Suzuki Stumpy

In which case .... do the Dwarves spot anything? 😁

Hmm .. could I invoke either Stone-Craft or Mountaineer for an automatic success here?

Whilst his companions debated the best approach for evaluating the mount, Barin and Núr peered through the mist and the gloom at the rock before them, trying their hardest to spot anything in the stone of the mount, or the stonework of the fortress atop it, which would give hint of a weakness or an advantage which they could exploit. The dwarf shuddered when Dahr-Ol and Gramtyng discussed climbing the rockface, as whilst his stone-sense was likely the best amongst all of those present, his athletics was certainly not. Keeping his head close to that of his young ward, he discussed features and any possible opportunities in hushed murmurs, using Khuzdul so that anyone, or anything, eavesdropping would be unlikely to be able to determine any stratagem which might emerge... OOC Just some flavour text for now ... although if you want any specific rolls to determine if Barin and Núr can spot anything obvious from their current vantage point just let me know...

Legendary producer and Big Black Frontman Steve Albini:

As the days rolled into weeks Barin, along with the other members of the company spent their time relaxing, training and getting to know Dahr-Ol's people. His friend was still in bad shape, but his mother, Avina, would brook no argument and immediately sent her son and his companion to their beds to rest. Truth be told, she scared the dwarf more than a little, despite her otherwise friendly countenance. During this downtime, Barin came to know the village headman and determined that so far, the village had been spared the worst of the depredations of Orc and Goblin alike, so there was little need for the Dwarf's axe arm other than when needed to chop firewood. Thus, he split his days between conversation with Dahr-Ol and Elfwynn, training Núr in his books and with the Axe and bow and generally keeping fit and in good health, helping out around the village where it was needed, and practicing his stonecraft where he could. When the raven arrived, and Gramtyng relayed it's message, Barin knew that the time to return to the marshes was almost upon them. Trusting to the others to pen a response to the wizard - as subtlety and artifice was never the Dwarf's strong point- he and Núr began to ready their supplies and plan for the journey ahead. Doubtless the first leg back to the marshes would be simple enough, but once there? Who knew? ~~ooOOoo~~ Once back to the marsh, Barin was pleasantly surprised. The trails they had made almost a month prior were still good enough that they could find their way through the swamp with relative ease. Of the Orcs, they saw no sign, although the company was ever wary, ever vigilant for their presence. Eventually, they found their way to an imposing mount not that far from the paths they had previously trodden. Rising from the mists like a giant, raised fist, the black edifice loomed above them, topped with an imposing citadel which looked nigh impregnable. A single path meandered up the side towards a gatehouse which looked as though it could withstand an assault from any army - not that an army of any size could make its way up the trail save in single file - easy to be seen - easy to be picked off by any archers who were undoubtedly watching ... although, as the company hunkered down and watched, there was no obvious sign that the place was occupied. No sounds, no movement. Indeed, the place looked as dead as any grave. "Well," he whispered to his companions from his hiding place in the rushes, "The place looks deserted, but we've done what we set out to do - find the citadel. Are we going to return and report to the wizard, or are we going up to see if it's as deserted as it seems?" OOC Barin will change his fellowship focus to Dahr-Ol going forward (he's still listed with Nori from previous adventures). He also takes +2 general APs He'll spend 8AP to increase his Athletics by +1 - narratively, this is explained by his training with Núr, I think. He doesn't have enough XP at present to increase his valour, wisdom or weapon skills, so he'll keep those for later...

Given the price of the postal service (at least here in the UK), around three rounds of any PbP game using physical mail would pay for a cheap scanner... (if you were GMing it - a little longer as a player perhaps).

So, why not hand-draw your maps and then scan them into the computer?

“Talking’ of which…” replies Paddy, through a mouthful of bacon, “… where are they? Unlike that lot to be late for a breakfast briefing.”

15 minutes before his alarm is due to sound, Paddy steps out of the fresher and towels himself dry. As he does so, he checks the messages on his comm and sees the requirement to go fully vacc-suited today. Cursing under his breath, he grabs the underlayer and begins zipping himself into the snug all-in-one bodysuit before donning the outer shell, checking all his seals are in place, but leaving the hood unsealed, hanging loosely at the nape of his neck. Damn it, how he hated wearing these things, necessary though they were out here. In short order, he's ready and heads down to the dining area where the smells of a good breakfast make his stomach growl. After helping himself to a good plate full of bacon, eggs and toast, he pours a coffee and heads over to the table where Jayne and Aardzu are sat in conversation. Without asking permission, he simply places his tray down at an empty place at their table and sits down. "Morning both." he says before downing a sizable glug of coffee, "So, any idea what's in store for us all today?"

Yep ... it's pretty much normal gov't weasel words to say 'you're covered, unless you're not, in which case, there are legal avenues you can take, but you can't, because...' Although, to be fair, we do have some pretty decent consumer protection here in the UK compared to much of the world.

Well, the UK Government have responded to the petition (so it's passed the 10,000 signatures mark at least): TL;DR: There's existing consumer legislation that covers all this. You can complain to trading standards or the CMA if you believe a vendor to be in breach of the regulations. [edit: For the record, the petition currently stands at 16,886 names. It'll need 100,000 names to guarantee debate time in parliament]

"Yeah, g'night both." Paddy says, waving off Aardzu and Jayne. He grabs himself another beverage before heading off towards his own bunk, lost in thought as to possible courses of action should that pirate fleet show up. He mulls a few ideas over in his head - but keeps coming back to the potential of sacrificing one of the ships - perhaps loading it full of mining charges rigged to blow at a remote signal. If they could set the thing adrift on the likely approach vector, the pirates might take the bait and allow the station crew to take out a sizable number of them in one go. If nothing else, he figures he'll float the idea with the higher-ups tomorrow morning. Arriving at his stateroom, Paddy unlocks the door and heads in. He places his drink on the cabinet besides his bunk, gets undressed, has a quick shower before turning in. Setting his alarm to wake him in plenty of time for the start of tomorrow's shift rotation.

Welcome back Rob. Great to also hear you’re on the mend - 60 days as an inpatient has to be rough … I’m usually climbing the walls after only a couple of days…

Their last night on Trader's Isle had been one fraught with discussion and argument, but eventually the decision was made to head North once more and retreat to somewhere safer. Somewhere that Dahr-Ol could receive the medical care and rest that he so obviously required. The arguments came, however, over their destination. The Beorning village of Stonyford was closest, being just a few miles upriver from where the company would have to turn off for the hike back to Mountain Hall. That would save them the better part of a week's travel and allow Dahr-Ol more time to recover. However, the wizard had advised the company to utmost secrecy, therefore a visit to the village would put that part of their mission in jeopardy. Assuming, of course, there was still a mission to complete. On that final night resting, the conversation around the fire was strained. " ... Look, I know Radagast wants us to avoid attention," Barin argued, "But even he could not have foreseen what has befallen us. I say we head for the Beorning village. It's closer, and Dahr-Ol has kin there. If ..." He shot a cautious glance in the direction of Dahr-Ol and Elfwynn and cringed slightly. "If, the worst should happen, at least he'll be among his own people. Plus, it's closer so he'll get medical care sooner. I think the time for secrecy is over - the Orcs still living will have doubtless reported back by now, so our presence here is no longer going unnoticed, so the best we can hope for is to try and avoid the servants of the shadow. Plus, if anyone asks, we're on a journey to the far South - perhaps answering a call to Gondor, we were waylaid by foulspawn and decided to head back North to the nearest village. That way, no-one needs know the true nature of our task."

Just finished reading "New Dark Age - Technology and the End of the Future" by James Bridle. It's a little disjointed and alarmist in parts, but a good and thought provoking read all the same. Now onto the third part of Cixin Liu's Trisolaris trilogy...