Part One C - Desperately Seeking Inuit

[ghill]

Waving to Jesse at the sled Patrick starts to lower himself down into the chasm. But a rough outcropping of ice stops him from descending while he tries to work out how to get to Poo-Yet-Tah

Climb 40%[dice]0[/dice]

[andyw666]

"Paddy lad, I can't drive these wee doggies but you can. What if you come and get these beasties to lower me down? I'm not a great climber but I'm good at being lowered on a rope."

[ghill]

"'I'm already rather committed" says Patrick clearly trying not to laugh as he tries to clear the latest obstacle "but as long as your tied off to the sled that'll do for the moment"

OOC:   I assume there are others up at the top who can also handle the dogs and thus lower Dougal down into the chasm. I'm not entirely clear who is with us and who is not and with what Skills, I know Jesse on Patrick's sledge can manage their dogs.

[andyw666]

Dougal slings his trusty shotgun again (Messrs Purdeys' finest) and starts crawling carefully towards the crevice. He pauses at its lip.

"Conroe, Jesse, anyone, someone please get my sled to start backing up towards the device so I can get lowered down."

[dustakr]

'I guess I can hold this sled steady and start backing up..just make sure to reach to the ground before everyone joins the party...' Conroe gets the sled backing up slowly towards crevasse.

[andyw666]

Dougal starts scrabbling down the crevice as the rope lowers. He suspects being a stumpy, clumsy Scotsman with short arms may not be the perfect choice for a crevice climber. At least he left the kilt at the base.

OOC:   Dougal's climb skill is 40% and in case he needs it he rolls... [dice]0[/dice]

[Papa Gateau]

Jesse slowly backs the sled that Patrick is tied to, giving the slack necessary to descend the ice face.

He calls down to Patrick in inuit Are you ok down there?

[ghill]

Patrick.

"I'm good Jesse, its not the easiest thing to get down, but we'll get there. Better safe than sorry. We'll not help anyone getting injured ourselves."

[Cearlan]

You both reach the ice ledge and although it is less than two foot wide you manage to find reasonable footing, though you have to bear in mind that you are on a narrow ledge with a sheer drop on one side and a sheer wall of ice on the other which will restrict your movement. As you look down at Poo-Yet-Tah's prone body you cannot notice anything out of the ordinary other than the blood stains at the upper end of his body and his right arm dangling into the abyss.

You look down at Chris' broken body and realise without any further doubt, not that there was much to start with, that his time on this expedition has come to an unfortunate and untimely end.

Suddenly there are shouts from above. As you look up you can see several Inuit faces that you do not recognise staring down at you. They throw ropes down to you and shout that you should hurry in case the crevasse suddenly closes. You can see them pointing down at Chris; body and several ropes are thrown down towards him and the Inuit swiftly clamber down to his location. They secure their ropes around his body and start to pull him up. The Inuit down there start to root around where he fell, pick up a few items and ascend once more.

[ghill]

Patrick quickly puts a bowline into the end of the rope looping it under Poo-Yet-Tah's arms and then signalling for the Inuit to be pulled up. Then he pulls hard on his own ropeto signal to Jamie to pull him up. Once at the top he clambers to his feet and goes to meet their new arrivals.

[Papa Gateau]

Jesse pulls Patrick to the top. Once he see that he is clear, he ties the dogs off and heads over to him and the inuit arrivals.

[ghill]

OOC:   Sorry getting a bit caught up in the turn of events and not thinking it through realistically. Patrick will first move Poo-Yet-Tah well away from the crevasse (probably back to the sled, make sure he's warm and deal with any obvious injuries. Once he's happy Poo-Yet-Tah life isn't at immediate risk, he'll head over to join Jesse and Inuit.

First aid roll: [dice]0[/dice]

[dustakr]

'I guess we might need 2 or more rope in our direction to make this sled secure, .. Dougal you getting out.. where is Dr. Hamilton...' Conroe now holds the sled steady.

[Cearlan]

The Inuit who assisted you watch you warily. After a few awkward moments, they start to speak slowly ... for those who can speak Inuit, they seem to be asking you,

"Why are you are following us ... what you want with our tribe ... what have we done to you that warrants your attention?"

[ghill]

Patrick coughs trying to get a moment to gather his thoughts.

Early today my friends found the bodies of two hunters out on the ice. These men had been savaged, as if by a Nanuq worthy of great respect, but the kills had not been fed on. Worse still they looked as though they had been toyed with. I thought it piqujait, for me to find and warn you something is on the ice and to tell you of these men's passing.

Patrick waits a moment then adds "I also thought those who live on the ice their entire lives might know what might have killed these men."

[Cearlan]

One of the Inuit leans in to whisper something to the 'lead inuit' who had spoken to you. after a brief muffled conversation between the two where he mays "No" forcibly and makes a chopping motion with his hand before he turns to you once more,

OOC:   Listen rolls to overhear the side conversation if you want

"You are the mad foreigners from the ...," he pauses to find the right phrase "... from the permanent camp? We bid you welcome in these trying times." He touches his chest in the ritual greeting which marks him as a member of the Timber-Wolf clan on a successful Anthropology roll at +20%. "The two bodies you found were not of our tribe as all our hunters are guarding the movement to another site and were seen with my own eyes before we left our previous camp. Perhaps one of the other local tribes, though you will encounter difficulty in finding one and I would not advise the other."

[ghill]

Patrick strains to Listen in on the side conversation between the two Inuit [dice]0[/dice] he smiles to himself, when he hears the tribesman's words

None of them are mad says Patrick, emphasising the fact he's clearly not including himself among the 'foreigners'. But they are not used to living out on the ice and they wish to learn about this world. Its is good the hunters were not Timber Wolf clan, but this does not change the matter that a beast is on the ice, one which does not kill for food. All should know of this matter. These other clans what difficulty will prevent me from doing what is right and warning the first clan?....and why should I not warn the other?

[Cearlan]

Patrick,You hear the younger tribesman mention something about a [color=#FF0000]'tupilak,'[/color] before the lead Inuit shuts him down.

[ghill]

Keeper,Has Patrick ever heard of a tupilak?

Patrick looks at the lead Inuit. If you know what the beast is then it is *piqujait you share this knowledge with those whose lives are at risk.

*piqujait, the inuit sense of doing what is right.

[Cearlan]

Patrick,You can roll against your Anthropology skill of you want (1%) to see if you have heard of a tupilak.

The lead Inuit looks at you with hard eyes and speaks to you very brusquely.

"I need no lesson from you as to what is or is not piqujait." He steps forward and the other Inuit tense.

"But as you seem so keen to listen to the talk between others, I suppose I had better put you right - a tupilak is nothing more than an old woman's tale who wish to keep unruly children in check ..." he glares over his shoulder at the young Inuit who had whispered it.

"... children such as Lom-Yat there who is so young that he still remembers his mothers scolding tales. The young man turns crimson while the others snigger at his expense.

"Now there is nothing further that we have to impart to you, the next nearest clan is in that direction ..." he points the way. "... the Blue Seal Clan, though I seriously doubt they will be as friendly as we have been as they are fiercely territorial. There was another clan, the Red Caribou, but you will struggle to come across them, now go!"

They turn and head toward where his clan are heading.