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[center][h1][color=black]𝕬 𝖓 𝖙 𝖆 𝖊 𝖚 𝖘[/color][/h1]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/b1nhSeq.png[/img]
[h3][i]Forest >> Salt Lake[/i][/h3]
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[i]Geez, just how big is this thing?[/i] Antaeus wondered as he followed the trail of scarred trees. He knew deer often rubbed trees for some reason--he had always kind of wondered if they had to sharpen their horns--but this was the first time he had seen such marks so high off the ground. Still he followed them, a growing knot tightening in his chest, but he hadn't seen anything to make him give up yet.

The White Stag defied expectations yet again, heading towards the lifeless Salt Lake rather than the grassy meadows. Antaeus had also heard that the best places to hunt were salt licks, as animals would return to them almost as frequently as they searched for fresh water. At the Salt Lake, he wondered if they waited for the water to dry up a bit or if they just drank it straight--he had heard men at the docks talking once when he delivered ore to be shipped somewhere else. They had said that when a man became stranded at sea, the moment he drank the salt water would be the start of the end for him. He didn't understand why that was, but maybe it was different for animals for some reason?

Antaeus had never been to the Salt Lake, but he knew that it was still dangerous, and many of those newcomers who came through on caravans every so often usually had to be warned away from the place if they decided to hunt. The Red Bear didn't wander this far, so all of the creatures that fled when it established its territory had either gone here, or to the grassy meadows. And the meadows offered too little cover from prey, too little shelter from the elements, so more than likely the larger beasts remained here. Again Antaeus felt his body tensing. He was starting to sweat. 

He stopped among the cover of underbrush, just within sight of the lake but hopefully out of sight of everything else around him. As he sat for several moments in silence, the only sounds the ones coming from inside himself, he realized what danger he was truly in here. He had only a few spears and darts, no armor, no experience, no training. Who knew what beasts he might find--wildcats? Mountain Lions? Boars? Something worse? Something bigger? Even the least of these could kill him. He didn't think he could outrun a wild animal, even though he was fairly spry for his size. He knew for sure he couldn't outfight one, even with all of his strength.

[i]"Constant thought, boy! Constant thought! If you walk around with that dumb look on yer face all the time, sooner or later you're gonna trip over those big stupid feet of yours and bring this whole cave down on top of us! Think about what you're doin' every time you swing that pick!"[/i]

That's right. This was not the first time he faced death. In the mines, at any moment a cave-in or a natural gas leak or a sinkhole could claim lives. One misswing could spell death not just for the miner, but the whole crew. He hadn't even been there all that long, and he had seen numerous people injured by simple mistakes or lack of foresight. He had seen at least one death. He had lived with that, worked with that burden hanging over his head just as surely as the stalactites, and he had managed to survive.

So he closed his eyes, forced himself to swallow, and calmed down. When he opened them, he looked out upon the shores of the lake, and all around it, and around himself. What was here? What could he see? What could he use, what could he do? And what beasts, if any, awaited him?

[hider=Rolls/Action Log]
Antaeus performs a Perception Check.
1d20 + (0) WIS
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/11822]Result: 5[/url]
((SHIT))
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[hider=Inventory]
1 Quest Book - 5 lb
1 Shovel - 5 lb
1 Miner's Pick - 5 lb
1 Block and Tackle Set - 5 lb
--Pulleys
--Cable
--Hook
1 Climber's Kit - 12 lb
--Pitons
--Boot tips
--Gloves
--Harness
1 Set of Clothes, Common - 3 lb
--Roughspun Tunic
--Roughspun Pants
--Ragged Boots
1 Belt Pouch - 0 GP
1 Hunting Trap - 12 lb
1 Backpack - 5 lb - Holds 30 lb
1 Waterskin - 5 lb (full) - holds 4 pints
1 Tinderbox - 1 lb
1 Hempen Rope - 10 lb - 50 ft
2 Javelins - 2 lb Each
6 Darts - .25 lb Each

Total Encumberance: 71.5/240 lb (Light)
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[hider=Quest Log]
+Bookie has agreed to write a letter to Captain Ork at the Garrison. I should kill an animal in the forest and take it to Captain Ork to prove I'm adventuring material.
--The animal can be anything from the Forest. Bookie suggested a deer or a boar.

+Barthen has requested me to hunt a White Stag in the Forest, and has given me a free hunting trap for this purpose. If I don't succeed I should probably bring the trap back.
--I should try to find the Redchaser, she might be able to help me.

+Barthen is paying 1 GP per pound of Medicinal Herbs from the forest.
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