Spritelings Chapter 01

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Jan 25, 2026 6:46 pm
Preparing for rest, Smaugalir looks for a small tree or scrub in the vicinity to stand there, clamping their mandibles at a branch for stability, standing stiffly on thin legs the wind can sweep around as they enter a torpor-like state to rest.
Jan 25, 2026 7:07 pm
Once some shrubs have been uprooted the snake will erect them against one of the standing bushes into a simple structure and then work on pulling up moss and covering the branches with it. The result is bound to be pretty awkward looking, but its a temporary home.
Jan 25, 2026 10:45 pm
Mara's going to sleep under a bush, but they'll tear up a few patches of moss to use as a roof and a blanket. Is the moss durable enough for Nemma to make some simple bags out of it? We should figure out a way to move extra food and supplies once we're in the mountains, but maybe we could hitch a wagon onto Bigs instead...

Speaking of the big guy, if Mara's got some extra time after completing their own shelter Bigs might need a hand making something large enough.
Jan 25, 2026 11:00 pm
Moss doesn't seem like a suitable structural material for a bag. On the other hand, surely Nemma can produce webs and weave bags out of them properly instead of relying on more temperamental materials like moss (or, more realistically, grass, vines, leather and bark once obtained).
Jan 26, 2026 10:19 am
About an hour after the sunset, when most of the immediate preparations for resting are over, Smaugalir and Mara are the first to notice suspicious rustling from one of the bushes on the top of one of the nearby hills from the northwestern side. A more thorough look reveals that there's a bird, approximately the same size as a typical spriteling, with a small bag slung over its shoulder, peeking from behind the bush and observing the camp, probably focusing on Bigs.
OOC:
Mara and Snakey can stay undetected for now. Smaugalir may be the first one to notice the bird (immediately followed by Mara), but would be noticed almost immediately afterwards. Nemma can probably stay hidden at first if she can scrounge up at least a +1 bonus beyond her static Stealth. Bigs is most definitely noticed though.
Jan 29, 2026 6:49 am
<I'll spend a drama charge cause Nemma is scared>

Rustle. Movement. Bird? BIRD.

MOVE FIRST BETTER.


Nemma skitters from the resting place into deeper shadow. Time for attack. Thing is watching. She senses no danger, because this thing will die now fast before it can become danger instead of loud stupid thing. Leap grab stun wrap ensnare!!!!
Last edited January 29, 2026 6:50 am
Jan 29, 2026 6:19 pm
Being in torpor, Smaugalir is mentally still far away, not able to diving back into the waking world without some external impulse.
Jan 29, 2026 9:08 pm
The bird, distracted by the bigger spriteling, doesn't notice Nemma's approach until the leap happens, and is now forced to fight off a grapple with its modest beak and talons, dodge chelicerae (not very successfully), and occasionally frantically trying to reach for something in its bag (also unsuccessfully). Seeing that the odds are not in its favour, the bird seems to be trying to break off in the hopes of running away, and shrieks to the sky a single word in Beak language:

"Bugs!"
OOC:

The bird has
Defence 1 (Grit 125)
Attack 1 (Base Threat 1.25)
The bird is not particularly belligerent, and has a Retreat Threshold set at taking 10% Threat (i.e. 12.5). Unfortunately for it, it's not fast enough to retreat from Nemma.

Nemma has
Attack 2 (Base Threat 1.6)
Defence 1 (Grit 125)
Please select at what percentage of percentage of wounds (or, alternatively, amount of Threat taken) Nemma would be willing to back off, and (probably purely hypothetically) at what percentage or Threat she'd be willing to surrender if retreat is not an option.

At the rate things are going, if nobody intervenes or changes the situation or modifiers, I'm inclined to advance the timeline by 8 seconds (from +0 to +9), at which point Nemma will have caused 12.5 Threat (causing the bird to attempt retreating) and the bird to have caused 10 Threat to Nemma (that's 8% wounds). Anyone doing anything that might change that?

Possible influences include anyone joining the fray on either side, use of trait activations that may adjust modifiers, &c.
Jan 30, 2026 2:53 am
Snakey will take the opportunity of the distraction to exit their shelter and sneak into the river
Jan 30, 2026 5:21 am
OOC:
Hmmm, I have defined Nemma as scared. So let's say any injuries that would impede survival or mobility will cause retreat, if she lost the use of a leg or an eye. Is that around 50%?
Bugs? Bugs??

Stupid bird thing thinks Nemma is BUGS?????

Nemma focuses more energy on wrapping up the beak, with its terrible sharpness and even more terrible sounds. For a moment she is tempted to use fangs, sink venom into squirming thing and make it food, but she resists. It can speak. Better to question and find out what birdthing is, even if it is so stupid it thinks fierce spider is bugs.
Last edited January 30, 2026 5:21 am
Jan 30, 2026 12:04 pm
The bird is too busy to notice the snake.
OOC:
Each 10% of wounds count as one level of a Dynamic Trait (Flaw) that might impede some activities (granting Drama Charge normally when activated in such situations). But I would not resort to describing any permanent crippling at any level without player agreement. Healing without aid is slow though, with the base speed being a percent per day (this can be boosted by various traits and effects).

I would like to see how others react (or don't) before 'locking in' the outcome of the fight. Unless some of the PCs try to break up the fight, it's probably going to be very one-sided in light of the way Nemma chose to approach it, probably leading to a successful capture of the bird.
Jan 30, 2026 8:49 pm
Mara's been focused on the bird's bag. It's not made of moss! Or anything else just picked up off the ground, for that matter, someone put some time into crafting it. Could the bird have come from a settlement somewhere nearby?

So it comes as a little bit of a surprise when Nemma goes on the offensive, but it looks like the little spider is doing an admirable job. The bird says something in its awful bird language, unintelligible gibberish to Mara, so they'll try to wake up the stick bug as quietly as possible. They seem like they probably speak bird squawk.
Feb 1, 2026 3:55 pm
Bigs is as deep a sleeper as they are big. The shriek finally jolts them awake, though. A quick glance around shows their friend Mara in a rustle, so Bigs... contemplates hiding like a coward, afraid the bird might hurt them.

Maybe Bigs can do something else other than fight? Bigs tries letting out a gutteral roar. Maybe the bird will run away?
Feb 1, 2026 5:59 pm
Seeing that the odds are not in its favour and escape seems unlikely, feeling that the fight turned less lethal than before, and finally hearing the roar of the bigger bug, the bird gradually ceases struggling.

And yet, despite no longer fighting, the bird occasionally lets out brief indignant shrieks.

"Let go!"

"Despicable invaders, these are our ancestral hills!"

"You! Stag! Go home! Understand? No go hills!"

Also, now that the situation has quieted down and everyone has an opportunity to get a closer look, you can tell that the bird's over-the-shoulder bag is not made of moss nor grass nor spider-silk, but apparently hide of some animal (likely a goat). Not far from the bird, there's also a very short stone-tipped spear under a bush.
OOC:
No more fighting, the bird surrendered, so Nemma didn't suffer anythign beyond the predicted 8% wounds (and the bird took 10% to give up). Write down the wound state on the sheet.

I'm not sure how it would've made the most sense for the bird to react to Bigs' involvement, but I figured with some Presence the current outcome would be beneficial to the party (the one with the bird stopping the fight and accepting capture).
Feb 1, 2026 6:05 pm
Snakey swims down the river a ways, slithers back onto land and behind a bush, scans the sky for other birds and then for now settles in to observe.
Feb 1, 2026 6:08 pm
So far, nobody observes any more birds of this kind in the vicinity. There might be some owls flying in the distance, but they don't seem to be paying attention to the camp area. Furthermore, this bird's anatomy casts significant doubts on whether it could travel by sky, at least without supernatural means, for its wings seem barely noticeable when contrasted against its relatively heavy frame.
Feb 1, 2026 10:37 pm
Nemma crouches atop her prey, much proud, completely unaware that other more reasonable creatures would have preferred a conversation without all this rigamorale. Instead she treasures a new word: "despicable." Contemptible, vile, worthless. Clearly the bird with stumpy wings has confused her with another. How could something worthless have trapped her prey so well?
Feb 2, 2026 3:26 pm
The roar worked! Bigs sighs with relief, thankful the bird didn't notice Bigs' shaking limbs. Bigs takes a few deep breaths to calm down, then...realizes they don't understand what the bird is saying.

Bigs looks around at their teammates, hoping someone else understands.
Feb 3, 2026 7:02 pm
In torpor, Smaugalir is generally unaware of his surroundings, but loud noises, especially roars like those of Bigs, penetrate his ear canals and reach his brain.

He awakens slowly, holding onto the branch a little longer than usual before letting go, because his legs may not be completely steady yet, then taking a deep breath and looking around.

A bird-like creature with a shoulder bag. Interesting. Smaugalir comes a little closer and first makes sure that this creature poses no danger.
Feb 3, 2026 9:48 pm
The bird occasionally briefly struggles, but is firmly secured by Nemma, and seems to be in no position to present risk in the immediate future.
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