120th Vhalar, 720
Location: ---
Ari'sora lingered in the mansion just long enough for the baron to answer any questions he chose to answer before following ChiChi and the others. She found herself in a room that held a huge wooden table. That table held all manner of things. Ari'sora recognized some of them because some of Ren'zar's business associates had brought them to Ren'zar's house. Lightstones and the metal spikes that you hammered into the rock as you climbed were among them. Other things she recognized from books she had read as a child. And there were still others that she couldn't even begin to figure out what they were much less what they were supposed to do.
ChiChi gave each of them a book, and when Ari'sora glanced at the title, it read Smooglenuff's Guide To The Flora & Fauna of Scalvoris: Volume 5: Faldrass. Ari'sora felt a thrill of delight. It looked like a fascinating book, and she hoped that she would have the chance to read it from cover to cover at some point. Ari'sora thanked ChiChi for the book softly and listened closely to what the maid told them.
They would be mapping a series of caves and looking for things that were...unusual. Ari'sora figured the book would be incredibly useful immediately as she had no idea what was normal plant life and wildlife for Faldrass and what was not. ChiChi warned them to stick together, and made it very clear that they were to tell her if they saw anything unusual.
"Is there anything that would be considered normal for this area that is dangerous that we should be on the look out for?" Ari'sora asked.
If there was something dangerous lurking about, they might not have a chance to consult the book to see if it was considered normal for the area after all. Fortunately, she had a short bow in case a weapon was necessary. She had been hoping to practice with it some during her trip, and she had happened to have it with her when she heard the request for help. She had also brought her snow globe with her, thinking to share it with Ryl'ryn, but they hadn't had a chance to use it yet, so she was still carrying it around with her.
"And if there is anything dangerous around here, is there anything we should know about how to deal with it?"
ChiChi had told them that they could take any equipment that they wanted, so Ari'sora looked to see what was available while she was waiting to hear the answers to her questions. She saw a large, sturdy bag that could be carried on one shoulder, so the took that. It would allow her to carry her equipment while still keeping her wings free. If they were going to be exploring dark caves, then light was essential. So the first thing she took was several lightstones and torches an
long with a flint kit to light the torches. She made sure that she left enough for each person to take more than one if they wanted to, but she wanted to be prepared. There was always the chance that a lightstone could be lost, or a torch could get wet enough that it couldn't be lit.
The next thing she considered was rope. She could fly, but if they were going to be in caves, it was possible that there wouldn't be enough room for her to fly. It was equally possible that even with their light sources, it might be too dark in the caves for her to risk flight. So she took an assortment of coiled ropes ranging in length from 50' to 500'. She also took a set of spikes that could be hammered into a rock wall to create hand and foot holds and a hammer to drive them into the rock.
She ignored the equipment that was completely unfamiliar to her, but she did take a set of spikes that could be attached to one's shoes while climbing, a tool belt that contained an assortment of tools, a sturdy shovel with a sharp point and a pick axe, both of which could be attached to her tool belt. After attaching them to her belt, Ari'sora continued to study the equipment that was available. She found a lantern and some lamp oil that she set aside for consideration. If the could manage it, she would take it, but weight was a consideration, and she already had other sources of light so if the rest of her equipment was too heavy for her to include it, she would leave it behind.
Ari'sora found a first aid kit, and decided to take it. She was able to deal with most minor injuries, and if she had help, she could assist with more severe ones. She also knew when an injury was too severe for her to try to deal with without help. With any luck, one of the others would know more about healing people than she did, and she could let them use her kit if someone got hurt badly. After a few trills thought, Ari'sora added two more first aid kits to the "maybe" pile. She found a hardened hat that looked like it would protect her head if anything, so she took that as well. Finally, she found several sturdy tarps. They were good quality ones; water proof, and strong enough that they wouldn't tear easily. They were also light enough that they wouldn't add too much extra weight. Ari'sora decided to take five. Four were for...just in case they were needed. They could be used as makeshift carry sacks if need be as long as you tied the edges into a knot so that the items put inside them wouldn't fall out. Or they could provide some warmth if they were forced to camp outside the caves for any reason. Two or more people could hold the sides and use a tarp as a make shift stretcher if they had to carry an injured person. The last tarp was just for her. She intended to wear it like a cloak if necessary. The caves they would be exploring were at the base of a volcano. That meant there might be lava in some of them. Lava was in essence, fire. And feathers were flammable...very flammable. It was her hope that if she had to explore a cave filled with lava, the tarp might shield her wings and keep them from bursting into flame if a stray spark landed on them. Since the tarps were good quality enough to be water proof, it seemed likely that they would be resistant to fire as well.
When she had sorted out all of the equipment she wanted to take into two piles, she began packing the pile of "necessary" items into her bag. There was room left over when she had finished packing them, but she closed the bag and tested its weight. It was heavy, but not so much so that she didn't think she could manage the weight. She would be carrying it for breaks, after all. Maybe even trials depending on how long it took to map the caves. Ari'sora added the two extra first aid kits, and two more hardened helmets and tested the weight again. The bag was definitely heavier. But when she glanced at the shovel and pick axe she had left out, she realized she had packed the tool belt that they would be attached to. Feeling foolish, she quickly unpacked the tool belt. Then she tested the weight of the bag again. She hesitated, the decided to add the lantern, and a generous supply of lamp oil.
By the time she had gathered up her gear, it was her turn to introduce herself.
"I'm Ari'sora, and I work at Luna's Dream in Scalvoris Town."
She felt like she should add more, but she didn't really know what else to say. Besides, ChiChi had told them that no one would really care, anyway. But as the weight of her shovel shifted, a memory sprang into the forefront of her mind.
"Did you know that a shovel can be a good makeshift weapon if you don't have anything else? When I was a child, my guardian often had his friends and business associates come over, and when they did, they often got drunk. My half sister tried to spy on them once, but she's not a good spy. She tried to get me to spy on them with her, but I refused to do it. When they caught her, one of Ren'zar's friends tried to stab her. But before he could, Ren'zar grabbed a shovel that was nearby, and knocked the man out with it. I learned later that he lived for a few trials after that, but he never woke up again. So it might be a good idea to take a shovel if you don't already have one. Even if you don't need it to dig for anything, you could use it as a weapon against anything that tries to attack us in the caves."
Having said her piece, Ari'sora turned toward the man who had introduced himself as Wald Lowca.
"Your flying cat has the same name as I do. Well...sort of, anyway. My two best friends call me Ari sometimes."
When it was time to go, Ari'sora made her way to the mouth of the cave at the base of the mountain with the others.
OOC: Ari'sora's gear includes her short bow and a quiver full of arrows for it, a large, sturdy bag, a tool belt with an assortment of tools useful to a miner, a shovel, a pick axe, three hard hats, five tarps, three first aid kits, a lantern with plenty of lamp oil, a set of spikes that could be attached to one's shoes, several torches and a flint kit to light them, Smooglenuff's Guide To The Flora & Fauna of Scalvoris: Volume 5: Faldrass, a journal, a map, several coiled ropes (3 each of 50' 100', 250', and 500'), a set of spikes used for creating hand/footholds while climbing and a hammer to drive them into the rock, a snowglobe (Saoire's Kiss: A small snow-globe that, when shattered, will instantly summon snow clouds and transform the surrounding area into a winter wonderland for the next trial. During this time the player will always find food, the cold will not find them, they will leave no tracks in the snow or scent to follow, and ice will never shatter beneath their feet. It is as if they are temporarily exempt from the dangers of winter. They can only use this item once, but the effect will last for an entire trial and cover the entire city they are in. Earned in the winter writing challenge), and any lightstones that the other PCs didn't take for themselves.
