Barrowmoor: Fapp and the Call of the Wild.

[Spearmint]

Helix village, Duchy of Aerik.

May 15th 1066.

Fapp Bublu, has recently returned to Helix, the village of his childhood after several years away in Ironguard Preparatory School.

His parents, still running a smallholding farm and providing the kitchen fayre to the Foul Pheasant, had great expectations that their sacrifice and endeavour to educate the children in highly esteemed private education might make merchants and notary's, medics and professionals and temper the youthful ambitions of Barrow Mound endeavours.

Algebra, scriptures and economics were just not his forte however. He listened bored, dreaming of life beyond the class window panes. It was when his tutors painted a history of ancient heroes, of survival, dungeons and dragons; that the more he seemed drawn to discover the vocational call gnawing within his bones.

And so this led Fapp back to the village and his initial secondment to a mission on behalf of Osen, Mercenary Guildmaster. During the infiltration of Bresnan's ranch crew and following espionage, he managed to steal away a half-feral dire wolf. The pony sized warg, so ill treated at the hands of the hobgoblins is now being tamed and trained by the young halfling.

However, the dangerous creature cannot yet be set free to roam unhindered, in the bounds of the village it is always securely muzzled and leashed. It is a feeling Fapp relates to. Hence his decisions to ride out into the wild blue and misty yonder. To tame and train his animal companion and also to unleash 'the beast within' he feels his true nature is.

I will hold here to conclude with Fapp ooc then open the thread for your solo adventure.

[tarlyn]

May 15th 1066, morning.

Fapp rises and after dressing, he has a hearty breakfast comprised of many types of cheeses, plenty of bacon, eggs.

This is of course accompanied by some very delicious tarts his mother made a nice hot tea.

Once done, he cleans up after himself and heads out to the stables to see Chewie and spend the morning with his new friend.

He practices riding on him for the most part. so both can get better acquainted with each other.

Realising he is not the same weight as those beasts who originally had Chewie, means his pal will have an easier time of riding

with him on his back.

Before he departs he tries to remember approximately the size of saddle he may need for Chewie and heads out into town

for that and to visit a strange elf Valeron. He thinks maybe starting his quest in the grove of the Lady in the Forest might be a

good idea and he suspects she be an elf, hence his visit to Valeron.


At the stables he will ask where he can purchase a saddle for Chewie.

[Spearmint]

Fapp

House of Valeron

A large detached cottage set at the end of a quiet lane of terraced townhouses, painted in soft blue-egg woad and thatched in intricate bundles. In a courtyard to the rear and side, a gaggle of ducks and geese peck incessantly, announcing your arrival with much noise and clacking. You note a woman in a long green dress which drapes full length over her ankles upon the floor as she walks among them scattering feed. The fur lined hood shields most of her face.

You knock at the front door a tall, dark haired elf greets you. Introducing yourself in elven, you pass obligations and he invites you in to a workshop room.

Around the walls are several bows. Some made of horn or bone, others of traditional woods. The multiple grains showing several different varieties cut or shaped to long, short or a neo-classical compound design. Quivers overflow with arrows and his worktop bench has numerous fletchings, shafts and feathers bring prepared.

He looks quite the artisan bowyer and fletcher. It is one among a number of skills he is known for.
Down a corridor and into another workshop several woman sit at weaving machines, silk fabric intricately threaded in fine threads to produce rolls of silky linen. The collecting and weaving of spider silk threads is a specialised cottage industry. At one loom is a fine tapestry showing a black dragon in flight. Another has a cloak being sewn with boar tusks clasps and runes of golden threads.

The halfling travels across town to visit the renowned elf. His renown depends on who you speak to. Some give him high respect as one of the best Duchy ranger's, others disdain his haughty attitude, his disregard of local customs, his secretive ways.

your warg had a saddle and stirrups which could be adjusted to suit or exchanged at one of the village leather workers. So I am fine glossing over that.

"Paying your respects before you enter the greenwood depths. It is to be commended. May you find her favour." Valeron comments on your plan, giving you the location of the grove in the forest to the north.

He empathises with your feeling of not really feeling at home in the community. "Some of us are just born to the wild." He doesn't counsel you against your plans to set out alone. Instead he advises to "Stay alert, trust your instincts, be hospitable to strangers. If you need to fight then hit first and hard."

He has some newly fletched arrows made with geese feathers. "Common stabilisers, healing to keep it on the straight and narrow. Basic designs but if you can get me a few feathers from more exotic game birds, then I will teach you how to make your own " He gives you a few arrows to fill out your quiver.

not sure if you have equipped a bow, but he will sell you a short bow for 25gp.

this is a comment from the Spider Silk trek and treated as common knowledge for villagers.

, "I am not sure who she is? Some say she displeased one of the Anganach, others that a powerful mage bewitched her. Some folk are naysayers, believing it grew that way by chance.

But what I know is the forest is haunted and if a little respect appeases some evil spirit or blessed watcher of the woods then I'm all for it."

You can tell he is both sceptical and superstitious at the same time, erring on the side of caution. As to the pack of foxes, they watch from a distance and slink off silently.

What you do notice is that the grass is greener here, the flowers are more in blossom, the trees healthier compared to the surrounding blackened trunks infested with fungi and rot.

[tarlyn]

Fapp

Fapp listens to Valeron and is very respectful of the elf.

"Sure if I find any strange or exotic feathers, I shall make it my duty to bring them back to you.

It would be an honor if you deigned me worthy to learn this craft, sir."

I did have the short bow in my items but forgot to actually remove gold for it, done! I noted 5 special arrows from Valeron on my sheet

He listens attentively to what Valeron has to say about a Tribute?.

Curious, he asks

"What do you mean a tribute? Should I bring her a gift or coins? I did find this strange ring where I rescued my Warg friend Chewie from. Would

that be an appropriate gift? Or perhaps something more akin to Nature to please her. Hmm"

Fapp shows the elf the ring with a serpent design.

[Spearmint]

Valeron looks at the ring. His finger is slightly larger than yours but it still feels loose on it. "An Amphisbaena. See, the serpent is but one snake with two heads. I have heard of such in old stories but never encountered one."

You chat discussing how such a snake might move, wriggling in S type motions or rolling over and over like a wheel.

"Your mother runs the orchard and makes the apple pies does she not. Maybe a young sapling might take root in the hallowed ground?" he mused. You could put the snake ring threaded on to a thin branch of course but he offers an alternative.

You hear some growling. From Chewwie. Leashed to a tree and muzzled. He paws the ground clearly irritated by the gaggle of geese in the courtyard nearby. Perhaps his patience his limited. Valeron walks you to the front door, wishing you well in your travels. As you go and attend to Chewwie you note the hooded woman mimics his growls and whimpers. She extends a gloved hand for him to sniff but moves away back to the courtyard as you and exit the cottage.

At least it has a calming effect on him and after saying your goodbyes, you mount up and head west from Helix.

any last comments or anything else you would like to do before setting off.

[tarlyn]

I was thinking maybe buying a tent oh and a shovel! - price please



Fapp

The halfling a long with Chewie head to his parents orchard to get a sapling to plant in the grove.

We'll skip all the details of Fapp getting the sapling

Then he and Chewie head west towards the grove and to Fapp's journey to follow his hearts desire.

[Spearmint]

you can equip your saddle bag with an entrenching tool which will double as a spade. A sapling, about the size of a long staff is taken, wrapped in some old linens.

A folded tarpaulin can be bought, a few spikes and string could raise it as an ad-hoc lean to.

Fapp, with gear packed and a meaty bone for Chewwie eventually heads into the wilderness, going north to make his first stop at a local grove.

After about two miles of slow riding, you come to the fringe of the village surrounds, those last small farms and frontier cabins built in cleared patchworks of deforested land or cultivated arable plots. the boundary of the Hex with the village in, see maps thread.

Beyond this the environment is less 'civilized', the forest a deep unchanging wilderness with tall coniferous trees reaching high and wide spreading bracken shrubs fighting to monopolise the faint rays of sunlight which filter down. The ground is flat but increasingly boggy. Not quite swamp like but certainly soft enough to sink your footsteps ankle deep in places. With the rise and fall of the water levels, the soil erosion exposes lots of tree roots, giving the impression the trunks cling to the ground by grasping, clawing hands.

There is a very thin trail over the most solid ground which follows a northern direction, the ground rising, occasionally zigzagging around natural obstacles, avoiding hollows, stagnant pools or dense copses. The air is filled with gnats, birdsong, a swampy musk. No spider silk in the boughs here, no spiders thankfully. You practise a few running leaps over fallen logs, giving commands with your heels into the wargs ribs and pulling on his reins for direction.

provide me a 4d6 vs your Dex and a 4d6 vs your Charisma. Each success will act as credits towards training the warg.

After a while on the deer path you travel comes to an area with more flora; of sweet scented bluebells and white speckled orchids, assorted anemones and snapdragons. Checking the directions given by Valeron you are on the right track to the grove. After a few more minutes the path is joined by another which once taken leads to a small clearing. In the midst is a tree shaped like a naked woman stretching out her arms.

The tree must be twice the height of a man and is wide of girth. If the figure was a life-like representation, then whoever she was, she must have been a giant.

Despite stories of foxes, owls and other woodland creatures that gather here, the grove is quiet. The remnants of bouquets tied with ribbons placed around the tree woman's roots.

actions

[tarlyn]

Fapp

Dex [4d6]=10


Cha [4d6]=18


Fapp looks for a suitable place to plant the sapling and deciding on a spot not too far from the "Lady" but a fair distance so

as not to crowd "her".

Retrieving his makeshift spade/tool, he offers up a word of kindness out loud to noone in particular

"Please accept this offering, Lady and take good care of her I think she will only enhance and beautify your Forest and give you delicious apples."

He starts digging and once he is satisfied, he plants the sapling and putting as much of the earth back as he can he uses a waterskin to water the sapling.


Looking to Chewie he smiles. "Well I think this is a good place as any to set up camp. I am not an experienced hunter but I think we should

look for a source of water and anything edible. Let's rest here near the sapling for now. also need to find some firewood, like twigs or loose branches."

Fapp and Chewie will rest for an hour before setting up a camp then he will set out and look for firewood, any edible plants and a water source.

[Spearmint]

Fapp spurs his mount into a few leaps over logs and ditches. He manages to stay in the saddle but concedes his command to "jump" needs more authority behind it. His feet, digging in spurs probably powers only a quarter of a hobgoblin's kick. It makes him think. The warg raised as a pup by the humanoids, maybe it is more familiar to commands issued to it in that tongue than is own halfling vocabulary.

Finding a spot within sight of the strangely shaped tree, you dig a small hole and plant the apple tree sapling. After a dedication you look to make a camp. Outside the grove is plenty of blackened wood, half rotten, dry. You can collect enough for a fire, cut a mattress of long ferns and bracken, rig up the tarpaulin overhead.

Clean water is more of an issue. Chewwie is fine licking from muddy pools but you will need to scout around for a bubbling brook and of course, something to hunt.

Fapp scavenging [1d20]=13 Fapp random [1d6]=4

It seems the presence of such a large predator has frightened away much of the animal life. The squirrels stay well out of reach in the high boughs above you, the rabbits deep in their burrows. While you have to be satisfied with some rations, the wargs tucks into the remains of the ham hock bone rather than the halfling's calf.

actions as you settle in for the night.

[tarlyn]

So my first day was amazing! Was not so successful in hunting or finding water but that will come with hands on experience!

Fapp yawns and settles in for the night, curling up with Chewie and falling asleep.

[Spearmint]

May 16th 1066

Fapp wakes startled. A loud buzzing reverberating through the trees. Not a swarm but a large yellow and black striped bee. The giant hovers over the Apple sapling which has already faintly begun to blossom. The bee drains nectar and drunk heavily, hovers briefly before weaving its way southwest.

It is dawn. Your log fire burnt to embers, morning dew coating the furry coat of Chewwie. Considering options you can scout north towards an old abandoned quarry. Beyond that is considered wilderness borderland. Northwest heads towards thick forests and reputedly, an old temple ruin. West borders the Barrow Moor, at least twenty five miles to the next settlement. Southwest enters the mist, past the Statue of Herne and into six hundred plus square miles of boggy peat lands.

Where would you like to go?

[tarlyn]

Old temple ruin sounds good to me

[Spearmint]

Exploring the forest valleys.

Fapp mounts up, jerking his warg into a loping stride, weaving between the tall tree trunks following the course of the rising sun as it rises in the east and settles in the west. Deciding the ruins of a white marble temple are worth exploring, if he can find the location. Few Helixians travel so deep into the Blackened Forest, prefering to stick to the border trail which circumnavigates the forest and moor from Helix to Crooked Yew.

Still conquering the wilderness and his fears is just the challenge for a budding barbarian. You meandering heading west and north west. The ground inclines into steeper hills sides and narrow valleys. Crossing one is a thin trickling brook, no more than a couple of feet wide but the water looks clean and runs slowly over the pebbles. You can refill your canteen and Chewwie laps up his fill.

As you stand you meet eye to eye with a small group of reddish-brown, hoary skinned, mutt-faced humanoids. They stand a similar height to the halfling and are a short bow distance away, further upstream of the brook also filling canteens. They carry rudimentary weapons and two carry wooden cages like a back pack which seem filled with live forest mammals they have caught. Seeing you, their reaction is to warily grab at weapons and shields made from boiled beetle carapaces.

With neither side surprised, you can roll initiative and actions.

[tarlyn]

Fapp

The halfling analyses the situation from the beasts point of view. I may be intruding on their territory, they may think I may want to steal their

hunt.

He kicks Chewie hard in the side with the command to stay put. Calling out in a friendly voice in as many languages as he knows, he is polite and friendly.

His demeanor is relaxed and happy.

He keeps his hands where the beasts can see them, making no move to arm himself.

"Greetings. I come in peace, I mean you no harm. Might we parley? I haven't had any luck hunting, might we make a trade?"

Fapp is my name and this is Chewie."


Initiative [1d6]=3

I believe it is 1d6 for initiative?

[Spearmint]

Exploring the Blackened Forest valleys.

May 16th 1066.
Weather: Sunshine, light breeze, cloudy.
Conditions: none.

Polyglot Fapp tries a number of greetings, finally settling back to common. The kobolds look at him and with wider eyes, stare at the pony sized beast. One, who seems to be the leader of the back signals for his kin to lower their raised spears and he waves you closer, taking a few steps himself so that finally you meet in the middle. It seems their usual greeting protocols include a lot of sniffing, perhaps a canine instinct to familiarise themselves with each others scents or musk.

"Poor hunting. Spiders roost that way, eat me, eat you." he gestures to your left, waving his spear but it is unclear where specifically the area is apart from a general, 'somewhere over there.' "Goblinkin take old halls one moon past, chase away.

Deer path, we lay trails like this." he continues, gesturing that beyond the spider region is another location which you could interpret as, 'hobgoblins live in a hall (a cavern or a building?) and it is at least one day trek away and the kobolds (them or the kobold tribe?) have been chased away by them. Then he points further upstream the little creek, zigzagging his hand in steps across the sides of the stream indicating traps and snares laid to catch the animals.

He signals to another kobold who brings a small cage carrying some clubbed squirrels. He picks one out and gestures you should skewer it thus on a spit and roast it like this, rubbing his fingers like a chef sprinkling herbs on top. He kisses his fingers and wipes a long tongue across his face to suggest it might be very tasty eaten that way.

He looks at you. You offer trade but have no meat to exchange. converse and trade

Fapp reactions with kobold's [1d100]=62

[tarlyn]

Fapp

Fapp listens and pays close attention to the Kobold. He reaches into a pouch and holds out some coins

-10 gp removed

"I can trade you this for food? Can you show me how to catch them?"

[Spearmint]

Exploring the Blackened Forest valleys.

May 16th 1066.
Weather: Sunshine, light breeze, cloudy.
Conditions: none.

Fapp Bublu

Can you show me how to catch them?"

, the halfling frontiersman hands over a month's worth of gold for a measly squirrel carcass. The kobolds react very favourable, glad to have met such and rich, generous and foolish wanderer, (even if he does have a huge beastie).

They don't quite interpret your question accurately and the lead kobold reaches into the bamboo cage to get a few more dead squirrels which he tossed at the warg. Chewwie gobbles them each, snatching them in the air and swallowing the tree mammals whole without so much as a chew.

They signal that 'just over the ridge' there is a Kobold camp and while you mount up and ride, the lead kobold, 'Ruxx', takes the tether leash to proudly walk you there. The other four kobolds set off and behind.

Following upstream then tacking through some deep forest you come to a narrow clough, a steep sided ravine. At the head are some large boulders and on top is a young kobold guard who blows on a goat horn to announce your presence.

Several 'pup' kobolds, obvious children of the tribe come running, each clutch a small javelin and they form a curious and noisy throng surrounding the group, barking and calling, pulling faces at the halfling and the warg. Ruxx clearly enjoys the attention, lapping up whatever kudos he can as he leads you forward.

The ravine has a few caves, little hovels where mated pairs of kobolds live. A larger central cave seems to double as a community hub.

While the scene might be endearing and your presence lauded, you also have a feeling of suddenly being out of your depths as you note several of the younger pack much on distinctly humanoid bones.

actions please

Fapp reactions with kobold's [1d100]=93

[tarlyn]

Fapp

Fapp allows himself and Chewie to be led to the Kobold camp. Maybe inside the camp he'll find someone who understands him or speaks more common than Ruxx.

Turning to Ruxx he asks "Might I speak with your leader or elder? I am grateful for your leading me here and giving me the squirrels. I might also ask if you

know anything about the Old Temple Ruins not far from here?"

[Spearmint]

Exploring the Blackened Forest valleys.

'The Kobold Ravine'

May 16th 1066.
Weather: Sunshine, light breeze, cloudy.
Conditions: none.

Fapp Bublu your trek from stream to camp is just a short one, about a hour of meandering through the forest. As well as the squirrels, the kobolds have caught giant skunk and some large leathery fruit bats. Upon returning to the camp, the female kobolds dress or skin the meats and seemingly with Fapp being entertained as a guest of honour, the meal tonight will be a community affair. It has taken you several kicks of your boots to control the warg, twice the height and several times the bulk of these canine humanoids. But you manage to control his urge to growl, not least when poked and prodded by inquisitive young ones. You also get to study these creatures close up, telling instantly that those with a mane of hair and short cranium or temple horns are male. (Of course that would be easier to distinguish if they wandered undressed). While mostly unkempt in appearance; washing their hoary fur seems not a high priority, the presentation of the mane and little gruff goatee beards is taken more seriously. You christen one kobold 'Mohawk', another 'Mullet', 'Beadbraid', 'Pigtails' and so forth. The 'pups', young kobold run about freely, always in packs. It seems that until the horns grow and they emerge through the kobold puberty threshold, there is little visual difference between the genders. There are about two score pups, a dozen adult females and the same number of warrior caste male kobolds.

They look ever hungry. The camp does not seem too prosperous. Some women sew pelts together to make garments, another kobold is boiling some chitinous shell, an elderly kobold leans on a bone crutch, hobbling along and squinting against the sunlight. At the central cave you dismount and Ruxx barks out a greeting to a larger fat kobold who by appearances, seems to be the chief and big-dog around here.

Big-dog is escorted by two fauning females who must be vying for his attention, dressed as they are in chinking rib bone skirts and feathered headdresses. The chief himself carries an axe and wears ill fitting mail armour, possibly you think taken from a gnome or dwarf judging by the geometric chain link designs. Bigdog has a feral glint in his eye when he sees the warg and it takes little intelligence to guess he fancies himself riding resplendent upon Chewwie's back.

The young kobolds are shooed away and in a circle in a carpet of straw rushes and stuffed cushions, Ruxx gives some kind of report back to Bigdog. The chief responds and judging by the kobold's frown, you can guess he is being admonished. Still, you are feted with bowls of water to drink, (refreshing and clean surprisingly) and a cup of some hooch type alcoholic beverage they must be home brewing.

Meat is being prepped for a meal. It seems an 'all-in' stew, seasoned with grasses and bull rushes and filled out with juicy berries. While it cooks, you can chat and to enable some better translation, Old Bone-Crutch is brought in who speaks a better vocabulary of common.

actions please

[tarlyn]

Fapp

Fapp bows with respect to the old kobold and waits for him to be comfortable before addressing him.

"Greetings and a pleasure to meet you, sir. I am Fapp Bublu. And this is my friend Chewie."

Fapp goes on to explain why he is in the area, and most importantly his quest or desire to live as a Barbarian.

He does not speak with any big words and tries as hard as possible to explain everything in words the Kobold will understand.

"I want to learn how to hunt but I do not think Ruxx understood me. I gave him some gold in thanks for not attacking me at first sight

and for some food as well.

Do you know anything about the Old Temple Ruins not far from here? I was planning to go investigate them."