Subject: The Farm

The three Falcon's arrange themselves several yards apart, and just inside the cover of the corn field. Robert whispers to Rennik before he leaves, "It will be a long shot, sir, if it comes to shooting." Rennik nods. The Falcon's will be more useful in covering a retreat than they will be in actually hitting anything at the farmhouse.

The halfling then leads Pensive through the low brush and cover to the tree by the south side of the house. Up close now, Pensive's nose wrinkles in disgust at the stink of rotting flesh. Rennik moves as quietly as possible to the inset cellar doors, mentally cursing when a hidden twig crackles under foot. The doors are stout wood planks on metal hinges, with a simple deadbolt on the outside keeping them shut.

He turns to look back at Pensive, who just shrugs and moves over to his side, tightly gripping the stonesash. Rennik slides the deadbolt to one side, moving very slowly and trying to keep it as quiet as possible. He then slowly lifts one door, and takes a quick peek into the cellar.

The sunlight dimly illuminates the short stairwell, and a small portion of the cellar itself. Though the stench has become almost overpowering, there is nothing in view. Rennik opens the door the rest of the way. Still nothing. Pensive opens the other door to let as much sunlight into the room as possible, and then Rennik moves slowly down the steps, gripping the shortened halberd in one hand.

At the bottom, he pauses to let his eyes adjust, and then he sees the first victim.

In a distant corner of the room lies an adult human female. Probably the wife of the farmer. She has been slowly and meticulously cut to pieces, in a manner very similar to the way Cadfael was butchered after his death. But in this case, there is no quick death from a wound to the heart. Someone killed her slowly, keeping her alive as long as possible. It must have been several days ago, as the body is rotting and crawling with maggots. There is no one else in the cellar, just shelves of canned food and dry goods. Rennik spends a few moments searching the hard packed dirt floor, then moves to a second stairway leading up into the house.

The stairway leads to a large kitchen. From there Rennik and Pensive move into a large living area. Still no one in sight. A door leads from this room to the outside, and a second door into another room. Rennik moves to it, and stands at one side. Pensive moves to the other side. Rennik yanks the door open quickly, and looks in the room. No one. He finally speaks. "I don't think they left anyone else here, unless they're in the barn. We should check that next. There are footprints downstairs. Halfling. Murrkat is my guess." He spits.

Pensive replies, "There is a bed built for two adults in this room. In the larger room, there are two more adult size beds, and one that looks as if it could hold three or four children. At least four adults and three children lived here. Where are they?"

Rennik shrugs, "The farmer is dead in Overlook. I'd guess that's his wife downstairs. The other two... hired hands maybe? Perhaps they weren't here when this went down. Maybe they got away with the kids."

"Rennik, isn't it more likely that the Murrkat took them back to the temple you spoke of?"

Rennik spits again, then nods. "If they did, looking at the state of the body downstairs, they have a three day head start. We'd never catch them."

[Scott and Matt, let me know where you want to go from here.]

Subject: Re: The Farm

OOC: All right; so the woman was killed a few days ago. Feasibly, that means that the farmer was being held captive for a few days as well. Was he being held captive in Overlook, pending the arrival of our bunch? It would seem so, especially from what the Thug Brothers implied. What did the Thug Brothers do, leave the tower, and run right to Overlook to await orders? Where/how did they meet up with the Murrakat who killed the woman? Did the Murrakat (specifically) kill her? If so, does that mean that they may have also snuck into Nesalin and killed Cadfael?

:) I keep thinking I'm overlooking something.

I'll write up a turn a little later. . .

Subject: Re: The Farm

Those are all excellent questions, with very logical answers.

You just don't know what they are. :)

Subject: Re: The Farm

I've got scads of hypotheses, though; alas, I'm going home right now, and will probably forget them in the hour and a half commute on the way home.

:)

Subject: Re: The Farm

Pensive lifts a scarf over his nose as they descend into the cellar. The smell of rot is thick-- they do not walk through it, they wade through it.

"Blood and stone," he whispers as he sees the woman's body.

She has been dead for days, but the scent of her fear and pain lingers in the darkness, a second stench. Pensive's guts roil and knot-- it is all he can do not to vomit. He forces himself to examine her, each dark cut, every line of pain etched on her skin. This is the work of Sand-- he has studied the work of Stone, let him study now the Sand. He pushes his hand toward her to touch her-- he must touch her, must fight the Shadow that still seeps through the room to mock him, to mock Blood and Stone. Close her eyes, place a pebble in her mouth.

A small gesture, a small kindness. It takes only a moment. Meaningless against the greater tide of sand and shadow. But it is something that he can hold to. He ignores the maggots squirming against his palms as lowers her fully to the floor of the cellar, and crosses her arms across her chest.

"Thy boat bear thee to the Gentle Shore," he says in low elvish.

And then he moves away from her, upstairs after Rennick, and the rest of the house.

The home is empty. There's no sign of any struggle here. Why was that? Surely the men here must have fought for their lives? Perhaps they were taken outside. . . or in the barn. Pensive nods at Rennicks words, frowing a bit.

"Let us go quickly to the barn, then, Hunter," Pensive says softly. "Quickly and cautiously."

Subject: Re: The Farm

OOC: Fantastic post.

Subject: Re: The Farm

Ty, I never got the post below from Scott. I don't know why this is a continuing problem for emails sent to the Overlook group. I don't seem to have this problem with Mark's mailing list in my other game.

Subject: Re: The Farm

I run the list, so when I get home from work today I'll log in to it and see what my administration options are. I don't know if I'll be able to figure anything out, but I'll try.

Raja

Subject: test for karl

Did you get this karl?

Subject: Re: test for karl

Yes. It's odd. On this list I'd estimate I miss every 4th or 5th email. Luckily I'm able to notice like this current time because someone replies with the email I missed attached and I get the reply.

Karl

Subject: Re: The Farm

Has anyone heard from our trusty dusty halfling?

Subject: Re: The Farm

OOC: Sorry, been having problems keeping up. Not used to checking this account anymore.

IC: Rennik only nods at Pensive's words and moves toward the door, heading towards the barn with hopefully more caution than he showed entering the house. He keeps a closer eye for obstacles that would betray his steps.

Why butcher that woman days before using her husband in the city? How long had this been planned? If the men truly had escaped with the children, they would have made it back to town, and someone would have known. They would have come out to investigate, or even to send an armed guard to rout the intruders.

No, the children and hired hands, if that is what they were, were gone, likely along with the dark god's followers.

Rennik dimly hoped to find as gruesome a scene of carnage in the garage - at least then the children would have been spared their souls.

Subject: Re: The Farm

No. I am getting a bit worried about him.

If he can't play, can anyone play Rennik for a while?

Subject: Re: The Farm

Never mind. :)

Rennik's here!

Subject: Re: The Farm

I didn't get this message until today, at roughly the same time as the follow-up. Something must be borked with the list, but I can't figure out what.

Subject: Re: The Farm

I never got the first message at all. I got the "follow-up" just a few minutes ago.

Subject: Re: The Farm

At this point, I have no choice but to blame Canada.

Sorry, Twink.

Subject: Re: The Farm

Actually, the site is hosted in Hong Kong.

Subject: Re: The Farm

Hey, Ty, I've got a question about the passage of time in the game. I'm correct in thinking, aren't I, that the party hasn't had an opportunity to rest since before the attack on the witch's camp? How many hours has it been since that occurred?

Subject: The Farm

[please give me a quick check in everyone. I need to know if we are still having problems with the list. Gracias]

Rennik and Pensive leave the farm house, moving slowly over to the barn. Out of the corner of his eye, Rennik can see Robert peeking out of the corn field, crossbow in hand. The Falcon's were brave, no doubt, but he'd need to teach them a thing or two about staying out of sight if he was going to keep traveling with them.

They are only half way between the house and barn when Rennik stops. "A lot of people went through here." He points out the deep tracks leading out of the barn and off to the East. "How many, Rennik?" the elf asks. "More than the two adults and children?"

The Halfling nods, "Just at a guess, I'd say several dozen at least. Humans, by the tracks." He bends down for a better look. "And Halflings here on the flanks." Rennik spends several long minutes slowly walking around the tracks, occasionally bending down for a closer look, using the haft of his halberd to move grass and rocks out of the way. "Prisoners. It was a group of prisoners, maybe two dozen or more. Tied up and moved together by a group of Halflings. The Murrkat have probably been raiding the outlying farms, capturing anyone that didn't seek refuge inside Overlook. And within the last two days, they took them east."

Pensive looks at the massive outline of Kessel in the distance and shudders. He can sense a lingering pain and panic here. The people taken away knew they weren't coming back.

Rennik, apparently satisfied that he's learned all he can from the footprints, moves cautiously to the barn door. It is slightly ajar, and the inside is well lit by sunlight coming through high windows. There is no one inside, but it does look like a large group of people had been living in it for several days at least.

"The demon is moving fast," Rennik says, while fingering a bit of clothing someone left behind. "He must have had his Murrkat scouting the island weeks ago. The wereboar attacks on Overlook were not isolated. The boars must have been traveling with Garesh scouts and hunters."

Pensive says quietly, "Rennik, this island is dotted with hundreds of small farms like this, outside the protection of any town."

Rennik nods, "And now the army from Nesalin is running home with its tail between its legs, and if I know humans, they'll stay shut up inside the city waiting to be seiged. Meanwhile, the demon's creatures will have the run of the island. That army he sent out did exactly what it was supposed to do. It scared the one power on this island capable of fighting back into hiding."

The Halfling and the Elf look at each other for a moment, then move back out to the cornfield to collect the Falcons and catch up with the fleeing people of Overlook.

[I know I did a lot of exposition here, but I am trying to get the game back on track after my long hiatus. I'm going to pause here for any RP or turns that people want to do. Rennik and Pensive will catch up with Garyth several hours before the town stops to camp.]

Subject: Test

This is a test message.

Subject: The farm

[please give me a quick check in everyone. I need to know if we are still having problems with the list. Gracias]

Rennik and Pensive leave the farm house, moving slowly over to the barn. Out of the corner of his eye, Rennik can see Robert peeking out of the corn field, crossbow in hand. The Falcon's were brave, no doubt, but he'd need to teach them a thing or two about staying out of sight if he was going to keep traveling with them.

They are only half way between the house and barn when Rennik stops. "A lot of people went through here." He points out the deep tracks leading out of the barn and off to the East. "How many, Rennik?" the elf asks. "More than the two adults and children?"

The Halfling nods, "Just at a guess, I'd say several dozen at least. Humans, by the tracks." He bends down for a better look. "And Halflings here on the flanks." Rennik spends several long minutes slowly walking around the tracks, occasionally bending down for a closer look, using the haft of his halberd to move grass and rocks out of the way. "Prisoners. It was a group of prisoners, maybe two dozen or more. Tied up and moved together by a group of Halflings. The Murrkat have probably been raiding the outlying farms, capturing anyone that didn't seek refuge inside Overlook. And within the last two days, they took them east."

Pensive looks at the massive outline of Kessel in the distance and shudders. He can sense a lingering pain and panic here. The people taken away knew they weren't coming back.

Rennik, apparently satisfied that he's learned all he can from the footprints, moves cautiously to the barn door. It is slightly ajar, and the inside is well lit by sunlight coming through high windows. There is no one inside, but it does look like a large group of people had been living in it for several days at least.

"The demon is moving fast," Rennik says, while fingering a bit of clothing someone left behind. "He must have had his Murrkat scouting the island weeks ago. The wereboar attacks on Overlook were not isolated. The boars must have been traveling with Garesh scouts and hunters."

Pensive says quietly, "Rennik, this island is dotted with hundreds of small farms like this, outside the protection of any town."

Rennik nods, "And now the army from Nesalin is running home with its tail between its legs, and if I know humans, they'll stay shut up inside the city waiting to be seiged. Meanwhile, the demon's creatures will have the run of the island. That army he sent out did exactly what it was supposed to do. It scared the one power on this island capable of fighting back into hiding."

The Halfling and the Elf look at each other for a moment, then move back out to the cornfield to collect the Falcons and catch up with the fleeing people of Overlook.

[I know I did a lot of exposition here, but I am trying to get the game back on track after my long hiatus. I'm going to pause here for any RP or turns that people want to do. Rennik and Pensive will catch up with Garyth several hours before the town stops to camp.]

[Editor's Note: This post was sent to the list twice, each time from a different email account.]

Subject: Re: The farm

I got it.

I was wondering who Mr. B was.

Mark

Subject: Re: The farm

When everyone checks in, please also let me know if you got my test message that went out before Ty's turn. Karl, this goes double for you. :P I'm trying to figure out if there's any method to the madness of the missing messges.

Subject: Re: The farm

I got the test message as well. Did not know I was to reply but here you go.

Mark

Subject: Re: The farm

That's my fault, I meant to ask people to reply when I sent it out. :)

Subject: Re: The farm

I got both messages.

Subject: Re: The farm

I just got this message in the last half hour or so (the original one, which Ty sent at 2:30 PM EST this afternoon). I also just got two other messages that you sent me, Ty, both test messages. So something is definitely borked between your domain and my list for some reason. And I guess that's also true between my domain and Karl's domain. Hmmmmm....

Subject: Re: The farm

I seem to have gotten everything, though I hadn't checked in a couple of days. This is my vacation week, and I was in Atlantic City for two days.

That said, I'm cool until we meet up with Garyth again. No real talking except to slap Robert around a bit. :)

Subject: Re: Test

Got it, presumably in a timely manner.

Subject: Re: The Farm

I got it.

Subject: Re: The farm

I did get it at home. I'll reply from work if I get it there, too.

Karl

Subject: Re: Test

Received at work.

Subject: Re: The farm

Received at work.

Subject: Re: The farm

Did you get the version of the message that Ty sent from his work address?

Subject: Re: The farm

I got both. Not at the same time. The one from work was several hours later, I think.

mark

Subject: Re: The farm

I got the original message that he sent out at 2:33 PM, but I got it after 9PM my time.

Subject: Re: The farm

Got all messages fine.

Subject: Re: The farm

Ty--

Things are pretty hectic here at work, so I probably won't do any RP. If you want to move on to the reunion of the party, that's fine.

Pensive will stay close to Garyth.

Subject: Re: The Farm

The stink of the farm lingers with Pensive-- pain and fear and despair. It rides with him, and he tolerates it. Samples it, even. And then pulls away. The Path may not be straight, but it does not lead there.

A single body, maimed and left for them. Why? Was it left for them, even? Or was there some magic worked on that farm, like the magic that had been worked on the battlefield? Two days, that woman had lain there. . . two days ago, he had been in Nesalin, oblivious to all of this, oblivious to the Kaishin and Mission, and. . . two days ago, he felt, he had been innocent.

Pensive rolls his shoulders-- he can feel the people of Overlook in front of him, awash in confusion and fear. . . and desperate hope. Innocent, too. Blood and Stone, let him meet their hope. Let him carry it out, and protect it.

And then he sucks in a breath as he realizes how very tenous their hope is. Kor Garesh was rounding up small farmsteads-- and here they were, one thousand souls out in the middle of the plains, protected by less than a hundred armed men. . . Kor Garesh had to see them. Had to desire them.

And in that moment, the exodus appears in front of him, a long straggling line of unarmed men and women and children.

He rides over to Rennick, "If Kor Garesh is gathering up farmsteads-- what do you think this will look like to him?" He points at the line, and then spurs his horse forward to join it.

Garyth had set a hard pace. Pensive swallows and holds his tongue. Brutal necessities. He finds the young captain, and stands quietly aside until there is a moment to speak to him.

"We found no one there alive, Garyth." It is hard to keep his voice steady. "The Hunter thinks that there was a band of halflings guarding more than a dozen humans in the barn. There was a body of a woman in the farmhouse cellar-- mutilated like the priest in Nesalin."

(OOC: If Garyth has any questions or if anyone wants to RP at all, I'll backplay)

*****

One thousand people making camp is no small ordeal. Pensive watches as the command to stop is passed down the length of the exodus, watches the few soldiers that ride with Garyth realize that now was not the time to dismount. No-- now that the march was over, it was time to guard. Now came the long, long night.

How far had they come along? As he makes his way around the camp, he sees the people of Overlook cast glances back toward their home. Their hopes and fears are on his tongue, and taste like ashes.

The line of men, women and children gathers to itself. The soldiers and aldermen keep order as best they can among the frightened and the weary. Pensive tries to help them, but finds that his slight stature lends nothing to his authority. In the dusk, he looks and sounds like a boy. A boy in the way, a boy riding a horse-- that is an insult to the townsmen and women who have walked for miles, carrying all they could. Pensive finally leaves the work of organizing the camp to the human men who know these people.

He starts off at first to find Garyth-- but thinks better of it. He'd be of no use there. The thing to do now would be to find the Blood Falcons. Some were still wounded from the battle with the brute and his men. And there, Pensive could help. It would be best to go to them through the cleric, though-- through someone they trusted, not this strange, weeping elf boy.

"I have some skill with healing," he says, when he finds the priest. "But I do not know your men-- will you show me which needs aid the most? I will do what I can for them."

Subject: Re: The Farm

It's been a long day already. Garyth can see the fatigue growing on the faces of the townspeople, unused as they are to long marches. And it will be several hours yet before they can afford to stop and make camp. They're bearing it well, and without complaint, but even so it pains him to have to push them so hard. As if there were any choice.

A guardsman approaches at a quick pace, breaking Garyth's reverie. "Riders approaching, sir," he says. Garyth turns, eyes scanning in the direction the guardsman points. There. Five riders, making straight for them. He frowns. If that were Rennik and Pensive, it would mean that things had not gone well at the farm. And if it werent...

"Tell Sergeant Osred to move the group ahead," he tells the guardsman, who runs ahead to look for the sergeant. Garyth quickly forms up a squad of ten and sets about preparing to meet the incoming riders.

A couple of tense minutes go by as they wait. A few of the younger guards finger their bowstrings nervously. But it turns out the precaution is unnecessary; as the riders get nearer, Garyth sees the familiar faces of Rennik, Pensive, and his men.

Pensive approaches, pulling up alongside Garyth as they return to the column. "We found no one there alive, Garyth," the elf says. Garyth nods gravely. It was as he expected when he first saw them approaching. Pensive continues, "The Hunter thinks that there was a band of halflings guarding more than a dozen humans in the barn. There was a body of a woman in the farmhouse cellar-- mutilated like the priest in Nesalin." The woman, that must have been Jessamyn, Dannil's wife. The news leaves an ashen taste in Garyth's mouth.

"Just one body?" he asks. He turns to Rennik. "Any sign of the others?"

Subject: Re: The Farm

"Taken, would be my guess. Either to be made into mindless slaves with cursed parchment chained around their necks, or to be turned into more of the walking dead by the dark god. I do not know what they plan for them, but they were marched toward the mountain days ago."

"The man who was killed in the town... he must have been held there for several days if he did not know his family was more than just under threat of violence. They knew we would be coming, and used him as their mouthpiece. It does not bode well."

He looks at the sprawling mass of townsfolk and adds, "it wouldn't be hard to know where we are coming from and going at this point."

[Rennik will avoid the human encampment and take to the trees on patrol. If possible, he will scout with Melani, and they can trade off sleep and watch with one another. He will look for any sign of prisoner movement, or anything else out of the ordinary.]

Subject: Re: The Farm

Garyth nods gravely, taking in the news. In a way, he's a little glad he didn't have to see it himself, what they had done to Dannil Garrett's farm, that he didn't have to smell Jessamyn Garrett's rotting corpse. He's not sad, he realizes with mild surprise. No, there's no grief at this destruction, this... rape of his home. There is only anger. Anger at the people who did this. Anger at the dark god that drove them. Most of all, anger at himself, for not being able to stop it.

"Thank you, Rennik, for going," he says, his voice hollow and emotionless even in his own ears. "I would wish more could have been done, but at least I know now." He'll say a prayer tonight for the Garretts' souls, if any god is even there to hear it.

Garyth's eyes sweep along the column. A group so large, with so few guards, they were nearly defenseless. Rennik was right, it wouldn't be hard to find them. He turns back to Rennik. "We'll have to be alert," he says. "The ones who killed Dannil had plenty of help, and there may yet be more of the dark one's minions among us."

[When camp is set, Garyth will go about organizing the watch. He'll offer to Captain Bragga to head up the first watch, recommending at least three, preferably four watches, to try to let the sentries get as much rest as possible before the next day's march.]

Subject: Re: The Farm

Melani will follow Rennik's lead while doing what she can for Garyth.

Mark

Subject: Re: The Farm

Osred strides up to Garyth, ignoring the trickle of blood from the arrow wound in his back. It's in an awkward place--every time he lifts his right arm the wound pulls open, soaking the bandage Vincy had tied over it--but a slight grimace is the only indication that it pains him.

"Sir," he says, "Want the men to throw up earthworks? Some of these farmers could do a little digging for us, spread out the load. Course every damned one of is dead on our feet. Farmers probably wouldn't have the discipline to work when they're worn out."

Subject: Re: The Farm

Ty, just wanted to let you know that stuff has come up, and it's probably going to be at least a week and possibly two until I'll be able to get a chance to play again. I've asked celia to play Osred again in my absence (assuming that you're cool with that).

Subject: Re: The Farm

Ty, the group left in a hurry, did we bring any materials for defenses, large stakes, for example? Also, how long are we stopping for?

Subject: Re: The Farm

Sorry, am on site at a client for the whole week. Will update when I can.

To answer mike:

No, there really isn't anything to build defenses with. Also, a wall big enough to surround 1000 people would be huge, especially when so few of them are military age men for the building.

Besides, if that dark army catches you, a bulwark will stop them for about a minute and half.

Subject: Re: The Farm

No worries, we'll all still be here when you get back.

I was more thinking about smaller sorts of fortifications, like lines or bundles of sharpened stakes, small earth mounds in front of ditches. But yeah, I figured that if we actually got caught, any defenses we'd be able to erect in one night would be pretty handily overcome.

Subject: Re: The Farm

Garyth shakes his head to Osred. "If we're caught, we're outnumbered by enough that any defenses we might erect in one night would be overcome easily. Better to save our strength, rest while we can, save our strength to make a run for it if we have to."

He looks off into the distance. "We should post sentries a ways out from the camp, though, and some roving pickets as well. If we do get hit in the night we'll need as much warning as we can get."