Adventures in the Wastes - Session Summaries Valoris Wood Adventures

Home Stories

The timeline for these adventures is often unknown, but they are Home Stories that take place in the Craniate Wastes.

Home at last - Narrative roleplay of arriving at home back at The Tree

Special Session: 20200325c

• The story begins with some previously unknown inhabitants of the Valoris Wood. Are the elves aware of their existence? Well, not individually, but it should be no surprise to anyone that squirrels, sparrows, chipmunks, and mice live in the forest. That's kind of what you want living there (with the exception of non-native species, of course). So who exactly are the specific individuals we need to know?

• We begin this story with our heroes busy find and stuffing their cheeks with seeds while the sparrows bicker until their bickering is interrupted by... voices and a slamming door?

  1. The sparrows end up hearing two rats threatening someone although a quick knocking on the door reveals Master Mage (chipmunk). He doesn't actually tell Jack anything useful.
  2. Our fuzzy and feathered heroes gather outside (still stuffing themselves full of nuts) to ponder over why there are rats in their little village. A rabbit interrupts their pondering to ask questions, such as if the rats maybe probably are coming exactly to where they're currently having a group meeting? Oooh, yeah, about that. What to do?

• It's only a single rat coming towards them, but what's the plan? Flee? Fight? Faint From Fright?

  1. While Sniffikins flees, following Soarkin's plan of running (not that any of them remember where to run), Sqald blinds the rat with a spark, and Miss Bianca will absolutely not share her seeds with any rat. She, uh, gets a little bit overprotective and knocks the rat to his feet (disabled). So what now?
  2. After attempts to bully the bully into revealing why its in their home bullying people, Sniffikins gets the idea to trip the rat that's trying to drag himself away. Agreeing that this is, indeed, a good plan, Miss Bianca pushes the rat once more, who falls over Sniffikins, and.... tumbles to his death below. Oops? Maybe?

• Before they can decide if it's good or bad that they killed the rat, the other two start making their way down. While the fuzzy and feathered heroes attempt to scamper and hide, the rats don't notice them anyway. They do notice the dead rat. Idiot must have fallen over the side. His own fault. Yep. Anyways, what's with the needle and blood one of the rats has? Also what's this about a ring and going back to the cellars to the north?

  1. Clearly we need to go back and talk to Master Mage who most probably was tortured with a needle. And this is why we have to be careful about letting invasive species into an ecosystem that is not suited to them.

• Yes, Master Mage is injured, but will he finally tell them what this is all about? After hearing the deeds of Bianca the Brave, who killed a rat, he believes maybe the fuzzy and feathered heroes may be able to help after all.

  1. They learn that One of the Great Ones (Acorn) lost a Magic (Invisibility) Ring (let's hope Treble didn't eat it). As it hasn't been found from whenever that happened to whenever this happens, the rats are now in search of it. Can you imagine how powerful invisible rats could be??
  2. Believing this is what is meant to be, Master Mage gives Bianca a thimble (to guard? armor? something like that) and wishes them luck in tracking down those rats.

• That's where we leave off with a vague plan to head north, traipse through the Valoris Wood where they'll likely have to at least dodge wolves and possibly a small mouse eating falcon, make friends with some otters, and, you know, survive long enough to find the ring. Can they do it?

  1. Tune in Tuesday to find out!

Quotes of the Night

Sqald Squirrel (TMO) puffs up again. "Squirrels are all smart! Great Ones are just extra geniuser!"
[Sqald Squirrel (TMO)] No bird brains among the squirrels!
[Capt. Jack Sparrow (Fritz)] Yeah...Right!!! Extra....Do you spell Geniuser with an "X"?
[Sqald Squirrel (TMO)] Of course not! Only a bird would think there was an x in Geniuser.

Special Session: 20200408c

• If you didn't already know, BOB's internet has hated him lately which is why we didn't have a second session until another week later. Even still, it did require quite a bit of patience as it kept dropping BUT we still made great progress. Silver linings right? So what did we do?

  1. You can ignore the first hour of chat. That's for the other adventure. Mice and chipmunks don't use crossbows and throwing clubs (but could they use potions of humanoid control?).

• The real question is how can a bunch of tiny, tasty rodents survive the three day trip to the Great Stone Mountain? Most of them haven't been further than the great big tree (the sparrows have gone as far as, gasp, three trees!). What to do? Ask for help, of course.

  1. Dare goes to see if his older brother will help only to discover his mother and brother are gone, but where? Who could answer such a question? Well rabbit is still around...
  2. The adults (of which we definitely are not) have gone west to gather an army. So if they're busy, and Arch Mage wants us to go to Stone Mountain, who can help us?
  3. Rabbit, of course. Rabbit debates if rabbit wants to be a hero only for that to be interrupt by a HAWK! Which thankfully doesn't catch any of them, but, you know, reminds them how dangerous this mission of theirs will be.
  4. Which makes rabbit realize the fuzzy and feathered heroes will need some help and decides to join them. Call her (him?) Dandelion, please. And yes, Dandelion is older than them.

• With this scene of the adventure complete, we're now allowed to spend one point on anything for our characters. One of us wants to boost our save percentage, but most of us think more HP sounds like a really good idea right now.
• What's our next task? To get across the clearing to the next tree! Sounds easy, right? Not if you're a teeny, tiny delicious rodent, no. You know what really likes eating rodents? Snakes.

  1. Half the text is, sadly, lost which means you don't know if Lisa really did get good rolls finally or not, but Horatio and Dare do make it safely across the clearing.
  2. What do we do for Sniffikins and Bianca? The latter has had absolutely dismal rolls so trying to tuck and roll probably isn't a good idea... toss the dead rat? No, much too heavy to do that scrumptious though it still must be.
  3. Dandelion, though, has an idea! She hops, and zips, and runs drawing the snake's attention to her. At one point, she fakes an injury, further gaining the attention of the snake so now's a good time to run for it, right?
  4. Sniffikins hightails it across the clearing to safety, but Bianca? Yeah, again, about those rolls... the snake notices her and corners her, so what can we do?
  5. Captain Jack Sparrow catches up with the group, notices poor Bianca, the dead rat, and has an idea. Flying under the rat, Jack makes it move and the snake finally strikes! And coils around both the rat AND Jack. Oops. What next?
  6. Bianca runs over and helps pull Jack out. He looses a few feathers and therefore some brief dexterity, but can still fly. Snake now occupied, he does just that and flies to the next tree as Bianca runs across to it. Success!

• Internet says we have to stop here after trying multiple times to interrupt the game, and so we do. We have how far to go now? And we still haven't run into the wolves...

  1. Will we next time? Only one way to find out, as always. See you whenever that is!

Quotes of the Night:

[Dandelion (Master)] have any of you ever been to the Stone Mountain?
Horatio (Lisa) looks around at the ground
[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] I haven't been past that tree!
[Horatio (Lisa)] (LOL)
[Horatio (Lisa)] (this is too funny)

Special Session: 20200415c

• This adventure is slightly cursed. Or kLoOge doesn't like it. It wasn't as bad as last week, but we did get kicked a few times. Will kLoOge ever behave?
• Anyways, we're start on the other side of the clearing and at a new tree. What will this whole new perspective bring us? North. Along the clearing, the path, the trees, or...?

  1. Dandelion suggests we keep to the edges: extra flowers, grass, crops, hiding spots. All the good stuff!
  2. Also did you know Dandelion is the fastest rabbit in the burrow? Well, you know, ever since Buttercup gotten eaten by a wolf... well, at least the wolves are eating well! Will that fox we see eat well as well?
  3. Depends on if eating a recently dead rat is eating well. The wolves would disagree, but the fox seems happy with his meal that Dandelion lures the fox to (which is still there as the snake had only wrapped around the rat before an owl took the snake which dropped the rat).

• And now we're introduced to the ambiguous amphibians starting with: the frog.

  1. He croaks at us, and ribbits at us, and doesn't seem very helpful. Even after we poke it and kiss it. Did it try to kiss Miss Bianca back or eat her? We're not actually completely sure.
  2. But you know who is also good at catching flies? Horatio! And with that Horatio learns a new attack: tail whip! Fancy.

• We leave the frog who doesn't give us any information or words and run into THE WALL. We've heard rumors of it, and it's at least 2 or 3 feet tall so how do we get over it? Well, those of us who cannot fly or jump high?

  1. Alvin goes one way while Bianca and Horatio go the other way. Two different paths up the wall. Which is the better path?
  2. The one without ambiguous amphibian number two! A salamander leaves its hole to threaten Alvin. Is it dangerous, protective, or something else?
  3. We never find out as Miss Bianca bashes it with her thimble to stun it and Captain Jack pecks it to death. Hooray!...? Maybe.
  4. And for our brief battle, we find two shiny pebbles in the cave the salamander was in. Are they actually treasures or did we just kill mama salamander and steal her unhatched eggs? Most salamander eggs are gelatinous goop so hopefully not the latter.
  5. Miss Bianca and Captain Jack each take a shiny pebble, and with the salamander gone, we all make it up the cliff successfully.

• Just in time to spot a magnificent, noble buck named Trumble! What to do about a non-threatening animal but butter him up and ask for a ride?

  1. It did not take much to butter up the buck, but of course, he's far too noble and majestic to give us a ride. He'll send someone to help us. So how long do we wait?
  2. At least until the night, right? No harm done if it means faster transport to STONE MOUNTAIN which is otherwise three days away.
  3. Do bucks flutter? No, but bats do! Just don't speak too loud, okay? Uh, yeah. Too bad the doe doesn't get our memo when she arrives and scares away the bat.
  4. BUT she's willing to give us a ride so let's hop on! Let's go now when it's easier to stay still in the dark and avoid... things. As you say, Flow!

• You know deer are much bigger and faster than tiny rodents? Yeah. We're already at Stone Mountain. That was fast! Let's hunker down in the tree for the night and see what the morning brings us.

  1. With this success, we get another point to spend (including you, Ryan, don't forget).
  2. ...and a cliffhanger of waiting to see until Wednesday to see what we see. See you there! (See what I did there?)

Quotes of the Night:

[Buck (Master)] SNORT
Capt. Jack Sparrow (Fritz) flies over and lands on the antlers of the Buck
[Buck (Master)] SHAKES
[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] He's so big!
[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] Look at his rack!

Special Session: 20200422c

• So we arrive late evening near a stream thanks to the fact that Flow is much faster than a couple of small mice and a bird. How will we pass the night near one of the last trees?

  1. By sleeping somewhere safe, of course. We've got food so why stay out in the open?
  2. Dandelion proposes use groundlings find a nice place to burrow. Thankfully there's one already nearby! I bet it's safe for us to use, yes?
  3. I mean, yes, it is, but the poor mole is confused by our sudden invasion. After agree we won't eat the mole's grubs, we're allowed to safely pass the night in their burrow.

• Morning brings questions about how to get across the clearing safely? Let's try hiding under big leaves, moving slowly, and hoping we're mistaken for leaves moving with the wind.

  1. There is a point where a badger crosses close to us, one that Dandelion briefly talks to, but as they say, "Honey badger don't care! It just takes what it wants!" (Honey badger is also an African species, but shhh). They also say something about snakes and mushrooms, but anyways, point being, we don't mess with the rodent-eating badger.

• We reach a hamlet on the edge of the meadow under a large bush right next to a stream. Off in the misty distance are a hill with tall stones and other such.

  1. We run into some mice. All mice are nice, right? We can tell them anything, right? Right...
  2. First they're surprised by our chipmunk arch mage and then they really want to drag us inside for some reason? Probably not for good reasons.
  3. They do grab Horatio attempt to force at least one of us inside, but with his squirming, Miss Bianca's tumbling, and Jack's wing fluttering, we scare off the river mice.
  4. There was mention of the Legendary Giant Fish. No one has seen it. Is it a myth or is it maybe because it swallowed the invisibility ring? So... how will we find it?

• You know what the river mice were doing? Keeping an eye on the rat's ferry. That sits idle right now. Ready for the taking so obviously we're going to take it, right?

  1. Most likely. After we spend the point we just earned at the end of this sessions. Anyways, see you on Wednesday!

Quotes of the Night

[Spring] I am back at the keyboard.
[Master] so then when Spring returns morning comes

[Capt. Jack Sparrow (Fritz)] I saw...
[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] Rocks!
[Horatio (Lisa)] Seeds!
Capt. Jack Sparrow (Fritz) pauses for effect and looks around the burrow
[Horatio (Lisa)] Berries?
[Sniffikins Fieldmouse (Spring)] dragons!
[Horatio (Lisa)] No, dragons would be bad surprise
[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] Dragonflies!
[Horatio (Lisa)] Berries would be really good surprise!
[Capt. Jack Sparrow (Fritz)] A FERRY TOWN built by MICE!!!!!
[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] Ferriers?
[Sniffikins Fieldmouse (Spring)] a WHOLE TOWN?!?!?!?!
[Horatio (Lisa)] Fairies?
[Horatio (Lisa)] I didn't think there were things like fairies
[Capt. Jack Sparrow (Fritz)] Can you believe it? Well maybe a small hamlet...Yes they have a ferry
[Horatio (Lisa)] Is she pretty?
[Sniffikins Fieldmouse (Spring)] it might not be a girl fairy
[Capt. Jack Sparrow (Fritz)] Well how else would some creatures be able to cross?
[Horatio (Lisa)] I like Hamlets

Session: 20200506c

• Just a reminder that Wednesdays are also good days to update character sheets, ask questions, plan things, and such even if you don't stick around long enough to join the adventure.
• So we're at the bank of the stream, river mice run off, with a crude wooden cut out of a boat just sitting there for us to steal. Who wants to learn how to sail? Er, and how do we do that?

  1. There are sticks inside. What can we do with them? Maybe use them to push us along?
  2. Helps if we untie it first which Sniffikins does by chewing it. With a lurch, we're off!
  3. ...er, and we did forget to tell Dandelion so we did maybe accidentally left Dandelion behind. Oops. But we are reassured that Dandelion is safe so there's that, at least.

• The "boat" starts floating down stream, spinning around gently, almost causing seasickness. But it carries us and makes for a good perch for the kingfisher! Er, what?

  1. Thankfully they prefer to eat fish over rodents. Can a kingfisher find an invisible fish? He's pretty good at finding the ones he catches while we float along (and shaking the boat each time).
  2. Sarkle is the name of the kingfisher who tells us about the circle stream that this stream will become once we hit the naked trees.
  3. Which we eventually do, but the boat would be a tight squeeze, and Horatio can't swim, so maybe we should bring it up on the shore and walk through the sluice gate thing.

• The boat isn't tied, but we do our best. Will it be there still when we find the invisible fish? CAN Sarkle find an invisible fish and not eat it because we get the ring? Will he turn invisible if he eats the invisible fish who ate the invisible ring?

  1. Tune it Wednesday to find out!

Quotes of the Night

[Sniffikins Fieldmouse (Spring)] but if sarkle ate the invisible fish, wouldn't sarkel go invisible too?
[Horatio (Lisa)] Hmmm ... thinking
[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] But Sarkle has to caught it first and not eat it right away.
[Sarkle (Master)] Fish are food
[Sniffikins Fieldmouse (Spring)] you could be invisible until you pooped

Session: 20200520c

• Just a reminder you can always come and chat and plan with us on Wednesday before we get back to Rescuer's Business. We usually do talk about the other session (you know, THAT one) before we start playing. Anyways, back to the mice!
• And back to trying to figure out how to find a fish? Wait for Sarkle to stab it? Can you talk to a fish that's been stabbed? Do fish talk or is it telepathy? How long would it take Sarkle to stab an invisible fish?

  1. Would it help if Horatio joins the stabbing with his stick? Sarkle says no, too much movement in the water scares away the fish, so maybe don't do that?
  2. Did the ring get pooped out? How did the rats plan to find the ring? Did the fish actually spit it out and it's down in the mud?
  3. As they think, Bianca dips the thimble into the water to get a drink. A little bubble pops to the surface of the water inside the thimble. Oh! A clue! Of some sort. Yeah, we'll figure this out quickly. Yeeeeeep. Somehow.
  4. Something about fish caves? That's where fish would hide, right? And that thimble? You know how it traps air? It's right there on the tips of tongues... kinda of.

• If you voted to make the thimble into a diving bell to go down and look for the invisible fish, you win! Because that's apparently what has been planned from the beginning! And, of course, like an angler fish, using a light to do so, but... uh, we don't have any creature with us anymore who can magic up such a thing. Hmm.

  1. See Spring? Toss enough ideas out and something will stick!
  2. And this means we'll need to use some reed for snorkels
  3. This also means being prepared for possible encounters with catfish and bass.

• With a plan sort of in place, and points earned spent, we leave it here to pick up with The Rescuers Down Under(water) next Wednesday!

Quotes of the Night

[Sniffikins Fieldmouse (Spring)] yay a seed!!!
[Sniffikins Fieldmouse (Spring)] omnomnnomnom
[Horatio (Lisa)] Is it better than our seeds back home?
[Sniffikins Fieldmouse (Spring)] nah, it's ordinary
[Sniffikins Fieldmouse (Spring)] but I haven't had a lot of luck finding them
[Horatio (Lisa)] It's not worse though. That's good
[Sniffikins Fieldmouse (Spring)] true, it coulda been moldy or under a poop or something

Session: 20200603c

• So we're at the moat looking for an invisibility ring. Is the ring invisible? Is the fish invisible? Is this going to be hard to find? At least for the last question: yes.

  1. The diving bell is still a thought, but we decide on using the nearby reeds to make us some snorkling gear. Thankfully this works just as well to help us go diving.
  2. Which by us, I mean... Miss Bianca. Horatio can't swim, but is very helpful by smacking the water to scare away the fish, and Sniffikins just isn't have a good night of rolling.
  3. Miss Bianca does manage to find various fish caves and shiny things. She does bring up a shiny pebble because it's very pretty, but it, er, isn't what we're looking for at all. She also brings up some delicious young shoots to eat, but it, er, also isn't what we're looking for at all.
  4. Sniffikins eventually finds a way to face the water and go for a swim. Although at one point Sarkle does almost smack her with its wing. Slightly rude? And no, mice do not taste good (says the mice). Anyways, between the two mice they find more caves and shiny things.
  5. We have seven more caves (after Miss Bianca explores two) and four of those have sparkles in them. Unfortunately, not all the fish are scared by the splashing. In two of those caves, there were multiple sparklies and larger fish whereas the smaller fish have less. In other words, we're not going to be able to avoid fish encounter.
  6. Maybe the stick reaches down far enough to scare the fish? Horatio tries to find out only to have the stick pulled out from his hands. This tosses the poor, swimless Horatio into the water. Suddenly any good rolls (of which only Miss Bianca seemed to mostly have tonight) are now gone, and it is only as Horatio is on his last breath that Sarkle manages to grasp and fly the poor mouse to safety.

• With Sarkle and Horatio now safe on one side of the bank, and Sniffikins and Miss Bianca on the other, we end here with hopes of new plans.

Quotes of the Night

[Master] so the plan is?
[Carissa] So plan is reeds, drop to bottom and/or have a lure and watch for a fish
[Carissa] Otherwise I say we jump to it. Planning is mostly for Fridays :)

Session: 20200610c

• So we left off with poor Horatio almost drowning. As he catches his breath on the opposite side of the moat, he's approached by... a small rat? A large mouse? No, AVERAGE-sized city mouse.

  1. Hello to Jamie! Introduced via Fieval the City Mouse who is confused by these country bumpkins and their quest for some kind of ring in the water and friendship with a stabbing bird. Of course, the bumpkins are confused about how the giants are actually scared of mice? Looks like we have plenty to learn about each other.
  2. With introductions and confusions mostly cleared up, we return to our original problem still: how do we find this ring that may be inside a fish or may be at the bottom of the moat?

• Maybe the Arch Mage knows? You know, the one in the stone tree without branches. Not the other arch mage. So why don't visit this stone tree and find that arch mage?

  1. Let's find the entrance quick because that thumping sound sounds like, well, an otter, and otters usually find mice to be very tasty.
  2. While they make it inside, they all fall ungracefully upon... grass? A flat tree? Something weird like that, but at least it's soft - maybe soft enough to sleep in? Not great for food, though.
  3. Yelling for the Arch Mage does, surprisingly, get a response, although more of a scolding. They find a way off the flat tree to the floor where yes, it is an arch mage that greets them.

• What help can this Arch Mage provide us? Sounds like it's story time!

  1. ...and a good place to leave off for the night. See you on Wednesday!

Quotes of the Night

[Horatio (Lisa)] Say hello to Fievel, Sarkle
[Sarkle (Master)] CLACK
[Sarkle (Master)] Do you taste good?
[Fievel (Jamie)] But what are you doing out here? I didn't think anyone was out collecting bedding at this time
[Fievel (Jamie)] NO NO I DO NOT
[Sarkle (Master)] (if someone asks if you are a god..... )

[Master] but Jamie can make her roll now
[Fievel (Jamie)] Fievel: Foraging check: (d20) [1d20=20] 20 - ROLL FAILED against 8!!
[Horatio (Lisa)] (rolls like us - welcome :) )
(Note: she actually had great rolls later unlike us...)

[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] An otter? Do they carry seeds?
[Fievel (Jamie)] They eat you!
[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] But we don't taste good!
[Horatio (Lisa)] I taste good!
[Horatio (Lisa)] I checked

Session: 20200624c

• You know who else comes to Arch Mage looking for help? A lost city mouse named Gruyere (played by Valerie).

  1. Gruyere isn't looking for a ring, but is willing to make new friends and help us find the ones we're trying to find before the rats find it. But how will we do that?
  2. After telling Arch Mage our story, he points out how shiny her thimble is, you know, like the shiny things fish collect. But can we make it shinier? With magic seeds that act like glow sticks we can! But maybe don't eat it.

• It was a short session, mostly of recap, but with a better plan on trying to get the right fish towards us. Maybe we can go fishing and Sarkle will stab it? Or maybe we go back to diving?

  1. You know the drill. Find out next time!

Quotes of the Night

[Lisa] a whole era devoted to hell?
[Master] yeap
[Carissa] Isn't that 2020?

Session: 20200701c

• We're back at the moat. We have how many caves left to search? Well let's get to it.

  1. After we making a fishing pole with a basket on the end to put in a shiny pebble (don't want to lose it, now do we?) we decide to go fishing!
  2. First catfish lured out of the cave is stabbed by Sarkle. Killed? No, but it swims off letting us safely look into the cave.
  3. Is the shiny silver coin worth it? Bianca doesn't notice the fish coming towards her to take over the now empty cave. Gruyere jumps into the water to see how to help. Eventually, Bianca gives up on the coin, does some fancy swimming, and leaves it and the fish behind.
  4. Next cave with a better plan for Gruyere to watch Bianca's back? There's something in there. Sucking in water, but it's dark. How about the magic seed of light? Useful, but the reed snorkel only goes so far. With a deep breath, Bianca goes to take a closer look to see... invasive species! Damn Tiberius, wash your boat between bodies of water!
  5. But more important, there's something gold glinting between those shells. Is it the ring?

• Out of air and out of sunlight, Bianca and Gruyere go back to shore to join Horatio in planning their next move. And more importantly, how they'll pass the night. As an owl hoots softly somewhere too close for comfort, will they nest outside or inside?

  1. Decisions, decisions, all to be made next Wednesday!

Quotes of the Night

Master] and also Valerie we are going easy with the rules during these sessions, we would have done something like click off round by round, who goes first, second, etc. but we are trying to keep this light and fun
[Horatio (Lisa)] (because blood in the water and near death by fishes is light and fun!)

Session: 20200708c

• We start off the night, er, at night. Knowing that no one would willingly want to sleep outside when there are owls and things, the mice opt to go back inside.

  1. Arch Mage greets us, shows us a place to sleep, and tells us not to touch anything. Good thing we're all too worn out to be curious. The night passes uneventfully.
  2. ...but well-rested by morning, what's that thing? And this thing? And that over there??

• Curious about the weird small bladders of liquid, they decide to take it to Arch Mage to ask what the thing is and if it can be used as a raft.

  1. Arch Mage is not happy to be woken up by us. Gruyere, who slept in, finds us and kindly informs us that it's alcohol, something the rats like drinking. Mice do not care to drink. Can we set the rats on fire with it, though??
  2. Well whether or not it's useful later, we need to appease Arch Mage. Sniffikins thinks a good breakfast is the answer. After some foraging around the kitchen, we find him a meal. He appreciates it and seems to forgive Sniffikins for waking him.
  3. Also the storage rooms are his, full of things to trade, including alcohol only rats drink. Does he do business with the rats?? Things thought too late...

• The mice make their way back outside with a plan. Stick to hold open the bivalve, longer reeds for breathing, Sarkle at the ready. Good?

  1. A catfish is back at the cave waiting for us, but thankfully Sarkle is determined not to let breakfast escape (unlike last night's dinner). After Bianca lures the catfish closer, Sarkle attacks and chases the injured catfish hopefully for a good meal.
  2. Between Sniffikins and Bianca, they manage to retrieve the shiny gold thing with no injure and no trouble. Horray! But is it the ring?

• It is a ring! But is it the right one? Let's try it. It doesn't fit over the head, but why don't we try to tail?

  1. Wait, where did Miss Bianca go?? Success! It IS the Invisible Ring!
  2. With some experimenting, we find that it won't work on two mice at once, we don't think it steals parts of our souls as Sniffikins worries it might, you can see yourself while wearing it, and it only works on your tail not your paw.

• So what next? Well the rats are right behind us. There's a good chance of a big encounter with them. Only one way to find out! See you Wednesday.

Quotes of the Night

[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] Oooh it all smells good here. What do we get him?
[Gruyere (valma-73412)] is there...Gruyere?
[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] You're right here?
[Gruyere (valma-73412)] not me, cheese!
[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] Oooh... wait you're cheese? Or it's a cheese?
[Gruyere (valma-73412)] I'm named after my mom's favorite cheese

Session: 20200722c

• We successful found the invisible ring. Do we run off with it? Try to find a way to prepare for the inevitable rat encounter? See if the Arch Mage has anything worth say?

  1. We go for the latter, but we can't find the Arch Mage. Well, he won't mind if we borrow one of the liquid rafts (wine bladders) to get back across the mote, will he?
  2. The yellow bolt if cloth is missing from the storage room. That's odd, but probably nothing to worry about.

• As we never find Arch Mage, and see no reason to keep looking, we get back to the water, put the liquid raft in, situation Horatio safely on it, and swim to the other shore.

  1. What's that yellow flag there hanging out of the window mean? Sarkle informs us that they are used to signal different groups of people, er, animals. Blue for birds, yellow for rats, .... wait.
  2. Is it a warning that rats are on their way? Or is the Arch Mage more nefarious than we believe? Probably, considering the storage room was full of items to trade with rats. Maybe we should just go? Yeah, we should go.

• After waving goodbye to Sarkle, we meet back up with Dandelion on the other side who warns us to hurry as yes, the rats are closing in. Better to put space between us!

  1. The get back on the boat, pushing with all their might to get to the other side of the stream as well so they can continue on their way home. In the distance, they heard the Arch Mage yelling about trying to stop... was it us? Trying to stop us for the sake of the rats? Hmm, guess we'll never know.

• Horatio and Bianca make an impressive show of strength to get us where we need to be going, across the water, safe and in one piece, ring now firmly on Bianca's tail, Gruyere, happy to make friends, surviving the brief seasickness to continue the journey with the country mice.

  1. The mice and rabbit make it to the top of the bank only to hear splashing sounds from the water. Well, at least we're not going to have a battle at sea (stream?) with the rats, but what now?
  2. Miss Bianca is invisible, Gruyere finds a wonderful hiding place, and Horatio... er, freezes. Those rats are scary. Can you blame the poor mouse?
  3. Spotting Horatio, the rats demand the rabbit to hand over the mice OR ELSE. Or else what? And why? The rats do not say, but while they may be full of their own threats, a mysterious voices of the ether warns the rats away from the cursed lands. Wait, what?
  4. The voice that sounds very much like the invisible Bianca continues to threaten the rats, warning them that they'll end up like their brother who fell off a tree? How does this spirit know about that??
  5. Horatio, quick to pick up on the plan, adds his own warnings of the cursed area to the rats to warn them off. Meanwhile, hidden Gruyere thinks it'd be a smart idea to toss some rocks down at them.
  6. Right as the voice warns the rats that they'll be next, a HUGE boulder comes out of nowhere and squarely smashes the lead rat like a pancake. Well, they were warned, weren't they? The other rat, already spooked, finally heeds the warning and runs far, far away. A win!

• With the remaining rat successfully spooked off, Bianca goes down to make sure the boss is dead only to return with two lovely arm bands. Why don't you try them on, Gruyere?

  1. Those bands not only look nice on Gruyere, but Gruyere definitely feels stronger!
  2. Not wanting Horatio to be caught out in the open alone again, Bianca lets him keep hold of the ring. Bianca doesn't need it. She already has her thimble and needle to protect her!

• And we leave off there for the night! They're on the home stretch, only a few trees (and then some) away from getting home. Will they make it? I sure hope so, but as always, we'll find out next session!

Quotes of the Night

[Master] the rat boat is in the stream that comes out of the wood
[Lisa] we left it on the other side of the portcullis
[Carissa] ohh grate

[Horatio (Lisa)] Horatio: STR check: (d20) [1d20=1] 1 - ROLL SUCCEEDED against 11!!
[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] Miss Bianca: STR check: (d20) [1d20=1] 1 - ROLL SUCCEEDED against 13!!
[Miss Bianca (Carissa)] (niceee)
[Horatio (Lisa)] (sweet!)
[Master] Well then you just pick up the boat and THROW it across the stream, grins

Session: 20200819c?

Home at Last, a narrative of arriving back home at The Tree.

{BOB} The group arrives at the clearing. They see The Tree up ahead. Home is within sight. Bianca, Sniffikins, and Horatio cheer and point out The Tree to Gruyere. Dandelion kicks up his heels and sprints across the clearing towards his burrow. Suddenly out of the side comes a striking snake head that barely misses his right haunch. Dandelion spins and sprints back to the mice.

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