Fir had finally finished her strange passion project and she was out looking for a victim to test it on.  The project in question consisted of two objects made of rock.  One had seven sides, one had twenty, both had little dots on each of the sides to indicate a number.  They were somewhat similar to dice, but Fir didn't know that.  She had named the contraptions 'iremoral', which meant 'annoying' in Fennish, because they were annoying to make. It hadn't taken very long for the fae to stumble upon someone, and it was an added bonus that the wolf had been someone she'd met in the past.  The blue star child from that one weird party not too long ago.  She'd do just fine.  "Hey." Fir called out. "Do you wanna play a game or what? Are you busy?" didn't look too busy.

Seasonal skill prompt, Intellect- Goal: Play a game!
Word Count: 144

Noelie was drawn in by the familiar scent, having already met the wolf in question before, and curious as to what she might be doing here. Running into familiar faces was quickly becoming a commonplace in these lands, so much so that she was beginning to think that the island wasn't quite as.. large as she'd initially thought, though her paws themselves would disagree with that sentiment.

The sage furred woman greeted her easily enough, even inviting Noelie in to play a game. "Hey!" she called, closing the distance between them. "I'm down for a game. What are we playing?" Competitive as she was, she hoped it might be a race of some sort, but even a simple game of hide and seek would do so long as she was with company.

Word Count: 132

Fir couldn't help but grin as the girl accepted her proposition.  What was this wolf's name again, Toby?  Ah, it didn't matter. She wouldn't be Toby in a minute anyways.  "Okay.  You can sit down."  She stated as she herself plopped to the earthy soil below.  "Yolwan wan, ochkane ona me iremoral ire lonay fan fraap."  She prodded at her platypus companion and watched with glee as he did what he was told.   "So it's a roleplay game.  You make a character, I walk your character through a story, we use these two iremoral to determine how well you do the things that you want to do.  Easy enough?" She waited for a moment to make sure Toby understood the task at hand, but not long enough for the girl to respond.  "So you can be a wizard, a fighter, or a healer.  Then I need to know what your character looks like and what their name is."

*Translation:  Swamp lard, give her the annoying and then go play.

Word Count: 158

A slight bit of confusion clouded her gaze as she sat and curled her tail around her body. What games were meant to be played seated? A word game, maybe? Then the woman flung out a slurry of words that Noel did not understand, and could only hope did not include any instructions. From there an interesting creature waddled out from the shadows, bringing with it some strange contraptions, before retreating back to.. wherever weird duck rats came from.

Noelie nodded as the pale woman explained the game, but honestly.. the explanation did not give her the level of understanding she had been looking for, and the items the creature had brought did not lend any insight at all. Not wanting to make her companion feel like she'd given an inadequate description, the yearling decided to play along and learn the game as it went. She was pretty good at improvising after all.

"Ok. Uh... can I be a healer then?" That sounded easy enough to understand. "And.. uhh.." An idea sparked. "I want it to be a blue and white wolf named Etoile." Certainly she'd gain some sort of advantage by knowing who she was pretending to be. Right?

Word Count: 200

The yearling nodded at her acquaintance.  A blue and white healer named Etoile sounded adequate enough.  "Okay.  One last thing before we start:  The seven sided rock is for attacking and healing, the twenty sided rock is for other things you might wanna do.  We'll get into that when the time comes.  I gotta story build a little bit now, so just be patient and make sure you're paying attention."  Fir hated explaining things twice, so if she could avoid it then both of them would probably have a better time.   Fir took a moment to organize the story in her head before continuing further.  Being the story teller was an important and crucial part of this game that would come with dire consequences if she messed up somewhere. "Etoile, you live in the land of Aestrigoth on the continent of Eigirus.  You are from a rather large port town called Grophis that is well known for it's beautiful religious temples and the realm's biggest trading district.  If there is something you need, you know you can get it from the Grophis Trade.  For that reason alone many, many wolves from all over the world flock to your city.  About a half-days travel outside of your city is a huge structure where the Featherlash family lives.  They have always been a dark and mysterious family, and a lot of evil, twisted rumors follow them wherever they go.  Last week there was a massacre in your city, about 30 people were killed in the market and several eye witnesses say that they are certain they saw Nostro Featherlash, the head of the Featherlash family, commit the act.  You, being a well-known religious priestess, decent enough fighter, and a fantastic healer, were asked to go defeat Nostro Featherlash and rid his manor of evil.  You accept the task and make your way to the structure in which they reside.  You are at the front door now, what do you do?" Fir cocked her head and waited curiously for the fae to give her response.

Word Count: 342

Noelie's gaze passed over each rock as they were described. She gave an obedient nod of the head, but honestly, she was more lost now than she had been before. How could a seven sided rock heal someone, let alone be used for attacking? Surely they weren't very good weapons, and Fir wouldn't be throwing them at her, would she?

The story began, each detail more far-fetched than the last, but by the end of it the yearling felt herself entranced in whatever world her companion had just created. In fact, she was even a little upset that she'd chosen to be Etoile for this game and not herself. Now, she wasn't sure what was going on with this Featherlash guy, or what a city was, but she'd gotten the gist of what was going on, and that somehow the issue in the market had become her problem, but then Fir was asking for her input, and she hadn't quite been ready for that.

"Uh.. I.. should I scratch at the door?" That seemed reasonable. "And ask if anyone is home?" She wasn't sure what the right answer was, but honestly she had a feeling that that wasn't it.

Word Count: 199

Fir offered another nod to the girl, happy that she seemed to already be getting into the swing of what this game was all about.  "You scratch at the door and a young wolf around our age answers.  His fur is a pale purple and his eyes are a beautiful pale shade of green..  He looks at you with a gentle smile on his face.  You get the feeling that he may be some sort of servant, as you were told before departing from home that the Featherlash family all had white coats and deep red eyes. "M'lady, I regret to inform you that Nostro and his family departed early this morning.  They've gone on holiday and won't be back for a number of weeks." he frowns at you.  What do you do?"

Word Count: 133

Noelie's brow creased with this new information as her lips fell into a frown. If the Featherlashes weren't home and they weren't going to be back anytime soon then what was she supposed to do? And just who went on holiday after killing 30 wolves? More like they were on the run. "Um.. I say, okay, thank you." Surely they wouldn't have told the door guy if they really were making their getaway. "And then I ask when they are going to be back, and if he's sure that they're not just on the run." She ended it with a nod, confident in her answer to this game. The servant seemed nice enough, and the yearling had absolutely no reason to think he could be lying.

Word Count: 126

The fae raised her eyebrows.  "The servant stops and thinks thoughtfully for a moment, the concern on his face is evident. Why don't you go ahead and roll that 20 sided rock for me and let me know what you get?  This is called a persuasion roll, we're going to see if he feels like telling you or not."  she pawed the rock closer to her player character, excited for someone else to test her weird little rock project out.  The servant would tell Etoile about the Featherlash family on a roll higher than 10, and and perhaps even some extra information on something higher than a 15.

Word Count: 108

Staff, at this point we are at 1,541 words but we're gonna keep goin :)

Upon Fir's instruction she gave one of what she could only assume would be many more confused glances, first at the wolf, and then at the rocks. This sure was.. interesting, but with nothing to lose Noelie pawed at the dice, causing it to quite literally "roll" over. "Uh.. there are 18... uh.. little dots? Pockmarks? What does that mean?" Noelie was so confused, and how this rock even related to the game was still lost on her, but she had no choice but to trust Fir not to be a cheater in whatever this game was, though at the present moment the yearling felt like she might be losing.

Word Count: 110

Fir's grin widened as the girl rolled an 18 on the iremoral.  "That means you persuaded him into giving you some valuable information.  That's a really good roll.  The wolf let's out a sigh and looks you over for a second. "The master is inside" he says to you. "Presently I believe he is in the middle of taking a rather large dump. You might be able to catch him off guard if you're fast enough.  Bathroom is third room on the left down the hall.  My name is Emori, by the way.  You're awfully pretty, miss." he adds, moving aside so that you may enter.  What do you want to do now?"

Word Count: 113

She watched Fir smile, further confirming Noelie's suspicions that she was, indeed, losing, but the woman must have taken pity on her, saying that it was, in fact, a good roll, and even offering her an important bit of information afterwards. "So he was lying?" How rude. And what was he doing taking a dump inside?? Concern and disgust laced the yearling's features. The more she learned about this Featherlash guy, the less she liked him... not that she ever liked him, but now she knew that he was a murderer and a weirdo.

Then came the compliment, to which Noelie couldn't help but huff. Of course Etoile would get all the guys. "I say, okay then, and then I go to the bathroom?" It came out more as a question than anything. "And I guess I just kind of wait.. not near the door," Because she wasn't a weirdo. "but, like, close enough so that I can see it?"

Word Count: 160

The girl seemed a little solemn for someone who just got a really good roll, is that not what she wanted to happen?  Fir understood that low rolls held potential for comedic shenanigans',  but high rolls were so satisfying to land! Or so she thought.  Shrugging it off, the yearling contemplated what she'd say next. "You go where Emori directed you to go, and quickly find that there is not a door to the bathroom.  You see a man that matches the description doing his business in a small makeshift den that someone had carved out from within the structure.  He hasn't noticed you yet and he seems very concentrated on the task at hand.  Do you wanna try to hide so he doesn't see you?  If so, roll the dice again.  If not, how do you wanna proceed?"

Word Count: 139

Her frown deepened as Fir continued, her lip even pulling back as disgust really took over. Whatever was going on in this story, Noelie couldn't help but thank the Ancestors that she didn't have to actually enter that dwelling. Even imagining the smell made her stomach churn. The Featherlashes really were weirdos, who for some reason kept spare excrement around inside of their abode, and she was pretty sure that not even the Ancestors would be able to find a reason for that one.

"Ew!! No, I want to get out of there. I don't want to watch him do his business. I'm going to go back downstairs and wait." Etoile's honor was at stake here, and Noelie couldn't just allow her poor, precious eyes to witness something so vile. Just in case, she gave the dice a good roll, praying that if nothing else, she'd be able to save her cousin from this mess she had gotten her in, and when she lifted her paws she saw it, 20 individual pockmarks.

Word Count: 172

Fir couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped her lips as the girl spoke.  "Reasonable.  Okay.  You go and wait without issue for what feels like a long while.  Emori is no where to be seen, but the place is pretty large so that might not be all too surprising.  Eventually the man makes his way out of the bathroom and starts heading toward your general direction.  He seems pleased with himself and hasn't taken notice of you yet.  He is humming a tune to himself."  The yearling scooted the twenty sided rock toward her just then, batting it so that it would roll.  It was an eleven. "It's not a bad tune, but nothing to send a message home about either.  What do you do?"

Word Count: 125

Noelie breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she had been able to save her cousin from that terrible fate, but that wasn't the end of the story, apparently. The yearling didn't want to draw any conclusions as to why the man seemed pleased with himself, or even what kind of tune he had been humming because he grossed her out, but at the same time the story was still going, and her action was required once more. "I'm going to say, stop right there, murderer. You must surrender and pay for your crimes." Ha, she'd got him there. He'd have no choice but to do as she said since she was apparently a well-known religious priestess.

Word Count: 117

"He stops and examines you for a brief moment before a snarl plays across his face. "And who are you to speak to me like that?" he says to you angrily. "I'm not sure who let you into my home, but you better give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now, insolent little pup." he starts taking slow, graceful strides toward you now, and he doesn't appear too happy.  If you want to attack him then you'll need to roll that twenty rock again to see if the attack lands, but if you have something else in mind...?" She paused, waiting to see what the wolf would do next.

Word Count: 113

Her brain was working hard as several emotions played across her starry features, first shock, and anger, and then contemplation. How dare he threaten her? The Ancestors would have something to say about this for certain, but even so, Noelie didn't have it in her to attack someone who hadn't attacked her first, and she wasn't sure if a threat was enough to change that. "I'm going to take a few steps back and then say, you better give up and answer to the council or else." Ha! She had him now. The council would be sure to take care of this issue in a way that the Ancestors would find acceptable.

Word Count: 112

"A smirk plays across his lips as his slow strides turn into a quick rush of steps. "I know not of the council you speak, girl, and they cannot help you regardless."  as he closes the distance his jaw opens wide and he clamps down on your throat." Fir again batted the rock, revealing a fate less than favorable for dear Etoile. "Oh, I'm sorry.  You die.  The end."  She frowned. "Yolwan wan, fankane kane me iremoral!" the fae called for her platypus companion, and once again seemed pleased as he obeyed what he was told. "I've been training him, he's been doing pretty good so far."

*Fennish translation: Swamp lard, come get the annoying!

Word Count: 107

Noelie, though still seated, craned forward as she listened. The yearling was already calculating her next move, waiting for just the right moment to ...

"Oh, I'm sorry.  You die.  The end."

Her jaw went slack as the light in her eyes died. She blinked once, twice, her gaze never straying from Fir's face, not even when the little duck creature came and retrieved the.. whatever they were called. "H.. how.. but that's not fair!" He was a bad guy, and bad guys weren't supposed to win. Clearly Fir had made an error.. or maybe Noelie had just come too close to winning, so the sage-furred woman decided to end it early.

Word Count: 104