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Post by sleepingdragon on May 22, 2010 14:34:18 GMT
whispering to Sakura, Benjamin briefly looked terrified, then nodded. "Umm...umm...ok, let me just collect some papers..." Benjamin rushed around the room picking up a few books and some sheafs of papers which he shoved into a battered backpack. "Where are we going?" whispering to Rafael ben Efrim, Vachir, unable to persuade the girl to drink the poppy juice, Vachir and Rafael stood and waited for Sakura & Cat to return with Benjamin Sakura: (whispering): Sakura told Benjamin, "There is a tower south of Bleakwater Wood. I believe it is old Rohdell family tower..." Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): Rafael left the cup beside the girl and turned away. "We have a long wait ahead of us. Rather than sit in frustration, I suggest we rig up some system to give us early warning if any of these people tries to get free." he said quietly to Vachir and Rico as soon as they were out of the room. whispering to Rafael ben Efrim, Vachir, Enrico volunteered to keep watch on the room with the girl while Rafael and Vachir guarded the Karatek. "I should be able to handle an unconscious woman and a little girl on my own," he said. Vachir: (whispering): "Some kind of alarm?"asked Vachir "Could be useful, if you have any specific idea." whispering to Sakura, "What, all the way out there?" Benjamin looked crestfallen. "Umm...would we be able to get horses? I couldn't walk all that way." Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): "Shields struck on rope, if we can find some, suspended from doors perhaps?" Rafael suggested. "Whatever makes a noise easily. We'll start at the ground floor and work our way to the roof looking for anything suitable." Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): edit* struck = strung Vachir: (whispering): "Don't think any of them had any shields, actually."said Vachir after thinking about it a bit "But I'm sure we'll be able to find something that works, yes." Sakura: (whispering): Sakura nodded, "We will ride back. It is bit silly to walk back after all." She asked Cat, "Reckon we should get more mounts for rest of the group?" whispering to Vachir, Rafael ben Efrim, many of the Karateks had had shields, which they were able to rig to the doors by tearing off strips of the dead men's clothes and tying those to the frame of the doors. whispering to Sakura, Cat thought for a moment, then nodded. "We need to be able to move fast." Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): Before this basic early warning alarm system was set up, Rafael checked on all the prisoners, ensuring they had food and water laced with the opium essence." whispering to Rafael ben Efrim, Vachir, only the Karatek and the girl were conscious. The girl refused to touch anything, while the Karatek, after a few moments, shrugged and ate, and soon fell asleep. Sakura: (whispering): She went out to find the horses and feeds and purchased enough horses for them and the groups. As the situations is unstable, she prided herseld to haggle the price down to normal price of 450 GP. whispering to Sakura, Benjamin mounted awkwardly. "I'm not very good at this," he confessed, stuffing his books and notes into saddlebags Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): "Maybe we should decide how we will deal with them, if there should be a change in their state," Rafael said to the others, after they had finished. "They seem quiet now, but supposing they all became agitated and tried to escape at the same time." whispering to Rafael ben Efrim, "They're not even on the same floor, that isn't too likely," said Enrico. Sakura: (whispering): Sakura smiled slightly, "You will get better with practice... Are you settling in fine?"" Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): "They are not even human any longer, but inhabited by alien spirits. Who knows the limits to their ability to communicate with each other. Or their true strength." Rafael said, his face serious. whispering to Sakura, Benjamin paled as his horse bucked slightly under him. "Not really, let's just get this finished with," he said. Sakura: (whispering): "Hmm.." She thoughtfully included, but after checking the links for other horses, she started to ride in the direction of their new path. Vachir: (whispering): "We beat the ones here easily enough."said Vachir "But I expect much, much worse when we reach the ruins of Karatek. " he added sounding genuinely worried Vachir: (whispering): edit: that was 'Karatekos', obviously Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): Rafael nodded at this. "The question is, how do we avoid the fate of the Karateks. How do we stay human?" whispering to Rafael ben Efrim, Vachir, "Kill them all quickly?" Enrico said glibly. "Do we want a lookout on the roof to see when Sakura & Cat get back?" Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): Rafael agreed and suggested Rico take the first rooftop watch. When he had left the roof, Rafael shook his head. "Killing them may be the very way we become infected," he sighed. "The effect of violence seems to bplicit in this Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): Rafael agreed and suggested Rico take the first rooftop watch. When he had left the roof, Rafael shook his head. "Killing them may be the very way we become infected," he sighed. "The effect of violence seems to implicit in the...invasion of human beings by whatever these aliens may be." Vachir: (whispering): "And yet, it doesn't look like they can be reasoned with, does it?"replied Vachir sullenly "Perhaps we might find some way to defeat this whole race in Karatekos. That was where everything started, after all." Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): "Perhaps Benjamin will have an answer to that when he comes," Rafael mused. Sleeping Dragon: a little past mid-day, Sakura & Cat arrived back at the tower, riding alongside a nervous looking, gangly Jethi man. They had three other horses with them as well, which they tied up to trees a short distance from the tower, as the stable had been totally destroyed by their diversionary fire earlier Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael opened the door and welcomed the three into the tower. "Has Sakura told you what we have discovered here?" he asked Benjamin. Vachir: Vachir glanced curiosly at the Jeth, as if he wondered what kind of knowledge he possessed, but said nothing, letting Rafael do the explaining. Sleeping Dragon: Benjamin ben Yaqob dismounted from his horse, looking extremely relieved. "Errr...yes, the 'Unbloodied'. Between this and blood in the streets any sensible person really ought to be getting on a ship out of the New Coast right now, the One only knows why I've come here," he replied, giggling nerviously. Sleeping Dragon: *nervously Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael frowned. "Even if you believe that Malador deserves this horrible fate, I do not imagine that this curse will remain in the New Coast. These...things, that were once human, are quite capable of taking ship to the old world and infesting every person on earth, if they so choose." Sleeping Dragon: Benjamin's face went white. "I didn't say anything about deserving," he mumbled. "I know what they can do. Sakura said you wanted me to study them..." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael's expression became less severe. "Your exceptional knowledge may save their lives. If we are unable to drive these demons out of them....they cannot be allowed to infest others." Vachir: "There might already be some in Malador, for all we know. Hell, perhaps they have something to do with the blood in the streets..." spoke Vachir "They can certainly trick others into thinking they're human..." Sleeping Dragon: "It's a very uncertain area...King Darragan took no chances in his war and that leaves me with little to work with. He presumed they were incurable and had all of them executed, and the villages they'd occupied burned down even after they'd been driven out. Where are the people you want me to examine then?" Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael led Benjamin to see the girl first. Rafael ben Efrim: "There was a man here who resisted the process," Rafael told him as they climbed the stairs. He described what Fargus had been through. Sleeping Dragon: Benjamin listened attentively and didn't enter the room with the girl until Rafael was finished. "I assume the disease can be resisted to some degree, otherwise all the Torathi who fought them would have been infected as well," he said. Rafael ben Efrim: "I wonder if there is a record of how they acheived that?" Rafael said thoughtfully. Sleeping Dragon: "If there is I've never seen it, and I probably would have. Unless King Darragan has it kept secret, which I suppose he might, but he'd never let me see it." Benjamin took a deep breath, steeling himself. "Alright, let's do this," he said, steeling himself and taking a step towards the door before stopping. "Why is there a shield hanging above the door?" Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael took down the shield. "An alarm for a most unlikely event." Sakura: Sakura just noticed the shield as well... "Better to be warned than unwarned at all I guess." Sleeping Dragon: Benjamin entered the room and looked around, his eyes widening when he saw the woman slumped unconscious on the floor in shackles. He took a step towards the girl, who promptly screamed "STAY AWAY FROM ME!", causing Benjamin to blanch and take a step back. Vachir: "She doesn't seem to like your people very much." commented Vachir matter-of-factly "Or...any of us, really."he shrugged Sakura: She merely raise her eyebrows and asked, "What happened while we are away?" She glanced at Raf Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael sighed. "She seems to have been told lies about the Jethi. I believe it was a lie learned from her father. Or the father of the human part of her, I should say." Sleeping Dragon: Benjamin turned back to Rafael and spoke quietly to him. "What exactly is this girl's condition then? How close to her can I get?" he looked at her nervously. Rafael ben Efrim: "We will have to stop her aggression in some way," Rafael murmured back to him. "She refused to drink the juice of the poppy in the water we offered her. I think the spirit knows I tried to give it to her. We must avoid her biting any of us. Vachir how do you think we can get close without her attacking us?" Vachir: "I wouldn't know. Still, I'm not so sure that a bite would be enough to infect us."suggested Vachir "After all, if that was the case, the Karateks would have known about it and done it to their victims. They didn't look stupid. But then, can we take the risk?" Rafael ben Efrim: "This one actually bit one of the Karateks and then became worse," Rafael told Benjamin, indicating the unconscious woman. "You could start by examining her, while we work on something to make the girl safe." Sleeping Dragon: "Alright," Benjamin examined her while ignoring the girl, checking her eyes and, bizarrely, her ears and nostrils. "She's in some kind of supernatural trance," he said after a bit. "You say she bit one of them...I don't think that it's contact with their blood itself that causes this - otherwise as Vachir said, they could have just forced all their captives to bite them - but rather that the act of violence against them probably creates some kind of conduit between the home plane of the Unbloodied and the victim. Presumably the body resists this and only succumbs after a lengthy process - this Fargus person, was he stouter than this woman?" Rafael ben Efrim: "Yes, he was larger. The Karateks deprived the subjects of food and drink, and he survived that better than the others." Sleeping Dragon: Benjamin nodded before checking the girl, who screamed at him and seemed every bit as frightened of him as Ben was of her. Afterwards he went to examine the other captives, then read the notes they had found while leaning against a wall and thinking.
"I'm really not sure," he said at length, "but I have just one clue. A few of the notes this Almarid made mentioned that after a while those further along in terms of infection - the man they kidnapped first and then later the girl - stopped speaking and were lapsing in and out of consciousness. The fact that that girl is speaking again and has been conscious for the last little while would suggest to me that the infection can be fought against even after it's been contracted. My knowledge of physical symptoms doesn't match that of supernatural ones, but I would check that girl's eyes and pupils - those of the Karatek in there and that man have both enlarged, particularly the Karatek's. If the girl's pupils tend towards contraction over the next few hours that would seem to validate the idea that she is actually fighting off some medium-stage of the disease. I'll need to think more on any kind of arcane treatment that could speed the process of resistance." Sakura: Approving Ben's thoughts, "Intresting, if there is any kind of arcane treatment, that would be well worth it... Eyes are often windows to the soul...." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael smiled for the first time since they had entered the tower. "A combination of proper care and feeding, arcane treatment, and perhaps some kind of mental exercises, all might contribute. I will work on building up their physical health as much as I can, under the circumstances. Do you think they should all be kept chained Benjamin? It pains me to see them in such a state, but safety is paramount. Obviously those who have already succumbed can not be allowed freedom, but the child..." Sleeping Dragon: "Umm...as long as she's kept under watch it's probably alright. There is an issue...this notebook mentions that some of the infected have actually gone into Malador and are intending to use a ritual to open a gateway to their home plane, but that this requires some kind of ongoing battle or significantly sized fight to work...have you heard what's happened in Malador?" Rafael ben Efrim: "Apart from the tension, and the abduction of these people you mean?" Rafael looked at him enquiringly. "You mentioned blood in the streets..." Sakura: Sakura inserted, "Counciller Delorri was killed when out in her carriage and Counciller Arco are heavily wounded, though not fatally... yet." Sakura: "I reckon that few people blamed her for proposal on new taxes." She added afterward. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael considered this. "Those are events that could have happened anyway. Assassination of unpopular politicians or officials is hardly new." Sleeping Dragon: "It's not that...there was a riot and she was killed. Anyway, the point is that the Council had an emergency meeting afterwards and they may take very drastic measures to try to restore order. From what I've heard there were at least fifty people in the riot, and there's been fighting in the Flow...what if the Council crack down? That might provoke exactly the kind of significant street fighting these people need for their ritual, especially if they're in there stirring things up. This group...what are they called...the Social Cooperative Federation, that's it - anyway they've been urging people to arm themselves, and the Guard's been beefed up..." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael's face was impassive as he listened, but he could not keep the anger from his voice. "This is an impossible situation you know. The people of Malador have been pushed to the limit. They have every right to revolt against the iniquitous regime of the council. And now we are going to have to do what we can to prevent them fighting for their rights." He turned away and walked up the stairs to the roof. Vachir: Vachir was silent for a while, looking distressed as he watched Rafael walk away. "We might have to convince the two factions to have a truce. Or perhaps to unite against a common foe..."he said after a while, although he didn't sound particolarly convinced of his last words Sakura: Sakura also frowned with concern, "Anything is possible but it is a kettle that is just waiting to expand into smithness after boiling.... How to calm it is not simple...."
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Post by sleepingdragon on May 29, 2010 13:52:30 GMT
Sleeping Dragon: Vachir was silent for a while, looking distressed as he watched Rafael walk away. "We might have to convince the two factions to have a truce. Or perhaps to unite against a common foe..."he said after a while, although he didn't sound particolarly convinced of his last words
Sakura also frowned with concern, "Anything is possible but it is a kettle that is just waiting to expand into smithness after boiling.... How to calm it is not simple...." Rafael ben Efrim: After a while Rafael returned. He seemed calmer. "You suggested convincing the two sides to unite to fight this, Vachir. That is the only way to do it I believe. How are we to convince them?" Vachir: "I wouldn't know, really. There are some in the city who would trust us, we could approach some members of the council but even then...What we found out here might be too dangerous to openly reveal to the people."said Vachir worriedly Black Cat: "I get the feeling that neither side wants anything to do with the other, besides destroying them." Cat commented passivly. "Demonic invasion or not." Sleeping Dragon: test Rafael ben Efrim: "If only we had a real cure, something that could be done immediately," Rafael said with a sigh. "Or there was more extreme evidence of its evil nature. There will be powerful men who will welcome the chance to make invincible servants, or even themselves." Sleeping Dragon: Benjamin looked alarmed. "If we can't convince the sides to make a truce then we'll need to find the infected very quickly..." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael nodded. "We need to return to the city. What can we do with these people in the tower while we do?" Sakura: She frowned with concern, "There are many people that will sell their own children to gain that kind of abilities...." and after she heard Rafael's question, "I do not know, my gut feeling is to get rid of infected but if there is any hope of recovery?" She replied doubtfully. Sleeping Dragon: "The child is already recovering, I think," said Benjamin. "It's not safe to leave them here unless one of you wants to stay behind...I'd do it but I'd be a bit useless if one of them escaped." Rafael ben Efrim: "We won't be able to take on the whole of Malador, this will need wits rather than physical power perhaps," Rafael said thoughtfully. "One of us could stay with you." Sakura: "That is understandable. Very kind for you to volunteer..." Sakura told Ben. She frowned in thought, trying to figure out who is best to stay behind. Sleeping Dragon: Enrico offered to stay behind. Rafael ben Efrim: "If there is any sign of trouble with them, do not hesitate," Rafael told him. "They can not be allowed to escape, to spread their infection. Benjamin will let you know if any of them is safe to release." Sleeping Dragon: Enrico nodded. "The Karatek?" Sakura: "Beyond hope?" She asked others Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael frowned. "I believe that the Karatek is beyond help. It has changed so completely. Personally I believe that it should be painlessly put down." Sleeping Dragon: Enrico loaded his crossbow. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael went up the stairs to the room where the Karatek was lying unconscious. Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): Rafael took out his scimitar and executed the Karatek without emotion. Vachir: "That's one less then."said Vachir matter of factly as they went for the Karatek "We might have to do the same with any Infected we find in Malador itself..." Sakura: "Yeah. That might be nessacry... although what if they are the 'leaders?' How can we know what they are?" SHe told them Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael returned, his face showing no emotion. "Are we ready to leave?" Sakura: She nodded, "Yes, and I did bring enough horses for everyone so we can go back to city quickly." Sakura: "... It cost 400 Gold pieces to get them and that was a bargain!" Vachir: "Really? That was really nice of you."said Vachir "Let's get going then, we have no time to waste." Sleeping Dragon: leaving Enrico and Benjamin behind, the party mounted up on the horses Sakura had bought for them and quickly began to make their way back towards the city, crossing back over the river and riding through the Bleakwater Wood. Sleeping Dragon: they passed through the Wood, riding through the little logging village they had gone through on the way to the tower. About three hours into the afternoon they arrived back on the outskirts of Malador itself, near the southern edge of the Flow. Rafael ben Efrim: "I suggest we go straight to Algyn Polle, as Aletha will have told him what happened." Rafael said as they neared the Flow. Rafael ben Efrim: edit* Halgyn Sakura (enter): 20:57 Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (408) Sakura... Sleeping Dragon: the party made their way into the Flow, back towards the Block in the southeastern Flow. They could tell when they had reached this area, for all around its edges, barricades had been set up - debris, broken glass, and uneven pieces of abandoned homes piled up in the roads. Behind them stood men and women armed with clubs and slings, watching the party warily. As the party drew close the guards conferred and then one of the men nodded and gestured for the party to come forward. Vachir: "Looks like trouble...."muttered Vachir Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael asked to see Halgyn Polle. Sleeping Dragon: "Course you can, Aletha said you might be coming," said the man who had nodded. "Last I saw him he was at the smithy...head that way," he pointed, "three streets up, head left, and keep walking and you'll find him." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafale set off in the direction indicated. Sakura: Sakura nodded and followed Rafael. Sleeping Dragon: 'the smithy' was not particularly worthy of the name - it proved to be little more than a large covered fire near a big piece of metal, on which Halgyn Polle worked, trying to fix a broken blade. Guards were stationed around him in every direction, one of whom spotted the party coming and went to tell Halgyn. Halgyn put down the sword and his tools on a workbench covered with little bits of metal, cloth, and a piece of paper held down with a rock. Halgyn picked up the cloth and wiped his hands and brow, waiting for the party. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael went straight up to Halgyn. "Has Aletha told you everything?" he asked without preamble. Sleeping Dragon: Halgyn nodded gravely. "This is very, very bad," he said quietly. "Aletha said you were getting someone from the city to see if the condition could be cured..." Sakura (exit): 21:27 Rafael ben Efrim: "We have, and he does believe that the sufferers can be brought back if they are not too far gone." Rafael replied. "But we have grave problems. There are more of these infected things in the city, and they are aiming for large-scale fighting to give them the opportunity to infect the whole city. We need to find them, and prevent this violence somehow." Sakura: "Which is not going to be easy" She added afterward. Sleeping Dragon: "There is likely to be large-scale fighting here tonight," Halgyn said grimly. "We are besieged by gangsters, and out of uniform Town Guards have been seen amongst them...I fear our former landlords were Damos Tilaven's underlings. He wants us crushed and so do the rest of the Council." Rafael ben Efrim: "There may well be infected infiltrated among them," Rafael said. "We need to stop these people, but how?" Sleeping Dragon: "Aletha told me that the infected were Karateks," Halgyn replied. "We've seen none of them about...though there may be others I suppose." Vachir: "We saw an Almarid there too."spoke Vachir "And I think it would be prudent to assume that there might be infected among any race or group."he added worriedly Sleeping Dragon: "Aletha said they were planning some kind of ritual," said Halgyn. "Not just anyone can do that, and it can't just be done anywhere. What do you know about these infected ones that left the tower?" Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael drew the notebook from his pack. Sleeping Dragon: Halgyn looked over the notebook. His eyes widened after a while. "This is Ahmed al-Aziz's writing," he said, gesturing to the second set of handwriting, "I recognise it from dealings with him when I ran Exotic Dreams. You say there was an Almarid there - lean, shaven-headed?" Rafael ben Efrim: "He certainly fitted that description. He's dead now." Rafael said shortly. Sleeping Dragon: Halgyn sighed. "If he had this illness then he died before you killed him. I remember Ahmed and his party were planning an expedition to Karatekos, it was shortly before I left Malador. I told Renhart it was a bad idea but he didn't listen to me and I had other things on my mind." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael nodded. "It is all in the diary. We don't know who else is involved though. Sleeping Dragon: "I know everyone in Renhart & Ahmed's party, unless they picked somebody up in Torath or Adaria on the way. The Karateks weren't part of it but it looks like they infected them after they had got the disease. Who else was at the tower other than Karateks and Ahmed?" Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael ticked them off on his fingers. "There was another of the infected, could have been from Malador. Otherwise Aletha, and a man called Fargus, another man , a woman and a child were being kept prisoner and subjected to the vile process, in an attempt to turn them. Vachir: "Renhart wasn't there, I would have recognized him."said Vachir shaking his head "Some of those adventurers are probably in Karatekos now." Rafael ben Efrim: "It may be that the central group of infected were from that party of adventurers, and you or Halgyn would be able to recognise them," Rafael said. "That gives us a start." Sakura (exit): 22:08 Sleeping Dragon: "What did the other infected look like? One of Ahmed's companions is from Malador, called Ollie - sharp-eyed, short, dark, black hair? The others are Altharios, who's a broad-shouldered, scarred Akhaian, and Menwith, who's an Adarian bravo. If you've killed two of them then the other two and Renhart are probably together..." Halgyn examined the book. "More likely they're here, they said there weren't enough near Karatekos and that they decided to come here instead." Rafael ben Efrim: "We must find them before they can undertake the ritual." Rafael said. "Most likely at the centre of whatever violence is planned." Sleeping Dragon: Halgyn rubbed his chin. "Word is that the Council are planning to crush both of the city's trouble spots, which is to say here and the Greenstead farms. Apparently the Torathi ambassador threatened to send a message asking for the Kingdom Guards to be brought in to restore order if the Council aren't able to - they don't want unrest making it impossible to collect the tribute money." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael shook his head in disbelief. "Men are such fools. Money will be of little use to prevent these demons overrunning us all." Sleeping Dragon: Halgyn shrugged. "They don't know anything about them and probably wouldn't believe us if we told them, though you could try." Halgyn sighed. "Alternately that might just waste valuable time." Rafael ben Efrim: "We must start the search then, and deal with the infected when we find them." Sleeping Dragon: "Search quickly, I don't know how much time we have. Is there anything else you need to know? Need any help?" Sakura: "I do not think so. Or rather, I cannot think of aything else." She told them. Sleeping Dragon: the party left the Block and began to ask around in the Flow to find if anyone had seen Renhart or any of the Karateks. They visited a string of taverns and asked at street corners filled with people, noticing, as they went, that they saw a number of faces which lacked the typical pinched look of hunger almost all of the Flow's residents possessed. These people looked confused and lost - speaking to a few of them they found they were newcomers to the Flow, forced to flee from the Foot where they could no longer afford to live.
Rumours about Renhart were confused - most people said they'd heard nothing of him since he'd left the city months before, but one or two people were adamant he had returned - though they were not sure where he was. At great length, they found a pair of men who seemed suspicious of them at first, until Vachir showed them his holy symbol and they relaxed. They said they knew Renhart from previous work with him protecting caravans, and said they he had in fact returned. "Strange thing is, I've heard he's gone and offered his services to those farmers. You know, the ones fighting the Council? Seems unlikely, there's no money to be had in that, and Ren was never much of a one for dying gallantly."
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Post by sleepingdragon on Jun 5, 2010 13:55:06 GMT
Sleeping Dragon: the party left the Block and began to ask around in the Flow to find if anyone had seen Renhart or any of the Karateks. They visited a string of taverns and asked at street corners filled with people, noticing, as they went, that they saw a number of faces which lacked the typical pinched look of hunger almost all of the Flow's residents possessed. These people looked confused and lost - speaking to a few of them they found they were newcomers to the Flow, forced to flee from the Foot where they could no longer afford to live.
Rumours about Renhart were confused - most people said they'd heard nothing of him since he'd left the city months before, but one or two people were adamant he had returned - though they were not sure where he was. At great length, they found a pair of men who seemed suspicious of them at first, until Vachir showed them his holy symbol and they relaxed. They said they knew Renhart from previous work with him protecting caravans, and said they he had in fact returned. "Strange thing is, I've heard he's gone and offered his services to those farmers. You know, the ones fighting the Council? Seems unlikely, there's no money to be had in that, and Ren was never much of a one for dying gallantly." Sakura: Sakura narrowed her eyes at once and told the others quietly, "It may be that we found what we are looking for. Potentially so?"Vachir: "I think so."said Vachir to the others "But how are we to approach them? Directly? That might be...unwise" Sakura: Sakura looked contesented for a moment before slowly replying... "Undercover maybe?" Rafael ben Efrim: "As what?" Rafael asked, his eyes scanning the room. "They would already seem to have fighting men to protect them." Vachir: "We do have quite a reputation as fighters, don't we? "Vachir said "We could approach them and offer them help with their rebellion..." Rafael ben Efrim: "That's the point, they already have help. Why would they accept ours?" Rafael said. Vachir: "If they know how good we are, I can't really see them passing up on our offer. Unless they suspect us of treachery" Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael looked doubtful. "The Unbloodied may not accept us. I suppose we can try." He seemed to be distracted. Vachir: "I was talking of approaching the farmers actually, not the Unbloodied. At least not now."Vachir said, thinking that Rafael had misunderstood him. Sleeping Dragon: [1d8] => [2] = (2) Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael frowned. "The Unbloodied are already working for the farmers. They may find our arrival suspicious." Sakura: "Either way, it would not do us any harm if we can look at them?" She wonders.... Rafael ben Efrim: "What we need is some excuse to go out to these farmers." Rafael said. Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): As they were speaking Rafael was listening to catch any conversation from Trog and his companions. Sleeping Dragon: the party made their way towards the Greenstead farms, which were several miles to the west of the city. The sun had fallen low by the time they arrived, with perhaps no more than another hour of daylight remaining.
they came up a small rise and looked down to see the Greenstead farms. Ten farms clustered around a lake watered by a small stream running down from hills to the north, encircled by a very crude pallisade, obviously erected quite recently, forms moving within the enclosure. Immediately southeast of the pallisade was another, surrounding a camp and large pavilion from which flew a banner with the ship-and-tower banner of Malador. North of the farms another such banner flew, this one from what seemed to be a different farmstead. Clouds of dust from groups of patrolling horsemen rose from the road to the west of the farms, and to the east as well beneath the eaves of a small wood. The horsemen seemed to move in groups of five, while the camp held about thirty men. Rafael ben Efrim: "The Torathi guards may make this difficult," Rafael said watching the horsemen. Rafael ben Efrim: edit* Torathi = Maladoran Sleeping Dragon: Cat pointed out that the figures inside the palisade were almost all armed, though not very well - carrying clubs, slings, and a few crossbows Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael peered at the figures. "Surely Renhart and his men would be better armed." Sakura: "It is possible they may not be outside but staying inside one of the buildings?" Musing over it Rafael ben Efrim: "Maybe keeping hidden until there's an attack, to retain an element of surprise," Rafael murmured. Rafael ben Efrim: "We will be stopped by the guards if we go down there. We need a reason to enter the palisade," Rafael continued. Vachir: "And what could a valid reason be?"asked Vachir "We might also want to consider a disguise, being recognized could be...harmful" Sakura: "Shame we do not have any councillers nearby..." She muttered to herself, "Otherwise, we could do something about it something like that mining town." Rafael ben Efrim: "We could offer to negotiate in the same way I suppose, to save bloodshed and protect the farms. Malador is after all dependant on their crops. And we do have a reputation for such work." Rafael said. Sleeping Dragon: "Will the farmers accept us in that kind of role?" Cat wondered. Sakura: "I do not know..." She shook her head, "Beside, we can always ask questions and such. I do not think these guards would just let us in on mere reason, "Hey, we want to talk to these farmers!" Rafael ben Efrim: "The farmers might accept us, but the Unbloodied won't want any kind of peace making," Rafael said to Cat. "Sakura, we can use our reputation perhaps. We have done much for the council of Malador." Vachir: "Using our reputation might work, but as you say - the Unbloodied might not appreciate. We'll want to avoid them, won't we? At least for now." Sakura: "Fair enough", She agreed with the idea, "We can always try to hear what is their problems are anyway. Sometime the simple way can be just to offer an ear." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael looked down at the farms. "They are hiding there, I believe, waiting for the inevitable attack by the guards, to give them the chance to complete the ritual." He stared over at the distant farms to the north. "Are they flying the flag of Malador to prove they are faithful do you suppose?" Sakura: "Or maybe it is where the guard commander is?" Considering it Sakura: EDIT: Delete the last one Rafael ben Efrim: "Then who is in the large pavilion down there?" Rafael asked, indicating the camp. Sakura: She shook her head, "Ah yes. Clearly I was not thinking... Maybe we can ask the 'loyal' farmers whose may have better idea what is going on?" Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael agreed. Sleeping Dragon: the party circled around the woods and made their way towards the farms to the north. They got around the woods and started towards the farms, noticing that there were Guards patrolling the areas to the west and east of the stream on horseback. whispering to Rafael ben Efrim, Rafael looked towards the farms and noticed a man in a Guard uniform emerge from the building with the flag whispering to Vachir, Vachir looked towards the farms and noticed a man in a Guard uniform emerge from the building with the flag Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael stopped the others, and motioned them to keep low. "The guards are here." he said quietly. Sleeping Dragon: "There's someone moving behind us," Cat said quietly as she dropped down. Vachir: Vachir crouched, trying to hide Sakura: Sakura also attempoted to hide. Sleeping Dragon: a large form moved towards the edge of the woods, in their direction, holding a large curved weapon. It stopped before coming out into the open and waved its sword at them. whispering to Vachir, Vachir saw that it was Ardrun in the woods Vachir: "Looks like Ardrun's there."said Vachir, sounding somewhat optimisti Sleeping Dragon: Cat moved carefully into the woods Sakura: Sakura looked surprise for a moment... "That would be nice... Been a while since I last saw him." She looked concerned for a moment, "I hope he did not join the Unbloodied..." Sakura: She followed the Cat Sleeping Dragon: the party made their way into the woods towards where Ardrun had been seen. Once past the initial line of trees, they saw Ardrun waiting for them near a tree. There were seven other people with him, mostly dressed in dark clothes and wearing masks, save for one young, tall, thin man whispering to Rafael ben Efrim, Rafael recognised Harris, who gave him a brief look Rafael ben Efrim: "We didn't expect to see you in these circumstances," Rafael said in surprise once they were well hidden in the trees. Vachir: "Indeed."said Vachir looking slightly concerned at the sight of the masked men. Sakura: "Indeed, nice to see you again Ardrun." She smiled a little warily Sleeping Dragon: "I didn't expect to see you," said Ardrun. "What are you doing here?" Rafael ben Efrim: "It's a long story, and might be better told in private," Rafael said quietly to Ardrun. "There is evil afoot." Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun nodded and suggested to the others with him that they move away a distance, to which they shrugged and did so. Rafael ben Efrim: "The evil of which I spoke started in Karatekos. A kind of alien presence that invades people, and that feeds on violence. We are seeking some of the infected, and had word that they were here, in the guise of aiding the farmers, but in reality to provoke a great fight with the guards that will be the culmination of their vile ritual. If we cannot stop them here, humanity may well be doomed." Rafael ben Efrim: As he spoke, Rafael was watching Ardrun closely. Sakura: Sakura also eyed Ardrun carefully. Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun looked surprised. "The Guards are likely to attack Greenstead very shortly, within the next few hours..." Sakura: She looked concerned... "Then the farmers and guards may lose their souls... unless we find them inside the stead..." Rafael ben Efrim: "We need to find these...things quickly before the attack." Rafael said. "How to get into the stockade though..." Sleeping Dragon: "Just sneak in?" Ardrun suggested. He paused. "They're not going to be happy about this," he said quietly, indicating the others Vachir: "Who...are they?"asked Vachir, referring to the masked men Sakura: "People who support Ardrun's fight against opressions?" Sakura smiled for a moment... Sleeping Dragon: "They have their own fight against oppression," Ardrun replied. "If we go into Greenstead and hunt down people claiming to help the farmers, even under false pretences, immediately prior to an attack, it will demoralise them." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael nodded. "There is such a need for change. But first we have to make sure these evil entities are destroyed." Sleeping Dragon: "Which is unfortunate as we're here to help the farmers when the attack starts," Ardrun added. Rafael ben Efrim: "Vachir knows one of the men who was taken over," Rafael said. "We should be able to recognise the infected among farmers anyway. They were once adventurers, explorers. Now they are committed to spreading the alien presence. But they will be better armed, better armoured." Sleeping Dragon: "Adventurers? There is a group of adventurers that joined with the farmers a few days ago, I think." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael nodded. "That will be them." Vachir: "And much more formidable fighters, unfortunately."said Vachir, referring to the infected "However we may have a chance, if we have a proper plan." Sleeping Dragon: "He's been in Greenstead in disguise," said Ardrun, pointing to the man without the mask. "Harris," Ardrun beckoned to him, and the man sauntered over, a cynical smile on his face. "Tell him what's happening," Ardrun told the party Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael quickly outlined why they were there, stressing the evil and alien nature of their foe. Sakura: She whispered to Rafael quickly Sleeping Dragon: Harris' face went white and he began to swear. "For the love of the fucking gods..." Harris ground his teeth. "We fucking need the farmers to succeed, if they're crushed then the Council will win and everyone who might think of resisting them will be totally demoralised." Sakura: (whispering): "It seems Harris do not like you very much..." Rafael ben Efrim: "Then we must make sure they aren't crushed. We must destroy the infected while protecting the farmers. Believe me," Rafael stared straight at Harris, "these aliens will not prevent one death. Violence and destruction are what they live on, and are central to the ritual they will be performing. But we have destroyed the Crimson Path and the Blood Angel, and we can stop these things in their tracks!" Sleeping Dragon: "So your companions are prepared to fight alongside the farmers against the Council then?" Harris raised an eyebrow Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael looked around at his companions. "I am." Rafael ben Efrim: "Are you going to see these honest farmers destroyed by the guards?" he added. Sleeping Dragon: Harris pulled some papers out of his pockets. "Have something to think about," he said, handing them to the party Sakura: Sakura looked annoyed for a moment over something... Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael took the papers and read them to the others. Sleeping Dragon: To, supposedly, the great surprise of the Council and their organ, the Rich People's Voice, the land tax has failed. Not in its purpose of paying the tribute to Torath - it has succeeded admirably at this, though it doesn't seem to have improved the lot of anyone in Torath, as the people of Copperdell could tell you. But it has failed in its other, supposed purpose - making the rich pay.
The outraged cries of the many resound through the streets of Malador. We have seen our rents soar beyond our ability to pay, driving us into poverty. Our living standards have eroded as we do anything to keep the wolf from the door - those in work beg for longer hours, and those out of it beg, steal, or whore to keep themselves fed and housed. Families have been forced to abandon their homes and move into smaller accommodation. In the Flow some families have been forced to sell their children into slavery - and some people are simply starving. All to pay the price of this vicious tax!
By our own admission, we of the Social Cooperative Federation spend little time amongst the city's 'respectable' citizens, but we notice that their standards do not seem to have deteriorated like ours. Or perhaps we are mistaken - has Councillor Wellaw been forced to forgo meat and subsist on black bread? Has Councillor Delorri been seen soliciting on street corners? Has Councillor Tilaven had to move into smaller housing shared with several other families of landowners? As the answer would seem to be no, the question becomes why not?
It was the foolish actions of Councillors and the rest of the rich, not of ordinary Maladorans, that led to this situation. Rather than go to the expense of training and equipping an army to defend us from the wolves in Torath, they left us defenceless, squandering the city's wealth on pointless luxury while King Darragan's forces grew stronger. Meanwhile, the cousins of this city's rich, the generals, landowners, and rulers of Torath, rewarded themselves with estates and palaces while Torathi peasants went hungry.
When it became clear to the Torathi rich that they were draining the wealth of society and endangering the whole of Torath, did they restrain their extravagance for the sake of the majority in the Kingdom? Of course not! Instead they turned their eyes on us. And, like the Torathi rich, the Maladoran rich are now choosing to squeeze the weakest people in society, and make them pay the cost of the tribute, rather than see their own wealth diminish.
The rich would have us believe that this is inevitable. They say that, for example, the land tax must be levied, because otherwise, 'we' could not afford to pay the tribute, and then Malador would be invaded and many of us would be slain.
But our society is full of wealth! If we only look at rents, for example, we can see this. Let us do some sums. Prior to the imposition of the land tax, most people in Malador (excluding those in the Flow) paid rent of either seven, eight, or nine gold pieces a week to the 'owners' of their homes - let's say eight gold pieces on average. If we presume there are five thousand rent-paying households in the Foot, the Harbourside, and the countryside - and this is probably an underestimate - then we discover that around forty-thousand gold pieces in rent was paid each week in those parts of Malador, for a total of two million and eighty thousand paid in rent per year.
This sum is vastly higher than the seven hundred and fifty thousand a year that is being paid in tribute! Why are we all suffering to raise this money when it's already there, in the coffers of the landowners?
The answer to that is simple - because the land is ‘owned’ by a tiny portion of the population, and they are the only ones who get to decide how the money is used. Everyone else can starve, as far as they’re concerned.
The Social Cooperative Federation have a very different idea about what should be done with the money raised from rent. We fight for the common ownership of land. Rather than the present system of private land ownership, we would see all the land in Malador owned by a government accountable to everyone in the city - the Cooperative Commonwealth. Through this system, the money paid in rent would belong to us all, and we would all have a say in how it was spent. Look at the sums above. We could reduce rents by, say, a third of their pre-land tax value, and yet still earn over one million and three hundred thousand gold - enough to easily pay the tribute (or to spend it on other things, if we choose). EVERYONE would be better off - except the landowners.
They will never accept this system. They are not stupid. They understand that their monopolisation of wealth - and through it, their monopolisation of political power - rests in their ownership of the land. They would quite literally rather see us starve or sold into slavery than see their wealth diminished!
They don't care about us or our lives, so why should we care about theirs? We are left with no other option - we must take up arms and destroy the landowners, to smash their tax and seize back our land.
Some in the city already realise this, in parts at least - the rebellious tenants in the Beggars' Flow, and the Greenstead farmers now on rent strike against Councillor Neele. They are the sparks of hope in the darkness, and we cannot allow them to be put out! Their defiance must spread to everyone in the city, until the sparks turn to an unquenchable blaze, burning away the corrupt Council and the bloodsucking landowners, and allowing us to build a better society - a Cooperative Commonwealth! Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael finished reading and rolled up the papers, handing them back to Harris. "You know my views on this. I will do everything I can to protect the farmers from being overrun and smashed. But we cannot let these things loose in Malador." Sleeping Dragon: Harris raised his eyebrow. "I know your views on this? Am I allowed to stop pretending I don't know you then?" Sakura: "Very nice..." Sakura told herself... "Not bad approximation..." She glanced at Rafael... "You know this man?" Rafael ben Efrim: "There is no need for pretence." Rafael said with a sigh. Rafael ben Efrim: "Yes, I know him." Sakura: Sakura looked bemused for a moment before telling him, "This is getting to be a habit, going against the current government. Even though I find this rather ludicrous, I will help you to defend these farmers..." Vachir: "It's not like there is any other choice Sakura."said Vachir "It's either that, or the Infected will conquer the whole coast." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael suddenly smiled. "You realise you are joining the revolution Sakura." Sakura: She looked thoughtfully at the darkening sky, and replied softly, "Am I? Like Vachir said, we really do not have a choice... But the city do need to improve itself on these aspects." Sakura: "And a revolution may be the only way to do that..."#
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Post by sleepingdragon on Jun 12, 2010 15:45:36 GMT
Sleeping Dragon: "Am I? Like Vachir said, we really do not have a choice... But the city do need to improve itself on these aspects," said Sakura. "And a revolution may be the only way to do that..."
Harris smirked. "Now we're speaking the same language. So, on this business of the infected or possessed or whatever they are...you said they're a group of adventurers and Karateks? Just such a group is in Greenstead, they turned up a few days ago." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael nodded. "We heard about them. They will make sure there is savage fighting between the farmers and the guards, and they will be preparing to complete the ritual, presumably when the fighting is at its height. " Sleeping Dragon: "Then you'll have to reach them quickly and get rid of them...I think I might be able to help you locate them, however," said Harris. "There were three people who were the catalysts for this strike in the beginning - a former adventurer called Kallan Tarask, Cherenos who's a priest of Teregen, the Master of agriculture, and Galad Haskin, a well-liked local farmer with eight daughters. In the first clashes with the Guards farmer Haskin was killed and his eldest daughter Adela took his place on the 'Council'. It was right around this time the adventurers turned up, and for whatever reason Adela took to them. I'd guess they're probably staying near or with the Haskins." Rafael ben Efrim: "I agree, this should be a surgical strike, cutting out the infected with a minimum of fighting if we can possibly manage it." Rafael said. "Would you point out the houses for us Harris? We had a good view over the whole area on our way in." Sleeping Dragon: Harris quickly sketched out a diagram of the farms in the mud and circled the Haskins' farm. Rafael ben Efrim: "Do you have any idea how we can enter the stockade without raising an alarm?" Rafael asked Harris. Sleeping Dragon: "Just sneak in, it's what I did," Harris said. "It's a long stockade and there aren't too many farmers, and it's dark. They'll be on their guard but if you know what you're doing you'll be fine. There's likely to be a frontal attack tonight so most of them will be near the camp, though there are Guards in those farms to the north as well. Should warn you...the Council have hired a group of mercenaries to spearhead the attack, and good ones. As soon as you're finished with these Karateks get to the south gate, I think these mercenaries will require a better calibre of fighter than the farmers to deal with." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael raised his eyebrows. "Do you know any of these mercenaries?" Sakura (enter): 20:18 Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (189) Sakura... Sakura: "Somehow, I think these mercenaries will have rather nasty surprise..." Sakura smiled faintly... "Still, we need to ensure that Karateks are gone first, I wonder these mercenaries really know how well defended this place is..." Vachir: "We should be able to handle any band of mercenaries, I'd be more worried about the Infected."said Vachir Rafael ben Efrim: "This is why we need to strike instantly. I'd suggest we sneak into the stockade and surprise them if we can." Sakura: She nodded, "I agreed with Rafael!" Sleeping Dragon: "I don't know them. A lot of hard blokes with excellent equipment," Harris shrugged. "Who's going? I have something else planned but if you need me against these Infected...I'd suggest keeping the numbers sneaking into Greenstead as low as possible, they only need to spot one of you for there to be a significant misunderstanding." Rafael ben Efrim: "Some of us are better at sneaking than others," Rafael said, looking round the group. "And those who go in must also be good at killing quickly." Sakura: "Well, I am good at scaring people. However, if we are to deal with them quickly, singing will only draw attention though." She muttered. Sleeping Dragon: "I'll help you with the Infected," Ardrun said quietly. Sakura: Sakura grinned for a moment, "Just like old times, Ardrun." Rafael ben Efrim: "I think a small group of us should sneak in first and surprise them, then the rest can follow," Rafael said. "Ardrun, thank you. You will be most welcome. Once the element of suprise is gone, would you lead the heavier fighters?" Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun nodded. Vachir: Vachir looked pleased to have Ardrun among them again. "Should we wait an hour or so until nightfalll, or go there just now? Time will be of the essence, after all..."he asked Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael nodded. "We have to deal with them before the guards attack." Sakura (exit): 20:46 Sakura: She nodded Sleeping Dragon: leaving Harris and the masked men behind, the party sneaked their way across the plain towards the Haskins' farm. The lands to the north of Greenstead were being patrolled by Town Guards on horseback, and the party had to take great care to avoid them.
The party had just about reached the small stream running down from the hills to the north when one of the horsemen glanced over in their direction, frowned, and turned his horse in their direction. "Into the water," Ardrun hissed. Sakura (enter): 21:24 Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (199) Sakura... Sleeping Dragon: the party quickly entered the water and swam down to the bottom of the stream, holding their breaths so the bubbles didn't give them away. Above they could see the horseman, hazy through the water, trot up to the riverbank and stop, gazing around. His horse sniffed the air curiously. After a very long moment, the horseman turned and rode away. Sleeping Dragon: dripping wet, the party emerged out of the water and began to make their way towards the makeshift stockade surrounding the farms, which was a patchwork combination of fences, some recent and some old, interwoven with thick hedges. Here and there they could see groups of farmers patrolling the perimeter armed with clubs and slings.
As they neared the fence, they saw another of the Guard horsemen look their way. They were quite close to the fence and the Guard was visible to the farmers, so rather than come and investigate, he rode over to one of his compatriots, spoke to him quietly, and then rode off quickly in the direction of the farms to the north which the Guards had occupied. Just as the party, their hearts beating, reached the fence, the horseman blew a long blast on his horn. Rafael ben Efrim: "Quick, over the fence." Rafael hissed. Sakura: Sakura attempted to climb the fence quickly, worried about what happening so far Vachir: Vachir rushed over the fence as fast as he could Sakura (exit): 21:52 Sleeping Dragon: the party rapidly scaled the fence and found themselves in a small field behind a series of outbuildings not far from the Haskins farm. They could see a large group of farmers running towards the northern fence from the farm, shouting and brandishing weapons. whispering to Rafael ben Efrim, Vachir, through a gap between the outbuildings and the side of the farm, they briefly caught glimpse of a young woman with coppery hair earnestly speaking to a short, dark man with coal black hair, at whose side was a big man with the braids of a Karatek. The woman waved her arms excitedly, but the short man made calming gestures, explained something, and kissed her, and then he and the Karatek turned and made their way to a modest sized building to the south of the main farm Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael indicated an outbuilding just south of the farm. "Two of them are in there." he whispered. He waited for the farmers to pass before sneaking towards the building. Vachir: "Saw them."quietly said Vachir following behind, arrows at the ready Sakura: Sakura merely looked around to see what they was going on, "Shall I go with you, or wait here?" She whispered... "What about burning down the building in question?" Rafael ben Efrim: "If we can block the door, maybe. What do the rest think?" Rafael whispered back. Sleeping Dragon: "What if they're not all in that building?" Ardrun asked Sakura: "Fair point. But likewise, we have to track down all of them anyway?" She whispered nack Rafael ben Efrim: "Two men entered the building. There may be more inside." Rafael whispered. Sakura: "So basically, we are facing potential large number of infected folks... Will this plan works?" Sakura wonders Vachir: "There probably are many more than two around, anyway."said Vachir "But even just killing a couple might give us an advantage." Sleeping Dragon: as the party spoke, they looked north and saw a stir of movement from the direction of the farms by the hills. A large contingent of Guards came out and began to move quickly towards Greenstead, blowing a horn. At the same time, across the glistening lake and to the southeast, they could see a sudden flickering of lights, as if of torches, moving out of the camp towards Greenstead's southern fence. Rafael ben Efrim: "We must move fast!" Rafael hissed. He moved quickly around the farmhouse towards the outbuilding. Sakura: Sakura went after Rafael, with her crossbow all notched back, ready to be flung at unluckly bastard Sleeping Dragon: the party made their way towards the building, which proved to be a large barn. Carefully opening the door, they saw no signs of anyone inside save for a few cows. Ardrun quickly moved to try to calm them while the others looked around. There was only one light, a covered lantern hanging from the rafters above, flickering dully. Sleeping Dragon: one of the cows mooed loudly as Ardrun approached, looking alarmed whispering to Vachir, glancing around the room, Vachir noticed that in the far right corner, partially obscured behind several bales of hay, there was a trap door which had been pushed aside, leading down whispering to CosmicHorror, glancing around the room, Cat noticed that in the far right corner, partially obscured behind several bales of hay, there was a trap door which had been pushed aside, leading down Sakura: Sakura moved quickly to calm cows down Vachir: "There!"said Vachir pointing at a corner where there were some bales. "A trapdoor!" Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael sped over to him and looked into the space below. Sleeping Dragon: a set of stairs led down into a cellar which wound down and then curved off to the left. whispering to CosmicHorror, Rafael ben Efrim, Vachir, at the bottom of the stairs they could see a man crouched, looking up, seemingly unaware of them Sakura: She came over and glanced down as well, "Shall we go into the cellar?" She asked them Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael quickly indicated they should be silent and remain hidden. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael looked at Vachir expectantly. Vachir: Vachir nodded silently, took an arrow from his quiver and shot down the trapdoor, seriously wounding the man there, though not outright killing him. Black Cat: Cat threw a dagger down at the man as well. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael ran down the stairs and sliced his scimitar into the man, wounding him even further. Sleeping Dragon: as Rafael went down the stairs he noticed another man hidden near the bottom, surprised at the sudden assault. The man carried a glaive and his face was criss-crossed with many scars. Sakura: Sakura fired a crossbow at the man but it missed... as usual Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun rushed down the stairs, hacking viciously at the injured man who fell with a groan, then whirled his scimitar around, slicing into the second man as well Sleeping Dragon: the second man quickly disengaged, taking a slash from Ardrun as he did, and rushed away down the corridor to the left, shouting hoarsely. "We're under attack!" Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael muttered under his breath as he dragged out a lantern and quickly lit it, then moved around the corner and up the corridor. Sakura: Sakura moved along the star and face Rafael's back as she sung great song of the greatest story ever told... their own. Vachir: Vachir quickly climbed down the ladder and sprinted around the corner to shoot at the fleeing man Black Cat: Cat rushed down the stairs and threw another dagger at the fleeing man. whispering to Vachir, Vachir could faintly hear arcane chanting Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun rushed up after the fleeing man, catching up to him near to a large stack of barrels each two high, blocking sight and nearly reaching the roof of the cellar Vachir: "I hear sorcerous chanting!"Vachir ominously warned the others Sleeping Dragon: there was a sound of rapidly moving feet as well Sleeping Dragon: the scarred man stepped back, carefully looking around himself to assess the situation, and slashed at Ardrun with his glaive, dealing a light blow as he stepped back in between the rows of barrels Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael ran lightly around Ardrun, using his ally's bulk to shield him from the enemy. Suddenly he appeared in front of the man and with a fierce slash cut deep into the man's neck, spraying everything in the vicinity with blood from the severed jugular. Sleeping Dragon: as the scarred man died, there was a strange, low thrum. From out of the darkness beyond the barrels there squirmed a blinding tendril, gleaming with ethereal energy, shot through with crimson. It washed over the dead man in a horrific moment, like locusts. Before Rafael's eyes the corpse began to deteriorate, giant chunks of flesh and vertebrae traveling up the length of the tendril, intestines pulled backwards by some sinister force. As the tendril ate away at the last of the body there was a sudden explosion Rafael ben Efrim: "There's some terrible alien presence here!" Rafael called to the others. Sakura: Sakura nodded as she looked more fiercesome in face of such powers. She went up beside Ardrun, still singing. Vachir: Although worried by the explosion and Rafael's warnings,Vachir kept advancing and fired a powerful arrow at one of the karateks behind the barrels. Black Cat: Cat darted in at one of the warriors and stabbed him before moving back Sleeping Dragon: from behind the barrels emerged a big warrior with blond hair, around whose neck was a symbol of Alaric almost identical to Vachir's. He hurled a throwing axe towards Rafael which the Jethi ducked under, so the axe sailed and smashed into the wall beyond, where it stuck quivering Sleeping Dragon: from far behind the barrels there emerged a broad, short creature with a pale, flabby red hide. It took a look towards the axe quivering in the wall and pointed imperiously, chanting. A bead of fire streaked from his hand, shot past Rafael and struck the hilt of the axe in an enormous explosion of flame Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun moved in and hacked at a badly wounded Karatek, but his scimitar fell wide Sakura: Despite Sakura attempted to cover from the flame, the flames managed to hit her nastly. Sleeping Dragon: two Karateks moved up and attacked Ardrun, but both missed wildly. However, there then came a great noise as suddenly two of the barrels next to Ardrun toppled over. He stumbled back as they smashed to pieces over his head, small farming implements spilling out of the broken barrels
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Post by sleepingdragon on Jun 26, 2010 17:46:43 GMT
Sakura: Sakura took a pace along the barrel, still recovering from her burns, she went into rather demoralising song that partook last battle with Karateks... It seems the song have a modest effects on others Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael quickly moved forwards, tumbling between the Karateks and lashing out at one, wounding him deeply. Vachir: After taking a moment to look for an opening or gap in the massive pile of barrels in front of him, Vachir unleashed four arrows in rapid succession at one of the Karateks facing Ardrun, killing him. Sleeping Dragon: again, as the Karatek died, a sickly arcane tendril reached out to strip him clean of flesh, sucking up his parts before exploding in a burst of energy Black Cat: Nearly as fast as Vachir's arrows, Cat sped past Ardrun and without breaking stride, lept acrobatically over Renhard's head and past him towards the creature in the back, driving her dagger into the creature with great force. whispering to CosmicHorror, as Cat dove over Renhart, she saw that there was another Karatek in the room with her, previously hidden behind a barrel. More worryingly she saw the southern wall of the room, which shimmered with the same strange shimmering ethereal light as the tendrils that had destroyed those who died. Small tendrils lashed out randomly from the wall, and here and there she thought she could see faces form and dissipating whispering to CosmicHorror, forming and dissipating Sleeping Dragon: a Karatek moved out from behind the barrels and slammed an axe into Cat, while the others attacked Ardrun. Though the blows they struck were weak, they seemed to take strength from them nonetheless, the blood of their foes flying towards them Sleeping Dragon: from behind them they heard someone stagger to their feet Sleeping Dragon: with an angry roar of "ALARIC!" Renhart leapt forward, smashing Ardrun viciously with his axe. The enormous force behind the below sent Ardrun tumbling to the floor, whereupon Renhart raised his weapon again and swept it down towards Ardrun's head. The gladiator rolled aside but nonetheless it tore a huge chunk out of his shoulder Sleeping Dragon: with a furious cry, Ardrun sprang to his feet and brought his scimitar flashing out. Ethereal energy flowed over it as it struck a badly injured Karatek straight through the neck, sending his head sweeping from his shoulders. Before it could even hit the ground it was devoured by the arcane force, flesh and bone stripped clean, brain sucked away. Battered by force, Ardrun stepped back slightly, hacking with his huge arms at Renhart, but the warrior raised his shield and knocked it away. Sleeping Dragon: though backed against a wall, the strange creature concentrated, casting some kind of spell and moving slightly away from Cat Sakura: Sakura quickly shouted out that something is casting a spell that speeds up creatures. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael spun and twisted around Renhart, avoiding the man's blows, but he was unable to penetrate the one-time adventurer's defences. Sakura: Sakura stepped north with one step and threatened Renhart but it failed to make much of the difference Black Cat: Cat tumbled around the creature, confusing it with her movments and forcing it back towards the corner. Vachir: Vachir hesitated for a moment hearing the familiar voice roar the name of his god, before rushing around the barrel to see Renhart - or at least what had become of him. Speechless but obviously shaken, he fired four arrows with all of his strength - one almost slitting his throat, although the man was able to avoid such a fate at the last moment and was able to keep fighting. Sleeping Dragon: the Karateks attacked, those near the barrel moving with enormous speed. One struck Ardrun heavily, but the others were unable to land blows Sleeping Dragon: the first man who they had felled earlier in the encounter suddenly came around the encounter, having regained consciousness as his wounds healed. He moved towards Vachir, stumbling with his wounds Sleeping Dragon: the strange creature stepped back and attempted to blast Cat with two rays of fire, but she avoided them both Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun slashed at Renhart, landing a solid slash Rafael ben Efrim: As Renhart's attention was taken up with Ardrun, Rafael slipped behind him and cut into him deeply. Sakura: Sakura stepped north once more, reloaded her crowwbow with new bolt and stared flintly at these three Karateks, "We met your kind and they fell like mayflies." Vachir: Vachir shouted in rage as he kept firing at Renhart, until two arrows struck and ripped apart his neck, finally killing him. Sleeping Dragon: Renhart groaned and slumped back, flesh torn from his body. As the energy exploded the symbol of Alaric around his neck was hurled forward, metal bending and twisting to land mangled against the wall behind Vachir Black Cat: Cat tumbled behind the creature and struck it heavily again. Sleeping Dragon: the battered man they had struck down earlier began to sing, reminding his fellows of the superiority of their race and urging them on to victory Sleeping Dragon: the sorcerer stepped away from Cat and cast a spell. As he did, his body shimmered and changed into a bizarre, large bipedal creature, covered with a tough, spiny hide, and with a tiny puckered hole to serve as mouth Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael lashed out at the other Karatek, leaving a great gaping wound in his chest. He dodged away as the body exploded and staggered behind the barrels out of sight of the remaining enemies. "That thing, it spits acid!" he shouted to the others. Sakura: Sakura made quick tumble and fired an bolt at that shitty singer and missed Sakura (enter): 22:12 Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (641) Sakura... Vachir: Vachir quickly turned to face the battered man and shot him dead with a single projectile which pierced his forehead squarely, ripping his brains apart. Turning again, he fired at the acid-spitting monstruosity, wounding it twice. Black Cat: Cat dodged around the new creature, stabbing it in the head, causing it to give a shriek of pain. Sleeping Dragon: the remaining Karatek moved up to hold the party off, slashing at Ardrun and missing wildly Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun, badly injured, gave a cry and sliced back with his scimitar, but it too missed Sleeping Dragon: the creature turned on Cat and from its spout poured forth a stream of acid. Cat rolled aside and was only slightly wounded, and as she rose to her feet the creature leapt abruptly, trying to evade Cat and her acrobatic fighting style Sakura: Sakura moved around Ardrun, looking angry as she approached him and yelled at him, "Don't you dare!" Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael hastily bandaged the worst of his wounds. Sakura: *fearful for Rafael and Ardrun's safety Vachir: Vachir kept firing at the monster, relentlessly, until, its flesh pierced and ripped by many projectiles, it fell dead. Sleeping Dragon: the sorcerer fell back, flickering back to its normal form as it died. The rubbery flesh was stripped away from it as a tendril reached out, tearing it to pieces. As it exploded, there was a high, piercing noise and then silence whispering to CosmicHorror, Cat saw the ethereal energy on the southern wall flicker and dissipate as the sorcerer was sucked in, emitting the noise and then fading Vachir: With a joyous, victorious shout, Vachir fired a last arrow at the remaining Karatek. Sakura (exit): 22:40 Black Cat: Cat looked off to the south of the room for a moment before hurrying back to the others and threw a dagger into the back of the last warrior Sleeping Dragon: the Karatek gave a cry and moved up to Rafael, slashing wide. "We will rise again, stronger and harder!" he shouted Sakura: Sakura looked somewhat strained from the burns she suffered, snapped back, "Yes and once again, fall like mayflies. Merelyl acts of violence that glitters, only faded away" in somewhat bored tone. Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun stepped up and hacked at the Karatek, and his defiant words were suddenly cut off as the gladiator's scimitar clove his head in two Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought for a moment we might be overwhelmed, but The One was with us." He smiled at Ardrun. Sakura: "Maybe, I am glad we managed to stop them... Only I am worried by the fact these demons could come back one day... Now we got guards to face..." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael looked at Cat. "Are we sure the demons are all gone? What happened over there?" Black Cat: "There was a strange wall that those tentacles were coming from, but when that... thing died, the wall faded as well." She shrugged. "I can only assume that its death prevented the ritual." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael nodded. "We must find out what is happening to the farmers. Before we do, I should see to any wounds. We may not have time to rest before we face the guards." Black Cat: Cat nodded Vachir: Vachir speechlessly put his bow down to catch his breath and looked around, until he noticed something, glinting on the floor beside the wall. Walking there, he took the now battered and twisted symbol of Alaric that had belonged to Renhart in his hands and looked at it for a while, thoughtful and silent. After putting it down and shrugging half-heartedly, he returned to his companions. "It's all over, isn't it?"he said hopefully "They're dead, and we are...not. It might have been better to find some sort of cure, but we didn't really have a choice, did we?"he said "What about the ones still left, if there are any?" Sakura: "I do not know." She softly replied, after some thoughts, "Only that if we win in the end, we should look very carefully at these farmers in the end." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael nodded in agreement. "We must go up and help them." Sakura: Sakura reloaded her crowwbow once more with new bolt and headed outward. "We can loot them later. Let go, shall we?" Vachir: "Looting should be the last thing on our minds now."Vachir commented "We have other battles to fight." Sleeping Dragon: after Rafael quickly treated several of the more injured party members, they made their way upstairs and headed out into the Greenstead fields. They could see that battle had been joined at the main gate to the southeast, and it looked to be going decidedly badly for the farmers. Distantly they could see that some of them already lay dead, and many were already retreating, some trying to regroup. Elsewhere small skirmishes were occuring - a group of mounted Clifftop Guards had broken through in the southwest and were moving to attempt to flank the main group of farmers in the southwest, while the fight at the northern gate was going more the farmers' way, as the Guards there were moving slowly under a hail of sling stones. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael headed southwest to cut off the guards. Sakura: Sakura launched into a song that supporting the farmers. Vachir: Vachir moved with Rafael and the others to prevent the guards from flanking the farmers. Rafael ben Efrim: Surprisingly Rafael joined in with Sakura's song, his voice untrained but strong and confident. Black Cat: Disconnecting from server... CosmicHorror (exit): 23:48 Sleeping Dragon: the party sped towards the south. As they went, they could dimly see the confusion of the battle in the fading light - men trampling each other in their haste to flee, or struck by bolts from their own side. Somehow a torch was dropped, by someone who had fled or been shot, and flames soon spread through the wheat fields. The air was full of the cacophony of battle and shrieking birds fleeing, or carrion flapping down to feed upon the dead.
They came upon the lake and began to circle hastily around it, as they did seeing the farmers desperately regrouping on the other side. Soon they were embroiled in another combat. As the party came close they could discern what were probably the forms of the mercenaries in the fray - in metal armour, wielding superb longswords that hacked through the untested farmers with ease. Just as the party arrived at the southern edge of the lake, however, a roar went up. Outside the gate, in the camp of the Guards, the party saw that suddenly the flag of Malador waving from the great pavilion was pulled down, and hastily replaced with an unadorned red banner. Sleeping Dragon: Cat tore towards the fray, quickly pulling out a dagger and flinging it with tremendous force into the Guard's chest. He slumped from the saddle and fell Vachir: Vachir slowly advanced towards the fray and fired three arrows at one of the horsemen - two struck, wounding him, but the third flew wide and ended up in the fire Sakura: successful? Sleeping Dragon: the horsemen advanced into the fray, one downing a farmer while two charged Cat. Both missed, and then another rushed Vachir, narrowly stabbing wide of him Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun hacked at the horseman who had charged Vachir, sending him flying from the saddle with a vicious sweep of the scimitar. Ardrun then grabbed the reins of his warhose, trying to mount the unruly animal Sakura: Sakura shouted at these four men with firesome tone, "You are all going to die... for we have arrived to deal with you... Council Serfs. Your horses worth more!" Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael raced accross the field, charging one of the mounted guards surrounding Cat. "Lapdog of the exploiters!" he shouted at the man, hacking at him with his scimitar. Sleeping Dragon: the Guards smashed against the farmers, several of the underequipped rebels falling Sleeping Dragon: the farmers fought back, a great cheer going up as the City's banner fell. One downed the horseman Vachir had injured, and others landed minor blows with their clubs Sleeping Dragon: then the mercenaries struck. One charged Cat, a heavy stroke of his sword sweeping just past her ear, while two others hacked through the farmers nearest to the party. Several were slain as the blades of the mercenaries sheared through their negligible padded armour, falling to irrigate their fields with blood
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Post by sleepingdragon on Jul 3, 2010 11:16:21 GMT
Sleeping Dragon: Black Cat flung herself through the legs of the mercenary who had just attacked her, darting around behind him and driving a dagger into his exposed flank. Vachir: Vachir ran forward and fired an arrow at the mercenary who had been fighting Cat, wounding him. Sleeping Dragon: the remaining mounted guards moved up and attacked Cat and Rafael, but their swords slashed wide Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun leapt up onto the back of the horse of the man he had just calmed down, then slammed his feet to its spurs and charged forward, scimitar flashing down, glinting in the light from the burning fields. Ardrun's sword sheared through the Guard's armour, ripping him from armpit to gut, two halves falling at Rafael's feet with intestines spilling out Sakura: Sakura went over to where Vachir was and shouted at the three nearest guards that they will pay the price for attacking the village. Sakura: *guards fighting these farmers Idris: Rafael dodged and danced, blind-siding one of the mounted guards until he was able to hack into the man's back. The guard fell lifeless from the saddle. Sleeping Dragon: the Town Guards attacked. Those Sakura had shouted at proved highly inept, but some others were more successful, with three more farmers falling to their blades Sleeping Dragon: one of the remaining farmers carefully retreated, while the other two circled around a Guardsman, pounding him down with their clubs Sleeping Dragon: the mercenaries rushed the party, one landing a blow on Rafael Sleeping Dragon: Black Cat tumbled out of the middle of the mercenaries to encircle another with Rafael, but her blow fell wide Vachir: Vachir unleashed a barrage of arrows towards the mercenaries, killing one on the spot and seriously wounding another. Sleeping Dragon: the remaining mounted guard slashed at Rafael, missing Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun hacked out with his scimitar, landing a blow on a mercenary and the horseman. The horseman nearly fell from the force of the blow, and then Ardrun pulled his reins and his own horse kicked up at the Guard, knocking him from the saddle Sakura: Sakura kept on ranting at these guards but it is not as effective it seems. Still, she moved toward the group of her peers, attemeting to get some protection Idris: With Ardrun at his back, Rafael took advantage of the mercenary's attention to Cat, & caught him with telling blows. Sleeping Dragon: the remaining Guards charged bravely, levelling their spears. One drove it up into Ardrun, severely wounding him, and another also landed a blow against the seriously injured gladiator Sleeping Dragon: the remaining farmers took another Guard down, fighting boldly on Sleeping Dragon: the mercenaries advanced, brutal blades slashing down. One charged Vachir, landing a heavy blow which he followed up with relish, significantly wounding the archer. Another rushed Ardrun, hacking up at him. The blade drove into the gladiator's gut, and slowly he toppled from the saddle. The third, roaring triumphantly, landed a strike on Cat Vachir: Desperately leaping backwards, Vachir rapidly fired four arrows at the charging mercenary, bringing him down, dead. Sleeping Dragon: dazed on the ground for a moment, adrenaline washed over Ardrun and he sprang to his feet. The mercenary was taken by surprise as Ardrun landed one blow, but the second was blocked by an upraised shield Sakura: Sakura started singing about dark fates of their enemies after taking one step toward the lake. She shouted some threats but did not have much impacts Idris: Despite his wounds Rafael coolly eyed the mercenary in front of him, weighing up the man's weaknesses. Suddenly he shot forward, hacking deep into his enemy's head. The man fell spouting blood, and Rafael whipped around, narrowly missing one of the guards. "The One is with us!" he shouted. Sleeping Dragon: the guards rushed forward, landing one blow on Rafael, while two others took down a farmer Sleeping Dragon: a farmer who had fled earlier charged back into the fray, coming to the aid of another farmer who was now outnumbered Sleeping Dragon: the mercenary advanced, landing a weak blow on Vachir Idris: hope not Vachir: Nimbly leaping away, Vachir fired his bow again, piercing the weakest spots of the mercenary's armour with three arrows and leaving him greviously injured. Sakura (enter): 21:40 Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (520) Sakura... Sleeping Dragon: with a bestial screech, Ardrun hurled himself forward, blood pouring down his face and flying off his scimitar. His blade bit down into the mercenary, felling him, and then he whirled it round in a huge sweeping blow at the terrified Guards. With thunderous force, Ardrun's sword sheared through his foes, felling them like reeds, bodies scattering in every direction. Four fell, and then with a last lunge Ardrun sprang forward, brought his blade down, and clove a fifth Guard from crown to crotch, drenching his compatriots in gore Sakura (enter): 21:46 Sleeping Dragon: with a bestial screech, Ardrun hurled himself forward, blood pouring down his face and flying off his scimitar. His blade bit down into the mercenary, felling him, and then he whirled it round in a huge sweeping blow at the terrified Guards. With thunderous force, Ardrun's sword sheared through his foes, felling them like reeds, bodies scattering in every direction. Four fell, and then with a last lunge Ardrun sprang forward, brought his blade down, and clove a fifth Guard from crown to crotch, drenching his compatriots in gore Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (521) Sakura... Sakura (enter): 21:52 Sakura (exit): 21:52 Sakura (enter): 21:52 Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (524) Sakura... Sakura (enter): 21:56 Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (526) Sakura... Sakura (enter): 22:00 Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (530) Sakura... Sakura: Sakura simplely strolled backward, eyeing them, "You do not want to hit me..." Threats in her voice. Sakura (exit): 22:08 Sakura (exit): 22:14 Idris: Rafael sidestepped, trying to distract one of the guards. Although he did not succeed he still hit the man with a solid blow and the wounded guard fell to the ground. Sakura (exit): 22:22 Sleeping Dragon: ignoring the Guard she was fighting, Cat raced across the battlefield to the assistance of the two remaining farmers, striking down one of their opponents with a vicious stab Sleeping Dragon: the remaining Guards, seeing the carnage on the battlefield, fearfully threw down their weapons Sakura (exit): 22:24 Sleeping Dragon: one of the farmers, a woman in her forties with callused hands and a scar on her face, hobbled over towards the party. "Thank you...but who are you?" Sakura: Sakura glanced over these surrendered guards, "Good idea for once." She told them. Idris: "We are on the side of the poor and oppressed," Rafael said. "The Council has had its day." Sleeping Dragon: the woman nodded stiffly. "They've killed my husband today, and two of my sons. I won't forget it. What is happening? Where are the Karateks? What is that flag?" she pointed to the Council's encampment Sakura (exit): 22:30 Vachir: Vachir paused to catch a breath before speaking to the others . "It's a been a rough day for all of us, hasn't it? And we have a fire to extinguish." he said Idris: "I am sorry that your husband and son died." Rafael said, gravely. "The Karateks are dead. And that is the flag of the people of Malador. The blood red flag of freedom and equality." Sakura: Sakura nodded sadly, "Yes." Sleeping Dragon: the woman ran to grab buckets to put out the flames as the last vestiges of battle died around them - the farmers in the north drove their assailants off, and the remaining Guards near the southern fence fled when they realised the battle had turned against them. Shortly afterwards, Harris and two of the men he had been with earlier jogged into the field. "Councillor Atrem Neele is dead," he announced unceremoniously. Sakura: "Oh Goody..." Sakura commented on it solidly Idris: Rafael nodded. "The Cultists are dead, and so are the mercenaries. Such guards as remain have surrendered." Idris: "There are injured to atted," he added, moving to examine the fallen. Sleeping Dragon: Harris spoke to the woman quietly for a moment, and she nodded and walked away. "Now to find out what happens in the Flow...I hope Trog and the others are alright. We will need to rally people quickly, the Guards will be reeling from this but if we leave it for too long they may recuperate." Idris: "How many will we be able to call on in the city?" Rafael asked as he bandaged wounds. Sleeping Dragon: "Well I'm hoping for sixty thousand but there will probably be some shirkers," Harris said flippantly Idris: Rafael shook his head at Harris' remark but he gave a small smile. "How many are ready to fight? And how many have arms of any kind?" Sleeping Dragon: "Well there's whoever's left here, whoever's left in the Block, and anyone we manage to convince to rise up. Or were you expecting secret cells of armed men prepared to march on Clifftop on receiving a coded message?" Idris: Rafael looked up from one of those he had been unsuccessfully checking for signs of life. "The people will overcome by sheer numbers, but it would be good to have some organised among them. When do you intend to return to the city?" Sleeping Dragon: "Well we only have so many numbers and we decided that having Trog and a few others infiltrate the Guard so they could change sides at a critical point in the battle in the Flow was more worthwhile than trying to convince a few more people to be ready." Harris squinted across the lake. "The farmers' Council are coming," he said. "I hope I'm good at this persuasion thing, being publically executed for killing a Councillor isn't really how I want to go." Idris: "The farmers have just been saved from certain death, let us talk to them." Rafael said. Sakura: Sakura told them, "I will also try to help as well." She softly muttered Sleeping Dragon: the party wandered over to speak to the surviving farmers. Two of the three leaders of the farmers had been killed in the fight, leaving only the priest of Teregen, Cherenos, alive. Harris began to address the farmers, telling them that Councillor Neele was dead and that, at any rate, with the tremendous defeat they'd inflicted on the Guards they now needed to move on and fully destroy the Council, or they would in their turn be picked off and destroyed. He said that the rebels in the Flow would soon have won a victory of their own over the Guards, and that the two victories between them, if they were quickly joined up, would convince enough Maladorans to see the weakness of the Council and rise up against the land tax. With assistance from Sakura, Ardrun, and Rafael, the farmers were at length convinced. "We have to move now! And be wary - the Council will try to bribe us with concessions which they can snatch away again when they've regathered their strength. They'll probably offer to repeal the land tax - shout them down! We've repealed it already, and them with it!" Harris concluded. Sleeping Dragon: after an hour to gather together any other survivors, they marched from Greenstead beneath the stars, flickering torches lighting their way. The exhausted and ragged band of men, women, and children strode along the road towards the city, stopping at farms on the way, urging their neighbours to join them. Some did, most fearfully refused, but nonetheless by the time they reached the outskirts of Malador their numbers had roughly tripled. In the night they could see fires spreading in the Flow, raging in the dark.
Many houses had been boarded up, but as it became clear the farmers intended them no harm, people began to come out again. They looked on the farmers in amazement. Fear was sweeping the city - there were huge riots in the Flow, they'd heard, but Harris spoke to try to calm them. Some laughed at his call to join with the people in the Flow, laughing derisively, but others were ready to listen.
After a few hours, a score of people came up out of the Flow to meet them, led by Halgyn Polle, Aletha Polle and two men they didn't recognise - a tall man with prematurely grey hair, and another burly man with ruddy skin and dirty gold hair. The people of Foot, Flow, and countryside greeted each other, wary at first but then with more warmth, like estranged cousins attempting to reconcile. "I'm afraid Sophia is dead," Halgyn greeted them. Sakura: Sakura looked saddened for a moment as she reflected back to Sophia's fights in royal city. "Damn..." Idris: Rafael went up to the burly man with gold hair and greeted him. When he heard Halgyn's news his face fell. "Killed in the fighting?" he asked. Vachir: "That is sad."said Vachir, crestfallen "She was a great warrior, and a good woman. I'm sure she died a heroine's death, did she?" Sleeping Dragon: Halgyn nodded. "But the gangsters and the Guards are being given the kicking they deserve. I'm just sorry that so many people died for this."
The man with the grey hair nodded to Vachir. "There were sixteen bolts in her by the end, but she took down many of Tilaven's thugs before the end." The man smiled. "I don't think you know me, but I certainly know you - you've already forced me to flee the city once. Hopefully this time has a happier conclusion, our previous attempt to defeat the Council with pirates and hydras was not very successful. My name is Johannes Young," he bowed. Sleeping Dragon: Halgyn nodded. "But the gangsters and the Guards are being given the kicking they deserve. I'm just sorry that so many people died for this."
The man with the grey hair nodded to Vachir. "There were sixteen bolts in her by the end, but she took down many of Tilaven's thugs before the end." The man smiled. "I don't think you know me, but I certainly know you - you've already forced me to flee the city once. Hopefully this time has a happier conclusion, our previous attempt to defeat the Council with pirates and hydras was not very successful. My name is Johannes Young," he bowed. Idris: Rafael nodded. "I am honoured to meet you. I am sorry that we forced you to leave the city, although in fact our expedition against the pirates was a turning point, for we learned the truth about the council." Sleeping Dragon: "All in the past," said Johannes. "There will be more coming from the Flow soon...we thought it best to make sure our presence wouldn't be misconstrued." Sakura: Sakura smiled faintly, "This is getting to be a habit..." Vachir: "Didn't think you end up in a revolution, eh?"said Vachir to Sakura "Life can be surprising." Sakura: "Always except the unexcepted, Vachir." Sakura responded to Vachir's reply, "But, yes you are right. Life is surprising" Sakura (exit): 00:32 Sleeping Dragon: soon these rebels from the Flow also arrived, several hundred in number, in the darkest part of night. There had been no sign of Guards at any time in the night, but to be sure the crowd entered every Guard post in the Foot, and, finding them deserted, seized what weapons remained behind before continuing on towards Clifftop.
Unceremoniously battering down the gates, the crowd quickly cowed what few Clifftop Guards remained there. Rumours began to spread - one of the Guards insisted the Council had all fled already, another that they were in an emergency session. The answer, whichever it was, could be found at only one place - the Council Hall. They made their way to the Hall, gazing in awe at the sumptuous homes of the wealthy. Had they wished they could have looted the entirety of Clifftop, but they had another purpose in mind.
as they approached the huge basalt building, they found that the Councillors had not fled the city - or at least not all, for two, the Councillors Jan Torwald and his son-in-law, Councillor Colm Vargo, were waiting for them, with a small contingent of Guards. Neither of the Councillors said anything, however, for another person came out to speak.
"People of Malador, the Council understands your grievances," Carus announced, striding forward. He was unarmed. "We are prepared to offer amnesty for what has occured over the last few days."
Then Jan, a stout man with unfocussed eyes, stepped forward. "I am already preparing a motion that will strike down the land tax. Councillor Vargo and I never voted for this tax, and we will gladly vote it down." whispering to Sakura, as his father came forward to speak, Sakura saw Carus' eyes fall on her. For the faintest moment Sakura thought a look of hurt passed across Carus' face, but it quickly faded and he took his gaze away from her Idris: Rafael looked at his companions, then stared Carus in the eye. "By what right do you say you will offer an amnesty. You are the ones who have committed crimes beyond measure, in your greed, and your evil treatment of the poorest in Malador. The Council is over. The people will rule themselves." Sakura: Sakura for a moment looked torn over this but she kept slient. Sleeping Dragon: "These people are liars!" Harris shouted angrily. "Never voted for it! You two abstained, and you are not even a Councillor, just a manipulative aristocrat," he gestured at Carus for the last. "In a day or two when we've dispersed, you'll remember you have a tribute to pay and will decide the land tax needs to stay - or else replace it with some other measure, but one that hits us and not you! Begone from Malador immediately - you can leave the wealth you've stolen behind!" Sleeping Dragon: the Torwalds and Vargo attempted to convince the crowd to go. Carus strode up to the crowd and desperately harangued them, but this only made them angrier and at length the Councillors decided to flee. Carus clenched his fist, turned to go with them, then stopped and walked over to the crowd. Immediately swords were pointed at him, so Carus sighed, put his hands up, and gestured for Sakura. Idris: "Don't trust him Sakura," Rafael whispered urgently to her. "He has only one interest, and that is himself, and his quest for power." Vachir: Vachir was silent but obviously tense, worried about violence possibly erupting again . He glanced at Sakura and shook his head, obviously echoing Rafael's words. Sakura: Sakura glanced at her party mates and shook her head, her eyes slightly filled, "No, Carus... But I will see you again in future. But you will need to go..." She said softfully before shouting out, "Calm down, people. The Council clearly do not want to make their stand against the will of the people, they lost. It is time for new fresh start..." She urged the people not to act in harsh manner. Idris: Rafael spoke quietly to Harris and Johannes. Sleeping Dragon: Carus stared silently for a few moments before walking after his father. He had got about sixty feet away before turning to shout in a voice filled with unspeakable bitterness. "I love you, Sakura!" he cried, and without waiting for a reply turned and stormed away Idris: Rafael patted Sakura on the shoulder. "I have heard women say that all men are liars. Be strong Sakura. We need you. The people of Malador need you!" Idris: After the councillors had left, Rafael spoke with Harris and Johannes again. Sakura: Rafael made a gesture at Rafael, wishing to speak to hm. Sakura: Sakura made a gesture at Rafael, wishing to speak to him Idris: Rafael came over to Sakura. Vachir: Vachir walked over to Rafael and Sakura. Sakura: ys deserve better, I myself do not care." She whispered chillingful, "It is because the fights we have been together that tied me to you. Carus in his own way did do more to protect this city than all Councillers combined. Despite him, and despite you, I will help you, Rafael." As she whispered to them among the chatters only for Rafael and Vachir's ears. Sakura: "While this city's people does deserve better* Idris: Rafael looked at Sakura for a long moment. "You are a good woman and you will be rewarded for what you are doing today a hundredfold. In the children who will live because of your actions, if nothing else." Sleeping Dragon: the other Councillors, it proved, had already fled. Rather than immediately proclaim a new government after taking Council Hall, they simply took down the flag and then, following Harris and Johannes' advice, went out to speak to the people, to involve them more in this process, while also ensuring that the wealth of Malador's wealthier inhabitants was seized to be put at the disposal of the people.
Here, however, there entered a complication - the Torathi Envoy, Joren Tashal, bearing a message from King Darragan. The most glorious King Darragan, he said, had negotiated a treaty of tribute with the Council of Malador - and therefore, he said, he would consider any further attempts to dissolve this body to be tearing up the treaty, tantamount to a declaration of war against the Kingdom of Torath. At any rate, he said, due to the violence and obvious uncertainty of these events, he no longer considered the treaty safe, and therefore offered the people of Malador two options - the full restoration of the Council, with a doubling of tribute payment, or, alternately, he would accept a treaty with any new government, but would require four times as much, due to the lack of legitimacy any new regime would possess.
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Post by sleepingdragon on Jul 17, 2010 18:11:54 GMT
Sleeping Dragon: The city of Malador had burst into activity. For all the absence of a definitive authority, there was very little violence. A small number of people attempted to use the opportunity to settle scores with others they had quarrelled with before, but as near as anyone was aware nothing worse than a few fist fights happened. The minds of Malador's citizens were elsewhere - and worried, at any rate, that greater violence might soon be upon them.
Partially because of the encouragement of Harris and other members of the SCF, and partially out of necessity, in all the neighbourhoods, tributary villages, and farmsteads of Malador people came together to form committees, discussing the future. However, very little time passed before talk of the future Malador was put aside and replaced with talk of a more pressing matter - King Darragan's demands.
The King of Torath had offered two choices, but in the air there hung an unspoken third: invasion. Wild rumours swept the city. The Kingdom Guards had already begun to mass on the border; King Darragan had orchestrated the revolution to allow him to increase the tribute; mercenaries were flocking to the Torathi, licking their lips at the thought of plundering Malador.
Fear spread through the city. Information that was far more substantiated soon became known. The exiled Councillors, fled to Adaria, demanded their immediate reinstatement to negotiate with the Kingdom, backed by the Adarian government. The Adarian Speaker blamed the revolutionaries for breaking the New Coast's peace and threatening the institutions of government and property; Petros, Salavoian Ambassador to Torath, threatened sanctions from his city if Malador continued its rebellion; the great cities of Zenos, Padua and Codova expressed their total support for the Council; and the King of Umayya bluntly stated that the people of Malador were in rebellion against nature and would inevitably be crushed.
Against this tide of opposition many committees buckled and suggested conciliation, but others stayed firm. The revolutionaries desperately countered with their own message. The Kingdom of Torath was not as strong as it seemed, they said - the Copperdell rebellion and destruction of Rannemort proved it. Only King Darragan's own fearsome reputation held it together - a single defeat would break it into pieces. And of course, they argued, the rulers of other lands, who were no better than the Council, condemned their actions - they were plainly frightened that Malador's example would spread.
Perversely, the very condemnations of the revolution served as its salvation. Maladorans were accustomed to having little control over the government of their city, but nonetheless they drew a line that the rulers of lands that were not even in the Coast wouldn't tell them what to do. And the rulers of the Isperan cities were First like King Darragan - obviously they wanted him to have his way!
The Torathi Envoy never received any officlal response - but when it became apparent that the Maladoran populace were scouring their city for weapons he left with haste. At length, representatives of the neighbourhood committees convened and put out a proclamation. The tax which had spurred the Maladoran revolution, it said, had been imposed to pay the Torathi tribute - having overthrown the tax and the Council, they were not about to begin to pay again, let alone pay more. The Council, furthermore, had never governed with the consent of most of Malador's people, so the treaties it had negotiated were irrelevant.
Now the tales of Kingdom Guards massing returned, and were no longer wild tales. Harris, with several clever, stealthy people, hastily left Malador and sneaked into the Kingdom, armed with subversive songs, revolutionary leaflets, and other propaganda urging rebellion. Meanwhile, the committees prepared to fight... Sakura: Sakura settled down and recovered from her burns. Still, even though she is bitter about something, she helped the committees to settle their differences in the face of greater threats, the fate of the city depend on it. She also supported her friend, Rafael and Vachir as well. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael worked tirelessly for the revolution, hardly sleeping. When he wasn't speaking passionately in the committees, he was training groups of citizens in how to sneak up on the enemy, or organising defensive works around the city. He commandeered a large house and turned it into a hospital, recruiting as many local women with skills in healing as he could. "Everyone should have a place and a job to do," was his constant refrain. Sleeping Dragon: over these days, Benjamin contacted them again with good news - the prisoners of the Infected were recovering, though very gradually, at the home of a Jethi doctor who lived near to him and could be trusted. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael regularly visited the recovering prisoners. He talked often with Benjamin about what had happened. Vachir: Vachir, though not one for rousing speeches or complicated politics, did his best to help the revolution, trying to instruct as many as he could in the use of ranged weapons. He also remained in contact with the others, mainly Rafael and Sakura. Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun spent his days going around the city, finding slaves - the committees had proclaimed that they would abolish slavery in Malador, but at present were too preoccupied with the war to fully carry this out. To the party's surprise, Enrico accompanied him, assisting Ardrun with significant energy Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): Rafael also visited the High Priest, expecting a cold response. whispering to Rafael ben Efrim, High Priest Malachi treated Rafael somewhat distantly - though recognising him as a fellow Jeth, it was plain that he considered Rafael to be part of the new government and wanted reassurances that the Jethi community would be treated with respect. He expressed some alarm at the SCF's stated aim to take all land into the ownership of the city as a whole, asking Rafael to press for exemptions for the Temple, at least Sakura: Sakura was faintly besumed by the fact her ex-slave managed to carry out his dream of freeing these slaves, despite her dismissive outlook back then. Rafael ben Efrim: (whispering): Rafael tried to explain why public ownership of land was so important. "Before, even if we owned the land the Temple is built on, if the government turned against us, they could drive us out or worse. The revolution has brought about a new way of looking at people, a new respect for even the poorest, even the slaves. That respect extends to us Jethi, and in turn we have much to teach the people, for we have traditions of justice and equality." Sleeping Dragon: a week after the explusion of the Council, enough order had finally returned for the committees to hold a public event, commemorating those who had died in the twin uprisings in Greenstead and the Flow. Many of the bodies of the slain had by now been taken away by loved ones - or eaten by carrion - but some had been preserved and were transported with honour to a field west of the city. A pyre was built, and about a score of bodies of the most revered revolutionaries - Adela and Galad Haskins, and the warrior Kallan Tarask, leaders of the Greenstead revolt, Ernesto, one of the SCF killed capturing Councillor Neele's tent, and several prominent fighters in the Block - were carried overhead on stretchers by those near to them. Halgyn Polle and Ardrun approached the party, asking for their assistance in carrying Sophia's body to the pyre Sakura: Sakura nodded as she glanced at Rafael and Vachir. "Of course, we will help. Sophia have saved our lives number of times." She recalled Sophia's fights in the Royal City. Rafael ben Efrim: "She was a great warrior for the people," Rafael nodded. "I would be proud to help." Vachir: Vachir nodded at Sakura's words. "She saved our lives several times, and was a good woman. We will be honoured to help."he said to Polle Sleeping Dragon: they carried Sophia's body above them, arms folded around a scythe - Aletha had suggested that Sophia's own weapon should go to the pyre with her, but Halgyn, more pragmatic, had said that a weapon of that quality should be used to defend the city rather than be destroyed. Sweat poured down the party's faces as they bore her weight, especially when they came near to the fire and felt its heat upon them. Stopping a few feet from the fire, they heaved her body into the flames on the count of five. Stepping back, they watched their friend's body begin to smoulder as Cherenos, priest and last surviving leader of the Greenstead rebellion, delivered the eulogy.
"Johannes wants to speak to you," Halgyn said after a few moments. His eyes scanned the crowd, finding that Johannes was not far behind them, carrying the body of one of the Block's fighters. "When he's finished with Olon there I'll take him aside." Sakura: Sakura looked curiously at Johannes after she sniffed in saddness and nodded in respond. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael stood in silence, his head bowed while the funeral continued. Finally he looked up and nodded at Halgyn. Sleeping Dragon: when Johannes had finished, Halgyn took him aside. Johannes wiped sweat from his brow and led the party away from the main crowd. "The Kingdom Guards will cross the border either tomorrow or the day after," he said unceremoniously. "King Darragan has ordered all the reserves out. We're not sure of exact numbers, but we're expecting between thirty-five hundred to four thousand - fortunately he can't bring them all, he needs to leave some behind to keep order." Vachir: Vachir glanced sullenly at the flames, watching Sophia's mortal remains burn. However, he noticed Johannes, and nodded slightly. Rafael ben Efrim: "All trained men." Rafael said grimly. "The people will fight but they are unskilled. We must do something to even the odds." Sleeping Dragon: "The Kingdom Guards are made up almost entirely of men - only a few women have joined their ranks," Johannes answered. "Sophia has shown us what an error that is. We will arm any women prepared to fight alongside the men. But the Torathi have one weakness we need to exploit, and that's where we need you." Sakura: "What kind of weakness" Curiousity abound in her tone,# Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael nodded in agreement, then at Johannes' final words he looked around to ensure nobody was listening and leaned forward to talk more privately. Sleeping Dragon: Johannes leaned forward to speak quietly. "Often Torathi armies are led by generals like Maxxen Juthe, but that won't be the case for this battle. Juthe is no longer in favour at any rate, and this will be the largest battle since Torath defeated Karatekos. We've spat in King Darragan's eye and his reputation requires him to lead the army himself. Harris has sent back some information that the Kingdom Guards are bringing a prefabricated fortress to serve as Darragan's base, so he'll probably just oversee the battle rather than actually lead from the front. Darragan has ruled Torath for as long as it's existed and the Kingdom Guards view him as practically a god. We need you to sneak behind the enemy lines and kill him." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael smiled. "It will be good to rid the world of such a demon." Vachir: "I'd have suggested that myself. "said Vachir obviously in agreement "We'd have liked to put an end to that tyrant's reign since we met him the first time. Can't see the Guards fighting for much longer after their 'god' is dead." Sakura: Sakura nodded, "Understandable. Remove the head, the body will not know what to do." Sleeping Dragon: "I thought you'd be up for it," Johannes smiled. "You won't be on your own. Darragan will likely have a fair sized honour guard, so we'll be sending a dozen of the SCF lads with you. Enough to put up a good fight but small enough to be stealthy." Johannes paused. "I don't ask this lightly of you. Even if you kill Darragan and the Kingdom Guards are defeated it could be that they will flee back in your direction, and with you cut off from us..." Johannes left it hanging. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. I would warn you to be very wary. Darragan is a First and was master of Torath even in the time of the Masters. He's a powerful warrior and general, but I would also expect him to have access to some kind of magic, at least a few items. I don't want you to go in underarmed so I have some items of my own to give you, things I picked up in my adventuring days." Sleeping Dragon: Johannes reached into a bag and first pulled out an arrow and then a bolt. "These contain spells..." he said. "If you strike someone with the arrow, simply concentrate and a bolt of lightning will flash out from the arrow. The bolt will create a fireball." He also pulled out a number of vials filled with odd-coloured liquids. "These potions will make you stronger, faster, tougher, more confident, and some will heal your wounds, but I'll warn you they have certain...side effects. The healing potions particularly...how to say..." Johannes winced. "Basically, if you have ambitions of ever having children, don't drink them. The others have effects too but not ones that are quite so...emasculating." Vachir: Vachir listened in silent wonder to the part about the arrow and bolt, though he looked slightly more concerned with the suspicious potions and their 'side effects' Sakura: Sakura looked with these vials with hint of suspicious feelings. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael looked at Sakura. "We are the weapons of the revolution, the spearhead of the people. Terrible suffering will occur if we do not succeed." Sakura: Sakura nodded softly, "Yes... I have no desire to see this city taken by the First!" Clearly she got some objections against the King D. Vachir: "Sacrifices might be needed." said Vachir " I agree with Rafael. We might have to use these 'things'" Sleeping Dragon: Johannes nodded and closed the bag. He paused, a look passed across his face, and he nodded slowly and opened it again. "I have...one last item to give you as well, but..." Johannes sighed and reached into the bag and pulled out a figurine slightly larger than his palm. The figure was very strange. It was two-sided - on one side, the figure was a man, on the other, a woman. They were each naked, their genitals and breasts drawn in detail, and they cradled hourglasses in their arms - in the woman's, the sands were at the top and sliding down, and in the man's, they were at the bottom, yet, by some strange force, sliding up. The face of each figure was completely blank - there were indentations for eyes, but no features whatsoever. "I am...not sure what the exact properties this item possesses are, but I've studied it for years and believe it can temporarily stop the flow of time," he said. His voice was hoarse. "But I would not recommend you use it in the direst circumstances. As I've said, I don't know the exact details - I've never used this item before - but from books I've read mentioning a statue like this I believe it has a rather severe cost." Johannes swallowed. Sleeping Dragon: *except in the direst circumstances Rafael ben Efrim: "To the user?" Rafael asked, his gaze held by the strange object. Sleeping Dragon: Johannes nodded. "You can create a bond between yourself and this item by pressing your eyes with your fingers, then pressing your fingers to where the eyes should be on the side of the statue that corresponds to your gender. For the next while you can speak the command words - which I will teach you...carefully. If you speak the words, you can briefly act outside of time. However, once this effect is complete you...well. I believe that the effect is...that you die..." Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael tore his gaze from the statue and looked into Johannes eyes. "Death is not so dreadful..." Sleeping Dragon: Johannes laughed. "That, I think you'll find, is a minority opinion." Rafael ben Efrim: "That is because the majority have not experienced death." Rafael said softly. Sakura: Sakura looked remotely concerned that Rafael may try use this. Sakura: "Only in most direst circumstances!" Sakura whispered Vachir: "Quite a powerful artifact."said Vachir slowly "There are some who would say killing a man such as Darragan would be worth paying such a cost - but I hope we do not have to find out, personally. " ** No match found Sleeping Dragon: Johannes gave Rafael a strange look. "Right. Well, the command words are...malus..." Johannes paused for a significant length of time. "...irrex..." Johannes stopped again, then finished after a minute, "...olochonos..." Sakura: "I am the enemy of time." Sakura whispered in respond. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael held out his hand to take the statue. Sleeping Dragon: Johannes gave it to Rafael, seemingly relieved to be rid of the statue Sakura: "That what it means in olden language." She said afterward. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael smiled. "I know. The enemy of time, only to be used in the direst circumstances. Fear not Sakura." Sakura: Sakura went off to gain more bolts and to get better armour to replace the old armour she still retained for old memory sake. Vachir: Vachir went to prepare for the coming battle and fill his quiver to the brim with arrows. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael went around the groups he had been training - the people's militia, the nurses in the hospital - making sure they knew what they must do. Sleeping Dragon: the city prepared for battle. The committees had selected a site ten miles west of the city as the spot from which they would defend the revolution - in a narrow strip of grassland between the river and forest, with some gently rolling hills upon which to place archers. The Tower Rafts were drafted in to ferry supplies and troops, and during the battle they could be used to move troops in behind the Torathi lines.
With the former Town Guards and Tower Guards at its core, an army was formed to defend the revolution. Each neighbourhood committee was tasked to find as many volunteers as they could, with wildly varying results - the remaining Greenstead farmers volunteered to fight again without exception, eager for more victory, while parts of the Harbourside managed to find only a few people. Some parts of the Flow sent large numbers, others almost none - they remained bitter at the years of being hated and ignored by the rest of the city, and their attitudes changed slowly. By far the most consistent enlistment came from the poorer districts of the Foot - people not in destitution like their cousins in the Flow, but who had feared they might be destroyed by the rise in rents after the land tax and now faced a sudden reversal in fortunes with the SCF pushing for the new government to reduce rents by between half and a third of their pre-tax rate. At first, it seemed they might only just match the Kingdom Guards' numbers, but in the final days before the battle, their ranks were buoyed by a motley collection of women, under the joint, enthusiastic command of Aletha Polle and Pesk Dannitch, returned out of her retirement running the Old Pirate. As news of the Kingdom Guards' arrival in Copperdell reached the city, Malador's forces received one final boost - Malachi ben Barak, the High Priest of the Jethi, had ordered the entirety of the city's Jethi population between the ages of sixteen and fifty to enlist, to prevent the demon Darragan from profaning the city and its Temple.
Under the command of Johannes and Halgyn, the revolutionary army, seven thousand strong, marched out of the city to set up their defensive positions. A team of horsemen were sent out to perform one last task - to ride to the Palace of Brothers. Reaching there, they used stonemason's tools to destroy the statues of King Darragan and the Councillors, breaking the bodies and hacking off the heads, which they left in the road, facing the oncoming Torathi army. Sakura: Sakura have composed a song extolling the virutes of the common people, comrades united against the oppressing force and how they will face it down. Sleeping Dragon: the Kingdom Guards crossed the border and made their way towards the city. They had hoped they would be foolish enough to march all day and then attempt to fight near the end of the day when they were tired, but King Darragan was far too experienced a commander to employ such tactics. Instead, the Kingdom Guards stopped about ten miles west of the Maladoran encampment and rested for the night, allowing them to complete the rest of the march the next day and begin the battle with some energy. The Torathi sent a small group of horsemen, who rode towards the Maladoran force under a parley flag and, once they were near, began to loudly read out a message, offering full pardon to any rebels who submitted to the authority of the most glorious King Darragan. Johannes, thinking quickly, sent out the order, and the core of the SCF, fighters from the Block, and the Greenstead farmers began to roar Sakura's song, drowning the messengers out. They waited for some time in annoyance, but the singing spread throughout the camp, and, as soon as the song finished the first time, they simply began again with more gusto, and after ten minutes it became clear the messengers were going to be ignored so they rode away again. Sakura (enter): 23:43 Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (247) Sakura... Sakura: Sakura looked pleased as she sung along with her song blared out from the army Sleeping Dragon: Johannes approached the party. "They'll advance tomorrow. We want you to move on Darragan's fortress as soon as the battle has started in earnest - we need the Kingdom Guards to be committed so Darragan can't simply call them back. Make sure to set the fortress aflame and tear down the banners - we need the Kingdom Guards to know that Darragan is dead." Sakura: "Sound simple enough" She smiled grimmly. Rafael ben Efrim: "We will," Rafael inclined his head. "Setting fire to the fortress can be Rico's job." he added with a smile. Then he moved away to a place apart, sat down on the ground and seemed to be meditating. Vachir: "You don't get to set fire to a First's fortress every day."said Vachir somewhat sardonically "But before that, we have other things to do." Sakura: "Indeed, getting rid of the First..." Sakura replied in a resort Sleeping Dragon: in the morning, Trog, a muscular man with ruddy skin, came over to the party with just under a dozen men and women following him. They were armed with excellent swords and finely crafted shields, but Trog himself carried no weapons at all. "We'll be coming with you," he said quietly and curtly. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael greeted him. "We should find a place where we can watch the Torathi advance. As soon as the armies engage fully, we must be off." Sakura: Sakura also politely greeted the others... "Good plan, Rafael." Vachir: "Let's try to be quick too - the sooner we kill Darragan, the less Maladorian lives will be lost." Sakura (exit): 00:15 Sleeping Dragon: the party arranged a rendezvous point and slipped out of the camp in pairs - it was entirely possible that the Torathi had spies in their army and a large group leaving at once would be easily noticed. Once they had regrouped, they slipped into the edges of the forest and edged along to the west, watching the Kingdom Guards as they approached.
The cloud of dust kicked up by their approach was enormous. A screen of at least five hundred cavalry rode on ahead of the main column, and the party were forced to retreat slightly to ensure that no scouting party spotted them. The Maladoran army was making its own final preparations, setting out markers in front of them to assist the archers, bringing the Tower Rafts up the river, bristling with crossbowmen to fire into the Torathi flanks. The wind was blowing out of the northeast, which gave the Maladorans the chance to prepare a fire attack as well, as this wind would be partially blowing towards the Kingdom Guards - though any blaze would likely soon spread into the forest.
The Kingdom Guards tramped on. There was no sign of any of the mercenaries Maladorans had feared might attach themselves - perhaps King Darragan was unable to pay them, or perhaps he simply distrusted them, but whichever it was, the entirety of the Torathi force seemed to consist of their professional soldiers. As they came near, the party saw with horror that they bore two captives with them - Katerine Soyval and Drammoc Rene. At Maxxen Juthe's insistence they had not been executed, but King Darragan had not agreed not to mistreat them and now he did. The two leaders of the Copperdell rebellion were naked and their legs were in chains, but they marched along at the head of the army with whip-wielding overseers behind them, while criers rode out towards the Maladoran camp to announce that either this or death was the fate awaiting any rebels against the most glorious King Darragan. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael ground his teeth at the sight of the mistreatment of the prisoners. "We will make that devil pay for his evil." Sleeping Dragon: "Interesting, I hadn't realised we were rebelling against King Darragan," Trog said sarcastically Sakura: Sakura frowned with hint of anger, "Yes, he will pay..." She silenced for a moment before smiling sordinally at Trog's joke. Vachir: "Not all Torathi are...particularly fond of their king, luckily. "said Vachir "Remember we'll have to win for them too!" Rafael ben Efrim: "Indeed, Darragan's list of victims is a long one. We will be serving the world in disposing of him," Rafael said with passion. Sleeping Dragon: the Kingdom Guards marched on. When they came to within about a mile and a half of the Maladoran army, they stopped and waited. Locating a hill, a troop of Kingdom Guards came up bearing large sections of wood and tools. Before the party's eyes they saw a fortress erected, taking almost no time, as each section was joined together and snapped into place. Afterwards, a trench was dug at the base of the walls and thick rocks strewn about within the trench. From a great distance they watched as a figure they thought was King Darragan, surrounded by around two score Kingdom Guards, entered the fortress.
The afternoon stretched on. About two hours after the Torathi arrived, their ranks suddenly began to stir. Their cavalry advanced, swords at the ready, and the thousands of infantry suddenly broke after them, rushing forward. The Maladoran army stiffened, preparing their own weapons. They saw a handful of crossbow bolts fly wildly out of the Maladoran camp as the Kingdom Guards abruptly broke off their charge and returned to their camp as if nothing had happened. This happened twice more over the next two hours, the Kingdom Guards advancing slightly further each time to test the Maladorans' nerve. On the third time they did not retreat but formed up again, and this time, when they advanced, it was with significantly more certainty. With tremendous speed for heavily armoured infantry they traversed the distance between themselves and the Maladorans. Once they got to within crossbow range, the cavalry at the front of the Kingdom Guards broke into a charge and stormed towards the Maladoran lines while the infantry lumbered behind, splitting into two forces, one of which went round to hit the main Maladoran force on the opposite flank to their cavalry, while the other, smaller force continued on, prepared to attack any forces coming out of the river, down from the hill, or behind the Maladoran lines. A hail of quarrels streaked out of the Maladoran camp, and for the first time in its history, the city entered battle against foreign invasion...
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Post by sleepingdragon on Jul 18, 2010 16:26:39 GMT
Sleeping Dragon: the Kingdom Guards marched on. When they came to within about a mile and a half of the Maladoran army, they stopped and waited. Locating a hill, a troop of Kingdom Guards came up bearing large sections of wood and tools. Before the party's eyes they saw a fortress erected, taking almost no time, as each section was joined together and snapped into place. Afterwards, a trench was dug at the base of the walls and thick rocks strewn about within the trench. From a great distance they watched as a figure they thought was King Darragan, surrounded by around two score Kingdom Guards, entered the fortress.
The afternoon stretched on. About two hours after the Torathi arrived, their ranks suddenly began to stir. Their cavalry advanced, swords at the ready, and the thousands of infantry suddenly broke after them, rushing forward. The Maladoran army stiffened, preparing their own weapons. They saw a handful of crossbow bolts fly wildly out of the Maladoran camp as the Kingdom Guards abruptly broke off their charge and returned to their camp as if nothing had happened. This happened twice more over the next two hours, the Kingdom Guards advancing slightly further each time to test the Maladorans' nerve. On the third time they did not retreat but formed up again, and this time, when they advanced, it was with significantly more certainty. With tremendous speed for heavily armoured infantry they traversed the distance between themselves and the Maladorans. Once they got to within crossbow range, the cavalry at the front of the Kingdom Guards broke into a charge and stormed towards the Maladoran lines while the infantry lumbered behind, splitting into two forces, one of which went round to hit the main Maladoran force on the opposite flank to their cavalry, while the other, smaller force continued on, prepared to attack any forces coming out of the river, down from the hill, or behind the Maladoran lines. A hail of quarrels streaked out of the Maladoran camp, and for the first time in its history, the city entered battle against foreign invasion... Rafael ben Efrim: "Time for us to go," Rafael said. He sounded relieved. Sakura: "Yeah," She whispered thoughtfully, "This is it..." Sleeping Dragon: Trog watched the battle for a moment, cracking his knuckles. He turned abruptly and began to jog in the direction of King Darragan's fort, skirting the edge of the trees Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael followed, slipping easily though the undergrowth, assisting Ardrun to keep under cover. Sleeping Dragon: they made their way along the edge of the trees, creeping past the small number of scouts and units of four or five Kingdom Guards which had been left behind to guard supply lines and protect against raids. As they hustled they saw the battle turn wild - the Kingdom Guard cavalry charge briefly split the Maladoran lines. At the same time the Tower Guards sailed up the river, unleashing a barrage of crossbow bolts on the Kingdom Guard infantry. A volley of fire arrows flew out from the Maladoran camp, setting the field ablaze, trapping a small regiment of retreating Kingdom Guard horsemen. From a distance the party saw men flung into the flames by their terrified mounts. They thought the Kingdom Guards were getting slightly the better of the revolutionary forces, though it was difficult to tell if that was just nerves.
As they approached Darragan's fort they could see men on the walls, nailing what seemed to be animal skins to the walls - they thought these were probably soaked in water to prevent fire attacks against the fortress. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael stopped and eyed the fort. "Any suggestions as to how we get in and past the guards?" whispering to Edivad, Vachir carefully examined the walls. Now and again men came up onto the battlements and then went down again - he thought there were a dozen on the walls, but at least as many as that again inside. Every man he saw bore insignia of rank - many sergeants, the middling rank of the Kingdom Guards, along with a large number of veterans. Within the camp he saw two pavilions which he recognised as typical for colonels, the highest rank of the Kingdom Guards, and a wooden tower in the centre, atop of which were three gargoyles, almost lifelike in their frightening appearance. From the pavilions and the tower flew King Darragan's flag, a running white wolf on red and black Sakura: Sakura frowned for a moment... "Not sure." whispering to Rafael ben Efrim, examining the walls, Rafael thought that they might well be able to be broken apart - they had been assembled in sections, nailed to the ground and held together by long, thick wooden pins, but a very strong kick or perhaps a thoughtful shove would knock a section loose. Sleeping Dragon: Trog examined it and grunted. "Sneak near? Maybe to the base of the hill, and the stealthier people make their way up and try to open the gates?" Edivad: "Nasty statues on that tower up there."said Vachir pointing at something "I wouldn't be too surprised if they were magical, Darragan probably has some trick like that up his sleeve."he added. "That sounds like a decent idea."said Vachir, turning to address Trog's question Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael had been eyeing the walls. "I think there's a chance we could break open a section, if we kick or push it in the right place." Sakura: Sakura gave a speech, "This is a time to get rid of the most dangerous threats to the city. Each one of us got one task in mind and with such belief and unity..." She continued with her speechs. Sakura: She blinked after the speechs as if she is distracted by something Edivad: Vachir took one of the potions, removed the stopper, and after a few seconds of hesitation drank the contents. He looked pleasantly surprised - almost taken aback - by the lack of apparent negative effects. Sleeping Dragon: Cat did the same Edivad: "Feeling pretty agile." Vachir smiled cautiously. He also took the magical arrow they had been given by Johannes, and set it apart from the others in his quiver. Sleeping Dragon: Rico refused to use any of the potions, but took the magical bolt and set it carefully aside Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael swallowed a potion and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he breathed in deeply, and opened his eyes, smiling at Vachir. Sleeping Dragon: steeling themselves, the party sneaked ahead, carefully, slithering on their bellies through the grass, pulling themselves along, now very close to the fortress. They felt terribly exposed, sure that some of the horsemen riding around would spot them, but somehow they were able to creep past, their hands and their clothes stained green and brown with grass and mud. At one point Rico swore bitterly, just managing to keep quiet, and wiped his hand against his clothes, having inadvertently crawled into horse's mess.
they came to the base of the hill. The battle to the east could barely be seen - the Maladoran fire attack had spread, mostly now beyond the actual battle, but its huge blaze blocked sight and sent up a huge cloud of smoke. A group of Kingdom Guards were wading out into the river and attacking the Tower Rafts, with bitter hand to hand combat already ongoing on one. But they could not focus on that now - they had other things to look at. Staring up fifty feet to the top of the hill they saw the southern side of the fortress, its hastily assembled walls twenty feet high, covered, as they had thought, in wet animal hides. The walls blocked most of the encampment - they could see two pavilions in the southeast and northwest corners, a tower in the middle, and smoke from a controlled fire, probably a cookfire, rose from the eastern part of the fortress. From the pavilions and the tower flapped Torathi banners, vivid red and black, the white wolves seeming to run in the breeze. Atop the central tower were three imposing stone gargoyles, demonic faces leering down at them. Sleeping Dragon: edit to add: there were around a dozen Kingdom Guards on the walls, all wearing insignia of at least moderate rank, bearing heavy crossbows. As yet they had not seen the party. whispering to Rafael ben Efrim, Edivad, almost imperceptibly, one of the statues shifted - it was alive Edivad: Vachir silently pointed at the statues, obviously as a warning. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael whispered urgently to those nearest him. "One moved. They're alive! Pass it on." Sakura: Sakura frowned faintly with worries. Sleeping Dragon: Trog frowned, concentrated on the archers, then nodded. "Who's going first?" Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael passed the information along the line, letting the others know about the gargoyles before they had to face them. "I doubt if most of us can reach the wall without being seen. If some of us run in to break down the wall, others can provide covering fire. Or do you have any ideas for a surprise attack?" Sleeping Dragon: "There must be some way of opening the gate from the inside - I could try to get there without being seen," said Cat. Sleeping Dragon: Cat thought for a moment. "Yes, I'll do that," she said firmly. Sakura: "It seems the current idea seems to be fine. It is not likely that we can keep hiding if we go attack." After hearing Cat, "Cat seems to have good idea though..." Rafael ben Efrim: "They have to be winched open, which takes time." Rafael warned. Rafael ben Efrim: "Some of us could attack the wall at the same time, to divide their attention." he suggested. Sleeping Dragon: "Don't worry, I'll get it open," Cat said confidently. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael suggested that some of the most able could sneak up and work on getting part of the western wall to collapse. "Then the rest can charge in. The gate can either be a distraction, or we can divide up, some through the wall and some through the gate." He looked questioningly at Trog, who had stayed silent. Sleeping Dragon: Trog grunted. "This is worse than that brothel," he muttered. Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael frowned and looked at the others. Sleeping Dragon: "We'll hit them from the west - if I can get up the wall I can fire this," Rico said, brandishing his magic bolt," at any large group of them, while you try to take the wall down. What are we using as a singal?" Sleeping Dragon: *signal Sleeping Dragon: Cat suggested that she might as well go over the western wall as well - this would remove the need for a signal, and her and Enrico could try to go up the wall together Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael agreed this seemed a good plan. Sakura: Sakura nodded, eager for this to start, for every second they delay, the King D will only be more helpful Sleeping Dragon: Cat and Rico sneaked up towards the wall first, with Rafael, Sakura, and Vachir following behind them. The Guards, though trained and disciplined, could not help but steal glances eastwards, towards the battle, and didn't even notice as Cat climbed up, dangling by her fingers from the edge of the wall, ready to vault up and over. Sakura and Rafael crept down into the ditch, prepared to knock over a section of wall. However, as they did, Sakura scuffed very slightly against one of the bits of debris in the trench, and a man with the insignia of a sergeant on the southwestern portion of the wall glanced in her direction. "What was that?" he said loudly. Vachir: Climbing over the wall, Vachir desperately fired at the sergeant who had heard the noise, but failed to kill the man on the spot, leaving him wounded but alive and even more alarmed. Sleeping Dragon: Cat flung herself abruptly over the wall, rushing towards the southern gate Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael started working on the wall, but his attempt was too hasty. Sakura: Sakura also attempted to work on the wall, using her knowledge but sadly it did not come to anything. She kicked the wall in sheer frustration. Sleeping Dragon: the sergeant who had heard them fired at Vachir, missing widely. "ATTACK!" he shouted Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael ignored the man, furiously working on the wall. Suddenly he felt something give, and the section of wall began to collapse. Vachir: Vachir kept firing as fast as he could, killing one of the guards on the wall and wounding one of the bodyguards on the ground. Sleeping Dragon: a pair of men bearing the triple star insignia of colonels, the highest rank of the Torathi military beyond Generals such as Juthe and King Darragan himself, stepped out of the pavilions, armed with spears whose fine points glinted in the sun Sleeping Dragon: Trog tore towards the gate, flexing his muscles. "Corall, Danwith, you and a few others circle round, that wall is coming down!" he shouted to some of the SCF Sleeping Dragon: "Midnight is here for you!" Cat taunted the Kingdom Guards. As she rushed them, she suddenly pulled a grey stick out of her suit and hurled it towards the Kingdom Guards gathered around the southern gate winch. As the air filled with smoke, she darted in and there was the sound of chains creaking as the southern gate opened Sleeping Dragon: four SCF rushed the southern gate while the others tore around to the west. the two at the front, wielding the excellent swords they had been granted specifically for this battle, hacked into a captain at the gate, damaging him lightly Sakura: Sakura went into her battle song, same as the one that was sung earlier in the day. It raised the morale of others. Sleeping Dragon: the Kingdom Guards rushed in numerous directions - those on the southern wall fired down at the charging SCF, one landing a good shot, while others fired and missed Vachir or moved towards the southern melee. A few tried to attack Cat in the smoke, but unable to see her, their blows went well wide as she laughed mockingly Sleeping Dragon: a few men with the double star of captain emerged from the pavilions, while another, at the southern gate, struck one of the SCF. A fourth rushed up onto the wall, charging towards Vachir Sleeping Dragon: the guards around the outside of the central keep retreated, one putting the tower between him and Vachir while two others opened the door and went inside Sleeping Dragon: Enrico joined his voice to Sakura's, then hastily sprang up the wall, interposing himself between Vachir and the oncoming captain. Rico faced him, rapier in one hand and crossbow in the other Sleeping Dragon: upon the tower, the stone figures spread their wings. Suddenly alive, two rushed Enrico and Vachir, landing light blows that ripped through their armour like it wasn't even there. A third reared into the air, then streaked down towards the attackers of the southern gate, clawing a wounded SCF Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun rushed forward, slashing the gargoyle with a vicious blow, which harmed it substantially thought not as much as it ought to have Sleeping Dragon: a few sergeants fired down at Rafael, missing, while others rushed towards what would soon be the gap in the western wall. Two others attacked the SCF at the southern gate, landing one weak blow Rafael ben Efrim: Rafael gave one final shove, and the wall collapsed inward with a great crash onto one of the guards. His terrible groans filled the air as the heavy timbers crushed the life out of him. Rafael leaped forward into the gap and moved into the compound beyond, looking around him. Vachir: Firing furiously, Vachir killed the Torathi captain facing Enrico with two accurate, powerful shots and then grievously wounded another officer standing in the courtyard. Sleeping Dragon: one of the colonels charged Rafael, stabbing him viciously with his spear, while another stabbed at Cat, failing to find her in the smoke Sleeping Dragon: Trog, stuck behind a line of his companions, quickly climbed up the side of the wall and charged a Kingdom Guard. His foot shot out, sweeping the Kingdom Guard's legs out from under him, and with the speed of a serpent it came down again, stamping heavily on the Kingdom Guard's neck Sleeping Dragon: Cat came cartwheeling out of the smoke, laughing as she streaked past the massed Kingdom Guards, and rolled up behind the colonel who had just stabbed Rafael. A dagger emerged in Cat's hand and she slammed it into her foe, driving through his chain armour Rafael ben Efrim: Disconnecting from server... Rafael ben Efrim (exit): 01:39 Sleeping Dragon: several of the SCF landed blows at the southern wall, while the others rushed into the gap in the western wall Sakura: After Sakura looked firesome as she launched into new verse of the song, she fired a bolt at Sergeant at the south west corner but it only stung him Sleeping Dragon: the Kingdom Guards rushed about, mostly charging Rafael and Cat who were in the square - Raf took a blow, but Cat easily avoided all the attacks. One at the southern gate shot Ardrun, managing only to annoy him, while another landed a heavy hit on one of the SCF Sleeping Dragon: one of the Guard captains landed a serious blow on one of the SCF, downing him Sleeping Dragon: the door to the tower opened, and out stepped five men bearing heavy shields, with plumed helms, excellent gear, and grim expressions Sleeping Dragon: behind them, out came King Darragan. In his hands he wielded an unthinkably large two-handed sword, steel gleaming, a shiny ruby placed in its scabbard. He was covered from head to toe in resplendent plate, full helm and visor on his head, to which the crown of Torath was affixed.
"I've been expecting you! Do you understand who you're facing, mewling thrallborn? I ruled these lands before the pitiful enslaved grandsires of your grandsires were born. Prepare to die!"
Hurling back his head, King Darragan gave an unearthly wolf's howl. As he did, the air seemed to shimmer, and a wind blew across the camp. The banners waved...and the wolves ran. In a flash of light, three huge white shapes bounded from the banners, bigger than horses, frost steaming from their gigantic maws.
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Post by sleepingdragon on Aug 3, 2010 22:03:17 GMT
Sleeping Dragon: Enrico feinted, drawing a Kingdom Guard off balance, and then deftly ran him through. The man stumbled and fell into the trench around the base of the fortress Sleeping Dragon: the gargoyles lashed out with claws and teeth, striking Ardrun Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun stormed into a gap in the gate, striking down a Kingdom Guard and severely wounding another Sleeping Dragon: a Kingdom Guard sergeant on the walls charged Enrico, striking him with his spear, while some others protected the southern gate, striking Ardrun Idris: Rafael smiled at Cat over the colonel's shoulder. The man's attention distracted, he lashed out, the sword flashing as it struck the man in his vital organs. The Torathi lurched to one side and fell to the ground. Vachir: Vachir took the sorcerous arrow he had been given by Johannes from his quiver and, aiming carefully, he sent it flying at the captain below the wall. The man died on the spot, and as he did so a streak of lightning burst from the shattered arrow and struck Darragan and the bodyguards by his side, shocking them - one fell unconscious. Incredibly fast, Vachir managed to fire another three arrows, slaying another bodyguard and wounding one of the sergeants. Sleeping Dragon: on the walls, Trog sent a Kingdom Guard tumbling into the trench with a vicious kick to the head, then leapt forward, knocking a sergeant's legs out from under him and driving his fist into the man's face Vachir: "There's some sort of link between Darragan and his guards!"shouted Vachir Sleeping Dragon: Cat rolled away from the mass of Kingdom Guards she faced and boldly towards Darragan, stabbing him. Her dagger plunged into him, scraping off his armour, but seemed to do him very little harm. Sleeping Dragon: the SCF in the gap poured forward, screaming abuse at the Kingdom Guards as their swords rose and fell, landing a number of blows Sakura: Sakura quickjly rushed over the wall into the gap between her two new allies and begun to sing a dark gloomly songs that will befall all their enemies. The Heroes that are strong enough to smash their way out through entire group and managed to flee the entire manhunt. They whose saved the world from dark and terrible enemies and they, little people will pay the price for fighting them, the Heros. Sleeping Dragon: the Kingdom Guards attacked, but, frightened by the song and the course of the battle so far, were largely ineffective Sleeping Dragon: the wolves rushed forward - one leapt up and sent Vachir tumbling from the walls, while another bit a member of the SCF, downing him. King Darragan stepped forward. "Kingdom Guards, I am with you! We will destroy these foolish enemies of Torath!" a laugh came from within his helmet. "You thrallborn, what do you think you know of rule and government? You were made to serve us, not yourselves!" Idris: Rafael glared across the mass of fighting bodies. "I serve only the One, Demon! We are not your thralls, we are free!"" Sleeping Dragon: [1d12] => [11] = (11) Sleeping Dragon: Rico stepped away from his attacker, aimed his crossbow carefully, and fired at the wolf at the southern gate. The quarrel sailed, struck the creature, and should have done little damage...save that it erupted in fire. flames burst around the wolf, scorching many Kingdom Guards, smashing them to the ground, and seriously wounding many others Sleeping Dragon: the gargoyles attacked, striking down an SCF member and one landed a weak blow on Vachir Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun advanced, striding towards the winter wolf. With a cry, he raised his blade and brought it smashing down - the first stroke of his scimitar sent blood gouting out of its neck, the second reversed and clove straight through the creature's neck. The wolf fell headless as Ardrun swung around, but his follow-through struck a Guardsman's shield Sleeping Dragon: the Kingdom Guard sergeants attacked, one standing and striking Trog, another hitting Ardrun lightly Idris: Rafael spun and tumbled between their foes to hit one of the bodyguards heavily in the back. Vachir: Seemingly undeterred by the fall, Darragan's harsh words and the gargoyle's claws, Vachir shot dead the sergeants blocking the gap in the walls, receiving by a vicious spear thrust in the process. He leapt on the rubble and unleashed another powerful arrow, bringing down one of Darragan's bodyguards. Sleeping Dragon: Trog feinted with a punch, and, as the Kingdom Guard put his shield up to defend it, locked his free hand round the man's leg and dragged him down. As the Kingdom Guard fell Trog gave him a vicious kick to the head, sending him cartwheeling over the wall. The big man turned and leapt down from the wall, landing adroitly opposite to Rafael Sleeping Dragon: Cat rolled away from her many foes, emerging by one of Darragan's bodyguards and stabbing him Sleeping Dragon: the SCF barrelled forward, downing a Kingdom Guard and wounding a number of others Vachir (enter): 20:23 Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (663) Vachir... Sakura: Sakura quickly moved across the pitch fighting and quickly slid by Rafael's side, grinning at the opposing fighters, "Be afraid, very afraid..." Sakura: in grim dark tone that carries dangerous threats* Vachir (enter): 20:29 Attempting to assign the role of PLAYER to (664) Vachir... Sleeping Dragon: the Kingdom Guards attacked, but failed to land any significant blows Sleeping Dragon: King Darragan's bodyguards rested for a moment, recuperating from the battle Sleeping Dragon: King Darragan advanced. Raising his huge blade in a vicious arc, he brought it crashing down onto one of the SCF. The huge sword clove the man straight in half, then he whirled and slammed it into Rafael. With enormous force the First's blade slashed across the Jeth, spraying blood. Sleeping Dragon: the wolves also advanced. One leapt over the well, landing and biting at Vachir, just missing, while the other loomed over two Kingdom Guards and bit down on a wounded SCF. The wolf's jaws closed on the man's head and then slammed shut, jaws misting. When the wolf tore its jaws up, half the man's head came with it, brains spilling to the ground Sleeping Dragon: Enrico stabbed the sergeant he was fighting, landing a solid blow Sleeping Dragon: the gargoyles attacked, landing blows on Vachir, Enrico, and an SCF that tore straight through their armour Vachir (exit): 20:52 Sleeping Dragon: ignoring his foes, Ardrun rushed at Darragan, calling on the One. Somehow, he evaded the blades of his three enemies and smashed into the King. His scimitar came down in a violent arc, smashing straight through Darragan's armour. As the sword struck, the King's three remaining bodyguards reeled away visibly, blood leaking from sudden wounds. Vachir (exit): 20:57 Sleeping Dragon: the two remaining sergeants attacked, landing a blow on the SCF remaining at the southern gate whispering to Idris, from the east Rafael could hear the sound of rapidly approaching hooves, at least three though maybe more Idris: Rafael took out one of the bottles of healing potion and downed it, his eyes never leaving the king. "Someone's coming!" he shouted. "Our reinforcements!" Sleeping Dragon: Darragan laughed mockingly. "You have mounted Kingdom Guards fighting for you, do you?" Idris: As he tried to find an opening to hit Darragan, he felt the weight of the statue against his breast, and muttered a prayer to the one. Vachir: Vachir desperately shifted in the rubble, trying to get a better aim at Darragan. Narrowly avoiding the wolf's jaws, the gargoyle's claws and the guard's spear, he fired at Darragan. Three arrows thundered against the First's body, almost as if his impressive plate armour wasn't there - but it was two of his bodyguards that fell stone cold dead. Sleeping Dragon: the remaining colonel, still shaken by Sakura, raised his shield protectively. Trog smiled at him, raised his fist menacingly, and slammed it in. As the man reeled back, Trog pulled his fist up short, wrapped it round the hilt of the man's spear, then yanked it away. He brought the butt of the spear whirling round, knocking the legs out from under a Kingdom Guard captain, then raised his foot and smashed the man's nose as he hammered it down. Idris: As Cat moved in behind Darragan, Rafael caught him an unusually heavy blow, and smiled grimly to see that the king was actually wounded, although one of his bodyguards bore the brunt. Sleeping Dragon: Cat stabbed at Darragan, but her dagger failed to connect Sleeping Dragon: the SCF advanced, surrounding Darragan desperately. Their swords rained down, but completely failed to strike him Sakura: Sakura walkedover to the five guards facing her and told them, "Your King will die and do not bother to help him." She told him with tint of boredom. Sleeping Dragon: Darragan examined the area around him, smiled, and raised a hand. The bodyguard in front of Sakura jerked, spasmed, and fell. From the bodies of Darragan's bodyguards, black shapes of warriors with swords and shields rose, flew through the air, and settled around Darragan, insubstantial figures protecting their liege. With a cry Darragan spun his sword round him in a hideous arc. The SCF near to Darragan fell like wheat, blade slicing through their limbs. Darragan finally turned and hacked down onto Ardrun, inflicting a grievous wound Idris: As Rafael watched the ghastly sight, and the bodies of good men fell about him, he looked at Ardrun and Cat. "Is it time friends?" he asked in a clear voice. Sleeping Dragon: Ardrun shook his head grimly and advanced, hurling all defences aside. He hacked viciously at Darragan, scimitar raised high. As he did, several of the ghostly figures moved around Darragan, interposing their shield. Ardrun's blade came down, hacking into Darragan hard, but the shields visibly turned the blow away from doing more harm to the First. Ardrun raised his blade again and brought it down, and one of the figures flung itself on the blade. It dissipated as the blade struck Darragan, barely damaging him Sleeping Dragon: the remaining Kingdom Guard sergeant attacked Ardrun, landing a light blow Sleeping Dragon: the sound of hooves came very near. "Kingdom Guards!" Enrico shouted Vachir: Bloodied, battered and desperate Vachir fired again at Darragan, dissolving one of the ghostly figures surrounding him and injuring the first grievously. Sleeping Dragon: the Kingdom Guard colonel picked up a sword and swung at Trog as he rushed around at King Darragan. Trog avoided the blow and went for the First. "It's time for you to go...the world belongs to us now!" he cried defiantly. His foot lashed out, sending the King of Torath sprawling to the ground. His fist came down, smashing into one of the ghostly figures, rebounding off it's shield as Darragan struggled to rise. Idris: Rafael stepped up and brought his scimitar down at Darragan but each time the king avoided the slashing blows. Sleeping Dragon: Cat whirled round, took a run, and rushed at the prone king. Vaulting herself from the earthen bank, she sprang down and drove her dagger down into Darragan, smashing past one of the figures. Seriously wounded, Darragan groaned on the floor. Sakura: Sakura glanced at Vachir and saw him surrounded by a big wolf and a kingdom guard, concerned for his safety, Sakura rushed over to wolf and the kingdom guard and yelled at them. "Don't you DARE!" After avoiding wolf's bite. Sleeping Dragon: the remaining Kingdom Guards, alarmed at their King's fall, attacked, landing two blows on Ardrun Sleeping Dragon: grievously wounded, Darragan pushed himself up to his feet. Raising his blade, he hacked down viciously on Ardrun, hammering past his defenses. Two blows had him reeling, and a third sent him hurtling to the floor, dead or dying. Darragan whirled and slashed at Rafael, but the Jeth dodged Sleeping Dragon: the gargoyles struck, landing blows on Rico, Vachir, and Rafael Sleeping Dragon: one of the sergeants struck Rafael, wounding him significantly, while the sound of hoofbeats came towards the southern gate Vachir: Vachir kept firing, desperately. Sweat and blood on his hands hindered his aim, and the first arrow missed the mark completely - but the second struck true, bringing the King of Torath down. Sleeping Dragon: for a moment, the Kingdom Guards seemed to reel away, stunned. Then the remaining colonel shouted. "He's not dead! Save the King!" Sleeping Dragon: the colonel's brave words, however, were belied by his deeds, as his arm shook as he slashed wide of Rafael Sleeping Dragon: Trog carefully raised the spear he had taken from the colonel earlier, ignoring a desperate swipe from the gargoyle's claws. Bringing it down, he drove it straight through Darragan's head, shearing through his full helm in an eruption of blood and brains, crown spilling from his head. The spear went down and into the earth, pinning the King of Torath's corpse to the floor. "He's dead now," Trog said unceremoniously. He smiled at the colonel. "And by your weapon! You may not want to return to Torath you know..." Idris: Rafael spat on the dead body of the king then looked at the Torathi surrounding them, holding his sword ready. "Cat. We have a job to do. Deal with it please." Sleeping Dragon: Cat darted past the stunned Kingdom Guards and into the central tower. With tremendous speed she rushed up the stairs and a moment later appeared on the ceiling, reaching up to tear down the flag. "There's two others," she shouted, pointing to the colonel's pavilions Sakura: Sakura glanced around her and the surrounding enemies, "It is time to surrender. Your King is dead!" Sleeping Dragon: seeing the Guards falter, Rico called from the walls, "Give in you idiots, if you pretend to have switched sides there's a hundred thousand gold piece bounty on Darragan's head in it for you!" Sakura: Sakura helped to take down the other flags. Vachir: Vachir waved his bow menacingly around, obviously hoping for the Torathi to surrender rather than keep fighting. Sleeping Dragon: with Darragan slain, both the wolves and the gargoyles fled into the countryside, and the remaining Kingdom Guards either surrendered or, in the case of the mounted ones approaching the fort, fled in disarray as the party pulled down the flags and began the laborious process of burning down the fortress Idris: Rafael went over to the body of the dead First. He looked down at the smashed face, then spat on it once more. "That's for Mikael, and for Miriam, and for all those who suffered." Then he moved among the injured, tending to the wounds of ally and enemy alike. Vachir: Vachir looked relieved to see the Torathi surrender rather than keep fighting. He cast a disdainful gaze at what was left of the once-might First and King of Torath, but said nothing before moving on to help the others with the burning. Vachir: edit: once-mighty Sakura: Sakura glanced at the King, with a tint of wonder, "We fought a First and managed to live all without sacrificing..." She told herself. Sakura: "YAY" Sleeping Dragon: Trog shot Sakura a murderous glare. "Corrall and Danwith and the others wouldn't agree," he said, kneeling by the bodies of the SCF members Darragan had slain Sakura: She muttered softly afterward Sakura: She shook her head and told him, "I am sorry." She told him truthfully as she glanced at the dead with sadness. Sakura: Disconnecting from server... Sakura (exit): 23:22 Sleeping Dragon: to the east, the battle continued to rage. For a while, it seemed as if it would continue despite Darragan's death - the Torathi were slowly driving a wedge in the revolutionary army and pushing into it, though it was slow, grim fighting. However, soon the Kingdom Guards realised what had happened, as they looked back to see the fortress burning and the flags torn down. Then it was the revolutionaries pushing forward, smashing the disordered Kingdom Guards back. Carrying three unconscious SCF with them, the party retreated from the fortress, fearful of being trampled by the retreating Kingdom Guards. From afar they watched the brutality of a full rout, as the Kingdom Guards, a force that had never known defeat in a hundred years, were chased, shot in their backs, pulled down into the mud and stabbed, or trampled by their own companions as they fled in terror from the artisans, carpenters, dockers, beggars, shopkeepers and labourers of a city that had never known war.
Within days the earth shattering news of Darragan's death had spread across the entire Coast, seeming to travel at a speed defying physical laws. The shattered remnants of the Kingdom Guards returned to the Kingdom of Torath the next day, passing by the town of Copperdell. Two hours later, Drammoc Rene, who had somehow survived the chaos of the battle, arrived on the border with a sizeable Maladoran force and the body of Katerine Soyval, who had been trampled in the rout. With the news of Darragan's death the rebellious slaves rose almost immediately. The Kingdom Guards had no mood for battle and fled, and soon the spirit of revolt had spread elsewhere. The citizens of the dismal town of Tellerthan, bodies wracked with illness from their work in those vile moors, soon joined them, walking out of their town en masse and beginning a trek towards Copperdell. The farming villages around Maddrik soon joined in, sending emissaries to Malador. In the centre of Torath, Maxxen Juthe took command of the remnants of the Kingdom Guards. Somehow he kept control of Torath city, the military post of Grayward, and the sleepy pasture town of Elbern, but the western settlements of Willowslow and Camp Cloven broke free in large scale slave revolts.
Two weeks after the battle, representatives from Malador, Copperdell, Maddrik, and the abandoned town of Tellerthan met in Copperdell. The citizens of Copperdell and Maddrik had each already declared themselves Cooperative Commonwealths on the Maladoran model, expelling the remaining Kingdom Guards and forming militas, while the Tellerthan folk had settled a temporary camp miles away from their abandoned town. Harris, who had reemerged from the Torathi countryside where he had been sowing revolt, returned and suggested a union of these towns - the Union of the Coastal Cooperative Commonwealths. Eager to share in the strength and wealth of the city of Malador, this proposal was readily accepted, and the embroynic Committees that had formed during the revolution and war took on solidified form as seats of local power. Seizing the coffers of the exiled rich, the people of the new Commonwealth began to debate, plan, and to organise...
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