Play@YSDC

Book the Second, Chapter the Sixth: A Welcome View of Sun; Or, The Emergence From the Underworld

The party find themselves, after having wandered some distance beneath the surface of the Earth, in a dense forest of white birches. A quick glance at the stone door through which they passed reveals a strange transformation. After a moment too brief to be measured, even by the finest marine chronometers of Mister John Harrison, the entry way blurs into a mist, then vanishes. To all sides there are only the stately trees, and such flora and fauna as make homes among these tall, slender examples of Nature's art. It is not immediately obvious exactly where the adventurers are currently located, relying strictly on the most obvious visual clues, the sun nearly directly overhead, and thus producing little in the way of shadows.

Lepus blinks in the sunlight as he takes in his surroundings.

"'tis a comfort that, in this modern age, things such as those below still exist, yesno? Pity yon giant was not fain to accompany us though."

Sniffing noisily and hocking up a gobbet of phlegm, he rummages around his noisome attire for the talisman of 'know direction' he had created after swimming through the pool and into the caves.

"Mayhap old Lepus shall discover what is what and where is where..."

"Yes, but I understand why he would not wish to come with us to the surface world," says Henry. "Those who live above would by and large not be accepting of someone of his stature. It is a lonely existence for him, 'tis true, but an existence nonetheless." He looks around at the trees. "Moss grows on the north side of trees, so that should help us get our bearings. If these trees have no moss, I can still make a compass with some help from the lodestone I bear."

Sorcery and science, working together in an unexpected manner, soon make it clear in which direction lies North. Fine and good; but the view to North -- id est, the birchy forest extending as far as eye can see -- is in no manner distinguishable from that of East, South, or West, so this information, although the acquiring of it is admirable, yields no clue as to what lies beyond said woodland in any particular direction.

Working on the assumption that they are still within the grounds of the Highdark estate, Lepus tries to narrow down which of the two white birch forests they might be standing in.

“Harken all, canst thou or canst thou not hear the sound of running water?”

If they cannot find the Worried Stream, then mayhap they are ensconced within the Deer Park?

"What just occurred?" asks William. "I appeared here alone, and for a moment thought that the Serpent had lived up to its kind by releasing me whilst continuing to imprison you. But I see you escaped its grasp also."

"The Feathered Serpent presented us with a riddle as to which of the three doors led to freedom, which we solved," explains Henry. "You had happened to run through the correct door before he told us the riddle."

"Aye, 'tis as the good doctor described. Now, 'tis my fancy that we be either in the Deer Park or near the Worried Stream - from Old Lepus' memory, both woods boast such fine white trees. It follows that if we hear water, then we knowest where we are, yesno? O' course if someone wants to climb a tree, mayhap we can see our whereabouts that way."

"An excellent suggestion," says Henry. "I'll leave that to someone more agile than myself."

By remaining as silent as the proverbial church mice, the adventurers are able to determine that moving water lies in a southerly direction from where they now stand. It remains to be seen if there is one here who cares to climb one of the many tall birches hereabouts.

Loath to climb such smooth trunks, Lepus suggests walking towards the water and, if it is indeed a brook, following it roughly west towards, hopefully, the great house.

"It does seem a more sensible approach," agrees William. "But we must make haste, both to warn Highdark Hall and retrieve His Lordship's man from the first cave."

"Indeed, Ivan is waiting for us outside the cave, and we must collect him," says Henry, his mind already thinking about the possibility of a device for long distance communication so that messages could be sent without having to appear in person. "Let us follow the stream to the west, then."

The party is able to make its way, squeezing between trees and tearing through those smaller productions of Flora oft entangled at the feet of said giants, until they reach a swiftly flowing stream, chuckling to itself as it runs over its pebbly bed. Following this stream westward is a slow business, given the fact that there is no trail along its banks. After some time spent in this manner,the adventurers are startled by a sudden crashing movement disturbing the nearby bushes, accompanied by a series of loud sounds combining sharp hisses and threatening growls in a most alarming manner.
Perhaps because his ever-curious mind is focused on identified the many varieties of plant life that grow by the water, Doctor North is particularly taken aback by this unexpected encounter, remaining frozen for a moment.
Not quite so startled, the others prepare to meet the wrath of a pair of angry badgers. Possibly they have been interrupted in the process of mating; for whatever reason, they are in a particularly aggressive humor, and dash at the intruders with tooth and claw.
One of the raging beasts runs at the soldier, the other at the magician. Whilst Doctor North recovers his wits, his companions have a moment to respond to this onslaught.

Lepus swiftly draws his dagger and, deciding that the soldier is better suited to defend himself, leaps to the aid of the French wizard. He halloos loudly, brandshing his weapon.

William draws his sword and slashes at the badger.

The hedge wizard's dagger plunges deep into the animal's heart, killing it instantly. Meanwhile, the soldier's sword slashes at its mate, wounding it but failing to end its life. Rather, the badger, in the manner of its kind, fights furiously, with that same frenzied bloodlust of those fabled warriors known in olden times as Berserkers.
The enraged animal, with no concern for its own safety, lunges at William with tooth and claw, drawing blood from the brave soldier's leg.

Having learnt that even the dumb creatures of England are all too dangerous, the French magician takes this opportunity, with much gratitude to his companions, to retreat to safer ground. At some time in the future, those left behind will be pleased to learn that he returned to his native land safely, there to continue his studies into arcane matters.

While the surviving badger attacks William, Lepus tries to get behind the beast to stab it in the back.

DEX 15,[dice]0[/dice]

"Filthy thing! snarls William slashing once more at the beast.

Henry finally recovers from his shock and swings at the remaining badger with his cane, though his hands are still shaky and he narrowly misses.

OOC,Dexterity roll (10) attacking the remaining badger: [dice]0[/dice]