“Far more nutrition in the snake, plenty to go around too.” Vahorn affirms, starting up the campfire. Survival 15 plus bardic inspiration (it lasts ten mins better use it while I can) 4

He looks Hayeth up and down, scrunching his nose as he responds to her. “The trees give their information to me freely, I don’t need to resort to murdering them for my knowledge. I have observed with my own eyes that individuals within a species have differences, take Noell for example, she is not hapless like most humans. For half-elves however, it is common to have some form of night vision. Anyway, being practically blind is something you should probably mention when being put on watch. We will need to keep the fire up so these two can see. I trust Noell will keep us safe regardless. Dumasz and Lia, you can put out the fire when you start, unless Lia also have this affliction?” 

Dumasz raises his hand. “I can’t see in the dark either.”

"We can all share my lantern," Noell says to Dumasz with a smile.  "I've enough oil to last us through the night.  And hopefully through the tunnel as well.  Just be careful not to raise the hood too high or it'll become a beacon to anything trying to find the camp."

She crosses her arms as Vahorn speaks.  "You know, I'd say you're giving me too much credit, but I like to think it's all true."  She smirks for a second, but then it drops into a more serious expression.  "But it's probably more correct to say you're underestimating our companions' abilities, you know?  Be careful how much of your foot you stick out, Val... you never know when any one of our newest allies might be able to feed it right back to you."  She tilts her head at Lia as if to remind him, and makes a pow-pow motion with her fists.  "Anyway, I'll still pass on the snake.  It's not so much a matter of taste, but I don't want a full belly while keeping watch.  I'd get sleepy otherwise," she says, before getting back to the business of actually trying to keep watch.

Perception: 14

Hayeth looks to Noell "It's fine, he's not really seen what I can do, I would just point out anomalies do always exist, and you never asked about my nightvision Vahorn so I never said"

She then heads to sit beside Noell to keep watch also

Perception (disadvantage): 6 / 6

Feel free to continue the RP, but I'll just tell you the night passes uneventfully.

During his watch with Lia, Dumasz will try to get to know his companion better.

”So I assume you aren’t from around here? Me either, I came from the coast. Pretty long ways, really, but it’s sort of expected of me. What brings you here and from where?”

When Hayeth heads to sleep she hands Fay to Dumasz or Lia (whoever takes her) saying

"If you need someone to take a look at something that's further away just ask Fay to do it she can mimic voices so she should be able to warn you of danger"

She smiles and sleepily lies down

Lia is quiet for most of the meal, trying some of the snake and not finding it too bad. Once her turn comes for watch she gladly accepts Fay, sitting cross-legged and stroking the bird’s head contentedly as she talks with Dumasz.

”I live in the mountains between a couple of the human nations. I’m mostly here for the job, I assume I’ll go back once we’ve figured this out. Being out here alone is a nice change of pace, but there’ll always be more work to do once this is done.”

”So what about you? What do you mean it’s expected you come so far?”

“Traveling far and wide is the beginning of many stories of dragonborn where I am from. It has to do with our separation from the Old Clans, the dragons and their tight grip on dragonborn. My people left them and are part of a much larger world for it. It is my duty to carry on that legacy, and to make sure my people are never found to be weak. And snakes and missing children may seem small time compared to that large responsibility, but I know that the foundations of kings are built on stepping stones.”

”Sorry, I’m rambling. It’s a dream near and dear to me. I get carried away. Thinking of home, and the future I will build there one day.”

“No, no, you’re fine. I doubt it’s quite the same, but I have people at home who expect great things, too. To make the world safer, to protect those who can’t protect themselves. It’s good to have a sense of purpose.” Lia smiles, pausing for a moment to stretch her arms above her head. “So, what exactly is it you specialize in? I’ve seen Noell and Vahorn in action, and I can guess well enough with Hayeth, but you’re a bit of a mystery.”

After a dinner of roasted snake, Vahorn sits motionless on the ground, his legs crossed as he breaths deep controlled breaths, rubbing his hands around the earth. 

“Oh I do a bit of everything. Swords and sorcery are my specialty, but I try my hand at lots of things. There’s just not much I’ve ever really struggled with.”

In the morning after everything is said Hayeth wakes up with a massive bed head her hair all over the place, she rubs her eyes and looks around 

"Oh good we didn't get eaten by snakes"

She giggles to herself and starts the morning process of memorizing spells reading line after line from the book taken from the holster at her side and murmuring slightly

”We didn’t get eaten by snakes - yet.”

"I've tried my hand at both of those, but never got very far," Lia responds to Dumasz's comment. "I'm a lot more effective with a staff or my fists."

When morning comes, she grabs a handful of cold, leftover snake to eat while she goes through a seemingly routine set of stretches.

Dumasz will imitate Lia’s stretches and examine her gnarly fists. 

Hayeth laughs a little at Dumasz's comment 

"I'm kind of hoping we don't get eaten by snakes ever!"

As the evening progresses, Noell listens in on the conversation the others have, trying to mask her eagerness to learn more about the outside world.  Dumasz's tales, in particular, have her fascinated -- he's the first dragonborn she's ever met, and it's the first time she's heard of tales that had to do with more of the outside world than the history of her family's immigration and settlement in the village.

Soon, however, the day's activities catch up with her, and she finds herself nodding off as the conversation drones on quietly around her.  As she slips into a light slumber, her dreams are plagued by uneasy visions.  Snakes, mostly; Old Laughing Joe was much better at making a living from the wilds than she was.  Finding the snake's body in the fire pit was a small comfort to her, but that he was still missing could still have meant that something managed to overwhelm him... and her imagination is more than willing to fill in the gaps with slithering, serpentine fears.  She tosses and turns, feeling her pulse speed, and her fear build, until she shoots up, awake and panting, covering in a thin film of sweat.

Looking around, she sees the others striking the makeshift camp; apparently the evening passed less eventfully than her dreams did.  Still, she quickly mops at her forehead, trying to hide the evidence of her nightmares, and sets herself to packing up her things.  By the time she's calmed down enough to put the sunny smile back on her face, the dreams are a distant whisper, well-contained by the morning light.

(Noell has once again used the gift of alacrity without knowing it...)

The party cleans up their campsite and heads off to the tunnel. It's hard to see the hill at first through the forest, but you do find it relatively easily.

The tunnel opening is at the base of the small hill.  While at first it looks like just an opening in the dirt, you can see the edges of a stone archway around the entrance. a worked stone passage enters the hill, and yopur way is lit with torchlight.

Dumasz warbles out three notes three times, conjuring three motes of light that swirl around him as they enter.

dancing lights