The creek is deep and slow for several miles. As the morning gives way to midday the creek widens and gets more shallow and anxious. The water rambles its way across a great fiord as it approaches its union with the mighty Black River. Small rapids and exposed rock require Chryesia's full attention. With some practice she has developed some proficiency with the rudder. As the creek approaches the Black the rapids are becoming more treacherous. Chyresia for the first time is wondering about the sea worthiness of her vessel.

Chyresia moves the raft into a shallow section of the stream as the rapids become more turbulent. She uses the butt of her spear to gauge the depth of the water, and when she judges it shallow enough she will step down from the raft and guide it by hand to a safe landing spot, using her rope to secure it to a likely-looking tree trunk. She scouts ahead a hundred paces or so, keeping an eye on her raft as she moves, to see if the stream is passable. She's willing to wade in the shallows and tow the raft rather than just ride it.

Wading through the fiord is fairly easy. The rocks are slick but the footing is pretty level. The water is rushing quickly but it's only knee deep. Up ahead it is another story. The fiord funnels into a wide chute between boulders that were washed down from the mountains by some mighty deluge in the prehistoric past. The water becomes much more challenging to navigate as it runs swiftly over and around these boulders. The banks of the chute rise ruggedly nearly 100 feet on either side. The cliffs are not sheer but they are steep and rugged.

Considering the chute, it looks navigable via two routes. Going around the first Boulder to the right will take the raft through one extremely large and challenging looking rapid. To the left it looks like a series of three tough sections, but none are as intimidating as the one to the right.

Beyond the rapids is a large bend in the stream toward the east. On the outside bank of the bend is a large pebbled beach.

The day is young, the sun is high and the air smells.like freedom and adventure.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:38, Wed 06 Mar.

As tempting as it is to go the hardest route and get it all over in one extra effort, she has long ago learned the rule of divide and conquer. She elects to take the route of the three consecutive, but less fearsome rapids. Returning to her raft, she secures all of her belongings in her pack that will fit and straps it on her back. Similarly, she makes sure her weapons are all securely attached to her body as she guides the raft toward the left of the narrow chute. She's going to get wet, but with a little luck and a serious effort, she hopes to win through to the broad river beyond and the shelving beach she spotted.

"Guide me, Mother," she whispers to the goddess as the raft is plucked by the current and races towards the rocks.

OOC: Tell me what to roll!

DM: For starters give me a balance DC 8
    I rolled it: 13

This message was last edited by the GM at 10:53, Thu 07 Mar.

As the raft approaches the large boulder in the middle of the stream Chyresia pushes the rudder arm hard to the right, turning the raft left around the rock and dropping the raft down into the first of the rapids she needs to negotiate. The bow dips down under the wave produced by the turbulent flow, lurching the raft to the right, against the bolder. The raft deflects off, challenging Chyresia to maintain her balance. She is standing for leverage using the storage box to lean on for stability. The lurching raft threatens to throw her off balance but she maintains control of her vessel through the first tricky section.

The raft is quickly approaching the second set of rapids and it looks more challenging, plus there is a fallen tree sticking out of the water here. She needs to avoid it by stearing to the right. She leans left on the rudder. A spray of cold spring ice melt hits the ranger in the face, keeping her focused.


Balance Check DC 8
1d20 + 2 dex
Rolled: 13 + 2 = 15

DM: give me a balance DC 10 check, If it fails you hit the deck and have to roll a dex check DC 12 to keep from falling off. If that fails you fall in but can make a dex check DC 15 to hold onto raft.


This message was last edited by the GM at 11:24, Thu 07 Mar.

This message was last edited by the GM at 13:00, Thu 07 Mar.

The raft tossed and twisted under her as she flexed her knees and focused on staying upright. The roar of the water as it thundered through the narrow cleft was deafening, She was soaked to the skin and scared of being thrown onto the rocks, but a fierce grin and sparkling eyes lit up her face in glee as she seemed to be winning through.

08:22, Today: Chyresia Swift rolled 11 using 1d20+2.  Balance check in rapids (+2 for DEX).

OOC: I see you've mastered the image posting.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:52, Thu 07 Mar.

Chyresia manages to narrowly avoid the fallen tree with her rapidly improving helmsmanship. However, she has little time to celebrate as she see the third obstacle fast approaching.  There are several boulders just under the surface creating a large swell with a protruding boulder in its midst. This obstacle will require balance and strength to rudder past the rock. If she can negotiate this, she will be home free.

DM: Balance Check DC 13 or fall, Strength check DC 10 or fall. If either fail, Dex check DC 15 or fall in the water. If Str check fails there will be a minor injury associated. All info for your next post.

This message was last edited by the GM at 15:34, Thu 07 Mar.

With no time to appreciate her luck so far, the last of the three obstacles is upon her, the water seething up to toss the little craft from side to side. She braces herself and flexes her knees to absorb the rising and falling of the raft's rough surface.

11:51, Today: Chyresia Swift rolled 19 using 1d20+2.  Balance Check #2. – 19

At the same time she holds on tight to keep the wild gyrations of the vessel from tipping her over the side into the waiting maw of the rocks just beneath the surface.

11:51, Today: Chyresia Swift rolled 16 using 1d20.  STR check. – 16

Success! Faster than the blink of an eye, her sturdy raft shoots past the submerged rocks and out into the calmer water beyond. She whoops with excitement at the crazy ride and at surviving what could have been a nasty fall.

"Thank you, Mother," she calls to the sky in recognition that the eye of the goddess is always upon her.

She steers the raft towards the wide pebbled beach on the westward shore of the river. Time to dry off and perhaps a bite to eat.


DM: For overcoming obstacle +50xp, for doing it with style, +25xp

This message was last edited by the GM at 18:59, Thu 07 Mar.

The pebbled beach is on the outside bend of a big oxbow that sends the river almost directly east where it spills into the Black River running south by southeast from there. The merger is wide and calm.

This pebble beach is an ideal spot to sit for a Spell. The trees on this side of the river are sparse and offer little cover for an approaching intruder.

Chyresia feels as though she has covered ten miles so far today. Not a bad morning.

Chy makes sure her vessel is pulled up on the beach and then does some of her usual dance routine exercises to ease the cramps of having crouched on the raft's surface for several hours. When she is ready, she eats a small amount of her rations and tries to recall travelers' tales of where the wide Black River will take her.

Well aware that her father is probably already looking for her, she does not linger, but launches her craft again onto the rippled surface of the water and lets the current carry her toward her destiny.

Chy remembers from hearing her father talk about the Black River, that it forms the eastern border of Edwin. On the other side of the river is the notorious Black Forest. Known for its physical darkness and for mystery. It is a compelling destination for a ranger who might want to dissapear. The river itself runs for hundreds of miles, with several towns and cities along the way. Currently, this far north, it is an unspoiled and untamed landscape of challenge, beauty and danger.

After a mile or so, the stream merges with the Black River. The river is about 100 feet wide at this point and flowing steadily southward through rolling hills and a vast forest on the left. Birds, beavers and other small game are prevalent.  Fish can also be seen jumping from time to time. Its just past mid day.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:12, Fri 08 Mar.

As the sun sweeps across the sky in its slow procession, Chy glides down the river, content to put distance between herself and possible pursuit. She revels in the beauty of the scene, marking the habits of prey and predators as she floats by, thinking about how she will stalk this or that quarry when she needs more food. But for now, she has rations to last another day and she wants to maximize her separation from her old life before she takes up her new.

As the leagues slip by, she keeps a wary eye open for any large predators in the water and any signs of people on the banks.

The scenery is spectacular.  As the Black River empties down through the Tarn Foothills and onto the Southern Plains it spills through canyons and forest. Occasionally Chy has to navigate rapids, but nothing like before. She spots elk and deer as well as the coyotes pursuing them. She sees eagles soaring overhead and diving into the river for fish. At one point she sees a large crocodile but it seems to ignore her as it rests in the sun as it slides down the western sky. She floats by without disturbing it.

As the light begins to fade, Chy figures she has covered at least 30 miles, but it is a difficult estimate. She sees many worthwhile camping spots, but she considers all her options. Maybe she should keep floating through the night? Maybe a hot meal and a firm bed would be worth the stop.

Either way it will be dark in less than two hours.

Chy feels she's traveled far enough without leaving any trail that she can probably stop for the night without fear of pursuit and she starts looking for a suitable camping spot. The sight of the crocodile in the river had been sobering, and she keeps her eye open for a place where she can sleep in a large tree with a bank where she can secure the raft, perhaps out of sight from other traffic on the river.

OOC: Please make her observation rolls as you see fit.

As the sun dips to the horizon the sunset over the southern plains from this perspective is quite special. The golden and orange colors explode in the sky in slowest motion. The breeze is fresh and smells of clover and thistleberry. The sounds of the river are hypnotic.

It has been a truly peaceful afternoon. Chy sees several likely spots where she can pull the raft under some low hanging branches. In the darkness, it should be well concealed.

She finds that she has a choice to make. On the east side of the river, there are many trees and great cover, but its the jungle, and may hide unseen dangers. On the west Bank there is some cover but not as thick. There are trees, but they are more spread out. Chy considers there may be advantages and disadvantages to either choice.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:15, Mon 11 Mar.

These are lands Chresia has grown up in. But she knows the jungle can house more snakes and other tree-climbing predators than the more thinly forested area, so she steers her raft onto the west bank when she judges she still has perhaps an hour of daylight left to conceal the raft, at least from casual observation, and try her skill at trapping some small game to supplement her rations.

She also scans the sky as the sun sinks, looking for any smoke plumes -- a sure sign of people nearby.

Chy sees a spot with dense blueberry bushes, and yaupan. It's perfect for tucking the raft away and securing it. Commanding a view of the area is a great black oak that has a maze of broad limbs that soar into the sky. There are climbable branches up to 60 feet up.


Chy figures she has less than 30 minutes left of usable light. She noticed the blueberries were still early but there were a few ripened berries. She notices the ground is covered in acorns. They are not very tastey, but well blanched could provide sustinance. She also sees hoove prints and elk scat. The little black pebble piles are unmistakable. The tracks are concentrated near the river bank. She considers this may be a morning watering spot.

The tree has so many large limbs that are so long, that finding a vantage point for any location nearby, should require little effort.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:27, Mon 11 Mar.

She spends the last of the daylight picking a handful of blueberries to supplement her ration for the night and setting some simple traps to catch small animals that might come down to the river close by. She makes sure her raft is well-beached and ties it to the tree just in case. She's not willing to risk a fire out here in the wilderness, so as the dusk fades to full dark, she climbs up the tree, hangs her pack on a branch, and settles into the crook in the branches wrapped in her blanket and settles in to sleep as best she can.

As the red tinted western sky fades to black it is canvased with endless stars. Luna, the largest of the moons is directly over head. Portho, her brother is on the western horizon, chasing the sun. The moons are in half phase.

Chy's view of the sky is broken by the branches above her but her view of the river and river bank below her would be much better were it not so dark.

It is peaceful. Chy feels safe and it will be easy for her to sleep. The day has been long. Miners Ridge could be 40 miles or more away she estimates.

A lone coyote calls to the west, moments later a chorus of coyotes respond in chaotic unison from the forest across the river. They yip, whistle and howl for a minute or more before going silent.

Before Chy can even think to fall asleep she is awakened by a snapping twig below the tree and its dawn.

She slept through the night, quite restfully.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:21, Tue 12 Mar.

Chy is happy she decided not to sleep on the other side of the river where she heard the coyotes calling. While they would not have been able to climb up to her, just their attention would have been a bother and kept her from sleeping.

Awakened now to the first light of dawn by the snap of a twig beneath her perch, she moves carefully to peek down at the ground from her leafy bower, hoping that one of her traps might have yielded a breakfast morsel. But she's not going to move very much until she's sure what's down there.

After Chy clears her eyes and takes a moment to focus, she sees a small heard of elk underneath her. They are crunching acorns, a bitter appetizer, before a long cool drink. The heard is slowly moving toward the river bank. A male stands watch as the others crunch and amble down toward the water.

Chy is twenty feet above them. The elk's attention is lower, watching for wolves or cougars.

There are 17 animals that she can see. Mostly big cows. There are 4 young calves, and 2 younger bulls. The three bulls take turns looking out while the others eat.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:32, Wed 13 Mar.

Smiling to herself, Chy watches the magnificent animals move and interact with one another as they approach the river and drink. It crosses her mind to take one of the wee ones, but even a small elk is way too much meat for her and she has no way to preserve it, so she just enjoys the show, lazing on the branches above them.

Entranced as she is, she nevertheless takes care to look around her for other signs of predators or worse, humans. Either on the bank or on the water. She is well-rested from her night's sleep and starting to plan her day's travel on the river.

As Chy watches, the elk move gradually but finally down to the rivers edge where they begin to drink, always with at least one bull standing watch. The calves are the first to finish as they have already quenched their thirst on mother's milk. They begin to frolic in the grass as their mothers finish. One of the smaller bull elk are watching over all.

The scene is peaceful and has lulled Chy into a calm, relaxed state. When the elk all jump at the sound of a bear crashing into the clearing from a relatively small patch of prairie grass, Chy jumps right along with them. The large black bear takes two long strides and pounces on a calf before it has time to sense danger.  The swiftness of the kill leaves Chy feeling admiration for the bear's skill. As the bull elk charges the bear. The predator picks up the small elk in its massive maw and runs straight for the tree Chy is in.


Chy spot DC 10
1d20 + 3 Wis + 2 feat
Rolled: 1 + 5 = 6

DM: FYI Bear and Elk have flat foot AC of 12

This message was last edited by the GM at 17:46, Wed 13 Mar.

Chy glances up in the tree to quickly gauge how high she would have to climb to be above the bear's reach if she even can. And if she might be able to move from there to another tree and then return to the ground.

All the while she keeps glancing at the bear to ascertain its actions. If it does start to climb, she will also consider dropping to the ground from where she is -- hopefully the elk will move away, or stay focused on the bear. But she prefers her chances with an herbivore over a carnivore.