[Game Thread] Chapter One - Boolyabay

[Admin Bhelogan]

Taken aback a bit by his mistake, Nailfin smiles at Lexa and apologizes. "She is large enough and has sharp enough teeth that I never ventured a look to verify, if you know what I mean. In any case, if she shows signs of fear, the need to fight, or to run I am going to follow." Looking up at the massive trees, Nailfin comments on his name. "I'm sticking with Dwarf Pines. We don't need every ship builder in the empire rushing out here to chop them all down. Seems were agreed though, off to Davynor River." Looking around he picks up a small rock, no larger than a grape. "Isn't that right Hurbert," he says to it, then tosses the rock into the ocean. "So, who has second watch?"

[theclaytster]

"Who was the first person to step on the shore? Whoever it was, why not name the beach head after them? My assumption is it was one of the crew. A little honor in their name is great for moral."

"I'll take second watch. The cool air and quiet will be wonderful." Brother Francis volunteers cheerfully.

With that, Brother Francis grabs a large crate, something that looks to load him down, and walks casually without strain or sweat, down the shoreline to the mouth of Davynor River. He finds a suitable location to place the crate and start humming. He looks around in amazement at the new land, spots some old tree limbs and starts piling them up. His humming turns into a song...

"A barrel of malt, a bushel of hops, you stir it around with a stick,
the kind of lubrication to make your engine tick.
40 pints of wallop a day will keep away the quacks..."

[Drachenspirit]

Jacked up this post while trying to copy it...

Warning: rolls have been deleted from this post.

[theclaytster]

When everybody is around, Brother Francis poses a question, "Who is going to create a map?" Though it was a general question, he looks at Lexa. "My drawing skills are limited at best."

[Jonwane]

Day 1 - Late Morning

After spending a few moments on the beach admiring the scenery and jotting down information in their journals, the party comes to the conclusion that following the river inland would be a advantageous first move. The captain of the Luck of Adventure does not hesitate to order his crew down to the mouth of the Davynor River where they will begin unloading the supplies needed to set up a base camp. As it is still morning with much of the day left, the party strikes off across the sand and into the shadows of the Sentinel Forest towards the sound of the river.

The giant trees not only serve as a wind block against the cold sea air, but they also seem to radiate a small amount of heat as you pass between them. Consequently the temperature within the forest is almost balmy compared to the beach. It is also rather dark, however. The towering trees do an excellent job of blocking the sunlight, which had already been filtered through clouds to begin with. It's not quite dark enough to warrant the use of a torch, but along with the gigantic tree trunks your visibility is very limited. Luckily the forest floor is quite clean and the fallen limbs that you viewed from the beach were some of the only forest detritus visible. Walking is quite easy, therefor and it does not take long for you to reach the river.

You break through the forest a small distance upstream of where the river meets the sea. It is not a large river, but it is swiftly moving and although you have no real reference by which to judge, it seems to be slightly swollen as if by recent rainfall. Its waters are a dark, emerald green that is so prevalent that you can only see into its depths for about a hand. As you approach you spot several small, furry creatures either frolicking or fighting close to the opposite shore. They must have good ears though, for almost as soon as you emerge from the treeline, they let out short, squeaking, cries and dive beneath the water. It is your first encounter with fauna on this new continent. Unfortunately they do not reappear so that you can get a better look.

The banks of the river are steeply sloping and rocky, which means that if you wish to follow the river inland you will have to go either by boat, paddling upstream, or follow its winding course along the forests edge. As you follow its course inland you notice that a dense fog hangs low over the treeline maybe a half a trek upstream. This could be a problem since the visibility within the forest is already limited.

Further observation reveals several plant species that seem to be thriving along the riverbank and out from under the dark canopy of the forest.

The major player is a slender, white barked tree with a multitude of spearhead shaped leaves that rustle loudly in the breeze. Another interesting aspect is that the white bark seems to naturally peel off in long strips without harming the tree. Several fallen strips lie at the base of each tree in various stages of decomposition.

There are also various types of mosses and lichens present, growing here and there atop rocks and fallen logs. Most of them appear to be species that are present in your homeland, but it is very hard to differentiate. There is, however, a species of mushroom that grows in large patches beneath the branches of the trees with the strange bark, that you have never seen.

The thing that catches your eyes, besides the fact that they seem to grow by the hundreds, is their bright red color. They also have white protrusions that grow out of the cap, but the red is so brilliant that it is almost unnatural in this environment of greens and browns.

 

Objective 1- Name the spear leaved trees.
Objective 2- Name the mushrooms.
Objective 3- Mention the aquatic animals in a journal post.
Objective 4- Plot your next move.

[FranklinRPer]

Looking to Brother Francis, Davynor shakes his head and begins walking to follow Lexa. "Not me. I have no skill in cartography. Never really needed it as a Druid. When it comes to how my Grove lives, where we are is where we are meant to be, generally speaking. And if I was ever lost, I simply asked the world around me where to go." Davynor moved to follow the river, walking along the bank. His eyes took in all around him as he walked easily through even the most dense brush with ease, leaving no trail of his own. "Oh, and do not be afraid if you cannot find me. I will be close, I promise. Call out for me if you have need and I will be there."

Once in the heavy growth, Davynor reached behind his head and pulled the hood of his cloak up, completely fading from view among the green. He wasn't particularly in a hurry, so he didn't move any faster than a light walk to conserve his strength, and since he made no trail as he moved through the woods, he was almost completely silent as well. As it begins to become dark under the canopy, Davynor will use his infravision when it's necessary. He's at home in these kind of woods, and so doesn't hesitate. He'll keep close to the group, no more than a stone's throw from them.

Davynor watched the furry animals dive into the water and ponders going after them to try and talk with them, but decides against it. He will take out his journal and stand very still so that he can write in it without alerting anyone that he's there, just in the light enough to see to write by. He sketches a rough drawing of the little animals before he forgets the basic impression he got of them, but he admits that his drawing isn't very good, even for him. He puts it away and runs his fingers over the bark of the strange white tree, using his connection to nature to discern similarities. Of equal interest are the mushrooms, one of which he'll squat down over and examine. Something about it strikes him as familiar.

[theclaytster]

Brother Francis sees Davynor looking at the patch of brightly colored mushrooms. "They look like prickly strawberries, red devils. I would imagine a nice poison in those." Grabbing a large spiked leaf from one of the white barked trees, he plucks one of the mushrooms and starts examining, looking for tell tale signs it is poisonous. He even squishes it a bit to bring out the juices. All the while making mumbling comments to himself. At the end, he throws the leaf and squished remains into the water and watches.

 

Will use my talented arsenal of skills to determine likelyhood of bad mushroom.

"What do you make of those small creatures? Dangerous? Edible?" His questions toward Davynor and those around. Then specifically to Davynor, "Maybe a trap to capture one?" Brother Francis takes another mushroom in the same manner, squishes it, and throws the leaf and remains into the water, intently watching the surface. "It truly is beautiful here." he says out loud, and then a bit software he responds to his statement "But beauty always hides a dark side. I wonder what it is?"

[Admin Bhelogan]

"Red Devils. I like that. Wouldn't surprise me at all if they are poisons. Might be worth capturing one of the local animals to test it out on." Nailfin looks around to see if perhaps there are any fish jumping from the water. The trees with the peeling bark remind him of a variant of tree he knows from much higher in the mountains. These were obviously at sea level. Perhaps they even were the same, but the bark peeled because they were in a much warmer climate. "Stripping Maidens?" He suggests as a name for the trees. Give's them a somewhat erotic name.

Now they needed to decide which way to proceed up the river. Having a boat could be an advantage, if for some reason they needed to flee back down the river quickly, but going upstream would be slow with the current. "I think I would prefer to go upstream on foot rather than by boat. I know the boat would have some advantages, but I think it would be more limiting than helpful given the river's current."

[theclaytster]

As his fingers start becoming numb. "Oh, those mushrooms are poisonous." Brother Francis spreads the fingers on his hands. "My fingers are numb and I was using a leaf to work with them."

[FranklinRPer]

Davynor gathers up some of the bark that's fallen off of the white trees and folds it as best as possible, putting it into his pack for later. He then takes a look at the mushrooms, tilting his head as if listening to something. "Hmm. These mushrooms will make you see things that are not there if you consume them, and will definitely poison you if you eat them." Davynor looked to the group. "If you are unsure if something is safe to eat, bring them to me and I will tell you."

He looked Brother Francis. "I also like the name Red Devils. As to the furry critters, I would say prey animals by their reaction to us as well as size. As for edible, I would imagine so, though I am not sure if it would be worth the trouble to run one down. If we become in need of food I will gladly catch one." Davynos stood and hooked his fingers into his belt, looking thoughtfully upstream. He smirked at the idea of naming the trees 'Stripping Maidens', but didn't reply to it, though it was an amused look rather than condescension. He'd let the others make that call, but if they agreed to the name he would chuckle over it. "Make sure that we show respect for these woods though. Those larger pines are perhaps thousands of years old. The smaller white ones here by the bank are perhaps 50. What is odd in my mind is that none of the trees thusfar have shown signs of being used for lumber."

Davynor motioned towards the fog. "I have no problem navigating through that, but I fear some of you might. We could perhaps tie ourselves together to make it through. Though that would mean our trailblazer would need to nigh-literally take us by the hand. I also have no issue taking by water. But again, it is more a concern for the rest of you. I will go with whichever path you choose."

[theclaytster]

 

Stats Current HP: 40 Max HP: 40 AC: 3 THACH0: 14 Weapon: Quaterstaff Damage: 1d6

Replying to Davynors response on the furry critters, "It's more of a curiosity about the little runts than anything else. The more we know about this place and its inhabitants, the more we understand what we could face. A food-chain kinda thing. They are low to the bottom, what is above them."

Brother Francis finds a nice place to sit down for a second an contemplate about the journey thus far. He reaches hap-hazzardly into one of the side pockets of his haversack without looking and pulls out his journal, ink and quill. He writes for a quick moment and puts the items back into the same pocket.

He breathes in deeply, sighs, and watches the occasional ripples in the water. His mind briefly goes off wandering, wondering what they are going to discover.

[Admin Bhelogan]

 

Nailfin Hearstring
HP: 71/71, AC: 1 Speed: 12 THAC0: 13
Weapons: Scimitar+5 1d8, Shortsword 1d6
Spell Slots 1st 1/1, PSPs: 135/135, Defense Mode: Tower of Iron Will
STR: 15 DEX: 15 CON: 18 INT: 12 WIS: 17 CHR: 10

"If we can figure out how to get the critters to come back up, I should be able to catch one," Nailfin indicates. "Navigation or getting lost isn't a particular concern of mine either. I can find my way about. Who specifically are we worried about getting lost? We can always do a buddy system. Tying a rope around us would be problematic if we find ourselves in an emergency."

[Yves]

 

Current/Max Health: 95/95
AC: 1
THAC0: 12
Two-Handed Sword Frostbrand +3 Grand Mastery Damage: 1d12+9/3d8+9
THAC0 w/ Frostbrand: 5, 2 vs. fire creatures
Attacks/Round: 5/2

Saving Throws
Paralyze: 8
Death Magic/Poison: 3
Rod, Staff or Wand: 4
Petrify/Polymorph: 9
Breath Weapon: 7
Spell: 5

Running Spells/Effects: Ring of Fire Resistance (Frostbrand), Protection from Hunger and Thirst, Cat's Grace, Strength, Ultravision, Stoneskin, Invisible Mail

"I can draw the map," Fyrian says, "As I said I'm pretty situated directionally and I know how to not get lost. Plus, I may be the only one who could get an overall perspective of the island." He looks at the others as if remembering some of their abilities. He's seen Davynor change into a seal, but wondered if he could morph into a flying creature as well. "Actually nevermind, I retract that statement. I don't know what abilities you guys have."

Fyrian walks up to one of the trees with spear headed leaves and tears some bark off. It was oddly satisfying like peeling an onion or cabbage. It just kept coming off, leaving the surface underneath spotless, like the new skin of a reptile. "Stripping Maiden...hm...how about Stripping Shieldmaiden? I'd like to give the tree name a little more edge to it."

[Drachenspirit]

 

Stats HP: 64/64 Armor class: 0 Weapons in Hand: Machete & Handaxe Machete THAC0:11, 2 attacks per round Machete Damage: 1d8+2 Handaxe THAC0: 5, 2 attacks per round Handaxe Damage: 2d6+7, Range 180' Increase party movement if within 30' of Lexa - see table 49 complete Rangers Handbook. Dice Attempt to move silently base: 1d100scl80 33 ✔ Dice Attempt to hide in shadows base: 1d100scl90 70 ✔ Dice Direction sense: 1d20scl14 17 ✘ Dice Alertness base: 1d20scl14 2 ✔ Dice Trailmarking Base: 1d20scl14 13 ✔

Getting to the river and seeing things Lexa takes it all in, listening to everyone before commenting.
I'm going with Candyapple Shrooms. You know, like the one's at a Fair, or festival? For the little critters, I think Davynor Otters is about right. S'what I'm gonna call 'em anyway. As for mapping, I'm a Cartographer as well, and one thing I know for sure is that we don't need to set foot on every piece of this land to map it. We'll hit the high ground, and everywhere we can't get a good look see at, we'll just have to go and criss-cross it. How's that sound?

[theclaytster]

 

Stats Current HP: 40 Max HP: 40 AC: 3 THACH0: 14 Weapon: Quaterstaff Damage: 1d6

"WHAT!?" Brother Francis blurts out. "Candyapple Shrooms!? I can see the resemblance, but do you want some child to have heard about these, take a bite and possibly die? Anything we come across and name we need to make sure we understand the consequences for those that follow. I would take from just the name of the mushroom that they are good to eat."

He calms down. "Let's use that name for something edible?" He offers out as a suggestion.