Scouting Skills

[Kell Lo'Tharan]

He'd decided to bed down in Innorsford for the time being. There was a lot going on around what with all of the new training being offered to alliance members and the fact that a lot of the Alliance seemed to be working through here at least. So for now he was staying in the Tipsy Darkling and doing as much as he could, while he was loathe to spend so much time away from his own lands they were in capable hands for now.

First on the list had been a class on camping, it would have been useful to have had some knowledge of camping on his way from Korasus but that was in the past and he couldn't change the past. What he could do however was attend this class on camping that would mean if in the future he had another long journey to make then he could. 

"To begin with if you're going to be making a camp you're going to want some kind of shelter. WIthout shelter you're useless, rain and cold will get to you far before any enemies do. And when they do you'll be cold and wet and not fully up for the fight." Several bags were dropped unceremoniously in front of each of the class members, upon closer inspection each contained the material and poles of a tent. "Make these up, you might not have access to something quite so advanced as a tent but in a pinch a cave will do, or even just an area with heavy tree cover, then cover yourself in leaves to conserve body heat. For now, tents."

Kell looked at his for a few moments, he'd never set up a tent in his life and had very little idea how to start now. To begin with he just simply took everything out and placed them out so that he could see what he had, obviously he'd seen them before at least so he had an idea of what the end product should look like and the rough idea of how to get there. Kell kept a half eye on the others, most of which seemed to be faring not to much better than him, but from watching those few who did seem to have a clue and with a few nudges, corrections and questions with the instructor by the end of it he'd managed to set up his tent. It was only once the instructor came over and showed him just how many holes there were in it that he realised how badly he'd set it up, but it was still set up and the majority of his blunders were corrected easily enough.

[Kell Lo'Tharan]

It wasn't long before he could pitch a tent pitch a tent quick enough to satisfy an instructor, it took only practice, once you'd done it once or twice it was simple to just remember how it was done before and recreate that again. By the end of it he wondered how he'd found it so hard in the first place.

For this class however now they were making fires, the tents were done and now that shelter was out of the way they were moving on to something that was absolutely necessary if you planned to make a camp.

"Fire is the best thing you can have when you're travelling. Warms you up, dries you off, can even keep certain animals away from your camp, especially if you use the right woods, some of the smells can drive them off easier than any sword. You do however need to think, in most situations it's necessary, but say for example you're being chased down by a battallion of SKC troops, lighting a fire is just going to show them your position isn't it? Think carefully about if it's appropriate to make one before you do."

She made a fair point, lighting a fire while it was incredibly beneficial to you for the many positive effects it brought, it also made you quite visible unless you could somehow hide the fire, especially during the night time. Luckily so far the only time he'd been chased was by that crow, and there was no way he was going to be stopping to make a fire then.

"A tinderbox is the best way so i'd reccomend preparing one if any of you have the capability, a piece of flint on a piece of iron will create sparks and thick mosses or small twigs will catch that spark quite nicely. If you don't have a proper firestarter then rub two sticks together" The instructor said with a grin, it was very unlikely to work, especially if you had no idea what you were doing.

Each of them were given a tinderbox and several minutes to collect themselves some flammable material from the surrounding area, not that there was a huge amount, the main thing was just dead grass that each of them tied into small bundles. The compact bundles of grass would burn for a bit at least, and were good for getting the fire started. 

Kell swiped his foot across the earth several times to clear a small patch of any debris and loose grass before placing down his small tied bundles of it in the centre of the small clearing he'd made, taking his firestarter from it's case and crouching down before striking it several times. On the fourth or fifth try he managed to get a spark onto the grass bundle, causing it to catch light and smoulder, it was then just a few long slow blows onto it to turn it into a minor flame and then it was just a case of adding his bundles one by one.

"Good so you can all make a fire here, just remember when you're travelling to keep a firestarter on you. In the case of rain fire might not always be an option. If it does rain then a covered spot is best, light the fire with what dry material you can find and then use the heat of the fire to dry out some of the wetter stuff. Got it?" 

It seemed simple enough to him, dry wood could be found underneath the wet and then you burn what you can to dry off the wet wood.

"Now we are going to go onto some more advanced techniques. Pay attention so you don't die in the wilds."

[Kell Lo'Tharan]

"There's plenty more gadgets you can make to improve your camp if you have the time, patience and knowledge, but this is just a basic introductory course so that you guys don't all die the minute you're sent out into the wilderness. Anything more you'll have to learn yourselves, that or find someone else to teach you. For now we have taught you how to put up your camp. There's a few more things to remember though. If you're going to set a more permanent camp then you'll want a source of clean water nearby, that or a mage capable of drawing it. Dont go to close to the water though or you'll end up sleeping in a wet tent." Keep food sealed or off the ground or something else will eat it. And if you come across that something else then run like all hell is after you if you don't want to die." 

The last part elicited a few chuckles, it was all good advice though and Kell half wished he had some paper to write down all of this on, it'd be good to be able to take notes on this so he didn't forget it and could read his notes next time he had to pitch a camp. Paper however was something that he didn't have, although he made a note to ask Kevin about it later, but for now he wold just have to remember as much of this as he could for the next time he might need it.

The instructor went on for a while longer on other terrain types to prepare for and avoid or look for when you were looking for a place to find camp, as well as the pros and cons of each with potential dangers in some. It was a lot of information to have to take in all at once and Kell struggled at parts, having to ask for clarification several times on different points, by the end of it however he felt he now knew enough to be able to make at least a half decent camp and at the very least prepare against the worst problems or prevent them altogether if he had the right materials. 

The course brought to mind a few things he would need to travel the wilderness more effectively, he was pretty sure they still had some later and so a tent and some camping equipment could likely be fashioned easily enough, travelling would be much easier then.

[Azuloth]

Quest Complete:
Reward:

Camping I, +1 Stat point.