[HQ Ignorance] Doggerel

[Michael Cole]

Sam Elliot wrote:
> Icthya follows Aalmon's crazy path for a while but grows increasingly
> antsy. She can see what he is trying to do: to be so unpredictable in
> the course he chooses that there is no logic to it. He seems to be
> drawing inspiration from the stars; well, each to his own. She is
> starting to get a bit confused herself, so she does see a certain
> merit to this plan, but she can't help but feel that a bit of
> conventional craft and trickery is necessary. Aalmon reckons too that
> the animals on the way will mask their smell - well, he obviously
> doesn't know much about how wolves work if he thinks that.
>
> Beast seems to be coming to a little and she thinks, from the way his
> nose is twitching, that he was probably not lying about his sense of
> smell. She certainly hopes so. Swallowing her pride and disgust, she
> tries to befriend the creature, because she might be needing him very
> shortly...

Beast does come to, and quickly takes note of the disgust towards him that 
Icthya is trying to hide [Perception 7W].  For his part, Beast does not 
react towards it - in fact he seems to be be supressing a great rage inside. 
Along the journey, as Icthya tries to befriend him, he suprises her by 
asking her to relate what occurred back at the ritual.  Whilst slightly 
suprised at the request, she obliges, and Beast's mood seems to darken.

After a while, he speaks softly, with controlled anger.  "I feel that there 
is something untoward happening here, something possibly beyond our control. 
What occurred at the ritual was not me.  Something, possibly a higher power, 
took control of me, and controlled my actions."  He looks up to the heavens, 
"Something is diceing with us.  I do not know what, but it is out there. 
And it will pay.  I am not familiar with these games ["Uncomplicated" 17], 
but insults do not go unavenged  [Honourable 13]."

He looks around the sky [Weather Prediction 17], "There is a storm brewing, 
and it will not be pleasant.  Perhaps the witches have been active - our 
women have said that they have been moving this way.  We need to move 
quickly and with purpose."

> After they have been travelling for a while, she calls on Aalmon to
> halt the group for a little while. She isn't especially polite about
> it, so he almost ignores her, but she manages to convince him that
> she has a good reason and it will be of benefit to the Fellowship.
> She gathers together the sprigs she had given to her companions
> before the crossing and, getting Beast to have a good sniff at them,

And as she tries to wave them in front of Beast's nose, she finds her arm 
grasped firmly.  After a long moment of staring down at her, he speaks 
softly, so that it doesn't carry.  "I don't know where you come from, but if 
you try sticking those twigs up my nose again, I shall personally plant you 
firmly in the ground, head first.  And then I shall give you a good 
watering, of genuine Troll water, and we shall see if you grow.  If you want 
something to find truffles for you, buy yourself a pig.  Out here you are in 
my territory - don't forget it."

> confirms that they have taken on the smell of the members of the
> Fellowship.

> Taking out her copper trowel, she scurries about,
> removing the sprigs from their bundles and planting them all about,
> singing a soft song of growing and begging the Lady of the Wild for
> her protection. Around about, she lays some traps too, for good
> measure.

Beast looks amused at her efforts.  Occasionally he moves to correct her 
placement.

> Soon, the bank on which she has planted the sprigs is sprouting all
> over, an increasingly dense thicket which pulls at the Fellowship's
> clothing and equipment. She sends the rest of them off, asking Beast
> and Dorassa to mask their trail.

Beast, amused, comments back, "I don't mask trails.  I am the hunter, not 
the hunted."  But he remains beside her, watching as she continues...

>Tanuki too she dispatches, asking
> him to scentmark their trail as pungently as he can. That she scoffed
> at Aalmon's exact same scheme passes her by. If they are followed,
> she advises him, with a kiss and a scratch of his tummy, he is to
> make like Rifna the Riddling WereRabbit. She ceremoniously gifts him
> with the rabbit pelt.

She vaguely hears Beast singing under his breath something that sounds 
suspiciously like, "Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run.  Don't give the 
puppies their fun, fun, fun..."

After a few minutes, Beast raises a finger, and motion towards the direction 
in which they came from [Perception 7W].  As she begins to hear the approach 
of the Telmori, she notices Beast string a huge Longbow [17], and moving 
silently [2W] to a place of concealment up high in the rocks off to the side 
of the path.

> Hearing the baying of the approaching Telmori, she remains hidden in
> the top of some of the tallest trees. As they approach, she sends a
> few arrows flying their way and prays to Aldrya that she herself
> smells sufficiently plantlike and can get out of this later to catch
> up with the others.
>
> OOC:
> I really don't mind who is officially leading this bit, just so long
> as I've room to do something with my character. Hopefully, this is
> integrated okay with what Nic had written, and the others, and
> whatever numbers work can be used and anyone augments anyone else.
> Bit of a crap plan really, at the end of the day, but they always are
> in the stories. The idea is that this impenetrable thicket smells
> strongly of the different members of the Fellowship, and that she
> adds traps, some noise and some arrows where necessary, but the
> thicket is impenetrable. This allows everyone to get where they are
> going, using Aalmon's stuff. Ended up a bit like Loran's sacrifice
> plan, but there you go.

[SNIP]

> + XX Beast's actions? e.g. Tracking, smelling, whatever he's designed
> to do...?

OOC
Beast has chosen to remain with Icthya in the rearguard.  Given that Aalmon 
is now a Troll and is leading, and Beast is rather annoyed and wants to kill 
something, he feels that that would be a good place for him.  He is aware of 
Icthya's disgust for him, and finds it amusing to stay with her, given that 
she is trying to be friendly with him at the same time.  Also, he is 
impressed by her bravery, and is also slightly chauvenistic (sp?), and 
thinks that she may need being taken care of if things go wrong [Honourable 
13].

As for his actions here, he settles himself at a breaking point to the side 
of the thicket, and remains hidden [Patient 2W] whilst Icthya fires the 
first volley.  The idea is that as the persuers break and go to ground, he 
will carefully try to take out any trackers and wolves [Long Bow 17, Large 
Shield and Spear 13] quickly before doubling back [Reflexes 17], and moving 
to get Icthya [Move Silently 2W] and retreat.

--
Regards,

Michael Cole