Outracing the Flames RPG

[Arry]

Wulfham



The mid-day meal is had . . .

From where he stood at the edge of the small clearing where they were to have their midday meal, Brand heard Vaenosa’s cutting comment to Dorran. The woman was bent on making it as hard as it might be for the two men in the group to feel any sort of camaraderie with her. Perhaps it would just be best to ignore her outbursts, he sighed. It had done no good to speak with her he felt.

He strode quickly to where Dorran stood with his jaws clenched, the muscles in them pulsing in irritation. Brand put a restraining hand on the young man’s arm, drawing him aside. ‘Can you leave it be for now, Dorran?’ he asked. ‘Keep the peace and let us get through this meal quickly. I’d like to be as far down the river as we can go today.’

A quick meal of stewed mushrooms, some way-bread the march-warden’s wife had made, a handful of last of autumn’s berries – all washed down with a cup or two of hot herbed tea. Then, Brand called for them to load up their ponies with the wood they’d gathered.

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A place to camp for the night is found . . .

This time, he led the way on Lady, with Dorran following and Vaenosa and Incana to be on the watch in the rear as they rode along. It was nearly sunset when they reached a place that satisfied him for a night camp. The river was on their left, less than a hundred paces away, as they approached the level, dirt clearing. To their right were rolling, brown grassed hills, and lowlying rocky outcroppings scattered here and there in the grassy fields. Ahead of them was a grouping of willows, their roots creeping down the river’s edge, their dried, brown leaves rattling in the chill evening wind.

‘We’ll set up camp there,’ Brand said, as the others drew up to him. ‘The trees will block most of the wind if we camp near them. And we can get fresh water to fill our waterskins from the river. Dorran, can you set up camp and get a fire going for us. The big rucksack on my horse has dried meats in it, I think, and some barley. If you dig deep enough, you might even find something extra from the Lord's goodwife. In the metal can with the tight lid, you’ll find a little salt. See what you can conjure up for us.’

He nodded to Vaenosa and Incana. ‘Take the waterskins and fill them, all of them. That way we’ll have naught to do tomorrow morning but load up the horses and be off. I’ll set some small traps over there in the grasses, and near those rocks. We’ll see if we can have some fresh meat for breakfast.’

The sun was just a finger’s width above the horizon as they hurried to see their tasks done . . .

[Maeggaladiel]

Fionn picked at his biscuit uncomfortably. Friction seemed to be growing between Meghan and Eostre, and Fionn didn't want to be involved. He bent his head over his meal, as though it had suddenly become an incredibly interesting work of culinary art. Guh. It was an incredibly DRY work of culinary art. He coughed, accidentally inhaling a crumb.

He stood quickly, brushing his hands against the legs of his breeches. His waterskin was half-full, and he drank deeply. After the offending crumb had dissappeared, he weighed the skin in his hand.

"Well," he began uncomfortably. "Since that problem seems to have resolved itself, I'll go refill our water supply, shall I?"

[Tevildo]

As soon as Brand gave orders to set up camp and prepare the evening meal, Dorran went to work on the fire pit. He lay down a handful of dry pine needles to act as tinder, then an armful of thin twigs, and finished off with two good sized logs that he'd cut down with his hatchet. That should keep the fire burning well into the night, he reasoned. A fire was important not only for keeping them warm and cooking their food, but the flames could help scare away animals who might be lurking in the bushes. It was unlikely that they would have problems like these, since they were still so close to home. But, just to be sure, Dorran set two long branches on the ground beside the firepit that could be used as makeshift torches.

Dorran then turned his attention to clearing a space for their bedrolls. He gathered armfuls of pine needless to create a more comfortable place to sleep and cleared away a few rocks littering the ground. He made sure to put the womens' sleeping quarters protectively close to the fire on the northern side of the pit, while he and Brand would settle down on the opposite ourtskirts of the enclosure, some distance away. He simply did not feel comfortable sleeping right next to two attractive young women, and he knew from experience that his sister preferred her privacy at night.

He wasn't sure if the prickly Vaenosa would object to this sleeping arrangement, since it assumed that the men would be guarding the outside perimeter of the camp. If Vaenosa wanted to prove how tough she was, she was welcome to move her bedroll further away from the fire, as long as it wasn't anywhere close to where he was sleeping. He was doing everything he could to concentrate on his work and not think about what had happened earlier in the day. The men and women in Aldwulf's household were always extraordinarily well behaved. He had never had to contend with this kind of rudeness before. It had taken all his self control and Brand's supportive words for him not to lash back at the girl. He had simply let her run away and kept his thoughts to himself. Dorran would also have like to get to know Incana better, but with Vaenosa hanging about, he was extremely reluctant to take that chance.

In any case, he wished that Brand had not asked him to make the evening meal. After enduring the woman's taunting remark, he didn't want to put himself in that situation again where he was likely to get more teasing. But an order is an order, especially when they were off in the woods like this. Dorran began to get out the food and do what he could to prepare the evening meal.

[Naria]

Wulfham


Incana and her horse walked into their new camp. She dismounted and removed the reins from around the horse's muzzle, then took the riding blanket and packs off too. Incana then bent down to examine the bite that Nay had left. It had begun to fester, she wondered if any of Brand's salves would work the same on a horse as they as they did on a human.
She was a beautiful mare, one that had given birth to a foal a year earlier. Incana could tell that it was quite hard for Starlight to leave her yearling and reasurred the mare whenever possible. Incana's father did not like separating mother from baby but Starlight was one of the best horses for travel that they owned. She was a Waler breed with long black socks, a short black cropped mane and her coat was a coarse grey-beige; making her a Roan colour. She was stout in stature but made up for her short comings in strength, perserverance and loyalty. Still worried about the bite, Incana gave Starlight a quick slap on her rump and the horse was free to roam where she pleased.

Incana thought that this location would be just fine and couldn't wait for Dorran to complete dinner. She was very hungry and her tummy rumblings were proof of that. She thought back on lunch and remembered that she hadn't eaten very much of Dorran's fungi 'stew'. Incana loved mushrooms but without seasonings or much else in the meal, it proved to be quite unfulfilling to Incana. Dorran had a bit more provisions to work with this time and Incana was sure it would be a much better feed. Clearly, she has some things to get used to living in the outdoors.

Incana was about to ask Dorran if he needed any help when she heard Brand ask the two women if they could fill up the waterskins. Since she had begun to feel a bit useless she jumped at the opportunity and grabbed three of the five skins that were there. Wondering, why are there only five and not six skins. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she remembered why.
The water skins were a fair size and thoughts of lugging them back full of water was not something that Incana was looking forward too. Incana started off to the river and looked back to see if Vaenosa would comply with Brand's request.

The banks of the river had shown errosion where the water level had been higher in the spring and summer months. She would have to watch her footing if not to get swept away. Incana walked up and down looking for a good spot to fetch the water and found a small well used path leading down to the river's edge. These are definately deer tracks she thought to herself. Incana thought aloud, "I shall ask Brand when I go back to camp if we should try and take down one of these animals." She put two of the three skins down next to her and began letting the water drain into the one she held.
A breeze swept across the river and Incana had a sudden realization of how cold it was going to be during the night and was glad to have seen her bedroll close to the fire.

[Arry]

Wulfham


Settling in for the night . . .

‘There!’ he murmured to himself, laying the last of his loop snares along the faint path he’d made out where animals in the area had made their way down to the river. ‘With any luck a thirsty hare will be needing a drink tonight!’ The thought of fresh meat roasting over the fire set his belly grumbling fiercely. It had been a long time since the last meal.

Brand hurried back to the campsite. It was dark, now; the sun had gone down below the rim of the world. He glanced up at the night sky, looking at the patterns of the stars. The Swordsman of the Sky was rising above the western horizon and there to the north and high in the inky dome hung The Great Dipper. Its bowl had been leaning more and more toward the lands below, heralding a wet change in the weather as the last of autumn slid into early winter.

He could see the fire Dorran had made ahead in the distance. And over it hung several pots – one full of hot water infused with the herbs Dorran had used that afternoon; another bubbling away with a savory mixture of barley and dried meat. Brand rubbed his hands together in anticipation of a hot meal and drink before bed.

‘I’ve set the snare traps,’ he said, cradling the warm wooden bowl in his hands as they sat round the fire eating and drinking. ‘There’s an animal pathway that runs down to the river and looks to be used recently. With any luck we’ll have some nice fresh meat to break our fast in the morning.’ He finished up the last of the simple stew and cleaned out his bowl with a handful of dried grasses. ‘One more cup of your hot tea, Dorran and then I’m off to bed. And the rest of you should go, too. I’ll help with the meal clean up. Incana and Vaenosa can you see to the horses? Get them under what little shelter there is among the trees and make sure they’re loosely tethered. We don’t want them running off in the night.

The pots and bowls were soon cleaned and stowed away; the fire was banked so that it would burn low through the night. The water skins were stacked near their gear. ‘Just one last thing, Dorran,’ Brand said as he stuffed their food supplies into a large leather bag. Find some rope, won’t you, and we’ll hang this high in a tree and a ways from our camp. I didn’t see any tracks of bigger animals about . . . but I don’t want one sniffing around us as we sleep, looking for an easy meal.’

‘Ladies!’ he called out to the two women who were blanketing the horses and giving them a measure of oats. ‘Which of you is a good fisherman?’ he asked. ‘I was hoping one or better the two of you might see to getting us a few fish with the early morning rise. And Dorran, I’d be more than glad at a hand with the traps I’ve laid.’ He grinned, his eyes glittering in the firelight. ‘By one means or another we should have some kind of meat for the morning . . .’

[Farael]

By the time Fionn was back from the river, things seemed to have settled down at the camp. Meghan and Eostre were not talking to each other, but then no one was talking at all. Osmod seemed preoccupied with his drawing and looked up, startled, when Fionn returned his water skin. Standing up slowly, as if he were very tired, Osmod said that they should get going, seemingly to no one. He could hear the beginning of a reply somewhere to his side but he went on, feeling more confident as he decided on a plan. There might be times in which they would be forced to spend days without lighting a fire for warmth or food, he reasoned. He did not want to light two fires this side of the river, it would not do to alert anyone of their quest so soon, yet he was willing to light a fire that night. The smoke would be harder to see from the distance and it would keep them warm if the weather got colder. The others seemed to agree with, or at least accept, his reasoning and so the group packed their belongings and set off yet again.

Each of the riders was lost in their own thoughts and there was very little they wanted to share with the others. Osmod was the first to take the lead, riding ahead of the group to scout for unexpected inconveniences. Not only orcs could slow them down, he figured, but a pack of wolves could be just as disrupting. In any case, by the time he rejoined the group nothing had happened. He suggested Eostre for second lead and so she went ahead, her horse seemingly as proud as herself. When she met up with the rest, Fionn volunteered for the next lead. The sun was close to the horizon and so Osmod asked Fionn to look for a place to rest for the night as well. It was not long after when Fionn waved to them from afar. He was at the edge of yet another small forest. They had passed by many of those small islands of trees in an otherwise barren landscape. During spring, green blades of grass might have been seen all the way to the horizon, but as fall wore on and winter got closer, everything seemed dull, even dead.

As soon as they got off their horses, Osmod started detailing the tasks for the night. The water skins needed to be refilled and the horses had to be looked after. They would need to set up watches during the night and be sure to have an early breakfast the following morning. “Breakfast is good,” interrupted Eostre “but we have not had dinner yet and all those things can wait until we have eaten. And don’t forget the fire you promised us tonight.” Osmod flinched. While he had not forgotten dinner, he thought they could all have some of their dried meat and biscuits as they had had for lunch while doing other tasks. Soon he realized that both Meghan and Fionn agreed with Eostre, even if not her tone of voice. With a sigh he shook his head “Of course I have not forgotten Miss Eostre, but with time pressing on I had other plans. Yet you are right, we better save our dried food for times in which we can’t find fresh food.”

At Osmod’s request, Fionn stayed behind and prepared a fire with pine cones and branches he could find nearby. He’d be in charge of looking after the soon-to-be camp and the horses while the others were gone. Osmod slung his bow over one shoulder and his quiver over the other, then he smiled at the women. “I don’t know what we may find, but I’d like to be sure I can get it for dinner. Let’s all stay together; it will not do loosing one of us now that night is nearing.” Then, after Meghan and Eostre were ready, the group set off into the woods, hoping to find something good for their meal.

[Naria]

Wulfham


As Incana had thought the waterskins were indeed heavy and took away what energy she had built up since lunch. She was looking forward to the meal that Dorran had conjured up when Brand asked the two women if they would settle the horses for the night. There was very little enthusiasm this time, but she obliged his request.

Incana could not see Venosa or Nay so assumed that they were together somewhere. The men's horses were nibbling on some tree leaves, but where was Starlight? Incana thought that it would be a good idea to get the men's horses out of the trees before looking for hers. She approached the two with caution, not knowing what to expect from them, humming a tender tune that her uncle had taught her. The horses answered her approach with a low nicker, she ran her hands down the sides of both horses urging them to follow her. They followed her out towards the camp and tied them to separate trees. Once she had fed and watered them her mind quickly began racing as to where Starlight had vanished. Incana did not want to venture to far away from the light of the fire, for by now the sky had darkened too much for her to see. She wouldn't have minded if one of the men would have assisted her in her search, but looking back at the fire she didn't want to disturb them.

Incana walked away from the tied horses and into the dark. Fear immediately took her and she began to have waves of shiver. "Damn woman! Stop this nonsense you need to find your friend," She said out loud trying to find courage. She squinted her eyes into the night hoping that this would help her see better. Incana took a few more steps and stopped dead in her tracks she heard some howling in the distance and thoughts of going back to camp were entering her mind. Her heart was pounding in her ears which sounded a lot like hoofbeats, then she heard it. A loud whinny. Incana whistled sharply for Starlight to come to her. Her horse drew near and it was a reunion of sorts; Starlight gave Incana a rough nudge with her muzzle and Incana hugged the mare around her neck. The two made there way to camp and she tied and bedded her horse for the night.

After all of that Incana felt that she was deserving of some hot tea and some good food. She approached the men and gave them both a nod. "I am done with what you have asked, Brand." She took a bowl of stew and a cup of tea and sat down beside the fire to eat.
Once Incana had finished her dinner she was ready for sleep. She got up and dusted herself off, she had taken her first step towards her bedroll when she had remembered the deer tracks. She hadn't really spoken to either of them very much, so making a suggestion was unnerving to her. She stood beside Brand and after a few moments of foot shuffling said, "I had seen some deer tracks at the river's edge earlier, and was wondering if we should try and hunt one early in the morn." While she waited for the two men to think about it she longingly stared at her bedroll.