Some Stories Are True

[Astrid]

"Yes, we eat well. As for my talents, well the adults are not so excepting of such abilities." Astrid's right pale amber eye begins to cloud over into a milky white sphere as lightning begins to spark from her finger tips.

"Sadly my powers are some what limited." She raises her sling. "This helps to somewhat counter the limitations."

As the lightning subsides her eye begins to uncloud back to pale amber. Her right eye sharply contrasts her left, a pale green in color, but any who stare deep into it see that it appears to swirl like wind ever so slightly. "So it is needless to say that we must not speak of such things in the public. Perhaps I am a witch or may chance blessed by _________*."

"Who knows, who cares. I am just myself. I would like the hide of the lizard if it can be pulled apart intact. Perhaps the claws can be fashioned into a trophy for Hiroshi, a necklace for the lizardslayer." Astrid says with a wink. "The hide may be fashioned into something later down the road." She grabs two rocks off the ground and starts chiseling away to replace the stone she used knowing it would take awhile to get it just right.

OOC: * Need some sort of storm / sea related deity. Also my grammar and punctuation is naughty word. Sorry.

 

[MacConnell]

Spoiler: Character Data

Astrid: full wellness
Stones: 20
Hiroshi: full wellness
Oorvid: full wellness
Wrenn: full wellness
Arrows: 20 - 1 = 19

Spoiler: Collections

Ant Stingers: 4, {toxicity x2}

... Wrenn smiles, "Well... Our bellies will be full tonight..."

Hiroshi agrees...

"Yes, we eat well... Perhaps I am a witch or may chance blessed by Hviti Hakarlinn... I would like the hide... Perhaps the claws can be fashioned into a trophy..."

GM: Hviti Hakarlinn is the name for the main Norikadian deity. The name translate the white shark, and it is an honorific. Occasionally old sailors claim to have seen a great migratory shark, all white in color, swimming in the Deep. This is considered to be a blessing, but no one ever believes these claims of such a sighting. Hakarlinn is believed to control the tides, the currents, the rain, the catch, and storms. He is respected and paid homage by all Norikadians. It is possible that Astrid has been 'touched' by this god. It is completely reasonable that she and others of her people would believe such. With a dichotomy of power between gift and rage, any such blessing would be respected and feared, simultaneously.

Oorvid curls his upper lip, snorts a laugh, sticks his tongue out, and makes a slobbering noise. "Full belly? Ha! That thing may feed one of us, but certainly not all four, but no I could not in turn kill the bird or look for its nest. That just seems wrong at this point."

The skill necessary to skin the lizard and leave its hide intact is far beyond any of the four, and is thus rejected, though disappointing. The claws on the thing are as tiny as what might have been on the feet of the bird it was after. Everyone agrees that the ideas were good and the party is determined to find a bigger lizard.

Before the lizard can be full prepared or Astrid can smooth a replacement stone, the sound of something much larger than the lizard in hand goes crashing through the woods. Being curious children, well not quite children yet not quite adult, the four run through the forest to try to get a glimpse of what is making the noise, wondering if it is an elk. No one has seen an elk, only her stories of the huge deer. With lizard body and working stones in tow, the four find themselves huffing for breath, never having caught the slightest image of the source of the noise.

After everyone's breathing returns to normal, it is at that moment that they realize that they are lost, sort of. Having no idea how deep they are in the forests, it is possible to know how to walk toward the coast, simply by following the setting sun.

Oorvid laughs at the situation, seeing the humor in the mild folly. "Well, we have half a day of water in one skin and the other by which to return. I am not concerned at this point. We can see where the sun is and it is passed midday. Want to just walk south and see what we see until we are down to one skin?"

OOC: Each character receives 5 DP.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Wrenn laughs, "If we stop now, this whole exercise will have been in vain. I am definitely of the mind that we should continue onward; besides, speaking of our mutual talents, I sometimes dream of water, sometimes the ocean, sometimes a lake or a pond, sometimes a flowing stream. I think that water is a thing of such pure essence, that it must be related in some way to the talent we all share. I am of the opinion that, given time, we might be able, each of us, to detect its presence at a distance. This little excursion will provide the perfect opportunity to put this idea to the test. Let's get moving. But first, let's have a look around for tracks. Maybe we can figure out where our fast and elusive prey was headed. If we're lucky, maybe it's headed south as well."

Wrenn will attempt to discover tracks, and if they head south, he will attempt to follow them. If they don't head south, he will abandon the pursuit, and walk southward with the group.

Spoiler: Base Rolls

Discover Tracks: 93 (+ 47) = 140
Follow Tracks: 94 (+ 37) = 131

 

[Astrid]

Astrid lets out a sign. "What choice do we have. If we can find a good sturdy tree, Oovid can give me a hand and I can climb up to see what the area looks like"

 

[MacConnell]

Spoiler: Character Data

Astrid: full wellness
Stones: 20
Hiroshi: full wellness
Oorvid: full wellness
Wrenn: full wellness
Arrows: 20 - 1 = 19

Spoiler: Collections

Ant Stingers: 4, {toxicity x2}

Wrenn laughs, "... we should continue... look around for tracks..."

Astrid lets out a sigh. "What choice do we have..."

Spoiler: Active Search

ecology + clarity + d100
Wrenn: 15 + 14 + 140 = 169

Looking up at the towering redwoods, whose canopy looms from a height like some living mountain, makes the others unsure if Astrid is serious or being sarcastic. Either way it would require climbing spikes and ropes and still be an arduous, if not dangerous, task to climb one of these trees. It could be luck or some fortuitous influence, but Wrenn is certain that the stride of such beast as has been bounding through this forests is long enough to leave untraceable mark. Undaunted, the four youths pick a definitive game trail leading in the direction they were wanting to travel, and follow it. Wren, who happens to be shortest, or Hiroshi usually takes the lead, with Astrid or Oorvid exchanging places to follow behind.

Unlike the forested plains of the southern half of the continent, the woods here are far from flat. Hills rise and fall with outcroppings of rock occasionally jutting to the surface. Walking cannot be done in anything close to a straight line and the four periodically stop to look for the sun and gauge their direction, Astrid being the most astute at astral navigation, being Norikadian.

After about an hour of walking, with Oorvid often jogging to catch up after having been distracted by some curious plant or bolder, the four come to a stop at the sight of an area covered in huge spider webs. It is known that webs are collected for the manufacture of silk, but silk is not made in the local village, and webs larger around than the outstretched arms and legs of an adult have not before been seen.

Oorvid pokes around until he manages to catch a cricket about the size of his thumb knuckle and tosses it into a web. An orb weaver, whose leg span would be about the span of both of Oorvid's hands, runs from hiding to quickly wrap the cricket. Once wrapped, the spider quickly climbs back into hiding. There are six distinct, such webs.

OOC: Each character receives 5 DP.

 

[Astrid]

Astrid noticeably shivers at the sight of such a large spider. "How about we avoid this" Astrid stops biting her tongue as she attempts find the right word. "This disaster"

Astrid now scanning around nervously. She then stares at Oovid "Not a word!" Astrid knowing Oovid is the most likely to pick on her.

 

[MacConnell]

Astrid noticeably shivers... stares at (Oorvid) "Not a word!"...

Oorvid raises a hand in a halting gesture. "Spiders may not bother me, but 'sprinkhanin,' grasshoppers make my skin crawl. I know. Makes no sense, but there it is."

"Obviously these spiders are skittish. We could collect the webs if we wanted. The spiders will just remake them. I am curious what all the things might have eaten. I want to poke around in the ground cover. Maybe we can find some neat bones or something."

GM: HINT: I will use a party NPC to suggests things that can be of benefit to the party, that players may not realize to do with their characters.

OOC: Ambiance: If interested, I use Latin for Centrin, Icelandic for Norikadian, Dutch for Orngaddrin, and Irish Gaelic for Spiofthest.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

OOC: Posting intent on behalf of Hiroshi.

Wrenn and Hiroshi will gather the webs, and delicately store them in one of the party's pouches.

Wrenn asks the group, "Does anyone know if we should wrap them up, somehow? Or should we just stick them directly in the pouch? I've never done this before, and I don't want to ruin the silk."

Once the issue of the collected webs has been resolved, Wrenn and Hiroshi will join Oorvid in his endeavor to search for "bones and other neat stuff."

 

[MacConnell]

Spoiler: Character Data

Astrid: full wellness
Stones: 20
Hiroshi: full wellness
Oorvid: full wellness
Wrenn: full wellness
Arrows: 20 - 1 = 19

Spoiler: Collections

Ant Stingers: 4, {toxicity x2}

Spoiler: Active Search

ecology + clarity + d100
Wrenn: 15 + 14 + 50 = 79
Hiroshi: 15 + 11 + 50 = 76
Oorvid: 10 + 18 + 50 = 78

Wrenn and Hiroshi will gather the webs...

Wrenn asks the group, "Does anyone know..."

... search for "bones and other neat stuff."

No one currently has any knowledge of collecting silk, other than it has some value. Astrid resolutely refuses to have any part of such activity, but the others just shrug it off. Everyone dislikes something. Being in a forest, it is easy to find sticks to collect the webs. As it so happens, the natural oils from skin are enough to reduce the stickiness of the webs and they are simply wadded into six balls and placed in a sack.

GM: The possession of certain things like string, pouches, and small sacks are considered a given. The collection of various parts of animals that may be used for such is also considered a given.

OOC: White Silk: coverage 12%, max value 12 marks Coins are not used in the isolated communities of the characters' origins, but it is easy method to track worth

Poking around underneath the webs results in some surprising discovery. A total of 6 intact, tiny skulls are discovered among unidentifiable tiny bones and pieces of insects. Five of the skulls belonged to small birds, one a small rodent, probably a squirrel.

A little water is wasted to wash dirt from the finds, which all seem to be in good shape, having been freed of any clinging skin or meat by some past tiny insects or some such. Spiders are known to 'suck out' the insides. Everyone finds the skulls fascinating and passes them around, feeling a compulsion to hold them.

Oorvid purses his lips and wriggles his mouth back and forth before speaking. "Astrid, Wrenn, I know you two harbor a talent to sense things most people don't, well pretty much nobody else does, but I am getting a strong sensation like carrying one of these skulls would be a benefit to me."

OOC: Each character receives 5 DP.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Wrenn ponders the comment, and says, "Hmmm. I think that perhaps, it has something to do with the way living things are connected; the reason we can do things like sense when danger is near, or hear things that most people can't, is because we're connected as well. It's like being in a spider's web. You can feel when someone (or something) else is in the web, moving around. I think our connection to whatever it is that gives us our talents remains in us, even after we die. The same is probably true for animals, but perhaps to a lesser extent."