enough. The arcane arts were not popular among most normal folk, and she did not know these people- she did not want to upset or anger them. In time, though, she did have one idea...

As the crew put their backs into the heavy work, Aiffe raised her voice in song- not the emotional ballads she had shared aboard the Cat, but rather a timeless sailors work song, the type of chanty used to get a work crew together on all kinds of ships for years beyond count... The song she chose was a familiar one, well-suited to the hard work at hand.

OOC: Since 4e has no Perform skill, we'll go with Diplomacy- it seems closest, especially in this case. Her intent is to put a well-known "sea" (or river) chanty to its intended use- getting the working crew together in time for best efforts. Diplomacy +7= 24; roll Roll Lookup ; finally a success- she goes 1 for 3.

[PrecociousApprentice]

As Aiffe sings, the other red headed deck hand, -this one Cad-, jumps up on a large crate. He begins dancing in the traditionally popular style in the Northmoor. The dance is pretty intricate and fast paced, and Cad keeps up extremely well with Aiffe's song. The dance involves a lot of kicking and stamping, the sound of the dancer's feet providing percussion for the singer. The rest of the men stop their work to watch the spectacle.

As the song continues, Cad begins to drive the pace. His quickstepping rythm slowly increases it's tempo, until the pace of the song is quite brisk. Several of the other men begin to clap to his rythm. It crosses your mind that Aiffe might have a hard time keeping up with the bouncing rythm of the melody when pushed to this tempo, but her singing is flawless, and makes a simple work song seem a masterpiece.

At the last note of the song, Cad leaps from the crate and flips head over heals to land in the muddy water. Raucous cheers and laughter greet the performers. Cad is splashed by several of his appreciative fans.

"All right you lazy dogs, back to work! This raft won't free itself." Maegers gruff admonishment stops the splashing and horseplay, but doesn't stop the laughter. As Aiffe turns to look to the work, Maeger interrupts her. "Not you Lass. I have seen you try to work a bargepole. You've done better things for my boat with your voice than you could ever do with that pole!" A great gafaw from MacLynn says that he is in total agreement with Maeger.

"Sir Turman of Rinton..." The first few words of the The Baker and the Knight signal that MacLynn thinks that music is just the thing to keep his crew's spirits high in the chill of the river. His deep voice echoes across the water, relating the familiar tale of how a simple baker managed to convince a famous knight to trade his horse, a farm, his arms, and the freedom of all the indentured servants in his barony in exchange for not telling people how he ended up naked at the bottom of a well with a pig and a basket of sweets. It is always a very popular song with commoners.

OOC

I think that we may have lost a player. I am not sure how we should handle it. We have not heard from Nac Mac for a while. I am writing him a note to check in, and I will be happy just letting him fade into the background for a bit, but when combat happens, I would like to know how you guys would like to handle it. Let me know what you think.