Today's Goals
(Posts in the near future should attempt to accomplish the following. Completed attempts will earn a 30 XP reward)

1. Location and status. Establish where your character slept last night and why.
2. Morning preparation. Review daily morning rituals, including outfitting and spell preparation. I want to be a stickler about this, especially at first.
3. Consumption. How and what are you eating this morning? Manage your inventory accordingly.
4. Consolidation. We need to bring the group together. Ultimately, everyone should try to find a reason to be arriving at the market square before or around noon for ye olde inciting incident.

Pale blue eyes cracked open as the warm hands of the morning sun caressed Ari’s face gently.

Sitting up, some sticks and brambles fell off, and turning their head, they noticed a rabbit out of the corner of their visage yet when they opened their mouth to greet it, the small creature disappeared into the underbrush.

“Mn.”

Grunting, Ari glanced upwards, noticing despite the warm weather, dark clouds were rolling in from the south. Pawing around for their pack, grabbing the worn leather with one hand, with the other forefinger pointing at the sky, Ari mumbled a single word.

“Predict.”

It started as a golden sun before slowing darkening and finally turning into a dark cloud. It flashed a bright golden light a few times and Ari leaned forward, squinting slightly, before they brought out a small bundle wrapped in worn down cloth. A single tug revealed strips of venison, cured into jerky. Picking up a strip, Ari sighed.

“Troublesome.”

Rain never bothered Ari, but they usually watched it from the wooden overhang which they called home though it was nothing more than a hut built to withstand the elements. It was the lightning which was more so the pain in the ass. While the town of Eistwood was hospital enough - Martha was always more than willing to provide a room, especially if she could haggle for lower prices of the pelts Ari brought in - the wood elf preferred the company of beasts.

Nibbling on the dried meat, Ari picked up their quarterstaff, the bear claw clattering against the aged wood. Normally they would like to spend some time relaxing in the morning before heading off, but with the promise of thunderstorms later, it was best to take care of business early.

Closing their eyes, Ari could feel the thrum of the earth and letting out a breath, they began to attune with the natural energy surrounding them.

Kevyn's forehead throbbed painfully as he woke up, a sense of general unease filling every limb in his body. As he slowly opened his eyes, he groaned as he looked down at himself.

He was laying in one of the guild hall's side chambers, sprawled out over a straw-filled bed, smelling very faintly of honey, an odor anybody who knew him, including himself, knew meant he'd had too much mead the night before.

And it showed. He could feel some light bruises on his face and see them on his arms and chest, his chest emblazed with blue, painted on Tiwaz rune...a victory symbol.

Kevyn groaned furiously with himself, sitting up and moving to try to rub off the painted ᛏ .

After managing to smear it slightly before giving up, he opened up his backpack and started eating through some of his food, this morning's choice, like every other breakfast and meal on the road, being dried mutton and bits of hard biscuits. He'd just arrived in town the night prior, before his apparent trip to the tavern...he'd need to get some fresher meals at the marketplace later.

As he started to get dressed, covering up the blue symbol and starting to strap on his backpack, checking for tools. He was averse to leave any in the room...you never knew when somebody would need something fixed up, and it paid to be prepared.

Content with his preparations, he turned and left, heading out for the marketplace.

After a spell, Ari opened their eyes again. A glance upward showed the looming clouds slowly drawing closer, and Ari estimated in a couple of hours the thirsty earth would be getting more than its fill.

Buttoning their pack up, Ari grunted as they slung it over their shoulder. The weight made it difficult to move at their normal pace but the wood elf learned from experience having supplies for the trip into town was worth the slower speed.

Pushing their way through the brush, they only had a second to react when they felt their foot press down on something hard, hearing the snap before the unbearable pain flooded their senses.

Screaming out in pain, Ari crashed to the ground and turned the head to see a hunting trap designed for a bear digging into their ankle. Metal dug into their skin and blood was quickly staining their brown pants an ugly crimson red.

Gasping, Ari sat up and grasped the teeth on either side of their leg and pried it back, quickly removing their leg before letting go of the device, allowing it to snap shut again - this time without its prey.

“What the fuck?” Ari demanded, swearing in order to keep their mind off the pain as they inspected the wound.

It wasn’t working. The searing pain was the only thing flooding their senses, and it was impossible to concentrate for long enough to call upon the natural energies to heal the wound.

Njáll gathered some berries from a bush as he pushed onwards through the night, popping them into his mouth one at a time as he got ever nearer to the town of Eistwood. He had been here before, and his regular migration schedule caused him to be in the area three or four times a year. He would pop in tomorrow evening, sell the furs, hides, and meat he'd gathered from his hunt, and use the gold he earned to restock on any supplies he needed.

He had been marching most of the night at a regular pace, gathering food as he went, and he was sure the sun would be rising fairly soon. He spent the better part of the next hour scouting out a good spot to make camp. It had to have a limited number of ways in and out, so that he could secure the area with his traps. Between dense thistle bushes, a large boulder, and some conveniently placed trees, Njáll finally found the perfect spot.

By the time he had finished spreading out the caltrops, sticking the iron spikes in the ground point-up, and setting the hunting trap, the sky was already beginning to turn pink on the eastern horizon. He quickly set up his hammock in one of the trees and got ready for bed, taking off his armor and weapons, setting them down by his backpack at the base of the tree. He took the old dagger with him up into the hammock, and bundled up under his blanket and cloak to enter his trance.

About three hours into his meditations, a loud sound woke him up. There was a familiar *snap*, some pained screaming, and some swearing. Njáll bolted up from his rest, disoriented. They found us! he thought, adrenaline-hot blood pulsing through his veins. He grabbed the quick release rope and pulled it loose. The hammock fell from the tree, its speed mediated by the heavy anchor stone he'd tied the other end of the rope to, and the drow insurgent scanned the ground for raiders as he dropped. White hair--a drow scout had fallen into his hunting trap. Njáll had to kill the scout before it could report back to the raiding party.

Leaping out of the hammock, letting the stone pull it back into the trees, Njáll landed on top of the unsuspecting elf, tackling them to the ground and pressing the blade of the dagger against their throat. "Who are you? Where's the rest of your party? TELL ME!"

Ari slammed to the ground for the second time that day, their head ringing as an uncomfortable weight settled on their chest and once again the feeling of steel pressed against the elf's skin. There was some yelling and it took a moment for the world to stop spinning before Ari could focus on their assassilint.

Pale blue eyes met a similar hue yet it was the ebony skin and white hair which caused their breath to catch in their throat. Worse yet, it was a face they recognized - though one they hadn't seen in over 100 years - and at once their body froze. Their breathing became more erratic and darkness began to take over their vision as no matter how much they gasped, not enough air could fill their lungs. It was like they were drowning and in the back of their mind they could hear the quiet urge to fight and their fingers pawed around for their quarterstaff, pathetic whimpering gurgling in their throat.

No. No. No. No.No.No.No.No!No!No!NO!NO!NO!

The intruder crumpled when Njáll landed on them, and broke down into panicked, whimpering cries instead of answering the insurgent's questions. As Njáll looked over the elf, the dark clouds began to clear from his mind. Copper skin...not a drow? He saw Nausicaä in his mind's eye, her mouth moving but her voice silent. Copper skin, golden hair. He wasn't sure what she was saying, but it radiated with kindness and compassion for all living things.

Stunned, Njáll looked down at the terrified wood elf beneath him. Their hand was scrambling for something, eventually finding purchase on a quarterstaff. Njáll easily dodged out of the way of the blind swing, dropping his dagger and crawling backwards on his hands and feet to give some distance between them. The elf seemed familiar, with their copper skin and white hair, pale eyes. The beads around their neck gave it away.

"...Ari?" Njáll said. The little slave child I used to torment. Oh dear.

Njáll crawled closer to the wood elf, trying to calm them down. "Ari, I'm sorry. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm glad to see you made it out of the Underdark. I'm glad to see you're still alive. Calm down, I won't hurt you, I promise."

The morning sun caressed Amaiel’s face, and her eyes fluttered open. She raised her right arm. A snake was wrapped around it.

“Good morning, Noodle,” she said. The snake hissed softly. She lowered her arm again, and Noodle uncoiled from it. She got up, dug around in her enormous backpack, and produced some dried jerky. She sat down, and Noodle wrapped around her left leg. She cut off a piece of jerky, and fed it to the snake, while she ate the rest.

After breakfast, she made a quick prayer to the nature spirits, clutching the unicorn figure her father had carved from a piece of yew wood. Then, she cleaned up her camp, gathered her belongings, put on her armour, her weapons, and her enormous backpack, and left, with Noodle still coiled around her leg.

She’d made her camp just off the main road leading to a town by the name of Eistwood. She emerged from the vegetation off the side of the road, and set off towards the town. She looked up. Dark clouds were on the south horizon, but for now, the weather was pleasant. Maybe if she made good time, she could make it to the town before the clouds would.

For about an hour, she travelled without incident. Then, she heard a scream in the distance. She started running towards the sound. She arrived at the source in time to witness a drow and a wood elf, the former on hands and feet, the latter lying prone, brandishing a quarterstaff. Their leg was bleeding.

“Noodle, stay back,” Amaiel commanded. The snake let go of her leg, and slithered under a nearby shrub. The yuan-ti dropped her bags, and brandished her shield.

“What is going on here?” she asked. “And what happened to your leg?”

Daily XP rewards have been assigned. Ari has taken 1 point of damge. Njáll has been successful in his forage: he's gathered primarily black huckleberries, which are flourishing right now, and a few reasonable sized crabapples, although it's a bit early. He can carry some, all, or none of the 16 lbs (lol) he found. The fruit will keep a week. A more robust way for me to keep track of food is coming soon (TM).

Prepared spells: Alarm, Fog Cloud, Sleep, Unseen Servant


6:20 am
In her house clothes, Milly walks to the barn to milk her favorite cow, Nettle. She puts out cattle feed and collects approx. 2 gallons of fresh milk at 5.4 % fat content. Using a small copper drinking glass, she drinks 400 mL on the spot. Milly pats Nettle on the side and tells the animal that she will be back later and to enjoy this morning's weather while it lasts. Milly takes the remaining 7 L back to her house, partitioned into two copper buckets, grabs her wand off the kitchen counter, and casts Ray of Frost to preserve the milk.

7:15 am
Milly takes two eggs out of a bowl on the counter and scrambles them on the stovetop. She salts and eats them as soon as they are prepared. After breakfast she tidies the kitchen and changes into work clothing.

8:00 am
Milly casts Unseen Servant and instructs the servant to collect and package some goods (jerky, leathers, sausages) for the market. Meanwhile, Milly cleans the chicken coop and feeds the chickens. She weeds the back garden, picks a few strawberries for herself, and returns to the house with two eggs. She puts the eggs in a bowl on the counter.

10:10 am
Her servant disappeared after its task, leaving her with a bundle of meats and leather on her kitchen table (valued at 1 GP). She takes this and both buckets of milk, grabs her trusty travel backback, and exits the property. Milly begins the walk to the local market square, approx. 10 km away -- a 2 hour walk for her. She leaves the buckets of milk on her neighbour's porch on her way out, humming to herself.

At approx. 12:15 pm, she arrives at the market square.

Ari backed up hurriedly as Safir approached again, hissing-

“Shillelagh!” the quarterstaff pulsing with power, vines beginning to crawl down from the unicorn hair which tied the bear claw and hawk feathers to the yew wood. Pointing it at the Drow, they ignored the phantom thrum of pain all over their body.

“Don’t get any closer! I’m not fucking stupid!” Ari hissed, memories they didn’t want to recall seeping back into their consciousness. Clenching the quarterstaff tighter, the wood elf refused to look at the crimson stain which was beginning to dominate their ankle, lest they found themselves back in the Underdark when they were a pathetic child whose life and worth relied on the whim of those who saw them less than the cattle they ate.

“What is going on here?” a new voice demanded. “And what happened to your leg?”

Whipping around, Ari found themselves looking up at a yuan-ti pureblood staring down at them. They were a lot broader across then either elf, and just on their person, Ari could see a great axe. Licking their lips, the wood elf glanced between the two, trying to find the proper words to say.

Njáll backed away from Ari as the wood elf pointed their quarterstaff at him, the wood thrumming with some kind of magical energy. "I'm not going to hurt you," the drow said, prostrating himself on the ground before the ex-slave. "I'm sorry."

Before Ari could attack, they were interrupted. Njáll looked up at the yuan-ti. "Who are you? Be careful where you step, Ari already stepped in my hunting trap. We don't need any more injuries here. Nobody else needs to get hurt."

Groaning as he left the comfort of sleep, Drake began to shift his weight. His neck was stiff and required slow movement, and his back felt only pain. In fact his entire body felt pretty much only pain. And cold.
Bloody cold.

He opened his eyes to find the world had become blurry. How does that even happen? A great sorcerer must have cast a powerful spell for the world to lose it's definition. No matter, if his eyes weren't to work, he must use his hands to figure out where he was. He moved his arms vaguely in windmills, wincing when his shoulders pulled his back. He found a rough, cold material behind him, leaving his hand with residue.

'CUNT', he bellowed, though it almost winded him and now he truly noticed the throbbing in his stomach. Another person might wonder whether it hurts to be hungover, or to sleep against fucking tree. Again. Not a very good drunk, Drake had made a habit of simply sitting down to pass out instead of preparing for his sweet release.

With his eyes still out of commission, he felt around on the floor for his backpack. Some movement in his body had returned, and as he found the strap of his back he had to lean a little to pull it towards him. Almost immediately after, he felt something firm yet soft strike him from the left.

Opening his eyes he realised he'd simply lost his balance and fallen over, but that was irrelevant to his new quest. He pulled his bag close to him, and blindly felt around inside it. After what felt like a lifetime he'd found a slice of bread. Nearly lost a finger to a loose dagger, but it didn't matter when he took his first bite. It felt like a loving hug.

Unsure if he was thinking or not, he spent around an hour laying on the ground before he realised his ears were picking up some noise. Sounded like a scream?

Eh, they're not screaming at me

He waved his hand gently and rolled back over attempting to sleep.

“I’m Amaiel,” the yuan-ti said. She turned to the stricken wood elf. “I can heal your leg,” she said. “Just hold still.”

She dropped her shield. Then, to show that she meant no harm, she also dropped her greataxe, mace, and javelin. She approached the wood elf slowly, trying to be as non-threatening as possible.

The OP has been slightly edited in keeping with the new rewards system detailed in the OOC thread. Appropriate XP rewards have been assigned. Nothing else to report!

Location:

While the reptilian paladin helped heal Ari's injured leg, Njáll quickly gathered his things and took down his camp. Since Ari and Amaiel were also going into town, and Njáll's mediation had been interrupted already, it made more sense to go with them instead of waiting until evening. Besides, he wanted more time to perhaps catch up with Ari--and maybe make things right.

He started by untying the anchor stone from his hammock, rolling up all his bedding materials together and strapping them to the top of his backpack. Then he gathered up his caltrops, iron spikes, and the hunting trap, as well as the dagger he had dropped earlier. Finally, he put on his leather armor and his rapiers. He offered some of the fruit he had gathered over the night to the other two, and ate some himself for breakfast. Then, from what was left, he wrapped up the best of it (about five pounds) and hid the remainder away in a bush in case he came back this direction later. No sense carrying more than he was going to use or be able to sell.

When the other two were ready, Njáll followed them into town. The sun was up well and good at this point, so Njáll pulled the hood of his cloak low over his eyes to keep the bright light out. As he had made his camp only just outside of Eistwood, it took them hardly any time at all to get there. He recognized a few of the regular townies and wondered if they too recognized the dark, mysterious hooded figure who dropped in every once in a while to sell his goods.

By the time they reached the market square, Njáll was already scanning for threats and making sure he had a way out if he needed it.

At the market

On a day like this, the market draws half the town at noon hour and there must be 100 people in the dusty square. Many of the tradesfolk have left their offices, workshops and smithies to enjoy a trout pie in the balmy weather - appreciating the sun in anticipation of an afternoon downpour. Meanwhile, merchants both local and foreign have caught their second wind and are jovially calling out their business to all who'll listen.

<<Made an opposed check vs passive perception for the 5 characters at market, yall lost>>

Ari, Njall, and Amaiel are still trying to get their bearings - moving awkwardly through a crowd that has a natural and well practiced rhythm beguiling to outsiders - when the commotion begins. A terrified animalian bellow rips through the crowd and suddenly the south west corner of the market square is in chaos. People scream and shove, madly trying to avoid the trio of horses which are wildly rearing and stamping; each attempting to throw a dark-cloaked rider.

<<The cloaked figures make DC 15 animal handling checks. Two succeed>>

Two of the horse thieves make practiced jerks of the knees and manage to direct the fear and rage of their beasts. In a blink, they are stampeding out of the market to the south. The third thief struggles with their animal and their hood is knocked free in the commotion, revealing an elegantly horned wine-red tiefling.

People begin to get their bearings. A few make steps forward as if to challenge the thief, when a cry from the market's north entrance diverts your attention.

<<The final villain and John Zuffa make opposed grapple checks. The villain wins.>>

A lean and dangerous looking human is holding a knife to the throat of a young boy - both Kevyn and Millie recognize the Steel Merchant's son, and on cue his mother screams in distress.

"Oy! Quiet now!"

Alice Zuffa quickly gets a hold of herself, anger growing to meet fear as she stares down her son's assailant.

"No reason for alarm, good people. We'll be taking these animals today, but that's all we're after. Stay still and cooperative and we can have a lovely afternoon. Follow us and the boy is done for."

<<The thief has readied an action. If you make any move towards him, brandish a weapon, or begin to cast a spell and he notices he'll attack the hostage, then your action will resolve, then I'll want everyone to roll initiative. Any other action and we can stay out of initiative order for now>>

On the road

<<Opposed stealth check vs Drake's passive perception. The pirate wins>>

Drake is suddenly incredibly aware that he is about to be bothered. Some creature or being is creeping through light woods to his right, headed in the general direction of the town, and likely to stumble on him in moments. Might be best to speak up before that happens? Or maybe a little pirate business is in order.

<<This is the rear scout for the horse thieves, she is a half-elf. If you engage with her she'll lie about her purpose for being here, but she's not great at it (she rolls deception at +0) If you decide to attack her before speaking you have a surprise round. If you decide to speak and then attack roll initaitve>>

At the market


Kevyn had been trying to find some more food that to his liking, when the charging horses and screams of distress had demanded his attention. He was maybe fifteen feet from the northern gate and the hostage, but the dagger at the boy's neck made him hesitate. This situation seemed like the sort of thing to stay well away from. It was just horses, and as long as nobody else charged in the boy would be fine.

[Bond: Kevyn loves his fellow men, and wants to help them. He refuses to turn away from others who need his help.]

Cursing his own flash of cowardice, Kevyn lifted his arms high, trying to make it obvious he wasn't holding any of his weapons, taking a hesitant step to ensure he was visible.

"Let the child go!" he said, staring at the thief. "He's just a boy!"

[Rolled for Persuasion. Result: 1d20+3= 23 ]

On the road

Drake sat up. He contemplating standing, but he would still need a few moments to build his constitution. The hangover had mostly passed and now he just felt hungry again.

"Hey uh, whoever's out there. Any chance you've got some good grub?"

The sound of footsteps ended, though the sound of snapping twigs betrayed their attempt to be quiet.

"Come on, I'd really appreciate some compassion right now. This bread tastes like ass."

After some hesitation, the steps began again and a tall figure appeared from behind a large tree. Drake's view was finally beginning to return and he made out what appeared to be an elf. No!
A half elf.

Drake grinned and posed in a way he thought was endearing, but in all honesty was probably more smug than anything.

[Rolled for Persuasion. Result: 1d20+7 = 20]

Market

The thief doesn't immediately react. He appears to coolly evaluate Kevyn's hulking frame, the continued struggles of his partner on the horse 50 ft away, and the hundred eyes suddenly on him. Finally his gaze returns to his own knife pressed against young John's neck and for his demeanour finally cracks. With a frustrated grunt he adjusts his grip and suddenly seems far less threatening.

<<Kevyn's check is a crtical success. The thief still holds the boy in a grapple, but does not have an attack action readied. Anyone watching can make a DC 15 insight check for more details>>

"Damn it Andcis! Get that beast out of control and let's get out of here!"

Road

<<DC 15 History check for the elf to recognize the Emerald Murk. Fails.>>

The stranger meet's Drake's gaze warily, but surprisingly seems mollified by his smile.

"Oh um. Sorry, I'm... uh... I'm just out here on a job. I didn't bring any food. Look, could you maybe leave me alone? I need to -
No. Wait. Don't go down onto the road. Can you just, uh...

Hey how'd you like to earn a meal tonight?"