Ramiro's view of Ulf is quickly obscured as he is left in the wake of the fast-moving wagon. He reappears, desperately grasping for the tailboard, and hitches himself back inside, panting noisily. When his breathing resumes a normal rhythm, he shakes his head. "No...no...I prefer my own legs, and to be able to see and hear around me. This..." he waves at the wagon, "...is a necessity that I tolerate. I will never enjoy it."
He returns to his vigilant observation, his frustration and tense manner seemingly permeating the entire wagon, but when Ramiro mentions Aiden, he smiles and relaxes a little. "Yes...I have always wondered what it might be like to inhabit the mind and body of beasts. Talking to them...understanding their behaviour is not the same. To be one for a day, or even an hour...that would be remarkable. I envy the lad."
He moves to the front of the wagon, and spends a few minutes trying to catch sight of the owl, before shaking his head wistfully, and returning to resume his obsessive vigilance.
(( He can't match the horses pace under normal rules; I assume he had to sprint to catch up, though speeds are weird ))
"I can cure that curiosity for you quite easily." Thalia quips, briefly taking her eyes off the road to look over her shoulder at Ulf. "Just say the word and tell me the beast."
"Now would be the time I imagine, before the inevitable complications of our journey begin to show themselves. As it stands right now, traveling like this...I think I can afford a little frivolous use of the magics granted to me." Should he take the offer, she quickly polymorphs the man into whatever creature he desires, perhaps letting someone else take over the reins while she does so.
Ulf's eyes brighten at the suggestion and he looks back up into the sky, "You know, I have always admired the swift...fast, maneuverable, hardy..." he smiles, lost in through for a moment, "...truly remarkable birds, and they travel such long distances. But I'm not sure how clever they are..."
He sighs and looks back to Thalia, "Would that be possible? Might I not just fly off, never to return?" His expression is hard to read when he asks the question. There is a certain appeal to such a prospect.
"Well...You retain your personality for the most part, and a general sense of what you intended beforehand." Thalia looks up to the sky for a moment, trying to catch sight of the owl. "Complex tasks can be difficult, depending on the intelligence of the creature you become. But something as simple as say, 'fly around a bit and be sure to land again before an hour is up' would be easy to do."
Ulf nods, "Then let me learn what it is like to be a swift." He seems very pleased at the prospect, then starts to look around at the distant landmarks. "Let's see...I just need to remember to return here before..." he looks at the sun and the shadows -- their length and direction -- does his best to gauge the time and where they will be in half an hour, "...yes, that will do. I will fly high ahead then turn round, flying low, as soon the shadows have turned toward...that set of peaks." He points at some of the mountain peaks, then shrugs, "I shall either meet you on the road, or land back here..."
He takes a deep breath, then turns to Thalia. "I am ready", he says.
((Certainly doable. I think the cart is traveling faster than any bird can. But the bird doesn't have to follow the road, so easy to get ahead of it lol.))
As Thalia's magic takes effect, Ulf would feel a strange sensation as his consciousness seems to pull in. You retain much of who you are and what you are trying to do, but trying to think too hard about anything is extremely difficult, as if a heavy fog weighed on your thoughts. The rest of you see a small dark brown bird, with a short forked tail and long swept back wings, take off from the cart and fly high into the sky, cutting northwest off the road. You watch for as long as you can, until he becomes so small as to disappear from sight.
Up in this mountainous region, the air is already thin due to the altitude, but you're able to climb another 3000 feet easily. Even with your far improved eyesight, the wagon is out of your sight now - thought it can be found again easily. For the next 45 minutes or so you coast on the thermals up here, taking in the breathtaking views of the mountain ranges to the west, and the lake to the east.
With time running out, you dive back towards the ground, taking a path downward the would have you meet the wagon again. The magic is released a few minutes after you land, returning Ulf, perhaps a bit more cheerful than when he left, back to the party.
20% chance of meeting someone along the mountain pass: 79
For six and a half hours, the road takes you part way up the mountains only to curve back down again. Along all 85 miles of the pass you run into not a single soul, as fortune appears to be on your side. You turn off the paved road onto a much rougher path north, with the intent to avoid Aramoor. Darkness has begun to fall at this point, and over the next hour the sun finally dips below the horizon. Even though you haven't had to do much in the way of work in getting this far, you still find yourselves getting tired...Nearly 16 hours of travel have come and gone in a blur, and thoughts of rest begin to intrude.
Aiden calls for a momentary halting of the wagon, hopping out the back to stretch his legs. "Never been so cramped in my life." He grumbles, shaking his legs to wake them back up. Glancing around, he takes a moment to take their surroundings in as best he can in the dark, looking up and down the path they're on. "We'll probably want to move quite far off the road. Somewhere quite hidden if we can."
"You see anything that looks appealing for the night?" He asks, looking to Ulf.
As the day was coming to a close, Ulf began scanning for signs of likely camping spots. Water, cover, or a gully, perhaps beneath an accessible hilltop for setting watch. He nods to Aiden, "My thoughts exactly. A fire in a gully, but with a higher place to lookout would be ideal."
Survival: 13 (( if an advantage roll is appropriate due to map, time as a swift, or help from Aiden: 15 ))
"Wow, a happy Ulf." Ramiro says in stunned amazement, as he watches the little black bird land on their wagon and turns back to an elf again. He turns to Thalia, "I think you actually broke him."
Out here the terrain is uneven, as rocky hills seem to break through the ground sporadically around the path you're currently on. The mountains rise in the backdrop to the west, while the ground begins to gently slope down into a large wooded area to the east. To Ulf, the trees would be the best place to take cover for the night, and with his experience he would know how to make a very inconspicuous campfire.
To the west it would be very easy to hide amongst the hills and have easy access to watching the road, but it would leave your party more exposed to anyone that might have the same idea.
"I think we should make for the forest. A small fire and watches overnight, we can use the wagon for cover if necessary. We should be fine for the night." As he speaks he is eyeing the hills to the west, wondering what prying eyes might lie in wait. He takes out his spyglass and scans the likely lookout points as the wagon continues moving toward the forest.
(( How far away are the hills? NOW is the time to be bird, lol. Edit: if they are not too far, he might scout them during the night ))
Ulf seems to emerge from the darkness and stares in the direction of the hills as stands near Ramiro, waiting for him to cast the long spell. At the end he nods, "Well, that makes things a little easier." He looks around at the forest, and back to the hills. "Still need to set watches though."
He drops his pack inside the hut, then unfurls his bedroll. When he is done, he offers anyone who wants one a goodberry, "It'll keep you going" he says as he eats one followed by a mouthful of water and a small piece of ration. "Gets damned boring after a while."
When all is done, he looks around the group and nods. Should I say something? He looks a little uncomfortable, "We've made a good start..." he says, then shrugs. "...but lets see what tomorrow brings." He is clearly unused to making any kind of motivational speech.
(( If we do have people on watch, then we may not get 16 hours travel time...though some could try to finish their rest in the wagon I guess. ))
Ramiro took one goodberry Ulf is offering, popped it in his mouth, and rolling it around with his tongue like a sweet. Ramiro helped to build the campfire and he sat down on one side, absentmindedly stabbing the ashes with a branch while propping his delicate chin up and cocking his head to listen to Ulf's speech. After the latter's speech ended hastily, Ramiro couldn't help but smile prettily, his blonde tresses looking particularly gorgeous in the firelight.
“I have something to say as well.” He stretched his long legs, and pulled his bandore in front of him. His pale, black-nailed fingers rested on the strings for a second, before he slowly started playing. It was a soft, melodic rock song with slow verses that tells a sorrowful love story of a lad longing for a girl, but there was also something sinister quietly lurking underneath - the control, the manipulation, the distrust and the betrayal, and that was inspired by the tyranny of the Absolute. The piece finished with a fading ritardando where the lad sets the girl’s home on ablaze seeing he couldn’t get her heart, the fire kept burning and burning with his ostinato singing taking my breath away.
With the last syllable Ramiro fell silent, and the slight twitches in his hands that was gone during the performance came back again. He puts his strings away then there returns his bracing smile. He winks charmingly, “I will take the last two watches.” He says.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ulf sits through the performance barely moving and at the end of the he just stares, he looks as though he just finished sucking on a particularly bitter lemon. Eventually his eyes turn to his bedroll, but then to the forest.
"I need some air."
He stands and walks through the wall, muttering to himself. His dark leather, and fast pace mean that he quickly disappears from view. Those with sensitive hearing might catch the last of his soft muttering, carried on the wind, "...gets weirder every year."
(( He spends a little time stealthy checking the area nearby before returning, and casting goodberry three times. He will take the watch before Ramiro ))
Rolls, if necessary:
Stealth: 25; Perception: 15, passive (21) (sorry, that should be 26, I added the wrong value AND mistakenly used advantage, but 1st roll was best...)
((Hills are essentially right off the road - which is basically cutting through the terrain here. The treeline is a bit further off, maybe a quarter mile or so.
As for the covered wagon...I think not. Mini Coopers are about ten feet long, and I think our vehicle here would be a bit longer than that.
Ramiro take inspiration.))
The trees are sparse enough to pull the wagon through - as such you go deep enough to keep it from being seen from outside the treeline, even finding a particularly dense bunch of brush to roll it behind. After Ramiro's spell finishes, you begin to setup camp inside the protective dome, filling up your empty stomachs on either rations or goodberries from Ulf.
As the bard's performance finishes, silence returns to the area once more, soon to be filled with the sounds of insect and other creatures that wake with the coming of night.
Ulf disappears from your view as he crosses outside of the dome and into the dark woods, melding with the darkness as if a shadow himself. Despite the occasional rat or owl, he wouldn't find much else moving around among the trees. Working his way back to the treeline however, he crouches low as movement along the road catches his attention. Drawing the spyglass, he would be able to make out a small single horse drawn carriage, flanked on each side by columns of well armored guards. They absolutely don't notice you, as the darkness, cover of brush, and distance(~1000 feet) are more than enough to hide your presence. The group came from the north, heading opposite your direction of travel. You're able to watch for about another minute, before the road takes them behind a group of hills.
Ramiro's view of Ulf is quickly obscured as he is left in the wake of the fast-moving wagon. He reappears, desperately grasping for the tailboard, and hitches himself back inside, panting noisily. When his breathing resumes a normal rhythm, he shakes his head. "No...no...I prefer my own legs, and to be able to see and hear around me. This..." he waves at the wagon, "...is a necessity that I tolerate. I will never enjoy it."
He returns to his vigilant observation, his frustration and tense manner seemingly permeating the entire wagon, but when Ramiro mentions Aiden, he smiles and relaxes a little. "Yes...I have always wondered what it might be like to inhabit the mind and body of beasts. Talking to them...understanding their behaviour is not the same. To be one for a day, or even an hour...that would be remarkable. I envy the lad."
He moves to the front of the wagon, and spends a few minutes trying to catch sight of the owl, before shaking his head wistfully, and returning to resume his obsessive vigilance.
(( He can't match the horses pace under normal rules; I assume he had to sprint to catch up, though speeds are weird ))
"I can cure that curiosity for you quite easily." Thalia quips, briefly taking her eyes off the road to look over her shoulder at Ulf. "Just say the word and tell me the beast."
"Now would be the time I imagine, before the inevitable complications of our journey begin to show themselves. As it stands right now, traveling like this...I think I can afford a little frivolous use of the magics granted to me." Should he take the offer, she quickly polymorphs the man into whatever creature he desires, perhaps letting someone else take over the reins while she does so.
Ulf's eyes brighten at the suggestion and he looks back up into the sky, "You know, I have always admired the swift...fast, maneuverable, hardy..." he smiles, lost in through for a moment, "...truly remarkable birds, and they travel such long distances. But I'm not sure how clever they are..."
He sighs and looks back to Thalia, "Would that be possible? Might I not just fly off, never to return?" His expression is hard to read when he asks the question. There is a certain appeal to such a prospect.
((@DM: is it plausible that Ulf could be a swift for a while? Or would he just be a stupid bird that started to migrate north? ))
"Well...You retain your personality for the most part, and a general sense of what you intended beforehand." Thalia looks up to the sky for a moment, trying to catch sight of the owl. "Complex tasks can be difficult, depending on the intelligence of the creature you become. But something as simple as say, 'fly around a bit and be sure to land again before an hour is up' would be easy to do."
Ulf nods, "Then let me learn what it is like to be a swift." He seems very pleased at the prospect, then starts to look around at the distant landmarks. "Let's see...I just need to remember to return here before..." he looks at the sun and the shadows -- their length and direction -- does his best to gauge the time and where they will be in half an hour, "...yes, that will do. I will fly high ahead then turn round, flying low, as soon the shadows have turned toward...that set of peaks." He points at some of the mountain peaks, then shrugs, "I shall either meet you on the road, or land back here..."
He takes a deep breath, then turns to Thalia. "I am ready", he says.
((Certainly doable. I think the cart is traveling faster than any bird can. But the bird doesn't have to follow the road, so easy to get ahead of it lol.))
As Thalia's magic takes effect, Ulf would feel a strange sensation as his consciousness seems to pull in. You retain much of who you are and what you are trying to do, but trying to think too hard about anything is extremely difficult, as if a heavy fog weighed on your thoughts. The rest of you see a small dark brown bird, with a short forked tail and long swept back wings, take off from the cart and fly high into the sky, cutting northwest off the road. You watch for as long as you can, until he becomes so small as to disappear from sight.
Up in this mountainous region, the air is already thin due to the altitude, but you're able to climb another 3000 feet easily. Even with your far improved eyesight, the wagon is out of your sight now - thought it can be found again easily. For the next 45 minutes or so you coast on the thermals up here, taking in the breathtaking views of the mountain ranges to the west, and the lake to the east.
With time running out, you dive back towards the ground, taking a path downward the would have you meet the wagon again. The magic is released a few minutes after you land, returning Ulf, perhaps a bit more cheerful than when he left, back to the party.
20% chance of meeting someone along the mountain pass: 79
For six and a half hours, the road takes you part way up the mountains only to curve back down again. Along all 85 miles of the pass you run into not a single soul, as fortune appears to be on your side. You turn off the paved road onto a much rougher path north, with the intent to avoid Aramoor. Darkness has begun to fall at this point, and over the next hour the sun finally dips below the horizon. Even though you haven't had to do much in the way of work in getting this far, you still find yourselves getting tired...Nearly 16 hours of travel have come and gone in a blur, and thoughts of rest begin to intrude.
Aiden calls for a momentary halting of the wagon, hopping out the back to stretch his legs. "Never been so cramped in my life." He grumbles, shaking his legs to wake them back up. Glancing around, he takes a moment to take their surroundings in as best he can in the dark, looking up and down the path they're on. "We'll probably want to move quite far off the road. Somewhere quite hidden if we can."
"You see anything that looks appealing for the night?" He asks, looking to Ulf.
As the day was coming to a close, Ulf began scanning for signs of likely camping spots. Water, cover, or a gully, perhaps beneath an accessible hilltop for setting watch. He nods to Aiden, "My thoughts exactly. A fire in a gully, but with a higher place to lookout would be ideal."
Survival: 13 (( if an advantage roll is appropriate due to map, time as a swift, or help from Aiden: 15 ))
"Wow, a happy Ulf." Ramiro says in stunned amazement, as he watches the little black bird land on their wagon and turns back to an elf again. He turns to Thalia, "I think you actually broke him."
(( Earlier ))
Ulf stares at Ramiro a moment then smiles, "On the contrary lad, it reminded me of what we are all really fighting for."
He resumes his place in the wagon, but seems more contemplative and less obsessed with watching for the slightest threat. For a time, at least.
"Well, sometimes it's nice to just let loose a bit, and few things beat taking to the sky like that." Thalia says with a shrug.
Later, she also hops down off the driver's seat of the wagon, wiggling her legs with each step. "Someone else gets to do that tomorrow."
Out here the terrain is uneven, as rocky hills seem to break through the ground sporadically around the path you're currently on. The mountains rise in the backdrop to the west, while the ground begins to gently slope down into a large wooded area to the east. To Ulf, the trees would be the best place to take cover for the night, and with his experience he would know how to make a very inconspicuous campfire.
To the west it would be very easy to hide amongst the hills and have easy access to watching the road, but it would leave your party more exposed to anyone that might have the same idea.
Ulf
"I think we should make for the forest. A small fire and watches overnight, we can use the wagon for cover if necessary. We should be fine for the night." As he speaks he is eyeing the hills to the west, wondering what prying eyes might lie in wait. He takes out his spyglass and scans the likely lookout points as the wagon continues moving toward the forest.
(( How far away are the hills? NOW is the time to be bird, lol. Edit: if they are not too far, he might scout them during the night ))
After they picked a campsite for the night, Ramiro will cast Leomund's Tiny Hut, including everyone.
(( The wagon probably can't fit, right? ))
Ulf seems to emerge from the darkness and stares in the direction of the hills as stands near Ramiro, waiting for him to cast the long spell. At the end he nods, "Well, that makes things a little easier." He looks around at the forest, and back to the hills. "Still need to set watches though."
He drops his pack inside the hut, then unfurls his bedroll. When he is done, he offers anyone who wants one a goodberry, "It'll keep you going" he says as he eats one followed by a mouthful of water and a small piece of ration. "Gets damned boring after a while."
When all is done, he looks around the group and nods. Should I say something? He looks a little uncomfortable, "We've made a good start..." he says, then shrugs. "...but lets see what tomorrow brings." He is clearly unused to making any kind of motivational speech.
(( If we do have people on watch, then we may not get 16 hours travel time...though some could try to finish their rest in the wagon I guess. ))
Ramiro took one goodberry Ulf is offering, popped it in his mouth, and rolling it around with his tongue like a sweet. Ramiro helped to build the campfire and he sat down on one side, absentmindedly stabbing the ashes with a branch while propping his delicate chin up and cocking his head to listen to Ulf's speech. After the latter's speech ended hastily, Ramiro couldn't help but smile prettily, his blonde tresses looking particularly gorgeous in the firelight.
“I have something to say as well.” He stretched his long legs, and pulled his bandore in front of him. His pale, black-nailed fingers rested on the strings for a second, before he slowly started playing. It was a soft, melodic rock song with slow verses that tells a sorrowful love story of a lad longing for a girl, but there was also something sinister quietly lurking underneath - the control, the manipulation, the distrust and the betrayal, and that was inspired by the tyranny of the Absolute. The piece finished with a fading ritardando where the lad sets the girl’s home on ablaze seeing he couldn’t get her heart, the fire kept burning and burning with his ostinato singing taking my breath away.
With the last syllable Ramiro fell silent, and the slight twitches in his hands that was gone during the performance came back again. He puts his strings away then there returns his bracing smile. He winks charmingly, “I will take the last two watches.” He says.
Ulf sits through the performance barely moving and at the end of the he just stares, he looks as though he just finished sucking on a particularly bitter lemon. Eventually his eyes turn to his bedroll, but then to the forest.
"I need some air."
He stands and walks through the wall, muttering to himself. His dark leather, and fast pace mean that he quickly disappears from view. Those with sensitive hearing might catch the last of his soft muttering, carried on the wind, "...gets weirder every year."
(( He spends a little time stealthy checking the area nearby before returning, and casting goodberry three times. He will take the watch before Ramiro ))
Rolls, if necessary:
Stealth: 25;
Perception: 15, passive (21) (sorry, that should be 26, I added the wrong value AND mistakenly used advantage, but 1st roll was best...)
Rolling a Thing
36
OoC
((Hills are essentially right off the road - which is basically cutting through the terrain here. The treeline is a bit further off, maybe a quarter mile or so.
As for the covered wagon...I think not. Mini Coopers are about ten feet long, and I think our vehicle here would be a bit longer than that.
Ramiro take inspiration.))
The trees are sparse enough to pull the wagon through - as such you go deep enough to keep it from being seen from outside the treeline, even finding a particularly dense bunch of brush to roll it behind. After Ramiro's spell finishes, you begin to setup camp inside the protective dome, filling up your empty stomachs on either rations or goodberries from Ulf.
As the bard's performance finishes, silence returns to the area once more, soon to be filled with the sounds of insect and other creatures that wake with the coming of night.
Ulf disappears from your view as he crosses outside of the dome and into the dark woods, melding with the darkness as if a shadow himself. Despite the occasional rat or owl, he wouldn't find much else moving around among the trees. Working his way back to the treeline however, he crouches low as movement along the road catches his attention. Drawing the spyglass, he would be able to make out a small single horse drawn carriage, flanked on each side by columns of well armored guards. They absolutely don't notice you, as the darkness, cover of brush, and distance(~1000 feet) are more than enough to hide your presence. The group came from the north, heading opposite your direction of travel. You're able to watch for about another minute, before the road takes them behind a group of hills.