New Kingdoms #8

[GM Fenrir]

Erizhi’s prisoner took advantage of her leaving him alone to go investigate the packs and slipped his bonds. Upon returning with the magical instrument, the priestess saw he had escaped and assumed he bolted out the open barn doors. Sir Rovach had just returned by this point and caught up to Erizhi as she chased after the prisoner. However, it would seem the Immaterian left one captor for another as a good sized group of soldiers have arrived at the Makkee farm and seemingly begun an investigation of their own. They are also in the process of rounding up the group’s horses when Erizhi appeared. The Immaterian, Fah’jar, is doing his best to make these men believe that she is also part of this nefarious plot.

There is only one solution to avoid making this situation worse than it already is. She will lower her shield to her side and take a few steps forward with her right arm raised, palm extended. "Stop! We have no conflict with you!" she will say loudly, in as commanding a voice as she can muster in the Common tongue. Meanwhile she will utilize her Charm/Fascinate ability as well as her Allure as best as she can. She will strike her most prominent pose. "That man is one of those responsible for the tragedy here! Several of his companions lay inside the barn! And there are others that have escaped us! Those vile men have taken the children!" She is careful not to mention any others of their group, leaving the statements purposefully vague.

Erizhi makes her statement, showing no weapon in her hand and lowering her shield to further attempt to placate these soldiers. Stepping forward she can now see the man who was moving up from the stables to her right. He is a burly man with thick jowl whiskers peeking out from under his chain coif, dressed in chain mail and a tabard as all the other soldiers are. A naked long sword is in his hands. However, the words seem to give him pause, and upon seeing Erizhi, he is obviously affected by her appearance.

So too is the young soldier off to her left taken in, for he all but stops his forward motion and his blade waivers uncertainly before dipping low. The elven archer behind him however seems largely unmoved by your attempts of charm.

During all this, Fah’jar does not remain silent, and instead turns his attention to the one holding him forcefully. “You may silence me,” he proclaims, “but my lady is a high priestess of the war goddess Ishtar! A single word from her lips and your eyes will melt in their sockets!”

This earns him a backhand smack across the mouth with a mailed fist. “Enough of your prattling, cur!” the man yells. However Fah’jar seems to just smile devilishly around his now-bloody lip when he hears what happens next.

The commander has clearly heard what the Immaterian said and shouts a new command, “Silence her immediately! Put an arrow through her throat if need be!”

Erizhi notes the elf’s stare become deadly and he says to her, “Nurth avus venestel, Immatavian.” The bowstring becomes very taut and sunlight gleams off the arrowhead.

Stopping in the pathway, Sir Rovach stands straight up with sword at the ready. He looks directly at the middle aged man who he assumes to be the leader and salutes him with his sword, praying silently Anu, please give your servant the sight again! He will then return his sword to his scabbard, remove his helmet (carring it in his left arm) and proceed to walk forward at a normal but steady pace; his goal is to get close enough to use his gift of sight and be close enough to speak to them.

With Erizhi having charmed the two closest soldiers and the elf’s complete focus currently on putting an arrow in her someplace unpleasant, Sir Rovach is able to move up and Detect Evil on the one he presumes to be the leader of these men. The only evil in the trio of men before the paladin is the Immaterian that had been a prisoner of the group’s for a short time.

If he is able to get close enough to speak, he will address the two men. "I am Sir Rovach, Paladin of Anu. This is the Lady Erizhetiana, a virtuous and noble Lady. Noble not just of birth but also of character. We are here as agents of Gorvan, Constable of Dormare, to investigate the fate of the Makkees. Will you hear us?"

“A paladin you say?” the middle-aged commander asks. “Then set aside your weapons if you are truly dispatched here to offer assistance. To do otherwise will only end in your demise.”


Meanwhile Mayla has become quite sleepy and looks to be desiring a place to lay her head, whether on someone’s lap or just of a pillow of wild grass and earth. However, a voice can be heard and her eyes shoot open. As Kaelyn is running through the tunnel as fast as he is able to, he calls out to Aesa, Butternut and Stephanie (assuming she hasn‘t ridden off by this point), alerting them to danger back at the farm. As he gets closer to them, the words become understandable.

“...are others at the farm! Aesa!! Butternutt! Stephanie!!! HELP!!!!”

Mayla is clearly freaked out by all of this and where only a moment before she was looking for a place to sleep, she is now looking for a place to bolt to and hide.

[Stephanie]

Stephanie:

While deciding which direction to go, Stephanie hears Kaelyn warn that others have arrived at the farm. Urging her mount in that direction, Stephanie rides hard in that direction. Arriving she sees the men and the three foreigners having some sort of confrontation.

(Does Stephanie recognition the leader of the new arrivals? If so, she will address him by name. If not, and she does recognition their uniforms, she'll refer to them as men of (their home base).

Stephanie slows her mount as she gets closer and makes no attempt to go for her weapons.

“Well met, (leader name/group name). I am Stephanie Plowman and you have stumbled unto a great tragedy. The Makkees where violently murdered and their children taken. We have rescued one of the girls so far, but the others remain missing out in the forest.”

Gazing at the three foreigners in their midst, “As for these three, they are foreigners and cannot be blindly trusted.”

Looking at the man they defeated earlier and casually gesturing in his direction, Stephanie will say that, “This man here is a liar and a murderer. His hands bear the stain of the poison they used to drive innocent elves insane who in turn did their dirty work. Several of his companions lie died in the barn where we found them.”

“As for the other two, both were in Dormare when this all happened. Tales spread of the Makkees not making the festival and fearing the worse, myself, them and a few others concerned adventurers rode here this morning to investigate. We just arrived not long ago and found things as you see them, with this vermin here (gesturing at the vile man) and his friends hiding in wait.”

“Are those two involved in this? (Gesturing towards the so-called war priestess and paladin of a new god) I cannot say. But both were not here when this happened and seemed genuinely shocked at what we found. For what it is worth, the paladin said that this man and his friends all bore the taint of evil.”

“Take them all into custody if it makes you feel better, (Leader name/Unit Name). But others involved in this evil deed remain loose and are hunting the other children down in the forest. Their safety must be our first responsibility.”

Stephanie will then wait to see what the men say.

[Sir Rovach]

Sir Rovach

With Erizhi having charmed the two closest soldiers and the elf’s complete focus currently on putting an arrow in her someplace unpleasant, Sir Rovach is able to move up and Detect Evil on the one he presumes to be the leader of these men. The only evil in the trio of men before the paladin is the Immaterian that had been a prisoner of the group’s for a short time.

Glancing around, Sir Rovach notices for the first time the soldiers & elf closeby the Lady Erizhetiana. The two soldiers appear calm & in control but the elf, looking like he's ready to fire his arrow at the Lady, is a threat.

“A paladin you say?” the middle-aged commander asks. “Then set aside your weapons if you are truly dispatched here to offer assistance. To do otherwise will only end in your demise.”

"My weapons are all put away, and shall remain there until needed to defend the good & innocent people of this world. You have my word they shall not be drawn in anger or malice towards you or your men, Captain." Sir Rovach remains calm and continues walking forward towards the leader, the one who he refers to as "Captain".

"If you will allow, I have here the posting written for me by Gorvan himself. You may inspect it if you wish. It is in my pouch & I shall remove it slowly to give it to you." Sir Rovach uses his right hand only, his left still holding his helm, to remove the posting and give it to the Captain.

"Captain, you are obviously a good & just man. A man of conscience and duty. The children of the Makkees have survived this massacre and been taken as prisoners by a foul villian named Buchard. Even now they flee this area on horseback to whatever den they return to. Time is short, for every spent minute places those kids in greater peril. In the name of their parents, who surely look upon us from the heavens themselves, help us immediately to chase down this evil man and save those kids."

Motioning his right hand towards Lady Erizhetiana, Sir Rovach finishes his speech. "I have shown my good intentions, Captain, by cooperating with you in all ways the Law & honor demands. Will you be a noble example to your men by showing them how a true warrior shows courtesy to a Lady by not threatening her with death, but having her come forward to speak with you as well?"

(OOC: Hey, he's a Paladin. Give him a second to talk about honor and such and he'll do it all day.... )
(OOC: Steph, like Eri earlier, I'm not ignoring you. I just don't know when you might arrive during all this. I'll leave this for the GM, with Rovach's actions to be modified as appropriate at his discretion.)

[Butternut]

Butternut:

"These men are not beyond using poison," Aesa states the obvious. Seeing as how Mayla is engrossed with the food at the moment, she dares to continue, "Certainly they are quite vile but need the children for some unknown purpose else they would have dispatched them like the others, the escape attempt nonwithstanding. There will be need of my healing and my supplies should you run afoul of any more of their poisons."

"Yes, yes," Butternut replies dismissively. "I'm sure your skills will be of use."

"As I suspected, she is exhausted from this trying day," Aesa remarks. "Hopefully Kaelyn or one of the others will agree to return her to the village, though I will if I must. I will give you some remedies from what I brought should I be not going with you," she tells Butternut.

Mayla appears ready to fall asleep after eating. Butternut strokes the girl's head. "You rest, child. We'll continue on after you have a nap." Once the girl is asleep, the ranger figures she can start tracking Buchard and the others can catch up later.

Aesa commits to seeing the child back to Dormare, so that part at least is resolved. "Well, that's settled then." Before she can say more, they hear yelling from the direction of the tunnel.

And the others are no where near to help. Not dear pausing to think, Kaelyn takes his foot of the rung of the ladder and sprints(moves as fast as he can down the tunnel towards the others.) If he can’t make it to the end of the tunnel, Kealyn yells in the hopes that the others here him. “The others need us!!! There are others at the farm! Aesa!! Butternutt! Stephanie!!! HELP!!!!” not caring if those hear him above or not.

The voice sounds to be that shifty Kaelyn character. Apparently there is some trouble back at the farm. Almost immediately, that blundering woman named Stephanie reappears, racing back in the direction from whence she came. At least she didn't get far and thus didn't ruin much of Buchard's trail...

Mayla is clearly freaked out by all of this and where only a moment before she was looking for a place to sleep, she is now looking for a place to bolt to and hide.

Butternut notes Mayla's alarm and grimaces. "You go, Aesa. I'll remain here and protect Mayla." Taking a quick look about, she notes a dense thicket of brush and trees off to one side. "Let's duck into those bushes over there, Mayla," she says, pointing. "We'll be safe until the others return. Okay?" Rising, she'll lead the girl by the hand into the brush if she's willing to go.

[Erisciana]

Erizhetiana Iltani of Ishtar -

Erizhi starts to see some success with the men closing in on her and the two closest halt and waver, the young man even lowering his weapon. She dares to let out a light sigh of relief, but it is quickly extinguished by the continued blathering of that dog who seems enthralled with bedeviling her.

“You may silence me,” he proclaims, “but my lady is a high priestess of the war goddess Ishtar! A single word from her lips and your eyes will melt in their sockets!”

This earns him a backhand smack across the mouth with a mailed fist. “Enough of your prattling, cur!” the man yells. However Fah’jar seems to just smile devilishly around his now-bloody lip when he hears what happens next.

The commander has clearly heard what the Immaterian said and shouts a new command, “Silence her immediately! Put an arrow through her throat if need be!”

Seeing the dastardly elf prepare to fire and direct some epithet at her, Erizhi will look quickly to the two men near her, an unspoken question for help sent with her eyes. "That rat you have there is connected to me only by nationality and nothing else! He should be slain with the others, but we kept him only to assist in finding the Makee children! He is a murderer and a liar!" she will quickly state.

Turning to the elf, she continues and tries specifically to charm him and stay his hand. "He and his fellows not only murdered your kinsmen, they did so in a vile way, using the Aelfro poison! They sought to implicate the elves in a plot against Maletar in order to start conflict between you! I am here on a diplomatic mission and this mission of mercy, turned vengence!" Erizhi will stand her ground, reluctantly. If she runs, then they will cut her down. She will prepare to use her shield though to try to defend herself if that honorless elf tries to shoot at her, simply dropping to a crouch behind it to protect herself as much as possible. She steadies her jaw and prepares for the worst.

She hopes that Rovach's soliloquy will also give them pause, for the longer this goes on without violence the more likely they are to not attack, and more importantly, learn the truth.

If the amazon Stephanie arrives before there is any violence, Eri will be slightly surprised, not only at the girl's sudden burst of verbosity, but also that she seems to favor having the Immaterians taken into custody. She blinks to herself a few times, as she assimilates that information. There is not much left to do at this point but to hope the leader of this group decides not to have her killed, however she is not expecting the coming moments to be pleasant, one way or the other. "Ishtar," she thinks, "what have you lead me into?" Several curses fill her mind, but go unspoken.

[Aesa]

Aesa:

"Yes, yes," Butternut replies dismissively. "I'm sure your skills will be of use."

Aesa stares for a second in disbelief and then her gaze turns as cold as her homeland. She refrains from saying anything simply because she does not wish to upset Mayla. The girl seems ready to fall asleep at any moment and Butternut at least seems friendly and reassuring to Mayla. However, the peace is broken by shouting from the tunnel. Kaelyn seems beyond panic.

“...are others at the farm! Aesa!! Butternutt! Stephanie!!! HELP!!!!”

Mayla is clearly freaked out by all of this and where only a moment before she was looking for a place to sleep, she is now looking for a place to bolt to and hide.

While deciding which direction to go, Stephanie hears Kaelyn warn that others have arrived at the farm. Urging her mount in that direction, Stephanie rides hard in that direction.

Butternut notes Mayla's alarm and grimaces. "You go, Aesa. I'll remain here and protect Mayla." Taking a quick look about, she notes a dense thicket of brush and trees off to one side. "Let's duck into those bushes over there, Mayla," she says, pointing. "We'll be safe until the others return. Okay?" Rising, she'll lead the girl by the hand into the brush if she's willing to go.

Aesa simply nods at Butternut since the halfling clearly doesn't care about anything she might say and moves to intercept Kaelyn after grabbing her staff and sword.

"Kaelyn, We're here, calm down," she says as she herself enters the tunnel and spots him running as fast as a man hunched over can. Hopefully she can turn him around and they can both return to the barn with haste. "Stephanie is already riding overland and Butternut is going to hide with Mayla and protect her. Let's go!"

As they move through the tunnel, she asks Kaelyn further, "Did you see them? How many do we face?"

[GM Fenrir]

Seeing the dastardly elf prepare to fire and direct some epithet at her, Erizhi will look quickly to the two men near her, an unspoken question for help sent with her eyes. "That rat you have there is connected to me only by nationality and nothing else! He should be slain with the others, but we kept him only to assist in finding the Makee children! He is a murderer and a liar!" she will quickly state.

The young soldier currently enthralled by Erizhi turns away from her and looks back at the man being held by his commander’s assistant. A look of uncertainty passes over him and it can be seen he is conflicted with his orders to seize her and what she is telling him. The burly man stands intently listening and looks as though he might rally to her side at any moment.

Turning to the elf, she continues and tries specifically to charm him and stay his hand. "He and his fellows not only murdered your kinsmen, they did so in a vile way, using the Aelfro poison! They sought to implicate the elves in a plot against Maletar in order to start conflict between you! I am here on a diplomatic mission and this mission of mercy, turned vengence!" Erizhi will stand her ground, reluctantly.

The elf seems to be regarding Erizhi in complete disbelief that she is still talking. Whatever he may be thinking he doesn’t share however. Instead he remains motionless, his aim locked squarely on her and ready to release the arrow at the slightest provocation. Apparently he remains unmoved by whatever reasoning she attempts but has yet to deem those words to be any real threat either.

"My weapons are all put away, and shall remain there until needed to defend the good & innocent people of this world. You have my word they shall not be drawn in anger or malice towards you or your men, Captain." Sir Rovach remains calm and continues walking forward towards the leader, the one who he refers to as "Captain".

The commander of the men arrayed at the farm doesn’t seem overly thrilled that Sir Rovach has yet to toss aside his weapon. Still he gives no further orders and instead seems to be willing to listen for the moment.

"If you will allow, I have here the posting written for me by Gorvan himself. You may inspect it if you wish. It is in my pouch & I shall remove it slowly to give it to you." Sir Rovach uses his right hand only, his left still holding his helm, to remove the posting and give it to the Captain.

He nods his assent that the document may be retrieved and takes it when offered. He quickly reads it while the paladin continues. It would seem he takes what the document says as being legitimate given he doesn‘t scoff or destroy it.

"Captain, you are obviously a good & just man. A man of conscience and duty. The children of the Makkees have survived this massacre and been taken as prisoners by a foul villian named Buchard. Even now they flee this area on horseback to whatever den they return to. Time is short, for every spent minute places those kids in greater peril. In the name of their parents, who surely look upon us from the heavens themselves, help us immediately to chase down this evil man and save those kids."

Motioning his right hand towards Lady Erizhetiana, Sir Rovach finishes his speech. "I have shown my good intentions, Captain, by cooperating with you in all ways the Law & honor demands. Will you be a noble example to your men by showing them how a true warrior shows courtesy to a Lady by not threatening her with death, but having her come forward to speak with you as well?"

“That ‘Lady’ of yours has done quite enough talking I would think,” the ‘Captain’ replies. His use of the word lady not being the same as the way the paladin had used it. “She is lucky that my scouts don’t view her as a threat otherwise she would be breathing through another pair of holes by now.” He indicates with a nod of his head for Sir Rovach to look back at the barn.

Should he choose to do so (and Erizhi may as well should she be listening to the conversation), Sir Rovach will see atop the barn itself another elf is perched. This one is a woman if facial features are to be believed because her armor is the same as the male elf’s and gives no easy indication to gender. Her long hair is the color of wheat and pulled back from her face. A taut composite short bow is in her grasp and she has an arrow pointed straight down that would pin Erizhi to the earth by route through her skull.

Just then Stephanie rides up on Thunder, drawing gazes from all of the soldiers except for the elves who seem utterly focused with their current task. Stephanie can tell from the banners and tabards that these are troops of Maletar. She’s seen enough of them in her time to know they patrol the roads connecting the villages, but rarely in such numbers. These are clearly no adversaries that Kaelyn had raved about.

Stephanie slows her mount as she gets closer and makes no attempt to go for her weapons.

“Well met, soldiers of Maletar. I am Stephanie Plowman and you have stumbled unto a great tragedy. The Makkees where violently murdered and their children taken. We have rescued one of the girls so far, but the others remain missing out in the forest.”

Gazing at the three foreigners in their midst, “As for these three, they are foreigners and cannot be blindly trusted.”

“Ah, so you are the Plowman whose name is spreading among the commoners,” the ‘Captain’ says. “You’ve become quite the folk hero in these parts. Tales of your deeds grow even more amazing with each telling. Some strange company you are keeping of late.”

Looking at the man they defeated earlier and casually gesturing in his direction, Stephanie will say that, “This man here is a liar and a murderer. His hands bear the stain of the poison they used to drive innocent elves insane who in turn did their dirty work. Several of his companions lie died in the barn where we found them.”

“As for the other two, both were in Dormare when this all happened. Tales spread of the Makkees not making the festival and fearing the worse, myself, them and a few others concerned adventurers rode here this morning to investigate. We just arrived not long ago and found things as you see them, with this vermin here (gesturing at the vile man) and his friends hiding in wait.”

“Are those two involved in this? (Gesturing towards the so-called war priestess and paladin of a new god) I cannot say. But both were not here when this happened and seemed genuinely shocked at what we found. For what it is worth, the paladin said that this man and his friends all bore the taint of evil.”

“Take them all into custody if it makes you feel better, soldiers of Maletar. But others involved in this evil deed remain loose and are hunting the other children down in the forest. Their safety must be our first responsibility.”

“I would take the lot of you into custody, but there are more things at work here than you perceive,” the ‘Captain' replies. “This is a matter of the kingdom now. All of you are to be escorted back to the village, although whether it is on the backs of your horses or bound, gagged and dragged is wholly up to you,” he says the last looking squarely at Erizhi as if challenging her to say something more.

He hands the parchment back to Sir Rovach and adds, “So this is the whole of your group then or are there others as Stephanie indicated? I have no desire to conclude our investigation of the farm to find more spoiled foreign nobles with adventure-lust impeding our progress.”


Kaelyn has been joined by Aesa as the two of them make haste to return to the barn through the tunnel. As the two share whatever information they feel most important, they soon reach the ladder. Neither of them can make out any sounds of fighting or other commotion. It is quite possible things are already over.

"Let's duck into those bushes over there, Mayla," she says, pointing. "We'll be safe until the others return. Okay?" Rising, she'll lead the girl by the hand into the brush if she's willing to go.

Eyes wide, Mayla shakes her head up and down quickly. “Okay!” she says in a hurried voice and moves briskly over to the brush, making Butternut move fast as well to keep up. The girl doesn’t hide gracefully or quietly, but she does a good job once she settles down in staying very still.

[Sir Rovach]

Sir Rovach

Sir Rovach will see atop the barn itself another elf is perched....A taut composite short bow is in her grasp and she has an arrow pointed straight down that would pin Erizhi to the earth by route through her skull.

Just then Stephanie rides up on Thunder, drawing gazes from all of the soldiers except for the elves who seem utterly focused with their current task.

As Sir Rovach turns and views what the Captain is motioning towards, he also sees the Lady Stephanie riding up on her horse. Hoping she doesn't escalate the incident immediately into combat, he prepares to respond back to the Captain on her arrival when the Lady Stephanie addresses the Captain herself.

“Well met, soldiers of Maletar. I am Stephanie Plowman and you have stumbled unto a great tragedy. The Makkees where violently murdered and their children taken. We have rescued one of the girls so far, but the others remain missing out in the forest.”

Gazing at the three foreigners in their midst, “As for these three, they are foreigners and cannot be blindly trusted."

What is this?!? Sir Rovach hears the words come from her mouth but at first cannot believe his own ears. Cannot be blindly trusted? Feelings of anger and confusion rising within him, Sir Rovach keeps his thoughts silent for now as she continues to speak.

“Are those two involved in this? (Gesturing towards the so-called war priestess and paladin of a new god) I cannot say.".....“Take them all into custody if it makes you feel better, soldiers of Maletar."

Sir Rovach still cannot believe his ears. He listens to Stephanie give a short version of events of what has occured here on this farm, but then is shocked when he hears the statements she says regarding himself and Lady Erizhetiana. Cannot be blindly trusted? Cannot say if we were involved? She has just as much called him a liar in regards to his purpose being here on this farm. "Is this how the "Plowman" got her reputation?" he asks quietly to himself. "By abandoning her companions and returning to take what glory is available for herself?" Regardless of the differences between their cultures, her words are unbelievable. No member of a cohort, unless they had abandoned all sense of honor and duty, would ever sell out their other members in the middle of a mission. Shaking his head, Sir Rovach will deal with this stain on his honor at a later time. For the Captain then chooses to address him again.

“I would take the lot of you into custody, but there are more things at work here than you perceive,” the ‘Captain' replies. “This is a matter of the kingdom now. All of you are to be escorted back to the village, although whether it is on the backs of your horses or bound, gagged and dragged is wholly up to you,” he says the last looking squarely at Erizhi as if challenging her to say something more.

He hands the parchment back to Sir Rovach and adds, “So this is the whole of your group then or are there others as Stephanie indicated? I have no desire to conclude our investigation of the farm to find more spoiled foreign nobles with adventure-lust impeding our progress.”

Sir Rovach looks straight at Stephanie and says "Perhaps some people have no concept of honor," turning back towards the Captain he keeps his voice mellow and calm "but I made a promise not only to Constable Gorvan but also to an elderly Lady in the village who was a friend of the Makkee's: to render what aid I can and discover the fate of the Makkee's. If I left with you now, I would fullfill the letter of my promise but not the spirit. Nor could I ever face Anu on my day of judgement knowing I left those kids to an unknown fate in the hands of a foul villian from this land. Do you understand the concept of duty & honor, Captain? If they were your children, what would you want me to do?"

Pausing to gauge the Captains reaction, Sir Rovach concludes "I will answer your question truthfully about others maybe being here if you will answer mine: How will returning with you to Dormare help the young Makkee's in any way?"

[Butternut]

Butternut:

Aesa stares for a second in disbelief and then her gaze turns as cold as her homeland. She refrains from saying anything simply because she does not wish to upset Mayla. The girl seems ready to fall asleep at any moment and Butternut at least seems friendly and reassuring to Mayla. However, the peace is broken by shouting from the tunnel. Kaelyn seems beyond panic.

{{OOC: Butternut's 'Disadvantage: Irritating Personality' for the win! }}

Eyes wide, Mayla shakes her head up and down quickly. “Okay!” she says in a hurried voice and moves briskly over to the brush, making Butternut move fast as well to keep up. The girl doesn’t hide gracefully or quietly, but she does a good job once she settles down in staying very still.

"Excellent, Mayla," Butternut whispers to her young charge once they are well hidden. "The others will let us know when it is safe to come out. Until then, we'll rest here." No doubt once the adrenaline wears off, the girl will be as tired as she was earlier.

[Erisciana]

Erizhetiana Iltani of Lotan -

The extremely tense moment drags out in time and while the human soldiers seem to be wavering in their duty and willing to help, they stay their hands. Fortunately, the elf stays his as well, despite the look of irritation on his face and the obvious lack of success she has in trying to charm and influence him. She tries to pay attention to the conversation between Rovach and the men's commander, but at first keeps her eyes trained mostly upon the elf.

Rovach hands him the parchment which details their mission from the constable at Dormare and this seems to satisfy the commander somewhat. However, he still is rather antagonistic towards her.

“That ‘Lady’ of yours has done quite enough talking I would think,” the ‘Captain’ replies. His use of the word lady not being the same as the way the paladin had used it. “She is lucky that my scouts don’t view her as a threat otherwise she would be breathing through another pair of holes by now.” He indicates with a nod of his head for Sir Rovach to look back at the barn.

She bristles at the comments, but does not respond. The dismissiveness as well as the derision is not lost upon her. She shuflles her stance slightly, but does not move from her current spot. But he said 'scouts', and seeing the eyes of several men go skyward, she turns to see another elf with an arrow trained upon her. This one is atop the barn itself. At this point, Erizhi does not even bother to give the elves any more of her attention for the moment, since they seem as though they would kill her regardless of her actions should they choose.

As she is about to focus more on the conversation between the commander and Rovach, Stephanie rides up. The commander seems to know of her and she begins to explain the situation. But it seems to be a version tainted by some previously unspoken displeasure towards them. Once the surprise of the words wears off, Eri can see that Rovach seems quite hurt by the accusations. "Very well...," Erizhi does not even mouth the words.

“I would take the lot of you into custody, but there are more things at work here than you perceive,” the ‘Captain' replies. “This is a matter of the kingdom now. All of you are to be escorted back to the village, although whether it is on the backs of your horses or bound, gagged and dragged is wholly up to you,” he says the last looking squarely at Erizhi as if challenging her to say something more.

Erizhi looks back defiantly, but does not say a word in response. She had guessed, based on the words of all those seemingly arrayed against her, that this would be her fate anyway, so hearing it does not intimidate her now. At this point the threat of death had either passed or was so certain that the fear of it had left her.

The exchange continues and Erizhi listens, but as usual appears to be barely paying attention. She looks to each of the two men who had responded to her charms and smiles simply. No meaning or intent other than potential gratitude. At this point she can do nothing but wait and listen. She shifts her stance again, lowering her shield completely and taking a very casual pose, unsure how long this will take.

[GM Fenrir]

Sir Rovach looks straight at Stephanie and says "Perhaps some people have no concept of honor," turning back towards the Captain he keeps his voice mellow and calm "but I made a promise not only to Constable Gorvan but also to an elderly Lady in the village who was a friend of the Makkee's: to render what aid I can and discover the fate of the Makkee's. If I left with you now, I would fullfill the letter of my promise but not the spirit. Nor could I ever face Anu on my day of judgement knowing I left those kids to an unknown fate in the hands of a foul villian from this land. Do you understand the concept of duty & honor, Captain? If they were your children, what would you want me to do?"

Pausing to gauge the Captains reaction, Sir Rovach concludes "I will answer your question truthfully about others maybe being here if you will answer mine: How will returning with you to Dormare help the young Makkee's in any way?"

The ‘Captain’ gives Sir Rovach a look that shows the paladin that the dissention in your group’s ranks did not go unnoticed. He listens to all you have to say before finally speaking himself.

“I guess proper introductions are in order so that your situation can be made completely clear,” he begins. “I am Tamberlain Maletar, Knight-Captain of the Royal Guard of Maletar. You have done a great service to the citizens of the kingdom this day, Paladin. The citizenry is most assuredly grateful for your noble and just deeds in doing all you could for these poor farmers.”

After a brief pause he continues, “As far as when you face your god, you may do so knowing you had done all in your power for these people this day. If your god has any disagreements, then I may be sought out to confer with.” He then adds, “If I had need of your aid to rescue my children then I would hope you would give me the courtesy of obeying my orders as you should be doing here.”

Captain Maletar then answers your next question, “You may choose to not answer my question about how many others of your band are present. I will then choose to give the order to my men to kill anyone they find on this farm and its lands that is not a Makkee child without hesitation. How will that rest on your conscience?” he asks, clearly becoming irritated.

“We have wasted enough time with this. Returning to Dormare will not help the young Makkee’s in any way. That is not the point of the order. I already have the information I need to rescue the children and it is currently being acted upon. As I said, there is more occurring here than you perceive. Now would you like to ride back to the village on your horse or would you prefer to run behind them with this man?” he asks sharply, pointing his thumb back the prisoner that had been in your custody a while before his short-lived escape attempt.

At this point the charm effects on the two human soldiers of Maletar placed upon them by Erizhi have begun to wear off. Since she has chosen to keep her neck intact and be quiet, they slowly come out of it. The young soldier sheathes his sword and walks up to her.

“My lady, if you would please come this way,” he says courteously, showing that he wishes you to approach the Knight-Captain and his assistant. “I would rather you walk on your own then force my brother-in-arms and I to drag you.” The burly man is there as well at her other shoulder waiting to see if he needs to be forceful with you or not.

The elves lower their aim and release the tensions on their bows once the soldiers are flanking Erizhi. They turn to presumably scout other parts of the farm, seemingly already forgotten about her. Sir Rovach’s horse has finally been calmed down, and the soldier tasked with that daunting feat is visibly relieved. He walks the paladin’s horse towards where the others are being held by the two mounted lancers.

"Excellent, Mayla," Butternut whispers to her young charge once they are well hidden. "The others will let us know when it is safe to come out. Until then, we'll rest here."

Mayla smiles at the praise and nods her understanding to wait. She still seems skittish but as the seconds turn to minutes, she begins to visibly become calmer.

[Stephanie]

Stephanie:

“Ah, so you are the Plowman whose name is spreading among the commoners,” the ‘Captain’ says. “You’ve become quite the folk hero in these parts. Tales of your deeds grow even more amazing with each telling. Some strange company you are keeping of late.”

“I do what I can to help out others,” Stephanie admits. “As I stated previously, this group was formed only last night with the sole purpose of coming here and finding out if the Makkee's were safe. The paladin there, Sir Rowback, organized this. I had learned about this situation independently and only joined as we were all going to the same place. We are not companions and certainly not all friends.”

“I would take the lot of you into custody, but there are more things at work here than you perceive,” the ‘Captain' replies. “This is a matter of the kingdom now. All of you are to be escorted back to the village, although whether it is on the backs of your horses or bound, gagged and dragged is wholly up to you,” he says the last looking squarely at Erizhi as if challenging her to say something more

.

Stephanie is not that happy to have to be escorted back to the village, but wont make mention of it. She'd much rather return home and make sure her own family is safe.

He hands the parchment back to Sir Rovach and adds, “So this is the whole of your group then or are there others as Stephanie indicated? I have no desire to conclude our investigation of the farm to find more spoiled foreign nobles with adventure-lust impeding our progress.”

“That will not be necessary, Knight-Captain,” Stephanie speaks up. “There are three more to the group I arrived with. A man, a woman, and a halfling. Last I saw them they were all with the Makkee child we had found.”

“Behind that barn is a tunnel that leads further out into the country side. At the end of this tunnel is where I just came from. We feared that more enemies had arrived, so I came to investigate. I should go alert them to your presence, to avoid any misunderstandings.”

Stephanie starts to ride off, but stops after just a few steps. “With your permission of course, Knight-Captain.”

[Sir Rovach]

Sir Rovach

I already have the information I need to rescue the children and it is currently being acted upon."

Sir Rovach listens to Sir Tamberlain and his description of the situation. Many thoughts and feelings are going through his mind. Anger towards Stephanie is quickly subsiding and in it's place is a sadness that she would do such a thing. Add this to the riddle placed before him, and even before all his companions: how to obey the law of this land, keep his honor and promise, and rescue the Makkee children?
Sir Tamberlain mentions orders to kill all on the farm except the Makkee children. The prospect of death is not a concern of Sir Rovach's, even though he would not see that befall his friends. But to not complete this mission, to fail in his promise, and subsequently by these failings sentance the Makkee children to Buchard's tender care is unacceptable to him. However, Sir Tamberlain has put his worries to rest and it is now his turn to keep his word to the Knight-Captain.

"Very well, Sir Tamberlain. I thank you for sharing with me that you are currently acting upon the rescue of those children. You are correct then; with your forces already to the rescue, there is no more for us to do here." Sir Rovach gives the Knight-Captain a short bow and continues.

"There are no other spoiled foreign nobles with adventure-lust to the best of my knowledge here." Pointing to the Lady Erizhetiana and Stephanie, he says "But besides the Lady and her there are three others in our group: a human female, a human male, and a female halfling. All of them are of good character with charity in their hearts to come on this mission. There is also one of the Makkee children with them; a young girl who escaped Buchard and was being pursued by him. When that villian saw us he abandoned his chase and fled on horseback."

Looking straight into the eyes of Sir Tamberlain, he says "I pray that you show restrant around this child, Captain. She has been traumatised by these events and needs a kind face with a caring soul with her, not more weapons of steel."

"I await your orders, Sir. I will keep my word and make no attempt to escape, but will keep your company all the way back to the village. Unless you or my friends need me, I will see to the care of my horse." Sir Rovach will wait to see what response and actions Sir Tamberlain will take with their party next.

[Erisciana]

Erizhetiana Iltani of Lotan -

The commander finally introduces himself. And while he seems to be slightly more cordial to them, he also makes it clear that he has little patience for his words not being obeyed. Of course, by his name, he sounds to be of the royal family, if the naming conventions would hold true as she understood them. This is an individual who would give her insight into the upper workings of this land.

Captain Maletar reiterates his plan for them to ride back to the village of Dormare, and Erizhi is pleased that it now appears she will not be doing so, while in bonds and gagged.

The two soldiers approach her, but with sheathed weapons. And the younger of the two addresses her politely. “My lady, if you would please come this way,” he says courteously, showing that he wishes you to approach the Knight-Captain and his assistant. “I would rather you walk on your own then force my brother-in-arms and I to drag you.” The burly man is there as well at her other shoulder waiting to see if he needs to be forceful with you or not.

She will reagrd the young man a moment, then look to the burly fighter to her right. A hint of a smile plays at the corner of her lips and in her eyes, but she continues her silence. She turns back to the one who addressed her and gives an extended nod. Erizhi will then walk slowly but steadily toward the Captain. As she passes the amazon Stephanie, she will give her a wary look.

Stepping up to the Captian, Erizhi offers a deep a formal curtsey, despite the fact that dressed as she is in armor and with a shield a bow would be acceptable and sufficient. She will then nod briefly at the Captain's assistant, but completely ignore Fah'jar as though he is not there. She looks at the Captain expectantly and studying his features, not only to try and ascertain what he may really be thinking, but also to help more easily recognize any other members of the family in the future. For now, the features on her attractive face are completely emotionless.

[GM Fenrir]

“That will not be necessary, Knight-Captain,” Stephanie speaks up. “There are three more to the group I arrived with. A man, a woman, and a halfling. Last I saw them they were all with the Makkee child we had found.”

“Behind that barn is a tunnel that leads further out into the country side. At the end of this tunnel is where I just came from. We feared that more enemies had arrived, so I came to investigate. I should go alert them to your presence, to avoid any misunderstandings.”

“Thank you, Stephanie,” Captain Maletar replies, “I was growing tired of these games. Children’s lives are at stake.”

Stephanie starts to ride off, but stops after just a few steps. “With your permission of course, Knight-Captain.”

“Certainly, go,” he answers and adds a dismissive wave of his hand so he can focus on other things. “Listen up,” he calls out to his troops. “Finish our sweep of the farm. Inside that barn should be some bodies of the attackers these adventurers are responsible for killing. Ensure there is nothing else of importance there.”

Turning to his assistant, the Knight-Captain glares at their prisoner, “Haul him away before I stake his head out on the borders of our kingdom.”

The man nods and tugs Fah’jar forcefully by the arm he has gripped. Fah’jar looks confused at the turn of events but holds his tongue. His lip is fat and purple from where the mailed fist had hit him. Soon the two are on their way up the incline towards the mounted lancers.

"Very well, Sir Tamberlain. I thank you for sharing with me that you are currently acting upon the rescue of those children. You are correct then; with your forces already to the rescue, there is no more for us to do here." Sir Rovach gives the Knight-Captain a short bow and continues.

"There are no other spoiled foreign nobles with adventure-lust to the best of my knowledge here." Pointing to the Lady Erizhetiana and Stephanie, he says "But besides the Lady and her there are three others in our group: a human female, a human male, and a female halfling. All of them are of good character with charity in their hearts to come on this mission. There is also one of the Makkee children with them; a young girl who escaped Buchard and was being pursued by him. When that villian saw us he abandoned his chase and fled on horseback."

Looking straight into the eyes of Sir Tamberlain, he says "I pray that you show restrant around this child, Captain. She has been traumatised by these events and needs a kind face with a caring soul with her, not more weapons of steel."

Turning back to Sir Rovach, Captain Maletar suggests, “Then perhaps your own group can continue care of the child while we return.”

"I await your orders, Sir. I will keep my word and make no attempt to escape, but will keep your company all the way back to the village. Unless you or my friends need me, I will see to the care of my horse." Sir Rovach will wait to see what response and actions Sir Tamberlain will take with their party next.

“Once you are all gathered up and accounted for you can all reclaim your horses,” Captain Maletar instructs. “Until that point you can just stand here and comfort your lady. I have no other needs from you at the moment.”

Stepping up to the Captian, Erizhi offers a deep a formal curtsey, despite the fact that dressed as she is in armor and with a shield a bow would be acceptable and sufficient. She will then nod briefly at the Captain's assistant, but completely ignore Fah'jar as though he is not there. She looks at the Captain expectantly and studying his features, not only to try and ascertain what he may really be thinking, but also to help more easily recognize any other members of the family in the future. For now, the features on her attractive face are completely emotionless.

Fah’jar wasn’t in a talkative mood and was quickly spirited away. She did manage a nod at Captain Maletar’s assistant before he left, and the older man returned it just as briefly. The Captain himself seems wholly unimpressed with the display of courtesy and formality chosen to be given to him now and leaves Erizhi to her paladin.

GM Notes: Captain Maletar isn’t unattractive and has the speech and mannerism which shows off his leadership skills. However he clearly lacks the patience for any sort of political issues and certainly not intrigue. Therefore he seems well-suited to be out in the field. He pays no further mind to either of you as he moves to oversee the final efforts of his men.


Aesa and Kaelyn emerge from the tunnel after Kaelyn shares that he believes that there are about five men. He can’t be certain since he didn’t see any of them with his own eyes and the only voices he heard were distant and muddled.

As the pair begin to move quietly, uncertain of exactly what to expect, they both see two armored individuals entering the barn. Both are human males, one clearly younger than the other. Both are wearing chain mail and have a tabard depicting a tower beneath an open book on a field of blue with a dark blue stripe running down its center. Kaelyn recognizes this as the kingdom arms of Maletar, having seen the banners flying from the capital city many times before.

The two men are armed with long swords, which are in their hands, and they seem to take notice of the bodies of the slain villains that were dispatched earlier. Neither man appears to have seen either of you, yet.


Stephanie arrives back where she had left the others. No one appears to be around however. Perhaps they all entered the tunnel. The only way to get to them at that point would be to enter it herself..


Butternut hears the approaching horse and Mayla’s eyes go wide once more. Should Butternut desire to peek out, she can see it’s Stephanie once more, looking around for someone, presumably you or the others. She doesn’t appear winded or that she’s seen any conflict recently and she has no weapons drawn.

[Erisciana]

Erizhetiana Iltani of Lotan -

Captain Maletar's assistant returns her nod of acknowledgement, but the Captain himself dismisses her formal greetings and rides forward to check on his men's progress.

"How boorish," she thinks as he fails to respond in any way resembling common courtesy. Clearly this was why he was in the position he filled, it seemed. Of course, her curtsey may have been a bit over the top, considering what had happened, but then that was part of the fun of trying to see just what sort of man Captain Maletar was. She was disappointed to learn he was as businesslike as a halberd and just as charming.

Looking to Rovach, Erizhi just raises her eyebrows, but holds her tongue. She removes her shield and sets it upon the ground near her. Eri then peels the short leather gloves from her fingers and stuffs them into her belt. Reaching behind her head, she carefully unbuckles the straps holding her battle-mask in place and removes it from her face. She shakes her hair out a few times with one hand.

Unamused at the treatment they are receiving, she will stand there with on hand on her hip, waiting, somewhat impatienlty, for the Captain to deem it acceptable for them to move from the spot.

[Stephanie]

Stephanie:

Stephanie nods as the Knight-Captain agrees to let her ride back to the others. Easing into a steady trot, she rides Thunder back to where the tunnel ended.

Stephanie arrives back where she had left the others. No one appears to be around however. Perhaps they all entered the tunnel. The only way to get to them at that point would be to enter it herself.

Not seeing anyone, Stephanie will call out, “Aysah, Katlyn, Butternut, its all right, we're safe. It's the local military here to help. They want everyone to come out and back to the farm.”

Stephanie will not mention the threat of death to any non-child located in the area, no need to further scare the Makkee child.

Assuming they come out, Stephanie will say to the child, “Would you like to ride back with me?”

If the girl agrees, Steph will help her up and sit her down before her on Thunder and easily ride back to the soldiers.

[Sir Rovach]

Sir Rovach

“Once you are all gathered up and accounted for you can all reclaim your horses,” Captain Maletar instructs. “Until that point you can just stand here and comfort your lady. I have no other needs from you at the moment.”

Looks like those under your command could barely handle my horse, thinks Sir Rovach. And she's not "my lady", but a loyal companion who is here to help your people. Alot more loyal than some... But he has made a promise to follow the Captain back to the village and make no attempt to escape. And his mount seems fine now, anyway. However, he wonders about the the Captain's attitude towards them; he doesn't even think of him as a true "Knight" anymore. For a true Knight would understand the concept of keeping your word unto death, respect for all peers and fellow warriors, and courtesy towards all ladies. This is what is expected of one such as they, is it not? Are these cultures so different that they don't even follow these basic social rules? After what Stephanie had said about them, and this example of a "Malater Knight", Sir Rovach has alot to think about.

Looking to Rovach, Erizhi just raises her eyebrows, but holds her tongue.

Sir Rovach sees the Lady Erizhetiana's look towards him, but doesn't really know how to put his thoughts into words. Looking towards the Lady, he then lowers his eyes and slowly shakes his head back in forth. Approaching near her, he quietly says "He is a representative of the law of this land, my Lady. Though he does not know the art of courtesy, his requests are not unreasonable. I will keep my promise to him." He then sighs and continues, "I just don't understand why Stephanie would say such things to him about us." Sir Rovach will then wait for the Captain and his band to finish their search.

[Erisciana]

Erizhetiana Iltani of Lotan -

Rovach seems as put out as she is feeling at the moment also, both at the actions of the Captain and one of their supposed comrades at arms.

"He is a representative of the law of this land, my Lady. Though he does not know the art of courtesy, his requests are not unreasonable. I will keep my promise to him."

Erizhi will roll her eyes before she has a chance to stop herself. When she does, she smiles a mirthless smile in return.

He then sighs and continues, "I just don't understand why Stephanie would say such things to him about us."

Erizhi raises her hand, finger pointed, as if she is about to launch into a statement, then stops. She lets out a long breathed sigh of her own and slaps her hand against her leather armored thigh. She then looks away and she smiles at all the confusion about her, in a way to say that she refuses to let this get to her. Now if only this misadventure would hurry up and come to an end. She was not looking forward to the long ride back to Dormare and especially so now.

[Sir Rovach]

Sir Rovach

Erizhi will roll her eyes before she has a chance to stop herself. When she does, she smiles a mirthless smile in return.

Catching the look on Lady Erizhetiana's face, Sir Rovach gives a small smile. Taking no offense, he offers "It's who I am, my Lady. It seemed only right to make it known so you understand."

He looks towards the soldiers left behind to watch them as the Captain continues his search. If they don't seem to mind him speaking to the Lady Erizhetiana, he will update her quickly on what had occurred during the investigation of the tunnel. But he will leave out the part when Mister Kaelyn told him about his past association with Buchard. It's not my place to speak to others about that, but must be his decision.

"...and so seeing an urgency to pursue Buchard, and no need for another adult to be standing over the child asking more questions, I proceeded here to gather our horses and inform you of these events. The rest, my exit from the tunnel & the Captain's arrival, you are already aware of." Sir Rovach will then continue waiting for the Captain's return, periodically looking towards his horse to ensure his mount is alright.

[Erisciana]

Erizhetiana Iltani of Lotan -

Erizhi had rolled her eyes at Rovach's statement about Captain Tamberlain, but she cannot hold back a giggle when Rovach assumes the gesture of disbelief is about him and he responds in a self-deprecating manner.

"It's who I am, my Lady. It seemed only right to make it known so you understand."

Eri places her hand lightly on the paladin's shoulder. "Yes, my good man. You are indeed, who you are," she says softly, a smile still on her face.

He then explains what happened and the finding of the child as well as the desire to chase Buchard. She thinks again that she should have originally suggested that the investigation of the tunnel was done overland, but the point is moot by now.

"At least you found one of the children. And as for the rest of this investigation, it sounds as though Tamberlain there has his own ideas on how this should play out." She makes a dismissive face. "But it is his authority to do so," she continues. "I just hope he is as quick as he is impatient," she says quietly.

[Butternut]

Butternut:

Not seeing anyone, Stephanie will call out, “Aysah, Katlyn, Butternut, its all right, we're safe. It's the local military here to help. They want everyone to come out and back to the farm.”

Peeking through the bushes, Butternut sees Stephanie ride into the clearing. It's a little surprising that the local military is here already, but at least that should forestall any further attacks from Buchard and his accomplice.

"Aye, we're here, Stephanie," Butternut replies to the swordswoman. Rising to her feet, she helps Mayla rise as well.

Assuming they come out, Stephanie will say to the child, “Would you like to ride back with me?”

If Mayla accepts the offer, Butternut will help her mount the large horse. She will begin to walk back toward the farm, holding Mayla's hand if she didn't choose to ride.

"Have they caught Buchard and the others yet?" she asks Stephanie as they begin the trek back.

[Aesa]

Aesa:

Kaelyn tells her in the tunnel that there might be as many as five men. "We should hurry then," she says. "Stephanie is riding into this alone." It would be better if we would have all travelled in a group, she adds mentally. Being split up is only going to get us into trouble or worse.

They climb out of the tunnel and Aesa does her best to stay in the shadows. To her, Kaelyn seems a natural in this environment, where hers is more the wilds. She sees the barn doors ahead, but suddenly two people enter, and it's not anyone she knows. They seem to be soldiers in some official duty considering their near-identical armor, weapons and coat of arms. Was Kaelyn mistaken? she ponders. Clearly these don't seem like the kind of men that Buchard could recruit. Unless they are the mercenaries.

The two men are armed with long swords, which are in their hands, and they seem to take notice of the bodies of the slain villains that were dispatched earlier. Neither man appears to have seen either of you, yet.

Aesa will stay hidden from them while trying to locate Kaelyn. While the druid believes the two of them could take the two soldiers, especially from surprise, she doesn't know who they are yet. She has no desire to cause any more death this day, especially if it is needless.

[Kaelyn]

Kealyn
(sorry for the lack of posts, Had issues that needed to be taken care of.)

As the pair begin to move quietly, uncertain of exactly what to expect, they both see two armored individuals entering the barn. Both are human males, one clearly younger than the other. Both are wearing chain mail and have a tabard depicting a tower beneath an open book on a field of blue with a dark blue stripe running down its center. Kaelyn recognizes this as the kingdom arms of Maletar, having seen the banners flying from the capital city many times before.

The two men are armed with long swords, which are in their hands, and they seem to take notice of the bodies of the slain villains that were dispatched earlier. Neither man appears to have seen either of you, yet.

Kaelyn tells her in the tunnel that there might be as many as five men. "We should hurry then," she says. "Stephanie is riding into this alone." It would be better if we would have all travelled in a group, she adds mentally. Being split up is only going to get us into trouble or worse.

"Why am I not surprised," he thinks to himself as he listens to Aesa. “All I heard was Sir Rovach speak of allies of Buchard are about; I thought it best to get you and not scout things out,” he says as they head down the tunnel.
Making his way up the ladder he squats for a moment then moves to a wagon where two men dressed in chainmail, swords drawn, stand near the bodies of the conspiritors. Looking closer he sees the tabard of Maletar and lets out a sigh of relief, but still siding of the err of caution, Kealyn slowly draws his shortsword.

Kealyn will step forward behind the wagon in which he was, “These men were cruel and deserved a fate far worse than that of they received for their crimes. What have you done with the Paladin and priestess? Does the prisoner still live?” he asks seeing the tangled mess of ropes that held their prisoner.

If the knights come forward, Kealyn will protect himself as he sees fit.

[GM Fenrir]

Sir Rovach and Erizhi -

Sir Rovach and Erizhi largely go unnoticed as the Maletar soldiers and scouts continue their own investigation of the farm. The two human soldiers that had originally moved to seize Erizhi have gone into the barn where the slain villains still lay. The elven scouts can no longer be seen. Captain Maletar is talking about something briefly with the man who had taken Sir Rovach’s horse up the rise to the others. All of the horses are in a line, their tails flicking slowly. Clearly none of them are being mistreated.

One of the mounted lancers has climbed down from his horse and taken over charge of Fah’jar. He is being handled roughly, but the Immaterian doesn’t seem to be putting up much protest. His task done, the assistant to the captain returns to the farm and is approaching the paladin and priestess. It doesn’t seem as though he is doing so pointedly however, instead just merely heading that way.

Stephanie and Butternut -

Assuming they come out, Stephanie will say to the child, “Would you like to ride back with me?”

If Mayla accepts the offer, Butternut will help her mount the large horse. She will begin to walk back toward the farm, holding Mayla's hand if she didn't choose to ride.

Mayla looks at Thunder, and then her eyes get really big, not from fear but excitement. She turns to Butternut for permission. “Can I? Can I?” she asks excitedly.

After getting helped up, Mayla does her best not to squirm with glee, and will follow any instruction Stephanie gives her. Assuming Stephanie doesn’t charge away, Butternut will be able to walk alongside them as Mayla glances over at the Halfling from time to time. If Stephanie does ride off and leave Butternut behind, Mayla will become distraught and attempt to get off the horse and go back for her new friend.

As they get closer to the farm, Butternut notices a flicker of movement to her left near a clump of trees. Before she can react, she hears a voice. “Creosata los,” comes the familiar voice, first in elvish. Then, switching to the Common tongue, “Butternut, is that you?”

The elf that steps from the trees doesn’t look like he’s aged a day for all the years since you first met him. Initially Vaelos was just one of the band of rangers that had saved you that fateful day, but as you spent more time in their company, he became a good companion as had most of the others. Butternut had never known where all of the rangers had gone to, but apparently the blond-haired Vaelos is either helping, or an active member of, the Maletar military.

“Is that the Makkee girl?” he asks Butternut, seeing her on Stephanie’s horse. Mayla has tensed up in Stephanie’s arms, but if the elf notices he pays it no mind. “If I had known you were already here,” he continues to his Halfling friend, smiling a bit, “the kingdom could have saved all this pomp and procedure.”

“They are expecting you back at the farm,” he adds, turning back to the lightly wooded area to the north. “I need to finish my scouting so we can be clear of here.”

Kaelyn and Aesa -

Kaelyn recognizes the two men entering the barn as Maletar military and moves out to tentatively greet them. Aesa reaches Kaelyn and sees he is at ease, but still cautious, when he emerges to talk to the soldiers.

Kealyn will step forward behind the wagon in which he was, “These men were cruel and deserved a fate far worse than that of they received for their crimes. What have you done with the Paladin and priestess? Does the prisoner still live?” he asks seeing the tangled mess of ropes that held their prisoner.

The men turn to face Kaelyn with swords in hand, startled by his emergence. As Kaelyn continues to talk, the younger of the pair lowers his blade, but the burly man is still wary. Although the younger one looks to want to speak, it is the burly man who takes charge.

“The prisoner is now ours in the name of the Kingdom of Maletar,” he explains in a gravelly voice. “Those you inquire about are waiting outside. If you are with their band then you best join them. Are there others in here?” He still does not lower his sword and instead watches Kaelyn with a trained eye.

(sorry for the lack of posts, Had issues that needed to be taken care of.)

OOC: No problems there. Things will come up from time to time. Hope all is well now for you.

[Erisciana]

Erizhetiana Iltani of Lotan -

As the waiting goes on and the minutes slowly roll by, Erizhi sees Fah'jar passed from the Captain's assistant to one of the dismounted lancers. He did not fight against the rough handling he received, but had they left him to her own mercies, he would be dead now for attempting to implicate her in the murders here. So in a sense, he was possibly better off. She looked on for a moment, since there was nothing else for her to do, but chat with Rovach and continue to wait.

Eventually, the adjutant begins walking back towards them. He does not appear specifically headed to them, and Erizhi will step over and intersect his path. "'Excuse me, good sir," she will say, confident that she is far enough away from the Captain to not raise his ire. "I dropped a pack near the entrance to the barn," she says gesturing towards the structure behind her, "as I was trying to chase down the prisoner. I would like to have it back, please. Could someone retrieve it for me?" she says with an alluring smile. She guesses that the Captain would rather they remain where they are, so she does not ask to go for it herself.

[Stephanie]

Stephanie:

"Aye, we're here, Stephanie," Butternut replies to the swordswoman. Rising to her feet, she helps Mayla rise as well.

“Good”, Stephanie says. “Where are the others?”

"Have they caught Buchard and the others yet?" she asks Stephanie as they begin the trek back.

“I don't think so, but soon this woods will not be safe for anyone who is not a child,” Stephanie answers in a round about way, so as to not further scare the little girl.

Mayla looks at Thunder, and then her eyes get really big, not from fear but excitement. She turns to Butternut for permission. “Can I? Can I?” she asks excitedly.

“Thunder likes giving rides to brave little girls,” Stephanie says in a soothing voice. She's looked after her many cousins in the past, so is used to handling children.

After getting helped up, Mayla does her best not to squirm with glee, and will follow any instruction Stephanie gives her. Assuming Stephanie doesn’t charge away, Butternut will be able to walk alongside them as Mayla glances over at the Halfling from time to time. If Stephanie does ride off and leave Butternut behind, Mayla will become distraught and attempt to get off the horse and go back for her new friend.

Once Mayla is situatedn, Steph offers her hand to Butternut as well. “We should make haste and there is more than enough room for all of us.”

Once everyone is mounted, Stephanie has Thunder move forward in a steady gait, but not too fast so as to be suspicious. She'll ride back to the others.

As they get closer to the farm, Butternut notices a flicker of movement to her left near a clump of trees. Before she can react, she hears a voice. “Creosata los,” comes the familiar voice, first in elvish. Then, switching to the Common tongue, “Butternut, is that you?”

The elf that steps from the trees doesn’t look like he’s aged a day for all the years since you first met him. Initially Vaelos was just one of the band of rangers that had saved you that fateful day, but as you spent more time in their company, he became a good companion as had most of the others. Butternut had never known where all of the rangers had gone to, but apparently the blond-haired Vaelos is either helping, or an active member of, the Maletar military.

“Is that the Makkee girl?” he asks Butternut, seeing her on Stephanie’s horse. Mayla has tensed up in Stephanie’s arms, but if the elf notices he pays it no mind. “If I had known you were already here,” he continues to his Halfling friend, smiling a bit, “the kingdom could have saved all this pomp and procedure.”

Stephanie hears the voice, but does not see the elf until he steps forward. Clearly this is somone who knows Butternut, so she'll let the halfling do the talking.

“They are expecting you back at the farm,” he adds, turning back to the lightly wooded area to the north. “I need to finish my scouting so we can be clear of here.”

“That's where we are headed,” Steph says. With that she'll send Thunder into motion once more back towards the farm.

[Kaelyn]

Kaelyn

“The prisoner is now ours in the name of the Kingdom of Maletar,” he explains in a gravelly voice. “Those you inquire about are waiting outside. If you are with their band then you best join them. Are there others in here?” He still does not lower his sword and instead watches Kaelyn with a trained eye.

“I mean you no harm, if I did, I would have struck when you were unaware,” he says as he sheathes his shortsword. “And rightfully so, but how do you know of his guilt? We did not send word to anyone of his capture nor of encountering these brigands,” he asks curiously . But then he forgets himself as the warrior asks if there is any others present. “I will do as you request. Aesa, come out it is safe,” he calls back to the hiding druid. “Aesa is the only one that came with me. The Makkee girl is with another of our group, a halfling, at the end of the tunnel near the back wall of the barn. If it is acceptable I would like to gather a few things from the pile near you,” glancing down at the pile of weapons.

“Would you mind accompaning us to your unit? I would not wish for them to mistake us for foes and think you are dead.”

[Aesa]

Aesa:

Aesa waits and watches as Kaelyn steps out and talks to these men. They seem wary but not likely to attack, so when Kaelyn calls her to come out, she slings her sword over her shoulder and uses her staff like a walking stick.

But then he forgets himself as the warrior asks if there is any others present. “I will do as you request. Aesa, come out it is safe,” he calls back to the hiding druid. “Aesa is the only one that came with me. The Makkee girl is with another of our group, a halfling, at the end of the tunnel near the back wall of the barn. If it is acceptable I would like to gather a few things from the pile near you,” glancing down at the pile of weapons.

"Greetings and well met," Aesa offers calmly. She will wait to see what the soldiers say about Kaelyn's request, and help him gather whatever weapons he wants to take should it be more than a person could reasonably carry alone. If she's not needed to help there, she will gather up the rope since that is Stephanie's and Aesa is certain the warrior woman will want that back.

[GM Fenrir]

Erizhi -

Eventually, the adjutant begins walking back towards them. He does not appear specifically headed to them, and Erizhi will step over and intersect his path. "'Excuse me, good sir," she will say, confident that she is far enough away from the Captain to not raise his ire. "I dropped a pack near the entrance to the barn," she says gesturing towards the structure behind her, "as I was trying to chase down the prisoner. I would like to have it back, please. Could someone retrieve it for me?" she says with an alluring smile. She guesses that the Captain would rather they remain where they are, so she does not ask to go for it herself.

Seeing the man closely for the first time, Erizhi can really see how badly scarred his face is. This looks like something maybe suffered from his youth that never fully healed. Even given his older age, she could imagine just how handsome he might look unmarred. His storm grey beard does much to hide it, but not enough. When she sees his eyes, they appear almost limitless in depth. They are a vivid sea green in color and quite striking. He stops and weighs your words as if each one was spoken with great importance.

“Certainly, my child,” he replies as a grandfather might do so. “Anything that is yours or your group’s we have no interest in removing from you. The Knight-Captain’s main concern is for the safety of his men under his command and, of course, any surviving civilians. This is a terrible tragedy that has befallen these people and we all wish to see it avenged since we can not reverse it.”

Erizhi will notice now that he wears a bluish-white diamond around his neck in such a manner that would make you believe it is more of a holy symbol than a blatant show of adornment. Several of the same types of diamonds are worked into the flanges of his mace.

“I can retrieve it myself if you do not wish to wait until we are through here,” he offers, interrupting your observations. “Where is it exactly?”

Kaelyn and Aesa -

“I mean you no harm, if I did, I would have struck when you were unaware,” he says as he sheathes his shortsword. “And rightfully so, but how do you know of his guilt? We did not send word to anyone of his capture nor of encountering these brigands,” he asks curiously .

“He ran,” the burly man replies simply. “The guilty ones always do.”

But then he forgets himself as the warrior asks if there is any others present. “I will do as you request. Aesa, come out it is safe,” he calls back to the hiding druid. “Aesa is the only one that came with me. The Makkee girl is with another of our group, a halfling, at the end of the tunnel near the back wall of the barn. If it is acceptable I would like to gather a few things from the pile near you,” glancing down at the pile of weapons.

"Greetings and well met," Aesa offers calmly.

“Would you mind accompaning us to your unit? I would not wish for them to mistake us for foes and think you are dead.”

The two soldiers tense a moment when Aesa appears, but they calm down quickly enough. All of the other information Kaelyn provides seems to be giving the burly man fits however. “Yes, yes fine. The tunnel is not our concern. We have others working the perimeter. Take what’s yours and let’s go.”

[Kaelyn]

Kaelyn

“He ran,” the burly man replies simply. “The guilty ones always do.”

"Only the ones who have no other recourse," he thinks to himself, as he nods to the burly man in understanding.

The two soldiers tense a moment when Aesa appears, but they calm down quickly enough. All of the other information Kaelyn provides seems to be giving the burly man fits however. “Yes, yes fine. The tunnel is not our concern. We have others working the perimeter. Take what’s yours and let’s go.”

Kaelyn notices the druid come out and looks her way. Seeing the warriors not attack her or himself, he walks forward toward the pile he made earlier and retrieve the braces of throwing knives. For a few moments he looks at the other weapons as well but only gathers up the ones from Pothos’s body, assuming that the man in charge of this bunch would have the highest quality equipment to sell.
Once he gathers the equipment he will walk towards the barn door, weapons sheathed.

[Butternut]

Butternut:

“Good”, Stephanie says. “Where are the others?”

"Aesa and Kaelyn are making their way back via the tunnel."

Mayla looks at Thunder, and then her eyes get really big, not from fear but excitement. She turns to Butternut for permission. “Can I? Can I?” she asks excitedly.

"Of course," Butternut replies with a small smile, one of few that have graced her face over these many years.

Once Mayla is situated, Steph offers her hand to Butternut as well. “We should make haste and there is more than enough room for all of us.”

Despite the size of the horse, Stephanie's prodigious strength makes mounting easy for the halfling. Soon they are off, cantering in the direction of the farm.

As they get closer to the farm, Butternut notices a flicker of movement to her left near a clump of trees. Before she can react, she hears a voice. “Creosata los,” comes the familiar voice, first in elvish. Then, switching to the Common tongue, “Butternut, is that you?”

The elf that steps from the trees doesn’t look like he’s aged a day for all the years since you first met him. Initially Vaelos was just one of the band of rangers that had saved you that fateful day, but as you spent more time in their company, he became a good companion as had most of the others. Butternut had never known where all of the rangers had gone to, but apparently the blond-haired Vaelos is either helping, or an active member of, the Maletar military.

"Hold up," Butternut says to Stephanie, tapping the larger woman on the shoulder.

There is a moment of surprise, as seeing an old companion in this place is totally unexpected. It has been some time since she has spoken elvish, but her understanding is undimished. "Vaelos? You-- It seems you have a new job now, my friend. How fare you?"

“Is that the Makkee girl?” he asks Butternut, seeing her on Stephanie’s horse. Mayla has tensed up in Stephanie’s arms, but if the elf notices he pays it no mind. “If I had known you were already here,” he continues to his Halfling friend, smiling a bit, “the kingdom could have saved all this pomp and procedure.”

"It is. Vaelos, this is Mayla Makkee. Mayla, this is Vaelos, a friend and companion of mine." Perhaps proper introductions will soothe the girl's frayed nerves. The elf's next words bring an amused grin to her face. "Not likely, you know how the official types love their pomp and procedure."

“They are expecting you back at the farm,” he adds, turning back to the lightly wooded area to the north. “I need to finish my scouting so we can be clear of here.”

"Understood. We'll be on our way," Butternut replies and Stephanie starts the horse moving forward again. "I hope we get to speak further before this is all over, Vaelos."

[Erisciana]

Erizhetiana Iltani of Lotan -

Erizhi sees the man as he approaches and gets a very good, long look at his features. Despite the horrific scars, she witnesses a calming quality about the man as she looks deep into his eyes. And his words are not only pleasant but exceedingly respectful. The priestess sees that the man appears to be a priest himself, which explains some of the tranquility about him. This certainly had Erizhi's interest.

“Certainly, my child,” he replies as a grandfather might do so. “Anything that is yours or your group’s we have no interest in removing from you. The Knight-Captain’s main concern is for the safety of his men under his command and, of course, any surviving civilians. This is a terrible tragedy that has befallen these people and we all wish to see it avenged since we can not reverse it.”

She simply nods solemnly, nothing more need be said.

“I can retrieve it myself if you do not wish to wait until we are through here,” he offers, interrupting your observations. “Where is it exactly?”

"My humble grattitude, your grace," she says, curious to see how he responds to the priestly honorific. "It is perhaps five or six steps inside the door, laying in the center of floor. It should be quite visible, provided it has not already been disturbed." She gives a slight head dip, not quite a bow, but a sign of respect nontheless.

[Aesa]

Aesa:

Since it seems that Kaelyn is only gathering a few of the weapons, Aesa will move over to collect up the rope. She notices a pack that is near the barn doors but it's hard to tell where exactly it came from, so she leaves it alone. Once done with the rope she will wait to leave with Kaelyn and the soldiers.

[GM Fenrir]

Erizhi -

"My humble grattitude, your grace," she says, curious to see how he responds to the priestly honorific. "It is perhaps five or six steps inside the door, laying in the center of floor. It should be quite visible, provided it has not already been disturbed." She gives a slight head dip, not quite a bow, but a sign of respect nontheless.

The man simply smiles and then responds to your directions, “Quite the easy task that even a man of my years should be able to accomplish without err.” He chuckles at his own attempt and humor and adds, “I will be but a moment.” He returns the head bow and sets off towards the barn.

Stephanie and Butternut -

There is a moment of surprise, as seeing an old companion in this place is totally unexpected. It has been some time since she has spoken elvish, but her understanding is undimished. "Vaelos? You-- It seems you have a new job now, my friend. How fare you?"

“These are troubled times,” Vaelos says solemnly. “I offer my aid to these people of Maletar to the causes that such attention is needed. I fare well, although after the spring Festival I feel I shall return to the Deep Wood for a time. I miss my home.”

"It is. Vaelos, this is Mayla Makkee. Mayla, this is Vaelos, a friend and companion of mine." Perhaps proper introductions will soothe the girl's frayed nerves. The elf's next words bring an amused grin to her face. "Not likely, you know how the official types love their pomp and procedure."

Vaelos tries to be charming, but it’s just too soon for Mayla. At least she doesn’t cry out or try to bolt. Vaelos seems to understand and makes no further attempts at pleasantry towards the young girl. Instead he gives a grin to Butternut’s response, “Yes all too well, but some elves are far worse than the humans in that regard.”

“That's where we are headed,” Steph says.

The elf simply nods at Stephanie's assent and finishes up his conversation with Butternut.

"Understood. We'll be on our way," Butternut replies and Stephanie starts the horse moving forward again. "I hope we get to speak further before this is all over, Vaelos."

“Most certainly,” he calls back before moving off too far. “If an opportunity does not arise, we shall have one of our own making. We shall all be returning to the village, so will have the time then.” He gives a brief gesture somewhere between a wave and a salute and moves off to finish his task.

Kaelyn and Aesa -

As Kaelyn and Aesa complete the gathering of weapons and rope, an older man dressed in the same armor but armed with a mace instead of a sword enters the barn. He pauses a moment at the sight of the two of you but then sees his fellow soldiers waiting nearby. He offers a smile in greeting and a nod to his two companions, who return the gesture. Then looking around, he spots the same pack that Aesa had eyed, stoops to pick it up and heads back outside.

Everyone -

At this point everyone converges outside of the farm in the large gathering area between all the various buildings. Stephanie rides up with Butternut and the young Mayla also on Thunder. The Maletar priest emerges from the barn with the pack Erizhi desired, closely followed by Kaelyn and Aesa, with the pair of human soldiers emerging last.

Upon seeing all of this, Captain Maletar and the soldier who had wrestled down Sir Rovach’s horse move to join the group. The horse-handler is a few years older than the other young soldier and is far more sure of himself. Sir Rovach has seen the kind of attitude that the man is revealing before. It is the swagger of a man being groomed for promotion and is brazen enough to flaunt it. It is quite likely this man has few friends, but his skill must be enough to compensate for what he lacks socially.

The priest reaches Erizhi's side and hands her the pack before moving past to join his captain.

“Good then, this is everyone?” Captain Maletar asks first Sir Rovach and then glances at Stephanie for confirmation. Assuming it is a reply to the positive, he continues, “Anything further you can tell us that you learned would be most helpful. As per your request I do not wish to trouble the young Makkee girl any further at this point.”

He then looks skyward to judge the position of the sun on its downward trek to the horizon. “We have much ground to cover before the day is done,” he says with no hint of acceptable room for discussion on the matter. “Therefore the sooner we leave, the better for all involved.”

[Sir Rovach]

Sir Rovach

Sir Rovach continues to wait while Captain Maletar & his men conduct their search of the Makkee farm. The only thing to break the monotony is a brief conversation the Lady Erizhetiana has with one of the older soldiers under the Captain's command. Sir Rovach, his mind on other matters, didn't really pay attention to this soldier when he had approached them. He heard the Lady ask about her pack but didn't pay the conversation no mind untill he heard her refer to him as "Your Grace". Watching this soldier walking away, he wonders what was so special about him to warrent that honorific?

The soldier Lady Erizhetiana spoke to eventually comes back carrying what looks like her pack. However, others arrive at this same time as well. He see's Stephanie ride up with Lady Butternut and the Makkee child on her horse. This is soon followed by Mister Kaelyn and Lady Aesa coming out of the barn to their gathering as well. Sir Rovach looks at the older soldier as he approaches Lady Erizhetiana, but this is brief for the Captain then chooses to address them at this time.

“Good then, this is everyone?” Captain Maletar asks first Sir Rovach and then glances at Stephanie for confirmation. Assuming it is a reply to the positive, he continues, “Anything further you can tell us that you learned would be most helpful. As per your request I do not wish to trouble the young Makkee girl any further at this point.”

"Yes Captain. This is everyone." Sir Rovach responds. In regards to the Captain's other inquiry, Sir Rovach tells him "The others there," he then gestures to the Ladies Butternut & Aesa, "spoke with the child. They would be most likely to have addition knowledge given to them by the girl. Everything else here, you probally have deduced the same as us, based upon your observations."

He then looks skyward to judge the position of the sun on its downward trek to the horizon. “We have much ground to cover before the day is done,” he says with no hint of acceptable room for discussion on the matter. “Therefore the sooner we leave, the better for all involved.”

"I agree Captain. Shall we be off?" Sir Rovach will then wait to see what the Captain's answer is. If the Captain agree's, Sir Rovach will mount his horse and follow the Captain away from the Makkee farm.

[Erisciana]

Erizhetiana Iltani of Lotan -

The man simply smiles and then responds to your directions, “Quite the easy task that even a man of my years should be able to accomplish without err.” He chuckles at his own attempt at humor and adds, “I will be but a moment.” He returns the head bow and sets off towards the barn.

Erizhi will smile considerately as the elderly priest chuckles, although not quite sure what he was poking fun at: her directions or his imagined frailty.

It is probably too much to ask for the remaining packs in the tunnel, although there was not much of value there. Eri will wait patiently for the man to return.

It is not long before everyone converges on their point. The amazon comes riding up with the halfling and a little girl, one of the Makee children. Following the priest out of the barn are Aesa and Kaelyn. Erizhi will accept the pack with a smile and set it near her feet and prop her shield on it.

Captain Tamberlaine then addresses them, but he is speaking more to Rovach. At thought, Eri wonders if the man has something against women, considering them inferior somehow. But he seems to have no problem addressing the Maletarian amazon woman respectfully. Apparently the man's issue is with Erizhetiana, herself.

"Yes Captain. This is everyone." Sir Rovach responds. In regards to the Captain's other inquiry, Sir Rovach tells him "The others there," he then gestures to the Ladies Butternut & Aesa, "spoke with the child. They would be most likely to have addition knowledge given to them by the girl. Everything else here, you probably have deduced the same as us, based upon your observations."

Erizhi had information that she learned from Fah'jar, that the soldiers might not have. But she waited and held her tongue for the moment. He had told her to stay silent and for now, she had no reason to do otherwise. If a matter came up that she could refute or embellish, then she would offer then.

He then looks skyward to judge the position of the sun on its downward trek to the horizon. “We have much ground to cover before the day is done,” he says with no hint of acceptable room for discussion on the matter. “Therefore the sooner we leave, the better for all involved.”

"Thank Ishtar," she mumbles under her breath.

"I agree Captain. Shall we be off?" Sir Rovach will then wait to see what the Captain's answer is. If the Captain agrees, Sir Rovach will mount his horse and follow the Captain away from the Makkee farm.

Erizhi will secure the pack and her shield to her horse and hopefully her staff was brought with the horse, as it was left with her. She will have her battle-mask at the front of the saddle like before, although she clearly expects no conflict on the ride back. As the group forms up, she will meander past the adjutant and ask, "Unless I miss my guess, you have the manner and stateliness of a man of the temple. Might I be so bold as to ask who your patron may be?"

[Kaelyn]

Kaelyn

As Kaelyn and Aesa complete the gathering of weapons and rope, an older man dressed in the same armor but armed with a mace instead of a sword enters the barn. He pauses a moment at the sight of the two of you but then sees his fellow soldiers waiting nearby. He offers a smile in greeting and a nod to his two companions, who return the gesture. Then looking around, he spots the same pack that Aesa had eyed, stoops to pick it up and heads back outside.

Taking the weapons in hand, Kealyn makes his way towards the barn door when another warrior steps forward, though he is garbed differently and carries a mace. “Hello sir.” He says assuming it is the leader of the group but he quickly realizes it isnt as the man takes up a pack andreturns his way towards the others. Within moments he is outside with the others in the sunlight.

“Good then, this is everyone?” Captain Maletar asks first Sir Rovach and then glances at Stephanie for confirmation. Assuming it is a reply to the positive, he continues, “Anything further you can tell us that you learned would be most helpful. As per your request I do not wish to trouble the young Makkee girl any further at this point.”

He then looks skyward to judge the position of the sun on its downward trek to the horizon. “We have much ground to cover before the day is done,” he says with no hint of acceptable room for discussion on the matter. “Therefore the sooner we leave, the better for all involved.”

For a few moments, Kaelyn thinks about coming forward with the information he overheard. Within moments he speaks up. “Sir, I may have some information that would be of use to you, though details I overheard are slim,“ he says looking at the captain. ‘One of the men you seek is known as Buchard and for a time I was a part of his guild until a few days ago when I overheard plans that would bring peril to our lands. I fled for my life when he knew of my transgressions. “He spoke of three things: the hiring of mercenaries, which could be these individuals here. Though, considering the next point was the matter of ships arriving on our shore, an invasion may be coming. Yet the way it sounded these ships wouldn’t reach our shores for weeks if not months. “ Taking a breath and steadying his nerves, Kaelyn continues. “The final point was the targeting of a mage with prominent skill in the arts. Whom this is I cannot say, for I do not know but I would not put it passed Buchard to target our leaders, even our King or Queen themselves. Who the other parties were in this meeting, I am not aware, for I never seen nor heard of them before. “

[Aesa]

Aesa:

As Kaelyn and Aesa complete the gathering of weapons and rope, an older man dressed in the same armor but armed with a mace instead of a sword enters the barn. He pauses a moment at the sight of the two of you but then sees his fellow soldiers waiting nearby. He offers a smile in greeting and a nod to his two companions, who return the gesture. Then looking around, he spots the same pack that Aesa had eyed, stoops to pick it up and heads back outside.

They're wary but friendly, Aesa thinks. Given the situation that is probably the best that can be hoped for. Not knowing the people from these southern lands very well, Aesa's first experiences have been enlightening. They behave differently than what her people would have done in a similar situation only in that more of these villains would be dead simply because even the lowliest farmers know how to fight out of necessity.

She will carry the rope out, following the older man since Kaelyn is done as well. She sees Erizhi and Sir Rovach in the middle of the farm and there are glimpses of even more armored men moving about. Something else is clearly going on here, she thinks. When she spots Stephanie ride up with the Makkee girl and Butternut, she will move to return her rope to her.

“Good then, this is everyone?” Captain Maletar asks first Sir Rovach and then glances at Stephanie for confirmation. Assuming it is a reply to the positive, he continues, “Anything further you can tell us that you learned would be most helpful. As per your request I do not wish to trouble the young Makkee girl any further at this point.”

"Yes Captain. This is everyone." Sir Rovach responds. In regards to the Captain's other inquiry, Sir Rovach tells him "The others there," he then gestures to the Ladies Butternut & Aesa, "spoke with the child. They would be most likely to have addition knowledge given to them by the girl. Everything else here, you probally have deduced the same as us, based upon your observations."

Aesa will offer what she can to the man that is clearly in charge. "The Makkee girl, Mayla, stumbled out of the woods shortly after we arrived at the end of the tunnel that these villains constructed," she will point off in the distance past the barn and stables to give the general direction and idea to the captain. "She was being chased by another on horseback who fled west after seeing us. Based on Mayla's story, she was taken with her brothers from here early this morning on horseback. One of her older brothers provided a distraction and she ran for her life and spent most of the day trying to return here. The brother was killed for doing such unfortunately. We do not know the fate of the other brothers at this point. However, where the man, Buchard I believe we know his name to be, rode west, Mayla seemed to come from the north. The horse tracks found seemed to lend proof to her story on this point."

He then looks skyward to judge the position of the sun on its downward trek to the horizon. “We have much ground to cover before the day is done,” he says with no hint of acceptable room for discussion on the matter. “Therefore the sooner we leave, the better for all involved.”

"I agree Captain. Shall we be off?" Sir Rovach will then wait to see what the Captain's answer is. If the Captain agree's, Sir Rovach will mount his horse and follow the Captain away from the Makkee farm.

"And we're going where?" Aesa asked puzzled. She assumes we're going to chase down the fleeing villains and is concerned about Mayla. She waits to speak further until she learns the truth first however.

[Erisciana]

Erizhetiana Iltani of Lotan -

As several of the group recount parts of what happened to Captain Tamberlaine, Kaelyn comes forward with some information he had learned before they met up. Erizhi is suprised to hear this now, but obviously the Magpie was waiting for the opportune moment to divulge these secrets.

"If I may?" she asks, catiously interrupting the discussion after Kaelyn speaks. If Tamberlaine looks unhappy, then she will hold her tongue.

[Butternut]

Butternut:

“These are troubled times,” Vaelos says solemnly. “I offer my aid to these people of Maletar to the causes that such attention is needed. I fare well, although after the spring Festival I feel I shall return to the Deep Wood for a time. I miss my home.”

"As do I," Butternut murmurs to herself.

“Most certainly,” he calls back before moving off too far. “If an opportunity does not arise, we shall have one of our own making. We shall all be returning to the village, so will have the time then.” He gives a brief gesture somewhere between a wave and a salute and moves off to finish his task.

Butternut is surprised by his comment of them returning to the village, but they are already riding away, so she doesn't have time to ask. It occurs to her that she might have pointed out Buchard's path, but she has faith that Vaelos will be able to track the man at least as well as she could have.

They arrive back in the center of the farm to find the others and a number of Maletaran soldiers. Though she doesn't know the rank insignia well enough to identify the leader's actual rank, it is clear that he is an officer of high station.

"Yes Captain. This is everyone." Sir Rovach responds. In regards to the Captain's other inquiry, Sir Rovach tells him "The others there," he then gestures to the Ladies Butternut & Aesa, "spoke with the child. They would be most likely to have addition knowledge given to them by the girl. Everything else here, you probally have deduced the same as us, based upon your observations."

Aesa will offer what she can to the man that is clearly in charge. "The Makkee girl, Mayla, stumbled out of the woods shortly after we arrived at the end of the tunnel that these villains constructed," she will point off in the distance past the barn and stables to give the general direction and idea to the captain. "She was being chased by another on horseback who fled west after seeing us. Based on Mayla's story, she was taken with her brothers from here early this morning on horseback. One of her older brothers provided a distraction and she ran for her life and spent most of the day trying to return here. The brother was killed for doing such unfortunately. We do not know the fate of the other brothers at this point. However, where the man, Buchard I believe we know his name to be, rode west, Mayla seemed to come from the north. The horse tracks found seemed to lend proof to her story on this point."

"Mayla says that she wandered quite a bit while fleeing Buchard and his partner, so the direction she arrived from means little. However, I'm certain Vaelos will have no trouble following Buchard's trail.

He then looks skyward to judge the position of the sun on its downward trek to the horizon. “We have much ground to cover before the day is done,” he says with no hint of acceptable room for discussion on the matter. “Therefore the sooner we leave, the better for all involved.”

"And we're going where?" Aesa asked puzzled. She assumes we're going to chase down the fleeing villains and is concerned about Mayla. She waits to speak further until she learns the truth first however.

Kaelyn offers up some information that seems to point to a larger conspiracy, but Butternut isn't sure what to make of it. Clearly, their 'friend' has a checkered past, to say the least. Aesa seems puzzled, and admittedly the intent of the leader are unclear. Butternut slides down off Stephanie's horse as her own is nearby. "It shouldn't take us long to catch up to Vaelos and join the hunt for Buchard. Should someone accompany Mayla here back to town?"

[GM Fenrir]

Kaelyn -

For a few moments, Kaelyn thinks about coming forward with the information he overheard. Within moments he speaks up. “Sir, I may have some information that would be of use to you, though details I overheard are slim,“ he says looking at the captain. ‘One of the men you seek is known as Buchard and for a time I was a part of his guild until a few days ago when I overheard plans that would bring peril to our lands. I fled for my life when he knew of my transgressions. “He spoke of three things: the hiring of mercenaries, which could be these individuals here. Though, considering the next point was the matter of ships arriving on our shore, an invasion may be coming. Yet the way it sounded these ships wouldn’t reach our shores for weeks if not months. “ Taking a breath and steadying his nerves, Kaelyn continues. “The final point was the targeting of a mage with prominent skill in the arts. Whom this is I cannot say, for I do not know but I would not put it passed Buchard to target our leaders, even our King or Queen themselves. Who the other parties were in this meeting, I am not aware, for I never seen nor heard of them before. “

Captain Maletar regards Kaelyn for a moment, listening while he begins to share what he knows. Kaelyn watches the man’s face go from a look of impatience to gradually becoming more interested. There are certain times that he begins to waiver towards disbelief, but he remains silent until Kaelyn is finished.

“So which guild then does this Buchard run?’ the captain asks. “I’m assuming it isn’t the Baker’s Guild.” He scarcely pauses before continuing, “As to these mercenaries you speak of, it is my belief that is who my scouts encountered not a day’s ride to the south of here as my column was making for the spring festival in Dormare. Mercenaries are horrible at keeping their tongues in their mouths, especially when the prospect of being paid has dried up. They were wearing stolen militia garb and easily gave up what they knew about a northern rendezvous point as well as the attack on a farm. We had no way of knowing which farm since they did not, and so began our search at the furthest one out.”

“Arrival of an invasion fleet is most interesting news should there be any truth to it,” Captain Maletar continues thoughtfully. “I will investigate that as soon as I am able. As far as an assassination attempt on our Lady Queen of Maletar, it would not be the first nor hardly the last. However, she has yet to find herself a king. Perhaps you might be up to the job.” This last draws laughter from a couple of the nearby soldiers, but it quickly quiets down.

Erizhi -

"If I may?" she asks, catiously interrupting the discussion after Kaelyn speaks.

“If you may what?” the captain answers only after finishing replying to Kaelyn.

Aesa & Butternut -

Aesa will offer what she can to the man that is clearly in charge. "The Makkee girl, Mayla, stumbled out of the woods shortly after we arrived at the end of the tunnel that these villains constructed," she will point off in the distance past the barn and stables to give the general direction and idea to the captain. "She was being chased by another on horseback who fled west after seeing us. Based on Mayla's story, she was taken with her brothers from here early this morning on horseback. One of her older brothers provided a distraction and she ran for her life and spent most of the day trying to return here. The brother was killed for doing such unfortunately. We do not know the fate of the other brothers at this point. However, where the man, Buchard I believe we know his name to be, rode west, Mayla seemed to come from the north. The horse tracks found seemed to lend proof to her story on this point."

“North would be where the mercenaries were headed, so that makes sense,” the captain replies after standing through another offered tale of information. “As far as why this Buchard character would ride west, maybe your companion there might have some insight to such devious plans the man clearly has concocted,” he adds with a look in Kaelyn’s direction.

"Mayla says that she wandered quite a bit while fleeing Buchard and his partner, so the direction she arrived from means little. However, I'm certain Vaelos will have no trouble following Buchard's trail.

“Ah, so you know our good ranger,” Captain Maletar says with the first hint of genuine interest in a while. “We are glad to have him with us, but he will not be tracking down Buchard. That is not his task.”

"And we're going where?" Aesa asked puzzled.

Aesa seems puzzled, and admittedly the intent of the leader are unclear. Butternut slides down off Stephanie's horse as her own is nearby. "It shouldn't take us long to catch up to Vaelos and join the hunt for Buchard. Should someone accompany Mayla here back to town?"

“Clearly your honorable companions neglected to tell you what is happening,” Captain Maletar says. “Your job is done here. You will be escorted back to the village effective now. So I would suggest you mount up straight away.”

Sir Rovach -

"I agree Captain. Shall we be off?" Sir Rovach will then wait to see what the Captain's answer is. If the Captain agrees, Sir Rovach will mount his horse and follow the Captain away from the Makkee farm.

“Indeed,” is all the captain will add, obviously relieved to find someone willing to follow his command without further procedure.

Erizhi -

As the group forms up, she will meander past the adjutant and ask, "Unless I miss my guess, you have the manner and stateliness of a man of the temple. Might I be so bold as to ask who your patron may be?"

“Why certainly my child,” he answers you as he prepares to mount up on his grey mare. “My apologies for my rudeness as well, I am Dareos Cooke, humble servant of the Earth Goddess Nin-Hursag. Now granted worship of the Ebon Lady is far more common to our neighbors in Barivain, but as I like to say ‘some choose and some are chosen.’ And you, how did you come about to worship a Goddess of War? You certainly have the defiance for it,” he says with an easy smile.

[Kaelyn]

Kaelyn

Kealyn watches as the Captain listens to his tale. The gentlemen’s featues vary as he continues on his story though he is not detered by his looks.
“So which guild then does this Buchard run?’ the captain asks. “I’m assuming it isn’t the Baker’s Guild.” He scarcely pauses before continuing, “As to these mercenaries you speak of, it is my belief that is who my scouts encountered not a day’s ride to the south of here as my column was making for the spring festival in Dormare. Mercenaries are horrible at keeping their tongues in their mouths, especially when the prospect of being paid has dried up. They were wearing stolen militia garb and easily gave up what they knew about a northern rendezvous point as well as the attack on a farm. We had no way of knowing which farm since they did not, and so began our search at the furthest one out.”

“He doesn’t.” Kealyn says simply with a slight smirk, “He is only second in command. Though he resides within the theives’ guild.” He admits freely knowing full well he may be dragged off to a cell for reveiling such information. “I was learning the trade when I over heard Buchard speaking of this plot. He didn’t know I was there until he saw me,andwhen he did he swore to kill me and everyone I know.So I fled the guild’s reach, in the hopes that they would leave my loved one’s alone and I could warn those who could do something about it.”
“I see. Have any other farms been attacked?” the thief mage askes politely.

“Arrival of an invasion fleet is most interesting news should there be any truth to it,” Captain Maletar continues thoughtfully. “I will investigate that as soon as I am able. As far as an assassination attempt on our Lady Queen of Maletar, it would not be the first nor hardly the last. However, she has yet to find herself a king. Perhaps you might be up to the job.” This last draws laughter from a couple of the nearby soldiers, but it quickly quiets down.

“Mock me if you will, but with out this knowledge I doubt you or any of the Militia would know of this attempt until you were overwhelmed or have a sword in your goullute.

[Erisciana]

Erizhetiana Iltani of Lotan -

Erizhi is going to add some information about the mercenaries, based on a comment by Pothos, but the Captain already seems to know everything about them.

“If you may what?” the captain answers only after finishing replying to Kaelyn.

"Nevermind," Erizhi says simply. Clearly the man not only has few manners, but absolutely no social graces whatever. She will simply wait until she can mount her horse and move out.

------------------------------------

As they are about to ride off, Erizhi will approach the adjutant and ask about his patron, as he seems to be a man on the temple in some form or other.

“Why certainly my child,” he answers you as he prepares to mount up on his grey mare. “My apologies for my rudeness as well, I am Dareos Cooke, humble servant of the Earth Goddess Nin-Hursag. Now granted worship of the Ebon Lady is far more common to our neighbors in Barivain, but as I like to say ‘some choose and some are chosen.’ And you, how did you come about to worship a Goddess of War? You certainly have the defiance for it,” he says with an easy smile.

Erizhi thinks about what she may know of the Earth Goddess he mentions (I.e. anything from Ancient History or Religion that she might have already learned?). "Well met," the priestess will respond. "I am Erizhetiana of the House Iltani from Lotan." She considers his question for a moment. "Ishtar is also the Goddess of Love, as well as the Goddess of War. And as you say, 'some choose, and some are chosen'. I was born with blue eyes, which is uncommon for those of our kingdom. The night of my birth, the constellation of the Lion was dominant in the night sky. Blue is the color of Ishtar and the lion is her patron animal. My father says that as I cried my first, a streak shot through that constellation and he considered all this a sign that I was destined, in his words - 'chosen', to become a part of the Ishtar temple."

[Aesa]

Aesa:

“Clearly your honorable companions neglected to tell you what is happening,” Captain Maletar says. “Your job is done here. You will be escorted back to the village effective now. So I would suggest you mount up straight away.”

Something in the captain's tone and choice of words makes Aesa wonder exactly what occurred before her arrival, but since it seems he has little patience at the moment she remains silent on her observation.

"Oh, alright," Aesa says seeing there is little choice in the matter. At least no one is going to be dragging Mayla around on some fool's errand to track her captors who have nearly a full day's ride on them. Hopefully there are people at the village, especially with the festival underway, who know the Makkee girl and can help her. Aesa will move to her horse with the others and prepare to return to the village.

[Butternut]

Butternut:

Kaelyn admits to having been a member of the Thieves Guild, which simply confirms her suspicions about the man.

“Ah, so you know our good ranger,” Captain Maletar says with the first hint of genuine interest in a while. “We are glad to have him with us, but he will not be tracking down Buchard. That is not his task.”

"Vaelos was one of those who taugh me. If you have a better tracker on the case, then he or she must be truly skilled."

“Clearly your honorable companions neglected to tell you what is happening,” Captain Maletar says. “Your job is done here. You will be escorted back to the village effective now. So I would suggest you mount up straight away.”

Butternut is momentarily surprised, but if they have a tracker more skilled than Vaelos on the trail, then there is little more for them to do. She looks up at Mayla. "I'm switching to my own horse. Since it seems we are all returning to Dormare, it's up to you who you want to ride with." If Mayla want to switch mounts, Butternut will help her down before strolling over to Springheel and mounting him.

[GM Fenrir]

Post Closed