Spritelings Chapter 01

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Dec 28, 2025 3:53 pm
As they pass the beavers "Industrious creatures, we should keep in mind that the river might change eventually. Faster if we brought them timber"

When we arrive "Alright, lets give Bigs a break from carrying us and finish our food gathering for today while we're still at the river"
Dec 28, 2025 7:15 pm
Looking around, Smaugalir sees nothing which would qualify as a calamity.

"There is no thing or creature I deem dangerous. Not to us, not to the Elder Ring. What are we doing? How far will we going? Do we have to leave the rivers? What about being on the wrong side?"

Turning their head which each question into an other direction, the situation is almost funny.
Dec 28, 2025 7:28 pm
"We were told that there were calamities in all three directions, so I expect to go in a direction until we encounter a place a calamity could be. Or at least until we reach the end of the hills. For now, it seems more likely to find things near a stream than elsewhere. Of course we'll have to scout the wetlands and forest as well later.

Of course we could investigate all directions at once if we split up, but at least for now we should probably stick together"
Dec 29, 2025 12:57 am
"Um...so we eat now?" Bigs says, mouth already watering. "I like food plan! And not splitting up plan. Splitting up means being all alone." Bigs shudders. "Scary thought."
Dec 30, 2025 1:29 pm
"Well lets go find that food. Shall we meet up when we've assembled enough for our next two meals?"
Dec 30, 2025 3:31 pm
With an indefinable movement of their head, Smaugalir sets off in search of more food.

"Then let's use this day for travel and provisions. We can't face the calamities hungry. Depending on the situation, we may have miracles to perform..."
Last edited December 30, 2025 3:48 pm
Dec 31, 2025 5:15 am
Splitting up: new. The idea that others can be close to you, that to separate would make you incomplete, this is a strange revelation. Nemma puts it aside for now. Miracle, a fine new treasure of a word. Miracle. Miracle. Miracle. An inexplicable event caused by the supernatural or divine. Therefore, everything they do must be a miracle.

Nemma takes one miraculous step, then another. Then scuttles off to commit some miraculous murders.
Last edited December 31, 2025 5:16 am
Jan 1, 2026 1:37 pm
Snakey returns to the river to hunt down more fish
Jan 7, 2026 8:02 pm
There's plenty of fish in the river, but just about anyone can catch them with a net. Hardly sporting.

Mara's more interested in tracking down anything tasty that might live in the hills. Rabbits? A whole goat? And if nothing else, there's at least beavers.
Jan 7, 2026 8:38 pm
Much as in the previous area, the terrain provides some opportunities to dig up roots and mushrooms, and there are small rodents here and there to hunt. Additionally, there seem to be more bird nests both in the ground and bushes than there were down south. The number of birds in the sky also seems greater than before, but of course it's hard to say by how much. The fish (and molluscs) are plentiful in the big river, but not as much in the smaller one to the north.

The sun is now gradually approaching the western horizon. Even though winter is clearly not coming back, the peak noon warmth seems to be dying down a bit, and the night is expected to be chilly.
OOC:
Nutrition requirements (per sitting):
Bigs eats 2½ meals (due to today's Flaw Activation), other four Spritelings eat 1 meal each.
Total 6½ meals for the lunch and another 6½ for supper, for a net 13 needed by the end of the day (of which 3¼ you already have).

Gains per hour:
Nemma: Survival 2 -> 1.6 meals.
Smaugalir: Survival 0 -> 1 meal;
Bigs: Survival 0 -> 1 meal;
Snakey: Survival 1 -> 1¼ meals base, doubled for plentiful fish -> 2½ meals;
Mara (I'm treating Tracking as offering half the bonus to hunting for now): Survival+hunt 4 -> +2½ meals.
TOTAL GAIN PER HOUR: 8.6 meals.

After 1¼ hours of foraging (done by 15:15), you have gathered +10.75 meals, and you had had 3¼ meals of surplus from the previous hunt/fish/gather (perhaps held in a net during travel), for a net 14 meals in stash. Once done with lunch (another quarter-hour), it'll be 15:30 (and 7.5 meals remaining). Sunset is at 18:00.
[ +- ] Map position (image)
Jan 8, 2026 1:03 am
"Should we move on to the beginning of the hills before making camp or do we prefer to stop here for the day?"
Jan 8, 2026 10:09 pm
Nemma drags her bounty to the others, clicking her chelicidae with pride. Surely, after seeing her plentiful haul, the others will recognize her superior prowess. She notes Snakey's pile of fish, no doubt due to her excellent net. As for the weasel thing...

She stops, quivering with barely contained rage.

No.

The horrid stoat stands atop of a pile of slaughtered creatures, creatures more than twice its size. It cannot be. And yet it is. The blood-soaked stoat has brought down a GOAT.

Rage. Rage. Rage. In the midst of her fury, a new word, a word that contains a desire to take what the creature holds dear and violate it. A curse from the language of humans, the only creatures large and hateful enough to hold a rage as large as Nemma's.

MOTHERFUCKER.
Jan 12, 2026 6:32 am
Gee, the spider sure seems mad about something. Eh, the food should cheer them up once they get around to eating.

Mara's already snout deep into some of the fish, and answers Snakey's questions between bites.

"I think- munch -we should keep moving as long as- crunch -as we've got daylight."
Last edited January 12, 2026 6:59 am
Jan 12, 2026 2:20 pm
With some delicate moves, Smaugalir picks here and there some morsels, mixtures of fish, flesh, herbs; whatever gathered. At some piles, she arranges the food more - visible? Aesthetically sorted?

By the way, the communications between the Spritelings is oberved. Snakey and Mara are clear fond of each other, Bigs and Nemma, too. One with great anger, one with great power.

After being sated, too much food would make one lethargic, Smaugalir seeks out a place where everyone can hear and, after a few tentative notes, begins to play an uplifting melody.
Jan 17, 2026 9:18 pm
You resume your journey. Eventually you reach the zone of hills proper. The river, naturally, flows through the lower areas between them, but even so, you are travelling slightly uphill. Here, the bushes seem more common, the river doesn't hold as much fauna, and the amount of snow yet left to melt seems to indicate that snowfall was more abundant here.

You spot more birds too - some perched in the shrubs, some flying in the sky. As the sun is approaching the horizon, you begin hearing owl hoots. By that time you have reached an area where the river is passing between two hills before yet another gentle turn. It is a section of hard and relatively dry soil.
[ +- ] Map
OOC:
Time is 18:00 - sunset.
Jan 17, 2026 10:49 pm
Snakey looks around at her companions "I hope those owls don't try to start trouble."

"In any case, we should probably stop here. Its dry, although it doesn't look promising for burrowing. Maybe we can make some shelter from those shrubs?"
Jan 20, 2026 4:16 pm
I'm going to work on biting onto a shrub and pulling it out for shelter materials.
Jan 20, 2026 5:57 pm
With plentiful shrubs around, it's not hard to obtain enough to serve as mild cover in case of snowfall, or an underlay to avoid contact with the cool ground at night. Since the bushes mostly only have buds on them, with only a few barely having young leaves, these wouldn't serve as good protection in case of rain though. The gathering process doesn't take long for a shelter/underlay sized for Snakey - perhaps a couple of dozen minutes, give or take.
Jan 22, 2026 11:58 pm
I will do so. Is there grass, dead leaves or moss around that we could use?
Jan 23, 2026 12:02 am
The grass is sparse and young. You can find dead leaves, but beware that after the rainy autumn and snowy winter, they are wet, cold, and partially rotten. There is moss though, which seems more resistant to the seasons, and can act as a serviceable addition to the underlay.
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