Noncivilized World: Message in a Dream IC

[Athedia]

Asha looked at the dog next to her and then at the river. "Anyone coming to get him?"

[Seharvepernfan]

After scanning the water for a few solid minutes, even if others prod him with questions, Kanok finally winds down and puts his spear away. He motions for Asha to raise the rope on her side, and he does so on his side. Once that is done, he pulls himself up on the rope, wrapping his legs around it so that he can sort of slide along underneath it. He then crosses the river again.

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Climb: (1d20+8)[23]
If necessary.

Once on the other side...he scratches his head and wonders how he is going to do this. He considers trying to pick Fang up and carry him across, but shakes his head and dismisses the idea. He tells Asha to just climb across; he'll swim back with the rope tied around himself and Fang. Hopefully that thing learned it's lesson.

He instructs her to have somebody keep the rope taut as he comes across, and to be sure to have weapons ready.

[Athedia]

"Climbing?" Asha looked at the river and gulped. She hated climbing, it never ended well for her. But she stood up, grabbing the rope and preparing to cross.

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Climb: (1d20+2)[19]

This time it went more smoothly, her knees hitched around the rope as she clambered to the other side.

[CWater]

Kanok and Fang swim cross the river last, the rope with them. The last sudden attack has surely not been forgotten... but to everyone's relief, they are able to get to the other side without another incident.

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Good crossing. The rope was a good idea, let's ust say... that it saved you a lot of trouble.

300 XP for all.

Now the group has a choice to make. Follow the river west towards the mountains, or head north and try to find the druids of the Circle.

[Athedia]

As Asha got the the other side she pulled one of the spare spears off her back and offered it to Taesha. "It isn't much, but did lose yours."

[Etherion]

Everyone alright?

[MrE]

"Thank you," Taesha replies, nodding to Asha has the spear is handed over. "I will try not to be so careless with this one."

"I believe we were heading to the mountains. That is still our plan is it not?"

[CWater]

The elf looks frightened at Taesha. "You're taking me back to the mountains?! They'll kill me if a I go back!"

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It's possible she should have known where you were going, but for convenience sake, I'll say she hadn't paid attention earlier.

[Athedia]

"Wait what?" Asha stared at the elf. "Are you one of the sages? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

[CWater]

"Uh.. No, I... meant my tribe. I am banished from the mountains."

"Are you looking for the prophets?"

[Athedia]

Asha thought for a second then went into her pack, pulling out an old box with some hand carved vessels inside. Beneath them lay a small dagger which she pulled out. "I did offer you a place in my tribe did I not? And come to think of it, you being a child of the tribe would speed things up. And the oldest member of the tribe present at a child's 'birth' is allowed to perform the ritual." She stabbed the dagger into her left hand, wincing as it pierced the flesh.

"You... may not like this." She mixed the blood with the fingers of her right hand and then held them to the elfs face. Trancing a line above each eyebrow and then a circle on each of the hands of the elf she knelt by her, still dripping blood out the wound. "Ancestors watch this child and allow her to live, grow and help your tribe. May she journey with the knowledge of your minds and the skill of your hands."

Standing up Asha pressed her hand to her other arm, using the skin to stem the bleeding. "My tribe is not banished from the mountains, and you are under their protection now."

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Usually the ritual is done at birth, but it is also done to those adopted into the tribe. Damage roll for the dagger (1d6+2)[5]

[CWater]

Asha thought for a second then went into her pack, pulling out an old box with some hand carved vessels inside. Beneath them lay a small dagger which she pulled out. "I did offer you a place in my tribe did I not? And come to think of it, you being a child of the tribe would speed things up. And the oldest member of the tribe present at a child's 'birth' is allowed to perform the ritual." She stabbed the dagger into her left hand, wincing as it pierced the flesh.

"You... may not like this." She mixed the blood with the fingers of her right hand and then held them to the elfs face. Trancing a line above each eyebrow and then a circle on each of the hands of the elf she knelt by her, still dripping blood out the wound. "Ancestors watch this child and allow her to live, grow and help your tribe. May she journey with the knowledge of your minds and the skill of your hands."

Standing up Asha pressed her hand to her other arm, using the skin to stem the bleeding. "My tribe is not banished from the mountains, and you are under their protection now."

Eldien is too dumbstruck by Asha initation to protest. She stares at the circle's of blood on her hands. "Under... their protection?", she looks at the binder with a confused face, "But... Why? Why would you, or your tribe, do this for me?"

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Usually the ritual is done at birth, but it is also done to those adopted into the tribe. Damage roll for the dagger [roll0]

Ouch.. She didn't go easy on herself there.

[Athedia]

Eldien is too dumbstruck by Asha initation to protest. She stares at the circle's of blood on her hands. "Under... their protection?", she looks at the binder with a confused face, "But... Why? Why would you, or your tribe, do this for me?"

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Ouch.. She didn't go easy on herself there.

"You are our child now. If we failed to protect the children we would not be a very good tribe. The ancestors let you survive the spiders, they must have some plan for you. Especially since they saw fit to use me as the cushion."

[CWater]

"But...", Eldien starts, but goes quiet then, without finishing the sentence. She lets Asha help her up, so they can continue forward.

The party follows the river, towards the mountains that rise in the west. They can get the occasional glimpse of them through the trees when they pass over a hill or the like, but for the most time, the river is their best landmark. When the dusk arrives though, they are not too far away from the closest peak.

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Anything else you'd like to do or say before you rest for the night? Since you're in a thriving forest, you can take 10 if you wan to go hunting. (Or you can roll.) Also, the elf comes from the mountains, so if you have questions about them, she might be able to answer.

[Seharvepernfan]

At some point while carrying Eldien through the forest, Kanok begins to speak, "Why were you banished?"

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Taking 10 on survival while others are making camp.

Can I make a survival check with Aidan aiding me, to find a safe camping spot that's not likely to get ambushed by wild dire chinchillas?

[CWater]

At some point while carrying Eldien through the forest, Kanok begins to speak, "Why were you banished?"

Eldien looks down. "I... showed mercy when I shouldn't have. I thought I was doing the right thing even if the elders were angry, but... the gods have showed me otherwise."

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Taking 10 on survival while others are making camp.

Can I make a survival check with Aidan aiding me, to find a safe camping spot that's not likely to get ambushed by wild dire chinchillas?

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Etherion said Aidan would like to make some arrows, but Taesha is free to help him if she wants to.

You can roll or take 10.

[Etherion]

Aidan goes to collect some materials, then proceeds to make some arrows.

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Craft check: (1d20+6)[12]

[Seharvepernfan]

"To who?"

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Taking 10 on finding a good camp.

[MrE]

Taesha listened to the elf as she was helped along by the others. "When is mercy a crime?" she asked, adding her confusion to the group's. Once your enemy was defeated that was enough, that was taught from an early age.

[CWater]

" 'We should not show mercy to our enemies, since they show none to us either, and it would only benefit their fight against us.' This is what the elders said. And I guess I was foolish to think otherwise. Even if... even if I did so exactly because this same creature had spared my life in the past. I felt ...that it would be dishonorable not to do the same."

The party comes across a suitable campsite by a large rock, that could provide a little cover from one sde. There are signs that the place has been used as a resting place before, though the newest traces are at least a fortnight old.

[Athedia]

" 'We should not show mercy to our enemies, since they show none to us either, and it would only benefit their fight against us.' This is what the elders said. And I guess I was foolish to think otherwise. Even if... even if I did so exactly because this same creature had spared my life in the past. I felt ...that it would be dishonorable not to do the same."

The party comes across a suitable campsite by a large rock, that could provide a little cover from one sde. There are signs that the place has been used as a resting place before, though the newest traces are at least a fortnight old.

Asha helped the elf sit down. "Mercy is strength not weakness. My tribe took mercy on those it defeated, allowed them to join instead of die out. We gained knowledge and numbers. You did the honorable thing. You owed this creature a life debt anyway, the ancestors would have never let you rest without paying it."

She waited with the elf, helping prepare the camp for the night. When the others got back from their searches she went out into the woods to try to find something.

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Looking for a large stick, about her own height. What does she need to roll.

[Rathgar]

"What might this enemy be that you were fighting? Is it something we should worry about going up into the mountains?"

[CWater]

Asha helped the elf sit down. "Mercy is strength not weakness. My tribe took mercy on those it defeated, allowed them to join instead of die out. We gained knowledge and numbers. You did the honorable thing. You owed this creature a life debt anyway, the ancestors would have never let you rest without paying it."

Eldien stares at Asha for a while, then continues to study the grass again. "Your tribe... Sounds like it does things very differently from mine. I... Thank you."

She waited with the elf, helping prepare the camp for the night. When the others got back from their searches she went out into the woods to try to find something.

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Looking for a large stick, about her own height. What does she need to roll.

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That would be search. You can take 10 or roll.

"What might this enemy be that you were fighting? Is it something we should worry about going up into the mountains?"

Eldien considers this for a while, before she seems to make a decision. "You have helped me more than I ever could have expected, it is only right that I help you in return if I can." She draws a rough map on the ground.

"My tribe, the Griffon's Claws in your tongue, lives in the area between Calm Wind and Strong Rock. Another clan of elves live higher up, closer to Calm Wind. They call themselves the Eyes of the Phoenix, I do not know why."

"Our enemies, the orcs, inhabit the river valley between River's Mother and Strong Rock. We call their tribes the Spear, the Axe and the Weak... but I understand that they have other names for themselves. The Spears at least call themselves 'Traire..keih' ", she struggles with the word, "It means something like 'the two spears that tore the sky apart', I think."

"None of them treat outsiders very friendly, I'd... suggest you try stay away from them if you can."

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Yes, I drew this in paint, sue me. :P But it's about as beautiful than her scribbles on the ground.

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Funny thing, I ran these names through Google Translate just for fun and surprisingly most of them came out okay. Except for the Fire mountain, which it for some mysterious reason wanted to name 'Became a Guitar'...

[Athedia]

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Search: (1d20+1)[4] Maybe she will not find one today, that is okay.

EDIT: I think she forgot what a stick looks like :P

[Seharvepernfan]

Kanok stands behind and over the others, bent forward with hands on knees, studying the map and trying to memorize every detail. "Where do the dwarves dwell? Which of them would help us first?"

[MrE]

"Yes, if you are hunted by elves and orcs, then only the dwarves lie open to us," Taesha adds.

[CWater]

Kanok stands behind and over the others, bent forward with hands on knees, studying the map and trying to memorize every detail. "Where do the dwarves dwell? Which of them would help us first?"

"Yes, if you are hunted by elves and orcs, then only the dwarves lie open to us," Taesha adds.

"A tribe called Stoneseekers live inside Strong Rock. I have not seen them often, they mostly keep to themselves. My tribe has traded with them sometimes, but we have little things that they value. The stone from Strong Rock is... good, you can make items from it with more ease. I think... that mountain is why we fight so much with the orcs. Maybe." Eldien looks a bit uneasy, as if she's said something she shouldn't.

She looks at the map again. "I've heard that another dwarven tribe would dwell at Fiery, but I've never met any of them. The land over there is barren."

[Athedia]

"Are orcs like giants?" Asha had never seen an orc, but she remembered stories of her tribes old enemies.

[CWater]

"No... They are the same size as us. Um, they have tusks and rough features", Eldien looks surprised, "...Really, you've never seen an orc?"

"The dead one, in the spiders' web. That was an orc", Stiira adds suddenly. She's been mostly silent the whole day, barely spoken a word.

Eldien looks up when at this comment, then she sighs. "Like I thought."

[Athedia]

"No... They are the same size as us. Um, they have tusks and rough features", Eldien looks surprised, "...Really, you've never seen an orc?"

"The dead one, in the spiders' web. That was an orc", Stiira adds suddenly. She's been mostly silent the whole day, barely spoken a word.

Eldien looks up when at this comment, then she sighs. "Like I thought."

"That was an orc? And what did you think? Were you being tracked? I though he had been there longer, he was dead after all."