And, hopefully that is a worthy next step along the path of knowledge and ranged rogue style hunting. I've also added a bit to the hider portion that should allow me to better keep track of my immediate material goals and objectives. Of course, any feedback is always welcome from all those here.
The day had been very productive, so far. But, not all was ideal. Yet, the imperfections somehow brought an eerie smile to Skrik’s face as he crept through the shadows of the undergrowth to the best vantage point he could find without being detected by sight, sound, or scent. He had learned much about his immediate area and found several precious resources as well. The pond had fish and still water as well as something shining beneath the surface that incited his curiosity. The area between the pond and his tree camp was a popular spot with horned rabbits so his future hunting should prove far easier than before. And, above all else, there was a challenge before him.
The bear would be a formidable opponent. He couldn’t simply strike with stealth and expect to win. He would need better weapons and a superior strategy. He needed to claim this place, to make it his and secure its resources. He felt certain that what he had found here was a far from common occurrence. He didn’t dare delay too much, but there were obstacles. He was reminded again that he was alone. The others had all moved to other grounds and were probably advancing by leaps and bounds while he had lagged behind, first in the cave and now here in the forest. If he had help from at least one of the others he could probably kill this bear with minimal preparation. After all, his javelins were still poisoned and could at least dull the beast’s reaction time.
But he had no more sap and no way to store the sap without it drying out. Today was his last guaranteed chance to use his knife and javelins while the poison would help him. And, today… he couldn’t kill the bear.
He was certain that he could hurt it. He might even be able to drive it off. But, then the bear would be able to heal and come back. The last thing that Skrik needed was a bear stalking him. He had to make sure that the fight happened only once. For that, he had to make weapons that wouldn’t need poison to do their job well.
His javelins had only wooden points. They would be enough for horned rabbits but nothing with greater defense than they had. He needed something harder and sharper, stone perhaps. But the river had only rounded stones, long eroded by time. Though those would have their own uses. His stone knife had been the only sharp stone that he had found so far and it was in the cave where he was born.
That cave, maybe that would be the best place to search for better blades. Still, he wouldn’t be able to carry a lot of stones all the way from there back to his tree camp with his bare hands. He needed to make a better bag for carrying things, a bag that could withstand sharp and pointed cargo without being shredded. But, there were abundant horned rabbits in the area. Their hides and some grass stuffing could make a bag resistant to puncture and cutting from the inside at least. He had work to do, but there was one last item of business before he left.
He turned his full concentration on the bear, analyzing its movements and body structure to determine exactly what it could do. He needed to know if it could run, and how fast. Could it climb? Could it swim? How fast was its reaction time? Did it have any notable fighting experience to strengthen it or scars that could hinder its movements? Did it have any exploitable weaknesses other than its eyes and nose?
After finishing his observations, Skrik crept his way back through the undergrowth and shadows toward where he had seen the horned rabbits. He was looking for a rabbit that had strayed a bit farther away from the others. If he made his moves correctly, he might be able to get several rabbits before heading back. If he did, then he would have the satisfaction of knowing that his poisoned javelins had done good work before losing their full potency.
His plan was to stay out of sight and down wind to avoid being detected and then to throw with precision and power from concealment, aiming for the neck or vitals. If he failed to kill one with a single throw then it would hopefully serve to be a good distraction. In that event, his contingency plan was to pick two other targets that were distracted and focused on the first and get them before their attention could encompass their entire surroundings. If his first hit was a kill, then he would quietly proceed with targeting another rabbit in the same way.
He only had three poisoned javelins with him so he only had three chances to do this. His knife would serve well if one of them detected him and charged, so he kept it ready, but otherwise he planned to test his ability to hunt with the range and silent striking advantage that the javelins provided.
Starting Skill: Butcher’s Insight [Heightened ability to find vital points, predict movement based on physiology, and get the most out of a carcass.] Acquired Skills: Slash (claws)= The goblin has learned how to use his sharper nails to create a slashing attack making it effective in rending flesh. Has no effect on armor; can be upgraded Pierce (weapon)= The goblin has learned to pinpoint a spot on an enemy and use a sharp weapon to strike hard at it. This allows the goblin to strike a deadly blow with any sharp weapon and when upgraded can pierce through weapons and armor.
Titles:
Blessings:
Curses:
-Flint from starting cave. -Horned Rabbits from local area near berries, just a bit upriver from Tree Camp -Sand from around the pond -Prism crystals from bottom of pond -Fist sized rocks from the river
Crafting goal list: -Rock jars with wood stoppers sealed with “wax” (drill hole partway through round rock) -Flint tipped spears -Flint knife (hide wrapped grip for better use) -Horn tipped javelins -flint throwing stones (kunai) -Meditation crystal array (prism crystals arranged around a candle to help him focus on magic training) -Drill (spinning stick with grains of sand to grind a hole) -Fire starting set (two sticks and a wad of tinder) -Fire place (Ground level near base of Tree Camp)
Ok, so I have a rough idea of what I want to gather and where I need to go to do it. Now, I just need to start writing... once my head clears... been fuzzy all morning.
Understood. So that type of rock is likely in the substrata but it isn't available on the surface in the local area. Would the starting cave have any?
After all, those are the only two places that Skrik has been to at this point and he doesn't know where the others went or how to find any of them to ask any questions. He's now isolated and will have to figure everything out on his own.
Knapping is the process used to sharpen flint and obsidian into blades by using careful strikes from another stone. Stones that break in that manner are the class of stones that I'm referring to. Most are igneous in origin, but it isn't usually too uncommon for them to show up where water has cut a path or where other geological upsets have occurred. Of course, there are a wide range of stone types that can be sharpened in this way and their quality ranges widely as well.
@Jangel13 I remembered part of what I wanted to ask.
I wanted to know if the area Skrik searched contained the following items. -Knappable stones -Poisonous or toxic plants -a source of long fibers suitable for wicks and twine -any type of naturally occurring crystals, specifically geodes that might be found in the stream bed -sand or another similar grit that would resist being ground to powder by friction
Also, Butcher's Insight should allow Skrik to be able to analyze the bear's movements and determine whether or not it is suitable for climbing, swimming, fast running, etc, correct?
@Jangel13 Heh, I had a few questions in mind and then I was interrupted by my children and rapidly became too tired to do more than jot down my remaining thoughts. I'll get those questions to you... as soon as I can find them. Maybe they're hiding in my coffee...
Thank you! That gives... direction. It also solves certain problems while providing others. Nicely balanced!
I have a couple questions though. While rabbits will provide food and common quality tips for javelins and spears, as well as backup knives, they will not provide materials of sufficient strength to challenge a bear... unless I managed to figure out a way to trap it and get the mother of all critical hits through an eye.
-Skrik doesn't worship chance. -A pit trap would have to be very deep and with the water close by... it would flood rapidly and become useless as a pitfall. -You didn't mention any older trees in the area so I still lack replacement sap. This is fine since Skrik needs to be able to survive without that crutch.
I have a few ideas. But, first I think that Skrik will be true to himself. He will bravely study and withdraw while formulating a plan.
Skrik found nothing amiss in the near area, and even located a source of the berries that he would need for his horned rabbit plans. Unfortunately, there were no trees in the area that produced the sap he had been using. Then again, he thought as he idly toyed with the feel of the sap that remained on his knife, perhaps this sap could be put to an even more profitable use. But, first he would have to discover its properties and take care of other matters.
He knew that he would need to practice with the javelins for them to truly be of use in a tight spot so he took his knife and carefully cut the bark from one of the middle-aged trees, making sure to peel it carefully so that he would have about one square meter of bark in a single piece. He knew that this would kill the tree over the next few days but there was not a lot of dead fall in this area and his long range plans would require firewood. He also intended to study the death process of the tree in the hope of learning more about how its strength flowed. To this end, he also ate a piece of the inner bark of the tree in a thoughtful manner while he gathered a large bundle of long grass and tied it together at both ends with more grass, braiding it crudely as he went. This bundle he leaned against one of the larger trees and then he wrapped the large square of bark around it. Gathering a few berries, he smashed them into the center of his new practice target to create a bulls-eye of sorts.
With the target complete, he gathered another large bundle of grass and tied it together in the same manner before carrying it up to his tree-camp. There wasn’t that much in the way of long grass in the area and it had almost all been by the tree line. With his gathering, there was still a good amount left but not enough to harvest recklessly. This would have to do.
Skrik then devoted himself to javelin practice. He practiced and practiced, using the precision he learned with his knife to land hits close to where he wanted them and focusing on improving his ability to do just that while trying to strike with greater force and penetration. He hoped to be able to pierce completely through his target and pin it to the tree before long. However, he knew that he couldn’t spend all day at this. He would need to spend a good amount of time hunting until his traps became his staple food source.
This would all be so much easier if he wasn’t alone. Skrik’s fingers twitched unconsciously as a single brief pang of loneliness lashed through him. If he had others nearby then he might be able to continue his study uninterrupted. Such idealistic thoughts didn’t survive long, though. That would only happen if the others respected what he was trying to do and were willing to support him. Since they left the cave earlier and likely were working in teams by now, it would make more sense for them to be making greater strides in their own way than Skrik was. He would hold them back or be dragged along against his will if he became dependent on them. He growled softly to himself at the thought. Such a possibility was vile. It could negate the value of everything he was trying to master. He shook his head to clear it of such thoughts and refocused on his practice until mid-morning. Then he switched to practicing with the short spear until the sun was high in the sky, focusing on speed and power while maintaining his precision.
Skrik left his practice javelins by the target, considering the additional wear that they were subject to, and gathered three other javelins from his Tree Camp. The sap that he had used to treat the javelins was not going to be poisonous for much longer so this would be his last day to use them for that purpose, though the feeling of the sap as it dried was oddly reminiscent of something he couldn’t quite remember. It made him think of darkness, light, and heat for some reason. He would have to think on it later. For now, he had to hunt.
As it was nearing the hottest part of the day, Skrik decided to slip along the tree-line by the stream, staying hidden and quiet, while seeking prey that had come to the water to drink. For this hunt, he decided to look up-stream in order to discover any deeper water or any places where the water pooled in that direction. In any places where the tree-line came close enough to the water for him to remain concealed, he would also check the water for fish or other edibles. The more food and materials he could acquire in a short time, the more time he could spend focusing on his studies. That was motivation enough to keep him very much on-task, cautious, and alert. Wolves wouldn’t be the only predators in a forest this healthy.
Starting Skill: Butcher’s Insight [Heightened ability to find vital points, predict movement based on physiology, and get the most out of a carcass.] Acquired Skills: Slash (claws)= The goblin has learned how to use his sharper nails to create a slashing attack making it effective in rending flesh. Has no effect on armor; can be upgraded Pierce (weapon)= The goblin has learned to pinpoint a spot on an enemy and use a sharp weapon to strike hard at it. This allows the goblin to strike a deadly blow with any sharp weapon and when upgraded can pierce through weapons and armor.
Titles:
Blessings:
Curses:
-Flint from starting cave. -Horned Rabbits from local area near berries, just a bit upriver from Tree Camp -Sand from around the pond -Prism crystals from bottom of pond -Fist sized rocks from the river
Crafting goal list: -Rock jars with wood stoppers sealed with “wax” (drill hole partway through round rock) -Flint tipped spears -Flint knife (hide wrapped grip for better use) -Horn tipped javelins -flint throwing stones (kunai) -Meditation crystal array (prism crystals arranged around a candle to help him focus on magic training) -Drill (spinning stick with grains of sand to grind a hole) -Fire starting set (two sticks and a wad of tinder) -Fire place (Ground level near base of Tree Camp)
Red Gypsy