Wraiths: Round 5
Subject: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
::end of last round, and beginning of next::
[Initiative rolls Kasen 21, Wraith2(held2) 15, Farron 9, Wraith1 8, Sa'id 5]
Sa'id moves to Farron's side, and casts the circle of protection spell. At the very least, now the wraith can no longer attack his fallen friend.
Kasen rides Storm out and around the single remaining wraith, putting himself at the creatures back. Sa'id signals to him once the circle is prepared, and Kasen attacks the frozen wraith. [(first attack power attack 6)Attacks 9, 26, 16; ethereal creature 45%, 13%, 22%; miss, hit, hit; damage 17, 19] The final wraith comes apart under Truth's power, and fades from site.
Farron continues to fade [Stabilize roll 75%, failed, -6hp].
And just like that, the night goes black again, the eerie glow from the three undead lost, and Truth's bright sheen already fading.
[Give me actions. Karl, you can play Sa'id. Are you going to use your fate point to stabilize? Or do you want to give Sa'id one try at using his heal skill? He can make the attempt, though his is very bad at it. You have 3 rounds to play with, so it's up to you.]
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Melani speaks out
How are you doing, matt?
Can I give Rennik more to do? Or are you still pretty busy?
From: Karl
Subject: Re: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
Does it make a difference if he stabilizes at -7 or -6 or -8? If not, have Sa'id try his heal-lack-o-skill. Farron will continue to just lay there and try to stay away from the light.
Some OOC Speculation; Archers: Round 4
Subject: Wereboar
You know I just went back and reread the introduction to the game.
I am betting Rennick knows this wereboar.
Mark
From: Scott
Subject: Re: Wereboar
Nah, he already killed Horan. Check out the fight at Gully's.
This is the main wereboar that infected Horan in the first place. Unless the main wereboar infected someone else.
You know, he might be keeping Melani alive to infect her.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: Wereboar
Oh I know Horan is dead. It was the one that infected him that I was talking about, the one that killed his lady.
I suspect that might be the case. Or just sacrifice her. Slowly, painfully.
Mark
From: Mark
Subject: Lieutenants
I have just been thinking about how many Lts. Korgesh has. We have taken out the 1/2 elf ranger type back in the forest, the 1/2 orc fighter, and now the witch. There is this wereboar, who may or may not be a major player and of course Elise.
Mark
From: Scott
Subject: Re: Lieutenants
There is also a human fighter that was seen in the tunnels near the mountain.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: Lieutenants
Yeah I was just reading that section again. The guy in the tunnel in the plate mail.
Mark
From: Ty
Subject: The Exodus; Black Magic 4
[Initiative Pensive, halfling23, Halfling 21, Robert, Munch, Garyth, Halfling12, Halfling20, Halfling14, Osred, Halfling6, Halfling17, Halfling22, Halfling4, Halfling24, Halfling19, Halfling10, Halfling18, Halfling15, Halfling9, Halfling13, Vincy, Halfling11, Halfling16]
Pensive watches the agile Halfling dart under his horse, knowing that it can now stab up at the horses belly or his own legs. He yanks back on the stonesash with his right hand, letting it fly past him and catching it in the middle with his left. He then whips the two ends of the sash down under the horse, hoping to drive the Halfling out, or kill it outright. [flurry of blows; Attacks 23, 19, hit, hit; damage 6, 10; death] Both ends of the sash come down on the halfling's head, crushing his skull with a snap, and spraying the horses belly with blood and gray matter. Pensive now has an open path back to the fleeing town. [full round action taken, no move possible.]
A pair of arrows are fired from the dark at Munch, neither falls within three feet of him. [Attacks 15, 8 vs AC 19, miss]
Robert wheels his horse, trying to fight his way clear of the melee and back to his captain. He attacks the Halfling who just shot him in the back in the hopes of clearing a path out of the fight. [Attack 19 vs AC 15, hit; damage 6] The already wounded Halfling goes down, bleeding from a nasty wound to the neck.
Munch continues to press the attack on the last Halfling between him and safety. He drives his horse forward, hammering his sword down at the archer's head [Attack 11 vs AC15, miss], but the wily Murrkat is too quick, and easily sidesteps his attack.
Garyth rushes up to help Robert just in time to see the Falcon take the halfling down. He is too far from Robert's second opponent to attack him, but he yells up to Falcon, "Go! I will cover your retreat!" If that second Murrkat decided to take a shot at Robert's back as he rode off, Garyth would cut him in half.
Unfortunately, Garyth becomes the center of attention. He stands not more than ten feet from the glowing puddle in the middle of the battlefield. Three arrows come hissing in from the dark in rapid succession. [Attacks 24, 8, 16, hit, miss, miss; damage 2] Only one of the arrows strikes him, and that one just glances off his boiled leather pauldrons, giving him a crack on the collar bone.
Osred takes in the battlefield at a glance. One archer remains close at hand, and will have to be dealt with. Kenneth is dead, but his horse stands next to the body. The captain has sent his own horse off into the dark, to get its glow away from them. The Falcon's are beginning the retreat at the captain's orders, and most of them will have hacked their way clear in just moments. The captain himself has charged off into the middle of the fray like a madman, but he did it to protect one of his men, and the big sergeant can't fault him for that. It's something Osred would do too. He decides to finish of the Murrkat closest to him, and then take Kenneth's horse over to Garyth. The last rites for the young guardsman would have to wait. Osred hopes the dark Halflings will not desecrate the body. This thought brings on a new burst of battle rage, and Osred charges the closest Halfling. [Attack 19 vs AC15, hit; damage 9] The Halfling raises one arm to protect himself from Osred's blade, and the sergeant's heavy overhand chop slashes through its forearm in a spray of blood.
With more than half of the visible Halflings killed, the Murrkat fighting Vincy decides that discretion is the better part of valor, and turns and runs off into the dark. Vincy lets him go, and turns to flee himself.
Two more arrows come flying in at Garyth. Apparently, someone on the Halfling side has realized that he is in charge, and they are now concentrating their fire on him. [Attacks 11, 17, miss, hit; damage 1.] Again, one hits his armor, but bounces off with little visible effect.
The Halfling fighting with Munch drops his bow and draws his shortsword, stabbing up at the Falcon's leg. [Attack 16 vs AC19, miss] The guardsman keeps wheeling his horse, and the Murrkat is unable to land a good blow.
Another pair of arrows fly in at Garyth. [Attack natural 20, threat 18, critical; damage 9; attack 13, miss] The first arrow strikes Garyth under his right arm, and lodges painfully in his ribs. The second flies past his face and disappears in the dark.
The Murrkat that just had his arm opened up by Osred begins retreating back into the dark [withdrawal move].
More arrows are shot at Garyth. [Attack 21, 17, hit, hit; damage 1, 2] Both just lightly graze his armor, but the constant barrage is beginning to add up. He is bleeding from a dozen small wounds now.
The Halfling at Robert's back takes one final shot at him before running off into the dark. [Back attack 19, hit; Damage 7] The Falcon yelps and spurs his horse as yet another arrow buries itself in the back of his armor.
Another arrow is shot at Garyth. [Attack 19 vs AC17, hit; damage 4]
Vincy, seeing a clear path out of the fight, charges his horse over to Munch to help him finish off his remaining opponent.
A final pair of arrows are fired from the dark. [Attack 14, 12, miss, miss] These two seem to have been shot from further away, and fall several feet short.
[An HP update, since everyone is getting hammered]
| Garyth | 50/-33 |
| Pensive | 38/-10 |
| Osred | 48/-21 |
| Vincy | 20/-9 |
| Robert | 31/-28 |
| ******Kenneth | 20/-30Dead |
| Munch | 31/-12 |
From: Ty
Subject: updated fight map
From: Dan
Subject: Re: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
Kasen runs his fingers down his blade, thanking Helm for his blessings as he does so. He had had his doubts when he left the city, not that his path was the wrong one, but that he was not walking it in the manner in which he should. This victory did not mean his actions were justified, just that the ends justified the means... for now. He would be punished when Elise was finally brought down, of that he had no doubts. Just as this wizard was being punished now, though Kasen does not know his sins.
He eases Truth back in its scabbard and rides up beside Sa'id, leaning down to place a hand on his shoulder. "I know you love him, Sa'id, but we cannot stop here. Help him up to ride with me and pray he has the strength to come back to us while we ride... I am eager to leave this place."
From: Jake
Subject: Re: Lieutenants
And of course those are just the ones we've seen.
Archers: Round 5 Actions
Subject: Re: The Exodus; Black Magic 4
Darkness stretches in front of him. Pensive can see the embers of fires where Overlook had camped, but otherwise, the night was black in front of him.
He turns to see Garyth fighting on the edge of a large bubble of light. There's a lesson in this-- some hidden secret that Pensive cannot comprehend right now. He notices with distaste that the stonesash is slick in his hands, and a crazy, chaotic thought sniggers that he will never be able to wash the stain of the halfling's brain out of the cloth. Never, never, little elf boy, burn it, burn you, come, come . . .
"I'm coming," Pensive whispers to the wind.
But not yet.
Pensive wheels the horse about, and rides to attack the halfling nearest Munch with the stonesash extended.
OOC: Does Garyth have a horse yet?
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Exodus; Black Magic 4
OOC: Nope, no horse yet.
IC: The arrow to his ribs makes Garyth stagger. He sucks in a breath at the impact and feels a sharp pain as the point grazes something inside him. He grimaces, but it brings him back to himself a little, the red haze of bloodlust clearing a bit from his mind. He won't survive a few more shots like that. Though, as bad as his own wounds are, Robert looks worse--that last shot has him swaying in the saddle.
"Get moving, soldier!" Garyth shouts, wincing as the arrow shifts in his ribs. The halflings are moving off; if there's a time to retreat, it's now. Though, Garyth feels a rather unpleasant twinge of disappointment at the realization that the halflings are out of range.
OOC: Garyth will cover Robert's retreat, attacking any halflings who come near. If Robert makes his move successfully, Garyth will follow him out.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The Exodus; Black Magic 4
OOC: If Pensive is able to successfully kill the halfling . . .
"Go get the Captain!" Pensive cries to the two guardsmen, as he engages the halfling.
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Exodus; Black Magic 4
Osred begins to more toward the halfling, eager to gut him, leave him broken on the ground as the Murrkat had left Kenneth. Before the impulse has had the chance to translate into movement, however, he checks himself. It would be just like the Murrkat to lead him away from his forces and cut him down when he stood alone, stripped of his men. He spits at the retreating halfling, then wheels his mount around, collects Kenneth's horse, and leads it to his captain.
Archers: Retreating; Farron Slips Further Away
Subject: The Exodus; Black Magic 5
[Initiative Pensive, halfling23, Halfling 21, Robert, Munch, Garyth, Halfling12, Halfling20, Halfling14, Osred, Halfling6, Halfling17, Halfling22, Halfling4, Halfling24, Halfling19, Halfling10, Halfling18, Halfling15, Halfling9, Halfling13, Vincy, Halfling11, Halfling16]
Pensive wheels his mount, flicking the stonesash to it's full length in his right hand. He snaps it at the back of the Murrkat's head [Attack 28 vs AC15; hit; damage 7], and the sash knocks the unaware Halfling flat on his face. He stays down. Pensive yells to the two guardsmen, "Go get the captain!"
Robert spurs his horse past Garyth, running for the retreating camp.
Munch, spurred by Pensive's shout, turns his horse looking for Garyth. When he sees him standing alone by the light, he runs his horse over to help.
Garyth begins moving toward the approaching Osred, planning to take Kenneth's mount. Something is wrong though. An itch on his spine. No arrows. The arrows aren't coming down around him. "There moving," he says to no one in particular. Where are you going now?
Osred rides over to the captain with Kenneth's horse behind him. "A mount, sir. Best we was leaving while the leavings good."
Vincy follows Munch over to rally by Garyth.
The few remaining Murrkat visible in the light are all running off into the dark.
From: Ty
Subject: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
Sa'id crouches by Farron's side, looking for signs of life. There are none that he can see. No breathing, no pulse. But Sa'id does not give up hope. He slaps his friends face, and pounds on his chest. "Wake up, Farron. Wake up!" [heal attempt 12 vs DC15, fail]
His attentions do no good, and Farron slips farther away. [-7 hp]
From: Mark
Subject: Re: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
Everyones favorite lizard is back. :)
Mark
From: Karl
Subject: Re: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
For the first time in his life Sa'id curses the magic he has studied -- the magic of death. Would that Cadfael were here, he thinks as he pounds on Farron's chest and slaps his face, remembering with envy the power his friend had channeled from his god. Power that had brought Sa'id back from the very brink of death what seemed now like months ago, though it was only days.
Help me, please, oh Great One, he prays silently. Though we are not followers of your way, we do your work on this quest. Please help us now.
No not followers (dare he even think the word "yet?"), but they were chosen nonetheless to walk this path at this moment, trudging once again toward the dark temple. He wants to cry out "HAVEN'T WE EARNED YOUR FAVOR YET?" as his friend lies dying at his knees. But he has felt the power of the god and seen what gods can do to those who earn their wrath. The gods help those who help themselves. Fortune smiles on the prepared. Platitudes, but only because they hold some truth. In all his study of, anatomy and reanimation, decay and death why hadn't he studied how to prevent it. Just one course in healing, he thought. Just one and I might be able to save him.
"Help me, Pelor" he cries out, hoping it's not in vain, silently adding, I know I am no healer, but I have studied and know the body well. Surely that counts for something!
He turns again to his fallen friend, pulling open his robes, exposing his chest, his flesh cold to the touch like a corpse. "NO!" he cries. "You will not leave us!" You will not leave me alone to finish this. He places his hands on Farron's chest, feeling for a heartbeat, then his ear hoping for even the faintest of throbbing beats. Thump. . . . . . . . thump. . . . . oh so faint, like a reed tapping on a boulder in an oasis breeze. Not dead yet. Bending lower over his friend, he places his mouth next to Farron's ear, his cheek, warm and alive against his friend's, cold but not-yet dead. "Hold on," he whispers. "Just hold on," he says, then pounds his friend's chest yet again, hoping against hope to shock his heart back into a rhythm of life.
From: Karl
Subject: Re: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
Farron lies at Sa'id's knees.
That's it. Just lays there. In his dream he's on a merchant ship, but doesn't remember signing up for the voyage. "I'm not supposed to be here" he says to himself but with every moment the ship takes him farther and farther from where he knows he should be.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Exodus; Black Magic 5
Garyth's mind whirls. Wherever the halflings are running off to, it can be no good. They have to get back to the townspeople; something bad is on its way.
"Fall back!" he cries. Please, he thinks as he swings into Kenneth's saddle. Let this not have been in vain.
OOC: Garyth will pause to collect Kenneth's body and then hightail it back to the camp.
Catching Up With the Townspeople; Farron Stabilizes
Subject: Re: The Exodus; Black Magic 5
Garyth is no longer under fire from the halflings.
Where were the little savages retreating to? Were they even retreating at all? Pensive snaps the stonesash into a loop and holds it loosely in one hand.
"We should ride back the way we came, Garyth," Pensive says. "There's no telling what traps the halflings may have lain for us-- but we know that at least, that way is clear. Clear of traps, anyway." He nods toward the direction the halfling arrows had been coming from.
OOC: No matter what Garyth decides, Pensive will follow.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Exodus; Black Magic 5
Garyth nods. "Agreed," he says.
OOC: He'll still be moving at the best possible speed on the way back.
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Exodus; Black Magic 5
Osred nods. "The elf's right, captain--we should head back. We've got a responsibility back there, people we've got to see to safety, best we can. God knows what hell the witch has been putting them through while we've been out here chasing halflings" (OOC: I'm right, aren't I, in thinking that the party is completely unaware of the witch's death?)
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Exodus; Black Magic 5
OOC: You are correct. But I'm not sure if one of us read Scott's post wrong. (Or peradventure I'm reading yours wrong.) Garyth already ordered a retreat, so I think Pensive was just advising on the route, not telling him that they need to get back to the camp.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Exodus; Black Magic 5
Yes.
From: Ty
Subject: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
"Hold on," Sa'id whispers. "Just hold on," he says, then pounds his friend's chest yet again, hoping against hope to shock his heart back into a rhythm of life. [Heal attempt 6 vs DC 15, fail; Farron at -8]
But his efforts produce nothing but a long slow exhale from the fallen wizard. When he puts his head to Farron's chest, he can no longer hear even the whispery beat be previously detected. His friend is dying. Dying in his arms. And he is helpless to stop it.
From behind him, Kasen watches grimly. Another murder to add to Elise's tally sheet.
From: Ty
Subject: The Exodus; Rennik leads the way
Rennik darts across the nearly black landscape, only the faint light of Bragga's torch illuminating his path. There was no time to pick the easiest route. Only to pick one that would get the largest number of people into the woods in the shortest time. Rennik stops to let Bragga catch up, and the old guardsman stands next to him waving his torch back and forth and yelling, "To me, Overlook! To me!"
The town follows in a ragged knot. From the dark are cries of pain and panic, but very few of the townsfolk thought to light torches or lanterns before fleeing, and it is impossible to see what's happening in the inky black.
Rennik gives them only a moment, then turns back to lead the way, yelling for Bragga not to lose sight of him.
From: Ty
Subject: Black Magic 6
Garyth leaps onto Kenneth's horse, and turns to lead his men back to the fleeing town. One short. We go back without one man, he thinks. A man who was under my care. He remembers how Kenneth changed after the big half orc nearly killed him. How he had grown quiet, and withdrawn, asking not to be called by his nickname any more. His brush with death had changed him in some way. And now, before he had time to figure it out, death had come back and ended him. Garyth feels eyes on him, and looks up to see Pensive staring. When the elf has caught his eye, he turns to look in the direction of the mountain. The message is clear. The demon killed Kenneth. Not Garyth. The demon. One more soul on his ledger. Garyth represses a shudder. It's creepy how the elf always seems to know what everyone else is thinking.
Garyth spurs his mount over to Kenneth's body, then jumps down to throw the fallen Falcon over the back of his horse. "Back to our people, men. Ride fast."
After a few minutes of riding, the group reaches the camp. Some fires still smolder, casting a dim reddish light. Around them are small dark shapes. Bodies. More than Garyth had expected. Dozens, maybe more. He can hear the rest of the people not much further ahead. He can hear yells and the occasional scream or cry. This attack had hurt them. It had hurt them badly, and now the town was in a panic. Some would follow Bragga and Rennik, but some would be lost in the dark. And there was no way to round them up. They had to keep moving.
And maybe that was the point. Garyth wondered how many of his friends and family would be going to the mountain tomorrow.
A few minutes of riding catch him up with Rennik and Bragga.
[where to from here?]
From: Karl
Subject: Re: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
His efforts wasted, Sa'id slumps back on his heels, still kneeling, his hand limply at his sides. He stares at the cold corpse in front of him that once was his friend. Suddenly he is exhausted. The weight of the past weeks comes crashing down on him and he sobs, too tired to sob, and to desperate even to curse the god that seemed so fickle in his blessings. Why me and not him, he thinks to himself.
"Why?" he asks aloud. "Why not Farron? He has done what *I* have done. . . why. . ." He slumps forward in despair, his head on his dead friend's chest. "Why?" he sobs meekly.
--------------------
On his dream ship, Farron searches for the captain, or indeed any of the crew. They must be told he didn't belong here. He didn't sign up for this voyage. They have to turn back. They have to take him back home. Standing on the forecastle, he looks back across the main deck, up the companionway toward the wheel and still not a soul in site.
"Ahoy!" he calls. "Hello! Is anyone here?" panic rising in his voice. He runs from the bow toward the stern and up the companionway. He reaches the unmanned wheel, amazed to see it turning back and forth, keeping the ship in line with . . . what? Where? He looks ahead and sees a bright light directly in the path of the ship. It is so bright he cannot look at it head on, but he can see that the ship is rapidly moving toward it, despite the slackened sails.
"I am not supposed to BE HERE!" he screams to the air. He grabs the wheel but it continues its rhythmic rocking keeping the ship in line with the light, oblivious to his pulling and pushing. Panic swelling in him he looks for a lifeboat. There is none. As the light grows brighter truth begins to dawn. . . am I. . . I'm not. . . I can't be . . .
"NO!" he screams, running to the stern of the ship. "I SHOULD NOT BE HERE!"
He takes one last glance toward the blinding light before diving into the water below. "I'M NOT FINISHED YET" he screams at he braces for the cold of the plunge.
(Fate Point to stabilize.)
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
[Karl, do you read sakeriver still? People had flattering things to say about your last Sa'id writeup.]
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
Farron leaps off the stern of the ship, and hits the cold water. It freezes him to the bones, and he sinks like a rock. His last thoughts are of cold and black?
****
Sa'id sits crying, his hands hang helplessly by his sides. On his knees, Farron lies absolutely motionless. Behind him, Kasen clears his throat. "We should move on. The bitch knows where we are, and she may know that her spirits failed to kill us. We are in no shape to fight right now. We can," he pauses uncomfortably, "we can take him. To bury later. If you wish."
Sa'id turns his head slowly to look at the knight. Kasen shifts backward in his saddle involuntarily, shocked by the black expression on the wizard's face. His eyes flash in the dark, and something like a dim fire flickers around his hands. "If you speak again, I will ki-" He stops suddenly.
On his knees, Farron sucks in a huge coughing breath. He does not wake, but his heart beats and his breath is steady. In minutes, his flesh begins to warm.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: Black Magic 6
When they reach the camp, the sight of the bodies hits Garyth like a blow. He pulls up short, his horse dancing about nervously. Here he sees a young girl face down in the dirt, her chest pinned to the ground by one of the halflings' arrows. She's still clutching the doll she must have been trying to save. Over there, the broken body of a man mauled by the tentacles lies in a heap, limbs sticking out in all sorts of wrong directions. A sick feeling comes over Garyth; he retches once, just managing to keep it together. He grits his teeth, trying to suppress the impotent rage he feels building in him, and spurs his horse on.
It's not long before they catch up to Bragga and Rennik. He falls in beside them and reports, addressing them both. "The archers have been dispersed but I lost a man doing it, and they may be back." His jaw quirks a bit. Steady. It was the demon that did this. The demon. Don't make Kenneth's sacrifice less--he chose this life, he knew what it meant. Calm. Calm. "We have no choice but to keep moving."
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Exodus; Black Magic 5
Ah. I'm the one who was reading wrong, I'm afraid. In any case, Osred's all for retreating at this point.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: Black Magic 6
Garyth's guilt lays in Pensive's mouth like spiderwebs-- he yawns broadly to get the taste of it out, but gets a lungful of pain and fear from the camp instead. He winces.
There are no more attacks from the halfling's arrows.
The camp is empty of life-- some small fires burn in the underbrush where embers have been knocked free of their firepits. Dead bodies are scattered in the dim glow-- Pensive sees the chubby boy that had been so eager to see Yancy beat up Bastorien. The one who had waved to him. Pensive dismounts. There are no arrow wounds on the boy's body. No-- he'd been trampled to death in the crowd's rush to escape.
Escape. . . escape to where? Pensive reaches to close the boy's eyelids. Where were your killers escaping to? Some would have fled with Captain Bragga-- many more would have run off to get lost in the night.
Pensive's heart quickens a moment. What was the purpose of this attack? It was certainly not to destroy the whole town-- there would have been infantry to deal with if that were the case. He had been wrong. He had assumed that there WOULD be a force of undead that would attack after the intial vollies by the archers. He had expected to find zombies shambling around in the dark.
But there had only been the archers and the witch. And the archers had been beaten back. . . or retreated.
Or gone looking for other prey.
Sand. He had been so completely, utterly wrong. This hadn't been an attack at all. It was a raid. He'd seen something like it with the low elves-- one group would lead their sheep to water, and another would try to scatter them and steal the stragglers.
The halflings were after the stragglers. The rightness of the thought thuds into his heart with such finality, Pensive forgets to breathe. But why? What good would they do? More zombies? Was Kor Garesh so starved for an army that he'd pick up women and children to fight for him?
No. Pensive remembers Verul Benardi's words, ". . . you will all sink forever in the scarlet light of my maw."
He shudders. They should have stayed with the camp. They should have kept the town together.
His own guilt tastes no better than Garyth's. He leaves the boy and the rest of the dead on the ground to see what can be done about protecting the living.
In Kasen's Head; Osred in the Camp
Subject: Re: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
Kasen stirs uncomfortably on his saddle, feeling like something of a voyeur. He is torn between averting his eyes and letting Farron slip on with dignity and grabbing Sa'id by his collar and hauling him down the road. While touching, there was nothing they could do for Farron now but remember his name and wear it on their lips when they bring Elise her justice.
"There's time," he thinks, "A little time to collect himself. To collect ourselves." The sight of Sa'id over Farron's body threatens to take him back to his memories of Conal's corpse, memories he could do without visiting again tonight. To escape he nudges Stormcloud's flanks and they trot a few yards from the road, ostensibly searching for a sign of Farron's mount while giving both men some privacy in these last moments. Not that there was a hope of finding the animal without light; not that it matters now. He ticks off the passage of time and puts off leaving a while longer, pretending not to hear Sa'id's cries and steeling himself to deal with one dead man and one broken one.
"This is no time to be soft," He thinks, looking back at Sa'id. They were pissing time into the night. Farron was neither the first nor the last to fall; indeed there was nothing remarkable about his passing at all. Justice already demands Elise's head and there was always room for another name. Let yet another man relish in her death. "She can kill as many as she likes," he thinks, "It will make her fall the sweeter." But these tears, these tears would drown them if she found them while they wept. He had given Sa'id his peace, but now it was time to move on. Straightening in his saddle he moves back to the road.
Kasen clears his throat. "We should move on. The bitch knows where we are, and she may know that her spirits failed to kill us. We are in no shape to fight right now. We can," he pauses uncomfortably, "we can take him. To bury later. If you wish."
It is too late that he sees the blind anger and hatred in Sa'id's eyes. He had completely misread him and, caught utterly by surprise, he jerks backwards in shock without even reaching for his sword. "The man is broken", he realizes, "but not crumbled under the weight of despair, despair has simply weakened him enough for his hatred to explode." Kasen blinks, hands dumbly holding the reins, "I'm going to die," he realizes.
On his knees, Farron sucks in a huge coughing breath. He does not wake, but his heart beats and his breath is steady. In minutes, his flesh begins to warm. And, thankfully, he draws back Sa'id's focus.
Kasen tries to give an easy laugh, but it sounds timid even to his ears, "Your cries truly did wake the dead, Sa'id," he says, grateful that his voice does not break, "let us be off before they wake Lady Elise's ghosts as well."
From: Jake
Subject: Re: Black Magic 6
As they ride into what had been the town's camp, Osred's mouth flattens to a thin, grim line. His gaze flits back and forth across the carnage, finally settling on the small form he'd known he'd find--the blacksmith's boy, sprawled prone in the trampled grass. It was for this one, writhing in agony after being run over by his father's wagon, that Osred had sacrificed the ability to summon the wall of wind that could have deflected the halflings' arrows, could have prevented the route. Now the cleric couldn't even think that perhaps he'd been guided by some force he didn't understand, saving the boy for some higher purpose. He kicks the corpse once, savagely, and turns away. The enemy will not find him so foolishly soft again.
Scott's Fine With This, By The Way
SubjecT: Re: Black Magic 6
So, here's what I understand we're doing:
Continuing to march along in the night, toward the general direction of the Kalama camp. Is this right?
I'm fine with this, by the way.
And good turn, Noemon. REALLY good.
OOC Discussion: Mount Encumbrance
Subject: Re: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
OOC: How much can my horse carry, Ty? Can I take Farron with me on top of my gear and all our armour? I assume Sa'id has no ranks in ride so it'd make sense for me to be the one hauling the guy. Unless his horse is still around and we just tie him to that ;)
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
Storm can carry Farron without too much trouble. She is already over the limit for 4x running, and I don't think it drops her even farther.
Big Right On
Subject: Right
I'm back now, though I'm tempted to continue to let Karl play Sa'id anyway since Farron is out of commission.
From: Karl
Subject: Re: Right
No thanks. ;-) I'm more interested to see where *you're* going with the whole conversion-to-Pelor thing. It was hard to write those scenes without committing the character one way or the other.
By the way, has *anything* happened in the last 2 or three days with the Overlook campaign? Your email is the *only* thing I've gotten in that time.
Karl
From: Raja
Subject: Re: Right
Well, we'll see. It's only been a couple of weeks. This sort of thing takes months to years for people to work through.
As far as I know there were no messages to the list between June 17th and today, so you didn't miss anything. :)
Raja
From: Mark
Subject: Re: Right
I have not seen anything in almost a week. We are waiting on Matt, I think.
Mark
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Right
I think I will do a turn without him pretty soon here.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: Right
For those of you who may not read Hatrack or Sakeriver, we had our fourth child on Sunday morning.
Despite the fact that I will be on dial up and at home all week, I will endeavor to fulfill my RPG responsabilities.
Look for turns in the early, early morning, or in the late, late evening.
Commitment! It's not just for marriage, anymore. . .
:-D
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Right
Why did you think having FOUR kids was a good idea?
From: Karl
Subject: Re: Right
Congrats! Hope the mother is well.
Karl
From: Scott
Subject: Re: Right
3 square meals + 1 snack.
Duh.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Right
Right, right.
That makes sense.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: Right
Congrats.
Mark
Who's On First?
Subject: Re: Two wizards out of town; The wrath of Elise
Are we waiting for players to pass in turns here or Ty? I feel like we're at that awkward pause in a conversation and I'm not sure if it's my turn to pipe up or not.