PBEM Orlantia

The Story So Far
Chapter 012

PBEM Orlantia: Teaming up

*What's taking so long?* Bebe was thinking while she waited along the troupe's back-trail. *What are they doing up there?*

Bebe was never known for her patience. Waiting for something to happen would usually drive her crazy, and now she was about as crazy as she had ever been. Bebe glanced back at Tyrulf who also seemed to be fidgeting.

Finally, curiosity got the best of her and she walked over, grabbed the reigns of the mule and slowly walked up the hill. As she drew near there was a discussion about teaming up with the new person, who looked capable enough, and for all to begin tracking the thing again.

*Good,* thought Bebe. *Grandfather used to say that you can never get anywhere by standing around talking about it.*

After Sef described his abilities to the group mulling around, Bebe decided to tell them her own specialties - after all, didn't she offer herself up to this quest already? *Might as well join the party for the long haul.*

Bebe turned to Afy and said, "I, myself, have been trained in the healing arts and also have become one with nature, although I have not progressed very far in the druidic mysteries, as of yet. I am also an accomplished alchemist and have studied herbology extensively."

*That should about cover it,* Bebe thought, then she said out loud while casting a sly look at Cosher: "Now let's go whack some abomination and have a good draft of ale."

- Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia:

Not to be forgotten, Jahar dropped a dagger into his hand, catching a wink from Cosher.

"I'm pretty good with sharp things," Jahar said, "and I'm handy with animals, and rope," he said.

'Keep it short and simple,' old Stoneprow was fond of saying. 'That way, they kind'eh know what ye can do, but they donnae have ye measure. Always step up, laddie.'

The things he would tell the captain when he saw him again.

- Jared (Jahar)

PBEM Orlantia: Onward to Nightfall

Afyanna listened with great interest as they each gave a little detail on their skills.

*I have truly been blessed with good company,* she thought.

Her vision had told her to choose her companions wisely, and although she had done very little actual choosing - He had seen fit to arrange the convergence of each of their individual journeys into one. The range of skills was indeed a wise choice.

Alana had already gotten them on their feet, but she was going to give them direction.

"As she has said," indicating the druid, "we should get moving. We can speak more along the way."

Afyanna waited until they had gathered themselves up and made ready to move again. Even stopping for a moment had allowed them to get too comfortable. Time for rest was over.

"We still have half a day or so of good light left," she glanced to the sky as if to prove it to the others - who each unconsciously had to look up as well. "We should continue on in the direction of Wrath."

Alana looked ready to object to the idea of leaving the pursuit, but Afy held up her hand, indicating she understood.

"By what both you and Sefarlain have said, you cannot track it. Alana, you said that it moved impossibly fast. Not to mention that you saw it at dusk and only began tracking it the next morning. Even assuming it travels the same speed as we do, it already has a day's lead on us, and more likely more than that."

Afyanna looked to each of them. "The direction it is apparently heading is the same direction we are already compelled to go - that is to say, to Wrath. We can make far better time by returning to the main trail then by hiking over rough and wooded terrain with a mule."

The band of adventurers turned around and headed back up over the rise. Afyanna and the rest of them closely followed Sefarlain and Alana who lead them back the way they came toward the trail. Once at the trail, they headed off in the direction of Wrath, once again moving southwest. As they walked, Afyanna shed a little light on her own past, and their current cause.

"I was trained in the fighting arts by the Marching Alderami, and later the Mounted Division. I am skilled both with a sword and in the saddle," she said.

Afy paused as she reflected on her cavalry training. She had very nearly tripped on several occasions by catching her boot on an errant root or hole in the road.

*I miss my horse,* she lamented. Afyanna sighed, shaking off the thoughts and continued.

"I have been touched by Corellon Larethian and am now a Holy Warrior in His name. My quest is to seek justice and vanquish the evil that befalls the citizens of Wrath. Those with me have pledged themselves to this cause as well."

Afyanna turned to Alana as they walked and looked her in the eye. "If you wish to continue to follow in the direction that Lucian has given you, then we will not stand in your way. But since these events seem linked at least in part, I also offer you a place with us."

- Rick (Afyanna)

PBEM Orlantia: Frozen Assault.

Alana smiled and nodded at Afyanna, apparently agreeing to join them, at least for the time being. They were, after all, headed in the direction she had been going, and with Sefarlain, a bona fide ranger with them, and the little sister, the gnomish druid - whatever her circle compared to Alana's own - she would be in excellent company.

The fact the holy warrior seemed to have a need to take the lead might have been questionable, but she was, apparently, on a holy quest. When doing God's work in His name and at His behest, a worthy servant could scarcely afford to let that responsibility pass to another. This, Alana gathered along the way as they spoke of skills and training, some of which was reminiscent of her own training.

Few ever got such training, and fewer still ever had clear opportunity to use it - as the bards say - in such a way as to be worthy of a song. And now most there, perhaps all there, told of comparable training. It was weird.

It was as if they had been gathered, selected for their very qualities, and sent on some mission for a divine agent. Actually, it was sort of spooky if one thought about it - making a more suspicious person's thoughts contemplate divine manipulation. If they weren't careful, they might begin to feel as if the gods used them as playthings - mere toys, puppets or martinets, pulling their strings, making them do their bidding without an ounce of free will attached.

But there had to be free will, so the clerics would preach, for that is what made one responsible for their own actions - and one's choices, for good or ill. Still, even secure in the knowledge the gods didn't force one down a path, they could sure make it hard to resist 'obvious' ones, sometimes. Maybe this was one of those times.

They all plodded along the old southwest wagon trail from Fecklar to Hooktar, and it was not long before they left the forest behind for open plains. By their estimates, the stretch between Fecklar and Hooktar was a day and half, or about thirty miles or so. They could not get there before night, but might arrive about midday on the morrow.

In places, the wagon ruts were so deep from previous years that they could easily be seen - even tripped over if you didn't mind your step. Despite the warmth, they had been frozen in the ground from last year. They were no longer frozen, but nothing heavy had trodden on them since winter began and they continued to hold their shape. Sef even mentioned they were the first 'men' on that trail since the snow had fallen. No one had been there for scepters.

Occasionally an animal's tracks would cut cross the trail, but Sef was not hunting - at least not a normal animal. If the tracks had been fresh enough, he might have considered tracking them for food, but no fresh spoor could be detected. He sniffed the air, checking for signs of scent. He couldn't detect any.

Then the wind changed.

The warm southern breeze shifted to a cool one from the northwest - cold, actually, a scant few minutes was all it took to completely drive the body's warmth away, forcing everyone to pull their capes and cloaks tightly around them. Then it got even colder - much colder - fast, quickly, before any could say 'Ymir's breath,' it began to sleet and snow. The party might have taken all of forty steps between Sef's sniffing the warm breeze to this frosty hell.

The temperature was dropping fast, even worse than when the winter had unexpectedly hit and Sef had nearly lost his life. If he hadn't happened upon Lefty's cave, he would have been dead already. Now it was happening to him again, except now it was worse. And he wasn't alone. A whole passel of people was with him, and all of them would die if they couldn't find shelter.

Looking about, they noticed the visibility had gone from the horizon to less than fifty yards. Shielding his eyes from the stinging sleet, Sef tried to find a place they could hole up, but nothing was around. The forest was gone, not that a forest would have been all that helpful - unprepared as they were. But these plains were horrible, worse, with no stand of trees to dampen the wind, its ferocity sucking the life's warmth from each of them.

The ranger guessed they were still at least a dozen miles from Hooktar, night was less than two hours away, and their movement and visibility had been reduced to nearly nothing, a mere crawl forward to where one could scarcely see their destination. They had no choice, however, and plodded forward.

An hour passed, the ground covered with a new blanket of ice and snow made going hard. Cloaks were frozen stiff, all of them wet and ice-covered, stiff and hard to carry. It was as if the gods of frost had personally decided to swat them. They were dying. In the last hour, they hadn't gone more than a single mile, and the cold was beginning to takes its toll.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Painful Memories

Sefarlain struggled back to Afyanna through the biting wind. By the Gods! He'd seen this a few months ago, but now? And so quickly? What had they done to deserve this? This did not seem natural, but directed at them, making every step more labored.

Through the swirling snow the ranger found Afyanna, her face almost completely obscured from the cold. Sefarlain found himself shouting to be heard above the howling blizzard.

"NO SHELTER!" he yelled, keeping things brief for clarity, he hoped. "MUST FIND SOME OR DIE. OTHERS WON'T MAKE IT TO HOOKTAR!"

He paused for a brief lung full of freezing air before continuing.

"SEEMS UNNATURAL! COULD TURN BACK BUT TOO FAR TO FOREST!"

Then a thought crossed his mind. He motioned towards the druids.

"CAN WE USE MAGIC?"

He was not the only man in the group who had seen the winter at her worst, but he had been uncomfortably exposed to her anger at the time, rather than in a city. He knew what would happen if they did not find some reprieve from the storm, and it was not a comforting thought.

He tightened his clothing around him and awaited Afyanna's reply.

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Jack Frost is Nipping at More Than Just My Nose

Jahar felt the beginnings of frostbite in his fingers. They were cold and icy before, but now his fingers were beginning to feel warm, no longer affected by the cold. His fingernails were turning to a pale blue color. He had seen men on the Stoneprow who weren't cautious lose all of their fingers, their toes, and worse to a strong wind they thought they could 'tough out'.

"WE WON'T MAKE IT ANYWHERE IN THIS WEATHER!" Jahar shouted to be heard. He was feeling cold now more than before. He knew that his body would reach a point where it would not be able to warm itself back up.

"UNLESS WE ARE ALL BENT ON MEETING THE GRIM REAPER," he said. While Sef and Afy huddled their heads together he sought out Cosher.

- Jared (Jahar)

PBEM Orlantia: Gnome-cicle

Bebe could never remember being so cold as she was now. Even with all of her clothes on and her fur cape wrapped tightly around her, she could not get warm. She could see the rest of the group having the same problem as she was. Her chattering teeth sounded like a hammer slamming against an anvil as they echoed in her head. She looked at her pack on the mule trying to think of something else to put on.

*We have to get out of this wind before we all die,* Bebe thought.

Then with sudden inspiration she called to Tyrulf: "IS THAT A TENT I SEE ON BOPPER?"

Bopper was what she started calling the mule a few miles before.

"WHY DON'T WE GET OFF THE ROAD AND FIND A SEMI-SHELTERED PLACE TO SET IT UP?" she asked. "IF WE DON'T, WE'LL ALL BE DEAD IN AN HOUR."

*Ah, Ehlonna, the trials you place in front of me to test my virtue,* she thought.

Bebe walked through the party trying to assess the frostbite they were getting and applying what aid she could. The group moved forward while Bebe checked her pack. A handful of holly berries would work. She had picked them earlier that day, as was her habit for that very contingency, knowing the magic would make them wholesome. Since few could hear her in the howling wind, she went ahead and cast her spell without warning. No one noticed, but five of the berries ripened and transformed into druidical Goodberries.

She, herself, popped one Goodberry and also gave one to Jahar to help fortify him. She then gave out the rest to members of the party who were suffering the most. This appeared to be Mystir, Valin, and Cosher. Unfortunately she only had five and couldn't help everyone.

*Well,* she thought, *maybe it will last until the tent is up; then I will curl up with Brambles and try to weather as best I can.*

-Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: Gnome-cicle

"YES, THAT MIGHT BE AN IDEA," Alana agreed with Bebe. It was hard to get the words out because she was shivering uncontrollably.

"I KNOW WE'VE ONLY JUST MET, BUT WE NEED TO GET REAL CLOSE TOGETHER SO WE CAN BENEFIT FROM EACH OTHER'S BODY HEAT. IF YOU HAVE A TENT, WE COULD USE IT TO MAKE A SHELTERED AREA WHICH WOULD PROTECT US AGAINST THE WIND AND HOLD THE WARMTH WE PRODUCE SO WE CAN ALL BENEFIT FROM IT ."

Alana started to become very worried about Lucian. *Stupid cat, couldn't you find a mouse closer by? What if I lose you?*

When Bebe shared her Goodberries, Alana remembered the pack of sugar. She retrieved it and offered it to the others.

"I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT YOU NEED TO EAT SUGAR WHEN YOU GET VERY COLD. DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT IT CAN'T HURT."

Alana dipped into the sugar and swallowed a handful of the white crystals.

-Wilma (Alana)

PBEM Orlantia: Icy Decisions

The wintry storm was like nothing the halfelf had ever seen before. Nor could she remember ever being as cold as she was as she stood there trying to force her mind into action.

The group was huddled near the mule, as it was the only thing they could make out for the most part through the blowing sleet and snow. Sefarlain made it perfectly clear what their options were. Stay and freeze, or continue and freeze.

*We have GOT to get out of this wind!* Afyanna's mind screamed.

Whether it was a tactical thought or her body yelling for its own safety, she did not know. But it was right - they had to get out of the wind.

With her arms wrapped around herself and body trembling with the cold, Afyanna shouted to Sefarlain. "WHAT DID YOU SEE UP AHEAD?"

"A FEW HILLS. NOTHING OF ANY CONSEQUENCE," was his barely audible reply.

"HOW FAR?" Afy noticed that Bebe and Tyrulf were beginning to take an interest in the large tent on the mule.

*Can we even set it up in this wind?*

"A MILE. PERHAPS MORE. GOOD HOUR TO GET THERE." Sefarlain was having as much trouble as she was. Their sentences were becoming clipped and their speech slurring. It was taking more and more effort just to form complete thoughts, let alone speak them.

Afyanna looked to the rest of the group and then back to Sefarlain. He met her eye and gave a small shake of his head.

*I don't think we'll make it either,* her own thoughts echoed.

Turning to face everyone, Afyanna shouted out what she felt was their best option. Even so, they had to lean toward her to make out the words.

"MUST GET OUT OF THE WIND. TRY TO SET UP THE TENT. IF WE CANNOT - WRAP OURSELVES INSIDE CANVAS. HUDDLE TOGETHER FOR WARMTH. OUR ONLY CHANCE."

As Bebe and Tyrulf continued their unpacking of the tent, Afyanna said a silent prayer to Corellon Larethian.

- Rick (Afyanna)

PBEM Orlantia: Got to keep going!

Cosher stumbled across the snow, almost bumping into Afyanna as she stood addressing the others. His legs were weakening rapidly, and he was shivering uncontrollably. Up till now the young sea dwarf had thought himself almost immune to the cold, but this was plain ridiculous! All those years upon the many prows of ships out on the high seas could never have prepared him for this sort of chill - he almost laughed to himself at the whole absurdity of the situation. Here he was, setting out on a long and marvelous adventuring career and about to perish, not at the hands of some foul-smelling ogre but from the bloody weather!

Cosher's resolve strengthened, becoming more determined by the second that he, and every single soul of the group, in fact, would come out of this alive, if not completely unscathed.

With lips that were a slightly darker shade of blue than the rest of his face, Cosher managed to turn to Afyanna and the others and stammer his thoughts!

"AH DO BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA FREEZE IF WE RE-REMAIN 'ERE!" he bellowed over the din of the storm. "AH KN-KNOW YE MIGHT NOT ALL AGREE WITH ME, BUT IF THERE'S A CH-CH-CHANCE, AS SEF SAYSSSS, THAT WE M-M-MIGHT FIND SOME TREESSS OR EVEN HILLSSS UP AHEAD, THEN AH THINK WE SHOULD T-T-TRY TO FIND THEM."

He paused briefly, wrapping his arms even tighter around his body, before continuing.

"WE'RE ALL B-B-BRAVE HARDY SOULS, AREN'T WE? WELL, WE CANNOT JUS' LIE DOWN AN' DIE HERE! AH THINK THAT'S WHAT'LL HAPPEN IF WE ST-ST-STAY HERE - WE'RE TOO EXPOSED HERE. AT LEAST IF WE SOLDIER ON AN' TRY TAE FIND SOME SH-SHELTER, THEN WE'LL HAVE OUR FATE MORE IN OUR OWN HANDS. AH C-C-CAN LAST ANOTHER THREE OR F-FOUR HOURS AH RECKON. WH-WH-WHAT ABOUT THE REST O' YE? AH CAN EVEN TRY TO BELLOW OUT A SONG TO LIFT OUR SP-SPIRITS AS WE GO, IF YE CAN ABIDE ME ST-ST-STUTTERING! ONE THAT WE ALL MIGHT KNOW, AND COULD ALL JOIN IN WITH."

Cosher turned to Afyanna to judge her reaction.

"M-M-MILADY! AH THINK WE REALLY SHOULD KEEP MOVING, AN' FAST!"

- Johnny (Cosher)

PBEM Orlantia: Numbskull

The freezing cold and snow was numbing Valin's capacity to think. He could barely hear the others yelling above the wind. Never before had he been subjected to such a harsh environment without the ability to seek shelter in a nearby establishment. Thoughts of woe started to overtake him.

Just as his resolve was about to give out, Bebe approached him and gave him a berry to eat. He couldn't quite fathom why a berry would help, and he absentmindedly popped it in his mouth and swallowed it. Valin began to feel his strength renew, somewhat, as if the berry had nourished his hunger, providing some sustenance against the cold. It was just the thing he needed to keep going on, and helped to clear his mind a bit. He thanked Bebe heartily and began to wonder just how they would all get out of this predicament.

Of all the things shouted by his companions, Cosher's suggestions seemed to make the most sense to him. Valin stepped forward and pulled the snowshoes from his backpack to show that he was prepared to go on.

He started to put on the snowshoes as he shouted, "I THINK C-COSHER IS R-R-RIGHT! WE N-NEED TO G-G-GO ON! I-I TH-THINK I C-CAN GO ON F-FOR A BIT MORE!"

- Frank (Valin)

PBEM Orlantia: To freeze or not to freeze

Bebe finished helping the others before returning to the mule where Tyrulf was standing. She was feeling better, but the sharp wind was still cutting into her deeply.

"I'm with Afy," Bebe said, and then she explained: "LET'S SEE IF WE CAN AT LEAST SET UP SOME SHELTER WITH THIS TENT. IT WILL BE DARK SOON AND WE WILL HAVE TO SET IT UP AT SOME TIME EVEN 'IF' WE FIND SOME SORT OF SHELTER. THE BIGGEST KILLER NOW IS THE WIND. IF WE CAN'T GET OUT OF IT, WE WILL ALL BE DEAD. ONCE WE HAVE SOMETHING SEMI-SUITABLE, WE CAN CRAWL UNDER IT AND PILE UP TO CONSERVE BODY HEAT."

Bebe looked around at the others in their gloomy, disillusioned states and thought: *We just started on a grand adventure and everybody is talking of the a horrible end.*

Bebe started to laugh at the doom they faced. "I HOPE NONE OF YOU ARE TOO SHY," she said, "BUT THEN AGAIN, I'VE SEEN A LOT OF MODESTY THROWN OUT WHEN JACK FROST IS NIPPING AT YOUR BACKSIDE!"

She started to laugh even harder at the looks they gave her. *I know what they are thinking,* she thought. *Here they are facing a cold, miserable death with an insane gnome laughing in the final hours.*

The picture of that scene in her mind made her laugh harder yet.

"COME ON TYRULF, JAHAR," she managed to say between her mad bouts of giggling. "DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY IDEAS ON HOW WE CAN MAKE A HASTY SHELTER OUT OF THIS THING?"

*Well, at least Ehlonna has the heart not to let me die in one of those dreaded cities,* she was thinking.

Bebe looked at the morose looks around her and began laughing again. "IT WOULD BE WORSE - IT COULD BE RAINING."

*Just my luck,* she thought. *Doesn't anyone have a sense of humor outside of West Berry? No wonder Ehlonna sent me on this path. She must want me to bring a little life to this humorless crowd.*

- Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: Must Press On

Mystir shivered and held his clothing closer about his fairly slim frame. Huddled near the rest, he listened as each of the group shouted out ideas. Even with the shouting, their voices were hardly audible.

He shook his head when he heard someone suggest trying to setup the tent, but nodded his head when another said they needed to keep going. The young halfelf finally spoke up.

"WE SHOULD PRESS ON. STAYING IS SUICIDE. TENT WON'T GO UP. USELESS AS BLANKET. WIND IS OUR ENEMY!"

He looked down upon the shorter ones of the group - the ones that Mystir had found himself slowing down for on more than one occasion.

"I COULD SUMMON HORSES. WE CAN USE THE MULE. GET THE SMALL ONES MOUNTED. WE COULD MOVE FASTER." He nodded to himself. "YES, WE SHOULD DO THAT, AND PRESS ON. WE NEED TO FIND SHELTER FROM THE WIND." He paused as he looked over their reactions. "MUST PRESS ON."

- Kevin (Mystir)

PBEM Orlantia: Icy Decisions

The two Alderami soldiers stood barely a foot away from each other, yet their shouts barely carried to one another, let alone anyone else.

"WHAT DID YOU SEE UP AHEAD?" carried through the screaming wind.

What had he seen? It only seemed a few moments ago that the weather was so clear. There were a few scattered trees, but nothing substantial. The group had been approaching some low foothills about a mile away. He told Afyanna as much.

As she talked to the rest of the group, Bebe began to untie the tent. She struggled with the large folds of canvas as the wind roared around her. Was she laughing? The elf couldn't really hear with the gale around him. But was she really considering putting up the tent in this? He had only rarely used canvas as a shelter, preferring other, more natural shelters. But even with his limited knowledge, the elf was fairly certain that they stood little chance of erecting the pavilion in the current conditions.

Then, through the blizzard, Mystir spoke up. His usually quiet voice rising to a scream, he put forward his idea about the mule. It looked like his clear thinking had given a possible solution. Sefarlain crawled towards Afyanna through the sleet.

"IT'S A GOOD IDEA. MIGHT GET SOME MORE SHELTER FROM HILLS. BIT OF A RISK. I THINK WORTH IT. CAN'T WAIT. DECISION IS YOURS. WILL DO MY BEST, WHATEVER YOU DECIDE!"

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: To Hell and Back

"COME ON, LET'S MOVE!" Jahar shouted over the wind. The ice lashed at his face and bit through the heavy wool of his coat. They would not last long in those conditions.

"IF THERE'S SOME COVER AHEAD, IT'LL BE WORTH IT TO GET THERE," he said, trying to block the cold some, to no avail.

"WE CAN'T PUT A TENT UP HERE, BUT IF WE CAN GET A FEW TREES, WE CAN SURVIVE THE NIGHT," Jahar said. Wrapping up in the canvas would leave them as corpses in a mass funeral shroud. Someone would find them in the spring, not before the scavengers, though.

He went back to where Bebe was. Her gnomish mind comprehended things like assembly and construction better than his did.

"WE DON'T HAVE TO PUT THE TENT UP THE WAY WE'RE SUPPOSED TO. WHAT IF WE USE THE LONGER POSTS AS SPARS, LONG BEAMS, AND MAKE A LEAN TO OUT OF THE WHOLE THING? IF WE CAN CUT THE WIND, MAYBE SOMEBODY HERE IN THIS PARTY CAN START A FIRE, MELT SOME SNOW, THE WHOLE BALL OF WAX," he said hopefully.

- Jared (Jahar)

PBEM Orlantia: An Idea Or Two

Tyrulf trudged along behind the group thinking of what the group was about to face. As the day progressed, the weather changed abruptly. The wind picked up to a frenzy, carrying snow and sleet. The group continued without comment but soon it was apparent that they were in danger. Afyanna and Sef were at the front of the group, discussing the possibilities.

Bebe looked at Tyrulf and yelled:

"MAYBE WE SHOULD TRY TO SET UP THE TENT"

Tyrulf started to take the tent off the mule when a couple of the other members expressed their desire to continue on.

*I don't know if I can make it much further.* Tyrulf had been noticing that he had lost some strength in the last hour. *I will go on if the group decides that we should keep going.*

Tyrulf looked at Bebe and shouted "JUST WAIT A MOMENT, I HAVE TO TALK TO AFYANNA."

Moving closer to Afyanna, he motioned for her and Sef to huddle down to improve their chances of hearing him.

"I WILL ADMIT THAT I DO NOT HAVE MUCH EXPERIENCE IN SUCH THINGS. I WILL DEFER TO WHATEVER DECISION YOU MAKE. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I AM CAPABLE OF HEALING SPELLS. IF YOU DECIDE TO MOVE ON, I WILL HEAL THOSE WHO NEED IT. I ALSO HAVE A PLAN FOR SETTING UP SOME PROTECTION IF YOU ARE STILL INTERESTED IN STAYING HERE. WHAT DO YOU WISH TO DO?"

With that Tyrulf looked up at the two people in charge. *I hope that when it is my turn to lead, I will do so with as much confidence as Afyanna - assuming we survive this.*

- MJA (Tyrulf)

PBEM Orlantia: Pressing On

Afyanna thought she understood the others' point of view. Better to die trying than to sit and hope. Still, she thought their best chances would be to get out of the wind now, as opposed to later.

*I'd rather not put my life in a 'maybe,'* Afyanna thought, *but I won't force anyone to do what they don't wish to.*

"IF YOU THINK WE CAN MAKE THE HILLS," the halfelf shouted to Sef, "THEN SO BE IT. LET'S MOVE."

- Rick (Afyanna)

PBEM Orlantia: The Road Ahead.

"OK, WE'LL PRESS ON," Afyanna told everyone, shouting to make herself heard above the driving wind. The freezing sleet stung her face, so she quickly covered up again after everybody knew the plan.

Alana and a few others had forcibly swallowed a couple handfuls of sugar, mixed with a bite of snow to help 'wash' it down. Unfortunately, the wind had carried away half the remaining sugar before it could be repacked, and the five-pound bundle was now only a two-pound concern. She lashed it back onto Bopper, Tyrulf's mule. Bebe mounted his mule, then, confident even with her added weight, it could travel faster than her own short legs had been carrying her. Brambles trailed after her, still seemingly unaffected by the weather.

Mystir busied himself with casting his Mount Spell, twice. First one, then another light riding horse magically appeared, complete with bit and bridle and a saddle for each. He wanted to ride one himself, but that wouldn't help matters. Instead, he helped Tyrulf onto one of the mounts, while Sefarlain helped Cosher onto the other. Tyrulf might have ridden his own mule, but Bebe was lighter, and with the equipment, this was their best bet.

As ready as they could make themselves, they set out once again and plodded forward, toward the hills Sef had seen some distance away back when one could see more than a few dozen yards ahead of them. The sleet stung.

The northwesterly wind flanked their right sides as they traveled southwest again, such that most had begun walking a little sideways, so the wind's fury was at their more protected backs. They went on and on, sucking their own fingers to defrost them. Beards, especially, but any exposed hair retained moisture and froze. And there was pain.

Many now longed for a memory of when they laughingly 'thought' their hands would fall off when making a short trip from their shelter to an outhouse, a neighbor's house, or even a store just across the way, but they had always been quickly back inside a warm shelter. But there was no such haven there, and for the first time for most of them, they knew what it really felt like to be away from safe haven. They were stuck in it, forced to endure it, and there was pain. Numbing pain. They were dying.

Maybe thirty minutes passed before Sef could make out some hills in the distance, not too far away any longer, since any further and he wouldn't have been able to see them. They had made the hills.

A tree or three stood up here and there, none of them a friendly bunch, like a grove, but all of them loners, too far apart to make the idea of using two of them together to help secure their tent a practical idea.

"Rrrrooooooooooowwwww," a faint noise visited them on the wind.

Sef looked for it, but could see nothing. It must have come from up wind, however. He doubted he could have heard it, otherwise, so he turned toward the stinging sleet and peered ahead.

"DID YOU HEAR SOMETHING?" he shouted to the others.

They stopped a moment and listened to the howling wind.

"RRrrooooooooooowwwww," came the noise again.

Alana's fears vanished when a familiar black and white colored form appeared at the range of her vision. It was Lucian. He was covered in frost, himself, and looked a fright. She held out her hands to him, beckoning him to come to her, but he gave no ground, instead standing there, looking at her.

"RRRrooooooooooowwwww," he repeated, and then he turned away from them all and disappeared back into the flurry of wind and snow.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Follow the cat

Alana's heart soared when she saw Lucian. She didn't feel the cold or the biting wind anymore - only the intense happiness that he was back. Then he turned away from her. Out of habit she started to follow. Then she remembered her new companions.

"FOLLOW LUCIAN!" she shouted. "HE KNOWS SOMETHING. BELIEVE ME. HE HAS NEVER LET ME DOWN."

Alana took a few steps in the direction Lucian had taken. Then she stopped to wait to see what the others decided. What would she do if they did not follow her? She trusted Lucian with her life and that would be exactly what she would be doing should she follow him alone. Without the others, she wouldn't stand a chance if she didn't find shelter soon. But she had spoken the truth; Lucian had never let her down. So she would follow him and she hoped the other would too.

*Rillifane, Hanali, I hope I am making the right decision,* she prayed silently. *If I am wrong and I lead us to our doom, then who will stop this thing we are following?*

- Wilma (Alana)

PBEM Orlantia: Cat sense

Bebe looked out from the hood of the fur cloak she was wrapped in. A small cat seemed to be generating some excitement off to her front.

"IF ALANA THINKS IT IS WISE TO FOLLOW HER CAT, THEN I THINK WE SHOULD TRUST HER JUDGMENT," Bebe shouted.

*That sweet creature obviously wants us to follow it,* Bebe thought, *and nothing can be as faithful as a reliable animal-friend.*

"BRAMBLES, DON'T CHASE THAT CUTE LITTLE KITTEN. I DON'T WANT YOU TO SPOOK HER," Bebe yelled over the wind.

-Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: Follow that Cat!

The hills came into view, but alas no sign of shelter greeted the holy warrior's bleary eyes. She halted with the rest of them when Sef stopped to listen to a sound on the wind, and shortly a cat appeared. When Afyanna saw Alana's reaction, she realized that the cat must be her wayward companion.

*He ran off,* she noted. *I'll bet he has a hiding place! I hope it's large enough for all of us.*

Not sure if Sefarlain could hear Alana or the others behind her over the wind, Afyanna made certain. "SEF!" Afyanna shouted, waiting for him to turn around. "FOLLOW THAT CAT!"

*Now I only pray to Corellon that he was indeed heading for shelter and not running from the wolf!*

Afyanna paused to ensure they maintained contact with each other as they started off in the new direction. Once she was certain they were all together, she too followed the ranger.

- Rick (Afyanna)

PBEM Orlantia: The Sinkhole.

Sefarlain obeyed Afyanna's orders - though they seemed a good idea anyway on their own merit - and he led the party northwest, directly into the pitiless wind. The cat's tracks were nowhere to be seen, however, once he arrived at where he had seen the creature. The wind had already obliterated them.

"Rrrrooooooooooowwwww," he heard again, slightly up ahead of them. He made his way toward the feline call. A tree was up ahead, leaning over at nearly 45 degrees, partially uprooted but not yet fallen. The cat, white with frost, was crouched atop its trunk. The ranger moved closer and the cat held its ground until Sef was within arm's reach.

Then Lucian jumped down into what seemed a natural depression in the ground, large, wide, and snow-covered. If one wasn't careful, they might fall in the thing had they accidentally discovered it the hard way.

For whatever reasons lay buried beneath the snow, there was a sinkhole there. The tree had been undermined and lay tilting in the depression. The ranger peered down the hole. Lucian, a small animal, was precariously going deeper along a natural ridge too small to hold any of them. Soon, Lucian was beyond his sight.

"Rrrrooooooooooowwwww," came an echo from the pit.

Sef had no idea how they might get a mule down there. The magic horses didn't count, though they might be used to lower the mule on a harness before they disappeared - would that they had a harness. For the rest - sans mule, anyway - they could tie off a rope to the tree, still firmly lodged in the soil, and could lower themselves down into the sinkhole. They'd be out of the wind. But Sef couldn't see how deep the darn thing was. The climb might be difficult.

It seemed a no-brainer, except that Bopper would be left to fend for himself, and Brambles, well . . . Brambles had to be lowered down. Tying up a wolf was an idea that didn't appeal to the ranger. He wasn't even sure Bebe could convince the wolf it was a good idea.

"Rrrrooooooooooowwwww," came the cat's voice again.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: A Safe Retreat?

The cat's faint cries were only just audible above the wind, and the conditions made following the direction of the sound almost impossible, so it was with considerable relief that the elf found the cat perched on top of a fallen tree. Lucien vanished just as quickly, and closer inspection revealed his hiding place. A deep sinkhole fell away beneath the ranger's feet into an inky blackness next to where the tree had fallen. If it hadn't been for the cat, he could have walked right into the hole. The result did not bear thinking about.

He waved to the others who were following close behind him.

"BE CAREFUL!" Sefarlain shouted. "DEEP HOLE!"

*Not very eloquent,* he thought to himself, but then there was a time and a place for fine words and this didn't seem like one of those. He didn't really want to lose anyone into the sinkhole, especially after what they had all just been through.

The group approached carefully and peered into the void. There was a little protection from the tree around the mouth of the hole, so Sefarlain found himself talking at a more normal volume to make himself heard.

"I can't see the bottom, Afyanna. Not in this much light, but it looks too deep to climb down easily. We do have some rope, though. I'm not that skilled at rope climbing, but Cosher or Jahar are both sailors and might make a better job, if they're happy to go."

He took a look around them. The snow whirled around and the wind seemed unabated. It was slowly darkening.

"I can't imagine we'll find a better spot for a while, and I'm not sure how long we'll last otherwise," he said to the holy warrior.

"Not through the night, that's for sure."

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Into the unknown

Bebe looked down into the ominous sinkhole, trying to see where the bottom was. She had pretty good vision - a lot better than most humans, in fact, so she was wondering if she could puncture the gloom, but with twilight near and the driving snow, it sort of blurred her normally superb eyesight.

She got down on her knees for a closer look and said, "I am pretty light, so one of you strong warrior types could lower me to find out how far down it is and to see if it is safe from predators. I don't think the kitty cat would lead us into danger, but then again it might be the only way we can survive. You know, the 'lesser of two evils.' If I run into trouble, I could be rapidly pulled up and serve as a guide for those who follow. I will tell you this, though - I'm not the best climber, so if the rope breaks I may not be able to get back out on my own."

Bebe looked around to see what the others were thinking.

- Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: Reconnaissance

Afyanna listened carefully to Bebe's idea. The plan had merit and seemed the only way to explore the hole. Even though the hole was their only shelter from the freezing wind, it would be foolish to jump in without knowing what lay in wait for them.

"SOUNDS PRUDENT, BEBE," Afyanna shouted. "BUT PERHAPS ANOTHER MAY BE A BETTER." The halfelf motioned over to where Brambles was romping in the new-fallen snow. "YOU NEED TO DEAL WITH BRAMBLES."

*I do not want to be the one to tie up a wolf!* Afyanna chuckled inwardly at the thought. She then looked over the forms huddled around her trying to keep warm. *So who is the next lightest?*

She then turned her attention to the mule, 'Bopper,' as he was now known.

"IF IT'S SAFE, ANYONE KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH BOPPER?"

- Rick (Afyanna)

PBEM Orlantia: Into The Unknown

*Afyanna was right to think of the wolf,* thought Sefarlain. Getting Brambles out of this wind would take all of Bebe's attention, not that the weather looked like it was bothering him in the slightest. He was playing quite happily, pouncing on imaginary mice as the rest of the group slowly froze. Oh, for a fur coat!

The elements continued to close in around them as they pondered their next move. Sefarlain could feel his muscles stiffening in the cold.

*Best get warmed up,* he thought.

A fire would be what they wanted, but that would be impossible in the wind.

*But not down there!* he realized, and let out a soft laugh.

Of course! The sooner they got into this hole with a good fire, the better. All they would need would be a little fuel. And fortunately for everyone, the fallen fir tree could supply all the fuel they would need for at least a small fire. The tree had fallen at an angle over the sinkhole making the branches accessible from the ground. Taking care not to get too close to the hole, Sefarlain walked around to the tree and began collecting some of the wood. Some of the branches were thick and strong and needed a few blows from Alonwë to convince then to come free, but eventually all gave way. The work was hard, but in those temperatures the warmth from the exercise was welcome.

In a few minutes the elf had a small pile of branches ready for a fire. He dragged them back to the mouth of the hole and let them fall to the floor. He smiled triumphantly, but the group was too deep in thought over their next step to notice his small collection of wood. He looked at their faces, lined with ice and snow from their trek. How different did they look now from even a few hours ago? The ranger even had difficulty recognizing some of the party.

So how were they going to get into this refuge safely? Sefarlain thought he could probably climb as well as most under normal conditions, but he was having difficulty moving his fingers in the cold, and the snow would make the walls slippery at best. A rope was certainly the answer, but who to go down and how? A thought struck him.

"PERHAPS THE TREE MIGHT ACT LIKE A GOOD ANCHOR FOR THE ROPE," he suggested. "WE CAN FIX ONE END TO THE TREE AND LOWER WHOEVER VOLUNTEERS INTO THE HOLE TO EXPLORE. THEN THE REST OF US CAN FOLLOW DOWN THE ROPE AT OUR OWN PACE, OR BE LOWERED WITH THE OTHER ROPE ALONG WITH OUR EQUIPMENT. I ONLY HOPE THE ROPE IS LONG ENOUGH," he added as an afterthought.

He threw a small branch into the hole and waited for the sound to reply. A favorite childhood pastime, but it might just give them some idea of how far down they would have to travel.

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: A Couple Seconds.

Sef dropped some of the hacked off branches of the dead fir tree into the sinkhole and strained to hear anything above the wind. He could barely make it out, and timing such things was far from precise, but he thought he heard them hit the hole's bottom just the other side of two seconds after they were released.

"WWWEEeeeowwwwwww!" he heard. Oops. He hoped he only startled Lucian and didn't actually hit him.

Someone produced their silk rope and Jahar Flinn expertly tied it around the trunk with some knot Sef didn't recognize. It looked more than adequate for the job. He tied a knot at the other end, though it wasn't certain why, and tossed it down the hole.

The professional sailor had spent more than a little time in the riggings, and was quite at home in the ropes. Light of build, strong of limb, and the fact he wanted out of the wind as much as anyone, he volunteered to venture into the hole first.

Looping the rope around his leg, crossing his body, and then through his arm on the other side, he firmly took the rope in both hands and began his descent into the darkness and out of the wind. The relief he felt was instantaneous once the hole shielded him from the biting gale, but the gloomy darkness was overpowering and he didn't relish not knowing if he'd run out of rope before he got to the bottom. Fortunately, he knew what he was doing, and the knot he had tied at the other end would warn him if he ran out of rope before he reached bottom.

But he didn't hit the knot. He found the bottom, instead - he just couldn't see it. He waited for a moment, listening at the darkness. Nothing stirred - only silence greeted him.

"IT'S ALL RIGHT!" he bellowed upwards to his companions.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Rope-a-dope

Valin had pulled out both coils of silk rope from the packs on the mule - the 100 feet of rope that he purchased when he began his career as a servant of Hermes, and the 50 feet of rope that he borrowed from the palace temple. He thought of tying them together, but realized, suddenly, he might not know enough to make a knot that would not slip, so he just handed both coils to Jahar, and then stood back watching the sailor deftly secure the ropes together and to the tree before descending into the hole.

Moments later, he heard Jahar shout, "IT'S ALL RIGHT!"

Valin walked over to the hole and was amazed when Jahar, barely visible in the darkness, didn't appear to be as deep as he originally thought the hole to be.

After a moment later, Valin screamed a question down to Jahar, "DO YOU NEED ANYTHING LOWERED BEFORE THE REST OF US COME DOWN?"

- Frank (Valin)

PBEM Orlantia: Darkness

Tyrulf listened to the group discuss going down into the sinkhole. *I can't afford to lose my mule. Perhaps we can do something to protect it.* Tyrulf watched Jahar nimbly climb down into the sinkhole. *I wonder how he expects to see down there.*

Making sure that everyone was paying attention to him, Tyrulf yelled out to the group, " I AM GOING TO CAST A LIGHT SPELL SO THAT HE CAN SEE WHAT IS GOING ON DOWN THERE," pausing for a moment before adding, “PLEASE DON'T STRIKE ME DOWN."

At the last statement Tyrulf smiled, but the rest of the group couldn't really see his face from the snow. A few of them gave him a disdainful look, but he wasn't paying attention to their faces. No one objected to Tyrulf's statement, so he cast a Light spell on his shield. Leaning over the precipice he called out.

"JAHAR, HERE IS SOME LIGHT. I AM DROPPING DOWN MY SHIELD, SO BE CAREFUL."

With that, Tyrulf slid his shield along the rope down the hole to Jahar.

- MJA (Tyrulf)

PBEM Orlantia: Nature's Bosom.

Affixed to the rope by its strap, the newly enchanted shield slid down the line - actually, it more like fell down once the wall became a sheer drop, the silken cord doing little in the way of guiding it along a specific path - and the whole of the sinkhole was briefly illuminated for the sailor to see.

As the shield dropped, his eyes followed it down for two seconds, revealing the earthen sides, the exposed roots, and the jutting rocks that could only cause even more damage if someone had fallen down the hole and unfortunately slammed into them, before it crashed to the bottom. He did not attempt to catch it. He just moved out of its way and watched it land with a sharp thud upon the broken branches, many of which did not look to have come from Sef's recent efforts but must have previously fallen into the hole over the years.

The ridge and jutting rocks also showed the path the cat probably took down, a path a highly skilled climber might be able to use, in fact.

*The cat?* he remembered. He looked for Lucian but could not see him.

The bottom of the sinkhole extended to a northeastern sloping tunnel. The slope was gentle, its floor irregular and natural. Apparently, one could go even further into Mother Nature's bosom.

Picking up the shield and holding it aloft, he peered into the inky passageway. A bright pair of eyes reflected back at him, staring at him, staring without motion - simply staring him down. It must have been Lucian, holding a stark, unwavering stare right at his own eyes. He shuddered, having the distinct feeling if that cat wanted to, it could outstare a mirror. Jahar looked away, a bit unnerved, but quickly composed himself.

"THERE'S SOME SORT OF TUNNEL DOWN HERE," he yelled up.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Tunnel?

*My precious Lucian,* Alana thought; she was real proud of the cat. He had found them a shelter.

"IF WE USE ALL OUR ROPES AND THE TREE, PERHAPS WE CAN LOWER THE MULE DOWN THERE. I THINK I CAN KEEP HIM CALM SO HE WON'T HINDER US. I CAN EVEN ADD SOME 50 FEET OF HEMP ROPE WHEN NEEDED," she shouted to the rest. "WITH OUR COMBINED STRENGTH AND THE MAGICAL MOUNTS, WE MIGHT PULL IT OFF. LET'S AT LEAST GIVE IT A TRY."

- Wilma (Alana)

PBEM Orlantia: Getting Into The Hole

Bebe looked around at the rapidly darkening evening. Brambles was playing in the snow and did not look interested in being lowered into the hole.

*Figures,* Bebe thought *The worse blizzard of the year and Brambles wants to play.* Bebe was slightly jealous that the cold seemed not to effect the she-wolf one iota.

Brambles was far too frisky to be lowered down, so Bebe went over and told her, "Hunt." She knew that the wolf would show up sometime in the morning, hopefully with a full belly.

Brambles gave Bebe a toothy grin, slimed the gnome's face with her long tongue, and started rolling around in the snow.

Bebe tried too rub the slobber off her before it froze to her face, and mumbled, "Oh Brambles, what am I going to do with you?"

Bebe turned around and focused on the problem at hand. She couldn't really think of anyway she could help lower the mule into the hole. Not knowing much about ropes herself and knowing she would probably be in the way as they lowered it, she walked over to Valin and asked, HOW ABOUT LOWERING ME DOWN AND I WILL SEE IF I CAN START A SMALL FIRE."

Valin agreed to help, and soon Bebe had her pack and was quickly lowered down.

Bebe put herself to work cleaning up a spot for a campsite, but thought better about starting a fire before the mule was lowered. *No sense making Alana's work harder by spooking Bopper with smoke.*

She looked over at Jahar. It appeared that they were ready to lower the mule. *I better go over and see if Jahar will need some help untying Bopper. Bopper may need to be calmed again once it reaches the bottom.*

- Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: Tunnel?

*A tunnel?*

"HOW BIG - AND DOES IT GO ANYWHERE?"

The halfelf pondered the idea of a tunnel in the hole below.

*Wonder if it's big enough for Bopper?* She eyed the poor, freezing animal. *Might be worth it if we can get him down there and then explore.*

- Rick (Afyanna)