Seraphine takes a slow, deep breath, feeling the tension in her body begin to dissipate. The reactions of her companions—Finn’s exuberance, Valerian’s praise—ease the lingering fear she had of their judgment. She allows herself a small smile, touched by their support, and feels a warmth spread through her that counters the coldness of the magic she had just wielded.

Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she silently sends a prayer to Kiaransalee, her voice soft in her mind. 'Dark Lady, thank you for your guidance and strength. Your hand has brought us victory today. I will continue to walk in your shadow and serve your will.' The brief connection with her goddess brings her a sense of peace, but also a reminder of the limits she’s approaching.

Turning to her companions, Seraphine’s voice is calm but carries a note of caution. “I’m grateful for your words, truly. But I must tell you, my divine favors are nearly exhausted. I’ve asked much of Kiaransalee today, and I fear I may not be granted more substantial aid before this day ends. We should proceed carefully from here.” She looks at each of them, the weight of her words clear in her expression, though there’s a lingering determination in her eyes. “Let’s keep going, but we must be mindful of what lies ahead.”

(She will offer Guidance to anyone attempting anything.)

Back on track with your little journey, you notice that it is getting late in the day. Shadows stretch across the landscape as the sun starts its descent in the sky, and at your present size, with many things in the world larger than you, the shadows loom large so that the world grows darker. You reach the pond in late afternoon. There are perhaps 2 hours before sunset.

The pond is, from your perspective, a lake of incalculable size. The stone pathway rings it entirely. In the distance to the north, you see a great stone structure, a bench. Closer at hand, the shore of the pond is rimmed with many flourishing aquatic plants, cattails prominent among them. The shallows are thick with lily pads, numerous enough that you could doubtless travel across them.

“We’ve made it to the pond,” she says quietly, her voice barely above a murmur, as if not to disturb the serene surface of the water. Her eyes scan the surroundings, taking in the towering cattails and the stone bench in the distance. The lily pads, spread across the shallows, catch her attention. She considers them as potential stepping stones, but the thought of the creatures that might lurk beneath the surface keeps her on edge. “We need to be cautious,” she continues, her tone more serious now. “The sun’s going down, and at our size, we’ll be even more vulnerable in the dark.”

She glances around at her companions, their earlier victory still fresh in her mind but tempered by the realization of the challenges ahead. “Let’s stay close and keep our wits about us. We have a limited time before nightfall, so we should decide our next move carefully. I think we should be on the lookout for shelter for the night.”

The sight of the pond was strangely relieving, and Valerian warned himself not to be swayed by it. The sun was still setting far too quickly for his liking and soon they would be in the dangerous territory of darkness. "Seraphine is right, let's be as quick as possible with the pond. Find the creatures we were told about and then look for someplace well covered to use as shelter for the night." 

Valerian moves closer to the water and tries to see if he can spot the swimming creature Wisp in the water or a bullfrog anywhere near them, everything would get far harder to find if they lost the brightness of the afternoon. He moves carefully so as to not gather the attention of anything unwanted, the mantis had been vicious enough.

Finn puzzles for a moment at what they use for shelter, he considers using grass to weave for a lean-to strung between flower stems. Perhaps they could dig a hole like a cave entrance under the side of one of the flagstones. He proposes his ideas to the group to assess how they feel. (Survival check if it'll help with the discussion of the best option: 22 )

Once they pick a shelter, I'm sure they spend the next hour constructing it and then Finn will sit and take out some rations. Gnawing through the jerky and hardtack, taking a few sips from his waterskin, he'll address the group, "Our plan for tomorrow: Try to find the creatures at the pond at first light, I know a lot of animals are most active during dawn and dusk."

Seraphine listens carefully as Valerian and Finn share their thoughts, her eyes scanning the pond’s edge and the tall grasses swaying in the evening breeze. The urgency in Valerian’s voice echoes her own concerns, and she nods in agreement. “I think you’re both right,” she says, her voice steady but tinged with a sense of urgency. “The darkness will make everything more dangerous, and we can’t afford to be caught out in the open when night falls. Finding a safe place to shelter must be our top priority.”

She turns to Finn, considering his suggestions. “Your ideas are good, Finn. We should start looking for shelter immediately, we should get to work while we still have some light.”

Seraphine pauses, looking toward the water where Valerian is searching for any signs of Wisp or the bullfrog. “Once we’ve secured a place to stay, if there’s still time before nightfall, we can continue looking for the creatures Cheeky mentioned. But we shouldn’t risk getting caught in the open if we don’t find them quickly. First light tomorrow might be our best chance to find them when they’re active.”

Looks like Valerian has some good ideas on how to shelter, with a good roll to back it up. I would just like to hear the final plans on the type of shelter.

Quote from T0dd0 >>

Looks like Valerian has some good ideas on how to shelter, with a good roll to back it up. I would just like to hear the final plans on the type of shelter.

Finn, you mean?

Valerian is glad to have someone that can offer up good ideas on where to find shelter. Despite having spent a long part of his life in the streets, being here between insects and grass is entirely out of place.

"I think digging a small cave into the large rock or flagstone is a better option. It would be sturdy and a suitable place to hide if any danger arises. We could cover the entrance with something." He says, walking away from the lake and looking around for a suitable rocky/earthy surface.

Yes Finn, my bad, quick post while at work

"Unless we find a natural cavity, does one of you carry some tool for digging into soil? I can help only with divine guidance for the task," adds Seraphine. (Feel free to take the 1d4 guidance for anyone rolling something.)

Aralin, says to Seraphine; "would Masons tools / skill be of any use?" I can go into trance state and seek this from the fey wild and learn this and help if you like?

"I'd say that proficiency alone won't do us any good, we need actual tools to do the hard work," surmises Seraphine, "If we don't have tools for digging, we'll need to make do with a more simple shelter, like a lean-to made from some of these monstrous plants. But being perfectly honest, I haven't spend much time in the wild. Not like this at least. On the road yes, but in a strange new world as this, nope."

Aralin nods, "Sure, here to help" and continues to contemplate. "Carpenters tools maybe?"..... and with that knowledge Aralin looks around to see if its possible to make a shelter.

"But do we have carpenter's tools, even improvised ones? If so, I'd say yes, why not," replies Seraphine trying to keep an open mind. "Most of all, I think we need good ideas or expertise about survival in wild."

While Aralin is looking for the necessary items to be utilised with his carpenters tools he makes a survival check to ascertain success | 16 |including a Nature check | 13 | to assist Seraphine in gaining ideas.

"Unfortunately I didn't come prepared with a shovel," Valerian says, looking around to see what other options they have. 

"Maybe we could make a small thatched tent setup with a bunch of sturdy sticks and thick leaves. It's not as sturdy as a cave but maybe we'll blend in." He says, seeing that those are materials they could get with ease.

Finn will dig through his pack just to double check for a shovel— there's not much, and certainly not a shovel— but he does pull out a rope. "Alright, I think I can picture it now. (using the 22 survival check from earlier) We could weave some grass and leaves into a flat sheet attached to this rope as a middle point, shove three large-to-us sticks into the ground a couple feet apart in a line, then drape the grass-leaf blanket over it. Ta-da, makeshift tent."

If the others agree, he'll ask everyone to help him gather grass leaves and then begin braiding and weaving the large blades into nature's tiniest tarp. (OOC: I'm imagining the show 'Survivor' and the grass to be the size of palm fronds)

Finn can successfully enact his plan to make a tent out of frond-sized grass blades. the project finishes at dusk. The choirs of various singing creatures intensifies over time. The colors of the world soften into pinks and purples as the sun gives its last rays. Then it is night. Stars appear in the cloudless sky above. The temperature is comfortable this summer evening. The green lights of fireflies begin to wink in and out, in and around the pond.

Any last words before it’s time to turn in? Any plans for the night?

Valerian is glad that they made it through the day, given the circumstances they had found themselves in. He thought back to the dead dwarf, Agate and how he had feared the same fate would find them.

Before settling into the small construction they had created, he says, "We shouldn't be caught unaware, I think we should take turns keeping watch while the others rest." Despite his tire, Valerian wouldn't mind being first in watch.