September 25, 1996 [In which Basalt and some trolls need wood, and Strongbow (still on chiefduty in lieu of Cutter and Ember) learns that his reputation is worth something.] ---------------------------------- Hill You decide to climb up the hill. Standing atop the slope, you have an incredible view of the SilverRun river, to the west of the holt and to the Northeast you see the huge, naked branches of the immense father tree in the distance, reaching upward to the cold sky. The snow covererd land here rises softly in a gentle slope, then drops off steeply to the river bank which hems in the western side of the holt. The land around you is covered over with snow and clear patches of treacherous ice. Evening falls clear and cold over the snow-covered holt. The first stars of evening appear above. Contents: Tent(#2391JLOVe) Obvious exits: Clearing River Bank Along the River Bank Skywise walks up the hill from the clearing to the east. Skywise has arrived. Silent still, standing among the trees, arms folded and eyes grim, the archer sends a shadow of a greeting. Guardful, he keeps his eyes on the night between the trees. You sense in a locksend, Skywise gives a light breeze of a hello, thoughts elsewhere as he strides up the hill. The gentle brush of crisp grass against his dark boots can be heard. The stargazer stops as he reaches you, with a curious glance, noting your alert posture, "Scent on the wind..?" The archer drops his head for a moment, then looks up, gaze settling upon you. ** Something. ** A frown. He shrugs, as if to shake it off. Skywise nods once, glancing about, rather carelessly. 'Something' doesn't seem to be bothing him too much. "Hmm.." He gazes up at the winter sky, stars bright and distant between the shadowy night clouds. Skywise stiffens. 'Something' just became audible. "Ah... Strongbow?" [The 'something' the elves hear is the distant thwocking of axe on wood, echoing up the hill...] The archer's eyes darken. ** Yes. ** He turns his head, nose working, straining at the sound. Even as he sends, his hands move, unshouldering his bow and reaching for an arrow. ** Scent it. ** His nose wrinkles. The stargazer puzzles.. Strange sound! What makes such a noise? His mind concentrates more then his senses. A hand moves to the pommel of his sword, but he keeps it sheathed for now. A howling enters your ears. Not from the pack, a stranger wolf, but the message is clear enough. 'Danger! Enemy!' At the howl, the archer shakes his head. Not pausing to explain its not-holt source, he starts down the hillside, riverward. ** We walk quiet, ** he states, dark-eyed. *!shink!* Skywise pulls his sword from it's scabbord, but remains silent. Obviously nervous and confused, he tries his best to look 'ready for anything'. He glances at you, waiting to follow. ** Trolls, ** the archer predicts, and slips into the trees. You scramble down the steep hill. East Bank of the Silver Run River The land of Abode surrounds you. The cold land here dips down into the frozen shallows along the edge of the river. The upper portion of the bank is covered with a thick blanket of snow that disappears over the top of the hill and the part closest to the river is smoothed like ice. To the west, you see that the river now has huge chunks of ice floating in it and to cross to the other side, you must swim through the freezing waters. To the south and north, you see that the snow covered land curves and follows the rivers course. Evening falls clear and cold over the snow-covered holt. The first stars of evening appear above. Obvious exits: South Along the River Into the River Along the River Hill Skywise scrambles down the steep hill. Skywise has arrived. Darkmane scrambles down the steep hill. Darkmane has arrived. Strongbow scents, scowling, bowstring yet not taut, arrow casually notched. With a nod, he stalks down the bank. You walk in a southerly direction, along the river. East Bank of the Silver Run River The land of Abode surrounds you. To the north you see stark wooded area, thick clumps of trees standing, bare limbs heavy under the weight of snow. The tree line thins after about a hundred paces to the west and you see the bank of the Silver Run River. You stand carefully on the frozen ground and see huge chunks of ice flowing across the still moving water. Large rocks with sharp jagged edges reach out of the freezing water as though beckoning for warmth. Around them, you see that it appears the water has frozen and you think that perhaps you can walk out to the cold rocks. Evening falls clear and cold over the snow-covered holt. The first stars of evening appear above. Contents: IceHeart Roamer(#7985IMQVaeps) Thornwater Bignose Basalt(#7767PJcef) Obvious exits: Forest River Hill North Along the River Basalt says "Loohk, we dohno 'bout enny mump o' yers! We'hr tryin' to get some wood here. Go 'way!"" Skywise arrives from the South. Skywise has arrived. Darkmane arrives from the South. Darkmane has arrived. Basalt replies a little snappishly to Thornwater, leaning on the haft of his axe. He doesn't notice the reinforcements, at first. Holding to the trees, the archer slips into the near shadows, eyes glittering darkly. On his heels, the stargazer and Darkmane are quiet as well. Thornwater is still gripping her spear, noticing the familiar face. Skywise stays behind Strongbow, clinging to the shadow of the forest. Roamer snarls, hiding behind Thornwater, utterly confused and frightened in the presence of so many. Basalt leans on his ax-haft, his eyes very much on the spear-point. "Loohk, we dohn noh nuthin about yer mump. Go on w'yew, we'hr tryin' t'work here." IceHeart turns to Basalt, "Which tree first?" Skywise locksends ** You were right. What're they doing to the trees? <> ** Strongbow scents, glaring at the trees and the traces they bear. Thornwater looks upset. "My cub..." You locksend to Skywise, Strongbow doesn't like it one bit. ** Cutting, ** he guesses. It seems, to the archer, a trollish thing to do. Darkmane stays behind Strongbow, this is his terriorty, and well, he won't do anything till he says so. Basalt jerks his chin toward the tree he has half-cut, saying to Iceheart, "Kerry ohn." To Thornwater he says, "Haffn't seen 'im. Or 'er." Bignose grips his axe, ne nervously. Thornwater grits her teeth. "Him." Skywise slips a little closer, curious. He glances once a Strongbow, resentment and agreement in glittering in his silver eyes, along with reflected moonlight. ** We're... going to let them? ** IceHeart nods his head, walking to a tree with his axe. He eyes the tree for a few moments then raises the axe to start chopping. Basalt keeps a cautious eye on Thornwater's spearpoint, and says out of the side of his mouth to Bignose, "Keep wohrkin, ack lihke nuthin's wrong." Thornwater clenches her teeth. "I want my cub. Now." Skywise gazes intently at Thornwater. ** You're safe? ** Thornwater sends openly ** I'm fine. ** Strongbow scowls, shaking his head once at a send, and winces at the raising of the axe. Bignose swallows, then turns his back on them and lets the axe embed itself deep into the tree. Basalt shrugs. "We dohn haff yer mump. What'd WE do with 'un?" IceHeart swings the axe at the tree, sending chunks of wood all over the place." Basalt gestures around the area. A bare handful of trolls, chopping down trees and limbing the logs. There are some bags and packs and whatnot scattered around that might, conceivably, to a paranoid parent, house an infant. Roamer moves quietly around the crowd of trolls, then darts off out of sight. The archer's shoulders hunch at the axe's fall. ** Come on. ** Pulling the arrow back on the bowstring, tip pointed for the ground, he slips forward onto the riverbank, brush shoving aside with leafy sound. Bignose embeds the axe deeper into the tree, trying to ignore everything despite his obvious nervousness. Strongbow sends to the whole tribe, plus Skot, ** Trolls. Riverbank. Trouble. ** Thornwater keeps her spear up, but steps back a few steps slowly. Darkmane sends openly ** I'll stay in the woods, make them think there are more of us then there actually is. ** Roamer is watching from behind a tree. Bignose glances around to watch out for the wolf, then his eyes travel to watch TW. IceHeart removes his axe from the tree, and starts up again. Basalt smiles amiably and insincerely. "At's behtr, see? We ahrn't after nobody's mump. Juhs some timber." He cautiously steps backward... then notices Strongbow standing by the edge of the wood. He swallows, mumbles something to himself. Bignose glances up to watch her, then sees pale outline of someone else. The stargazer's knuckles go white aroung his ready sword, as he takes one cautious step back, judging what to do. ** Strongbow, I'm no archer... You want me to throw myself into a group of trolls with axes? <> ** Bignose gapes then spits out, "There's s'more of 'em!" Bignose fumbles with his axe and then gestures with it. IceHeart shrugs, not looking up, he continues with his job of cutting down the tree. Strongbow sends an assent to Darkmane, and less of one to Skywise. He waits for a little silence, and, finding none among trollnoise and chatter, speaks -- voice low, a bit rocky from disuse. "Trolls," he states, as if beginning an address, but says nothing more. Basalt looks nervously toward Strongbow, and mutters to himself. He hisses at Bignose and Iceheart, "Be rehdy! Dohn do nuthin stupid thoh!" He doesn't elaborate on just what "stupid" means here. Bignose grips the axe as his weapon, suddenly glaring around. You locksend to Skywise, Strongbow assents to your worry. ** We try to talk them out first. ** With that, a trace of a smirk in his mind's voice, soon fading. Basalt coughs under his breath, leans his axe against a tree bole, and (probably foolishly) steps a little toward Strongbow, unarmed. "Evenin'." Skywise takes another silent step back into deeper shadow, guessing he's not seen yet. He gazes once at Darkmane, unsure of what this trader elf will do. Soft rustling sounds are heard, first on the right then a moment later to the left, giving signs that there are more then one elf there.. Possibly even five or six. The arrow remains aimed at the ground. Strongbow's eyes go a little darker, scowling at the approaching troll. "Don't know you," he points out, gruff, and looks around at the others, gaze flickering over southerners with a little less apprehension, and returning, even less happy, to Basalt. IceHeart stops his cutting, and turns to watch Basalt, and Strongbow. Thornwater has no idea what to do having never seen trolls before. Fear for her cub is probably driving her wild and the unsureness of it frightens her. Basalt grimaces, his smile become even more fixed than it was, as he hears more elves in the brush. "Nem's Bahsalt. We're juhs gatherin' wood here, meanin' no harm." Bignose spits suddenly, no longer afraid of the 'elfs' as he puts them. "Aw, why d'you elfs have to come pokin'? WE ain't hurtin' nothing.." Darkmane sends openly ** Old trick ma taught us. Make the humans think that there were hundreds of us in the woods. ** Strongbow lifts an arm to wave the female elf back from the trolls, sending an aside to her. "You're too near the Holt," the archer says, voice yet low. Basalt's expression of forced goodwill is spoiled a little by a wince of annoyance at Bignose's blurted comment, then fades still more at Strongbow's matter-of-fact comment. [To Thornwater] Distracted but concerned, the archer locksends a query, wondering at the cause of your upset. Basalt says "Loohk, we'hr 'arvestin' here. Got not an idea whehr yr 'holt' is, y'see?" IceHeart mutters under his breath, hefting his axe, to turn to chop the tree. Basalt spreads his hands, trying to look conciliatory. Thornwater locksends ** My cub and I..we're camping here.. We met a friend of yours before..but I don't know what's happening.. Howler's alone.. I don't know if these...trolls (?) have him or not.. ** Imperfect diplomat, unyeilding, Strongbow ignores the other trolls, eyes on Basalt as, apparently, the leader. "The trees of our territory," he states, as if explaining life to a fairly dimwitted troll-cub. Bignose snorts. "Stupid elves think they own this 'ere forest. Thats what." Skywise shudders, war memories of choking armor, blood, grey flesh springing to mind, unbidden. With a glance to Darkmane, ** Wise idea. How can I help make us sound like more than we are? I'd.. rather not fight. ** Basalt whirls on Bignose. "Shhh! Y'eager fer 'n arra in y'head?" He glances back over at Strongbow apologetically, another feeble attempt at a smile on his face. Blaze scrambles down the steep hill. Blaze has arrived. Bignose snorts again and then dashes off into the shrubbery towards the caves. You locksend ** Your den...? ** to Thornwater. Blaze creeps in hiding more from Strongbow than the trolls. Bignose heads towards Forest Bignose has left. Thornwater locksends ** Our tent.. ** Skywise blinks, scenting Ynderra's cub among the troll scents. ** ! ** Strongbow definitely does not smile, expression still displeased. "Too close to the Holt," he restates, one-minded. Thornwater steps away from the trolls, her face is pale with worry, and nearly trips over her bond-friend Roamer. Basalt says to Strongbow, "We, eh..." He coughs, and tries hard to put some sincerity in his tone. "We'hr sorry bout the intrusion. 'Ad noh idea. Lissen, we'll finish up these-ar trees, then go a lihl further south, eh?" Roamer yelps, backing away from Thornwater. More, sounds from the brush, normally a few feet away from each other. Is it more elves? Or is it just a trick? The archer scents too, at Skywise's send. ** Blaze! ** Faintly unpleased, he adds, ** Den-hide, cub. You and the others. ** Blaze peeks around the treetrunk trying to get a better look at the trolls. Roamer ears flick forward, but is too confused to do more. IceHeart yells out, "TIMBER!" as he pushes over a tree. You locksend ** Your tent. Den-hide. ** to Thornwater. Blaze sends openly ** But Strongbow! I won't get in the way, promise. ** Strongbow's shoulders hunch again, and his gaze breaks at last, searching up among the trees for the falling one, and its path. ** BACK! ** he orders the elves, wary. Basalt glances round to watch the tree come crashing to the ground, its crown splashing in the river. He glances back at Strongbow - his glance jags slightly, noting a small face peering from behind a tree - before resting his eyes on the elf-chief. Thornwater suddenly nods to something and darts around the mess of trolls, farther down the river. Thornwater walks north along the bank. Thornwater has left. Skywise locksends ** <> Den-hide for all of us? You're sending me back to the holt with Blaze? <> ** You locksend ** No. Only Blaze. ...I need you here. ** to Skywise. The tree falls toward the river, out of the way of the elfies. If your ears are keen, you can hear Thornwater dashing into her tent to find a badly fightened cub who's having a tantrum at being left alone for so long. With a brisk nod, the stargazer starts badly at the falling tree, snapping a twig as he steps back. But with the crash, it'd probably go unnoticed. Strongbow breathes, the tree having fallen clear of himself and his folk. "You won't mind," comes his gruff voice, "If I wait until you move off." Basalt chuckles hoarsely. "O'course!" he says. "If yohr folk came foragin' snow or suhmthin', I'd be doin' th'same." He glances back toward IceHeart. "Get it limbed off, eh, an' we'll drag 'em back t'th'tuhnels." Roamer looks around and then slinks after Thornwater.. The archer's scowl deepens, his suspicion confirmed. "Northerner." Basalt looks a bit startled at Strongbow's word, but stands a little straighter. "'sright. Ih'm from the Nohrth-kingdohm." He seems baffled as to why this would make a difference to any elf. Bow still taut, arrow still pointed at the grassy bank at his feet, Strongbow nods. "Fought your kind once." His eyes narrow, becoming darkly glittering slits. IceHeart nods to Basalt, moving to start stripping the tree. Basalt takes a step backward. "Yehr THAT tribe?" He smacks his forehead with his hand, realizing that he's stumbled into the homeland of the tribe that battled Guttlekraw some ninety years or so back. Strongbow frees his arrow-hand from the bow, letting the string relax and holding the bow and arrow at his side. With nothing more than a grim nod, he points southward. "Move on, trolls." Basalt moves back toward the rest of the trolls. "Cohmon, leht's move!" He glances back toward the trees, a trace nervously. "Ohr welcome'd be shohrt here." Blaze ducks back around the tree and creeps off. Blaze has left. Skywise grumbles his own mental relief that the trolls decided to cooperate, shifting his weight and relaxing considerably. IceHeart nods to Basalt, "Well, give me a hand in stripping this, and we'll be on our way." Sending low, the archer states, ** I'll stay on guard here when they go. End the den-hide, keep an eye on the Holt trees. ** A brief image, of flames, flickers through his sending, and he breaks it off abruptly, troubled by the threat at hand. Basalt snatches up his axe as he strolls away from Strongbow's position, and starts whacking off the limbs on the tree as fast as safety will allow. "Leht's noht dawdle, eh?" The tiniest trace of a smile curls the corners of the archer's mouth, his eyes yet narrow, as he watches the trolls work. IceHeart rolls his eyes at Basalt, Muttering so only he can hear. Skywise slips from the shadows now, watching them openly. His confidence in the trolls word is thin, but he sees no more reason to hide if they're just going to be on thier way. ** Good that Redlance didn't have to watch this. What do you think they'll do with the tree? ** Basalt mutters back to Iceheart, with a nervous glance toward the elves. Strongbow shakes his head, sending in return, with distaste, ** 'Make' things. Like humans do. ** Skot scrambles down the steep hill. Skot has arrived. Skot runs in, panting, sword in hand. IceHeart nods his head to Basalt, finishing up the removal of the limbs off the tree. Basalt finishes limbing, and looks up startled, as Skot appears at the edge of the trees. "Whaht-?! We'hr goin', we'hr goin', keep yer trews on!" Strongbow stands on the riverbank, Skywise near, watching the trolls tend to a newly-hewn tree. The archer's bow, and a solitary arrow, are idle in his hand; his expression is bemused. Skot, noticing the seeming lack of fun, looks over to Strongbow inquisitively. Strongbow sends, lowly, ** It's over. I'll keep watch...keep the Holt safe. ** Folding his arms across his narrow chest, the archer's gaze remains on the working trolls, every apparent intent to stay right there until they leave. Basalt gestures to Iceheart and a couple others to drag the two trunks southward. He starts stuffing some smaller chips and branches in a bag hurriedly. IceHeart grunts, as he walks over to help with picking up the tree, "Let's get outta here 'fore they decide to shoot us in the backs." [Though I was supposed to recieve additional log from Skot's player, I have not heard back from same. So, for now, end log.]