"I'll take first watch today..."

Ronnal picks up his hammer and shield. Moving back and forth patrolling the camp ground checking in on folks conversations and then heading back to the watch.

Perception: 12

"My calculations say that is pretty good actually... we are at risk for far more encounters with death. That might be comforting to some? Did I upset you Ash?" Gwen looks concerned as if it just finally hit her your face changed when she first spoke.

Ash looks at Gwen and offers her a small smile. "Oh! Uh... No Gwen. It's alright. My patron and I just dont get along that well often you could say. I'm grateful for the powers, but sometimes I think I'd rather do without them. If that makes sense?" Ash continues shuffling her cards slowly, even when not looking at them before she sits them patiently in her lap to observe the others. "Are we doing the same general watch but with a few people swapped around? I could take a watch if we need..." Her offer is a little skeptical as she doesn't trust herself to be in charge of watching over everyone else. 

Ree'lyn | Drow | Warlock | Level 1 | AC 15 | HP 8/8 | Cantrips Known 2 | Spells Known 2 | Spell Slots 1/1 | Slot Level 1 | Innate spells 1

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A few more bowls of rocktopus for dinner. Ree'lyn was glad he could prepare it managing enough seasoning from the surroundings as he and Step Step Thud were scouting. The Drow had already closed his drawing book and stored it safely in his backpack. When he finally got up to stretch, he took a bowl of rocktopus stew to Svana, so he would have an excuse to talk to the elf: - " To answer your question form earlier" - he started whispering instead of thinking through the telepathic link - "I learned about Flora and Fauna from the Underdark because during my trainings to become a scout I had to make use of that to have the upper hand during my patrolling routines and to guide others." - he pauses for a bit, just long enough to add as little as he can to make sense out of that short answer - "Because I could draw plants and animals from different places, my father and sister thought I might as well study what we got here and survive and be useful. So, it would not be just a childish time-consuming hobby. Talk to you later. " - turning away he leaves and heads to the others who had been with them.

" So, Jimjar, Buppido, Sarith and Shuushar. Tell me your piece of information about the surroundings and directions to take from here. Dangers and possible creatures living here would be welcome too."

"I understand... hey, what kind of cards are those? Some sort of game? Want to teach me before we bed down?" While all this discussion happens Gwen is tinkering away on a rock she found to make it create light with her Magical Tinkering.

Ash tilts her with a slight amused smile. "Not a game... Tarot cards... But I suppose I could show you how it works before bed? I'm going to do it anyway. Nightly rituals and things." 

Heed my advice more seriously this time mortal... Don't need you dying now do we?

"oh yes, I've heard of those, show me how they work!" Gwen looks on with excitement at learning something new.

Ash nods and pats the space beside her for Gwen to sit down. She shuffles her cards a little longer for a moment before sitting them in an even stack in front of her and Gwen. "Yama taught me how to use and rely on the cards when I was younger. Their concept is simple, it's the interpretation that is the trickier part..." 

Ash goes through her general ritual for Gwen to observe. She carefully takes the top card off of the stack she shuffled, sitting it to the side as she picks up the rest of the stack and puts them back in the case. After a moment, she takes the single card and flips it over, revealing an upside down star card. Her expression changes to a frown for a second before she puts on a slightly annoyed smile.

Of course. Very funny...  You joke now?

Ash's attention refocuses onto Gwen after a moment. 

"The star card. The symbol of the future, Clarity, and spiritual Insight. Reversed however means a lack of such things. Reversed typically means disappointment, Bad luck, and imbalance... Almost as if a person is lost and needs to find their way again if the effort is put into it..." 

Once Ash finishes the reading, there is a pause before she offers Gwen a slight smile. "Did any of that make sense? 

Ash tucks the card into the pile of the others before stowing them away in their spot again. 

Gwen sidles up next to Ash and places her glowing rock down in front of them. "You know... that does make a lot of sense. You know... even if we weren't literally lost down here. That would make a lot of sense. Thank you Ash. I do think I'll go to sleep now."

Gwen taps the glowing rock and the light shuts off like a switch. "Thank you for taking the time to share that with me. You can do tarot with me any time."

As the others rest, Phineas paces, fingering his necklace while a concerned look darkens his face. "Maybe my patron is broken," he thinks to himself, worried about the lackluster power of his heal and the minor damage caused by the thorn whip. "Or at the very least, maybe his reach doesn't make it this far down. What if my powers are dampened?" The gnome finds a spot a bit away from the others and sits cross-legged, doing his best to calm his hyperactive mind and focus on the meditation and prayer techniques his teachers had taught him. After about 30 minutes, though, he gets frustrated and moves over to where Huey and the others rest. 

Ash nods and smiles lightly at Gwen. "You're welcome. I..  try to do it every night. You're welcomed to watch any time." 

As Gwen walks off, Ash puts the cards away and her smile fades as she becomes lost in thought. 

(Gonna include a spoiler for these intense thoughts. Anyone feel free to read.) 

 Anyone watching Ash will notice her frowning and occasionally the soft sigh. Her eyes are lost in thought but she occasionally shifts in her seated spot, her back glowing through her armor slightly. 

The only thing Jezzika really knew about Umbra's history was that it was..and is..incredibly ancient, and not a native of this universe. A primal cosmic force that entered our cosmos from another when reality was young and the universe was new. Most of the time when Umbra spoke, it was laced with riddles, or vagueness, as if trying to teach and instruct but not let her in on any deep secrets it knew. It gave her little bits of power as she grew older, but one thing was certain - it had the answers she wanted and didn't like to discuss it's past.

I want to learn more. You have shown me amazing things. I look up to the heavens from my underground world and I am filled with wonder, and awe at what i see, and I feel small, yet special.

AND?

You have spoken to me since the time I could comprehend my thoughts through a stuffed animal that I have no idea where it came from. You have taught me things my world forbids. You have instructed me to do things I never knew I could do, and I want to know why. And what you are.

I AM FROM BEYOND THIS UNIVERSE. A PART OF IT, YET NOT. 

Why do you always speak in riddles to me when I ask the deep questions? That's not very nice.

YOU ARE NOT READY.

Jezzika sighed and smiled at the early memory. She opened her hands and spread her arms wide, and a beautiful colorful representation of the immediate star systems and galaxies spread from her hands, magically. She looked at the fantastic astronomical artwork she had created and gazed at it with a dreamy stare, looking at it's wonder, it's vastness, it's draw it had on her. After a few moment, she waved her hand and it slowly vanished away outwardly and she was lost in thought, as if missing something deeply.

Svana has been finishing up alarming the perimeter when Ree’lyn approached her with dinner. She smiles, takes the bowl from his hands, and sits herself on a nearby rock formation to listen to him speak. She opens her mouth to inquire further, but couldn’t continue as he already was off going to speak to the others in the group. “Another time then.” She concludes, sticking a piece of calamari in her mouth.

After her meal, she rejoins the group, and approaches Ash, seemingly lost in thought. “Apologies, Ashryn,” She begins, her voice gentle as she did not want to startle her. “But I saw you reading tarot’s with Gwen earlier. Would you mind doing a reading for me? If not that is okay, you’ve piqued my curiosity is all.”

"****'n--Good arm on ya, big guy." Enkindle rubs her bruised back, but smiled back all the same. "Does 'hold back' mean much for ya?" She asks Huey, and for the first time really looks at him; studying him. As realization dons on her, she just gets up long enough to pat him on the shoulder, give him another biscuit prior to making her way elsewhere in the protective ring.  Even with Ronnal volunteering for first watch, she keeps an eye out from an opposing position, though pretends to sleep , not having much to say today.

Ash gives a slight smile, seemingly pulled from a deep thought, as Svana approaches. "Oh... Yeah I can... if you'd like. What kind of reading would you like? Something regarding the future? The present? Your love life?" She mentions the last one with a slight chuckle but is seriously offering it as an option. While Svana thinks, Ash grabs the cards from their spot and begins shuffling. 

 Duke enters into its resting state, its red eyes dimming as it recharges energy for the next day. It grips its greataxe with both hands, still giving off the appearance of being on guard. Despite taking an hours' rest, the unit still has some damage from the rocks that fell earlier in the day.

Svana visibly tenses at the mention of her ‘love life’, her mind running back to the reason why she was here in the first place. To be betrothed to that boorish, brainless—! She shakes her head and sits in front of Ashryn. “A future reading, please.”

(Quinn to Ronnal)

You aint kidding mate. Mines all sideways as well. How about you set mine and ill set yours? On the count of 3?

(if Ronnal is willing)

Quinn reaches out to help set the broken nose, medicine, 8

(Quinn to Reelyn)

i took one for the team last time. Got any in there with less octopi dong?

he chuckles (also, with Quinns history at sea, would he have known better?)

Rest, 10

Also, i cant see shit in this dark, but ill stay up to help watch with someone.

Ash nods and smiles shuffling her cards quietly and carefully. After a few minutes of shuffling, she makes a neat pile and sits it between her and Svana. Taking the top card and sitting it to the side, she regathers the other cards and puts them away before she takes the single card, flipping it to be visible to both of them. Ash eyes the card with a curious look. 

"Huh... The Hermit. Signifies Soul searching, self reflections, and analysis. Upright, it stands for Council and inner strength. It can also mean patience and Vigilance. It may be possible that you need to do some self reflecting about yourself in the future. You may be impatient with a specific person who cannot see what you see inside of you. You may need to even isolate yourself to do some soul searching. But you will be digging deep within yourself and discovering things on your own for yourself. However this is not a suggestion to completely isolate yourself either. Simply to take some time to consider everything bothering you on your own and figure out what you want and need deep in your soul." 

Step Step Thud searches the campsite for any elevated ground and quickly moves there to perch. From there, he watches over the campsite silently. As he sees Phineas begin to pray and meditate, his gaze intensifies and he begins to grip his club, seeming quite agitated.

Once Phineas finishes, Step Step Thud hops around, searching the campsite for any particularly shiny rocks while he chews on rocktopus.

Investigation: 6

When he hears Ashryn mention the Hermit and soul searching, he hops on over and glares at her, speaking with mixed up voices in a furious tone “No soul. Fake. Dinner real, soul fake. Talk of food, not of soul.”