The air in O’Hare was thick with tension, and frustration by the time the 737 boarded two hours late for an already late-night, mid-December flight to Dulles. The system had finally moved east of Chicago and the runways where clear, but the east coast was quickly shutting down. In fact, everything north of Philadelphia was already shut down, and the news showed it moving south quickly. It would be well after 2am when the flight finally lands and hopes of connecting flights making it out before the storm were dwindling.
Thirty minutes into flight the turbulence started, and the flight become like a rollercoaster: pitching up and down, and side to side. Not the air inside the plane become cloying with the scent of fear and anxiety that not even the planes systems could cleanse. At forty minutes, the captain had everything buckled up as white snow fly past the windows and distant, freak lightening turned the night into a flash.
When the flash first lit up the plane, and the turbulence dip turned into something longer, and the high-pitched whine of the engines started a panic in the plane, you wondered if you would reach your destination. Another flash of super bright light, then…
The bright morning sunlight reflected off the new fallen snow, turning the golden dawn into something painful to the eyes. As you blink yourself awake, disorientation takes you as you remember the flash of light on the plane. Next, your aware of the cold, which has settled into your bones, despite the thick covering over you. As your eyes and mind adjust, you see three other bodies forming a square around the warm embers of a campfire. Above you, an outcropping of rock stretches to form a sheltering ceiling, while around the campsite you can see the snow has piled up, leaving you in a hollow, with only a light covering of snow. Cut pine branches beneath you poke at you as you move. And where the ground and rock meet is a small pile of fallen branches.
Outside of your shelter, you can hear a few early morning birds, and the occasional clump of snow falling from pine and naked branch alike. Towering pines, their lower trunks bare of limb or needle are interspersed with bare red and white oaks, maples, and hemlocks. Far in the distance you can see a line of mountains, blue in the early morning light. Else, all is silent…
Jordi, a wiry young man of perhaps 19, sits up on the branch-covered ground, and wraps his cloak tightly about him to seal out the cold. He looks around in confusion. "What the... Where... WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??" His cry of fear and anger pierces the still morning air, causing birds to leap from branches and flutter off hurriedly. He stands, a little too quickly, and conks his head on the overhanging rock. "DAMMIT! Did... did the plane crash? How long have I been unconscious? Where are the police, the ambulances?..."
A man in his early 30s sit up at all the clamoring going on then freezes in place. He an average looking guy with slowly thinning brown hair, hazel eyes, and on the bit of the heavier side. Mind still muddled he looks around in bewilderment no plane…bad….not dead…..good….not the same clothes……bad…not freezing to death….good. Looking over at the young man shouting and rapping his noggin on the over hang he nods to himself……not lost alone….good……no idea what in the actual **** is going on….bad. His previous wardrobe of a simple t-shirt and jeans have now been replaced with a linen shirt, breeches some actually rather nice boots and a cloak. Then taking into account the pack and dagger with a glistening blue sapphire hilt. With a sudden hopeful look he draws the dagger and pokes the tip of his finger drawing a bit of blood. Not a dream…...not sure if that’s a bad or good thing….fingers bleeding…..bad. Wrapping his poked finger he finally speaks up “Ok so this obviously isn’t a dream…..Let’s just calm down and work things out as rationally as possible. Like what’s your name? How long have you been awake? What’s the last thing you remember?.”
Jordi turns and looks at the older man."... a dream? ... Sure, sure, that must be it! That's the only thing that makes sense! I must be dreaming!" He relaxes visibly, still rubbing the crown of his head. "Although, that crack on the head felt real enough. Still, a dream... Well in that case, I might as well enjoy myself a little, no sense in going back to reality just yet. Funny, I don't usually have lucid dreams... or dreams of any kind, for that matter. Not that I remember, anyway. Maybe I won't remember this when I wake up.... " his voice trails off. To himself, he thinks, *If* I wake up... if that scene of the plane going down was real and not part of this dream, I may well be in a coma and likely to die any minute.
Starting suddenly, he says, "Sorry, got lost in my own head there. I'm Jordi... " he looks down at his clothing, at the others, and the weapons and campfire, "... uh, Jordi the Jackal, master thief and assassin."He smiles, and adds conspiratorially, "I play MMORPGs a lot."
“I’m Chris, but we’re definitely not dreaming“ as he shows off his cut finger. “An MMORPG? I’ve not played anything like that since high school but based on the spell book in my pack I must be some kind of mage class, but at least we’re not dead in a plane crash…..I think….” Standing slowly he get up and moves over to one of the other prone forms on the ground and start poking them awake. “Hey…..you alive?”
Magnus doesn't want to be awake. His head hurts. It's been forty eight hours up between that last exam and the term paper. But it's submitted. Everything else was a blur. Red line into the city. Blue line out to O'Hare. I don't even remember boarding the plane before falling asleep. Some kid was kicking the seat the whole time. And now someone in the next aisle is trying to talk to him,
"Hey... you alive?"
Internal dialogue, in my head, "Yeah, but I don't want to be". Play dead. He can sell his multilevel marketing scheme to someone else. Or take my in flight peanuts. Or whatever as long as I can go back to sleep.
Airlines are cutting costs again. When did the chairs get so lumpy. Something is poking me in the back. At least they fully recline now. And why do I smell burning? If it is another shoe bomber, just go ahead and get it over with already.
But this is weird... I slightly open an eye. Fur blankets. Fire. Woods. Two dude are up talking. Yep, weirdest dream I've had in a while. It is still not enough to make me want to move. It is cold out there with the snow. And these blankets are warm. And I'll wake up any moment now.
Why do these woods feel so familiar to me? I almost feel at home.
With a small yawn, Thomas, looking to be in his young 20's would wake from his deep slumber. "Ngh..."He would lift himself up, rubbing his eyes before staring at the campfire. "The hell?" He turns to face the other men, confused about his current predicament and the... odd outfits they were wearing. "Who are you three? And what's with the costumes?" He remarked, glancing around at his surroundings. "A better question, where the hell are we?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Where do these guys get all their ideas?" - TommoBoi, to WOTC
Jordi shrugs and says, "I'm not sure how we could know that this isn't a dream. I mean, why couldn't I be dreaming that you cut your finger? For that matter, some people think that the 'real' world is an illusion, or a simulation. Have you ever seen The Matrix? Anyways... " He looks at the others. "Did you guys really sleep through the plane turbulence and the lightning and the tailspin straight down? Or did I just dream that too?"
Reluctantly, Magnus sits up, long hair and beard going every direction. He starts rummaging around in his pack until he finds his herb kit. Why do I know what all this stuff is? I've studied some botany and this is mostly different. Ah, vilerge and ginko, good enough. I set a tea pot to boil the infusion, and place four tin travel cups next to the fire. I strained the steaming liquid while pouring each cup.
"My fellows, I'm certain that skyline is familiar. But I can't put my finger on it."
To Jordi “Four people have the exact same dream at the exact same time plain crash and all not likely….fingers crossed for the matrix and not the after life.”
To young 20ish guy “Well I’m Chris and this is Jordi and as to where we are….no idea…..the costumes….again no clue.
To bearded guy “….you really slept through everything”
Jordi grins, "It's probably just me having the dream and the rest of you aren't even real. Figments of my imagination. No matter, dream or matrix or afterlife, I'm gonna enjoy whatever this is, because... what else can I do? No sense in wasting a good dream worrying about reality."
He watches the shaggy man arise and begin to prepare some herbal tea. "The skyline? You've been here before?" he asks. "And that tea smells great! Thank you!"
Magnus, while looking through your pack, you find some spare articles of clothes, some rough soap, a almost empty jar of honey, some hard bread, jerky, dried fruits, some herbs in small leather pouches and some other odds and ends (common spell components).
"It just seems very familiar. I'll need to get more info. So who is up for scouting the area? I'll gather some supplies, and if we are lucky, maybe some dinner. A source of water would also be nice. Let's see what we have gotten ourselves into.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Sure, I can take a look around." Jordi will scan the immediate surroundings, and if all appears quiet, will try to climb up atop the rocky outcropping to get a better view.
Climbing out from under the protective rock overhang and the snow drift which has developed around it, you are instantly struck by the cold, something below freezing in the early morning. A light breeze flows over the mountain behind you toward the sun, and your breathe steams in the fridged air. The sky is a clear blue with thin clouds stretching towards the new risen sun. In the distance you can see a valley with a large meadow. Somewhere in the distance toward the meadow, you can hear wild turkey's calling to each other.
Chris seeing Magnus pull out so much equipment from his pack Chris searches through his own finding all the survival like equipment and an odd book bound in blue leather. Opening and drinking the tea Magnus made he dose a spit take when he realizes it’s a spell book. As the others make their way out of the tunnel he test out one of the spell out of curiosity. Wrapping a hand in in strip of cured leather he begins muttering the words from the book messing up and having to restart all while moving his wrapped hand in the form described in the book. As he finishes he feels a weight settle on his shoulders as something like thick air forms around his body’s most vital spot. Excited that it work he follow the other out the cave thinking ………lost…bad….magic…..awesome! (Casting Mage Armor)
"Wow..."breathes Jordi, looking around in all directions. "Well," he calls down to the others, "There really isn't any civilization in sight. No cities or villages, no roads, cars, trains, planes. We appear to be in the middle of nowhere. What now?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
We find water, food, and supplies. And look for signs of predators... it shouldn't be too hard to look for tracks in the snow.
Magnus methodically packs up his gear and begins a leisurely trek towards the valley.
"We will probably find a stream or something near the bottom. And food. And maybe some useful herbs along the way... as it seems I can identify some of them and know their uses. Very bizarre, as I know some of the plants in my pack don't exist in the world we came from.
Ariandyr (ar-EE-an dear)
The air in O’Hare was thick with tension, and frustration by the time the 737 boarded two hours late for an already late-night, mid-December flight to Dulles. The system had finally moved east of Chicago and the runways where clear, but the east coast was quickly shutting down. In fact, everything north of Philadelphia was already shut down, and the news showed it moving south quickly. It would be well after 2am when the flight finally lands and hopes of connecting flights making it out before the storm were dwindling.
Thirty minutes into flight the turbulence started, and the flight become like a rollercoaster: pitching up and down, and side to side. Not the air inside the plane become cloying with the scent of fear and anxiety that not even the planes systems could cleanse. At forty minutes, the captain had everything buckled up as white snow fly past the windows and distant, freak lightening turned the night into a flash.
When the flash first lit up the plane, and the turbulence dip turned into something longer, and the high-pitched whine of the engines started a panic in the plane, you wondered if you would reach your destination. Another flash of super bright light, then…
The bright morning sunlight reflected off the new fallen snow, turning the golden dawn into something painful to the eyes. As you blink yourself awake, disorientation takes you as you remember the flash of light on the plane. Next, your aware of the cold, which has settled into your bones, despite the thick covering over you. As your eyes and mind adjust, you see three other bodies forming a square around the warm embers of a campfire. Above you, an outcropping of rock stretches to form a sheltering ceiling, while around the campsite you can see the snow has piled up, leaving you in a hollow, with only a light covering of snow. Cut pine branches beneath you poke at you as you move. And where the ground and rock meet is a small pile of fallen branches.
Outside of your shelter, you can hear a few early morning birds, and the occasional clump of snow falling from pine and naked branch alike. Towering pines, their lower trunks bare of limb or needle are interspersed with bare red and white oaks, maples, and hemlocks. Far in the distance you can see a line of mountains, blue in the early morning light. Else, all is silent…
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG
Jordi, a wiry young man of perhaps 19, sits up on the branch-covered ground, and wraps his cloak tightly about him to seal out the cold. He looks around in confusion. "What the... Where... WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??" His cry of fear and anger pierces the still morning air, causing birds to leap from branches and flutter off hurriedly. He stands, a little too quickly, and conks his head on the overhanging rock. "DAMMIT! Did... did the plane crash? How long have I been unconscious? Where are the police, the ambulances?..."
A man in his early 30s sit up at all the clamoring going on then freezes in place. He an average looking guy with slowly thinning brown hair, hazel eyes, and on the bit of the heavier side. Mind still muddled he looks around in bewilderment no plane…bad….not dead…..good….not the same clothes……bad…not freezing to death….good. Looking over at the young man shouting and rapping his noggin on the over hang he nods to himself……not lost alone….good……no idea what in the actual **** is going on….bad. His previous wardrobe of a simple t-shirt and jeans have now been replaced with a linen shirt, breeches some actually rather nice boots and a cloak. Then taking into account the pack and dagger with a glistening blue sapphire hilt. With a sudden hopeful look he draws the dagger and pokes the tip of his finger drawing a bit of blood. Not a dream…...not sure if that’s a bad or good thing….fingers bleeding…..bad. Wrapping his poked finger he finally speaks up “Ok so this obviously isn’t a dream…..Let’s just calm down and work things out as rationally as possible. Like what’s your name? How long have you been awake? What’s the last thing you remember?.”
Jordi turns and looks at the older man. "... a dream? ... Sure, sure, that must be it! That's the only thing that makes sense! I must be dreaming!" He relaxes visibly, still rubbing the crown of his head. "Although, that crack on the head felt real enough. Still, a dream... Well in that case, I might as well enjoy myself a little, no sense in going back to reality just yet. Funny, I don't usually have lucid dreams... or dreams of any kind, for that matter. Not that I remember, anyway. Maybe I won't remember this when I wake up.... " his voice trails off. To himself, he thinks, *If* I wake up... if that scene of the plane going down was real and not part of this dream, I may well be in a coma and likely to die any minute.
Starting suddenly, he says, "Sorry, got lost in my own head there. I'm Jordi... " he looks down at his clothing, at the others, and the weapons and campfire, "... uh, Jordi the Jackal, master thief and assassin." He smiles, and adds conspiratorially, "I play MMORPGs a lot."
“I’m Chris, but we’re definitely not dreaming“ as he shows off his cut finger. “An MMORPG? I’ve not played anything like that since high school but based on the spell book in my pack I must be some kind of mage class, but at least we’re not dead in a plane crash…..I think….” Standing slowly he get up and moves over to one of the other prone forms on the ground and start poking them awake. “Hey…..you alive?”
Magnus doesn't want to be awake. His head hurts. It's been forty eight hours up between that last exam and the term paper. But it's submitted. Everything else was a blur. Red line into the city. Blue line out to O'Hare. I don't even remember boarding the plane before falling asleep. Some kid was kicking the seat the whole time. And now someone in the next aisle is trying to talk to him,
"Hey... you alive?"
Internal dialogue, in my head, "Yeah, but I don't want to be". Play dead. He can sell his multilevel marketing scheme to someone else. Or take my in flight peanuts. Or whatever as long as I can go back to sleep.
Airlines are cutting costs again. When did the chairs get so lumpy. Something is poking me in the back. At least they fully recline now. And why do I smell burning? If it is another shoe bomber, just go ahead and get it over with already.
But this is weird... I slightly open an eye. Fur blankets. Fire. Woods. Two dude are up talking. Yep, weirdest dream I've had in a while. It is still not enough to make me want to move. It is cold out there with the snow. And these blankets are warm. And I'll wake up any moment now.
Why do these woods feel so familiar to me? I almost feel at home.
With a small yawn, Thomas, looking to be in his young 20's would wake from his deep slumber. "Ngh..." He would lift himself up, rubbing his eyes before staring at the campfire. "The hell?" He turns to face the other men, confused about his current predicament and the... odd outfits they were wearing. "Who are you three? And what's with the costumes?" He remarked, glancing around at his surroundings. "A better question, where the hell are we?"
"Where do these guys get all their ideas?" - TommoBoi, to WOTC
DM of Night of the Nutcracker.
Jordi shrugs and says, "I'm not sure how we could know that this isn't a dream. I mean, why couldn't I be dreaming that you cut your finger? For that matter, some people think that the 'real' world is an illusion, or a simulation. Have you ever seen The Matrix? Anyways... " He looks at the others. "Did you guys really sleep through the plane turbulence and the lightning and the tailspin straight down? Or did I just dream that too?"
Second eye opens on a shaggy haired face that camouflages with the brown fur blanket pulled tight around it.
"You dream bros have any coffee? Wait. Can you drink coffee in a dream?"
Reluctantly, Magnus sits up, long hair and beard going every direction. He starts rummaging around in his pack until he finds his herb kit. Why do I know what all this stuff is? I've studied some botany and this is mostly different. Ah, vilerge and ginko, good enough. I set a tea pot to boil the infusion, and place four tin travel cups next to the fire. I strained the steaming liquid while pouring each cup.
"My fellows, I'm certain that skyline is familiar. But I can't put my finger on it."
To Jordi “Four people have the exact same dream at the exact same time plain crash and all not likely….fingers crossed for the matrix and not the after life.”
To young 20ish guy “Well I’m Chris and this is Jordi and as to where we are….no idea…..the costumes….again no clue.
To bearded guy “….you really slept through everything”
Jordi grins, "It's probably just me having the dream and the rest of you aren't even real. Figments of my imagination. No matter, dream or matrix or afterlife, I'm gonna enjoy whatever this is, because... what else can I do? No sense in wasting a good dream worrying about reality."
He watches the shaggy man arise and begin to prepare some herbal tea. "The skyline? You've been here before?" he asks. "And that tea smells great! Thank you!"
Magnus, while looking through your pack, you find some spare articles of clothes, some rough soap, a almost empty jar of honey, some hard bread, jerky, dried fruits, some herbs in small leather pouches and some other odds and ends (common spell components).
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG
"It just seems very familiar. I'll need to get more info. So who is up for scouting the area? I'll gather some supplies, and if we are lucky, maybe some dinner. A source of water would also be nice. Let's see what we have gotten ourselves into.
I'm Magnus, by the way."
Short bow.
"May our endeavors be fruitful!"
"Sure, I can take a look around." Jordi will scan the immediate surroundings, and if all appears quiet, will try to climb up atop the rocky outcropping to get a better view.
Perception 18
Climbing out from under the protective rock overhang and the snow drift which has developed around it, you are instantly struck by the cold, something below freezing in the early morning. A light breeze flows over the mountain behind you toward the sun, and your breathe steams in the fridged air. The sky is a clear blue with thin clouds stretching towards the new risen sun. In the distance you can see a valley with a large meadow. Somewhere in the distance toward the meadow, you can hear wild turkey's calling to each other.
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG
Chris seeing Magnus pull out so much equipment from his pack Chris searches through his own finding all the survival like equipment and an odd book bound in blue leather. Opening and drinking the tea Magnus made he dose a spit take when he realizes it’s a spell book. As the others make their way out of the tunnel he test out one of the spell out of curiosity. Wrapping a hand in in strip of cured leather he begins muttering the words from the book messing up and having to restart all while moving his wrapped hand in the form described in the book. As he finishes he feels a weight settle on his shoulders as something like thick air forms around his body’s most vital spot. Excited that it work he follow the other out the cave thinking ………lost…bad….magic…..awesome! (Casting Mage Armor)
"Wow..." breathes Jordi, looking around in all directions. "Well," he calls down to the others, "There really isn't any civilization in sight. No cities or villages, no roads, cars, trains, planes. We appear to be in the middle of nowhere. What now?"
We find water, food, and supplies. And look for signs of predators... it shouldn't be too hard to look for tracks in the snow.
Magnus methodically packs up his gear and begins a leisurely trek towards the valley.
"We will probably find a stream or something near the bottom. And food. And maybe some useful herbs along the way... as it seems I can identify some of them and know their uses. Very bizarre, as I know some of the plants in my pack don't exist in the world we came from.
Who's with me?"
Survival 9
Nature 8
"Well water, in its frozen form, is all around us. But sure, I'm game. Not much going on here, that's for sure."