Finders, keepers
Subject Spending the night
Fal ponders the future. He's glad the lady is safe, but sad that the group may disband. When he get's the chance, he'll volunteer for any future adventures that might come up.
From: Rob
Subject OOC
OOC: Mark, I was offline for a day ir two....what did we do about the magical items, the amulet and the axe? I would have sut some fabric from the half orc, or a blanket or something...and used that to remove the amulet and wrap it up, so that we don't come in contact with it if we can avoid it. I would also wrap the axe in something as well.
As far as what to do when we reach a town, I would recommend to Ran that we use some of the parties new found wealth to have the items appraised/investigated.
From: Mark
Subject OOC
Here are the archivs http://www.sakeriver.com/kalevan/
Basically Harp is carrying the axe on his horse and Fal is carrying the amulet in his back pack.
From: Rob
Subject finders, keepers
So, I find it and they keep it? What a rip!
From: Kevin
Subject Finders, Keepers
I would like to state for the record that Harp's arm, Ran's legs, and Cai chest found the double axe. Bel rode back after the fight. When he spills blood for something, he can claim it.
If Bel wants to carry the damn thing, let him. It is just extra weight at this point.
From: Karl
Subject E-mail
Mark, FYI - I got Kevin's email, but not Rob's that preceded it.
From: Mark
Subject On the road again
Around noon the next day Harp and Salix start to rouse the party members. Rochelle lets out a scream when she sees Harp standing over her, shaking her slightly. He quickly backs away as the young girl cowers under her covers. Ran comes over quickly. ?What's? wrong?? he asks. She stammers for a bit ?Him, that brute was trying to hurt me. What are you doing with one of his kind?? Harp's face falls a bit at this, but he is used to this type of reaction. ?It probably would have been better if Salix had wakened the lady? he thinks to himself.
Ran soothes Rochelle's fears. ?Half orc he may be, but Corporal Harp is one of your rescuers. In fact, he was assigned this mission by Angelwing himself. He is a brother in the Order of the Silver Sword; strong in battle and our healer.? Ran then goes around the others of the party introducing them. ?Surin you have met. He is our scout. Bel and Cai are our trackers and Fal is knowledgeable in the ways of magic. Salix there is a druid of the Great North Woods. Kal is an elf from the south, who joined our party after the death of Alatyr. I am Ran, friend of Angelwing, and leader of this mission.? He bows to Rochelle and says ?We need to be on the road again soon. I want to get more distance between us and whoever will be looking for you.?
With that the party has a quick meal and heads out. Ebon and Grey are sent out to scout the area. Cai takes the lead with Bel bringing up the rear, doing what he can to hide their trail. After another couple of hours of travel Cai rides up to Ran. ?I think that Bel and I have done a fairly good job of hiding our trail. However our path has been fairly straight. Anyone following us would have a good chance to pick the trail up if they just kept on going in the same direction. I suggest that we veer south a bit for half a day or so and then turn east again. That way we do not have to spend all our time hiding the trail. We would then be truly safe.?
OODM: Any one who wants to make a comment or do any conversing during the day let me know.
From: Kevin
Subject On the road again
It probably would have been better if Salix had wakened the lady? he thinks to himself." With that thought, Harp cringes in his own mind. What was he thinking? This young girl had been abducted, her guard slaughtered, she had been spirited away by a band of paid brigands that had been lead by one such as himself. How did he expect her to react? With joy to see another of his kind? He was lucky that she had not died of shock at the mere sight of him. Harp backs away, trying not to be threatening. He silenty packs up, mounts his horse and heads out with the rest of the group, taking up his normal position at the rear of the pack. At least this way, he thinks, she will not have to look at me all day.
As he rides, he starts to mull the response Rochelle had shown him. As he does, his anger at himself starts to change into anger to the world in general.
Here he was, hundreds of miles from the only real home he had ever know, riding with a girl he hardly knew, whom he had bled for, run himself ragged for, damn near been killed for, and her reaction to him was..... fear? Would the world never accept him? Some of the humans he had known in the Order had grown to accept him, but most tried to avoid him. And those were the ones who were his "brothers".
The rest of the humans were openly fearful or at least suspicious of him, even at the best of times. How many times had Knight/Captain Angelwing had to defend him against accusations of the worst type. Every time there was a violent crime, it seemed the first response was to blame the 1/2 orc. When would people learn that he was not like that!! Sometime, he got so angry that he wanted to get up and shout "Fine, you want me to be a monster, I will show you a monster you have never seen!!" But then, Harp thought, I would end up like Dargrak back at the goblin camp. Alone, leading a rag-tag band of goblins at the behest of others. But, so what? Is that so bad? At least I would not have to keep trying to prove myself. I am so tired of always being on the straight and narrow, always fearful that I might act like everyone thinks I will act. When will I have proven myself? At least with Salix, he had found someone who seemed to be able to look beyond the exterior and see what Harp was trying to do.
At his last thought, Harp chuckles to himself, leaving the funk he had gotten into. Knight/Captain Angelwing would have had him on kitchen duty for a week had he known where Harp's thoughts had gone. Angelwing, of all people, know of the difficulties of being only partially human. Of course, his bearing was one that was significantly less fearful to humans.
Harp thinks about the people he has met on this journey. The irrascable Surin - how did he move the way he did. The quiet but fearful Salix - who could call the very forrest to his need. Fal - who seemed to want to be a warrior, but was substantially more adept at creating something from nothing. Cai and Bel, two expert woodsmen (woodswomen) who seemed to know their way around the world. Ran, the moody, reluctant leader, a deadly fighter who seemed lost. And now Kal, arrogant and condescending, but but skilled in ways Harp had never seen. Harp wonders how he will ever be able to go back to the Order and become a simple student again.
OOC: Sorry about the long post. A few beers on a Friday night and I get maudlin.
This assumes of course that Harp lives beyond the next two days.
From: Karl
Subject On the road again
"I have a prayer that will hide our tracks. Well at least four of us. I would suggest that the two best trackers head off in different directions, leaving four horses and as many of the rest of us as those four can carry with minimal supplies. The two who veer off should make only rudimentary effort to hide their tracks, then turn to intercept us some miles ahead. While not perfect, perhaps we can confuse our pursuers enough to gain some time."
(OOC - Salix is suggesting Pass Without Trace. Mark correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I can hide four sets of tracks completely.)