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Post by sleepingdragon on Aug 10, 2014 12:07:42 GMT
sd: one of the zombies continued to hammer away on the wounded Watchman, and finally, under the weight of its blows, the man fell with his leg shattered. The undead gave a victorious cry and pressed their attack, while the cyclops heeded its mistress's order and began to lumber towards the fray. "This could be tricky," Deoneath said, aiming. Leofric: Leofric finally reached the fray and found himself in front of more armoured skeleton. His Erse silver sword raised and cunningly avoiding its defence, he slammed it onto the head, dinging it a little. Leofric: edit: He slammed it onto the skull, dinging the helmet a little. Beomund: Beomund tried to take advantage of Leofric's attack on the zombie, but his hammer went wide of its head. Hogar: Hogar swung at one of the skeleton warriors but struck its shield sd: as the young Watchmen reloaded their bows, Rahere cast a spell on one of them, enchanting the spear the young man carried sd: the goblin fired at Deoneath, but the Watchman rolled under the shot sd: the two large Watchmen pressed a skeletal warrior hard, but it managed to parry their halberds sd: Leofric and Hogar deflected blows from their skeletal foes sd: the orc, wounded on the floor, wildly flung his hatchet at one of the Watchmen, nearly striking him. Instead it whizzed just wide and sailed between him and Edmund, skittering down the hallway. Leofric: By sheer effort, Leofric managed to sneak in an attack on the enemy in front of him. He glanced up at the approaching gloom of the cyclops as it reached behind the formation of the skeleton warriors. He sighed with annoyance. Leofric: as he focused on pressing his advantage against the skeleton warrior. sd: the two young Watchmen fired on the cyclops, which towered over the melee. One arrow struck its leg and was ignored entirely, but the second drove straight into the creature's head, near its lone eye, burying deep into its decaying flesh. It gave a growl of pain and waved its enormous club in the Watchman's direction. Hogar: Hogar warily eyed the cyclops just behind the skeletons and then swung his axe at the one facing him, heavily chipping its skull sd: "Take it down," Rahere said to Edmund, enchanting the bard's arrow Hogar is disconnected. Hogar has connected. Edmund: Edmund fired the flaming arrow at the Cyclops. It struck the monster's leg, and Edmund frowned as he saw it had not done much damage. sd: Ragnhild, who had crawled through her door, was continuing to chant. As her incantation reached its climax, however, her words cut off, and they could hear her retching as Deoneath's poison tore into her Hogar is disconnected. Hogar has connected. sd: Deoneath fired at the oncoming cyclops, but did little damage sd: one of the young Watchmen began to move into the melee, drawing his shield, while the other reloaded his bow Leofric: Leofric made another foray to remove this blight from the grey world but was beatened back with rather vigorous defence. Beomund: Beomund swung through the defenses of one of the skeletons arrayed against them, and felt some ribs break behind its armor. Hogar: Hogar followed up Beomund's attack with his own, chipping and cracking the undead's ribs behind its shield Edmund: Edmund strung another arrow to his bow, peering around the corner at the progress of the Cyclops. sd: the big Watchmen attacked one of the skeletons, wounding it and putting it on the defensive sd: Deoneath took an arrow from one of the skeletons, but was not too badly hurt sd: the undead pressed their attack. One of the big Watchmen was wounded, and the zombies pressed in past their long weapons, overwhelming them with their numbers Leofric: Leofrice once more made an attempt but the undead deflected Leofric's blow Hogar: Seeing he was now close, Hogar tried to attack the undead cyclops, hoping to land a distracting blow on its lower body, but the creature intercepted the attack with its gigantic club sd: sensing their danger, the veteran Watchman lashed out with his spear, thundering past a zombie's defences and shearing deep into its face. It remained up, but badly injured by the powerful blow Edmund: Edmund fired again, hitting the advancing Cyclops hard in the stomach but still it came on. Leofric: Leofric focused as he tries to remove this enemy but alas his blow was very weak and didn;t make much difference to the sketeon Beomund: Beomund crumpled the helmet and smashed the skull of a nearby skeleton, trying to break the line. Leofric: damn sd: the undead continued to press their attack. One landed a heavy blow on a young Watchman, driving him to the ground sd: edit: that would have taken him to the ground, had he not raised his shield at the last moment sd: Deoneath fired again at the cyclops, forcing it to back away from Hogar, over whom it was raising its club Leofric: Leofric seeking that there is a break in the line which may allow him to get to Ragnhild himself decided to make an attack which is a mere light feint as he backed away from one of the skeleton warrior, praying that beo can deal with him. Beomund: Beomund struck the skeleton, attempting to give Leofric space to disengage, but dealt only a light blow to its swordarm. Hogar: Hogar, who had been forced on the defensive by one of the attacks of the undead, focused his senses on perceiving any suspicious noises or sights Edmund: Edmund fired another arrow into the massive Cyclops' guts, but it hardly seemed to notice it. He drew another arrow and then raised his voice in song, urging on the others to keep fighting. sd: the Watchmen continued their battle, landing a few weak blows, but their steel weapons were not ideally suited for this fight Beomund: A skeleton slashed at Beomund, but he managed to sidestep the clumsy blow, causing the creature to overswing and decapitate its nearby skeletal ally. sd: the skeletal warriors continued to press the Watchmen, battering at their shields Leofric: Leofric rushes onward, determined to find the bitch himself, hoping to end her controls over the undead. He eyed the others carefully. Edmund: Edmund skipped sideways to avoid a skeleton's arrow and moved further towards the sorceror's lair. Leofric: Leofric paid close attention to his surroundings as he moving toward to the door. You whisper to Leofric: he could hear Ragnhild moving away from the door, deeper into the room. Beomund: As the last skeleton near him recovered from the poor swing that had felled its comrade, Beomund took the opportunity to strike. His blow shattered its ribs and spine, causing it to collapse inward into a pile of bones wrapped in armor. Hogar: Hogar swung again his great axe at the cyclops but the shambling undead mostruosity managed again to block the attack with its gigantic club Edmund: Edmund fired yet again at the cyclops, this time wounding it in the arm. sd: one of the skeletal warriors, seeing Leofric's move for the door, went after him, tossing aside its bow and drawing a spear Leofric: Leofric finally reached the door and glanced across the opened door/ sd: through the door was what appeared to be a drawing room - there was a statue to his left depicting some kind of cauldron, as well as paintings hanging from the walls and a table to his right. Straight across from him there was a partially drawn blue curtain, separating what looked more like a living space, though Leofric could only see part of the floor Leofric: Leofric muttered few words but unable to cast the spell due to 'stress'. Still, he starts running toward the curtain, determined to charge this bitch. Hogar: Hogar tensed his muscles and lashed out mightily at the cyclops' wounded lower body turning it into a gory mess of putrefied flesh. The abomination legs gave in and it collapsed to the ground with a crash. sd: as Edmund was heading after Leofric, Rahere cast a spell to allow him to move more quickly sd: seeing the cyclops fall, the goblin turned to flee, though the undead, still bound to their mistress' will, continued to fight sd: the skeleton warrior, seeing Beomund following him, drove its spear viciously towards his leg, but Beomund managed to deflect the blow at the last moment sd: Deoneath turned and fired at a zombie in the fray, sending a spectacular shot past Hogar, but the creature blocked it with its shield Leofric: Leofric continually to run at the blue curtain, making careful notice to anything around him. Beomund: After deflecting the skeleton's spear jab, Beomund swung and smashed its left arm bones to bits, though the creature retained its weapon in its right hand. Hogar: Hogar turned to one of the remaining zombies and swung again but struck the creature's shield, though some the force of the blow carried through sd: the dwindling numbers of skeletal warriors continued their attacks against the Watchmen, however they failed to do any damage - indeed, the junior Watchman turned one blow and smashed his shield into the thing's face, momentarily stunning it sd: Leofric darted through the curtains and into RAgnhild's room. The sorceress, wracked with illness, was slowly stumbling towards the far wall, having vomited more than once as she went. The room was large and spacious - there was a covered bed against the wall, a mioor and wardrobe along the right hand wall, and a study area to the right. There was a bookcasse stuffed full of scrolls and books, and a desk which held some kind of arcane tome. Beomund: "Skewer her like a rat, Leo!" called Beomund as he saw Leofric follow the sorceress. Edmund: Edmund swung the bow over his shoulder and set off at a run, following Leofric through the doors. Beomund: Beomund struck the skeleton's other arm, and there was the crunch of bone breaking, but not enough to make it drop its weapon. Leofric: Leofric looked determined as he rushed toward this pitful figure and growing pool of vomits. In spite of her pitiful status, she is responsible for doing terrible deeds that defile the peaceful rest. He stabbed her in the chest with his silver sword, making sure he cut something that make her bleed profoundly. He paid close attention to her possible counterattack as he told her unrelentingly severe, "There is only one fate for the necromancers. And you paid." sd: the amulet around Ragnhild's neck glowed with dark energy as Leofric struck her. She stumbled to the ground, coughing up blood and mucus on Leofric's feet, but the look in her eyes showed she did not intend to give up Hogar: Hogar attacked the zombie facing him, striking at its chest. The undead was unbalanced by the skillful attack and fell down, wildly grasping the air as it fell and also bringing down an nearby skeleton with him. Hogar: edit: a nearby... sd: Rahere entered into the combat and drove his spear down into the chest of the fallen zombie sd: one of the Watchmen took another wound, but continued battling on, sensing victory was near Edmund: Edmund ran through a curtain to see Leofric and Ragnhild facing each other, the woman bleeding heavily but not yet beaten. He moved to keep the sorceress in sight, drawing his sword. Beomund: Beomund continued hammering away at the skeleton warrior, this time heavily damaging its leg. Hogar: Hogar finished off the zombie lying at his feet with a vicious axe blow which dug through the rotting flesh of its torso and then, noticing signs that the sprawling undead cyclops was starting to stir, tried to put some distance between himself and it sd: Deoneath moved to fire at the fallen cyclops, but stumbled over a skeleton corpse as he began to move away and fired wide. Deoneath swore, but kept his feet. Leofric: Despite resolute attempts to evade Leofric's next blow, Leofric stabbed her through the chest once more, causing more terrible injurie to her chest. He did manage to cut the chain of the dark amulet which let loose from her neck as she hit the floor, clearly unconscious. Leofric glanced back at Edmund and found comfort at his presence, "Seems a sad way to go...", sd: the undead seemed to hesitate, but their mistress was not dead and her hold over them had not yet broken. One of the junior Watchmen finally downed one of the zombies, however, and another shot at the fallen cyclops, striking its face. Beomund: Beomund continued to strike at the skeleton's limbs, but couldn't manage to deal it severe damage Edmund: Edmund drew his sword, looking at the fallen sorceress without rancour. "Power raised her up, and now it has brought her low," he muttered. sd: the skeletons continued their assault, but the attacking forces were growing in confidence now, and smashed them away, slowly beating the undead down sd: the cyclops, with its middle smashed, could not make itself rise from the ground. It wildly raised its club and smashed it down onto the ground where Hogar had stood the moment before, leaving a great dent in the floor, but fortunately Hogar had removed himself from the vicinity Leofric: He sighed as he took the advantage of her unconsciousness and lift her head by her hair. He then lacerated her throat with his silver sword. The body dropped onto the floor, finally dead. Leofric: "It is done." Leofric replied if it is slightly distasteful. sd: with the sorceress' death, the undead gained their own will, and sought now to extricate themselves from the battle. This only accelerated their destruction, and Deoneath finally ended it by shooting the cyclops in the head. The hall was now a scene of complete carnage, hunks of rotted flesh, bone, and intestine everywhere. Fortuntately, at least, the undead did not bleed. Their comrades did, however, and Hogar and Rahere set about with rapid surgery on the leg of one of their own, who had been crushed beneath the press but had somehow survived. They were able to save his life, although Rahere was unsure the man would ever walk again.
By now they could all hear the sound of the horns, and when they had recuperated they headed out to see if they could assist their comrades in the attack on the walls.
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Post by sleepingdragon on Aug 13, 2014 19:56:48 GMT
sd: the party rushed out to the walls to see if their allies needed assistance. They could hear the horns blowing as they pounded down the stairs and out into a long, narrow corridor. By the time they reached the courtyard, however, it was clear their side had prevailed - the main gate was open, and it seemed some of Ragnhild's creatures had succeeded in forcing their way out, however those few that remained in the Keep were in total disarray. The undead fell like wheat before the knights of the Silvered Blades, and the Tarnemuthe Thegns were routing those orcs and goblins too stubborn or foolish to flee. Edmund: As soon as it was clear that their allies were in no need of more aid, Edmund ran back up to help the wounded if he could. Hogar: Hogar did likewise, ready to bandage and set the wounds suffered by the members of the Watch Leofric: Leofric looked at the battle before him with interest, although he looked concerned at the possibility of death among the other group sd: in the courtyard, Ser Kennald greeted them with a grim nod, while Scirman, who seemed to have bathed in orcish entrails, walked over to speak to them. His boots squelched with blood as he moved. "That big fucker, Bakik, escaped," he said. "Cut Delwyn near in half and made his way out the gate." He indicated one of the Thegns, who lay dead in the mud. Otherwise, the attackers had fared quite well - a number of their allies were wounded and would not be much use in any coming siege, but had at least been spared death. A priest in Ser Kennald's entourage finished patching up one of the knights, who had taken a heavy axe blow to his arm, and then moved on to another, whose wound was grimmer, having taken an arrow in the eye. The priest said a prayer, then began the grisly task of removing the eye. Leofric: Leofric looked grim as he watched the scene before him and told them, "Ragnhild is dead as you may have guessed already." Hogar: "That is unfortunate. He must be dealt with...."said Hogar hearing the news of Bakik's escape as he stared at the body of the dead thegn's and the wounded knights, grimly. Still, he seemed slightly relieved, as if fearing things could have ended up much worse. Beomund: "The cyclops has been dealt with as well, and a number of undead in the castle," added Beomund. "It is unlikely that there will be a counterattack quickly, but we should secure the fortress in any case, and get the wounded into more comfortable conditions." sd: Ser Kennald ascended the tower and raised the golden banner of the Council over the Keep. They worked hard through the night, gathering the corpses of their foes in the central courtyard and burning them to ensure they could not be raised again. As the sun rose, the ship that had dropped them off sailed into the docks, unloading supplies. They had rendezvoused with another ship from the Council fleet, and they were sailing back to gather the remainder of the Council forces, who should be there in two or three days. Until then, they would need to hold the Keep.
The three captains called the party together to discuss their plans. "Bakik will doubtlessly be gathering forces for an attack, probably with the Suthyll garrison," said Ser Kennald.
"I've been surveying the walls," said Deoneath. "There's a sally port in the southeastern wall which is a point of weakness. It would be a strength under other circumstances, but Bakik will know where it is..." Beomund: Beomund nodded thoughtfully at that. "Perhaps we can strengthen it and prepare some traps. With our few forces we will be hard pressed to defend the sally port with many and have enough on the walls." Hogar: "So we should heavily guard it, yes."said Hogar "Hopefully the orc won't try any complex tricks or plans - he's a hunter, from what we heard of him, so he might try to come up with some trap or stratagem." sd: "You four have had the most combat experience lately," said Ser Kennald. "I think you should hold the sally port along with one of our companies, while the remaining forces defend the docks and the main gate. Hopefully more reinforcements will arrive before they are able to gather for an attack," he said, though he seemed doubtful about this. Edmund: "We must also close the route we came in by," Edmund added. "If we could enter, so could another." sd: Deoneath nodded. "I'll get Rahere to organise that." Leofric: Leofric smiled faintly, "Should be interesting! " Hogar: Hogar nodded "We'll do our best." sd: they worked hard through the night, moving the bodies and preparing their defences. Rahere and Beomund were able to organise to seal the secret entrance, collapsing the tunnel and moving heavy boxes atop the concealed trapdoor in what had been Ragnhild's quarters. The Undercity Watch scoured the fortress for any sign of any other entrances, but ultimately, they were satisifed that there were no others save the gate, the docks, and the sally port.
Their bodies burning with fatigue, they continued their work, stopping occasionally to snatch a few minutes of sleep before rising again. Edmund went among the men, raising their spirits with words and song, while Scirman, Hogar, and Beomund did the heaviest lifting needed. While Rahere distracted the Silvered Blade knights, Leofric used his magic to repair a great rent Bakik's axe had left in the main gate, and then Beomund put his skills to work on their weapons and armour, repairing the rents and nicks that the night's battle had left.
By mid-day, it was clear a force was gathering to the south, though they could see little of it save the great clouds of dust that rose in their wake. To their great concern, in the early afternoon the clouds opened and poured down with rain, and a heavy wind blew from the west. Some of the men muttered darkly of how this would delay their fleet, but Edmund was able to cheer them, and Scirman organised a drill for those that had been able to sleep. "Surely you've not killed enough of these fuckers yet, have you?" sd: as they recuperated, the party went to hunt through Ragnhild's belongings. Her room had been filled with various arcane writings, tomes, and scrolls, though most of these concerned elements of necromantic practise.
Those notes that Ragnhild had obviously been studying recently concerned the process of metamorphosis into an undead.
The nameless writer claimed to have visited the dead city of Taletheim, once a great city of the Alanians that was now ruled by a dragonspawn cabal who served a dark god he named Terithrax. There, the necromancers sought to unlock the secrets of a dread ancient undead creature, the lich, and to transform themselves into these. The writer had stolen and translated some of these notes, disguising himself as a dragonspawn with his magic, however he had not found what he needed and would therefore make for the ruins of Cannock. Ragnhild's own notes made it clear this had been written at least a hundred years before and she suspected the writer had been killed trying to navigate those terrible ruins, but she thought perhaps something might have been learned and she had sent spies to Fryddenland to seek information there as well. Clearly, her own goal had been to become one of these liches, to live forever and maintain her wits and arcane power. Hogar: "It's a good thing she was stopped before she succeeded into this monstrous goal."said Hogar Leofric: "Indeed, I have never heard of this Terithrax though..." Leofric commented on it, "Might be better to burn all these dark scrolls to prevent them from falling into wrong hands." Hogar: "You're sure the Conclave wouldn't be interested?" suggested Hogar "Not saying they'd want to become liches, of course. But this is important history." Leofric: Leofric shook his head warily, "Indeed but I would rather burn them to avoid such possibility. I am sure the Conclave will consider it suitable course of action" Edmund: Edmund had been perusing the notes. "Terithrax... I think there was a forbidden cult which worshipped him... it. If we can get the scrolls safely back to the Conclave we should do, but we can't risk them falling into the wrong hands." Hogar: "Just keep them with us all times."said Hogar "But I agree it's stuff one should be careful with, like that amulet..."he spoke in a hushed tone Leofric: Leofric pursed his lips for a moment and nodded, "We can deal with them at later date I guess." sd: unsure of exactly what to do with Ragnhild's effects, they headed back out into the courtyard. by now, the sun had begun to fall. There were clouds of dust now within perhaps ten miles, but they saw more further behind - their enemies, it seemed, made up at least two separate forces, and the first would likely arrive during the night.
As they watched, suddenly the shape of a lone person appeared, heading towards the Keep with great speed. As the figure emerged into the fading light, they saw it was a woman in tattered rags, her face etched with fear and hunger. As she came within bowshot, she raised her hands in surrender and made towards the gate.
"Open the gate!" Ser Kennald shouted to one of the sentries. At this, Deoneath swore and rushed over, speaking urgently to the sentry. The man reluctantly did not raise the gate, and Deoneath began to make his way up to Ser Kennald, waving for the party to follow. Scirman and the knight were engaged in a quite heated argument by this time, though they could not tell what they were saying. Hogar: Hogar stared at the approaching figure as she came closer and closer, wondering Leofric: Leofric muttered, "What is going on I wonder?" as he made his way sd: "We can't turn away a helpless woman, for God's sake!" Ser Kennald was saying to Scirman as the party arrived on the scene.
"She could be a spy, or at least someone full of misinformation that's been allowed to escape," Deoneath said quietly. "We need to discuss this and proceed warily."
"What's there to discuss?" Ser Kennald snapped. "My men will not stand for allowing innocent women to die in order to humour your paranoia." Edmund: "Where has she come from?" Edmund asked. Beomund: "She need not die for us to proceed warily, Ser Kennald," said Beomund calmly. "Nor do we have to leave her out there to avoid providing her information or believing any lies. We can bring her in with guards around her and keep an eye while she gets some food and water." Edmund: "We have to be cautious, She may or may not be innocent," Edmund added. "Or innocent yet being made use of by the enemy in some way." sd: Scirman muttered something that included the words 'useless mouth'. Ser Kennald looked angry, but Deoneath raised his hands . "This is a sensible proposal. Who will go out to meet her?" Hogar: "I'd argue for letting her in but keeping a watchful eye on her."said Hogar, agreeing with his companions arguments Edmund: "I will go out to meet her, with any of my companions who are willing to accompany me," Edmund looked about at them. Leofric: Leofric looked around at his friends and made a vague gesture, "I would be interested to hear what she have to say as well." Beomund: "Hogar and I could go, with others having bows ready in case this is some illusion. Though with Ragnhild dead I doubt they have such capability." sd: the woman was made to stop when she came near to the walls. Her hair was thin and stringy, with the colour leaching from the roots though they did not think she was particularly old. She was bone-thin and her cheeks were deep sunken. "I am Ealyth," she called to the walls. Her accent was the same as that they had heard from Daelric, of the Folk of Kalmar. "I have informations if you will lets me into the Keep. Please, I begs you! I would rathers be dead than back among the orcs!" Hogar: "If truly she was kept among by the orcs, she must have suffered terribly. I say we risk it and take her in!"said Hogar Beomund: Beomund nodded his agreement, looking to the sentry manning the gate, ready to go out and escort her inside. sd: Ser Kennald knelt and began to pray. Deoneath nodded. "Let's hear what she has to say, but even if she is honest it may not be true," he said. Leofric: Leofric glanced at Ser Kennald and sighed for a moment as he glanced over the woman Beomund is disconnected. Beomund has connected. Leofric: As Leofric went through the gate, carefully hidden from sights, he muttered few words and made some gestures. sd: Ealyth kept her hands in the air as the party approached. "Thank you. I am a greenwife, I haves escaped from the orcs in the confusion. I have some informations about the army that is comings for the Keep. Will you let me in? I will shares it with you as long as you give me some assurances." Beomund: "We will let you in, good lady," said Beomund. "Do not be offended that we will take precautions as we do - the enemy is tricky. Are you injured at all? Food and water is being brought for you." sd: "I understands. I'm not hurt, just tireds and hungry." Leofric: Leofric glanced over the woman carefully, attempting to sense what her magic are like if any and any surrounding magic. Leofric: He nodded his head slightly as to highlight that this woman is free from any taint of magic. "Well, tireness and hunger is easy enough to deal with." sd: the party led Ealyth in through the gate, and then to a small room where she was brought fish, bread, and water. Between mouthfuls of food, she spoke. "I have conditions, not many. I wants away from Kalmar, whether or not you holds the Keep. And if the Keep falls, and you cannot gets me to a ship, then I wants a promise from one of you fours." She took a few more bites, swallowed, spoke again. "You will makes sure I'm dead before the orcs get to me. I don't wants to be in their hands ever again." Hogar: "We'll do what we can to get you to Palania. "said Hogar grimly "That we can promise. As for the other promise..." Hogar paused for a moment "We mean to hold the Keep at all costs, but should that not be the case...one of us could ensure you do not fall prey to them again.". He sounded somewhat unwilling to promise to be the person to do so himself, though Hogar: edit: change 'unwilling to promise' to 'uncomfortable with promising' Beomund: Beomund nodded slowly. "I know the desire to be gone from such conditions well. I can take on the task if it comes down to it. But we have no intention of losing." Leofric: Leofric sighed for a moment and fingered his sword for a moment, "I promise that I will ensure your death if it come to that." Leofric: He glanced at Ealyth, "As we are willing to meet your condition, we are interested to hear any information you may have. Still, I am curious about something first, what is a greenwife?" sd: "The orc tribes haves an agreement with the Folk villages. They don't raids us, and in exchange they're givens a few young women every year. Such was my fate." Hogar: Hogar grimaced and then spoke up "We are here in Kalmar to ensure this kind of thing doesn't happen again." Beomund: Beomund nodded at Hogar's words, eyes flashing and jaw clenched. Edmund: Edmund nodded in agreement, his expression grim as he heard the woman's words. Leofric: Leofric looked angry at the tragedy of this woman and muttered, "Ghastly. I will be glad to help you with whatever you wish to do in Palania." He paused for a moment to compose himself, "So, what do you know about the coming forces?" He asked her. sd: "As you've killeds Ragnhilds, her wight in Suthyll, Plafraith, has taken control. I was with one of the orc tribes in the hills when Bakik and his mens arrived and took control, started moving south to meets with the Suthyll forces," said Ealyth. She spat out a fish bone and continued. "Plafraith has sent some of his undeads ahead to joins with them, I escaped while the orcs were busy. The first force is mostly the undeads, with Bakik's orcs among them and maybe some gobs. The rest are following ups behind. I heards the orcs say that Plafraith is sending to other isle lords, to trys to stop any ships coming here." Beomund: "Grave news," said Beomund. "I had hoped we were done with undead. But perhaps if we can deal with Plafraith we will once more gain the advantage." sd: "He won'ts be with first wave. They'll probably arrives in a few hours." Beomund: "Do you have an estimate on their numbers?" asked Beomund. sd: "Not sures, I escaped befores the orcs met up with the undeads. There were maybe sixteen, seventeen orcs." Hogar: "This info is invaluable."said Hogar "We are grateful" Leofric: Leofric nodded thoughtfully, agreeing with Hogar. "Indeed." Leofric: "This is bit out of the blue but are you aware if there is anyone capable of casting magic in these forces?" Leofric asked curiously. sd: "No idea. None of the orcs for sure, but Plafraith mights, or one of his pets." Beomund: "Good. Thank you Ealyth. I'd say it's about time we make final preparations for the defense." sd: the party met up with the other captains, passing on the information they'd had from Ealyth. "This first wave is probably to test our defences," said Kennald. "And perhaps to probe at the sally port." sd: the sun fell. A few hours after nightfall, they could hear the drums of the oncoming army, and see the figures begin to emerge in the gloom. The party had selected the Tarnemuthe Thegns to fight alongside them, although they had also convinced Deoneath, who would hold the docks in case of goblin attack from the water, to lend them Rahere so they could avail themselves of his illusions.
"You want me to create an illusion that the sally port is open, correct?" Rahere asked as he approached the party. Beomund: Beomund nodded. "Perhaps give it the appearance of being broken open so we could not mend it if possible. That would make them less likely to suspect a trap." Hogar: "That might let us trick the orcs, especially their leader - he's a brash one from what we hear." Beomund: At the same time Beomund busied himself running two lengths of rope down the back side of the sally port so defenders could move down quickly if necessary. Edmund: Edmund moved round, casting spells on arrows and blades. Hogar: Hogar tried to cast spells of protection and agility on Edmund, seeming to grow frustrated when he couldn't quite complete the incantation - however after a good number of tries he eventually managed the feat Beomund: Beomund cast his own protection spells on himself and Leofric. Edmund: Edmund clapped him on the arm with a smile. "Thanks." sd: Rahere cast his illusion over the sally gate, and readied his bow. "Let's try not to die." Beomund: "We're good at that," said Beomund, smiling grimly. Leofric: Leofric thanked Beomumd for the spell and mentioned that he going to cast the spell that allows himself to see in the dark Leofric: Leofric tries to recall the spell as he had not used it for a long time. After four tries, he finally managed to achieve it Edmund: Once they were all in position, Edmund began to play a tune on his magic flute - jaunty but stirring Leofric: Leofric looked outward, trying to take advantage of his newfound sight. Leofric: He also held his crossbow as well, ready to be fire into the darkness, sd: the enemy advanced, beating their drums and chanting. They halted slightly out of bowshot and began to form up. With his enhanced vision, Leofric could see that the undead were being lined up in the front as shock troops, while the orcs, and a small handful of goblins, were behind them. The huge figure of Bakik could be easily picked out - he was over seven feet tall and muscled like a bull, carrying a great axe the size of a small tree. Bodyguards flanked him, covering him with their shields. He occasionally stopped to speak to a goblin, who seemed to be the commander of that people, though there were few enough of those. Edmund: "Enemies approaching! Shut the gate, shut the gate!" Edmund called as if in panic. Hogar: Hogar eyed the advancing shapes, menacing in the darkness, focusing on the formidable Bakik for a few moments. He readied his shield and gripped a sharp hatchet in his other hand... You whisper to Leofric: with his enhanced eyes, Leofric could see that some of the skeletons carried ladders for scaling the walls, and the orcs had a battering ram, though some of them were eyeing the gate in confusion as it appeared to be open. Leofric: Leofric whispered to others, "I can see ladders carried by the skeletons and there is a battering ram carried by orcs as well." Beomund: "It won't go down!" called back Beomund as he hid underneath the battlements, as if he were trying to winch the gate. sd: Scirman and his men shouted out taunts to the orcs. Bakik looked at the gate, which appeared to be very slowly closing, and then ordered his men forward with a cry, ignoring the goblin at his side. The mass of attackers surged forward. They rained down arrows, bolts, and javelins as the creatures advanced, slaying a few despite the darkness. Hurling their drums aside, the creatures advanced, the living ones screaming bloodcurdling war cries... You whisper to Leofric: Leo noticed that in this confusion, the orcs had left their ram behind, thinking it would not be needed any longer. Leofric: "Look like they decide to leave the battering ram behind." He whispered. Edmund: Edmund smiled back as their strategy seemed to be paying off. Hogar: "That was cunning."commented Hogar pleased Leofric: Leofric frowned for a moment and suggested to Edmund that goblins are holding back. Leofric: "Still, that is an excellent plan!" Edmund: "Cowards or do they notice something?" Edmund wondered. Beomund: As the enemy rushed foward, Beomund loosed an arrow, but the darkness and range proved too much and it pierced only the ground. Leofric: Leofric lifted his crossbow and using his darkvision, decided to target one of the bodyguard of Bakik and managed to put a bolt through its left leg. The wound was so grevious that the bodyguard collapsed in pain, clearly taking it out of action in this face. Leofric looked stunned at the result of his crossbow. Edmund: Edmund fired at the other bodyguard, his arrow leaving a fiery trail as it streaked through the darkness. The arrow struck though it wasn't as grievous a wound. sd: Rahere and one of the Tarnemuthe men also fired. The mage's shot was useless, however the ranger's was more well-aimed. It tore into the bodyguard's leg and sent the orc tumbling into the dirt. With both of the guards that had been covering him slain, Bakik was now completely open to attack. sd: "This is for Delwyn, you ugly shit!" Scirman cried, letting off an arrow at the orc commander, however it unfortunately sailed over Bakik's head. sd: the creatures rushed forward, with Bakik's remaining guard taking up a position beside him and covering his leader's right side. The defenders began to reload, while those Thegns that were poor archers clutched their javelins and readied to throw when the enemy was within range sd: the ranger fired at this last bodyguard, but the arrow sailed wide. Beomund: Beomund loosed another arrow at the bodyguard orc, the flaming missile searing into the flesh of its leg. Edmund: Edmund fired at the same bodyguard, his arrow plunging deep into its chest but still it stayed up. sd: Scirman fired as well, nearly breaking his bowstring with his great strength Leofric: Leofric finally reloaded his crossbow with a new bolt and took aim at another of Bakik's body guard and managed to wound it in its left arm, enough to make it useless. sd: the skeletons began to fire as they came near, one striking a Thegn and another hitting Hogar's shield Beomund: With Bakik once again unprotected and charging closer, Beomund stood up briefly from cover and carefully lined up a shot. The arrow struck the massive orc in the right arm, lodging deep into the muscle. sd: the skeletons continued to fire. One failed to penetrate one of the Tarnemuthe men's arrow, while another skittered off the wall just in front of Beomund. Edmund: Edmund fired at Bakik but the Orc was moving too fast and the arrow zipped past him. sd: Scirman also fired, striking the orc but failing to penetrate the creature's armour. Leofric: Leofric took aim at Bakik but its bolt missed sd: as the creatures ran near, several of the Tarnemuthe men threw javelins, striking an orc and a wight and wounding them Hogar: Seeming almost relieved to finally see the orcs in throwing range, Hogar hurled his hatchet at the closest orc, drawing blood from its chest
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Post by sleepingdragon on Aug 23, 2014 15:55:00 GMT
sd: the besiegers were now near enough for the wall for those defenders with throwing weapons to hurl them down on the attackers heads. Two of the zombies were carrying iron-hooped ladders to lean against the wall, however the great majority of their foes were rushing for what they considered the open gate. Rahere was shouting orders to nonexistent allies inside the courtyard, calling on them to close the gate immediately. The orcs gave a bloodthirsty cry. sd: several of the skeletons let fly, an arrow cutting across the cheek of one of their allies Leofric: Leofric bent down for a moment behind the wall to reload his crossbow, sighing over at the sheer length of time to reload it. sd: more arrows sailed up towards them, skittering off the wall near Beomund. sd: "They're almost here, get it down NOW!" Rahere shouted to their supposed compatriots Edmund: Edmund peered into the darkness, spotting the solitary figure of Bakik running behind the other monsters. He loosed off an arrow but it sailed harmlessly over the enemy's head. Beomund: Beomund also missed a shot at Bakik. He cursed at himself and went back to reloading. Hogar: Hogar readied another well-honed hatchet as he sized up the approaching enemies sd: those of their enemies nearest the front gave a triumphant cry and tore towards Rahere's illusion. They raised their weapons, ready for combat, and then suddenly barrelled into the gate with all the force of their own momentum behind them. One orc slammed into the sally port so hard that his knee bent and buckled like a twig, and he fell with a cry as it dislocated and bent at a right angle away from his body. The enemy howled with rage as they realised that they had been tricked, with many of them bloodied and bruised in the mud. Leofric: Upon hearing the howls of rages, Leofric laughed loudly at the scene, finding the trick extremely amusing among the grimness of the battle. Hogar: Hogar let out a chuckle at seeing the orcs and some of the undead slam haplessly into the gate. Edmund: "It worked!" Edmund shouted to the others. Beomund: Beomund grinned at the success of their plan, but noticing the enemy preparing to scale the wall to the west, he dropped his bow and reached for his axe. sd: Bakik gave an angry shout, then pointed towards the two zombies that were lining up against the wall with scaling ladders and wheeled towards them sd: several of the orcs smashed on the gate with their huge axes, but only scratched the wood a little Hogar: Hogar skillfully hurled his hatchet at one of the orcs closer to his side of the walls. The weapon whirled through the air and struck the creature in a leg which began to sprout blood. sd: the Tarnemuthe men flung their silvered javelins down at the zombies trying to set their ladders. the weapons buried themselves into the undead, and they were unable to get the rungs to catch Leofric: Leofric made a quick effort and fire it at Bakik but the bolt flew over Bakik's head. He muttered an oath. Leofric: and dropped his crossbow as he made his way toward to the western part of the wall. Edmund: Edmund quickly moved forward, firing down at the orcs gathered in front of the gate. His arrow flared as it shot straight and true, impaling one of them on the arm. Beomund: Beomund, seeing Bakik moving toward the western wall, changed his mind about his weapon and retrieved his hammer. Hogar: Hogar grabbed one of a few hatchets he had set up on the walls and then looked left and right, as if undecided if he should stay still or move to help against the zombies and their ladder sd: the orcs continued to batter at the gate, one being protected by the upraised shield of one of the wights sd: the skeletons continued to fire up, an arrow piercing into Scirman's arm as he continued to load his bow Beomund: Beomund charged across the rampart toward where the undead were setting up ladders. Hogar: Hogar began to run in the direction of the ladders, trusting the others to hold the gate Leofric: Leofric saw that Beomund and Hogar was rushing toward the direction of the ladders, he came to the stop and decided that it is better to stay with the folks holding the gate. Leofric took his shield out and strapped it on, protecting his head, right arm and chest from any arrows. sd: the skeletons continued their barrage, seriously wounding the Tarnemuthe archer Edmund: Suddenly an arrow came out of nowhere, fired by one of the big skeletons below. Ed twisted too late to avoid it, but as it seemed sure to strike him there seemed to be a movement in the air, and the arrow fell harmlessly to one side. Edmund breathed a sigh of relief, silently thanking the spell which had protected him, and reached back for another arrow. sd: several of the orcs smashed at the gate with their huge axes. Two axes fell away in splinters, though the gate took heavy damage sd: Scirman, in annoyance, pulled the arrow from his arm and hurled it off the wall Hogar: Hogar ran towards the ladders, holding his shield in front of him to stop all incoming projectiles Leofric: Leofric gripped Ed's shoulder for a moment and muttered a spell that provide the same protection which was so useful moments ago. The spell cast a protective glow on Edmund. "That should do for a whole." He then started moving toward to the stairway. Leofric: edit: while sd: the wounded archer fired down at one of the orcs whose axe had been destroyed, striking its wounded leg sd: Bakik roared orders in the orc tongue at the goblins, who had hung to the rear of the fight sd: several of the Tarnemuthe men hurled javelins down at the orcs, wounding them sd: the orcs continued to batter away at the gate, doing huge damage with their enormous axes, though fortunately these were also destroyed in the process. The sally port would all but certainly fall quicky now to a proper ram, though the besiegers thankfully did not have one of these sd: one of the ladders was able to catch, and a wight began to climb upwards, first stopping to yank an arrow from where it had been embedded in its chest. sd: the second ladder also caught, as several of the undead were able to finally get it in place Hogar: catching a glimpse of the climbing undead, Hogar started to run faster behind Beomund You whisper to Beomund: Beomund noticed the goblins preparing to bring forward two more siege ladders, though they looked rather dubious and he doubted they would be quick about it Beomund: As he ran, Beomund glanced out toward the battlefield. "The goblins are readying more ladders," he called to those around him. "But they don't look eager to advance." Leofric: Leofric moved along the wall holding the shield up as he aiming toward to the location behind the Portcullis, however, he saw the undead that are crawling up the ladders and looked worried. As he went past Rahere, Leofric drew his silver sword, magicked by Ed, Edmund: Edmund leaned forward, gazing down at the orcs gathered below. Selecting a target he fired, his arrow piercing the head of the orc. sd: Scirman fired down at an orc, wounding it Leofric: Leofric starts to rush toward the location of the wall, following Beomund and Hogar into the fray sd: the skeletons continued to fire, striking Rahere, who had advanced to cast a spell on Edmund. The mage decided to kneel down and cast from behind the cover of his shield sd: Bakik pulled an arrow from his arm as he prepared to scale the ladder, and just then one of the defenders flung a javelin down at him. It struck him in the chest and went through his armour, catching in his flesh though doing little harm. sd: the orcs continued to hammer on the gate, though two had moved back to hurl hatchets, which fortunately flew wide of two Tarnemuthe men Leofric: Leofric kept on running along the wall, holding the shield up to protect himself. Beomund: Beomund ran forward along with the others, trying to reach the ladder where Bakik was climbing. sd: the zombies at the bottom of the ladders hurled a barrage of javelins up at the Tarnemuthe men who were preparing for melee, but only one managed to do any damage Hogar: Hogar kept running, still trailing behind Beomund, and finally found himself facing the climbing undead Beomund: Beomund reached the second ladder, and using his momentum to add force to his swing he struck the arm of the skeleton that had just reached the top. It swayed, almost falling from the walls, but managed to stay up. sd: one of the thegns flung a javelin down at a wounded orc at the gate, bringing him down. Edmund: Edmund fired again at one of the wounded orcs, hitting it in the leg. Hogar: Hogar readied to throw his hatchet, but suddenly he turned away from the wight facing him and hurled the weapon at Bakik, lightly wounding his leg through the armor. The orc could not keep his grip on the ladder and fell down, hurting his left arm. Beomund: Beomund swung again at the skeleton at the top of the ladder, striking its shield arm and sending the bones and shield clattering down to the field below. sd: the skeletons continued to fire, mostly striking the walls. Meanwhile, a Thegn struck the same skeleton Beomund was fighting, damaging its leg Hogar: Hogar drew his magically sharpened battleaxe as he prepared to face the wight sd: at the top of one of the siege ladders, a wight took a heavy blow to the head from one of the Tarnemuthe armsmen. The undead tried to reply, but its stroke was blocked Leofric: Leofric kept on running toward the fray which Hogar and an armsman got themsleves involved.. Beomund: Beomund struck the armless skeleton again, this time a blow to the skull, though it remained standing. Edmund: Edmund took careful aim at one of the orcs, and this time his efforts paid off. The arrow bit deep into the wretched creatures leg, hitting an artery and spraying the surrounding monsters and undead with a gout of black blood. sd: one of the Thegns on the wall threw his last javelin down at an orc, downing it with a tremendous throw to the chest Edmund: Edmund began to sing a song - praising the warriors' aim and inspiring them to greater efforts. sd: Scirman, seeing that the gate was holding well, dropped his bow and drew his shield, preparing to rush over to join the melee at the siege ladders Hogar: Hogar lashed out at the orc who had wounde the armsman, cutting an artery in its leg Hogar: edit: who had wounded the armsman, cutting an artery in its leg and bringing forth a thick stream of black blood Beomund: Beomund swung one final time at the hapless skeleton, crushing down through its skull and raining bone fragments upon the enemies climbing the ladder. sd: the wounded archer aimed along the wall, finding Bakik's great shape climbing the ladder. He fired his arrow towards the big orc, burying it deep in his arm sd: atop the wall, one of the Thegns drove his blade into the chest of Bakik's guard. The orc toppled from the walls and splattered against the ground below Beomund: test sd: OOC is back up Hogar: Hogar hit the orc in its wounded leg, making it wince and fall down in pain. sd: the gate was now badly battered, but, targeted by the arrows of the defenders, so were the besiegers. A skeleton's sword snapped in striking the gate, while a zombie slammed its shoulder against it Leofric: Leofric still running toward Hogar and setting on the enemy and he starts to charge toward the Wight on the ladder Hogar: Seeing an opening, Hogar struck the wight's head with a quick blow, dealing some damage Beomund: As the thegn beside him felled the orc who had reached the wall, Beomund saw his chance. He moved forward and with all his might pushed the ladder, detaching its hooks from the wall and causing it to slowly fall back to the ground. Bakik and his allies were tossed to the ground, though only lightly injured. sd: the skeletons continued to fire, forcing the archer to duck down to avoid another arrow to his arm Edmund: Edmund fired at the only orc still standing at the gate, hitting it heavily in the arm and causing the limb to hang useless at the creature's side. sd: the last orc at the gate flung itself wearily towards it, failing to do any more damage to the battered sally port, while the one on the walls rolled as one of the Tarnemuthe men smote down with his axe. The orc raised its own axe, but the blow brushed past the haft and struck down into the fallen creature's leg. Bakik, meanwhile, stood and began to grab for the ladder, maddened with fury at his arrow wounds and bellowing incomprehensible commands Hogar: Hogar raised his axe and swung at the remaining wight facing him on the walls, but the undead raised its shield and blocked the attack sd: the wight slashed back, but it fell wide Beomund: Beomund laid his hammer down beside him and grabbed the shortbow that had been dropped by the fallen skeleton, hoping to shoot Bakik as he tried to climb the ladder again. Leofric: Leofric charged the wight and attempt to remove its existance from the grey world but it managed to block his charge with mere contempt. sd: the orc at the gate took a javelin in the arm from one of the Tarnemuthe men. It continued to hammer on the gate with its good hand, though it was slumping against the fall as the wound Hogar had dealt it gradually drained it of blood sd: the Tarnemuthe healer raised his bow and fired down at the exhausted orc. It buried itself deep into the creature's chest, and it finally toppled over and ceased its struggles sd: the undead continued to hurl themselves at the gate even after the orc's death. It was now torn to tatters by their axes and blows, but they, too, were badly damaged. Hogar: Hogar hit the creature's head again, slashing through the helm and wounding dead flesh, but the undead still stood, though it was now obviously close to its end sd: Bakik and the two undead managed to get the ladder back up against the wall and prepared to climb it again Leofric: Leofric followed up Hogar's blow with his own sword and it slammed into the Wight's head. The undead stop moving, clearly dead. Edmund: With the orcs finally dead, Edmund fired down at the wight, but it brought its shield up just in time and the silver arrow struck it harmlessly. sd: Rahere had been casting spells on Edmund throughout, but he slumped down on the ground. "My energies are very low," he said apologetically. "Would you be able to get this damned arrow out of me?" he gingerly touched the wound to his chest Hogar: Hogar brutally slammed his shield at the closest zombie, knocking it off the wall. The creature fell down more than 20 feet and landed with a loud thump. sd: the goblins, out of bowshot, had been slowly readying their ladders, but seeing the terrible state of the assault simply allowed their engines to drop. The one who had been arguing with Bakik earlier shouted out something in the goblin language, and though they could not speak it the creature was clearly calling for a retreat sd: the ranger let fly at Bakik again, but this time missed sd: the last orc on the falls finally died, its leg severed by a vicious blow from one of the Tarnemuthe men. A few zombies continued to climb the ladder, but the numbers were now very thin Hogar: Hogar tried to push the ladder in front of him off, but with three zombies climbing on it he couldn't quite muster enough strength Leofric: Leofric attacked the zombie which appear in front of him and it blocked his attack. Edmund: Edmund dropped his bow with a sigh. and crouched down as much as he could to look at Rahere's wound. sd: the Thegn near the ladder grabbed onto the rung and heaved it up just as Bakik was nearing the top. The orc was sent to the earth for the third time, and this time the impact, along with his other wounds, was finally too much. His leg was crushed in the fall. The zombies, after picking themselves up, began to pick him up, but his great weight and that of his armour made this impossible and they left him behind. The great orc tried to crawl away, but the defenders peppered him with arrows. Beomund buried one shaft deep in his arm, and then Edmund retrieved his bow and sent a last shot at the orc, which buried itself straight in his head. Bakik gave a last curse and slumped forward, brains leaking out through his nose.
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Post by sleepingdragon on Aug 31, 2014 13:16:50 GMT
sd: after their victory, Rahere and Hogar went to work on one of the armsmen who had fought alongside them, who had taken a heavy blow from an orcish axe. Though the man had fought on through sheer adrenaline, now that the threat was gone he found himself in sudden agony. The two were able to patch him up, and then they set out to discover how their compatriots had fared elsewhere. They could see bodies near the main gate, though it was too dark to see them exactly, and they could tell that the fighting there was done and they still held the Keep. Clearly, the main blow had fallen at the sally gate as they had anticipated. Edmund: Edmund looked tired but his face lit up as the others approached. "The plan worked! Rahere's illusion was superb." Hogar: "It was! Did you see the look on these orcs when they slammed into the gate?" replied Hogar, letting out a light chuckle Joe: Leofric nodded with a sense of victory and agreed with Edmund's assessments, "Indeed, the howls of rages from these monsters was hilarious when they realised that!" sd: the Silvered Blade, along with those men that had arrived on their transport ship, had defended the main gate, where the orcs and undead had launched a brief, abortive attack. The knights had driven them away, losing only a few of the men from the ship and dealing significant casualties to the enemy with their javelins and silvered bolts. One of the knights had taken an arrow that nearly struck him in the throat, however despite the grisly appearance of the wound it proved to not be particularly serious.
The Undercity Watch, meanwhile, had defended the docks, where a small party of goblins had sought to catch them unawares by attacking up from the water. Deoneath and his men had repulsed the attack with ease, even without Rahere there to assist with his magic. "It was only a probing manoeuvre, no more," he said afterwards. "I'd guess the wight meant for the whole attack to be like that, but he made the mistake of putting an orc in command." Joe is disconnected. Leofric has connected. Hogar: "Hopefully he will make more."said Hogar sd: "I doubt he'll fall for an illusion after what the survivors tell him," said Rahere. "My energies are now quite low after all this magic. If you've anything to restore me..." Leofric: Leofric starts digging through the his pack and pulled out Dunstan's potion which allows such restoration of his powers. "This will help, Rahere." Leofric: edit:, handing it over. sd: after a fitful sleep, they woke again and set to work. Beomund and Deoneath were able to perform some repairs on the sally gate, which had been on the verge of falling - they could not restore it to full condition, but, at least, it would withstand some significant blows and buy them time.
They dragged the bodies of the slain inside and burned them - leaving them there, Ser Kennald said, would likely result in having to fight them again. They were able to recover what weapons remained in good shape, and loot those of the dead. The orcs were all reasonably armoured, however their bodies were of much larger and bulkier proportions than humans, and could not be worn. They would, at least, be able to be sold for scrap on return to the mainland.
As the day wore on, they were able to watch as the survivors of the first assault fled back and joined with the main column of Plafraith's force, which was slowly advancing towards them. In the mid-afternoon it stopped for about an hour and then set out again, for reasons they could not be sure of. Meanwhile, out to sea they caught signs of their fleet making its way towards them, however these were not the only ships on the water as the lookouts of the Undercity Watch spied pirate vessels to the northwest, making for the Council fleet. The men were restive - if the Council fleet were defeated, they would in all likelihood be stranded here. Leofric: Leofric stroke his unshaven chin and looked slightly worried at the danger that is increasingly approaching. Still, he made a remark to his friends, "May God will that the Council fleet will triumph over the pirates and we survive." Hogar: Hogar looked at the ships with worry in his eyes "We can only hope, and do our part here." sd: throughout the early evening they could distantly discern the signs of fighting out to sea, tongues of flame licking across the sky. The Watch reported one pirate ship had certainly gone down, but from this distance and with the sun falling it was not easy to be sure. They continued to wait and pray as the signs of the naval battle dissipated.
About three hours later, however, just as they were preparing to snatch an hour or two's sleep, Deoneath gave a cry as Councillor Untrim's ship, White Lightning had been spied to the north along with a number of other ships from the Council fleet. The Councillor was likely to arrive within a half an hour, so Deoneath called them all to the docks. Ser Kennald poured himself a brandy and leaned against the wall as they watched the ship coming closer. Leofric: Leofric strolled down to the dock, still worrying about the coming battle and when it was mentioned that Council fleet seems to be winning, he smiled with delight. "Sound like they have a good performance!" Beomund: Beomund clanged his own cup of brandy against Ser Kennald's. "It seems God favors our mission here, ser knight." He drained his drink. Hogar: Hogar tentatively poured himself a drink, though he seemed somewhat worried "Seems things are going well, but best not to get carried away." sd: As the sun set, the White Lightning pulled up to the docks and Councillor Untrim, mailed and armed, stomped over to meet them. From the way he held himself it was clear he was unhappy about something, though he clearly didn't intend to reveal what it was with men watching. His first mate called for help for their wounded as the Councillor came over to the party and captains and indicated they should speak privately. Beomund: Beomund hurried to the meeting spot, a worried frown on his face. Leofric: Leofric frowned with the barest hint of concern on his face and glanced at Hogar as if he acutally jinxed the whole thing. "Hmm..." he hummed as he approached the meeting spot. Hogar: Hogar went with the others, his face still lined with worriedness sd: Untrim led them into one of the outbuildings by the docks, and once he was inside he smashed his mailed fist down hard on the table. He glared at nothing for a while, then held his hand out to Ser Kennald, who handed the Councillor what was left of his brandy. Untrim downed it, wiped his mouth, and spoke.
"About half the fleet is going to be badly delayed. Those cowardly cunts from Bluebrycg exchanged about three arrows with the pirates and then turned tail. Last we saw, they had turned back around, but it'll be at least another day before they arrive. And with how they fled, our own men took heavier losses than they would have otherwise." Beomund: Beomund shook his head in frustration. "Cowardice is the bane of military success. But courage is its keeper, and your men have fought bravely, as have those holding this keep. We will win out here, Councillor." Hogar: Hogar barely restrained himself from snarling in disappointment "Shame we'd lose good men because of such cowardice. Still, I too am confident we can win this." Leofric: Leofric frowned with indignation, "How dare they attempt to abandon us all to our fates! They better to be very compunctious when they arrive." sd: "I don't know if it's cowardice or more likely a ploy. They're a bunch of snakes, the Bluebrycg folk. Either way, we're on our own for the moment." sd: through the evening, those ships that had fought past the pirates all came and landed at the docks. There were perhaps sixty or seventy men left in fighting shape, significantly less than they had hoped to have, while the wight's army continued to advance. There was little to do but prepare themselves for another battle. sd: they forced their weary bodies to push on again. As Beomund repaired broken weapons and armour and reinforced the walls, Edmund set out and left some traps in the path of the advancing army. He then returned and spoke and played for the men, raising their spirits. Hogar patched up the wounded amongst the sailors, so as many as possible would be able to fight in the defence of the Keep, and Leofric eyed the lie of the land, determining the enemy's avenue of advance and their best lines of fire. With aid from Ser Kennald, Scirman, and some of the Thegns, they brought up stones so that Deoneath could do more repairs on the sally gate. As midnight came and went, they could see the enemy approaching. They numbered at least several hundred, though it was hard to tell in the darkness. Interestingly, there were torches dotted amongst the ranks, indicating that some of the Folk had joined with Plafraith's army. As the army halted just out of bowshot, a terrible sound cut through the darkness and sent a chill through them like a cold hand upon their soul. It was the sound of some great wolf, howling, from amidst the besieging army. sd: Councillor Untrim met with the party. "They're likely to attack the sally gate again, they know it was damaged. Will you defend it again? You can choose one of the captains to accompany you, and I'll give you some of my own men as well. I'll hold the command at the main gate." Edmund: "Is it possible to cast an illusion again, to make it appear more damaged than it is perhaps?" Edmund asked Rahere. sd: "I could, but I doubt they'll be easily taken in by a similar illusion a second time." Edmund: Edmund nodded. "Ah well, we'll just have to do what we can." Hogar: "We will do whatever it takes, though it won't be an easy battle" said Hogar grimly "As for who shall accompany us, let us think about that for a minute, won't be an easy decision" Edmund: Edmund spoke quietly to Hogar. "Not everyone understands that magic in itself can be used for good as well as ill. We must consider how some of our allies may react if they see us using it." Hogar: Hogar nodded, obviously agreeing with the wisdom of Edmund's words "Of course. We will still want to use some less...visible spells before the battle starts, however. Having said that, the Knights might the best choice - I doubt that was a mundane wolf we heard..." Leofric: Leofric frowned for a moment and he will help himself, Edmund, Hogar and Beomund with his power, "I will help us to see in the night a little better." Edmund: Edmund sighed. "I know. I'll have to get one of the braziers over here to explain my arrows." Beomund: Beomund agreed with Hogar's point about the Silvered Blade, and set about casting spells of protection. Hogar: Hogar too cast protection spells - one on himself and another on Edmund, who he also enchanted with agility. Leofric: Leofric offered a prayer to God, calling upon his power to support and help them in their battles Leofric: EDIT: in doing so, granting them power of vision in the blackest night. Edmund: Edmund moved from Hogar to Leofric, casting spells upon the blades of their weapons, then upon his own arrows. Then he walked away to spend a few moments on his own, praying and allowing his mind to focus. When he returned to the others, he looked calm and confident. Edmund: He pulled the flute from his pack and began to play. sd: in the night, they could see a large detachment working its way around to attack their section of the wall, though much of the army would still attack the main gate where Councillor Untrim and Scirman held the wall. The Undercity Watch had again gone to the dock, to repel any assault from the goblins, who, in the darkness, seemed to make up the largest section of the besieging forces.
As they readied themselves, they saw the enemy spreading itself out, preparing to strike at them from the south and the east. Once or twice, drums began to beat and they steeled themselves for battle, but no one came forward. "A pathetic trick!" Ser Kennald declared. "Don't be unmanned! God is with us!" Edmund: Edmund put away the flute and spoke up. "We have faced all manner of evil monsters, both living and dead, and here we are, still alive and fighting. God has us in his hand, and he will not let us fall!" Hogar: Though he had no training with such a weapon, Hogar took up a spare bow he had found lying around - the situation was desperate enough that every extra they could send might have made a difference, he said. sd: the men of the Silvered Blade were supreme in their confidence, kneeling in a prayer led by their company priest, however the Council men were far less certain. A half hour passed, an hour, two. The drums continued to beat sporadically to announce an attack. Then, finally, as the night reached its darkest point, the rhythm reached a new height, their foes began to advance, and the howls of wolves rang through the darkness. Leofric: Leofric unhooked his crossbow and loaded the crossbow, ready to fire at any enemies he can see with his enhanced eyes. "Do not lose heart." Leofric commented on it loudly, "We got many advantages on our side after all." Hogar: "The werewolves will be very fast."said Hogar to the others "We'll want to be careful and try to slay them before they're too close." sd: as their foes advanced, they began to let out their war cries and prepare their weapons. Above the rattle of steel, the beating drums and the many cries, however, one great voice suddenly spoke, cutting through the din like a blade. "Surrender, Council men, and you can cling to your worthless lives!" The voice, clearly magically enhanced, was harsh and cold. "Resist me, and your bodies and souls will serve me until the sun dies!" sd: their enemies let out a great cry as one and began to tear forward... Leofric: Leofric lifted his crossbow and took careful aim. He pulled the trigger that fire the bolt which flew through the air. In spite of sheer distance that seperate his target and himself, he managed to hit a folkman in his abomden, drawing some blood and a yelp of pain. sd: two of the scouts also fired, but unlike the party they were not able to see in the darkness and their bolts flew wide. sd: the goblins, unhindered by the darkness, stood near the back and fired their bows. Arrows whizzed forward, striking several of the Council's conscript soldiers and wounding them. Beomund: Beomund launched an arrow at one of the goblin archers, but it leapt to the ground and the arrow whistled past. sd: their conscript soldiers returned fire at the goblin archers. Several arrows came close to hitting, but the creatures flung themselves to the ground to avoid them Edmund: Edmund drew his bow and looked along the line of theiir enemies, singling out a goblin archer. With a well placed shot the arrow smashed into the monster's arm, breaking the bone. It fell to the floor, clutching its arm in agony. Hogar: Hogar pulled at his bowstring tentatively for a few moments, seeming uncertain on how to best, seeming unsure as his experience with shooting a bow was obviously limited. Eventually he let the arrow fly - it went straight through the dark night air towards one of the goblin archers, but at the last moment the creature threw itself to the ground, narrowly avoiding the projectile. Hogar swore and went for another arrow. Hogar: remove: 'seeming uncertain on how to best' sd: save for the goblins, their foes tore forward. The orcs carried three rams between them, and made for the sally gate, warded by the shields of Folkmen who ran alongside them. Meanwhile, undead came forward with ladders, preparing to place them to scale the walls and enter hand to hand combat. sd: as they reloaded, the enemy continued to come forward, with those goblins that had fallen to avoid arrows standing again sd: their conscripts reloaded and prepared for another volley at the goblins, who were in some disarray Edmund: Edmund fired at another goblin archer, the arrow sticking into its leg. Leofric: Taking advantage of the wall, he kneed down and focus his crossbow on a goblin which looked wounded and his crossbow goes twang. The bolt hit it in the right arm, causing more damage, dropping it to the ground. sd: the goblins fired. One arrow whizzed between Hogar and Edmund, while one soldier took a shot to the chest, which, though it did not knock him off his feet, nonetheless dug deep into his flesh. Beomund: Beomund fired at one of the goblin archers. It attempted to evade, but the arrow pierced its side. Beomund smiled, knowing that injury would make drawing back a bowstring quite painful. Hogar: Hogar fired another arrow towards the goblins, but this one sailed wide. Cursing, he dropped his bow and started to go for his shield. Hogar: Hogar strapped the shield to his arm, ready to defend himself from any incoming arrows. sd: their enemies were rapidly sprinting forward now, closing to the walls, save for the orcs carrying the rams, who moved more slowly than their compatriots. The Silvered Blade began to prepare their throwing weapons sd: several more arrows struck the wall as the goblins continued to fire, narrowly missing Beomund and a soldier Edmund: Edmund fired again, hitting another goblin archer in the gut, taking it out of the fight.
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Post by sleepingdragon on Sept 7, 2014 14:09:42 GMT
Leofric: Leofric peeked over the wall and fired a bolt at already running wounded man but alas, the bolt missed him sd: the Silvered Blade scouts had waited with their crossbows until some of the enemy were near enough for them to see. They finally let fly, bowstrings thrumming as silvered bolts flew out to slam into two zombies, burying into their dead flesh. sd: the goblins continued to fire, but worn down by the arrows of the defenders, their shots fell short or struck the wall sd: as the Folkmen came near, they saw several carried javelins, while others had bows. While they ran forward, the javelin throwers brought back their arms and whipped their spears up with grace and power. Two of the soldiers on the walls were struck heavily, while another was only just rescued as the missile struck a crenel and bounced away. Beomund: Beomund fired again at one of the goblins, forcing it to leap to the ground. Hogar: Hogar readied one of his hatchets, preparing to throw it at the approaching enemies sd: the approaching Folkmen fired, striking one soldier and forcing several more to throw themselves to the battlements to escape injury sd: the enemies continued to rush forward. Several of the ladders were now very close to the walls, carried by skeletons that were resistant to the arrows of the defenders sd: one of the goblins fired at the defenders, but struck the wall Edmund: Edmund fired at one of the folkmen protecting the orcs with their ram, hitting the man in the arm. "Get those men out of the way, and we can go for the orcs!" he shouted to the others. You whisper to Hogar: over the battle, Hogar could hear the great voice that had called on them to surrender earlier, muttering arcane words. Hogar: "I can hear Plafraith casting some sort of sorcery!" called out Hogar to the others suddenly sd: as Hogar called out, the first skeletons reached the south wall, and one of the ladders was put in place Edmund: Edmund pricked up his ears, trying to catch what Hogar had heard. Leofric: Leofric also pricked up his ears and glanced over the wall, trying to get the full awareness. He warned the others, "Sound like he is casting a magic that make blades very sharp." sd: the goblins fired again, but their arrows sailed overhead and into the courtyard Edmund: Edmund swore as he slid out another arrow. "We need to do something about that," he said. Hogar: "If only we could take him out..."said Hogar. As Edmund started reloading his bow, he protected him with his shield, ensuring that he was safe from enemy projectiles sd: the Silvered Blade priest flung a silvered bullet from his cumbersome staff sling, but it sailed wide sd: one of the skeletal warriors laid another ladder against the wall, catching it firmly onto a crenel Leofric: Leofric still kneeing behind the wall starts laborious effort of reloading his crossbow. Beomund: Beomund fired an arrow at the men around the battering rams, but it plunged ineffectually into the earth. sd: as the ladders came near, the soldiers began to ready their shields and spears, with only a few taking shots which fell wide sd: one of the scouts fired his crossbow at one of the Folkmen skirmishers, driving a bolt into the man's chest sd: the goblins continued to fire. One took aim at a wounded soldier near the top of one of the ladders, piercing his injured arm. The Council soldier fell back, howling in agony. sd: a Silvered Blade squire flung a javelin down at one of the Folkmen, piercing his body sd: most of the soldiers on the east and south walls prepared their melee weapons as the ladders were raised, while those at the gate continued to reload their bows Edmund: Edmund fired at another of the runners guarding the rams, but his shot sailed over the man's head. Hogar: "That accursed wight just cast another spell. Might be the last."stated Hogar grimly Leofric: "Damn these abominationa! Leofric: EDIT: "Damn these abominations!" Leofric muttered with annoyance on hearing that the wight casts more spells" sd: Kennald hurled a javelin down at one of the Folkmen, damaging his arm and forcing the man to drop his bow just moments before he could fire it sd: the ladders on the east wall were each raised and set in place, as the undead prepared to scale them sd: the knight of the Silvered Blade drew a silver longsword and moved up towards the ladders. "Take the Folkmen, we'll handle the undead!" he said to the Council soldiers sd: the goblins continued to fire. A soldier took a shot to his arm, and one arrow whizzed through and struck Hogar in the head, but fortunately it could not penetrate his thick mail coif Hogar: Hogar hurled his hatchet at one of the Folkmen running in the front row, striking him in the leg. The man winced in pain and fell down in the dust. sd: as the man fell, a great wolf howl suddenly pierced the air sd: the werewolves suddenly appeared in the night, to the southeast, running at horrific speeds. Meanwhile, the man Hogar had knocked down was trampled by one orc, and another stumbled over him, delaying the ram. The Folkmen rearranged themselves, shields at the ready to defend the orcs carrying the rams Hogar: Hogar shout of satisfaction at disrupting the rams' formation was cut short by the sight of the rapidly approaching werewolves sd: the first skeletons were able to scale the walls and attack the soldiers on the south wall. One deflected a blow with his shield, but another had his leg cut out from under him. Leofric: Leofric frowned for a moment at the howl and made a swap for the silver bolt instead, reloading it sd: an arrow went whizzing over Leofric's head as he loaded his silver bolt sd: the soldiers at the gate fired down at the besiegers, wounding one of the Folkmen. On the south wall, one, hard pressed, tried to smash a skeleton down from the walls with his shield, but failed Beomund: Beomund fired alongside the soldiers, but swore as his arrow sailed above the Folkmen. He quickly reached for another arrow, hoping to get another shot off as soon as the enemy had to halt at the gate. Hogar: Hogar readied another hatchet Leofric: Leofric kepot going with reloading sd: one of the Silvered Blade scouts lashed out at a zombie with his ball and chain, yanking its leg out from under it sd: a goblin fired towards Edmund, arrow lashing towards the bard's head. Fortunately, Hogar was covering him with as Ed reloaded, so it struck the shield and Ed was unharmed. sd: the first of the Folkmen scaled the walls and lashed down onto a Silvered Blade scout, but fortunately it was a glancing blow that did not penetrate his armour Hogar: Head hurled another hatchet at one of the Folkmen, striking him squarely on the head. Unbalanced and wounded, the man fell down, though he was still alert and conscious. Hogar: edit: Head=Hogar sd: the priest finished loading his slow staff sling and sent a silver bullet flashing with tremendous force at one of the skeletons climbing the ladder. It tore a chunk of bone from the creature's leg. sd: Kennald and the squire reached out and flung the ladder near them away, just as the skeleton warrior's hand appeared at the top rung. The two undead creatures tumbled down, smashing hard against the ground twenty feet below Leofric: Leofric kept on reloading the crossbow sd: the goblins continued to fire. Two struck the wall, and a second once again hit Hogar in the head, but failed to penetrate his heavy mail Hogar: Undeterred by the goblin's arrows clanging off his sturdy mail coif, Hogar grabbed another hatchet from a small pile of them he had set up on top of the battlements Edmund: Edmund looked down at the enemy rushing with their rams towards the gate below him. Spotting one orc outside the protective cover of the traitorous Folkmen, he sent an arrow winging towards it. The shaft struck deep into the monsters body, blood flooding from the wound as it crashed to the ground. Edmund began to sing a paen of praise to God. sd: the orcs slammed the rams into the gate. One landed a good blow, but the group in the middle, perhaps panicked by Edmund's shot, managed to damage the ram itself, throwing themselves off balance in the bargain Leofric: Leofric also sang along with Edmund, praising the mighty God and, comparing to Ed, he is worse Leofric: Leofric attempted to see that mighty werewolf that is coming toward them and decided to shoot it but sadly, the God is not with him. He decided to ditch the crossbow and made for his sword instead sd: the two scouts pressed one of the Folkmen hard. He managed to deflect their blows with his shield, but he himself was in a very bad position with the Silvered Blade knight joining the fray sd: the melee continued, with an injured goblin and another Folkman joining the fray as they scaled the southern ladder. Beomund: Inspired by Edmund's pinpoint shot, Beomund took aim at a Folkman protecting one of the orcs. His arrow flew true and buried itself deeply in the joint between the man's shoulder and shield arm. The arm dropped uselessly to his side, leaving his orcish companion vulnerable. sd: two soldiers on the east wall tried to shove the ladder down as the undead reached the top. They were able to lift the rung for a moment, then the one closest to the ladder lost his grip. For a moment, it looked as if the full weight of the ladder would come down on his hand, but he was able to yank it away and prepare himself at the last moment. sd: on the south wall, two more soldiers pressed a skeleton, trying to shove it from the walls with their shields, while another, seriously wounded in the leg and pierced with a javelin, began to crawl away from the melee. Hogar: Seeing one of the orcs was no longer behind a shield, Hogar threw a hatchet down at it, striking one of the creature's feet. Though the armor absorbed most of the damage the orc was unbalanced and fell down to the ground. sd: the ladder Ser Kennald had thrown down was put back up, though the knight seemed unbothered sd: Kennald sheathed his sword at his waist, and began to unbuckle his shield. sd: the knight on the south wall slashed viciously at one of the Folkmen. He cut the islander's leg right out from under him, sending him toppling from the walls. The man's leg crumpled beneath him and he went limp sd: the orcs and Folkmen at the ram regrouped themselves, while the werewolves sprinted for the eastern ladders Leofric: Leofric pulled his log fine sword out, ready to give battles to any poor enemies that came across him. sd: the goblins continued to fire, but struck the walls or sailed wide. Those on the south wall had begun to rush forward - one, that had broke first, had already scaled the wall and swung just wide of one of the Council men sd: one of the Folkmen slashed at the knight on the southern wall, laying into the man's leg. Beomund is disconnected. Beomund has connected. Leofric is disconnected. sd: one of the soldiers fired at a Folkman slowly climbing the ladder. The man's arm was already damaged from previous arrows, and this one penetrated deeply, opening an artery. The man fell bleeding out his life at the foot of the wall. sd: the soldiers at the gate fired down, striking an orc in the chest. Hogar: Again, Hogar took an hatchet from the battlements, ready to hurl it down at the besiegers sd: as the undead began to climb the ladder near him, Kennald tossed aside his shield and drew a glittering silver greatsword sd: one of the Silvered Blade scouts managed to slip a blow in, shattering a rib of one of the Folkmen with a strong blow of his ball and chain. Edmund: Edmund fired at another of the orcs around the ram, hitting it in the guts. Hogar: Seeing the orc he had previously unbalanced had stood again and was operating the ram, Hogar threw another hatchet at its head, knocking it down again. sd: the priest flung a stone down hard on one of the Folkmen's heads, though the man's helm stopped him from being brained sd: the knight attacked the pressed Folkman, slamming his sword down on the man's head sd: the orcs continued to hammer on the gate. It was clear it would not last more than another blow or two, though they continued to rain arrows down on the besiegers...
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Post by sleepingdragon on Sept 16, 2014 19:57:03 GMT
Leofric: Leofric with his longsword and shield out, he starts sprinting toward the defenders that is under pressures on the southern wall. sd: the two Silvered Blade scouts pressed the winded Folkman hard, slamming their ball and chains against the man's shield, but failed to get through sd: the second scout managed to whip his weapon around, slamming down onto the warrior's shield arm and damaging it sd: one of the goblins fired up at the walls. The arrow flew in a deadly arc, however the soldier it was aimed for flung himself to the battlements at the last moment, and the arrow only grazed him. Edmund is disconnected. Edmund has connected. Beomund: Beomund turned to the west and saw a pair of folkmen moving to join the melee there. Hoping to stop their advance, he fired his knocked arrow, striking one of them on the shoulder of his shield arm. sd: the Council soldiers fought on. At the south gate, the beleaguered Folkman was hit with a shield bash that sent him reeling against the wall, his own shield arm useless. Another soldier near the gate shot one of the besiegers, wounding him in the chest. Hogar: "The gate won't hold much longer."said Hogar preparing another hatchet Beomund: "Good, I'm tired of bows," growled Beomund, glancing at his hammer. Edmund: Edmund nocked another arrow to his bow and grimaced. sd: one of the skeletal warriors clambered up the ladder near Kennald. It directed a blow at a nearby soldier who deflected the attack, then Kennald himself battered down with his silver greatsword, failing to penetrate through the undead's shield and armour sd: on the south wall, the Silvered Blade knight finally took down the battered Folkman, driving his silvered blade into the man's gut. He drew it out and pressed on towards the undead Hogar is disconnected. Hogar has connected. Leofric: Leofric went past Beomund and a Council soldier toward to the fray on the southern wall. Hogar: "Be careful!"said Hogar to Edmund as he moved for the barrels, leaving him uncovered by his shield sd: on the south wall, one soldier was finally overcome and slain, one of his arms severed almost up to the shoulder in a spray of blood. On the east wall, one of the other Council soldiers fared better, expertely deflecting a skeleton's blow and slamming his shield into the undead's face, staggering it sd: the scouts managed to batter a zombie off the wall with their shields. Its leg struck the ground violently and nearly tore off. While the foul creature remained animate, it could not move and was left to groan impotently at the base of the siege ladder sd: the largest of the werewolves reached the base of one of the ladders, let out a howl, and began to leap up the ladder, bounding up with great speed. Two of its pack followed, while another two went for a second ladder. "Come and try me, mangy cur!" Ser Kennald called out in challenge to the leader sd: goblin arrows continued to rain ineffectually off the walls sd: two soldiers nearly drove a skeleton from the walls, but it managed, barely, to keep itself from tumbling to the ground Edmund: Edmund looked down at the enemies below the gate, spotting an Orc which was unguarded. His arrow sped down, burying itself deep in the monster's arm. Hogar: Hogar hurled his hatchet at the Folkman closest to the wall, biting deep into one of his arms. The man winced in pain and fell down to the ground, nearly tripping the orc behind him. sd: Ser Kennald and the skeletal warrior on the walls continued to clash. The knight deflected the undead's axe, then dealt it a heavy blow to the head with his silvered blade. sd: on the eastern walls, another soldier fell to the barrage of the undead, however at the same time the Silvered Blade knight and scouts were pushing into the fray. You whisper to Beomund: in a respite in the midst of the battle, Beomund thought he heard the magically enhanced voice again. It spoke now in a tongue he could not understand, but with his battle experience he did not need to know the words, for he knew what it sounded like when a commander was giving last orders before a charge. Beomund: "Their commander is ordering a charge!" called Beomund, one hand to his ear as he listened to the sounds of battle. With his other hand he held the haft of his great hammer, having cast aside his bow. Hogar: Hogar quickly took a hatchet that had been put upon the barrel, readying to make another throw sd: the rams slammed into the gate again. As they did, the great voice from earlier gave a loud cry, clearly preparing to enter the battle. sd: the scouts attacked in tandem, damaging one of the Folkmen, while on all fronts the skeletons pressed their own attack. One was foolish enough to try to strike the Silvered Blade knight, who contemptuously blocked the blow and brought the lip of his shield slamming up into the creature's face, blinding it briefly sd: the great werewolf reached the middle of the ladder and suddenly bounded upwards. Tearing over the undead, the beast landed next to Ser Kennald and slashed at him with a vicious claw. The knight just barely turned the blow with his blade, and the creature gave a hiss as its claw came into contact with the knight's silver sword. sd: a goblin took aim at Edmund, firing. Just as the creature's arrow seemed it would pierce the bard's ribs, it struck a crenel and whistled wide Beomund: Seeing that the fight was being joined between Kennald's men and the werewolves, Beomund lifted his hammer. "Be ready with the rocks," he said to the soldier beside him who was manning the barrel of stones. "I'll get back here if I can." He sprinted toward the fray. sd: one of the Folkmen carrying a ram took an arrow to the arm that forced him to drop the siege weapon, unable to swing it. sd: Edmund fired down at one of the orcs preparing to ram, embedding an arrow in its leg Hogar: Hogar brought another orc to the ground with a precise hatchet throw just as it was preparing to slam the ram against the badly-damaged gate sd: the priest flung a silver stone at one of the werewolves on the ladder, striking it in the arm sd: one of the skeletal warriors slew a Council soldier with a terrible blow, severing the man's leg at the knee with a swipe of its sword sd: Ser Kennald took a blow to the leg from a skeleton, then swung his sword at Gelundi. The silver sword swiped across the creature's arm, wounding it sd: on the south wall, the knight swept his blade out, beheading the skeleton he had just blinded. sd: the ram struck the gate again. Miraculously, it just held out, however it would clearly fall to the next blow. At the same time, they saw a quartet of wights with glimmering blades rush forward, making for the battered gate, sprinting hard. Leofric: Leofric also sprinting hard, approaching the fight on the southern wall. sd: a soldier on the east wall took a horrific blow from a skeleton's spear, hammering heavily into his arm. Somehow, the man fought on, though he bled heavily from the wound. sd: another wave of arrows came, nearly striking Edmund and the priest, who each threw themselves down to the battlements, though Edmund quickly rolled back to his feet sd: the Silver Blade squire struck at a zombie, trying to knock it down. The creature clumsily tried to keep its feet, and instead succeeded at falling off the wall, slamming hard into the earth below sd: two more werewolves sprang up the steps near their chief, but could not land blows with their great claws Hogar: Once again Hogar took a hatchet from the top of the barrel sd: Ser Kennald took a blow that failed to penetrate his armour, then raised his blade. "God is with us!" he declared, and brought it slashing down on Gelundi, who was busy fending off the blow of a brave Council soldier. The silver blade struck the werewolf hard and it toppled to the battlements. As the creature lost consciousness, its body began to shift, its wolfish features beginning to fade and take on the form of a large, muscular and hirsute man, though as they watched now the fur remained as the transformation was far from complete. sd: on the southern wall, the other Silvered Blade knight struck a heavy blow to a skeletal warrior's head. Leofric: Leofric finally reached the fray although it was luckly that he managed to prevent few enemies to flank is allies. Leofric: He charged at the goblin and for a moment, it look like goblin would be able to defend itself with a shield but he managed to bypass and caused some wounds on its abdomen. sd: one of the scouts struck a Folkman in the leg with his ball and chain, knocking him to the ground. sd: the goblins on the east wall, who had been firing throughout, began to move away as they saw Gelundi fall. sd: one of the soldiers on the east wall fell before the assault of one of the Folkmen, who cut his leg out from under him. The soldier remained alive and fighting, though he could no longer stand and was reduced to simply holding up his shield desperately against the onslaught sd: the last two werewolves flung themselves up the ladder, striking with their claws and wounding one soldier. Hogar is disconnected. Hogar has connected. Beomund: Beomund reached the cluster of fighting where Gelundi had just fallen. He used his momentum to strike one of the werewolves through its defenses, battering it in the abdomen. Hogar: Seeing the Folkman he had previously sent to the ground had gotten up, Hogar knocked him prone again with a well-placed hatchet sd: by now, the orcs had abandoned one ram due to the injuries they had suffered, but they brought back one of the remaining two and slammed it into the gate. Finally, after many blows, the gate fell, a great hole battered through its middle, a crack running through it. sd: one soldier on the east wall fell, pierced through the middle by a skeleton's spear, and another took a hard sword blow to the arm, though he continued to fight on through his injury Leofric: Leofric followed up with same style although the goblin concerned for its recent wound warded it. He opted for the head instead and bought the goblin down smoothy. He eyed the zombie and folkman next, smiling. sd: the Silvered Blade scouts continued to combine their attacks, tripping another Folkman sd: one of the Folkmen finally took down a wounded soldier, knocking him out with a heavy blow to the head sd: though now increasingly outnumbered and staring down an angry werewolf, the Silvered Blade squire showed admirable courage. He lashed out viciously with his sword, striking the creature in the head, drawing blood and searing the flesh of the arm that tried futilely to block the blow Beomund: Beomund took another swing at the werewolf in front of him, his hammer managing to get past a clumsy paw and strike the creature in the belly where it had already been injured. It howled in pain and staggered back... tripping over the battlements and falling to the ground far below. sd: the squire blocked away a blow from a werewolf, as did another of the Council soldiers sd: Edmund shot one of the Folkmen at the gate dead, piercing his arm and severing an artery Hogar: Hogar took a deep breath and started to push the heavy stone-filled barrel towards the murder holes sd: Ser Kennald deflected a skeleton warrior's blow, then slew it with a heavy strike to the head sd: a skeleton slashed wide of Beomund Beomund: Beomund moved up beside Kennald to face the last skeleton on their part of the wall. "You wield that sword well, ser. We just might win this day." Leofric: Leofric attacked the impaled and prone folkman, hoping to kill him. However, he wounded it heavily in the left leg but sheer willpower of this man manage to keep in Beomund: Beomund followed up his words by swinging his hammer up over his head and down onto the skull of their foe, shattering it into fragments and dust. Now only a werewolf remained near him, Kennald, and their two nearby soldier allies - though there were many more enemies on the wall to the north. sd: as the orcs rushed through the gate, Edmund and others atop the gate shifted to the murder holes in the floor which looked down over the small square in front of the portcullis that led into the courtyard. Larger holes lay to either side of them, and were used to push through barrels filled with heavy stones. A soldier who had loaded his bow took aim and fired down at one of the orcs, striking him right in the back of the head and driving it to the ground. Hogar: Grunting and heaving with all his might, Hogar sent the barrel rolling down the murder hole. It struck one of the Folkmen square in the chest, crushing his ribcage to death and then rolled off to another, who collapsed unconscious but alive, if barely. sd: "It was never in doubt," Ser Kennald said to Beomund. "But my squire..." Beomund: Beo glanced over to see Kennald's squire, with a werewolf on one side and a folkman on the other. "We'll save him ser, if he can hold out just a bit longer!" Leofric: With sudden movement, he made a last ditch at the still barely standing folkman and cut his left leg out cleanly. The pain of the man killed the man dead Hogar: Hogar went for another barrel and began to push it to a murder hole close to the portcullis Beomund: Beomund struck the last werewolf near them on the head, driving it back, temporarily senseless. He turned back to see how Kennald's squire was faring in his fight for his life. sd: Edmund fired down at one of the Folkmen. The arrow punched right through the man's shield and into his eye, dropping the man with a scream Leofric: Leofric targeted the zombie this time and made for a left leg which is wounded. However, while the zombie didn't suffer any damage due to its rusty armour, Leofric is good enough to keep up his weaving sword style to keep it unable to attack for a short while.; sd: Kennald's squire blocked one blow, then whirled on the werewolf and struck it. It blocked, but the silver sword again burned its flesh sd: one of the soldiers on the wall knocked down one of the werewolves with a well-aimed thrust of his spear sd: two soldiers near the portcullis shoved a barrel down onto the attackers. One man fell, crushed, while an orc at the ram was knocked down and wounded Hogar: With the priest helping, Hogar pushed another barrel down. This time its intended target, an orc, managed to get out of the way by throwing itself to the side. sd: admist the carnage at the gate, two of the remaining Folkmen simply turned and bolted, though the orcs, their bloodlust raging, continued to fight obliviously sd: the squire dodged a blow, then brought his sword down on the werewolf. Though it blocked, the silver again burned its flesh, and it howled in rage and agony. Leofric: Leofric looked like he may lost control of his sword but he managed to stoop low and chopped zombie's left leg properly. The loss of the leg made it fell off the wall into the courtyard, causing even more damage. Leofric laughed at the sight and eyed the two goblins approaching him. "Hmm... I thought your race would have more sense to flee from this dying place." He told them calmly and smiled with a hint of danger that will soon befall onto these two goblins. sd: a fallen werewolf straddled one of the Council soldiers, drove him down, and clawed into his chest. The soldier passed out at last from the pain. Hogar: Hogar drew his heavier, wickedly sharp battleaxe from his belt and began to go for the ropes on the wall Edmund: Edmund stared down at the killing ground between the broken gate and the portcullis. An arrow streaked into the gloom below, striking an Orc heavily in the head. It fell senseless to the ground, and Edmund allowed himself a brief smile, and a word of praise for God. Hogar: Hogar grabbed the rope and slid down the inner walls of the courtyard, going for the portcullis Leofric: Leofric raised his sword, confident in his skill but got distracted by something and missed him. Leofric: missed the enemy Beomund: Beomund reached the fray just in time. A folkman warrior was lifting his sword, ready to swing at the unprotected head of Kennald's squire. "Behind you!" called Beomund, and the squire managed to turn just in time, lifting his blade to deflect the near-deadly blow. That gave Beomund his own opening. He swung his hammer at the head of the folkman warrior, smashing into his helm with a crunch and sending him tumbling off the battlements. sd: Kennald also charged forward, bringing his silver blade around and slashing through the neck of the werewolf attacking his squire sd: seeing the rout at the gate, the wight stopped his charge and began to retreat, shouting out an order to withdraw to those enemies on the walls Beomund: Beomund smiled in relief, clapping Kennald and his squire on the shoulders. "You were right ser. God was with us today." After taking a final few swings at the retreating enemies, he moved to help the injured soldiers nearby. Hogar: Hogar seemed almost disappointed by news of the wight's retreat, but focused on cutting down the few remaining orcs who stubbornly kept trying to bring the portcullis down. When they too were slain he rushed to help to the wounded Edmund: Edmund fired a final arrow into the remaining Orc, then went to check on the others. sd: once Ser Kennald had checked on the dead and wounded, he brought out a bottle of brandy from his pack and took a drink, then passed it to Beomund. "Alric, kneel," he said to his squire. The squire knelt and Ser Kennald touched his bloody silvered blade to the young man's shoulders, anointing him a knight of the Silvered Blade. Leofric: Leofric sighed with a hint of relief and grimanced at the losses he finding in front of him. He muttered "So many losses. May God embrace them in his golden glow." He gestured with a holy sign. He cleaned his knightly longsword and put his shield away to its hold. Leofric checked on the others and went onto meet the others. "It seems we are victorious here but I wonder how well our friends on other walls doing." He looked around with a hint of concern. Beomund: Beomund took a drink and watched the knighting with a smile. "I'm glad to have fought beside you, sers. Now let us check on our allies." Hogar: "I did not expect this to be an easy battle, and it was not "said Hogar as he approached the others, referring to the grief for their losses. "And it is a shame the wight escaped. Still, I do think some celebration might be in order..." Edmund: "When we are sure of victory in all areas, " Edmund agreed. sd: they had won the knight, but the toll was awful. At the docks, Deoneath and the other Undercity Watchmen had repelled a heavy goblin attack, led by their captain, Flathriss, who had cut through several of the Undercity's veterans before finally being shot down.
At the main gate, Councillor Untrim led the list of casualties, killed by an arrow early in the assault. Scirman had taken over command and had repelled the attack with much bloodshed, however it was clear that the wight's main target had been the battered sally gate, which had now fallen. "He'll regroup, perhaps, but by then those Bluebrycg bastards will be here," said Scirman, drinking from a wineskin. sd: *won the night Beomund: "We'd best fill the sally port with impediments and traps, and reinforce the portcullis," said Beomund, already thinking of how best to prepare the defenses anew. sd: as the night wore on, they gathered the slain on either side and brought them into the courtyard, piled high in two piles, which they set alight. Edmund: As the flames took hold, Edmund's voice rose in a clear and simple paean in honour of the dead who had given their lives. Leofric: Leofric sighed sadly as he watched the bodies. He yawned for a moment and settled down, watching the bodies burning to crisp. He starts writing in his book as well. sd: they collapsed into deep sleep after their exhausting ordeal. They were woken at night by cheering as the Bluebrycg reinforcements arrived. There were four ships to start with, and others arriving, and within an hour the men under Bluebrycg's command equalled their own survivors, and soon more would come. Their Captain, Herebold, was saddened to hear of Councillor Untrim's death, but added that with this event, he was now the ranking officer and it was only right for him to be placed in command.
"Aye, I agree, but what happens if the next ranking officer dies as well?" Scirman snapped at him. Deoneath put a warning hand on the man's shoulder and eventually they smoothed out the insult to Herebald, and retreated to plan.
"Those slimy fucking bastards!" Scirman raged.
"Those men are not all Bluebrycg men, just under Herebold's command," said Deoneath softly. "We can speak to the lieutenants and prevent this takeover, as long as we have a suitable replacement. I suggest Ser Kennald. The Virian Church has argued vigorously for a Kalmar campaign ever since the League was formed." Hogar is disconnected. Hogar has connected. sd: they went out to speak to the lieutenants and other influential men on behalf of Ser Kennald. Kennald and the Virian priest spoke in the courtyard, exhorting the soldiers to remember the sacrifices of those who had fought at the siege (without, of course, ever explicitly stating that the Bluebrycg men had not done so), while Edmund and Leofric went and spoke quietly to the lieutenants. Finally, a group of those from outside Bluebrycg agreed to meet with Ser Kennald, and he impressed them with his courtesy and passion. Therefore, they quietly agreed that Herebald and his most loyal men would be sent off to chase after Plafraith, who had fled south after the battle. Edmund: Edmund smiled at Leofric. "Better the church than those Bluebrycg bastards, eh Leo?" he said quietly. Hogar: Though Hogar had helped with the effort, he did not seem fully convinced it was a good thing "I suppose that is so, and Kennald's not a bad man and we may have lost the battle without him and the Order. Yet...I am wary of the Church gaining more powerful."he explained to the others replying to Edmund's comment Beomund: Beomund agreed with Hogar's sentiment, but added "Hopefully fighting beside him like this will give him some understanding of our character and faith... if it comes to the Church no longer being our ally." Leofric: Leofric smiled faintly, "I quite agreed with your sentiment. Let hope these cowards from Bluebrycg finds their fates they deserved. As for the Church, only time will tell what will happen. It should be interesting should they are aware of our abilities."
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Post by sleepingdragon on Oct 25, 2014 13:28:26 GMT
The party remained behind on Sokholm for several days while the situation stabilised after the repeated battles of the previous days. Though the Bluebrycg men under the disgruntled Captain Herebald were sent after Plafraith, they were singularly unsuccessful, as the wight was able to ambush them in the hills and the conniving captain was nearly killed in the skirmish. Plafraith was able to escape south and fled Sokholm by ship, bringing news of the Council's attack to the rest of Kalmar, leaving an undead garrison to hold Suthyll.
Once the immediate risk of attack was gone, Ser Kennald sent men to Felath, the nearby Folk village. If the Council hoped they would be welcomed there, they were mistaken - though not outwardly hostile, the reception was decidedly frosty. Deoneath pointed out that many of the Folk had benefited from decades of piracy, and the Council would now seek to end this. While many of the Folk at least tolerated the presence of their mainland cousins, it was no surprise when news began to filter in of clans escaping Sokholm and seeking to join whatever campaign against the Council was sure to emerge.
By 21 May, the coastline was clear and the party, along with Scirman and Deoneath, were able to depart from Sokholm. Ser Kennald bid them farewell, handing Beomund a bottle of brandy as a parting gift, and saying he would be honoured to fight alongside them again in the future.
On 26 May they arrived back in Phalen, and were quickly honoured as Thegns of Phalen. Deoneath, too, was granted this rank, and though it was offered to Scirman he refused as he was already in service to his own clan in Tarnemuthe.
The Council declared a public holiday to celebrate the capture of Sokholm, and the party were granted their titles at a ceremony attended by all of the Phalen councillors and a number of other local worthies. Synne took the opportunity to make useful contacts and to generally associate her name with that of the party, while Dunstan slumped miserably in a corner and tried to avoid drawing any notice to himself.
Following this, the party had time to rest after many months of perilous adventure. Leofric, having now been a member of the Conclave for a year, was invited to further his magical studies and learn new Crafts. Sigrun explained that the senior mages of the Four Rings of the Conclave had all agreed to their plan to seek to cleanse the Plague Fields, and were now finding the Council much more amenable as they were indebted to the party for their work in Kalmar.
Given that the isles would require many more troops before they were stabilised, they expected it would still be some time before they were ready to undertake a campaign for the Plague Fields, however this would grant the Conclave time to research and prepare. With the Kalmar pirates occupied, the Regent of Gastony had agreed to increase the number of Virian settlers and soldiers coming to aid in the reclamation of Palania, and with this development it was vital for the Conclave to publicly demonstrate the beneficent power of magic, to counter the claims of the Church before it was too late.
Soon word was coming from Kalmar to say that a party of soldiers of Gastony had landed on the southwestern isle of Alfholm, as a stepping stone to a further campaign for Kalmar isle proper. Though there were clashes with the Folk, and pirates harried the coasts of Sokholm and Alfholm both, the Council sent further reinforcements to drive them back.
To the north, news was far worse. After the King of Suthfryd's intervention in Krygarland, the Council had withdrawn its own troops, though the Church and its knights continued to battle the dragonspawn. Madumflod had been utterly despoiled and King Sweryn's men, under the command of his eldest son, were engaged in heavy fighting west of the river Krygar.
With the arrival of summer conditions in Phalen became better, although with this came an increase in orc raids. One morning in mid June a large raiding party passed not far from their manor, however they had been able to pull their people into the manor house where they were safe. The orcs were soon repulsed and fled back towards the river, whereupon Atol led the guards out and dealt the retreating monsters a bloody blow.
As ever, in the summer months it was easier for the Phalen poor to find employment, and thus the heavy demand placed upon the party's shelter slackened and Maccus was able to gain some breathing room. In keeping with the party's plans for a school, he began to seek out contacts who would be able to assist. In early July, Othili came to visit from Tarnemuthe, and was able to recommend a few poor but able scholars in Phalen she thought would be of help to their endeavours.
This period of relative calm passed quickly, however it ended abruptly with the arrival of a messenger at the manor, delivering a letter to Dunstan. His uncle, the Ealdorman Durwyn of Cranleaht, had been slain in an ambush by the Darkholt elves, and his son Durwyn the Younger had invited Dunstan, along with his wife and honoured friends, to come to Cranleaht for the Ealdorman's funeral.
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Post by sleepingdragon on Oct 25, 2014 14:08:38 GMT
sd: after being honoured by the Council as Thegns of Phalen, the party could finally take a break from the rigours of the last many months of adventure. It was now summer, though by the standards of Gastony to the south, it did not get overwhelmingly warm. It was a beautiful summer with many long weeks of pleasant sun. In Phalen, the typical summer trade of construction picked up significantly, and their shelter received a reprieve which allowed Maccus, with assistance from their friend Othili from Tarnemuthe who had come to visit, to find scholars to help set up their school. With the successes in Kalmar, it proved easier for ships to arrive from Gastony with settlers, and there was a noticeable increase in numbers, though many knights and warriors were simply going to the isles and avoiding the mainland.
With the break, the party were free to pursue their own endeavours for several months... Beomund: Beomund, whose fascination with magic was continuing to grow and who had been discussing the Conclave with Leofric for some time, finally decided to join. He took the Conclave's oaths without hesitation, and was sent to learn the magic of the Ring of Substances from Osberht, a taciturn and intent enchanter in the mining village of Langcotte. When he returned to the group he seemed changed. Though he still underwent some bouts of melancholy, he could more often be found studying late into the night than drinking. His eyes held a new level of steely resolve. He informed the other members of the group that he had learned to strengthen their weapons greatly against armored foes. Hogar: Hogar spent most of his time practicing lesser magic and learning spells from Palanian hedge-wizards, perhaps inspired by the magic he had seen and used in Kalmar or by knowing Beomud and Leofric were delving deeper into the arcane mysteries of the Conclave. He tried to be discreet about this as obviously it would not be a good thing for the Virian Church to find out - at least, not yet - and also spent a week meditating at a runestone to recover together with Leofric to restore of his magical energy. However he did not neglect his warrior's training with the Brotherhood and also learned some new defensive fighting techniques. Hogar: edit: and also spent a week meditating at a runestone toghet with Leofric to restore his magical energy. Beomund: Beomund joined in both for meditating at the Runestone and for training with Hogar's Brotherhood allies. In the evenings he went to work testing out his new spells on their weapons, so as to be prepared for their next challenge. Leofric: Upon his return and vested as a Thegn of Phalen, Leofric spent two weeks relaxing in the warm glow of the summer sun although he spend a week with Beomund and Hogar, restoring his great reservoir of power. Almost feeling full, he then learnt the new intricate way from Sigrun of wielding his powers so he can fight enemy mages. Such a complexity of this way that it took a month and half to learnt. Finally, he managed to learn this way that so he might be able to repatriate spirits, demons and elementals back to whatever they came from and another spell which can be used to counterpoise the enemy's spells. However, he admitted to his fellow friends that he is still a novice at this way although it is clear that with arduous study and crucially, with time, he will be more skilled. Leofric also paid his dues to the Conclave and gave his congratulation to Beomund for becoming a member of the esteemed Conclave and will be looking forward to see how well they both develop their powers. He also made sure that Raghild's soul-strained amulet which he pried from her Raghild's lacerated neck and the relevant scrolls handed over to Sigrun and thus the Conclave. Still, he managed to find time to attend Edmund's performance to cheer him on, quietly. Edmund: Edmund spent his first week relaxing with his fellows at the Runestone, letting the soft warmth and peace of summer drive the horror and exhaustion from his body as the Stone repaired his magical strenghth. Once restored, he spent much time in the city, mostly at the Bard's College though he found time to visit the new school. One day a delivery arrived of a set of fine drums, on which Edmund spent much time practising. He did not neglect his fighting skills either, becoming more able with the longbow. Still he managed to find time to spend evenings in some of the city's inns. entertaining the clientele but also picking up stories as he went. At the other end of society, he clearly enjoyed mixing with the city's notables, and charming their daughters. As time went on, the others noticed he seemed to find one particular young woman Edmund: of greater interest than the rest. sd: towards the middle of July, Edmund was invited to a competition the Bards' College held, where their newest members would all perform. This was largely done for bragging rights, but it made the College a fair penny as they charged for entry and it allowed them to evaluate their new talent. There were about twenty competitors altogether, and it was done in the open air on a glorious day before a crowd of around a thousand. Ultimately, Edmund passed through the first stage successfully, and went up against two others - a statuesque woman named Saethryth, who was an excellent orator who told gripping historical tales which she punctuated with an unexpected strong sense of humour for one who looked so serious; and a mousy lutist called Leofred of Langwith, who paced constantly as he performed. sd: Saethryth appeared on the brink of an excellent introduction, but misjudged a joke and couldn't seem to recover from there. The lutist and singer Leofred had better luck, but still seemed unnerved by the audience and was not particularly spectacular. Edmund: Edmund walked onto the stage, trying hard to control his nerves. Despite the flaws in their performance his two rivals plainly had far more experience than himself. For a moment or two he almost faltered, but he could see his friends in the audience smiling and cheering him on. As he got into his stride, his confidence grew. He told stories and jokes, performed tricks and acrobatic moves, played his flute and sang one of the songs he had composed about their own adventures. At the end he bowed low to the audience, his face alight with triumph, knowing he had done well. sd: his competitors clearly knew that Edmund had won, and it took the judges very little time to judge him the victor. He was announced as victor by Enagar, the Senior Magister of the Bards College, a sombre man in his mid-fifties. He gave Edmund a silver ring set with a garnet as a symbol of his victory, and invited everyone to celebrate this victory and the arrival of so much new talent with drinking and merry-making in a courtyard adjoining the College's chief building in western Phalen. The young woman Edmund was seeing gave him a kiss and linked her arm around his. Hogar: Hogar cheered for Edmund's victory, obviously pleased with his performance Beomund: Beomund congratulated Ed with a squeezing hug that lifted him off the floor, then joined in the festivities. His eyes were slightly distant as if his thoughts were occupied elsewhere, but his smile was genuine as he mingled with the revelers. Leofric: Leofric gave a thumb up to Edmund as it was clear that he will win this and cheered on his victory and starts having merry-making in the courtyard. Edmund: Edmund was clearly having the time of his life, surrounded by friends and well-wishers. He drank and danced with Sara, a beautiful girl with a ready smile. sd: one of the Magisters, a nearly round woman called Amburga, sang for the crowd as they danced and celebrated, her deep voice easily discernible even over the noise sd: Maccus, who had attended and decided to circulate among the crowd, came over to congratulate Edmund as well, but finding he was occupied, he found a dark-haired woman in her early thirties and took her for a dance. Edmund: During a break in the dancing, Edmund came over to the others and introduced Sara to them. She had rich brown hair and dark blue eyes, and they quickly found she also had a quick wit and a sense of humour. Her father was a stonemason, working on the rebuiliding of Phalen, but originally from Tarnemuthe. Leofric: Leofric introduced himself and smiled cheerfully. sd: Maccus, having failed to win the affections of the lady he was dancing with, introduced himself to Sara and kissed her hand, then clapped Edmund on the shoulder. Beomund: Beomund gave Sara a bow and a smile. "So you're the one who's finally caught the eye of the most eligible bachelor in Phalen. Treat him gently." Hogar: Hogar greeted Sara with Beomund and the others saying "Pleased to make acquaintance. Edmund's friends... "he pronounced the word obviously understanding she was more than that "...are ours too." Edmund: Edmund grinned at that, and held Sara a little more tightly around the waist. sd: towards the end of July, the party received news that at last spelled an end to their rest. Dunstan received a letter informing him that his uncle, Ealdorman Durwyn of Cranleaht, had been slain in an ambush by the elves of Darkholt, and his son Durwyn the Younger invited Dunstan, Synne, and the party to the Ealdorman's funeral. Leofric: Leofric sighed for a moment, "These Elves are powerful in their own right" reflecting on their past meeting with the Eleves. sd: Dunstan, for his part, was far from eager to attend. "He knew what was happening and said I should obey my father," he said to the party when they were alone. "I hope...I hope he rots in hell." Edmund: "What's his son like?" Edmund asked, gently. Beomund: Beomund nodded in grim understanding. "Then make his funeral a celebration, even if you don't show it." sd: "I don't really know him much. A warrior." Hogar: Hogar seemed to grin for but a moment at Beomund's suggestion "Aye. I suppose we'll have to go, even if we have no love for the man" Leofric: Leofric nodded with a hint of sadness and commented, "Should be interesting..." Edmund: "Hmm, so there won't be much understanding between you," Edmund said. "We'll be there, and will make sure things go as smoothly as possible." sd: the next day, they departed with Dunstan, Synne, the captain of the guard Atol of Parwick, and a number of guardsmen. Maccus remained behind to manage the estate while the party were in Darkholt. Synne rode alongside the party, but said nothing. Atol's few attempts to engage her in conversation managed nothing, and she passed the morning in extremely uncharacteristic silence. Hogar: Hogar cast a curious glance at Synne but said nothing Leofric: Leofric frowned for a moment, wondering what on Earth that Sunne is up to Edmund: Edmund rode up alongside Synne and spoke quietly to her. "Is something bothering you about this trip?" sd: Synne glanced at Edmund. "You never told me about what happened to Dunstan," she said finally. Edmund: Edmund sighed. "It was for him to speak of it, not us. Did he finally tell you?" sd: "Yes, last night. My father is going to be full of tedious questions about why we've not had children so I thought to ask Dunstan myself." Edmund: "When he told us of what had happened to him at his father's hands, it was almost impossible to believe," Edmund said. "It's a wonder he is still able to make a life for himself. His uncle, the man we are going to bury, allowed it to happen, telling Dunstan to obey his father." sd: "I know. What a fucking bastard. Dunstan should have poisoned him too." Synne spat. "I've...been a bit harsh to him I suppose. Now I understand him a bit better." sd: "At any rate. When we're there, if one of you would try to keep my father occupied as much as possible it would be appreciated. I'll have to speak to him at some point I suppose. If Atol were of the right colouring he'd have probably given me a child already but so be it." Edmund: Edmund nodded understandingly. "We will do our best to keep him from you, and to protect Dunstan as much as possible. Maybe time will work its healing on his mind eventually." sd: after about a week's journey, they arrived in Darkholt on 6 September 228, and arrived in Cranleaht at around noon the next day. After taking their belongings to quarters among the compound of the Ealdorman's clan, the Yenlings, they were then brought to the site of the funeral.
While Virians burned their dead in line with the Certainty of Cremation, the pagans of Palania maintained the old practise of interring the departed in the ground. The Yenlings had a funeral plot just to the north of Cranleaht, holding five generations of their clan back to the days of the Valing High Kings. They had been an important clan in the Darkholt for many generations, though it was only under Durwyn the Elder's uncle Edric that they finally attained the rank of Ealdorman.
A fresh mound had been dug for Ealdorman Durwyn, and Durwyn the Younger stood alongside his wife, Wankild, who was pregnant with their first child. Durwyn the Younger was an image of what a Palanian nobleman was meant to be, in stark contrast to Dunstan - tall, standing straight as a blade, and every inch a fighter. He had yet to be elected as his father's successor, as that would have to wait until after the funeral, however it was clear to all that Durwyn would become the new Ealdorman.
Among the mourners were many faces they recognised. Chief among these was Balnoth, who was engaged in a conversation with an unfamiliar man who appeared to be a Thegn. There was also Synne's father Lord Renweard, Dunstan's cousin on his father's side, Lord Garrick Olthoring. There was also Dunstan's aunt, Lady Aethelu who had stood for his late mother at his wedding, and her fourteen year old daughter Annis. Of course, the mourners also included a great number of people the party did not recognise.
Dunstan had explained that Palanian funerals were not as sombre as those they might be used to in Virian lands - while it was a time to mourn, it was also a time to celebrate the life of the deceased, and it was not considered uncultured to drink or even to laugh at a funeral. Music, however, was restricted to drums and mournful singing, which was being provided by a tall black-haired woman who bore a badge identifying her as part of the Bard's College. Leofric: Leofric glanced around his surrounding, clearly appreciated at seeing many of these people again. Edmund: Edmund looked to the singer, planning to speak to her when she had finished. sd: Synne glanced at Dunstan, and then they strode over towards Durwyn the Younger, at the base of the mound where his father would soon be buried. Hogar: Hogar said nothing but glanced at the mounds, especially the bigger one which was obviously going to be Durwyn's. Beomund: Beomund looked around at his companions, uncertain of the protocol, waiting to introduce himself until the others did. Edmund: Edmund followed Synne and Dunstan at a discreet distance, waiting to speak to Durwyn and his wife. sd: Synne and Dunstan exchanged rather cursory greetings with Durwyn the Younger. Synne then went to exchange words with a thin man in his mid-forties, who she had pointed out as Thorwald, the Councillor for Darkholt. Atol followed her, and Dunstan, rather miserably, hung towards the rear while his wife socialised. Edmund: Edmund moved forward and bowed to Durwyn and Wankild. "We were sorry to learn of the death of your father." sd: Durwyn nodded. "You warned us, but we didn't listen. The headlesses you fought when rescuing the Lady Synne should have given us enough warning that there were probably enough elves to be a danger here, but neither my father or I paid it enough heed until it was too late." Durwyn sighed. "I will have revenge for him soon." Edmund: Edmund nodded. "We will gladly offer our services to aid you." Leofric: Leofric nodded with agreement, "Indeed, may your revenge will come soon." Beomund: Beomund mirrored Ed's bow, and looked slightly askance when Edmund offered their services. sd: Durwyn paused. "Thank you for the kind offer, but I suspect there will be more challenging matters for such heroes soon enough." He sounded wary. Hogar: Hogar was with the group as they spoke to Durwyn and offered their condolences "Should there not be, we would help. We have experience fighting these....things"he said referring to the Elves Leofric: Leofric eyed carefully at Durwyn and nodded at what Durwyn's wishes for his own glory Edmund: Edmund nodded again. "If there is any information we can supply please ask." He bowed again and moved away to pay his respects to Aethelu and Annis, walking close enough to Synne and Dunstan to hear their conversation. Beomund: Beomund agreed with their sentiments, and went to mingle. He noticed a woman alone near a table and went to introduce himself. sd: Synne was clearly seeing if Councillor Thorwald was the kind of man whose votes might be bargained for or won with favours, while Thorwald was giving vague responses and glancing at Dunstan periodically.
Aethelu was a serious woman of somewhat frail health in her forties or fifties, twice a widow and now wealthy enough to be able to manage her own affairs. Annis was the youngest of her children by her second husband, of the Marning clan of Wihthrycg. She gave Edmund an enigmatic smile as he approached. "Good day to you...Edmund, I believe it is? You are one of the ones who rescued my nephew's bride. I hope Phalen has been treating you well." Leofric: Leofric paid his respect and noticed Balnoth and made his way toward him, carefully avoiding the barrow and greeted him warmly, "Sorry, we couldn't meet under better time, how fares you??" Hogar: Hogar walked beside Leofric - taking the same precaution to avoid walking over the barrow - to reach their old friend Balnoth and the man with him sd: The woman at the table was a busty blonde in her mid-twenties, who curtsied to Beomund as he approached. "You are one of these heroes I've heard about, aren't you? One of the Kalmar warriors. I must thank you, the merchant's trade will be far easier now that those pirates have been dealt a blow. I'm Rafena," she introduced herself. sd: Balnoth was deeply engaged in conversation, but as soon as he saw Leofric and Hogar approach he went over and embraced them. "Every time we meet is a better time, my friends," he said. "At least I am not on trial this time! Skelyn, these are Leofric and Hogar of Gastonland, twice my saviours. This is Skelyn, a Thegn of Rulburna." Beomund: Beomund smiled. "Beomund. It was quite a fight. We lost some good men, but they earned more safety for their people. You are a merchant then? What sorts of goods do you deal in?" sd: "I deal with anything I can get my hands on, which around here is largely anything made of wood. I have some finer objects however. Here," Rafena retrieved a bottle of wine from a sack she carried. "This wine comes from Shara, near to your homeland. You make far nicer wine in Maseda than we do here." Rafena uncorked the bottle and offered Beomund a glass from the table. sd: "I should say, of course, that I am no merchant myself," Rafena said sardonically. "My late husband's brother is, however. His name is on all the documents, after all." Beomund: Beomund hesitated for a moment, then took the glass she proferred. He slowly drew it up under his nose and took a long whiff. The smell brought him back to a time that seemed so much longer ago than it actually was... He audibly choked up for a moment before gathering himself and draining the glass. A wistful smile returned to his face and he turned back to Rafena. "An excellent vintage. Thank you Rafena. Sharans are my favorite. Do you - that is, does your brother, ha! - import to this area then? I wouldn't mind finding a way to get such things shipped to Phalen." sd: "We usually ship to Swithdun or Middlemere, but I'm willing to go further afield for the right price. Rafena replaced the cork and put the wine on the table. Hogar: "Balnoth! It is good to see you, even in a situation such as this." said Hogar reciprocating Balnoth's embrace "Pleased to met you, Skelyn. "he said looking at the warrior Leofric: Leofric smiled slightly, "I guess you are right if you consider it this way." He eyed over Skelyn, "Greetings, Skelyn, how fares Rulburna?" Edmund: Edmund bowed politely to Aethelu, and with a smile to Annis. Phalen has proved to be a good home to all of us. It is a busy place but the winter was hard for many of the people. There is never a shortage of work for us." sd: "Not ill. Balnoth and I were speaking of Rulburna ourselves - he has been seeking information on whether Leof has been seen at all since you exposed him," said Skelyn. "Understandable, he is a dangerous man and one to hold grudges. He went into the Cambers and with any other man I'd guess the dragonspawn had slain him, but Leof...I've never known a better swordsman, I fear." You whisper to Edmund: as he approached, Annis made a playful grab for Edmund's purse, but she withdrew her hand, realising that the bard had noticed her. sd: Annis broke into a broad grin, but said nothing while her mother continued to speak to Edmund. "Strange to be burying Durwyn today, it was so many years ago I recall that his sister was wed to Morcar. Durwyn then was not certain of the match, we were told, and asked questions about it, but it was his father's decision." You whisper to Beomund: the wine was far stronger than Beomund had been expecting, but very nice nonetheless. Beomund: Blinking a bit from the sudden kick of the wine, Beomund chatted briefly with Rafena about getting in contact for possible future trade, before moving on to speak to others. Leofric: Leofric smiled slightly at that point, "Yes, certainly someone that should not be forgotten. We will keep careful eyes out for him. I would not be surprised if he is in another disguise.." Hogar: "I'm no slouch with my axe, either."said Hogar "If I had the chance I'd look forward to facing him and see if he's as good as his reputation, and make him pay for what he did." sd: Rafena looked slightly disappointed. "Perhaps you can come and speak to me again later. I am open to all manner of trades and affairs," she said by way of parting, taking Beomund's hand in hers for a moment. Edmund: Edmund listened, considering his response. "Was there a particular reason why Durwyn was concerned about the marriage?" he asked. sd: "I'm not certain. Perhaps he just thought his father was making an alliance with a clan too far away to be of use. Certainly after Cynewise left they only met one or two more times, then she died giving birth to Dunstan. I offered to take Dunstan as a ward myself, I might have been able to visit Darkholt myself, but my brother refused me." sd: "It isn't right to grow up without a mother, but this didn't matter so much for Morcar, he was older when our mother died while I was still only young." Beomund: Beomund was starting to move away, but his throat caught when he tried to give his apologies. Her skin was soft, and the warmth of her paired well with the warmth in his belly from the wine... He just nodded quickly. As he went to speak to some of the others, he glanced back at Rafena distractedly. Perhaps he would talk to her more soon - she was quite charming. sd: "I would rather that you faced him than me, I am too old for such matters anymore," said Balnoth. "I was asking Skelyn why Leof tried to kill his father, he had asked some questions rather delicately on behalf of his kin in Swithdun. What was it you were saying?"
"No one is quite certain," Skelyn replied. "It was very sudden. Leof had just returned from an expedition in the Hills, went to visit his men who had remained behind, and then that very night tried to murder the Ealdorman." Edmund: "To lose a mother is a hard matter at any age," Edmund said, a hint of emotion in his voice. "At least Dunstan has been lucky in his marriage. Synne is a very capable young woman." sd: Beomund ascended the burial mound of Ealdorman Durwyn's father Darwin, and was greeted by a tall man with a scar over his left eye. He extended a hand to Beomund. "I have been waiting to meet you, your group has caused quite a stir among my employers, we were not expecting Virians to join us," he said quietly. "Helmheard Baspering. I work for the Conclave." sd: "Very!" Annis interjected. "It was your group that convinced her father to allow her to join the hunt at their wedding, wasn't it? It's good at any rate to see a marriage where the woman is in charge. I'll not be wed at any rate, but if I was, that would be the condition." Aethelu gave her daughter a wry smile and said nothing. Leofric: Leofric frowned for a moment, "That seems very strange. What happened to his men? Were there anything strange with them?" sd: "Several of them had suffered a...rather unusual punishment. The Ealdorman can be harsh at times," said Skelyn. Beomund: Beomund respectfully poured a libational offering on Darwin's burial mound as he approached Helmheard, as his companions had instructed him. He raised an eyebrow when he found out who Helmheard worked for. "I must say I had not expected to join you either. But new lands and new experiences make us reevaluate our preconceptions. What is your role in the Conclave, if I may ask?" sd: "Bodyguard, or in this case messenger,. I'm no mage myself, they tested me but I've not the aptitude for it. They pay well though, and are good to those they can trust. There's not as many groups that will treat a bastard as kindly. sd: edit - "Bodyguard, or in this case messenger," said Helmheard. "I'm no mage myself, they tested me but I've not the aptitude for it. They pay well though, and are good to those they can trust. There's not as many groups that will treat a bastard as kindly." Edmund: Edmund smiled warmly at Annis, but he spoke seriously to Aethelu. "Women must be strong and capable in dangerous times. One of our comrades in arms was a good fighter. And to run a manor and a household as Synne does takes intelligence as well as strength, and the ability to meet all manner of folk and deal with them. It's not an easy option." Hogar: "Still, he is going to resurface someday."said Hogar sounding hopefully that Leo would eventually be discovered "Of course, he's likely up to no good right now!" Beomund: "That is good to hear," responded Beomund. "My companion had made it out to be an organization worthy of my oath, but I am glad to hear it confirmed. You have come to bring a message for Durwyn the Younger, then?" sd: "Not at all. I came to bring a message to you and Leofric, the Conclave wanted me to let you know something of the progress we've made with the Council on this matter about the Plague Fields. They believe an expedition should be feasible in the spring, once some men are freed from the Kalmar campaign." Helmheard paused. "We have done everything we can to hide your involvement in this, but the Council includes members who represent the Virian Church, who are not at all in favour of the expedition for obvious reasons. I fear that they are likely to discover your membership once we begin to move seriously on the matter." Hogar: edit: Leof sd: Aethelu looked like she was going to say more to that, but before she could they noticed that the music had halted, and the bard was wandering over to them, looking at Edmund. She waved to him as he turned to look. Edmund: "I hope we can speak more later," Edmund bowed to Aethelu and Annis and turned to meet the bard. sd: "Congratulations on your victory," said the bard. She was in her late twenties, perhaps, with long dark hair. "Edoma, of Norbrycg." Beomund: Beomund nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. I don't think we can stand between these two worlds for much longer. It is good news that the Council is finally moving, however. I will speak to Leofric and the others about our plans with the Church and about preparing for the expedition. Does the Conclave have any particular tasks for us that might help in getting ready?" sd: "Nothing I'm aware of, apart from not dying," Helmheard laughed. "It's delicate negotiations at the moment. Since you've done the Council a favour, those who know that you're involved with this are proving more helpful. If you can find us an army, of course, that would be good, but that's probably not a reasonable request." Edmund: Edmund smiled. "Not my victory but that of the many who fought so bravely. It is good to meet another member of the college. Your singing was very moving." sd: Edoma laughed. "I was referring to your more recent victory in the competition, although that requires a different type of bravery. You're a man of many parts, which is exactly what I need. Walk with me." Edmund: Edmund stepped down from the mound and walked beside her. "I am intrigued to know what you need me for?" sd: "A quest for historical truth," Edoma said airily. "How much do you know about Thunor the Traitor?" Edmund: "Not much I'm afraid. He was one of the Valings, that's about all." Edmund said, a little shamefacedly. sd: Lady Sarina, atop one of the funeral mounds, noticed Leofric and Hogar, and waved them over. Balnoth decided to accompany them, and bid Skelyn farewell. Beomund: Beomund chuckled along with Helmheard before making his excuses. "We'll speak again." He moved on to talk to another nearby man - though he couldn't help himself from glancing back at Rafena once more. sd: "A rather infamous figure in Palanian history, but not a name that's common. When the Valings ascended the High Kingship, there were four brothers - Cynemar, Thunor, Anderhelm, and Baldwine. Cynemar became the first High King, and descendants of Anderhelm and Baldwine ascended the throne later, however Thunor turned against the clan and died a traitor," said Edoma. "After Cynemar died, the throne passed to his nephew, Anderwald the Dark the son of Anderhelm. Thunor opposed this and participated in a rebellion that consumed the first two or three years of Anderwald's reign. The common legend is that Thunor wanted the throne himself and was annoyed at being passed over, but I believe this is false." Edmund: "You believe Thunor had a good reason for turning against Anderwald?" Edmund asked. Leofric: Leofric approached Lady Sarina and smiled at her. First, he gave customary phrases before going onto the mound. sd: "Yes. When the High King Peada died, the throne didn't pass to his son. Nor with any of the High Kings of old that are in the ancient legends. What few accounts of the rebellion still exist that don't come from obviously biased sources don't name Thunor as the leader of the revolt. Indeed, they barely mention him at all, which is why it's so difficult to find out where and how he died. I believe the revolt was not against Anderwald as High King, but against the idea that the High Kingship should be passed down in one clan," said Edoma. "I'll warn you, there are some in the College who think we should bury any investigation into history. The Council you see claims its legitimacy as the successor of the Valing High Kings, so if my theory is correct that might prove embarassing. A meaningless idea, I think, the Council was only refounded thirty years ago and has power because of the Ealdormen of the land give it power, but for some people legitimising myths are important and useful." sd: Sarina motioned for Leofric and Hogar to sit. "Would either of you care for a game? You handled my Thegn easily enough before you set sail last time, but I'm rather a better player than my men are." Hogar: Hogar excused himself and left Balnoth and Skelyn to approach Sarina who had been speaking with Leofric for a while "I'll take the challenge."he said smiling as he sat beside Leofric Edmund: "An interesting question," Edmund replied. "How do you propose to discover the truth?" sd: "I discovered a scroll which was written by a scribe loyal to High King Anderwald," she replied. "It's an account of a skirmish they won in the region around Gundergrad. Though they were victorious, their commander was cut down in the engagement, and the document says that it was Thunor who killed him, with his magic sword Darkling Gleam. The scroll mentioned that the 'rebels' were fleeing towards an old Alanian fort, Unterholz, and that the loyalists themselves, now no longer having a commander, were withdrawing west of the river. This scroll was written in April in the last year of the rebellion, so I suspect that Thunor may have been killed at Unterholz. Unfortunately I have no idea where that is, beyond Gundergrad itself - that whole region was overrun after the dragon sacked Phalen, and it's only been resettled in the last few generations." sd: Sarina proved her words - though Hogar played well, she was an expert of the game. She seemed to see through all of Hogar's manoeuvres and responded with her own deft feints and sudden attacks. sd: Edoma continued. "So what I was going to ask of your group is that you head to Chepworth and look there for information about Unterholz. If you can, you could head there and see if you can find any further evidence, though that would be a very dangerous expedition as the Hills are crawling with dragonspawn and orcs." Hogar: Hogar sighed at Sarina's victory "You do play an excellent game. But perhaps Leofric will do even better."he said smiling at his companion Edmund: "After the funeral, we will be accompanying Synne and Dunstan to Phalen, and we do have some other committments.... I will speak to my companions and see what we can come up with. The expedition might be complicated by the opposition of the council." sd: "Of course. Ancient truth can wait a while longer," she said. Leofric: Leofric smiled faintly and sat down to join Sarina with the new game. sd: Sarina started well as before, pulling quickly ahead. However, she seemed to underestimate her opponent, causing her to completely overlook some of Leofric's mages, allowing him to suddenly counterattack and win a stunning victory. Edmund: Edmund smiled. "I can tell that truth - ancient or not - is important to you. How did you become so interested in these particular events? Over and above the natural desire to seek knowledge." sd: "Just an intellectual interest. I need to return to my drums I fear, we'll speak more later," said Edoma. Edmund: "Would you like me to accompany you? I have my flute with me," Edmund asked. "If that would be acceptable at such an event." sd: "Flutes aren't considered appropriate for funerals, but we can sing together." Hogar: Hogar smiled at Leofric's victory "See?"he said to Sarina "As for your situation...how are things in Wunfjorthr? Any more troubles with the Whirlers? That..."Hogar paused for a moment as if to remember the name "Daelric has given you and your husband any problems or he's been keeping his head down?" Edmund: "I would be honoured to sing with you," Edmund said. Leofric: Leofric accepted his victory gracefully, "That was good." He smiled slightly as he glanced at Hogar. "Yes, I was wondering about that and any news concerning Kalmar? Wunfjorthr is closer." sd: "Well enough. As Untrim died in the expedition are electing a new Councillor, and someone who doesn't feel the need to go personally into battle will be elected instead."
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Post by sleepingdragon on Nov 2, 2014 12:38:09 GMT
sd: Dunstan's cousin Garrick gave Beomund a smile as he approached. "I don't think we've met before, but if I don't miss my guess you're one of the adventurers that lives with my cousin," he said. "I am Garrick, Lord of the Olthoring clan." sd: Sarina continued to speak to Leofric and Hogar, with Balnoth seated nearby. She shook her head. "I've not lost a match in years, I must have a rematch," she said to Leofric, shuffling her Tylaren deck. "Anyhow, as I was saying, there will be a new Councillor for our region now that Untrim is dead. My friend Hardwin should win, unless something goes quite amiss." sd: Edoma and Edmund headed down to Ealdorman Durwyn's burial mound, so she could resume her drumming while Edmund could lead their funeral dirge. Beomund: Beomund was still somewhat distracted by Rafena, but he did his best to focus on the man before him. "Indeed! Beomund is my name. I'm glad to meet you Lord Garrick, though I wish it were under better circumstances. I hope you and your kin are faring well these days." Hogar: "Untrim's death was a tragedy, but I'm sure his replacement will prove worthy." Hogar nodded Leofric: Leofric agreed with the sentiment, "Hopefully with the best interests of the region in mind." sd: "Well enough, I've been renovating the estate that Dunstan's father left. There are lizardmen in the Peadawash but they've not caused us any trouble, from what I've been told they seem to be fewer in number these days," said Garrick. "I am making allies around Stencumb though it is slow going. Some troublesome people have started a rumour that old Lord Morcar died too young. As if I would have one of my own kin poisoned! I may have to have it investigated to clear my name." sd: "Well you can trust me in that regard, and Hardwin will follow my advice I'm sure," said Sarina. Beomund: "Lizardmen?" replied Beomund. "This land has a new strange creature every time I turn around." He listened to Garrick's other problem thoughtfully. "Do you have enemies trying to spread this rumor, or do you think it just comes from the overly suspicious?" Edmund: Edmund nodded to Edoma as he joined her in the drumming. sd: "Mostly the latter, though of course I am new to the region and some may not approve of me for that reason," said Garrick. sd: Edoma seemed to not know how to harmonise with Edmund for a time, but soon they found their rhythym, with Edmund leading the singing and Edoma driving the beat of the drums. Leofric: Leofric smiled slightly at Sarina's idea, "I would like rematch as well." He settled down Beomund: Beomund chuckled. "I know the feeling of a newcomer. I will certainly keep an eye out for if I see any hint of someone else being involved in his death." sd: Sarina and Leofric engaged in their rematch, which was lengthy and very cautious. Sarina had underestimated her opponent the last time, moving her cavalry and wizards forward far too readily, but this time she played a steady, simple match. As they continued and they whittled down one another's forces, Sarina ostentatiously muttered something under her breath and one of her tokens moved forward under its own power. Clearly she hoped to disconcert Leofric with this small display of magic, but this was of no use to her, and indeed it was now that Leofric employed a sudden gambit, driving his cavalry forward. Though the odds were against him, the cards favoured him and soon he was able to launch a lightning raid against her capital resulting in another victory. Edmund: When the chance came for a break in the music, Edmund moved accross to speak to two people he never met before - a bearded older man and a young woman. sd: the man was perhaps in his fifties, with white hair and a paunch, while the woman was slender and in her late twenties, with long brown hair. They were deep in conversation as Edmund approached, but turned to greet him. "Well met!" the woman said. "I am Mildryth, of the Larring clan of Tarnemuthe."
"And I am Oswine of the Canderings, of Saltanstede. The late Ealdorman's brother was a good friend of mine before his death. You are one of the Gastonlander adventurers, is that right?" Hogar: Hogar was surprised for a moment when Sarina used magic in her game against Leofric. "You are a woman of many resources." he commented after the latter's victory "But it seems Leofric wins the rematch, too." he smiled Leofric: Leofric looked at Sarina with a hint of smile in his eyes and accepted this small victory gracefully, "That was interesting match. Maybe we can play again in the future?" Edmund: Edmund bowed to Oswine, and then with a smile to Mildryth. "I am indeed. Although so much has happened since we left that Gastony seems a long way behind me now. Phalen has become my home." sd: Sarina shook her head. "It's been too long since I had a good match, my husband and his retainers are all terrible players," she said, sounding annoyed. "Next time I'll need to trounce you to make up for this." As Sarina spoke, Hogar and Leofric noticed that a man near the bottom of the mound was looking in their direction. He was a stout man, and the shield on his back and his surcoat both bore the symbol of the Prophet's Star. sd: "You can trounce me, Sarina, it's been years since I played," said Balnoth in a mollifying tone. "I have a short time before the eulogy." sd: Mildryth and Oswine looked at each other for a long moment. "If you are returning to Phalen, perhaps you can help us," said Mildryth finally. "While we've been speaking we've uncovered signs of something quite alarming." Leofric: Leofric stood up, brushing off the grasses of the mound and bowed slightly, "I will look forward to the inevitable trouncing in this game from you, my Lady. Please excuse us." He glanced over at the man wearing the symbol of the Prophet's Star and strolled friendly toward the man. Edmund: Edmund raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Something that affects both of you, you mean?" sd: the man removed his glove and extended a hand to Leofric as he approached. "Ser Andasca, of the Silvered Blade," he introduced himself, though unexpectedly his accent was that of a Palanian native rather than a man of Gastony. Hogar: Hogar smile at Balnoth words and then said "If you excuse me...." to both before following Leofric to met the other man Hogar: edit: smiled at Balnoth's words sd: Mildryth nodded, and paused before she began. "My father died about a year ago," she said. "He had previously been a mercenary adventurer like yourself, but had settled down. Still, he would occasionally go into the field. He received a messenger from a contact in Phalen, Sinley of the Immering clan, about some kind of expedition, though I never managed to get much out of him about what it entailed. Some kind of Alanian ruin, he said. At any rate, my father didn't return from this expedition, and eventually..." she sighed. "Eventually some men found his head east of the river. Orcs, we thought." Leofric: Leofric smiled as he grasped Andasca's hand firmly and shook his hand, "Nice to see you, Ser Andasca. Leofric: meet* Hogar: "The Silvered Blade!"said Hogar joining Leofric and Andasca in discussion "A prestigious and worthy order. We fought beside them in Kalmar, if it was not for them we would have been slain and the keep taken."he said with obvious respect in his words Leofric: "Nice to meet you, Ser Andasca. I hope you are well today. How fares thee and your journey here?" Edmund: "I am sorry for your loss," Edmund said quietly, then waited for her to continue. sd: "I've heard great tales of your valour there," said Ser Andasca. "It's been a long road from Prestenbroc, but I was already visiting kin in Middlemere when I learned of the Ealdorman's death, and my father and he were friends so I thought to pay respects." Ser Andasca replaced his glove. "I'll be returning to Prestenbroc in the morning. In Middlemere I was given a message to pass to you as we thought it likely you would be here - if you'll recall, our Order is planning to open routes from Prestenbroc to the faithful in Weltry, the truest Virians native to this land. I believe when you were in Prestenbroc you spoke to us about this and indicated an interest in the matter - though, of course, we would not hold you to this. After all, your actions in Kalmar alone have been of greater service to God and the Way than most accomplish in their lives." sd: Mildryth, however, did not continue, but looked to Oswine. "My nephew Cena, too, was an adventurer. About six months ago, he also received a message about an expedition from this Sinley of the Immering clan. I believe the messenger he met was the same one that Mildryth's father Bayen received, though he used a different name. The description of the man is very familiar - tall, slender, dark-haired, left-handed, in his early thirties. My nephew, too, did not return."
"After my father's death, we had the vicinity searched thoroughly and we found effects belonging to this messenger - until speaking to Oswine I assumed he had been killed and his body taken away. Now I believe otherwise," said Mildryth. "There were broken weapons of orcish make at the site, but no tracks - we thought they had been washed away in the rain, but...I am frankly not so certain that my father was slain by orcs at all." Edmund: Edmund was silent for a while, frowning in thought. "There must be something that links the two," he said eventually. "Can you think of anything?" sd: "I don't know," said Mildryth. "They were both adventurers, and had been fine mercenaries in their day. Perhaps they uncovered something in those days. My father told me not to worry and wouldn't say much of his expedition, and took his old journals with him. We never recovered them." Leofric: "Indeed, I like to help out in the Order's devout service in performing such tasks. As Hogar pointed out, we have the greatest respect for your Order whose tasks is benefical to the people and indeed of the Way. We will keep the request in mind for the future and when we were able to help out due to our onerous commitments." He bowed his head with respect. sd: "My nephew did the same," said Oswine. "I think the two knew something that this Sinley wanted, but I've no idea what that might be I fear." He paused. "We have no real proof of our suspicions as yet, only a remarkable coincidence. So I'd ask that if you are to make enquiries for us, you do so very quietly. If you can find the proof, I will make it my goal in life to see Sinley of the Immerings exposed before all of Palania." sd: Ser Andasca nodded. "Of course. When you are ready for the task, visit the Grand Chapel in Phalen and send a message and we will prepare. Or if you find your other commitments too pressing, simply let us know. There will always be an opportunity for us to draw our blades together in the future, I fear." Hogar: Hogar nodded "Aye, such are the times" Leofric: Leofric nodded, "Yes, unfortunately so but there is always hope in this lands." He gave his respects Edmund: Ednund nodded. "I will speak to my companions but I am sure we will be prepared to investigate. Can we meet up after the funeral is over?" sd: "Of course," said Mildryth. sd: Garrick and Beomund played a few hands of cards, with the Lord of the Olthorings eventually coming out ahead. As they wrapped up a match, Durwyn the Younger left the burial mound, as torches appeared in the woods to the south. Balnoth, who had just finished narrowly losing at Tylaren to Lady Sarina, stood and moved to the burial mound, indicating that the others should also take their positions. Edmund: Edmund continued conversing with Oswine and Mildryth for a time, then moved towards the mound. Beomund: Beomund thanked Garrick for the game and moved near the burial mound, finding a spot near Rafena and giving her a nod before glancing away. Leofric: Leofric glanced over at Aethelu and Annis before moving toward the burial mound, removing a stray grass blade on his finer scholar's clothing. Hogar: Hogar made for the mound with the others, as the burial was likely about to begin sd: Ealdorman Durwyn's body was carried slowly towards the burial mound, upon the shoulders of his Thegns, led by his son. He had been dressed in elegant clothes and a sword was clasped in his hands. He had died some years ago, however his body had been preserved by the arts of the local priests, until his time came to be buried with his forefathers. They had stitched up what must have been the wound that slew him, a great hole in the throat, but they could still see broken, decaying threads of flesh where the arrow had pierced into the Ealdorman.
Also carried out was a dead Thegn, Frithwald, who had been slain protecting his master's body from the elves. Durwyn the Younger had decreed that Frithwald, though not a member of their clan, would nonetheless be entombed with the Ealdorman in honour.
Balnoth ascended the funeral mound. Though his chief deity was the god of luck, Bealdoric, he intoned the names of two other pagan deities instead - Tharwyrd, keeper of the souls of the honoured dead, and his wife Leofena, who wove out the destinities of all men into a tapestry of infinite intricacy. sd: edit - he had died some WEEKS ago Edmund: Edmund paid close attention, interested in the pagan beliefs. Leofric: Leofric watched with interest as he never seen a pagan burial. He is itching to see that body burnt. Hogar: Hogar too focused on the ritual, and the body itself, especially the wounds made by the elves Beomund: Beomund stood watching solemnly. sd: the pagans of Palania did not burn the dead like Virians, believing that this would hinder Tharwyrd in his mission to draw out the soul of the dead to bring it to its rest. They came forward and stopped before the hole in the mound, waiting as Balnoth delivered his eulogy for the fallen Ealdorman, recounting the events of his life.
Durwyn had been born in the one hundred and nineteenth year after the ascent of the Valings, or hundred and seventy-fourth in the Virian reckoning, the son of Darwin the second son of the Lord of the Yenling clan. Balnoth and Durwyn had met fighting alongside one another in the terrible war between Bluebrycg and Middlemere, fighting under the banner of Middlemere. Durwyn won renown in this time by slaying a bold Thegn of Saltanstede, Eadbert Eoling, in single combat.
Following the war, Durwyn wed his love, Gethwine of the Ganaring clan of Cranleaht. She had given him one son, but her ill health prevented her from bearing him any more children and she died young. Balnoth explained that Durwyn was a man who cared strongly for his family and loved his wife so dearly he had refused to remarry, though he had only been thirty-five when she passed away and had received numerous offers that would have benefitted him politically.
As a warrior, the Ealdorman had a brilliant record. At the age of twenty-nine he had routed the bandits of Tocburh, and three years later had led the forces of the Darkholt against an incursion of dragonspawn from the Camber Hills, repelling them with minimal loss of life. Equally, however, he was valued for his wisdom, having been the most prominent voice in the Darkholt urging his uncle Edric, then the Ealdorman, to ally with the then newly reformed Council.
Following Edric's death, Durwyn had become the Ealdorman of Cranleaht sixteen years ago. He had forged a powerful alliance with the other great clan of the Darkholt, the Elmerings, through the marriage of his son Durwyn the Younger to Wankild of the Elmering clan. Though he had few relatives with which to seal other marriage alliances, he had nonetheless won many friends, such as Balnoth himself as well as Skeyrne of the Folk of Iskar, the Olthoring clan of the north, and recently the Werlings of Middlemere.
"Now his spark has gone out of the world, and he is lost to us until we too cross the veil," Balnoth intoned ceremonially. "Let us honour his name forever, for we who still live will never know his like again." Beomund: Beomund looked at the dead man as the priest recounted his deeds. All that ended by a blow, and now the body only an empty vessel... He looked up at the sky for a long moment. Hogar: Hogar seemed somewhat impressed by the list of the feats described by Balnoth Edmund: Edmund listened, thinking that it was a pity someone like Durwyn should lose his life in this way, while men like Dunstan's father survived, unless someone put an end to them. Leofric: Leofric looked at Balnoth and merely stared, pondering on the unfairness of the world. sd: they lifted the Ealdorman and his fallen Thegn and brought them into the burial mound. Durwyn the Younger opened a chest which contained goods to be interned with his father. There was an axe and a spear, a bow and arrows, and many daggers, as well as fine drinking vessels, a drum, and many gems and coins. These were taken out of the chest and brought in one by one, slowly and solemnly. The Ealdorman was laid on a stone slab within the dark tomb and his Thegn left to rest at his side, to protect his master on the road to the next world.
Once all the goods were laid in the tomb, Durwyn the Younger was left alone in the tomb with his father, the path barred by the Thegns. The young lord chanted ritual praise for his deceased sire and for valiant Frithwald, and then slowly left the tomb. Balnoth led supplications to Tharwyrd, calling on the god to curse any who would dare disturb the Ealdorman's rest. Finally, Durwyn the Younger exited the tomb, and the Thegns took up spades and began to shovel earth over the entryway to the tomb. The other funeral guests did the same, and though the Thegns would do the lion's share of the work it was expected that all mourners would move at least some earth. Leofric: Leofric gave a hand in moving some earth, even though he is clearly weak as evidenced in his thin frame, his size managed to overcoome that. sd: Dunstan looked at the shovel wordlessly, then threw one of the world's smallest clumps of dirt haphazardly towards the entrance before passing the shovel to Atol. Edmund: Edmund stepped up and took a shovel from another mourner and dug into the earth, shifting several spadefuls before handing it on. Hogar: Hogar shoveled vigorously, moving back a good quantity of earth before handing the tool to someone else to give them their chance Beomund: Beomund shoveled a respectful scoop but, seeing Dunstan's reaction, did no more before handing away his shovel. sd: the party were quartered in an outbuilding in the Yenling estate, and returned there. They received a message saying that Oswine and Mildryth would be visiting them within the hour, while Beomund was brought a short note by a young boy of twelve. You whisper to Beomund: the note was signed in Rafena's hand, and had directions to her home on the eastern side of Cranleaht. Beomund: Beomund cleared his throat, and his eyes widened slightly upon seeing the note, which he hastily stuffed into his pocket. Edmund: Edmund raised an eyebrow at this reaction. Leofric: Leofric rested, with both of his swords resting on its side, was scribbing in his journal when he glanced up at the young boy's arrival and rose an eyebrow as to what the message could be Hogar: Hogar did not react in any particular way, obviously trusting whatever Beomund was up to would be acceptable Edmund: Edmund winked at Beomund then readied himself for the visitors. sd: Mildryth and Oswine arrived shortly before sundown. "I assume your companion," Mildryth indicated Edmund, "has informed you of our request." Leofric: Leofric nodded as he stood, "Indeed, your assumption is correct. I was very surprised to hear the context behind the request and already, I am concerned about the coincidences or not." Hogar: "It seems an unrgent enough matter."said Hogar "I think we should investigate it" Beomund: "Do you know anything about this Sinley?" asked Beomund. "Perhaps how they knew him?" sd: "My nephew, I believe, met him while working in Phalen several years ago. I'm not sure of the exact circumstances," said Oswine. "I believe Sinley was also a mercenary in his day, perhaps they had worked together, or knew people who had." Leofric: "Indeed, we don't want anyone else going on this strange journey and suffers the same fates as well." Leofric concurred with Hogar Edmund: "If they served as mercenaries together, this may well be about treasure of some kind," mused Edmund. Leofric: Leofric nodded for a moment and glanced at Mildryth, "The fact your father took all his old journals suggests that there must be some history involved in it as well." sd: "My father never mentioned knowing this Sinley - I think they had known some of the same people, but not known each other directly," said Mildryth. "Some kind of treasure is a likely reason, or some old score I don't know about." Edmund: "Do either of you have any remaining records, letters or such, which might give us any clues?" asked Edmund. "And can you show us on a map where the attacks happened?" sd: "I didn't bring any with me," said Mildryth. Oswine shook his head as well. "Until today I had no reason to think we would need them. If you have a map however we can show you," he said. Edmund: Edmund nodded and fetched a map from his pack. sd: Mildryth and Oswine indicated where their kin had been slain. Mildryth's father had died east of Tarnemuthe, towards the Gundergrad hills, while Oswine's nephew's death came roughly midway between Prestenbroc and the ruins of Grantun. Edmund: Edmund frowned as he looked down at the map. "They don't seem to be heading towards the same destination. But if they are about the same distance from their starting point, maybe something happened at the same time, say after a couple of days travelling. Which might suggest the attacks were orchestrated. " sd: "They were far enough away from the river for an orc attack to be credible, and for aid to be too far away to help," said Mildryth. "I believe this messenger is the one responsible. I'd suggest going to Phalen and trying to discover who he is." Edmund: Edmund nodded. "You're right, that is the obvious place to start. Do you have the names of any of those people your father used to know?" sd: Mildryth frowned. "Not immediately, but I'll spend the night thinking of any and make sure you have them before you depart. For my part, I'll be heading back to Tarnemuthe to find any information I can, then I'll be travelling to Ceorlburh to stay with friends. If you need any assistance or if you get any information that's useful, please send a messenger." Edmund: "We will," Edmund promised. sd: in the morning, they prepared to set out back to Phalen. Synne, hearing what they intended to investigate, frowned and thought. "The name is familiar," she said. "The Immerings are some sort of clan from the north, I'm not sure of exactly where. If I recall correctly what I've heard, Sinley has no contact with his clan anymore and has been in Phalen for years." Edmund: "Really, so he is well known," Edmund said in surprise. "Is he there now I wonder." sd: "Not that well known. I suppose I can't blame him for not wanting to remain at home if he comes from Upriver or some other arse-end hole." Beomund: Beomund arrived back that morning looking like he'd gotten little rest. His expression was contemplative and conflicted. He listened to the others as they planned without contributing much. You whisper to Leofric: the Immering clan were originally of Talhope Weapontake, north of Wihthrycg on the borders of the Great Forest. They were a poor clan, by no means one of the great families of Palania, but they were known for producing fine warriors who held fast to their honour. Leofric: Leofric frowned for a moment as he considered the name, "Immering Clan once were of Talhope Weapontake, somewhere on the borders of the Great Forest, north of Wihthrycg if I am not mistaken. While poor, the clan is known for producing fine honourable warriors. Hogar: "Perhaps they wanted to increase their clan's wealth..."suggested Hogar, tentatively Edmund: "It seems unlikely the clan is involved if Sinley has no more to do with them," Edmund said. sd: Synne snorted. "These small clans, I know it well. They hold on to their fucking honour like a mad beggar clutching a mouldy round of bread crawling with maggots." Edmund: "Maybe it's all they have," Edmund said, softly. "But Simley'd break with his clan might indicate he is involved in things they would not approve of." Edmund: *Simley's sd: the party made their way back on the long road to Phalen, passing through Middlemere and then heading southeast down towards the river. They passed through Ceorlburh, a town of several thousand built around a strong stone fortress, before finally returning to the capital around mid-afternoon on 14 September. Dunstan, Synne and the rest of their entourage returned to the manor while the party were left to their own devices. sd: they began to ask around about Sinley of the Immering clan. They had significant difficulty finding anyone willing to talk, or who knew much about him. They passed through a great number of winesinks and taverns before Hogar finally found one man who recognised the name.
"Immering. Why is that familiar?" the man mused. He leaned over and consulted with one of his drinking companions. "Ah, I remember why I knew the name, of course! He's the one they found last week, someone or other broke into his estate and carved him up like a ham. A right messy way to go. I hope he didn't owe you money or something." Beomund: When informed of this information, Beomund looked grim. "This could mean there was someone else all along behind the murders, who got to Sinley too. Or he could have an ally who betrayed him - perhaps the sinister messenger. I think our next step must be to investigate the estate, or ask the authorities what they know of the murder." Hogar: Hogar did not seem pleased as he shared this information with the others, and agreed with Beomund's considerations before offering one of his own "Any reason to not have the authorities know?" Beomund: "I suppose we could try to ask in a way that does not arouse suspicion that we're looking deeply into the case, just to make sure word doesn't get to whoever killed him. Say that one of us had known him and just wanted to find out what happened." sd: taking Beomund's advice, the party contacted the City Watch covertly, claiming to have known Sinley of the Immerings and having only just found out of his death. The Watch recommended that they should therefore contact the estate - by all accounts, their retainers were hunting for the killer. They were given the name of the seneschal, Dunnere, who was currently managing the estate. The dead man had already been buried, however the Watch understood that one of his friends, Ingwulf of the Adalphing clan, would be holding a banquet the next night at his estate which would be dedicated to Sinley's memory. Leofric: "Well..." After leaving the City Watch, "Might be worth going to the banquet?" Leofric suggested. Hogar: "How? Should we just show up and ask to speak to Ingwulf?"asked Hogar Beomund: "We'll get in contact with this Dunnere or whoever else might give us access," said Beomund. "I think we may have to reveal some of the truth at least, to make them interested in talking. That we'd heard of murders going on among folk who knew him years ago. We could say we came back to Phalen because we were concerned for his safety." Leofric: "And clearly, we were too late." Leofric commented afterward. Leofric: "I like this idea and there always should be grain of thruth." Hogar: Hogar agreed "Then it is settled. We will try get the chance to talk to him"
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Post by sleepingdragon on Nov 8, 2014 14:08:52 GMT
sd: learning that Sinley was dead, the party agreed to seek out his seneschal, Dunnere, to see if they could learn more. By now it was quite late, so they returned to their manor for the night and decided to continue their investigation in the morning. Beomund: Beomund returned to his own room to continue his practice with the new magic he was learning from the Conclave, planning to seek out Dunnere in the morning. Edmund: Edmund practised his music and set about writing some new songs. Leofric: Leofric retired to his room, reflecting on many issues on magic and faith, looking in deep thoughts. Hogar: Hogar went off to his quarters to rest sd: in the morning, they went to seek out the dead man's manor house. It was on the edge of the safer, more prosperous western edge of the city, about the same size as their own manor. Though west Phalen was more secure than the poorer areas around the river, orc attacks were not unknown and like every wealthy home in the city it was encircled by a high wall and stout iron gate.
Edmund convinced the doorman that it would be worth Dunnere's while to speak to them, and after some debate they were allowed to enter and brought to a drawing room to wait for the seneschal. It was a large, well-furnished chamber with a round, polished wooden table and comfortable, high-backed chairs. They entered the room through a solid oaken door, and to their right as they entered were large double doors above which was mounted the stuffed head of a cyclops, its eye removed from the socket. Other stuffed heads lined the walls - orc, goblin, and dragonspawn, as well boar, wolf, and deer.
The doorman bid them sit and offered them wine from a clear decanter he retrieved from a small cabinet next to the door. Hogar: Hogar glanced at the stuffed heads - gory trophies of past battles - with silent respect Edmund: Edmund tasted the wine. Beomund: Beomund nodded his head, impressed with the trophies, and took a glass of wine. Leofric: Leofric eyed at the cyclops and glanced at Hogar for a moment before partaking his wine. sd: the wine was good and provided them with fine refreshment while they waited for Dunnere. The seneschal entered about fifteen minutes later through the double doors, a thin-faced man with dark hair, dark eyes, and a severe expression. A guardsman with an axe at his belt accompanied him, and remained standing while the seneschal sat.
Dunnere sat in silence for a while. After about twenty seconds he finally said, "I understand you have sensitive information for me," he said. "Please explain yourselves. I've heard of you by reputation, but I don't believe we've met before." Edmund: Edmund bowed to Dunnere. "I hope what you have heard of us has been good. We do have some information, which we had hoped to give to your late master. We have recently attended the funeral of Earldorman Durwyn of Cranleaht, and while we were there we heard some disturbing accounts of two men who had been killed while travelling east of the river. The incidents were seperate, but it seemed that they both had connections with Sinley of the Immering Clan. We determined to warn Sinley n our return to Phalen but it seems we were too late. sd: "Who were these two men? And what were their connections to my late master? Old adventuring companions of his?" Edmund: "From what we heard, both of them had been adventurers. Their names were Bayen and Cena," Edmund said, watching Dunnere for any reaction. sd: Dunnere thought for a moment. "The names are vaguely familiar, but I'm not sure exactly who they were," he said. Edmund: "Bayen was of the Larring clan, and Cena of the Canderings," Edmund said. You whisper to Edmund: the seneschal seemed genuinely not to recognise the names sd: "The Larrings are a Tarnemuthe clan I believe, but I'm not aware of any connection they had to my master. What was it?" Edmund: As Dunnere seemed to be genuinely ignorant of the two names, Edmund decided to be more informative. "Both of them received a message, purporting to be from Simley himself, which caused them to set out on these fatal expeditions. From a description, the messenger in each case was the same man." sd: "I see. I'm not aware of these messages but my master was a busy man and had many interests I was not actively involved with. It is troubling coincidence, but no more than that I suspect." Edmund: "The messenger in both case was in his early thirties, tall, slender, dark-haired and left-handed. Have you maybe seen anyone of that description coming to the manor?" asked Edmund. sd: "I don't believe so. What was the content of these messages, do you know?" Edmund: Edmund shook his head. "All we know if that the two dead men were invited to take part in expeditions of some kind. We do know the names of some of their old comrades. Brunwith, Cenfrith, Lord Stearc, Sabert and Tilman. Of course all of them may be at risk if these deaths are connected." Edmund: "Also Godfrith, Falcenhelm and Alfar." Edmund added, as he recalled the names. sd: though he denied it, at the mention of the messenger a look of what they thought might be anger passed briefly across Dunnere's face. "Well Lord Stearc is at no risk, he fell ill and died two years ago. Most of those names I'm not familiar with, though Falcenhelm I know, he's a brewer." Edmund: "Not all of them will be in Phalen no doubt but we could at least warn those who are," Edmund said, then added. "Can we ask about the circumstances of the attack on your master? How did someone get into the manor to commit such a crime?" sd: "They picked the lock on the window to his study and were able to sneak into his private chambers from there to kill him," said Dunnere. "He was asleep. I can pass a message to Falcenhelm, you may wish to see if any of these others are in the city." Edmund: Edmund nodded. "Thank you for your help," he said, although in fact the man had given them precious little in the way of information. "If you see that man - the messenger - would you let us know?" sd: "As you wish. Was there anything else?" Beomund: "Only one other thing," added Beomund as they prepared to leave. "Had your master seemed troubled at all lately, or spoken of any unusual strangers or odd behavior from those he knew?" sd: "No, he seemed in quite good spirits. He had been busy with some matters, but nothing too taxing I believe." Beomund: "Thank you Dunnere. If you don't know much about those matters he was concerned with lately, we would appreciate it if you could find the time to look into them a bit. Any lead might be helpful in finding his killers." sd: "We are already looking into the matter, but thank you for coming to speak to me," said Dunnere. "Good day." The seneschal departed and the guardsman remained behind to escort the party away. Leofric: Leofric shook his head at that answer, he glanced at his friends and made ready to leave the building Edmund: Once they were outside, Edmund indicated they should speak privately. "Did you notice his reaction to the description of the messenger?" Hogar: "He did not seem pleased"commented Hogar Edmund: "With us, or with someone else, that is the question," Edmund mused. "It was the only suggestion he knows more of this matter than he told us." Leofric: "Still, we may know eventually. Hopefully we can find out more in the upcoming banquest." Leofric commented Edmund: "We need to get invitations," Edmund said, considering. "Ingwulf is of the same clan as Godfrith, who Oswine said knew his nephew. Maybe this gives us a way to kill two birds with the single stone?" sd: the party set out for information. Hogar found a useful contact in a tavern who had worked for Ingwulf previously and knew exactly who in his estate they should speak to. Edmund was able to charm them while Leofric dropped names of influential people they supposedly knew who would be disappointed if they were not at such an event. After passing a few bribes and working their way through the various walls of underlings Ingwulf had erected to ensure he only had to interact with those who moved in the same social circles, they were able to secure invitations.
The banquet had been planned for some weeks, before Sinley's death, and they had decided upon a theme of a 'festival of talent'. The guests were encouraged to find new and exciting clothes to wear, to seek to set new fashionable trends, and to be prepared to entertain - and be entertained - by their fellow banqueters to see who was the most capable and interesting. This theme had nearly been abandoned after Sinley's murder, however Ingwulf had decided that his friend, as an amiable and flamboyant individual, would have wanted it to go on regardless. sd: several of them had to buy clothes suitable for the occasion, so they went to do this and while they were about they investigated further. A number of people confirmed Sinley's somewhat sinister reputation - he had been widely known to have underworld contacts and been rumoured to be involved in assassinations and smuggling. This had gone so far that one of the Council had investigated him around the time that he settled in Phalen five years ago, but nothing had been able to be proven. With this reputation, people were not surprised by his brutal murder, the details of which they gossiped about with distubring relish. The most common speculation was that the man had been killed by a woman he had spurned, or alternately the husband of a woman he had failed to spurn. These and many contradictions came out of the accounts, but the most common detail which seemed to be more genuine was that the man's body had been mutilated, one of his eyes cut from its socket. Edmund: When they met together afterwards, Edmund asked Leofric if he thought this significant. "Maybe for a magic ritual?" Leofric: Leofric agreed with Edmund, "Feel like it. There are magics which can use these body parts after all." Hogar: Hogar wore a fine tunic and vest and some sturdy but well-made fur-lined boots as he met with the others. "Or it could be some sort of vengeance, perhaps. Eye for an eye?" Edmund: "If it had been a spurned lover, I imagine she would have removed something else," Edmund said with a slight smile. Beomund: "No way to say until we can find more information. Hopefully there will be some clue at the banquet," said Beomund with a shrug. Edmund: "We should have investigated Sinley's past before interviewing his seneschal," Edmund said becoming serious. " No doubt the man is implicated in his crimes, and knows far more than he let on." Hogar: "It sounds like he made many, many enemies along his 'career'."said Hogar Edmund: "And well deserved them," Edmund said. Edmund: Edmund had also changed into new clothes for the banquet - a pure white linen shirt with black trews, and a jacket of a rich dark green edged with white fur. He had soft leather boots on his feet, and silver glinted on his finger. sd: the party prepared themselves for the banquet, which began two hours before sundown that evening.
Ingwulf's estate was a spacious set of buildings covering several acres on the western edge of the city, with several adjoining fields beyond the city walls. After leaving their weapons in a storeroom, they were led to the chief manor house and into a marbled courtyard. A set of steps led up to the banqueting hall, a large, three storey-building near to the north wall of the estate. As they approached there were musicians playing near the stairs, and some of the guests were dancing on large circular rugs to either side of the stairs, however more attention was being paid to a young man by the fountain at the base of the stairs, who was casually juggling a pair of daggers and chatting conversationally to his audience, who were keeping a healthy distance. As the party approached, his attention was taken up for a moment and lost control of one of the knives, which fortunately went away from him and landed in the fountain. The young man fetched it out, grumbling and shaking water from his elaborate red cuffs. Edmund: Edmund strode forward confidently, nodding to people here and there. Edmund: His lute swung at his back, and his flute was tucked into a special case thrust through his belt. Beomund: Beomund came in holding a sack filled with small rectangular blocks of wood. Nodding to those that he passed, he found a spot to start building a small but elaborate tower on the ground, with triangular doorways and long blocks for spires. Edmund: Edmund took out his flute, moved to the top of the steps so that he could best be heard, and began to play. Hogar: Hogar seemed slightly disappointed at having to give up his weapons - mentioning offhand that these were a 'talent' of his - but soon enough got used to that as he glanced around, looking for others performing interesting feats of their own sd: a lord in perhaps his forties, though with prematurely greying hair, and his younger wife approached Beomund and watched him construct his tower. "If you can build real towers you may have the most useful talent here, God knows we'll need them," he said. "More than fools who think they can juggle," he added, glancing back at the young man who was again failing to juggle his knives. Shaking his head, the young man stalked up towards the banqueting hall. Leofric: Leofric decided to show off the width and in depth of his knowledges, especially around the legends and folklores of the olden times. Beomund: "I have worked with great engineers, my lord," said Beomund. "I hope my talents can be of use to Phalen." He stood to introduce himself. Hogar: The brawny Hogar boldly offered to demonstrate his great endurance by performing feats of eating and drinking, or perhaps breath-holding. sd: "I am Thurstan, Lord of clan Meyling," the man said to Beomund. "This is my lady, Edusa. If I don't mistake your accent, you are from Gastonland, yes? I hope to complete my pilgrimmage to Mount Maragar as soon as the seas are safe, but these things take time." Edmund: Getting into his stride, Edmund played some of the old airs from his homeland. sd: while Leofric spoke of old legends, another young man came down to watch. He introduced himself as Eorcenbald, and offered to team up with Leofric - Leofric could provide the legends, and Eorcenbald would declaim and put them into words to stir the soul. Beomund: Beomund respectfully greeted both Thurstan and Edusa. "Ah, a Virian!" replied Beomund to Thurstan's mention of Mount Maragar. "It's always good to meet folk of the Way in this land. I took the pilgrimage with... with my late wife soon before crossing the sea. Hopefully our victory in Kalmar will start making it easier for folk such as you to make the trip." sd: One of the serving men brought Hogar what he named as Fryderi frostwine, a frigid and powerful alcohol from the northernmost lands of the world. Several guests egged Hogar on to down the entire decanter in one long swallow. sd: one of the women who had been dancing finished with her partner, then came over to watch Edmund. "You play beautifully," she called to him. "Would you like a dance? I should like to see if you move with music as well as your music moves me." Edmund: Edmund bowed gracefully to the woman, and took her hand. "I would be honoured, although I hope I can do justice to your own talent." Hogar: Hogar took the wine bottle and opened it, taking a few seconds to savor its chilling scent before raising his head to swallow it all in a single gulp. Leofric: Leofric smiled faintly and agreed to team up with Eorcenbald, "That should be interesting." sd: "Wyneue," the woman introduced herself to Edmund, taking his hand. She was in her late thirties, with raven-dark hair and an alluring smile. The musicians struck up a quick, energetic tune, and she led the dance, moving with great grace. Edmund: Edmund was far less capable and apologised for his unfamiliarity with the steps. "I must practise my dancing as well as my music." sd: "Few musicians dance well in my experience," said Wyneue. "When someone else is playing, they are too busy envying them to get wrapped up in the music." She gave a curtsy. "You are a Gastonlander, yes? Do you know Ingwulf?" sd: "It's becoming more common to meet those of the Way, fortunately," said Thurstan to Beomund. "More and more will convert as we did, it's God's will. I have spoken to Ingwulf of it - it's clear the future of the land lies with the Virian Way, but he is stubborn." Edmund: "I have not had the pleasure of meeting him as yet," Edmund replied. "I am a comparative newcomer to Phalen." sd: Eorcenbald and Leofric entertained the guests with legends from Gastony. Eorcenbald narrated the tales and took on their parts, while Leofric provided the details. Few in Palania had heard the tales of Canulf Blood-Hand and other heroes, so they listened with great interest. "I thought I might be the only man of letters here," he said to Leofric. "Ingwulf's tastes in entertainment are more...visceral." Beomund: "Can you tell me anything about Ingwulf beyond his stubbornness?" asked Beomund. "We've not spent much time with him or his kin." sd: "A man of some influence, not a Lord like myself but wealthy. His clan were prominent in the liberation of the city but many of them died and left money and land to him. He is skilled at making people like him," said Thurstan. "And a patron of the arts, albeit mostly of the more vulgar sort, bawds and fire-eaters and fortune tellers." sd: "Ingwulf will be pleased to have newcomers to corrupt," Wyneue giggled. "He'll mourn for Sinley for a time, but he'll allow himself to be diverted I'm sure." Edmund: "You know Ingwulf well?" Edmund asked. "I never met Sinley either, but I've heard some tales!" Beomund: "And what of his deceased friend, my lord? I did not meet him personally, though we felt we should pay our respects. He didn't have the brightest of reputations, but Ingwulf at least must have seen something to like in him. Was he well known in high circles?" sd: "Sinley? You knew him better, didn't you love?" Thurstan asked his wife, who nodded. "He was...somewhat known. The Council and others, they didn't generally try to get to know him well. Ever since those mercenaries expelled him his name was dragged through the mud, though never with any great details." sd: "Oh Sinley was a character. I'm not surprised by how he ended, frankly. There's a page of his I've had drinks with at times and he says the man kept strange hours and had very unsavoury visitors. Probably one of them who killed him at last," Wyneue said to Edmund. Leofric: Leofric smiled with a hint of delight, "Your spoken speechs were very well done. I enjoyed them. From the sound of it, Ingwulf doesn't appreciate the enlightened entertainment, so what kind does he prefer after all?" Hogar: "Chilling"said Hogar a few seconds after having finished his wine-drinking feat. Though slightly dazed, he turned his attention to the conversation his friends were having, some distance from him sd: "The unsubtle kind," Eorcenbald replied. "Lewd dances and songs, sword-swallowers, jugglers, and so on. Not much appreciation for books, though he'll trade in them if he can. Likes to keep his money working for him." Beomund: "Mercenaries, yes," replied Beomund thoughtfully. "We heard something of them. An important company he was involved in? Was it known why he was expelled, or is that what you mean by few details being available?" Edmund: "So you don't think it was a spurned lover or the husband of an unspurned lover, as the gossips are saying?" Edmund asked Wyneue. "From what I heard, it sounded like savage attack, which suggests some personal animosity." sd: "Important, yes. The Bloodied Eyes they call themselves, disgusting name," said Edusa. "I never heard any solid reason for why they threw him out, some kind of political witch hunt was the impression I always had." sd: "I doubt it," said Wyneue. "If it was Ingwulf I'd believe that, but for all his passions Sinley's driving interest was money. That would be the reason for this, I'll wager." Hogar: Seeing Leofric and Beomund busy in conversations of their own, Hogar decided to approach Leofric and Eorcenbald and join in heir conversation Hogar: edit: first Leofric is Edmund Edmund: "Some people do put money ahead of everything," Edmund said. "If you are not particular who you deal with I suppose that can become extremely dangerous." sd: a large, bald-headed man emerged from the banqueting hall, wiping grease from his mouth. After drying his hands thoroughly, he called for the serving men, who brought down an empty chest and then came out with sacks of grain. One by one, they placed the sacks in the chest, while the bald man stretched his muscles. Hogar: Hogar turned around for a moment to stare at the man Beomund: "Disgusting indeed, my lady. I won't make you talk more of such things on this occasion." He placed a couple more blocks on his tower, then offered to Edusa or Thurstan to remove any block from a series of rows, knowing that the structure was stable enough to remain standing. After this demonstration of his skills, he made an excuse and hurried over to whisper in Hogar's ear. Beomund whispers: "It sounds as if your Brotherhood may be involved, or someone is trying to make us think so. Sinley was expelled from their ranks after a bitter dispute, it sounds like. And of course his eye was removed..." Hogar: Hogar's eyes widened as his attention turned from the large man - who was likely going to perform some feat of strength - to Beomund's words sd: the bald-headed man slammed the lid down on the chest with a loud thump, bent, and hoisted it up onto his shoulder in one smooth motion. Muscles straining only slightly, he raised it above his head as high as he could and held it there for about half a minute, sweat beading on his forehead, before dropping it down onto the marbled floor. "Careful!" one of the servants cried plaintively, but the bald man laughed at him and headed off to get a drink. Hogar bisbiglia: "I should have made the connection earlier, what with the trophy and how he died" whispered Hogar "But I thought it could have been a mere coincidence. I hope I can find out more at the Brotherhood headquarters, if I can be discreet enough...."he added, though he did nto seem particularly convinced of the last part Leofric: "Ah..." Leofric agreed, "Well, at least we appreciated books very much indeed." He got a mead from one of the servants dotted around and took a swallow from his mead. "So he like to make money much as possible hmm..." He considered this as he watched this man achieved amazing feat. Edmund: "Would you join me in taking some refreshment?" Edmund said to Wyneue, offering her his arm. Hogar: Hogar whispered something back to Beomund's ear Hogar bisbiglia: "The most likely thing to me seems he broke some of our vows. He was a shady character, after all."Hogar added Beomund whispers: "Perhaps... but I wonder then how it would be connected to the other deaths." Beomund: Beomund continued to whisper with Hogar while marveling at the bald man's feat of strength. sd: "Certainly," said Wyneue, leaning happily on Edmund's arm. "What kind of refreshment suits your tastes?" sd: "His dead friend appreciated some books at least, though rather strange ones," said Eorcenbald. "Some woman who insinuated she was working for Sinley approached me with some very unusual requests, old Alanian books. Very obscure texts." Edmund: "A little of everything I think," Edmund replied with a grin. "Let's start with food and wine." Hogar: Hogar made a gesture of approval at the man's strength, though he was obviously far more interested in the conversation with Beomund. sd: A young lady of perhaps eighteen came down and attempted to sing, but her voice was shaky and she seemed unable to find the right pitch. Soon she gave up, looking rather shamefaced. Edmund: As they entered the room, Edmund asked Wyneue the names of the other diners. Leofric: Leofric looked at Eorcenbald with great interest, "Is that so? I got some knowledge of some Alanian texts. Excatly which ones were he asking for?" Hogar bisbiglia: "I suspect this is simply someone trying to make it look like it's the Brotherhood, rather than one of us exacting revenge."said Hogar, obviously sounding like he hoped for that to be the case "Though, if he had been expelled, he was obviously up to no good. It's a simple enough code."he added Beomund whispers: "Yes, I think you're right. But perhaps the Brotherhood might know more about his compatriates who might have done this. Let's keep asking around." sd: "I don't recall their exact titles, but they were about some of the mystery cults the Alanians had forbidden. Secret knowledge, consorting with demons, blood magic, divination, that kind of thing. I didn't have most of what they wanted and the few scholarly scrolls I had we couldn't negotiate a price for. That woman scared me, I'm not sure if she was entirely there, if you take my meaning," said Eorcenbald. sd: "Ingwulf is eating with Dunnere, Sinley's seneschal," she said, pointing out the two men at the top table. "I don't think they like each other but as Sinley is dead Dunnere came in his place. Falcenhelm up there is a brewer, he's provided the refreshments for tonight." Glancing to the table on the right, she mentioned a few other names. "That strapping young man is Stigand, he fancies himself a warrior. I think he's mostly hot air, but I'm particularly familiar with military matters. Now the person lifting that chest on the other hand I don't know, I've met him once before but his name escapes me, he only came to Phalen recently. The idiot who was juggling the knives is Wuldric, the youngest whelp of one of the Obolthing clan who are as irritating and insignificant as he is." sd: *not particularly familiar Leofric: Leofric shivered for a moment, "I see. There are risks with these things. No wonder she may not be entirely there..." sd: "What, do you think there's much to those tales? I always thought they were fantasies - magic obviously exists, but the Alanians banned any sort of magic, they'd probably have wanted to dress up their ban with that kind of story." Eorcenbald paused. "No offence intended of course, I'm sure in Gastonland you're more level-headed," he added. Edmund: "I have met with Dunnere once," Edmund said, nodding to the man as he glanced around the room. "Someone who had know Sinley in the past gave me a message for him, but unfortunately I arrived back in Phalen to find he had died." sd: a slender woman rose from the benches and strode barefoot towards the courtyard. Once there, she began to tumble and jump, stopping on one leg, holding in uncomfortable looking poses without no seeming trouble. While bent backwards, she gave Leofric a mischevious grin and then flipped back to a standing position. sd: "Perhaps someone didn't want him getting the message. You can tell me if you want, though I'll understand if it needs to be somewhere more secretive. I know how these things work," Wyneue laughed. Leofric: Leofric considered this for a moment, "My experiences suggests otherwise. During my journeys in this lands, I fought all manners of creatures such as the Vile Children which are children twisted by magic and incest in the swamps of Mollenmere to the elves and araneas in the Great Forest. I seen enough that I cannot discount such tales. Each tales and legends had a grain of truth in them and as such, they may be something to them." sd: Eorcenbald looked disconcerted. "If so then I'm glad she didn't get her hands on any of these books. Or from me, at least..." Edmund: Edmund smiled. "I think I should make the acquaintance of our host first, so that I can thank him for inviting me to this splendid banquet." Beomund: Beomund finished speaking with Hogar, and suggested they join Ed as he went to speak to Ingwulf. sd: seeing Edmund, Dunnere frowned and stood up wordlessly. Though Ingwulf had a series of hangers-on speaking to him, he turned to look at Edmund as he approached. "It's been a while since I've had a proper bard perform here, let's see what you can do," he said. "Not you, Wyneue, I already know how you perform." The assorted guests laughed dutifully at their host's joke. Hogar: Hogar agreed, adding that as soon as they had a moment alone with him they should share what Beo had found out Leofric: Leofric grinned at a slender woman back when she grinned back. When he glanced back at Eorcenbald, "Well, there is always a way to acquire what you want after all. I will ask for more care in these types of books." Edmund: Edmund bowed low and then took out his flute again, holding it as he began to sing one of the songs he had composed about their own adventures, and then playing his flute. sd: Falcenhelm, a stout, short man at the end of the table, sat watching Edmund. He had blank parchment to hand and was drawing on it with a quill pen. Stacked against the wall behind him were a number of caricatures of the other guests, most prominently Dunnere. Leofric: "Back in Gastony, we tend to burn these books" Leofric commented as an afterthought. sd: Ingwulf watched the performance with rapt attention. "Brilliant!" he exclaimed as Edmund finished. "Undead children? Gods, that's a thought to keep you up late into the night. Why haven't I met you before?" as he spoke, Falcenhelm finished his caricature and turned it around for Edmund to examine. His head was exaggeratedly large, his clothes significantly more provocative than those he was actually wearing, and Wyneue had been standing behind him rather than clinging to him while he played, but nonetheless it was not a bad likeness at all. Edmund: Edmund laughed as he saw what Falcenhelm had made of him. He bowed again to Ingwulf. "My companions and I have not that long been in this city. And we do find ourselves much in demand, so that we travel a great deal. It is a great pleasure to be here in this fine company." Hogar: Hogar seemed quite affected by Edmund's performanc too, especially the part mentioning the skeletal children they had to fight back then. Hogar: editerformance sd: "Another finished. Where's Ailwin?" Falcenhelm asked. "I want to see if I can get the sheen on his head right." Several others looked around but the big man couldn't be found. Falcenhelm shrugged. "When he's back I suppose," he said, and turned instead to examine a fat nobleman who was eating at one of the tables.
"It's fitting that you're here then, Sinley was a well-travelled man as well. Have you been to Suthfryd? He spent years there, dangerous place apparently. Slavers and pirates the lot of them, but they paid well," said Ingwulf. "Friends! Let's raise a glass to him now! For Sinley! May he rest well, and may his killer rot forever!" Ingwulf drained his glass and his guests did the same. Edmund: Edmund poured a glass of wine for Wyneue and himself, and drank it off. "From all accounts Sinley was quite a character. I am sorry I missed meeting him." Leofric: Leofric drank his mead in one go as well. Hogar: Hogar initially seemed intent on skipping the mead, after his earlier performance with the Frostwine, but then he accepted and drank together with Leofric and Edmund sd: Falcenhelm finished another caricature, set it aside, and indicated for one of the other party members to walk with him while Edmund conversed with Ingwulf.
"He was. A great loss. Some fools spoke ill of him, but people are always envious of those with ambition, I've found, and are willing to believe any tales about them," said Ingwulf. Beomund: Beomund nodded and went with Falcenhelm. Edmund: Edmund moved closer to the table, nodding at Ingwulf's words. "It's true, anyone who rises above the common herd makes enemies. But this attack on Sinley, which seems so... savage. Surely not the work of an envious rival?" sd: "Dunnere passed on your warning," he said. "I'm sad to hear Cena is dead, he was always good for a laugh. Am I right in hearing that the man who visited him is some kind of messenger? Dark-haired, left-handed, slender, early thirties?" sd: Ingwulf shook his head. "Envious rivals don't desecrate your body and steal your papers while leaving your gold behind. I'd say this was someone he'd made a personal enemy of, which he'd done a few times. Sinley wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty and this made him quite a few such people." Edmund: "You have no idea who?" Edmund asked. sd: "None as yet, no. Those bastards in the Brotherhood threw him out years ago and spread lies about him, but that was decades ago now and that's not their way. Otherwise..." Ingwulf spread his hands. Beomund: Beomund nodded to Falcenhelm. "Indeed. Have you heard news of this man?" Hogar: Hogar obviously did not appreciate Ingwulf's harsh words against the Brotherhood but said nothing, and seemed slightly relieved when the man seemed to agree it was unlikely it had been them sd: "Aye. I think I met him once years ago, dealing with some...business. Anyhow, he called himself Kenric then although I've heard other names for him. He does odd jobs but principally he's a knife for hire, and a good one. I thought he was working with Sinley though Dunnere pretended not to know who he was. He's been in Phalen recently anyway, someone I know saw him around the docks a few days ago though for obvious reasons he kept well away from him." sd: edit: said Falcenhelm Edmund: "Maybe he got involved in something which held dangers he was not aware of," Edmund suggested. "Who can tell." Beomund: Beomund scratched at his beard thoughtfully. "That is helpful. I can't say exactly what his involvement in all this is, but he's the man we'll need to find to stop more killing, I think. Do you know in what capacity he was working with Sinley, or anything else you think might help us understand what he's up to?" sd: "Sinley was digging into information about old Alanian cults, trying to uncover ruins. There are some deep in the Undercity, supposedly, places no one's uncovered yet," said Falcenhelm. "I don't know whether Kenric was involved in that or something else, it could be..."
"GREAT FUCKING GODS!" Lord Thurstan's voice suddenly broke through the noise, and there was the sound of rapidly moving feet on the floor above. Edmund: Edmund spun around, pushing his flute back into his belt. Beomund: Beomund moved immediately toward the commotion. sd: Lord Thurstan appeared at the top of the stairs in the corner of the banquet hall, panting. "By Osoltan..." he panted.
"You're not supposed to believe in him anymore, remember?" Ingwulf snapped. "What the fuck has happened?" he demanded, heading up the stairs. Hogar: Hogar hands reached for where his axe would normally be, but the weapon was of course not there. He moved towards the source of the shout Edmund: Edmund ran after the others. Leofric: Leofric glanced at them with interest, following Beomund, Hogar and Edmund. sd: Ingwulf and the party headed upstairs, with several others close behind them. They headed up the stairs, then out onto the parapet along the north wall.
Lord Thurstan pointed shakily towards a privy chamber at the far end of the wall. As the party approached, they saw that the door was slightly ajar. There were specks of blood on the parapet, and more in the privy itself. Through the half-open door they could see the big man, Ailwin, sprawled against the wall, motionless. As Ingwulf pushed the door open, they saw his throat had been slit wide open from behind, and there was a gaping, bloody hole where his eye had been cut from its socket. Edmund: "By the Star!" Edmund breathed, when the murdered man came into view. Hogar: Hogar could not help but curse as he saw what had happened Leofric: Leofric eyed the dead body impassively and frowned.
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Post by sleepingdragon on Nov 21, 2014 22:44:49 GMT
sd: seeing Ailwin's body, Ingwulf swore explosively. More of the guests were now following, with grim expressions on their faces.
"Whoever did this is the one who killed Sinley!" Ingwulf cried. "And now they've dared to murder someone in my house! I want their fucking head! Twenty-five gold to whoever brings it to me!"
While Ingwulf ranted, the warrior, Stigand, was looking over the side of the wall. "There are bloodstains down there," he said. "If the killer took Ailwin's eye it'll be messy. If we move fast we might be able to follow them!" Edmund: "We'll help, but we need our weapons," Edmund said. Hogar: Hogar added his voice to Edmund's requests "The sooner we get our gear back, the sooner we can start tracking the assasin!" sd: "Of course." Ingwulf shouted to his servants to fetch the party's equipment, as well as Stigand's. Falcenhelm also volunteered to come. "This killer is a threat to me too, if you're right about this," he said to the group. Falcenhelm took up a crossbow while Stigand had a sword and round shield. Leofric has connected. Leofric: Leofric nodded as he considered the murderous scenes before him Leofric: waiting patiently for his swords Edmund: "Of course it could be someone from the banquet," Edmund muttered to Leo as they waited. sd: once armed, the party moved out quickly into the street, Falcenhelm and Stigand in tow. Following a few spatters of blood they found here and there, they made their way north and east. Falcenhelm knew a shortcut leading in the same direction as the tracks, so they rushed off. To their frustration, they found that a gate Falcenhelm had forgotten was locked in their path, and it looked for a moment as if they would have to backtrack, however Edmund picked the lock quickly and on they went, to the sound of a servant at one of the nearby manor shouting after them angrily.
After a time, they picked up the trail again. It led up onto a set of roofs in one place, so Hogar climbed up and dropped a rope and they moved on. From the rooftops, they suddenly saw, in a side street a little under a mile from where they were, a flaming arrow fired up into the sky, and as they looked they got a glimpse of a dark figure glance up towards them and run.
They sped after him, coming near to the border area between the western section of the city, where the richest citizens lived, and the neighbourhood inhabited by craftsmen, small shopkeepers, and other such moderately prosperous families tended to reside. At one point, they passed into a narrow alleyway which had been blocked with a broken table and several stacked chairs wedging shut a broken gate, however Hogar and Stigand smashed the table to pieces and kicked their way through. The trail emerged out into a street running south to north. To their left, there stood an inn surrounded by a high iron fence, and to their right were a number of small dwelling places. Beyond those homes there was another, slimmer fence, which had an open gate just behind a squat stone residence. Footprints intermixed with small spatters of blood led towards the open gate. You whisper to Edmund: as the group turned and made their way towards the open gate, Edmund glanced to the squat house and suddenly saw a glint of steel at the window. A pair of goblins stood at the window, one with an arrow aimed towards the advancing party while the other prepared to throw the window open. Outside, not far from the open gate, a large figure cast its shadow out into the street, and it appeared to be holding a two-handed axe. Edmund: "Get down!" Edmund shouted. "Archers up there! Axemen behind the gate!" he added as he ducked down behind the fence. Edmund: edit* ducked down behind a cart Beomund: Beomund immediately darted to press himself against a nearby house wall, trying to assess the location of the enemies. Hogar: Hogar put his back to the wall and held his shield in front of him, while his eyes darted back and forth trying to spot the aggressors Leofric: Leofric followed Ed's warning and managed to cover himself as he got the shield sd: the figures obviously realised they had been spotted. There was a great roar from the small house by the gate, and several orcs burst from the shadows, wielding axes high over their heads. Goblins followed not far behind them with curved swords or bows. "RAID! AWAKE!" Stigand bellowed. sd: there were two goblins at the window of the house. One threw open the window while the second prepared to fire, however Falcenhelm's crossbow fired first. The bolt sliced through the air, and the goblin threw itself to the ground just in time to avoid being pierced, but abandoning its shot in the process. Leofric: Leofric muttered some words softly calling upon his power to grant himself protection by his Will. Hogar: Hogar glanced at the goblin at the window, his hatchet in hand ready to be hurled once he was closer sd: the other goblin at the window also dropped down out of sight, while others came into view. Several held bows and were looking for a position to fire from, while two others were running towards the group with shields held up to protect themselves from arrows sd: the orcs also burst forth. The largest, a massive specimen of seven and a half feet, towered over its compatriots, armoured in ugly metal scales. Another orc moved alongside their leader, protecting him with his shield, while the remainder rushed forward screeching war cries. Edmund: Edmund quickly muttered the words that brought his arrows to fiery life. sd: Falcenhelm was not far away and might have noticed these arcane gestures, but he was swearing under his breath and winding at his crossbow like a madman and did not seem to realise what the party were doing sd: Stigand braced himself for the orcish charge, shouting his own war cry. As he did, the door to the inn behind them burst open and three guardsmen wielding spears or swords. Seeing the orcish approach, they rushed towards the fray. Leofric: Leofric closed his eyes and made sight adjustment to his shield so he can use his left hand more freely and begun to mutter some words. Hogar: Hogar tossed his hatchet at one of the charging orcs. The weapon spun through the air and struck the orc's belly with great violence, tearing a bloody gash sd: one of the goblins in the street fired towards Beomund, but hit the steps leading up to the house he was standing by. You whisper to Beomund: - over the shouting, Beomund could hear the sound of people moving within the houses. There were frantic footsteps of those presumably running to lock or bar their front doors, but he also saw figures of humans by the upper windows of houses on either side, moving quickly and with a purpose Beomund: "People moving behind the windows," said Beomund as they braced for the charge, glancing at the houses to either side. "Hopefully on our side!" Edmund: Edmund drew out his flute and put it to his lips. Hogar: Hogar quickly readied his heavier axe, as the charging orc was now right in front of him. Leofric: Leofric finished casting his spell and frowned as his spell didn't work. He glanced up at the lit moon and the Prophet's Star and sighed for a moment before turning his attention onto the battle and eyeing the Orc, readying to move against him sd: the first two orcs reached the fray. One, wounded by Hogar's hurled axe, relented slightly in its charge, while the other slashed its huge axe down at Stigand, but missed widely. Beomund: Beomund moved up beside Stigand and swung at the charging orc, using its momentum against it. The hammer smashed easily through the orc's armor and into its chest, cracking some ribs and causing the creature to stagger back. sd: Stigand slashed the same orc across the ribs, drawing copious amounts of blood but failing to take the hulking creature down Edmund: Edmund began to play the flute, a stirring sound which raised the spirits of his allies. sd: around the street, they could hear the sound of front doors being locked or bolted as the inhabitants realised what was happening sd: Falcenhelm finished reloading his crossbow, raising it towards two orcs who had turned a corner and were emerging into the main street, behind Beomund, Stigand, and Hogar Leofric: Leofric glanced around, trying to make better sense of what is going on as he fiddled with his shield. You whisper to Leofric: Leofric saw that the two goblins in the house where the creatures had emerged from had finished reloading their bows, and were preparing to stand up and fire again Leofric: Leofric warned the others quickly that the goblins in the house which they came out are ready to fire again. Hogar: Hogar's chopped with his battle-axe at one of the orc's arms. The creature raised his heavier axe to parry the attack but Hogar was far more skilled and his attack got through, the enchanted blade of the weapon cleaving through armor as if it was not there. The orc, his left arm devastated, stood dazed by the pain. sd: the two goblins at the window stood and took aim again, bows loaded. Beomund: Beomund continued to hammer at the staggering orc, slamming through its defenses to land a light blow to its head. sd: Stigand landed a thunderous blow on the creature's head, but it somehow remained on its feet, blood pouring from its nose. sd: the guardsmen readied tower shields before themselves and barrelled towards the gate, shouting challenges to the orcs that had just emerged Edmund: Edmund, who had dropped his flute onto the cart, whipped out an arrow and raised his bow. Carefully sighting on one of the goblin archers in the window he let fly and the burning shaft buried itself in the dark shape of the goblin's head. It dropped out of sight. sd: Falcenhelm fired at the other goblin in the window. The quarrel sped like a thunderbolt through the air. Seeing its fellow down, the goblin tried to duck underneath the shot, but before it could it slammed it hard in the chest. Leofric: Leofric raised his enchanted longsword and rammed it through the Orc's brutally wounded chest. He smiled as it is clear that the Orc will fall but still, to his utter surprise, this orc is still standing... Leofric: He withdrew his sword and managed to disarm this Orc's weapon neatly. This Orc is not having a good day Hogar: Hogar brought down the orc facing him with a quick blow to the lower torso. The creature fell down in a crumpled heap. sd: a goblin slashed at Beomund as he approached, missing. One of the archers fired at Falcenhelm, slicing through the handcart and slamming into the brewer's shoulder. Edmund: Edmund drew out another arrow and drew back his bow. Beomund: Moving past the fight with the hardy injured orc, Beomund intercepted a gobline. After sidestepping its clumsy blow, he swung at its vulnerable head with all his might. A fine mist of blood and brain burst out across the combatants, and the headless body slumped to the cobblestones. Beomund: *edit: goblin sd: Stigand swept his sword out towards the wounded orc, slashing through its face and finally killing the hardy creature Leofric: Leofric nodded with approval, "Finally..." sd: the guardsmen overlapped their large shields and advanced towards the gate in formation, spears and swords ready Leofric: Leofric starts moving toward to the massive Orcish Hulk and its servant. Edmund: Edmund moved round to keep the cart between himself and another goblin archer. sd: a man with a bow suddenly appeared at the window of one of the houses. "For Phalen!" he shouted, firing at a goblin that was rushing towards Falcenhelm and Edmund. Unfortunately the arrow sailed over its head Leofric: Eventually, Leofric stood beside Hogar and Beomund, eyeing the Orcs. Leofric: He lashed out with his sword, the smaller Orc was almost taken by surprise and wounded him slightly in the leg. However, that was not his attention, his focus is to ensure that the Orc is focused on him, defending himself. Hogar: Hogar wounded the warchief in the head, the magic of the axe letting it easily cut through the thick helm the gigantic creature was wearing sd: one of the goblins shot at Edmund, wounding him in the arm Beomund: Beomund followed up Hogar's blow with a swing from the opposite direction. The warchief's already damaged skull ripped open like wet parchment, and he fell. Edmund: Wincing at the pain in his arm, Edmund raised his bow and shot at the goblin who had targetted him. The arrow plunged into the goblin's eye, and it fell out of sight below the window. Leofric: Leofric made another attempt to stab the Orc but this time, it managed to defend itself. sd: another archer appeared at the window near where the main melee was occuring. "Osoltan!" he cried, firing at one of the goblin archers. His arrow took the creature completely by surprise and tore into its midsection, dropping it bleeding profusely to the cobblestones. sd: a goblin arrow flew over Sitgand's head and skittered to a halt at Ed's feet You whisper to Hogar: Hogar, glancing towards the house where Edmund had been firing, noticed that one of the goblins had fallen back against some furniture, and the fiery arrow that had torn through its flesh had begun to set a blaze. Hogar: "A fire's starting in that house!"shouted Hogar quickly gesturing with his axe towards where Edmund had been shooting his arrows sd: two orcs and the guardsmen from the inn had come together at the gate and began to slash and stab at each other through the iron fence. One of the guardsmen parried a blow with his large shield, deflecting the orc's great hammer. Beomund: Beomund casually swung his hammer upward, catching the last orc in their fray under the jaw. It flew back unconscious on the ground. sd: the guardsmen at the gate replied with their spears, poking through the bars of the gate without difficulty. One of the orcs took a thrust to the midsection, wounding it Leofric: Leofric starts running toward the house where the enemies brust forth sd: another townsman appeared at a window, firing down at one of the goblins, which dodged the shot Edmund: Hearing Hogar's shout, Edmund swung his bow onto his shoulder, grabbed his flute and sprinted towards the house. Hogar: Seeing the others were going to deal with the fire, Hogar turned around and ran to help the guards at the gate with the remaining orcs sd: a goblin and Stigand began to circle each other, with the warrior parrying a slash. sd: Stigand returned the stroke, but the goblin parried in turn sd: the guardsmen continued to battle on. The wounded orc took another vicious spear thrust, but remained on its feet, seemingly unaffected by the strong thrust. Leofric: Leofric kept on sprinting, almost getting to the door, with his weapons all ready to engage Hogar: Hogar kept running, ready to strike at the orcs as they were busy fighting the guards Beomund: Beomund hustled after Hogar on his way to fight the orcs. Seeing Stigand engaged in a fight with the goblin, he took advantage of the opening and struck it hard on the arm, causing it to fall to the street. sd: Falcenhelm fired a bolt at a goblin archer, slashing into the side of its face. sd: the goblin that Beomund had knocked down slashed desperately at Stigand, but its blow was deflected. The archer, meanwhile, decided to flee, and began to make for the open gate. Beomund: Beomund stepped forward, expecting to easily dispatch the goblin, but stumbled on a cobblestone, bumping into Stigand and ruining both their attempts at an attack. sd: the guards landed another hard blow on the orcs, continuing to wear the creatures down sd: Edmund and Leo moved into the house, careful in case of ambush. As they entered the front room they could see signs of a struggle - a few spatters of blood and an overturned chair - but no signs of particularly serious violence. A set of stairs led up, and there was also a door through to the room where the goblins had been firing from. Leofric: Leofric glanced around warily and made a quick move toward to the room where Hogar pointed out that the fire is starting Leofric: and see he can put it out Edmund: Edmund moved forward to the same room. "The goblins were firing from in there," he whispered to Leofric. Hogar: Rushing forward the orcs at the gate, Hogar raised his battle-axe and viciously brought it down on the skull of one of the orcs, nearly splitting it in half. The creature collapsed suddenly, barely alive. Beomund: "Just die already!" growled Beomund at the prone goblin. He swung his hammer in a low arc across the ground like a he was playing a lawn game. Sparks flew up from the cobbles, and the weapon slammed into the creature's head, knocking it senseless. sd: as the fight outside came to its bloody conclusion, Edmund and Leofric hastened into the room where the goblins had been firing from. One of Edmund's arrows had pierced straight through one of the creatures, and it had fallen back onto a wicker chair which the magical flame had set light to. Fortunately, the fire had not spread far, and they were able to extinguish it through the expedient of lifting the dead goblins and flinging their corpses down on the flames. Once this was extinguished, they saw that there was a trapdoor in the floor leading down to the cellar. With the fire now put out, they became suddenly aware of the awful smell that was wafting up from below... Edmund: "That's bad," Edmund said, "We'll need light." Leofric: Leofric frowned for a moment, "I wonder if they broke into this cellar, from the Undercity." Edmund: Edmund took hold of the trapdoor and heaved on it. "Only one way to find out." sd: the cellar was a mass of gore. There were seven bodies of men, women, and children there, most of which had been hacked to pieces. One young boy of perhaps seven had clearly had his head smashed in against the wall, an adult male had been cut almost in half and lay with his entrails spilling out against a barrel, and a girl of perhaps fourteen lay sprawled against the wall. She had a huge bruise on her face and her skirt and undergarments had been torn off. Leofric: Leofric sighed for a moment and offered a prayer for their souls and hope they find peace somewhere. Edmund: Edmund paled, his face grim as he looked around. He went over to the girl, "At least she was not raped from the look of it. She might just be knocked out." Leofric: Leofric rose his eyebrows with a hint of surprise. "At least that's small blessing." Edmund: Edmund beckoned Leofric over. "I'll check to see if she's breathing, but just in case keep an eye on her." sd: the girl was indeed still breathing, though shallowly Edmund: "Best call Hogar but maybe we should get her out of here," Edmund said. Leofric: Leofric nodded with agreement, "Yes, no point showing the celler to them as well." He helped Edmund with carrying her out of the cellar. sd: outside, the guardsmen and the party had wasted little time in finishing off the final orc, and Stigand went around to the bodies to make sure that all of the creatures were indeed dead, giving each a stab in the throat with his sword. Leofric: Leofric glanced around and put off his warm cloak off and cover her so she is decent. Edmund: Edmund took a quick look around the rest of the ground floor Leofric: Leofric made his way out and yelled for Hogar, "Hogar! We got a wounded here!" Hogar: Hogar had been walking towards that same house, as there were no more foes left to kill. Recognizing Leofric's voice, he went for the entrance. Edmund: They lay the unconscious girl on a rug in the front room, away from the smell of death. Beomund: Beomund followed after Hogar to see who they had found. Edmund: Quickly Edmund described what they had found in the cellar. sd: Falcenhelm and Stigand appeared and said they would go after the lone goblin that had escaped, with the guardsmen from the inn in tow. Hogar: Hogar grimaced and then said "We can't do anything for the others, but we can help the girl, at least. Don't forget we also still have a killer to track, though. Let me see her first, though." Edmund: "She might be able to help us, if she can recall anything," Edmund said. Edmund: While Hogar worked on the girl, Edmund headed upstairs. sd: upstairs were a number of rooms where the family obviously slept. There was no blood on that floor, and enough information to ascertain that the head of the household had been a leather craftsman, and his young brother an apprentice.
While Hogar tended to the wounded girl, Edmund and Leofric returned down to the grisly cellar and searched it as thoroughly as their stomachs would allow. The search did not turn up any kind of entrance to the Undercity as they had feared. As they came back upstairs, however, Falcenhelm returned. "The goblin got shot down as we were chasing," he said. "Stigand and the others are searching a half built house a few streets over. From what I understand, a nobleman planned to move there, but changed his mind so the place was never finished. The bastards seemed to have tunneled in there from the Undercity." Edmund: "Has anyone seen an sign of the eye that was taken?" Edmund asked. sd: Falcenhelm spread his hands. "Seems the killer took it with him." Edmund: "It seems we will have to go down the tunnel to find him," Edmund said grimly. sd: as they spoke, the girl began to stir weakly on the floor where Hogar was tending to her Leofric: Leofric glanced at the discussion between Edmund and the others and nodded. As the girl stir weakly, "You are safe." He told her in a calm tone. Beomund: Beomund moved back to speak with Falcenhelm quietly. "We'll need to find her somewhere safe and calm to rest while we find the killer. Do you know anywhere close with trustworthy people?" Edmund: Edmund sat down with Leofric and took the girl's hand. "Don't be afraid." sd: "I don't really do trust, I only trust coin," Falcenhelm replied. sd: the girl looked around weakly in confusion. When she realised where she was and saw that a cloak had been thrown over her legs, she began to cry. She made an attempt to speak but only a strangled sob emerged from her throat. Edmund: "You're safe from the raiders, " Edmund said softly. "We will find you somewhere to stay with good people. Do you have family or friends in the city we can take you to?" sd: the girl continued to cry. After a minute or so she finally found her voice. "Dead...they killed them..." she said. "My father's partner, I...I can stay with him, maybe. I..." she broke down again. Edmund: "We can take you there, if you want." Edmund said. "We have dealt with the orcs and goblins. Your family is avenged." Leofric: "Truly." Leofric commented on it. Hogar: Hogar nodded in silence sd: "The..." her body shook, and she sobbed again for a moment before she could speak. "The man who killed my father. Did you find him?" Edmund: Edmund asked. "Can you describe him? sd: "He had red hair and he...sounded strange. I think he was from the east," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "He came to the door and said people were chasing him, begging for help. When my father let him in he put a knife to his throat and told us to...to go in the cellar." Edmund: "Red hair... was he tall and slim?" Edmund asked her. sd: she thought. "I wouldn't have...wouldn't have said so. He was stocky, and strong. My father tried to fight against him when...when the first orc came into the cellar." The words stopped in her throat for a time. "He told the...the largest of them to...kill all of us. Said he shouldn't let his boys be distracted by...my mother and I. Then he left." Beomund: "We'll find him," said Beomund, moving up behind Edmund. "We're on a killer's trail now, and I'd wager it's him or a friend of his." Edmund: Edmund caught Leofric's eye then spoke softly to the girl. "We are going to deal with this man as we dealt with the orcs and goblins. He is a traitor to the human race, and we will stop his evil." sd: as the girl gathered some clothes and prepared to leave, Stigand returned. "There was a tunnel they'd dug going under the house, but the fuckers collapsed it," he said. "There's two other passages heading down but I'm fucked if I'm going to the Undercity. Let the Cadavers chase them." Edmund: E Beomund: "We happen to know some Cadavers..." mused Beomund. Hogar: "Which we'd want to contact rather than just rushing into the Undercity, perhaps." Edmund: "It's getting late. Once we've taken the girl to safety we should probably get some sleep, and contact them in the morning," Edmund suggested. "If the tunnel is blocked, we can't follow now."
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Post by sleepingdragon on Nov 29, 2014 15:44:31 GMT
sd: the party accompanied the girl they had rescued to the home of her father's partner, several streets away. As they went, they realised there were more than the usual numbers of people out in the streets so late at night - they soon learned that at least one other raiding party had been found and destroyed, and there were rumours of other bands of orcs roaming the streets though no solid information. Due to this, Falcenhelm and Stigand decided to stay with the party for the time being. "Take us back to Ingwulf's, we can remain there for the night," Falcenhelm suggested. "As safe a place as any, I'd have thought." Beomund is disconnected. Beomund has connected. Edmund: "We will return with you, although we should perhaps go then to our own manor, to ensure all is safe there," Edmund said. "With so many orcs about.. Tomorrow we should contact people who can help with a search of the Undercity." Leofric: Leofric nodded with agreement with Edmund, "Indeed, it should be interesting tomorrow." He smiled thinly. Beomund: Beomund agreed, noting that he was looking forward to seeing their friends in the Undercity Watch again if they could get in contact. Hogar: Hogar nodded and added "I won't mind if tracking down the assassin involves slaying a few more of these cursed orcs. But we can't do that on our own, so contacting the Watch seems the best thing to do." sd: "Cadavers will probably be pretty busy after this, but then that should make it easier for you to find them," said Falcenhelm. "There'll probably be a horde of them around the collapsed passage within a few hours." sd: after dropping off the rescued girl, they made their way back to Ingwulf's estate. As they came near to the wall they saw that some of the guests were on the walls, bows in hand, and there were a few dead orcs and goblins, riddled with arrows, near the gate. The guards recognised the group and allowed them to hastily re-enter. Looking around, they saw no signs of any deaths, though one of the guests had been hit in the leg with a goblin arrow and was being held down on a table by three strong guests while a fourth cut the shaft from his leg. Beomund: "I suppose we should tell Ingwulf of our goal for tomorrow," suggested Beomund as they entered. "He might be able to lend us some help." Leofric: Leofric looked thoughtfully at the situation and commented, "I would not be surprised to hear that the raiding party was sent against this manor as well?" Hogar: "It might just have been a random strike."shrugged Hogar "Orcs are not known for their strategical cunning. Though someone smarter might be directing them, what do we know?" Edmund: "A word with Falcenhelm might be in order before we leave," Edmund suggested. "To find out if he has any information as to who might be targetting ex-mercenaries at this moment in time." Hogar: "And perhaps I should ask a few things to my fellow Brothers of the Eye..."said Hogar "It seems they might be involved." he added privately to Edmund and the others, hoping that other guests would not hear sd: Ingwulf spotted that they had arrived and came over to speak to them. "What did you find?" he asked. "You've probably seen there was a raid while you were away, nothing particularly serious." Edmund: Edmund frowned. "This was not a random raid. The trail we followed from here led us to the site of another incursion from the Undercity." sd: Ingwulf swore, and a few guests who overheard this looked around at Edmund. "We must have been targetted. Although the attempt to breach our gate wasn't particularly serious, they seemed more interested in whether there was anyone they might be able to pick off in the streets," said Ingwulf. "Was it one of these creatures that killed Ailwin? Or...is there someone in league with them?" Edmund: "It seems they have humans acting with them," Edmund said. "Almost an entire family was massacred, on the orders of a red-haired man, with a strange accent." sd: Ingwulf shook his head. "There's always been rumours of these sort of things but I'd not really believed them...Sinley always said there were many people who served the orcs secretly, and other monsters. Maybe that's why they killed him." Beomund: "They collapsed the passage near where we chased Ailwin's killer," said Beomund. "But there are other passages nearby. We plan to contact the Watch there in the morning, and do our best to pick up the trail again." sd: Ingwulf nodded. "You're welcome to stay the night, and if you need my help just come and speak to me. These fuckers have dared to kill my friend and now right under my roof, I don't intend for them to get away with it." Edmund: "We believe there is a link between these recent incidents and Sinley's death, and the death of others who had adventured with him. Anyone who is connected is at risk," Edmund said. sd: "Ailwin knew him, though I'm not exactly sure how. I'd not met him before, but he said they'd been comrades-in-arms from a long time ago," said Ingwulf. "Dunnere might know more." Edmund: "We spoke to him but he said he was unaware," Edmund said, sounding unconvinced. sd: "You spoke to him about Ailwin?" Ingwulf looked confused. "He doesn't know you so might have been unwilling to speak." Edmund: Edmund shook his head. "This was before the party. We spoke to him about the deaths of Bayen and Cena. Originally we intended to see Sinley but he was killed just before we arrived back in Phalen." sd: "Cena...my cousin Godfrith worked with him," said Ingwulf. "You as well, am I right?" he asked Falcenhelm, who nodded. "Well my cousin is already dead so he's not at risk." Beomund: "Falcenhelm, you should avoid being alone at all until this situation is resolved," said Beomund. sd: "I'll make sure to take you along when I piss," Falcenhelm replied. Edmund: "May we ask how your cousin died? Was it natural causes?" asked Edmund. Beomund: Beomund laughed. "I'm sure orcs are not averse to hiding in latrines." sd: "An infected wound, six or seven years ago," Ingwulf replied. "Seven. The orcs briefly captured some buildings on the western side of the river and he went to help drive them out, took an arrow wound that didn't heal properly." Hogar: Hogar agreed with Beomund's words "You seem like a natural next target for the assassin. Not a honour to be pleased by, of course." Edmund: Edmund looked thoughtful. "Well, orcs seem to have been responsible for the deaths of Bayen and Cena. Although a human was definitely implicated - only a tall slim man with dark hair in this case. " sd: "Was he involved with Cena's death?" said Falcenhelm. "I'd thought he was working with Sinley, though Dunnere pretended otherwise when he spoke to me." Edmund: "This man was the cause for both Cena and Bayen to leave home, and later both were killed. He said he had been sent by Sinley apparently," Edmund said, watching Falcenhelm and Inwulf to see their reactions. sd: "Curious," said Falcenhelm, unruffled. "I'm going to speak to Dunnere again," he said, spotting the seneschal and striding over to him. sd: the fence and the seneschal had words for a few moments. Though they masked it reasonably well and did not make any physical moves on one another, it was obviously the conversation quickly became strained and Dunnere walked away from Falcenhelm angrily. sd: Falcenhelm came back over to them. "Well he's not speaking to me," he said. "He's not about to leave though with the threat of the orcs so you might be able to work on him." Beomund: Beomund walked over to Dunnere with the others. "The situation grows ever graver, it seems. Your master's killer is still at large, though we are doing what we can to seek him. Perhaps this time you will be more forthcoming. Tell us: what do you know of Kenric?" His face held a grim frown, and his arms were crossed as he looked down at the seneschal. Edmund: Edmund joined Beomund and suggested it woulld be in Dunnere's interest to assist. sd: "For the love of the gods..." Dunnere sighed and looked heavenward. "This man had been working on some kind of business with my master for a little over a year. And before you ask, I don't know what they were doing, so there's little point. Whoever killed my master took all the papers they had been gathering." Leofric: Leofric frowned for a moment, "Strange and obscure papers no doubt" He considered this. sd: "I've no idea. My master told me the things I needed to know and trusted me not to ask impertinent questions." Edmund is disconnected. Edmund is disconnected. Hogar: Hogar frowned at the mention of 'some kind of business' as if it sounded very suspicious, and his frown grew heavier when Dunnere added that his master kept such things secret Edmund has connected. Hogar: Hogar frowned at the mention of 'some kind of business' as if it sounded very suspicious, and his frown grew heavier when Dunnere added that his master kept such things secret. Edmund: "In over a year your master didn't mention anything at all that might have given a clue of any sort to what he was working on?" Edmund said, a note of disbelief in his voice. sd: Dunnere thought. "Nothing that I can recall at the moment. My master was involved in many projects and he only told me about them when he felt it relevant. Kenric was often away for weeks at a time so he presumably must have been leaving Phalen altogether." Edmund: "Why did you deny knowing of this man when we described him?" Edmund asked. sd: "Because it was none of your business. My master is already dead and his retainers are already looking into the matter. We don't need busybodies who don't care about our master's name and reputation." Beomund: "Very well," said Beomund. "But we will be finding out what was going on. And if you do find anything relevant that helps us in our investigation, and do not withhold key information from us, we will make sure you and your reputation are protected. I you find anything out and keep it from us, there will be... other consequences." Beomund: *edit: If you find Hogar: Hogar shook his head disappointed and then said "This does not sound good. But we might be able to help, as my friend here says." sd: "I'll keep that in mind. You can have this for free then, and afterwards you can leave me be. Kenric is already looking into who killed my master, he is in the city somewhere though I'm not sure where. It wasn't him, if that is what you are suspecting. The day after my master died Kenric came to speak to me and was very agitated about the books and scrolls that had gone missing." Beomund: Beomund nodded thoughtfully. "That's helpful. Just get in contact with us if you learn anything more." He withdrew to speak to his companions. "In the morning we should ask around about Kenric, as well as anyone seeking out rare books and scrolls." Edmund: "Possibly Kenric's involvement in the deaths was not sinister, but maybe he and Sinley were both involved. We need to meet with him," Edmund responded quietly. Beomund: Beomund nodded. "He might know of this red-haired man, if nothing else." Hogar: "And I need to ask some questions around the Brotherhood."said Hogar to the others "Whatever Sinley did, it likely was not good if he fell out with us, our rules are simple enough..." Leofric: Leofric smiled slightly, "Might be worth asking Eorenbald to keep an ear out for these kind of news as well." sd: Eorcenbald was still around, and agreed he would let them know of anyone else asking for strange books. You whisper to Hogar: Hogar did notice that while the majority of the guests were still present, the woman who had been smiling at Leofric and doing acrobatics had vanished Hogar: Hogar leaned in and said something, to Leofric specifically "Odd. Just noticed the acrobat who smiled at you earlier disappeared. You remember her? Not implying anything, of course, but..." Leofric: Leofric looked slightly wary at that, "That is interesting. Will keep an eye out then..." sd: the party returned to the manor. Falcenhelm thanked them for the warning and explained he would be disguising himself and going into hiding as soon as possible, but would be in touch with Ingwulf to keep abreast of any news.
The orc attack had obviously been confined to the western edge of the city proper, as the manor showed no signs of any attack. Atol was aware of the raids and his men were on alert and taking night watches, but no one was particularly concerned - raids were simply part of life in Phalen. Beomund: While Hogar went to speak to the Brotherhood, the others went to find their acquaintances in the Watch and see if any progress had been made in finding the trail of the perpetrator of the muders. sd: significant numbers of Undercity Watchmen were in the vicinity of the orcish attacks of the previous night, and they were soon directed to Deoneath, who was one of these. He had clearly not had any sleep that night, but did not appear particularly worse for wear. Beomund: "It's good to see you alive and well still, my friend," said Beomund by way of greeting. "Have you encountered any success here so far?" You whisper to Hogar: Hogar, meanwhile, made his way to the Brotherhood's chapterhouse, a heavily fortified hall not far from the river with adjoining stables, armoury, and other facilities. The majority of the Phalen chapter of the Brotherhood actually lived at the chapterhouse, though there were Brothers like Hogar who lived elsewhere and did significant work with those outside the Brotherhood. sd: "No," Deoneath replied. "I've heard you were involved last night, some of my colleagues spoke to the girl you rescued. The red-haired man you were chasing fled down into a passage which was collapsed. There are two other pathways down there, but as far as we can tell they've not been used for some time. I'm guessing the one the assassin used goes to one of the lower levels of the Undercity." Edmund: "Is it common to find a human assassin working with orcs?" Edmund asked. "The girl we rescued said he was the one who ordered the orcs to massacre the family." Beomund: Beomund nodded. "Then I suppose we shall have to go down. This killer must be dealt with. Do you think any of your men can be spared to help us navigate?" Leofric: "Also, to give us a rough idea what we will be facing in the Undercity apart from the Orcs and Goblins, that's it" Leofric asked sd: Deoneath chuckled. "Go down where? The Undercity is a warren of ruins from at least three civilisations - the old Gaston city, the Alanian city and catacombs, and the old Forerunner settlement. We've been searching for years and we still overlook passages like these. You're unlikely to find much by just wandering down there and hoping to stumble across the assassin." sd: Deoneath glanced at Edmund. "It's rare, but it has happened before. Rarer still that the orcs would actually take any orders from a human." Beomund: "There's no chance we can just try to navigate toward the direction of the tunnel that was collapsed?" asked Beomund. "I do have structural knowledge - if there are weak or hollow points it's possible I could break through to it with some help, if the passages converge at all." Hogar bisbiglia: Hogar approached the chapterhouse confidently - obviously no stranger to it - and started searching for leaders of the Brotherhood who would be more knowledgeable than most about their past members. sd: "The remaining passages are clearly from the old Gaston city, which is the highest layer of the Undercity. This one the killer collapsed heads further down, they don't converge. You'd need to dig all the way down," said Deoneath. "Your question has me thinking, Edmund. A while ago some of our Watchmen were investigating rumours about disappearances down around the docks, people were just vanishing and we thought the use of passages we didn't know about might explain them. The orcs have been known to traffic with human slavers and kidnappers, so we thought this might be going on again. So far as I know no one found anything, but it might be worth another look. If this killer of yours is allied with the orcs, then he might be one of this sort of slaver." Edmund: "We believe he may be associated with the death of Sinley," Edmund said. "There is certainly a link with the murder of Ailwin at Ingwulf's house last night." You whisper to Hogar: Hogar was directed to Haemsil, who was strictly a retired member of the Brotherhood. He has lost his sword-hand some years ago, but had agreed to keep the chapterhouse's records in order so he could remain living and working with his friends and comrades. Haemsil was in his late forties, and had joined the Brotherhood nearly twenty years ago, making him one of the most senior members in the Chapterhouse.
"Not long after I joined, there were stories about a large number of members who had been kicked out of the Brotherhood two or three years before, but no one spoke much of it," he said. "It was some kind of ugly incident out east - the speculation was always that it was the reason we no longer have chapterhouses in Chepworth and Huncestre anymore. What did they call it?" He thought for a while. "The 'Drefen incident', that was it." Beomund: "Hmm. I suppose we should look at the docks then. We can ask around about Kenric at the same time," said Beomund. sd: "Keep us informed of what you find out," said Deoneath. "Whatever the reasons for the murders, the killers are in league with the enemy and that makes it a major concern for us." Leofric: "We will" Leofric softly promised Hogar bisbiglia: Hogar thanked the man and thought for a while before speaking "A large number you say? That sounds like a nasty incident. Perhaps it is connected to the reason I am asking you about this. I have been investigating a series of murders with some friends, and it seems one of the murdered used to be one of us until he did some misdeed and was expelled. "Hogar frowned in distaste "I have no idea what it actually was, though he must have deserved us, our code is a simple one he could not have broken by accident. The name's Sinley.And the thing is..." Hogar said this somewhat nervously "Both him and the other people who were murdered had one of their eyes ripped out. Of course, I don't think it's one of us, but I can see how other people might make that connection and I don't want the name of our Brotherhood sullied. So, anything you can tell me about Sinley specifically?" You whisper to Hogar: the man frowned. "I'll need to check the records, I'm not particularly familiar with him. I know he died recently, but hadn't known he used to be one of us," said Haemsil. "I may be a while, did you want to wait or come back in the afternoon?" Hogar bisbiglia: Hogar thought for a bit and said "Honestly, I don't care much for this Sinley, but there's killer on the loose and I doubt all the people he kills are going to deserve it so I'm in a hurry and I'd rather know now than later. So I'll wait here, if you think it will not take long to go through the records." You whisper to Hogar: Haemsil nodded and went away. He returned a short time afterwards, looking concerned. "This is not good," he said. "There are files specifically about this incident, or at least there were, but they seem to be missing. I'll need to spend a while hunting for them, I fear." Hogar bisbiglia: Hogar cursed under his breath, sharing the man's look of concern "II suppose I'll just have to come here later then. I I just hope this was an accident and not someone doing it on purpose to hide the trouth. I doubt the Brotherhood risks getting heavily getting involved or framed for this matter, as people know we're no murderers, but still..." Hogar frowned again "Well then...I have to go now, I hope you will be able to find these files. Thanks for your time, Brother." he said bidding him goodbye sd: the party headed off and went to an arranged meeting point where they met with Hogar again Hogar: "So..."Hogar looked fairly unhappy "It seems there was indeed some sort of 'accident' involving Sinley which resulted in him getting expelled from our Brotherhood, but the papers with the details are missing. I have no idea if we will be able to find them again. Still, it's suspect, isn't it? As for you, I hope you found out more..." Edmund: "Something, though not much. People were vanishing from the docks a while ago, and it was though to be orcs trafficking with slavers, using passages to the Undercity. Beomund: "We're planning to head there and ask around about that as well as Kenric." sd: they made their way to the docks and asked around about the disappearances. It seemed that a number of people - prostitutes, petty criminals, and itinerant labourers - had vanished in the last few months. It had not been noticed much at first, as there was a transient population on the docks and for people to leave without warning was not unheard of, however it soon became apparent that these were people vanishing against their will.
It seemed the party were not the only ones asking questions about the disappearances, however. Several people recognised their description of Kenric and said this man had been around in the last few days, also looking into the disappearances. In addition, there was a man that some thought must be a Warm Cadaver, albeit in disguise, skulking around at night around the areas where people had gone missing. Edmund: "I wonder if he is a cadaver, or mixed up in the disappearances," Edmund mused. "Might be our friend with the red hair." Beomund: "We should come back tonight and investigate. Before that I suppose we can ask around about Ailwin." Hogar: "I suppose. Best not to look too conspicuous, though." sd: the party left the docks and made their way back towards Ingwulf's manor. Ailwin had been staying at an inn not far from there, so they went there and asked around. They learned that Ailwin had been a mercenary for a long time, though that name was not the one he had been born with. After about three hours, Beomund uncovered a man who had worked with him some years before, who seemed very surprised that Ailwin was dead. His original name, he said, was Cenfrith, and he had previously been a member of the Bloodied Eye Brotherhood, but was expelled over twenty years ago. Eventually the man had abandoned his original name altogether, and worked as a freelancer. Beomund: Beomund thanked the man for the helpful information, and inquired about whether he knew anything more about the expulsion from the Bloodied Eye or Cenfrith's relationship with Sinley. Edmund: "Another member of the Brotherhood who was expelled," Edmund said quietly to Hogar. "What would bring that about?" sd: add: apparently, Cenfrith had worked with Sinley of the Immerings several years ago, but they had fallen out over money and not spoken to one another in some time. Hogar: "Well, this could just be a coincidence but I was told some time ago, nearly twenty years, something - I have no idea what except it was pretty ugly - happened in the East resulting in a lot of members being expelled. I wish I knew more...but it's a clue of sorts." Edmund: "Can you find out if all the murdered men were expelled at that time?" Edmund suggested to Hogar. "This might at last give us some kind of motive for their deaths." Hogar: "I could. As for the accident itself, when I left they were trying to missing records, so it's possible they could tell me more now."said Hogar sounding half-hopeful "I shall go back and check." Hogar: edit: trying to find the missing records sd: Hogar returned to the Brotherhood chapterhouse and went to find Haemsil, who was busy at work in the library. As the Brothers were not much for reading, he and Hogar had it to themselves, which was good as Haemsil had scattered papers across numerous tables. "The records are gone," he told Hogar. "There should be hundreds of pages but they've all but vanished. I've found a few bits scattered here and there and saw references to some names - it seems that this person Sinley was indeed one of the ones expelled over the Drefen incident. But there's something more." He paused, reached out for a single scrap of paper which he had put aside, and held it out to Hogar. "I saw a reference to another man who was in the process of being expelled, Jambert his name was. Before a decision could be reached he killed himself. This seems to be the note he left, it got mixed up in another file." Hogar: "This is quite helpful."said Hogar. He paused for a few moment as if to consider his next words"Actually, there is something else...it seems another of the murdered men may have been an ex-number who was expelled for this same incident. Did you see any references to a 'Cenfrith', by chance?" Hogar: edit.ex-member sd: "The name sounds somewhat familiar. Give me a few moments to check again. It looks like it was a very significant number of people who were expelled, perhaps thirty or forty. The whole company that was working under Captain Drefen," said Haemsil. Hogar: "Thirty or forty..." Hogar muttered grimly "Quite a number. I wonder what actually happened with Drefen..."he said as he read the note Haemsil had handed him earlier sd: I can't handle this anymore. I see them every night, and her particularly. Her cries are the symphony of my dreams. The scream she made when the first of us entered her is a dagger to my soul, colder and harsher than the knife in my hand now. She had stopped screaming by the time my turn came, but her silence was just as awful.
I knew it was wrong, but I could not speak up, could not stop myself. Even if the Captain is right and they pass information on our movements to the orcs, it was still wrong. We can't kill everyone that's weak and afraid. The most loyal of his followers he ordered to finish the children, against the Code. The Captain claimed the Code did not apply to those serving monsters...but we were the ones serving a monster.
I've cursed him many times, Captain Drefen, but the words always turn. I could have refused to go along with it. I could at least have not bloodied my own hands, but I was too weak...threat of death I could face, but the scorn of the Captain, the threat of being thought a coward and race traitor...
I can't run like the Captain, nor can I stay. Even if it were possible to redeem my honour, I couldn't face the screams and the stink every night. The smell of their burning flesh has settled in my bones. My body survived Arindon, but my soul took a mortal wound that's festered ever since I returned from the east. I've only held off on this for so long in cowardice, I suppose, and to make sure I had this knife as well. She didn't scream when I put myself in her, but the knife was a different story. It's only right that it should give me an end as well. Hogar: Hogar's eyes widened as they went over the note and read it, obviously finding the contents much worse than expected. He said nothing for a while before speaking up "This is terrible." sd: Haemsil nodded grimly. "As far as I can tell, Captain Drefen had some kind of contract out east, to deal with orc raids. He became convinced some of the villages were actually helping the creatures and so he decided to take matters into his own hands. If this is the reason we have no chapterhouses out east anymore, I'd not be surprised at all. I've looked up Arindon, it was a village somewhere in Gundergrad." sd: Haemsil spotted something on a page he was leafing through. "Cenfrith. Aye, he was one of Captain Drefen's company as well. So two of the dead men are former Brothers?" Hogar: "At least two . There might be two more - two other men were murdered, they went by 'Bayen' and 'Cena'. If they were guilty of this too, these names would be fakes of course. "Hogar paused "So there might be a killer specifically targetting these people. I can't say I'm sorry for them, but I have reason to think this killer is not out for justice and revenge, and that they might work with orcs too so he must be stopped anyway." Hogar: edit: 'they went by..' -> 'Bayen and Cena, of the Larring and Canderings clan.", remove part about the names being fake sd: Haemsil spent about a half hour leafing through the letters. "No mention of those names," he said at last. "Although they're hardly all here, they might only be in those records that have gone missing." Hogar: Hogar nodded and read the content of the note again, slower this time, before handing it over to Haemsil and speaking "I see. I'm sure now this was no accident. I thank you again - your help has been invaluable. I'll have to look into the rest on my own - I'm sure I'll find out more and hopefully save the Brotherhood from any wrongful accusations or implications. One last question, actually...any idea when these records went missing, exactly? " sd: "It could have been some time ago. They had been stored away and when I took out what was left of them there was dust on the records. I don't think there's very many in the Brotherhood who want to think much about this incident..." Hogar: "Can't blame them, I don't like to think about it much myself now that I found out about how ugly it was..."said Hogar "But I have to anyway."he added, disappointed. "Goodbye then!" he said leaving the Brotherhood's building Hogar: Hogar met up with the others and explain what had happened: a group of members of the Brotherhood, around thirty or forty had been led by their Captain, Dreafen to fight orc raids in the East presumably close to a place called Arindon, but ended up raping and slaughtering the villagers, convinced they were helping the orcs. They were expelled from the Brotherhood fom these deeds, but Drafen himself ended up escaping. Edmund: "So which of our dead men were part of this attrocity?" Edmund asked, his face grim. Beomund: "Vengeance is the likely motive then," said Beomund. "We should inquire about the father of that poor girl we saved - whether he could have been involved might tell us whether the killer is targeting the perpetrators carefully or being more indiscriminate." Leofric: Leofric sighed at this terrible history behind this, "Terrible. Just terrible." Hogar: "It's an ugly story." said Hogar, though it was obvious " I can see why someone might want these men dead, honestly. Good point on the girl's father, Beo - I had not thought he might have been involved, but that the killer was also targetting innocents because of some motive other than revenge" Edmund: "Is it possible the killer was somehow present when these terrible acts occured and have waited twenty years to take revenge?" Edmund said. "Someone who was a child or a youth at the time? Perhaps they did have some understanding with the orcs - this killer certainly does. Not that anything can excuse the actions of Drefen and his men." Beomund: "Yes. But regardless of what those men did, what happened to that girl and her family cannot be justified. We still need to stop him," said Beomund with harsh conviction. Edmund: "Indeed. Nothing justifies mass murder, or the killing of innocents," Edmund agreed. Hogar: "I agree. Whatever happened and whatever these men did, the killer must be found." said Hogar strongly "For some reason, I can't help but think he might be the Captain trying to kill his former men rather than a survivor of the village. On the other hand, Drefen he might be an old man now. I think we should look for information on Arindon now..."
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Post by sleepingdragon on Dec 6, 2014 15:26:52 GMT
sd: it was early evening by the time Hogar had returned to them and passed on the information he had learned at the Brotherhood chapterhouse. Hogar had suggested seeking more information on the village of Arindon, while they also knew that a man matching Kenric's description had been seen skulking around the docks at night, seeking information on the recent disappearances. Edmund: "If he was responsible for their disappearance why would he be asking about them," Edmund said, thoughtfully. Hogar: "It could be a cunning way to confuse any would-be investigators such as us."suggested Hogar, though he did not seem too convinced "Still, we have a strong lead now." Edmund: "That seems far too complex a plan," Edmund sakd Edmund: said. Beomund: "Yes, I'm not sure we have much of an alternative to trying to find this Kenric," said Beomund. "We can head to Arindon if all the other leads are dried up, but we shouldn't rush off until we're sure it's the best route." Hogar: "Arindon is pretty far off."said Hogar "While we went there more people could be murdered, most likely." Leofric: Leofric agreed with the potential plan, "Apart from going into the Undercity without having not much idea, I believe that tracking down Kenric may be the best course of action." Edmund: "I would suggest we visit the docks now, and possibly spend the night watching tthere," Edmund said. "They may not show themselves but it is a lead." sd: the party headed for the docks. Edmund asked around and was told that the disappearances had mostly taken place in the southern section of the docks, which were more sparsely populated and had many abandoned buildings. After speaking to several more people who vaguely recognised the description they gave of Kenric, the party entered an abandoned tenement block. It was quite dilapidated and damp, with some manner of plant growing in the stairwell, however it was a tall building and gave them a good vantage point of the surrounding neighbourhood.
As dusk approached, they noticed a tall man with a broad-brimmed hat wandering through the streets, which were almost entirely abandoned in this area. From above, they could see he was clearly taking pains to avoid being followed, taking abrupt turns and doubling back on himself. His wanderings seemed to be centred around a set of small unfinished homes about four blocks from where the party waited.
Suddenly, the man ducked into one of these homes. They kept a careful watch, and about two minutes later Leofric saw him emerge again behind the building, with two others. The three were all men and carried weapons - the one they had seen before had retrieved a shortspear and slung a rounded shield over his back, and he was conversing with a lean, dark man who bore a rapier in his left hand. Ahead of them there was a bulky fellow carrying a long spear, bow, and arrows. In the moonlight, they had enough of a glimpse of the men's features to see that the dark man with the rapier closely matched the description they had been given of Kenric. sd: as before, the three men moved to avoid being followed, taking a convoluted route. The party exited the building and went after them, making sure to keep their distance. With his knowledge of the Phalen backstreets, Edmund was able to point them in the correct direction. They stopped at one point to speak to a beggar, who had seen the three men go past but had not offered him any harm. Picking up on this idea, Edmund cast a spell to disguise himself while the others hid nearby. In this guise, Edmund was able to wander more openly, spotting the trio just as they entered a half-built building. Kenric - at this distance it was quite clear it was him - gave him a glance, but did not seem to be able to concentrate on him. Shaking his head, he followed the others into the building.
After a short time, Edmund was able to call for the others with the signal they had arranged, and they followed the men inside.
There was a set of stairs up, however the next floor had simply never been made. Downstairs, however, was a completed cellar. Beomund examined the walls carefully and found a panel that they were able to slide out, revealing a narrow passage dug out into the earth. Beomund and Leofric had to duck to enter, but they managed, barely, to squeeze inside. They followed the pathway down for several minutes, and then suddenly the passage straightened and joined with a stone hallway. They had entered the Undercity.
For the next short time, it was not that hard to follow the men's progress - the ground was dusty and their footprints could be easily discerned. They were in the highest layer of the Undercity, which was the wreckage of the Gaston capital, destroyed by the dread dragon Caragaur a hundred years ago. Most of the old city had been buried underneath the rubble, however here and there were uneven pockets, like arteries beneath the surface of new Phalen, which constituted the pathways of the Undercity.
The changing of the stonework beneath their feet gave a clue as to what purpose the places they moved through had served prior to its destruction. Here they were in the wreckage of an old market square, then abruptly they stepped over a broken wall and found themselves in a ruined home, with broken furniture and debris scattered about like leaves after a gale. Air filtered in through narrow holes above, but nonetheless the experience was stifling and claustrophobic. Without Beomund's knowledge of architecture, they though they would be lost for sure, or worse would move into what seemed a safe area and instead find it collapsing onto their heads.
There were areas of the Undercity which had clearly been shaped artificially by the orcs and goblins, and these were more comfortable, allowing Leofric and Beomund to finally stretch. The signs of their quarry were now harder to follow. The passages were no longer straight, and more than once they had needed to double back when abruptly finding themselves at a dead end. Leofric tried to concentrate so he could project his consciousness elsewhere and thus follow the three men, but the stifling heat made it impossible to concentrate. As they continued, however, they found themselves in a narrow tunnel. Halfway down the tunnel, there was a small hole which opened onto a shaft that descended about thirty five feet. Hogar climbed down it expertly, leaving a rope for the others to follow. This was now the second layer of the Undercity, the city of the Alanians. Hogar: "Careful there."said Hogar "We don't know what traps or beasts there may be around." Leofric: Leofric breathed in anicent airs and looked around as if it is almost unbearable, "This is rather exiciting!" He glanced around, "Who know what wonders are kept in these dark passages." Beomund: When not helping direct the party through the ruins, Beomund was gazing in fascination at the architecture and relics of the Undercity. "I could enjoy wandering here for years if it weren't for the danger..." He climbed down after Hogar, a faint smile on his face as he prepared himself to see the works of the Alanians. Edmund: Edmund too was staring about in wrapt wonder. "If only we could," he replied to Beomund. Hogar: "I think it would have been a wise idea to talk to the Watch before going here...but we are in a bit of a rush."addd Hogar Leofric: "Indeed" Leofric casted a spell, touching the other three peers and granted themsleves the power of sights in blackest darkness. Hogar: edit:addd -> added sd: the Alanian Undercity was slightly better formed than the Gaston city - in the years of the Valing High Kings, they had excavated some of these areas and widened them out. The ground was more even, though the stonework was still cracked and broken. The goblins and orcs, however, had since had their way with the ruins. Wherever there had once been Alanian lettering, there was now graffiti in strange scripts, obliterating the runes of the old human inhabitants.
Edmund spotted signs of human passage, in the direction they eventually determined was west, which was a relief - they did not want to inadvertently stumble into East Phalen and find themselves surrounded by enemies. The Alanian Undercity was not only slightly wider, but also more confusing than the first layer - more passageways split off in every direction, and there were areas where the ground sloped up or down. They entered an area that was like a cavern of the old world, with walls of crumbled masonry, and shattered streets and roofs serving as walkways honeycombed above them. It was clear their prey had climbed back up here, for there was a torn corner of a cloak, recently fallen, on the floor, as well as an empty flask of oil like that commonly used for lamps. Hogar was able to climb up to one of the walkways, then adroitly swing himself up again through a small hole from which he lowered his rope. They were now only just below the first layer of the Undercity again.
They continued on, and passed into another narrow passageway which led down. As they approached what seemed to be the wreckage of the lowest level of a tower, however, they suddenly stopped. Ahead of them, they could see a narrow pinpoint of light, as of a hooded lantern, heading towards them, and voices speaking in low tones. Hogar: Hogar silently signaled to the others to be careful Leofric: Leofric looked focused as he gripped his straight longsword and shield even harder. Beomund: Beomund crouched down holding his hammer tightly, remembering the old stance he had used in siege tunnels during the war. Edmund: Edmund prepared to cast his magic if need be. Hogar: Hogar readied his weapons and armor Hogar: edit: and shield sd: Edmund led the others into the wreckage of the tower, where they crouched in the darkness behind the rubble of a staircase. There was a ruined table against the far wall, however Edmund noticed the wall had split there, with a hole wide enough that a person might squeeze through, albeit with effort. They sat watching through the hole as the lantern light came nearer.
"...left within the last few days," a man was saying. "Probably twenty or more of the creatures, heading further down."
"Adelia thought they came out to act as a diversion so whoever killed Ailwin was able to escape," another person replied. "Whoever is behind them must have quite a few tribes on their side, to use them so readily. Even if we can find them, they'll be hard to take down."
"They're in the catacombs, Kenric," another voice said. "That's where the old cult temples were. Probably the orcs moved after the fuckers killed Sinley. They got our notes then, and the scrolls we took from Bayen that Iefa couldn't translate." The man paused. "Adelia is right, we should get out of the city. Whoever killed Sinley will be after us soon, and they have a horde of orcs working for them. We're not getting paid enough for this."
As he said this, the three men came into view again at the end of the corridor barely twenty feet away. At the front of the group was the man they had seen first, earlier, with a broad brimmed hat. He was checking the walls carefully and of the three, was clearly the one most comfortable in the Undercity. Kenric moved behind him, with the rapier in one hand and lantern in the other. His features were dark and angular, and from the stubble on his chin he did not appear to have shaved for some days. Bringing up the rear was the man who had just spoken, a broad-shouldered man with a high-collared coat, red bandana, and a longspear in hand. Kenric replied to him. "This isn't about the money anymore, it's the principle," Kenric replied. "We don't go back on a job. I've never run away with my tail between my legs before and I'm not going to start. We'll leave when we have the notes back." sd: edit: "This isn't about the money anymore, Feran..." Edmund: Edmund indicated they could surround and attack the group once they had passed. Beomund: Beomund nodded and passed through the tower door. Hogar: Hogar agreed with the plan and prepared to do his part Leofric: Leofric smiled with hint of wickness as this surprise they are going to impose on these three men's time and moved so he can help out sd: "If you can sneak up on whoever is behind this all the orcs in the world won't matter," the man in front said, but Feran quickly interjected. "Shut your mouth, Dartheow! You've nothing to do with this, all you're here for is to eat up what little money we're getting out of this business. When we leave maybe I'll write to the Watch and suggest they give you a raise so you don't take bribes anymore."
"He's right, however," said Kenric. "The person behind this will have those notes with them, we just need to find out where they are and sneak up on them. I'll get Iefa to go looking for more books, and Dartheow, see if you might be able to steal us some maps. I'll double your usual rate." At this point, the three men were now virtually on top of the party, passing just on the other side of the ruined wall. Leofric: Leofric closed his eyes and cast a spell which grants himself modest protection against the weapons' blows Edmund: Edmund spread his hands over his arrows and bowed his head, casting the magic which would bring them to fiery life in silence. Edmund: Stepping outside the tower, Edmund again drew on his magical ability to prepare himself. Leofric: Leofric stood in front of them along with Beomund and he immediately went all out with his knight's sword, and despite his scholarly look, he is clearly good enough to stab Dartheow in his chest, drawing some yelps of pains from him. He followed with a shout in some ancient word clearly attempting to intimidating the trio into submission. His longsword moved quickly to take advantage of slack handing of his weapon, clearly disarming him which fell onto ruined floor. And yet in that glimmer of time, Leofric attempted to trip him but Dartheow managed to recover and stood up if barely Hogar: Hogar nimbly squeezed through the crack in the ruined walls of the tower and threw himself at Kenric shield-first, viciously slamming into his sword-arm. His hand heavily battered, Kenric lost his grip on the rapier and was slammed backwards into Dartheow, although both men managed to keep to their feet. sd: Hogar's blow sent Kenric back against the wall not far from where Beomund stood. Realising the party were acting without needing light, he tried shining the small light from the lantern into Beomund's eyes, though this did little but annoy him. Beomund: Beomund rushed forward beside Leofric. Rather than using his usual wide swing, he lunged forward to jab with the hammer's head, using his weight to slam it into Dartheow's chest. The force of the blow knocked the Watchman senseless, and Beomund turned to face Kenric, holding his hammer up to keep the light of the lantern out of his eye. sd: Feran stepped in between Hogar and the unconscious Watchman, holding him at bay with his long spear Leofric: cya! Edmund: "Kenric and Feran, surrender or die!" Edmund's voice held the commanding tone of an officer on the parade ground. "Lay down your weapons. There is no choice." sd: for his part, Kenric's weapon had already been knocked away by Hogar's charge, and Feran lowered his spear. Edmund: "Tie them up," Edmund said. sd: "Who are you?" Kenric asked. "Are you sorcerers, or do you just have very good eyes?" Hogar: Hogar said nothing, but smiled sarcastically at Kenric's question Leofric: Leofric smiled mysteriously in the flicker of the small lantern, "Well... it depends..." Leofric grimanced for a moment, "Beside, we don't need that lantern anymore." He blows the lantern out. Edmund: "To the surface or shall we talk to them in the tower?" Edmund asked Hogar quietly. Hogar: "I don't think it would be a good idea to stay here for long."said Hogar Edmund: Edmund asked Beomund if he could work out a quick way to get above ground from here. sd: Beomund examined the stonework in the passage for a time and was able to work out which way was heading up. It took some time, but with Edmund and Hogar looking for tracks, they eventually found themselves back on the first layer and near to where they had entered, recognising their own footprints from before. They eventually found the dug shaft heading back up to the surface, and they put Beomund at the front of the group and Hogar at the rear, with their captives between them being forced along at swordpoint. Eventually, they returned to the cellar of the unfinished building. Their muscles groaned with relief as they finally escaped the cramped corridors of the Undercity. Leofric: Leofric muttered for a moment, "Finally, fresh cold air again." Edmund: Edmund indicated the captives should sit. "We want to ask you some questions." sd: "Is there any particular reason we should answer them?" Kenric asked. Edmund: Edmund smiled nastily. "Funny you should ask that, seeing as you're at somewhat of a... disadvantage. Suffice to say, not answering is not a sensible choice." sd: Kenric smiled. "Is answering a sensible choice? Go ahead and ask and I suppose we'll find out." Edmund: Edmund stopped smiling and leaned closer to Kenric. "You're suspected of murder, and your answers may be all that stands between you and execution." sd: "Very well. Are you offering me clemency then in exchange for my answers?" Edmund: Edmund gave a short laugh. "We'll see." He turned to the others and spoke quietly. "We should interrogate them seperately. Kenric is going to be a tough nut I imagine but his partners may be the weaker links." Hogar: "He is the mind of the group, it seems."Hogar nodded "Sounds like a reasonable plan." Edmund: "Who should take which of them?" Leofric: Leofric frowned for a moment and suggested that he might work on Feran as well. Leofric: EDIT: Delete Edmund: "We can take them upstairs one by one. Gag the two down here so they can't talk to each other or shout." Edmund: He suggested they take Feran first, leaving the groggy Dartheow and Kenric in the cellar under guard. Hogar: Hogar nodded and set off to gag Dartheow and Kenric to prevent them from speaking. After that he kept watch on them with a grim, stern gaze. sd: upstairs, Feran gazed at Edmund with cool grey eyes and said nothing Leofric: Leofric settled against the wall, watching Feran and Edmund with pitiless eyes as Edmund starts his question Edmund: Edmund sat on a broken bit of masonry. "You know for a while we thought your friend Kenric had killed Sinley, but now we know he was working with him. All we want from you are a few details. What were you after?" sd: "I want promises before I say anything. Me, Kenric, Adelia and Iefa get to stay alive, or you get nothing." Edmund: Edmund raised his eyebrows. "You expect us to let you go? Your information would have to be extraordinarily good. Did you or Kenric murder Bayen and Cena?" sd: Feran paused, then shrugged. "The Watchman would tell you anyway, so yes. By the way, he doesn't know anything particularly important, he's just someone Adelia found who we could bribe." Edmund: "Why did you kill them?" Edmund asked. sd: "People make amusing noises when you stick sharp objects in them. If you want more than that, it'll cost you." Edmund: Edmund smiled coldly. "You really think you're in a position to bargain? We have your confession to the murders which will be enough. Their grieving relatives will be glad to know justice was done." sd: Feran shrugged. "Alright. Are you going to do it now or hand us over? I'd suggest you do it now, else they'll get some executioner to do the job and deny you the pleasure. Killing someone who can't fight back is a particularly interesting experience, though I've only been on the other side until now." Feran paused. "But of course you're not just interested in...justice." Feran fumbled as if it were a foreign word. "You want to know whys and hows, and those will cost you." Edmund: Edmund shrugged. "We're not being paid to find out why and how, although it would be interesting to know the story. And we already know quite a bit. I imagine the driving force is gain - treasure of some kind. Presumably Sinley hatched the plot, sent Kenric to draw in Bayen and Cena, and then kill them after getting what information they carried. Only the plot failed, because someone else - maybe someone with their own interest in justice - has done for Sinley and made off with what you stole. So it's back to square one... but with the difference that now you are the ones being hunted." sd: Feran smiled broadly. "That's a very interesting theory. So, are you going to do it?" Edmund: Edmund said nothing but looked to Leo and Beomund. Beomund: "I don't think it's in our hands what's done to them," said Beomund. "But sometimes sentences can be reduced. We have enough influence we might be able to keep them alive if they are cooperative. Or, if they're not..." He leaned back, letting his imposing frame finish the sentence for him. Edmund: Edmund turned back to Feran. "That's as good as it gets." sd: "You swear that you'll do everything in your power to make sure the four of us aren't executed then? By the way, what influence do you have? Who are you?" Edmund: "We're Thegns of the City so we have some influence," Edmund answered. sd: "How nice. So you'll do all you can to make sure me, Kenric, Adelia and Iefa are not executed?" Edmund: "If you can provide us with useful information," Edmund said, looking to the others. "Also we are looking into the murders of Sinley and Ailwin, and we're pretty certain you aren't responsible for those, so anything you can give us which might point us in the right direction will be taken into account." sd: Feran thought for a while. "Very well. I'll give you a little bit and then you can tell me if I've been useful or not. Sinley sent Kenric to Bayen and Cena in order to lure them out with tales of Alanian ruins, since the two of them had explored parts of the Alanian Undercity just after Phalen was retaken. Kenric got them away from civilisation and then we ambushed them, got the information we were looking for, killed them, and made it look like the orcs had attacked. Not very hard, generally people assume any attack in the east is the orcs, and if you scatter some orcish weapons about and make sure some of the bodies aren't there no one usually asks very many questions." Edmund: Edmund sighed. "We already worked that out. What was the information you took?" sd: "Anything they could give us. Maps and notes mostly, but I tortured them a bit as well in case there was anything they'd not written down. There were some old Alanian cults that practised certain forms of blood magic - you know, the kind that can cause vows to be binding and unbreakable, force various forms of service, curse people, that kind of thing. The people we and Sinley were working for wanted to get their hands on this." Edmund: Edmund kept his face unreadable, not wanting to show that this was more interesting. "Names?" sd: "Sure. Adalric, Brandt, Iefa, Leofstun, Wynafred..." Feran stopped. "Oh. Were you just asking me to list random names, or did you want the names of our employers?" Edmund: Edmund smiled. "If you want to live we need the names of your employers." sd: "I see. So the names of our employers, that would be useful information?" Edmund: "It might, if you're capable of telling the truth," Edmund said. "And with some details." sd: "We've already played the might and maybe game. Yes or no." Edmund: Edmund stood up. "We've already told you that sentences can be reduced, if the guilty provide useful information. We're in a position to put in a good word for you and your companions. That's as much as we can do. But perhaps we should talk to the guard instead." sd: "You've said that you can do that, not that you will do that. Until you promise that, you get nothing more. You can talk to the Watchman if you want, he doesn't know what you want." Beomund: "My friend is understandably a bit upset," said Beomund. "But if you provide names of your employers and don't hold back relevant information about them, then I'd consider it useful information and be willing to vouch for you in preventing your execution." He looked to the other two to make sure they agreed. Edmund: Edmund nodded. Leofric: Leofric sighed for a momenbt and nodded in his assent, sd: "Thanks for your cooperation, it's very useful," said Feran. "Alright. Kenric got approached in Bluebrycg by a man calling himself Merefin. I suspect that's not his real name. This was about eighteen months ago, and he's the one who directed us to Sinley. Generally I'm not very interested in this kind of information - being paid to kill people is a fair enough deal really - but it proves handy sometimes, and Kenric is more cautious about it. They sent someone to work with us as well, by the name of Brandt - don't think he knows very much, just dumb muscle, though loyal enough dumb muscle. Anyway, Kenric asked some questions and it turns out Sinley and this man Merefin both used to work with this mercenary company until they got kicked out, whole bunch of them over some incident or another, killed people they weren't supposed to. And the one who gave the orders then is the one they work for and wants all this blood magic. Kenric said his name is Drefen, I think." Beomund: "Could you describe Merefin or Brandt at all, in appearance or mannerisms?" sd: "I never met Merefin, Kenric is the one who dealt with him. Brandt is another of these people who got kicked out of the Bloodied Eye. He's very devoted to this Captain of his even though I think he hasn't seen him in years and has no idea where he is. He's too stupid to be that important to their plans, I think he was just there to keep an eye on us as we're mercenaries. Brandt is big, dumb, and dark. You can kill him by the way, I don't really care, he's not with us in any real sense even if he is working with us. He drones on a lot about race traitors and monster lovers that need to be put down." Edmund: "There wasn't a man with red hair involved with them?" Edmund asked. Beomund: "Or one who you've run into or heard about on the other side?" added Beomund. sd: "Well someone or other killed Sinley and Ailwin, but we're nothing to do with that. Brandt thinks it's someone out for revenge, considering those two were both old Bloodied Eyes like him." Edmund: "We thought that might be a reason." Edmund said, nodding. "How were you getting in touch with your employers?" sd: "We were going to go back to Bluebrycg and wait there and they'd find us. Of course the whole thing has kind of gone to shit since Sinley died and they stole all the information we'd been gathering." Edmund: "You've no idea who did that?" Edmund asked. sd: "Not particularly. After Sinley died we sent Adelia to that gathering, we figured they might show themselves there. As it happened they did, but not in a way we could see, and Adelia wasn't about to go haring after whoever managed to kill Ailwin. There've been disappearances in this area for a while, my guess is whoever killed Sinley was behind those, abducting people to sell in to slavery to the orcs in exchange for alliances. Now they've gone deeper into the Undercity and we're not exactly sure where." Beomund: Beomund nodded thoughtfully. "Ready to question the other two? We can ask Feran any other questions that come up after that."
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Post by sleepingdragon on Dec 13, 2014 15:25:27 GMT
sd: having gained quite a bit of information in their interrogation of Feran, the party decided to move on to their other two captives, the Undercity Watchman, Dartheow, and the assassin, Kenric. Edmund: Edmund stood in front of the watchman, shaking his head. "You are in bad trouble friend." sd: Dartheow was still groggy, having only just woken after Beomund knocked him out. "I...I could help you maybe, you don't need to bring this to the Watch," he said. Beomund: "What kind of help could you give?" asked Beomund. "We've already got some information on their employers." sd: Dartheow looked surprised. "Well...what do you need? I'm sure I know some things he didn't tell you." Edmund: "You know who you were working for?" Edmund asked. sd: "Kenric hired me, I know he and Sinley were working for someone outside of the city but I don't know who." Beomund: "Do you know anything about any rivals of theirs? The ones they were worried about leading orcs against them?" sd: "A little, Kenric sent me to look for them after Sinley was killed. Not far from where you captured us there was an encampment where there had obviously been a good number of them - forty or fifty maybe - but they moved. From the looks of things I think they moved the day after Sinley died, and went down into the Alanian catacombs. I had a quick look around but I'm not going down there on my own - the tracks are obscured and that place is full of tricks and traps." sd: "We were looking down there when you caught us," he added. "I think whoever these enemies of theirs are were the ones behind the kidnappings recently. When I was asking around I spoke to one man whose friend was one of the first that went missing, he said he'd gone off with a woman with a strange accent and that was the last time he was seen." Beomund: "Can you tell us about this man, or give any further description of the woman? Did her accent sound of the east? And was the disappearance near the docks?" sd: "Yes, it wasn't very far from here," said Dartheow. "I...I think the man was in his early forties maybe, a labourer nearby. No one important, his friend who had gone missing was of the same type. When I spoke to the man he said the woman's accent was one of someone from elsewhere in Palania - it wasn't like yours. I don't know if she was from the east or not, it's possible. He thought she'd been young, maybe twenty-five? Fair-haired, good looking." Beomund: Beomund nodded thoughtfully. "That's helpful. I think it's time we speak to Kenric." sd: "You...you don't have to take this to the Watch, surely. I just took a bit of money, we don't really get paid that much," said Dartheow. "I can quit and leave the city, but don't hand me in." Edmund: "We will have to consider that," Edmund said rather severely. "There have been murders committed. And your boss, who Feran and Kenric have been working for, is an infamous madman responsible for massacring whole villages, and with an unhealthy interest in dark magics." sd: Dartheow looked dumbstruck. "I don't know anything about that, I swear." Beomund: Beo nodded. "Perhaps. We will consider being merciful. Do tell us if you think of anything else that might be of use." He went to get Kenric. sd: Kenric examined the party coldly. "So. Who are you and what exactly do you want? I'm suspected of murder, did you say?" Edmund: "Not suspected, guilty," Edmund said shortly. "You were paid by Sinley to lure Bayen and Cena out, kill them and steal information." sd: Kenric looked at Edmund for a while. "Hmm. One of the others talked then. Fine. What do you mean to do about this?" Beomund: "We're willing to do our best to help you. Throw some political weight around to keep you from execution. But only if you provide us with all the information you can about your employers - we know about Merefin - and their plans, plus your enemies with their orcish allies." Edmund: "And if your information helps us track down Drefen, this would count for a good deal." Edmund added. sd: Kenric nodded. "Feran talked then. In that case you must have already promised to throw your political weight around, and I don't have much reason to help you." Kenric smiled thinly. "Are you intending to go after the people who killed Sinley then? If so I might be able to say some things." Edmund: Edmund nodded. "The man who killed Ailwyn, if they were the same group, murdered a whole family in cold blood. We want them found." Beomund: "And we won't be protecting you because of anything we promised Feran," added Beomund. "Though if you cooperate you'll get the same deal he did for himself and your allies." sd: Kenric looked at Beomund for a moment, then shrugged. "I think it's likely they are part of the same group. Brandt presumes they were some of those who want revenge for what Drefen did to Arindon and Cyningham. Survivors, perhaps. It's much harder to kill every single person in a village than you'd think, you just need a few nooks and crannies where you forget to look, or some men who are soft-hearted." Edmund: Edmund nodded. "It did bear the hall-marks of a revenge killing. You believe they are the same group responsible for the kidnappings in the docklands?" sd: "it could be unrelated but I doubt it. The man who killed Ailwin escaped from you because of the orcish attack, so they must have been allies. Typically if humans want to ally with orc tribes they give them slaves, if you don't happen to have any slaves of your own you need to make some and kidnapping is the way to do it." Edmund: "We believ there was a red-haired man involved," Edmund said. "Does that mean anything to you?" sd: "I've known some red-haired men, but none that are involved with this business. Is that the one who killed Ailwin?" Edmund: "It's possible. He was with a gang of orcs and goblins." sd: "He's on the other side then, I don't know him. He could be one of these vengeful survivors we're theorising about, or maybe he's just a mercenary like us." sd: Kenric chuckled. "If these people really are survivors of what happened, it's dreadfully ironic that they would ally with orcs and goblins to get their revenge - that kind of deal was the whole reason Drefen arranged the massacres to begin with. I don't know if there's much truth to it, Brandt insists they were in league with the monsters and were getting their Brothers killed, I suspect they might just have not been careful enough. The gods like to play these little jokes." Edmund: "If it is a survivor of Drefen's massacres. perhaps they felt they might as well have been in league with the Orcs, whether it was true or not..." Edmund suggested. "Whichever it is, we need to stop them quickly. The men who committed the massacres might deserve to die, but many innocent people are being dragged in." sd: "As you asked earlier if I knew where Drefen was, am I right to suppose you mean to make sure he dies?" Edmund: "From everything we have heard of him he is a madman, and a dangerous one," Edmund said grimly. "Whatever you can tell us of his plans and his associates would be of use in tracking him down." sd: "When I've met a man and given them my word, I don't break it. I have that much honour at least. But I've not met Drefen and never intended to, so I can tell you a little. He was seeking some of the secrets of the old Alanian blood cults - I think he was particularly interested in spells to bind people to obey his commands, though I don't think he was too particular if he ended up with other knowledge instead. As far as I can tell, many of those who committed the massacres are still loyal to him, and he has others he's worked with since. I've no idea where he is, but my guess is he means to seize control of some region and make it his fiefdom. If he had this blood magic he could then bind people to him with his spells, and in particular of course he could make sure they never betrayed him to monsters. Not something most would think requires such extreme measures, but from what I can tell from Brandt some of them at least are convinced that half of Palania either is actively selling the other half to the orcs, or would gladly do so if they were given the opportunity." Edmund: Edmund frowned in concern. "Have you any idea where Drefen is based?" sd: "No. Merefin was hardly going to share that kind of information with a hireling. I tried to find out of course - not that it was necessary to know, but it's always useful to know more about the people you work with than they think you know. Brandt could have more information, though I doubt it. The man is not especially bright and I doubt anyone would entrust him with much that's important." Edmund: "Where would we find Brandt?" Edmund asked. sd: Kenric hesitated. "I told you, I don't break my word when I've given it. I don't like the man, but we've worked together and I don't betray people I work with." Edmund: "Yet you are happy to kill and torture for a living," Edmund said coldly. "I suppose it's bad for business to break your word, even to stop a madman gaining the power of dark magic." Leofric: Leofric sighed for a moment and told him with serious concern in his tone "There is a reason why dark magics should never be uncovered or used. Who know what else old Alanian magics can do, the entire anicent city of Cannock, capital of Alanians is utterly gone due to one of their magic spells.." sd: "My companions Iefa and Adelia are with Brandt. Does your offer of clemency extend to all three of them? If so, then you can know where they are. If not, my lips are sealed." Leofric: Leofric looked at him carefully, "Hmm and would you like to see your companions subject to this magic as well? You might in the long run, saving them as well from this dark magic. Your companions might get caught up subject to this powers as well. The entire city can get cursed or destroyed, you have heard about the Plague Fields which highlights how the dark magic can waxes. Nevertheless, like the bottomless pit where Cannock once stand, it will eventually affect all, including your companions." He paused at the end. sd: "It won't matter if they're subject to it or not if they're dead. At any rate, Drefen is hardly likely to get his hands on any blood magic - he had us hired to get it for him, remember? The notes have been stolen by people who we presume are hostile to him." Edmund: Edmund looked at Kenric in silence for a moment, then spoke slowly. "The man running with the Orcs is hardly more sane than Drefen and his gang. Might they also be able to make use of your notes?" sd: "They might. We weren't able to make much of it - a lot was written in Alanian and in code besides, and referring to concepts we didn't understand - but maybe these people have more understanding of these matters. It's irrelevant to me. I'm not going to sell out my companions to save my skin." Edmund: "So they are in hiding?" Edmund asked. sd: Kenric said nothing. Edmund: "We have already agreed to use what influence we can for your companions." Edmund said. sd: Kenric looked annoyed. "Then why were you playing with me? Yes, they're in hiding. Since Sinley died we've been staying with a merchant Adelia seduced." Edmund: Edmund caught Leofric's eye at this, recalling the party at Ingwulf's. "If we're to find Drefen we need to speak with Brandt. Can you recall any of the information or the books that were stolen?" sd: "As I said, they were mostly in Alanian which I can't read. Iefa had some looks at them but Sinley wanted them where he could keep an eye on them even if he couldn't actually read them himself - from their perspective, I suppose it was better to have works they'd not translated than ones which we'd translated and where we could get our hands on the spells. The only ones Iefa got to keep for long were the ones with information on some of the old cult temples in the Undercity, there was one particular cult Iefa was trying to investigate but she'd not been able to get far." Beomund is disconnected. Beomund has connected. Edmund: "That could be a useful lead," Edmund said. "If you let us know where Iefa is hiding, we really need to speak to her about it. So ALL the notes and books are gone? Not a single sheet left?" sd: "Iefa is with Brandt and Adelia, the merchant's house is around the docks as well, maybe twenty minutes from here. And yes, they're all gone, as I said Sinley was adamant that he would have them all." Leofric: "Shame" Leofric muttered at that point. "Will have a chat with Lefa about that cult then." Edmund: "One thing more," Edmund said as he looked down on Kenric. "Do you know if Drefen's people have infiltrated into any organisations here in Phalen?" sd: "If they have I don't know about it. It's quite possible that they have." Edmund: Edmund indicated to his companions that they should speak privately. Edmund: "Suppose the Watch itself has been compromised by Drefen?" he said as soon as they were out of earshot. "We need someone we can trust to take charge of the prisoners." Hogar: Hogar seemed somewhat relieved to be together with the others and had them explain what they had found out to him Beomund: "I don't know that we have any better options. We could go to the Brotherhood, but that could be risky as well." Hogar: "I don't think that would be a very good idea."said Hogar "Considering how we're involved, their health would be danger, and you did promise them leniency of sorts..." Hogar: edit: their health would be in danger Beomund: Beomund nodded. "I think we'll have to risk it with the Watch. We can't risk Iefa and the others getting away." sd: Beomund headed out and quickly made his way to the nearest Watch barracks, at the edge of the district. After about a half hour he returned with a half dozen armed Watchmen. Seeing Dartheow among the captives, the leader of the Watchmen gave him a withering look. "You swore a fucking oath, you bastard," he spat at him. He turned back to the party. "Leave them with us." Beomund: As they'd moved through the streets, Beomund had impressed upon the Watchmen the agreement they'd made and the helpful intelligence provided, and asked them not to move on punishment until the party had time to vouch for the captives. Now he stood back, looking to see if the others had anything to add before they went after Iefa, Adelia, and Brandt. sd: the merchant Adelia had seduced was apparently called Ludolf, and lived in a modest home on the northern edge of the docks district. By the time the party set out, it was very late, and bar the stars the only lights came from the public bonfires that were kept lit in case the dead needed to be quickly disposed of to prevent reanimation. Across the river, the myriad fires of the orcs and goblins burned brightly, blazing fingers jabbing towards the human city on the west bank.
after a short time they came near to Ludolf's home. There were but three stories and a cellar - the first floor was the shop itself, with the merchant's quarters above that and the servants on the highest level. On the western edge of the building there was a small fenced off area with several trees and plants, which Kenric had said was Ludolf's private garden which his room overlooked. Since Adelia had seduced him, he had feigned illness and sent away all but his most trusted servants, and the shop had been closed. sd: as the party approached, they glanced up towards the nearest window on the western wall, which Kenric had told them was Ludolf's own. Looking through the trees in the garden, they realised that the window appeared to have been forced open. The sill had broken glass on it, and gouges in the wood. Hogar: "Not good."said Hogar frowning Beomund: "Let's be cautious... whoever broke in might still be there," whispered Beomund. Leofric: Leofric looked slightly concerned about this and prepared for a fight that may yet to come Edmund: "I'd say time is of the essence. The red-haired man may be at his work." Beomund: "Think you can get the door, Edmund?" Edmund: Edmund nodded, slipped through the fence and took some slim tools out of a pouch at his belt, getting to work on the lock straight away. sd: it took little time for Edmund to unlock the door and they moved in to the store. Ludolf was principally a clothier, though he had some general goods as well in one section of the shop. Kenric had told them that there was a second locked door at the rear of the shop, which led up to Ludolf's own living quarters. Beomund: Beomund moved quietly ahead of Edmund in case of ambush, then stepped aside for him to work on the door. Hogar: Hogar followed closely, axe in hand sd: Edmund managed to quickly unlock the door, finding that the lock seemed to be faulty - he doubted it would lock again without repairs. As he opened the door, they heard a shout from upstairs and something thudding to the floor. Edmund: Edmund stood back to let the big fighters run through. Beomund: Beomund nodded and hurried forward, weapon at the ready. sd: the party rushed up the stairs, flinging open a door that was mercifully unlocked as they went. Reaching the second floor, they arrived into a scene of chaos.
The hallway ahead of them ran all the way to the western wall that overlooked the garden. Not far from them, two burly men, carrying a sword and axe, stood guard, whirling to face the party. They were watching a half-opened door which led to the stairs up to the servants quarters, and a woman lay dead in that doorway, her head split in half. The floor was awash in blood and brains. Beyond them, another burly man lay sprawled unmoving against the wall, and further on from that, a melee was developing in a doorway. One of the combatants was Brandt, who they recognised from the description Kenric had given them, a very large man with red-brown hair and a short beard. Blood ran from a wound to his chest, and his sword was red. One of his attackers lay dead not far from the doorway, but he was pressed by three other men. In the room behind Brandt they could hear a woman shouting curses, and another who was chanting.
Across the hallway were the large double doors which led to Ludolf's own chamber. Three men stood there, weapons drawn but unable to join the crowded battle near to them. But of the three it was only one who drew their eye - a short but powerfully built man with red hair, who had just finished applying something from a vial to a long dagger. Hearing their fast movement up the steps, the red-haired murderer turned to face them.
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Post by sleepingdragon on Dec 20, 2014 12:55:49 GMT
sd: the party rushed up the stairs, flinging open a door that was mercifully unlocked as they went. Reaching the second floor, they arrived into a scene of chaos. The hallway ahead of them ran all the way to the western wall that overlooked the garden. Not far from them, two burly men, carrying a sword and axe, stood guard, whirling to face the party. They were watching a half-opened door which led to the stairs up to the servants quarters, and a woman lay dead in that doorway, her head split in half. The floor was awash in blood and brains. Beyond them, another burly man lay sprawled unmoving against the wall, and further on from that, a melee was developing in a doorway. One of the combatants was Brandt, who they recognised from the description Kenric had given them, a very large man with red-brown hair and a short beard. Blood ran from a wound to his chest, and his sword was red. One of his attackers lay dead not far from the doorway, but he was pressed by three other men. In the room behind Brandt they could hear a woman shouting curses, and another who was chanting. Across the hallway were the large double doors which led to Ludolf's own chamber. Three men stood there, weapons drawn but unable to join the crowded battle near to them. But of the three it was only one who drew their eye - a short but powerfully built man with red hair, who had just finished applying something from a vial to a long dagger. Hearing their fast movement up the steps, the red-haired murderer turned to face them. sd: the party rushed up the stairs, flinging open a door that was mercifully unlocked as they went. Reaching the second floor, they arrived into a scene of chaos.
The hallway ahead of them ran all the way to the western wall that overlooked the garden. Not far from them, two burly men, carrying a sword and axe, stood guard, whirling to face the party. They were watching a half-opened door which led to the stairs up to the servants quarters, and a woman lay dead in that doorway, her head split in half. The floor was awash in blood and brains. Beyond them, another burly man lay sprawled unmoving against the wall, and further on from that, a melee was developing in a doorway. One of the combatants was Brandt, who they recognised from the description Kenric had given them, a very large man with red-brown hair and a short beard. Blood ran from a wound to his chest, and his sword was red. One of his attackers lay dead not far from the doorway, but he was pressed by three other men. In the room behind Brandt they could hear a woman shouting curses, and another who was chanting.
Across the hallway were the large double doors which led to Ludolf's own chamber. Three men stood there, weapons drawn but unable to join the crowded battle near to them. But of the three it was only one who drew their eye - a short but powerfully built man with red hair, who had just finished applying something from a vial to a long dagger. Hearing their fast movement up the steps, the red-haired murderer turned to face them. sd: a dagger came flying out of the room behind Brandt, but skittered wide of the thugs and came to rest at the murderer's feet. Edmund: Edmund muttered over his arrows, giving them the power of fire. sd: the chanting behind Brandt continued. You whisper to Beomund: from the way the two burly men nearest them were guarding the door near the butchered woman, Beomund guessed there might be other servants upstairs, but ones unwilling to come out after their colleague's grisly fate. Beomund: "There are probably other servants locked behind that door," said Beomund, nodding at the one where two thugs stood guard near the butchered woman, as he prepared to charge into the fray. Leofric: Leofric nodded as he starts to sprint toward into the fray confidently. Hogar: Hogar quickly sized up one of the nearby thugs and threw his hatchet at him with a quick, powerful movement of his arm. The weapon spun through the air a short distance before burying itself in the head of Hogar's hapless opponent, who collapsed to the ground, unconscious and bleeding. sd: the murderer turned towards the party in time to see Hogar's hatchet take down one of the thugs. "I only want the Bloodied Eye," he called to them. His accent was that of the east of Palania, slightly lilting. "There needn't be any other blood shed." Edmund: "If you are hunting Bloodied Eyes, why did a whole family have to die?" Edmund called in response. Beomund: "You'll not be allowed to keep perpetrating the same crime you hope to punish them for," called Beomund in agreement. sd: Brandt interrupted the conversation with a loud cry. "Die, you filth!" he shouted, bringing his sword down heavily on one of his attackers. It scored across the man's face, leaving him bloody from crown to jaw, but he somehow managed to keep his feet Hogar: "Too late for that!"replied Hogar harshly to the murderer's words sd: the trio of men at the door pressed Brandt hard, but could not land a blow on him. sd: "I don't know you, but if you stand in my way you're dead!" the murderer shouted, readying to throw his poisoned dagger. Leofric: Leofric grinned for a moment as he ran toward the murderer, "Ha!" Beomund: "I'm not planning to stand in your way, I'm planning to stand on top of your corpse!" snarled Beomund as he charged forward besided Leofric, eyes alight with violence. sd: the chanting suddenly reached a crescendo, and the wounded thug howled as mystic flame scorched one of his legs. Edmund: Edmund fired at the red-headed killer but the man managed to dodge acrobatically out of the way. Hogar: Hogar drew his battle-axe as he advanced towards another of the thugs sd: the murderer sent his poisoned dagger whipping at Beomund, and it flashed by his ear, missing by the slightest margin. Unperturbed, the man readied his curved sword. sd: the thugs attacking Brandt landed two glancing blows to his head, but they failed to penetrate his coif sd: the murderer moved back into the large bedroom behind him. There was a large, circular red carpet there, and the merchant Ludolf's body lay there, blood pouring from his chest. Leofric: Leofric managed to chase the murderer into the room and managed to caught up with him, still grinning rather unnervingly. He eyed the two thugs and the murderer carefully. Edmund: Edmund stayed where he was, pulling out another arrow. Beomund: Beo maneuvered his way past the two thugs as well, flanking the murderer with Leofric. "You made a girl watch her family butchered," he growled, preparing to attack Leofric: "Not a good idea as it turns out." Leofric muttered softly. Beomund: Using his momentum, Beomund struck the murderer a grievous blow to the hip joint, numbing his right leg and dropping him to the ground, though he somehow remained conscious. "Now you're lying there like she was!" he spat. sd: the murderer rolled back to his feet with tremendous agility. "Then expel me. That is how you serve mass murder in these lands, no?" Beomund: "Don't worry," replied Beomund. "Drefen will die as well. But we don't kill innocents." Hogar: "Try to get him alive."shouted Hogar hearing the sound of fighting coming from the room with Beomund, Leofric and the murderer Leofric: Leofric nodded, "Truly, you will not be able to impose the Fate you wishes on the others." He followed up with a skillful and with a single fall, he pirced the murder's right leg like a priest with his new collection of butterfiles. He glared at the other thugs in the room and told them commandingly, "Surrender or Die." Beomund: Beomund brought his weapon down on the murderer's sword-arm, but the red-haired man managed to move enough that the blow was glancing, and he held on to his weapon. Leofric: Leofric withdrew his weapon and followed up with another attack, this time toward the other arm but the murderer managed to deflect his sword. Leofric sighed for a moment as if he is merely doing a task which is spolit by an outside effect and will casually give it another go. sd: the murderer, in agony on the floor near to the corpse of Ludolf, reached into his tunic and pulled out a round object, a small glass orb within a cage of golden wire. He raised it for a moment, then brought it down on the floor. The orb shattered to pieces, but there did not seem to be any immediate effect they could see. sd: Brandt hacked into a wounded thug, dropping him to the floor sd: the others continued their attack, however one missed, and the other was caught off guard when Brandt slammed his shield into his face. He stumbled back, temporarily dazed Leofric: Leofric narrowed his eyes at the glass orb and looked like he was about to retreat before he found himself facing a thug. He sighed with irritation . Hogar: Gesturing threateningly with his axe, Hogar finally caught up with one of the thugs Leofric: Leofric warned Beomund that he doesn;t like the look of the orb quickly and disengaged from the fight for a moment. Beomund: Beomund stepped back from the murderer as two thugs advanced, not wanting the man's sword hacking at his feet as he engaged them. Edmund: Edmund pointed his bow at the thugs in front of Brandt. and declaimed in a loud voice, which somehow rang with authority. "Leave this place now, alive, or you will never have another chance. Whatever he's paying you, is it enough to die for?" Beomund: Beomund swung defensively at the nearest thug, slamming hard against his shield so that the man's arm felt the force of the blow. Leofric: Leofric muttered a spell with a single gesture and knelt on the floor, touching the shattered remains of the glass orb with his gloved hands with care. He also look like he is about to spring back into the fight as well. You whisper to Leofric: as Leo bent over to touch the shattered fragment of the glass orb, a taste of pure magic, like the sweetest honey, rushed into his mouth, but he could tell the power was fading. The spell on the orb appeared simply to be a marking spell, allowing whoever had cast it to sense the direction of the orb, although now that it was broken the spell was dissipating Hogar: Hogar swung his axe at the thug's belly, who almost but not quite managed to block the deadly attack and was struck heavily. The wickedly sharp, enchanted axe's edge bit deep into the man's flesh and he went down to the ground in a crumpled heap. sd: Brandt laughed at Edmund's words. "No, DIE you filthy orcfuckers!" His sword hacked out at the man he had struck with his shield. Brandt's sword hacked clearly through the man's left arm at the elbow, sending him stumbling to the floor, blood pouring from the stump. Beomund is disconnected. Beomund has connected. sd: Brandt's remaining foe slashed at his leg, wounding him, though not seriously Leofric: Leofric stood up and looked at the heavily wounded man, "Nothing harmful" He muttered to himself . He glanced at Beomund, "Just be alert for a sorcerer which may be homing in, potentially with reinforcement, humans or not." He rushed back into the fray. sd: another of the thugs slashed at Beomund, but he was able to block it away with the haft of his hammer Leofric: Leofric then moved behind the group of thug beside the Murderer and re-engaged them into a fight sd: a woman glided up beside Brant and nimbly thrust her rapier into the one remaining thug, but it did him only minor damage. The blade stuck in his thigh, impaling him. Hogar: Hogar kept advancing, though he did nto seem sure if he should move to help Leofric and Beomund or Brandt and the woman beside him Hogar: edit: he did not seem sure sd: the woman by Brandt slashed with her dagger, but the blow was blocked Leofric: Leofric attacked a thug that appears most wounded and managed to cause a serious wound to him sd: edit - the blow slid past the man's shield and slashed across his face, leaving a bleeding cut above his eye sd: "I'll give in, just get these two off me!" the thug shouted to Edmund. Edmund: "Let him go, by the authority of the city of Phalen!" Edmund shouted at Brand and the woman. sd: "Go fuck yourself, you foreign cunt!" Brandt shouted back. Hogar: "Best for you if just go along with what we say." Hogar stated matter-of-factly Edmund: Edmund immediately let fly the arrow he had ready, which hit Brand in the head. "We have more right to be here than a mass murderer!" sd: behind Brandt, the chanting, that had been silent for the last few moments, began again sd: "Want to run? Then get out of my way." Brandt told the thugs he had been engaged with, who were all too pleased to oblige. Leofric: Leofric noticed the mighty Beo with his deadly hammer and took a step back, eyeing heavily wounded thug and a murderer who is crippled and consider that ood slightly favours Beo and rushed off to the door to see what is happening. sd: Brandt rushed out towards Edmund, however Leofric was able to cut him off, and Hogar was moving towards the fray as well. They were now able to see through into the room. Adelia, they realised, was the very same acrobatic woman who had been eyeing Leofric at the banquet. Now, however, she was making for the window, thinking better of this engagement, while the sorceress Iefa, a tall, dark woman, was casting some kind of spell, sparks dancing at her fingertips Leofric: He saw Brandt rushing towards Edmund looking murderous and rushed toward him while shouting, "The Red Hair sent a distress to a mage and he may be summoning reinforcement as we speak. We just came from Kenric and Feran SO CALM DOWN! " He shouted at them with irritation sd: "Is that why you're planning to kill the Captain? Fuck off with your lies," Brandt spat back sd: Beomund brought his hammer down hard on the man he was fighting, shattering his elbow with a heavy blow. Leofric: Leofric glanced at Adelia and Leda]] Leofric: Leofric frowned for a moment, "Your loyalty is commendable..." He attacke dhim Leofric: With high skilled movement, like a tiger, Leofric removed Brandt from the field of conflict, causing him to collaspe onto the floor, "But you live." Leofric glanced at the other two, "As for you two..." He rushed toward Adelia and Ieda, "Your lives are safe, so please calm down." His voice is trying to calm things down. Hogar: Casting a disdainful glare at the fallen Brandt as he passed by, Hogar ran beside Beomund to see what was in the merchant's room Edmund: Edmund moved up to speak to the women. "We promised Kenric and Feran we would help you." Leofric: Leofric stowed his sword away, leaving his hand free of weapon. sd: Adelia looked at Leofric for a moment...then suddenly tried to dart for the window. Sensing her action, Leofric moved to intercept, putting himself in the way. Adelia dropped her dagger. Leofric: Leofric nodded at Adelia, and looked at Ieaf with caution, "And what about you Iefa?" Leofric asked her softly. sd: Iefa reached the end of her spell, but it fizzled at her fingertips. Swearing, she too gave in. Edmund: "We need to tie up the prisoners," Edmund instructed the others. "And get out of here before any more arrive!" Hogar: "Someone should alert the authorities about the merchant, too!" said Hogar, obviously frustrated with the situation sd: the merchant's spacious bedroom was now awash with blood and gore. The red-haired murderer was trying to drag himself very slowly towards the window, but with his shattered leg was making no progress Leofric: Leofric nodded, "Indeed, the Red Hair crushed a glass orb which alert a sorcerer that it is crushed and he, she or it can track it down. So yes. Better to get out as soon as possible." He glanced over Adelia and Iefa, "How are both of you feeling?" He asked with concern. Hogar: Hogar looked at him with something that might perhaps vaguely resemble pity but said nothing sd: "You were at Ingwulf's banquet," said Adelia. "Who are you?" Leofric: "Just someone that got caught up among this increasingly sorry affairs." Leofric commented with hint of tiredness, reflecting on increasingly complicated issues they are currently facing. "Nevertheless, we are here now with some questions." Hogar: "We need to be fast." said Hogar "More people will be coming. There might be orcs, I suspect." Leofric: Leofric worked with the others to tie Adelia, Iefa and the rest up wth the ropes. Leofric: quickly Beomund: Beomund grabbed the red-haired man by the collar and tied him up. His bloodlust sated, he muttered "I'll let the authorities judge you..." He returned to the others with the captive. "Let's get out of here now, then." sd: the red-haired man gave a gurgling laugh and said nothing Beomund: Recalling that there were servants still hiding out nearby, Beomund went to the base of the stairs and called out that the intruders had been dealt with but more might be on the way, and that the servants were welcome to accompany them to the Watch station for safety. sd: the Watch station was not far away, and they were able to get the two remaining servants to accompany them, along with their prisoners. The Watchmen took their prisoners to separate rooms so the party could easily interrogate them. sd: some of the Watchmen headed out to keep an eye on Ludolf's house in case reinforcements arrived, while another went to fetch Deoneath, as he knew the party were friends of his. Edmund: "We should start with the red haired murderer," Edmund suggested. "He is more likely to be honest, in fact he has already made it clear why he was acting the way he has." Hogar: Hogar nodded. "Aye. Brandt might not know much himself. If what we were told about him not being very smart is true, at least. And he is very loyal to the captain, apparently." sd: the red-haired murderer's shattered leg had been bandaged and he lay slumped against a wall, clearly in pain. He glanced up at the party as they entered the small room, but said nothing. Hogar: "So, it is revenge you are looking for?"asked Hogar to the man once they were with him Edmund: Edmund found a stool and sat on it near the man and looked at him without malice. sd: the man said nothing Edmund: "From your accent you come from the eastern lands of Phalen," Edmund said quietly. "You are hunting Bloodied Eye brothers and made allusion to mass murderers going free. It seems you have a very good reason for those actions, which may to some extent be justified. Is that so?" Leofric: "So what is the issue with the family that was killed. Just collateral damages?" Edmund: edit* eastern lands of Palania Beomund: Beomund stood behind the others, frowning sternly, arms crossed. sd: "Don't give me your easy condemnation," the man spat at Leofric. "None of these sucklers at the teat of the Council are innocent. The Brotherhood slaughtered our families, the Council knew about it and they did nothing. Our lands refused their authority so they saw no need to help us get justice. So we will take it for ourselves." Edmund: "Why wait so long? It was twenty-five years ago," Edmund asked. sd: "Are you Gastonlanders great warriors when you're three years old?" Edmund: "Why don't you tell us your history," Edmund suggested. "Then we will understand." Hogar: "Your cause may not be totally wrong, your people must have suffered horribly."said Hogar "Yet...you have allied yourself with orcs."stated Hogar, severely "How can you justify that?" Edmund: Edmund frowned at Hogar, shaking his head slightly. sd: "I am Odalric of Arindon," the man said. "When I was three, the Bloodied Eye Brotherhood came and destroyed our homes. My parents managed to hide me just in time - they lowered me down a dried out well and the Brotherhood didn't think to look. By the time myself and a few other survivors managed to flee, they'd also destroyed the village of Cyningham, in the Rape of Huncestre, which sparked a war as they were under contract with the Ealdorman of Chepworth. By the time anyone worked out what had happened, the Brotherhood had fled and we were outcasts. Some people believed what the Brotherhood had said of us, that we passed information to the orcs and were their servants, so we could never settle in any true home. Our little band of survivors broke up when I was ten or eleven and I survived through...various means. Now I am here for justice." Beomund: "Your cause is just, Odalric," said Beomund quietly. "You know I think you a hypocrite and murderer... but I also think you will not abandon your goals now. We are after Drefen for what he did and what he plans to do. And if you can give us any information that helps us find him and take him down, we will speak the legacy of your dead as we kill him." Edmund: Edmund nodded in agreement. sd: "If we knew where Drefen was, we would be there, not here," Odalric replied. "But we have other scores to settle, it seems, before we find him." Beomund: "Did you plan to simply kill his allies, or to get information about them? Do you know anything of their operations that might help us get information from them or find any others? You can help us even if you don't know where the man himself resides." Beomund: *edit: information from them sd: "The notes we took from his lapdog Sinley of the Immerings might give a clue, though I've not seen them myself. It's no matter. For the moment, my goal was to gather the eyes of the Bloodied Eyes," said Odalric. "They were seeking blood magic of some kind, which is fitting I suppose for the Brotherhood. Fortunately we beat them to the punch." Edmund: "That is a relief. But we have to deal with Drefen or he will get some other group of mercenaries to carry on his search," Edmund said. "Have you the papers in a safe place?" sd: "A very safe place, but we'll not be inclined to share them with you I'm afraid." Edmund: "Your companions... are they also from the same villages?" Edmund asked. Beomund: "If you don't tell us," said Beomund coldly, "You will die, and your companions will die, until we have the information. And your revenge won't be achieved unless it is by our hands." Edmund: Edmund sighed. Hogar: Hogar frowned in distaste hearing blood magic being associated with the Brotherhood. "I assure you, Odalric, that not all members of the Brotherhood are alike, this I can swear. And as my companions here suggest, we might be able to help you, if you play your part." sd: "So you are with the Brotherhood then? Fuck your help. We will have our revenge on our own terms. And it does you no good to threaten me, I don't know where the others are, nor the notes. Well, they're in the Undercity, but since we moved camp after we killed Sinley I've slept elsewhere and don't know their exact location." Beomund: Beomund shook his head. "We'll find it. And I'm not threatening you, just saying you won't succeed unless we succeed. We won't allow vigilantes who leave children for dead amongst the bodies of their families to remain in our city, no matter the righteousness of their cause. I don't know if the others you came with are complicit in those murders. If not, and if they can stay away from our people, we have no need to fight them. But we're going after Drefen regardless." Beomund: "edit to add: "And we tend to find our quarry." sd: "What child did I leave for dead? That family while you were chasing me? I ordered them all killed, and that there would be no rapes. Perhaps the creatures didn't listen to me - orcs are very unreliable. I've had nothing to do with them before I came to Phalen, but apparently they have their uses." Beomund: Beomund laughed. "A warped perspective on morality. But suffering warps us all." He turned away from Odalric, staring at the wall for a long moment, letting the others speak. Edmund: "Kidnapping people as slaves and murdering children? Yes, they did leave one alive, which is how we knew who we were looking for," Edmund said. Hogar: "Orcs, unreliable."said Hogar frowning "I call that an...understatement. These people were as innocent as your." sd: "I'll not deny your claims. Kill me then for a slaver and a murderer, if you will. But your companion," he jerked his head at Hogar, "is apparently part of a group that regards mass murder as something not worthy of death. So kill them too, or know that I think you..." Odalric smiled at Beomund "hypocrites and murderers." Beomund: Beomund turned back and put a hand on Hogar's shoulder. "We intend to right that wrong - what Drefen did deserved death. And I know my friend intends to be the one that takes the blow." Hogar: "I assure you, I do. "said Hogar, obviously appreciating Beomund's words "These atrocities were a stain on our honor, one which it seems can only be washed away with blood, and it was a mistake to let him get away with his life. I do not care much for those of Drefen's men that were murdered, I'll call that justice. But we need to know where Drefen is ourselves, and before he gets his hands on this 'blood magic', or it might be too late to stop him." sd: "We have it instead. It's only reasonable, if the Brotherhood can have blood magic then why can't we?" Edmund: Edmund said. "It is too dangerous for anyone to control." sd: "You call a blood mage a friend and yet say it's too dangerous for us to control?" Edmund: Edmund frowned. "Why do you say this?" Hogar: "Drefen is not the Brotherhood. "said Hogar" sounding more sad than frustrated or annoyed at the man's words "And we do not have blood magic. If we had, why would we not be using against you or our foes?" sd: "You do use it against your foes. When you joined the Brotherhood, did you take the eye of a cyclops?" Hogar: Hogar was speechless for a few moments before replying "Yes, I did. Not the whole eye, of course, but it was put in a celebratory drink. That is hardly blood magic, is it? "he said "A cyclops is a dumb beast, not a person such as you or me. " sd: Odalric laughed uproariously. Beomund: Beomund frowned. "Do you know something about this that we do not?" sd: "I know that consuming a creature's body parts to gain strength is blood magic. But be that as it may. If you intend to get in our way, you are welcome to try. You will be in for a rude awakening if you expect them to be as unskilled as myself." Beomund: Beomund shrugged. "My concern with blood magic is not in any technicality. It is only in what power it grants, and there are rituals with more disturbing implications than gaining strength from a cyclops. Tell me - are the rest of your companions working with the orcs, or was that your own little plan?" sd: "I told you, I've never worked with them until I came here, some of the others have and I deferred to them." Beomund: Beomund looks=ed to the others. "I don't think we're likely to get more out of him now." Beomund: *edit: looked Hogar: "That seems a stretch to me. "said Hogar in reply to Odelric's words, as if to defend himself "It is not about gaining the cyclops' strength, merely a ritual to celebrate the slaying of such a dangerous beast. It may look and grim and believe me, it did not taste pleasant, but it is hardly what I think most would mean when they talk about 'blood magic'. It is not we kidnapped people to sacrifice them in vile rituals. Unlike what Drefen might be doing, perhaps." Leofric: Leofric nodded, "Thank you for your time anyway" He commented politely.
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