Waiting, MountainFather
Subject Waiting
"Yes, I know what you mean," ::he said, still whispering. "No need to cause trouble. It'd only make things worse, yes. But still... how I'd like to smash this schutzpah's skull in..." He laughed then, and grinned maliciously. "Yes... his job must be to scare people away by giving everyone a bad impression of the druids, huh?"
From: Porter
Subject Waiting
"I do declare, I think I'm rubbing off on y'all," Mund says with a smile.
From: Karl
Subject Waiting
If Salix hears this exchange, he gives no indication. He is far more preoccupied with worry over the Stormfather and disappointment in the way he is being received after two years away from home, serving The Council. He sits with his friends, his back against the dying oak. He closes his eyes and makes to nap, like Mund, but is for the most part unsuccessful.
From: Kevin
Subject Waiting
"Don't be too hard on the guy. I mean, he has to spend his whole day standing out here in the forest with no one to talk to and nothing really to do. I know I would probably get a little grumpy if I had to do that all day" Harp says to the others.
From: Porter
Subject Waiting
"Ha! You get grumpy anyway," Mund jokes to Harp as he rolls over and captures Harps ankle and performs a slow-motion trip.
From: Kevin
Subject Waiting
OOC: Mark, make a DEX check to see what happens to Harp. Since it was a slow motion trip, say a DC10 - if he fails, he falls. If he succeeds by more than 5, he can try to reverse the action on Mund?
From: Mark
Subject Randy and Anthony
Randy is now back and able to take over Ran. I want to thank Anthony for his effort and we might be seeing more of him in the future.
Thanks Anthony.
From: Porter
Subject Waiting
Mund isn't trying to do a real trip.
It's like when guys sometimes go up and "box" with each other, or "punch" each other in the stomach.
If Harp plays along, he'll either go down, or start a pseudo-grapple with Mund.
If he doesn't play along, he'll just step out of it and that will be that.
From: Kevin
Subject Waiting
OOC: I know it was meant in fun, but sometimes the fun can be turned the other way. I am just trying to see what happens and try to have some fun with it. Harp might not be able to trip Mund back, but IF he has a high enough roll, he might be able to do something "creative" with this mock trip attempt.
I am just trying to add some flavor here guys. Its called roll playing.
From: Mark
Subject MountainFather
Over the next 1/2 hour the party relaxes. Mund and Harp spend some time messing around, wrestling and part mock fighting. With out the burden of command, the 1/2 orc seems almost like a different person. Gladebrother Lantono watches with a look of disgust. Harp can hear a few muttered comments about orc and half breeds that the druid mutters under his breath but the 1/2 orc is having such a good time he ignores it.
Just as Harp and Mund are settling down from their rough housing, two more druids come walking down the path. When Lantono sees them he gets up quickly and brushes off his robes. He does his best to make sure everything is in order when the two walk up. The party all stands and moves a bit close, but are still 10 feet away when one of the two figures starts to talk.
"Gladebrother Lantono" the older man says. The tone of his voice seems harsh. Lantono's voice quivers a bit as he replies "Yes MountainFather?" "Did you not get the message squirrle that was sent out almost two weeks ago, telling you that we were expecting guest from outside our woods? Did you not see that the message was sent by the Council itself?" The man's voice becomes sterner and sterner as he speaks and Lantono seems to shrivel under his stare.
Lantono tries to mumble a reply, something about so many message squirrels and how they are not the most dependable messangers. The other druid holds up a hand siliencing the younger druid. "I am not interested in your excuses. These travellers have been asked here by Stormfather Acer and you waste time. Why don't you go watch over the mushroom farms in the caves. This acolyte will take over as guard here." Lantono looks like he is about to argue but the look on the MountainFathers face brooks no compromise. Shooting Salix and the others a dark look, Lantono stomps off to the north.
The older druid turns to Salix and the party. "Ah Salix, you return at last. It has been many years. But where are my manners." He turns to the others "I am MountainFather Flint. The council awaits. Come with me. We walk from here." He turns to the acolyte and instructs him to summon help and care for the horses.
OODM: Any role play you want to do go ahead.
From: Porter
Subject MountainFather
At the courteous reception from the mountain father and the rebuke of the twerp, Mund says to Salix with an elbow to the ribs, "Now this is just confusing. How am I supposed to keep up my dislike of godsfolk when some of them are nice to me?"
From: Karl
Subject Waiting
And see, Porter is "Role" playing. There's your disconnect. ;-)
From: Karl
Subject MountainFather
Salix, his mind set for an hour of waiting is actually caught by surprise to see the two figures walking down the path. He doesn't know the younger one, indeed he would probably have still been with the sprouts when Salix left the order under Quarion. But the older fellow was a welcome sight. It was all he could do to keep his silence while the MountainFather rebuked Lantono. Tending the mushroom farms indeed. Well, at least there the smell would justify the perpetual sour look on his face.
"Honored MountainFather," Salix begins formally once they are walking the path further into the forest, "It is good to see you again."
"You don't need to be so formal, young Salix," Flint replies. "At least not until we reach The Council Grove. My how you've grown up since you were in my class." Flint turns and nudges Mund, "Bright kid, this one, but such a one-track mind. Always wanted to learn about *trees* and *flowers* and the other plants of the Mountain. Couldn't get him interested in the Mountain *itself*. Rock. Metals. That's where the strength of a mountain comes from!" Salix looks down, blushing slightly.
"I've branched out a bit since your lessons," Salix responds. "In fact - "
"Oh, I'm only having fun. Of course we all know how versatile you've become. Some druids never leave the woods. You've already left the dimension, or so we hear. You'll have to tell me about it sometime."
The party walks on for what seems like half a mile when Ran asks, "When do we get to town?"
Surin, who hasn't stopped peering intently into the forest shadows ever since noticing they were being watched elbow Ran and points up to his right and again over to his left. "I think we're already there." Sure enough, the group looks up and after a minute can see that what looked like just somewhat thicker than average branch clusters in the trees were really cleverly hidden dwellings. At least they could see that in the closest ones, but the further they looked the harder it was to distinguish artificial structures from the natural growth of the forest itself. Salix and the MountainFather just exchange knowing smiles.
"Yes, Surin isn't it? You are right. Right now we're in one of the residence clusters. You've already seen the southern barracks - well, maybe you didn't, but you were practically under them when you were so warmly greeted by GladeBrother Lantono. A little further in we'll pass through one of the schooling areas before we get to The Grove - unless they've moved it. I've heard they might have, or will soon."
Salix explains, "The city is basically layed out in a very large circle around The Grove, with like structures clustered together in districts. There's normally a fair bit of space between each cluster, and we move them from time to time to minimize the impact on the forest. We have to let the trees heal and we don't want to shadow an area for more than a season or two. The Grove is in the center. It's on a hill and looking down from there it's easier to see the various districts.
Sure enough as the group progressed further into the city, the trees began to thin and town buildings were more obvious. The buildings seemed a bit closer together, and some were even on the forest floor. Still, it looked more like an encampment (albeit an enormous one) than a proper city. The buildings ended at the foot of a tall grassy hill - or very small mountain - which rose gently from this point but looked like it might drop off sharply on the other sides. Really it wasn't quite a mountain, but it did rise well above the tallest trees of this part of the forest. Way at the top the party could see what looked to be an ancient ring of stones, some upright and some stacked on top of others. MountainFather Flint motions the group to a stop.
"The word went out for The Council to assemble as soon as we heard you had arrived. The Council Grove is the most sacred place of the druids of the Great North Woods. We trust you will respect its sacred nature. Salix will show you how to prepare yourselves. I will wait here."
Salix nods and leads the group over to a tent at the edge of a thick grove of pine. Passing through the tent, they find themselves outside again, but in a small glen backed against a rocky face of the Grove hill, and surrounded by a thick copse of pine trees. "We must wash and change here. We can leave our gear in the tent over there, wash in the pool at the back and put on one of those robes." Salix points to several brilliantly white robes of various sizes, some tiny and some huge, but most medium sized all hanging from wooden pegs driven into a polished and ornately carved cross-beam hung from the branches of one of the pines. He leads them to the back of the glen where there is a large pool, apparently fed from a hot spring since steam was rising from its surface. "Take off your armor and clothes and leave them there, then wash up here," he says as he promptly disrobes and steps down into the pool. "We shouldn't take too long since MountainFather Flint and the Council will be waiting."
From: Mark
Subject MountainFather
I want Karl to write my game for me. :)
Great turn.
From: Jason
Subject MountainFather
I actually had to go back and check to see who that was from, when halfway through it I thought Mark might have been the author
From: Mark
Subject MountainFather
And Jason thought, wow, after almost a year, who would have thoght that Mark could learn to write over night. :)
From: Ashley
Subject Randy and Anthony
Way to go Anthony! With any luck you'll play Mark's upcoming supervillian!