we'll get higher and higher, straight up we'll climb!
DM Shane Wednesday April 6th, 2016 5:21:01 PM Armand and Owen engage in the fascinating task of putting a villa together, made more challenging by being placed in a tree! Miles Raynor notices what you are doing and asks where you want to place the domicile. He suggests that you place it in the lower reaches of the tree and admits that he was hoping to have you close at hand when danger comes to call. He also mentions that there is more room to build in the lower branches and it's easier to build because material is closer at hand. it is, he admits, farther from The Tree Top Tavern than building in the upper reaches, but with you lower, he feels the chances of the "Triple T" being destroyed by roving bands of bandits is greatly reduced. There is running water of a sort to be had at the tree. every dwelling has a cistern built into the the house and there is a series of communal cisterns located around the upper reaches of the tree, they harvest rain water as much as possible, but they also periodically resupply from the creek if the rains don't come in time. (there is a creek that runs about 100 yards back off from the tree). Night soil is a daily ritual whereby it is taken down to the base and incorporated into large compost bin. food scraps and any other non metallic waste are composted via the bokashi and vermicompost methods and traded or used as needed.
Leskni is impressed and a bit humbled by her experience and relates the encounter to the rest of the party.
Mack begins heading up from the lower branches to the upper. He passes The Big Nest general store where Sadie waves at him. Boolia gives him a nod as he passes the Studs and Gems. Up he climbs every one he meets similes and waves or calls his name in greeting. finally he passes the Tree Top Tavern and finds himself on the upper observation decks, the tallest of which is only accessible via a Knotted rope. Past that it's possible to go higher, but the most of the limbs up this high run closer to vertical rather than horizontal and the ones that do run horizontal are mainly new growth and sucker branches. too thin to handle even your weight. you can try and climb the main branches, (DC 10 +1 per 10ft ascended, check every 10 ft. reflex save at DC 13 to catch yourself if you fail. Critical failure means the branch broke and you are in freefall. at that point I will take over the fall mechanic). You are, you think around about 75 ft above the Tree Top Tavern, so 575 ft above the ground, the top of the tree rises higher, but the top is lost in the canopy of leaves.
Osul With a twist and warp your body sheds mass and your clothes and gear merge into you. The red tailed hawk feather in your hand is incorporated into your new body as well and where you used to stand now stands a proud young Red Tailed Hawk. The part of you that is still human is amazed at the change. Your vision is much sharper, but the colors are washed out, any movement draws your attention like a candle in a dark room. You feel the air in a way that does not translate well to anything in your previous experience. You spread your wings and with few pumps you are in the sky and circling the tree. As you pass into the shady side of the tree you feel the cooler air attempt to steal your lift and compensate by flapping your wings for lift. as you come around into the sunlit side you catch a thermal and head into the breeze. Your wings, with a facility similar to the same effort it would take to open a door in human form, flex and cup to catch the thermal and breeze and you drift upward, carefully balancing the forces to rise like an elevator. You keen eyes track and classify all the creatures you see, human and otherwise and they human side of you has to keep the Hawk side of you from trying to hunt the squirrels, rabbits and grouse that make their home in and around the tree. soon you have passed beyond the top of the tree and see it spreading out in all it's wondrous glory around you. It's still early in the spring and not all of the trees flowers have bloomed yet, it's still awe inspiring to the human side of you, the Hawk side of you is impressed with the abundance of game around the tree and glad of the vantage point it's perches would afford.
Atlas returns from the Catacombs his pockets lighter, but with a nifty new spiked shield to show for it! he reminds Armand of some things he may have forgotten to put in the house design, his new shield gathers a few whistles and some "ohh's" and "aah's" He strikes a fine figure of a warrior with it on his arm.
Carver it's all very nice talking and all, but your belly has decided that your throat has been cut, With curt haste your make your way to the "Triple T" to order a large Centaur sized feast, only to find the Tavern is empty! You are pondering this unfortunate turn of events when Ciyradyl Ilyndrathyl enters the Tavern behind you, chuckling and a bit out of breath. Sorry, I was down in the lower branches welcoming you all home, I was lucky to catch you heading up! It pleases me that you miss my cooking so much...now what can I get for you?. in less time than you would imagine, she has whipped up a Huge bowl of beef stew lousy with huge chunks of tender beef, carrots, celery and red potatoes, all surrounded with a thick rich sauce and spiced with aromatic spices that dance upon the tongue. to accompany the meal is a half loaf of marbled rye bread and small bowl of greens and a large tankard of Dwarven Ale. Ciyradyl even sits down at the table with you once you are served and visits with you while you eat.
Owen Marcellus (Weston W.) AC: 12/12/10; HP: 26/26; CMD: 15 Wednesday April 6th, 2016 7:49:10 PM
Owen sees 'Osul turn into a hawk, so he casts Fly and zooms off after him. He calls out in Auran, the language of flying creatures: Highlight to display spoiler: {Want to play tag?}
Armand (Robert D) AC 16/touch11/flat15 HP 41/41 CMD 16 Character Sheet Wednesday April 6th, 2016 9:14:58 PM
Armand turns to Owen. "What do you think?"
not sure how the whole google drive and documents/sheets thing works. I tried pasting it into a sheet but it lost all it's formatting. So if anyone has an idea let me know. Currently no windows on the ground floor. Do we want to build in the lower branches of the tree? I though councilman diamanddew wantd to build "across the street", or maybe off a little ways as to avoid the semblance of the Emerald Kingdom laying claim to the tree. However, since the branches of the tree spread out so far we may be still under the tree's branches.
Armand will then get ready for the feast that evening.
Armand (Robert D) AC 16/touch11/flat15 HP 41/41 CMD 16 Character Sheet Wednesday April 6th, 2016 9:16:37 PM
[i]OOC dang still lost some formatting when I did that.
Carver (John C) AC 16, AC 18 with shield, CMB 6, CMD 17, HP 48/48 Speed 65 Character Sheet Wednesday April 6th, 2016 10:47:32 PM "It's all well and nice that they want to "donate" a building for us to live in, the quarters in the tree are a bit cramped after all with two of us being large now. I just think we should do something simple and I'm afraid some of the rest only see the bells and shiny stuff and are blind to the chains that come with it all. Heck, even I got carried away, but once I left the group down below and started up here, things became much clearer to me. Does what I'm saying make sense to you Ciyradyl?" Carver will drink the ale, but much prefers wine to it, the ale has a much harsher taste to it compared to the elixir gotten from grapes and fermented and aged. There's nothing else like it in Carver's opinion.....
Mack (Eric R) AC: 16 (T 16 FF 13), CMD: 15; HP 38/38, Speed: 30' Thursday April 7th, 2016 8:01:14 AM
OOC: I assume I can "Take 20" when climbing as well, making it much safer, but also take WAY longer? If so....
IC: I don't want to push it yet, but I spend a few hours working my way up just a little ways. I plan on coming back to this later as my experience increases.
Mack (Eric R) AC: 16 (T 16 FF 13), CMD: 15; HP 38/38, Speed: 30' Thursday April 7th, 2016 8:22:17 AM
OOC: Was just looking over the spreadsheet you e-mailed out, Robert. I like it! As the Rogue, I'm assuming my room is closest to the vault? :D
I do have a question on sizing. Can we all fit comfortably in the meeting room and dining room at one time?
'Osul(Graham) AC:11 (T:11, FF:10), CMD:15, HP:32/32 Thursday April 7th, 2016 8:42:48 AM
Red tailed hawk-'Osul replies in kind to Owen. If you know Auran, Highlight to display spoiler: { "I've been a bird before, but this is different... keener... sharper. Tag will have to wait until I shake off the urge to hunt. For safety's sake. Raincheck?"} Moments later 10 gallons of water coalesces beneath the hawk, and haphazardly hurtles groundward, as determined by the triumvirate of gravity, air resistance and fluid dynamics.
Owen Marcellus (Weston W.) AC: 12/12/10; HP: 26/26; CMD: 15 Thursday April 7th, 2016 9:29:14 AM
Owen replies in Auran: Highlight to display spoiler: {Oh gosh. Yes, let's take a raincheck.}
After flying about with 'Osul for a while, Owen returns to his room at the Inn. He takes some time to rest, then gets ready for the feast.
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OoC: Let's make sure all the doors on the first floor can accommodate the 'taurs.
Armand (Robert D) AC 16/touch11/flat15 HP 41/41 CMD 16 Character Sheet Thursday April 7th, 2016 10:41:55 AM
OOC technically the taurs can 'squeeze' through all the doors that are not double doors. Admittedly if everyone is in the dinning room and meeting room there may be some squeezing. There's nothing says we have to eat at a table though. We could just do like the Romans and eat while sitting (or laying) on couches.
Leskni (Paul Jackson) AC: 15/14/11; HP 35/35; CMD: 16 Character Sheet Thursday April 7th, 2016 2:52:44 PM
Leskni has very little to add to the discussion about the house. She comes from a nomadic people and doesn't really understand the concepts being discussed.
"More open spaces would be good."
Atlas Sunowl (Trey) AC: 21 (T 13 FF 18), CMD: 20; HP 52/52 Character Sheet Thursday April 7th, 2016 3:01:28 PM "Wow, what a buzz I've come back to. Shape shifting, flying, house building, tree talking...I'm afraid I am a bit more boring than the rest of you folks. I'm going to take a walk and explore the outer branches, but please know that I would love this residence of ours to be in the Tree as Miles suggested."
Armand (Robert D) AC 16/touch11/flat15 HP 41/41 CMD 16 Character Sheet Thursday April 7th, 2016 3:25:42 PM "I don't know if this is a design that will necessarily work in the tree. I guess it comes down to negotiations between the Emerald Kingdom, which is paying for the house, and the representatives of the tree. But if it's in the tree there is also the access that Carver has talked about."
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