Re: Some people should not play with fire!!!!

[Timmean]

Timmean grimaced, taking a few heavy breaths.

"I was planning to clear some more space over the winter... but it looks like that won't be necessary anymore."

Panting, bucket in hand, Timmean turns and makes his way back toward the lake.

[Ira the Elf]

Ira sits on the ground, immaterial, and feeling useless. Wracking her brain she still cannot find a way to help put out the fire. Looking around she sees the rock outcropping to the left of the Inn covered in ice and snow and finally gets an idea. Sprinting off towards the left she skirts around trees and over rocks to the outcropping. Large icicles hang above the fire here dripping and sizzling in the heat.

Ira regains her material form. "Right, lets see if this works," aiming at the base of the ice shelf Ira pauses for a minute to be sure of the location and shouts "With Water I Strike You With Lightning, 2 Points!". A bolt of lightning arcs through the air towards the base of the ice shelf on the rocky outcropping, already weakened by the heat of the fire.

Bracing herself, Ira shouts "My essence will blend with Air" and fades before the collapsing ice and snow hits the flames.

[AD]

*the snow and ice hit the flames with a resounding hiss. the snow provides little more than a puff of smoke. the icicles melt quickly and put out a small portion of the fire, little more than a foot square*

[Ira the Elf]

"Yes!" says Ira, dancing around in the otherworld. Running back up to the rocky outcropping she surveys the land noting the river to the northeast, its banks icy and swollen with the meltwater from the hills, and the border of the lake. Where can I get more ice? Although parts of the lake and are frozen they appear to be too far from the fire to be thrown by air. She looks at the snow and ice blanketing the trees. Returning to the material plane Ira experimentally fires an air spin at the snow covered tip of the nearest pine to loosen the snow: The Air Will Spin You 3 Times!

[AD]

*the snow spins rapidly before falling to the ground in a small pile*

[Phineas J. Pennefeather]

The Halfling Tavernkeeper seems to have caught his breath after feeling quite worn-out from the exertion of building the fire-break. He takes the time to full access the current state of the fire, the safety of the Inn and the success of his companions.

"Good work, Timmean, Borin, I think that we are making progress!"

He stops and catches up to his Elven friend.

"Ira, I don't think that magical efforts are helping much here!" he tells her. ""Maybe, this is just too much in the natural world for magic's to have a big effect!"

[Ira the Elf]

Ira looks at the little pile of snow and then back at Phineas. She sighs and kicks the small pile of snow into the blaze wishing she could be more useful. She climbs back down the rise and joins Phineas, Timmean, and Borin by the Inn.

"So now what do we do?"

[Timmean]

Timmean grimaces and shrugs. "As fond as I am of magic, sometimes the only solutions to a problem are far more mundane." He holds out his empty bucket to Ira; "Care to take over? I'm sure I can track down another container somewhere."

[Phineas J. Pennefeather]

Phineas stops, his face flushed from the exertion, to catch his breath.

"Let's just keep going with the water!"

After a moment to judge the current state of the fire-break, he returns to using his shovel. He begins to focus upon the movement of sodden materials, including soil, wet leaves and mud, to widen the patch of fire-stopping stuff.

[Ira the Elf]

"Sure Timmean." Ira says dispiritedly, taking the bucket from him and heading for the river to get more water.

Over the next few minutes Ira makes several trips back and forth from the river to the fire, pouring the water strategically to help widen the fire-break.

[AD]

*the fire stop is slowly widening to the point where the side closest to the Inn is still wet and not overly hot*

[Phineas J. Pennefeather]

The Halfling stops and evaluates the spreading of the fire and the successes of protecting the Inn.

"Okay everybody, it looks like this part is safe for now!" he shouts. "We need to spread out the protection zone, both to the left and the right!"

With that, Phinneas starts to work on soaking and shovelling soil into a line of fire-break to the right.

"Help me on this side Ira and the rest of you, please work on the left!"

[Timmean]

Timmean has just made his way into the inn when he hears the shouted request from Phineas. After yelling a quick "Got it!" over his shoulder, Timmean rushes to the nearest storage closet, hastily trying to track down another bucket. Once he finds one, he hurries back to the lake, fills the bucket with muddy water, and returns to soaking the ground, this time focusing on the area to the left of the inn.

[Ira the Elf]

Ira follows Timmean down to the lake and rushes back to the right side of the fire break with a full bucket of water pouring it where Phineas directs. Ira runs back to the lake scooping up more water in the bucket and, following Phineas' lead expanding the protection zone. Little by little, bucket by bucket, and shovel by shovel she and Phineas continue to widen the protection zone on the right.

[Phineas J. Pennefeather]

Phineas has been working very hard for quite a while, with the help of everybody, and there is definitely progress in the fight to save the Inn.

Anyone nearby can tell that he is getting very exhausted from the pace of his work.

[Ira the Elf]

Ira sees Phineas tiring and becomes concerned.

"Master Phineas, perhaps you should rest a while by the Inn and let me get you some refreshment. I can take over the shovelling." she says with a smile.

[AD]

*as everyone continues building the fire break, heavy dark clouds start rolling in, and a cold wind picks up*

[Timmean]

Timmean, groaning and gasping in exhaustion, shivers as the wind snaps at his cloak. For a moment he curses the cold, until the realization dawns that the changing weather may be their salvation. Pausing for a moment, he glances up, daring to hope that the dark sky is truly from a rain cloud, and not just the stifling smoke.

[Phineas J. Pennefeather]

The Halfling Tavernkeeper stops and holds up his hand.

"Timmean, Ira and everybody else, I think that this wind is going to blow this fire out!" he shouts out to his friends and neighbours.

Phineas gathers up the tools, buckets and shovels and the rest, that he has been using to build the firebreak behind the Inn.

"Although we have to keep an eye on the fire, I think that we have to get in out of this storm!"

With that, he returns to the Watering Hole to stay warm and watch the efforts of nature on the fire.

"At the very least, we have a fair amount of land cleared behind the Inn for planting crops!"

[AD]

*as the winds pick up, flames burn wildly and the coals seem to liven.*

[AD]

*as the coals spark and liven with the wind, snow starts to blow in with the wind. the clouds are getting darker and heavier*

[Phineas J. Pennefeather]

The Halfling evaluates the situation: on one hand the fire and burning embers are struggling to keep up their destruction and, on the other hand, the wind and snow acting to put the fire out.

"Perhaps I was wrong about magic not being of use here!" Phineas says to the others. "A prayer to both Lord Air and to Lord Water might be particularly timely at this point. Let's see what I can do."

With that, quickly goes into his room and returns just as quickly changed into a dry set of warm clothes complete with a thick black cloak that covers him almost completely. He walks out the door next to the Tavern's kitchen where he finds a sheltered place where he can watch the interplay between the fire and the elements.

"Oh Lord Water!" he says as small part of the magical essence of the element Water appears in one hand. "Oh, Lord Air!" Phineas continues as a little of the essence of Air appears in the other. He squeezes his hands into fists and places them at his sides.

"Help us!"

[Timmean]

Timmean slowly steps toward Phineas, curiously observing the halfling. His own magical education being largely trial-and-error, the concept of prayers to the elemental lords is still strange to him. Still, hoping to better fight the flames, he concentrates on his own stores of water mana, adding his own will to the prayer.

[AD]

*the winds pick up and the snow becomes heavier. while the fire is still easy to see, the lake becomes increasingly harder to see*

[AD]

*the winds are howling now and the snow is almost blinding. the fire is still visible as a glow. anyone not wearing substantial winter clothing(ex. heavy cloak) is feeling the bite of the wind and is starting to visibly shiver.*

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