Bango has regained consciousness. He finds himself marooned on a rock, in the midst of the turbulent river. He doesn't remember what happened. He is confused. He sees the others perhaps two hundred feet away on the pebble beach of the grand oxbow.

Twylyt quickly talks to the gnomes, “We need to save Bango. Could we quickly make a raft to go upstream to get him? Or is there a better way to safely get him ashore?”

Schep tells Poppin and Bexter to collect Selunida, all her pieces, and the oars which are all drifting down the beach.

" Get the oars and paddle out with the cabin section! I am going to him!"

Schep runs up the beach and finds a position he thinks he can angle against the current to get to the rock Bango is on. The shirpas are all exceptionally strong swimmers. He jumps in and fights his way across the gap to reach the rock.  This will likely be the best route for the raft once they get it in order. Schep pulls himself up then immediately attends to his friend.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:04, Thu 25 Apr.

Knowing she is out of her element and the gnomes are in theirs, Twylyt tries to be useful. She collects parts of broken up ship and untangles the rope that had been her lifeline on the ship - possibly the pieces plus the rope could make some craft to assist Schep and Bango return safely. Once done, she looks for comfortable place for Bango to recuperate and to make sure there are no threats on this rocky beach. She is confident in her ability to heal the gnomes once they get to shore.

The shirpas fly into action. They gather up the boat which broke into three pieces. They managed to find two of the four oars. Bexter and Poppin take the central piece and, with a rope attached They walk it to the most advantageous launching point. Due to the angle they start from, they won't have to fight directly upstream. It takes a half hour, but the three manage to load Bango onto to the raft and drift it back to the pebble beach. It looks like exhausting work, but the gnomes perform it with purpose and concern for their leader.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:25, Fri 26 Apr.

Finally, they are safe and I can help! Twylyt thinks. She has been pacing on the shore, periodically picking up and putting down pebbles from the shore as she watches the rescue scene. One, which was more green than the rest, caught her eye so she put it in a pocket to examine more later.

Once they are ashore, she quickly casts Cure Wounds on Bango and props him up by a fire she has made. The fire comes from one of her torches and some small branches and dried moss near the shore - the fire is small since she never went far from the beach and kept looking at the drama unfolding on the water. Besides, there is not much flammable material near the river. If they stay here some time, she will need to look for more fuel. The roar of the chute continues in the background and might even have been considered relaxing if it had not just attempted to take the life of one of her companions.

She is impressed by the bravery and swimming skills of the little gnomes and asks each of them, by name, whether they also have any injuries that she can heal. She restrains herself from asking about how they will travel now that the raft is destroyed and instead focuses on helping everyone recuperate.

As Twylyt administers divine healing, the knot on Bango's head nearly vanishes. He comes to and is quickly back to himself. He is a little foggy on the details of what happened, but he knows reassembling the boat is a top priority.

"We have a half days float to our village of Flowergrove. From there we walk. Let's get the pieces organized and start relashing it together. We have some spare cord. But we will have to be creative with it."

DM note: 300 xp for challenge. 50 bonus for good RP.  One thing I want you to work on is not using game speak to cast Spells. More narrative description and less using the names of Spells or the words "cast" and "spell".
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:12, Sun 28 Apr.

OOC: Thanks for the XP - do you add that or do I? And thank you for the feedback on RP - I will take that advice.

IC:

"Let's get busy, then!" says Twylyt.  She resists the urge to hug Bango, so instead just shares smiles with the gnomes about his recovery. She is pleased she had already started collecting the pieces of the raft but is concerned about how much creativity they might need to make something float.  Looking around, she says, "I can collect other pieces, such as timber, if that would assist. And here's my rope, if that has not already been accounted for."

The crew wastes no time in organizing the project. Once the pieces are arranged in place the effort seems less overwhelming. The gnomes make good use of the materials at hand. They are forced to knot together some salvaged cord but by nightfall they have what looks like a working skiff. It's decided that a beach camp was safest. They agreed to keep a two man watch team awake throughout the night. Twylyt is told to rest and be prepared for a long travel day.

The night passes without incident. Twylyt wakes to the smell of cooking fish.  Bango had caught two during the morning shift. He is certainly a talented survivor.

She starts with morning prayers then, talking with her mouth full, Twylyt thanks Bango for the food and then asks about his head. Learning  he is fine, she asks, “What should we expect in Flowergrove?”

"Unfortunately,  it wont seem like much Sister. We will drop the boat off at the shore. There will be some villagers there. They will refill our provisions and provide us with packs. We will need to set off immediately.  Hopefully,  we can make up for lost time."

“Then lead the way and off we go. I will be happier to be moving on land then on this wild river,” she says. Dwarves are comfortable with solid things like rocks and smiting enemies. Elves can deal with liquidy things like water and diplomacy. Or at least that is what Twylyt believes.

The day passes with little event. Even the shift to packs and walking was fairly unremarkable. A group of gnomes took the boat from them, handed them packs and after a pleasant exchange of greeting, the five began their hike going south along the eastern bank of the river. Bango explains they will camp near the river tonight, then strike into the forest in the morning.

Twylyt was not used to gnomes being so serious and organized. She was used to them joking and playing around. The efficiency in the transition from river to hiking was nice. Walking along the river bank was pleasant with only the usual unthreatening woodland animals periodically coming into view. Per her norm, Twylyt was most interested in the plants - particularly the mosses and fungi - but unusual for her, she did not stop to examine any closely since she did not want to be the one slowing down progress.

The gnomes transform from all buisness on the boat to much less so on the trail. Though they are attentive and alert, and each armed with short swords, they are much more chatty and light hearted once they start walking. It becomes obvious that Poppin and Schep are closer than friends though they don't display affection, it's obvious in their body language. Bango is older than the others by quite a bit. He sticks close to Twylyt.

"Thank you for helping to save me yesterday. I dont remember much but I know I hit that rock pretty hard. The thing moved. That rock shifted several feet. It got me."
This message was last updated by the player at 14:13, Fri 03 May.

“It must have moved before you hit AND after you hit it,” Twylyt said with a laugh. “You certainly did hit it hard but you are a tough gnome.”  She knew it was the gnomes’ water knowledge that was most important to his survival but here ego was happy to receive the compliment. But moving on to topics more in her interest, she lowers her voice a bit to ask, “Say, what’s up with Poppin and Schep?  They look pretty interested in each other.”

"They are sweet on each other. Fixin to be married in the summer. Poppin's family is throwing a big party. She is my best oarsman. Schep's not bad either."

The older gnome chats with Twylyt as they follow a very minimal trail. They are moving deeper into the forest. It is getting darker even though it's just past mid-day. The gnomes seem alert but relaxed. Bexter is in the lead. While the others chit chat softly, he is quiet and alert.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:14, Mon 06 May.

With Fllowergrove behind her and Glitterhovel ahead of her, Twylyt walks with her war hammer on one shoulder and shield in her other hand. She uses the shield to push away the many small branches and vines that interrupt the path but even still some get through to touch her. The insects are making their various noises and the local birds are making their afternoon calls, most likely about the insects they are about to eat. She keeps one eye on Bexter since he is most likely to give them a warning, if needed, but otherwise is not hyper alert. While not as comfortable as a walk through a mine, Twylyt has spent enough time in the forest to be more comfortable in this setting than on the tumultuous river.

The journey to Glitterhovel is a long and tiring hike. Fortunately, it is mostly downhill. For days the group hike. Each night they stop in empty hovels under ancient old trees. They would be invisible to most. Bango seems to find them with little effort. Inside they are cramped but with regular watches kept by the Gnomes, each night passes without event and Twylyt manages good rest. On the fifth day, Bango announces that Glitterhove is only a few hours away.

"Sister? You do speak gnomen I am guessing? Might want to get used to it. Many folks speak Dwarven in Glitterhovel but by no means is it guaranteed."

Bango tries his best to make his suggestion seem deferential, a humble suggestion.

“Yes, I have studied gnomish.” Switching to the other language, “Know I some but perfect not am. Practice we should.”

"Your accent is perfect. You will get along fine. Is there somewhere specific you're going in Glitterhovel? Perhaps I could help point you in the ŕight direction."
This message was lightly edited by the player at 12:12, Wed 08 May.

Another hour and a half passes when Bexter, who always takes the lead, stops next to a very large, sprawling tree that snakes off in every direction with large diameter branches that twist and climb into a shrouded canopy. He drops his pack, takes a seat on a large protruding root, and waits for the others to catch up. Schep and Poppin follow suit once they arrive, they remove their packs and sit. A few moments later Bango and Twylyt are standing next to the seated trio.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:11, Thu 09 May.

“The skills and abilities you have are impressive. I assume we are near, so I thank you for everything. I am to meet with Kinder Cobble. I understand he has an apothecary in the Glitterhovel bazaar. I would be most pleased if you could take me there. After that, I do not know where the path will lead me. However, my respect and assistance you can count on even after we separate.”

The great tree was in fact the public entrance to Glitterhovel.  Bango explained that it was the entrance used by guests. It leads directly into the eastern side of the Bazaar.  Kindle's Apothecary is on the western side. It's one of the big ce tral shops. He explains that it is very hard to miss. The bazaar is thirty feet below the surcace. A long flight of stairs leads down and spills directly into the market. Once Bango shows Twylyt the Apothecary he begs her leave. He and his crew are exhausted and anxious for a meal and a bed. As he departs Twylyt is left with all her gear outside the Apothecary in a bustling town market.


Closing this thread.  XP award of 100 for enduring the long travel with grace and style.