WM/Treks/Log 1-2

Narrator: Rain falls throughout the night of the 16th and throughout the morning. The delvers wake up to a soggy gray dawn.
GM: So.
** Ghazeb mutters in his own tongue about being woken in the night and about the miserable soggy weather **
GM: There's 6 of you, splitting watches. That means it takes roughly 10 hours for all 6 of you to sleep. Thasos and Beltarne had to stay up late doing rituals (and esoteric medicine in Beltarne's case).
GM: That's if everyone wants 8 hours of sleep. You can get by on less.
Marik: I think we like 8.
Beltarne: I'm fine with 10 hours
GM: Also... Esoteric Medicine checks take 30 minutes, normally.
GM: Just for reference.
Firefly: Getting that cleared up before we stumble into anything woudl be good.
GM: It takes an hour to set up/break down camp and eat a meal.
GM: You're assumed to get up at 6, hit the road at 7 unless you do otherwise.
Marik: Sounds good to me. Does this mean I'm no longer cursed?
Ghazeb: I think a roll is required
Ghazeb: (or 6)
** Wolfgang would like to not be cursed **
Beltarne: Mark, shall I do my thing?
Ghazeb: We have 5 more cursed characters, right?
GM: Just so we're clear: the plan is to sleep until 8 am (in shifts, etc), then spend 2 hours clearing curses.
GM: An hour to eat and break camp... you leave at 11 am.
Ghazeb: Can we say that Beltarne doesn't help with clearing up the camp and finds time to do one Esoteric Medicine check?
GM: I had Beltarne spend an hour last night, so he can clear one curse.
GM: Sure, he still needs to eat but that cuts it back to 10:30.
Wolfgang: can the people not being decursed break camp while he treats the others?
Beltarne: And I can't both stand watch and clear currses?
Ghazeb: 1 hour equals one curse? Not 2 rolls?
GM: No, it's a pretty intensive process - like a doctor's exam.
Beltarne: Esp since I have watchdog up anyways?
Beltarne: heh
GM: 2 curses per hour.
Marik: I assume it's probably a loud process filled with invocations to the gods,and would prefer not to try to sleep through it.
Beltarne: k, last night's extra curse liftin'
Beltarne: On Ted
Beltarne: Esoteric Medicine (Holy) (14) [3d6.skill(14,0)] => [3,6,4] = 13 vs (14) or less Success! by 1 
Ghazeb: nice
Beltarne: The four this morning, going in order down the player list
Beltarne: Esoteric Medicine (Holy) (14) [3d6.skill(14,0)] => [2,2,2] = 6 vs (14) or less Success! by 8 
Beltarne: Esoteric Medicine (Holy) (14) [3d6.skill(14,0)] => [4,4,4] = 12 vs (14) or less Success! by 2 
Beltarne: Esoteric Medicine (Holy) (14) [3d6.skill(14,0)] => [4,4,2] = 10 vs (14) or less Success! by 4 
Ghazeb: So that's Ted and Marik then?
Ghazeb: And Firefly and then me?
Beltarne: Esoteric Medicine (Holy) (14) [3d6.skill(14,0)] => [4,3,1] = 8 vs (14) or less Success! by 6 
Beltarne: That's everyone.
Narrator: The rest of the delvers sit around bored as Beltarne pokes and prods them. Nevertheless, they feel relieved when its over.
Ghazeb: Nice
Ghazeb: Good rolling
GM: However, it is still raining.
Firefly: I spent the night in a tent! Rain during the day, not so cool, but at least I had a night ouf othe damp.
GM: Oh, right. People without tents, roll HT+3. Or catch a cold.
Ghazeb: "hmmm and can godman clear rain?"
Marik: HT: [3d6.skill(14,+1+3)] => [2,1,2] = 5 vs (18) or less Critical Success! by 13 [B556]
Wolfgang: HT (14) [3d6.skill(14,+1+3)] => [5,3,3] = 11 vs (18) or less Success! by 7 
Beltarne: HT (13) [3d6.skill(13,3)] => [1,6,6] = 13 vs (16) or less Success! by 3 
Beltarne: "Messing with the weather is generally a poor idea, my friend."
Marik: ((I'm sorry, I grew up above the snowline. Pfft. Rain. :D))
Ghazeb: [3d6.roll(13,+3)] => 3d6.roll(13,+3)
Ghazeb: damn
Thasos: Is sullen and non-communicative.
Marik: "We can start expecting some serious winds in a few hours - this storm's going to get worse before it gets better. It's best if we were in the valley before the worst of it hits."
Ghazeb: [3d6.skill(13,+3)] => [4,5,5] = 14 vs (16) or less Success! by 2 
Wolfgang: "bah, a little water won't hurt us
Beltarne: "Lets be off then!"
Ghazeb: *good morning grouchy cow*
** Beltarne shoulders his pac **
GM: Where are you going?
Marik: "No, but a gust of wind landing you into the ground at high speed will really ruin your day, flying man."
Ghazeb: hey
** Wolfgang follows the elf **
Ghazeb: did anyone else read the news in the wiki?
Ghazeb: there's something nearby
Ghazeb: I think?... I'm looking now
Marik: I'd like to set our course as close as I can to the village of White Pines. By trail if we can, over rougher terrain if necessary.
Marik: (At least, to where I think White Pines should be.)
Ghazeb: Yeah, let's go to White Pines
GM: I don't know how to get to the village of White Pine. What's your plan?
Beltarne: "I believe WHite Pines is east of the southern end o' this pass"
Ghazeb: Does Marik know where White Pines is?
Beltarne: "At least, that's what the elders told me"
Firefly: Hm, Should I be rolling Area knowledge?
Wolfgang: "So, we have to find and go through the pass first then, yah?"
Ghazeb: "Then we follow Dwarf godman, no?"
Marik: Through the pass to the south. East from there.
Ghazeb: "gaja"
GM: Okay, I can take that as a plan.
Ghazeb: (that sounds a little...)
GM: You head off along the road, going through the rises and dips of the fairly rugged terrain.
Ghazeb: "gaja, balli gaja!"
GM: Doing some plotting/math, talk amongst yourselves.
Firefly: "So! I wonder what that alchemist was up to."
Ghazeb: "So big bird last night?... why not eat?"
Beltarne: "Maybe in the area looking for components, wee one?
Marik: "Because it's not always about your bloody stomach. Besides, the thing was half-starved itself."
Ghazeb: "half starved? is why it attacks us?"
Beltarne: "Therre is a group of your kind somewhere near the lake, aye?"
Wolfgang: "It thought firefly was a tasty looking treat for sure"
Firefly: "He certainly frightened those shepards something aweful. Gazzie, birds are our feathered friends, and fill an important place in the ecosystem... And he must have been very hungry to try to pick on us."
Narrator: The delvers march along the poorly gravelled road for an hour. Then they come to a river, fairly wide, carving a gorge through the hillside. A wood bridge, in indifferent repair, crosses it.
Ghazeb: me/ bites tongue
** Ghazeb bites tongue **
Narrator: Someone has recently replaced several of the planks and painted symbols on it. The new planks are visibly fresher than the old ones.
Firefly: Symbols eh?
Ghazeb: "What are those pictures on bridge?"
Wolfgang: "Huh, someone signed their work!"
** Beltarne regards his axe, looks at the symbols **
Firefly: Like, "I memorized Explosive Runes today?"
Beltarne: "Perhaps you should take this one, Firefly"
** Wolfgang laughs **
Ghazeb: "little birdy? godman? you know symbols?"
GM: Beltarne and Firefly have whispers.
Beltarne: "Oh, I recognize those!"
Firefly: "If I'm not mistaken, they're a benediction to the god of wayfarers."
Ghazeb: "god of good to us, no?"
** Wolfgang eyes the minotaur and wonders if he can carry all that weight flying **
Beltarne: "FIts my recollection as well."
Narrator: Just before the bridge, a well-graveled road branches off, heading due north and disappearing behind a hill.
Firefly: "We're certainly wayferers! That's a nice bit of luck. Of course, I don't know how big the architect was."
Ghazeb: A well graveled road to the north? I'm taking it this bridge is to the south west? 
** Wolfgang flys around the bridge looking for trolls hiding under it **
GM: The living compass says you've been heading SW, and the road turns WSW past the bridge. The river descends to the NW.
Marik: "I think some sort of offering to the gods would be appropriate, but I'm no expert."
GM: Under the bridge is mostly muck and mold.
Ghazeb: "offering? like sheep?"
Ghazeb: "we have sheep"
Ghazeb: "do traveling god like sheep godman?"
Thasos: Growls and shakes his head.
Firefly: "It's certainly out of my expertise. And technically, Thasos has sheep."
** Beltarne scratches his beard **
Beltarne: "I suppose it couldn't hurt
GM: Beltarne has a whisper.
Ghazeb: "Thasos don't like giving sheep?"
** Beltarne shrugs **
Wolfgang: "You're probably heavier than anyone this bridge has seen in a year, you might want to give it some sheep before you cross"
Thasos: snorts, and boldly crosses the bridge, thumping down on it as he does.
Beltarne: "It may help, but these symbols are not those of my god, it's doubtful we'd get any direct response"
Ghazeb: "Flying stone, if Thasos cross bridge, you carry pack?"
Thasos: cocks his head from the far side, snorts again, and looks snide at the rest of you. (as the rain streams off his stinky wet fur).
** Ghazeb ... **
Wolfgang: "Sure, though if he gets across then you and your pack should have no trouble
** Marik shrugs. "I'm not one to turn down aid from any possible --" He cuts off as the minotaur starts across the bridge, just staring. **
** Ghazeb also staring **
Beltarne: "Marik, is this still the right rdirection? Or should we be exploring this gravel road?"
** Wolfgang grabs Ghazeb's pack and flys to the other side **
** Firefly flits casually over the bridge. "I wonder what's over here? I don't htink there are ANY roads where we're going." **
** Marik looks to the north. "Well, *that* is southwest. So if White Pines is east of the end of the pass, that's the way we should go. On the other hand, it doesn't look like a long road, and I'm willing to see what's on the other side of that rise if you are." **
Beltarne: "It appears the rest of the party has plans of there own. Oh well, onward!"
** Ghazeb turns to Beltarne and asks **
Ghazeb: "Ghazeb should not cross, no?"
Beltarne: "Yes, lets go"
** Marik shrugs and leaves a meal of food by the side of the bridge before moving on. **
Ghazeb: "Not wait for Thasos cross first?"
** Beltarne marches across bridge, being unreasonably cheerful **
GM: THasos is already across.
Ghazeb: ok
Beltarne: "He's already on the other side"
GM: Ghazeb, you have a whisper.
** Ghazeb crosses with Beltarne **
** Wolfgang hands Ghazeb his pack back **
Narrator: The delvers continue on their way.
** Ghazeb scratches head **
GM: The road continues to go WSW. Marik, on his scouting trips, can see forest covered woods to the north. The tree line more-or-less parallels the road.
Ghazeb: "Thanks Wolfgang"
Firefly: (( OK, I've obviously got confused. ))
Firefly: The raod goes West south west. We went over the bridge, which was NOT where the road went?
Narrator: An hour and change after crossing the first brige, the road turns SW and a few minutes after that, you come to a wide river spanned by a stone bridge. Chunks of stone have fallen out it in places, but it looks mostly solid.
GM: The road twists and turns.
Firefly: and yet, here is a road?
Ghazeb: I'm taking it we maybe just crossed one of the two rivers seen on the map?
GM: In this case, it was SW along the bridge, turning to WSW after that, and then SW again.
Firefly: Yes, but I got the confused impression there was no raod on the other side of the bridge.
GM: Ghazeb: If you like.
Firefly: The road avoided crossing the river?
Firefly: Obviously I'm wrong.
GM: No... it forked to the north on the east side, but a fork implies two directions.
GM: No, please ask if you're confused about the descriptions.
Firefly: OK, I didn't catch a fork.
** Ghazeb continues across the bridge **
GM: Conclusions, you're on your own with.
Firefly: I thought there was a road, and a way with an absence of road.
Ghazeb: We just hit our second river, there are two rivers on the map....
Marik: And it's southwest from here.
** Beltarne follows Ghazeb, tapping the stones in front of him with heis stick before walking on them **
Firefly: Yes, and I'm lost at the last river. But don't mind me, I can't find ANYTHING AT ALL without a GPS unit.
Firefly: Just a heads up to other players, I am queen of getting lost.
Ghazeb: "Even if good signs from good god, still scary"
Ghazeb: "stone bridge much better"
GM: Oh, and case I haven't mentioned it recently, there are mountains to the south. Fairly tall ones... but the ground just rises so it's hard to say how tall.
Ghazeb: What kind of path are we on?
Ghazeb: A dirt trail?
Ghazeb: And how long has it been as it is now?
GM: It used to be a graveleled road, but it hasn't been maintained in decades, so now its mud and rocks.
GM: It's been like this since you left Firhill, getting worse (more mud, less gravel) as you continue.
** Wolfgang flys over the stone bridge assuming it will hold easily **
Ghazeb: Okay, 
Ghazeb: So assuming nothing happens when we cross the bridge, I guess we would be on our way
GM: Sure, but I feel obliged to mention landmarks.
Ghazeb: yup
GM: By the way, the winds are picking up, gusting to 25+ mph. Fliers have to roll DX every hour of travel or crash.
Ghazeb: "hmmm... better way to say it:
Ghazeb: "even if good signs from good god, still not good"
Firefly: DX (13) [3d6.skill(13,0)] => [6,3,5] = 14 vs (13) or less Failure! by 1 
Firefly: Luck!
Firefly: DX (13) [3d6.skill(13,0)] => [6,3,1] = 10 vs (13) or less Success! by 3 
Wolfgang: DX (14) [3d6.skill(14,0)] => [2,4,6] = 12 vs (14) or less Success! by 2 
Firefly: DX (13) [3d6.skill(13,0)] => [3,5,1] = 9 vs (13) or less Success! by 4 
GM: At around 2, the road turns leftish again, heading SSW. (roughly).
Marik: SSW seems right.
GM: The treeline to the north starts diverging away from the road - it runs mostly East-west.
Ghazeb: Do the fliers stop flying?
Wolfgang: is it a headwind or just gusty?
GM: Headwind with gusts, blowing out of the NW.
Firefly: I will orbit Ghazeb to see if he's at least better maintained than Marik and Thasos.
Wolfgang: eh, still faster for me, just fly up higher so it can't slam me down
Wolfgang: DX (14) [3d6.skill(14,0)] => [6,6,6] = 18 vs (14) or less Critical Failure! [B556]
Wolfgang: luck!
Ghazeb: Hey, I have a satellite
Wolfgang: DX (14) [3d6.skill(14,0)] => [6,1,3] = 10 vs (14) or less Success! by 4 
Wolfgang: DX (14) [3d6.skill(14,0)] => [6,4,6] = 16 vs (14) or less Failure! by 2 
GM: As Wolfgang ascends, microshear almost slams him straight down, but he recovers and soars up.
Ghazeb: Ghazeb is cleaner than cows and dreadlocked wildmen, yes
Firefly: Glad to hear that!
Firefly: He's also not trying to become a falling rock. Ghazeb picks up a passenger on his shoulder!
GM: Around 3:30, you notice a pair of Giant Eagles watching the road from the branches of a tree.
Wolfgang: there any lightning yet?
** Ghazeb shares drinking stories with Firefly **
GM: They're maybe 100 yards away.
GM: No lightning, just rain so far.
Ghazeb: "be careful not to be seen Firefly"
Wolfgang: these are the same size as the one last night?
GM: Yes.
** Firefly hides behind Ghazeb's chin ruff, and peeks out at the birdies. **
Marik: I'm going to follow a hunch and toss some more chunks of mutton out towards them.
Wolfgang: I will land next to firefly/Ghazeb
Marik: I'm obviously not going to get them the 100 yards.
Wolfgang: and ready my shield
GM: You can get them about 50 yards on a good toss... the eagles hop/walk over to the mutton and start chowing down.
GM: Other than that, they ignore you.
** Marik grins and continues on his way. **
** Ghazeb shares his thoughts that the giant eagles might be a sorceror's henchmen **
GM: Another 30 minutes of travel brings you to a fork in the road, a little after 4 pm.
Marik: "So? If they are, the sorcerer should bear us no ill will for feeding his pets. If they aren't, at least they're not trying to eat *us*. And really, we have more mutton than I want to eat before it goes bad."
GM: One branch goes west, the other SSW. Both are more muddy tracks than road.
** Wolfgang tells stories of crazy birds flying up to defend their territory until they realized he was huge compared to them **
Marik: SSW it is.
Ghazeb: "true, Ghazeb guess it true, but still not good"
GM: The hillsides start sloping down more and climbing back up less. After 30 minutes, the road forks yet again - one branch continues south, the other heads ESE.
GM: Marik can barely make out mountains to the south and more visibly to the east.
Marik: I'll cut east at this point; if necessary, I'll end up following the mountains to get to the pass.
Marik: (ESE, that is)
Marik: (Because roads are better)
Beltarne: ((Why not south?))
Ghazeb: (I would say the map looks like SE, ESE is closer to that than S)
GM: The road turns south after a few minutes travel, and you find yourself on a low hill looking into a valley. The valley is long and serpentine, running along a NNW-SSE axis.
Beltarne: ((I suppose))
Marik: ((Because the mountains are closer to the east, really. And the pass itself runs southeast from where we are.))
Ghazeb: (or no, it's actually ESE by the map)
GM: It's maybe a few hundred yards wide, with steep cliffs defining it on either side.
** Marik consults a map. **
Marik: "I'm virtually certain that this is NOT Storm Pass. On the other hand, I'm also sure it'll get us there."
Marik: "Remind me to find and throttle the cartographer who thought a topographical map would be useful with no landmarks."
Beltarne: "Hey Marik"
Ghazeb: "mm, throttle mapman"
Marik: "Don't say it."
GM: You continue on. Marik's chronometer says it's 6 pm. The sun is beginning to go down behind the clouds. 
Ghazeb: ?
Beltarne: "Remember to throttle the...."
Beltarne: "Ahem"
GM: You can mark until 9 pm if you wish.
GM: After that, Wolfgang gets tired.
Marik: Around 8, I'll start looking for a good campsite.
Marik: If I find a good site before 9, we stop then.
GM: Alright.
Marik: ((It is ALWAYS better to lose an hour's march than to try and sleep on the top of a windswept, indefensible hill. It just is.))
GM: The road and the valley continue, turning east for a bit and then turn back to SSE.
Ghazeb: (not to say I know these things, but i'd have to agree)
Wolfgang: is the wind less in the valley?
GM: Marik notices some tracks.
GM: Wolfgang - no, the valley is more or less aligned with the wind flow, so it's more a wind tunnel, really.
** Wolfgang continues walking and yakking with Ghazeb and Firefly **
Marik: "There are dire wolves in the area. Keep a sharp eye out, they aren't known for being stupid enough to attack armed parties who are on guard, but they may be hungry enough to do something stupid."
** Beltarne stares at the tracks "Ddire wolves?" **
Narrator: Suddently, the raid stops and the clouds clear briefly to the west, just in time for the sun to set past the mountains to the west.
** Ghazeb yakking about getting into silly fights and causing trouble with Wolfgang and Firefly **
GM: Beltarne recognizes this as a beneficial omen. It may be possible to harness its blessing for the delving band.
Wolfgang: "Dem just big wolves, ja?"
Ghazeb: "ahh... pretty sunset brings Ghazeb's memories of silkroad pretty sunsets...."
Beltarne: "Hold a spell, firends"
Firefly: "Dire wolves: an endemic predator native to the region. Reeealy big wolves."
** Beltarne breaks out some food and sacrifices it, praying for the GOd's blessing aupon our trek **
GM: You have no food left, sadly. ANyone else contributing to the cause? Each meal sacrificied past the first is +1 on the roll to capture the blessing.
Beltarne: (Religious ritual roll, Mark?)
** Wolfgang donates some food to the cause **
Beltarne: I bought 6 a day and a half ago
Marik: ((We want to use up that mutton.))
GM: Ritual Ritual, -number of delvers, +number with Ritual, Theology, or Meditation, +meal sacrificied.
Ghazeb: I would donate some sheep meat but it's all on the cow
GM: Yes, you did. 6 meals == 2 days supply.
Marik: ((30 lbs of mutton is hwo many meals?))
GM: You have 1 meal left.
GM: 15.
GM: But that's Thasos' food and he doesn't share.
Ghazeb: 30 lbs of mutton is only 15 meals?
GM: Or maybe he does, but not when the GM bots him.
** Firefly offers up tiny morsels of... something. They're more like crumbs. **
GM: It's not the world's most talented butchery job.
Marik: ((It's going to go off in another day or so.))
Beltarne: (So, who is contributing?)
GM: And the mutton was smoked last night, anyway.
** Wolfgang donates two meals **
Ghazeb: "Thasos, you have mutton for Ghazeb?"
Marik: ((Ah, okay.))
** Thasos sees the food being passed around. **
Beltarne: -5 for delvers, +3 for meals, +2 for delvers with skillz?
GM: Right.
** Thasos digs through his backpack and brings out 1 meal worth of mutton. **
Beltarne: RIght?
Beltarne: Religious Ritual (Holy) (12) [3d6.skill(12,0)] => [1,6,3] = 10 vs (12) or less Success! by 2 
Wolfgang: "never hurts to have the gods smiling on you"
** Ghazeb gives one meal of mutton to Beltarne **
Ghazeb: "that all? Thasos don't give to dwarf godman what cured big cow's curse this morning?"
GM: OKay, now everyone has Blessing +1 for the next two days.
** Beltarne nods and packs back up **
Beltarne: "lets keep moving, the Gods are pleased"
** Thasos opens his mouth, then promptly shuts it. **
Marik: "Glad to hear it."
GM: You continue on your way after the sun sets, as most of you can see in the dusk fairly well.
GM: That is to say, Darkness penalties are -3 right now.
Marik: ((Who DOESN'T have Night Vision 3+?))
Firefly: Me, I have Night Vision 1.
** Thasos pays extra attention to where his feet are going, and bumps into Ghazeb. **
Ghazeb: (+5 here)
GM: Speaking of... everyone can make a VISION based Prospecting roll (at -2) or VISION-based Naturalist roll (no penalty) right now.
Ghazeb: "lousy cow! watch your feet!"
** Wolfgang doesn't think it's even dark yet! **
Beltarne: What's the default, Mark?
Marik: Vision-Based Prospecting: [3d6.skill(13,+2+1)] => [1,5,4] = 10 vs (16) or less Success! by 6 
Beltarne: for prospecting?
GM: IQ-5 for Prospecting, IQ-6 for Naturalist.
Marik: Per-5, for this.
Wolfgang: [3d6.skill(13,-5)] => [1,4,4] = 9 vs (8) or less Failure! by 1 for default prospecting vision
Marik: +Talent, for a dwarf.
Ghazeb: Vision Based Prospecting [3d6.skill(10,-5)] => [1,1,6] = 8 vs (5) or less Failure! by 3 
Beltarne: [3d6.skill(13,-2)] => [1,6,4] = 11 vs (11) or less Success! by 0 
Ghazeb: that was a good roll too....
Firefly: Prospecting is -5?
** Thasos just misses Ghazeb's eye with a horn. **
Marik: Yeah.
Firefly: Default Skill Roll [3d6.defaultskill(-5-2,-5-2,-5-2)] => [3,1,2] = 6 vs (-21) or less Critical Failure! by 27 [B556]
Marik: Well done.
Firefly: totally messed that up
Beltarne: (Really?)
Firefly: Um.
Marik: ((Am I the only one who remembered our +1 bless?))
Beltarne: (Yes)
Wolfgang: yes
Firefly: IQ -7 = [15-7+1] => 9
Firefly: I succeed with that 3! By 3!
** Wolfgang made it exactly then **
Ghazeb: I forgot
Ghazeb: so I fail by 2, not 3
Marik: "There's something interesting in the cliff face over here... someone's tried to hide a path."
Wolfgang: "Hey, looks like a little path goes up that cliff there"
Beltarne: "Friends.... there seems to be a series of switchbacks cut into the cliff face to the west"
** Beltarne looks at others, surprised **
Firefly: "All the better for you walkers, then!"
** Firefly pats Ghazeb on the head. "Go to it, my tall friend!" **
** Marik looks at Beltarne. "What? I grew up above the snowline. What's your excuse?" **
Beltarne: "I'm a dwarf?"
** Firefly smiles. "It's gigantic, I don't know how you could miss it." **
Marik: "Good excuse."
Marik: "I think it bears investigating. What with being right there, and all."
Wolfgang: how big of a cliff is it?
Beltarne: "Agreed!"
Ghazeb: "climb and jump rocks time now Ghazeb thinks"
** Beltarne ambles towards the start of the trail at the cliff **
GM: Several hundred feet at least, and then a fairly steep slope above that.
Wolfgang: "I can fly up and see if it's worth the climb with Firefly
Marik: Is Perfect Balance the sort of thing that lets me scamper up there bow in hand with no worries at all?
Firefly: (( one sec, phone ))
GM: Marik: yes.
Marik: "A stealthy investigation might be more in order, Wolfgang. I can go up and see what there is to see - you be ready to fly up and haul my bacon out of the fire if things go poorly?"
Narrator: As the delvers approach, the switchbacks are revealed to be cleverly carved and safe paths going up the cliffside, wide enough for 2 people to walk abreast. They had been cleverly concealed from the road, though, and obviously camoflouged.
Wolfgang: "Heh, I can do that
Marik: "Someone didn't want this found."
Ghazeb: "who you think hid path?"
Marik: I would like to become one with the surrounding rocks and sneak my way up here.
Beltarne: "That's clear enough"
GM: Marik sneakily heads off.
** Thasos looks thoughtful for awhile, then shrugs. **
Wolfgang: "I heard about a hidden stair in the Storm pass that leads to the crystal lakes and the tower of Verskloft"
Beltarne: "Didn't he have some journals that might be of interest?"
Wolfgang: "This might be it!"
Ghazeb: "flying rock say we now go to tower Versakoloft?"
Wolfgang: "Well, we should at least see if that's where it goes"
Beltarne: "Well, once Marik checks it out. Speaking of which, Wolfgang, shouldn't you be nearby so you can get to him in a hurry?"
Firefly: (( back ))
Ghazeb: "tower Versakoloft is far from here?"
** Marik returns after several minutes. "Everything looks clear up there. There's a steep hill and some more switchbacks. I'll head to the summit, you guys start up." **
Wolfgang: "Yah, just giving him a head start
** Wolfgang takes offf **
Firefly: "Oh my goodness, I totally haaaaave to see where this goes."
GM: Wolfgang, make a flying roll if you head up. This is treacherous terrain.
** Beltarne heads up the paths **
GM: Same for Firefly. 
GM: Flying roll == DX in these winds, btw.
Firefly: I will be riding up on the shoulder of my trusty steed Ghazeb, if he'll let me.
GM: If your Aerobatics is better, you can roll that instead.
Wolfgang: DX (14) [3d6.skill(14,0)] => [4,1,5] = 10 vs (14) or less Success! by 4 
Ghazeb: Of course
Ghazeb: What do I roll though?
GM: Nothing, the path is perfectly walkable.
Ghazeb: Okay
Beltarne: (rememmber the bless bonus, wolfgang)
Ghazeb: I was hoping to get to roll something....
GM: BTW, it's getting close to 9 pm on the second day, so Wolfgang is getting a little tired after flying for 10 hours with full kit.
** Wolfgang is terrible about remember the bless **
Marik: "Perhaps we should stop at the foot of the second switchback? It would make an easily defensible campsite."
Beltarne: "Sounds good"
Ghazeb: "I won't sleep in wet place? this wet place?"
** Wolfgang looks for a cave to camp in **
** Marik looks up at the sky. "It's been raining for a day and a half. Everything's going to be wet. It's just water." **
** Marik shrugs. **
Beltarne: ((If these are cut into the cliff face, we should be able to shelter by hugging the face))
Thasos: How wide is the path?
Beltarne: ((2 yards))
GM: Wide enough for two people abreast, easily.
** Firefly pats Ghazeb. "My friend, you should have packed some shelter if you don't like the damp." **
** Ghazeb looks for a cliff too **
** Thasos looks the path over, trying to size it up for a tent. He shakes his head. **
GM: Just so I understand - you're stopping on the switchbacks, not on the steep slope? The cliff goes up for several hundred feet.
Firefly: "By the way. Why don't you like the damp?
Ghazeb: "You are right friend, Ghazeb accustomed to desert, not soggy mountain"
Marik: I was intending to stop on the slope.
Marik: And also intending to try and forage for food while Thasos does his rituals.
GM: That's fine, I just wanted to be sure.
Marik: Though I expect that to be difficult in the mountains.
Firefly: I would rather not slide off the mountain in the middle of the night.
GM: So, on the slope.
GM: Ritual time: Beltarne [1d6] => [6] = (6) Thasos [1d6] => [5] = (5)
Wolfgang: I was just hoping to get lucky and find a convienent cave near
Beltarne: I was thinking switchbacks
Ghazeb: "Ghazeb like damp sometimes, but damp and mud and nasty dirt and like this, not good"
** Thasos looks at Ghazeb and nods in agreement. **
GM: Well, it is the High Holy Day of Evil and tomorrow is the High Holy Day of Death, it makes sense Beltarne would have a lot of rituals to tend.
Ghazeb: "right?"
Wolfgang: wherever Marik likes is good though
Beltarne: hoooraaaay
Firefly: "A little mud is fine when it's fresh and made with nice clean earth and water. It gets completely gross under just about any other circumstance."
** Thasos puts his hand over his face. He can't believe he agrees with Ghazeb. **
Marik: And Marik likes 'whatever will be a safe, solid campsite'.
GM: You make camp at 9 pm, sleeping people start at 10.
Marik: Marik's judgment is about a million times better than Kevin's. :P
GM: Marik, roll Mountain Survival for foraging.
** Ghazeb smiles in satsifaction **
Marik: Survival (Great Lava Plains of the Fire Dimension): [3d6.skill(15,+1)] => [3,5,6] = 14 vs (16) or less Success! by 2 
Marik: (They're the same skill. Really.)
Beltarne: ((... what?))
Marik: (I have Survival (Any). :P)
Ghazeb: (you know?)
Ghazeb: (ah...)
GM: Marik picks up 2 forage meals by trapping a large mountain bug or something, or maybe finding some fungi.
GM: [1d6] => [2] = (2)
Marik: I like bugs.
GM: Sometime after midnight, Wolfgang is on watch. Beltarne is yawning through his prayers and Thasos just started sleeping.
** Ghazeb lies down to sleep **
Wolfgang: do I need to roll per/vision?
GM: No, but you have a whisper.
GM: The night passes uneventfully.
GM: What time are people getting up?
Wolfgang: "Beltarne, three eagles mean anything?
GM: BTW, it's still raining.
** Beltarne considers question thoughtfully **
Beltarne: "why do you ask?"
Wolfgang: "They flew over last night
** Firefly emerges from her tent. "Sounds like we're being monitored." **
Beltarne: "Were they giant eagles?"
** Marik wakes up precisely on time for his watch, and then goes to sleep as soon as it's over. He wakes up at 8 AM exactly. **
Beltarne: "Aye, that's my though as well, wee one."
Wolfgang: "Yah, they were
Ghazeb: "Like I said before, giant eagles are pet of evil sorceror"
Beltarne: "I don't think eagles are normally th' type to be travelling in flocks... so.."
** Thasos wakes up in the morning when he hears the bustle of people getting up. **
Marik: "Maybe they've just caught on to us being an easy way to get a meal."
Ghazeb: "maybe Marik right it good we didn't kill first bird, make sorceror angry"
Beltarne: "Are eagles also nocturnal?"
Wolfgang: "Maybe just the big ones are"
Ghazeb: "I remember no night birds on steelroad"
Ghazeb: "maybe here birds different"
GM: Ghazeb has a whisper.
** Beltarne shrugs "That may be wolfgang, I'm no expert on critters" **
Ghazeb: "Wolfgang say birds have long neck and shaggy head?"
Ghazeb: "no, not eagle, vulture"
** Thasos looks around for a way to clean the mud off himself. He sees Ghazeb looking the other way, and casually wipes some of it off on him. **
Ghazeb: "we see many vulture in steelroad"
Wolfgang: "Well, they circled a few times and then moved on, maybe they saw there was no food out"
** Marik enjoys the other half of his bug for breakfast. Cold. Grins at Firefly. **
Beltarne: "Well, aside from what part to hit em in to make e'em former critters."
Firefly: "Yick. Oh god. It's orange inside."
Ghazeb: "dirty cow, why you do that?"
Wolfgang: "I don't think they were buzzards, I've seen a few of them amongst the crows after a battle"
Marik: "The orange is the best part."
** Thasos looks at Ghazeb innocently. **
Ghazeb: "I think vulture, what you say sounds like vulture to me"
Beltarne: "Marik, you mind if I have the leftover shell once you're done?"
GM: So, when are you heading out? 9 am, or sleeping in for Beltarne and Thasos who will permanently be at 1 less fatigue today.
Beltarne: I can hang with 1 less fatigue
Ghazeb: permanently?
Marik: ((Until they get a full night's sleep.))
Marik: "All yours, mate." He looks cheerful. "Shall we head out?"
GM: What Kevin said.
Beltarne: Casting essential food to turn it into breakfast, Mark?
Wolfgang: "Eh, I didn't go in for a close look, hobs smell bad enough before thier guts get spilt, but I think it was eagles last night, not carrion birds"
GM: Sure, Beltarne. Roll it - you're not at any penalty today.
** Ghazeb wipes off mud from Thasos **
Beltarne: Essential Food (Holy) (15) [3d6.skill(15,1)] => [3,6,4] = 13 vs (16) or less Success! by 3 Includes: +4 from 'Power Investiture (Holy)'
** Beltarne scarfs down breakfast "Thanks kindly, Marik." **
** Marik smirks. "Waste not, want not, eh?" **
Beltarne: ((Did we double FP cost for ess food? So that would be 6?))
GM: You're a little tired from the extertion, but you've been taking it easy the last few days (stopping way early!) so no big deal.
Ghazeb: "Maybe flying rock what fly like birds knows birds better than Ghazeb what like to eat birds"
GM: Beltarne: yes.
Ghazeb: "but I think is vulture"
GM: So. It's 9 am.
Marik: Break down camp, and then head for the top of the rise?
GM: You're in the mountains. You can only see mountains to the west, north, and south, and a long drop into a valley to the east.
** Thasos looks scornfully at everyone for waking him up early. **
Beltarne: "Sounds like a plan!"
GM: Alright.
Firefly: Fast will be broken! Camp will be broken!
GM: Climbing to the top of the rise... there's no obvious road or path here. Just mountainous terrain. There's a broad plateau to the immediate west, but it quickly gets broken up by eleveation changes, rises and drops.
** Ghazeb would also prefer to sleep **
GM: What are you doing now?
** Thasos yawns silently. **
Firefly: Hoping keen elf eyes of telescoping can find the pass?
** Beltarne looks to Firefly "Want to head up a bit and see if you can pick out a lake or tower?" **
Marik: "Wolfgang, Firefly - can you see anything to the west there with a little more altitude?"
Ghazeb: "Firefly and Wolfgang can fly up high and see tower?"
Firefly: "Certainly worth a look!"
Beltarne: ((heh))
** Wolfgang flies up really high **
Marik: ((Really, the three NON fliers came up with that one.))
GM: How high are you flying? Don't forget to make DX checks due to the winds.
Firefly: "Hey, just because I can go flying around doesn't mean I want to get hit by lightning. I heard those rumours."
Wolfgang: still? annoying
Wolfgang: DX (14) [3d6.skill(14,+1)] => [5,6,3] = 14 vs (15) or less Success! by 1 
Wolfgang: DX (14) [3d6.skill(14,0)] => [6,4,1] = 11 vs (14) or less Success! by 3 
Firefly: 'I AM curious to see if they get him though."
GM: Again, how high is Wolfgang flying?
Wolfgang: hmm, cancel does not stop the roll
Firefly: Unfortunatley not.
Firefly: It's really annoying.
Wolfgang: say 300 ft for a start
GM: No problem them. You lift off... There's nothing obvious. Mountainous terrain in most directions, but you can't see far because of the rain.
Marik: ((I thought the sky cleared last night right before sunset?))
Ghazeb: "good Firefly what look like bug don't go up to attract more predators"
Marik: ((Or was it just a brief break?))
** Wolfgang comes back down **
GM: It was just a brief break - hence the omen-ness of it.
Wolfgang: "Can't see much due to the rain, sorry
Marik: "If this tower you're all talking about is supposed to be here, I'll scout around and see what I can find. I'll be back in an hour."
** Thasos looks at Wolfgang and points up at the sky. He jabs upwards a couple times. **
Wolfgang: "I can fly around as well, but I can only see so far
Ghazeb: "Ghazeb think cow say fly higher"
Marik: I'd like to do a quick, more or less stealthy survey of the area, Mark - any sign of a trail, a tower, or anything else that says a tower might have been here?
GM: Hmmm. Roll Tracking, I guess?
Wolfgang: "Heh, I can go higher but then I won't be able to see the ground!"
GM: And Thasos, roll Bad Temper.
Marik: Tracking: [3d6.skill(15,+1)] => [4,3,3] = 10 vs (16) or less Success! by 6 
GM: Thasos, Ghazeb just called you a cow. Roll Bad Temper.
Ghazeb: No Joel?
Thasos: [3d6.skill(15)] => 3d6.skill(15)
Thasos: Resist Bad Temper! [3d6.skill(15,0)] => [3,1,6] = 10 vs (15) or less Success! by 5 
Ghazeb: (15,0) not just (15)
Ghazeb: okay
GM: Right, whatever.
Thasos: [3d6.skill(15,0)] => [5,2,4] = 11 vs (15) or less Success! by 4 
Ghazeb: Does Thasos at least huff and puff or something?
GM: Marik comes back around 10 am.
Ghazeb: If not, Ghazeb doesn't notice
Beltarne: Can if he wants to
** Thasos looks at Ghazeb in annoyance. **
GM: You certainly didn't find a tower or a lake or anything like that.
Ghazeb: "Thasos not cow? Okay, Ghazeb did not know"
Ghazeb: "But remember"
Firefly: "Minotaurs are not related to... um... bovines at all. And cows are girls."
** Thasos nods empatically. **
Ghazeb: "Head not like mancow?"
Marik: "There's a path - maybe - to the southwest. I can follow it, mostly. I can't guarantee we'll find anything."
Ghazeb: "okay, Ghazeb say sorry, yes?"
Beltarne: "Someone obviously hid this trail, I'd be interested in seeing where it led "
Wolfgang: "Lets take a look
** Thasos appears somewhat mollified by the apology. **
GM: What's Marik's effective Navigation skill again?
Marik: 16, including the +1 for the Bless.
GM: How long are you headed this way?
Marik: Give it until noon? If we don't find anything useful by then, break an hour to forage and then head back? That sound good to everyone?
Beltarne: Sounds good
Ghazeb: Marik's the boss
Wolfgang: ok
** Thasos is still tired, annoyed, and somewhat grouchy. He sits down and crosses his arms. **
Narrator: The delvers trudge through the difficult terrain in the rain for two hours. Just as they plan to stop, the winds blow the rains past them, and they can see sunlight for the first time in two days.
Firefly: "Oh blessed relief!"
Narrator: Marik, from a low cliff he climbed to get a better vantage point, can see some kind of valley about 1/2 mile to the SW. The mountains drop quickly to a low floor.
Narrator: The valley is oval, about a mile deep and 1/2 mile wide, and the back half is filled with a forest. Past that, more mountains.
Wolfgang: "Now I should be able to see something if I fly up!"
GM: Winds are still blowing hard, Wolfgang.
** Firefly unfolds her wings and flicks them out, then fans them gently in the wind. **
GM: And there's still intermittent cloud cover, just not the endless rain.
Marik: "Well, it's something, anyway - and foraging's likely to be better in that forest."
** Wolfgang looks less happy **
Marik: "And really, just another half-mile."
Beltarne: Shall we investigate the valley after a bit of a breather? If there's nothing there turn back?
Marik: "Sounds good to me."
Firefly: "It shoudl at least be out of the wind!"
** Thasos doesn't wait for a consensus and heads toward the valley. **
Ghazeb: "And not wait to hear from wolfgang?"
** Thasos walks a little bit faster. **
Wolfgang: "I'll go, seems a shame to stop now
GM: Hey, if Wolfgang is flying high to look, he can roll Vision-6.
** Beltarne sighs and follows Thasos as he rushes ahead. **
Ghazeb: huh?
Wolfgang: I'll stay on the ground if it's that bad
GM: Well... sure, whatever.
** Ghazeb follows Thasos and Beltarne **
GM: It takes most of the hour to tromp down into the valley, as the actual route down isn't nearly as clear as it look from the ridge line.
GM: You descend nonetheless.
GM: Everyone roll Vision -2.
Beltarne: Vision (14) [3d6.skill(14,-2+1)] => [2,1,4] = 7 vs (13) or less Success! by 6 
Thasos: what's Vision?
Ghazeb: Vision [3d6.skill(11,-2)] => [5,3,6] = 14 vs (9) or less Failure! by 5 
GM: Perception.
Marik: Vision: [3d6.skill(14,+2+1-2)] => [2,6,3] = 11 vs (15) or less Success! by 4 
GM: 11 for Thasos.
Wolfgang: Vision (13) [3d6.skill(13,+1-2)] => [3,3,4] = 10 vs (12) or less Success! by 2 
Firefly: Vision (12) [3d6.skill(12,-2)] => [3,1,3] = 7 vs (10) or less Success! by 3 
Thasos: [3d6.skill(11,+1-2)] => [4,5,2] = 11 vs (10) or less Failure! by 1 
GM: Also, you lose the excellent panoramic view as you descend down into the valley.
GM: All but Thasos and Ghazeb notice a pile of lumber on the valley floor to the south, at the foot of a 50' cliff. The route to investigate it looks clear.
Firefly: "Thaaat looks like people."
Firefly: "People shouldn't be cutting down poor innocent trees like that. That's rude."
** Thasos looks in exactly the opposite direction. Confusion crosses his face as he squints. **
** Beltarne calls to Thasos if he seems to be walking awway from or past it "Laddie, lumber" pointing **
Wolfgang: "Eh, depends what they're building, trees grow back eventually
** Thasos looks around, then sees where Beltarne is pointing. **
Ghazeb: "say student what study in big school what made from many trees, no?"
Marik: "It looks like the remains of a wagon."
Beltarne: "Fell overthe cliff, perhaps?"
Marik: "Possibly. Dead horse. We should investigate."
** Thasos smiles at last. Though it's just a very slight smile. **
Firefly: "No, student who studied in a badger warren under an oak tree. We don't take giants."
Wolfgang: "Yah, lets go
Firefly: "We would, but they've got problems reaching the classes."
** Beltarne heads towards pile of sticks **
Ghazeb: "badger? not beaver?"
Firefly: (( I will not say "You mean giant swamp rat?" ))
Ghazeb: "beaver also animal what cut down trees too"
** Marik finds cover and sneaks. **
Ghazeb: "animal cut down trees too"
** Thasos hurries toward the apparent evidence of civilization. **
Marik: And then we approach. Hey look, bickering companions to draw fire.
** Wolfgang prepares for incoming fire **
Ghazeb: "ah?"
** Wolfgang also is heading toward the pile of wood **
Narrator: As the delvers approach the lumber, it resolves into a pile of broken boards, some quite colorfully painted. There are two large, picked over skeletons near the lumber and a smaller one on top of the pile. The cliffs nearby are strangely discolored, and there are shards of glass all around.
Narrator: Getting closer, some of the wood appears to have once been wagon wheels.
Beltarne: "Alchemist?"
Marik: "I think we found our alchemist."
Wolfgang: "Former alchemist if so"
Ghazeb: "How old is broken wagon?"
** Thasos slows down and his expression changes to one of disappointment. **
GM: Ghazeb isn't sure.
** Thasos points at the skeletons as if to answer Ghazeb. **
Ghazeb: I'm sure he's not, that's why he asked
** Beltarne is stepping very carefully, to avoid crunching anything potentially explosive underfoot **
Marik: "You lot see if anything useful survived the fall. I'm going to scout around."
Ghazeb: But how picked are the skeletons? No meat left at all?
** Firefly flits about, trying to peek inside the old cabin. **
GM: Not much, anyway.
Firefly: cabin? cab? Back of the wagon.
** Wolfgang flies to the top of the cliff **
Wolfgang: DX roll?
GM: There's not really a back of the wagon - just wreckage.
** Beltarne starts gingerly sifting through tthe remains when he reaches wagon **
GM: Wolfgang - yes.
Ghazeb: So I would guess, not too new, not too old... not too much information
Wolfgang: DX (14) [3d6.skill(14,+1)] => [4,2,3] = 9 vs (15) or less Success! by 6 
GM: Beltarne, roll Search.
Beltarne: Search (13) [3d6.skill(13,+1)] => [3,3,6] = 12 vs (14) or less Success! by 2 
** Thasos looks around, no longer interested in the wreckage itself. **
Ghazeb: Can I search as well?
GM: Ghazeb, yes.
Ghazeb: Search [3d6.skill(10,-1)] => [3,5,6] = 14 vs (9) or less Failure! by 5 
Ghazeb: ahh...
Beltarne: That's a +1 for bless, but still, failure by three
Thasos: Is there anything of interest outside the wreckage itself?
Ghazeb: yeah, pressed the wrong button,
Ghazeb: but yeah, 3
Ghazeb: key...
** Beltarne chortles happily as he pulls a sack of coins from underneath the skeleton, as well as a large knife with a silver hilt **
GM: Shards of glass, discolored rocks, dead horses... what interests you?
** Ghazeb wonders if Thasos will eat a horse **
Beltarne: "Hm, got a Polisburg Mastersmith on the hilt"
Ghazeb: Ah, no meat, sorry
GM: The vultures have beaten him to it.
Wolfgang: Vision (13) [3d6.skill(13,+1+2)] => [5,5,6] = 16 vs (16) or less Success! by 0 
Marik: While they're picking over the remains of the wagon, I'm scouting around stealthily. If I can do that and forage, cool - if not, I'm mostly looking for other things of interest.
GM: Sure, you can do both. Roll Mountain Survival at -1.
** Beltarne moves the human skeleton away from the wreckage and starts collecting rocks to build a cairn **
Marik: Survival (Lost City of R'lyeh): [3d6.skill(15,+1-1)] => [2,6,4] = 12 vs (15) or less Success! by 3 
Beltarne: ((This may never get old))
GM: You find a lot of mushrooms.
Ghazeb: "Beltarne what is godman, Ghazeb would help you but must first ask, is what you do not unsafe?"
Beltarne: "What? The poor sod needs to be buried. We can't just leave him like this"
** Thasos understands what Beltarne is doing, and solemnly helps him. **
** Ghazeb helps Beltarne **
Ghazeb: "Ghazeb thought it maybe more bad luck if interfere with godman business"
Wolfgang: Per (10) [3d6.skill(10,+1-5)] => [6,2,6] = 14 vs (6) or less Failure! by 8 
** Thasos gathers a pile of large rocks. **
** Wolfgang flies back down **
Beltarne: "Plus, once we're done we can move all the wagon pieces out of the way to see if anything survived the fall. WOuldn't be proper to do that whilst tripping over his pelvis."
** Ghazeb gathers a larger pile of large rocks **
Wolfgang: "I can't see where the wagon came from, there is a ledge part way up but no road at the top
** Thasos frowns, then goes to find bigger rocks. **
Wolfgang: "Anything valuable survive the destruction?"
Beltarne: "Perhaps a door in the rock face?"
GM: It's getting on 2 pm after you finish searching the wreckage and piling up a cairn.
** Beltarne jingles a bag off coins **
Beltarne: "this and a dagger"
** Wolfgang grins widely **
GM: Doing dice rolls, hold on
** Firefly points out the seal from the alchemists guild on the ruins of the wagon. "Definitely our alchemist friend." **
Beltarne: Nothing else found after pulling the wreckage apart, Mark?
Wolfgang: "Well, I can go look but I don't know why anyone would build a door half way up a cliff
GM: Nope.
Beltarne: k
Ghazeb: "Maybe flying rocks would?"
** Marik returns after some time with mushrooms, and contentedly watches you guys set up a cairn. **
Wolfgang: are there remains of horses or just people?
Ghazeb: both
Wolfgang: ok
Firefly: I think beltarn found the humanoid remains.
Ghazeb: no meat though, unless you want to pick at the last bit of the bones
** Wolfgang flies back up to the ledge and searches for secret type stuff **
Wolfgang: "Maybe it was a flying wagon!"
Firefly: "It had wheels. I'm not sure aobut that bit."
GM: Wolfgang has whispers.
** Beltarne asks Firefly "Are these Mastersmith marks keyed to individuals?" while froming at the hilt of the knife **
Wolfgang: "It'd have to land eventually of course or the wingless folk would never get any use of it
Ghazeb: ( Maybe it can fly with whispers, like Wolfgang)
Marik: "I expect he was traveling along the top of the cliff and went over, really."
Wolfgang: "Yah, no road up there I could see"
Firefly: "Hm. They're definitely tied to the guild..." Mark? 
Ghazeb: "no road maybe reason why fall"
Wolfgang: "Did it fall here or did he explode"
Marik: "I expect the answer to that is 'yes'."
Ghazeb: "wait wait, funny color on cliff too"
Marik: "Or, rather, 'both'."
Ghazeb: "why?"
Wolfgang: "That will be a fine knife after a bit of cleaning
Firefly: "Falling from great heights, when you're a giant, tends to make you burst like a sack of peas."
Wolfgang: "I didn't see any sign of a road up there, or even a way for the wagon to get there
Ghazeb: "so... you say color on cliff is color of sack of peas? Ghazeb not so sure..."
** Firefly squints at the found knife. "Looks like Smith Brand Goldbeard from Polisburg made this one." **
Beltarne: "Ah well, Merik, nothing of interest in the woods?"
Marik: "Just some mushrooms."
Beltarne: "Well, I guess we finish up here and head back"
** Beltarne performs last rites over the cairn. **
Marik: "I would like to find that tower if there's any chance it's nearby. Of course, we can't even be sure it's here."
** Wolfgang goes to examine the discoloration on the cliff **
Beltarne: "Well, the trail up the cliff wasn't wide enough for the wagon. Perhaps you can find some tracks up top and backtrack them to where he came from"
Wolfgang: "The tower was to be overlooking one of many lakes, and I've not seen a lake in this valley
Marik: "Wrong valley, then. Well, nothing for it but to head back."
Beltarne: Mark, casting Detect Magic on the knife
Firefly: [1d20] => [19] = (19)
Firefly: sorry, missclick.
Beltarne: Detect Magic (Holy) (16) [3d6.skill(16,+1)] => [6,6,4] = 16 vs (17) or less Success! by 1 Includes: +4 from 'Power Investiture (Holy)'
** Thasos hears his stomach growling. **
GM: It isn't magical.
Marik: "We'll enjoy our lunch here, and then get back to the road."
GM: Who's feeding Beltarne?
Beltarne: "You, ah, have enough to share, speaking of lunch?"
Marik: Marik is happy to share mushrooms.
** Thasos is way ahead of Marik, as he takes off his backpack and starts taking out the mutton. **
Ghazeb: Are we all eating?
Marik: It's noon, that makes it food time.
Firefly: Nibbles of crumbs and a tiny sip of nectar!
GM: At some point or another. If you have food, it disappears at 6 am, noon, and 6 pm for GM's convenience.
Ghazeb: "Thasos, share more mutton?"
Ghazeb: I'd prefer to have heavy mutton disappear at 6, nooon and 6 than expensive rations
** Wolfgang lands and breaks out his own rations unless there are extra mushrooms **
** Thasos portions off a meal for himself and begins putting the rest away. He hesitates at Ghazeb's words, then remembers how he got the mutton. He portions off another meal, and hands it to Ghazeb. **
GM: Sure, you're always assumed to be eating the cheap stuff first.
Wolfgang: "I think his wagon exploded, those are funny colors up on the cliff
Ghazeb: "exploded? you say he alchemist?"
GM: So after a late meal, what's the plan?
Marik: Back to the road.
Ghazeb: "wagon goes bump and chemicals blow up maybe?"
Firefly: "His cart belonged to an alchemist, that's for sure. I totally have to check out those colours first."
Marik: Which probably eats the rest of our day.
Beltarne: not gonna check to see if we can find wagon trail?
Ghazeb: We should check for a wagon trail
Firefly: That's the other thing, is if the cart didn't fall, just hexploded, then it got here on its wheels somehow.
Ghazeb: I don't think I'm the one to try though...
GM: Firefly strongly suspects from the wreckage that the wagon fell, in case I didn't make that clear earlier.
Ghazeb: Did Marik look around up above? Or only down below on the level we're on now?
** Thasos looks up at the mountains surrounding the valley. **
Firefly: Oh, oops!
Marik: "Well, I can get up there and look around. Either way, we'll have to get up out of this valley."
Beltarne: "RIght, lets be off" 
GM: What's the plan?
Wolfgang: what direction does the valley go?
Beltarne: Go to top of cliff, check for wagon ntracks, head back to switchbacks if not
Firefly: Investigate the colorful smear!
Firefly: Bringing my alchemically trained perspective to the site for a close inspection!
Ghazeb: Beltarne? You still there?
Firefly: Possibly while the giants try to struggle up the path on foot.
Beltarne: yup
Ghazeb: You see you're disconnected from MapTool?
Beltarne: huh, my maptools dropped
GM: Valley opens up to the south west.
GM: Who's climbing to the top of the cliff?
Ghazeb: I'll climb
Marik: I am briefly confused. Valley opens up to the southwest - is that the way we came in?
Beltarne: Can't we come out the way we went in then circle to the cliff top?
Ghazeb: Climb [3d6.skill(16,+1)] => [1,6,3] = 10 vs (17) or less Success! by 7 
Wolfgang: "Just have Marik go, he's the tracker"
GM: People who want to climb are climbing 16 yards...
Marik: I was expecting that we'd do what Beltarne just said.
GM: You guys came from the north east, heading southwest, with the long axis of the valley in front of you.
** Ghazeb is part way up the cliff, yell to me to come down if you must **
GM: There doesn't appear to be a way to get from the slope you came in on to the ledge on the cliff above the wagon that doesn't involve rope-overs and other exciting climbing feets.
GM: Err, feats.
Ghazeb: I have climbing feet
Wolfgang: "Unless Marik thinks this valley is a shortcut to the ghost, lets head back to the switchbacks"
Wolfgang: "I can give Marik a ride to the top but I didn't see any place for a road up there, too steep
** Ghazeb not hearing calls to come down, continues up **
Marik: "I don't think it's a shortcut, but I think seeing where the alchemist came in from could be important."
GM: Right, Ghazeb does a fairly impressive free climb up to the ledge. It's about 15' long and 8' wide and there's a steep slope to a steeper slope beyond it.
** Firefly flits further up the cliff after investigating the splash to see what Ghazeb can see. **
** Ghazeb reaches the top and looks around **
** Wolfgang flies back up to look at the top again for anyplace a wagon could have made it to **
Firefly: Current working theory - bounced off the mountain. From... er... somewhere. Possibly thrown? launched from a catapault? Fell right out of the sky after a spectacular lab accident?
** Thasos watches Ghazeb's ascent, silently hoping he falls. **
GM: For your illumination, I have drawn the profile of the cliff on MapTools.
Firefly: "This is going to bug me all week if we can't figure it out."
** Beltarne hands Wolfgang one end of 30 yards of rope **
Beltarne: "tie that off somewhere up there, would you?
** Marik goes free-climbing while Wolfgang does that. **
Wolfgang: Climbing (13) [3d6.skill(13,+1)] => [3,5,5] = 13 vs (14) or less Success! by 1 
** Wolfgang ties well **
Marik: Climbing: [3d6.skill(14,+1)] => [2,4,1] = 7 vs (15) or less Success! by 8 
Ghazeb: So I'm on top of a ledge and must climb up another ledge?
** Beltarne waits patiently at the bottom **
GM: I don't know, Ghazeb. Where do you want to go?
Ghazeb: To the top
GM: Beltarne, WOlfgang has thrown down your rope.
Marik: Ultimately I'd like to get to the very top of the slope, then look around to see if the alchemist was following a trail or something.
Wolfgang: where are the colors on that mark?
Wolfgang: above or below the ledge
GM: Ghazeb, yes, that's like 600' above you at least, most of that being a 70 degree slope. The colors are at the bottom by the wagon.
Beltarne: I wwas going to wait to see if I actually needed to go up before I tried it
Ghazeb: so there are many ledges and many steep slopes?
** Firefly flies up and down the cliff to see what everyone else is looking at. **
Wolfgang: "Let Marik see if he can see signs of the wagon coming down before you go up more
Ghazeb: and the one I am on now has no sign of a wagon that Ghazeb can recognize
Ghazeb: right?
GM: Marik, roll tracking.
GM: Ghazeb, right.
Marik: Tracking: [3d6.skill(15,+1)] => [4,1,2] = 7 vs (16) or less Success! by 9 
** Ghazeb pesters Marik with tracking questions, trying to either be helpful or learn something **
Wolfgang: "There an 45 degree slope on the other side of the ridge folks"
Wolfgang: "No way a wagon got up that with horses!"
Firefly: "The only conclusion I can come to is a spec-TAC-ular backfire."
Firefly: "I wish I could have been there to see it. ANd take notes."
Firefly: "I'm not seeing much in the way of scortchmarks though..."
Wolfgang: "I agree, and so do the spots where the cliff got turned pink"
Marik: Loner: [3d6.skill(12,0)] => [3,3,4] = 10 vs (12) or less Success! by 2 
Firefly: Too many people hovering over your work, eh? :D
Beltarne: "Maybe he thought he could fly? And it stopped working?"
** Thasos has the glimmer of an explanation. **
** Marik glares. "Catboy. Not. Helping." He points at the other side of the ledge. **
** Thasos nods at Beltarne in agreement. **
Ghazeb: "Not catboy, Tigerman"
Wolfgang: "Yah, only thing that makes sense to me"
Ghazeb: Nothing here then?
GM: Firefly has a whisper.
Marik: "Maybe there's something to that rumor of invisible standing stones that transport you places."
Beltarne: "Parked his wagon up there for the night, it would look pretty safe"
** Ghazeb waits to see if Marik found anything before climbing further **
Beltarne: "Then tried to leave in the morning, and just went over the edge?"
** Marik calls down. "He didn't park it here. It landed, then fell off." **
GM: ... you can't fit a wagon and a horse in an 8' by 15' space.
Firefly: "Or appeared. And fell off."
Beltarne: Maybe YOU can't :-P
Firefly: "I'm tellin ya, magical backfire. Or something."
** Ghazeb climbs to the next ledge **
Wolfgang: it just has to squeeze some
** Thasos looks around suddenly. He's slowly piecing things together. **
Ghazeb: Climbing [3d6.skill(16,+1)] => [1,2,2] = 5 vs (17) or less Critical Success! by 12 [B556]
Wolfgang: "Lets head back to the switchback"
Beltarne: "Wolfgang, untie my rope and toss it down, please"
Firefly: "Less of a squeezing and more of a folding of dimensional space, perhaps."
GM: Uhm... Ghazeb, it will take you at least an hour to climb up that slope.
** Marik peers up at Ghazeb. "He didn't come from up there; you're wasting your time." **
** Wolfgang goes and gets the rope **
** Marik climbs down. **
** Ghazeb climbs up to the next ledge, sees everyone leaving, and scurries back down **
Marik: Climbing: [3d6.skill(14,+1)] => [6,6,4] = 16 vs (15) or less Failure! by 1 
Ghazeb: "Ghazeb simply enjoy climbing"
Wolfgang: "Eh, didn't end well whatever hocus pokus he tried"
Marik: Oh, balls.
** Beltarne collects his rope and stows it in his pack again. **
Marik: Luck!
Marik: Climbing: [3d6.skill(14,+1)] => [3,6,5] = 14 vs (15) or less Success! by 1 
Marik: Climbing: [3d6.skill(14,+1)] => [2,2,4] = 8 vs (15) or less Success! by 7 
Ghazeb: "better than.... umm..."
Beltarne: ((That would have been priceless))
Thasos: Mark, can Thasos see the highest point in the valley?
Ghazeb: ( It would have been )
GM: ... Thasos thinks he can. The forested area has a definite upslope.
** Thasos heads toward the forest with determination. **
Wolfgang: has it cleared up anymore while we've been here?
Ghazeb: I can't simply assume that my critical success saves me from rolling to come down can I?
GM: Still windy.
Ghazeb: Or makes it so I only roll once?
Wolfgang: "Where are you going Thasos?"
** Beltarne appears momentarily flustered, then follows Thasos **
GM: Ghazeb, you're fine.
Ghazeb: Thanks
Wolfgang: visability more than wind
GM: Still sound clouds, but they're whispy and provide more cover from the sun than anything else.
Thasos: thasos is heading for what he thinks is the highest place
Ghazeb: We should figure out what we're doing
GM: That would be helpful. No splitting the party!
Wolfgang: "It appears our horned friend has wandered off
** Ghazeb is done wondering the wrong direction, and doesn't understand why anyone else would do the same **
** Thasos has a confident look on his face. He is onto something, or thinks he is. **
Beltarne: Since he can't explain, shall we all just follow and see what happens?
Wolfgang: "He needs a slate and chalk if he refuses to talk"
Ghazeb: "Beltarne is smart godman what do business with greedy little pipsqueeks what like cattle"
Ghazeb: "You follow cow what not know people even own cows?"
** Marik shrugs and follows Thasos, for now. **
Beltarne: "Well, if he gets into trouble, I have to be there to save his silent hide"
Wolfgang: "Grr, guess we don't have a choice, I'm going up to try and see what he's walking into"
Beltarne: "And I can't very well do that if I just let him wander off. Plus I'm curious"
** Ghazeb shrugs and follows Beltarne and Thasos again.. **
** Wolfgang flies up for a look around since the clouds have broken **
Thasos: just how far away is it? like, 15 minute walk?
Wolfgang: DX (14) [3d6.skill(14,+1)] => [3,4,1] = 8 vs (15) or less Success! by 7 
Firefly: "I think I'm just going to HAVE to follow him, so I can find out what he's up to."
GM: 20 minutes to the edge of the forest.
** Ghazeb mutters in his own tongue unpleasantly **
Beltarne: ((Or you could circle his head incessantly asking him where he's going oand whhat he figured out))
Ghazeb: (sounds like a plan)
Firefly: "Hey, if he's got a line on some sheep, perhaps he's found a short way out of here!"
Wolfgang: DX (14) [3d6.skill(14,+1)] => [3,1,5] = 9 vs (15) or less Success! by 6 
Narrator: A knotty forest of firs and other evergreens soon fills the delvers' vision as they walk uphill into it.
** Wolfgang soars high above **
Firefly: (( I'm curious, not suicidal. ))
** Thasos stops and looks at those following him. He points back towards the wagon, then up the hill. **
Beltarne: "e rolled down the hill and slammed into the cliff face?"
** Thasos shakes his head. **
Thasos: Are there any rocks lying around?
GM: As you enter the forest...
GM: Sure, lots, it's pretty rocky terrain.
Beltarne: "He was trying to get to somewhere in the forest and was off by enough to pop up on top of the cliff?"
GM: As you enter the forest, the shadows loom.
** Wolfgang returns to the group in a steep dive **
** Thasos picks up a rock and stands it on one end. **
** Thasos points at the rock, then at the wagon, then up the hill. **
Firefly: So what's the local mana like?
Firefly: "If it landed on that ledge, I don't think that cart would have balanced nearly that neatly."
Beltarne: "Sorry, laddie. You've lost me"
Wolfgang: Per (10) [3d6.skill(10,+1-5)] => [6,4,2] = 12 vs (6) or less Failure! by 6 
Ghazeb: "Godman call girl boy?"
** Thasos picks up another rock, and stands it on its end next to the first. **
GM: Local mana is currently... Low, but that's just the usual ebb and flow of magic.
Beltarne: "Wait, one of the protal rocks is in the forest?"
Beltarne: *portal
** Thasos nods confidently. **
Beltarne: "Ah! Well, lets go check!"
** Ghazeb watches curiously **
Wolfgang: "There looks to be some water south not too far and something shiney far to the southeast, could be more water"
Marik: "If that's the case, and it sent the alchemist to his doom, I'm not sure we should be going after it."
Marik: "There are supposed to be some lakes in the area."
Firefly: "Water, nearby could be the tower!"
** Thasos waves off Marik's concern and heads uphill again. **
Beltarne: "Well, we pprobably don't want to use it. But maybe it sent someone else to their doom much closer. Someone with cvaluables"
Firefly: "We would fit on that cliff properly."
Beltarne: "I'md be worried about appearing paritally inside the cliff or something similarly gruesome"
** Beltarne follows THasos **
Wolfgang: Dodge (10) [3d6.skill(10,-2+1+2+3)] => [4,2,4] = 10 vs (14) or less Success! by 4 
** Thasos strides happily through the forest. Ignorance is bliss. **
Firefly: uh oh!
GM: What direction is Thasos going?
Firefly: (( if you can dodge a wrench... ))
GM: And ignore Wolfgang, that's happening at 3000' as he scouts.
Firefly: [1d100] => [16] = (16)
Thasos: uphill until he gets to the highest point
Firefly: Gha, sorry again.
Ghazeb: I think there are some pretty tall and maybe slightly distant mountains
GM: Hang on a bit while Wolfgang has some excitement. 
Wolfgang: Fast-Draw (Axe/Mace) (15) [3d6.skill(15,+1+1)] => [1,1,3] = 5 vs (17) or less Critical Success! by 12 [B556] Includes: +1 from 'Combat Reflexes'
Ghazeb: yup
Thasos: you have whisper, mark
Wolfgang: : Rapid strike: Feint [3d6.skill(20,-3+1)] => [5,2,2] = 9 vs (18) or less Success! by 9 and DA -2/-1 to the torso [3d6.skill(20,-3+1-2)] => [1,4,4] = 9 vs (16) or less Success! by 7 
Wolfgang: plus 1 from bless
Beltarne: ((Next of FOX, when Giant Eagles attack!))
Ghazeb: ((we need hobbits for that show though Nate))
GM: Just as you enter the forest, Wolfgang lands behind you looking... non-plussed at best.
Ghazeb: "what happened?"
Wolfgang: "Well I'm be a statue in a garden, there ARE gloopy bags of nasty up there!"
Firefly: "Was it the invisible flying groundhogs I've heard so much about?"
Wolfgang: "Not as tough as the tales though"
Ghazeb: "gloopy bags of what?"
Wolfgang: "Eh, looked more like a jellyfish and it was just blurry"
Thasos: how dense is this forest anyway? is swinging my chain going to be a problem?
Beltarne: "That's... disconcerting"
Ghazeb: "a jellyfish?"
Wolfgang: "And the stuff that comes out of them when you cut them floats up as it evaporates"
Firefly: "Hm. Jellyfish jellyfish. Do you have any magical items on you?"
** Firefly ponders. **
Ghazeb: "floats up?"
Beltarne: "There's something called a manovore that eats magic"
Wolfgang: "Er, do healing potions count?
GM: Uhm... Generally Thasos should be okay, but there are parts where he'll have to shorten his reach a bunch.
Firefly: "Possibly! Especially if they're desperate."
GM: By the way, Firefly should make 3 HT+2 rolls... or take damage.
Thasos: so, basically, not very dense in general
Firefly: "Like, well, everything else hungry around here. I wonder if that's why the eagles are hungry - can't fly high enough to hunt?"
Wolfgang: "It went 'POP!' when I hit it and disappeared"
Beltarne: Hm... starving manovores and giant eagles?
Firefly: oer, ok?
GM: Low mana zone.
Firefly: HT (11) [3d6.skill(11,+2)] => [1,4,2] = 7 vs (13) or less Success! by 6 
Firefly: HT (11) [3d6.skill(11,+2)] => [5,3,1] = 9 vs (13) or less Success! by 4 
Firefly: HT (11) [3d6.skill(11,+2)] => [6,3,4] = 13 vs (13) or less Success! by 0 
Firefly: ack.
Ghazeb: another accident?
Ghazeb: you should play an accident prone alchemist
Ghazeb: not that firefly is very different...
Beltarne: ((That's MY idea!))
** Firefly looks a little wilted. "With the energy being so reduced here at the moment I could see them chasing anything with an aura." **
Ghazeb: (just don't forget the misplaced dice rolls)
** Thasos puts his hand on his meteor hammer, not quite readying it, but prepared to face enemies. He continues uphill. **
Firefly: (( thanks, completley forgot about that... ))
Firefly: (( how far/long would we have to travel to hope the mana changes again? ))
GM: Following Thasos, the delvers push uphill... and uphill. After about 30 minutes, the forest thins out as the ground rises rapidly.
GM: The valley has come to an end.
Wolfgang: "I wonder if I hooked one next time if it wouldn't pop away..."
** Thasos looks around excitedly. **
GM: There is something of pass, heading southwest, further into the mountains.
Thasos: umm... something of pass?
** Ghazeb grumbles about following a "so", whatever that means **
GM: Well, the ground is less steep there, so you can probably walk through it?
Thasos: am i the only one who doesn't understand mark at the moment? what the hell is a "something of pass"?
Wolfgang: "I dunno what you though you were gonna find Thas, but I don't think it's here"
Beltarne: A pass
Beltarne: ((Low point between mountian peaks))
Narrator: Down the pass, well out of bowshot range, more than a half-dozen green-skinned figures in dark clothes move purposefully toward you. They carry crossbows at the ready and are accompanied by a pair of lizards.
GM: Large lizards at that.
Ghazeb: (there we are!)
Wolfgang: "Oh great, greenskins"
Firefly: (( And yet it's 10:00 ))
** Beltarne retreats back into the forrest and cover **
Ghazeb: are they coming our way?
Ghazeb: I know...
Ghazeb: sorry
Ghazeb: yes, they are
** Ghazeb hides, hoping to set ambush them **
GM: Yeah, this seems like an excellent stopping point.