14 Peonu 720

[GM]

Time: Beginning 1st watch - Mid 1st watch

With Jurri watch complete he wakes Borygg for his turn on watch. Rising from his sleeping gear he gathers his gear and in the cold of the night loiters near the fire with his cloak gathered tightly about his shoulders.

From the other side of the river the ghostly figure of a warrior can be seen, he carries a spear and shield, the bearded man fits the description given by Algared earlier today.

[Borygg Raal]

Very quietly and without taking his eyes from the apparition, Borygg will wake his companions. He'll walk slowly to the nearest one and nudge them with his foot, speaking in a low voice that the ghost is there.

[Borygg Raal]

Borygg doesn't care who he wakes first. He will nudge the closest person until they wake up, then say "Wake the others. The ghost is back." He will keep watching the apparition to see what it does, if anything.

[Jurri Grebel]

(For the sake of moving things along...)

Jurri wakes up as Borygg nudges him. He'll quickly move to each of the others (Kugald, Barak, and Algared) and repeat the process, alerting them to the ghost and pointing in the direction that Borygg is looking.

Then, when he's done with that, he'll retrieve his lyre and move up to get a look at the ghost.

[GM]

I was just giving Borygg the opportunity to wake a person of his choice. He replied it doesn't matter, so I would then have determined who that was randomly. As it turns out it is Jurri

Borygg fixes his gaze on the apparition as he nudges Jurri with his foot, Jurri wakes with a start but noting that Borygg has his attentions elsewhere he turns to look but because the campsite is in a hollow he cannot immediately see what Borygg is looking at.

Borygg whispers to Jurri that the ghost is back.

Jurri turns and wakes the next in line but before Jurri or anyone else can rise the ghost appears to wander back into the trees fading into nothing as it does so.

Within moments the warband is awake and the ghost has gone....

[Algared]

Algared mutters, looks to the sky to gage the time. "Yup, same time each night so far. I would bet it will return tommorrow. If we wish to communicate we should all rise before now." Algared rubs his eyes.

'Well since I'm awake now may as well start cooking a stew for the morning meal. If only Barak and someone else are headed higher up to see if there is a better crossing I'll prepare another roast for the evening meal.' Looking to the water algared begins ponder. I wonder if he dorwned and lies unburied and forgotten in the water? he thinks to himself, before saying "Sometime tommorrow, once its a little warmer, maybe I should I'll dive down and see what I can find at the bottom of the water."

[Barak Daas]

"There is nothing to see" says a sleepy Barak "Wake me up when there is real danger." And with that he makes himself comfortable and goes back to sleep.

[Kugald Daas]

Kugald is the last to be woken. My the time he wakes and has a chance to look around, the ghost is gone.

"I don't think we will be here another night to see it, Algared. Sarajin willing, we will cross the river tomorrow and be safe home in a clan house in Daaslund by this time tomorrow. I'm going back to sleep."

TTYL

- Kerry

[GM]

Time: Mid 1st watch - Mid 2nd watch

With Algared stirring the fire back into life, he begins to prepare a stew with the remains of the boar and almost all of the forage. With Algared now occupied Borygg asks him if he can then go back to bed for awhile and seeing no harm agrees.

With Algared now preparing the meal the rest of the warband return to their sleeping gear and are soon curled up under the shelter, there they rest for about a half a watch or so before they are woken by Algared.

With the eastern sky beginning to lighten the warband once again rise for another days travel....

[Algared]

Once the stew is ready Algared and the band break their fast. Algared enjoys the meal eating his fill. Once the pot is empty he heads to the river, with both the bands water skins and the pot. He refills the skins and then cleans the pot before returning to pack his gear away. "So Kugald are we all trapsing higher in search of a better crossing or are we going to try cross here? If we are scouting the higher ground are we all leaving or just one or two? If we remain we could fish and forage. Though if some are staying I wouldn't mind trying to cros the river anyway or see if i can find the bottom of the this crossing. It would be useful to know how viable a crossing this really is. I doubt we would want a band of the Dagan's men flanking the Daas forces guarding the river. I would imagine once we are across we should guard here until word can be sent and a proper guard placed."

[Borygg Raal]

OOC: When Borygg was looking for trees with stout branches overhanging the river, was he able to find any? We have roughly 30' of rope so by throwing the hook over a strong branch, we may be able to swing across the stream.

Post by GM No there are no branches that extend that far over the river

[Barak Daas]

"If you want me to scout up river, then I don't mind going on my own. It will be faster than the whole band going. But if Algarad is goiing to swim accross the river anyway, I might as well stay here to see if he succeeds. Anyway, he'll probably need me around to save his hide once he gets swept down river."

[GM]

A look at the river this morning you notice that the water level has dropped more than a foot and the water does not seem to be moving anywhere near as quickly as it was when you first arrived here.

The water will sweep an unwary wader away quickly but the current is not swift enough that it will knock a man over as he tries to cross...

[Jurri Grebel]

"Shall we try to cross?"

[Borygg Raal]

If the stream is not moving that quickly and a man can easily stand in it, it might make sense for us to form a chain and pass our armour and equipment to each other so that we keep everything dry. That will probably beat each of us having to make a couple of trips to carry everything.

[Algared]

"Seems like a fair suggestion, though I'd still be keen to have a rope, and if we cross easily then we certainly wont want to leave here unguarded and we'll need to bring this crossing site to the Daas attention, may give us an advantage especially if we could lead a group to reclaim this section of Storzarlund. That last river we seemed to only have a crossing at the ford and we followed it down from where it issued from the cliff to the ford." Algared says before muttering curses against the Dagan's forces.

[Barak Daas]

"I think it would be useful information for spies, but a dragonship will be able to outflank any ford."

Seeing that an attempt is to be made on the ford, Barak packs all his gear away. He intends to wear all his normal hunting gear and weapons (including knapsack); leaving only his armour, helm, spear, shield, two hand axes and loot to be manually carried across. And even he decides to stuff his looted coin in to knapsack.

[Kugald Daas]

Kugald stretches to wake up. He wanders over to the river to have a look. Satisfied that the depth and current have sufficiently diminished, he returns to the group.

“Borygg, I like your plan. Let’s strip down to just our shirts and bundle up everything else in reasonably light bundles so we can pass them across without getting them wet.”

“We will make a chain, Algared, since you can swim, you go first. I will follow then Borygg and Jurri. Barak, I would like you to stay on this bank with your bow. You can pass us our stuff and if someone comes upon us while we are crossing, at least you will be able to give us cover fire.”

“Let’s take this slow and steady; we don’t want anyone to loose their footing in the river and get swept away.”

Dress only in his oldest shirt with his belt around his waist, Kugald begins packing his gear. He takes out his money and treasure pouches, double knots them shut and secures them to his belt along with his dagger. Then, he lashes his sword across his back and makes sure he can still draw it if necessary. He sets his spear and shield aside. The young man puts his chain mail shirt into his cloak and ties it into a bundle. He places everything else in his backpack.

“Right, I am ready. Shall we do this?”

“Borygg, we have your rope. What does everyone think? Should we lash the four men in the river together in case someone looses their footing or do you think its better we stay separate so if one falls he doesn’t pull everyone with them?”

TTYL

- Kerry

[Algared]

"Let our morning meal settle first, and lets do what we can to return our camp to more natural setting, so at least it isn't as obvious to a casual passer by that here could be a ford. A cramp could be deadily if need to swim. Borryg can you splice the ropes together, we can have a tether to help as we cross." Algared catches himself talking over Kugald, "My apologies cousin" he says then waits letting Borryg answer Kugald.

Once everything is ready, Algared will change into his oldest clothes and pack his gear away carefully he will place his smaller items at the bottom of his cook pot and then carefully place some clothes into as well. before placing the cookpot into his pack. Hopefully that will help keep these dry he thinks to himself as he gives a satisfied nod once all is packed.

Taking the rope and fastening it as a harness he then carefully enters the crossing, he tries to walk as far as possible, and maks his way across as he attempts the to return to Daaslund and home.

[Jurri Grebel]

"Let our morning meal settle first...A cramp could be deadily if need to swim.

OOC: Wow. Did you really just tell a band of vikings not to get in the water until their meal settles? That's so not going in the edda Jurri's composing.

Post by GM

[Kugald Daas]

"WOMAN! Cramp? Is it that time of the month for you again!"

"We are vikings, we thrive in the water."

"Let's go...enough waiting."

TTYL

- Kerry

[GM]

Time: Beginning 3rd watch

With the campsite returned back to its natural state and your gear packed as well as possible to avoid getting wet, Algared ties the rope around his waist and takes his first intrepid steps into the river.

The cold bites against his bare skin and with each step into the river the cold makes it presence felt. Nearing the middle of the river there is that uncomfortable sensation as the water laps his scotum. The others on the near river bank hear the air rush from Algared lungs as the cold water grips him.

Pushing on Algared nears the far bank but the rope restricts his movement preventing him from gaining the far bank, untying the rope he quickly gains the far bank the cold river turning his legs blue with cold...

[Algared]

"You are a bunch of fools, Woman indeed! I pray that you dont loose your footing and need to swim. When you want something tracked or hunted you don't hesitate to follow what Barak says, or if you want to know folklore do you doubt what Jurri says. Off course you dont. Which of you can swim? any of you ... I thought so, none of you. And you dont know how deep the water is yet. Sailing on the water is different from swimming in it. But of course great brave vikings don't give a rats about that bah!" Algared responds obviously stung by the response to his warning. Then since the rope hasn't been splices to ensure it reaches the whole way wears what is available and crosses but needs to remove the shorter length before he gets across.

He waits for the others to form the chain as Borryg suggested, in order to pass equipment across. Being the only swimmer I should be the one in the deepest part of the chain, i would the one least in danger if I lost my footing. Algared shrugs at the thought Wouldn't want to upset the mighty vikings though would I.

[Borygg Raal]

Borygg strips off his armour and most his clothing and stashes what he can into his knapsack. He bundles the rest into his cloak and rolls it up. He keeps his valuables securing tightly in his belt pouches. He then ties the two pieces of rope together so that they reach almost all the way across the 30' stream. As Algared wades in, Borygg waits to see where he goes in the line.

[Jurri Grebel]

Jurri smiles and shakes his head at Algared's outburst as he waits for Kugald and Borygg to wade out to their chosen locations. "That thin skin of his isn't getting any thicker," he muses to himself. When it is time, he will wade out and pass the first bundle of gear to Borygg, then wade back to receive the next from Barak, etc., continuing until the gear has been safely passed across to the far side.

Once the gear is no longer an issue, he will wade across himself, taking time to find his footing and (carefully) using his spear for additional support when needed (such as when taking a step), so he is always as braced as possible.

(unless, of course, Kugald and Borygg cramp up and get swept away to their deaths first)

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