Happy Hunting Grounds

[Swift]

The Hedge so near to Sacramento has taken on the hues and trappings of the season, just in more exuberance than the mortal city. Where Sacramento remains warm, green, and Summer-like, the Hedge has embraced the dying palate of Autumn, at least in this portion of the eternal maze.

The vines along the walls have exploded into colors. Large leaves of deep red, vibrant orange, and golden yellows show hints of the dull browns and greys to come without actually containing any of those colors yet. The walls are totally covered in the leaves, so that not even the vines themselves are visible beneath the blanket of colors. There are also lumps and irregularities in the wall of leaves, as if things were waiting just beneath the surface to be found by the curious and adventurous. Without further exploration it would be impossible to tell if the leave hid the harvest-ready bounty of Goblin fruits, or dagger-long and razor sharp thorns thirsty for the blood of the unwary.

Somewhere within the hedge-walls the constant chittering and rustling of small animals moving can be heard. The astute and long-established might notice a difference this year from last. The hedge feels less of waiting predators and more of unseen eyes. The result is no less ominous, but it is different somehow.

This scene begins at the entrance to a known trod located near the Four Seasons. Feel free to narrate your arrival and go from there. Happy Hunting!

Degnar & Dominyk , mechanics for your pledge can be found here. My apologies for not getting this up sooner, I thought I had already :-\

[Degnar]

With his bow hanging from his back, and his quiver strapped to his belt, the Archer of the Lonely March took a quick look around the area. He knew that the mission ahead of him was not going to be an easy one, but it was his duty to put a stop to this satyr and his habit of leaving Hedge gates open. Knowing that his journey would be both dangerous and difficult, the Darkling thought it was best to be prepared for what may lay ahead in their journey. He recalled a joke he had made to his Motley mate not long ago, about Winter Courtiers being like the boy scouts. Well, at that moment, the joke wasn't actually a joke, it was his reality.

"Make sure you are ready," he said to the group that was with him, giving them a quick nod.

With those words, Degnar began to call on some of the Contracts he had made. First he called on the Contracts with Smoke, as shadows crept up from nearby to aid the Darkling be sneakier. Then he stuck his hand in his messenger bag, petting his furry friend inside as he invoked his Contract with Fang and Talon, ensuring that his senses would be sharper. He then proceeded to take out a small needle from his bag and pricked his right thumb lightly with it, invoking one of his season's Contracts, as a cold breeze manifested around him for a few seconds as he did so. And last, the Tunnelgrub used some of his own Glamour to empower his Contract with Separation, ensuring that his feet would remain light on their journey.

Once he had done all of this, the Darkling reached into his bag once more, taking out the mirror shard that had a few drops of dried blood on it. "This should help us," he said to the trio of Fairest with him.

  Activating Contracts, Catches met for all but Separation 1

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2012-11-08 14:20:39		Degnar rolls 8 to A Mere Vessel for Loss (10 Again)		5, 8, 5, 2, 1, 1, 10, 9, 4		3 successes
2012-11-08 14:17:17		Degnar rolls 7 to Tread Lightly (10 Again)		8, 2, 7, 6, 9, 5, 9		3 successes
2012-11-08 14:14:18		Degnar rolls 6 to Beast's Keen Senses (10 Again)		8, 7, 3, 4, 8, 8		3 successes
2012-11-08 14:07:31		Degnar rolls 5 to Shadowpatch (10 Again)		10, 6, 8, 3, 1, 2		2 successes
2012-11-08 14:07:12		Degnar rolls 5 to Nevertread (10 Again)		8, 9, 7, 7, 1		2 successes

-1 Glamour

[Swift]

Dominyk , your up

[Dominyk Prise]

Dominyk hated the hedge, and this wasn’t the first time in the past month he had been there. Little half thought through thoughts of never returning to the hedge floated in and out of his head -- apparently that was never going to happen.

He just wished he didn’t have to go back with certain members of the hastily thrown together motley, especially as the only non-combatant in the group. And likely the one that would be used as bait.

Dominyk “The Bait” Prise walked forward behind the others, at the very least he might get something for a book out of this. "Ready as I'll ever be."

[Degnar]

Once the rest of the group confirmed that they were ready to go, Degnar gave them all a nod and turned his attention to the mirror shard in his hands. The Darkling brought the shard closer to his nose, sniffing the faint smell of blood that was left behind by the satyr. Using his heightened sense of smell, the Tunnelgrub began to lead the trio of Fairest forward. "Let's go this way," he said, gesturing for them to follow his lead.

  13 suxx over 5 rolls

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2012-11-12 10:05:39		[05] Degnar rolls 8 to Wits+Survival+1 (pledge)+2 (BKS) (10 Again)		6, 4, 1, 10, 10, 2, 2, 9, 2, 1		3 successes
2012-11-12 10:05:39		[04] Degnar rolls 8 to Wits+Survival+1 (pledge)+2 (BKS) (10 Again)		2, 1, 10, 8, 1, 9, 8, 8, 1		5 successes
2012-11-12 10:05:39		[03] Degnar rolls 8 to Wits+Survival+1 (pledge)+2 (BKS) (10 Again)		5, 6, 2, 4, 6, 9, 3, 2		1 success
2012-11-12 10:05:39		[02] Degnar rolls 8 to Wits+Survival+1 (pledge)+2 (BKS) (10 Again)		1, 2, 7, 2, 1, 9, 1, 10, 5		2 successes
2012-11-12 10:05:39		[01] Degnar rolls 8 to Wits+Survival+1 (pledge)+2 (BKS) (10 Again)		6, 10, 2, 6, 4, 3, 2, 3, 10, 1		2 successes

[Swift]

As the band of Lost hunters set off, the trod winds its way deeper into the thorns. Degnar's enhanced sense of smell picks up the scent of the dried blood on the shard as a reference, but it quickly becomes apparent that the Hedge is a smorgasbord of interesting scents. The smells of autumn are thick here - sweetness of ripe and over-ripe fruit blended with the scent of drying and decaying leaves as well as both wood smoke and burning tallow, and under it all a pervasive scent of blood. Though at this point it is impossible to tell if it is the same blood, it is a place to start.

As Degnar leads the group through the thorns small changes can be seen. The shadows lengthen slightly, and sometimes seem to point in odd directions, totally disregarding the sun - or what ever it is that is providing the diffuse, twilight illumination. Tiny, fragrant blossoms can sometimes be seen amongst the long, drying thorns as well, in shades of white and pale blues and purples, visible occasionally through the large, autumnal leaves. The most notable change, however, surrounds Anya. The draconic's Wyrd lashes out at the surrounding Hedge like the tail of some great beast. While it is not nearly powerful enough to affect the thorns, the leaves seem to become drier, curling at the edges as if subjected to a late-summer heat, or perhaps the thermal bloom of a sudden blast of flame.

After nearly an hour of walking, the group reaches a branch in the trod, the most recent in a series. However, at this particular branching, the correct trail is not so clear. Down one path the shadows quickly grow longer and darkness seems to seep from the thorns. But to Degnar's nose there is the strong scent of blood, both new and old. Down the other path the light is stronger, but a ruddy haze obscures the next turning. A harsh scent that makes Degnar think of fire, though not of flame, come from that way - the scent of sulfur and tar.

But the real scent is an old trail, clinging to the thorns. It smells of the same blood upon the mirror Degnar now holds. The scent is faint now, almost buried in the primal smells of either trod, and it is impossible to say which way the trail leads. Did it come from the Hellish haze leading into darkness, or the other way around?