Waking from a shortened slumber is much easier for Hel than stretching out from years of earth-meld.

Still ignorant of the year or any news from the outside world, she will do that which has been almost instinctive for her since she was a child.  She will search for the wolves.

Traveling in much the same pattern that she traveled the night before, she will set out, keeping low to the ground and watching for sign of what she hopes are descendants of her former charges.


(2008-08-15 18:50:53 Hel rolls 7 dice to "Wolf hunting" Perc+ Surviv 9,8,2,3,5, 3,5 (2 successes))

[VTM pg. 205 mental feats-tracking]

 It takes some time before you can pick up some familiar smells, but you catch the strong urine smell of a male that marked its territory about a week ago. You hear a series of howls in the distance, you might approximate a few miles in distance.

You also hear a deeper howl in the far distance in response. It is a solitary howl, with nothing accompanying it, sorrowful and longing.

The scents begin to grow stronger, more pungent as you begin to close the distance with the pack.

(Roll Perception + Animal Ken, Diff. 7 to discern anything)

(2008-08-16 08:51:42 Hel rolls 8 dice to Perc+Anim Ken (Diff 8) 10,6,1,10,10, 2,8,10,7,6, 8,5 (5 successes))

 You notice a plethora of signs as you begin closing in on the pack of wolves. By seeing the urine markers you would guess there was three to four males, suggesting an equal or greater female population. The fact that there is so many markers in this area suggests they have not moved in a month, possibly due to cubs. You also notice on a few trees some gashing that you would naturally assume were wild boars, but these are high on the trees and much larger and deeper than you would expect. This boar must be huge based on these markers. Easily reaching four to five foot in height and weighing in at over five hundred pounds. Whatever it is must be a monster compared to what you are used to seeing and to have started leaving its markings here suggests it is interested in the wolves, and is aggressive.

Pausing for a moment from my tracking when I see the markings, I'll step in closer to one of the trees to examine them.
The ecologist in me curious and strangely elated.  
Is it possible that there are few enough people in this area that the boar have seen a resurgence in the area?  Can they possibly be left alone enough, and have a large enough territory that they can grow to this size?
It's strange that a boar this large would be acting aggressively near a sedentary pack of wolves, and stranger that I hadn't yet noticed any signs of rooting.
Is there a herd?

(2008-08-16 09:51:19 Hel rolls 7 dice to Perc + Science (Diff 7) 5,7,7,4,1, 6,3 (1 success))
[OOC: Noob mistake, the dice roller actually reads 'Int+Science' but I calculated the numbers properly, just forgot to change it.]  

--Last edited by hel on 2008-08-16 14:43:34 --

 You begin investigating, but are unable to determine if this boar is acting in a herd or solitary. You have not seen any rooting nor tracks that would indicate a small herd. Your natural assumption would be that this was a domestic hog that escaped and went feral. As an invasive species it is wary of man but its size alone is a mystery.

You begin scanning the area looking for something that might differentiate this area from another, thus accounting for the random factoring. You notice some clouds that seem to be acting odd, due to the clear skies elsewhere. They are far off in the distance and rising from a few lone columns hidden in the mountainous forest.

With a longing glance in the direction of my wolves, I sigh and head toward the columns in the distance.
Hoping that this isn't another industrial encroachment on the pristine nature of the environment I thought I'd been living in.
Have I just deluded myself into thinking that I was all alone in the wilderness?  Free to protect, and exist without the noxious presence of man?  

--Last edited by hel on 2008-08-16 12:46:19 --

Self-delusion is a natural inclination for those inflicted with the curse of higher brain-function, some might even say instinctual. We all lie to ourselves to be happy. Though to nearly any of the residents of the city beyond the threshold of concrete and steel Hel now approaches, this particular delusion would seem pure insanity. 'Nature' is but a slave to man, to be enslaved, exploited, and beaten into submission at will, not need, but whim.

As she approaches the tree-line, she will see that the black clouds she was following emanate from the smoke stacks that are near the center of a multi-acre lot, bereft of vegetation, it is gravel that dominates the ground within the chain-link fence. There are a number of small buildings within the complex of what appears to be an old storage-yard for earth-moving machinery, ranging in size from a dilapidated silver bullet style travel-trailer that functions as an office to a larger corrugated sheet-metal-style building that functions as a machine shop for onsite equipment repairs, behind which decays the wheelless carcass of a broken-down 1982 Liebherr T 262 that the firm can no longer afford to maintain.

Not far from where she now stands, she will also notice what must be a storm-drain which empties into a pool of water, some twenty feet across. Surrounding the small cess-pond are an number of non-indigenous trees. Though the compound was here twenty years ago, albeit much smaller, the trees most certainly were not. The strange thing is, the largest of the deciduous invaders appears to be well over  a century old, the crown spreading easily fifty feet across.

{{Perception+Alertness please, diff 6}}

2008-08-16 12:37:58 Hel rolls 5 dice to Perc+Alert 6,6,6,1,3 (2 successes)) [OOC:On the dice roller it says Int+Science, but only because I forgot to change the label, I calculated the numbers properly]  

--Last edited by hel on 2008-08-16 14:43:52 --

A very large shadow detaches itself from beneath the canopy of strange trees, as it enters the moonlight you can clearly make out the huge razorback boar rooting around.

It's attentions currently dedicated to eating, it makes no sign of having noticed you and eventually drops out of sight somewhere down by the water.

{OOC: How far away from the copse of strange looking trees am I?  And how low are the lowest branches?}  

--Last edited by hel on 2008-08-17 10:37:55 --

The distance from the tree-line where you now stand to the small pool surrounded by three rather large trees is about thirty yards. The fence-line to the complex is perhaps another thirty yards on the other side of the pool.

On the largest of the three trees, the lowest branches begin at about twelve feet. The other two trees, which are almost mirrors of each other, are slightly smaller, their crowns spanning only about thirty feet across. The lowest branches on these two are about seven feet up.

After shooting an uncertain glance at the disappearing boar and making a mental note to come back into this area for observation of the beast she is nearly certain made the marks, she will quietly make her way toward the copse of odd looking trees and past them to the fence line.

2008-08-21 22:57:46 Hel rolls 5 dice to Dex+Stealth 2,9,5,8,8 (3 successes)

2008-08-21 22:59:28 Boar rolls 5 dice to Perc+Alert 8,8,4,5,4 (2 successes)

The boar seems to be oblivious to your passing.

The fence is of typical industrial chain-link construction, eight-feet high with at least one double-gate that can be seen from this side. There is a padlocked chain, but no barbed-wire. You can see the remnants of two sets of tire-paths preventing the grass from growing, one set is standard spacing for automobiles, the other set, though much older, spans the breadth of the double-gate.

Black smoke pours from the central column in a steady stream and an odd crunching noise can be heard coming from the same building accompanied by the whirring of large machines.

Without hesitation Hel reaches above her head, grasps the links and vaults over the fence with the intention of landing in a crouch.

2008-08-21 23:24:14 Hel rolls 6 dice to Dex+Athl 5,10,3,3,1, 5 (failure)

Unfortunately, her hands slip of the links and she lands, unceremoniously on her ass, succeeding in wounding her pride, but not much else.
Standing, she'll attempt to wipe the dirt off of her pants before resigning herself to a quick dip in the river later and reaching for the fence again.

2008-08-21 23:26:54 Hel rolls 5 dice to Dex+Athl (Diff 7) 10,5,5,6,6 (1 success)

It's awkward, and she manages to make it over the fence, but not without ripping her pants and falling on her face in the process.
Snarling, she crouches down and makes her way toward the central smoke-belching column keeping an eye out for any signs of life in the area.

2008-08-21 23:28:50 Hel rolls 5 dice to Perc+Alert (Diff 7) 7,8,10,7,6 (4 successes)

This time of night, signs of life inside the fence are nil, the only movements, the only sounds are those of soulless machines.

Hel has slept through vast leaps and bounds of the computer age. While much of the heavy, earth-moving machinery around the yard will be somewhat familiar to her, the small video camera tracking her is not.

Hel moves on, oblivious to the camera, searching for what, she doesn't know, something useful.  Finally deciding on searching for the dumpster to help explain what this place is for.  

--Last edited by hel on 2008-08-27 00:54:52 --

Though the compound is quite expansive, the dumpsters are not all that hard to find.

In under half an hour of poking around the buildings, you will find two of them, side by side, tucked away between the loud building attached to the smoke-stack, and a large, hangar-like corrugated metal shed.

{{If you wish to hunt for company records in the dumpsters, give me a Perception+Scrounge}}  

--Last edited by Lethargg on 2008-08-29 01:05:34 --

2008-10-26 10:25:14 Hel rolls 4 dice to perception+scrounge (diff 6) 4,10,7,1 (1 success)

Weary of being caught, but unable to resist figuring who might be behind this monstrosity of hulking buildings and noise, Hel will jump right into the nearest dumpster and start tearing open bags.

There is little to be had in this dumpster, judging by how empty it is, it may have been emptied in the last few days. Either that, or they just don't throw their paper-records out...

Most of what is there are cups and paper-bags, and unfinished french-fries from various fast-food chains, O'Tolly's being preeminent among them.

{{Make a Perception+Alertness roll, Difficulty 7 because you are in a dumpster.}}