Taylen hands the sprite some rations

"Thanks!"

I'm planning on writing out a "Drak's thoughts" post to keep me occupied until I can involve myself without risk of evisceration, but would rather have this one not require any editing for once.

ooc:
Everyone is in or near (within 5 ft of) the wagons except Drakkenclaw (Drakkenmaw's character), who is about 20 feet away, on the far side from the trees. Drakkenclaw's back and head are visible above the grasses, however the color of his cloak makes his appearance similar to a large mound of dirt, so long as he doesn't move.

There's really nothing new to add to the action for the moment. There are hints as to where the road may lead you, but you need not follow them right away (if at all), especially since most of the party will need dinner and/or rest before moving on.

I should have thought of that...

Saeessira then "calls out" to Ithar, using her mind to do so

He turned back to his pile of stuff... Man, was he ever hungry. He decided to munch on some of the rations he'd found.

It's pleasant having a new sensation on your tongue, even if it's no more than dried rations. What's more, the serving that elf handed you would feed you for more than a day, were you not so eager for the flavor.

At your mental call, you hear a simple and quite friendly response, "Me here! Hi! High!" While the two words sound the same, you can sense the difference. Ithar is up in a nearby tree, with yet another coin in its beak. "Pretty coins all in a row," Ithar adds gleefully.

Willias

The elf beside you picked up the little winged girl, and carried her in the direction that you were headed for anyway. As you walked, you had the chance to listen in on their conversation.

Ruvyen

Getting something in your belly really hits the spot. Your hunger quickly slips from you as you eat, and after a few moments, you can feel your strength begin to return.

Oh Ithar, you will need to show me later. Right now...isn't a good time. Why not come down here and meet everyone?

She then grinned as she continued eating

Taylen goes back over the events of the night in his head while keeping a watchful eye out in case anything tries to threaten the camp

Taylen hummms softly to himself

They should have lit a fire by now, he thought as he stared at the shifting shapes of amorphous darkness, Why have they not lit a fire? There is no safety in numbers if the camp's members cannot catch peril before it strikes them one-by-one.

There is much these creatures should learn. I shall teach them caution before this night is through.

Stilling his thoughts once more, the watcher again stared intently at the blackness of the camp. He had to wait, wait for them to go still, before he could do anything.

EDIT - Random tense shift in the middle of the post. BAD WRITER. NO BISCUIT FOR YOU.

[ 01-03-2002: Message edited by: Drakkenmaw ]

ooc:
As of now, Reyolen's character will be treated as an NPC. Considering Reyolen's nearly complete absense, the character will be phased out quickly unless he shapes up soon.

A not-so-quick note on vision in third edition. The concept of "infravision" from earlier editions has been broken out into two categories: "low-light vision" and "darkvision". Darkvision, the sole province of dwarves and half-orcs (the latter of whom I've already said aren't allowed as PCs), and provides total vision of shapes and structure up to a specified range. However, because darkvision removes any indications of color and brightness, it cannot be used for such activities as reading in the dark. Darkvision kicks in when existing light conditions do not allow normal vision. Low-light vision is simply improved vision in semi-darkness, which increases the range of vision in less-than-ideal lighting (but not in total darkness).

Ithar replies cheerily, "People? Okays." In a moment, the little bird pops out of the grasses before you, and perches on your lap. It has a coin in its beak. "Coin?"

Taylen

The area is quiet, with the sounds of animals. The view before you is equally indistinct, as it has now grown quite dark. Even elven eyes have their limits.

Drakkenmaw

Most of the figures seem to have gathered behind a wagon, out of your range of sight. Only one shadow, moving occasionally, remains in your easy field of view.

ooc:
Posts for any characters (in this case Reyolen's elf) that are taken over from their players will be marked with the player's name in brackets. It seems like the best way.

After several moments of stunned silence, the robed elf finally comes to his senses once again. "What... I... you bumbling wench! If you had done your job, I would be enjoying a hearty supper at home about now. How dare you blame me for your incompetence! Unlike you, I know how to do what I'm paid for. Don't you ignore me! Get up and give me what you owe, you half-breed tart!"

"And you," he continues, ranting, "all of you, what are you all sitting around for? You, dwarf! Fix me something edible before I die of hunger. It's bad enough that these ruffians brought me all the way out here; I simply will not tolerate these conditions any longer."

"A coin? For me? How kind of you Ithar!" said Saeessira

She then chuckled a bit at the bird

I look forward to getting to know you better, Ithar!

The little bird chirps, dropping the coin from its beak into your lap. It looks up at you, and chirps again. "Me smell food?" you hear the bird ask.

Taylen

It is early yet in the spring, and scattered branches lost to their owners this past winter would make fine kindling if you gather enough of them. The grasses surrounding the group's campsite would also burn quite well, which could work out for the worse if you forget to be cautious.

Aanile

The robed elf seems to pay you little heed. With those rare glances in your direction, he looks down his nose at both you and the half-elven girl beside you.

Twin Moon watches quietly from its perch atop the nearby wagon. There is now a little girl sitting nearby, with another elf beside her (Willias's elf). Neither of these figures caught your particular attention up until now. The little girl appears to be playing with a bird of her own. The half-elven girl remains sound asleep, despite the robed elf's yelling.

You awoke just in time to notice Taylen wandering off towards the trees.

Khazmon gets up from leaning against his pile, and looks at the elf.

"'Fraid all I could find was rations and some meat in one of the carts," he says, "and I'm not really sure if the meat's safe."

ooc:
Quick reference on the party's outfits:

Aanile's fellin is wearing leather armor, which covers most of her form, and a backpack on her back. Her hands, feet, head, and tail are all exposed, and she has on no other garments to speak of.
Drakkenmaw's lizardman carries a shoulder bag, and wears a large brown cloak, held closed by a leather belt.
Falaanla's daysprite is wearing a small, oriental-style woman's tunic and sandals. A gap in the back of the outfit accommodates her wings. She carries a small shoulder bag, appropriate to someone her size.
Reyolen's (currently NPC) elf is wearing a scholar's robes. His backpack is not on his person.
Ruvyen's dwarf has on an explorer's outfit. There is also a set of chainmail that would fit him, but he's not wearing it at the moment. His backpack was burned to cinders.
Taylen's elf has on an explorer's outfit over leather armor, and carries a backpack on his back, as well as the ex-backpack belonging to the half-elf.
The half-elf NPC is wearing an explorer's outfit. Taylen's elf has her bag.
Willias' elf is wearing a traveler's outfit (an inexpensive garment suited to his traveling habits). He has a backpack on his back.

I hope all that's useful

[ 01-05-2002: Message edited by: Ford Prefect ]

"Well, fine then," the robed elf states haughtily. "Have it prepared, and let me know when it's ready. In the meantime, do fetch my belongings from under that... creature. I simply must have my mirror, as this ordeal has surely done nothing for my appearance."

He decides to try again. He goes to the lizardman he was trying to push before, and starts pushing it again with all the strength he can muster.

ooc:
Willias hasn't posted since New Year's Eve, so I'm getting a bit worried. His absense isn't a big problem, at least for now. If anyone needs to interact with Willias's character, and he doesn't respond, I will treat him as an NPC until his return. He has provided a decent foundation for the character so far. Hopefully, whatever has kept him does not prove to be a long-term problem.

There are some reasonably thick fallen branches, though nothing so grand as a fallen log. It takes only a couple minutes to gather enough wood for a decent fire.

Between your backpack, the half-elf's shoulder bag (formerly her backpack), and the large supply of wood you've gathered, you're starting to notice the weight of it all. The wood, most of all, is awkward to carry, and the combined weight of your present load may be even more than your own body.

Ruvyen

Straining against the dead lizardman's weight still proves to be a difficult job. After a moment, your darkvision is spotted with twirling and moving stars, but your efforts pay off. The lizardman's corpse rolls over, landing face-down with the backpack on top of it. You would still need to remove the straps from the beast's arms (or the other way around) to free it, but you can now access the bag's contents if you choose to do so.

She Rumages around her back, searching for a bit of meat to eat. She sees the little creature with the wings, and sniffs softly.

I...Im not food...

She then says...

Do I smell tasty or something?

Taylen drops some wood until he has a manageable load and brings it back to camp piling it near the center
Taylen drops his bag and the half elf's by Frey "Watch these for me please" and goes back to collecting the rest of the wood

"I not.. eat, you" She says in hard to understand common.

Your backpack seems somewhat lacking in food supplies, though that has rarely been a problem in the past. The little bird looks appetizing, though it would hardly be more than a mouthful, and eating it might upset the little winged girl playing with it. Then there's the char-broiled lizardman meat from the two bodies near the dwarf and his pile. You could also try rummaging through the two bags Taylen just dropped beside you, though neither one smells like food.

Falaanla

Ithar chirps, then hops up onto your shoulder, and begins plucking crumbs from your chest, separating them skillfully from the fabric of your gown.

ooc:
Hmm... Aanile, you didn't have that in your inventory. Consider the jerky your last few strips, not even a meal's worth. As for the mouse, well... Twin Moon probably caught it earlier in the day. Fresh mice don't keep very long.

The owl hops down from its perch atop the wagon, fluttering a few times before landing on the fellin girl's shoulder. It hoots twice, staring at the little mouse.

"Now..." Khazmon mutters to himself, in between breathing, "The hard part..."

Frey looks at the lizard man bodies, and moves over to one by one of the wagons (asumming I'm reading it all right) and sniffs at it. She looks at the people in the camp with a bit of a smile on her muzzle "Who.. wants... a peice?"

ooc:
I put up a close-up of the current scene in the MAPS section of the website. It is only an approximation, to help represent where everything is around you, so don't feel too limited by it.

At her first chance, Twin Moon snatches the mouse, and flies back to her perch atop the wagon where the half-elf is still asleep. She appears to be picking at the mouse, pulling away the tasty bits; one of her favorite evening activities.

Taylen

The wagons are set in a loose diamond. The supply cart forming the southeast side and the cage-wagon on the northwest side both face northeast, towards the trees. The toppled cage-wagon on the southwest and the remaining cage-wagon on the northeast both face roughly east. Your traveling companion has made her way to a charred lizardman body beside the supply wagon.

Drakkenmaw

You once again see movement in the camp. Several figures are now moving around, though none seem to be approaching you. There is still not enough light to make out more detail.

Aust looks at the ground and slowly walks towards the camp.

"Hrm, what do I do now... Well, first I should apologize to the... girl. Then, I guess I should look for another party to take on the goblins near Terranada..." He pauses, "A party... thats what I have here isn't it! Maybe I should go ask them for thier names, and maybe what a few of them are as well, knowing only Khazmon isn't going to be enough to take on those goblins, and then follow this group around for a while and..." He pauses and a grin appears on his face, "Maybe get them to help me with those goblins, of course I would split the gold between each of them. Maybe getting lost will turn out great after all!"

Aust begins to head back to the wagon area, but grabs his stomach. "Erp..." Aust's stomach makes a loud rumbling noise. "I think I will ask for help... after I eat." With a grin on his face, Aust heads back to the wagons for food.

[ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: Willias ]

ooc:
Firelight incoming!

Striking the pieces of wood together doesn't do much good. Nor does striking the wood with blades of cut grass. However, once you strike the flint against the steel, things improve.

It takes a moment for the sparks to catch on the first blades of grass kindling. After that, however, flame spreads quickly over the pile, and through it, making a large burst of flame lick several feet in the air before dying down to a normal-sized campfire. Maybe you used a bit too much tinder, but at least it lit.

Unfortunately, the flash blinds you for a brief moment. You manage to stumble backward by reflex, and find yourself standing a good five feet away from the campfire when your sight returns.

Aanile

The charred scales of the corpse take a moment to tear away, much like stripping the bark from a tree. Inside, however, the cooked meat is tender and juicy. It smells a bit bland, but otherwise not too different from chicken.

After a moment, you notice a small burst of fire rise up from beside your elven companion, then die down. He stumbles backward, then stands somewhat dumbfounded for a few seconds.

Falaanla

Without warning, the landscape is lit by a flash from within the camp. "Yipe!" you hear Ithar exclaim, and he takes off for the trees. An owl also flies over your head, following much the same course as Ithar, and the two of them perch in a tree about 20 ft or so away, the owl settling a few feet above your companion, and both at least 8 ft off the ground.

That is about the range of your vision, as the firelight douses the camp in an orange glow.

Willias

The group appears quite diverse at this point, though not exactly overwhelming in numbers. There are two other elves besides yourself, a fellin girl, a sleeping half-human woman, and the little girl you heard calling out before (whom the leather-clad elf carried into camp a moment or two ago). There's also Khazmon, the dwarf who introduced himself to you already.

A burst of light from the center of camp catches your attention. After a brief flare, the fire settles down to normal proportions, illuminating the camp and a short distance around it.

Ruvyen

A bright flash overwhelms your darkvision, shrouding the landscape in blessed light for a brief instant. After it dies down, you can see normally with your day-vision, though you were able to see further from the camp's edge when there was no light to speak of. You do, however, notice something in the edge of your vision. It appears the rock you saw before now reflects the firelight in two small, twinkling points, level with each other, and barely above the grass.

Drakkenmaw

A burst of bright light emerges from behind the overturned wagon closest to you. While the initial burst of light overwhelms your eyes, you can now see clearly into the camp.

In the rightmost of your field of view is the figure who might have noticed you before. He is a dwarf, and appears to be paying no attention to you, at least for the moment. Instead, his attention over the past while has apparently been focused on some elongated object lying in the grass beside him. There is a cart just on his other side, tipped away from you. Beyond that, you can see a feline tearing away at something, though her prey is obstructed from view.

To the left of the overturned wagon is another wagon, with bars running from top to bottom. Through the bars, you can see an elf, along with a head of bright red hair. The grasses around you still obstruct your view beneath the cart, and of anything else too near the ground.