[Game Thread] I. Lehman’s Hollow

[Krimchee]

perception check 8+3=11

[mountainbound]

It almost looks like two crimson points of light near the gate-covered cave, like twin candles... or eyes. They disappear quickly.

[Krimchee]

What the hell was that? Silas stood stalk still, staring at the cave, his heart racing. Maybe it's the Moss making me paranoid after the damned centipede.

He didn't want to take any chances though. After another few moments of seeing and hearing nothing, Silas sprang into action. With his blade drawn and glinting in the firelight, he began, one handed, to pile enough wood on the fire to make it shine brighter. In his experience, the firelight was enough to drive off most predators, or at least keep them at bay. He also positioned several larger brands where he could grab them quickly should the need arise. A flaming brand was enough to keep wolves and the like away....maybe it was just wolves eyes glinting from the fire..... Maybe[ But Silas wasn't convinced. He could just hear Old Man Nigel's gruff voice saying "What's a'matter boy? You ain't a-scared o' the dark are ye? He could hear the unspoken, silent laughter in it. Only this time....this time the Old Man wasn't here to hold his hand, or to take him out into the dark to show him with patient kindness the little forest denziens of the night. The Old Man wasn't here to explain the forest's mystery, to replace a young boy's fear with....with curiosity, wonder and awe. This night he was on his own.

It's the damn Moss, Silas told himself again.

After arranging the campsite to his liking and carefully planning out several avenues of escape, Silas put his back against the stone of the overhang and squatted down to watch and wait, his senses strung taught with fear and adrenaline.

[mountainbound]

Feeling more secure with a brighter fire, Silas painfully squats against the shallow overhang, waiting for anything. Long moments pass, and after being fed twice, the fire again begins to die down in intensity. As the adrenaline of the sighting wears off, sleep seems to assault the ranger's mind, despite the situation. He struggles to keep his eyes open, listening to the tinking sound of the embers and the ever-present roar of the water beyond.

Suddenly Silas is again at the Pillars. It isn't day or night, neither dawn nor dusk, but a gray, shadowy time-outside-of-time. There is no sign of the centipede battle, in fact, the pillars look vastly different. There are six of the carved stone columns (rather than three), standing tall and clean in the woods, with well-maintained paths of stone leading to them from each direction, as though the spot were a nexus of sorts. Silas looks up into the shadow sky and sees a faint shimmer of some energy pass between the tops of the pillars, which have some contraption fixed to each. It's at this point that he realizes he's dreaming... there are only three standing pillars, the others fell long ago, and I've never seen those do-hickies at the top of them before.

At that moment, a figure approaches. It could be a man, but is taller and somehow walks different. The face is a blur. The person stands between two pillars and seems to caress one of them. He looks up and overhead the sun breaks through the clouds, shining one intense ray of light on the columns and leaving the rest of the forest in shadow. The figure steps forward between the pillars, only to disappear.

Laughter and music can be heard coming from within the empty stand of columns, voices in an alien language. They seem to call to Silas, inviting him to come in. Come in...

The ranger wakes to see the sky just starting to turn from black to the deep blue of pre-dawn. The fire is merely embers now, and his thigh is seeping blood once again, after having slept on it. He shakes his head to clear the dream from it when he hears another odd sound... laughter and music soft on the wind. Was he still dreaming? It's seeming to come from the direction of the pillars.

DM's Note Though you didn't get 8 hours rest, heal 1hp for resting anyway.

[Krimchee]

Silas opened his eyes in the pre-dawn sun. Usually, Silas took great comfort in listening to the forest waking up in the slowly rising light. He’d long been an early riser, and it was his custom when out on the hunt to just sit with his back to the trunk of a grandfatherly tree and simply watch and listen to the dawn. But today the morning offered him no comfort. His world was suddenly much less sure than it had been just a few short days ago. Silas didn’t like feeling uncertain. He prided himself on knowing, or if he didn’t know, learning quickly so that he could take control. He prided himself on his competence, on his independence, on the certainty that he could survive indefinitely in this forest without the aid of the town if he so chose. This was his place. The sudden reality of being bumped from the top of the food chain cut deeply into his self image and sense of pride. So he did what he always did this kind of situation. He dodged and hid from any conscious pursuit of such thoughts, couching his fear in annoyance and anger at the inconvenience of it all.

As Silas was watering the plants just outside the camp, he remembered the glowing lights of the night before. He decided that he wanted to go over to the cave and check for prints. He just had to know if his fear last night had any grounds in reality. But then, just after the second shake, he heard music. Singing he thought. Like the dream.

Silas was stunned. He really didn’t know what to think. Am I even awake? A lance of fear spiked right through him. He felt cold. He began to sweat. He listened hard, to make sure he was indeed hearing what he was hearing. Much to his consternation, it did not stop. It’s real. Maybe some womenfolk come to do the wash. But deep down, Silas knew that this was not the song of the washer women. Why would they even be out this far?

Suddenly, like the slap of a cold bucket of water being dumped over one’s head in January, Silas became cognizant of his fear. Why am I so afraid? What the H is wrong with me? he thought. I’m jumping at every shadow. First you’re jumping at imagined shadows in the dark, now you’re **** scared of some singing? Get a grip will ye?

In that instant Silas made up his mind. He drew his sword, and with all the skill he could muster, began to stealthily make his way toward the sound, determined to find its source and prove to himself he had nothing to fear.

As Silas began to make his way to the source and the sound became more distinct, Silas wondered if the was imagining the whole thing. It’s so much like the dream. As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Silas swatted it down and buried it with an effort of will. He took a deep breath and then continued to move toward the music, his mind focused intently on each foot fall of his soft, well worn boots. There’s nothing to be afraid of damnit. It’s just some singing.

[mountainbound]

Just some singing... in a language I've never heard, Silas suddenly realizes as he pads forward. Shortly after the thought registers, the music fades. A few minutes later the young ranger is approaching the Pillars, half-expecting to see a group of women waiting for him. But there's nothing. The three still-standing columns loom before him in a rough circle, the others long fallen. Just three, not six like in the dream.

Something is amiss though. While just yesterday Silas cleared the overgrown vegetation from the pillars so his wizardly friend could read them, today they're once again covered. It's as though ten years' worth of vines have grown up over night and coiled thick around each column, obscuring the strange sun-swirls and incomprehensible runes.

The morning passes from gray dawn to cloudy morning to muggy noon. Silas waits near the pillars wondering whether Daniel will keep his word when, sure enough, he hears the thump of a walking staff on the ground.

Disheveled, Dan enters the clearing and clasps hands with Silas warmly. The young wizard is clearly excited, and looks as though he hadn't slept much the night before. Without giving Silas a chance to open his mouth, Daniel launches into his tale. "What a day! What A Day! After I left yesterday, I went home, wondering what kind of excuse I was going to use so we could go sell the centipede plates. Pa was home, but he happened to be in a good mood. He was sampling some of his very first vintage. We sat together sharing a glass, and he got to talking about how he wants to do more winemaking." Daniel smiles conspiratorially. "So then I realized I had an angle. I told him that, since he has five barrels of fine wine, there's a whole world out there ready to drink it! Why not start selling his product to the masses! And who better to help with supplying than his own 'good-for-nothing' son?"

Dan laughs, "It wasn't hard after that to get him to let me out of my chores for the next week -- to deliver two barrels to the pubs in Archebald Outpost, and if they won't buy it, all the way to Houndsdale! He knows you're coming with me, and he holds no grudge toward you... a lot of people are on your side... but still, everybody knows the law is the law."

"Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get your bow. I saw your brother, Kavin, but your Pa was coming, and we couldn't speak. Your Pa don't like me any more than he likes you these days. Eh, I also ran into Emma Jenson." Dan raises his eyebrows suggestively. "She gives you her best. Hell, I'd sure like to know what her best was..." he sighs.

"Anyway, we're pretty much all set to leave. Only thing to do is get the canoe -- and that's a two man job. Everybody in town is busy with the impending voyage back to OR, and nobody's available to help me carry it, and two barrels of Dad's Finest, down to the Yakawanna." The lanky wizard frowns, "That's where it gets a little dicey. You think you can sneak into town tonight and help me carry the canoe and kegs? I can't do it alone. Hell, if you're as stealthy as you're always saying you are, you might even be able to sneak into your Pa's house and grab your bow on the way. What do you say?"

DM's Note Feel free to make any kind of skill check as you see fit -- I only ask for them when it's absolutely necessary. There's always more information available. High rolls will yield something to help, while low rolls will can produce interesting role playing opportunities.

[Krimchee]

"Ok. Let's do it. I'll just be happy to get out of this place for a bit." Silas ran his soot-stained fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath. He wanted very much to tell Dan about last night. But tell him what? I was scared as hell last night? After killing someone the day before and almost being lunch for a centipede I saw some eyes in the dark and was scared? He'll think I've gone bat-shite crazy.

But the dream was something else. Six pillars. Not three. Silas looked again at the vine covered rock. Could it be? "Dan, have a look over here at the pillar we cleared yesterday. What do you make of it? After giving Dan a few moments to come to his own conclusion, Silas says,"It's almost as if someone, or something is trying to hide it.

Silas tells Dan about the dream. Afterwards he starts to look for the pillars he saw in his dream.

Perception Check Perception Check Dice Roll: 1d20+6 (11)+6 Total = 17

[mountainbound]

Dan inspects the thick vegetation enveloping the pillars that the two young men just yesterday cleared off. "That's eff'd up," the wizard says. As Daniel tries to find the strange sun glyphs through the leaves covering one of the columns, Silas notices something peculiar. There in the dirt is a single footprint. Smaller than the hobnailed boots that he and Dan are wearing, the track was faint and made by someone who's cobbler was more skilled than any shoemaker in Leyhman's Hollow.

The friends pass a few hours talking and planning their trip, each trying to recollect what they knew of the Yakawanna River. Both were competent (though nowhere near expert) on the water, but neither had ever ventured too far on the river on their own. "I've been up to Archeebald Outpost a few times with my Pa," Dan says -- which is a lie, since Silas knows that Daniel had only gone once with his father, and had clumsily managed to upset the canoe along the way -- "and the water's not too rough. But that was usually later in the year, and I'm not sure if there'll be rapids now or not."

The boys ruminate on what supplies they need and then Daniel readies to go. "Meet me at my house tonight when you can, and we'll carry the stuff down to the river. I expect you'll be arriving after dark. Let me know if you need anything else and I'll see if Pa can spare it."

With that, the young wizard heads back to town, leaving Silas to collect or hide whatever belongings he doesn't plan on taking with him, and make his own plan for getting into town.

The hamlet of Leyhman's Hollow was comprised of several streets on the side of a hill overlooking the Yakawanna river. The small shanty town of Olliephant was on the other side of the water, but the place was infamous for its murderous and ill-bred men. It's the first place people looked for Silas after the "incident." No bridge connects the two towns -- only a ferry that only crosses once or twice a day. What's more, Olliephant was unprotected, whereas Leyhman's Hollow had a strong wall built around it, keeping out the crawlers and occasional beasts that wandered toward civilization during the night.

The Hollow has two gates, one to the east, facing the river, and one to the north-west, facing the woods. Both were closed about an hour after sunset, though one volunteer was set to guard each throughout the night. The encircling wall was made of 15' spruce logs, de-branched, sharpened at the tip, and set 4' into the earth. The boys knew this because they helped repair it just last summer. Thick ropes and mud mortar held the wall together and sealed the cracks. As any young boy knew, the wall was climbable, to a point -- no pun intended -- but it wasn't easy, and once you were at the top, you were completely exposed. What's more, the village guards scanned the wall periodically -- it was their job to do so -- looking for crawlers that got curious during the night. Being spotted was a real possibility if not timed just right.

The sun begins to slant westward as Silas considers how to stage his approach back to Leyhman's Hollow. Getting caught now would pretty much ruin everything. With a still-sore leg, and about 40lbs of Centipede plates to carry, it wasn't going to be easy.

DM's Note Let me know if you need more information. And, as Dan said, if you want specific supplies, say the word and he can see if they're available today. Whatever route into the town you choose, please provide appropriate rolls with your post. For instance, if you're going to try and enter through the gate, provide Bluff, Disguise, Diplomacy, etc rolls -- whatever combination matches your approach. If you go a sneaky route, Stealth would be helpful. Or, whatever you come up with. Up to you!

[Krimchee]

“Get some first aid supplies, seeing how the last few days went, we just might need them”. With that Silas shook Dan’s hand and said, “I’ll see you well after dark. I’m thinking a bit after midnight, when we can be reasonably sure that most the town is in bed. I’ll stop by my house first and see if I can’t grab my bow. Make sure you’re ready to go in case I’m recognized and we have to leave in a hurry.”The day passed slowly for Silas, the anticipation of going back into town kept him on edge and sitting still was torture to him, even with his wounded leg. He took the time to gather up a bit more of The Moss (for medicinal use of course) and sharpening both his pocket knife and his sword. As the evening wore on he found himself checking and re-checking all of his gear until he finally realized what he was doing and made a concerted mental effort to stop.

When the hour finally arrived, Silas began making his way down the path toward the town. He used no torch, instead relying on the familiarity of the path to guide him. At this time of night the moon was not yet high enough to shine down into the trees. It was very dark. Silas moved slowly, walking lightly and, ‘feeling’ the path with each step. As he walked, he continually looked up at the break in the trees above the path to guide him. His leg was sore, and he was finding it a bit harder to walk light footed than he was accustomed to. He grit his teeth every time he scuffed the ground, or stumbled. Damn leg.

When Silas finally came to the break in the forest, he cut along the edge, staying inside the tree line the whole time, until he came to a deserted section of wall that he knew would not be guarded at this time. At least he hoped it wouldn’t be guarded. As he sat and watched the wooden wall, he found his jaw was sore from clenching his teeth so hard. Relax, he told himself, You’ve only climbed this wall a million times with Dan. In the past, he, Dan and a few others would sneak out of the town on a regular basis, wine skins in tow, to partake where their parents would not catch them. But you weren’t a murderer sneaking back into town, he reminded himself, only a drunk.
After checking both ways and listening with every sense he had, Silas can to the conclusion that it was now or never. He hoped that this section of the wall, having the forest as a backdrop behind it, would conceal him a little bit should anyone be watching. He limped his way over to the wall, and once there began to search for a good foothold on the rope. Finding a bit of exposed rope about 3 feet high, he put his good foot on it and with a grunt, hopped up and reached for a hand hold. Be quiet, he told himself, as he began to climb.

Climb and Stealth Check Climb Dice Roll: 1d20+6 (7)+6 = 13 Stealth Dice Roll: 1d20+7 (4)+7 Total = 11

[mountainbound]

With a hurting leg and a sack full of centipede plates -- not to mention armor, an awkward new rapier on his hip, and a few other belongings, Silas struggles up the wall. It isn't easy going, and it takes him several tries, slipping and landing back in the wet, weedy grass growing along the wall more than once.

Being stealthy with so much gear was nearly impossible, and sure enough, just after Silas lands on the inside of Leyhman's Hollow, he hears the scrape of boots on gravel heading in his direction. At this time of night, there's no doubt in his mind that it's a guard coming to investigate. The light of a bullseye lantern shines from just around the corner as Silas gathers up his things and tries to assess which way to move.

DM's Note You climbed an area of the wall not far from your own house, so you know this part of the Hollow pretty well. There are front porches to hide under, a few trees to climb, and other nooks and crannies. Just a matter of making it to one of them, and quietly, before the guard spots you. Having to find your way with just a bit of starlight when you're in a hurry is a lot more difficult. Roll another Stealth check.

[Krimchee]

Shite, thought Silas, that was effin brilliant. Seriously annoyed with himself for such sloppy maneuvers, Silas took a deep breath. Focus d amn you. This is no time for mucking around. He quickly checked his gear, then began moving, taking care to hold down and prevent any loose gear from flopping about with the motion of his body. He moved lightly, all his attention focused on his feet and the ground in front of him.

A lantern. Double shite! His heart pounding, Silas turned the corner past Aunt Janet's house, moving up through the yard at an angle, keeping the house between him and the oncoming lantern. He quickly moved across Millie's yard, being careful not to rush [I]toomuch. There were some small hedges and a bit of brush separating Dan's yard from Millie's. Silas stepped over the two foot high hedges, and laid down on his stomach, positioning himself in the shadow cast by the hedges, and trying rather unsuccessfully, not to get pricked by the raspberry bushes. It'll have to do, he thought, laying stock still. He knew that if he kept perfectly still there was a good chance the gaurd would not see him. If he didn't have that lantern, I'd be screwed, Silas thought. He was counting on the gaurd to be looking for motion within the beam of light. As long as he's on that side of the hedges I should be good. As long as I don't move. Silas had used such lanterns before, and in his opinion, the gaurd would have been better off letting his eyes adjust to the dark and trust to his night vision. His heart pounding wildly, Silas focused on controlling his breath and breathing siliently. From where he was laying, he could just see the light from the lantern come bobbing around the front of Millie's house.

Stealth stealth Dice Roll: 1d20+7 (14)+7 Total = 21

[mountainbound]

Entrenched in the prickly raspberries, Silas breathes slow and steady, watching the guard walk from Millie's house and begin searching her yard. It's Hogan, a village boy four or five years older than Silas, and one who had a bit of a rebel streak in him. Then again, he had a mean streak too... "Where are you, ya filthy crawler?" he mutters as he strides toward the bushes. The beam from the lantern falls across Silas's back, but Hogan walks on, assuming it was a worm that breeched the wall, and obviously looking to see one.

Silas's house is further up the hill, commanding one of the best views of the valley. No candles brighten the windows -- you can assume Silas Sr. and your brother are both asleep. The doors are locked, but having grown up in the house, you know more than one way in.

DM's Note You can engage with Hogan if you like, or simply continue on to your Dad's house.

[Krimchee]

Silas just lay there for a while, listening to the panicked beating of his heart as the crunch of Hogan's footfalls faded into the distance. That was too close, he thought. He really had no desire to tangle with Hogan, or anyone else from the town for that matter. The blood of one neighbor on his hands was too much already. He really didn't know what he'd do in such an encounter if they really tried to detain him. To H. with the bow, he thought, I can get another one later. It's just not worth the risk of getting caught. After giving Hogan a few more moments of distance, Silas got up and began to make his way to where he planned to meet with Dan. The going was slow, and his leg pained him. He felt a bit weak and jitterry after the onslaught of adreneline pumping through him during his encounter with Hogan. But he gritted his teeth against the distractions and tried his best to focus on remaining unseen, and unheard.

Stealth 1d20+7 (4)+7 Total = 11

[mountainbound]

Hogan's red hair, illuminated by a wildly swinging lantern, disappears into the trees behind Sophie's house, and soon the sparsely wooded yards of the village quiet back down. Silas lays listening to his breath slow as the natural sounds of the cool summer night resume. Crickets, mosquitoes buzzing about his ears, the mewing of a cat. A black cat... the young ranger recognized it instantly: it was Dan's cat, Fritz. Taking the black cat brushing against him as a good omen, Silas rises and sneaks from tree to tree, ever toward his friend's house. Fritz follows closely behind, perhaps hoping Silas had a treat for her in his big bag of crusty centipede plates.

With the hour being late, and Hogan now out of site, Silas doesn't meet anyone else out and about. There's a candle burning in kitchen of Dan's house, and the wizard opens the door for Silas with perfect timing, as though he knew the exact moment the ranger stepped on his doorstep. Oh right, Fritz, Silas realizes. The mage and the cat shared an odd bond, so Dan knowing of Silas's approach might not be far from the truth.

"Silas, come in, come in," Dan says with some relief in his voice. His tone shifts quickly to friendly chiding: "You waited bloody long enough." Dan peers into the dark street before closing door. Inside, Dan's brother Geoff and his dad, Sy, are seated at the kitchen table. Silas knows they are on his side. The two men welcome the fugitive ranger warmly when he enters.

"How about a glass of wine, young man?" Sy asks, always eager to share his vintage. "Dan tells us that you've been surviving on nuts and berries for almost a week. Well, you're not going anywhere until you've had a decent meal. Dan, get him a plate of golumpki."

Meanwhile, Dan's older brother rolls the two casks of Sy's red wine into the kitchen. "Here they are. You two better be careful with that canoe on the Yakawanna -- or else." It was Geoff's canoe, after all.

[Krimchee]

When the door opened and Silas saw Dan's face he breathed a sigh of relief. “You waited bloody long enough,” Dan said. Silas grinned. “Yeah, well, I got stuck in the raspberry bushes for a while.”

As Silas stepped inside the familiar, comfortable domesticity of Dan’s house, his relief vanished. He became suddenly and painfully aware of the total state of dishevelment that surrounded his person. The contrast between his person and the orderly care of the house hit Silas like a punch in the gut. With the madness and panic of the last few days, grooming and personal hygiene had been the furthest thing from his mind. As he stepped inside the door, he was mortified to see muddy footprints appear mischievously behind him. The door closed with a metallic clunk. When Silas raised a hand to run nervously through his tangled brown hair, he saw his fingers were filthy and had black lines of soot outlining his fingernails.

“How about a glass of wine, young man?” Silas nearly jumped at the sound of Sy’s familiar voice. After hours of creeping, hiding, and slinking, Silas took it for granted that the same would apply here too, and that the house would be asleep at this hour. Yet at the same time it was a comfort to know that these people hadn’t turned their backs on him. Silas just wished he’d thought to tidy up a bit first.
“I’d love a glass Sir, but considering the circumstances, I think we should probably get going.” Of course, Sy would hear none of that, and before long Silas found himself tucking into the first real meal he’d had in what seemed like ages; after he’d washed his hands of course. After his second glass of Sy's magical ambrosia, Silas felt better than he had in ages, and he could feel the stress of the last few days begin to slough off him. But he still was anxious to go. The sooner the better.
After an appropriate amount of time had passed, Silas stood up. “Wellp, whadaya say Dan? We should prollly get going.” Silas and Dan said their goodbyes, and Silas shook Sy’s hand, thanking him sincerely for all his help.
Once all of thier gear was together, Silas said, “Whadaya say Dan? Shall we?”