(022) Rain and Ravines

Waysoftheearth's Hinterlands PBP

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Post by waysoftheearth » Sun Apr 17, 2011 5:09 am

(022) Rain and Ravines

waysoftheearth wrote:
Olaf, Dieter and Andaros are here.

The three of you have soon left the shelter of the gate house courtyard and are out into the afternoon weather proper.

It is a bleak prospect, what with the rain coming sideways with each gust of the wind, and muddy pools of standing water already gathering. Looking up, you see little prospect of the weather clearing before nightfall -- it's rolling grey clouds as far as the eye can see.

Better get about it, then. You begin the march back into the canyon lands, trying to retrace your steps back to the little hovel where you last saw Victor, Boris and the cart... trouble is, with all this rain everything looks a little different to what you remember...

The ridge-lands occupy an expanse of terrain to the south and also the east of the gate-house.

You could march south-east, directly into the heart of the ridge-lands and tackle the crests and gullies head on. Or else you could head south, skirting the ridge-lands along the line of the main ravine. Or else you could go east, skirting the ridge-lands in favour of the surrounding grasslands...

Which way to go?
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Sun Apr 17, 2011 4:20 pm

(022) Rain and Ravines

eris wrote:
Olaf says, "We should retrace our steps from earlier today, back the south, around the ridgeline and then back up the valley. In this weather, I don't think we should try to go over the top of the ridge, it would be too slippery."
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Sun Apr 17, 2011 5:33 pm

(022) Rain and Ravines

coffee wrote:
"Let's do it, then," Dieter grumbles. "We're already about soaked through."

And he loosens his sword in its sheath and looks warily about.
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Sun Apr 17, 2011 11:00 pm

(022) Rain and Ravines

waysoftheearth wrote:
The trio trudge off in a southerly direction, boots splashing and squelching with each step.

They follow near-enough the run of the canyon for some half hour or so in the blustery drizzle, before reaching the western end of a series of muddy gullies that to the east.

"Nice weather we're having," comments Andaros happily, "Reminds me of home,". The cold blooded fellow's cloak must be warmer and more water proof than the others'.

(1d6)

It isn't obvious which gully you traversed this morning, it all being so wet now. Dieter is half sure that it was this wide one almost directly east, and neither Olaf nor Andaros can confidently say otherwise, so the trio turns down the gully and heads easterly, veering north-easterly as they trudge along the muddy floor of the gully.

There is plenty of mud and water sliding down the gully sides. If this weather continues the gully will be a river by morning. Or a lake.

There is little visibility from the gully, but they march onward...
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Mon Apr 18, 2011 10:34 pm

(022) Rain and Ravines

eris wrote:
waysoftheearth wrote:The trio trudge off in a southerly direction, boots splashing and squelching with each step.

They follow near-enough the run of the canyon for some half hour or so in the blustery drizzle, before reaching the western end of a series of muddy gullies that to the east.

"Nice weather we're having," comments Andaros happily, "Reminds me of home,". The cold blooded fellow's cloak must be warmer and more water proof than the others'.

(1d6)

It isn't obvious which gully you traversed this morning, it all being so wet now. Dieter is half sure that it was this wide one almost directly east, and neither Olaf nor Andaros can confidently say otherwise, so the trio turns down the gully and heads easterly, veering north-easterly as they trudge along the muddy floor of the gully.

There is plenty of mud and water sliding down the gully sides. If this weather continues the gully will be a river by morning. Or a lake.

There is little visibility from the gully, but they march onward...
Sharp eyed Olaf keeps an eye out for anything that looks familiar...it was only this morning that we came this way, it shouldn't have changed *that* much, or at least, he doesn't think so.

"Should be along here somewhere." Olaf says as he searches along the ridge base for where the cart was pulled and left the previous evening.
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Mon Apr 18, 2011 10:47 pm

(022) Rain and Ravines

waysoftheearth wrote:
Olaf trudges on grimly in the rain, keeping an eye out for any familiar landmark as they go...

Time passes, as they march on, boots squelching in the mud. A quarter hour or more later Olaf is beginning to suspect that they may have come too far down this gully. He is wet through to the skin, and his boots are sodden with cold mud. He is about to suggest a change of direction when he spies a familiar rock formation at the crest of the ridge on his right -- he remembers clambering between those two rocks this morning.

"There," he points for the others, and they turn their dripping hoods up to the ridge top.

The old camp site must be over that ridge, and along another 10 minutes or so. They should be able to spot signs of the battle with Sigmund's Men, and then of the skuffle with the Owl-bears.

Victor and Boris and the cart will be just a bit further down the gully from there...
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Tue Apr 19, 2011 5:52 pm

(022) Rain and Ravines

eris wrote:
waysoftheearth wrote:Olaf trudges on grimly in the rain, keeping an eye out for any familiar landmark as they go...

Time passes, as they march on, boots squelching in the mud. A quarter hour or more later Olaf is beginning to suspect that they may have come too far down this gully. He is wet through to the skin, and his boots are sodden with cold mud. He is about to suggest a change of direction when he spies a familiar rock formation at the crest of the ridge on his right -- he remembers clambering between those two rocks this morning.

"There," he points for the others, and they turn their dripping hoods up to the ridge top.

The old camp site must be over that ridge, and along another 10 minutes or so. They should be able to spot signs of the battle with Sigmund's Men, and then of the skuffle with the Owl-bears.

Victor and Boris and the cart will be just a bit further down the gully from there...
"Onward!" Olaf says and ties to pick up the pace a bit, "It is going to be almost impossible to get the cart out of this gully with all this water having softened the ground to mud."

"It might end up with us just having to leave it here...I don't know."Olaf adds with a sigh as he wipes water from his eyes and strains forward still looking for signs of the cart, Victor and Boris.
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:36 pm

(022) Rain and Ravines

waysoftheearth wrote:
The trio clamber up the muddy incline of the gully wall to reach the rocks at the top, and from that vantage gaze across the neighboring gully. The rain continues to fall steadily with intermittent gusts at the whim of the unsettled wind.

The adjacent valley is wet with standing water and the air between is choked with rain and mist, but despite all this Olaf still spies the broken bodies of defeated brigands sprawled in the puddles. There is the sight of the confrontation with Sigmund and Wulfric.

The camp site is not too far away now, and Olaf leads on, scampering down the wet, rocky slope into the valley as he veers to his left.
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:42 pm

(022) Rain and Ravines

coffee wrote:
The closer we get, the more vigilant Dieter becomes.
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:45 pm

(022) Rain and Ravines

waysoftheearth wrote:
Another hundred paces down the wet gully and Dieter, Andaros and Olaf reach the old camp-site, where the Owl-bears attacked and Thorgrim the Dwarf met his doom. There is little left at the site to mark the occasion beside a ring of charred stones where a camp fire was had.

The Men say nothing as they trudge by, water dripping from the sodden cloaks and faces. From their they know they must turn sharply to their right, and march back up the next gully -- almost doubling back. It is a short but wet hike from there to the rocky ridges that separate this low valley from the next, where the cart was left. And soon enough the wet-through fighting-Men are scaling the rocky edge, and then marching along the ridge top.

At last they come within sight of the tiny cave where they left Boris and Victor that morning. In fact, they have marched a zigzag pattern through a chain of gullies to reach this place, but have arrived none the less.

The afternoon light is failing early with the rain, and it is very gloomy indeed. At this distance -- some 50 paces from the rocky hollow -- it appears that the cart has been over turned! And there is no sign what ever of Boris , Victor or anyone else...
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

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