A strange, thick fog has engulfed the territory, enveloping the tar pits and the land around them in darkness and swirling mists. The mist was disorienting, horrifically so. Not even a creature who had been born and raised among the pits could have recognized the landmarks around them now. Navigating the treacherous maze would require more than simply having memorized the land previously. It would require a keen knowledge of navigation in an unknown and dangerous land, experience, and finely-honed instincts to find a way through to safety. And four poor souls were trapped within the fog, destined to wander there for the rest of their tragically short lives unless they can work together to find their way out...


This is a navigation event! The first four participants only. Please be aware that if you take more than three days to reply you might be skipped that round! You must complete at least four rounds before you find your way out of the tar pits. This is a member-led event, so there is no need to wait for a staff member to continue to the next round. What happens next is up to you! What dangers await in this deadly territory for your characters to avoid and/or rescue each other from? When you complete the thread, post in skills using this code:

Code:

[b]Skill[/b]: Navigation
[b]Points claiming[/b]: 10
[b]For what?[/b]: Tar Pit Navigation Event
[b]Proof[/b]: <a href="http://ardently.org/showthread.php?tid=22455">click!</a>

[*code]+10 - <a href="http://ardently.org/showthread.php?tid=22455">Tar Pit Navigation Event</a><br>[*/code]

Chasing Twisters In The Canyon

Pyralis was starting to think that some sort of spirit had it out for her.  Horrendous fog yet again and here she was in an unfamiliar territory.  She growled to herself and let out a short bark to her hawk, Alkali who came swooping down through the fog to land near her.  She turned to the bird. "Anything?" The hawk shook her head.  "The fog goes on for miles and miles and it's difficult to pinpoint your location."  Pyralis nodded and debated what to do.  It was possible that she could wait out the fog, it had to dissipate eventually even though that was all terribly boring.  She glanced at Alkali again.  If the bird could find the shortest way out of this mess and then fly up every now and then perhaps they'd have a chance though that would surely tire Alkali quickly to fly that high and down again.  None of her options were great.  Though… there was something uncanny in the air and she couldn't quite put her paw on it…

My Cathedral Is The Badlands

Kanja's ears flattened as she came across a hoofed leg jutting out of a tar pit - again. This wasn't even the second time she'd found the same leg - it was the third. "Well, fuck a duck," she muttered sourly. This place was giving her the creeps. Every which way she turned there were dead things. They jutted out of the tar and leered at her eerily through the fog. At one point she'd even stepped into the slack-jawed mouth of a rotted wolf corpse. It may or may not have caused her to squeal - the world would never know.

If there was a hell, she decided, this was it.

Squinting, Kanja stared into the fog in the hopes of spying some kind of clue that would hopefully guide her out. This, she decided, was what she got for wanting an adventure.

Her ears pricked. Were those voices? "Please for the love of all that was holy, let those be voices of the living." When she was little her mother had told her stories about spirits, both good and evil, and this place was bring those stories to the forefront of her mind.

Hey, she recognized those voices! That was Pyralis' bird, wasn't it? Her pace quickened as she tried to balance careful navigation with speed. Was that...? She squinted. Yes, it was! Pyralis' form suddenly took shape in front of her, appearing almost like a ghost from thin air - that's how thick the fog was. "Pyralis!" The mere sight of another wolf brought Kanja's swagger back to her. So long as she could help it, she would never let another be aware of her fear. "Wonderful weather we're having, huh?"

Location: Tar Pits She was lost in thought, as she usually was anytime lately. Just strolling with her eyes at her paws or even ahead of her in a ghostly manner, never truly in the now anymore. What had happened to her? She noticed even herself the changes she was going through. She used to be so happy and excited to do everything, now she could barely find herself getting up in the morning. The fog drew in around her as she went through, oblivious to her coming demise. The voices of wolves heard distantly but she would ignore that too. That was, until her front paw, followed by the other, fell into a large puddle of tar that jumped out in front of her. She started to struggle, a weak and tiny creature she was, and was wasting all her energy on trying to help herself thinking she was the only one out here. She was depressed and didn't really find a purpose for living, but she didn't want to die. She still felt like she had a life to look forward to even if it wasn't now. She was so young... She couldn't just let go. "HELP!" She started to scream in separate tones, "HELP ME!" Her heart was racing as she thought she was truly going to die out here. What other stupid wolf would wonder into a fog like this in one of these most dangerous places? Walk "Talk" Think

Asharya had been trailing her mother for the better part of the day, even when that led her into... well, whatever this was. The fog was thick and unbecoming, but that was not nearly enough to cause the youth to falter. Not even close! To Asha, this was the best part of her entire week. Of course, she had totally lost Pyralis right along with her sense of direction, but that was a nonissue. She'd deal with that later. The fog was doing a decent job of muting sounds and smells, keeping her trapped in it's cloud of uncertainty. Asha's saving grace was the sound of voices, heard at long last from a reasonable distance away. She had not taken but a few steps towards them when another much, much louder and much closer, called out in alarm. "Help!" it cried, causing the young ember to nearly jump out of her skin. Hackles raised, Asharya whirled around towards where the plea had come from. Bounding forward a few leaps, the shadowy figure of a young, small gray wolf appeared, having fallen victim to the bubbling pools of ick. Tch, she thought to herself. Some dumb mortal. "Hey scaredy bones, you look lost. Mind keeping it down?" she deadpanned. Asha promptly turned around towards the first voices she'd heard. Surely they'd been alerted by the panicked cries, and hopefully would appear soon as well. "Talk" "You" Think

Chasing Twisters In The Canyon

Her mind was whirring with possibilities but she was struck but indecision.  What was the best course of action? "Alkali, I'm afraid we're just going to have to take this a bit at a time.  Fly straight up, watch out for the branches and give me a heading."  That would at least establish a general direction.  The trick would be not to go bumping into anything or falling into or over anything.  Alkali took off into the sky just as a familiar voice reached her ears.  She grinned. "Kanja!  There you are.  Oh yes, this is such wonderful weather!  Makes me want to just frolic and run with wild abandon."  She snickered to herself.  The pair were on their way back to the canyon when they'd stopped for a break.  Their ways parted for a bit and as luck would have it the fog had rolled in soon after.   "What do you think, Kanja?  Shall we stay put and wait for the fog to pass?  I imagine it won't last forever but I don't fancy sitting still.  Alkali has taken to the sky to do some sco-"  Pyralis' ears flicked forward at a scream for help.
Oh no… what now?

Logic held that she should run away from potential danger but Pyralis almost never listened to that little voice and instead started heading right toward the source of the scream.  When she'd finally arrived she almost couldn't believe it.  A tiny little yearling was caught in the tar.  Pyralis let out a shriek of laughter.  "HAHAHHAHAHA NO!  Oh this is just-  Kanja!  Kanja! You've got to see this.  Must be the time of year to get stuck in the muck."  She'd met Kanja not long ago when she'd found the other woman stuck partially in quick sand.  Of course, she'd only assisted Kanja as part of a deal to help train her children.  She couldn't imagine how this scrappy little chew toy would be helpful.  Unless perhaps her pack might offer a reward for her rescue?

Pyralis golden eyes then fell on… "Asharya!  Girl what are you doing out here?  Have you been following me?"  She couldn't decide whether to be proud or irritated.  

My Cathedral Is The Badlands

Throwing aside her misgivings, Kanja adopted a playful air and frisked towards Pyralis until the fog no longer blurred the woman's form. She was more than a little relieved to have reconnected with her traveling companion. At the very least she would - hopefully - haul Kanja out of the mire if she found herself trapped again. "Makes me want to just frolic and run with wild abandon." At this Kanja quirked a brow. "That I'd like to see. Maybe I'll get a chance to haul you out of a tar pit by your ass cheeks." She sniffed. "Seems only fair."

Pyralis was in the middle of speaking when a blood curdling scream for help split the air. Kanja, her courage bolstered by the audience she had, was nonplussed. She gazed after Pyralis for a beat as the woman darted after the howler before sluggishly following. She wasn't all that keen on helping someone who'd make such a racket; there was just something about the way the woman screamed that led Kanja to believe she would be dealing with a drama queen. Hell, she'd managed to weather her entanglement with quicksand without so much as a sniffle.

Pyralis' mirth quickened her pace. There was something about sharing a cruel giggle with a kindred spirit that she simply couldn't pass up.

Like a buzzard to a kill, Kanja came flying upon the scene. She screeched to a disappointed halt though once she realized she knew the screamer. The giantess frowned. Aranea, right? One of those Abaven wolves. Well, damn. Guess that meant she couldn't shove the little woman under. Doing so would inevitably sour the sweet deal she had with Sparrow.

"I must say," she said to Pyralis as she eyed Aranea's backside, "I prefer being up here to down there." To Aranea she lamely quipped, "Quite the sticky situation you'd found yourself in, huh, Aranea?"

She looked to the young girl with a dropped jaw, hoping that she would come to her rescue. At first she had a look of worry, but seeing as the girl wasn't even going to try and help her, her jaw snapped and she faced her drowned paws and struggled to pull them out more. She wouldn't even look up when the two women came close enough to see her through the fog. She just continued to try and pull herself out wishing that Tyranis was here to help her. Frustrated tears would start to fall from her face as the giants laughed and mocked her. At this point she thought they would all just leave her to die, not even realizing that Kanja was apart of the group. She eventually just stopped completely, collapsing in her exhaustion and sad irritation. heavy breaths through her nose as she chose to ignore the other three. Was she going to die here? Not only did she need to escape that clutches of the tar, but she needed to find her way out of the fog as well. Walk "Talk" Think

Asharya grappled with her reasonably fragile sense of morality. Frankly, it was a withered, pathetic, underdeveloped thing. What did she care about some stranger who was too dumb to stay out of the tar pits? She shouldn't, so she didn't know why she was analyzing the edge of the tar pit with such a critical eye. If she could just find an angle... But then the voices in the distance floated in on the wind once more and she froze, smaller fae forgotten for the moment. Yes, that was definitely her mother! Asharya snickered at whatever it was she gleaned from the brief snippets. She fell just on the edge of hearing, and strained for more. They seemed to be coming closer, drawn as she'd suspected by the grey and white woman's cries. Asharya grinned broadly when at last the two forms became clear. One, her mother, and another she did not recognize but seemed familiar to Pyralis and so was alright by her... for now.  "Girl what are you doing out here?  Have you been following me?" Astonishment was dominant in Pyralis' tone, which meant to Asharya that not all was yet lost. She could still salvage the situation; she was not yet in trouble! "Er, ya see..." Asharya flashed a quick look between the woman in the tar pit and her mother. Could she afford to send her a wink beforehand? ...No, too risky. She'd just have to hope the woman was smarter than her circumstances led Asharya to believe. "I was out trying to read the weather patterns, like you showed us, and I thought something weird was going to happen. This fog, I think! So I was investigating and I found er... What's your name again?" She paused for a heartbeat, wondering if it would be forthcoming, and then continued on regardless. "Whatever, I made a bargain with her that I'd save her from the tar pits and lead her to safety, and she-" Asharya paused, adding emphasis to her words where the woman ought to be listening closest. "Would be indentured to me until I figure she's paid back the life debt! She was just about to give me her answer." Asharya winked at her at last, unable to resist. Then she'd have her own Lydia, just like her Mama! This was perfect! "Talk" "You" Think

Chasing Twisters In The Canyon

Pyralis couldn't quite decide where to turn her attention but when Kanja began to speak Pyralis could barely stifle a giggle. Oh yes, it was much better to be the one looking at another's misfortune then to be mired in it. Her grin dropped slightly as Kanja mentioned the stranger's name and she gazed at the slate-pelted woman trying to determine if there was any attachment but she could not read her new companion's expression. Pyralis hoped they weren't to close. This was a wonderful opportunity to have a little fun. Though of course she still had her child to tend to.

Pyralis glanced at the yearling for a moment to watch her flail around and collapse like a dying fish. She didn't even mutter a word, well Pyralis had a word for the girl. "Pathetic." She'd she what Kanja wanted to do with the yearling before deciding herself. Personally she wanted to turn the girls butt into a face and mock her a bit more before an eventual rescue but she had a lot on her plate right now. She turned to Asharya as her daughter began to talk about following the weather patterns. Pyralis was pleased at the thought of her daughter honing her skills and finding this fog but something was off in the tone of the girls voice. Pyralis had the sense that she was being lied to and the lie went a step further when Asharya mentioned that she wanted Aranea for her slave.

Pyralis gazed at her daughter for a moment and chuckled. "I don't think you're being honest with me but I'll give you points for trying. Either way your tracking skills are improving. I think it's more than dumb luck that we both happen to be in the same area. Asharya this is Kanja, Kanja this is my daughter Asharya. Kanja will be helping to train you both in the arts of battle. I think it'll be good for you to have a unbiased teacher." Pyralis was hard on her kids but she always held a fierce pride for them. They were better because they were hers. "Now as to this potential… servant. What good is she? Can she do anything? Besides whimper and cry of course. I suppose you could use her as bait but if that's as far as her talents extend she's not worth the trouble it would take to pull her out."

My Cathedral Is The Badlands

Kanja didn't miss the tears that filled Aranea's eyes as she struggled weakly against the muck. Seeing the woman give up so thoroughly and so quickly filled the giantess with anger. Not at Pyralis and not at Asharya, but at Aranea for allowing herself to be so pitiful and weak in front of these strangers. Strangers who were her best chance at getting out if she herself was too weak to free herself. That she gave up so quickly was disgusting. Perhaps it would be better for her to die in the tar. If she was willing to give up so easily when things got hard why bother freeing her now? How likely was it that Aranea would simply allow herself to succumb to whatever misfortune befell her next? Briefly Kanja's gaze flicked away from Aranea to Asharya as Pyralis introduced her. She cast a scrutinous gaze across the child, but since Kanja wasn't the focus of the conversation she simply quirked a brow and nodded a greeting to the girl, and let the focus of the conversation shift back to Aranea's fate. While Pyralis and Asharya conversed, Kanja crept closer to Aranea and crouched down beside her so that the pair were almost abreast. She locked a venomous gaze on the sad little woman and whispered lowly for Aranea's ears only. "Don't you dare just fucking lay there. Where is your fucking self respect? Instead of laying there like a pretty fucking corpse show some fucking spirit and you might just be able to escape this pit with a shred of fucking dignity." Her angry gaze still locked on Aranea, Kanja straightened slowly. Harsh as her words may have been, she did genuinely want Aranea to succeed. She wanted her to be strong and to prove Pyralis wrong. A few clever words and a show of spirit, and the girl might escape the tar as Kanja had escaped the quicksand. She just needed to be smart. Even if she wasn't physically capable of escaping there were alternatives. "Perhaps," she said to the group, "she can navigate the fog." Just in case Aranea didn't take the hint, Kanja quirked a brow at her, hopefully prompting her to reply. "Come on, be smart." "Speaking" - "Thinking" - "You"

The woman in the muck continued to struggle, causing Asharya to grow a little uneasy. Maybe she had pushed her bluff too far. She flicked her gaze quickly between Aranea and her mother, find herself a bit queasy. Her mother already claimed that she didn't think the younger fae was being truthful. If the smaller, grey and white fae ratted her out entirely Pyralis would probably get pretty mad... Asha gulped. Maybe a diversion was in order... Well, regardless of the woman's answer, it was not use letting a perfectly good potential slave get sucked up by tar. She was definitely no good to any of them then. Kanja, as introduced by her mother, approached and murmured to the woman. Asharya thought for a moment the stranger was going to pull the woman free, but instead she returned to them with a suggestion. Perhaps this woman, who could not navigate her way out of a single pool of ick was supposed to guide them trough the fog, and past countless others? Okay, that Asharya definitely wanted to see. "Sounds like a good show, if anything," she murmured, uncertain whether her mother or Kanja would hear her. Louder, she said, "Well, no use letting a perfectly good homing pigeon go to waste, right?" Asharya came to stand at the edge of the pool, on Aranea's right side. The cusp of the pool extended just a hair farther than it's left side, so it seemed her best best. Her claws scraped against stone as she curled her toes over the edge, trying to find the best grip she could. If she tumbled face first into the tar, Pyralis would definitely never let her forget it. Actually, at that point, Asha figured she would rather just drown. Asharya extended her neck as far as it would go, latching her teeth firmly into the woman's scruff. The skin there was lose, and had less feeling in it, or at least that was the part Asha hoped she was grabbing. She latched in her teeth and planted her feet, pulling backwards as hard as she could, hoping to pull the woman free. She might have been much smaller than Asha herself, but the young fae lacked the muscle a mature wolf had, and struggled all the same. Her paws scrabbled against the hard ground and she tried to wrench the woman free. "Talk" "You" Think

Chasing Twisters In The Canyon

Pyralis was getting anxious to get going again and she had no interest in helping the girl out of the tar if there wasn't going to be some benefit.  Although, her daughter's puppy eyes always did have a way of wearing her down.  She was about to speak again when Kanja said the stupidest thing she'd ever heard in her life.  Her hackles rose and she turned to Kanja with a snarl. "WHAT?  You think that some sniveling little yearling who managed to navigate her way right into a tar pit is going to get us out of here?  Don't be ridiculous.  I happen to be an expert navigator and I've already taken care of us getting out of here.  Alkali-" Pyralis paused as she suddenly realized her mistake.  Alkali was going to dive straight back down with information but Pyralis had gone and moved when she heard the stupid little girl crying out so now Alkali had no idea where they were.  Shit.

Pyralis let out a howl, her ears twitching for a moment before leveling a murderous glare at her offspring.  "Asharya, I expect you to use your brain.  There's nothing about this situation that implies this girl can help us get out of here and I expect you to- AHHHHHHH"  Pyralis dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding Alkali as the hawk dove at her head, pulling up just in time to go sailing across the ground before landing on the limb of a fallen tree and ruffling her feathers.  Pyralis, who had hit the deck with her own fur on end, got to her feet grumbling as the bird spoke. "I've found our waiting out of here, how dare you move!  I've been searching for you high and low, what were you thinking?"

Pyralis scowled at the bird. "There was a matter requiring my investigation." The bird made some sort of unintelligible noise before flying near Asharya and landing next to her. "You'll want to head southeast for a mile and then we'll be out of it.  But I'm surprised at you Pyralis.  Was it not moments ago that we pulled Kanja free to the benefit of all parties involved?  Even if the girl has no practical uses the practice in this technique would be of benefit to your daughter… not that it's any of my business."  The hawk turned to preen quietly as Pyralis continued to scowl.

"OH fine… we can free the welp."  Asharya moved to grab the girls scruff as she started to pull.  "Careful Asharya!  Don't get to close to the tar. You'd be safer hauling her out by the ass but if you've got a good grip on the scruff widen your stance a bit more and push with your legs."  Pyralis gestured to Alkali and the bird moved to grab onto the base of Aranea's tail.
"Alkali can help.  On each downbeat of her wings you must pull in unison to maximize your force."  She had to admit having a hawk for a companion was helpful.  Perhaps she should find a companion for her daughter.

My Cathedral Is The Badlands

Her words drew a reaction she hadn't - but probably should have - prepared for. Pyralis turned on her with a snarl and Kanja was quick to respond defensively. Her hackles rose and she rumbled a defensive, agitated growl before spitting, "This fog had even you, expert navigator, considering staying put and waiting for it to pass instead of trying to find a way out. My point is: one fucking mistake in this weather doesn't make someone completely useless." If she could have Kanja would have thrown her paws up in exasperation. She couldn't believe it; was she really defending this little pansy? Nah, not really. The defense of her intelligence - since that's what Pyralis had really struck at - was far more important. She shot Aranea a look that promised hellfire if she didn't get her act together. The last thing she needed was for the girl to underscore her uselessness by flailing around some more or sniveling, as Pyralis had put it. It was too late to take back what she'd proposed. Against Kanja's better judgement she'd stuck her neck out for Aranea. If she could do nothing else hopefully the girl could at least pretend to find some courage. "Speaking" - "Thinking" - "You"

The wolves would banter with each other trying to find if Aranea was worthy of living or not. All a bunch of jumbled words that in the end she didn't understand any of them. Before she knew it, all three wolves were pulling on her and offering their aid. When she felt the tar ripping at the hairs of her front legs, she then lashed out to grab Kanja for the last bit of pull and then ended up flipping around with her light body, free of the black glue. She laid there with the giants, even the pup, and just looked at them more awkwardly than anything. "I... Owe you..." She spoke quietly not wanting to admit that the fact they pulled for from her incoming death meant she had to make it up to them. She rose to her paws, wobbly but then strong as she stood with her ears laid back and head held low. She didn't know how they would make it out of here and she wanted to bolt more than anything. The smell of Dauntless came to her senses but the fog was still too strong for her to follow a straight path. They had to get closer to the rim. Walk "Talk" Think

Asharya filled with satisfaction at having retrieved the woman from a certain doom. It wasn't so much that she had saved the mortals life, but rather that she had accomplished her goal and done something she herself deemed impressive. Preening a bit, she eyed the other yearling with a haughty glance. "Sure are lucky we came by," she said, her voice dry. "Stick close, huh?" Asha teased in a whisper as rounded to face her mother and Kanja, turning her back on the small, light colored fae. Asha turned her attention primarily to Alkali, raising her brows at him. "You said it clears up towards the southeast?" The young ember turned her head skyward, trying to catch sight of the sun or some sort of light, but the fog was too dense for her to be certain. With a huff Asharya closed her eyes for a brief moment, trying to call to mind the mental map of the terrain she was always trying to piece together in her head. She tried to trace back her steps when she'd approached the pool, imagining the route she had approached from. Feeling confident in her memory, she turned and faced what she believed was the proper direction. "I say we head that way," she declared boldly, hoping her mother and the others would agree. "Talk" "You" Think

Chasing Twisters In The Canyon

Pyralis narrowed her eyes at Kanja's comment. She was particularly proud of her vast travels and having a jab at them wounded that pride but she was growing tired of arguing and simply stated her perspective. "As an expert navigator, I know sometimes it is better to wait than to go wandering and walking blind into something one shouldn't like a tar pit." She jerked her head to the mortal girl for emphasis. Fog was rarely permanent and it would have passed eventually, she'd only been wandering because she'd been comfortable in her senses to that point. The same theory could apply to being lost if one was not in immediate danger and would be searched for.

The girl was pulled free from the muck and Pyralis nodded to her daughter. "Good work, Asharya." She snorted as the girl said she owed them. Darn right she did but Pyralis has little interest in collecting on that favor. The girl got to her feet and started to move but Pyralis did not follow. There was more than one way out and she was not interested in heading north.

Alkali nodded to Asharya as she ruffled her wings. "That is correct miss Asharya." Pyralis was about to confirm when she saw the gears in her daughters head turning and so she stayed silent until Asharya had confirmed the direction. "Then it's agreed. I for one am ready to get home. I have a mountain goat that's just begging to be eaten." She turned to leave. The girl could follow them or go her own way, it did not concern the chaotic goddess.

-exit-

My Cathedral Is The Badlands