Heroes of Highdale IC

[Bloodweaver1]

Blasco "The Wolverine"

"I can't wait." Says the gruff halfling as he comes up from behind the group. A small grin can be seen underneath a rugged hat that he obviously did not wear last night. He moves to a lone pillar near the gate where he then casually leans back against the hard wood and removes an equally small dagger from inside his sleave. With the dagger in one hand he carefully begins to remove the dirt from under his finger nails with the tip of the small blade. "I am sure we are going to be in for few surprises today."

 

[Jdvn1]

<Yondalla, I have new companions today. Provide them with your bounty so that others may in turn... > Girble woke up particularly early to pray to Yondalla, but that doesn't mean he was prompt in getting to the gate that morning. He had more to pray for than usual.

He did go to bed early, but he stopped by the market to have a breakfast of fresh fruit and pasteries and whatever else they had there. After all, it's better to share his wealth with some of surrounding hard workers that need it the most. Anyway, he could get tavern food any day.

"Sorry," Girble says, coming upon the group not too late, "The berries in the market were quite sweet today. And those meat pies..."

OOC: I don't know if it's just color, but if I need to deduct some cash, I'm more than happy to share my wealth with Yondalla's children. Just tell me how much.

 

[Ilium]

OOC: Don't worry about incidental expenses. Every game-month or so I'll just say "deduct 100 GP from your total for living expenses."

I apologize for the delay as well. We're going to get rolling (post coming later today, I have a meeting right now) and we'll maintain a brisker pace. I'll just NPC people as necessary.

 

[Shayuri]

Alex accepts a handful of berries which she eats with obvious relish...feeding not a few to Isis as well.

"Thanks, Gimble," she bubbles. "You have a real eye for fruit. Usually I have to let Isis pick things out for me."

She looks around then and adds, "Who are we missing now?"

 

[Fenris2]

OOC:

Hi All, sorry got slamed by RL over the weekend and then managed to get my wallet stolen. Needless to say I have lots to run around and do to fix that scenario so I probably won't be posting before tomorrow.
Feel free to NPC Kay'nar for a bit if needed

 

[Ilium]

OOC: Sorry to hear about your wallet. That sucks. But I know what you mean about RL. It's just been insane around here. But let's get going anyway! Fenris, chime in when you're ready.

After a bit of shopping and taking care of business, the group meets at the North gate around Noon as planned. There they are pleasantly surprise to find not just Viktor, but an entire small caravan ready to get underway. In addition to the sheriff, there are 4 other people and half a dozen mules all loaded with food, camping supplies and other assorted necessaries. Viktor greets you all warmly and says to Alex, "Just hitch your mule to the end of the train, there. We're going to travel in a little bit of style this time."

OOC: I'll assume Alex declines the kind offer to let someone else manage her "mule"

The large party gets underway. Though their travel is not swift, it is fairly easy. The weather has improved slightly and though the winter chill can be felt, the sun is warm on your backs as you climb the slopes that lead up into the craggy Slayworth mountains. On the way, Viktor explains that he intends to have the porters and mules stay back a good distance from where you encountered the last fathachs (half a day's travel or so) and establish a base camp. That way should you find that you need to regroup, you can do so without going all the way back to Highdale. Also, one of the porters is a fast lad who's familiar with both the wilds who can run a message back to Highdale if it becomes necessary.

As night falls, you make camp at the edge of a high alpine meadow, under the cover of a few scraggly trees that grow along a brook. The porters (with whatever help you care to offer) quickly set up small tents for each of you and build a low but warm fire.

OOC: No trouble first day out. I assume everybody's taking a watch? Please feel free to post anything you wanted to do or say during the afternoon's journey or here in camp. I'll post again late tomorrow to move along.

 

[Ilium]

OOC: Ok, nobody wants to chime in, I take it. On we go then!

Apparently the large group is sufficient to keep any predators at bay, and the night passes quietly. The day is overcast and the clouds seem to muffle sound like a woolen blanket as the party make their way higher into the mountains. The entire next day passes without incident as well. You pass by the ruined farmhouse the group found on their last outing and by day's end are within a few hours of the landslide that ended the previous attempt. Camp is again made, and Viktor instructs the porters that the will remain here the following day while the "assault team" (as he calls it) returns to the site of the landslide.

Another night passes quietly and noon the next day finds the party winding their way up the same trail they used last time. But in this case, all have an indefinable sensation of being watched...

OOC: Let me know what preparations you are making (if any) before you get to the spot where the landslide happened. Also any special precautions you might be taking as you travel.

 

[Shayuri]

Alex takes care to keep Max, her mule, away from the other beasts of burden, and leaves it in front of the flap of her tent at night. The mule never complains, never eats, and doesn't seem terribly responsive to the environment either. Throughout the night, it stands in one spot, glancing around with its beady mule eyes, never sleeping once. Never so much as stretching its legs.

The following day, when Viktor leads the group away from the camp, Alex not only brings Max with her, but performs an odd ritual, sort of. She brings Max to each person in the group, and with the mule staring at whichever person she's managed to corner that time, she tells him to "Recognize." Then she smiles, apologizes to her 'victim' and moves on. This repeats until everyone has been 'recognized.'

She then casts a spell, and indicates, chirpily, that she's ready to go.

(Casting False Life on self for 1d10+10 temporary HP that will last 11 hours or until lost. Also, using standard list of memorized spells, except replacing Secure Shelter with Arcane Eye.)

 

[Bloodweaver1]

Blasco "The Wolverine"

Blasco keeps his cloak closed as the party makes their way up the mountain side. Scouting a head of the group, he makes sure to stay within the shadows of the trees when possible, while keeping a steady eye towards the tree line. Is predator hunting its prey, or is the prey hunting is predator…

 

[Ilium]

When Alex performs this rather bizarre ritual with Viktor, he turns a raised eyebrow on her and waits for her to finish. As she starts to move away he says with a smile, "That's either the smartest or the most stupid beast I've ever laid eyes on. Which is it?"

Blasco keeps his cloak closed as the party makes their way up the mountain side. Scouting a head of the group, he makes sure to stay within the shadows of the trees when possible, while keeping a steady eye towards the tree line. Is predator hunting its prey, or is the prey hunting is predator…

Blasco stays within cover as much as he can...until the group passes the tree line, where it becomes too cold and arid for trees to grow. As they pass through brown alpine meadows he feels quite exposed, but the terrain grows progressively rockier and more jumbled on the second day, again providing cover to the stealthy halfling. By the time the site of the rockslide is reached, the ground off the trail is extremely uneven, providing lots of cover, but also making it very difficult going for anyone who leaves the trail.

As you arrive at the hairpin turn where Ery slew the last fathach, Girble and Lucas are surprised to see no evidence of the rock slide, except for the solid wall of rock that Girble created, blocking the trail. From what can be seen from this side of the obstruction, there is no debris or blockage of the trail, other than the wall itself.