00. Intro: Gwillt [Alethan]

[dmw71]

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Gwillt's progress has been depressingly uneventful, but it has allowed him to press further into the depths of the forest than he's been previously. The unfamiliarity causes his pace to slow a bit as he exercises extra caution. He pauses when he suspects the wildlife sounds begin to grow more quiet around him. With his surroundings quieted, he believes he hears the sound of running water ahead of him.

[Alethan]

So far away from the last place he called home, Gwillt feels the restraints of familiarity fall away. From his crouched position, he looks over his right shoulder and can almost see the ties to his past float into the branches, as if they were tendrils of smoke. He tips his head to the trees at his back. Time for a new chapter.

His focus immediately returns to survival. It is always survival with him. He slowly turns his head, opening his mouth slightly to help his hearing - a trick he learned from the old man, he recalls with a rare smile - and scans the surrounding area for signs of life.

When he finally stops, he once again faces the direction the faint sounds of water came from. His left hand automatically reaches back and feels for his water skins. One is empty and the other barely a quarter full. "Might as well top them off while I can," he thinks to himself.

In a quiet, fluid motion, he stands. With his bow stowed safely on his pack, his left hand rests on his sword as he silently heads towards the number one necessity for life - water.

[dmw71]

Just as he begins to head in the direction of the running water, another sound captures his attention.

Already in full survival mode, the crackle of a broken branch just ahead of his current position sets Gwillt on high-alert. The wildlife sounds, previously thought to be growing more quiet, are currently non-existant.


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ooc: Excellent post. Hope you didn't mind too much my giving Gwillt a nomadic tendency.

[Alethan]

Gwillt drops back down to a crouch and he stares ahead, eyes unfocused to better catch any bit of movement in his field of view.

His right hand drops down to his scimitar.

[dmw71]

The rapid sound of hastily retreating feet (or sets of feet) is heard. Whatever it is that is producing the sound seems to be making little effort to avoid making noise.

[Alethan]

Gwillt listens to try and determine which direction the feet are traveling. If it is towards him, then he slips into the cover of bushes to watch who passes and determine their reason for running.

If it is away from him, then he looks to see if they are being pursued before he follows the foot sounds.

[dmw71]

Gwillt listens to try and determine which direction the feet are traveling.

The sound is definitely moving away from you. After a few moments, you do not get the impression you're being pursued; more likely, your instincts tell you you startled someone or something and sent it darting.

[Alethan]

Gwillt tries to pick up the track and slowly follow it, so as to not further spook it by chasing it down.

[dmw71]

Gwillt tries to pick up the track and slowly follow it, so as to not further spook it by chasing it down.

Gwillt cautiously advances forward, watching for signs of that which fled him. The sound of the water in the distance grows gradually louder as he progresses. Thirty paces or so forward of his original position, Gwillt spots a shockingly large pile of excrement in roughly the spot he assumed the fleeing creature (or creatures) were originally noticed. As no caution was taken to avoid concealing the escape route, Gwillt has no problem detecting at least two -- possibly three -- unique sets of humanlike tracks, leading in the same general direction Gwillt was originally heading.

[Alethan]

He continues to follow the tracks, while keeping an eye out for whatever may have left the mess...

[dmw71]

Gwillt continues to follow the tracks his normal, practiced manner. Ever cautious, he is led further into the forest and notices no signs of life other than the occasional common woodland animal. As you progress, the sound of the running water increases... significantly. Clearly, you're heading in the direction of the source.

Over the stretch of your progress you are able to clearly identify three distinct sets of tracks.

[Alethan]

Can Gwillt determine what might have made the three tracks? Are they all human or humanoid? Or are any of them animal tracks?
He continues ahead, but not blindly so. With the lack of wildlife in the area, he is extra cautious. In fact, he pauses for a moment and readies his bow, holding a sheaf arrow loosely fitted to the bowstring.

[dmw71]

Can Gwillt determine what might have made the three tracks? Are they all human or humanoid? Or are any of them animal tracks?

All human or humanoid. The earth is fairly solid where you've been so the impressions left aren't obvious, but you suspect whatever you've been following have been wearing some kind of boots or other footwear.

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Now with bow in hand, you continue to patiently follow the tracks in the direction of the running water. As if in direct correlation, as the sound of the water continues to intensify, the density of the forest you find yourself in begins to thin. In fact, the sound of the water reaches almost roar-level as the end of the forest comes into sight.

While still under the cover of trees, you look beyond the edge of the forest and are shocked to find that you appear to be at a higher elevation. A short fifty yards or so from where you're standing at the moment, the ground you've been walking on appears to suddenly drop off. From your current vantage point, your angle of vision is very obtuse, but beyond this cliff you can clearly see another heavily forested area and what appears to be a surging river or stream winding off into the distance. It's a rather magnificent sight to behold.

If not more impressive, however, is the source of the raging water. Thundering over the top of this cliff you're on, plummeting down into what you assume to be the heavy stream you notice below, is a tremendous waterfall.

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You force yourself to survey your new discovery in finer detail and notice, a few feet from the edge of the cliff, just off to the right of this waterfall, a spike is driven into the ground with a thick rope tied around it. The footsteps you've been following lead directly towards this stake and rope. In fact, you notice heavy foot traffic in this area.

[Alethan]

Gwillt scans the area for likely trails before gingerly testing the rope to see if it has tension on it (i.e. to see if someone is climbing it). If it is taut, he will peer over the edge to see if he can see who is climbing it. But he won't distract himself from being mindful of his surroundings on top of the waterfall, either. He quickly looks up and monitors any visible paths to or from the clearing.

[dmw71]

Believing it to be safe, Gwillt creeps from the relative cover of the forest and advances towards the edge of the cliff. Some careful glances in all directions, including up, convinces Gwillt that it's safe to test the rope, which he does. The rope has some girth and length to it making it heavy, but it moves freely with a bit of effort. It is clearly not being used at the current time.

[Alethan]

He peers over the edge to see what the destination of the rope might be. He also checks the tracks to see if there are any other obvious paths at the top of the cliff before he attempts a climb down.

[dmw71]

Please roll 1d10 for me.

[Alethan]

Requested Roll [1d10] = 6

[dmw71]

You begin to peer over the side of the cliff when suddenly, even over the roaring of the water, you hear a voice shout out. It's difficult to make out the exact words over the roaring water, but it sounds like a hail call.

Immediately after this call is heard, from the base of the waterfall below you, you hear a chain violently thrashing back and forth and some vicious snarling sounds with an occasional, odd-sounding bark.

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Looking out, you see the forms of two humans in the open area between the base of the canyon and the beginning of the forest. One of the humans appears to be lying on the ground while the other, still standing, appears to be the one that called out.

You will need to really extend over the edge of the cliff to see the source of the snarling, but it’s clearly evident that it is highly agitated at the moment.

[dmw71]

After the awakening of the ferocious creature below you, the standing human appears to laugh and say something to the human lying down.