Act 1: Season of the Wolf

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Vardaen
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Act 1: Season of the Wolf

Post by Vardaen » Wed Feb 25, 2009 9:52 pm

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Even a lone wolf eventually returns to the pack. This is true for the fabled order of the Witchers. Each spring time the dwindling number of Witchers leave the confines of their broken stronghold of Kaer Morhen, "The Sea Fortress", in the northeast mountains of Temeria. Just like migrating birds however, they return each winter from their Path to gather to train and share their tales. Every winter there are fewer and fewer Witchers who make the return trip.

This tale is of one such Witcher returning now from a year spent slaying monsters, lifting curses, and wooing women. Fall is nearing its end, the red and golden leaves of autumn have long since fallen to the ground covering the roads and forests in a blanket of amber hues. Harvests have been collected from the farmsteads, and fields lay fallow now awaiting the coming of the winter snows. Simple folk prepair for the cold by canning fruits and vegtables, stock piling firewood, and making any last minute travels from village to village.

The road for our Witcher from the west has been rutted with mud, but few people linger in these northern regions at this time of the year. Still a few weeks out of Kaer Morhen our Witcher turns north along the road, heading toward the River Gwenllech that will eventually lead home.

The sun shrines brightly, the air cool and crisp as we begin the final tale before the peace of home arrives...

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You are at thte Red Dot, heading north then east to Kaer Morhen, several weeks away.
Welcome Pyg to the first running of The Witcher. This New Member Game is going through its paces to see how things work out, and to get Pyg into a game. Since I left your character's appearance, and other personal stats open, please begin with a nice phyiscal description of your character (based on his char sheet) and we will being the game.
Last edited by Vardaen on Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

pygmaelion
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Posts: 971

Re: Act 1: Season of the Wolf

Post by pygmaelion » Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:41 pm

To reply to the kickoff message from the G.M., I simply click "Post Reply", and I'm taken to a screen where I can type my reply. It's just that simple. :D
A lone figure ambles along the road to Kaer Morhen, squinting warily into the roadside terrain. A hand raises to the man's brow, shielding his eyes from the sun, still low on the horizon

Travan's shadow is drawn across the rutted path like a bulging serpent, a full length greater than his own 5 foot stature. The sun silhouettes his twin swords, worn hilt-down across his back beneath a haversack.

The young witcher scratches at his jaw, still uncomfortable under the sparse red beard he has grown in preparation of cooler times ahead. He has been teased for being "Young Looking" when he enters a town, and his new hirsute style seems to cause ignorant peasants to think twice before taunting him for his lack of scars or wrinkles.

Travan keeps a steady pace, drawing ever nearer to the last place he called home, The Kaer of the Witchers.

The road stretches out before him, ever leading closer to the Kaer
So, there we have it, a description of the character, a little "I'm headed east to the Kaer" general direction. Time to click Preview (just to make sure I didn't misspell anything), or submit if you're feeling brave!

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Vardaen
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Re: Act 1: Season of the Wolf

Post by Vardaen » Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:30 am

Travan's travels have taken him down many roads, and this final one till a well deserved rest may not be as easy as he had hoped. The sun stretches out the witcher's shadow and as he turns to glance behind him the sun glints off the amulet hung around his neck, the same style of amulet that hangs from the neck of every witcher. The snarling wolf's head is dabbled with crimson from the low hanging sun as the witcher senses something out of place.

Turning back to face down the road Travan spots not far in the distance the trickling rise of smoke. It is not the thread of grey smoke from a camp fire, but the rising pillar of a thick oily smoke. Travan has seen this sort of smoke before, on the battlefield and in the city's affected by the plauge that ripped through Termenia in the last decades -- the smoke of a funeral pyre.

Yet here on the open road, there are no villages, or even small farmsteds for atleast a few days that should produce such a product.
The Witcher's Amulet looks just like the opening image of the game.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

pygmaelion
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Re: Act 1: Season of the Wolf

Post by pygmaelion » Thu Feb 26, 2009 1:05 am

Travan spits on the road in disgust. He picks up the pace to a determined stride (x2 normal move) and heads toward the funereal plume of smoke.

If he gets within 100 yards of the source of the flames, he will slow to listen for weeping, eulogies, and details of possible punch and pie after the service is over. Additionally, he keeps an eye out, in case this is some kind of evil bar-B-Que cookoff of the damned.

His hand is only ever a cubit's length from the hilt of his silver sword, and he finds himself itching to unsheath it. Travan knows better than to walk into a civilized area unannounced wielding a weapon.

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Vardaen
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Re: Act 1: Season of the Wolf

Post by Vardaen » Thu Feb 26, 2009 1:21 am

The witcher hurries forward to investigate the source of the smoke from the road head. It doesn't take long, a score of minutes, before he's greeted with the sight of th source. Up ahead on either side of the road are gypsie wagons. The wagons are covered wooden wagons that are more like moving houses than simple carts. A half dozen of the brightly painted wagons are parked on the side of the road. Some show signs of damage, broken doors, busted wheel, and plenty of debris scattered about out side the doors. Noticably there are no horses or other draft animals in the area to pull the wagons and in fact there is little signs of life from the gypsy camp.

A dozen yards away is a heap of bodies, a pile of old men and woman, to young children some hardly old enough to even walk. Kneeling infront of the smoking mass funeral pyre is a young man, the lone survivor of whatever tragidy befell these traveling people. His head is sagging to his chest, and he is weeping visibly. There before him on the ground, between him and the fire, is a small bundled object. He does not look up, nor make any signs that he is aware of Travan's approach.
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"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

pygmaelion
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Posts: 971

Re: Act 1: Season of the Wolf

Post by pygmaelion » Thu Feb 26, 2009 1:31 am

Travan walks lightly, reverently to within 3 yards of side of the young man.

"I do not wish to disturb your mourning, but I offer you a repast and a sympathetic ear. I am Travan, will you tell me of how this all came to pass?"

I pull out a bottle of "Local Pepper Vodka" (potion base) and look through the detrius strewn through the caravan site for a suitable cup.

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Vardaen
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Re: Act 1: Season of the Wolf

Post by Vardaen » Thu Feb 26, 2009 1:44 am

The young man looks up suddenly as the witcher walks up to him, a few yards away. "What? Who are you?!" He grabs for a small knife on his belt and holds it tight, white knuckling it. He realizes however that the new arrival isn't about to attack him and he lets out a long sigh of relief. "I... I don't know I mean, one minute we were enjoying a nice night around the fire, singing and dancing and the next... the next there was blood and death all around us." He looks down at the bundle on the ground, and Travan can see now that its a babe swaddled tightly in bloody rags.

The man lifts his eye again, "My name is Georg." There is a look of desperation in his eyes.

It just so happens that a few wooden mugs, with carved flower decorations are scattered nearby.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

pygmaelion
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Posts: 971

Re: Act 1: Season of the Wolf

Post by pygmaelion » Thu Feb 26, 2009 2:05 am

Travan's free hand twitches, and his arm pulls back instinctively toward his own blade... but he never touches the hilt... He smoothly releases the haversack from his back, lowers it to the ground, and scoops up the discarded hand carved vessels.

Clapping the openings of the mugs against his leg to knock the grass and dirt out, he wrenches the cork of the vodka bottle out with his teeth.

"Georg... It is clear that you are Romanji... a wanderer of the steppes. Your people are clever, and are never to be gambled against... but you rarely make enemies so foul as to do this."

Pouring deeply into Georg's mug, and half so much into his own, he offers the mug to the man.

"Yourself, and the child..." ~Travan waves his mug at the infant~ "You were able to secret him away during all of this? How is it you managed to keep him safe?"

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Vardaen
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Re: Act 1: Season of the Wolf

Post by Vardaen » Thu Feb 26, 2009 2:17 am

Georg takes the mug, and looks down at the baby. He then takes a deep drink from it. Thinking that might not be enough, he takes another deep drink from it. "I..." his hand starts to shake, "...I wasn't able too." He pulls the swaddling down from the face of the baby, and the wound on its chest and shoulder has soaked through its bandage, showing bright crimson rags. "The wolves were fighting over him, like some chew toy. Why they left him alive, I don't know. It all happened so fast, I guess they thought him dead, or maybe one of the others stopped them. He's not mine..." he drinks deeply agian, "...I mean I'm not his father. I guess he is my responsibility now, if he lives." He looks into the fire, the black oily smoke rising into the air as the wind shifts, "His mother is in there." He motions with the mug at the crackling burning bodies.
The Pepper Vodka will no longer have enough left to be a potion base.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

pygmaelion
Level 11
Level 11
Posts: 971

Re: Act 1: Season of the Wolf

Post by pygmaelion » Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:55 am

"May I?" Travan draws closer to the infant to inspect the wounds.
Treat injury Roll to assess the infant's condition <MUSH> +ROLL: Pyg@IRC rolls 1d20 and the dice show: 7
Travan looses a "Swallow" potion from his vest, and attempts to discern the best method to use it to heal the wounds of the child.

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