Chapter 2b - Gang of Moral Relativists

[Keehnelf]

Gang of Four? More like Gang of Moral-Relativists amiright

[AleBelly]

Done. Feel free to keep the characters chatting. May be awhile before they get a concrete update.

[Enoch]

Yana snorts derisively. "If Man is as bad as all that, why are you fighting for them, rather than against them? Nowhere else to go? Surely you could return to your kin...or are they less accepting of your parentage?"

She pauses, glancing over to the halfling as well. "I don't hate them, precisely, anyway. I'm..." She seems to search for the right word. "I'm defending against them, is all. If you think your kin don't hate us just for existing, ask our Bounder over there," she states, pointing to Arlandia. "The orcs sneak over the Perimeter and snatch off families, quick as you can blink. They especially like to abduct women, so they can..."

She trails off in horror, the color draining from her face as she realizes what she's implying, and to whom she is implying it. "That is...I didn't mean..."

[MonkeyWrench]

Korok snorts, "Who says I'm fighting for anyone? I protect no one but myself. and as I said, I'm here because there's nowhere else to go. Neither are any less or more accepting, that is the point. I am both human and orc and both sides see each as a weakness, something to be cut out. I'm only here because I wasn't attacked outright and was told if I killed stuff I would be paid."

He gives Yana a glare, "My father was orc, my mother was a slave. That much is true, but I would never call my father evil, and I share no shame in calling myself his son. Orcs don't hate other races for existing, conflict is just in their nature. Conflict is in all races nature, Orcs just don't hide behind pretty masks called civility. They raid, if they are weak then they die, if they are strong then they enjoy the spoils of their conquest, just as any race does."

[Marullus]

The tree speaks as they pass it. "That is the sickest thing I've heard." Arlandria drops off a branch, fuming. "Conquest? As any race would? I will tell you that it CERTAINLY does NOT apply to hobbits. Right of spoils indeed. When was the last time you hoed a row of cabbage? Tended an orchard for years to get its first apple? GREW something? Built something? Made something more than it was, rather than less? It is toil, not spoils. To say that all races are merely takers is an insult. You tell me of a rampaging tribe of hobbits taking your hard-grown potatoes and onions and I'll call you a liar."

[MonkeyWrench]

Korok shrugs dismissively, casually commenting, "They do not rampage because they would die. The strong take what they want and the weak find alternative ways."

[Marullus]

Arlandria spits on the ground. "My bow could drop you before your spear found your hand. I learned that protecting builders and growers against those of your kind who thought they could 'conquest' for 'spoils.' You say it would give ME that right, but I don't... your life remains safe. Because, who wants the second hand belongings of a creature that exists only to take?" She up-nods to Yana. "I reckon your Gods have the right of it," then stalks off into the treeline once more.

[Keehnelf]

Ilfrien just chuckles.

[MonkeyWrench]

Korok just shrugs dismissively again and keeps walking, another person that doesn't like him, no big thing.

[AleBelly]

Date: 17 Rituals, Year 41
Time: 13:45
Conditions: 39F, cloudy, breezy (10 mph from the west), sparse woods -1 to hit for every 60' increment
Known Spells in Effect: None
Light bearers: Sun, 2 more hours
Intended direction of travel: river, 7.3 miles traveled today

Embroiled in discussion, the party barely notices the thinning of the woods. A couple hours after leaving the road the party finds themselves at what is presumably the river they left yesterday, flowing north. The are on a plateau that descends 10 to 15 feet to the water itself. This stretch of the river doesn't look familiar.

[Keehnelf]

Let's turn and follow the river north again until we get to familiar territory. Any trees nearby we can use to scout if anything interesting is in this area?

[AleBelly]

Yes, there are. If anyone wishes to climb, please give me a d100. You won't fall, but the roll will determine how high the PC can climb. It's still breezy, and likely quite windy when a PC is above most of the trees.

[Marullus]

Might as well! Arlandria works her way up a trunk by the river.

Climbing the tree [1d100] = 97

[AleBelly]

Arlandria quickly becomes discouraged at her attempts to climb a tree. There are fewer to choose from. Maybe she's tired from the day's exertions, maybe it's the slick surface of the branches caused by recent rain, or maybe it's that the branches are spaced a bit too far apart. She only makes it up 15' before she feels like this is a dangerous undertaking.

She failed her tree climb roll. She can try again, with a +10% bonus, but if she fails this one she falls; a fall would likely kill her.

[Marullus]

Arlandria flumps heavily by the tree, not going up again. "I gotta say, I'm tuckered. North along the riverbank sounds good to me."

(Any chance of a deer or game on the way back to cook? Still intending to keep an eye out and shoot if possible.)

[Enoch]

Yana sets down her pack and flexes her hands. "I'll give it a try. Some of those branches are pretty spaced out. I might be able to reach them a little better."

She pulls herself up on one of the lower branches and begins hunting for a path up the tree.

Percentile [1d100] = 75

[AleBelly]

Date: 17 Rituals, Year 41
Time: 16:05
Conditions: 39F, cloudy, breezy (14 mph from the west), sparse woods -1 to hit for every 50' increment
Known Spells in Effect: None
Light bearers: Campfire
Intended direction of travel: north along river, 9.3 miles traveled today

After the party reaches the river, Arlandria and Yana both try to climb a tree to glean a better understanding of their surroundings. Neither is successful, choosing not to risk a potentially deadly fall. Instead, they head north. Almost immediately, they encounter a freshly butchered boar with two broken arrows nearby. Finding no meat to salvage, they continue north seeking their camp from two nights earlier. Just as the sun sets, they find it. They are the first to arrive.

With nothing better to do, they decide to set out for a brief hunt, but find nothing…probably because they had little time to spare.

Hunting success at twilight 1 in 10 [1d10] = 4

They return to their camp and build a fire just as full darkness sets in.

[AleBelly]

Apologies for the delay - just need to see how things will shake out with the other party. It would be sooo much better if you couldn't read their forum and know what was happening with the other group.

[Keehnelf]

Agreed

Ilfrien will look sullen as evening stretches on and there's still no sign of the other group. Finally, she says, "If they're not here in the morning I recommend we strike out in search of something else. I won't stand around here and wait for an even larger party of orcs to stumble upon us."

[MonkeyWrench]

Korok, "Or we could go find them." He sits down near the edge of camp, scanning over the surrounding forest without the hindrance of the fire light.