The Lizard Road
OK, new thread to alleviate congestion.
Faliol and Cas have gone to investigate a bump in the night. The wagon, cart and animals are arranged in a rough circle on the raised roadbed. On either side of the road is low boggy ground dotted with trees and small pools and rivulets.

The party at the camp are all straining to see what the foxes are doing. They have heard a thump, like a wooden door. There were a few snatches of discussion from which you managed to gather there was some horrible smell, but no one has called back any information. A minute or so later, there was a splash and the sounds of a commotion.

Nuyok will move forward to try to make out what's going on.

PER, 13-
3d6: 2, 1, 4 (STUN: 7, BODY: 2) Mon March 31, 2003 @2:11 PM (EST)
Spirit Sight, 13-
3d6: 5, 5, 4 (STUN: 14, BODY: 3) Mon March 31, 2003 @2:11 PM (EST)

Ricco grips his trident in leathery paws and jumps out of the wagon.

.oO(Not without me, Nuyok! We be too close to them Demon King Ruins!)

He glances back at the remaining Caravaneers, "Be keepin' yer eyes open! Ol' Riccoco will get to the bottom o' this with the Adept, here!"

Keith, I'm back! And, I forgot a PER roll. Sorry! Thanks for handling Ricco in my absence!

.oO(Ol' Riccoco should NOT have let Red wander off on his own. Who knows what sor to trouble that Kit will get into!)

Per 15-
3d6: 15 Mon March 31, 2003 @1:59 PM (CST)

Nuyok says quietly "I'm moving forward a bit to try to make out what's going on, don't everyone rush to the rescue, it may be an ambush."

Just post a single perception roll. Unless you say otherwise I will always assume you are using Spirit Sight. If you post two rolls, make one and flub the other, then I have to figure out what you could sense but not see, or see but not sense, if you get my meaning.

As you get closer, your Spirit Sight detects a large wooden structure half in and half out of the water. You assume by it's morphia that it is a boat. Its anima shows that it is being shaken by people walking on it and moving quickly around it. You also detect at least five figures in motion. Two are the foxes. The others are beasts by their psyche and morphia, but of what variety you cannot tell, other than that they are rather short.
This is an experiment to display spirit perception. I am going to try and describe your perceptions in terms of spirit aspects. Bear with me as I work out the bugs. If you have any suggestions, please share.

Cas is going to capture one. Someone must know what is going on!

"Wait! We just want to talk!"

"They aren't dead!! Look out, Cas!! Don't you touch me, you disease-ridden little creeps!!"

Dodge!! I don't hit one unless they attack us...

Blech!!

Upon hearing the Foxes shouts, Celeste will advance to a point to possibly block escape of the unknowns..oO(Don't you touch me, you disease-ridden little creeps??? ,sigh......)

OOC: Are you in ear shot Celeste or did I accidently not uncheck you?

OOC: Had moved forward once we were alerted to the 'door' sound....wasn't sure why you had me checked and not the others. If it was your intention that only Faliol was within earshot, that's cool.. Keith can delete my response post and we will continue as if it never happened...

We'll just assume that Celeste heard your shout with a good PER roll and continue...

"Cas, please let them go! You are going to catch whatever they have!"

Cas, the one you were carrying has twisted away, but you manage to grab the long pink tail of one of the beasts trying to escape out a window. (You had to re-enter the cabin to have any chance of grabbing). The beast immediately lets out a horrible shriek of pain, like you are killing him.
This is an effective PRE attack. I will roll the dice, plus modifiers. You may apply it to your own Presence however you wish. I'll stand by your interpretation.
5d6: 4, 2, 1, 5, 5 (STUN: 17, BODY: 4) Mon March 31, 2003 @8:58 PM (PST)

OOC: I was going to just let it go but then I remembered that I bought a power for the sole purpose of resisting presense attacks. I don't have my FRED here with me right now so I'm going to roll it two ways and puzzle over what it means.

I think what I do is reduce the effectiveness by what I roll as compared to my ego. As it is the PRE attack is only 4 above the Ego so I donnow what to do here.

PRE 12-
3d6: 11 Tue April 1, 2003 @12:56 AM (EST)

PRE Resistance or what not
3d6: 2, 6, 4 (STUN: 12, BODY: 4) Tue April 1, 2003 @12:56 AM (EST)

If Cas succeeds in this PRE/EGO business:
She holds on to the tail long enough to jump out the window with this pink tailed 'thing' and land on top of it and try to pin it to the deck. She will counter with her own PRE attack in a very loud voice, "I'm Cas the Storyteller! I won't hurt you!"

If she fails she will just let go realizing it is hurting and then chase after saying the same as above.

I forgot this part:

2d6: 1, 2 (STUN: 3, BODY: 1) Tue April 1, 2003 @12:57 AM (EST)

OOC: The dice gods don't smile upon me tonight.

You dive through the window with the beast. It yelps with agonzing pain that would cause a lesser beast to wilt and release, but something tells you to hang on.
Your exclamation would have been perfect if it weren't for a an ill-timed sneeze, causing the water near your muzzle to spray mud all over your face. Instead the words fade into an embarrassed mumble.*
The beast stops screaming and instead seems to relax. Then it begins to chuckle. "Why, y'all ain't no threat!" It shouts out, "Hey kinfolk, this here fox is just a li'l ol' thang. Her beau seems mo' concerned 'bout hs tail than lunchin' on us!"
As the barest hint of dawn gives the scene a hint of light things become clearer.
The beast is a possum.

OOC: *Drat those dice gods!

Cas gets up and brushes her arms, "Sorry bought the tail. Anyone ever tell you, you play dead well?"

"Darn right I am concerned about my tail! If you had a tail this fine instead of a rat tail, you would protect it too!" This is said with a smile at the possum, to hopefully indicate gentle teasing.

.oO(Everyone makes a big deal about my concern for my appearance!)

"Name's Faliol. She, who would twist off your tail, is Cas-san-dra."

.oO(Lucky possum. Be glad you weren't a big chicken...)

"Ok, I can understand why you would want to look dead, but why do you, no offense, smell like a bunch three-week old corpses? Sorry, for the "disease ridden little creeps" crack. You made me jump outta my fur."

I begin to relax a little, but stay on guard...just in case.

Considering the obvious wooden sound may be a ploy to divert our attention, I watch in the opposite direction for any movement of flankers of ambush as others are drawn away into the bush.
Perception 14-
3d6: 4, 5, 1 (STUN: 10, BODY: 2) Mon March 31, 2003 @6:10 PM (PST)

The rear front (so to speak) seems to be clear. But remember, there is practically no light to speak of...

Unless someone has a light source, the ability to see in the dark or is right on top of the situation, you hear little more than what has been stated.

Exception - You have all heard the following shouts:
Cas: "Wait! We just want to talk!"

Faliol: "They aren't dead!! Look out, Cas!! Don't you touch me, you disease-ridden little creeps!!"

Cas: "I'm Cas the sto-story-- ACHOOSPLSHH!"

*More Splashing*

Stranger's voice: "Hey kinfolk, this here fox is just a li'l ol' thang. Her beau seems mo' concerned 'bout his tail than lunchin' on us!"

Dawn begins to color the air and you all can barely make out a shack or boat in the direction the foxes travelled.

Rath will heft his Ax and make way for the structure, not running really
but walking quickly.

Nuyok hisses "Three short beasts on a boat ahead, plus our foxes. I'll go since I can see, several should stay behind." Nuyok moves along with Rath.

Ricco slips back to the boat long enough to grab his lamp before moving back towards the structure.

.oO(No way I'm leaving the fate of Beasts to a Hooman and a Riven! )

Ricco slogs forward through the morass of the swamp, headed for the boat.

If Ricco's UV vision works well enough, he'll skip picking up the lantern and use stealth to approach the boat unawares!

Stealth 13-
3d6: 11 Tue April 1, 2003 @10:17 AM (CST)

Perception 15-
3d6: 9 Tue April 1, 2003 @10:17 AM (CST)

"I'll stay and watch the wagons but if you here me scream come a runnin' please."

I move to stand between the oxen so as to use them as cover.

Does this help Ricco see? Otherwise, I probably would have snagged a lanthorn again!

Since you were vacatin', I neglected to check your character sheet when I set this up. You should have been able to perceive the whole thing. Maybe you had a bad angle, being so short?

You see some ripples in the water of various pools and a furry brown snout poking out of one. You would guess these are other possums, gone to ground. There are 2-3 of them.

Ricco clenches his teeth against the Stink.

He desperately needs to keep a close eye on these Possum. It is a Savage Earth, after all.

The hidden possums doing anything during any of this?

OOC: All of the action was at the boat. The possums were just laying low. You remember now that Possums have excellent night vision and are generally nocturnal.

Rather than wait for everybody to post actions, I am continuing the narrative with all visible. If you stay back, just ignore this subthread. OTOH, no one is making a particular effort to keep the meeting secret, so voices can be heard.
Those of you who approach the structure can see that it is a small houseboat, perhaps 15-20' in length. It has an enclosed cabin that covers over half the length. Cas and Faliol are speaking with a short beast who is quickly revealed to be a possum. The foxes have just introduced themselves.
The possum pushes back a hat woven of grass. He stands about 4 feet tall and wears a kilt-like garment. He is barefoot. "Howdy folks. Th' name's Rafe. Pardon the stink, but ah didn't have no conceptualatin' who you fellers was."
This being said, all can now perceive a horrible odor. It smells like blood, death, disease, feces and vomit all wrapped up into one malodorous package. It's a smell so thick and real it has its own personality. An aggressive one.
Rafe continues, "Lemme take care o'-- Bogsakes! but there's a passle o' ye. Y'all look ta be some kind o' city folk? Please put away them stickers and slicers, ol' Rafe ain't no caution.
"I was gonna say, lemme cap the Whiff." He enters the cabin, slowly and taking great care not to make suspicious movements. He reaches for a wide-mouth jug on a shelf and puts a stopper in the top.
"There! It'll take an plum hour or so for the Whiff to vacate, but had to put out the candlers when we noticed the lot of ye."

Nuyok will back away from the smell, and say he is returning to inform the others there is no danger, and promptly returns to the caravan to do so (including informing everyone of the stench).

.oO(Phew, glad I got out of that filthy odor.)

A few of you notice that Vagrant is out and about due to the commotion. With Nuyok's all clear he returns to his bed. Those with keen eyes notice he wears only his red cloak. No bandages seem to adorn his body in the usual places.

Celeste will have moved to a position halfway between the camp and Nuyok's position at the time of the 'altercation'. Depending on the exact positioning, perhaps she is able to see Vagrant moving about. Respecting his desire for privacy, she will keep her distance unless he appears to stumble or otherwise in need help before Nuyok returns to the camp.
OOC: Your call Mr. GM

OOC: You little perv, trying to flash everybody

OOC: Nuyok is jealous

Well, you are the one that delicately unwrapped
vagrant.

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OOC: Well maybe he won't be so delicate next time

Cas examines the possom over, "Wow, a marvellous concotion. I must simply learn how you made it but first things first, why in the name of the Fox Who Wasn't There would you coat yourself in that stuff?"

.oO( I doubt it would sell well in the city but I bet I could fetch a high price for traders who wish to avoid being gator food. )

I sheathe my sword, fairly confident that these lords of stink pose no threat...

"Some of us are city folk, but all of us are caravaners..."

I then introduce each of the caravaners that makes it to the boat.

OOC: Confused on just who is and isn't here

"Rafe, what brings you and your friends here? Have you had any trouble with the gators?"

Rafe looks shocked by Cas' suggestion. "Oh sweet water, no! We all wouldn't get that stuff in our fur lessin' we was otherwise gatorbite. The jar of Whiff is enough on its own. Takes a moon and a sun t'get it out of your hide.
"As for the fohmula, weee-e-l now, that's a family secret. Ever' possum clan's gotten its own Whiff."
To Faliol, he replies, "Gators? No, thank the roots. Me an the kin was travellin to join our clan roundabouts east o' Blacklake, west o' the road. Got ourselves a joinin' t'attend. As the way the world works, we done got ourselves grounded.
"Not enough rain lately. This heah road y'all is on fords a stream West o' heah. We was done headed that way when we ran out of water. Thought we'd-a beat the dry season, but no sech luck. We're stuck hah and drah."

.oO(Gotta ask Beka if we can spend the time helping these possums get their boat unstuck)

"Rafe, excuse me for a moment. I need to ask Miss Beka, our caravan leader, a quick question.

I leave in search of Beka.

OOC: Unclear as to her current whereabouts...

Upon finding her, "Miss Beka, the possums' boat is stuck. Do we have your permission to help them get it unstuck? I have no idea if it is possible or how much time it will take, but it is a nice thing to attempt..."

"How about in the morning, after I get the rest of my sleep and people can see what they are doing?"

I just look at the Adept, trying to figure out if he is being funny or serious.

"It is less than an hour to dawn, Nuyok. Did you plan on sleeping till noon today?"

.oO(I have been scared outta my fur, my nose has been assaulted by the worse stink known to beast and I have to deal with the smart-alecky adept...)

"Fine, fine, let's be done with it then."

"I'm right over here and have been here the whole time. Obviously no one heard me say to come out in the open earlier. Of course we can help. What do you need done?"

Cas gets an idea... a good idea, "How about some exchange of news? We just came from Fort Lizard not too long ago. Its going to be a long time before they are going to be back up to speed after being attacked by a horde of reavers. I also here that a Riven Trade City is about to be made somewhere not far from Fort Lizard. Any news you can share with me?"

OOC: Uh, I thought that was supposed to be secret?

OOC: I don't recall being told it was a secret.

"Harharhar! 'Riven Trade City! That's a good'un an no mistake! I'll have to 'member that! And 'horde of reavers'!"
He slaps his knee. "Seriously, if'n you're on your way to the city down this here road, you'll get there afore nightfall. As for the huming fort, y'say they done been attacked? I ain't heard no gatorboy mischief lately over this neck, but I wouldn't put it over them scaley rascals to try somethin'. If'n your willing to give us a push off'n this here bank, we' treat you all to brekky. Lem done caught us a big ol'cat we was gonna fry." At your blank stares, he explains, "Catfish! that is!"
He looks about the bog and calls out again. "Lem! Byula! Jebbe! Hustle yo'selves on out! These is right-thinkin' folk. Ain't no killers heah!"
He looks quickly back at the group. "Y'all ain't killers are you?"

"Hey Rath! Celeste!" Cas calls out, "Any chance you two might be willing to help push this boat free? We'll get a free meal out of it!"

Celeste moves through the bushes to help with the boat. OOC: Okay, so it's not the brownies from 'Willow', it's a scene out of Disney's Bear Country Jamboree

.oO(Oops, catchin' init!)
"Sorry, I mean, it wasn't gators, it was Reavers! Cas, can the oxen help here? Catfish sounds great though, we'll share too!"

"The problem is getting them out, not in. If use the oxen to move that thing they better be good swimmers. Unless someone has a really long rope I don't know anyway to get the oxen to assist. Even with a rope, it might not help much."

Moving the boat is hard work, but do-able if everyone pitches in. The boat must have been going at a good clip and not immediately freed for it to have become stuck so high. Also, several roots have become snagged on it at various points. Nevertheless, it is by no means impossible. Eventually, once you have shown a willingness to help and a general distate for possum stew, the others show themselves. Only Byula is female. She approaches cautiously, "'Mornin' gen'lefolk. Ah declare it's right neighbor-like for'n y'all o pitch in like this. I'm Byula, Rafe's mate." She brings forth an adolescent. "This here is our young'un, Lem. That ornery ol' cuss back theah is Jebbe. He's Rafe's pappy."
She sizes the company. "Rafe, you dang fool! Ain't no way that cat'll feed this crowd. We're gonna need some passle o' roots to make up a pottage."
She look simploringly at the company. "If'n y'all know where we could rustle up some tubers'n'rootage, that cat'll travel a lot further."
Please post whatever actions you intend. If I don't have an indication by my next post, I will just assume you are helping to move the boat.

Cas is going to help move the boat. She will also try to find out as much as possible about what they are up to and stuff. Any news and rumors are good.

Cas decides that the best place to start with sharing the news is here. "You are going to hear sooner or later the details about what happened at Fort Lizard. I'd rather you hear them from someone who was there than the half-witted repeated tales some nobody might spit out over some cheap p-, er, city ale."

Cas looks around to see if anyone caught on to what her near slip might have been. She continues, "Well, basically there was this riven who had been messed up in the head. He discovered some means to control Reavers. No, I'm serious. Very scary seeing shifters like that under the will of someone else."

"Well, the riven uses them to build up an entire army of riven and chimeras. I'm not sure but he might have been able to control riven too because not all riven are bad, just these ones that were following him.

"Three days and nights of constant attack after attack. It was a disaster with people dying to the left and the right. Well, fortunately for us, Master A-" Cas seems to have a hard time saying it. "Master A-, Master A-, well you will hear his name I'm sure. In anycase, there was this cool Master there who helped us win but died because of it.

"What you won't here people tell you about is that we were all heroes too. We let the Adept take all the credit because city folk like it that way... I know... it puzzles me too. Well we all helped. I got stabbed through the chest after I took on the Reaver Control by myself. Nuyok here healed me. He was an adept who helped turn away the Reavers.

"Well, we are going to sell our wares at Adala and then try to find the ruins where those bandit over there," Cas points to the bodies from earlier, "came from. Something about a Demon-King temple is hidden there so some of us are thinking about relic hunting. I'd think it would be fun. My friend Sei once told me about the time she found some ruins that had some neat stuff in them."

Rath will help move the boat but still try to avoid Beka,

.oO(I wonder how long she is gonna stay mad at me?)

With all of Cas' obliviousness, would she have noticed this Beka/Rath dilemna by now?

... everyone is aware of the situation.

I smile and nod as Byula introduces the other possums. Then I get to work.

I pull out the tattered remains of my old ruined oil cloak and make an impromptu bag for my tail. Once my tail is in the bag, I take a piece of string and hand it to Celeste.

With a wink, "Big sister, will you help me secure my most valuable asset? Please tie this onto the end of my tail and the other end to the back of my collar." If she complies and my tail is safe from dirt, mud, and possum stink, I then quickly position myself on the piece of land next to the boat with the most dirt and least amount of water.

.oO(Is Rath going to help with two or all four arms?)

I then wait for the others to assemble around the boat.

[EDITED on Thu April 3, 2003 @6:43 AM (CST)]

Riccoco moves up beside the trussed-tailed kit, "All o' that won't be doin' a bit a good, iffin' you take a spill in this muck, Red!" Ricco offers Faliol a knowing grin.

.oO(Iffin' things work out... Mayhap ol' Riccoco can give the muck a bit o' help!)

Do what you will with this, Keith. I'm just being a little mischeivious. If you can't play tricks on your friends... Who can you play tricks on?

"Maybe it won't help, but it certainly can't hurt, Bandit. By the way, when I went off in search of that splash we heard, I kinda assumed you would flank with me."

Whispering, "Imagine my surprise when 'Miss Storyteller' turns out to be the other flanking scout. Are you trying to rid the world of this kit? Is your desire to take care of Jareek that strong?"

Ricco snorts out a bit of harsh laughter. Then sobers, whispering back, "Nothin' o' the sort, Faliol me Kit. Ol' Riccoco be watchin' out for the lot of us. Why you two were stumblin' about, this 'coon be spyin' on the hidden possums."

Looking away and grunting as he pushes, the plucky 'coon adds, "'Sides, Ol' Riccoco be thinkin' ya might be likin' a moment alone with the vixen."

"Ah, you were skulking! Nicely done, Ricco. I didn't even know you were out there. Your creeping skills are developing nicely..."

I look towards Cas for a second before whispering, "At the beginning I was interested. She is a pretty vixen. Yet, her singlemindedness... My mind screams, 'DANGER' when it focuses on Cas. If she wants something, she grabs it. If she wants to say something, out spill the words. If she is curious about disease ridden corpses, she grabs one to examine instead of running like a rational person. I have come to the conclusion that she rarely considers the consequences of her actions. I have decided that she is too chaotic to court."

"Are raccoon women like this, Ricco?" The words slip out before memory of a past conversation takes hold...

.oO(Stupid kit. I shouldn't have reminded him.)

OOC: Someone noticed that too.

Riccoco merely nods at Faliol's whispers and lowers his head, grunting with the effort to push the boat away from its errant drydock. You're pretty sure, you probablly touched a note off that the old 'coon isn't wanting to discuss at the moment.

OOC: WTG Faliol, you ass!

"Ricco, forgive me. I forgot about your situation. I did not mean to bring up the hurtful past... I am sorry."

.oO(Way to go, Faliol. Why not kick your best friend in the gut while you are at it?)

OOC: Jason, on my first composition of that post, I added the question in without remembering Ricco's hurtful past. I caught it while re-reading just before posting. I took it out and then thought, "Why not put it back in? It is something that happens between guys with lady trouble."

Celeste helps Faliol tie up his tail in his version of a bathing cap.

"Thanks, Big Sister! Can't have the ladies in Adala saddened by a muddy tail."

If he is needed, Nuyok will help free the boat, but otherwise will lightly rest by/on the wagon/cart until the party is ready to go.

While with the wagon/cart, Nuyok also will check on Vagrant's condition after his night of unwrapped rest.

A night free of the bandages has helped enormously. If he re-wraps loosely and ditches about half his rags, particularly the heavier ones, he should be all right.
Nuyok, it occurs to you that if he wants to cover himself completely, using heavy leather is suicidal. He seems to want to do more than conceal. If he is looking for protection, you might want to suggest Spirit Cloth. It is very expensive and requires an adept to carry the ley line, but can be made of light "breathing" fabrics and is non-encumbering. Another advantage is that items held underneath are concealed from spirit sight.
As a guideline, it is five times the cost of armor as described on the web page (DEF x the Activation x 1silver dollar), but includes free ley-line holding as long as the wearer remains in the city where the cloth was enhanced. There is probably a nominal fee to transfer the line to another adept (such as yourself).

So, effectively the spirit cloth is "lightened" armor of 1 or 2 rDEF?

Though IIRC, it can go as high as 3 DEF.

"It seems that removing the bandages allowed you to recover nicely, though I hope you are not overly bothered by my having done that. I made sure to protect your privacy from the others as well. However, given the oppressive heat, this sort of thing will simply happen again, unless something is done about it. Why is it that you wear so many layers of bandages, is it to protect you from harm? There are other options..."

ooc: sorry for the slownest to respond

"My unfamiliarity with this world is great enough to
turn the heads of others...my ailment will just cause
more problems. I am quite sick Nuyok. Probably dying
but I don't want to burden the others with something
none of us can do anything about. Thank you for your
assistance. I will keep off most of the layers where
I can. Hopefully I can stand the heat then."

--- Nuyok wrote:
> "It seems that removing the bandages allowed you to
> recover nicely, though I hope you are not overly
> bothered by my having done that. I made sure to
> protect your privacy from the others as well.
> However, given the oppressive heat, this sort of
> thing will simply happen again, unless something is
> done about it. Why is it that you wear so many
> layers of bandages, is it to protect you from harm?
> There are other options..."

>
>
>
> POSTED BY: Nuyok
>
> IN RESPONSE TO:
>
> While with the wagon/cart, Nuyok also will check on
> Vagrant's condition after his night of unwrapped
> rest.

>

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OOC: See the spirit cloth thread in Adala.

"Dying? Not at a rate hardly more than anyone else..."

"Not at a rate hardly more then anyone else? What do
you mean? I may keep to myself but I don't see others
with skin peeling away, coughing up black mucus and
generally tiring more with ever passing day. I am not
well and I am afraid the solutions to this are locked
away in medical techology long lost."

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"Technology is not necessary for what ails you, a Master with the appropriate skills in manipulating your morphia could restore you to your former self, or at least a close approximation. That is an area in which I have rudimentary skill..."

"Manipulate my morphia? This world is certainly full
of surprises. In my day, my sickness was not
reversible. Certain drugs could take away the
symptoms but if the exposure was too high, higher then
mine it seems, you would just die. Are you saying
that a Master, like Ash, could cure me? I, of
course, wish to be well, but I have little money."

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"My skills as a Master extend only to general healing and boosting of physical attributes, but there are other Masters out there with the skill to heal what aids you, of that I am sure, but I know not what price would come with that. In the meantime, though, your condition could be alleviated at least a bit with spirit cloth, which should be obtainable in Adala."

As the possum hidden in the moor about the beached boat slip out of hiding, everyone (except Nuyok) gets a surprise when Riccoco slips out with them.

He buts his trident in some terra-frima and goes to work helping to free th possum craft.

.oO(Ol' Riccoco... Lack of trust can be as much a danger as too much... Ride the balance, ol' 'coon.)

As I do I notice I've gone from one side to the other of the boat. In my haste to get on the opposite side, away from Rath, I have inadvertantly put myself directly next to him.

"Humph!"

As we strain to move the boat, I "Harrumph!" many more times but anyone watching can see I am also trying to help Rath keep his shirt tucked in.

I reach down to help move the boat and my feet slide out from under me and I end up sitting in the huge puddle. I am covered head to toe in mud.

"Ah ha ha! (the laugh starts and bubbles out infectiously)"

Realizing that I am covered head to toe, and I cannot possiby get any dirtier:
.oO(Watch Out! You guys are all targets now!)
I begin flinging mud all over Rath. I tackle him and try to push him down in the biggest puddle I can find. (Knowing full well that I couldn't even move him if he didn't want me too.)

As Rath falls more from shock and surprise than Beka's strength, Rath
grabs a handful of mud and plops it on top of Beka's head, "You are so
gonna get it," as they turn each other into walking mud puddles

.oO(It's about time those two got over their respective snits)

When the mud starts to fly, I quickly back away.

Seeing the pent up hurt/anger of Beka and Rath dissolve into giggling makes me sigh with relief.

.oO(It has been too tense in the caravan. Maybe things will get back to normal...)

I shout encouragement to the mud-covered mates, "Rath, you missed a spot! Miss Beka's left shoulder is free of muck!"

I look at Rath with a conspiratorial look in my eyes.

"It seems Faliol is very interested in where the mud is going!" I say with a wink.

"Get Him!"

Following Beka's lead Rath jumps on Faloil trying to pull him into the
mud

I turn to flee the mud-caked riven, thoughts of picking mud out of my tail for two solid days interfer with moving my feet in the proper order... I manage to turn in the right direction, then trip. I sprawl face down in the muck.

.oO(Not so bad, the tail is safe!)

Then I notice that something large is blocking out the sun. A wall of muddy riven falls on top of me!

SPLOOOOSH!!!

.oO(Noooooooo! Must...squirm...free!)

It is useless. I have become a turtle with a 250 lb shell...

"Mmph! Bmpsh! Rath splurt!"

Another one bites the dust...mud!

"Anyone else?"

The Barbarian bounds lightly away.....

OOC: I use Claritin