Remove ads

Strange Lands, and Stranger Times.

Alright, got the update finished. Hope you guys enjoy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[X] The bow

You tentatively slide your hand forward. tensing, you half-expect the skeleton to lunge out at you, but it remains still as you take the bow. The carvings along the bow are exquisite, The vines, flush with leaves and flowers, seem to come alive swaying in a gentle breeze. The strangest thing about it is the pale white, almost boneucent, bowstring. Rather than being affixed around the limbs of the bow, the string emerges from within them. Testing the bow, you find that you can draw the bow back without difficulty, but when rereleased, the string snaps force with tremendous ferocity.

Checking the quiver next, you find about 30 arrows in pristine condition. The fletching gives off a bluish sheen in the faint light. Raven feathers, you realize. Raven fletched arrows were said to fly straighter than any other kind, and would bring good fortune to the archer. You hoped that they'd bring you better luck than their previous owner. The arrow terminated with a steel broadhead. Testing the point with your finger you find it to be wickedly sharp, easily piercing your skin and leaving a droplet of blood on the tip.

Searching the body next, you find one other item of note. A sealed scroll case. Opening it reveals a map and a small silver medal. The map has a number of strange symbols and lines on it, but reading the scribbled notation you realize that the symbols indicate troop size, location, supply caches and places to stage ambushes. You look back at the skeleton, realizing that he was likely a scout from the war of three kings. That war had ended almost 15 years ago, with no clear victor. The medal is about two inches in diameter and depicts a crow holding an arrow in its talons. The other side is blank.

You release the skeleton of its armor before dawning it yourself. It's old and somewhat damp, but light enough to not weigh you down or inhibit movement. You take a few minutes to recover from your flight, drinking from your water skin and stretching out your legs. Before you clamber your way out of the ravine you turn to the skeleton. You feel like you should say something.

[ ] Say something.
- What do you say? Write in.
[ ] Say nothing. No words you know can help him now.

You set off at a light jog, perpendicular to your previous direction. You may be able to throw that thing off you trail, but you doubt the effectiveness of this action. The mist holds ever-present, but the trees grow smaller and begin to look more withered. The ground grows wett and soon you find puddles and later pools of stagnant water around you. Small hardy plants shoot out of the water, and the ground becomes treacherous. At a few point you mistake your footing for solid ground and sink into the muddy mire. The entire time you are on edge. The place is silent and still no wind stirs at your hair. The buzz of insects is absent as are any other sounds of wildlife. Worse still you can feel a presence stalking you, the same one that brought you here. You wondered how long it would stalk you before acting.

You stop a few hours later, needing to drink from your waterskin and catch your breath. You keep your eyes and ears alert. As you place your waterskin back into you pack you hear heavy footsteps approaching you. It was making its move. Your heart hammers in your chest and you grab the bow with shaking hands. You take a deep, shuddering breath as you try and still your hands. Than you see a hulking figure emerge from the mist. Your heart freezes up in terror and your mind grinds to a halt. After a moment you suddenly calm, your hands cease shaking as your focus narrows and time seems to slow. You estimate that the monster is about 50 feet from you, and you can make it out clearly.

It stands 8 feet tall, covered in a thick gray hide. Its head is dominated by the massive jaw that winds almost half way around its head. Jagged teeth poke out past the lips as it stares at you with a predatory hunger. A few leather straps adorn it, with trophies dangling from them. You don't recognize all of them, but a child's shrunken head is plain to see. As is the collection of skeletal fingers dangling from its belt. It stops and slowly removes a jagged bone knife from its belt.

[ ] Run, you have no chance of hurting it, buy you think you can see a thick wall of trees just past the fog. If you can make it it shouldn't be able to follow.
[ ] Fight. Its 50 feet from you, you already have your bow out. You should be able to drive it off, or even kill it, with your bow.
[ ] Write in.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
As always feel free to give me any questions, concerns, or criticism you have.
 
Last edited:
[X] Say something.
"The war is long over, but thank you for your service, you may well have given me a chance to survive this night"
[X ] Fight. Its 50 feet from you, you already have your bow out. You should be able to drive it off, or even kill it, with your bow.
 
[X] Say something.
"The war is long over, but thank you for your service, you may well have given me a chance to survive this night"
[X ] Fight. Its 50 feet from you, you already have your bow out. You should be able to drive it off, or even kill it, with your bow.
 
[X] Say something.
"The war is long over, but thank you for your service, you may well have given me a chance to survive this night"
[X ] Fight. Its 50 feet from you, you already have your bow out. You should be able to drive it off, or even kill it, with your bow.
 
alright looks like you guys want to stand and fight. I'll lock the votes in an hour and a half than I'll get the update posted.
 
[X] Say something.
"The war is long over, but thank you for your service, you may well have given me a chance to survive this night"
[X] Run, you have no chance of hurting it, buy you think you can see a thick wall of trees just past the fog. If you can make it it shouldn't be able to follow.

I favor running as we have absolutely no idea what we are dealing with. While I doubt the GM would kill us in the first couple of posts, deciding to fight based on that would be too meta-gamey for my tastes. So running away it is.
 
Hydroplatypus said:
I favor running as we have absolutely no idea what we are dealing with. While I doubt the GM would kill us in the first couple of posts, deciding to fight based on that would be too meta-gamey for my tastes. So running away it is.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I'll be fair, if a fight is likely to kill you you'll have fair warning. Furthermore if a fight is going poorly you guys will have the opertunity to try and disengage. This does not mean fighting is necessarily your best option though, as winning a fight can leave you worse of than before. I will never give you guys two choices that lead to the exact same outcome, so keep that in mind.
 
Votes locked.

4 [X] Say something.
"The war is long over, but thank you for your service, you may well have given me a chance to survive this night"
3 [X] Fight.
1 [X] Run.

This votes pretty clear, no ties this time. Working on the update, should be up within a few hours.
 
[X] Fight.
You draw your hand back into the quiver and withdraw an arrow. You think you could see some trees just past the mist, but you weren't sure. You notch the arrow. You could try running, but you felt like the monster could run you down. You pulled the arrow back to your cheek. You didn't need to kill it, just hurt it enough to drive it off. You breathed out, your warm breath brushing up against your hand in stark contrast to the cold air around you. You refused to let fear rule you. You take aim and release the arrow which flies through the air.

For a brief moment you can see the monster's eyes widen in shock before the arrow embeds itself in the creature's eye. It drops the knife, roaring in pain as it clutches its face. You let loose a second arrow which strikes the monster's left arm. The monster begins to stagger into the mist, whimpering in pain. By the time you draw a third arrow it has fled into the mist, the cries of pain soon fading from your ears.
It takes you a moment to processes everything, but when it does you smile. You'd done it, driven it off. You had won. The adrenaline soon fades and your body makes its displeasure known, forving you to sit down. Your legs rapidly begin to cramp up, and the muscles feel like they are trying to tear themselves free of your bones. The rest of your body is sore and your sure that you have gained a impressive set of bruises by now. Still, you feel proud of that first shot, but something hadn't felt right about it either.

It wasn't a lucky shot, you knew that. You had aimed for the eyes, and had hit. Being able to bulls eye a target at 50 feet wasn't unheard off, certainly no feat of legend. It was still beyond your skills, or so you had thought.

Perhaps it hadn't been you though? You frown as you inspect the bow more closely. There was something, but it wasn't the bow. You felt, different, something in you had changed, but you couldn't tell what. You rest for about an hour before standing up. Whatever strange things the bow was doing could wait, for now you needed to . . .

[ ] try and find shelter. It has been a long day and you need to rest.
[ ] keep moving. It was dangerous here and that thing was still out there. You needed to leave the Deep Woods as soon.

You will also need to decide where you go next.

[ ] Try and find your way back home. You have a good idea of the direction to go, but you're not completely sure.
[ ] Press forward. The fog has cleared up somewhat, and you can make out a thick stand of vibrant green trees up ahead. You need to get away from this swamp, and anything else that might lurk in these waters.

---------------------------------------------
Here is the update, tomorrow I'll do another lore post along with the next update. The lore post will go over the Deep Woods. As always, please post any comments, questions, concerns and criticisms and I shall answer them as best as I can.
 
[X] try and find shelter. It has been a long day and you need to rest.
[X] Press forward. The fog has cleared up somewhat, and you can make out a thick stand of vibrant green trees up ahead. You need to get away from this swamp, and anything else that might lurk in these waters.
 
[X] try and find shelter. It has been a long day and you need to rest.
[X] Press forward. The fog has cleared up somewhat, and you can make out a thick stand of vibrant green trees up ahead. You need to get away from this swamp, and anything else that might lurk in these waters.
[X] take the bone knife
 
Last edited:
Alright, here is some back round info on the Deep Woods.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Deep Woods is certainly dangerous, but it is not a death sentence as some would have you believe. In this chapter we will be discussing unplanned excursions into the Deep Woods. If you are participating in a planned expedition see chapter 7.
  1. Stop and inspect your surroundings. Ensure that you are not in immediate danger. If you are in an unsafe location move to a safe one.
  2. Immediately place a piece of cold iron so that it is in contact with your skin. This will afford you some protection from the fae's magic.
  3. Make sure your weapons are easily accessible and ready for use. In the event that you are attack you will have little, if any warning.
  4. If possible, try to back track. If you are able to find the point you entered from you can use it to leave as well.
  5. If backtracking is not possible you will need to find a new exit. Exits can be found at many places, and not all of them are marked. Most do have some sort of sighn indicating their presence, so keep on the lookout.
  6. Prepare for a long walk home. Even if you exit from your entry point, you will likely be days away from where you entered. If you exited from a new point you could be weeks, or even months away from home.
  7. Be aware that more time may have passed than what you experienced. This is not a common occurrence, and is usually limited to a displacement of several months or a few years. In this event you are not eligible for back pay.

    - Excerpt from chapter 3 of The Woodsman's Handbook, 4th​ Ed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are a few things about the Deep Woods not mentioned in this section. The entrances to the Deep Wood are usually found in the deeper, more secluded places of the world. Both fae and normal animals call the Deep Woods home, though they rarely leave it. The Deep Woods in not a static place, the individual locations remain constant their location relative to each other changes regularly.
I'm going to put another update up tonight. If anyone has any questions on anything let me know and I'll answer to the best of my abilities.
 
[X] keep moving. It was dangerous here and that thing was still out there. You needed to leave the Deep Woods as soon.

[X] Try and find your way back home. You have a good idea of the direction to go, but you're not completely sure.
-[X] Retrieve the dropped bone knife

Best to take this thing in case that creature decides to back track. It will no longer have access to its weapon.
 
Last edited:
[X] keep moving. It was dangerous here and that thing was still out there. You needed to leave the Deep Woods as soon.

We got here in what was - or at least appeared to be - a fairly short amount of time. I don't want to risk much temporal distortion, so lets leave this place. Plus given that there be monsters here, and we have no idea what they might be, we would have no idea what shelter might actually be safe enough to sleep in. If we don't no what is secure there is no point in finding shelter at all unless it becomes clear that we are lost enough that it will likely take days to get out. Until that becomes clear we take out chances.

[X] Try and find your way back home. You have a good idea of the direction to go, but you're not completely sure.

Likely the fastest way out, and given the short - or at least subjectively short - time it took to get here we should try to trace our steps back.
 
Changing vote after re-reading that section about time shifts. Might be better to leave this place as soon as possible and backtracking was encouraged in that Woodsman's Handbook. Sleep might take longer than we think...
 
Last edited:
ok locking the votes.
You guys want out, now. Not a unreasonable choice. Ill have the update up in a bit.

Edit: Miscounted, so its a tie again. Going to roll to see if you guys leave now or rest. 1 you find shelter, 2 you leave now.

roll OK so you guys are going to try and get out now.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, no telling how long our perception of taking a nap and actually waking up might be. Plus its better if we try and get out of here while that creature is injured. Also, unintentionally spending months away in an area with so many unknowns worries me enough to high tail it out of here as fast as possible..

Nice stat sheet, GM
 
[X] keep moving. It was dangerous here and that thing was still out there. You needed to leave the Deep Woods as soon.

[X] Try and find your way back home. You have a good idea of the direction to go, but you're not completely sure.
-[X] Retrieve the dropped bone knife

You had to keep moving. You didn't know what was out there, but none of it could be good. Trying to find shelter seemed like a good way to wake up with a slit throat, or worse. You glance back at the trees behind you before standing up. As much as you wanted to leave this swamp, getting home was more important. You'd try to retrace your steps back and get home from there.

You begin to follow along the tracks you'd left earlier. You pause for a moment when you step past the bone knife the monster had dropped. Unable to find a reason not to, you crouch down and take the knife. Frankly your dagger would serve you better, but it made for a good trophy.

Walking back took longer than earlier, though you weren't running for your life either. Soon you come to the edge of the swam, but the previous woods is gone and your tacks along with it. Instead you find a different forest. This is filled with tall, thin trees that block out much of the sky. The ground is well padded with moss, but is clear of small shrubs and bushes. The area is bathed in a dusky light as pale light streams through gaps in the trees. A large number of small lights float and dance through the air, most about the size of your hand.

When you step into the woods you are put at ease. You can feel the tension leave you shoulders and the knot in you stomach loosen. You hadn't realized just how on edge you where. A few of the lights float over to you. you reach your hand out to them and a few land on your arm. Their lights dim slightly as you feel a wash of coolness suffusing your body. The edge of you fatigue is removed and the pain in you muscles lessens slightly.

"I see that the spirits like you. Please stay and rest for a while, it has been a long time since I last spoke with a human." a matronly voice speaks from behind you.

You spin around in shock, drawing you dagger. You find yourself starting down a pair if yellow eyes.

"Ahh, my apologies child. I mean you no harm and did not intend to scare you." You swollow drly when you make out the speaker. Amassive white wolf, whose head is as big as your torso stares down at you. You lower your dagger slowly, it wouldn't help you here.

[ ] Say something. If it had wanted to kill you you'd be dead already.
- [ ] What do you say? (write in).
[ ] Back away slowly, than try and run. You can't trust anything in this place, better to leave no.
[ ] Write in.
 
[X] Say something. If it had wanted to kill you you'd be dead already.
- [X] What do you say?
"I'm sorry, you have been kind but, I'm just jumpy. Is there anything you can do to help me get home?"
 
[X] Say something. If it had wanted to kill you you'd be dead already.
- [X] What do you say?
"I'm sorry, you have been kind but, I'm just jumpy. Is there anything you can do to help me get home?"
-[X] Try to discreetly grab the iron charm to make sure that there are no illusions here. If so then run.

While I doubt this thing is friendly, pissing it off also seems a bad idea. Grab the iron charm to make sure it can't decieve us as easily - and because the rapid change of scenery makes me nervous.
 
[X] Say something. If it had wanted to kill you you'd be dead already.
- [X] What do you say?
"I'm sorry, you have been kind but, I'm just jumpy. Is there anything you can do to help me get home?"
 
[X] Say something. If it had wanted to kill you you'd be dead already.
- [X] What do you say?
"I'm sorry, you have been kind but, I'm just jumpy. Is there anything you can do to help me get home?"
-[X] Try to discreetly grab the iron charm to make sure that there are no illusions here. If so then run.
 
[X] Say something. If it had wanted to kill you you'd be dead already.
- [X] What do you say?
"I'm sorry, you have been kind but, I'm just jumpy. Is there anything you can do to help me get home?"
-[X] Try to discreetly grab the iron charm to make sure that there are no illusions here. If so then run.

You swallow dryly as you let the charm on your wrist dangle into the palm of your hand. You grasp at it, feeling the discomfort of each dull point digging into your hand. You don't feel nor see anything that would indicate the breaking of an enchantment. Either you're safe, or the magics here are strong enough to overcome the effects of cold iron.

Deciding that it would be better to try and talk to the giant wolf you speak up. "I'm sorry, your offer is kind but. . ." your voice trails off for a few moments as you try to find the right words. "I'm rather jumpy." You finish lamely.

"As well you should be child."It answers "These woods are fraught with danger and your caution does you well."
"Is there anything you can do to help me get home?" you ask. A moment later you realize you are still holding your dagger and sheathe it whilst smiling sheepishly. It seems rude to ask for help while threatening someone with a blade.

The wolf huffs in amusement. "I can show you a way out of these woods, a way back to your world. From there you will have to find your way home." The wolf begins to stride forward silently. "Come along, it's not far." You follow along at a brisk walk to keep up with its massive stride.
After a few seconds the wolf speak up again "Child, you should know that nothing is without a price." You feel the blood drain out of your face, you had (likely) made a deal with a spirit, worse yet you had accepted without agreeing to a price.

"Worry not, I was merely warning you. You must never ask something of a spirit or fae with asking them the price for it. I don't care for such games, but many of my kind delight in doing so. My price is rather fair, or so I would say. Tell me, who is it I am speaking with?"

You sigh in relief. No eternal service, nor did it ask for a firstborn child or anything of the like. "Rose. I'm Rose." You say with great relief.

"Rose." The wolf speaks as if testing your name.It faces you and gives inspects you closely. "Rose, a flower renowned for its thorns and beauty, an apt name moreso given the color of your hair."

"Uh, thank you. . ." You're not sure what to call the wolf.

The wolf picks up on your confusion. "Please, call me Den-Mother. It's what the others call me and the name is true enough."

[ ] Is there anything you wish to say to Den-Mother?
- What do you say?
[ ] Say nothing more. It's a giant wolf. What is there to say?

A few minutes later you can see an empty clearing with a stone archway. The archway stand alone, the worn stonework covered in moss and creeping vines.

"Is that it?" you gesture to the archway.

"Yes, simply step through it and you shall return to your world.

You take a few steps forward, and inspect the archway. You could feel the energy thrumming in your bones as you ran your hand across a patch of stone. On a whim you pushed your hand through the archway. While you didn't see anything you felt as though your hand was pressed up against a thin membrane. You quickly withdrew your hand, feeling the sting of pins and needles up to your wrist. This was certainly a way back to you world. You weren't sure how or why you knew this, but you trusted your feelings.

"Rose" you turn to face Den-Mother "Be careful. You live in a time of ill-omens. I hate to see children come to harm."

"Thank you" you reply "I'll be careful." Not having anything else to say and seeing no reason to delay further you walk through the archway.
Then you step through the archway.

You feel a moment of weightlessness. A heartbeat later and you find yourself standing in the sunlight. You look around taking stock of your surroundings.
You are just past the edge of the forest, standing under the archway. A few stone pillars and the crumbled remnants of a wall. The ruins were atop a small hill, overlooking a expanse of waist-high grass spotted with colorful flowers. Past the hill some miles away was a large city on the edge of a river dotted with barges and boats. The sun hung high in the cloudless sky as a stiff breeze carried past you, tugging at your hair.

You luxuriate in the sun's warmth. You let your fatigue and pain fade from your mind, your worry and anxiety briefly forgotten, and the tight knot of fear is cut away. You cracked your back. Enough lollygagging, you needed to get to that city and find out where, and when, you where.

It takes you a few hours to get to the city. The guards barely looked at you before motioning you into the city proper. It was unlike anything you had ever seen. The towering spires of some great cathedral loomed in the distance. The streets were crowded, and thronged with people in a riot of colors and styles. Strange and exotic scents wafted through the air from the many wares of merchants, all of it filtered through the pungent smell of the ocean. The many cries of merchants were almost drowned out by the dull roar of hundreds of people speaking.

After a few question you managed to find out your date and location. It was august 4th​, of the year 372. You where immensely relieved. You had only been gone a few days. Your location was worse, Three Rivers City, which was almost 4 months from home. Worse yet the mountain passes you'd need to get through would be impassable in-till late spring. All in all it looked like it would be almost 10 months before you would arrive home. Still you would get home eventually.
You were lost, and unsure of what to do next. You had found 3 copper coins in a pocket of the leather armor, so you had some money, but not much. You were going to need more if you were to stay here for any length of time.

Select 2 1
[ ] Find work. You have heard mention of a Job Board and it sounded like a good way to find a source of money.
[X] Find an inn. You needed to rest, and food. You had enough money to last you a day or two. You could always look for work tomorrow. You were exhausted and needed to rest.
[ ] Get information. You needed to know what the local situation was. Find local information and current rumors.
[ ] Try and get some information on your bow. The local Temple or the lore-keepers might know about it.
[ ] Other.
- Write in.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All right, sorry this is late guys but here It is. As a note due to Rose's exhaustion the option of getting rest was automatically selected. Now that Rose is out of the woods you guys have more freedom to pursue what plot-threads you see fit. Or even ignore the plot-threads and do something else entirely! As always post any questions, comments, concerns and criticisms and I shall address them to the best of my abilities. Also I have updated the character sheet as well.

Edit: And now, thanks to the help from the guys in the SV IRC channel, we have a Index!
 
Last edited:
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top