(IC) HtV STL by Night

[Thundercracker]

Jen paused and watched the deer, then automatically felt around for her rifle.

Then she stopped and just admired the deer for a minute or two, the fishing momentarily forgotten.

[Daishain]

Frank stares at the creature for a few moments before lifting his half empty beer in salute. Setting the bottle down carefully, he reaches for his phone, hoping to get some video. He'd never seen a deer like this. Not that size, and certainly not that color. This stag was magnificent, and clearly not very skittish. It seemed almost a miracle some trophy hunter hadn't bagged him already.

[Bennosuke]

The stag finishes it's drink, then lifts its head to give the two onlookers one last stare. Then it turns away from the lake and begins moving back towards the forest. As it approaches, the deer begins picking up speed till it is moving and a full gallop by the time it hits the tree line. A moment after its antlers crash through the brush and the stag disappears, the silence is interrupted by an explosion of crows out of the forest. They take to the air and begin to caw and caw, circling in the bright clear sky overhead. It does not take a trained eye to notice that the stag disappeared down a clearly trod-over path that fades into the darkness of the forest.

[Daishain]

Frank has a goofy grin when he finally turns his head to look at Jennifer, "I've heard of black deer before, but they're supposed to be super rare, even tougher to find than albinos. Its gonna be tough to top that. What a magnificent creature."

He rewatches the minute or so of video he managed to get on his phone for a bit, then gets up to take a look at the trail it disappeared down, "Deer trail, looks pretty well established. I think we found a good spot to hunt later on. Not sure I could shoot at blackie, but there should be other deer using that too."

[Thundercracker]

“That was amazing,” Jen said, “I’ve never seen anything like that, at least not so close. We definitely picked the right place.”

[Bennosuke]

If the two settle back into fishing, Jenn and Frank are able to enjoy a few more beers, and manage to catch a few small game fish. It is a relaxing late morning, but as the sun starts to rise in the sky, it begins to become hot and humid by the lake, and you can feel your skin beginning to tingle and redden.

[Daishain]

Frank looks around for a shadier spot to keep fishing from. He wanted to get a nice fish for that dinner he'd promised last night.

If he doesn't see anything he'll shrug and turn to Jennifer, "Welp, its probably getting around time for lunch anyways. Care for a bite to eat and then maybe hit the trail? Plenty of things to see around here."

[Thundercracker]

Frank looks around for a shadier spot to keep fishing from. He wanted to get a nice fish for that dinner he'd promised last night.

If he doesn't see anything he'll shrug and turn to Jennifer, "Welp, its probably getting around time for lunch anyways. Care for a bite to eat and then maybe hit the trail? Plenty of things to see around here."

"Sure sounds good to me," Jen replied, "if we're going to hike we'll need to grab the water bottles anyway."

[Bennosuke]

It takes the better part of an hour for Frank to finally catch something, and by that time the sun has reached its zenith, creating a heavy humid and little shade. Frank had of course managed to fine the one spot that had a modicum of relief, provided by an old oak tree that seemed to tower above the forest line. The catfish that Frank finally caught was a silver skinned and slimy sucker, plump and about the length of Frank's upper arm. It swished and flipped and fought hard once Frank wrestled it out of the water, but of course the catfish finally lost the fight. It would probably fry up nicely.

(OOC: The group still goes back to the camp for lunch?)

[Daishain]

Frank grins as his efforts finally yield fruit, "There we go, I was starting to wonder if we had the right bait. And we have our dinner. We can leave this in one of the coolers while we take our hike. I was rather interested in seeing those weird rock formations, what about you?"

(OOC Yes, heading back to camp for lunch then heading out for a couple hours on the trail)

[Thundercracker]

“Sure let’s do it; we have a couple of days, we can see everything,” Jen replied.

[Bennosuke]

Frank and Jenn quickly pack up their fishing gear and march back to their campsite, Frank proudly carrying the catfish as if it were a trophy. They throw the catfish into one of the coolers.

(OOC: I'm sorry, maybe I'm not caffeinated enough, but what weird rock formation are we referring to? Also, please let me know what gear you are bringing with you, wherever it is you plan on going?)

[Daishain]

Frank stows the fish into the cooler, with just enough ice so it should still be nice and fresh for the evening meal. Most meats stored okay, but fish for some reason never really was the same if it wasn't practically still living when it hit the heat. This should be a treat for both of them.

But that was for later. For now... Frank loads up a lightweight hiking pack with a tiny first aid kit, the bear spray, water, and a bit of jerky, suggesting that Jan does much the same. After a moment's thought, he adds some rope and a few pitons to his own pack, then straps a multipurpose survival axe onto the side. It was a little more than he thought they'd actually need, and he'd likely regret the extra weight later, but the warning from earlier, especially about the ravines, was still weighing on him a bit. Being a little extra prepared than they actually ended up requiring would be considerably better than the reverse.

Before heading out, Frank places all of the food supplies, fish cooler included, into the bear bag, and uses another rope to hoist that up into the trees. He liked bears for the most part, but they could be a real nuisance as well. He really didn't want to come back to a wrecked campsite and no food...

[Thundercracker]

“Better to have it and not need it, right?” Jen remarked as they loaded themselves down with gear.

[Bennosuke]

It's just a little after midday when Jenn and Frank finally set off for Blackstone Rock. According to the map, Blackstone is a good two miles or so Northwest of the lake, and the sun is already at it's highest vantage to roast the air with early summer heat. The two follow a trail that runs along a steep ravine, and Frank and Jenn are kept company by the sound of the slowly rushing creek. This path is definitely well maintained, and it's pretty easy at this point to discredit everything that was said by the crazy armed farmers the other night. As the trail winds higher, the two can begin to see a jagged rocky formation of dark grey stone peaking over the treetops. Even in the protective shade of the forest, Jenn and Frank find themselves sweating, especially with the weight of their hiking packs. It gets even warmer when the trail winds away from the ravine.

The two are just leaving the blanketed protection of the forest, as the trail clears out into the final stretch before reaching Blackstone Rock, when the air is split by the thunderous sound of rifle fire. The blast is so loud that it's at first impossible to tell the proximity of the shot. But as the ringing in their ears begins to clear, a man calls out, "Oh ****! Sorry about that!" No more than thirty yards to the left of the trail is a rangy looking man with a scraggly mess of brown hair and an equally tangled long beard. He's got a red wife-beater on and camo patterned cargo pants covered in pockets, and is hoisting a smoking matte black hunting rifle over his shoulder. The man takes a step away from his open red ice cooler to walk towards Jenn and Frank, his arm extended as if in greeting. "Are you two okay?" he hollers.

[Daishain]

Frank shakes his head, trying to dispel the ringing in his ears, he looks to Jennifer before answering, a bit of anger creeping into his voice, though he tries to stay civil. "You didn't hit us if that's what you mean. What exactly did you think you were shooting at?"

[Thundercracker]

Jen ducked and fought the reflex to dive for cover. The bearded man was lucky she wasn't quicker on the draw. She looked at him and her expression echoed Frank's question.

[Bennosuke]

Perhaps it was the anger in Frank's voice, or perhaps it was just the discomfort with the situation, but the bearded man just chuckles as he steps closer. "My bad there," he says jovially, adding, "Glad you're okay." He pulls the rifle off of his shoulder, and then points it at the direction that Frank and Jenn just came from. Using the weapon as a pointer, the man replies, "Was shooting at a stag that just dove into the woods back where you two came. Big mother ****er. Biggest I've ever seen!"

[Daishain]

Frank shakes his head, "We'll be heading back through here in a few hours. If you're still out here, please watch your target better." He moves to continue on the trail. Frank is wondering about the big deer, but didn't really want to keep talking with this guy.

[Thundercracker]

Frank shakes his head, "We'll be heading back through here in a few hours. If you're still out here, please watch your target better." He moves to continue on the trail. Frank is wondering about the big deer, but didn't really want to keep talking with this guy.

“Seriously, what if you hit one of us?” Jen added. When Frank left she followed on.

Stupid hunter.

[Bennosuke]

Being met with scorn rather than friendship, the hunter watches as Jenn and Frank depart and hollers after them, "Well, **** you then! Damn hippy liberal city folk!"

(OOC: Assuming the players don't respond)

The two hike up the dirt trail as it climbed towards a rocky outcrop that was the beginning of Blackstone Rock. The march up the hill is surprisingly arduous, as the trail blends into a semi-worn path across the rocky surface of the hill. Blackstone Rock seemed to be composed of layer upon layer of gritstone. Geometric pillar like protrusions seemed to almost grow off of the rock's surface, and there was little shrubbery or vegetation growing from the stone surfaces.

At the peak of the rock, Frank and Jenn were a good few miles up, and could look down upon the grassy field around the hill, as well as the forest line that seemed to creep in from all directions around the rock. The sky was clear this high up, and the only birds in the sky were the occasional crow, soaring with purpose from one location to another.

[Daishain]

Frank keeps moving, muttering to Jen as soon as he's sure they're out of earshot. "What did he expect? Us to be happy about being lucky the idiot missed?"

Later on top of blackrock, he looks around at the scenery with satisfaction, it was definitely worth the climb.

[Thundercracker]

Jen

Jen whipped around as the guy shouted after them.

“Learn how to handle a weapon!” she yelled back at him. She watched him for a moment to make sure he wouldn’t try to shoot them.

Then she continued hiking. Crazy rednecks.

[Bennosuke]

From the top of the mountain, you can make out the general surroundings. There are almost no humans around, though you can see a red smudge that is probably the redneck hunter down below. The air is clean, but the heat of the after midday sun is intense, and there is little protection from its baking rays. The birds above pay no mind to the two hikers, and the only noises are the caws of the crows and the gently gusting wind.

[Thundercracker]

Jen finds a spot near the peak where she can sit comfortably and take a break. With the baking sun she wont' want to stay long, but if you're going to make the trek to the top, you have to admire the view for at least a few minutes.

[Daishain]

Frank surveys the area as best he can from up there, getting an idea of where everything is.

[Bennosuke]

The view is absolutely worth it. From this high up, Frank and Jenn can appreciate the complex spiderweb network of creeks and ravines that run through the park. The lake is easy to locate, as the vast majority of waterways twist their way towards the massive nearly black mirror of water. Interestingly, the verdant greenery of the park does seem to fade away to a thick whorl of dark forest, more densely packed the farther North you look. Of course there was nothing wrong with this section of forest, but there was something foreboding about the area, as if the trees were so close together that no sunlight could penetrate.

As long as Jenn and Frank are at the peak of Blackstone Rock, nothing more interesting happens, though several times the report of the hunter's rifle can be distantly heard.

[Thundercracker]

Jen

“So where should we go next?” Jen asked, “wanna check out that forest?”

[Daishain]

"Sounds like a good option to me. Watch your footing though, fair number of vipers in these parts." Frank settles his pack back onto his shoulders as he starts moving again.

[Bennosuke]

Jenn and Frank make their way back down the hillside, winding their way along the footpath between that passes between jagged rocks and clumps of reddish dust. By the time the two reach the base of Blackstone Rock, the sun is no longer at it's peak in the cloudless sky, and the redneck hunter is nowhere in sight.

The two pick a path back into the forest, and begin their exploration.

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

So we are going to steal a mechanic from Changeling regarding walking through The Hedge. I'd like you each to roll Wits + Survival.

If there's anywhere in particular you want to go, or a specific part of the forest you might want to look for or try to reach state it. If I roll more successes than either player, then I get to choose where you end up... and the fun begins

(5d10)[6][5][3][3][10](27)