The Oddestsey II: Return to Odd

[alex_holt]

+1>The Oddestsey II

Chapter 1

The eight wake with the feeling of a cold wind against their faces. Their eyes open to find themselves somewhere utterly different to the places they where moments before. A troll, a dead-man, a fish, a pair of villains, a Baron, a warrior woman and a penguin€¦ their eyes hurt by the harsh light of the sun beginning to set behind the mountains. They look to their surroundings - eight standing stones in a circle around them, while beneath them is an intricately carved slab of granite, the symbols long eroded into illegibility by the ages.
Their surroundings however are more worrying, they find themselves on the side of a hill, looking out across a broad valley, beneath them is a broad slow river than appears frozen solid. The slope of the hill around them is thick with trees - a mixture of conifers and the leafless skeletons of oak, ash and birch. More odd though, the entire landscape, excepting this small ring of stone they stand in is coated with thick snow - going up to a foot thick from the looks of it . The whole vast forest has a eerie silence to it - there is virtually no noise save the creaking of the boughs beneath the heavy snow, and off in the distance the sound of a small solitary bird chirping.
Although there is no obvious path from the site two particular directions seem most likely, either down the hill to the river, where it looks like there is some small wooden building, or up the hill behind them and over the ridge - where a thick column of smoke seems to be rising from.
There is something very unsettling about the woods, despite being in a clearing now you have been here a few minutes you can€™t shake off the feeling you are being watched from the woods. Nothing overt but each of those present keeps feeling as if they catch movement in the corner of their eye, or the sound of crunching snow amongst the trees from behind them, only to turn to find nothing there. As the light slips away this feeling of foreboding increases; you have perhaps an hour before sunset. Within the stone circle there is plenty of unexpectedly dry brushwood, and the position should be quite defensible, you could also head across the hillside through the forest, but there is no clear destination in either case.

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TIP TIME

Ill give hints out in the early stages of the story when its something new youll encounter thatll need explaining, the other big one is conversation, but we arent there yet...

Now just to give you some rules while you make your first choices - Im not going to write any of your dialogue if I can possibly help it - I dont want to put words into your mouth. Also you are welcome to make separate choices, although right now I really wouldnt recommend going on your own.
Having said that, there is no right choice and Im going to develop the story organically as it goes along. Bear in mind that you can die or be injured if thats likely what would happen in the circumstance.
Roleplaying for you what happens next would be good but is by no means required, bear in mind that the only two characters who have met before are Frank and the Prof, so dont go being automatically chummy with everyone - for one thing conflict is more interesting.

[kodster]

Tarein will wait within the ring of stones.

[joey_picus]

The Sucker: (I shall take the opportunity to get to know people, in case they find the idea of going on an adventure when a disembodied voice of a fish is talking in their heads worrying, and reassure them that I am for the most part harmless to those I do not see as enemies, and right now none of these people/things are.)

(I shall also reassure the narrator that my telepathic broadcasts to the other characters are in between brackets, like this.)

(As for what to do, seeing as the river is frozen and the sun is setting, I vote that we remain inside, or near the ring of stones for the night)

[alex_holt]

Extra tips

Oh I forgot to mention - you can always do things I havent suggested, if they are possible of course. That includes asking to look more closely at anything I mentioned in the chapter summaries or for that matter inside, behind underneath ro whatever assuming its possible.

Also try to explain in what manner you will do something, are you going to just sit there chatting or prepare the stone circle in any way for the night?

Also time ingames does NOT equate to real world time, Ill try to update at least daily, real world permitting.

[joey_picus]

(Now you say that , how long would it take us all to get to the ridge or the river?)

[alex_holt]

Further Information

You are unable to tell exactly how long it would take, and it varies greatly between party members. As going uphill you could reach the ridge (which is nearer than the river) in about an hour, much quicker for those who can fly (Prof, Frank, Perry) or Brutus due to his size and strength.

Downhill you could make in abotu 45 minutes, although for Perry only a few minutes as he can go down on the snow on his stomach, and again Frank and Prof who can fly would not take much longer. Remember though for most (particularly Dirge, Sucker, Tarein and the Baron) the thick snow is going to slow you considerably unless you devise a means of getting through it or going over it.

It will however be also darker quicker down the hill due to shadows cast by mountains on the other side of the valley.

Vengeance should remember that his flight is considerably less stable that Franks or Perrys.

[leorcc]

Dirge looks at Cerberus.
What is it boy? You smell something too?
Dirge looks around.
Who opened the gate at the zoo here? Penguin, starfish, and not a sushi bar in sight.



(Message edited by leorcc on July 19, 200

[kodster]

Okay, descriptivenessnessnessness...

Tarein will casually seat herself within the circle of stones, and open herself to any friendly conversation. She wont tell that much about herself if anybody asks, just enough for their peace. She will listen to what the others have to say, but will steer clear if they are feeling rather malicious...

[joey_picus]

(*insert general friendly conversation with Tarein here*)

(Dirge, just so you know Im not actually from the zoo...before I ended up here I lived in Canterbury)

[leorcc]

(Dirge is not a real peoples person, or animal person for that matter, he just wants to know whats going on.)