Mik

[JEB Davis]

Next couple of days see Mik snaring another grouse and observing a badger nearby, so he sets 2 more small deadfall traps. The weather has turned a bit colder and snow covers the ground ankle-deep. Mik remembers how his father taught him to make skis... he will need some good boards, so that's where he starts, using his best woodsman's axe. Now Mik sees that he doesn't have enough furs to use because he doesn't want to waste fine-quality trading furs for the skis... time to go hunting again!

It's late morning but there's still time to do a little hunting before dark. Mik stays close to his home lake but sees no animals. Stopping to check some snares to the north of the lake, here is what Mik finds.



He should bring a few fox traps here!

[JEB Davis]

Continuing the hunt, it's now late afternoon and Mik spots a figure in the distance. He travels down the hill into a heath with scattered trees and finds a lightly-armed Njerpezit scout. Mik pursues with arrow at the ready and then the man turns and charges! At 25 paces, Mik hits his thigh, then he knocks a broadhead as the man continues forward. At 15 paces the arrow flies and hits his arm, sending him to the ground.

Mik readies his shield & mace and approaches, seeing the man's blood pumping into the snow. One strike with the mace and the man perishes.



This hunt has not turned out as planned, but one less enemy is good for the Owl-tribe. Mik burns the body and dedicates it to Kalma, carves the 11th notch on his mace haft, then returns home.

[JEB Davis]

Back home, Mik repairs his mittens and next morning sets out early, carrying his small but valuable furs.  He leaves his bow at home and will trust in his spear instead. It's unusual to see foreign traders near his home, but this morning he finds them and makes a good trade... a spear, fine mail cowl, and 12 superior arrows for his fine lynx, glutton, ermine, and 3 fine squirrel furs.

Then he curses under his breath as the last trader comes out of the trees carrying an iron spectacle helm and Mik has only 1 glutton fur left... not enough for that trade. The other trader is not willing to take back his goods.

He bids them farewell and continues to hunt. The spirits favor him by revealing an elk a short while later. Sneaking toward it, he's not quiet enough and it spooks and runs, so he begins the chase with spears at the ready. The tracks are easy to follow in the snow and Mki can hear it plunging through the spruces. Then he sees it and it's a long throw at 25 paces, but the spear grazes the elk's shoulder. The limping animal is now subject to a running/walking pursuit intended to tire the beast. The tracks are confusing... this is a smart elk.

After a long time following the tracks, finally Mik gets a chance for another spear throw and hits again, but the elk takes off running! Following at a run, and encumbered by his lamellar cuirasse and fur overcoat, Mik continues...



After a short time he can't run any longer. The snow is wearing him down but he must recover his valuable spear and can't give up! Forcing himself to doggedly follow the tracks he eventually sees the animal, which appears as exhausted as himself. The hunt is over soon and Mik will have the fur he needs to make skis.

[JEB Davis]

With 2 trips, Mik carries the elk skin and about 200 cuts of meat back to Pain Summit and collapses in his kota from exhaustion. Most is hung to dry, some is roasted, and the skin is being tanned.

Rummaging in his old shelter, Mik finds an old fur cloak and uses it to try his hand at making skis. They turn out pretty poor, and so does the ski stick he makes. They are useable, though.

Usually, he finishes tanning hides outside, but today when he starts the elk hide it is just too cold so he drags a log inside the kota and finishes up the elk fur.

[JEB Davis]

That night, his sleep is interrupted by strange noises, but when he gets up the noises stop. He waits, sitting silently in the kota with weapons near to hand. After 10 minutes a snuffling noise is heard but outside it's dark as pitch so Mik stays inside until there is a bit more light. He goes out and finds new badger tracks... nothing to worry about.

Behind the kota he finds a triggered loop snare with a bunch of grouse feathers and badger tracks all around. Now he has a trap thief at home. To pass the time during the dark, Mik makes a couple of blunt arrows, one of which turns out decent... then falls back to sleep.

Waking, he checks all the traps near home, and finds another black grouse that has died in it's snare, but is unharmed and still looks fresh. There are badger tracks everywhere, but no sign of the animal.




More evidence the thief is the badger...

[JEB Davis]

The weather has turned cold now, and Mik stayed around home this day. Evening comes and he goes out with an axe to cut a tree for more firewood. And there is the trap-thief badger trying in vain to get the squirrel it has chased up a tree.

Mik goes back to the kota and grabs 3 spears and his mace, then sneaks back... the badger doesn't see him but his first throw misses and it runs off. He quickly makes a 2nd throw but that spear hits a tree. He makes a quick run to the north-east after it, but the badger has run out onto the ice and Mik doesn't want to risk following.



After cutting the tree and dragging it back near his kota, it's time to sleep.

Next morning, there is no sign of either the badger or the squirrel.

[JEB Davis]

Mik spends the next 2 days cutting and splitting firewood, making a water skin out of bird leather, making cords from a ratty old overcoat, practicing with mace & sword, eating roasted elk, and keeping warm. The badger is seen out on the ice again. Making arrow shafts in the evening, the badger comes sneaking around, but a hasty grab & throw of a spear misses.

Morning dawns cold & cloudy, and the roasted meat is gone so Mik goes hunting and soon spots an elk. He moves closer and loses sight, but drops his mace, shield, and water skin near the lakeshore and readies his bow & broadhead arrow. Fresh tracks are found, but they are too confusing so Mik waits on high-ground for another sighting.

After some hours with no sign of the elk, snow is falling and Mik is cold. He heads back home emptyhanded. 

[JEB Davis]

Early next morning, he catches 3 perch with his ugly fishing rod, then fashions a bunch of arrow shafts from a board for the rest of the day. He sleeps without any dreams and wakes in the wee hours.

It's about 5 weeks until the middle of winter. There is still not much snow, so he heads out for a bit of exploring to eastward.

It's still early morning when from a hilltop he spots a man about 800 paces ahead toward the east. Mik drops his fur overcoat, water, and other stuff, then goes to investigate. Sneaking through the forest he sees one of the foreign enemy scouts, well armed with spear, axe, and bow. The man is unaware of Mik and lays down to rest, his head on a tree trunk.

Mik decides to drop his bow and sneak up with mace and shield. The man must be drunk or very confident in his safety because he doesn't wake up as Mik raises his mace to smash his skull. The man dies without waking... the 12th Njerpezit to fall.

[JEB Davis]

The weather is bitterly cold now. The fire on which he burns the Njerpezit's body in honor of Kalma keeps him nice and warm. On the trip back home carrying the dead man's equipment, Mik thinks he should wear warmer clothing when venturing out now. Perhaps tomorrow he will do that... now he still has time to go adventuring eastward as originally planned this morning.

Having traveled further east than ever, he meets some traders but makes no trades with them. Then the land becomes a bit mountainous. From a small peak, he sees a figure and descends to see who it might be. Nobody is found in the woods below and no tracks in the snow. Perhaps it was a spirit?



The light is failing so Mik makes a shelter for the night. He sacrifices one of his dried bear cuts to appease the spirit, if it was one, and also mouths rituals requesting the forest spirit to allow him to sleep there and to keep him safe through the night.

Mik wakes early, having slept well in the shelter.

[Blxz]

You seem to be pretty successful with the loop snares. I don't recall ever having any success with them. Any hints and/or tips?

[JEB Davis]

I don't really have much advice worth giving you on the snares. Usually my characters' snares seem to work pretty well, and they usually have under 25 skill. The snares vary in quality from normal to poor.

1. The traps are set in areas where birds have been observed, but mostly in random locations.
2. Some are baited with berries and some are not baited at all.
3. Some are placed in berry bush tiles and these seem to work best when the berries are ready for picking.
4. Typically, they kick & reset their traps every week or so, and I think that helps.

[JEB Davis]

Moving on back toward the west in the morning, Mik shoots a squirrel out of a tree with a blunt arrow. After walking all day, he has seen no other animals or persons. A fallen tree in a frozen mire will be his heat for the night after he begins tanning the squirrel hide.

Still a bit uneasy after yesterday's "spirit" sighting, Mik decides to sacrifice the squirrel meat rather than eat it.

[JEB Davis]

Another day of travel brings him back home, and he checks all his traps, which are empty.

While eating and looking out the kota door flap, Mik sees the badger. This is a good time to venture onto the ice and maybe get a shot at the little trap thief. Carrying only light gear, he's halfway across the ice and it seems safe, so he goes to check on his north-shore shelter.

No more sign of the sneaky badger, only lots of fresh tracks. This is starting to dig at Mik's pride as a hunter.

[Helldiver]

Those badgers really have a knack for making you feel ineffectual. One of them once led me on a merry chase starting north of Driik territory and circling all around Sartola territory. After five days, I almost had it cornered, but then my character passed out from lack of sleep and food, and I lost it again.

[JEB Davis]

The badger is too wary for Mik to sneak very close, so next day he tries hiding in the kota while looking out the doorway. He has two chances and misses both times.