The Gaming Outpost

This thread will continue Paul’s game from the old new forum, last seen in a href=http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/riddle-me-hiss-paul-soldiers-on>this thread. I’m reposting his latest live-play summary here:

“We set off toward Temken, South of here. Around dusk, the girl pointed out a willow tree that had branches that reached the ground, and we set up camp there. As I build a fire and cooked some of the food I brought along, we began asking each other questions. She revealed she was travelling to Temken for “Asylum,” and indicates that she knows people there that look out for each other, and will look after her as well. In response to a question from her that I come from “Elsewhere,” and that I “haven’t travelled much…here.” She was incredulous that I had not heard of Temken, and asked if I could even read. I responded “Yes, in three languages.” I used magic to enlarge the flame once the tender caught (the spell took two tries). I cooked dinner, set up my tent, and diminished the flame to conserve wood before going to sleep.”

It was actually a wayward pine, which creates the effect of a conical, evergreen tent, but the rest of this is fine. Before we get started, Paul, could you remind me of the sleeping arrangements? There’s no snow under the pine, but there is snow on the ground generally, which suggests cold.

Here, I’ll also repost an earlier paragraph containing a helpful on-person equipment summary:

“One day, the wizard presented me with a map and compass that he was relieved I knew how to use. He charged me with going on an errand he was unwilling to do himself. There is a girl travelling in the wilderness that he believes to be lost, and I am to venture out and ensure her safety. Taking with me food and water, a candle, flint, steel, matches, a bell, my new blanket, the map and compass, my sleeping bag, staff, gloves, jacket, a pair of extra socks, a tent, and a pocket knife, I venture out into the newly fallen snow.”

The general direction of travel is south (toward “Solaria”), but the specific direction of travel has not been discussed. The obvious options are:

(1) due south, which will send you through the bog,
(2) south as far as the road and then west, which will circumvent the bog but send you through town, or
(3) south to the road and then east, which will send you through territory you have yet to explore.

There’s also (4) east to the other road and then south, which will take you out of the forest and put you on a road sooner, but which sends you off your map almost as soon as you reach the road.

You are awake and thinking about these things, but your young charge is asleep and cuddled up to you snugly. Between the blanket, the sleeping bag, and the child, you’re quite comfortable where you are. The crisp air on your face and the snow still on the ground beyond the boughs of the wayward pine give warning of the long, cold morning that awaits once you emerge from your cocoon. It is dark yet, but daybreak will come very soon.
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In addition to travel plans, I am interested in your thoughts on breakfast.

I’m interested in your mapmaking endeavor. Are you picking a scale ahead of time, or are you trying to keep things flexible in case you end up traveling farther than anticipated?

You extricate yourself from her spindly, pajama-clad limbs and don your jacket before leaving to attend to the fire. Your spell works about as well as you could expect, bringing the dying embers of last night’s fire into flame. Your scout skills are enough to bring it the rest of the way to medium-sized in short order.

The food you have with you is that eclectic assortment you end up with when a significant portion of your food supply is drawn from a small village’s carefully collected left-overs and week-old garbage, subsequently purified and kept fresh by magic. These gathered odds and edible ends are supplemented by fresh seasonal vegetable cubes (from all seasons), presumably from the tower’s small garden, as well as goodly number of shelled, hard-boiled eggs.

Your listed equipment did not include cooking implements. I might entertain an argument that packing food implied such implements, but then again, I could easily see you intentionally leaving such things behind in order to pack lighter. The wizard’s stores of magically preserved food are such that you could readily pack for several days without actually needing to cook. I’m open to your input as to what you have with you and what you end up serving for breakfast; you do pretty well with what you have.

The girl emerges on her own as you finish your breakfast, perhaps drawn by the smell of food. Clad in her oversized coat and still wrapped in the wool blanket, she takes what you give her and eats it in groggy silence.

My next post will cover the rest. Feel free to reply anyway.
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Enhance Flame goes well with a 38, with no need to roll Paul’s professional-level Fire Skills package to take the fire the rest of the way. For an amateur cook, 26 yields passable campfire fare.

Since “food and water” is left open, I’m assuming this was taken from the back of the larder where the magically preserved supplies are kept. The food and water will remain fresh for the foreseeable future.