From beyond the rim,
Death is but a light afar,
A world of lost Stars.

It was complete. The tattoo at the base of his neck shifting its ink from the network mesh of lunar crescent to the outer esoteric markings encircling them all. The myriad of stars represented by the indescript writings, which signified nothing and everything at the same time. It was the nature of the stars after all, for those constellar beings were not always there, but mere ghosts of the past, their planes of being long since dead and obliterated. Nothing more remains save for a light which crawls through the void, reaching our eyes as if to be we remember its memory. How many were already like this? Old dying stars, and yet new ones formed from the ashes of the old. It was the cycle, all things had cycles, and even if they did not, it would only be a matter of time before the cycle of cycling continues.

Too deep. Too deep into thought, into the blackness, into the darkness. To delve into obscurity was to fade into it. To sink evermore into oblivion, and enlightened. That music. Not the silence which his blackened heart yearned for, but atrocious and boisterous to the scholarly ear. Yes it was a lovely tune, but because it was lovely, it was to be despised. Just as how a rose is a thing of beauty to give to one's beloved, and yet, serves no purpose as cut from the plant it shall wither and die. And so too would the one you had given it to. It was impractical, the short span of a life was wasted on meaningless pursuits of love and affection. Love was not needed to propagate. And affection was not needed during propagation. From the dust of the dead, new life shall be, there was something cruel in the tenderness and a beauty from pain. Now, it ends, his concentration disturbed, impossible to ascend into the next phase until the song was said and done.

Thomas opened his eyes, a scowl to his brow as an elderly crease furrowed his youth. Fine, so let it be. Rising wordlessly in his cold silence, taking his new staff in hand and rubbing his forehead in displeasure he walked away from the present company. Casting off his red robes without much care if anyone had wonder what he was up to as he pulled them over his head to swap for a darker shade, one with a higher collar but simpler colouration. There the brooding boy sat alone to ponder the case of the restless undead. Uncaring eyes affixed to some point in the distance, he had lost his mood to reattune, and his mood to meditate. There were greater cosmic mysteries to answer.

Why has fate rolled them together as so?

Location:Beside the Cave
Interacting with: Sana, those by the fire

It warmed his heart to know how music could uplift the spirit of his comrades. "I agree." he said after he saw how Gretchin was so touched. Calanon gave a bow to Sana. "Your voice is as lovely as a Nymphs. Thank you for allowing me to play along with you." The Elf had seemed to have calmed himself greatly after having played his Ocarina. He too was moved by Sana's voice, and truly felt more at peace now than he had in many days. Perhaps since he first picked up the Orc's trail.

He saw Ntaj skin and butcher the rabbit. As much as he wished the little beast was alive and well, he knew such was the way of things in the forest. But he did not know if there was enough food for everyone, even with the rabbit. He reached into Brogach's pack and produced a bit more of his jerky. "If anyone would like a piece, I would be happy to share." he declared, giving them a kind smile before biting into a particularly tasty piece.

---

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Sana stepped back over to the campfire and smiled lightly. "Thank you both, it was fun to be able to sing for once without having to cast to save my ass," she chuckled as she sat down and pulled her cloak back around her. "You play wonderfully," she added before looking around. One was cooking and the smell was filling the air. It obviously wasn't enough for anyone else and she scowled a bit. Something wasn't sitting right with her.

"I'll be back, sit tight unless I scream," she said as she pulled the hood of her mantle up and picked up her bow. "Keystone will want to cook when he gets finished with whatever they are doing back there and that man is much more agreeable if he has something to cook," she said with a smirk before wandering to the edge of the camp. An orc looking at her oddly but she just stood her ground and motioned for him to move. Shrugging he let her pass and she was off into the woods without another wood as she nocked an arrow into place. Maybe the woods would hold something they could use.

Granted she didn't want to take down a deer or anything of that size, dragging it back alone would be a hassle but she didn't want anyone else with her right then. One it was too dangerous to take more than one out of the camp. Two she hunted better alone. Other people just got in her way. She may have been a bard and a performer on the outside but she had been a marksman for far longer and was far better with an arrow than with the turn of her hip. Plus, if there were any more orcs out in the woods she wanted to know about it and hunting for dinner was a good enough excuse to be out there. Granted if she ran into an undead that wouldn't be something she would enjoy. Her last several run ins with them had left their toll on her body granted nothing was as bad as what that Demonic Paladin and his Hellish steed had done to her.

Cyneburg

Location: A trap cave full of friendly orcs
Interacting with: Kyra, Keystone, Orc Leader & Brezcar

"Actually Keystone, he said that if we can go back to the village and negotiate peace, then he'll trust us. But food sounds like a good idea." The last sentence was both a paraphrase and a suggestion from herself. She hadn't had a real filling meal since she had joined up with this group 2-3 days ago (time was a bit difficult to keep track of. Already events were starting to blur into nondescriptness), and before that the last filling meal was weeks ago. Granted that was as a bear, and they did better not eating than people-bodies did. The point is that on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, her mind was most focused on physiology. Particularly food.

As far as being able to garner the orcs' trust, or being able to broker peace with the humans of Salarn? Ehhhhhh. The orcs had shown themselves to be decently trustworthy so far, but she didn't know how the village-people would react to all this news. They apparently had been directly attacked by the orcs, rather than just assuming the other party was responsible for undead fucking around in the woods, so they'd probably be far less open to the idea of peaceful negotiation. But she probably wouldn't be directly involved in those negotiations, so she wasn't as worried as she could have been about the whole ordeal.

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Location: Woods North of Salarn, Orc Encampment, Cave

Interacting With: Orc Chief, Cyneburg

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Keystone looked over to Cyneburg as she translated, suddenly remembering why he requested her presence. Translator! Of course. Makes perfect sense now. A quarter second of berating himself for the mild but inexcusable brain fart (in the middle of a delicate social interaction, no less) later, and he responded to his group's resident Druid. "Yeah, fair cop, that. I'm hangin' my preference on somethin' jangly to compensate, but it beats a poke to the eye, finger or otherwise."

He gave a sideways glance to Kyra, standing by them. Keystone was unsure as to whether he actually had any authority whatsoever to speak for everyone in his group, no small part because he met a number of them on the road. They were not originally part of the deal that brought them all out in the first place, and might very well have their own ideas of what they wanted to do over the course of the next few days. And Kyra herself: She was in the service of Elves. Keystone sure as Bacon couldn't speak for her.

"Right then. I'd be willin' to have a speak at Salarn's elders. Whether they listen to me or not's up to them. I'll 'ave to take this to my group, 'fore I talk on what they decide. I'm for it, wha'ever else. We dealin'?"

The concept of returning to Salarn worked for Keystone. It would mean a chance to rest and reprovision, maybe pick up his own cart and a mule to pull it. The aim was to resolve the situation and push on his way, circumventing this whole area. There had to be an established trade route nearby that didn't take them through Undead infested Orc territory. Besides, if there was any chance that the living dead were involved, he'd want to be someplace defensible and stocked.

If he had his actual preference on the matter, he'd want to be someplace far, far away, reading about it after the fact. But beggars can't be choosers.

Satilla Valen

“ Truly wonderful performance!” The witch said as the wonderful performance came to a close. Satilla then watched curiously as the half-orc seemed to have decided to prepare himself some dinner in the form of a rabbit. That was all fine, but she realized it was HIS dinner really. There was about enough on that rabbit for him to get a decent meal. This returned her thoughts to the realization she didn’t really have anything to eat herself right now.

‘Well this is a great failure on my part.’ She thought, running a hand cross Skittle’s back. She then raised her eyes back up and looked at Sana as she seemed to have decided to go hunting.” Good hunting, Sana.” The witch wished the woman. She doubted there would be much game left around with all these orcs so it meant Sana would have to go to a decent distance from the cave before she finds something really.

“I will not pass such a kind proposition, Clanon. A small piece would be fine, I don’t really eat too much in general.” The witch said with grateful voice and looked at the elf.

---

---

Brezcar nodded slightly as the chief motioned for him he leaned in a bit. Listening to what was said quietly before letting out a long breath and nodding once again. Righting myself he glanced over at the trio that was there and spoke again. "We require 1 of you to stay behind as they rest of the group leaves in the morning, call it an insurance policy," he said in a firm voice that left no question that this was not up for negotiation.

Kyra crossed her arms over her chest and grimaced. She did not like the sound of that but they were not exactly in a place to have the upper hand. Looking over at her two companions. "We should probably discuss this with the rest before any decisions are made," she said before looking back over at the chief and Brezcar. We will have an answer by morning," she said before turning and heading out. She wanted to get as far away from the stench as she possibly could. Granted the sight of Brezcar was not either, it was getting easier to look at him but more one becomes numb to the sight of a burned corpse. It still wasn't pleasant.

Taking a deep breath as she stepped back out of the cave she wished she could go about another three miles deep in the woods but it would be enough for now. Looking around t the group her brow arced deeply as she noticed Epona was there but Sana was not. Her worry was quickly put to rest as the gypsy stepped out of the tree line carrying a long trail of various fowls, rabbits, and foxes. Looked like her old friend had been out hunting. Sana smirked a bit as she laced her bow over her back and stepped back into the camp.

"This should be enough for Keystone to be able to make a filling meal out of," she said as she unslung her pack and shook it open to show various root vegetables.

Ntaj soon finished cooking his rabbit, though he didn’t have nearly enough oil to really use it for anything. No, instead he simply ate the rabbit straight off the stick, finishing it in a few bites. It was tasty, but not very filling. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, it may have been a big rabbit, but it was still just a rabbit. Shortly after finishing his snack Kyra and the others came out from the cave. The fact they were alive and not bleeding implies that the chief wasn’t going to kill them all, though Ntaj was curious to know what will happen to them now. He remembered that there was talk about undead around here, and Ntaj wondered if they would have to fight them. An exciting prospect to say the least.

Soon Sana returned from a hunt, which Ntaj wasn’t even aware she left in the first place. He wasn’t sure how long she was gone, but she certainly found quite a bounty; she had a full branch with various small game attached to it, plus a bag of something which she presumed was more food from the forest. Now it made Ntaj wish he could go hunt and get some food too, as he didn’t wish to leech off the others in the group. Of course Honey had no shame in wanting food he didn’t work for, and the moment Sana arrived Honey left Ntaj to go get a bite of her food. Ntaj had to get up and catch him, but the little bugger was much quicker on his feet. Honey was just about to gnaw on a fowl when Ntaj scooped up Honey into his arms and tried to restrain him. The vicious mammal struggled against Ntaj, scratching his hands and arms fruitlessly to get out of the grapple.

”No Honey stop! Not your food! Stop!”

Satilla Valen

Satilla raised her eyes from Skittles when she noticed Kyra leaving the cave. Were the talks and negotiations with the orcs over? Judging by how Kyra was not harmed then they must have passed aright without conflicts arising! A heavy stone fell of the witch’s shoulders, feeling relieve that they weren’t going to get killed right now.

Then she noticed Sana also appeared with quite the haul. That must have been some incredibly skill to get all that so fast… or luck? It didn’t matter really, after all luck was even more important than skill a lot of the time!

Suddenly Skittles raised it’s head, looking at something in the bard’s prey. For a moment Satilla thought if Skittles had decided to try snatch something from the meat, but she knew better. Her cat wouldn’t exactly do that in plain sight like this. He was a lot smarter than that. It took her a few more moments, but she finally noticed it as the half-orc went to stop a badger from eating some of the meat.

Satilla blinked a few times, before starting to giggle at the sight. It was amusing!

Cyneburg

Location: A trap cave full of friendly orcs
Interacting with: Kyra, Keystone, Orc Leader & Brezcar

Cyne stared at Keystone for a moment when he replied. She had no idea what he had just said to her, whether it was positive or negative, nothing. But he didn't linger on his reply, so it probably wasn't important. Luckily for her, it was something addressed directly to her, so she didn't have to translate it. Probably. But she did decide to paraphrase/translate both Keystone and Kyra's parting words as one entity since they both said basically the same thing.

"Sharaz suzagut-u Salarn-hai brus-ulu prakhumu. Molku suzagubut-gusta u dafrum. Ghashkrum brusub-irzi aanug." They're willing to talk to the people of Salarn, but they're going to talk it over with the group. We'll have an answer by morning. Cyne followed Kyra and Keystone out of the cave. It took everything she had not to breath a big sigh of relief over not having to translate any more of Keystone's... unique regional dialect. Unless dinner brought on guests of the Orcish sort. But at least then Ntaj would be around to provide backup.

Location:Beside the Cave
Interacting with: Sana, those by the fire

Calanon nodded and tore off a sizeable chunk of the jerky, handing it to Satilla. "Of course." he said happily. "It's quite good. Salty, but tasty and filling." The Elf continued to eat a bit of his own heartily, feeling fuller and fuller as he did so. It didn't take very much to sate his appetite. He would perhaps enjoy something else as well, but it was not needed. Brogach thankfully was content with the foliage around them.

His mood grew a bit more sour from the trail of dead Sana brought back, but he reminded himself again that it was the way of life. His own jerky had come from the sick and dying, whom he did his best to lay to rest and used their bodies so as not to waste them. Perhaps those animals were treated as such as well. He perked up when he saw Kyra head out to them, her face somewhat worried perhaps? Honey going out of control amused Calanon as much as Satilla, and he gave a light laugh.

Waiting for the light. The clouds parting high above, flitting through the filter of the canopy, and traveling the darkest void of space. The longest expanse, the coldest and darkest too, and yet lit by the myriad of cosmic lights. It was under that light which Thomas would bask, like a cold-blooded lizard in the brilliant sunlight to warm its scales, or a wolf to the moonbeam. And come night, may the stars, his brethren come to soak him in their power. For before dawn, they may very well slit our throats, and it was unwise to be unarmed. A wizard without his spells was useless in a battle, and moreso Thomas cared not to keep in the company of those with their earthly tethers. They who kept their feet planted and minds bound, while the spirit longed to return to its place in the sky. Focus, purge through the fever which is merely a nuisance of flesh. Discard the flesh, let it melt away, melt it off under the brilliance of your inner light...

Push through the sound of incompetent fools. Unworthy animals, lesser creatures destined to die. Let them not distract your focus, keep keen on the thoughts of your spell. Let it shape your form, your will, your being. Release that your blood contains, return the power to where it must go. Use it punish those who would interrupt your enlightenment, those who threaten your concentration. Let them feel the burning pain of light upon their weak and putrid flesh. Destroy them, you do not belong with them. You belong with us, we are your kin, and by our light, you shall be enlightened. Listen to us, Brother, we the Stars shall guide you to your destiny...

Deeper and deeper,
Like the promise of power,
The well is empty.

---

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Location: Woods North of Salarn, Orc Encampment, Cave

Interacting With: The Group

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Leaving someone behind wasn't exactly optimal. More than that, it screamed of ulterior motive. The Orcs seemed to be dealing fairly, but this... Keystone simply didn't see how this helped anyone, sending their group back one warrior light. If indeed there were bony dead people about under the command of a dark cowled miscreant with the power to do so, leaving a single teammate behind could tip the scales unfavorably. One soldier more or less wouldn't make a bit of difference for the Orcs, with their defensible position and vastly superior numbers. The caveat to leave someone behind was extortion, pure and simple.

He supposed that, given the circumstances, they could just be chopped into steaks and fed to the footsoldiers, their fat melted off to grease the axles of the carts in which their bones would be carried away for fashioning into tool handles and trophies. A little shakedown from the locals wasn't so bad in comparison. Far be it for Keystone to limit his options, though. That could still happen. The evening was young, yet.

Suffice it to say, he wasn't in the best of moods when he returned to the campsite, outside of the cave. Keystone was careful to maintain his stoic, granite exterior (the same one he demonstrated on the way in) until settling back into his group. When he was in the relative security of the circle of his acquaintances, he let out a deep sigh and squeezed his eyes tight, as if warding off a headache.

"Right then, we're tops for the night 'ere, but we've got points what need some addressin' fore dawn. Best talk on a full stomach. I promised you lot a big, hot meal. Take me a bit, promise it'll be worth waitin' on."

Keystone looked upon the rabbit carcass in front of one of their number, the Half-Orc with questionable grasp over the Common tongue of the realm. Glancing around to the obviously hungry faces of other members of the group, he said with a touch of disgust in his voice, "But I see some of us just couldn't bear the wait."

The large man was not a person of classic, mannered upbringing. Until recent years, the more polite uses of a fork escaped him. Then there was that matter of having to learn to eat with sticks... but it was immaterial to the subject at hand. Even a man lacking in manners, such as himself, had the basic morality not to prepare a meal in front of hungry folk and have them watch while he ate it. "Really? Sodding really?" he asked aloud, looking very much like he didn't wish to hear an answer to his query. The very real question of how the animal could have been skinned, cooked, and eaten in the time it took them to get dome with their introductions with the Chief came to mind. They must have been in that cave for longer than he had reckoned.

His mood brightened, at least incrementally, when he looked upon the bounty that Sana brought back from the forest. Keystone shook his head, trying to move his mind away from the rabbit and on to what he would be preparing, courtesy of the efforts of his old adventuring partner. It looked like she slaughtered an entire damned watering hole of small woodland mammals, including foxes for some reason. Now, Keystone had never prepared fox; at least not on purpose. There was a long story behind that incident, one into which he absolutely refused his mind to wander. No, bigger things at hand. Nevertheless, he shuddered involuntarily. So much blood. So many doilies. The stench was great.

Pulling to together the fracturing pieces of his psyche after nearly mentally delving into the Infernoing Fox Incident, he took to note the root vegetables that had been revealed. "Oi! What's all this, Sana? Bloody 'ell woman, are those Baigies and Neeps? Aw, and with greens still 'ttached, they are. If I wasn't stone-cocked certain it'd lead to a fistfight, I could bloody well hug you."

Keystone brought out the entirety of his culinary tools, downstacking and locating the proper pieces for what would amount to a proper feast, in comparison to what they had been eating the past few days. "...'k, then. Here's what's what: I'm roasting off the birdies in the big, iron pan. Rabbits can be stewed off with the greens, the foxes, um... well, let's break it down and cook 'em off slow. Mayhap have somethin' set for breakys tomorrow, with oaty scones, yeah? Now, I'd be obliged if'n some of you lot what's handy with a short blade'd give me an assist. This is a fair collection of meat to run through, and suppertime's gettin' on. I'll start on the fowl and rooties; just need the beasts charcuter'ed, if you would, then."

The uncouth culinarian did reach for one item from his pack. It was a bit of whole bacon, which he diced up and threw into two pots and his great iron pan before resting them in the coals of the fire. He immediately began cutting down the vegetables, becoming just slightly optimistic in outward appearance. "Those o' you ain't already partaked heavy today'll be lovin' this 'fore long. Just what we need - good food an' wiseful talk." Behind quiet eyes, Keystone already had in mind a candidate for the group's bartering piece.

As he set to preparing what promised to be a excellent repast, a repetitive humming sounded softly from his lips. It continued for a bit, until one could barely hear the large man singing a childhood tune, "...baigies an' neeps, baigies and' neeps, I'm a lit'le lad who loves Baigies ...and Ne-ee-eeps..."

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Sana cocked a brow as she quickly pulled their future meal back from Honey and smirked a bit. "Wait yer turn," she said quickly before looking at Njat and chuckling before turning her attention over towards Keystone. Smirking a bit as he mentioned the hug. "We'll save the hug until later," she quipped and Kyra rolled her eyes a bit as she took a seat and pulled out her dagger, motioning for Sana to hand her something to cut into. Sana obliged and handed over a couple of rabbits before seating herself next to her old friend and getting to work herself.

"Come on folks, if you want food, give us a hand," Kyra said looking at the rest of them around the fire before looking back down at the rabbit in her hands as she started to work her blade into it and then quickly ripping off the skin with the fur in one fell swoop, it turning inside out. Flipping it back right side she started to toss the innards in it to make sure the inner meat was clean and free. Sana in turn did the same as the two started working through the animals as they could.

Sana glanced over her shoulder towards Keystone singing to himself and laughed. "I guess they were right, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," she chuckled. Kyra looking over towards Sana and smirking.

"Really trying to get to that mans heart?" she asked poking fun at her childhood friend.

"Better to get at his heart than his ass," she spat quickly, Krya falling out laughing as she remembered the release of the Kraken just days ago and agreeing wholeheartedly.

Satilla Valen

“Salty is good, human bodies require salt to function properly, along with multitude of other things actually.” The witch replied with a smile to Calanon and taking the piece of dried meat. She then pulled a few small herbs leaves from her bag, to chew along the dried meat. At least she was about to before Keystone appeared and seemed ready to start cooking. Satilla quickly put down the piece of dried meat and put it into her bag though Skittles seemed to have taken a liking to it almost right away.

“I will help too!” The witch stated and walked to Kyra and Sana when the former stated if they wanted to eat, they should help. Satilla was going to help out even if she wasn't asked to though. She pulled her knife that was kept in good clean condition to begin with, but just in case she put it over the fire for a few moments. Always better be safe than sorry.

She pulled out a rabbit and also started to prepare it in the same way the other two women were. It's been a while since she did this, but it sure was going to be tasty meal later!

After a few minutes of wrestling with Honey, Ntaj tossed him into the forest. "Honey go hunt! Lots meat in forest!" Honey snarled at Ntaj but did as he said. Ntaj would have no problem letting Honey stay at the camp normally, but if he couldn't control his hunger then Ntaj didn't want him around the food. Though to be fair, Honey wasn't exactly tamed. Smart enough not to go attacking every animal within the vicinity, but when it came to food Ntaj had to keep Honey on a short leash. Aphoristically anyways, last time Ntaj tried to leash Honey he just cut his way out.

With the badger no longer badgering him, Ntaj turned towards the others. It seemed that Sana, Kyra, and Satilla were going to be skinning and preparing the meat while Keystone did the actual cooking. Normally Ntaj would help carve up the meat too, but he felt that three were enough. He would have been willing to cut some vegetables, but it also appeared that Keystone had already taken care of those. This left Ntaj a bit lost on what exactly he could do... Though they did still need a place to eat. While Ntaj was sure they were quite used to just squatting, he was also certain they would like some better accommodations then just a dirt floor. So without shame, Ntaj took off his sizable cloak and laid it into the dirt, making a mat for some to sit and eat on. Even if this did leave him very... Exposed. Even his hide armor only covered his chest, leaving his legs and loins exposed to the elements. And even then he took off his hide armor, leaving it with the rest of his belongings on the ground. The only thing he kept with him was his choppa which he left slung across his back, and a knife on his belt.

Rooting through his belongings Ntaj tried to set up a comfortable dinner area around the campfire, mostly by tossing his furs around into makeshift pillows and cushions. As it grew later into the day, Ntaj even wondered if he should set up camp for the others. Unless they were going to leave tonight as well. Once he finished making the area comfortable for the others, Ntaj went to the three girls to offer his assistance, plucking the feathers off one of the fowls so it could be butchered.

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Location: Woods North of Salarn, Orc Encampment, Evening of Day Three

Interacting With: The Group

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Others made their own preparations as Keystone started working up a large repast for the group. He grunted with mild satisfaction as Kyra, Sana, and Satilla moved to assist. A project that would have taken him at least an hour and a half to prep, even for an experienced culinarian like himself, wound up only taking twenty minutes (give or take). Meat fabrication was the weighted portion of the effort required for the meal, but it could be accomplished by anyone with hunting experience, or that was good with a kitchen knife. Skin the animals, disarticulate, and remove large muscle from bone. Smaller bits could be tied together and agitated in simmering liquid until the savory meats parted from white bone. It seemed that would be the fate of the rabbits, simmered slowly with bacon, fair wine, preserved seasonings, and the green tops of the root vegetables.

Keystone was not a hunter. Nor was he a particularly skilled forager. Nor was he trained in the ways of woodland botany, wild mushroom identification, or wilderness survival. Prior to his days on the road, the large man was quite the urbanite. It was a reason why he provisioned heavily, and generally kept to main roads if alone. Keystone's greatest ability to gather the best ingredients involved silver coin and a cosmopolitan marketplace. Still, if the right materials were offered to him, the art he could create with iron and fire was impressive in its speed and quality. As it turned out, he was given most of those materials by Sana. The rest he could find in his pack.

Come to think of it, Sana had kept that cloak with her, prepared for a chance meeting with him. The likelihood of them crossing paths seemed astronomical, considering the circumstances of their previous meeting. She had provided the benefit of her experience to the group as well, providing backup without direct investment. Cloak, backup, and now a woodland feast. If Keystone didn't know better, he'd suspect that the archer was sweet on him. Not that he'd mind the attention; but between the two of them, that would be a monumentally angry coupling. Waving the thought away, he focused on the task at hand.

"Lots you can do in short order with two or three buggers pushing the same direction, innit?" he mused aloud, pulling over a larger bit of firewood to perch upon as he set hard into the fowl and roots, action following the intent expressed earlier. Peeling off the tougher skins of the neeps and baigies was a simple task, thanks to the preternaturally keen edge of his primary knife, a heavy, bone-handled seax. While he wasn't exactly trying for perfect dices of the vegetables, he did manage a quick breakdown of the nutritious roots, resulting in even, white and off-yellow cubes of approximately the same size. They hit the iron pan, lined with diced bacon and rendered fat, with a promising sizzle.

Breaking down the fowl was a likewise simple task for Keystone. Don't ask him to stalk one, but if you needed it with crispy, caramelized skin and an interior color that displayed the barest hint of pink, he was your man. The massive pugilist set to removing the feathers of his first with practiced ability, systematically doing after the largest first and cleaning up the downy soft ones at the end, turning the bird this way and that.

By the time he set his first back down, he noticed that Sana's birds had caught the attention of a mostly naked Half-Orc who was walking his way, presumably confusing him with the women who were breaking down the rabbits and foxes. Keystone's irritation flared as he reached for one of the carcasses, prompting him to slide his workload to the other side of himself.

"Right! You get your mank danglies 'way from my bloody pheasant. Ain't in the mood for you at present, y'understand? Go find wood or somethin', y'know, else. Get me?"

Cyneburg

Location: The Makeshift Camp
Interacting with: The food to be

Cyne sat at the opposite side of the fire from where Keystone and the others were working on preparing the many dead animals Sana apparently hunted in the time they had spent in the cave talking to the chief. It wasn't a very long conversation, and it didn't feel like the walk had taken that long. Hells, if she had spent all day hunting and gathering Cyne wouldn't expect to have even a quarter of what was here. Part of her wanted to point out that hunting to this extent was probably way too much, and given the number of orcs already here was overtaxing the ecosystem and could have lasting effects for years to come.

However, that voice was drowned out by the sound of her stomach gurgling in flaccid emptiness. So there she sat. Well yeah she could help out with the cooking, but everyone else seemed to have it covered, and that little voice telling her to think about the ecological effects wasn't entirely powerless. After about ten minutes she resolved to at least do something.

"I'm going to go look for some firewood. I'll try to be back before sundown," she said, standing up. Sure, the chances of finding dry wood were close to nil, but it was better than just sitting around letting yourself grow hungrier. While these woods were unfamiliar to her, they were a favored environment, so she strode forward with confidence as she disappeared into the brush.

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Her boots were caked with mud, splotches of dirt reaching up to her knees, her large cloak tucked tightly around her hid the rest of her wears. The cloak itself was worn and even seemed a bit big on her. Dirt had disguised the deep blue it had once been, and the bottom seam had begun to fray. Her hood lay to the back of her head, serving as a cushion as she leaned back into the log. Sunlight danced upon her face, revealing her fair skin and freckles as it speckled through the treetops. She was a plain girl, average in every sense of the word, with the exception of her big, pale blue eyes. Striking as they were, one might argue that her plainness contributed more to her beauty than any other feature. She sat in silence, her face void of emotion, not one muscle moved, not even as Calanon offered a bit of his jerky to those around the fire. Her stomach roared in protest as she remained still, and she contemplated if it would've been worth it to accept the salty meat.

Quite typical for Lerraina, to be side tracked by thought, so much that she was late to join their gathering. She hadn't even noticed Keystone return or his bellyachin' and promises of food. Her mind had drifted to a far off place for those moments as her body settled into the ground. It wasn't until the shift in the air as others had left their circle around the fire did she poke an eye open, surveying the going ons around them. She loosed a soft breath and rose to her feet, her arms stretching high above her head. There was so much food, she actually pinched herself, just to be sure she wasn't still dreaming. Just the sight of the days catch had her salivating, for the only thing she had longed for more was a bath.

Several had joined in to help prepare their meal, a near naked half orc had set up a space for them to eat comfortably. Thoughts of her childhood came rushing back and perked a small smile on her face. She wasn't quite sure how she could help and so stepped towards Calanon. "Have you ever seen so much food in your life? Granted, there are quite a few of us here ...", her words drifted as a delicious aroma filled the air "You'd think they'd be trying to buy our company.", she chuckled softly, shifting her eyes onto the elf beside her. "Should we attempt to be of some use?"

Location:Beside the Cave
Interacting with: Those working around the fire, Gretchin

Calanon watched his friends begin to prepare their meal, wondering what he could do to contribute. Back in the villages he had used to patrol about, many of the townsfolk would insist that he not do a thing and wait for them to have the food ready, though sometimes he wished to help and cut meat and vegetables for them. He never enjoyed sitting back and having others do work for him, even if the townsfolk often rationalized it with him already being the one to risk his life in the wilds.

As he contemplated on what to do, a movement to the side caught his eye and he turned his head to see Gretchin approaching him. His gaze met her striking blue eyes, and he smiled to her. He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but there was something different about her, he guessed. Perhaps the music truly did effect her greatly. Either way, it warmed his heart to see her like that.

"It's a fine feast indeed." He agreed with a chuckle, and then nodded at her following words. "I'd like that." He lifted himself up to his feet, dusting the excess dust and dirt off his knees and rump with a few brushes of his hands, before placing his palms on his hips as he looked around. His chest broadening a bit as he breathed in deeply and focused inwardly.

"I wonder what it is we could do though..." The Elf's voice trailed off, his right hand now reaching his chin and his left supporting the opposite elbow. Suddenly his midnight eyes glinted with an idea. "This Orc settlement here means there must be fresh water nearby. How about we go and fill everyone's water bottles for the feast?" he asked her. His grin was nothing if not fun-loving. "A river should not be too hard to find, and I would enjoy stretching my legs. Does that sound good to you?"