Sable kneels where the repaired fence meets the eastern trail, driving a stick into the frost to mark postholes. A length of cord measures the approach toward the proposed gate.
Lunaris
The straight redwoods near the bend would provide sound beams, but choosing them will thin the timber available for the addition.
Lunaris moves among the nearby trunks, inspecting their width and lean. Below, Sable stretches the cord from the fence line to the trail’s narrowest point.
Maelin
A gate here would secure the eastern approach, but every beam used for it is one less for your quarters. We must choose what protects the refuge first.
Above the trail, Umbralia remains concealed among the branches. From her vantage, she can see Sable’s marked gate site, Lunaris’s chosen trees, and the lodge beyond the fence.
umbralia
The gate site is visible from the lodge and the surrounding trees.
Maelin
Lunaris, tell me how many sound trunks you find. Umbralia, if you see anything moving along the approach, signal us before it reaches the markings.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the eastern gate
“i climb towards the canopy to better scout”
SUCCESS (Great climbing, rolled +1)
Umbralia grips the redwood and climbs toward the canopy, talons finding firm bark while her larger wings make brief, silent strokes. The lodge and eastern trail shrink below.
She reaches the upper branches and settles among redwood needles, concealed against the mottled light. From here, the gate site, fence, lodge roof, and trail bend lie clearly within view.
umbralia
The approach is exposed from above, and the gate will remain visible from the lodge.
Beyond the bend, the eastern trail passes between close-set trunks before opening into a sheltered basin. Frost shows old hoofprints, but no fresh movement crosses the route.
Lunaris
I count four sound trunks near the bend. Two more lean badly and would waste our labor.
Maelin
Then the gate takes priority, and the addition must use what remains. Umbralia, can you see farther along the basin?
From her higher vantage, Umbralia surveys the basin and the tree line beyond it. The view confirms a clear watch route, with no hidden approach toward the refuge.
“i notice elk tracks not to far from the fence and head to investigate, as i land i say. "why were they so close to the lodge?"”
FAILURE (Fair Survival, rolled -3)
“i notice elk tracks not to far from the fence and head to investigate, as i land i say. "why were they so close to the lodge?"”
SUCCESS (Fair Survival, rolled +0)
Umbralia descends from the redwood canopy toward the eastern fence, folding her larger wings as she follows the elk tracks across the frost.
The prints pass within a short distance of the lodge, then veer toward the sheltered basin. Their edges are crisp, and the herd moved cautiously rather than in panic.
umbralia
Why were they so close to the lodge?
Lunaris
The tracks are fresh, but the elk did not approach the buildings. They followed the fence line where the wind carried the scent of salt and stored grain.
Umbralia lowers her head to the nearest print. Beside it, shallow scrapes mark where an elk paused, listening toward the lodge before turning east.
Maelin
The cistern may be drawing them. Meltwater gathers beneath its stones, and the fence has not yet stopped animals from smelling it.
The trail’s pattern confirms the cause: the elk came for water and lingering food scents, then left safely toward the basin. The tracks offer a predictable hunting sign and a reason to strengthen the gate.
“out of nowhere a huge bull elk charges at me, i only just manage to jump out of the way in time”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +0)
A huge bull elk, an adult male elk with a dark russet coat, black muzzle, and powerful shoulders, bursts from the basin’s close-set trees, antlers sweeping wide as it charges straight along the fence line toward Umbralia.
Umbralia launches sideways at the last instant. Her wings snap open and her talons skid across the frost as the bull thunders past, close enough to buffet her feathers.
She clears the charging path, but one antler catches the edge of her folded wing. Feathers tear loose, and she lands hard against the frozen ground with a sharp crack of displaced ice.
Lunaris
Umbralia! I have the beast. Stay clear of its hooves.
Lunaris dives between the elk and the fence, beating his silver-marked wings to turn its attention away. The bull veers toward the sheltered basin, snorting and stamping.
Maelin
The tracks were cautious because it was watching us. That gate cannot wait, and neither can the cistern barrier.
Umbralia rises with the torn wing held close. She is clear of the charge, but the fresh damage makes each wingbeat painful as the elk disappears among the trees.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the cistern against the elk
“i leap on top of the beast and sink my sickle toe claws into its back before i sink my fangs into its neck, and hold on for dear life until it collapses”
SUCCESS (Good Melee Combat, rolled +1)
Umbralia surges after the bull, spreading her wings despite the torn one. She lands across its powerful back, her sickle claws locking into the coarse russet coat.
The elk bucks and plunges toward the basin. Umbralia keeps her grip, lowers her head, and fastens her fangs at the side of its neck.
She holds on through the violent charge until the bull’s strength fails. The struggle passes behind the close-set trees, and the elk collapses out of sight.
Lunaris
Stay still, Umbralia. I will make certain the herd does not return.
Lunaris lands beside the fallen bull and scans the basin while Umbralia releases her grip. Frost clings to her feathers, and her injured wing remains held close.
Maelin
That was reckless, but the charge is over. We will dress the elk here and reinforce the barrier before another follows.
Sable approaches with her bow lowered, studying the quiet trail. The bull has become a substantial store of meat, while its passage proves the eastern approach needs immediate protection.
“i admit it, that could've gone better, but it also could've gone worse”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled +3)
umbralia
I admit it, that could have gone better, but it also could have gone worse.
The words settle over the basin. Umbralia keeps her torn wing close, while the dead bull lies beneath the frost and Lunaris watches the trees.
Maelin
That is the first sensible thing anyone has said about this charge. You survived, the meat is ours, and the refuge is warned.
Lunaris
Your wing is hurt, but usable. The herd has withdrawn east, and I found their water path beyond the basin.
Lunaris points with one folded wing toward a narrow cleft between the trees. Meltwater glints there, hidden from the trail and close enough to guide future hunts.
Maelin
Then we have gained more than meat. That water path can keep elk away from the cistern, if we fence its approach.
Sable retrieves a length of cord from her pack and marks the cleft’s direction. The gate, barrier, and new water route now form a practical plan around the refuge.
“this kill was needless, we have plenty of meat in storage, this kill only hurts these woods”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled +0)
umbralia
This kill was needless. We have plenty of meat in storage, and taking this bull only hurts these woods.
The words fall over the basin as frost settles on the trampled ground. Umbralia keeps her torn wing close, while the dead bull lies beneath the trees.
Maelin
You are right. The refuge needed warning, not another carcass. We will use what was taken, but we will not hunt this herd again until necessity demands it.
Lunaris
The herd has fled east, and the water path remains open. I will mark it clearly so we can guide them away from the cistern.
Sable lowers her cord and walks to Bull Elk without touching it, studying the basin, the hoofprints, and the narrow cleft where meltwater glints.
Maelin
We will dress this one, preserve the meat, and leave the rest of the basin undisturbed. The barrier can protect both the refuge and the herd.
The plan changes the eastern works: the gate will redirect travelers, while a separate fence will lead elk toward water without drawing them near the lodge.
“i grip the bulls antlers and rip them off and say. "perhaps the could adorn the front gate'”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +2)
Umbralia grips Bull Elk’s broad antlers at their bases and braces her talons against the frost. With a powerful wrench, she tears them free from the dead skull, leaving the body otherwise undisturbed.
umbralia
Perhaps they could adorn the front gate.
The antlers rest across the trampled snow, wide and branching, their dark tines framing the eastern trail. Umbralia keeps her injured wing tucked close as she presents them.
Maelin
A warning and a landmark in one. Mounted above the gate, they would remind travelers that this refuge is watched.
Lunaris
They could also mark the herd’s path, if we angle them toward the basin. The elk may read the shape as a boundary.
Sable lifts one antler and tests its weight, then looks from the gate site to the cleft where meltwater glints. The practical decoration joins the barrier plan.
Maelin
We will use them. First we preserve the meat, then we raise these above the gate and leave the herd’s water route clear.
+ New Item Acquired
Bull Elk Antlers
“i mount the antlers above the front gate pointing away from the lodge”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +1)
Umbralia carries the broad antlers to the unfinished gate, keeping her injured wing tucked close. Their branching tines extend beyond her silhouette on both sides.
She braces the antlers against the crossbeam, then climbs the gateposts and drives their bases firmly into the prepared bindings above the entrance.
With a final wrench of her talons, Umbralia angles the antlers outward, away from the lodge. Their points face the eastern trail and the approaching forest.
Maelin
There. They frame the entrance without threatening anyone inside. From the trail, the message will be unmistakable.
Sable steps back to inspect the mounting. The antlers crown the gate like a dark, natural warning, while the open passage toward the basin remains clear.
Lunaris
The herd will see the shape from the trees. It marks our boundary, and it points them toward the water route instead of the cistern.
Maelin
A good beginning. We preserve the meat next, then finish the barrier beneath your new gate.
“it was either this, or a pointless trophy on the wall, i like this better”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +1)
umbralia
It was either this or a pointless trophy on the wall. I prefer putting them to use here.
The antlers stand above the unfinished gate, their dark branches turned toward the eastern trail. They make the boundary visible without wasting the bull’s remains.
Maelin
So do I. A trophy gathers dust, but this warns strangers and guides the herd away from our water.
Lunaris
Their shape carries farther than a painted sign. The elk will see the barrier before they reach the cistern.
Sable gathers the cord and approaches the cleft’s route, measuring where a low barrier can turn animals toward the hidden meltwater. The eastern plan becomes clear.
Maelin
We will finish the barrier beneath your gate, then mark the water path. Useful work belongs to the refuge.
Beyond the antler-crowned entrance, the trail remains open toward the basin. The refuge gains a warning, a guide, and a promise that the woods will not be needlessly stripped.
“umbralia sneezes in the snow and says. "now that's odd, I'm usually just fine in the cold". she then realizes something and says to herself "oh f*ck"”
Umbralia sneezes into the cold air, sending a brief cloud of vapor across the trampled snow. Her injured wing remains tucked close beneath the antler-crowned gate.
umbralia
Now that's odd. I'm usually just fine in the cold.
Maelin
The frost has not troubled you until now. Perhaps the strain of that charge is catching up with you.
Sable pauses beside the cord line and studies Umbralia without alarm. The barrier remains half-built, while pale sunlight glints along the eastern trail.
umbralia
Oh f*ck.
Lunaris
What have you realized? Your wing is not worsening, is it?
The question hangs beneath the redwoods. No new threat disturbs the basin, and the quiet snow offers time for Umbralia to explain what she has noticed.
“no my dear, its something much much worse, especially for this time of year. i say giving lunaris a look telling him that its eggs and not to say a word about it”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled +0)
umbralia
No, my dear. It is something much, much worse, especially for this time of year.
Umbralia turns her head toward Lunaris and fixes him with a pointed look. Her tucked wing stays close, while the cold air stirs the feathers along her throat.
umbralia
Eggs. Do not say a word.
Lunaris
Understood.
Lunaris’s silver gaze drops briefly toward Umbralia’s body, then returns to her face. He keeps his voice low and gives no explanation to Sable.
Maelin
Eggs? You are carrying a clutch? In this weather, that changes what the refuge must prepare.
Sable looks from Umbralia to the unfinished barrier and the antler-crowned gate. Her practical calm tightens into focused concern as pale sunlight fades across the snow.
“now don't get your hair in a knot sable, eggs don't necessarily mean hatchlings”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled -3)
umbralia
Now, do not get your hair in a knot, Sable. Eggs do not necessarily mean hatchlings.
Umbralia keeps her injured wing tucked close as she speaks. A shiver runs through her feathers, and another sneeze escapes into the frosty air.
Maelin
That is reassuring only in the narrowest sense. Eggs still require warmth, privacy, and a clear understanding of what you intend.
Lunaris
She is correct that a clutch does not promise hatchlings. We will not burden the refuge with preparations before they are needed.
Sable studies Umbralia’s face, then the unfinished gate and the exposed trail. Her concern eases, but her suspicion sharpens at the careful omission.
Maelin
Very well. I will not panic or build a nursery. But you will tell me what this means before the cold makes the decision for you.
She gathers the cord and turns toward the lodge, leaving the matter open but no longer urgent. The barrier work pauses while Umbralia’s wing begins to ache more sharply in the cold.
“it does mean that i wont be able to help as much, on the off chance they are fertile, even if they aren't, i still couldn't bear to loose another clutch”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled -2)
umbralia
It means I may not be able to help as much. If the eggs are fertile, I need to conserve myself, and even if they are not, I could not bear to lose another clutch.
The admission leaves the eastern trail quiet. Cold seeps into Umbralia’s tucked wing, sharpening its ache until keeping it folded becomes painful.
Maelin
Another clutch. I understand now. You are not withholding a plan, you are guarding against grief you have already known.
Lunaris
Then your strength and warmth come first. I will take your share of the labor, and no one will press you beyond it.
Sable sets the cord atop the gate post and looks toward the lodge, recalculating timber, food, and shelter around the possibility without demanding certainty.
Maelin
The barrier can wait. We will make a warm, private place before the next frost, and you will help only when your body permits.
Maelin
But you must tell me when the pain worsens. A refuge protects its residents, and that includes possible hatchlings.
“I help plan the warm private addition”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled +1)
Umbralia turns from the gate toward the lodge, studying its eastern wall, the marked redwood, and the sheltered ground between roots and fence.
She traces a broad arc in the frost with one talon, indicating a room built around the living trunk, with the wall shielding it from the eastern wind.
Maelin
The hearth wall can share warmth through a stone vent. We will keep the entrance inside the lodge, away from the trail and the gate.
Lunaris
The redwood’s limbs can support the roofline. I will gather the straight beams, while Sable chooses timber that will not strain the roots.
Umbralia presses her talon against the frost-marked plan, widening the interior space and leaving a clear passage to the cistern. Sable adjusts the cord accordingly.
Maelin
A low hearth, layered furs, and a screened alcove will keep the warmth close. We will store food outside the sleeping space and leave room to move safely.
Lunaris
Then it is settled. The addition will be private, warm, and defensible, with Umbralia’s rest protected before any further labor is asked of her.
“if we need more room i can carve into the trunk of this redwood, wed just have to be sure to support it enough so it doesn't snap”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled -1)
umbralia
If we need more room, I can carve into the redwood. We would only need to support it well enough that it does not snap.
Umbralia places one talon against the marked trunk and tests its grain. She chooses a shallow section away from the main roots and supporting limbs.
With careful strokes of her sickle claw, she opens a broad recess in the redwood’s outer heartwood, shaping the beginnings of a sheltered alcove without severing its living structure.
Maelin
That is more room, and the tree still stands sound. We will brace the cut with a stone frame before widening it further.
Lunaris
The trunk bears the work. I will set angled beams beneath the carved section and distribute the roof’s weight through the redwood’s stronger limbs.
Sable kneels beside the recess, tracing where stone and timber can meet. The new hollow opens toward the future room, protected from the eastern wind and visible from the lodge.
Maelin
A careful carving, then. We gain space without asking the redwood to surrender its strength, and your private alcove can remain warm and defensible.
Quest Complete
Build an addition to the lodge
Skill Upgrade: Crafting Mediocre
“I help Sable prepare the warm private alcove”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Crafting, rolled +2)
Umbralia gathers flat stones from the fence line and carries them to the carved recess, placing each beneath the trunk’s lower edge. Her injured wing stays tucked close.
Sable mixes clay, ash, and water into a firm mortar while Umbralia braces the stones with her talons. Together, they build a low hearth wall around the alcove.
Maelin
Good. Keep the vent narrow so warmth enters without filling the alcove with smoke.
Umbralia shapes the stone opening beneath the lodge’s hearth line, then packs its edges with clay. Heat begins to gather through the passage, gentle and steady.
Lunaris
The beams are set. I have left the redwood’s roots clear, and the roof will bear its weight without pressing against the carved chamber.
Sable spreads layered furs across the alcove floor and hangs a thick wool screen at its entrance. The private space now holds warmth, shelter, and room to rest.
Maelin
There. The alcove is ready, and the redwood remains sound. You need not work farther today.
“I rest while Sable and Lunaris build the barrier, and say to myself " i feel so useless"”
Umbralia settles onto the layered furs inside the new alcove, keeping her injured wing tucked close. Warmth from the narrow hearth vent gathers around her feathers.
umbralia
I feel so useless.
Beyond the wool screen, Sable carries stones toward the eastern fence while Lunaris drags sound branches from the redwoods, leaving the alcove quiet and secure.
Maelin
Rest is not useless work when your body is carrying more than usual. Let us handle the barrier.
Sable sets the stones beneath the gate line and packs them with clay. Lunaris braces the posts, then weaves the branches into a low barrier guiding the trail toward the hidden water.
Lunaris
Your strength is already part of this refuge, Umbralia. Healing and resting protect what we are building.
The barrier takes shape without incident, closing the cistern approach while leaving the elk’s route open. Inside the alcove, the steady warmth deepens as Umbralia rests.
Quest Complete
Secure the cistern against the elk
Skill Upgrade: Crafting Mediocre→Fair
“I help finish securing the eastern gate”
FAILURE (Fair Crafting, rolled -3)
“I help finish securing the eastern gate”
SUCCESS (Fair Crafting, rolled +0)
Umbralia rises from the furs, keeping her injured wing tucked close. She steps beyond the wool screen and approaches the eastern gate where Sable and Lunaris work.
Lunaris pauses beside a bundle of straight branches. Umbralia takes several from him, while Sable nudges a pair of flat stones within reach with her boot.
Maelin
Take the lighter pieces. We need your precision more than your strength, and the barrier will hold if the weave is tight.
Umbralia carries the branches to the gate and threads them through the braced posts, binding the low barrier toward the hidden water route. Her careful work closes the remaining gaps.
Lunaris
That line leaves the cistern protected and the elk’s passage open. Good. The eastern approach now guides rather than merely blocks.
Sable packs clay around the stones Umbralia sets beneath the gate line. Together, they secure the final support, and the antler-crowned entrance stands firm against the trail.
Maelin
Finished. The gate is secure, the barrier is sound, and you helped complete it without worsening your wing. Now return to the warmth.
Quest Complete
Secure the eastern gate
Skill Upgrade: Crafting Fair→Good