My own little place in the woods (Darik)

[Malog Coden]

3rd of Fall Sunberth + surrounding woods Shifting into human form and picking up his bag, Malog strode towards the Tavern. He hated this place, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Living on the streets of Sunberth was nigh on impossible, so this tavern was Malogs hope of finding accommodation. opening the old rotting door and feeling that musty stench of alcohol and urine sweep up to him, Malog keeled slightly, before regaining composure. Looking around, he noted how nearly all the patrons where looking at him with some sort of awkward unease.. Looking down, Malog realised he had forgotten to clothe himself after shifting. While not usually a problem for a Kelvic, nakedness was probably not the best idea in a tavern full of grisly old men such as this. Blushing slightly from his own stupidity, Malog turned to leave. Yet in the process of turning, he spotted a Large fellow near the door rise from his seat and heard him mutter something about Kelvic incompetence, before raising a massive black boot and launching him self at Malog. Second guessing the man, Malog tensed himself in anticipation. The boot thumped against his rib-cage and sent him flying through the partially opened door and into the mud face first. The man closed the door and a roar of cheering and laughter went up from in the tavern. There Malog lay, embarrased, naked, and covered in mud. This wasn't his day..

[Darik]

Darik walked the streets aimlessly without a care in the world. As he tottered, a man with torn clothing stepped out of the shadows. Darik quickly withdrew his knife getting ready to stab him. “Don’t stab me, I have life changing advice!”The man spoke with a heavily accented voice. Maybe the accent had power because Darik stopped the dagger right at the man’s chest. ”And what is this advice that makes me not want to kill you for disturbing my beautiful day? Darik enjoyed acting like a tough guy, people usually gave him more respect that way. ”If you do one good non selfish deed all your evil deeds will bare more fruits. So how about you give this poor beggar a coin?” He dropped to his knees and pleaded to him as if praying to a deity. Suffice to say, the man ended up with his rump in the ground. Darik firmly planted his shoe on the man’s chest to show his displeasure. “Screw you, I don’t give my money to nobody.” Except Lennith, but harlots can be very convincing! Still, as he walked he considered the man’s words. Even if he was a crazy beggar, it may actually be solid knowledge. He would have to try it out some time. But he would definitely not give money to succeed at the task. As he walked, Darik saw a male figure in the dirt. It didn’t look dead, it was struggling to get up. And guess what the best part was? It had its clothes and money piled in a neat little pile next to it. It was the perfect situation, Darik could just take the stuff and run. Yet… the beggar’s words came back to him. He should at least try to help the man. Then after he helped him, he could try to passively guilt him into paying Darik money! Darik held out a supporting hand to the man. ”May I ask why you are naked in the mud? And if I can help you in any possible way? He figured this man would easy to help. He had money, and people with money pretty much help themselves!

[Malog Coden]

Malog grunted and lifted his soggy body up, just enough to look at the man standing over him. He stood with an arrogant composure, but the reassuring smile and friendly outstretched hand said otherwise.. Grabbing the hand, Malog pulled himself up of the floor and sheepishly wiped his mucky hand on his back, and looked apologetically at the dirty hand that he had just given the man "Thanks," He muttered "but I'le be alright" Turning to pick up his belongings, Malogs thoughts kicked into action.. He needed accommodation and this man had offered to help him. Malog turned to face the man, a slight smile spreading across his face. "Actually.. You don't happen to know where I can get some where to rest my head, do you?" It was a long shot.. But the man had offered some help, and Malog wasn't going to turn it down!

[Darik]

The man took Darik’s sign of mutual friendship. After heaving him up with force, he got a closer inspection. The man seemed human, but something was off about him. Maybe it was his figure, he seemed exceptionally fit and his skin held tight to his muscles. Or maybe it was his eyes, they had the slightest tinge of yellow. No, it had to be his aura of ferociousness. All of these ideas combined in Darik’s mind to form one conclusion. This man was a Kelvic. No wonder he wasn’t wearing his clothes. Would it really be doing the world an injustice if he stole from the kelvic? They weren’t even smart enough to comprehend how valuable money is. Darik resisted the temptation by admiring the kelvic’s temperance. It was automatically treating Darik with respect, just like it should. “With your social skills, no were in Sunberth.”He gestured to the man’s grummy body. ”However with your expertise I think you could live out there.” He pointed in the distance; past the Slag Heap Fire, were rows upon rows of trees clumped together. He was gesturing to the great outdoors. Well, technically they were both outside but the great outdoors has to involve more than a few wilting pieces of grass. ”First put on your clothes.” Darik put a hard edge on his voice, he would not be disobeyed. And why would the kelvic even try? It was just an animal afterall. ”Now, follow me. That is, if you want to be able to survive in the wilderness.” Darik started walking without even looking behind him. It would either follow him or it wouldn’t, it didn’t matter to Darik. He was doing one nice thing, and then after that he could continue with his life of thievery. He led them towards a store that was bigger than most. Once inside, he surveyed all the equipment. Almost all of it related to surviving a harsher environment than Sunberth. He took a step back and gave more directions to the Kelvic. ”Use you instinct and choose the stuff that looks the most helpful. I will help you once you are done.” Darik was annoyed at the Kevlic’s slowness, even though there wads tons of items, it shouldn’t be that to pick out the best.

[Malog Coden]

Following orders, Malog leant down to pick up his clothes and bag, wincing at a sharp pain in his chest as he bent over, but covering up the pain in an attempt to look good in front of this strange man. The man walked and Malog followed, in somewhat of a flustered, confused fashion because he was struggling to get some clothes on while walking. After figuring out how to do so, he tuned into what was being said, only to hear "I will help you once you are done." Confused and a little lost, Malog looked around him and found himself in a large store with many, many items laying around in what looked like an attempt at organized rows. As any Kelvic would, the excitement of being somewhere with so many shiny things over took him and he proceeded to grin at the man who had took him here, and his eyes started darting from one item to another. Realizing how much of a fool he looked, Malog mentally cautioned himself and took on more of a serious composure. Trying to get his thoughts in a straight line, or at least something resembling a straight line, he started looking for things that may help him in the woods. Malog came to the conclusion that he would need a roof of some description, and would also need something to support that roof. With this in mind, he set about finding some things he thought may be useful.. After 15-20 minutes of walking around, trying to look like he new what he was doing, the Kelvic had only found a few things he thought may be useful. These things he had found consisted of a large peice of rope, some rough feeling fabric and half of a rat which he had discovered in a corner, hidden under a pile of some fancy looking cloth. "Will these do?" He asked before dumping the hefty load at the feet of the man. Malog offered up a smile and waited for a approval.

[Darik]

Are these the things you picked?Rope, Hemp (50 ft.) 1gm
Fabric, common: 1 Gm per yard ((How many yards? I would say 6 yards((Two for bottom two for top, and two just incase we fail. )) but its your choice.))

When the kelvic came back, his pile was less than satisfactory. Darik thought this was only load one, but he asked if it would work. Even kelvics need lots to survive in the wild. “Not at all.” As Darik said this, he noticed the shopkeeper staring at them. It took him a second to realize why. They were standing much too close to the door, as if to bolt with the supplies. Stupid kelvic, it had put him in a bad position. Kicking the rat out of the way, Darik instructed the kelvic to carry the materials to the front. Up there he gave a word to the shopkeeper. “Sorry, my companion isn’t versed in the art of manners.” He then turned around as if to scold the kelvic’s behavior. “Now stay here while I go get more supplies.” He could only hope the kelvic would follow his instructions. Darik walked through the shelves of equipment looking for anything that would benefit the man in the wild. He stared at a longbow for the longest time trying to figure out if it would be worth buying. He finally dissuaded himself from it, a kelvic would have no use for it. They could just hunt or forage what they needed. As he walked down that particular isle, a piece of metal stood out to him. He was drawn to it and inspected it further. It had two malleable ends on it, while the middle was sharp with barbs. He decided to pick it up, even the fastest hunters could always use some help. Next he went into the liquid section. There were so many bottles of different colors Darik didn’t know which one to pick. He end up choosing one that was a tad taller than the rest, with a black swirling liquid inside. He asked the shopkeeper what it was and got a curt answer. It was waterproofing oil. The older man didn’t say if it would work on fabric, but Darik figured it would. Why wouldn’t it? If it doesn’t say it doesn’t do something, it must do it! Picking out the rest of the items was easy for him. He picked up a waterskin, made of relatively furnished leather. A pot of iron for boiling water in case he wanted to have soup. A hammer for….something. Darik didn’t know why he picked it, he didn’t have any metal to use. But it was better be prepared than not. Rounding out his items, he picked up flint and steel. He figured the kelvic had it, but it never hurt to have copies. As he walked back to the man with the items, he realized how cumbersome these would be. Finding a bag of capable carrying capacity, he dumped them all in. He came back with the open backpack. He put it onto of the fabric and gave some instructions. ”Now the pile is good to go By the way friendly merchant, my companion is paying.” Darik took a step back waiting for the merchant to demand the price and for the kelvic to meekly hand over the money. He was far enough back for the kelvic to take out an item or two without Darik knowing. When it was finished paying, he put on the backpack. He then hooked the rope over one of his shoulders leaving the kelvic to just carry the fabric. Then together they walked out of the shop and into the wilderness.

picture :

Look at the metal part, with the loop.

Waterskin

What Darik picked out((feel free to not buy any of these))Waterproofing Oil 5 gm
Animal Snare, Small 5 gm
Backpack 2gm
Hammer 5 sm
Flint and Steel 1 gm
Pot, Iron 5 sm
Waterskin 1 gm
Total: 15 gm

[Malog Coden]

Malog was left feeling disappointed from not gathering the correct resources, and ever so slightly patronized by the man for giving him instructions to stay put. After a minute or so, the stranger had still not returned, and Malog was getting restless. A few curious looking items stood about the shop and he was quite content ogling at them, until a large man with a gingery moustache stepped in front of Malog in an accusing manor. Not knowing what to do, Malog bared his teeth and let out a throaty yet quiet growl, before seeing the stranger come around the corner with his arms full of items. Malog changed the growl to a grin and walked off, leaving the large man baffled. Approaching the counter, Malog saw that all the items had been placed in a pile and the stranger had stepped back, allowing Malog to pay for the things. He had never been in a shop, or at least, couldn't remember being in a shop, and so had little idea what to do. He grinned stupidly at the shop assistant and looked back at the man to see if he was doing things right. He opened up the bag and took a small rummage through it, before concluding that if the man had got the items, they must be what he needed. Out of the coin purse in his bag, Malog took a handful of about 30 gold rimmed coins. He handed these over to the assistant and got several back which he apparently didn't need. Putting the coins back in the bag, and smiling again at the assistant, Malog picked up the cloth and the man picked up the bag. Malog followed him the whole way out of the city. This stranger seemed to know the streets well, and Malog just followed him, being too tired to question trivial things like that. However, there was one thing that was bugging him. "If you don't mind me asking," said Malog, testing to see if the man would respond or not "But why are you helping me? Who are you? And what, even, is your name?" Now these things might be considered irrelevant by some, but if Malog was going to let this man help him, he really felt that he must trust him first.

What Malog payed forWaterproofing Oil : 5 GM
Animal Snare, Small : 5 GM
Backpack : 2GM
Hammer : 5 SM
Flint and Steel : 1 GM
Pot, Iron : 5 SM
Waterskin : 1 GM
Rope, Hemp (50 ft.) : 1 GM
Fabric, Common (6 yards.) : 6 GM
Total : 22 GM

[Darik]

oocDarik is bossy when he knows he’s superior.

As they walked, the kelvic was persistent in his questions. It was time for Darik to lay down some ground rules. ”First off, I do mind you asking. Don’t talk except when spoken too. You kelvics are supposed to be quietly obedient to us humans.” Oww, that was cruel even for Darik. He really should stop trying to assert his opinion over other people. “I mean, didn’t your parents ever teach you that?” Darik tried to atone for his earlier meanness by giving the kelvic a chance to talk. If he was talkative he could maybe even fit his whole petty life story in. He waited silently till the whole story was done. “Well I see... Just remember in the future not to ask me questions. I will let you off this time though. I am helping you because I am a naturally nice person.” That was complete utter bogus, but how would the kelvic know? “Who am I and what my name is not your business. Just call me whatever you like. On the other hand, I need to know your name. You don’t need to worry, because no harm will ever befall you. But important people need to have all their information straight.” Darik was quite disillusioned in many senses. By the time the lean man had given his answer, they had reached the woods. Darik veered off the barely trodden path, to walk through the untamed wilderness. His footsteps made imprints in the mud, there had recently been heavy rainfall. He didn’t change his course for fear of animals, but he did for unusual plants. Especially the ones that had prickly thorns all over it. Darik figured they all must be poisonous. They were four miles out, around a fifty minute walk, before Darik finally decided that he had found a good spot. The spot he chose was less forested then the rest of the woods providing some sporadic sunshine. That was good, being covered by too much darkness lead to surprise attacks. Still, even though the spot he liked had many good features, it also had one terrible one. There were lots of big rocks scattered every with branches scattered in-between. Darik didn’t know how the branches had gotten there but most were a crisp black. Still it presented a problem, they need to get rid of them. Thinking about this problem, Darik hanged one of the straps of the backpack on a low branch. ”Lay your fabric over here.” He gestured to where he was standing. ”Okay, you see these four trees? He pointed to four big trees. There were a few trees inside the area, but they weren’t as humongous as the ones Darik picked out. ” I want you to take the rocks, branches, and logs on the inside of them and lay them on the outside, not the inside, but on the outside of the trunks.” He demonstrated picking up a rock behind one of the trunks. It hurt like a mother, but Darik finally dropped it right were he wanted. ”You see what I did? Then you are to connect it all together so it forms some kind of barrier. Got it? I will solve some other problems.” He had given the kelvic a hard job, but he figured it could handle hard work. It was animal after all. He did keep his promise though, he did his job. He walked up to one of the border trees and chose the side facing the outside. He withdrew his knife and put it in the bark. He angled his body and knife so that if it would slip it wouldn’t cut his leg. The knife had trouble cutting the bark, but soon a diagonal line was formed. He switched positions and did the same again but this time making the line perpendicular to it. Soon, an x was formed on the tree. He did it to all four trees, he wanted to be consistent. The x’s were a precaution incase a intelligent being tried to claim the area. If the being in question walked up the barrier they should realize it had already been claimed. He walked back to were the backpack was hanging and watched the kelvic work. He knew it was going to take awhile, the trees he had chosen were relatively far apart. As the kelvic lifted it seemed to get start getting exhausted. If Darik stole the bag of money now it wouldn’t be able to catch him. He resisted the pull knowing that it was just a temptation trying to distract him from a greater goal. When the kelvic was finally done, Darik went up and congratulated it. ”Great job! It looks spectacular. You can rest now.” Not that he hadn’t been resting before, he had been going so slow. The kelvic really should learn to pick up the pace. ”I’ll set up your living area. Question though, how do you want to sleep? In a tent or a hammock? If you don’t know what they mean, just choose one. They aren’t that much different.” Actually they were, but both would take the same amount of work.

MalogMake sure to remember to subtract your mizas on your ledger! Also if your character does the rock layout correctly, it will form a diamond.

[Malog Coden]

oocLets see superior without any legs

Who did this man think he was? Malog could take instructions, but "quietly obedient"? He must be having a laugh. "My parents didn't teach me anything! I don't even know who they are! I bet you have no idea what my life has been like, I'de like to see you survive with no recollection of your past." Malog was getting upset, but he wasn't going to give the man any sort of feeling of getting one over on him. Malog growled and rearranged the cloth in his arms. The man would not give his name, still, and this bothered him. How could he trust him with out even knowing his name? Malog had tuned out of the conversation, because he didn't want to anger himself to the point of tearing this mans legs off, and focused on getting the hefty load where ever he was supposed to take it. The only thing he told him during this walking was, "My name is Malog, not that you really need to know, but it will aid communication." After a fair bit of walking, in which the stranger seemed to fear every funny looking thing in the woods, much to Malogs amusement. The man stopped in a clearing and hung up the backpack on a tree. He took a minute to survey the area before giving Malog yet more instructions. Malog did as he was told for the most part. He put the fabric down, then stifled a laugh as the man lifted a rock which was not overly large into a position, then Malog set about doing the same as him. After what felt like an age of working, Malog sat with his back to a small tree and looked at his work. he was more than half finished and could see a pattern emerging from he mess. For all that the man was cocky, he also seemed to know what he was doing with a camp. He noticed that the man was cutting lines into the trees and Malog wondered why.. but never questioned the man after the harsh words he had before. Setting back of to work, the Kelvic was getting regular pain in his side and often had to rest because the pain was so much. In one of these rests, Malog lifted up his shirt at the side and saw a nasty blue-green swelling over where he had been kicked earlier. The Swelling was also slightly cut and a yellow goo was oozing out of it. Malog slipped off his shirt to avoid it sticking to him and carried on with the work. After another while of labour again, Malog heard the man shouting and congratulating him, yet he was really, too exhausted to thank him. He sat down again and began to massage his side. He heard the mans proposal of a tent or a hammock, yet Malog had very little idea what either of them where. He was used to sleeping on the floor, or on a tree branch. He had heard of a hammock before and believed it to be quite simplistic, so he chose that one "I'le sleep in a hammock, please" Mumbled Malog, too tired to have a proper conversation. After this was said, he dropped his head down and began to nod off. His side was throbbing and his body was starting to heal it, but the healing process would tire him out an unbelievable amount.

[Darik]

oocMalog doesn’t have any legs?

Okay, maybe Darik lied. A hammock and a tent are two vastly separate beasts. One is based on the ground, the other hangs from trees. Also hammocks are cooler looking and harder to make. He really shouldn’t have suggested the hammock in the first place, he had only seen pictures of them and he had never set up a contraption like that before. But he figured his wilderness survival skills would make up for it. He surveyed all the trees inside the stone “barrier” looking for good anchor trees. Darik didn’t exactly know any specification but he figured two tall sturdy trees about eight feet apart would be good. All the trees were much too far apart, maybe twelve to fourteen feet apart. Darik choose the former, taking the lesser of two evils. Those two trees also had a perk: they both had a 14 inch diameter which is more than enough to hold a man’s weight. It would complicate things much more, but he didn’t have a choice. Else he would have to change the barrier, and it looked like his worker was spent. He thought about if he had pushed the kelvic too far, but only for a second. He didn’t want to spend his brain power focusing on a lesser creature when he could craft a truly wondrous piece. With the tree chosen, Darik brought all of his supplies next to it. He was going to use the waterproof oil, the fabric, and the rope. Only problem…he didn’t have anything to cut the fabric or robe with. Sure, he could maybe rip the fabric with his hands but the rope was much too strong. Darik almost face palmed at his stupidity. He could use his knife! It hadn’t been sharpened recently, but the blade still had a faint sparkle. He lay the fabric on the ground and was faced with another conundrum, he didn’t know how long it should be! It was easily solved, he brought two yards toward the kelvic and instructed him to hold it. He then held both of their middles together and inspected how it fit with the kelvic. It was perfect, he wouldn’t have to cut anything! He brought the tarp back to the trees and laid it down. He let the middles overlap about an inch or two. With his knife he then made 9 holes at a set interval. The holes were a bit bigger than the area of the rope. He then took one end of the rope in hand and looped it through all the holes. Once that was done, he then tied that end in a little ball. He then went to the other side and cut the rope. He then made another matching little piece of rope. He was left with two connected pieces of fabric that didn’t have a perfect middle. It would hold the kelvic’s weight, but it would notice the non seamless stitch. Now, to do the most important part. Hanging it on the tree. Darik went to each ending of the fabric and cut a hole in the center. He then got his rope and laid one end down. He walked with it, stretching it out all the way. He estimated were the middle of it was and cut the rope there. Each of the rope segments were long, but somehow he looped it through the holes a the end of the fabric. He tried his regular squibble to hook the rope around the trees and it seemed to work. To test his creation he jumped on it. Suffice to say, Darik’s whole body weight slammed onto the ground. He thought it was because of his rope tying skills but it was for another reason. He had only left two inches between the fabric and the ground. Grumbling, he got back up. This time he lifted the rope higher and paid attention to his fingers. He made a loop around the tree thinking what he could do. Experimenting, he slid the other side through the already made loop. After he pulled it up, he pulled it around the other side of the rope. Thinking of a great idea, he then looped the rope side back into the tree. Once it was done it still looked a little loose. He pulled on it, hoping it wouldn’t unravel. It didn’t, in fact it formed a neat little knot.I had trouble describing a bowline knot. Once done hanging the hammock, Darik wiped his forehead. That had taken much more work than he was ust to. He approached the kelvic, who had probably had enough rest. ” Why don’t you go catch some prey while I continue setting up the hammock?” What else could he do? He reviewed it and came up with a idea. ”I am going to hang an overhead flap and waterproof it for you. Now scamper you useless freeloader, and do something useful.” He doubted the kelvic would take it offensively, he was obviously kidding…or was he?

oocSorry it was late. :