A Thorn In The Hand IC

[D_Man_7733]

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Knowledge: (1d20-1)[0] (+1 int -2 no skill)

Yawning openly, Drayner looks around, eyes occasionally going to the sky, picking little bits of food out of the everlasting rations, as well as taking a mouthful of water he rides in silence unless addressed, keeping an eye out for dangers.

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Spot (1d20+1)[6]
Listen (1d20+1)[21]

[Simba]

Maiali

"I was not forced to join, I chose to. Maybe I need to prove myself....or something like that. Sofar I've done a great job, don't you think?"

After a short pause:

"My homelands? They are .... I hope I can show tham to you one day. My words could not describe them, even though my heart misses them every minute. And its people, as well."

Eyes downcast. Maiali falls silent again.

As the party rides along Raif falls in near Mailali.

'I wonder Mailali, are your company career soldiers, or pressed into war by the times? I myself am pressed into war'.

'Still my nature compels me to seek out conflict and dark places - the sort of places where I can do the most good'.

After all I grew up in dark lands, lands now long under the sway of the Covenant'.

'That said, they were much bad even before the rise of the Covenant'.

'What are your homelands like?'.

[Simba]

Knowledges:

Nature: (1d20)[12] (including -2)
Geography: (1d20)[6] (including -2)

[Arranis Thelmos]

Halabur surveys his surroundings with a foul look across his face. "I should've listened to my Uncle Blugby and gone out camping more often."

(1d20-2)[12]

[Malak'ai]

**Knowledge rolls for Eleanora and Verossa so we can keep moving.**

Eleanora: (1d20)[11]

Verossa: (1d20-2)[-1]

**Wow... a -1! Do I get a prize for that? .**

[Malak'ai]

To his surprise, and that of the others, Halabur pipes up with some sort of jibberish about the lay of the hills, the way the winds blowing, the position of moss on stones and other tidbits of general outdoor trivia.
After the little mage rattles off some of these, something clicks in Mailali memory. He now remembers the map he looked at before leaving Blossomwood.

Mailali:

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You now know that you're close to the caves. Another few hours ride directly West of your current position.

[Simba]

Maiali

"We are close, very close to those caves. A few hours, maybe, straight West from here. Thanks for reminding me, I took a look at the map before we left, but I only remembered the details now. Let's ride!"

[Arranis Thelmos]

"Ha! I knew we'd come up with something! Thank you Uncle Blugby!"] Halabur cries as he follows Maiali.

[Wordplay]

He got it from that? Clearly I have a lot more to learn about the outdoors...

'So, do we camp out in the caves, or in the open ground? Caves are likely to have other occupants, though in this country we'll easily be found in the open. Another possible option is to push on through the night...'

[Machuchang]

Eleanora gave a relieved smile at Maiali's words. That was good news indeed.

"I would humbly submit my vote for the caves. This has been a long day, and I would prefer that our group be as refreshed as possible should another conflict arise," She said to Raif. "Granted, you make a fine point about our location potentially being inhabited, but if worst comes to worst, I've experience fighting in caves."

[Wordplay]

Raif smiles.

'Indeed? I hope that you'll tell me about that sometime. Is there anything in particular I should know?'

[Malak'ai]

**I'm going cut some time out... I also made a slight change on the distance to the caves but it doesn't make any significant change to anything you guys need to worry about.**

After a few more hours of riding, trying to keep out of sight as best as possible, you finally arrive at a series of caves in the side of one of the rises. There's some that are too small for anything but animals to enter, but there are two that seem large enough to hide in.
The first, 9 feet high and about 7 feet wide goes into the dirt and rock for 20 feet then twists downwards and to the right until it lets out into a small chamber (10 feet high, 15 feet wide and about 30 feet deep). The sounds of a small amount of running water is coming from the very back.
The second, further along, is slightly shorter but leads deeper into the small hill. This one curves off to the left as it goes down, emerging into a larger space (20 feet high, 30 feet wide and about 40 feet deep). This one seems to have been occupied before, though not recently.
There's the remains of a very old fire, with some extra dry wood stacked against the wall, some old grass and other dried vegetation that looks as if it had been slept on and more sounds of running water sound in the murk.

[Wordplay]

Raif dismounts, and looks about the caves.

'Hmm... clearly been used in the past...by Covenant, or local forces I wonder?'

'Well, either way, needs must. Shall we stable the horses in the one cave, and shelter in the cave with the fire pit? Put a rotating guard on the horses - probably at least two people, and then another to watch the cave mouths'.

Raif starts unpacking his gear from Filofax.

'Once we've watered the horses, and we get a fire going, I'll break out my spare rations'.

Raif turns to Rochenion.

'The five of us have artifacts to take care of our food, but regrettably, they serve enough food for only one person a day - fortunately I have some extra saved'.

Raif finishes up the water in his waterskin.

'Ah, that's good. Bring your skins over and I'll fill them up'.

If the party do so, Raif uses his last spell - Create Water.

[Arranis Thelmos]

"Home sweet home." Halabur says with a smile. "I suppose what we ought to do is have a little look around, make sure no one else has claimed it as a home."

[Malak'ai]

**(Search and Survival checks everyone (same as before, if you have no ranks then it's at -2 (and remember, add your ability mods ))**

[D_Man_7733]

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Search: (1d20-1)[1]
Survival: (1d20-1)[7]

"I agree, lets look around first, does someone wish to come with me to investigate the cave with sound of water at the back of it first though, and I think we should decide when to notify Tahlrumy as well" looking to the sky on instinct, Drayner will hand his waterskin to Raif, and help with anything that needs doing until the waterskins are filled, and will then head into the cave offering everyone one last chance to come with him.

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listen (what else is in the cave): (1d20+1)[16]

[Malak'ai]

Drayner:

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You find nothing in the cave, and you can't tell how old the remains of the fire are, though you guess it's at least a week. In the other cave you don't hear much more than the slow, gentle sound of the water. Though there is the occasional drip of water onto wet rock and every-so-often a squeak and skittering of small rodents.

[Machuchang]

"I shall accompany you, Drayner," Eleanora said as she passed her waterskin to Raif. "It would be wise to examine our surroundings first. If you have no issue, I will take the lead."

The dame eyed her surroundings warily as she spoke, trying to remember what she had learned about caves during her battles in the dwarven holds.

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Search: (1d20)[12]
Survival: (1d20-2)[10]
Listen: (1d20)[5]

[Arranis Thelmos]

Halabur looks inside the cave, "Well, it smells funny." He says with a scowl. "Are there any cleaner caves about?" He asks hopefully, but with a wide grin across his face.

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Spot (1d20+4)[7]
Search (1d20+1)[9]
Listen (1d20+3)[16]

[Wordplay]

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Survival (1d20+2)[19]
Search (1d20)[18]

(-2 each for having no ranks in either)
I'll be making a fuller post tomorrow evening

[Malak'ai]

Raif:

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While searching through the cave you uncover a few loose rocks (6 all up). Some contain the means of making fire, others with parcels of preserved food stuffs.
There is one in particular, close to the fire, that when removed, opens up a small shaft to the open air. It's grimy with soot and condensed smoke.
You can tell the fire is just over two weeks old and underneath the ashes is a flat sheet of slate which covers what appears to be a sort of dial.

In the back of the cave is a small pool of fresh water, it tastes clean, but with hints of heavy minerals (like water straight from from a mineral spring) that appears to flow from cracks in the rock on the wall and then out a little channel in the floor. It seems to be deep enough to fill all the waterskins without any trouble.

[Malak'ai]

Eleanora:

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You find the pool of water... Your boot now making a noticeably wet squishing sound as you walk, but apart from that, you don't find or hear anything more than the sound of the water.

Halabur:

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You easily hear the sounds of the water in the back of the cave, and the slight echoing of a breeze coming through a small shaft in the rock wall above the fire that Raif uncovers.
Also, the sounds of small rodents skittering away from your foot falls is quite noticeable.
As for poking around, you find nothing but a cobweb with attaches itself to your entire face and tophat.

[Arranis Thelmos]

"PBHLAT! Oi! I gob web in mi moud!" Halabur yells out as he starts stumbling blindly about the cave.

[Machuchang]

Eleanora grabbed Halabur by the shoulder and cupped her hand over his mouth.

"Shush!" She hissed, her voice barely above a whisper. "We may not be the only ones in this cave. It would be best not to alert any potential enemies of our presence."

[Wordplay]

'There doesn't seem to be anyone here, but this cave has clearly been used as a camp, and provisioned for future visits. Whether friendly or hostile to our interests is not possible to tell. I think we should camp here anyway however, and set three watches. There are nine of us, so three to each watch'.

Raif looks around the caves carefully, moving carefully, and blinking owlishly, until he finds the dial under the ashes of the firepit.

'Careful everyone - there seems to be some sort of dial here'.

'Does anyone know what this is? Have a look, but take care not to touch it'.

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Try to identify dial, Int check (1d20+2)[15]

[Marlowe]

Verossa, reeling under the results of that horrific search roll, has been looking a little vague lately.

Wait, so who's soul really is in Eva-00? And just what the hell was Yui playing at? And why did SEELE send Kamoru direct to NERV? Were they deliberately trying to screw their admittedly horrifyingly evil plan over? And who would put Gendo in charge of an operation so crucial anyway? And what's the deal with the blue-haired boy with the stopwatch? Wait, that's something else.

Raif reappearance seems to settle her a little. "Can't help but think we should have taken SOME advantage of a company of Orcs within easy ride, and too exhausted to fight" she broods, leaning on the glaive. "Well, enough. I didn't speak then. I've never liked the idea of hiding in a hole, but if we're to do it, might it be wise to barricade both ends of our site. We know what's ranging above, we don't know what's lurking below"

[Marlowe]

After a brief moment, Verossa will probably realise that everyone's looking at her a little funny. Mind you, been a while since I contributed anything. Should probably look at doing something.

"Like a look myself" she remarks, a little too brightly. She shifts the glaive to the left hand, takes up the warhammer with her right, and takes her own look around the back of the cave, using the shaft of the glaive as a probe for any dark nooks, recesses, crannies, or ominous glowing portals surrounded by twisted runes. And also to gingerly check the stability of the ceiling;

Spot/Listen/Search

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Spot:(1d20-1)[10]
Listen: (1d20-1)[6]
Search: (1d20)[3]

[Wordplay]

'Hmm... Well, Verossa, you may be right about that - certainly I defer to you and m'Lady Elenora in martial matters'.

'Still, bear in mind, our mission is of strategic importance to the war effort. There is some risk in fighting even a tired enemy company'.

Raif sighs.

'And we are very tired too. I have never 'cast' so many spells in a day before'.

Raif winces slightly.

'Halabur may have some spells left, but we are simply not at our best'.

'Anyhow, Verossa, have you ever seen something like this before? There seems to be some sort of dial beneath the firepit'.

[Marlowe]

Verossa leans over and prepares to have no idea what the object is. She gives Raif a sheepish look. "Not really my area of expertise, I suspect. Probably just a mystic circle used to sancify or corrupt the flames for purposes of scrying, soothsaying, cursing or somesuch. Have you tried mumbling in eldritch dialects over it? "

[Malak'ai]

Verossa:

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After searching around in the gloom, you don't find anything that hasn't been covered before. You also don't hear much more than your own voice.

Raif:

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After studying the dial for a while, you are still as confused about it as you when you first found it.
You do notice that the dial is surrounded be loose dirt and leaf matter.