Topic: [Brygun] Cornan the Barbarian  (Read 16111 times)


Brygun

« Reply #30 on: April 24, 2020, 01:23:31 AM »
Late afternoon the possibly dead Cornan stumbled into the village in the Juniper forest nearest his camp. Elder Tuomas the sage was milling around whispering for spirits. Cornan held up his hands palms showing in submission.

“Fell down a ditch?” asked Tuomas.

Cornan said, “With a nerj in an iron helm with a pretty knife.”

Grinning Tuomas slide out the gleaming knife turning it handle first toward Tuomas. Aged hands captured the knife. Old fingers slid along the steel and the carved handle.

“He lives,” said Cornan, “better than I. He wasn’t hurt too bad. He could have used his bow.”

Toumas tilted the knife to catch distant light from distant torches.

“Respect. Perhaps he came to respect you. Perhaps he was frustrated. Perhaps he had other knives making this not worth the trouble. Perhaps you will meet him again.”

Cornan felt worried. He really could have died.

“Time for a sage’s skill on a warriors wounds,” said Toumas passing back the knife.

Toumas led Cornan inside the main hall. Chanting softly to spirit helpers scented water was pressed over the wounds. Thus the wounds were washed. Cornan gave over heather which was ground then sponged over the deepest stab. A stressful sleep followed troubled by bumping bruises in the night.

In the morning Cornan took to doing local chores seeking to earn meals while staying close to the healer. The villagers were quite understanding of this. Danger and death are well known to these people. After seeing Tuomas again Cornan spent another night in the villager’s care.

As the crept up Tuomas said, “There is no signs of infection. No fever nor oozing puss. The spirits have kept you safe. You can go back to your camp now to your self-isolation”

Cornan smiled, “Thank you Tuomas. You, spirits and the community have been kind.”

Good relations were important. Before they could be strained Cornan returned to the camp. There were no new catches in the traps. He went about resetting him. A strange happiness came over him. Knowing he was alive meant more. Had it been the near death in the fight? Had it been the kindness of the villagers? Had the spirits kissed him on the cheek? He did not know only that he was happy.

Cornan was back to a survival routine. Bits of fur left were shaved with the new knife. These he cleaned carefully to make two bandages. A few pinches of heather was now what he had for the sixth C of survival: care.

In a few days work he had put together a birch short bow.  His self made bow had its issues. Having the better knife certainly made the task easier. Trading had again brought him to three arrows. This made a possible bow hunting set. He still lacked skis which would take replacement furs.

After visiting the village to trade for food Cornan felt like being in the wild. He went hours walking to the north west. A sense of being of in no-man’s land called to him. The emptiness of being far from settlements even his own primitive trap strewn camp. It was on this walk that in the minimal light of the late evening he came across elk tracks. This with his new bow in hand!
Open mire winds danced the falling snow. Fresh tracks circled as the elk had been grazing on scant berry bushes. Cornan was as quiet as he could which is to say only just so.

Grandfather was sitting at the fire in a memory. Thick furs cushioning both him and young Cornan.

Grandfather said, “When nearing the hunt calm yourself. Rest. When the blood pumps hard in your body it shakes the hand. Rest. Breath steady. Be patient. Be silent. Be waiting.”

Cornan on the snows was now amid trees. Deep darkness had clad the world. He waited, advanced on tracks, paused on sounds and waited. This he repeated several times. Then a tree came toward him with its shape transforming into that of the elk. Cornan’s arrow let fly striking it in a foreleg. The elk bolted. Cornan took a breath then patiently followed.
It was turns and loops. Tracks lost and tracks found. When the tracks were lost he followed the teaching of cutting a piece of pie from the center. Turn slightly to one side, walk out a ways, cross over then come back. If one slice of pie didn’t find the lost trail make another to the side or cut a bigger slice.
 With the light so poor Cornan changed weapons to one of three bone spears he had made at the camp. The bones of the wolf-killed elk made the spear tips. This was a taxing stalk. His body started to ache for sleep. If he was tired then he hoped the elk was too.

(OOC: taking a short break. My eyes are all squinty from looking for black tracks on a grey night screen, and that with the setting for night brightness turned up)

<<Cornan 22 Elk bump>>

Brygun

« Reply #31 on: April 24, 2020, 04:16:14 AM »

Into the night Cornan stalked in the darkness. Finally he stumbled from tiredness. Picking himself up he moved into a semi-circle of trees to hide his sight and limit the wind carrying his scent. When he awoke he started on the tracks, which of course had been aging with snow fall starting to fill them in. Somewhere the elk still had the arrow in it.
 By early morning the tracks where again very fresh. With streams of daylight Cornan resumed being ready with bow and arrow. Then he could hear it running. He resumed his quiet steps.
He had almost no food with him but one bream and a fist of berries. A few cranberry bushes were still valid. Those the elk had been eating too.
Energy failing he had to lay down again. The elk was gone. The next few days were draining and depressing. Perhaps a curse for having wounded the elk. Did the spirits not realize he had done all his meager skills could do? Food ran out and starvation began to weaken him. He crafted what he could. A second new bow was garbage best used for kindling.

Then came a happy night when the drying wolf killed elk meat was done drying. He ate heartily of it. He had food for weeks again. This was now the last day of the third week before midwinter point. The harshest days had food in stock. It was also on this day that while going to the village he spied a Nerjpez north west of the town. Was food scarce for them so they were roaming out farther? Was it the same noble warrior or a servant come looking for the knife?

Cornan thought of how close his death had been and did want to go to that fight alone. He did go to the village and warn them. The villagers also had a wounded adventurer in their care, much like they had cared for Cornan. He rubbed the remaining bruises that still made themselves felt. He couldn’t find the wounded adventurer though the thought had come to him that a group of the villagers might hunt the Nerjpez it wasn’t yet his time.

He hoped to craft enough to be able to trade for a spare hand axe in the village. He was close, very close to getting it. Plus it would be better fighting weapon.

<<Cornan 23 close to hand axe>>

Brygun

« Reply #32 on: April 24, 2020, 06:26:05 PM »
Supplied with dried elk Cornan resumed crafting. The threat of the slavers worried him. He needed to be smart about this. A god of the earth would be patient, planned, prepared, strong and mighty.

It pleased Cornan to whittle a wooden comb. To tend his hair and his furs. Being clean promoted health which encouraged strength. The stone-axe was clumsy in the wide shaping while the captured broad knife allowed smooth trimming. Certainly better than the rusty knife that had brought him his freedom. He still carried it for practical reasons and someday to include it in a ritual. Perhaps then it or one like it might find its way to free another.


Several days in when checking the narrows traps Cornan found elk tracks on the lake. Two sets with the smaller likely a calf. He spent an hour tracking them before turning back. Resuming crafting by refining a radial board his eyes leapt wide when an elk wandered into view.

<<Cornan 24 elk at camp>>


Brygun

« Reply #33 on: April 25, 2020, 03:34:00 AM »
Cornan quickly notches as the elk steps away. Flying swift the arrow cuts the elk’s abdomen coming out the other side. A glancing though painful cut. Cornan is quickly after it taking a hold of the arrow. Blood splatters are mixed on the trail though thinning as the wound clots.
Snow deep as this thighs slows Cornan. Each step a thrust to part feet of snow. The elk’s long legs gracefully moving in and out. Its child, the calf, circles to return to its mother. Cornan’s exhaustion has his breath pounding and hands shaking. There isn’t a chance of finishing. Cornan is saddened at having hurt the mother but in life wounds happen. Something a gladiator experienced over and over.

On a trade visit it appeared the slaver was still watching the village. This might need dealing with. When warned the villagers reward Cornan by an elder explaining of the great forest spirits. The elder told stories of how the grey man may come as one who speaks for the trees.

Cornan went to his matters of trade. All the while the risk of the village being attacked was on his mind. Leaning against a store house wall he held his chin. He thought and he thought. The slaver might simply be acting like a slaver perhaps even looking to replace Cornan with a new child. There were boys and girls in this village. They had been kind to him. He thought and thought some more.
It came to be Cornan decided to use the trade goods to hire an visiting adventurer. Erkki had a crossbow. A weapon known for piercing even the thickest mail. It took only a little discussing to get an agreement. A share in the findings and food for the next few days.

<<Cornan 25 hired Errki>>

Brygun

« Reply #34 on: April 25, 2020, 03:52:00 AM »
Cornan then added Kimmo, a hunter from this Reemi village, to their adventure. Now they would be three to hunt the slaver. It would mean less of a share for Cornan. This fight was more about the village, its safety and deep down revenge.

<<Cornan 26 hired Kimmo>>

Brygun

« Reply #35 on: April 25, 2020, 05:15:08 AM »
Off the trio went. He lone slaver’s tracks proved elusive. Had he seen them mustering or just hiding during the daylight? Criss crossing in wide sweeps the watcher proves very cunning.

“Badger,” said Kimmo, “foraging.”

Kimmo pointed out badger tracks. Cornan had promised the pay. It was thus necessary that they try for the badger. Both to have a means of paying them and feeding all of them. When they saw it Cornan fired and missed while Kimmo started chasing. Kimmo also missed running to stay close. Cornan recovered both arrows returning one to Kimmo.
Regrouping they continued to track the small badger. When they saw it again both Kimmo and Errki chased. This time they succeeded. After skinning and butchering they took shelter in another village Kimmo told them of to the north west.
Cornan wished to set the hide to tanning at the main camp. Surprisingly a lynx was caught in one of the larger traps. One Cornan had built after fleeing the second pack of wolves. More roast meat to keep them going after being sure to put fresh bait in that trap. The other traps didn’t have a catch here nor at the narrows.
Returning to their patrol it was Erkki who called out. To the south west an elk was moving very close to the camp.

Kimmo said, “That is the third good game in little more than a day. The spirits may have opened their heart to us.”

Errki added, “By driving off the enemy we are showing the spirits respect. This isn’t the adventure I prayed for.”

To this Cornan replied, “It is the adventure we have.”

Staying vigilant for hunting and for enemies they began to hunt the elk. Though when they got to the sighting place it had moved on they easily found its tracks. A hazel grouse flying caught their eyes to look skyward. Looking back there was the elk. It had a healing wound on its belly. The very same as Cornan had inflicted. Their chase began.



<<Cornan 27 hunting trio>>

Brygun

« Reply #36 on: April 25, 2020, 07:00:47 PM »

Into the afternoon they tracked. This elk was cunning. Kimmo explained how it had looped back many times to confuse its tracks. It moved easier in this three feet of snow than them. They had put in a hard fight.

Erkki said, “We should go back to where that slaver was. That’s who we are really hunting.”

Cornan, “Agreed. We will rest at my camp. The badger and lynx hide should not be allowed to go to waste.”

At the camp Erkki was used his carving axe to bring down trees and split good boards. Far better work than Cornan could do with his self-made stone axe. These would make far better skis and other goods. Clean crisp edges all along the boards.

Cornan says, “Now we make our move.”

Erkki and Kimmo looked to each other then back to him.

“As in?” asked Erkki.

“Another elk?” asked Kimmo.

Cornan grinned, “Raiding the slavers.”

Erkki the adventurer spoke next.

“That could be where the scout went. Clever raiders might slip in and kill just one.”

Kimmo was more pragmatic, “Clever ones not vengeful ones.”

Moving swiftly they left the Cornan’s camp. If the scout had been watching he would be hard pressed to get to the slaver’s camp before them.

<<Cornan 028 going on raid>>

Brygun

« Reply #37 on: April 25, 2020, 08:01:29 PM »
OOC:

Not even sure luring one off is even possible.  :o

But I am trying to work in movie quotes ::)

Brygun

« Reply #38 on: April 25, 2020, 09:37:54 PM »
OOC:

Fair acknowledgment. This didn’t go so well. Its pretty hard to get the camp to split off.
Companions like to rush enemies even when you put them on the stay command. On one attempt I told them to stay in a low point where they couldn’t be seen which they wandered out of. The wandering out was to start a fight with the whole camp. *sigh*

I’ve also had an incident when putting the companions in hiding position Cornan walked forward to be ambushed by one Nerjpez. Running back to the others we did have a fight, with Cornan getting several hits during the run. By then the rest of the camp started showing up.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2020, 09:52:32 PM by Brygun »

Brygun

« Reply #39 on: July 09, 2020, 03:10:46 PM »
OOC:

Wanted to acknowledge Sami's great work for 3.63 might solve Cornan's situation with:

Quote
- fixed: companions that were commanded to stay put did still engage into fights

However I am now committed to another project and may or may not resume Cornan. Though I should mention the fix so that newcomers wouldn't think that issue was still around.


Brygun

« Reply #40 on: July 11, 2020, 02:21:15 PM »
OOC:

Quick shout out to another reason I favor doing the frequent saves, that is breaking from the pure "rogue like":

From:
https://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=5468.0

Got this fixed (with Cornan from Brygun. Thx!).
I seem to have flipped certain routine parameters which then broke bloodscape timestamps. It's back to normal now, which means bloodscapes are removed after two days from their first appearance. Would be better if they faded gradually, and according to elements - maybe to adjust that in the future.

Fixed - persists in 3.62.


While I get the idea of a reader wanting a pure story the effort to make the story is pretty huge. This isnt the first time sets of saves I've sent in have cleared up bugs in the game. If I didn't make those "side saves" we'd never have those check points.

I do see single player games as something we can do more of a play our own way especially since with modding. My doesn't have to be your way and vice versa.



 

anything