The Keep of Grunwich Forest

"Whistle of the wind over rocky shore and rushy fen, wave of rushes and the rush of the waves, beneath the fluttering of white moth and the gleaming of moth-like stars," Oisín replied as he cracked an egg over the fire and set to scrambling it with some herbs from the forest for spice, "If learning is to have meaning, then the lad must see these things himself. This I've never argued. But there are secrets and tales, hidden in these whispers and fluttering wings which are kept in poem and song. So it must be that the lad learns to love the wild, not only through reckless flight and abandon but from the songs and tales of old."

Oisín sighed as he approached the table with eggs and toasted bread, "You accuse me, Amber, in my methods without offering me even the time to think through your complaints. The lad is out and running now, enjoying the air and training. I'm not about to go hunting after the poor lad for it. So leave your critiques and barbs for when they make a lick of sense to make, because I haven't the hatred for Dwarves which you seem to foster for Elves with the doting and love which a Thane might offer a great Prince."

edited 9th Mar '15 7:55:08 PM by Fauxlosophe

"I believe that if anybody's doing accusing, it's you," Amber said. "I like elves as much as anybody else. Except orcs. I'd bash in an orc's head right and proper. Ugly beasts. I've been telling you he needs to learn to appreciate the wilds more. Spending his time in a castle like this, might as well be in the city. The only way to understand the trees is to be in them. And the only way to understand the deer is to hunt one. Would you permit me to take the boy out on a hunting trip some day? See if he can wrangle up a plentifully pointed buck, or mayhaps even a boar or wolf? It would do him a right lot of good. At least so he gets an understanding of what goals he can have for himself."

edited 10th Mar '15 6:36:21 PM by nman

Oisín shrugged as he took a bite of his egg, "I'd not have turned down the offer if only you made it sooner. Though, if you'd have me along, I think I could do for just such an excursion meself. I hadn't realized how long we'd been keeping ourselves here in the keep."

"That's what I've been saying," Amber said, finishing another bite of her fish. "It's conversation for the breaking of a fast, I'm not trying to fight with you knight, or adopt the boy away from your good graces. Just a bit of dwarven perspective, as we've been spending too many months working without rest."

edited 10th Mar '15 6:36:50 PM by nman

"It wasn't too strange in my life that we'd be seeing long rests and wild hunts. A couple months of silence pass and I'd hardly think of it, it's a Fey way of thought certainly," Oisín munched on his egg as he paused, "Now that I think on it, we've not slayed any larger today than a stray rabbit, have we? A trip would do the lot of us well."

"Well, at least you two have stopped picking at each other," Lissa said, returning to the table with a bowl of soup and some of the fruit salad Ria had prepared. "A trip out might be a good idea, though I'd caution you to be careful outside the walls. You might not be able to handle everything you run into."

"Ah, if we were never to quarrel, we'd have nothing to raise our glasses at the end of the day in forgiveness," Oisín shrugged as he ate, "It'd make for a rather boring go at things all said, I'd say. But you needn't worry, I'll make the best of caution and keep an eye about for strange beasties. I've no objections to yourself coming along though, if you'd not trust any eye but your own."

With this, he gave a bemused smirk.

edited 9th Mar '15 8:33:03 PM by Fauxlosophe

"Well I've certainly been trying to keep my hands busy out in the woods when I could," Amber said, pointing Lissa's way. Specifically, at the taxidermied badger. "This one here just came last night, thanks to Ria. But there's been nothing too troublesome for me and Oberon recently. Any of you care to join in as well? "

edited 10th Mar '15 6:37:28 PM by nman

"If you're going to be hunting in the woods, then I imagine I'll have to prepare a big pot to cook whatever it is you drag back home" says Ria with good humor, looking with enthusiasm at the biggest pot that had been bought by the party... indeed, it was one big enough to cook a horse whole.

"Well... you ought to be careful with these woods... legends are a plenty of the things here... but if we're to live here, I imagine a bit of exploration from my brave sirs and ladies is warranted"

"When I said we all could use some time outside, I meant all of us," Amber said to Ria. "You've been working around here just as hard as everybody else, after all. Doesn't have to be a hunt if you don't feel up to wrasslin' with a beast with your hands, or if you don't fancy your skills with a bow. How do you feel about fishing? You ever been before, usin' just your bear hands? No line, no net, just pull a carp right out of the water?" She mimicked the action of pulling a fish out of a river, using her half-eaten salted fish as an example.

"Was never able to get around to it much myself until I found Oberon, tended to stick to the woods. Now I try to make it to the river when I can," she added.

"That could be fun," Lissa said, nodding as she mopped up the last of her soup with some bread. "It is rather nice outside..." She cut another little section off of her fish and held it down by the floor, trying to coax Orianna over to pet her a little more.

"Uhh... hand fishing? That's quite impressive Lady Amber" says Ria a little awkwardly as she takes great care to listen to the Dwarven lady, having just a bit of difficulty understanding her accent "I doubt I could do such a thing, so I'd settle for the regular thing. Still... it does sound like a nice move out... and I'd be in the protection of you Sires and Ladies. If you'd have me, I'll do my best to be useful on the outing"

Ori, for her part, does approach at the prospect of fish biting it out of Lissa's hand and gracefully accepting the bargain of letting herself be pet. Fish for her delicate, soft fur seems to be a nice trade in the eyes of the cat.

edited 11th Mar '15 9:08:03 PM by daltar

"Well with that attitude, then of course you'll never do it," Amber said. "You've got to try something, and try it many times, before you know for sure how you are at it. I'd wager that a year ago you thought you'd spend the rest of your life wandering from inn to inn for work and would never think you'd be spending all your time in a private castle in the magical woods. And now look at you."

Lissa, overcome with that feeling so familiar to anyone in proximity of a cat, slid her hands under Orianna to pick up the little black cat and settle her on her lap, pressing her knees together to give the cat a comfortable place to sit. "Oh, if there's no specific place you want to go for the hunt, I do have a suggestion," she said, looking between Oisin and Amber. "I've spotted some stonework from the road on several trips back from town; it looks like it could be part of ruins from the same people who made the keep. I'd really love to get a look at it."

"Now that is interesting," Amber said, munching on the tail of the fish. "I've got a keen eye for stoneworking. Maybe I'll be able to figure out something about the history of those ruins."

Orianna settled nicely into Lissa's lap, turning around in place and pawing to make herself comfortable before setting down and then meowing softly.

"I'll start preparing some sandwiches and filling the waterskins" says Ria with a bright smile, going off to work just as Leina steps into the kitchen.

"Morning everyone" says the Gnomish wizard with a long drawn out yawn.

"Can you make one of those sandwiches with honey and jam?" Amber asked Ria, with both her eyes, and the eyes of the bear on her head, looking at the elf pleadingly.

"Heh, as a matter of fact, I can Lady Amber" says Ria as she continues with her preparations for the impromptu trip.

"Huh, we're leaving somewhere?" asks Leina, who had missed the entire conversation due to being away from the kitchen.

"We're thinking of going to explore some ruins in the forest while Oisin and Amber teach Aldrik how to hunt," Lissa said, petting Orianna carefully.

"Bless your heart," Amber said to Ria, lips curling upwards into an ecstatic smile.

She paused for a moment and looked up at her hat, pressing her ear to the paw on her shoulder. "And Oberon says he hopes those who would harm you and your cubs are drowned in deep waters and their bodies turned into the homes of spawning salmon."

"That's how bears say thank you," she added.

Oisín took a whiskey and looked over the group, "I'd be well ready to depart now if I had to. I've only need for me javelins and I'll grab them quick on me way out. I imagine the lot of you have far more to grab and your rooms are further apart, so I'll do set about the cleaning while the lot of ye are up abouts and readying your armour, provisions and spells and the like. If I'm quick about it, then I may yet get a few lines in this morning."

He paused as he took another sip, "I'll meet you by the Ogres' graves on the way out. None of will be long, to be sure, it shouldn't be an hour at least, I wouldn't imagine.

Thus! After about an hour of preparations, everyone was ready to move out on this particular hunting and ruin exploration trip.

Ria was clad in a comfortable but light dress suitable for moving around the forest plus the addition of a a chainmail shirt just in case, rough leather boots, a hat for the sun and then a big backpack dedicated to their lunch, some extra waterskins, a few tools and other nick knacks that could come in useful.

Aldrik was wearing his breastplate, sheathed blade and additionally, a bow he had started training in with Oisin. He also carried a pack, though his mostly was his personal waterskin, some rations just in case and basic tools.

Leina for her part was wearing short pants, rough boots, a traveling cloak and a tunic, plus a pointy, wide brimmed hat to keep the sun off her eyes. Her travelling spellbook was slung over a leather harness as if it was a pack, hanging comfortably at hip level, her pockets full of other magical tools she may need, a waterskin, a dagger and her two wands... one for focus, the other, the one of lightning bolts, leaving behind the Charm Staff in the Keep.

"So, which direction do we go to? Deeper into the woods to hunt first? Or seek the aforementioned ruins? Hmmm where did you see them again, Lissa?"

edited 22nd Mar '15 6:19:02 PM by daltar

"Hm... to the southwest, I think?" Lissa said, seeming none too certain. "I always saw them coming back from town, but I couldn't really say where they were aside from to the left of the road to the Keep..." The scholar looked sheepish. "Sorry, I'm not good with directions."

"Might as well just head to the stones first," Amber said. "We may just find something to distract us along the way there, and if not, we'll have the rest of the day free with no other duties in the back of our heads."

"Okay then," Lissa said, craning her neck as though it would help her see over the trees. "Alright, I think they were this way..." Checking her pack of supplies, Lissa picked her way down the slight grassy incline from the road, her boots making almost no sound as they slid into the damp, earthy carpet of leaves beneath the dignified, knobby trees of the forest. This way was as good as any, after all, and even if she'd got the directions wrong, the worst that would happen was that they ended up at the forest's edge, right?

Three hours later...

"Well... I don't think these are the ruins I saw," Lissa said doubtfully, looking up at the [description to come as the DM wills it].