Bedtime and the Morning
Subject: RE: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
Cadfael stares deeply into the fire, lost in its flickering dance. The flames seem to wash over his face and sooth away some of its strain. He seems aware of what is being said around the fire but, as seems to be the norm for him, has nothing to say himself. He breaks out of his reverie as Mission's staff comes spinning down toward his head and smiles broadly at the monk. That smile fades a little as the somber attitude around the fire settles in on him.
"Know that I trust your knowledge of the woods, brother Rennik. I know enough of the wilds to know that I ring out like church bells in the morning with every step I take, although there is little I can do about it. As I have said before, we are all family under the eyes of Pelor, and I consider you as much my brother as I do Garyth, or Farron. Although I confess I don't have the same fondness for Farron's rodent," he says with a grin, "it seems to me that I can best follow you by staying hundreds of yards behind you. But, in doing so I cannot be by your side when you need my aid, as we discovered at the battle today. Given the choice, I would be closer to your side so that I may prevent your wounds rather than attending to them afterwards."
Saying that he gestures toward the fire and the light it gives off seems to grow dimmer and his hand brighter for it. He the presses his hand against Rennik's brow, feeling the heat of the flames flash suddenly from his hand into Rennik's body, searing his wounds closed with its warmth. (Cure Moderate Wounds).
"Sa'id? I worry for you brother. To attempt to control the undead is not something any man of a good heart would seek to do, and only the blackest hearts would be successful at it. I worry for you brother, I do. I know you are a good man, but I am afraid that you walk a path of temptation that shall lead you to your doom. For now, I pray that this is only a passing fancy of yours, and like children turn away from sweets as they age I pray that you turn away from this power you seek. That is all I would say on this for now, but know that I'll call no undead an ally, their place is with their God, not locked on this plane. I would send them home."
"Brother Farron, a brief word with you before you retire. Would you be willing to let me look at one of the scrolls the Halflings carried? It is more than likely that I'll glean from it less than you already have, but perhaps I'll be able to identify some religious symbol that you would not understand."
(OOC -- I'll send you my updated spell list once I've finished my morning prayers, Ty. Just in case something comes at us during the night all I'm still going to have what's left of the last list I gave you.)
From: Karl
Subject: RE: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
Farron, not having a reason to refuse, offers one of the scrolls to Cadfael for his study.
From: Raja
Subject: RE: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
Sa'id is studiously poring over his spellbook when Cadfael addresses him. He looks up at the priest's words.
"Brother Cadfael, believe me, a similar view we share of the dead who yet walk this earth. I have spent much time dealing with the dead; preserving and preparing bodies for last rites, or performing autopsies to determine the cause of death. Defiling the peace of death with magic is something I find abhorrent, and I admire the strength of your convictions. I, too, would release any undead we encounter into final death." He pauses. "As a result of my study of death and the dead, however, I do possess the magics I have described. Not to raise the dead -- " Sa'id makes a warding sign, "but to influence the undead, perhaps even turn them against each other or their masters before finally allowing them to rest. This compromise I am prepared to make."
He then returns to the study of his spellbook. After having memorized his spells, he will stretch out and try to sleep, using his turban for a pillow.
From: Raja
Subject: RE: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
Sa'id was going to go to bed after completing his study, he rises and begins to pace, muttering to himself. He paces for a solid half hour before finally returning to his makeshift bed.
(OOC: His brain just won't stop working on this. Consequently, neither will mine. ;)
(OOC: I have a growing suspicion that this "black pillar" is somehow drawing evil creatures to it. That's the only thing I can think of that ties Elise and Horan together, along with the halflings and the scrolls.)
From: Ty
Subject: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
Is there any other fireside convo to do? There is absolutely no rush, and such conversations are often the best part of RPG's, so continue as long as you like.
But I don't want to delay you guys if you are done, so when you are done just send out an "I go to sleep" message. When everyone (except the watchman) is asleep, I will write up the next turn.
From: Dan
Subject: Re: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
Cadfael takes off his armour and goes to sleep.
From: Matt
Subject: Re: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
Rennik removes his studded leather and spends some time washing the blood and bile from it, and from his body. When this task his finished, he lets the armor dry by the fire for some time while he cleans and sharpens his axe. After some time, when the fire has dried his armor somewhat, he puts it back on and curls up with his back to the firepit, facing out into the trees. In his hands in front of him rests the haft of his axe, and his bow rests above his head, three arrows stuck point first and the quiver propped against his pack.
With a short prayer to Mielikki for a quiet night, he closes his eyes and sleeps.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
Mission's prowling around still.
That will be all.
:)
From: Raja
Subject: Re: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
After memorizing spells and pacing, Sa'id will indeed sleep.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
Garyth looks as though he might speak, but thinks better of it. Rennik seems to have misinterpreted his mistakes as some form of racism, but is it worth risking the halfling's ire by arguing with him? Hopefully Rennik will change his mind on his own.
Garyth wipes down his armor as best he can then catches what sleep he can before his watch.
(OOC: Garyth will attempt to repair his armor as well as he can during his watch.)
From: Karl
Subject: Re: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
Farron goes to sleep.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
Mission's watch passes uneventfully. If it were not for this trips dark purpose, it would almost be a pleasant place to camp. The only sounds are the night insects, and the babbling of the nearby stream. After a few hours the days exertions catch up to him, and Mission is forced to kneel in an uncomfortable position to remain alert. It is a great relief when his excellent internal clock (the monastery's bells rang every four hours without fail) tells him his time is up. He nudges the sleeping Garyth with one foot and says, "Your watch begins." As Garyth struggles awake, Mission curls up in his blankets and is asleep in seconds.
Garyth rubs the sleep from his eyes, and begins mending his armor. It is difficult to do in the dark, and he does not want to ruin his night vision by lighting a fire. He does the best he can, and is at least able to seal up any holes, though how it looks in daylight won't be known till the morning. After he is finished, he realizes that he has no idea how long he worked on the armor, or how much of his watch is left. He sits staring into the dark for a couple more hours, then shrugs and wakes the Halfling.
Rennik rolls awake instantly, and after a few words about how surprisingly quiet it's been, Garyth goes to sleep. Rennik looks at the night sky and sees that the boy took an extra hour on his watch. It is only 2 hours from dawn. After having 9 hours of sleep or so, Rennik is full of energy again. He prowls the perimeter of the camp with bow in hand, but nothing appears to be amiss, and he finally settles for gathering berries for breakfast.
At exactly 15 minutes before dawn, Cadfael wakes up, and puts on his armor. He says nothing to Rennik, but instead clutches a large holy book while kneeling and facing the east. As the first rays of dawn peek over the horizon, Cadfael begins praying in a deep and songlike voice. It is actually quite peaceful, and Rennik can feel some of the leftover darkness from yesterday lifted away. When the priest stops singing an hour later, Rennik smiles and nods at him.
At about this time, the rest of the group begins to wake up. Everyone seems pleasantly surprised that the demon hordes did not strike in the night. The wizards settle in with their books and begin memorizing, while Rennik cooks breakfast. It is a very peaceful and almost domestic scene, considering the previous days butchery.
After breakfast Rennik moves to the edge of the camp, looking to reacquire the trail.
From: Matt
Subject: Re: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
Unusually cheerful, Rennik greets the others in the party with a bit of brightness behind his eyes. The morning air is crisp in his lungs, and he even chidingly thanks Garyth for the extra sleep, though there's no malice in the jibe. Gathering together his pack and things, he covers the fire and their tracks within the camp in case someone were to follow them, and even tromps off heavily several times in a direction entirely different from the one the group will be traveling in, making an obvious trail that ends thirty or forty feet out.
He's humming a tune under his breath as he walks off to find the start of the trail again, while the rest of the group collects their things. When he returns, the brightness in his step is gone, and his eyes look tired, as though he'd had no sleep at all.
Slinging on his pack and weapons, Rennik walks to the edge of the camp where they are to set off and sits heavily against a tree, his axe held loosely in front of him. He absentmindedly gnaws at the well-chewed leather straps that bind the handle and stares blankly out into the woods, grimly waiting for the rest of the party to make themselves ready to move.
From: Raja
Subject: Re: First Night: The hunt; It's been a hell of a long day
Sa'id pores intently over his spellbook. Periodically, he sits up straight, closes his eyes, and murmurs indistinguishable words to himself. Aldon, his viper familiar, indulges in some of Sa'id's breakfast leftovers before coiling around Sa'id's quarterstaff. Sa'id ignores the bustling of the rest of the party, intent on his study.
When Sa'id is satisfied that his spells are ready, he carefully stores his spellbook away, rises, and slings his pack over his back. Adjusting his turban, then his boots, he readies himself for another day of walking.