(Homebrew D&D) Breaking New Ground

[Keia]

"Fine by me," Zykovian said, waiting only momentarily to allow Zyrial and Ulysses to form up. Zykovian offered to them to have Zyrial ahead and himself ahead and on the other flank with Ulysses trailing between them. This was just to offer more opportunity for Zyrial or himself to spot something before it surprised us. Zykovian is more than happy to just pal around with his cousins while they all search downstream together.

 

[Manzanita]

Ulysses is hip with that idea. "If you see my bat come flying for you, it probably means we're in trouble."

 

[Jemal]

"I'll remember not to shoot any bats." Jalenne winks as she speaks, and moves off with her group.

 

[Vadicus]

"Very well. We are uncapable of sending such a signal, but if we encounter trouble we'll go no further down the river and return to the designated meeting location. We shall help you cross the river by taking hold of this rope that Zyrial has provided. Once you have crossed safely, we shall part ways. May Qallique guide you!"

 

[Arknath]

Zykovian makes his way to the river's edge to perform his tests. He descends easily and tests the water. The visibility of the water is excellent as he can see the bottom sediment of the river. Fish swim quickly by as the river flows, which indicates to Zykovian that the speed is between 5-8 mph. The swift current prevents many living things from making a home at the edge or at the bottom of the river which causes the water to be devoid of smell. The temperature of the water is very cold, approximately 48 degrees.

Zyrial lurches into the water with a rope attached to him, swimming powerfully towards the middle of the river. As he swims, he feels that the river is shaped into a sharp V-pattern, which causes a swift undercurrent. Eldavyan rushes to grab the rope and secures it to Shyl's saddlehorn before the river can pull his cousin under.

Dragging Zyrial back to shore, the party decides to split up and search north and south of the river for a spot for the troops to cross.

Zyrial, Zykovian, and Ulysses travel for nearly a half hour with few breaks in the treeline. It does seem that the trees that grow along the banks of this river are indeed indiginous to the area and are quite common. Small woodland creatures are encountered and a large spotted feline of some sort (this creature is quadrapedle, unlike the Felin) but nothing of any threat or out of the ordinary.

Eldavyan, Hanilee, and Jalenne travel north for the same amount of time. However, their luck differs from their southern-bound cousins. It seems that a small rope bridge has been constructed across one of the narrower parts of the river and seems in good condition. The trouble is, the group travelled uphill, and the river stayed at the same angle of descent as they went along, so the distance from the bridge and the river is greater. The three elves surmise that it would take approximately 1 day to move the troops across the bridge (along with supply wagons, which would need to be partially dismantled - and can be quickly done, thanks to elven ingenuity - to make the trip). The northern group encounters similar flora and fauna as the southern group.

Both groups meet at the appointed spot within the time frame, the northern group arriving a little bit behind schedule because of their deductive reasoning.

 

[Vadicus]

Eldavyan, dismounted and brushing Shyl during a short break, addresses the reassembled party. "We've located a footbridge up north, but it is elevated above the water enough to make crossing a little more dangerous than usual. The rope bridge seemed to be sturdy enough to hold and we surmised that it would take the troop a full day to cross safely to the other side.

"While we are not pressed for time, I do believe that the bridge will not support Shyl and I will not risk her life in crossing. Again, hopefully the platoon brought portable bridges. If not then I shall have to find a safe place for her to cross. If none exist, then I shall watch as some of the supply wagons cross, to see if the bridge holds, for surely their weight is similar to Shyl's."

He pauses in his brushing briefly, to glance at the first group of scouts. "How did you fare southward?"

 

[Keia]

"Granting that a half hour is not much time to travel on foot south to scout, the distance that we traveled did not reveal any easier means of crossing. I propose that if there were one bridge, there may be another tough farther away and we should scout for a couple of hours to seek another solution. As you said, the current solution will take at least a day. If the company has to travel out of the way for several hours, that is still saving some time," Zykovian replied.

 

[Arknath]

[ooc: How does the other portion of the group decide?]

 

[Vadicus]

Eldavyan shrugs as he goes about brushing Shyl. "I do not understand why we need to make good time. As far as I remember, the Queen did not assign us a specific deadline by which to reach the mountains. As far as I understand, all we have is time. I would prefer that we make straight for the mountains, rather than travel along the riverbank in search of a better way to cross if it is not necessary. Who know what sort of trouble we might stir up in our exploring."

He finally stops brushing and runs his hands through the brush's bristles a few times to clean it slightly. He subconciously places the brush back into Shyl's saddlebags, having performed the action time and time again. "Since we are not rushed, I believe it is best that we wait for the platoon and not brave the river search in favor of the portable bridges. While the platoon crosses the river, taking about a day to do so, we may rest. When the platoon is crossed, we, as the scouts, head off eastward once again."

He looks to all gathered, leaning against Shyl with a hand up on her neck and the other on his hip.

 

[Manzanita]

Ulysses

"It seems that if the bridge is secure and sufficient, then we need look no further."