Chapter 1 - Cold Ambition: The Wolf Pack

[sempai]

Lehros nods with approval, he isn't familure with the area, but is eager to meet the rest of his "family"

OOC

when we decide to travel, I'd like to use lehros's superior speed and use his standard procedure, scouting ahead, covering tracks, always on the lookout for lunch and frostlings. Staying just in earshot of the group. Lehros will explain if he sees somthing he will fire a warning arrow at the group.

[Xeorsos]

Trejune squints at the map, tracing his fingers along the cartography.

Action

Knowledge: Nature or Survival check to determine the best path?

[heyyon]

Jeger grabs onto the straps on his pack. He paces around the group waiting to leave. He's confident enough in his abilities in the wild to find his way, map or no.

[Vardaen]

Trejune trackes a finger over the map, there ais writing on the map that the Amurite men don't know, Sylvanhel of Saledur's language, but that doesn't mean Trejune can't inspect it. The best path is plotted with what knowledge the group has together. Southeast to the frozen river, then from there follow it to the frozen coast where the Seal are, and from there south along the ocean until you locate those you seek.

The group prepairs themselves, last minute good-byes, and plenty of food stocks, arrows, and even those elk horns that Saeldur wanted, not to mention an extra blanket or two. Then the group departs.

The trip from the the Wolf's current camp to the coast will take nearly a week and a half, and then there is no promise you will locate the Seal right away. The travel could prove to be dangerous, but these lands are realitively free of Frostlings, the Wolf guard against them for the most part. Lehros proves himself a very skilled hunter and tracker and along the way catches a few small game for the group to enjoy. You scout your path, cover your tracks, and generally travel in silence for fear that any dangerous ears might just be listening. Even in the safest regions, there is always danger. Saeldur's spells provide the group with a tiny igloo in the evenings, which saves time breaking and setting up camps, but it will only hold three people, so one of you remains outside on guard during the night, rotating in every few hours. The weather is cold, its always cold, but it is not bitting freezing like it is normally. There is perhaps some truth to the rumors that its starting to warm up, but winter will never go away, or really get any better. The quartet makes good time once you reach the river, and you chase it southeast to the coast. The river is frozen over in most parts, but there are places of faster moving water that remain unfrozen or have thawed recently.

On the ninth day you reach the coast, and there strenching out to the east as far as you can see is the ocean. A shelf of frozen water strenches out over what would normally (in warm weather) be a beach. A herd of walrus rest lazily on the ice shelf, a score or more of the large ivory tusked beasts. The Seal tribe uses the walrus to make many things, oil for lamps, skins for tents, ivory for skrimshaw, and if the rumors are true, their bladers for Hoarwine. The herd of walrus seem unconcerned with your arrival, as long as you keep your distance. Nearing them will provoke their bulls to anger, and there are more than a few tales of the bravest men being gored to death by alpha walrus.

The salt air is an oddity, unknown to all of you, this is all new territory, and the sight of the sea causes everyone to pause a moment. Out among the blue and white foaming ocean the floating icebergs can be seen in the distance like hundreds of tiny islands strung out in a long chain.

[Trogdor]

As they travel, Saeldur proves able in his knowledge of the natural world. But he is also intensely curious about how it works in practice. It's almost as if he had learned everything he knew about the wilds from sitting in a tent listening to stories, without ever actually seeing any of it.

On the first evening, he summons an igloo that proves just a little small for everyone to fit in, for which he offers profuse apologies. But the next day he spends a little extra time studying his white leather tome, and by evening, the igloo is just large enough to fit them all comfortably.

OOC

Misinterpreted spell description. The igloo fits three people in addition to the caster, not just three people total.

As they reach the sea, Saeldur stands on a large stone to get a better look. "It's spectacular," he says. "I've read stories about the sea. But the reality is so much more than the description." He does not pause to consider how odd his talk of 'reading stories' may sound to a people with little or any written history.

[Xeorsos]

"Yes," Trejune replies, letting his staff fall limp against his chest as he takes in the air, "Our elders have spoken of it before. Nothing long winded, or detailed... just mentions and words." He looks back to his brother, and then to his half brother, and smiles. "We're a long way from our people, Jeger. This is a big step for us."

[heyyon]

Jeger looks out at the ocean and soaks in the massive sea. "I've never looked on this much water at once. The world seems so much larger today than ever before." He looks back at Trejune and their eyes meet. "Will the world continue to change and grow like this?"

[Xeorsos]

Trejune furrows his brow in thought, "I'm... not sure. The elk have changed their migrations, so it wouldn't be unexpected."

He sighs and looks again to the water. "I hope so. This ice is too harsh for the beauty of our world." He closes his eyes and thinks back to his younger brother, lost at only a few seasons age. He thinks back to his mother's anguish, and the bitterness he harbored for so many years.

[sempai]

The Half elf listens to the humans, not saying a word. Unlike his brothers, the new environment makes him nervous. Times in the past have shown him that a new environment must be respected and can be the end of you.

As the others look to the water, Lehros scans the opposite direction if we were attacked here we would be trapped The boy looks like an animal in a cage, pacing back and forth his nervousness sweating from his pores'¦
'œWe should keep moving'

OOC

Lehros will use spot checks, and tracking to try to find signs of the seal tribe, and keeping a look out for dangers

[Vardaen]

The sight of the sea is an amazing event for everyone. The men stand there a moment taking in the sheer size of the world, this is the first of many wonders they will experience on their long road laid out ahead of them by Kylorin thier father. Lehros is the first to suggest you continue on, and one by one you take your eyes off the sea and begin your travels. For another day you travel south along the coast, the ever present ocean on your left. It isn't long before you spot a camp of Seal Tribesmen. Small in number they are little more than a hunting party of a dozen men. From them however you gain direction and some warmth and travel south along the coast another four days until finally you see ahead of you the huts and igloos of a larger Seal village.

It is morning, the sun is just rising up over the frozen sea to the east, the snow is burnt red with the rays of the sun, the smell of salt is in the air, and the sleepy village up ahead is just waking from a long night of festivities and far too much to drink....

OOC

The threads are finally merging completely. Please watch for a single new thread for this game. This thread is locked, and a new one will begin shortly. Nicely done all!