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 Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:44 pm
You stop to examine a leafless buckthorn shrub covered in eggplant-colored berries. Some of its lower branches have been bent and broken, but these branches appear to have been dead for a long time, so there's no telling when the event occurred. This is poor evidence of an animal's trail, but it's better than nothing.
You win one point this turn.
Total points: 6
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:45 pm
You turn a corner to find a man standing with his back to you on the path you're walking or riding. He's wearing an expensive-looking dark blue jacket, his hair is auburn and a touch curly, and when he turns around there's a single spot of blood on his spotless but slightly rumpled cravat. His eyes are an unnatural shade of purple. If you have ever met him before you will recognize him as the spirit named Llyr.
"Good evening," he says to you politely, and then points toward a copse of yellow ashes in the distance. "You may find that direction somewhat more fruitful."
When you look back, he is gone.
You win two points this turn.
Total points: 16
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:46 pm
Mist began rising from the damp forest floor not too long ago; now it's all around you, muting the autumn colors behind a ghostly bluish veil. You can still see well enough to stick to the path you've chosen, but as you walk or ride on you begin to catch glimpses of something white showing through the sparse yellow leaves of a buckthorn hedge.
You investigate.
Unfortunately it is only the skeleton of a large stag, stripped of flesh but otherwise almost perfectly intact; time has bleached its bones to the stark paleness that distracted you. A single wild rose has grown up through one of its eye sockets.
You do not win or lose any points this turn.
Total points: 9
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:47 pm
The trees in this area of the wood are ancient and dense enough to block out most of the light. The floor is carpeted in a rich coating of moss and fallen leaves, all a deep shade of scarlet. Eventually you become aware of a low whispering sound coming from above you. You look up.
There is something pale and strange in the dark webwork of branches, something moving… you receive the impression of long, crooked fingers like broken twigs, bright eyes that seethe with malice; it is whispering at you…
When you come back to yourself no time seems to have passed at all, but the look of the sky and the numbness of your legs suggest that you have been standing in the same spot, motionless, for several minutes. Something distracted you, but you can't remember what it was.
You do not win or lose any points this turn.
Total points: 9
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:47 pm
The footing is poor here, and you trip over a root hidden beneath several years' worth of fallen leaves. You manage to catch yourself against a tree before you fall, but the rough bark leaves painful, stinging abrasions across your palm. This may put you at a slight disadvantage.
You lose one point this turn.
Total points: 11
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:48 pm
A subtle irregularity on the ground catches your eye. You take a closer look: there's a muddy rabbit print embossed on one half of a fallen leaf. It may not be exactly what you're looking for, but it could lead to bigger and better things.
You win one point this turn.
Total points: 10
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:49 pm
You turn a corner to find a man standing with his back to you on the path you're walking or riding. He's wearing an expensive-looking dark blue jacket, his hair is auburn and a touch curly, and when he turns around there's a single spot of blood on his spotless but slightly rumpled cravat. His eyes are an unnatural shade of purple. If you have ever met him before you will recognize him as the spirit named Llyr.
"Good evening," he says to you politely, and then points toward a copse of yellow ashes in the distance. "You may find that direction somewhat more fruitful."
When you look back, he is gone.
You win two points this turn.
Total points: 2
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:50 pm
You stop to examine a leafless buckthorn shrub covered in eggplant-colored berries. Some of its lower branches have been bent and broken, but these branches appear to have been dead for a long time, so there's no telling when the event occurred. This is poor evidence of an animal's trail, but it's better than nothing.
You win one point this turn.
Total points: 11
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:51 pm
You hear a hoarse panting noise above you. An injured hawk rests on a branch, visibly bleeding. It looks as if it's been abandoned by the hunter who owns it, though it seems alert and could probably be rehabilitated given some time and care. But coaxing it down might take a while… 
1. Umbrology 2. Umbrology 3. Umbrology
4. Amorpheous 5. Amorpheous 6. Amorpheous
All hawks are companion pets, not familiars!
Total points: 4
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:52 pm
You hear a frantic rattling sound accompanied by a stream of musical but panicked warbling. When you investigate the noise, you find a bright blue and white fairy wren struggling inside a bramble-bush; one of its wings is caught on a thorn. You manage to free it and it flutters away, lands on a bare, gnarled branch, fluffs up all its feathers, and begins preening. You feel strangely lucky afterwards.
You win two points this turn.
Total points: 9
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:53 pm
The footing is poor here, and you trip over a root hidden beneath several years' worth of fallen leaves. You manage to catch yourself against a tree before you fall, but the rough bark leaves painful, stinging abrasions across your palm. This may put you at a slight disadvantage.
You lose one point this turn.
Total points: 0
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FitzRoyal rolled 1 100-sided dice:
45
Total: 45 (1-100)
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 5:39 pm
After so much time wasted looking around the clearing Trinian finally came to the conclusion that this had been a very clever prank indeed. Now it was time to continue the search and hope that maybe, just maybe, he managed to get his hands on the culprit. "Teari, let's go." Instead of taking the lead once again, he maneuvered to the stag and hopped up onto his bare back. He didn't want to chance a twisted or broken ankle in the muddy forest and knew that the buck's balance was twice as steady as his own.
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 6:39 pm
The forest is quiet; by now most of the birds have migrated south, and the only sounds you've heard for the past several minutes are the rustling of the breeze in the trees, the plop of acorns falling, the quiet scraping rustle as a leaf descends to the forest floor, and the occasional rasp of a squirrel gnawing on a nut's shell in the distance. It is peaceful — or, depending on your character's preferences, a little eerie.
The shrill, almost-human scream of a rabbit's death cry shatters the silence. Once you've taken a moment to recover (or, if you're a badass mofo, coolly evaluate the situation) you head in the scream's direction. It could be the work of a hawk, but there's still a good chance a fox is nearby.
You win three points this turn.
Total points: 10
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Soldier of Song rolled 1 100-sided dice:
46
Total: 46 (1-100)
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 7:30 pm
If Kozel noticed how flushed Zharkov had suddenly become, he was kind enough, or at least wise enough not to saying anything of it. He wouldn't have guessed his companion to be embarrassed, anyway, seeing only a poor old man over-exerting himself now—and Kozel was definitely wise enough not to say anything along those lines, either. Deeply ashamed, he only felt his guilt worsen when Zharkov apologized. Why had he allowed him to come along? Not, and they probably both knew it, that Kozel could have stopped him.
Relieved at least that Zharkov was up and unharmed and, best of all, back to securing that horrible bird, Kozel remembered his own cargo and relaxed his grip on the poor, manhandled creature, taking great care to keep his back to the other man as he patted its mussed up fur down and uttered a hasty apology. In the back of his mind, yes, Kozel realized this trip into the woods must be getting to him worse than he thought if he was saying sorry to a rabbit they'd be eating anyway, but it seemed to appreciate the gesture enough to stop trying to escape and, wait, did he really just think just now that a rabbit could appreciate something? Ugh.
Still frazzled, even if Zharkov seemed to be recovered already, Kozel glumly went to pick up his friend's walking stick and return it to him, frustration written all over his face although he tried to keep his voice level. "Yes, as in go back, because you are in no condition to keep going." What he meant was obvious, of course, so much for being wise enough not to say anything of it. Despite how supposedly keen Kozel was to stop, however, he began heading on again. Slower, at least.
"Don't be ridiculous, Zharkov. A forest cannot want, or not want, or whatever it is you are trying to scare me about." But for as skeptical as he tried to sound, Kozel couldn't help but shudder. The blood he kept finding, and Zharkov's bad luck, and these useless awful animals okay maybe that last one didn't make much sense but could there be something to it?
...No. Absolutely not. That was silly, Kozel tried to reassure himself as he dutifully returned to Zharkov's side, the side without the hawk. He'd spotted another bloody leaf on the ground and refused to acknowledge it, nope nope nope there was nothing at all to the idea that the forest could possibly be trying to keep him from returning to small dog trinket he had stolen because why would it do that?
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kamileunaire rolled 1 100-sided dice:
92
Total: 92 (1-100)
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 7:32 pm
Kozel's thoughts about summed up Zharkov's embarrassment and fears, as he didn't want to appear as some frail elderly person who needed to be helped along every step of the way. There was some amount of consolation in Kozel's silence, and he reassured himself that the Katchian wasn't silently judging him. As if he cared anyway! Anyone could have taken a spill on that loose patch of earth; it wasn't because he was physically unsound or weak.
He gave Kozel a nod of thanks as the stick was returned, and carefully climbed back up out of the creek bed, snorting softly. "Could have happened to anyone. I am just a bit damp, nothing more." He reiterated in a tone that had a very slight edge of warning to it. It wasn't outright nasty, but he wouldn't take being told what sort of 'condition' he was in and they they ought to turn back...even though that was exactly what he'd wanted in the first place. He frowned lightly as he realized it, and sighed softly, resigning himself to following his friend.
"If you really want to keep fooling yourself, go right ahead." Zharkov teased, the corners of his mouth curling into a vague grin. Of course, he wasn't completely convinced himself, but a tree covered in tiny carved dogs was awfully strange. Regardless, it was still fun to tease Kozel, and he wondered what it would take to get him to want to seriously give up the hunt. He was about to say something further when he took another tiny stumble, ramming his fist into a nearby tree to steady himself and avoid dropping his walking stick.
"Was it this treacherous the last time we were this far in?" He wondered out loud, scowling a little at his scraped up hand. They had been in for way longer the first time, but Zharkov didn't seem to remember being so clumsy. Perhaps they had been more distracted then; he couldn't quite recall. Whatever was happening, he had the keen and uneasy feeling that their surroundings were somehow against them.
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