The Hunt of the Dragons (IC)

[V for Victory]

It's that time of year again, when all over Kyndale people are preparing their goods for travel to Sparrowight. While Most of the people are merely preparing waterproof barrels full of Carthagu some of the people are preparing other goods, Ariana has prepared a few wands to be sold on her behalf, Yllathana has prepared several preserves and a few loaves of sweet bread and Udogeon has prepared his autobiography to be sold and make him millions.

Braennon and Rahn

Your father believes it is time for you two to come with him on the traveling expedition, your mother reluctantly agrees with him.


Cotman

Your parents are very busy, your mother is preparing the barrels of tea while your father is doing a final edit on his autobiography, leaving you free to roam freely around town or help either of your parents you wish.


Harvard

Your father is constantly calling you to help him prepare the barrels for the trade expedition, he procrastinated because he was playing with his badger too much, and your mother is calling you into the kitchen to help stir, taste or get something out of the oven. You have almost no free time to spend at all helping your parents with these jobs.


Maeralet

Your father needs every bit of help he can get during this time of preparation, he has asked you to tag along with the expedition when it goes. You can tell it's important to him.


Scratch

You and your fellow warforged have completed all necessary preparations for the expedition, you are being personally entrusted with a waterproof bag full of wands and scrolls to sell at Sparrowight. The other warforged are staying to tend to Ariana and Jonathan.


(OOC: What do you do?)

[BobElliot]

*Bah, I have yet another chore to do. Why can't my folks just do it themselves? Being a good lad, I'll help my dad out; after all, what he's doing is getting us our money. Maybe he'll even let me go to town with the goods! Finally, some way to get away from those people. And if my mom gives me one more bite of food I'm gonna... Maybe I can just sell it off to somebody else.*
Havard goes and helps his father with preparing the barrels for the trade expedition.

[Sliver]

The combination of Udogeon and has (Udogeonhas) in the first post made me think of the human family and greatly confused me :smallredface:

Cotman

Cotman Cupshigh enjoys these moments of freedom and decides to explore a bit. Maybe he will find out some interesting news, strange rumors to spread, or just somebody that needs his skills and maybe earn a few coppers in the meanwhile.. Or maybe he will later convince his mother to let him on this trade expedition, father is ought to support him in this!

[Dexam]

Braennon

Braennon doubtfully eyes his father. "Are you sure? You did promise me that I could go last year, and you changed your minds. And I know there was that... incident with old widow Leinster and the frogs - but I'm fifteen now, I'm a man..." He looks somewhat amazedly at his mother. "You're really letting me... us go?" He grins at Rahn, then reaches out an arm, locking it around his brother's neck and ruffling his hair with his other hand. "This is gonna be the best trip ever!"

[Forever Curious]

The warforged exited the house, the bag securely snug over his shoulder. His task was a simple one at first: go to the city, sell bag, return home. However, his master charged him with a task most strange to him before he left. "...protect the children..." mused the warforged as he proceded further down the road, the wary eyes of the townsfolk stealing glances at him.

[Errandir]

Rahn

Rahn is full of questions. "When are we going to leave?" he asks. "How far away is Sparrowight again? Is Maeralet coming with us? Or Cotman?" It's difficult to say how he manages to talk while grinning so broadly, but he soon runs off to another room to find something to pack.

In the doorway, Rahn pauses long enough to take a breath and stick his tongue out at his brother. "Ha, Brae! I told you they wouldn't let you go before me!"

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

"Go to Sparrowight? Right after the harvest?" Maeralet wondered what the catch was--for three years running, he'd turned her pleas to go down without listening to a word of protest. Still, time on the road, sleeping rough on the ground, no deadline for dinner... "I'll pack my bag, Father. I just need to make sure our portion of the tea sells, right?"

[V for Victory]

Braennon

Now go get ready for the trip, and son? I want you to have this, I think its time. Your father hands you a long peice of folded fabric, inside is a sheathed longsword This is the sword that I had back when I was in the city guard, and I...I want you to have it, I think your ready. But if I catch you screwing around with it I'll take it away you'll be sleeping outside for a month!


Havard

While your packing the tea your father asks you Harvard do you trust yourself? Do you think you have the responsibility to do what needs to be done?


Maeralet

Yes muh luv, thas all. Im a-hopein' ta see ye' come back and like what ye' see. Yur gonna see a lotta things that are new to ya, just keep an open mind an' try to be safe, I talked to the Urthadars already an' they agreed ta' keep an eye on ya, if ye' get yurself inta any trouble just ask'em. K' daling?


Scratch, Rahn and Cotman

As you explore the town you see that most everyone is busy preparing for the expediton, you see the other two wandering around, obviously not busy. What do you do?

[Sliver]

I thought Rahn was at his house packing, when he said "but he soon runs off to another room to find something to pack". In case this is a mistake, I will just assume Cotman and Scratch are outside...

Cotman

The lad approaches Scratch and salutes "Greetings, fellow aimless comrade!" he says and laughs at his own brilliance, then relaxes. "Nothing to do as well? I was thinking of trying to earn a few coppers maybe, then try to somehow convince mother to let me go with this expedition.. Ya know, my father is finishing his book and it's really good, you should buy it!"

[roll0] Cotman isn't at his best, huh?

[Forever Curious]

The warforged looked down at the child before him, his face portraying the blank emotion of a construct. "...a child...halfling...Cotman Cupshigh..." states Scratch aloud, starring down at the boy. "...I have been charged with protecting the children as we journey to town. Please do not encourage me to use force." Scratch's eyes seem to glow strangely as his words die away, as though some great power lurked behind them.

Intimidate [roll0] (rawr, Imma scary robot!)

[Sliver]

Err... [roll0]

[Forever Curious]

Err... [roll0]

Nice crit. What for though?

[Sliver]

Vs Intimidate (forgot a +1 bonus there)

Cotman looks right into the 'forged's eyes and starts laughing "Sweet! I almost fell for that! You should work on that "angry golem gonna crush you!" pretend a bit more.. I could help you with that later.. Anything interesting going on?"

[Forever Curious]

Scratch starred blankly at the child, his expression unchanged. "...we are going to Sparrowport..." replied the warforged, oblivious to the halfling's flippant attitude. "...I have been instructed to protect the children. Five total."

[Sliver]

Cotman grins "We are leaving soon? What will you do until we leave? Can I ride on your back? Want to read my father's book? It's really good! Did you hear any interesting rumors lately? Lets go!" Cotman starts going back to his house.

[Errandir]

Rahn, realizing quickly that he doesn't really have anything to pack, puts a lucky pebble in his pocket, finds his new boots, and walks back into the room where his parents and brother are talking. In the doorway he stops suddenly, staring. "A sword?" he says, disbelieving it. "You gave Braennon a sword?"

He pauses for a moment, torn between jealousy and appreciation, but the latter quickly wins out. "That's awesome, Brae! Can I see it?" He hurries forward, asking "Are you going to give it a name?", and then stops chattering, perhaps trying to think of the names of famous swords he's heard of.

[Dexam]

"Well, aren't we a clever clogs!" Braennon calls out as Rahn scampers out of the room. "It's probably because Ma doesn't trust you to be able to even dress yourself if I weren't around to help you!" he jests.

For the briefest fraction of a second, a look of worry skitters across Braennon's features as he spies the cloth-wrapped object in Quomorn's hands; and he wonders if his father knows that he found where the sword was hidden several months ago and has handled it a few times when no one else was around. Hearing what Quomorn has to say, Braennon hides his relief behind an expression of concern. "Are... are you sure? I mean, I could hurt someone with it." Braennon pauses for a second, realising what he just said. "Well, yes, that's obviously what a sword is for... I mean that I don't know how to use it properly. I could hurt myself or someone else without meaning to." Still, he reaches out and takes the sword from his father.


Rahn, realizing quickly that he doesn't really have anything to pack, puts a lucky pebble in his pocket, finds his new boots, and walks back into the room where his parents and brother are talking. In the doorway he stops suddenly, staring. "A sword?" he says, disbelieving it. "You gave Braennon a sword?"

He pauses for a moment, torn between jealousy and appreciation, but the latter quickly wins out. "That's awesome, Braen! Can I see it?" He hurries forward, asking "Are you going to give it a name?", and then stops chattering, perhaps trying to think of the names of famous swords he's heard of.
Braennon gives his brother a quick "oh,-grow-up" expression, quickly replaced by grin at his brother's enthusiasm. "I think they only give names to weapons that have slain mighty monsters, or been in great adventures, or forged by gods or powerful magic." He gives his father a sideways glance. "Err... does it have a name?"

He reverently unwraps the cloth, then draws it slowly from its sheath, holding the blade up to examine the well-honed edge. The closest things to weapons that Braennon has handled on a regular basis are the sickles used for harvesting Carthagu and axes used to split timber for firewood. "I... I'll be honoured to carry your sword, father. Can you teach me a few things?" He hefts the sword experimentally. "It's a lot lighter than I thought it would be..."

[BobElliot]

Havard brushes off his father's worries. He knows that he won't have any problems, and that his dad is just being his usually worrisome self.
Dad, don't worry. You're always complaining to me how you want us to have a good life, and you know that that won't happen here. Let me live a little! Do you even know what I can do? You just play in the field all the time. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even be able to sell what we are selling! So dad, trust me enough this one time. I'll be fine. If there is anything that goes wrong, I can just trust the others that are going with me. There's at least six of us!
*if he doesn't let me go, it's not like he can stop me. I'll just sneak out after the others.*

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

The girl didn't have nearly as heavy an accent as the older dwarf. "Aye, father. I'll be sure to talk to the Urthadars if there's anything I can't handle." She sighed to herself. It seemed that even when her father wasn't about, he was trying to find a babysitter for her. By the Hammerlord's Beard, it was like she was still 30 years old or something! "Where is the caravan gathering? I guess I'd best get the barrels loaded."

[Errandir]

Rahn watches as Braennon unwraps the sword and begins to speak with their father about it. Under the sound of their conversation, he raises his eyebrows dramatically and murmurs, mostly to himself:

"With iron cold, in flames he wrought
The balanced shaft, the keen-edged blade,
That formed the ruthless sword he sought:
Thus Blackheart, night-hued brand, was made,
The sword whose use made Beauty weep,
While Cruelty marked it hers to keep."

He trails off, still watching Braennon examine their father's blade, and walks off to perch himself on a nearby chair, adding under his breath, "If I had a sword, I would name it..."

[V for Victory]

Braennon

All in good time my boy, we'll have plenty of time to pracice on our way to the city. But for now lets finish getting our wares ready for the market. And Braennon, if you hurt anyone with that sword I will hold you responsible.


Cotman

Your father calls you into him and your mother's bedroom. They are both standing there. Cotman, all of the parents have agreed to let the children handle the expedition this year. I know your up too it but if you get into any trouble just talk to Braennon's dad, he's going to keep an eye on you guys and I think one of those metal men are going too. Your father adds And if you get into any real trouble take some advice from that book you've got there chuckling as he points at his autobiography


Havard

All right, all right. Have fun, okay? Why don't you go get packed or something, I can finish up here


Maeralet

Tha' leave tammara marnin' tis gonna be a long long trip, why don't ya go get ready. An' get some sleep. Ya should be leavin' pretty early tommora

[Forever Curious]

Scratch watches the child scamper away. "...strange," he mutters aloud, turning to return home.

[BobElliot]

Finally free of the old man, Havard goes off to pack. After all, just because he's old and a fogey doesn't mean he doesn't have good ideas. Of course, after grabbing a small pack to put stuff in, he can't think of anything else to bring with him. He'd be wearing his clothes; he could pick up a stick to play with later; the most fun he ever has has nothing to do with things. Slightly confused at the necessity to pack, Havard throws the pack on his back, ready to put whatever he does need into it. Chances are it'll turn out to be food...

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

"Aye, Father, I'll pack my bag."

It didn't take the girl long to do so--what did she need beyond the clothes on her back? She wrapped a loaf of bread in her blanket, figuring she could find anything else she needed on the road. She'd pick up pebbles as they walked, to scare off any animals that got too close to the caravan.

Leaving those minimal supplies on her bed, she ventured down to the village green, to help with whatever preparations the villagers needed done there. She could lift almost as much as the blacksmith, after all.

[Sliver]

Cotman scratches his head and grins. He was ready to give an awkward speech to his mom on why she should let him go, he didn't even have much more then "all the cool kids are doing it". He was quite glad that he doesn't have to try that hard, but he found himself without much to say.

"How is the road like? How is the town? Is it big? Is it clean? How are the people? Are they nice? Is the road dangerous? Should I take my sling and some pebbles in case we get attacked by ninja bears? Want to give me something for the journey? Did you finish the last touches to your book? Scraps promised to buy it! He was really exited when I told him that and started pretending to be scary! That was really funny! He said he will protect the children but that is totally ridiculous because we are not children anymore we are grown ups that can handle anything and what did you want to give me dad?!"

Like I said.. Nothing to say..

[Dexam]

Braennon lets out an exaggerated sigh, but says "Yes, father" and carefully sheathes and re-wraps the sword.

Braennon heads to his room to quickly pack to a few things that he thinks might be neccessary for the trip, including a spare shirt; a blanket; his small, general-purpose knife; a fishing line and some spare hooks in case they happen to make camp by a lake or stream; his flint and tinderbox; a hairbush; a small bar of herb soap (because there are probably girls in Sparrowight, and for some strange reason girls don't like boys to smell like boys); a handful of copper coins that represents his life savings; and, because he is a fifteen year old boy and perpetually hungry, any food around the house that is available for the taking.

Leaving his pack and the sword by the door where he keep them in view, he goes to help his father with the loading of the wagons. On the way out, he punches his brother lightly on the arm. "You gonna sit there dreaming all day, or you gonna help so we can get on the road sooner?" Braennon grins.

He heads onto the green, where he assists with the loading of the wagons, making sure that the casks of dried carthagu are secure and that their lids properly sealed to keep out any moisture.

[V for Victory]

As the day winds down you all go home to get ready for your journey tomorrow.

Cotman

After waiting for a while, your father comes to you when you mother is not around, he is carrying a large, leather bound book with metal reinforcement on the edges, it has several papers sticking out of it. Now son, I wanted to give you this, its my journal from my old adventuring days. I wrote everything in this book that I did, maps of dungeons, weakness of monsters incase I encounter them again, stuff like that. I want to give this to you. He hands you the heavy book and the loose pages shift Now be careful, that's fragile



Maeralat

Your father approaches you just as you lay yourself down to bed, he says softly Na dalin, I know the city's a pricey place sa Ive saved tis for ya He hands you a bag of gold, in it are 50 gold peices


Havard

Your father comes over to you and says I know how jealous you are about my badger. So I thought about what you said earlier today, how I spend all my time with him and I understand. He asks you to follow him and walks into the woods, you walk for quite a while until you two reach a tree with a rope hanging from the tree attached to a net with something thrashing around inside It's all right girl, calm down. Your father strokes the net calmly and makes a shoft purring sound. Soon the net stops moving and he opens the net to reveal a Hawk, Tie the string in my pocket to his leg, so he can't get away Sighing your father says There, now you have your own pet, hold onto that leash for a few days till he likes you. And if he runs away use this net to catch him again He hands you the lead to the animal and the net.

[BobElliot]

With mouth agape, Havard can't help but think that his father might be crazy. Again. I mean, he called the hawk a girl and a he in the same breath! However, he takes the string and ties it to the hawk's leg as he was told. The hawk wasn't all that bad. Heh, the little guy would be very helpful on his little forest expeditions, and if he stroked it underneath the bill, it looked so cute...
Thanks, pop. I think I'll call him... Fawkes.
Havard was always one for bad puns. However, the hawk seemed to disagree. It tried to take flight at that moment. Good thing it was young, and Havard had a good grip on the string.
This will be great! Thanks dad. See you tomorrow!
and he went off to try to teach his hawk to fly. This didn't work out too well: the hawk already knew how to fly, and Havard would never let go of the string. However, he had great fun until it was time to retire for the night, and he gained a bit of an appreciation of his father. When it was time to sleep, he tied the hawk's string to his bedpost and closed the door. The hawk made him forget about the excitement of tomorrow, allowing Havard to easily slip into sleep.

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

The dwarf-girl's eyes open slightly, already halfway asleep. "Oh, father, you donna need to give me anything. I'll be with the caravan, it'll be fine, just you see." She was confident of this, in her naive way, and protested a bit more until she trailed off into sleep.

In the morning, it was resting by her bedside, and--solely because of her father's intractable stubbornness, or so she said--packed it next to the tied-up loaf she'd packed the night before.

As she left to join the caravan in the morn, little did she know how useful it would turn out to be.

OOC: I know equally little.

[Sliver]

Cotman

The little halfling takes the book excitedly, but holds it carefully "Wow, Thanks!" he says with true joy "Did you think about animating it? It could follow around and dish out fun little facts and it will be totally awesome!" He examines the book. He examines the pages "Is it all catagorized in some specific way? How should I browse through it to find needed information quickly?" Cotman speaks and plans, if it isn't so already, to reorganize the whole thing while they travel.

[V for Victory]

You wake up early and walk to the cart, you sit on the barrels and begin your rocky expedition.

[Errandir]

Sitting near the back of the cart, Rahn is still grinning widely as he gazes up at the bright sky and the road receding into the dust behind them. He'd felt a twinge of nervousness - or even melancholy - while saying farewell to his mother this morning, but he had made sure not to let his father or his brother see that, and the feeling was soon buried under excitement and anticipation.

Now he sits on the back of the cart, occasionally kicking his heels against the barrels and whistling a light, unrecognizable tune. Every so often he casts a sidelong glance to one side to see what the others are doing.

[Dexam]

Slinging his pack onto the back of the cart, Braennon checks over some of the load on the carts to make sure things look secure before they head off.

Rather than sit on the barrels, he initially elects to walk alongside the carts. The reason for this soon becomes apparent, as it can be seen that Braennon is wearing his father's sword belted at his left hip, and he occasionally adjusts it to find a position where the scabbard is more comfortable and won't trip him up. Every now and then, he practices drawing and sheathing the weapon, trying not to tangle it in his cloak.

Looking over the rest of the caravan, he waves to Cotman, Havard, Maeralet, and Scratch. "Greetings and well met, fellow travellers!" Braennon exclaims, trying to sound important. "Glad to see you could join me and my brother on our little expedition." He grins cheekily, auburn hair glinting slightly in the sun.

[Forever Curious]

The warforged walks besides the cart in silence, keeping his satchel of wands secure. His emotionless eyes remain alert on the landscape, ready to react to any danger.

[Sliver]

Cotman looks at Braennon "Hey! That's new! Congratulations! Looks awesome! Does it do magic? Does it have a name? Was it used to slay someone before?" He points at the sword. Then, without waiting for an answer, he spots a bird! Or a hawk!

"Hey! That's new! Congratulations! Looks awesome! Does it do magic? Does it have a name? Was it used to slay someone before?" He asks again, this time Havard and birdie.

He opens his big book on one of the barrels and starts browsing to find something about their destination and the road there.

[BobElliot]

Havard doesn't mind the chance to show off his new friend, even though he normally would have sighed and rolled his head at such incessant prattling.
This is Fawkes the hawk. I met him yesterday, and I think that we will learn much about each other. He strokes the birds bill, jerking it away at the moment it snaps at him. See? We've already learned a trick together.
Havard then settles down towards the rear of the cart, high atop one of the barrels, alternating between gazing at the slowly changing countryside and talking to his hawk. He is receptive to the other passengers, but he would like to become as familiar with the hawk as possible, through imprinting it with his voice pattern and scent. He wants to see it fly for real, and not be afraid that it will fly away.

[Sliver]

"You don't seem like the animal type.." Cotman remarks "But I know a bit about animals and how to treat them from farm work, I could help you in training it if you want. It will be fun!"

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

The dwarf-girl sits atop a bouncing barrel, grunting a bit with every bump. She alternately stares off into the woods and attempts to "meditate", feigning disinterest in the antics of her compatriots all the while. From time to time, she stretches and sighs, enjoying the fresh air and scenery.

[V for Victory]

Cotman:

When you open the book you realize it is actually a concealed set of thieves' tools within the hollowed out pages.


Scratch:

You see a vague outline and a pair of auburn eyes in the forest, probably just an animal that's twitch got your attention.

[Sliver]

"Oooh!" Cotman whistles "Nice.." He leans closer and puts his backpack on his knees. After closing the large book and setting it aside, he opens his father's autobiography and starts searching it.

He will put the thieves tools in a separate place in the backpack and examine the book if it has anything written in it or was used to hide his father's old thieves kit (really old, as it doesn't seem of really high quality like he heard about some masterworked equipment.. Maybe his father's first! If his father will be famous, this kit will sell for a fortune to collectors! Can he sell it? Will he sell it? Will his father mind?) and close the book later. He will then browse the real book to find something about their destination.

[Dexam]

Cotman looks at Braennon "Hey! That's new! Congratulations! Looks awesome! Does it do magic? Does it have a name? Was it used to slay someone before?" He points at the sword. Then, without waiting for an answer, he spots a bird! Or a hawk!

"Actually, it's old" Braennon replies matter-of-factly. "It was my father's sword back from when he was a guard in Sparrowight. He's given it to me... well, for this trip at least. I don't think does any magic, and as far as I know it doesn't have a name. It's certainly been well-used, but I don't know if father has used it to "slay" anyone." Braennon shurgs. "It's possible, but it's not the kind of thing he likes to talk about too much, other than to say that swordfights are not very much like the songs and poems that bards sing about. Pa says it's mostly about being afraid and worried for yourself and your friends, and trying to stay calm enough to stay alive." Braennon steps around a pothole in the road, and practices drawing and sheathing the sword again. "One time he said that a warrior's greatest enemy is himself. I think I know what he means, but I'm not really sure - I guess I'll find out when I become a great warrior and mighty mage." He grins.

Braennon looks over Havard and his hawk. "A nice looking bird," he says, nodding appreciatively. "You taking up the noble sport of hawking, eh Havard? Is Fawkes already trained?"

[Forever Curious]

Scratch's eyes seem to narrow as he gazes into the woods. "...we may have a guest..." he mutters to himself, attempting to zero in on what is lurking about.

Spot: [roll0]
Sense Motive [roll1]
EDIT: That should be +2 to Sense Motive, if that makes a difference

[V for Victory]

Scratch

From the distance and the woody coverage you can't tell specifics but you know it has four legs and is covered with fur, the fur is dark grey. You also see patches of fur a few feet behind it.

Cotman

As you read your fathers book you get to a part about Sparrowright, he describes it as "A town desperate to be a metropolis full of the neighboring mountain's hick population. Usually they only come to sell or buy things


Quomorn says, Oh dear, Scratch check to make sure its not just some animals. I've been taking this trip for 17 years now and I've only come across one party of no-good-doers

[Sliver]

Cotman closes the book as he hears Quomorn "no-good-doers inbound?!" He asks excitedly.

[V for Victory]

Don't get excited shorty, It was just a pair of brothers who had a mother who was a bit of a trollip, Laughing he says one was part orc and the other was part elf

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

Maeralet tries to hide her excitement and interest, and act calm and mature. "Oh, it's probably just a deer or sometin'." Belying her words, she stares intently in the same direction as Scratch.


Spot: [roll0]

I don't know if that serves a purpose or not, but just in case.

[V for Victory]

Maeralet can't see what Scratch is talking about

[Forever Curious]

The warforged snaps around and glares at Quomorn. "...you are not my master" he says sternly. "But it by her will that I am attending this venture, and by her will I shall investigate." Scratch walks around to Braennon. "...you, child. I require your weapon to protect this wagon." The construct stares coldly down at the child, extending his hand to claim the sword.

Intimidate [roll0]

[Sliver]

"He is doing his mad construct routine again!" Cotman whistles "He improved.. In a day!"

Then he adds.. "I'm not short.."

[V for Victory]

Quomorn turns angrily and says You won't touch that sword, If you dont want to go back to your "Master" In that sack on your back as he says this he places his hand on his own sword


Intimidate: (1d20+4)[22]

[Sliver]

Cotman looks at Quomorn, thinking it must be serious and gotten too far, and quickly turns to Scratch "Hey! No need for hostility! Scratch, asking nicely will get you further then trying to scare your companions!"

[roll0]

[Forever Curious]

Scratch lowers his hand, not because of the halfling's "diplomacy", but for self preservation. "...perhaps I could use your sword then," he replies, not appearing to be phased by Quomorn's hostility. "My natural method of attack my not be sufficient."

[V for Victory]

No, I'm not about to let you use my sword to run around the woods and kill whats probably just a helpless bunny.

[Dexam]

When Scratch demands the sword, Braennon takes a step back from the construct, licking his lips nervously, hand on the hilt.

"First of all, I'm not a child," the teenage Braennon replies somewhat scornfully after Quomorn intervenes. "Secondly, I wasn't aware that the wagon currently needed protecting just because my Dad asks you to go look in the woods 'cause you're spooked by some animal or something. 'sides, I'm sure if it was something that meant us ill, you could win them over with your polite manner and charming ways." He peers over at the woods where the others have been staring. "'course if you're scared I could go check it for you."


Spot (low-light vision): [roll0]

[V for Victory]

Braennon looks over however he can't see anything through the woods

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

Maeralet shifts slightly towards Quomorn, though it does little but lend moral support. Trying to act as mature as she possibly can, she opines, "There's probably nothing there. Surely it's not worth fighting each other over? Let's just continue--it's still a long way to the market."

[V for Victory]

Ha ha, the girl's right. Let's get a move on it He makes a noise and forces the horses to move

[Sliver]

Cotman looks around, yawns and opens his book again, reading about random monsters his father encountered, passing time until they reach their destination .

[Forever Curious]

With a stiff nod, Scratch continues along side the cart silently, continuing to keep an eye and ear to the surrounding woods.

Spot [roll0]
Listen (for anything unnusual or hostile) [roll1]

[Errandir]

Having watched tensely as his father and brother argued with the warforged, Rahn finally relaxes and looks around again. When he sees Cotman flipping through a large, interesting-looking tome, he slides over and tries to glance over the halfling's shoulder.

"Cotman, what are you reading? Can I see?"

[Sliver]

(Cotman reads currently through the smaller book, the large tome is back in his backpack)

"My father's book" He smiles without even looking at Rahn.

[Errandir]

"Your father wrote a book? I never knew that. What's it about? Rahn looks fascinated. "Does he write - "

A different thought crosses Rahn's face and he breaks off sheepishly. "Oh - I'm sorry! I didn't meant to distract you while you were reading." He backs off apologetically and starts looking around again.

[Sliver]

"It's alright" Cotman smiles and looks at Rahn "It's his autobiography. About his days of being an adventurer.. About the places he visited, dungeons he and his companions explored, monsters he encountered.. We brought a whole crate of those to sell" Cotman grins "When you earn some money for yourself, you should buy a copy. I will loan my copy to you of course, but it is much more satisfying to own one"

[Dexam]

"Spoken like a true-born merchant" Braennon says with a smile and a wink, relieved that the tense moment has passed. "Maybe you can find a really good bit to read to us when we stop for the night? Something with plenty of magic and fighting and great heroics to get us all hooked."

The lanky teenager moves to the front of the cart to speak softly with Quomorn:

"Speaking of stopping for the night, are we likely to make it to a village or wayfarer's inn tonight? Or will we be sleeping in the open?" He looks upward, eyeing the cloud-dotted sky. Then he lowers his voice even further. "I'm a bit worried about how Scratch was behaving back there..." he gives the construct a very quick glance. "What if it starts acting all odd when we get to Sparrowight? Being paranoid and making demands and stuff like that. Maybe it doesn't know how to behave properly without its master around? Maybe Scratch is defective somehow?"

[V for Victory]

We're sleeping outside. And once we get to Sparrowright he becomes the guards' problem

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

When Braennon excuses himself, the dwarf slides from her barrel to one next to the halfling. "That's a record of your father's quests? Is there anything on my father in there? He was an adventurer too... before..." She trailed off, not wanting to think about THAT, but a bit curious about the more distant past that the elder Sapphireridge never mentioned.

[Sliver]

Cotman smiles at the thought of the attention to the book he managed to get "I got my hands on the book not too long ago.. Pa kept most of it a secret, only sometimes asking Ma for opinions, but he didn't want me to see it before it's done. This one-" He picks his copy "-Isn't even the finished edition. He finished it only yesterday so I actually got an earlier copy" Cotman looks proud of himself "But I didn't have much time to read to it.. Helping Ma, meeting Scratch and him trying to scare me, busy back in there.. Out here I will have much more free time I guess, so if I will find anything about dwarves I will be sure to tell you!"

[V for Victory]

The sun starts to set, through the trees a few beams of light glare into your eyes

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

The girl bit back a twinge of disappointment at the lack of information. 'I'm not supposed to be disappointed in things outside myself,' she told herself, 'and I won't be.'. And anyway, he hadn't read it yet--she could always ask him again later. Sighing, her gaze drifted back towards the woods.

[Dexam]

Braennon starts looking around for a place to set up camp for the evening, preferrably somewhere sheltered and close to a source of fresh water. As his father has travelled this way before, he expects to be able to find signs of where Quomorn and others have camped on previous trips.

Survival: [roll0]

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

The dwarf girl takes a look at the spot Braennon indicates, almost feeling the water seeping into her blankets already, and takes a quick glance around the environs. "I'm not sure, but I think I see a glade in there." She points a little further off the dirt road. "Let's look there, maybe there's berries or a place for your tent." Even though she herself preferred to sleep more roughly, sans tent, she wasn't above using it as an excuse to find a more comfortable spot.

Survival: [roll0]

[V for Victory]

The dwarf sees a few slots that would be good for sleeping but the cart keeps moving.

[Sliver]

Cotman coughs "Relax.. They did it already. They probably have a regular spot they rest at every time they travel this road. Are we there yet?"

[V for Victory]

Nah, We'll stop when it's dark out. Ya can't waste any time just restin'. If your tired you can take a nap on the cart and I'll wake you when we set camp and eat.

[Sliver]

"Tired? Ha!" He chuckles and flips through the pages a bit back "Lets pass the time with a short story.. Part of it anyway.." And then he makes his voice suddenly way to deep to be taken seriously.

"'As the sun was about to set, Donal' that was the woods-guide they hired a few weeks ago" Cotman adds "'had informed us that there is a small village nearby, so I joined him to scout ahead of the party while they followed, as always. When we cleared the forest, Donal waited with me for the rest and turned to leave, as he fulfilled his job. We asked him to stay with us for the night at the local tavern for a drink, but he declined. We walked into the village confidently, with me in the lead, as always. Passing between a couple of small houses, what we saw was quite.. Odd. Unto a pole in the center of the village, a group of men, surrounded by many of the other village folk, were tying a woman. She tried to struggle, but we knew her chances were slim.
We quickly approached them, such deeds can't go on! 'What are you doing?' I proclaimed. One of the men turned from the woman to examine us. He looked like a tall dwarf, bearded and it was obvious he was way too proud of his muscles, as his shirt was clearly not meant to cover much. Over compensating, for sure. 'That is not your business, strangers!' as the words came out of his mouth, I could hardly contain my laughter, as his squeaky, high pitched voice was one of the most bizarre things I have ever heard. Being a mature, adult halfling that I was, I managed to stay calm and speak 'leave this woman be, mouseman". It didn't help. After some more charming of the townsmen, we managed to get them to at least tell us why they were doing it.
'Once a month' spoke on of the elderly men "when the moon is full, a cursed beast comes! It's constant howls frighten the children, and the cattle won't stay calm. At first, we found our livestock dead, ripped apart and eaten. But then, humans started disappearing, and found dead a few days later. If we sacrifice one of us, he won't hurt the rest' his voice was sad, but he couldn't fool me. He didn't care for the girl they tied and gagged.
'Who told you that?' Asked Hatcher-' Hatcher was a paladin that traveled with my dead. Not his real name, just a nickname my father gave him after an amusing quest he took upon himself, but I will tell you that later. '-outrageously. Because that is how he was. Either he didn't show emotion, or he was outraged. 'Hookham' the elder said calmly, as if this ham was a well known and trusted fellow.
'hookham?' I asked, getting suspicious. It was getting to smell fishy.
'He speaks with the divine spirits themselves!' said the elder proudly 'he lives by the mill uphill.' he answered before we got the chance to ask.

'what do you think it is?' I asked Thylda' She was a wizard! 'while we walked uphill.'
'Sounds like they have a werebeast around these parts. But this sacrifice nonsense sounds like nonsense.'' she liked to talk like that ''We need to question this Hamhook-' 'Hookham' Hatcher fixed her '-whatever.'
'Werebeast?' I asked, intrigued for more details. For your, my readers delight!
Turns out werebeasts are sort of cursed people that get transformed into wild animals. Some transform once in a while, others can control their transformation and do it whenever they want. But they aren't local deities that demand sacrifice or they will wreak havoc.

We reached a small camp next to the mill. A weird looking human was in the middle of a circle he had drawn in the ground. He was talking to himself, chanting, as suddenly even the rising's moonlight went out, and a single tear came out of the thin air and struck the ground.'" Cotman closes the book and stretches.

[Forever Curious]

...a short story indeed... thought the warforged as the cart continued traveling.

[V for Victory]

It begins to get dark now, the cart is pulled off of the road by Quomorn. He parks the cart calmly and says. Allright who wants to start a fire so we can cook? First thing you gotta do is go find some fire wood.

[Sliver]

Cotman notes no one takes the initiative and hops down "I'll go." He looks around and points "Braennon, come with me"

Cotman will search around, not too far from camp, for any twigs and other light stuff. He failed at physical work at the farm, no need to fail around here. Roll anything needed but assume taking 10 or 20 if got time.

[BobElliot]

Havard decides he might as well help the loud one, given that he said he would help him with his hawk. A little slower than the others, he decides that he will simply carry what Cotman needs help with, where he would be slowed down anyway.
Cotman, I'll help. Together we'll be able to bring back a great big log! Just don't run too fast, you know I can't keep up.
Havard ties Fawke to the wagon, and follows Cotman, helping bring back firewoos.

[Dexam]

Cotman notes no one takes the initiative and hops down "I'll go." He looks around and points "Braennon, come with me"

"Sure, why not?"
Other than the incident with Scratch getting spooked by something off the trail, and Cotman reading the short story, the journey so far has been rather boring and Braennon is more than happy to use this as an excuse to do a little exploring of the woods around their intended campsite. Also, as one of the physically stronger members of the group, he is more than capable of carrying back the larger logs they'll need to keep the fire going through the chilly autumn night.
"Let's see what we can find. Maybe there's a berry bramble or something around here? There should be plenty of ripe ones on it if there is." He gives the cart horse a scritch behind the ears, then strolls after Cotman and Havard.

[V for Victory]

As Cotman walks and collects sticks he notices a foot print
, it appears to belong to some kind of animal

Roll Survival to see what it is

[Sliver]

As Cotman inspects the prints, he calls out "Hey, check this out!"

[roll0]

[Dexam]

Braennon wanders over at Cotman's call, a couple of sizeable dry logs of fallen wood in his arms. "What've you found?"

Survival: [roll0]

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

As the others move into the woods, Maeralet gathers a few stones from within the clearing and arranges them into a makeshift firepit.

OOC: Does she hear Cotman's exclamation?

[V for Victory]

Maerlet Hears Cotman's exclamation as cotman recognizes that this is a hoof mark, your not sure what its from.

[Sliver]

Cotman looks at the marks a few more moments and returns to the camp. Dumping the wood he asks "Anybody has a sheet of paper and a pen? I found a hoof mark and I want to make a sketch of it.."

[Errandir]

Rahn also runs over in response to Cotman's call, and, wanting to look like he knows what he's doing, he copies Braennon and bends down to examine the mark.

Survival: [roll0]

[BobElliot]

Unsure what will come of it, Havard looks at the print and sees what he can see.

[roll0] survival to look at print

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

The girl hid her excitement. "No paper, but let's take a look." A bit faster than a walk, she accompanied Cotman back to the print.


Survival: [roll0]

Next time, let's think about "aid another" actions... Sliver, you made a chart of party skills, didn't you?

[V for Victory]

Although the children cannot tell what made the hoove tracks they see that they move forward, and they can see several branches knocked over by whatever made these tracks.

[Forever Curious]

Scratch notices the children walking away. "...don't wander children," he commands, standing to follow them. As he approaches, he notices them studying a strange footprint. "...what's this?"

Survival:[roll0]

[Sliver]

Cotman seems distressed by some eternal conflict, but eventually speaks up "We shouldn't go far.. Scratch will keep watch at night so he will kill us all and lea- No no, that is not what I ment to say! He will protect us, yes! He will.. Scratch is good and kind and merciless and craves for bloo- No!" It seems like it would be better if he keeps some thoughts to himself, but really, who would expect him to do that? (That should be before Scartch comes and hears him.. Maybe he says the last No as Scratch comes into sight.. I really didn't see the last post until now :smallredface:)

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

"Let's see where it's going. Maybe it's a deer, and we can have venison for dinner!" The girl started stepping forward, slowly moving from one track to the next.

[V for Victory]

As you follow the tracks you move farther and farther away from camp, the moonlight shines lightly on your path allowing you to see the forest around you but you can no longer see the camp.

You are not lost, you are still on the trail. You simply cannot see where the cart was parked.

[Dexam]

Braennon, previously caught up in the excitement of tracking down this creature, suddenly seems to realise how late it has become. "Well, if it was a deer, it's long gone now. 'sides, none of us have spears or bows to bring it down with it anyway." He glances back up the moonlight path they've been following. "C'mon, lets get back before Pa starts to worry too much. And I, for one, could use a hot dinner." His stomach gurgles softly, emphasising the point.

Braennon starts strolling back up the trail, heading in the direction of where they dropped their load of firewood near the first hoofprint they found.

[Sliver]

Cotman didn't think it was a good idea and instead of tracking the thing down decided to stay at camp. This halfling is odd..

[V for Victory]

Back at camp your guardian says Well here's my little adventurers, why don't you bring that fire wood over here? I've got a fire circle all set up

[Sliver]

Cotman points at the pile he dumped "I'm not picking it up again."

[BobElliot]

Havard sighs (hes been following the others up to this point). He picks up some the dropped firewood and brings it over. He's just tired and a little chilly, but he can't make a fire so he's doing what he can to speed the process up. He makes no comment besides the silent trip back and forth.

[V for Victory]

Alright let's start this puppy up. Quomorn then shows the children how to make a fire. He then grabs a pot which he has already prepared and places it directly in the fire. He tells Braneon to stir the pot until it boils, once it boils Braneon should go get his father. Quomorn goes and leans against a tree for a nap

[Dexam]

Braennon rolls his eyes in an over-dramatic fashion behind his father's back, making a silly expression at the same time. "I've just turned fifteen - it's not as if I haven't known how to make a fire or cook my own dinner for years" he thinks to himself.

However, the thought of food is extremely enticing to the perpetually hungry teenager, so he just says "Yes, Pa" and dutifully stirs the pot, occassionally adding a little more wood to the fire when it starts to burn down.

Once the contents begin to boil and the scent of food is wafting through the camp, Braennon uses a sturdy stick to lift the pot off the coals and onto a cleared section of ground. He then walks over to gently nudge is father awake.

[V for Victory]

Alright lets eat Quomorn reaches into his bag and grabs several bowls. He hands them out and the begins to ladle the stew into the bowls. Its hearty and flavorful. What do ya think? It's my own recipe

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

Never picky about food (and unwilling to admit it even if she were), Maeralet digs in heartily, thoughts of looking properly restrained gone from her mind. Her slurps answer Quomorn's question.

[Sliver]

At one of these rare moments, the young halfling's mouth is busy at something besides talking. As he starts eating, he simply nods at the question and continues to eat.

[Forever Curious]

Scratch stands away from the group, looking out into the forest. Without the need of food or rest, he would be up all night keeping watch.

Spot [roll0]
Listen [roll1]
*or take 10/20 if applicable

[Errandir]

Rahn nods happily, eating his stew slowly as it cools. He sitting on the ground near the warmth of the fire, and every so often he rubs his eyes or yawns, showing signs of drowsiness.

[Dexam]

"Mrght gahk - mmgheengh!" is Braennon's response around mouthfuls of hot stew. He quickly devours his meal, licking the bowl clean and letting out a belch of appreciation. "Not as good as Ma's cooking... but better than mine" he concedes, remembering the charred taste of his attempt at campfire stew the last time he went camping.

After the meal is finished, Braennon approaches his father, sheathed sword in hand and a challenging look in his eye. "I believe you promised me some lessons."

[V for Victory]

Allright son. Lets do this, you all can go to sleep after you clean the pot. Grabing his shield and his longsword Quomorn enters a battle stance. Now son I want you to draw your sword While slowly swinging his sword at Braneon Quormorn says There are more different styles of sword play then I can count. There are those that rush in and don't care about their own saftey or hitting their target, but when they hit you'll stay down. Then there are those who will calculate their strikes and cover your body with pin pricks until you bleed out slowly. Braneon picks up on what his father is doing and moving slowly, lifts his sword to block his father's Then there are those who favor two swords to one. Personally, I favor whats called a "Sword and Board" style. As Braneon's sword blocks his father's Quomorn pushes his shield slowly towards Braneon The most important thing in sword play is to find what works for you. If that means swinging a big honker over your head and screaming then great, if that means lurking in the shadows to stab some one in the back then do it, or if you wanna pull of some crazy magic-sword style then make it work for ya. As Quomorn says that he begins to swing his sword faster until he is moving at half-speed. Oh, also. Don't hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it. Thats a big-un

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

The dwarf-girl obligingly gets to work scrubbing the pot. After all (in the words of the great philosopher Thagmir Stonebeard), hard work is what builds the dwarven soul. But even as she does, she keeps an eye and an ear on the sword training across the glade, Quomorn's words seeping into her brain.

[Sliver]

Cotman's mouth finally free, he starts talking while letting his hands work by themselves, happy he trained them so well "Ya know, it got me thinking. Dad started writing so much after the act, I want to get myself a notebook and some ink and write myself. We will be great adventurers, ya know, I'm sure of it. Everybody will want to read about it, and I will even add in sketches and drawings of monsters, magic and food and it will be a really interesting book." He goes quiet for a second and remarks on something Quomorn's said while he was talking "Dad said that those berserker relied on their opponent being long dead before he is able to swing his own weapon at them, allowing them to ignore the need to protect themselves. But they also didn't really care, they just let themselves drown in their blood thirst." Without thinking, Cotman adds "There were also these fighters, father told, that could draw their weapon so fast that their opponent was taken by surprise even in the middle of combat, allowing them to inflict serious damage.. And.. What weapon would fit me?" He suddenly ask curiously "The signature halfling sling? Maybe a dagger? 2 daggers? Or a huge club wielded by ogres?"

[Dexam]

Braennon nods at his father's words, keeping his attention focused on parrying Quomorn's blade and minding where he's stepping. He slowly gives ground as Quormorn presses forward with sword and shield, steel flashing red in the firelight.

"Fighting with sword and spells - that would be awesome!" Timing his father's swings as best he can, Braennon picks a gap and lashes out hesitantly, the longsword feeling unweildy in his hand. Afraid that he might actually hit Quomorn but all the while expecting the blow to either be parried or blocked by the shield, Braennon knows that the blow was a clumsy one at best, and quickly tries to switch back to a defensive stance.

[V for Victory]

Stepping forward Quomorn places his leg behind his son's leg and pushes forward with his shield. Barennon falls to the ground as Quomorn stabs his sword into the ground next to his sons head,triming the boy's hair Your dead. Go to sleep, we can practice again tomorrow

[Dexam]

Grumbling good naturedly, Braennon picks himself up and dusts himself off. Gathering up his fallen sword, he wipes it clean before sheathing it, then goes in search of his bedroll. As Braennon passes near Rahn he tries to pull a spooky-looking face. "If I'm dead now... that's means I'm a ghost, come back to haunt you. WoooOOOoooo!"

He chuckles and moves over to the cart. As he's hoisting his bedroll off the back of the cart, a thought occurs to him. "Hey... do we need to set a watch or anything?" he asks the camp in general. "I mean, are there likely to be bandits in the area? Or dangerous wild animals? Or roaming monsters, looking for a group like us so they can devour us in our sleep? Imagine that - waking up inside an Ogre's cooking pot..."

[Sliver]

"Then you would be hunting Scratch for poor watching skills." Cotman laughs "But don't do that. Scratch is probably the only one to try and scare a ghost dead."

[Errandir]

Rahn grimaces and rolls over. He has already gotten out his bedroll and was lying down, looking up at the stars, but as Braennon passes Rahn sits up and chucks a pebble at his back. "Well, if you don't shut up and let us sleep soon, maybe you will be waking up as a ghost tomorrow." He starts to lie back down and then adds as an afterthought, "And I'm not afraid of ghosts!"

[V for Victory]

I'll keep a watch out for ya cotman. And maybe scratch will keep me some company. Just go to sleep kids.

OOC:

Do not narrate where you are sleeping, I have already picked them

[Ellisande]

Maeralet

The woods aren't fearsome to the dwarf girl--she had 'meditated' in the woods after dark any number of times before. Her decidedly unladylike snores already echoed across the glade.

[Dexam]

Braennon lets out a massive yawn, kicks off his shoes and climbs into his bedroll; the longsword within easy reach. Very soon he is sound asleep.

[Sliver]

The young halfling gets into bedroll and takes out his book from the backpack, reading it until he finally falls asleep, pretending his father was there telling him of one of his legendary tales.

[V for Victory]

Map:
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/935/map1he.jpg (http://img29.imageshack.us/i/map1he.jpg/)


H1- a horse
H2- another horse

You all are labeled by your first and last initials. Scratch is the only one awake
Scratch make a spot check