Through the Eyes of Others: An Orc Quest
- Thread starter Artificial Girl
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
- Location
- Somewhere else
[X] Decline. You'll just shack out under the stars for tonight.
Mechanical
Initiate Action: Buzz
- Location
- Somewhere Strange
[X] Decline. You'll just shack out under the stars for tonight.
14. The kids are alright
- Location
- Somewhere in the stacks
- Pronouns
- She/Her
You turn the offer over in your head for a moment. It's tempting, sure, but you have the feeling that Murz bringing another lady home might send the wrong message to his lady. You don't feel any particular attraction to Murz, mind, but that never stops misunderstandings in your mind. Better to avoid that. And to keep Syen close to you for now. So you give a shake of your head and a wry smile.
"Nar, nar. We'll be fine out here by th' fire, don't you worry. 'Sides, we wouldn't want ter intrude on th' happy reunion." You wink broadly to convey your meaning and Murz laughs while Syen's face turns pink. She hides her face underneath her blanket as she sets up her bedroll and tries to pretend she didn't hear adults joking about that kind of stuff. You just chortles.
"A'right, but if you need anythin' just give me a holler," Murz says as he gets to his feet. "See ya in th' mornin'. Well find somethin' for ya to do, I'm sure." He bends and gives Syen's hair a ruffle again, then strides off across the circle of tents towards one which is presumably his, leaving you and Syen to finish setting up your rough camp for the night. You're inside a small circle of firelight that comes from a nearby campfire and there are still people moving about, talking and finishing the day's business. It's rather cozy, honestly. As you settle down on your bedroll and start fiddling with your gear, doing a bit of maintenance and such, you glance over at Syen, who miraculously seems to have the ability to just... drop off to sleep whenever and where ever she likes. You're a little envious, honestly.
You stay up another hour making sure all your gear is in good shape (and kep close so that no one can try and pinch it in the night) and then you finally curl up next to Syen and drift off to sleep, the faint sounds of the camp eventually lulling you to sleep.
When you wake up, it's just beginning to be light, if you could guess. The sun is peaking over the mountain peaks to the east and you can hear the camp noise starting up again and the crackle of new fires. Syen was here--you can still feel the warmth where her bedroll nudged up against yours. Then again she was always an early riser. You sit up and you see her over at the camp fire you'd camped next to last night, bent over a pot of some sort and adjusting the height of a kettle that hangs over the coals. A couple of orcs sit around the campfire as well--one of them is the young guard form last night, Tic. The other is a grizzled looking older woman barely taller than you and wearing a patch over one eye. She's clucking at Syen as the pair of them seem to be working on breakfast together. You smile blearily and push yourself out of your blankets to grab a bowl and mug and head over to the fire.
"G'morning, Vru." Hell, you have no idea how Syen is so chipper this early. Resilient little bugger.
"Mornin', Syen..." You manage and then slump down next to the circle of stones the bound the fire, staring at the breakfast pot with increasing intensity. You didn't eat anything last night after getting off the march and you feel like your stomach is sticking to your backbone this morning.
"Wot's breakfast?" You ask. Tic yawns and sips at his mug of tea--tea! You glance at the pot hanging over the fire and carefully tip it to pour some of the contents into your mug. Hot, strong, black tea that orcs so love--and that you haven't had a sniff of for over a year. You hold the mug under your nose and just savor the aroma. It's not Syen who answers, but the other orc woman.
"Just porridge an' the left overs from last night's stew together. Somethin' simple. An' you must be Vrugash, then. Alagossien was chatterin' about you quite a bit." You glance at Syen, then at the older orc. First you've come across that can handle Syen' full name in it's fancy mannish curves and all.
"Aye, that's me," you reply, shooting a questioning glance at Syen who's sitting back from the fire with her own cup of tea now.
"Don't worry, it's only good things--says you helped 'er out of a tight spot." The orc woman chuckles. "I'm Anzur. Sit a while--we'll have work enough to do soon." You welcome a chance to just sit and enjoy your tea and a bit of breakfast slop. You sit and talk quietly with Anzur. Tic seems mostly done in from a night standing watch, though he asks a question now and again as you relate your story--coming over the mountains, settling in your little vale and then the mess that led you here with Syen. By the time you're finished, the sun is up and there are other orcs clustered around the cook fire eating pottage, drinking strong tea and gabbing to each other. A few give Syen curious attention but no one seems hostile to her, which helps you feel a bit better about the decision to stay here. Soon enough though, breakfast is done and everyone heads off to report to Kikul for the day's work--which means you go too. Syen moves to follow, but you shake your head.
"Nar, stay here with Anzur an' do the washin' up. I'm sure there'll be chores fer yer soon, but get some rest while ya can..." It feels good, honestly, being among your folk again. Everyone is split up into duties for the day. Some get rest (like poor Tic) and others are assigned guard for the camp while still others (including you) are assigned to collect firewood, hunt, or do any of the other things that a camp this size needs while it's staying in one place. The younger are next, which includes Syen once she's washed up--she's put out with the boy she fought with yesterday, Thirr, to mind the camp's goats while they graze once she speaks up that she has experience with handling such animals.
The next few days fall into this rhythm of work and food and socializing. You spend a good amountof time with Murz hunting or standing watch (you supervise Tic a few times) and then by the third day all the long-range hunters and scouts are back in and the camp loads up to get on the move again with a speed that doesn't seem quite real. The tents and yurts are struck down, carts are loaded, fires stomped out and then the column sets off at an easy marching pace to the south and west, aiming away from the shadow of the mountains. It makes you a little nervous, but strength of numbers helps -- all told there must be 80 or so people in the little group of emigrants.
Travel takes on much the same pattern as time in camp. Traveling at a good clip during the day, taking turns ranging out to hunt or mind the livestock (goats are an important part of the orcish diet, both for their meat and for their milk) and the next two weeks pass easily as the rolling foothills of the mountains turn into a gently undulating plain dotted with stretches of woodland and gentle hills. Syen, who was skinny and pale when you first met her, seems to put on some weight if only because she's eating so much of the heavy orcish food. Her pale complexion takes on a tanned look that makes her look almost like a pale orc child at a distance if it weren't for her bright gold-blonde hair which she keeps tucked up imore often than not. She seems to have settled in a little and even succeeded at making friends with Thirr and a few of the other orc kids in the camp--it's a relief. And it gratifies you to see her smiling and active and... living. Better than when she'd been crying herself to sleep in the corner of your cave, in any case.
The group halts again at the bend of another stream, and after one of the rambunctious meetings of all the adults of the group, Kilkul declares that you'll be resting here for a few days--which means some actual free time for you to do what you wish (though part of you wonders where exactly you're all going to end up).
So, you have a bit of time. What to do with it?
[ ] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
[ ] Get Syen and go fishing. Fishing is relaxing, right?
[ ] Let Syen do her own thing. Some of the lads have a dice game going...
"Nar, nar. We'll be fine out here by th' fire, don't you worry. 'Sides, we wouldn't want ter intrude on th' happy reunion." You wink broadly to convey your meaning and Murz laughs while Syen's face turns pink. She hides her face underneath her blanket as she sets up her bedroll and tries to pretend she didn't hear adults joking about that kind of stuff. You just chortles.
"A'right, but if you need anythin' just give me a holler," Murz says as he gets to his feet. "See ya in th' mornin'. Well find somethin' for ya to do, I'm sure." He bends and gives Syen's hair a ruffle again, then strides off across the circle of tents towards one which is presumably his, leaving you and Syen to finish setting up your rough camp for the night. You're inside a small circle of firelight that comes from a nearby campfire and there are still people moving about, talking and finishing the day's business. It's rather cozy, honestly. As you settle down on your bedroll and start fiddling with your gear, doing a bit of maintenance and such, you glance over at Syen, who miraculously seems to have the ability to just... drop off to sleep whenever and where ever she likes. You're a little envious, honestly.
You stay up another hour making sure all your gear is in good shape (and kep close so that no one can try and pinch it in the night) and then you finally curl up next to Syen and drift off to sleep, the faint sounds of the camp eventually lulling you to sleep.
When you wake up, it's just beginning to be light, if you could guess. The sun is peaking over the mountain peaks to the east and you can hear the camp noise starting up again and the crackle of new fires. Syen was here--you can still feel the warmth where her bedroll nudged up against yours. Then again she was always an early riser. You sit up and you see her over at the camp fire you'd camped next to last night, bent over a pot of some sort and adjusting the height of a kettle that hangs over the coals. A couple of orcs sit around the campfire as well--one of them is the young guard form last night, Tic. The other is a grizzled looking older woman barely taller than you and wearing a patch over one eye. She's clucking at Syen as the pair of them seem to be working on breakfast together. You smile blearily and push yourself out of your blankets to grab a bowl and mug and head over to the fire.
"G'morning, Vru." Hell, you have no idea how Syen is so chipper this early. Resilient little bugger.
"Mornin', Syen..." You manage and then slump down next to the circle of stones the bound the fire, staring at the breakfast pot with increasing intensity. You didn't eat anything last night after getting off the march and you feel like your stomach is sticking to your backbone this morning.
"Wot's breakfast?" You ask. Tic yawns and sips at his mug of tea--tea! You glance at the pot hanging over the fire and carefully tip it to pour some of the contents into your mug. Hot, strong, black tea that orcs so love--and that you haven't had a sniff of for over a year. You hold the mug under your nose and just savor the aroma. It's not Syen who answers, but the other orc woman.
"Just porridge an' the left overs from last night's stew together. Somethin' simple. An' you must be Vrugash, then. Alagossien was chatterin' about you quite a bit." You glance at Syen, then at the older orc. First you've come across that can handle Syen' full name in it's fancy mannish curves and all.
"Aye, that's me," you reply, shooting a questioning glance at Syen who's sitting back from the fire with her own cup of tea now.
"Don't worry, it's only good things--says you helped 'er out of a tight spot." The orc woman chuckles. "I'm Anzur. Sit a while--we'll have work enough to do soon." You welcome a chance to just sit and enjoy your tea and a bit of breakfast slop. You sit and talk quietly with Anzur. Tic seems mostly done in from a night standing watch, though he asks a question now and again as you relate your story--coming over the mountains, settling in your little vale and then the mess that led you here with Syen. By the time you're finished, the sun is up and there are other orcs clustered around the cook fire eating pottage, drinking strong tea and gabbing to each other. A few give Syen curious attention but no one seems hostile to her, which helps you feel a bit better about the decision to stay here. Soon enough though, breakfast is done and everyone heads off to report to Kikul for the day's work--which means you go too. Syen moves to follow, but you shake your head.
"Nar, stay here with Anzur an' do the washin' up. I'm sure there'll be chores fer yer soon, but get some rest while ya can..." It feels good, honestly, being among your folk again. Everyone is split up into duties for the day. Some get rest (like poor Tic) and others are assigned guard for the camp while still others (including you) are assigned to collect firewood, hunt, or do any of the other things that a camp this size needs while it's staying in one place. The younger are next, which includes Syen once she's washed up--she's put out with the boy she fought with yesterday, Thirr, to mind the camp's goats while they graze once she speaks up that she has experience with handling such animals.
The next few days fall into this rhythm of work and food and socializing. You spend a good amountof time with Murz hunting or standing watch (you supervise Tic a few times) and then by the third day all the long-range hunters and scouts are back in and the camp loads up to get on the move again with a speed that doesn't seem quite real. The tents and yurts are struck down, carts are loaded, fires stomped out and then the column sets off at an easy marching pace to the south and west, aiming away from the shadow of the mountains. It makes you a little nervous, but strength of numbers helps -- all told there must be 80 or so people in the little group of emigrants.
Travel takes on much the same pattern as time in camp. Traveling at a good clip during the day, taking turns ranging out to hunt or mind the livestock (goats are an important part of the orcish diet, both for their meat and for their milk) and the next two weeks pass easily as the rolling foothills of the mountains turn into a gently undulating plain dotted with stretches of woodland and gentle hills. Syen, who was skinny and pale when you first met her, seems to put on some weight if only because she's eating so much of the heavy orcish food. Her pale complexion takes on a tanned look that makes her look almost like a pale orc child at a distance if it weren't for her bright gold-blonde hair which she keeps tucked up imore often than not. She seems to have settled in a little and even succeeded at making friends with Thirr and a few of the other orc kids in the camp--it's a relief. And it gratifies you to see her smiling and active and... living. Better than when she'd been crying herself to sleep in the corner of your cave, in any case.
The group halts again at the bend of another stream, and after one of the rambunctious meetings of all the adults of the group, Kilkul declares that you'll be resting here for a few days--which means some actual free time for you to do what you wish (though part of you wonders where exactly you're all going to end up).
So, you have a bit of time. What to do with it?
[ ] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
[ ] Get Syen and go fishing. Fishing is relaxing, right?
[ ] Let Syen do her own thing. Some of the lads have a dice game going...
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
Orc Mom should teach Orc Fighting.
Orc Mom should teach Orc Fighting.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
Girl needs the TOOLS OF WAR.
Girl needs the TOOLS OF WAR.
- Location
- Diamond City
[X] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
[X] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
Fairly simple choice.
Fairly simple choice.
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
[X] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
Stick em with the pointy end.
Stick em with the pointy end.
Ultramandalore
Errant Quester
- Location
- just south of Parts Unknown
[X] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
- Pronouns
- Their/Them
[X] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
We did promise, as tempting as bonding over fishing is.
We did promise, as tempting as bonding over fishing is.
Khona Moshr
Pink Flamingo Cabal Healer(they/them)
- Location
- Alabama
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
- Location
- Leeds
Now, I don't disagree.
But where are we going to get a siege engine in a place like this?
[X] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
Mechanical
Initiate Action: Buzz
- Location
- Somewhere Strange
[X] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
Honestly no contest. This is an unkind world.
Honestly no contest. This is an unkind world.
Great Greedy Guts
Ceterum censeo Vigilam esse delendam.
[X] Get Syen and teach her some of that fighting you were promising her. She needs to be able to defend herself.
If it was teaching fishing, might be more inclined... and honestly, if they had the gear to do the thing where you affix a few rods and can do other things while you wait on a bit I'd suggest both. But teaching her something is an important part of being a parental figure, and we promised to teach her some of this.
If it was teaching fishing, might be more inclined... and honestly, if they had the gear to do the thing where you affix a few rods and can do other things while you wait on a bit I'd suggest both. But teaching her something is an important part of being a parental figure, and we promised to teach her some of this.
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
All you really need to make a siege weapon in a forest is some rope, nails, a saw, and the knowledge plus labor. Maybe not a trebuchet but a simple ballista or catapult is far from impossible.
