As Brock and the others are moving away, Garin stays behind for the briefest of moments. He doesn't know why, but he feels that simply touching the cage will have significance. As he touches it, he closes his eyes, and concentrates. All the while, going off of instinct, not truly knowing where the impetus of the idea had come from.
Sense Impression (Garin) = 100 (+36 Luck) = 136
Brock Random Roll = 65
If you need another roll for Garin = 97 (+15 Luck) = 112 WOW
My dice are HOT today
Bellaria volunteers Green Jay and herself, to hide and watch the river. Not really knowing what to expect and being little experienced in adventure, the two make no special preparation. They simply find a comfortable spot wait. Once they can wait no longer, Jay will go to collect one of the others to take their place.
The other members of the party look at the primary action of Garindell with an expression of curiosity and confusion, all, except Brenda, who rubs her forehead and shakes her head. When she speaks, she seems to be in mid-thought. It does not, at first, make sense. “We are too young, Garin. You have no rapport, and none of us has reputation, yet. You are looking for Divine answers, but you have paid no homage. I heard about the ritual that is done each Cycle in Bridgetown. The three leaders of the village all stand on the bridge and throw a coin over their shoulders into the water. I do not know Fortune, nor do I really hold much faith in that regard. Green Jay respects the wind. Being Maldrog, I am beholden to the Earth; but if ones such as us are to garner any favor, we must make a sacrifice. Time, wealth, or blood, the gods expect their due.”
Brenda stops speaking and takes a step back, taking a deep breath. The fine hairs on her body stand on end. Though these are too small to be seen by anyone else, her skin pocks over like a freshly plucked bird. Her eyes go wide and she shakes her head, evidently somewhat fearful of her own words. This moment quickly forgotten, Brock, Garin, and Brenda, leave Bellaria and Gaio Verde to their watch while they spread out to set snares and investigate the area for possible signs of a culprit.
While Garindell does not have the possibility of garner answers from any mystical residue that might have been left in the passage of the fish thief, he does find, himself, a more deductive with regard to looking for natural signs. Animals are creatures of habit. They tend to follow a fixed pattern of movement and behavior until something causes them to change that pattern. This is why game trails can be noted and used to hunt game. Smaller animals will often use the paths established by larger animals, even if those paths are made by people. The lack of any evidence of a slick or muddy place along the bank where something would be regularly entering the river gives the conclusion that the sought creature must be crossing the stream.
Paying more attention to one another rather than the task at hand, as would be typical for a couple of adolescents of the opposite gender, Gaio and Bellaria waste the day away, seeing nothing. However, in the early pre-dawn light of the following morning, Bellaria startles as she sees a pair of black animals enter the river from the other side. Once the creatures surface and snort near the baited traps, she recognizes that it is a pair of otters. Identified as a fowler because it will kill and eat waterfowl, an otter primarily eats fish. A baited trap is simply caged food for such a varmint.
When Bellaria moves, the otters snort and grunt at her, not particularly afraid, but definitely cautious. As she wakes Gaio to bring them to his attention, the pair back across the river, continuing their vocal complaints. They exit the river where they had entered.
Garindell: full wellness Brock: full wellness Belaria: full wellness Gaio Verde: full wellness Brenda: full wellness
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Bellaria and Jay make sure that the others are aware of the otters and suggest that the party cross the river to see if they can find where the two are hiding.
Brock and Garin are on-board with this idea; both of them carry their makeshift spears in front of them, staying alert, while both of them try to move as silently as possible.
Random rolls = 39, 50
Brock silent move = 91(+90 Luck) = 181
Garin silent move = 100(+67 Luck) = 167
The dice gods are with me today!!
Being early in the Chilling Season, the river was about at its lowest stage, and the water felt warm compared to the morning air. The river being coldest during the Shifting Season, which started each Cycle, and fullest during the Drenching Season. Carried supplies had been suspended from a tree and left back at camp, as this was a very specific hunting expedition.
Spreading out to maximize their efficiency, the five youths all walked back to the river bank where they and the otters had exited, disappointed. Brenda offered, “We are not very good at this. We need to figure out a way to bolster our effectiveness.”
GM:
HINT:
If they wish to make use of it, Brock needs to incorporate some ritual of garnering luck (favor of Fortune). Garindell, Belaria, and Gaio need a patterned ritual for calling on or honoring the Wind. Make up something simple that is repeatable or message me for suggestions. Religion is an integral part of the lives of ancient peoples, but not the complex extroversions of modern times.
Garindell: full wellness Brock: full wellness Belaria: full wellness Gaio Verde: full wellness Brenda: full wellness
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Jay motions for Belaria to follow him, as the two head back to the place where they had seen the otters exit the river. Jay reaches down and picks up a couple of leaves from the ground. He faces inland, closes his eyes and tosses the leaves above his head, saying, "May The Wind point us in the right direction."
Garin nods upwards, seemingly no one, and mumbles a few sentences beneath his breath. His whispers do not carry very far, although people (party members) in the immediate area can hear him.
May The Wind lift my feet, silence my steps, and speed me on my journey.
Brock takes a similar action, also whispering, so as not to alarm the otters.
Fortune, favor fools like me, as long as they dance with you, and never let another suitor cut-in.
Brenda shrugged at seeing the various attempts, by her friends, to garner Divine attention. She said, “I know that I, yet, have no kinship with Earth or Air that I may use to my advantage, but soon I may develop some insight of my own making. I feel I am on the right path for it.”
Neither Brock nor Garindell sensed any response to their attempt at homage. There were plenty of logical reasons to hear and feel nothing. Most people never got a response, so neither lost faith. Perhaps they needed to try something different.
The two leaves that Gaio released fluttered and fell to the ground, as any leaves would do. Being mostly elongate in shape, their ends might be used to indicate direction; however, the two ends did not point along the same line. Belaria frowned at them, feeling that the venture had become hopeless, but Gaio was more pragmatic in his faith and suggested to his friends that everyone should move away from the river, searching diligently in between two direction that he indicated with his hands, pointing as he felt the leaves were pointing.
Having no other options, the party followed the suggestion. No definitive sign of the otters could be located but a particularly dense and thorny bush, its foliage low to the ground, drew attention. This shrub flowered in its season exuding a particularly pleasant aroma, its fruit used to make the fermented beverage called Rose Water. It was not the time of the Cycle for flower or fruit. No one could say for certain, but it seemed likely that the otters had taken to bedding under this bush, protected from view and larger predators.
Garindell: full wellness Brock: full wellness Belaria: full wellness Gaio Verde: full wellness Brenda: full wellness
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Belaria nods her head in agreement and touches Jay to make her point as she talks. "Yes, yes, Brock, you and Garin should get close with your spears, ready. Jay and I will back away, some, so that we can use our slings. Brenda should be the one to shake the bush and see if she can drive the varmints out."
Children, at their best, being far less than patient, the five set their plan into action. Brock and Garin take up, equally distance, positions on opposite sides of the dense shrub, both at about 3 strides. Gaio and Belaria stand together on the opposite side of the bush from where Brenda plans to shake it, both about 6 strides.
Brenda can plainly hear the grunts of protest from the varmints, as she nears their nesting location. She stomped on the ground and banged on the shrub with her club. It took more effort than was expected but the two fish thieves finally bolted from their cover, running away from Brenda. They could not run nearly as fast as a rodent, but they seemed agile enough as they separated, each heading back toward the river. The party would have to act quickly. Being small enough, they would need to be hit before they could passed the party or they would likely escape.
Being separated as was their strategy, Belaria and Jay each whirl a stone at a separate otter. Though their skill is yet meager, each generates a node for mechanical waylines in each stone, in hopes of adding sonic damage. Belaria has no particular faith or practice and simply relies on her own skill. Jay has faith enough for both. With the need for urgency he simple says, "Favorable Wind."
NOTE: For the Mhytre species, Earth is a masculine god.
After the War of Heaven, also called the Sundering, while all tribes of the Central Region were still nomadic, the Wind was the symbol for the one god who bequeathed and controlled life for both the Spiofthests and the Centrins, the predominant tribes. Life being less harsh than in the South and only violent by choice, this god was more respected than feared and was offered sacrifice of animals as a means of currying favor. Instead of the Wind, various Mhytre clans believed in a god who resided within the planet, who bequeathed life. The Orngaddrin and Maldrog called this god, Earth. The Deviard called him The Anvil.
Though everyone, other than Garindell, reacts rather quickly, the otters move very fast for such small creatures and are trying to flee. Having placed themselves about two strides from where they suspected that the otters would leave their hiding place gives Brock and Garindell an extra second before the varmints can get by them. Reacting far more quickly than anyone else, Brock is able to thrust his crude spear at his otter, almost as soon as it clears its cover, but he could never have imagined the resilience of the creature's hide. Even though he manages to poke the thing, twice, before it gets out of reach, he can cause it no harm.
Both Belaria and Gaio manage to strike an otter with a sling stone. As the stone from Gaio makes contact, there is a loud noise like a clap of thunder. It is quite surprising to the five youths. The stone from Belaria makes no such noise. Though the stones have no more effect than the crude spear, the loud sound, evidently, stunned the one that Gaio struck. It rolls over on its side, twitching. Unable to defend itself, Garindell successfully stabs his spear into it.
The other otter continues to run toward the river to try to escape.
Garindell and Brock will each launch a sling stone at the fleeing Otter.
Both will attempt to generate a node for mechanical waylines in each stone, in hopes of adding sonic damage.
Agitated at prospect of one of the trap destroyers escaping, Belaria and Jay quickly launch second stones. Belaria forsakes the notion of mystically augmenting the stone, but Jay realizes that his talent may be their only hope. He repeats his first actions.
Slinging his charged stone faster than any of the others, Brock manages to hit the otter when it has only made about 2 strides distance, giving him an advantage to accuracy. The stone sounds like it had, ineffectively, struck a sack of grain, but then a similar loud clap issued forth, like with Gaio Verde’s first stone. The otter is slightly stunned. Garindell, with a bit of luck or deitific blessing, manages to fell the varmint without the further need for a mystical assault. Although Belaria and Jay both manage to strike the otter as well, the additional stones are almost irrelevant as neither they nor the mystical thump can kill the otter. As the stone from Garindell rendered it unconscious, any one of the crude spears can be used to end it, since it is not moving. The youths have managed to kill and capture both otters.
Garindell: full wellness Brock: full wellness Belaria: full wellness Gaio Verde: full wellness Brenda: full wellness
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Brock is stunned by the unexpected success! He is almost speechless. Brock grunts, "What th-? Wh-- YES! We did it!" as he finally manages to complete the thought.
Garindell isn't speechless, but he does seem puzzled. He says, "What now? Does anyone know how to skin it? Is the meat any good to eat?"
Brock will humanely ensure that both Otters are indeed dead. Then, with input from the rest of the group, Brock and Garindell will attempt to skin the Otters.
Belaria, who is far more vocal than Jay, loudly proclaims her joy with a cheer, then covers her mouth at the realization of the loudness in the forest. Jay smiles and pats her shoulder. He suggests that the party carry the varmints back to South Road Fair, whole, so that they can be used as definitive proof of success. It was only a few hour's walk. He figures that if everyone were to run the return trip could be made in under an hour. "Otter is not worth eating, but I figure Masters Swift Raven and Fallen Leaf will want those hide and can do a far better job of recovering them than we could."
WOW
