Staunton Bluffs Episode I: To the Borderstone

[Le Noir Faineant]

You decide to rest on the open field, near a big, about seven feet high stone.
The wind blows cold, and you find now wood to light a fire.
Do you do something to improve your situation?
- Lodissio is getting worse and worse in the meantime. He trembles of fever and cold.

[Both Jarryd and Avra, not suited to this kind of arctic weather, loose 1 CON until they get the chance to rest somewhere where it's warmer, or until they light a fire.]

OCC: Jarryd would like to analyze the terrain and the surroundings. Maybe even some ranger skills shall be needed.

There's nothing unnatural about the terrain. Under your feet, the brown short grass of the tundra grows; near the trees, you spot some lank flowers.
The area around is frosty and feels dead. No animal tracks or footprints can be found any more, except your own. No sign of the firelights you saw before you crossed the misty dale.

You're standing in one big wasteland.

Looking around the bleak landscape, Nicolas turns to his new-found companions.

"Perhaps," he begins, "two or three of us should go ahead a short distance, if only to ascertain that no immediate dangers exist. If we can find help for that creature," he points to Lodissio, "it might be even better. I will gladly go. Would another accompany me? It seems a waste to bed down when the day is not even half through!"

"Though I am tired, I am unable to sleep. i will go with you." Avra readies his shield and scimitar and goes with him.

How far do you venture into the wasteland?

A) One mile

B) Two miles

C) Three miles

Pick one option, please!

[kintire]

Shana will try to gather materials for a fire. In the meantime, she will murmur over Lodissio's shirt and magically warm it for an hour while she gets the fire going.

[Tavian]

Tavian will stay at the camp to help Shana and watch over Lodissio.

[Le Noir Faineant]

You decide to rest on the open field, near a big, about seven feet high stone.
The wind blows cold, and you find now wood to light a fire.

[My mistake... ARRGH! TYPO!!! ]

This sentence should mean:

...and you find NO wood to light a fire.

There's no wood or any bigger material around that you could burn to start a fire. If you don't want to freeze, you'll have to look for something else...

[Tavian]

Tavian, chilled by the cold, pulls his cloak tightly around himself.

"We can't stay here," he says quietly to Shana, "Else we'll all end up like him."

He calls after Nicolas and Avra, "Hey guys wait up!"

When he gets their attention he says, "Do we have anything we can use to carry your friend? The cold will only make him worse. We need to find someplace with a little more protection from the elements."

[kintire]

Shana nods and stands up, looking around.

"This place is mad... warm forest yesterday, mountain overnight, ice waste this morning. What kind of place is this? Who would live here? and what happened to Path?"

I pull myself up short before slipping into panic.

"O..okay. Lets keep moving..."

[Mad Skipper]

He finally breaks free from his reverie and turns to take in their surroundings.

Here, out in such an open space, their chances of survival were quickly dropping. The cold might be superficial now, but soon it will start to settle into their bones, their reflexes will dull, then depression will set in to slowly finish them off one by one. He's seen it before...once...

Shelter, he decides, is the group's first and foremost priority, followed by Lodissio's worsening condition. They did all that they could for the poor bastard, so dwelling on his ailing health now would be the worst thing that they could do. It was a sobering thought, this order of priorities, but ultimately if the group doesn't find shelter soon, then there would be more casualties. And if they can't help themselves...

He looks again to take in the landscape, or perhaps to change his line of thoughts, but the grim realisation that follows causes him to frown with a sigh.

They needed to move, to get their blood flowing and find some form of shelter, and then hope that they stumble across some kind of healer. A priestess of Hala would be ideal, but they would certainly benefit from any form of apothecary.

Glancing back to the satyr, he sighs once more before reaching to the thick hooded cloak around his shoulders and pulling it from his body. He then begins to walk briskly towards the group.

"Wait up!", he shouts. "We need to transport Lodissio, and the easiest way that I can think of is to combine our cloaks to form a makeshift stretcher, if you will."

Stocker holds his cloak out for all to see to further accentuate his idea.

Probably won't go over too well, damn it's getting cold!, but what the hell? We need to carry Lodissio, just look at him, and we need to do so without using too much energy. Four can carry, and the others can scout...

He suddenly frowns, again, but this time at his racing thoughts.

One problem at a time.

One problem at a time...

[Tavian]

"We'll need some quarterstaffs as well if anyone has them," the small man says, "If we fold a couple of cloaks over and around two parallel staves then they should hold together well."

[Mad Skipper]

He nods to the little man and offers a short-lived smile.

"Good idea..."

[Boccaccio Barbarossa]

"if we have quarterstaves, should we not burn... no, I suppose not. Why make a fire that will last 20 minutes... I have to move: I am unaccustomed to such weather."

Avra tightens his light clothing around himself, trying as best as possible to keep warm. "While the others take care of the satyr, others should scout. I am uninjuried: who will take the lead with me?"

[Tavian]

"I will walk with you," says Tavian, "I have not the strength to carry him."

[DamienJ]

Hearing the small man's cry, Nicolas returns to the group.

"I am loathe to touch that creature," he says, looking at the shivering form of Lodissio. "Yet," he continues, "if there are no others able, I will help bring him to safety, if only to repay the kindness others in this assembly have shown me..."

Squatting on the ground, he begins rummaging through his backpack. Eventually he pulls out a large blanket, obviously part of a bedroll.

"Stocker, your offer of the cloak is generous. Yet you yourself will need it - we cannot have another person succumbing to this place! This blanket will do instead. Once we have those staves ready, we can wrap this around them. Who else will carry him? More to the point, who has staves, or even a spear?"

Nicolas looks around to see what kind of materials are available...

[BigBadQDaddy]

Alain pulls his winter blanket from his pack a bit to late as he notices the newcomer already doing so. He gets up and puts it over lodisssio regardless.
Couldnt hurt... he thinks to himself.

"I have some torches we could try to burn for the moment. I'm afraid they wouldnt last too long or create a warm enough fire."

[Le Noir Faineant]

[Since I believe noone has spears or any longer pieces of wood than clubbs, do you still want to construct such a stretcher? - You could also use your swords to build such a stretcher, but then you would be defenseless in the case of an attack... So, what do you do? - Sorry, that I cannot give you more concrete hints... Lodissio miraculously recovering would be a bit cheap, wouldn't it?]

Icy rain begins to fall from the sky, letting you all shiver of cold. You Definitely have to find shelter, or you might all die in the frozen waste.

[Mad Skipper]

[Since I believe noone has spears or any longer pieces of wood than clubbs, do you still want to construct such a stretcher?

Realising the group doesn't have the materials to easily carry Lodissio, Stocker curses.

He rubs his bearded chin for a moment or two before the features of his face reveals his next idea.

"Backpacks!", he mumbles to himself.

Nodding almost as if he convinced himself, he unslings the pack from his back and then holds it out for a mock test.

"We can use our backpacks. The straps should be able to maintain Lodissio's weight. We need three, and it can work. One for the feet, and one for either arm. All we need to do is wrap him in the blankets, turn him upside-down, maybe tie his hands together with a belt to keep his arms from slipping, and there we got our stretcher."

With his gloved hands he forms an inverted triangle, which he shows each of you in turn, as if that is the manifestation of his idea.

"I'll admit: it's crude, but, what other choice do we have? We need to get moving, and real soon. Both for our sake, and for his."