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As members of Benden’s Wherhandlers, you’ve been summoned to the lower caverns to begin your task. It is not an easy task, and some might even question the wisdom of Masterhandler Keller in assigning a tunnelsnake to wher-less initiates, but the man would have nothing less then the best among the wherhandler ranks. Summoned to his office in the twilight hours, the apprentices are presented with a table laden with supplies to choose from: lamps, knives, nets, flash rocks, and rope. Three whers, two greens and a blue, are also present with their handlers alongside.

Standing before the group for a moment, Keller took his time in reviewing the appearance of this small group before speaking, “This is a routine assignment, recruits. It is standard fare as far as this job goes and it is hardly without its dangers. Your performance in this review will be scrutinized by myself and Wherhandlers alike, all of whom will judge your decision making, your skill, and your reactions to various circumstances. We know two things regarding the tunnel snake’s location: that it was spotted on this level this morning and that it is large, likely come from the maze of tunnels and mines that honeycomb this caldera. Now, select your Wher before you leave, introduce yourself and take up your chosen tool. Keep on your guard as you search for it but be aware no help beyond what is provided in this room will be offered once you leave. Your lives are in your own hands, be proud, be strong.”

At the instruction for the candidates to pick their Whers, the three volunteers had stepped forward, their companions rumbling and puffing. To the left, the green seemed surprisingly aloof for a Wher but her bulk lent weight to the confidence in her stance. In the middle, the sleek blue puffed out his scarred chest and rumbled, his eyes rolling in tones of oranges and blues, as if to say he might be small but he was tough. And the third, the green on the right, was of average size but of remarkably even temper for not a whirl of orange or red marred the serene green of her gaze as she looked the apprentices over.

A weighted net

Lysara listened to the instructions while glancing over not only at the two others who would be going in with her but at the whers which would be accompanying them as well. Two greens and a blue. Once they had been given the information about the last known location of the tunnel snake and it's size, quite large from what she understood, it was time for the three of them to pick their wher's and then head in with their selected tools to hunt down the tunnel snake. Her indecisive nature was getting the best of her as she looked at the three Wher's again and again. She knew picking which one would come with her was important but they all showed good qualities. The thing was in a way it didn't matter which she would get either, for any of them would provide her the help she would need for the task. Determination to not only pick first but the best wher for the job kicked in and Lysara stepped forward towards the confident looking green on the left. This would be the Wher to accompany her, and she glanced at the other two wondering which of the two remaining Wher's they would pick.

Keller's sharp eyes noted the hesitation of Lysara and the waiting approach of Tashio with interest. So these were the new recruits, deemed fit enough to take the test? This would be interesting to say the least. Breaking into their thoughts, he cleared his throat, "You may want to get going..." The slight undercurrent of dissatisfaction with their slow beginning was warning enough.

As Tashio approached the scarred blue, he tossed his head and flared his wings as he dug his talons into the ground, testing the resolve of the woman with a show of bravado. It was clear this one would brook no weak willed handler. Indeed, when she introduced herself, the grizzled woman that stepped forward offered a gap-toothed grin that twist the scar that ran from the left crease of her mouth to just below her eye into a frightening charicature, "Well met. This is Hyvsk. Treat 'im right and he'll stand by you through even a cave-in." The way she spoke, one might surmise such a calamity had befallen the pair before.

The green Lysara approached whuffled at her and even went so far as to bend a knee, her eyes whirling and curious blend of orange and blue-purple. This one was just a touch on the proddy side, it seemed, but placid enough. "Sissk is a tad frisky, and she likes show off to her boys... so keep that in mind." The young man, fresh faced and a recent recruit as well laughed as he rubbed a hand over the beast, clearly very fond of the green. "Good luck."

The final wher, then, was for Mirize. When she approached, the green barely moved, leaned slightly in the girl's direction as if looking for contact. "Valarask is fond of scritches... but she's also about as reliable as a powder keg. Be careful where you point her, and get out of the way." The older man, with grey, frazzled hair held back by a dirty bandanna spoke with some amusement of his capable fighter, "She's taken down more'n one tunnel snake before."

"If you're quite done chatting..." Keller broke in, the impatience louder in his tone, "You'll be off. Listen and look for the tunnel snake, they've a peculiar clackity-clack sound of step, and they tend to hiss too. Take it by surprise if you can."

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SPECIAL EVENT: You are now released into the tunnels to go looking for the tunnel snake. You may travel as a group or split up, it's entirely up to you. Additionally, Hyvisk (silver), Sissk (she-ra), and Valarask (moon) are all now under their partner's control. Their personalities are defined only so far as their introductions go so feel free to play them as you interpret them.

roll 1d10 to match the roll of this post. the better your roll, the better your tracking - feel free to describe your finds (or lack thereof) of scales, footprints, sounds, etc based on you roll.

A Knife

He hadn't realized that their 'exam' would be done as a group, but when the Masterhandler had explained what they were to be doing, he understood. Tunnelsnakes could be nasty.

He waited for the two women, the other recruits to decide on which wher they wanted to work with, before approaching the remaining green. He hadn't had a preference to which to work with, and so, Valarask would do nicely. She seemed fairly well-tempered, and he trilled a greeting before getting close.

"That's good to know." he responded to the green's handler.

Before he could say anything else, Keller had interrupted them, reminding them that they were currently on a job. Oops. Still, the information had been useful, so, Mirize didn't feel too bad about it. It was reassuring to know that the wher had done this before.

With Tashio already heading down the tunnel, Mirize took a step in the same direction, before pausing. He might not need someone elses help, but that didn't mean that he didn't know how to be a team player. "You want to partner up?" he called over to Lysara, giving her the option. He waited only a moment for her response, and continued farther in, keeping his eyes open for signs of the tunnel snake. He could see the hints of a tunnelsnake's movement heading in the direction he was following, though he wasn't sure how old or recent the marks were.

7

Almost immediately the group fractured.... At this, Keller frowned, his eyes narrowing. Had they not been taught the strength of teamwork? Unfortunate. It seemed blood would stain the stones tonight, and he knew already whose it would be. Rubbing his hands over his hips, he inhaled and turned back to his work, tidying it up before he slipped down a side passage that wound off into the depths of the Weyr, too small the Tunnel Snake to get in to.

Here and there flits perched on the shelves in the rock, observing the trio's progress and reporting back to their master. Keller liked the things, they were stupid and useful, the perfect combination of traits as far as he was concerned.

Hyvisk's discovery was short into their search, a curious thing... had the Tunnel Snake gotten further then they had anticipated? When the group continued on, they came to a split in the hallways, one lead right, one left, and one continuing on straight... all of which were dimly lit but big enough for three whers to pass side by side. It became apparent why they'd been assigned the smaller colours... the tunnels were simply too small for larger whers to maneuver in.

The left tunnel smelled of wet and musty things, perhaps leading deeper into the tunnels. The center also sloped down, though at less of an incline, and the regularly space torches implied doors, some of which were open. And the right tunnel lead up, the air a bit fresher though the torches guttered in the currents.

The markings from the snake lead to the left, though Mirize's search revealed a few discarded scales in the one that lead right, providing conflicting signals.

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SPECIAL EVENT: Pick a tunnel and continue to search it. Continue to roll 1d10 with your posts as per the rules of the game. Remember you can roll up to three times between staff posts.

When the tunnel forked into three paths, Mirize had paused, looking around. The snake path led to the left, but there were a few discarded scales going down the right tunnel as well. Hmm.

"What do you think?" he asked the wher, chirping a questioning sound. The watchwher looked between the two, sniffing, and then made the sound for left. "Alright then." He smiled, and caressed the wher, scritching her before setting off. "I'm heading to the left," he said, just in case Lysara had followed him, or if Tashio was close enough to hear him.

14

Valarask had listened to the blue, responding with what they had found as well. It was a brief conversation, and once it was over, had followed Mirize.

"I'll do the same." Perhaps with both of them looking it would be easier to find the snake, and with them in the two different tunnels, they would be covering twice as much ground.


22

There was little Mirize could respond to that, and he turned his attention back to searching the tunnels. It smelled musty, and wet, the perfect sort of place where a person would expect to find a tunnelsnake lurking.

He kept glancing around, keeping his ears open. He could still see the hints of the tunnelsnake's passage, though, still, he didn't know if it was coming or going. He just didn't know tunnelsnakes that well.

"Keep alert." he chirped towards Valarask. She would likely notice the tunnelsnake approaching before he was, her senses were better than his, especially in a situation like this.

7+7+8+6(2)= 34