TIAMAT

[soulping]

[ Upon stepping through the archway, you find yourself deep within a green forest, surrounded by trees, undergrowth, and the chittering skittering noises of small animals and insects. Behind you and around you, the trees and other vegetation close in on themselves; before you, a narrow but clear path beckons strongly. ]

[ Your normal skills are off, but you gain Basic Outdoorsmanship. ]

Comments

FIRST CHALLENGE: THE RIVER

[soulping]

[ The path stops abruptly at the banks of a roaring, rushing river, dotted with slick treacherous rocks in the shallows and almost two meters deep in the middle. On the other side, about fifteen meters away, the path resumes. But there's no bridge, only a couple of rotting posts that might once have supported one. You're going to have to figure out how to get across yourself.

Why not have a look around? ]

ON THE RIVERBANK

[soulping]

[ The thick forest opens up quite a bit right next to the river, allowing you to travel easily a little ways up and down the bank, away from the path, before it grows too dense to travel through again. The sounds of nearby animals remain everpresent, though, and the trees rustle alarmingly as you pass them. In some locations, the river is slightly slower, a bit narrower or shallower, or a little less plagued by sharp rocks, though there's no place that looks like it would be particularly pleasant to cross. In several places, the crumbling remains of a stone wall, at its tallest no more than a meter high by now and surrounded by stones that have fallen loose from the rest, can be seen on the riverbank. ]

NEARBY IN THE FOREST

[soulping]

[ Near the river, the forest thins out enough to explore for a time. It's still thick with undergrowth and fallen branches--some small and easy to snap, some almost as heavy as the tree trunks themselves--but it can be traversed. Here and there in small clearings are mysterious piles of stones stacked upon each other. Some of the trees are easily climbable thanks to the thick vines that wrap around their trunks; others tower impossibly. Shadows flicker ominously in the branches far above. ]

Re: NEARBY IN THE FOREST

[fuhrinkaed]

[i'm sorry I saw something that looks like ominous spirit flickering.]

[IF NOBODY GRABS HIM ED IS GOING RIGHT UP THAT TREE.]

Re: NEARBY IN THE FOREST

[carptricks]

Oooi! Vetoed! Wait up!

[GUESS WHO IS FOLLOWING]

Re: NEARBY IN THE FOREST

[onebullet]

What the hell are you both doing?

[ Following to the bottom of the tree and glaring up at them. ]

Re: NEARBY IN THE FOREST

[fuhrinkaed]

I'm checking out these shadows! If they're good, or bad, or whatever, I wanna see!

[hyanaimne]

[joining her to glare]

Honestly . . .

Re: NEARBY IN THE FOREST

[soulping]

[the tree shifts a bit to better support your weight, but a thin branch above swats at at your head as you climb.

The shadows are birds. They swoop around you, cheeping a bit as you draw closer.]

Re: NEARBY IN THE FOREST

[fuhrinkaed]

[Ow ow ow...OKAY THOUGH LETS JUST GET CLOSER IF THERE ARE BIRDS THERE MIGHT BE A NEST???]

Re: NEARBY IN THE FOREST

[carptricks]

[someone was lucky enough to be protected from that branch by the guy climbing ahead of him]

Birds?

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

 

Re: DISCUSSION

[awhiterose]

Anybody know Bridge Building 101?

Re: DISCUSSION

[carptricks]

[knocks his knuckles against his temple]

You're gonna have to ask someone with a slightly less empty head.

Re: DISCUSSION

[awhiterose]

[knocks her knuckles against his forehead, too 8Da]

Maybe we could use some vines to swing across.

[hyanaimne]

Can we not use the rocks to form some sort of . . . makeshift bridge?

[awhiterose]

That too! Or we could get one of the trees down.

SUBMIT YOUR SOLUTION

[soulping]

 

Re: SUBMIT YOUR SOLUTION

[carptricks]

[Tiamat is going to use sharp rocks and their BRUTE STRENGTH push a tree down parallel over the river! INSTANT TREE BRIDGE]

Re: SUBMIT YOUR SOLUTION

[soulping]

[Is it just your imagination, or does the already dark and ominous forest get darker and more ominous after you do that?

It's not your imagination. It totally gets darker and more ominous.

You get across without getting very wet, though, so there's that.]

Re: SUBMIT YOUR SOLUTION

[carptricks]

[. . . WHATEVER, FOREST, YOU DON'T SCARE ME. we still make it across!1]

A MYSTERIOUS STATUE

[soulping]

[ Between a couple of tall trees is a worn-down statue that might once have been a serpent or a mermaid. However, the inscription on its base is still very readable. ]

Wroth am I with my disorder,
In this alone do I seek quarter:
Bereft of it both gold and ash
Together fetch the same cold cash.

Re: A MYSTERIOUS STATUE

[fuhrinkaed]

[EYEPING]

A riddle!

Okay... uh...

It's archaic because of a disorder,
And it seeks mercy in this.
And without it, both gold and ash are worth the same amount of money. Which, I'm guessing, is nothing?

What's something archaic that makes gold worth something?

[onebullet]

[ Blank face ]

... There are stones everywhere from old walls.

[fuhrinkaed]

Well, but...

Hrm.

Maybe if it means 'disorder' in that 'there are problems because it's old...'

I wonder if it's something that's old and outdated but takes value in giving value?