Breviary of Brandylegs: Chapter the First: From the Dust

[nijineko]

The fog does not clear right away, but you draw comfort from the axe you hold. Abruptly, the fog evaporates, as if it suddenly remembered that the sun was shining. As it clears, several figures are revealed standing in the water a short distance from the bank. Scaly reptilians regard you silently. They wear some kind of form fitting skin, fashioned somewhat like armor, and most carry tridents. One, standing in the center, carries instead a staff of some sort, and the corvid rests upon a scaled shoulder. One claw idly caresses the beak of the corvid.

[Elbryon]

I will stop my progress and turn to regaurd the figures that stand in the water. Shifting my axe to my other hand across the front of me to ensure that the figures see it (though not wielding it in a threatening manner) I will attempt to communicate with the figures to discern their intentions.

In common.
"Oy! Good day to yeh. Kind of nasty weather yallv got around 'ere. That fog makes it kinda 'ard for a man ta see where 'es goin. Oy! hello birdy ye finally found who ye was lookin for eh? Is there somthin I kin help you folks with."

I will stay vigilant and watch for any sign that they have ill intentions towards me before I continue.

[nijineko]

For a few unblinking moments, the reptilians regard you silently. Then the corvid-perched one speaks. His voice is sibilant and rough. "Whhhat do you in thessse partsss? Whhhere hhhasss you come from, and whhhere are your companionsss?"

[Elbryon]

"I am new ta these parts. I arrived only a short time ago rather unexpectedly. I was walking down ta get me some breakfast when poof ah was bein dragged through a storm a sorts and ended up here. If you kin help me out ah still donna know where exactly here is? I travel with noone ah am by myself just tryin ta find someone who can tell me where ah am and give me some direction as ta where I might want ta go."

I will shoulder my ax and try and assume a less aggressive posture hoping to get some information from these beings as to where I am and maybe figure out what I can do next.

[nijineko]

The reptilian man regards you silently for a while, his scaled face giving no clue as to the thoughts behind it. He glances at the corvid once, who squawks and makes a few croaking sounds. Finally, he speaks, "Thhhere isss sssomething ssstrange about you, dwur. Ssstay away from thhhe ssshoresss, lessst you become meat for thhhe potsss." He raises an arm and points at an angle away from the shoreline. "Thhhat way. You will find a ssstream. Follow it away from thhhe Missstwatersss." At this pronouncement, some of his companions turn their heads slightly to regard him, but remain silent.

[Elbryon]

A small chuckle escapes my lips before I am able to answer the man "Oll be meat fer noones pot lad."

Composeing myself better suited to cordial conversation, "Ah donna plan ta get any closer ta the blasted water ifn thats what yer worried aboot so od be glad ta follow yer stream but kin ya tell me where it goes? A'm fresh ta these parts an a'd like ta not get lost any more then ah already am."

occ: How many of the reptilian men are present at the shore? How far from the waters edge are they? Do they appear to be armed?

[nijineko]

.... Scaly reptilians regard you silently. They wear some kind of form fitting skin, fashioned somewhat like armor, and most carry tridents. One, standing in the center, carries instead a staff of some sort, and the corvid rests upon a scaled shoulder....

{{{there are seven of the reptilians. four carry tridents, one a staff and the corvid, the remaining two seem weaponless (the ones one either side of the staff-wielding one), though all are wearing the described skin. they are approximately ten to fifteen feet from where the water laps the shore. you are some twenty to twenty-five-ish feet from them, but the terrain is still pretty rough, if easier than the further elevation you were walking at before. }}}


The reptilian's eyes narrow as he considers this. His inner lids catch a flash from the sun as they flick over his eyes. "You come from nowhhhere, you know not whhhere you go... can it be?" He mutters something almost inaudiable, holding the staff in the crook of an arm while he uses one hand to tick off points, or count something, on the claws of his other hand.

{{{make a listen check to try to catch what he is saying}}}

[Elbryon]

* 1d20+2 *

"Yep! yer right on both counts ah donna know ow ah got 'ere an ah donna even know where 'ere is so any 'elp would be a boon."
--- Merged from Double Post ---
<<so it has been so long since I've used the dice roller I forgot how it worked so I had to go practice. Now that I have it figured out here is my listen check>>

* Listen Check *

<<crap my practice roll was much better but there it is a 5>>

[nijineko]

The reptilian finishes his ticking of claw-tips, and looks intently at you again. His tongue briefly flashes into view, as he tastes the air. "Oh dwur whhho knowsss not whhhere hhhe goesss, hhhave you a guide?"

[Elbryon]

"Nah, Ive no guide to speak of, I arrived alone and have remained so. Om not a huge fan of the water so if ah would ave had one Id ave ad im take me away from ere much quicker, no offense. Is there one oh yous that might show meh the quickest route to civilization."

Still wary I will wait for an answer before I decide what to do next maybe one of these creatures will help me out.

[nijineko]

The reptilian ponders for a long silent moment.... Finally, he stirs. He looks up at the corvid for a moment, who then flaps heavily off his shoulder and glides around behind you. He gestures at the corvid, "Follow. I mussst be sssure of sssomethhhing before you leavvve." The corvid squawks expectantly and flies off a short distance to a rock, looking around back at you.

[Elbryon]

"Not really the guide I expected but if da birdy knows where its goin the oll surely follow."

I will follow the corvid as closely as it allows me to so as not to lose it in the mist around the lake. I do not however want to sacrifice falling on a sharp rock just to make him happy. As carefully as I can and not wasteing undo amounts of time I will follow

[nijineko]

The corvid flaps heavily ahead, pausing every now and again to check on your progress. An occasional censoring caw complains of your laggardly careful ways. The reptilians keep pace a few steps behind you. The entourage is silent, except for the chuffing of breath, the corvid-who has no hesitation in sharing an opinion, and the surrounding wildlife and wind. Some time passes.

Passing through a rough spot between two rocky shoulders, you come to a suddenly level area. A small circle of great standing stones sits in a shallow bowl, through which a stream meanders. The stream broadens into a pool inside the standing stones, causing the inside of the circle to appear as a hole into another sky. Upon sighting the circle, the other reptilians give voice for the first time. A hissing slurring speech that is totally incomprehensible to you. There are murmurs from the weapon-wielding ones, but the loudest complaint, or so it sounds like to you, comes from one of the empty handed ones. The reptilian draws up to his full impressive height, and thuds his staff resoundingly on the rocks he stands on, replying rebukingly in the same manner of speech.

At his words, the other empty-handed one speaks something short, and turns and returns the way everyone came. The remainder of the reptilians follow suit, some muttering a few words, eventually leaving you alone with the staff-holder, and the corvid.

The corvid cackles harshly, which utterance the reptilian ignores. "Come, enter the circle." He waves you ahead of him.

[Elbryon]

Curious to see what is about to befall me but wanting more than anything else to just get back to civilization I will enter the circle with the reptilian for no other reason than to hasten things along.

"Ah already had mah bath for the month." I will say with a slight chuckle hoping not to anger the staff wielding reptile.

[nijineko]

He carefully watches you enter the circle, eyes narrowing as you do so. The tongue flickers in and out. You note that the water inside the ring is shallow, barely topping your ankles, and that the surface feels like rough but level stone beneath your feet. There are quite a few shaped rocks projecting from the water. You look down, and then quickly back at the ring as you are struck by a sudden sense of vertigo. You are not reflected in the pool, neither are the smaller rocks... just the endless sky above and the great menhir about you.

The reptilian treks around the circle to the point where the stream enters the ring, and enters with the stream. It appears to be only about ankle deep. The reptilian gestures you over to where he stopped, next to an angled rock with a bowl-like depression in it. This rock is accompanied by a semi-circle of small broad rocks, low to the water.

From an unseen pocket in the reptilian's armor, he draws a small bowl, ornately carved of some odd silvery-whitish substance. From the bowl he plucks a small packet, which proves to contain a stoppered vial; the bowl is placed in the depression, the vial laid on the wrap next to it. Then the reptilian uses his longer thumb-claw, which you note also has been carved with ornate scrim-shaw, to draw a shallow cut along part of his palm. "Blood."

Then he uses the same claw to dig into one end of the cut, nimbly twisting it to excise off a bit of flesh. "Flesssh." Next, he uses the claw to shave off a bit of another claw. "Bone." He picks up the vial and unstops it, pouring it slowly into the bowl, without touching the bowl. "Water of thhhe body." Finally he breathes long but lightly into the bowl. "Breathhh."

Then he steps back and gestures you forward. "Do."