Finding the Beaten Paths

[Lesingnon]

Perhaps it was because it was a place that made it so easy to relax and let your guard down, yet required constant vigilance; that yielded that strange combination of comfort and wariness, that made the Hedge such a good place to reflect. Because it could draw your consciousness to that edge you couldn't quite achieve anywhere else. There was a reason that every time he had furthered his mystical abilities since his return from Arcadia it had happened in the Hedge.

And he was in it now; had been spending more time in it ever since his increased proficiency in the Contracts of Lightning had made him better able to fight off, or escape, dangers that might be found in it. At the moment, he was still getting a feel for the various regions of the Hedge in Sacramento, the area that corresponded with Downtown Sacramento at the moment as it was one of the areas that was closest to the hollow he shared with Terri. Preparations for future excursions. It was always best to know about your surroundings well if you knew they could turn dangerous.

[Forn Clakes]

The Briars around Rick and Terri's shared Hollow had begun to change in small ways. They had begun to grow taller, the tips of which seemed burnt from numerous lightning strikes and here and there, feathers and fur seemed to be snagged upon the Thorns, strewn with no meaning due to the breeze.

At least, there had been no meaning before. Now, standing here, Rick cannot help but linger on what the Hedge actually hides from peering eyes.

[Lesingnon]

Rick pauses, slightly, his eyes carefully examining the thorns and the signs left on them. That they were there wasn't too surprising. Even the brief presence of a Changeling passing by was enough to make minor alterations to the Hedge. So that their lasting stay induced them as well was hardly unexpected.

But that there suddenly did seem to be rhyme and reason to the arrangement of it was.

So he walks a bit closer to the thorns, careful to avoid actually pricking himself on them as he studies the decorations stuck to and burned into them. What secrets did they hold?

[Forn Clakes]

The feathers, snagged upon the Thorns, quiver in anticipation as Rick gets nearer and he can see how the red fur seems to entwine each one in almost a loving embrace. More peculiar seems to be that where the lightning has struck, a single burn line traces its way down from the tip of the branch down to the fur and feather bindings, but not stopping there.

Where the burn mark has touched the feather and fur bond, it has caused them both to not only fuse as one but also glimmer like a distant star and from the corner of the Elemental's eye, a whole wall of the Hedge is like a prickly curtain of feather-fur stars.

Rick needs to make an Intelligence + Occult roll please

[Lesingnon]

Rick's eyes trace the burn line down the length of the thorns, until his gaze is led to the fusion of fur and feather. The fusion, the glimmer...almost as though lightning had struck sand to create glass. A beautiful sight to be sure, especially as it stretched out across his field of vision.

Wow...

Rick rolls 6 to Int + Occ: 9, 10, 9, 8, 7, 8, 5; 5 Successes

[Forn Clakes]

Rick's mind picks out the pieces here and there, the subtle patterns forming on the Hedge itself, revealing a secret that was not there before, and if it was, it was not the right time to declare itself.

A map.

The feather and fur patterns is a map of somekind, leading to a mystery that was once hidden but is hidden no longer.

[Lesingnon]

Well that was surprising. Rick stepped back, to better see the whole picture. And some time passed as he simply studied it. Then paper and pencil found their way to his hand as the Elemental did his best to sketch a copy of the map. It could...generously be described as crude, he'd never considered drawing to be a strong point of his, but hopefully it would suffice as a remind should he have trouble remembering what the Hedge was depicting.

And when he was done he took a moment to make sure he was properly equipped before setting off further into the Hedge. What use was their in finding a map if you didn't at least put forth a bit of effort to see what it showed?

[Forn Clakes]

The map itself seems to corollate to a section of the Hedge not noticed before, and after what Rick can only guess is around 10 minutes, he comes to a stone path. The blocks of the path appear lighter in hue than the dirt ground but rather than looking like they have been laid in place, each stepping stone seems to have raised up from the ground itself like a massive jigsaw set of cracked paving.

The pathway leads into the Hedge until the eye cannot fathom any further distance, which for the Elemental is quite far indeed.

[Lesingnon]

How...ominous. But at least he'd always be able to follow the stone path back to its beginning if he found trouble...theoretically. Well, Audaces Fortuna Iuvat. Though his hand did drift to the contacts of the nine-volt he customarily carried to call upon lightning's protection. And with the precaution taken Rick began walking down the path, venturing into the (relatively) unknown.

Armor of Lightning's Fury

Rick rolls 6 to Dex + Wyrd: 1, 9, 2, 10, 3, 6, 4; 2 Successes

[Forn Clakes]

From the very first step, the pathway feels.......squidgy. Every step Rick takes and the stone under his foot seems to sink slightly but not into the ground, instead more around his footwear almost as if he is walking on a mattress.

Around him, the branches of the Hedge that he passes crackles before wilting away and turning a shade of bronze. The distinct whiff of ozone slips through his nostrils.