Barrowmoor: Exploration and Ecdysis.

[RiverGreenForest]

Traeliorn

"I have no objection to camping for the night." said Traeliorn. "After we have settled and have something to eat I can take first watch for the night." continued the Elf as he rubbed his stomach hungrily.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Dale offers no objections to camping by the menhir. He helps find the most defensible place and then helps gather firewood and locate potable water. He offers some of the prickly pears (or was it paw paws?) he gathered while walking, discussing the best way to transport the tusks, and about the mystery of Traeliorn's flaming arrows.

[sastaz]

At the campfire, Gerdal produces quite an odd set of dishes and leaves and begins to prepare what looks like some kind of herbal tea, all while humming some strangely familiar tune. "Ironguard something lost my love to something"? Maybe?

She suddenly stops and asks everyone and no one in particular around the fire.

"Do you want me to tell your fortune? Since we're travelling to the north banks."

She looks down one of her dishes, then up again at her comrades. The leaves swirl and twist in the clear hot liquid.

[Rusty Tincanne]

As long as it's of my good fortune, I'll accept, says a smiling Dale. I'd rather not be looking over my shoulder the rest of my life, waiting for terrible things to happen. After his fortune is told, Dale helps organize the night's watches, two people at a time, at least. I'll take third watch.

[tarlyn]

Venwynn

Just happy to be actually camping, relaxing, the red haired Ranger is content.


She watches and observes everyone , yet remains quiet.

[Spearmint]

Barrow Moor, South-west of Helix, Duchy of Aerik.

May 28th 1066.

Runic Menhir: overnight camp.

The group set up a camp in the lee of some boulders, lighting a warming fire and after a protracted hunt, feasting on some bushmeat hunted by a collective of druid, wolf and archers.

Discussing options, the plan seems to press on in the morning hoping the right directions given by a carnivorous ape lead truly to the territory of the Snake-men. With some apprehension, Gerdal brews up her heirloom gift and shares some insight with those who partake.

Dale is keen to see first hand what the tea leaves reveal and the sorceress speaks into his immediate future. The messages are cryptic and could be linked to numerous potential events. "Liars speak with forked tongues and Deceivers gaze with forked eyes. You will need to shut mouths and close eyes to help us prevail.". Knowing the Snake-men use a poisonous bite, it can be quite relevant but maybe an inspiration of wisdom will come to you in a crucial moment.

Having ministered an Augury to Ricardo & Pasquel previously which seemed to be fairly direct, the couple take a second and Gerdal shares that the trip will provide one with a vocation call.

The third cup, she reserves for herself. The reading causes a frown to cross your face, giving you moments to pause. see private forum.

Raust & Marcel take time to do their evening ablutions and devotions. They renew spell selections for the next day. Isvand & Traeliorn secure the site and organise the guard watch rota.

[url=https://www.unseenservant.com/index.php ... acid=18626]Barrow Mounds & Moor random [1d6]=5[1d6]=2[1d6]=2[1d6]=2[1d6]=3[/ur]

The corpse of the zombie mammoth is a huge draw, moreso than the small fire and roasted cutlets of jugged hare and 'Moor' chicken. During the night, various insects and bugs begin to strip the carcass raw but no predators intrude upon the camp.

May 29th.

You rise early, keen to press on. comments and actions everyone please.

[Marullus]

With the hunted game roasted over the fire, Raust picks it apart with their fingers, tossing sections to the wolves, who gulp it down greedily, their strong jaws crunching through roasted bones. The druid seems uncomfortable at sleeping among the company of so many. After circling the camp several times with the wolves, Raust picks a spot just outside the firelight and several yards away from the others and on the farthest side away from the mammoth carcass and bugs. Curling down into the thick bearhide cloak and buried in a pile with the two large gray wolves, the druid disappears into the mound of fur, dark and quiet, and doesn't emerge until the dawn.

While the others rouse and get themselves ready, Raust goes back to the Menhir in the first rays of the dawn, trying to decipher more of the inscriptions before they set out.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Dale packs his kit, then waits patiently for the others to finish whatever preparations are needed, be that packing, studying, or looking at the stone again. He stations himself at the edge of the clearing, eating the remnants of Lady nights meat and cheese from his pack. He is unsure if it is feasible to take the tusks.

Anyone have ideas for taking the tusks? Or should we leave them for now, hoping to get them in the way back?

Spearmint: do we owe a days rations, or did Raust cover everyone?

[RiverGreenForest]

Traeliorn

Traeliorn packs his belongings and examines the menhir again to see if there's anything he left out or might've forgotten.

[tarlyn]

Dale packs his kit, then waits patiently for the others to finish whatever preparations are needed, be that packing, studying, or looking at the stone again. He stations himself at the edge of the clearing, eating the remnants of Lady nights meat and cheese from his pack. He is unsure if it is feasible to take the tusks.

Anyone have ideas for taking the tusks? Or should we leave them for now, hoping to get them in the way back?

Spearmint: do we owe a days rations, or did Raust cover everyone?

We could bury them for now and pick them up on the way back. perhaps?

[sastaz]

Gerdal wakes up early as well, letting her pet chameleon hunt some bugs for breakfast while she picks some flowers in a nearby meadow-like clearing.

"Are we ready to push on, all? This snake men threat seems to be growing by the day, so there's no time to lose."

[Rusty Tincanne]

We could bury them for now and pick them up on the way back. perhaps?

I think leaving them where they are is enough. Stack them next to the menhir, perhaps.

Dale nods to Gerdal's words, then looks back at the Mammoth. Is there anything to do with the Mammoth? Does it need burning to prevent infecting wandering creatures? I've got no idea how this stuff works. Them he starts to worry that the insects feeding of it might be infected!

[sastaz]

Gerdal looks at Dale and then at the mammoth and back at Dale again.

"Nah. I mean, I don't even know how we'd get such a huge body to catch fire. A holy man is probably what we'd need in that case. We've left such a trail of undead bodies behind us over the last few weeks that if the maggots could be infected, this place would already be crawling with them." She smiles at her own involuntarily joke.


"Besides, it seems that there's this power that is animating them rather than a disease. Or at least that is my observation."

[redwarrior]

Isvand listens to the discussion of the tusks, 3-4 times his size, and shrugs. Don't seem worth the effort to me. He'll offer to scout ahead of the main group in the direction indicated. After breakfast, of course. There are, after all, priorities.

[tarlyn]

Venwynn

"I do not know much about undead things, but I would be much more comfortable laying the thing to a proper rest so it

does not come back to hurt anyone else, truth be told."

[Rusty Tincanne]

What do you mean by that? A burial? Pyre? Last rites?

[tarlyn]

What do you mean by that? A burial? Pyre? Last rites?

Venwynn knows little about undead creatures but would feel comfortable in laying the thing to it's permanent rest tbh, being a Ranger and all....

so she would not know how to explain it or maybe she would?"

..

[Spearmint]

Barrow Moor, South-west of Helix, Duchy of Aerik.

May 29th 1066.

Runic Menhir: overnight camp.

apologies my illness halted your game for a while.

The zombie mammoth is checked over in the morning. It has shown no signs of any further undead resurrection and looks as though nature will take its course to leave the rotted remains to the bugs and carrion critters that can feast in the cadaver.

The two mammoth tusks can be buried in a shallow trench and covered with grasses to shelter the ivory for any collection should you return this way. Having been blessed by a reading from the Runic Menhir, Raust tries to decipher other scripts but the inscriptions are veiled as though the stone shields its secrets from one who has already drawn of its mysterious features. basically you just get a word salad of confusion and forget translations or vowel sounds so that at this time at least, no further spell effects or manifestations are animated.

Traeliorn. You found that the Runic Menhir gave you the ability to fire a flame arrow into the sky and if left to it's own devices, the arrow would flight its path towards a compass North direction. If you concentrate on "towards the South-West" or "the banks of the Merisc", then you can release an arrow which zooms into the mist but heading in that chosen direction. A boon indeed upon the featureless Moor.

And so, following the footsteps of scout Isvand and ranger Venwynn and an occasional arrow check by the archer, the group progress towards the Snake-men territory.

everyone post, update sheets with daily spells,

I will update this scene later. 3.30am, I need sleep!

[sastaz]

sorry, should we post actions or wait for you to update?

[Spearmint]

You can post if you wish. Sorry yesterday and today were hospital visits. I was hoping my haematologist might say my chemo sessions have ended but I have to go for another CT scan next week.

I will get on with updates over the next day or so.