Chapter 1: Landfall

[Powderhorn]

Day 3, Pre-Dawn, Early Morning

     Everyone rushes to their battle stations, and those ready to fight are able to hear where the shots were densist, making their way there.  Three people on sentry duty are nervously huddled together, their firearms smoking, while they hold them out menacingly, but nervously.

     The hammers are still down, and it is clear to those who made the run that they have not yet reloaded.  Eyes wide with fear, they pass their report in a stammaring jabber.  While it is not clear what they saw, it is clear that they saw something out there.

     In the distance, the shadows move with menace as the wind moves through the trees.

 

[SirLoganofGilead]

Oliver quickly aims his rifle in the direction the others are pointing too, just to make sure he didn't miss anything with his first sweep.  Once he feels sure the area is secure, he lowers the rifle and addresses the three "sentries" who are not currently reloading.  Instead of scolding them for not reloading he decides to take a different tact.  "If you weren't sure what it was, what made you fire upon it?  What made you feel threatened?"

[Powderhorn]

Day 3, Pre-Dawn, Early Morning

     "Well, it looked like something was coming through those trees, and I didn't want to get snatched up like one of them deer that went poof into midair!  So I shot at it, and I guess I must'a scared it away!"

      Another chimes in after, and says, "Well, once someone fired, I figgured there was danger afoot, and it looked right scary enough, and I didn't want to die out here nosiree, so I fired too.  Which it worked as I'm alive and talkin' to you right now instead of dead and mourned."

     The third one says, "Well, I wasn't going to be the only one not to shoot if there was danger afoot.  No one will say I didn't do my duty!"

 

[TheWhitefire]

Hearing that the firing had died down, McCuddy went over to the gunmen, arriving just in time to hear them stammering. "It's alright, boys. Better safe than sorry. Make an accounting of how much shot and powder you used, so we can keep track. We'll keep a watch out tonight--I can hear that screaming still in the distance. Sounds like some kind of animal, maybe. Who knows what lives out here." He says, after quickly ascertaining that no one was seriously injured. "Must be some kind of... witches or sorcerers in these woods, maybe."

[matt_s]

Stavard pats the nearest "marksman" on the shoulder reassuringly.

No harm done, lads. Everyone's a bit touchy when spending time somewhere all new and strange-like. In the future though, harken well to this - once someone raises the alarm, no sense raising it further - a single crack can be heard halfway across the high seas. Aye, it's a necessity to wait, careful and steady, until you draw a good bead on whatever it is your shooting. Prayer works in church but it won't serve you too well on the firing line, I'm afraid.

And ammunition here, well it don't grow on trees. I think.

[SirLoganofGilead]

Oliver surprisingly has nothing to add to Stavard's response.  "The minute the sun comes up, we need to go over there and see if there are any signs of what it could have been.  If we see signs, we need to track it; if it isn't human, we need to kill it.  If it is human...we need to find out who or what they are.  I would like to leave the soldiers to watch the people here, maybe our small group is best for this?  I can track and kill things, but you folks may have more ideas than that."    He waited for a response but kept his eyes on the general spot where the men had told him the thing had been.  

[8w_gremlin]

Brother Koji

Yawns, "we could trap it, nets, but whatever it is, we need to get everything back to the main camp, and if it follows us there, then it's a threat, and we should rectify it. But if we are antagonising it by being in its territory, by leaving we don't have to risk anyone." 

He scratches his stubbly chin, "But a palisade and defensible positions seem like a good investment for the main settlement." He looks at Oliver to give suggestions and guidance. 

"I'll make some blessed wine, so we can get going quickly in the morning" and yawns again. 

[Powderhorn]

Day 3, Dawn

     Exhausted from the excitement of the night, the morning coolness has gone from pleasant to biting, and the stiff fingers and frozen boots, if they had a romantic appeal of adventure before, are quickly becoming the daily inconvenience of sleeping rough.

     You can hear John Hurley, self-appointed militia Captain, tearing a stripe off the watch rotation that panicked and began shooting in the quiet hushed voice of someone who is trying not to wake anyone up, but which also somehow carries across the entire area.  He doesn't sound happy.

     The hunters point you eastwards, and set you on the path to follow the tracks, and the rest are going to move the encampment north for a more permanent location throughout the day.

 

[matt_s]

Stavard tipped the brow of his hat in thanks to the hunters.

Gentlemen? he said, retrieving his weapons, donning armor, and shouldering his pack. I believe there is work to be done.

He waits for the others to gather themselves, then sets off down the beaten track.

[8w_gremlin]

Brother Koji

Brother Koji brings out a large barrel of something that smells divine, "Holy wine, if you wish to receive the blessing of the Father" he makes the sign of the Father as he speaks. The contents of the barrel are fragrant, with a sweet mulled wine smell, and spices, and herbs tantalise the senses. "Good hunting!"  you think he watches who drinks and who makes the sign of the father. 

Turning back to Stavard, "with the cold, I think some decent shelters first, and then palisade? what are your thoughts?" he follows Stavard, talking and planning what they need to do to get established quickly. 

OOC, Mechanics

If you drink the wine, a draught of this holy liquid is sufficient to sustain a drinker for a day without further food or drink and will heal 1d6+1 in lost hit points.

Building, I'm the equivalent of Craft-2, don't know if that affects the build speed or quality at all. 
and Stavard, and I should be working in the most efficient way together. 

 

 

[Powderhorn]

Day 3, Late Afternoon

     Following the tracks of the hunters is not particularly easy - they endeavored to keep things relatively difficult to trace back to the landing site, and seemed to have done a good job of it - even in their haste to return.  Animals are few and far between, and the whole area seems eerily quiet and still, except for your own group moving eastwards.

     Having gone about twenty five miles, pushing reasonably hard, you are on the verge of making camp when there is the feeling that something is simply not quite right, though it is hard to necessarily put a finger on it immediately.

 

[matt_s]

Stavard is not a hunter, exactly, and would under no circumstances account himself for an excellent woodsman. Still, having made a living listening to the murmur of wind and tide and whiled many a watch away with a line dangling over the side of an anchored lighter, he knew when things were not quite as they should be. Nature existed in a precarious balance, and that balance was often upset by the disruptions of man and more fouler things. But rather he say that those things would be foul in a different way, for the willing depravity of the wicked is unbounded.

But in terms of actions, Stavard was a simple man. As the hairs rose on the back of his neck, he slipped the harpoons from their stowage and sharpened his gaze on the treeline. The others were not idiots, but as a safeguard he held up a single finger to his mouth, indicating quiet.

He was not sure if waiting for whatever was out there to rush out and greet them was the wisest course, but to stop and observe seemed wise.

[SirLoganofGilead]

Oliver's rifle was immediately up.  He didn't see Savard put a finger to his mouth because he was busy checking the perimeter of their surrounding.  He used every part of what he had learned from being a soldier to block out the natural sounds and listen for whatever it was that had their hackles up. He wanted to focus on the thing that was there so he could set up some sort of workable defense.

 

 

[Powderhorn]

Day 3, Late Afternoon

     Oliver notices it first, off in the distance.  At first, it seems to be just a bird, but the wings don't look right.  The perspective of trees in the distance shows that it is still fairly far away, but it already is so visible that the size is readily apparent to be as big as a ship - or bigger.  A large tail hangs behind it, indicating a sort of mass that is no mere bird.

     Whatever it is precisely, it is large, it is flying, and it is coming right for you.  You estimate mere secondsOr a convenient six second round, to be precise, allowing for one action. before it will be on top of you.

 

[SirLoganofGilead]

Oliver immediately steadies his rifle at the massive flying creature. I am pretty sure we can not all survive this. He takes a mental note of who has guns and who does not and shakes his head slowly. "Run for the trees.  Get yourselves some cover."  Without another word, he released his shot.  He had always followed the principle of aiming small, and he did that now.  He had no idea what might be vulnerable on this creature, but eyes were usually a soft spot.  He did his best to dial in on the creature's eye and pulled the trigger of his weapon. 

The sharp crack the weapon made usually made him smile, but he had too many other things to do here.  He quickly slung his rifle over his should and made a line for the same trees he recommended the others start moving to.  

 

Mechanics

Main Action: Shoot

On Turn Action: Sling Rifle over shoulder.

Move Action: Move 30' Towards the tree line.

 

The "Roll" roll is damage if I hit. I am sure I did not.