Solo Looking forward

[Amunet]

88th day, Summer, 515 a.v.
6th bell,
Endrykas

They had made steady progress following The Run that ran along the border of Sylrias and then south towards Claridon. The warriors and hunters, well everyone, seemed to be buzzing about the influx of rabbits. They said they were everywhere. There was great sadness as two striders had to be put down because of the rabbit warrens. The hunters and warriors seemed to have the issue in hand. The webbers called it an omen. Many, including Amunet, were very thankful to the gods that her mare was ok. The pavilions and tents were all talking about it.

The wayward red head was asleep in her tent when the sixth bell came along. The girl was good and asleep peacefully. Her little hand waved away at her rear end sleepily as it seemed something was poking at it. It was probably Leia. Her legs moved a little and it stopped. After a chime or two she rolled more to her side and was more or less dozing now. Leia was quiet watching her covers. The little lump moved towards Amunet’s warmth. Camile was interested in movement along the sides of the tent. The lump kept moving and moving towards the lean form as Leia’s paw rested on the moving lump. Her paw released it as it scurred towards the human. The little lump sided right next to the little lady’s rear end. That little nose wiggled right where it shouldn’t and Amunet shot straight up with a startle as she gasped like she was the crypt keeper. Rabbits were everywhere as she was not quite awake Camile and Leia started chasing. Leia thought it was a game as these little furry things moved in a fun way. Camile knew very well what these little furry things were. The rabbits for some reason decided that Amunet’s tent was safe.

It was bizarre as her dog and cat was chasing and she was trying to run rabbits out of her tent. One scurried one way, while another scurried and cut a corner another way. The noise was not to unlike an unorganized herd of goats scrambling around. A great roaring cry went out of amunet as the rabbits scurried to the various corners of the grasslands. Some of them even went into other tents on the edges seeking refuge. The girl was breathing hard as camile had caught one and Leia had caught one. Camile’s mangled corpse was dropped at her feet. Leia was in a game of release and catch. Amunet sat down to watch as she caught her breath. This game was most entertaining to the cub as she let the rabbit go and it scurried left. Leia was very quick to catch it again as it squeaked. Leia let it go again. It was obvious the cat didn’t quite know what to do but instinct to chase it was very good. “you can go ahead and kill it girl. “ Camile was confused and laid down by Amunet. The red head wasn’t sure saying that meant anything to the cub, but it made the little lady laugh.

On one of the catches the cat bit down sufficiently enough to kill it or it was the stress of the ordeal. It wasn’t really clear but she had her prize. The poor cub batted at it to see if it would move a few times. Leia managed, to Amunet’s amusement, to look disappointed. “That’s how it works girl.” The cub laid down beside the rabbit. Her head would turn to look at it as if it would move again. The girl shook her head and chuckled as she went to the mangled carcass and the other carcass to pick them both up. This produced a bit of a quandary as she was trying to figure out how she was going to skin these. She wasn’t at all good at it.

[Amunet]

Well nothing else going on today so the girl called her dog and cat to follow. She stopped a second and fetched the two jars of the grey goop she made to see if they were any good. The two rabbits by their ears and she marched herself towards the tent maker’s. Those crafters are more on the edge as they needed more room. Aidan and Tob Brightwood did tents and wagon maintenance as well as make wagon and tent components. They knew more about pavilion, tents and wagons than anyone she knew. Amunet didn’t know very much outside of Endrykas. She went around back as Bob was stretching a piece of tent material he was working with over a frame.

“Hi, are you Aidan?” The bold girl asked. Her red hair flowed about her long and luxurious. It was unadorned but it moved about her like a fire of its own.

The man eyed her up and down. “Aye,” was his simple answer.

“I was wondering if you could teach me to skin there and well if you could look at this. I was trying to make glue but it looks awful. Is it supposed to be this color?“ The girl boldly ventured to the heart of the ordeal. No sense in dancing around the bush.

The man gave the young lady another appraisal. She was earnest and seemed to appear to be of the same clan as he, ruby. The color of her top as well as she is usually seen amongst the crafters. “You the Shimmerstone girl, right?”

“Aye, I am.” The girl acknowledged the kinship.

The man nodded as he came to her to take the jars from her. The furrow of the brow was deep as he looked at the goop. He then chunked them in a corner as they shattered. “No good. What did you use?”

“Bones and a little skin. “ The girl looked to her broken jars and then looked at the man trying very hard not to yell at him. She clamped down on her teeth.

The man sighed. “no no no. save the bones for broth. Not enough cartledge in them to make good glue. Give the bones to your dog or your cub there. “ He looked at her. “you any good at philtering.”

“I do know how to make oils, tinctures, medicines basics like that.” The girl said as she tried to gauge her words carefully. She couldn’t tell if he was helping or criticizing.

His bushy very hairy brows went up and took a deep breath. “alright, it isn’t hard. Since you have some small skill, let me teach you how to make proper glue and proper weather proofing. I could use the help now and then to make large batches if you a mind. “ He motioned her forward.

Amunet sighed a breath of air. “Thank you. I would like that very much. “ The girl held up a couple of rabbits.

The man nodded and waved her to bring them with her. When he took the rabbits, he looked at the mangled one. “right mess.” Was all he said as he grunted not sure which of her animals did it but they both looked young. “alright now. Get your dagger out. Lets make sure its good and sharp. Rabbit skin is on the thin side and delicate to handle so your dagger being sharp is key. “

[Amunet]

They went to where his wet stone was at and displayed to her the angle she needed to sharpen her dagger on both sides. Amunet took the wet stone in hand and started drawing the blade across, down and then back up. Aidan watched her. “no no no. One direction only. good keep it at this angle though “ He moved around to put the blade at the right angle. Amunet drew the blade’s edge back down. Then away and repeated the same stroke down again.

“it is important to keep it even. What you do on one side you need to do on the other side. “ The red head nodded as she paid attention to those details. She turned the blade and drew the blade down on the wetstone at the angle she was taught. Then away and back down again. The stroke was repeated under the watchful eye of Aidan. “don’t worry about speed that will come. Let me see.” He took the blade and tested the edge with his thumb. “Do it some more. “

Amunet nodded as she went to the original side and worked the blade down on the wet stone. She brought the blade down being mindful of the angle and just one direction. Turn the other side of the blade and down on that side. This was repeated for a chime or two. Turned the blade to the other edge and she worked that edge. The blade was brought down on the wet stone with its grinding steely hiss. Then turn the blade to the other side of that edge and down again.

“good good. Let’s test it. “ He tested it against his arm hair. The man was as hairy as you could get without being an animal it seemed. “It’s almost sharp. “ The man said as she gave it back to her. “More.”

Was it that dull? The girl sighed a little as she got the blade and dutifully repeated the steps. The dagger’s edge met the wetstone and was brought down. The motion was getting easier. She would have to remember to buy a wet stone as she realized how a dull dagger was not a good thing. This very basic thing was very much needed. The blade was flipped to the other side of that edge then brought down on the wet stone repeatedly. This went on for a chime before she flipped it over to the other edge and brought the blade down onto the wetstone. This was repeated on both sides of the edge several times for a chime.

“Let me test it now. “ He tested it against his hair as some of it came up cleanly. “good. Its ready. Oil blade after you sharpen it. “

Amunet nodded as she smiled for the first time since entering this man’s shop. “ Thank you.”

Aidan waved that off as he motioned her forward to watch how he started. “you start with mangled one. Start at the neck and start to bleed out. “ Aidan had a rabbit carcass of his own there. There was plenty actually. This was done quickly and Amunet had no trouble with this part. He proceeded to show her how to skin the rabbit little by little. “cut down the center then four cuts to the legs. You can gut it now also it sort of happens at the same time. “

Amunet nodded as her ragged line down the middle was doing just that. Her head would look over at what he was doing and then tried to imitate him. Her cut lines were ragged but it wasn’t completely stripping the hide horridly. “Now very carefully. Take the edge and get between the skin and the flesh.” This was the tricky part. Her blade now nice and sharp she was surprised how her blade slipped and through the skin.”ahh. see. Careful. Little lighter.. use the tip.” Amunet tried to be a bit more careful as she cut the sinew that held the skin to the flesh away in little bits. She was getting the hang of it. Little bit of flesh came away but it was coming away slowly as the hide was being pared away from the flesh. “circle the edge of your blade around the paws so you get one piece. The girl worked slowly as she watched Aidan do his and then attempted to mimic his steps. He made it look easy.

[Amunet]

“This is a mess.” The girl chuckled. It was better than what she had been doing.

Aidan actually smiled a little “take your time. Speed will come. You can tan some and a few turn into glue. “

Amunet finished the mangled one and well the hide did look mangled but more or less one piece. She picked up the second carcass. The girl started the same steps. She cut the throat and gutted it down the middle. She then made four cuts down from each limb. With care she lifted the edge of the hide and with the edge of the dagger started cutting at the tissue that connected the skin to the flesh. The careful long stroke went across this sinew. As the hide ever so slowly came away from the flesh, Her dagger edge would slowly advance on the rest of the hide. Again the long stroke went across this sinew to pull the hide away. It seemed like forever but in ten chimes she had the hide disconnected from the flesh.

The girl lifted the hide up and put it with the other one. Aidan put the whole rabbits on his fire. “They should be cooked before you take home. “

It was almost a casual flip on the fire as she looked at it. “I Understand. “ If flesh isn’t cooked fairly soon it can go bad and she didn’t need to get sick from spoiled meat.

“Now the recipe for making glue and weather proofing is not hard. It just takes time to make. You will need a large pot and three rabbit hides. Just rabbit. They have a lot of stuff in their skin that makes good glue. Deer or other hide isn’t as good. Save those for clothes.” He went on to explain. “ The first boil is for two bells to get any flesh or fat off of it. “

They put the skin whole in a pot of clean nearly boiling water. It was to be at a simmer boil for the bell. While he tended to a few things she watched it for the two bell. When they took it out he showed her how to make sure there is no flesh and no fat on it. “Now we need clean water and we boil it for four bells to get the hair off. “ Again she watched the pot and kept the fire up so it would slowly boil for the four bells. The hair would start circulating. It looked horrible. When they fished out the hide from the boiling water Aidan had her rinse the hides to get all residual fur off. Once the hides where good and clean, those hides were placed in clean water again. “Now the long wait. The hides are now clean and can be boiled and rendered down into glue. This last boil takes ten to eleven bells. The result is the glue that needs to be poured off into a container and let stiffen. If you want weather proofing then there is one more step before it is poured off into containers. “

[Amunet]

He went on to explain about alum.” I know alum is used for mordants by the dyers as my dad trades closely with the dyers. “ The girl said as she nodded to the man.

Aidan nodded and smiled again. “That’s true. When added to the glue, the glue becomes water resistant. This can be painted thinly on tents so they get an extra layer of resistance, especially during rain and winter.”

They talked awhile. Aidan’s wife brought them tea and the rabbit long ago cooked was eaten by everyone. Amunet didn’t mind in the least as she was fascinated by the stories and these crafter’s ways. Getting to know a people amongst your people had its benefits. Amunet checked the pot often. The girl went and stirred it. She did it again every bell to stir it as she watched the hide slowly reduce to this thick mass. It was more of a golden color. Not the grey mass she had done. The girl was definitely going to write this down.

Upon the tenth bell Aidan and her looked at the resultant rendered down glue. He put a very precise measure of the Alum. Aidan showed her the measure he used. It was about a tablespoon of it. She stirred as vigorously as she could. After a chime of constant stirring, she stopped to breath.

“No keep stirring!” He yelled as he was watching with rapt attention. The girl renewed her efforts to stir and stir the thick mass of stuff. The way it was making ribbons and marbled was telling as he nodded “stop. When it ribbons like that. It’s about ready. “
The girl helped him move it off of the fire. The industrious red head then stirred for a chime more. “Is this ready then?” The girl asked at the light golden mixture.

“Aye. “ The man brought two jars out and helped her pour the resultant rendered thick mass into the jars. He marked the jars with blue pigment. “Blue for weather proof. white for glue. “

He handed her the jars. “Thank you. Do you mind if I come back for more questions? “

He shook his head. “you work hard. I like that. Come back and I will show you other household things. Tents need to be colored so I will need help on the dyes and pigments.”

Amunet smiled. “I will and thank you. “ The girl called Leia and Camile to follow her. Leia did anyway. The red head patted the side of her thigh for Camile to come. Her heart lighter she headed to her tent. It may take her a bit to get that recipe right, but the skill will prove useful. She can sell excess to Aidan if need be or to others that needed it. These recipes will be a good addition to diversify what she can do. It may mean more coin and useful skill for the pavilion. They leave tomorrow to move onward towards the Fall grounds.

[Tribal]

G R A D E S

Amunet

Experience

• Observation: 2
• Socialisation: 3
• Rhetoric: 2
• Butchery: 1
• Weaponsmithing: 1
• Wilderness Survival, Plains: 1
• Cooking: 2
• Animal Husbandry: 1

Lore

• Hunting cats like to play with their food
• Aidan and Tob Brightwood: The maintenance crew
• Cooking: Use bones for broth
• Use cartilage to make glue
• You need a sharp blade to skin a rabbit
• Weaponsmithing: Sharpening a blade on a whetstone
• The basics of skinning a rabbit
• Glue takes a long time to make
• Aidan: A fair teacher

Penalties

- 2 x Glass Jars [shattered]

Rewards

1 x Jar of Glue [basic]
1 x Jar of Glue [weather proofing]

Notes

Skinning a rabbit falls under tanning but as you didn't do any tanning exactly I gave you a wilderness survival point and some lore. Enjoy.