[h2]Orc Camp[/h2]
[hr][@ERode][hr]
[hider=SYSTEM:Esfir]
Level Up: Skill Rank Point selected. Murderous Intent selected![list][*][b]Murderous Intent[/b] - Rank I - [i]Focus hatred and the desire to kill through the subtle senses. A creature that is weaker than you must exert its willpower or be Intimidated (Intimidated creatures suffer reduced speed). A creature that is already Intimidated, Shocked, or Unaware may instead become Fearful and be unable to act for 5 seconds. Creatures that are stronger than you can only be Intimidated by this Skill if they are already Shocked or Unaware, but their willpower threshold is higher.[/i][list][*] At Rank II, creatures weaker than you will be made Fearful instead of Intimidated. If they are already Intimidated, Shocked, or Unaware, the effect of Fearful will be extended to 10 seconds. Creatures that are equal to you will suffer Rank I effects.[/list][/list]

Skewered Tatzelwurm has been dismantled!
Partially Frozen Harpy has been dismantled!
Some components have been damaged or are unusable.

Usable Items Acquired:
Cracked Tatzelwurm Fang x1
Tatzelwurm Fang x2
Tatzelwurm Claws x3
Cracked Tatzelwurm Claws x2
Tatzelwurm Coilbone x1
Crushed Tatzelwurm Eye x2
Tatzelwurm Hide Strip x2
Raw Tatzelwurm Meat 7.5 lbs (12 lbs w/blood, bones, organs, etc)

Harpy Tooth x1
Harpy Talon x3
Broken Harpy Talon x1
Harpy Wing Membrane x2
Harpy Screech Valve x1
Harpy Skin Strips x2
Raw Harpy Meat 9 lbs (14 lbs w/blood, bones, organs, etc)

You've Cooked a Meal: Roasted Tatzelwurm Meat!
Consumed: 1 Serving, Roasted Tatzelwurm Meat
Activate [Ingestion: Tatzelwurm] (Y/N)? Approximate Ingestion: 0 > 35%
[color=red][b]Warning: This will ERASE current Ingestion![/b][/color]
Current Ingestion: [Pimpleshroom 10%]
Ingestible Skills [Pimpleshroom]: Further Progress Required.
Detected Ingestible Skills from [Tatzelwurm]![list][*][Slash]
[*][Poison Attack]
[*][???] - Further Progress Required.[/list][/hider]
The huge orc blacksmith, the one the other adults called [b]Bowbh[/b], worked under a simple wooden shed. Several tall wooden posts had been planted into the earth, and thinner branches formed a frame for a sloping straw roof on one side. Underneath this shed, a furnace of fired clay bricks had been built along with bellows made from animal skins. Crude tables of both wood and stone held various tools and a few works in progress, although for a "blacksmith" it seemed like he worked as much with tree branches and knapped blades as much as he did with any actual metal. In place of an anvil he simply had a huge, square slab of stone. Its upper half had been blackened over time by the heat of objects laid upon it, and a fine layer of ash and soot.

He looked up with his one bright eye as Esfir approached. One of his hands rhythmically tugged a rope to work the bellows, which in return pushed the fire up through the top of the kiln. Its bright yellow glow cast shadows over the workshop even in the afternoon light.

"Use 'em...tools?" The big orc's voice sounded a rumbling thundercloud. Much like the orc Esfir had run into near the northern caves, Bowbh was probably one of the "Brute" variants of the species. "F'r wot?"

Esfir stated that she also wanted him to look at the ore chunks she'd found. She gave her bag a shake, but didn't actually show the blacksmith what was inside--but, when that distinct clickity clack rang out, the blacksmith stopped working the bellows.

"Rock-forming metallic ore?!" said the Orc with oddly perfect enunciation. He took one booming step towards Esfir and held his hand out--not for the cooked bird monster, but for her bag. Assuming she at least let him see the pieces of ore inside, if not give him a piece to examine, he would suck a sharp breath through his nose and blow it out with a satisfied "Oooooh!"

"Chalco...pyrite. Copper-iron-sulfide!"  The fingers of one broad, gloved hand wiggled and twitched in excitement. "And...Bufonite? Not metal, but magic!" He would return whatever Esfir had presented, then his voice rumbled again.

"Whur 'um...got dis?" After hearing her answer, he rubbed his chin, looked back at his tools, and then back at the Runt. "F'r meat...giv'um [b]one[/b] tool'r'weapon--[b]small[/b], mind." Then he pointed at her bag again. "[b]If'um git mores...[/b]" He held up five fingers, "[b]Letcha use m'pick.[/b]" He gestured to his kiln. "[b]And...will forge f'r 'um.[/b]"
[quote=SYSTEM]
[b]A new Optional Quest is available![/b]
[b]Quest:[/b] Get Ore for Bowbh
[b]Quest Giver:[/b] Bowbh the Blacksmith
[b]Quest Details:[/b] Bowbh needs more ore to make various things for the tribe. If you bring him at least 5 Ore Pieces, he will forge you one item of your choice (so long as the needed materials are available). No time limit.
[b]Other Options:[/b][list][*]Bring an Ore of High Quality
[*]Bring more than 5 Ore Pieces
[*]Bring a Rare Ore[/list]

[b]Do you Accept? Y/N[/b][/quote]
[hr][@King Cosmos][hr]
"Hm?" Shamar looked at Akeno with a tilt of her head and a raised eyebrow. "Anudda Runt, huh? Interestin'." She then looked at the hanging animals she'd been about to select, and over at some of the other hides she'd been working on. Nodding to herself, she gestured for Akeno to follow her and walked around the side of the yurt.

"You got a Sharp Rock or a knife? Den flesh 'em for me!" She pointed to [b]two more freshly peeled hides[/b]. They were lying across a small piece of propped up wood that would remind Akeno of a miniature ironing board, set at a forty-five degree angle. Fur side down, they'd been stretched over the fleshing board and apparently freshly washed in a dingy bucket of water nearby. The remaining bits of fat and flesh that had once bound the hides to their owners faced the sunlight. "[b]Try not to put any holes in them, but get the blood and gunk off while they're fresh![/b]"

Then, Shamar pointed to another bucket near the back of the yurt. This one appeared to be filled with chunky, crystalline rock salts. "[b]When ya finish scrapin', salt 'em down good and thick! Lay 'em on a rock with da fur underneath so's dey start dryin'[/b]." Then, the Head Hunter walked back to the front of the yurt, taking Akeno by the shoulder and turning her to look towards the large, smelly tub and a few hides hanging over a sawhorse made from lashed logs. "Dem there already been salted, [b]so put 'em in the tannin' tub and push 'em 'round with a stick[/b] til they good and soaked!"

Finally, the orcish ranger indicated several hides that had been tied between wooden frames. "Then, ya go to them over there! [b]They already been tanned and smoked dry--use dat wooden comb, right dere, and rub 'em down good[/b] til da fur side is soft. [b]Then gather 'em up and bring 'em to me![/b]"

[quote=SYSTEM]
[b]A new Optional Quest is available![/b]
[b]Quest:[/b] Tannery Crash Course
[b]Quest Giver:[/b] Shamar the Head Hunter
[b]Quest Details:[/b] Shamar processes various animal products for the tribe. She's given you a list of steps, each of which would normally take a day or more on its own, to complete with pre-prepared animal skins. Correctly perform each step before gathering the already finished hides and delivering them to Shamar. [b]Time Limit: Before sunset.[/b]

[b]Do you Accept? Y/N[/b][/quote]

"If ya get done quick, [b]I might 'ave a li'l sumthin' for ya[/b]!" Shamar patted the runt on the head, then pulled the stone knife from her belt and started butchering one of the hanging animals.

Judging by the position of the sun, and making a rough guess at all these chores she'd been given, Akeno could probably finish this task in around [b]two hours,[/b] if that was what she wanted to spend what was left of the afternoon doing...
[hr][hr]
[h2]South Caves[/h2]
[hr][@Kazemitsu][hr]
As Grunthor leaned away from the web-ball, the other Runt advanced forward waving his torch back and forth. The spider scuttled back again, [b]dripping fluid from its two wounds[/b]. [b]When Grunthor threw his Sharp Rock, the arachnid scuttled faster in order to dodge[/b]--but rather than go forward at the torch, it kept going back. As the ember-eyed orcling saw further ahead, he let out an "Aha!" and pointed one finger of his knife hand up at the spider's head.

"[Miasma Bolt!]"

The crackling lance of darkness once again shot through the air, but the spider could easily see it coming. It backed up once more--and now revealed that this part of the cave curved around towards another tunnel. [b]It had hit the edge of the roof, and was now scuttling down the sloping wall at the corner.[/b] It wasn't on the ground--but, [b]it was within reach![/b]

"Catch!" said the dark-haired runt as he kicked Grunthor's rock (which had, of course, fallen on the ground again after being lobbed) back towards the former boxer. With both torch and knife at the ready, he closed in from one side of the spider. "See if you can crush its legs!"

In their peripheral vision, both orcs would see that the curving tunnel sloped deeper down into the earth. The drag-marks also continued down the path. But, against the side of the wall further down, where the torch's light barely illuminated, was something lumpy and green wearing animal hides, unmoving...
[hr][hr]
[h2]Deep Forest[/h2]
[hr][@ReusableSword][hr]
[quote=SYSTEM:Agar]
Obtained Items:
Petrified Fragment x6
Turtleshell Mushroom x2 (2/5 For Quest!)
[/quote]

The stealthy Orcling was able to avoid arousing any suspicion from the Beetles. As they reached the Red Cream colony, their sharp mandibles snip-snapped the fat mushroom stalks with ease and they quickly began shredding and eating the white-and-red fungi. [b]With them distracted, Agar was able to pick up his two primary targets, the green, shell-textured mushrooms. He was also able to get the six strange pieces of what seemed to be petrified wood.[/b]

From the look of their shapes, they had once been a singular branch. But after being petrified, they'd also been broken. While lighter than stone, they were no less hard or cold. But for wood to petrify took...well, a long time, didn't it? Yet these pieces were just here on top of the grass, as if the branch had fallen in a recent storm?

In any case, he'd accomplished what he wanted to in this particular area of the forest. [b]He could either go north, south, or east[/b]...West would just take him back to the Hodag's hunting ground and that large red bird. Maybe he could risk that, if he thought they'd moved on in the twenty minutes or so he'd spent sneaking around?

Speaking of time, though, if he was right about the sun's position being roughly 2:00 PM when he'd gotten to this Deep Forest, [b]then he'd probably spent about forty minutes hunting for mushrooms so far[/b]. He could afford to spend a little more time here, but the hour-long trip back to the Orc Camp probably wasn't one he wanted to make in the dark.

[b]What would he do next?[/b]