It's nine o'clock on a Saturday, and the regular crowd shuffles into The Happy Cow. There's an old man sitting next to a younger half-elf, makin' love to his tonic and ginger. He says, "Son can you play me a memory? I'm not really sure how it goes...but it's sad and it's sweet, and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man's clothes." The old man looks up, his eyes unfocused as he loses himself in a memory, then starts singing softly, "La, la-la, di-di da...La-la, di-di da, da-dum."
The half-elf just smiles and taps the bar in rhythm to the man's tune, indulging the ghosts of his past with a familiarity that indicates this is a recurring occurrence. Eventually the younger man catches the eye of a distinctively colored tiefling entering the tavern, and he gets up to sit with her at a table. "About time - Billy was already starting to sing over there...if you'd been much longer I'd have had to join him, and then the whole place would shoo us out before I got to eat." He grins as he says this - again, it's a familiar banter between friends.
Meikoris, known to his friends as Meiki, was a druid who patrolled the surrounding lands for the duke and the city of Daggerford. But whenever he was in town, he dined at the Happy Cow Tavern with his friends Tender and Cybele. He had grown up around the city but loved the forests, finding his peace and sense of purpose wandering in the wilds and watching over the balance of plants and animals.
Occasionally he had to join a group of the city watch to restore that balance. And this past patrol Meiki had come across something new - something strange - and he needed to talk with his friends about it to get their perspective.
Tender might have spent the night before sleeping in a farmer's stables with a very grumpy mule, and she was certain her tail was still bruised from where it had been stepped on. Being back in town after a few days spent wandering the outlying farms was both welcome and overwhelming; she didn't think she would ever quite get used to the noise or the amount of people. Still, the familiar crowd in the tavern was certainly more welcome than overwhelming, and she aimed a sunny smile at Meiki when she caught his eye as she slipped around a few patrons and over to her usual table. Their usual table, really; rarely did Tender dine inside without her friends.
"That would be a tragedy," Tender laughed, glancing over at the old man. "Your singing, I mean. Obviously." Her grin stays, a familiar sight on her gold-flecked face. "Where's Cybele at? Not performing tonight, is she?" She looked around for their elven friend, taking note of the other patrons milling around the bar. "You know, I think Old Man Chester's mule broke one of the spikes on my tail," she adds after a moment, her gaze having caught on the offending appendage as she was looking around. "You help a mule out, and she still tries to stomp you to death with her hooves." She sighs heavily, just a touch dramatic, though her friends would be familiar with that by now.
In the busy bustling tavern, dense clusters of boisterous, friendly patrons litter the room, and right at the center of one of these clusters sits Cybele. She's sat perched atop a stool playing her lute, her bare-feet just barely reaching to trace light shapes on the ground, speaking-singing outrageous stories for anyone who'd lend her an ear, and chatting up the crowd in between songs.
She's so distracted, as seems to always be the case with her, she's completely forgotten that she meant to look for her friends Tender, and Meiki while she was in town. They were some of her favorite people, and one of the reasons she frequented the town so much. Although she's met many a people in her travels, there were few that she considered to be her true friends. Both Tender and Meiki were travelers like her, and she rather enjoyed hearing their stories, the creatures they came across, the beautiful flora they'd laid their eyes on, the teas they'd tried in every town. Both alike and different in the right ways.
The buzzing sounds of the tavern cover her ears like a blanket, the loud noises putting her at ease. The corners of her eyes deepen into a crinkle and her grin widens as she regards those around her, those who chose to give her stories a listen. Cybele was at home, seemingly having the time of her life in her own little world.
After her current song finishes, she swings the lute around and announces to any in earshot that she was going to get a drink, and she jumps from the stool to make her way over to the bar, hoping she'd be able to convince someone to pay for her drink.
The half-elf catches sight of the last member of their trio and nudges Tender. Looking over to the crowd of patrons clamoring around Cybele, Meiki sighs. "Whose turn is it to fetch her this time? Here - I'll buy the next round if you do it." He tosses a few silvers on the table and gives the tiefling his most adorable grin.
"Come on - you know those men won't even get out of my way to get to her...they swarm around her like flies to an overripe peach. It'll be quicker if you just saunter on up there and redirect their attention. And...you get free ale!"
Tender follows Meiki's gaze and makes a face. She'd forgotten how they all clamored over Cybele when she played.
She heaves a put-upon sigh but can't quite hide her grin as she rolls her eyes at him. "Fine, but you better not get the cheap stuff like last time," she points one clawed finger at him as she pushes herself to her feet. "Otherwise I'll tell Cybele what really happened to her lute case." She smirks at him as she wanders towards the crowd, carefully weaving through those who made room for her. Some of them she simply shouldered out of the way with a sunny smile and just-this-side-of-naive "oh excuse me, sir!"
"Cybele!" She called, waving one hand towards her friend. "Over here! Forgotten about us already?"
Cybele was just trying to talk up the person beside her for a drink when she heard her name called from over top the chatter in her ear.
She visibly perks up and rushes to stand, almost forgetting the person beside her and excusing herself with a quick goodbye, and hurries across the room to her friends.
"Hey, Tender! Meiki," she greets them both. "Sorry! I got a little distracted, but it's good to see you both."
She swings her arms up and around Tender's shoulder and then the other around Meiki when he's closer, beaming a smile back and forth between them. "Now, who wants to buy me a drink? I'll be your best friieend," she says cheekily in a sing-songy voice.
Meiki sits back and enjoys the show of Tender moving through the crowd and can't help but to grin and even laugh aloud at Cybele's 'promise'. He catches the attention of the serving lad, orders three mugs of summer wheat ale and a platter of fruit and cheese with bread. He gives all 5 silvers - a generous tip for the hard-working boy.
"OK - I can't hold this any longer..." he starts as they settle into their ale. "I found something out in the woods near the hills. You know how it's been raining so hard the last couple of months? Well, it must have caused a sinkhole to open up, and it leads to a cave system! I wanted to go in right away, but when I heard the skittering noises, I thought my two best friends would enjoy a little adventure, too...so what do you say. Up for a little exploring? It's about a day's walk, so we'll be gone a for at least three..."
Meiki knew her too well; she could never say no to adventure.
"You can just admit you were afraid to go without us," she teases gently, grinning at him. "But you know I'm always up for exploring weird things with you guys!" It was, in fact, one of the few things she looked forward to the most. Helping the people in the city and the outlying farms was good, and she did enjoy it, but there was nothing quite like exploring new places. She'd lived most of her life in one place, so it was all still new, really. "The cave isn't underwater from the rain though, is it? You know I'm terrible at swimming." She was from the desert; there hadn't been a lot of opportunity to learn.
She'd experienced some of her most awe-striking adventures in caves.They tend to contain the most alien-looking creature, and the most dazzling crystals. She'd even had the most impressive collection of blue-colored crystals of all sorts, which she'd gathered in her endeavors. She had unfortunately lost in the woods somewhere when they must've torn loose in the small satchel she'd carried them in on her waist. She'd been meaning to start a new collection again!
"You guys know I'm in!" Cybele laughed at Tender. "Ahh, I'm sure you'll be fine friend. Gotta learn sometime right?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Excellent! We'll leave at first light, then." The rest of the evening is spent telling tales of exploration past and future, imagining the treasures they might find and hidden worlds possibly right below their little city of Daggerford.
The next day the trio meets at the first hint of light changing the black, star-filled sky with a hint of blue. It is early summer, so they still enjoy cool nights and warmer days. The heavier rains of the past spring have certainly been good for the vegetation in the woods as they walk, bringing forth an explosion of vines and wildflowers. This, of course, meant the wild animals also prospered from the increased food sources and cover from the predators. All in all, the druid in the party was pleased with the health of the forest and the ecosystems within it. Oh, and he made sure to point all of that out to his two friends as they walked! His exuberance at pointing out and describing the flora and fauna was exhausting =) Alomg the way, he gathered some early berries and edible mushrooms. (Survival: 20)
True to Meiki's estimate, it takes the party the better part of a day to travel to the spot where the half-elf had previously camped near the cave. You prepare your own camp, complete with a large tent brought by Meiki. "I figure this can be our base of exploration." He says with a grin that shows how much he is enjoying the start of your adventure together!
(Feel free to describe the day's trip and any preparations you make at the campsite. Do you want to stand watches, or are you comfortable sleeping through the night? Also, is either of you hunting or gathering food as you go? If so, make a Survival check to see what you get.)
The relaxing hike to the cave was much needed for Cybele. Starting the morning she wiped the sleep from her eyes and began the journey with a pep in her step. When Meiki would stop to educate the two of them on the different plants and critters, really showcasing the impressive knowledge he had of the wildlife in the area, Cybele hung off every word. Nature had always interested her immensely, and though she did know her way around the woods and how to hold her own out here (pretty much living the majority of her adult life in the woods), she still enjoyed learning about the proper names for things, and was always learning from Meiki about new foods to forage. Who would have known you could gather so many edible plants? There was nothing she loved more than trying a cup of tea made from a plant she'd never tasted before.
As they traveled, Cybele made to follow in Meiki's lead and gather sustenance where they could. If the cave ended up being worth their while, she might wanna stay longer. Or what if they became stranded somehow? And wild-mushroom stew was one of her favorite foods. (Survival:19)
Once they'd finally reached the cave opening, they'd started setting up camp. Or rather, Meiki and Tender did. Cybele truly did intend to help, and she did a bit of work, but she'd made the mistake of making a fire first and was thus distracted by the flames, moving logs around, already making tea from some of the flowers she'd gathered on the way. Though she did make sure to gather what was probably far too much firewood and kindling. She offers a cup of tea to both Tender and Meiki, hoping they'd like her blend of different flower petals and berries.
As the sun sank and the colors in the sky deepened, she settled in to rest. The thought of keeping watch did not occur to her; the possibility that they may need to protect themselves out here next to an unknown cave in the middle of the forest didn't even pass her mind. With her legs stretched out to warm her feet by the fire, she brought out her lute, absentmindedly plucking out folksy tunes and lightly humming before retiring to the tent for the rest of the night.
As much as Meiki loved being outside and hiking along game trails to find stunning new vistas or even bursts of color in an otherwise dark forest, evenings spent around a campfire with friends was his most treasured activity. Nothing else he had experienced could compare with the slowly darkening skies, the first few twinkling stars, the warm light from the fire, the sounds of crackling wood, the different colors of flame, the way different wood produced different smelling smoke, and the easy and open conversations around glowing embers. He relished Cybele's teas - she had a knack for finding the most aromatic flowers and leaves to brew into a wonderfully refreshing beverage. And her ability to always have or find some honey or a sweet root truly amazed the druid. If she wasn't so talented as a bard, he could see her as a swarmkeeper!
He also wasn't overly concerned about setting a watch for the night and was happy to just sleep under the stars. He let Tender and Cybele have the big tent - if they wanted. He was used to this, after all...
Tender was fascinated by the forest, paying close attention to all of the details that Meiki pointed out. Having grown up on the edge of a desert, the wide variety of flora and fauna in the area easily caught Tender's admittedly short attention span and held it during the hike. She was far too enamored by seeing everything to participate in foraging, and wouldn't have trusted her new-found knowledge with the task, either way. While happy to help with anything that needed doing, Tender really didn't want to risk poisoning her friends. So, she peppered them with questions about anything that happened to come to mind as they walked, occasionally twirling around to look closer at a particularly colorful plant or nearly tripping over her own tail when several birds burst from an otherwise inconspicuous bit of undergrowth.
When they got to the sinkhole, she spent several moments inspecting it, peering down into the darkness without really expecting to see much. The prospect of going into the caves was exciting; she'd never been in a cave system before. She did manage to tear herself away, though, to help Meiki set up the camp while Cybele got the fire going. The tea was delicious; Tender liked it when Cybele's teas had a bit of a tang to them from the berries. It was different to the spices used back home, but she liked it. She sat between her friends, enjoying the music and considering whether they needed to set a watch for the night. The other two didn't seem concerned with it, so Tender didn't bother bringing it up, happy enough to flop back under the stars in the open air.
The next morning, Tender was up just before the sun, running through her normal morning katas a few feet from the tent while she waited for the other two to rise. It was a good routine; a quiet, peaceful exercise that helped her clear her mind from whatever dark things haunted her sleep. She ran through the drills with ease, her training and muscle memory taking over while her mind was still barely awake.
Cybele was awake early the next morning (though not as early as Tender). She didn't really need to rest so long, nor does she ever need to sleep, but she loves to dream. When Cybele settles into her meditation, visions and dreams come to her. Not all of them always pleasant, but she likes them nonetheless. She's always believed dreams could help you make decisions in everyday life. Thus, she always sleeps around 6 to 8 hours every night.
When she awakens, the sun had only just barely risen. Just the bare hint of its rays on the horizon. She steps out of the tent and sees Tender already up doing some exercises by the fire, and Meiki still asleep a short ways from the tent. She hoped he hadn't gotten too cold in the night!
She waved a greeting at Tender, trying to be careful to not disturb Meiki. She made a new pot of mushroom and pine tea for breakfast as she awaits for the sun to rise a bit more, and for her friend to wake.
Once they'd all had breakfast and were ready to go, Cybele was eager to venture into the cave entrance. She was hoping to find some sort of blue crystals or gems. Even a dull rock can be tumbled into a pretty necklace! Then again, she'd probably just keep it in her pocket for keepsake. She spent a good amount of time looking around for some, though always staying close to her friends. Hoping for some azurite, blue calcite, or lapis lazuli, but to no avail. She soon gave up hope. She called out to Tender and Meiki to ask if they'd found anything interesting.
Meiki smiled in his drowsy state as the girls started their morning routines. He had actually stayed awake far into the night, keeping the fire fed but not blazing and listening to the noises of the night. Since everything sounded fine and there were no threats he could perceive, the druid drifted off to sleep happy. He was happy to have a lazy morning this once, but as the morning stew started bubbling his stomach growled loudly, causing the other two to look at him in shock. Meiki had to laugh, and he got up and cleaned up the site. His plan was to leave the tent and cooking gear here - they could use this as their base depending on how big the cave was.
Soon the trio was ready to begin the exploration. Since they all had the ability to see in dark places, they didn't need torches or lanterns, although they had some just in case. The sinkhole was about 6 feet in diameter and opened into a 10' deep cavern that was oblong about 15'. This was apparently where water flowing down from the hills started eating away the limestone rock. A small and narrow passage continued onwards from here with the promise of a larger cave system full of wonder!
(OK - each of you gets to describe an hour or two of our exploration. Be as creative and descriptive as you want. Write up interactions or set up hooks for us to interact with. Use the skill check to help =) I will go last - it will include an encounter of some sort. Dum dum duummmmmm!)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Medicine: 14
Meiki offers to take the lead - not out of any sense of manliness or of protecting the others, but it was his find and so he figured he got first crack! He entered the narrower passage and followed it into several other wider caves and passages. After about 30 minutes of heading down, they entered a large cavern filled with hundreds of fungi softly glowing with a pinkish hue! The druid was ecstatic at the find, claiming these were rare ingredients used for salves that numbed pain!
Cybele stares in awe at the beautiful glowing mushrooms illuminating the cavern. Then Meiki exclaims that they are a rare find, and Cybele can't help but want to take some too. If not for medicinal purposes, but maybe just to dry out and keep as a keepsake. (Medicine: 5) Though, she couldn't seem to find any big enough to keep, and in the few times she did, she accidentally ripped them when trying to take them off the wall.
(Acrobatics: 23)
Cybele searches along the cavern for more mushrooms, and as she rounds a small corner she suddenly finds herself on teetering on the edge of a crack in the rocky floor of the cave; who knew how deep it went? As her eyes bore down at the darkness below her, she couldn't see anything to give hint to how far down the ground below was. Her arms flail out to catch her balance, but it is too late and she feels herself fall forward. She kicks herself off the ledge hoping to leap to the other side. Luckily, she more than clears the jump and even lands steady on her feet. The jump between the two ledges are moderately far apart, but, fortunately for her, are quite jagged, so some parts are easier to jump to than others. She had just the right mind to jump right onto one of those jagged pieces easy enough to land on.
As Cybele stands with her heart pounding in her chest from the adrenaline, she looks around to this new part of the cave. It seems to be more of the same, more pink-glowing mushrooms, but there in the far corner was a small opening in the cave wall. Not too small that someone couldn't crouch down to crawl through, but small enough to almost miss it. Cybele immediately moves to check it out, calling over her shoulder to her friends, "I think I found something kinda neat over here."
With Cybele being so small in stature, she moved through the opening with ease, just crouching on her knees a little to avoid knocking her head against any unseen rock on the other side. As she scooted through the opening she was greeted by a humongous cavern on the other side. The cave ceiling stretched far into the sky, far enough that a tiny little crack of light rays shined down into a small ledge high on the cavern walls. On the little ledge just a small bit of greenery grew. Just a bit of grass, and a few shrubs, as well as just a few flowering plants could be seen. Throughout the rest of the cavern, little bugs fly around. The walls are wet and dripping, with moss growing up the sides. Huge stalactites hang from the darker edges of the cave ceiling, reaching down towards the stalagmites mirroring them on the ground.
"Don't go too far on your own!" Meikoris calls after the nimble elf. He follows after, stopping at the edge of the chasm. Meiki also looks down into the depths and decides to be safe - just in case...He ties his rope around his waist and then loops it around a stalagmite so that he can retrieve it once he gets to the other side. With a deep breath and a leap, he also clears the gap and lands safely on the far side. (Acrobatics: 19)
"Tender...you coming or what?"
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Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
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“Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
It's nine o'clock on a Saturday, and the regular crowd shuffles into The Happy Cow. There's an old man sitting next to a younger half-elf, makin' love to his tonic and ginger. He says, "Son can you play me a memory? I'm not really sure how it goes...but it's sad and it's sweet, and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man's clothes." The old man looks up, his eyes unfocused as he loses himself in a memory, then starts singing softly, "La, la-la, di-di da...La-la, di-di da, da-dum."
The half-elf just smiles and taps the bar in rhythm to the man's tune, indulging the ghosts of his past with a familiarity that indicates this is a recurring occurrence. Eventually the younger man catches the eye of a distinctively colored tiefling entering the tavern, and he gets up to sit with her at a table. "About time - Billy was already starting to sing over there...if you'd been much longer I'd have had to join him, and then the whole place would shoo us out before I got to eat." He grins as he says this - again, it's a familiar banter between friends.
Meikoris, known to his friends as Meiki, was a druid who patrolled the surrounding lands for the duke and the city of Daggerford. But whenever he was in town, he dined at the Happy Cow Tavern with his friends Tender and Cybele. He had grown up around the city but loved the forests, finding his peace and sense of purpose wandering in the wilds and watching over the balance of plants and animals.
Occasionally he had to join a group of the city watch to restore that balance. And this past patrol Meiki had come across something new - something strange - and he needed to talk with his friends about it to get their perspective.
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
The sight of The Happy Cow was a relief.
Tender might have spent the night before sleeping in a farmer's stables with a very grumpy mule, and she was certain her tail was still bruised from where it had been stepped on. Being back in town after a few days spent wandering the outlying farms was both welcome and overwhelming; she didn't think she would ever quite get used to the noise or the amount of people. Still, the familiar crowd in the tavern was certainly more welcome than overwhelming, and she aimed a sunny smile at Meiki when she caught his eye as she slipped around a few patrons and over to her usual table. Their usual table, really; rarely did Tender dine inside without her friends.
"That would be a tragedy," Tender laughed, glancing over at the old man. "Your singing, I mean. Obviously." Her grin stays, a familiar sight on her gold-flecked face. "Where's Cybele at? Not performing tonight, is she?" She looked around for their elven friend, taking note of the other patrons milling around the bar. "You know, I think Old Man Chester's mule broke one of the spikes on my tail," she adds after a moment, her gaze having caught on the offending appendage as she was looking around. "You help a mule out, and she still tries to stomp you to death with her hooves." She sighs heavily, just a touch dramatic, though her friends would be familiar with that by now.
No Longer Active
In the busy bustling tavern, dense clusters of boisterous, friendly patrons litter the room, and right at the center of one of these clusters sits Cybele. She's sat perched atop a stool playing her lute, her bare-feet just barely reaching to trace light shapes on the ground, speaking-singing outrageous stories for anyone who'd lend her an ear, and chatting up the crowd in between songs.
She's so distracted, as seems to always be the case with her, she's completely forgotten that she meant to look for her friends Tender, and Meiki while she was in town. They were some of her favorite people, and one of the reasons she frequented the town so much. Although she's met many a people in her travels, there were few that she considered to be her true friends. Both Tender and Meiki were travelers like her, and she rather enjoyed hearing their stories, the creatures they came across, the beautiful flora they'd laid their eyes on, the teas they'd tried in every town. Both alike and different in the right ways.
The buzzing sounds of the tavern cover her ears like a blanket, the loud noises putting her at ease. The corners of her eyes deepen into a crinkle and her grin widens as she regards those around her, those who chose to give her stories a listen. Cybele was at home, seemingly having the time of her life in her own little world.
After her current song finishes, she swings the lute around and announces to any in earshot that she was going to get a drink, and she jumps from the stool to make her way over to the bar, hoping she'd be able to convince someone to pay for her drink.
The half-elf catches sight of the last member of their trio and nudges Tender. Looking over to the crowd of patrons clamoring around Cybele, Meiki sighs. "Whose turn is it to fetch her this time? Here - I'll buy the next round if you do it." He tosses a few silvers on the table and gives the tiefling his most adorable grin.
"Come on - you know those men won't even get out of my way to get to her...they swarm around her like flies to an overripe peach. It'll be quicker if you just saunter on up there and redirect their attention. And...you get free ale!"
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Tender follows Meiki's gaze and makes a face. She'd forgotten how they all clamored over Cybele when she played.
She heaves a put-upon sigh but can't quite hide her grin as she rolls her eyes at him. "Fine, but you better not get the cheap stuff like last time," she points one clawed finger at him as she pushes herself to her feet. "Otherwise I'll tell Cybele what really happened to her lute case." She smirks at him as she wanders towards the crowd, carefully weaving through those who made room for her. Some of them she simply shouldered out of the way with a sunny smile and just-this-side-of-naive "oh excuse me, sir!"
"Cybele!" She called, waving one hand towards her friend. "Over here! Forgotten about us already?"
No Longer Active
Cybele was just trying to talk up the person beside her for a drink when she heard her name called from over top the chatter in her ear.
She visibly perks up and rushes to stand, almost forgetting the person beside her and excusing herself with a quick goodbye, and hurries across the room to her friends.
"Hey, Tender! Meiki," she greets them both. "Sorry! I got a little distracted, but it's good to see you both."
She swings her arms up and around Tender's shoulder and then the other around Meiki when he's closer, beaming a smile back and forth between them. "Now, who wants to buy me a drink? I'll be your best friieend," she says cheekily in a sing-songy voice.
Meiki sits back and enjoys the show of Tender moving through the crowd and can't help but to grin and even laugh aloud at Cybele's 'promise'. He catches the attention of the serving lad, orders three mugs of summer wheat ale and a platter of fruit and cheese with bread. He gives all 5 silvers - a generous tip for the hard-working boy.
"OK - I can't hold this any longer..." he starts as they settle into their ale. "I found something out in the woods near the hills. You know how it's been raining so hard the last couple of months? Well, it must have caused a sinkhole to open up, and it leads to a cave system! I wanted to go in right away, but when I heard the skittering noises, I thought my two best friends would enjoy a little adventure, too...so what do you say. Up for a little exploring? It's about a day's walk, so we'll be gone a for at least three..."
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Meiki knew her too well; she could never say no to adventure.
"You can just admit you were afraid to go without us," she teases gently, grinning at him. "But you know I'm always up for exploring weird things with you guys!" It was, in fact, one of the few things she looked forward to the most. Helping the people in the city and the outlying farms was good, and she did enjoy it, but there was nothing quite like exploring new places. She'd lived most of her life in one place, so it was all still new, really. "The cave isn't underwater from the rain though, is it? You know I'm terrible at swimming." She was from the desert; there hadn't been a lot of opportunity to learn.
No Longer Active
Cybele was sold at the word cave.
She'd experienced some of her most awe-striking adventures in caves.They tend to contain the most alien-looking creature, and the most dazzling crystals. She'd even had the most impressive collection of blue-colored crystals of all sorts, which she'd gathered in her endeavors. She had unfortunately lost in the woods somewhere when they must've torn loose in the small satchel she'd carried them in on her waist. She'd been meaning to start a new collection again!
"You guys know I'm in!" Cybele laughed at Tender. "Ahh, I'm sure you'll be fine friend. Gotta learn sometime right?"
"Excellent! We'll leave at first light, then." The rest of the evening is spent telling tales of exploration past and future, imagining the treasures they might find and hidden worlds possibly right below their little city of Daggerford.
The next day the trio meets at the first hint of light changing the black, star-filled sky with a hint of blue. It is early summer, so they still enjoy cool nights and warmer days. The heavier rains of the past spring have certainly been good for the vegetation in the woods as they walk, bringing forth an explosion of vines and wildflowers. This, of course, meant the wild animals also prospered from the increased food sources and cover from the predators. All in all, the druid in the party was pleased with the health of the forest and the ecosystems within it. Oh, and he made sure to point all of that out to his two friends as they walked! His exuberance at pointing out and describing the flora and fauna was exhausting =) Alomg the way, he gathered some early berries and edible mushrooms. (Survival: 20)
True to Meiki's estimate, it takes the party the better part of a day to travel to the spot where the half-elf had previously camped near the cave. You prepare your own camp, complete with a large tent brought by Meiki. "I figure this can be our base of exploration." He says with a grin that shows how much he is enjoying the start of your adventure together!
(Feel free to describe the day's trip and any preparations you make at the campsite. Do you want to stand watches, or are you comfortable sleeping through the night? Also, is either of you hunting or gathering food as you go? If so, make a Survival check to see what you get.)
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
The relaxing hike to the cave was much needed for Cybele. Starting the morning she wiped the sleep from her eyes and began the journey with a pep in her step. When Meiki would stop to educate the two of them on the different plants and critters, really showcasing the impressive knowledge he had of the wildlife in the area, Cybele hung off every word. Nature had always interested her immensely, and though she did know her way around the woods and how to hold her own out here (pretty much living the majority of her adult life in the woods), she still enjoyed learning about the proper names for things, and was always learning from Meiki about new foods to forage. Who would have known you could gather so many edible plants? There was nothing she loved more than trying a cup of tea made from a plant she'd never tasted before.
As they traveled, Cybele made to follow in Meiki's lead and gather sustenance where they could. If the cave ended up being worth their while, she might wanna stay longer. Or what if they became stranded somehow? And wild-mushroom stew was one of her favorite foods. (Survival:19)
Once they'd finally reached the cave opening, they'd started setting up camp. Or rather, Meiki and Tender did. Cybele truly did intend to help, and she did a bit of work, but she'd made the mistake of making a fire first and was thus distracted by the flames, moving logs around, already making tea from some of the flowers she'd gathered on the way. Though she did make sure to gather what was probably far too much firewood and kindling. She offers a cup of tea to both Tender and Meiki, hoping they'd like her blend of different flower petals and berries.
As the sun sank and the colors in the sky deepened, she settled in to rest. The thought of keeping watch did not occur to her; the possibility that they may need to protect themselves out here next to an unknown cave in the middle of the forest didn't even pass her mind. With her legs stretched out to warm her feet by the fire, she brought out her lute, absentmindedly plucking out folksy tunes and lightly humming before retiring to the tent for the rest of the night.
As much as Meiki loved being outside and hiking along game trails to find stunning new vistas or even bursts of color in an otherwise dark forest, evenings spent around a campfire with friends was his most treasured activity. Nothing else he had experienced could compare with the slowly darkening skies, the first few twinkling stars, the warm light from the fire, the sounds of crackling wood, the different colors of flame, the way different wood produced different smelling smoke, and the easy and open conversations around glowing embers. He relished Cybele's teas - she had a knack for finding the most aromatic flowers and leaves to brew into a wonderfully refreshing beverage. And her ability to always have or find some honey or a sweet root truly amazed the druid. If she wasn't so talented as a bard, he could see her as a swarmkeeper!
He also wasn't overly concerned about setting a watch for the night and was happy to just sleep under the stars. He let Tender and Cybele have the big tent - if they wanted. He was used to this, after all...
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Tender was fascinated by the forest, paying close attention to all of the details that Meiki pointed out. Having grown up on the edge of a desert, the wide variety of flora and fauna in the area easily caught Tender's admittedly short attention span and held it during the hike. She was far too enamored by seeing everything to participate in foraging, and wouldn't have trusted her new-found knowledge with the task, either way. While happy to help with anything that needed doing, Tender really didn't want to risk poisoning her friends. So, she peppered them with questions about anything that happened to come to mind as they walked, occasionally twirling around to look closer at a particularly colorful plant or nearly tripping over her own tail when several birds burst from an otherwise inconspicuous bit of undergrowth.
When they got to the sinkhole, she spent several moments inspecting it, peering down into the darkness without really expecting to see much. The prospect of going into the caves was exciting; she'd never been in a cave system before. She did manage to tear herself away, though, to help Meiki set up the camp while Cybele got the fire going. The tea was delicious; Tender liked it when Cybele's teas had a bit of a tang to them from the berries. It was different to the spices used back home, but she liked it. She sat between her friends, enjoying the music and considering whether they needed to set a watch for the night. The other two didn't seem concerned with it, so Tender didn't bother bringing it up, happy enough to flop back under the stars in the open air.
The next morning, Tender was up just before the sun, running through her normal morning katas a few feet from the tent while she waited for the other two to rise. It was a good routine; a quiet, peaceful exercise that helped her clear her mind from whatever dark things haunted her sleep. She ran through the drills with ease, her training and muscle memory taking over while her mind was still barely awake.
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Cybele was awake early the next morning (though not as early as Tender). She didn't really need to rest so long, nor does she ever need to sleep, but she loves to dream. When Cybele settles into her meditation, visions and dreams come to her. Not all of them always pleasant, but she likes them nonetheless. She's always believed dreams could help you make decisions in everyday life. Thus, she always sleeps around 6 to 8 hours every night.
When she awakens, the sun had only just barely risen. Just the bare hint of its rays on the horizon. She steps out of the tent and sees Tender already up doing some exercises by the fire, and Meiki still asleep a short ways from the tent. She hoped he hadn't gotten too cold in the night!
She waved a greeting at Tender, trying to be careful to not disturb Meiki. She made a new pot of mushroom and pine tea for breakfast as she awaits for the sun to rise a bit more, and for her friend to wake.
Once they'd all had breakfast and were ready to go, Cybele was eager to venture into the cave entrance. She was hoping to find some sort of blue crystals or gems. Even a dull rock can be tumbled into a pretty necklace! Then again, she'd probably just keep it in her pocket for keepsake. She spent a good amount of time looking around for some, though always staying close to her friends. Hoping for some azurite, blue calcite, or lapis lazuli, but to no avail. She soon gave up hope. She called out to Tender and Meiki to ask if they'd found anything interesting.
Meiki smiled in his drowsy state as the girls started their morning routines. He had actually stayed awake far into the night, keeping the fire fed but not blazing and listening to the noises of the night. Since everything sounded fine and there were no threats he could perceive, the druid drifted off to sleep happy. He was happy to have a lazy morning this once, but as the morning stew started bubbling his stomach growled loudly, causing the other two to look at him in shock. Meiki had to laugh, and he got up and cleaned up the site. His plan was to leave the tent and cooking gear here - they could use this as their base depending on how big the cave was.
Soon the trio was ready to begin the exploration. Since they all had the ability to see in dark places, they didn't need torches or lanterns, although they had some just in case. The sinkhole was about 6 feet in diameter and opened into a 10' deep cavern that was oblong about 15'. This was apparently where water flowing down from the hills started eating away the limestone rock. A small and narrow passage continued onwards from here with the promise of a larger cave system full of wonder!
(OK - each of you gets to describe an hour or two of our exploration. Be as creative and descriptive as you want. Write up interactions or set up hooks for us to interact with. Use the skill check to help =) I will go last - it will include an encounter of some sort. Dum dum duummmmmm!)
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Medicine: 14
Meiki offers to take the lead - not out of any sense of manliness or of protecting the others, but it was his find and so he figured he got first crack! He entered the narrower passage and followed it into several other wider caves and passages. After about 30 minutes of heading down, they entered a large cavern filled with hundreds of fungi softly glowing with a pinkish hue! The druid was ecstatic at the find, claiming these were rare ingredients used for salves that numbed pain!
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(DM Note: Meiki did indeed find useful 'shrooms that he can use with a DC13 Medicine skill check to heal 1d6+1 hp. He has enough for 4 applications.)
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Cybele stares in awe at the beautiful glowing mushrooms illuminating the cavern. Then Meiki exclaims that they are a rare find, and Cybele can't help but want to take some too. If not for medicinal purposes, but maybe just to dry out and keep as a keepsake. (Medicine: 5) Though, she couldn't seem to find any big enough to keep, and in the few times she did, she accidentally ripped them when trying to take them off the wall.
(Acrobatics: 23)
Cybele searches along the cavern for more mushrooms, and as she rounds a small corner she suddenly finds herself on teetering on the edge of a crack in the rocky floor of the cave; who knew how deep it went? As her eyes bore down at the darkness below her, she couldn't see anything to give hint to how far down the ground below was. Her arms flail out to catch her balance, but it is too late and she feels herself fall forward. She kicks herself off the ledge hoping to leap to the other side. Luckily, she more than clears the jump and even lands steady on her feet. The jump between the two ledges are moderately far apart, but, fortunately for her, are quite jagged, so some parts are easier to jump to than others. She had just the right mind to jump right onto one of those jagged pieces easy enough to land on.
As Cybele stands with her heart pounding in her chest from the adrenaline, she looks around to this new part of the cave. It seems to be more of the same, more pink-glowing mushrooms, but there in the far corner was a small opening in the cave wall. Not too small that someone couldn't crouch down to crawl through, but small enough to almost miss it. Cybele immediately moves to check it out, calling over her shoulder to her friends, "I think I found something kinda neat over here."
With Cybele being so small in stature, she moved through the opening with ease, just crouching on her knees a little to avoid knocking her head against any unseen rock on the other side. As she scooted through the opening she was greeted by a humongous cavern on the other side. The cave ceiling stretched far into the sky, far enough that a tiny little crack of light rays shined down into a small ledge high on the cavern walls. On the little ledge just a small bit of greenery grew. Just a bit of grass, and a few shrubs, as well as just a few flowering plants could be seen. Throughout the rest of the cavern, little bugs fly around. The walls are wet and dripping, with moss growing up the sides. Huge stalactites hang from the darker edges of the cave ceiling, reaching down towards the stalagmites mirroring them on the ground.
"Don't go too far on your own!" Meikoris calls after the nimble elf. He follows after, stopping at the edge of the chasm. Meiki also looks down into the depths and decides to be safe - just in case...He ties his rope around his waist and then loops it around a stalagmite so that he can retrieve it once he gets to the other side. With a deep breath and a leap, he also clears the gap and lands safely on the far side. (Acrobatics: 19)
"Tender...you coming or what?"
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