Greetings all and welcome to Bandalin's Tale; A Kender-sized Adventure. Welcome Arnon back to the site. I was originaly going to write a grand tale of mischief and adventure. But with Arnon's return Bandalin can act truly himself. This will be an On-Camera RP, I'm hoping that the active players in The Storm and The Plauge will not use any IC information for their benefit.
We start the tale some hours after Bandalin's kidnapping. Once again the Intrepid Kender hero finds himself locked in a box....
Bump...Crash! Bump...Crash!....
The rough hewn box that contains Bandalin bounces harshly up and down, crashing against the wood deck of what the kender is sure is a wagon. He is also sure that the splinters have torn his favorite night gown.
Bandalin briefly remembers his Kiddnaping.
Bandalin wakes from a deep sleep. His room smells horrible, and for a minute he is sure that another skunk has gotten into his room. He Opens his eyes and starts to sit up and reach to clear the sleep from his eyes when he see's a vague outline he is sure isn't a skunk. He starts to say something but suddenly there is a putrid tasting hand over his mouth. He knows it tasts bad because he immediatly bite's the man's hand.
Putrid blood fills his mouth but his abductor dosen't let go. THough his eyes grow wide in shock. He speaks a harsh whispered word and suddenly the world goes silent. He kicks out striking the wall and thowing his blanket around, but no sound of alarm is issued. Suddenly he is wrapped ina vise like grip and hauled from bed towards the window. Realizing that he is in serious trouble he reaches out and grabs the man's big copper necklace. He tries to tug on it and finds it securly attached. Never one to give up the kender bends all his strength to the pull and as he hears the fine chain snap the necklace zaps him. a stunning jolt that burns his hands and knocks him unconcious.
THe Next thing Bandalin knows he is in the box. and has been for 2153 Bump...Crash's!
I'm beggining not to like boxes the Kender thought as he robed a soar head from yet another bump, well not to be locked inside of them anyway...
He stopped trying to push open the box somwhere around bump 100, it was useless and he was still a bit tired from not getting enough sleep. He wished one of the brothers would have been with him in the box, that way they could brake it open together.
He tried insulting "skunk-man" for a while, but that to got boring as there was no response most of the time... apart from the time that the box was lifted and dropped hard to the floor... yhea, that one still hurts...
Bandalin was no fool and already knowledgeable in the ways of behaving inside a box, and even though it was less comfortable than the previous box either the wood was softer, or my night-gown is not thick enough he tried to "flow" with the box so as not to recieve to many bumps, all the while flexing his muscles as much as possible so that they wount get cramped.
Bandalin tries to get comfortable in the box, but every way he turns another sore or splinter jabs him making him help slightly. He tried forcing the box open but that didn't work so well.
Now sometime after bump number 2156 the kender makes a pronouncement. The two words that have made God's tremble in fear, for on Kyrnn there is nothing as feared as a Bored Kender. Empires have colapsed as a result of one Bored Kender. Bandalin thinks to himself. "I'm Bored!"
With that fateful pronouncement he begins to explore the box. His hands run over the splinter prone wood, feeling seams in his prison. Eventully He finds that one of the bords on the bottom is not hammerd in place right.
Search #1 8 +3 vs DC 20 Fail. Search #2 8 +17 vs DC 20 Success
As his small hand finds the loose board, Bandalin's whole day suddenly seems so much brighter, or is it still night? he pondered for about half a second, then smiling in the darkness of his prison he silently works on loosening it a bit more.
Bandalin slowly loosens the board, he works hard with only his fingernails against the rough board anq quickly tears his hands and they start to bleed. Yet the merrily distracted Kender works for a very long time till he realizes that he has lost count of the bumps.
Finnaly the board is free, due to the construction of the box the kender can only push the board out. THis is a problem for him, as the board is on the "Bottom" of the box and the box is flat on the cart bed. He will have to bide his time.
After a new count of almost 100 bumps the wagon stops, He Hears men unloading the boxes, and quickly his is hoisted up. There is a large amount of noise all around. Men talking, some yelling what sounds like instructions to teams of workers. He hears horses snort and hooves on the cobbles around him. Clearly there is alot of activity, Some sort of trading post perhaps.
In every situation there comes a critical time when you have to throw the die and hope for the best. There are three kind of die throwers:" his mama used to tell him (mama loved throwing die, bless her) "there are those who just throw, those who do not throw, and those who wait for just the right moment. These last one check for the right lighting, the right noise, check how distracted people are, what corner gives best angle, and if possible... switch to loaded die... die are tricky that way Bandi." she would say and smile.
Fitzban bless you mama, Bandalin sent his thoughts.
And so, hand hurt and a bit blooded from praying open the loose board, Bandalin pushed the board open just a crack; just enough to get a quick impression on how it was outside. He was hoping for lots of tall-folks, maybe some horses too... wagons, barrels, and lots of noise would be truelly excellent as well.
Banadalin it holding on to the board so it will not accidentaly fall, if he can and sees the oppurtunity he will lossen it completly and pull the board into the box.
Is the loose board enough for Banadalin to wriggel out of the box?
Bandalin carefully pushes board down as he apears to be floating in mid air. he is carefull not to push down to hard so the board stays in place. Looking out from his little spy hold he can see the cobbled ground a few feet below him and ropes holding his box and several others in a net. aparently some type of hoist transfering him from the wagon to the ground. As the net is set down bandalin loses hjis sneak view of the world and is ain forced to wait.
Suddenly he feels his box being moved, he hears two male voices grunt as he is picked up. The world tilts crazily as the men struggle to cary the un wieldly box with it's off balance and moving load away from the cart.
For a moment, Bandalin thought of rocking the box so off balance, so that it will fall from the handlers hands, thus giving him a chance to escape. He was prety sure he could loos his captures in the crowd. But he wanted to get away without being noticed... at least for some time.
So since he knew that two men were carrying the box, he again pushed the loos board aside, careful so it would not fall, and tried to push his head out side... if you can get your head through a space, you can probably get your whole body through it.
If he manages to get his head out he will take a quick look around
Bandalin decides to take a look around. Carfully he pushes the loose board down. Just enough he can peak through. Looking down he can see cobles and somones foot, periodicly swinging into view. THen Bandalin tries the impossible, holding the board and getting his eyes through the hole to look with the head still attached. He contortes his body head neck and every way immaginable but realizes that holding the board in place, keeps his head from fitting through.
On the other hand there comes a time for decisions...
Quickly praying the board loos all the way, Bandalin then tries to figure out the way they are walking, and throw the board to the ground in the opposite direction, gently. And praying to any of the Gods who likes Kender that no one will notice one more boad on the ground.
This way he hopes to free his hands and take that look he wanted to take.
