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Smerdle rolled 1 20-sided dice:
14
Total: 14 (1-20)
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 Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 6:53 pm
Quote: Things may be peaceful in Tendaji these days, but that doesn't mean that trouble doesn't suddenly appear out of nowhere. In fact, you just happen to stumble upon trouble and must figure out the best way to step in and help (or not, if you're more of the troublemaker type). Quote: 11 - 15: Flood One late-summer storm has caused the rivers to swell, and increased the risk of someone or something getting swept away. You happen to be in the right place at the right time to catch sight of a thing bobbing in the waters. What is it and how will you help?
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 4:56 pm
xaawopost oneThey hadn't intended to wander this far east when they left Tind six months ago, but with how often they traded tales of Chiume and Belrea, Xaawo supposed their trajectory was inevitable. They were little more than a city away from the Sauti airship port when they decided to pause and see what Rayf had to offer.
Morackers, mostly.
The creatures reminded Xaawo of alinar with their skittish little noses and grabby hands, alinar that had traded their massive ears for tails. Nature was very strange. She was proof of that.
It had been raining steadily for the whole week they had been here, and as a result all of the bodies of water for miles were overflowing their banks. There were only so many spots where they could safely cross the river to leave town, and there was a line of people waiting at each of them. Standing in one of these lines had given her a lot of time to think. A lot of time to be bored too.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 7:15 pm
howthpost oneThere wasn't much that one could do while waiting around in the rain without a newly-caught kuona to observe. He didn't dare ruin one of the precious few books he carried, tinkering and alchemy were out of the question, and sketching right now would be disastrous. That left conversation. Certainly not impossible, just a little difficult to churn up out of the blue. So many of his discussions with Xaawo began over randomly observed phenomena, but all he could think to comment on now was how miserable he felt. Damp clothing was truly abysmal.
Howth squinted at the churning river, Jasla huddling closer to his leg. His eyesight had worsened as he had grown older, but he didn't need perfect vision to see something rapidly careening downstream.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 8:21 pm
xaawopost twoHowth wasn't bothering to hide the subject of his interest, pointing like a hunting duruf at the water. She followed his line of sight to a dark wooden box, its lid sparkling with some sort of inlay she couldn't clearly discern. Going to retrieve it would lose them their spot in line, but it still sounded worthwhile. She would leave the decision to her companion for now, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try to stoke his interest.
"A strange thing to be floating down the river." She turned her attention from the box to watch Howth out of the corner of her eye.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 8:51 pm
howthpost two"Mmhm. Yes." He didn't need convincing or goading or any other form of mental trickery. The line would be here later, in fact, it might even prove to be shorter at night. At the very least, they could wait until it had stopped raining to try the crossing again. "We should go after it. Don't you think?"
Howth started forward before he had received an answer, turning to grab the hard sided bag he had almost left behind. Jasla looked between him and Xaawo, then plodded off after her first master.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 8:23 am
xaawopost threeIt was no trouble to follow, given how little Xaawo was carrying. She trailed them a distance away, watching Howth speed-walk down the bank until he was ahead of his target. He turned back to face her then, giving her a look that suggested he didn't know what to do next and didn't want to ask. Or maybe he just didn't know how. There was no bridge spanning the water and her spear was not long enough to fish the box out on its own, but if they worked together... anything was possible? Hm.
Xaawo paused at his side for a second or two before asking, "Are you carrying any rope?" She was pretty sure he was.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 8:53 am
howthpost threeBy the time Xaawo spoke, the box was already bobbing past them once again, and Howth sighed in frustration.
"A bit." He closed his eyes long enough to add, "Why?" before slowly opening them and looking up at her. Maybe they should have stayed in line.
Howth shifted his packs as he moved to catch up once more, digging around in the one that had been on his back. Eventually, he produced a sturdy length of rope and held it over his shoulder, waiting for Xaawo to grab it.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 9:16 am
xaawopost fourIt was shorter than she had hoped, but she could still make this work. Xaawo looped the coil of rope around her forearm, unraveling the end neatly across her palms. The dampness helped as she tied it into an unpracticed lasso and jogged forward, keeping pace as Howth hurriedly traced the river's edge.
"We're going to get in front of the box and we're going to catch it in the loop." Confidence was key. Xaawo raised the rope and held it out to him with a smirk.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 9:57 am
howthpost four"You can't be serious."
When Xaawo didn't stop offering him the rope, Howth eventually relented and took it from her, glaring down the river at the box. With how far they had wandered away from the line, there would probably be no one around to touch his things, right? His lips tightened in a deeper frown as he lowered pack after pack and rested them on the driest patches of dirt at his feet.
"This is a waste of time." But still, he would try.
Howth took a deep breath and hurried down the bank, dangling the lasso from his fingers. When he was slightly ahead of his prize, he planted his feet on the rocks, aimed his throw, circled the rope through the air, once, twice, three times, and tossed the heavy loop as hard as he could.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 10:19 am
xaawopost fiveAs it turned out, Howth was right. His attempts were a complete waste of time. She let him make a few more throws, standing silently beside his belongings until he had moved down the river twice more to chase his quarry.
When she caught up and tapped his shoulder, Howth jumped nearly a foot in the air. Xaawo couldn't help herself—she laughed, he muffled snort nearly lost in the rush of the water.
"Here. Let me try."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 12:38 pm
howthpost fiveConcentration broken, Howth quickly noticed how dismal things had gotten for him. Not only was his clothing soaked at this point, but his hair was plastered across his forehead in mint green strands. He blinked at the box as it slowly meandered through the water. Whatever was inside was probably ruined anyway.
"Yes, sure." He handed Xaawo the rope, not sure what she had found so funny. He might have thought their chances at retrieving the box were slim, but now he supposed he could say they had tried. It wasn't satisfying, but it was something.
"I think it is probably a lost cause."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 1:15 pm
xaawopost six"We'll see."
Xaawo hurried after the box for what she hoped was the last time, twirling the rope at her side and flinging it as she angled closer to the bank. To her surprise and delight, it hit the box, but it failed to hook around any one particular part or drag it to shore.
"Come on," she muttered, twirling and tossing once more. This time, the rope caught on one corner, pulling the box off of its steady course. "There!" she shouted, but Howth was already on top of things, precariously close to falling in as he grabbed for their dubious prize.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 3:38 pm
howthpost sixHe clenched his toes in his boots as if he was digging them into the dirt below and stretched his hands toward the water as the box approached. And then...
He grabbed it.
It was so simple that Howth didn't believe he had succeeded until he took a few steps back and shifted it in his hands.
"Oh. Hey." He looked at Xaawo, feeling his lips curl into a smile. "I guess we got it." He didn't think this feeling would ever get old.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 5:31 pm
xaawopost sevenOf course. All it took to brighten his mood was a bit of mysterious treasure. Xaawo had to admit it brightened hers too.
"We did. It must be all of that grabbing practice you've had." She tapped the box with a dark finger. "What do you intend to do with it?" The most obvious answer would be to open it, but even though the rain had let up a bit during their rescue, this was no place for a full investigation. Jasla butted her head against Xaawo's leg, not objecting when she was lifted into the Vandrean's arms. She glanced back the way they had come, checking on the small heap of luggage. It was safe enough, for now.
She nodded. "Go on then."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 5:56 pm
howthpost sevenThe symbol carved into the top of the box resembled a stylized capital L and it was surrounded by etchings of all manner of bugs and beetles. Howth pressed his lips together, inadvertently tasting the foliage-tinged rain that still dripped down his face. This wasn't the right spot to look at all, but the odds were high that the box's contents were ruined anyway. If he could confirm that now, he'd have far less to carry. With a short nod that was more for himself than Xaawo, Howth propped the box against his hip and clicked its latches open one by one. The lid creaked open, revealing a surprisingly undamaged journal resting stop a stack of sketches.
"It's been waterproofed. There might be something salvageable in here after all." Something that shouldn't be waved about in the aftermath of a storm. "So... I think I've changed my mind." His chuckle was little more than a snort as he shook his head. "We should look at this somewhere safe."
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