Patchwork Universe

Trubshawe · Good Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 155 Location: The Zoo

From the mists to the west of Yggdrasil stumbles a small, Oriental-looking man in a drab grey uniform.

In fact his stumbling may have been caused by the firm hand which propelled him forward the first few steps, before it and the attached arm retreated back into the mist.

When he sees the giant ash looming before him he gives a yelp of pleasure. Shading his eyes, he allows his gaze to dart about the tree. Each time he spots a living creature, and there is no shortage of them in his view, he whimpers with new delight.

"The master will be pleased!" he exclaims at length, rubbing his hands together, and turns to head back the way he came.

But just before he musters enough willpower to tear himself away from the awesome spectacle of the world tree, a small movement attracts his attention. It is the bushy-tailed squirrel that inhabits the ash and when the little man sees this, a look of absolute ecstasy overcomes his features...

[OOC NOTE: This post edited by the GMs to fit with abilities of NPCS. Edited portions are in italics. Players can feel free to continue this thread from here.]

Arnora · Average Joined: 29 Feb 2004 Posts: 41 Location: Yggdrasil

Ratatosk suddenly perks his ears up and pulls himself out of his thoughts. Echoing through the branches of the tree the high pitched shriek of Vedhrfolnir, the Falcon can just be made out. To those inhabitants with sharp enough ears anyway.
Usually this would be the prelude to some cursing of the sharp eyed interfering flying dormouse (squirrel insult - even rodents have a hierarchy). But this time it isn't warning about him. There's something else entirely going on. There hasn't been this much excitement since that ridiculously gullible crusader came looking for the guidance of the ash.

Turning to look down Ratatosk spies the grey clad man with the squirrel equivalent of an evil grin. "If Vedhrfolnir interferes this time, i'll rip out his tail feathers..."

Trubshawe · Good Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 155 Location: The Zoo

Either the man in grey does not notice Ratatosk's anthropomorphic qualities, or he chooses to ignore them. He continues to dance his little dance of glee for a short time, and then realising that must return home as he has a report to make, he spins on his heel and makes to return the way he came...

Trubshawe · Good Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 155 Location: The Zoo

Entwistle's good mood was to dissipate, however, as he neared the curtain of mist and found himself unable to will himself to enter it.

Hmm. This was something of a predicament.

He peered into the mists in the hope that someone would emerge who could help. "Hello?"

Arnora · Average Joined: 29 Feb 2004 Posts: 41 Location: Yggdrasil

Ratatosk watched the foolish little man for a few moments before realising that the most entertainment he'd had for days was heading as if to leave. After a muttered "Oh no he doesn't!" Ratatosk started swinging his way down the tree to the ground with considerable haste.

On reaching the ground he was somewhat surprised to see that the grey clad man was still present, he seemed to be having some trouble with the mist. After a elated moment and a toothy grin a rather disturbing thought occurred to Ratatosk and he scampered across the ground towards the mist. He'd watched Arnora leave, it was possible to leave the tree if he wanted surely. He didn't usually but the option was nice.

A short and frustrated while later Ratatosk gave up on his attempts to reach the other side of the mist and narrowed his eyes at the little man.
Scampering over towards him and pulling himself up to his full height, Ratatosk glared at the stranger. "How did you get in here in the first place, well answer me!" he demanded.

Trubshawe · Good Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 155 Location: The Zoo

Entwistle was delighted when he saw the fascinating little squirrel bobbing across the ground towards him. He was also delighted to hear himself being addressed - if there was someone else here he might be able to gain their assistance in overcoming the problem of the misty barrier.

Unfortunately, he seemed comically unaware that the twin prongs of his delight had but one single source. So, not wanting to scare off the fine furry creature with sudden movements or loud noises, he looked to either side very slowly to try and discover who was addressing him, before uttering in a stage whisper out of the corner of his mouth:

"Where are you? Show yourself!"

Arnora · Average Joined: 29 Feb 2004 Posts: 41 Location: Yggdrasil

"Oh for £$#s sake." This as a day was steadily heading downhill. Ratatosk hopped a bit closer and waved his paws around in a windmill fashion.
"Down here you idiot. What's wrong with you. Never heard a squirrel talk before? Don't you have any idea where you are?"

"This is Yggdrasil, world tree, most important being in the world. Inhabited by several mystical (some clever than others) animals and elves."

Ratatosk peered up to see how the strange and he thought, rather stupid, man was coping with this as an idea. Surely everyone in the realms had heard of the World Tree..

Trubshawe · Good Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 155 Location: The Zoo

Entwistle finally cottoned on, and a broad grin spread across his features. "Well, I'll be!" he exclaimed, bending down to peer at Ratatosk. "A talking squirrel! I don't think I've ever heard of one of those before."

He squinted at Yggdrasil. "A world tree, you say? I don't think it makes sense for a tree to be an entire world, but it's an impressive ecosystem you've got there, little fella. The Master will certainly want to study it at length, you should be proud. The only problem being..."

He gestured in the direction of the mist behind him.

"I can't seem to find a way out of this place. The Zoo's just a stone's throw that-a-way, but easier said than done and all that. I don't suppose you know anything about how to get back through that fog?"

Arnora · Average Joined: 29 Feb 2004 Posts: 41 Location: Yggdrasil

Well at least things seemed to be getting somewhere now. Except for one small detail.
"Why are you asking me how to get out of here? I'm not the one who got in..."

Well at least he's not leaving, Ratatosk thought to himself.

"I suggest we go and sit somewhere more comfortable and talk about all this, and this zoo thing you are talking about. There's some lovely branches just up there."

Ratatosk put on his best benign squirrel expression. That ought to work...

Trubshawe · Good Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 155 Location: The Zoo

If Entwistle's smile carried on expanding, he was going to manage to sprain his face.

"Wow! You really mean it, Mister Squirrel? I can climb up and take a look at your tree?"

With eyes shining, he sprinted towards Yggdrasil.

"Come on, Mister Squirrel! Last one up's a rotten nut!"

Arnora · Average Joined: 29 Feb 2004 Posts: 41 Location: Yggdrasil

Ratatosk rolled his eyes and then dashed up the nearest branch of the tree. The size of Yggdrasil meant that quite a few of the larger branches around the tree reached down to the ground and looked almost like trees themselves.

If this man thought he could climb a tree faster than a squirrel could then he was about to be proved very wrong.

Having reached the point where the branch and the trunk joined in a huge platform, Ratatosk turned to see where the little grey man had got to. So where shall I take him? Ratatosk mused to himself. He'd first thought of introducing him to the dragon but of course he wasn't around at the moment apparently. Arnora would have just been nice to him and she wasn't around either and getting a response out of the tree without her was pretty much impossible these days...

Trubshawe · Good Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 155 Location: The Zoo

Despite being quite astonishingly game for this adventure, the grey-uniformed man wasn't remotely a match for Ratatosk's climbing prowess. He was puffing and panting as he hauled himself up through the branches, quite a way below the squirrel now.

"So... (huff, puff)... where are we headed, Mister Squirrel?" he cried slightly plaintively as his gaze met Ratatosk's.

Arnora · Average Joined: 29 Feb 2004 Posts: 41 Location: Yggdrasil

A voice drifted down from somewhere above. "We are heading up, up to the top. There's an Eagle up there who could do with being bothered. I shall show you some sights along the way. On the way down I can show you to somewhere to stay until we work out this mist if you like."

The voice stopped moving for a while and allowed Entwhistle to catch up a little. It was remarkably easy to lose track of where one was with all this greenery and hanging vegetation.

Small birds occasionally poked their heads out from behind leaves to see who was passing and the air was filled with the sounds of rustling and scurrying noises. Over lying it all was a subtle feeling of a presence. A general feeling of being watched.

Trubshawe · Good Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 155 Location: The Zoo

"An eagle! That sounds just corking, Mister Squirrel. I don't suppose you know which species?"

Entwistle's face hove into view, smudgy with chlorophyll.

Arnora · Average Joined: 29 Feb 2004 Posts: 41 Location: Yggdrasil

Species, what on earth was the man on about. He certainly was a strange one.
"Well it's Vedhrfolnir, The Eagle. There's a Falcon who lives up there with him but he's just an annoying little squirt. Vedhrfolnir is the really tricky one to... um, talk to". ratatosk hastily changed the end of his sentence. He wasn't sure he wanted this little man to know what he was usually up to. It just never sounded, well, important enough.
"I'm the organiser of this place, have to run around, um, organising everybody. Important job coordinating the residents of the World Tree."

Damn, Ratatosk thought, now I can't actually let him talk to the others, they might tell him the truth.