Chapter 2: South Wind

[Clockwork Syringe]

Baird was surprised to uncover the scroll's true nature a day after he discovered it. Nonetheless, Baird turned to the incoming group. 'Yes, we were beset upon by three, however, if they are not the ones you are looking for then we will help as our paladin suggests.

 

[Dicer]

"With Renna agree me," Veskassdak said. "If onesss attack usss not onesss need you, sssearch them am willing. Onesss attack usss filled with Warbringer ssspirit were. Finisssh them did usss to protect usss. Nesscessssary wasss. Hope them not onesss need you."
Pointing where their foes from earlier were, he continued, "Foesss bodiesss there. Bad ssshape left them by usss. Sssorry."

 

[Silanon]

As you all mention the possession, the halfling's look is rather pensive. "I had hoped that the man's illness would turn out to be a singular instance - a mystery to solve for when there is more time. Of course, I asked a friend of mine, who knows more about such things than she's comfortable with, and spent a long night to think about it - but it was different from most things I've seen, and hardly like any case I'm familiar with. As it stands, we might need to deal with the problem sooner rather than later; at some point, I might need more insight on this warbringer you're talking about." Speaking the last words, he turns towards Veskassdak, addressing him directly - before looking over to Renna once more. "If you found their evilness to be disturbing, then the Order should be inclined to stop those happenings as well. Maybe we will work together for once."

He musters the book Renna picked up with interest - as well as the direction you're pointing at as you speak about the undead. "The bodies should probably be burnt on the spot - no point in leaving husks behind for the evil to take control of. But I will take a look at them before that - maybe there is still some insight to be found." As he speaks those words, his two companions move forward, the fiery one hovering, the other one sliding in their respective forms - a humanoid, meditating creature and water snake, respectively.

"The group included about a dozen scouts, their leader being one of the most reliable and experienced rangers. If he was still alive, he would have been able to let Shaona know. So the question is not whether they're still breathing, but what exactly they found there. That's what it's all about, after all - given the necessary knowledge, there is no obstacle that can't be overcome. You've proven yourself to be quite survivable, and more importantly, you're hardly involved in the disputes amongst us. If you'd be able to sneak past the orc patrols on the western side of Kazragun and get an idea of what they're trying to hide, that would be both helpful and appreciated."

 

[Sherwood]

Wren starts to gather up firewood to burn the bodies. "There was also a group of dwarves that I saw last night, about two dozen of them, with some taller figure that struck me as some kind of spellcaster; perhaps a cleric or wizard." She describes the scene for the Halfling, including the location that she saw them. "I don't know what they were doing, but they were talking about burning something. Perhaps they ran into some of these undead themselves. For the rest of it, I will do my best to guide the rest of our party along and avoid any contact with the orcs as much as possible. Just give us a good description of who we are looking for and we'll find him.'

 

[Psychie]

"Perhaps we should check out the location you last spotted these dwarves; perhaps we will find some clue as to what they were doing in the night." Renna then stands up to help Wren to gather up the firewood to make a big enough bonfire to consume the bodies. "I also may not be the quietest with my armor, but I will do my best. Please share with us the details of the person we are looking for, and we will find them."

 

[Silanon]

The halfling carefully listens to Wren's description of the group. "I cannot tell you if the dwarves were simply here to aid the Forgotten in their battle, or if there was something else of concern. The other one you saw, however, might have been Fyanne, the friend of mine I talked about. She's sometimes rather hard to get along with, quite incommunicative every now and then; not a member of the All-Seeing Eye, sadly, but well-versed on her field of magic. I talked to her before she left in the evening - might be that she's looking for the scouts as well." Hearing the name, Io does not seem all that happy - rather the opposite, in fact. She doesn't say anything for now - but it's not hard to guess that the elf is familiar with the woman.

"Looking at the place where you saw them might be a good idea to begin with - maybe they left something behind. If not, you might be best off searching the area around the western, outer watchtower of Kazragun. That's where the group of scouts was headed, as there were lots of orc patrols around whenever we tried to get some insight during the last few weeks. We're taking about eight well-armed Forgotten, pretty much the best Shaona had to offer. I still would not expect any living survivors, they had a falconer with them to send word. The true question to answer would be if they found anything before getting killed by something out there." He pauses for a moment when his fiery servant reappears, dragging the dead orc along. "I will burn the bodies once I am sure to have seen everything. If there are no further questions, I would suggest you should head out before Order and nobles catch up and join the unfolding chaos ahead."

 

[Clockwork Syringe]

Baird notices Io bristle at the mention of Fyanne, as if she has had a history with her. Making a mental note to attempt to talk to her later, Baird then speaks, "Agreed, we should figure out what they were searching for as well as their ultimate fate. I think it would help the cause if there was something that they found and it was known instead of walking into a trap."
Silanon Psychie Sherwood Dicer

 

[Silanon]

"Indeed - if they try to hide something, it's rather likely that it will be of importance at some point during the assault. Stay safer than the scouts, burn the bodies along your way. We'll meet again when there is more to talk about." With that, he kneels down next to the orc body, and starts to look for whatever might find his interest.

Gathering your belongings, you then quickly leave towards the location where Wren has seen the dwarves earlier. It takes a while to find the spot once more - after all, things look differently as soon as the darkness fades away, and there are no torch-carrying dwarves around any longer. In fact, there is no sign of life when you finally get closer. Neither enemies, nor friends - just what's left from the nightly happenings.

It doesn't seem as if the dwarves made camp - the bushes around are mostly untouched apart from the track they left behind - pretty much straight northwards, only adjusting slightly whenever the ground was too swampy to stubbornly marsh forward. Right where they gathered, you can see their footprints, heavy boots trampling down the sparse, sickish vegetation. There are some indications that a fight took place here - a bolt of a crossbow, stuck in one of the trees. A few blood splatters here and there, a broken spear, a dented helmet half-hidden in the yellow-greyish grass.

Pretty much in the middle of the happenings, right next to a pin oak, remains of the battle were burnt - with little care for the local flora, as Io remarks, as the tree's bark is blackened with soot, partially burnt by the hungry flames. They probably had other things to care about - in fact, the smell of death seems still to linger around. Within the fire's ashes, you can see hundred of bones, including about a dozen skulls of various life forms. One of them might be of dwarven nature, two remind you of dogs, wolves or something similar. Some of the bones are thick and robust, like those of orcs usually tend to be, others might have belonged to humans or halflings by the looks of it. All of them were cracked to pieces, either by the fire's heat or by pinpoint application of brute force - as if to make sure that nothing here will ever be able to rise again.

A single bone was left in one piece - maybe the thigh bone of a wolf - and carefully placed on top of the pile. There are runes carved into it, and seeing it will make most members of the group rather uncomfortable. There is a cold aura around it, as if threatening to freeze any being to death that dares to reach out for the things piled up. Even if you stay further back, it seems to grab for your very core - only Renna will be able to shrug off the effects of the magic, as the spell seems to almost welcome her. Undoubtably, someone took his time to banish the chaotic forces within the defeated attackers - whether the paladin approves the methodical details is another question, as this certainly is not Iomadae's magic.

 

[Clockwork Syringe]

Baird, seeing the scene before him, decides to take a closer look of his surroundings to see if there is anything that does not want to be found.(+7 to perception)

 

[Silanon]

Looking around, there seems to be not much of interest - only the burnt remains, and the scrap left behind after the battle. The only exception is the bone on top of the pile, radiating the cold aura. From the distance, you cannot properly read the runes - but you can feel that its magic is hostile, at least towards you.

As you examine the place closer, your foot hits something on the ground - taking a short look, you notice a solid, wooden shield, apparently showing the symbol of some orc clan on it - the skull of a stag. There is no sigh of its former owner - likely, his body got burnt by the dwarves - but it seemingly never got put to use: No damage was done to it whatsoever, you could probably sell it at full price without anyone complaining about it. Either the orc was too surprised to react, or he got killed by something else rather than conventional weaponry.
(if anyone wants to use it at some point: you found a heavy wooden shield)

 

[Silanon]

You all decide that some things are better left untouched - after all, these remains certainly won't rise once more, and there is no reason to disturb the magic that likely will keep others away as well. Io seems to share your assessment - as you all turn northwards once more, she is the first one to lead the way, hurrying forward as if she'd prefer to leave this place behind. There is one obvious way to go - the track opened up by the group of dwarves. At one point, you'll have to turn to the left to make sure you won't end up somewhere in the midst of the battle instead of fulfilling your current task - but for now, you manage to gain some ground.

I assume you'll have one or two members of the group scout ahead, just to make sure you don't run into trouble - but it seems as if the orcs are busy defending their outer walls, and no undead are to be seen for now. You don't notice any sign of allies either, apart from the track you're following - those further ahead should have joined the fighting, and those behind you will need some more time to catch up and eventually reach the smoke in the distance. It takes about an hour or so until you reach another point of interest: The remnants of a campfire, some leftovers, a whole lot of dwarven footprints all over the place. There is not too much dry ground around, so it's unlikely that the dwarves rested here - a handful of scouts would have had enough space to sit down and have a short meal, however.

Starting from here, the track you followed turns eastwords as the dwarves apparently adjusted their route to join the fight. However, your trained eyes spot a second trail heading westwards, much smaller as if taken by a single person. Io points out what you already noticed - "someone split up from the group as it seems" - before taking a look at the place itself. "If anything here pointed in any direction, I doubt we'd find it in the midst of this mess. Maybe the dwarves found a hint where to find the remaining members of the scouts - I'm not so sure about the other trail."

 

[Clockwork Syringe]

Turning to Io, Baird asks, "Io, what kind of tracks do those look like? If we were to follow them, I would appreciate knowing what we would possibly run into." Of course that was the outside Baird speaking. In his head he talked to himself, If it is someone who needs our help, then we have to go help them.

 

[Silanon]

The elf takes a closer look at the lone tracks leading westwards from here, kneeling down to examine them further. "These here? No halfling, no dwarf, and certainly not an orc or goblin. Maybe a poorly-trained human scout, or someone of similar height, but little weight. Could be the magus Wren spotted as well, though I think she'd be able to do better than this."

 

[Silanon]

That said, the elf does not stop with that assessment - instead, she grabs her bow tighter, and swiftly moves forward, following the track the single person has left behind. She does not vanish for too long - after what seems like just a few moments, her thin figure reappears between the old, half-dead trees. In one hand, she presents a medaillon made of iron; it once more shows the symbol of the Forgotten. "Found this one further down the path - probably one of the scouts lost it there. There are more foot prints ahead, more humans I'd say. At least four or five, if I'm not mistaken. This track here pretty much stops there, though, as if the person simply vanished. Or she didn't try to leave an obvious track to follow behind any longer, in case it's her." Io does not mention the name, but she probably refers to Fyanne, the magus mentioned. "Should be the direction Whitehair meant, so I'd suggest we follow along - and hope that the dwarves took care of whatever found their attention further east."

Following her, you find things pretty much like she described them - weapons drawn to be prepared for any nasty surprises further ahead, you continue on the tracks of what you'd assume to be the lost Forgotten-scouts, headed westwards, ignoring the smoke over Kazragun in the north. After a while, more footprints appear - these ones, however, are not of humans, but quite clearly of orcish nature - accompanied by smaller tracks, some caused by goblins and ratlings, some by the wolflike creatures you already fought. They seem to come from the south, and then turn westwards to chase your allies. Looking ahead, you can see that the tracks seem to enter a little valley, flanked by two small, stony hills, plain enough to not overtower the trees. The ground in-between is wetter as well - as to be expected when looking at a lower area within the swamps. If you listen carefully, you can hear the noise of steel hitting steel, and rather animalistic shouts.

Do you wish to scout ahead, or rush forward to intervene as quickly as possible? Or do you wish to do something else entirely?

 

[Psychie]

Upon hearing the sound of combat, Renna draws out her greatsword and charges forward. "Sounds like trouble ahead! Lets move!"

 

[Clockwork Syringe]

Baird nods and casts mage armor on himself in preparation for the upcoming fight ahead.

 

[Sherwood]

Wren rolls her eyes at the enthusiasm of the paladin, then, with a sigh, she draws her own blades. "We'd better go help her out or she might get in trouble." With that, she starts forward at a run, trying to keep Renna from getting too far ahead by herself.

 

[Silanon]

Charging forward, you decide to not waste much time with preparations - after all, your help might be needed. Baird is the only one to somehow prepare, protecting himself with the same magical barriers that spared him more than a few scratches already. You follow the tracks, reaching the entrance of the valley - and move forward, the paladin in the lead. Suddenly, the treeline ends, and you find yourself on an about 100 feet wide circle of muddy ground between the flanking rocks. More importantly, you find yourself in the midst of a fight that is too confusing to really get an idea of what exactly is going on. The main participants seem to be orcs and their allies, some of them undead, some still alive, both group engaging each other in a messy brawl where noone seems to have the upper hand.

The place seems to be a dead end from what you can see, apart from a cave entry on the opposite side. For now, it is blocked by a purple-white barrier made of magical energies. Cowering right in front of the barrier, you can spot two humanoid shades with bows, seemingly not making a difference between the groups and simply shooting at everyone who seems to get too close. They're half hidden behind multiple large rock fragments that aren't, like the rest of the surrounding rocks, covered by moss - potentially, they broke off from the cave ceiling rather recently. Amongst the undead, you can spot a few fighters with shattered bones as if they were hit by exactly those rocks - maybe that's where the initial group came from.

On the fly, you can spot more figures of interest - two men and a gnome wearing the Forgotten scout's colors, but moving slowly and lifelessly as they fight alongside the undead. Additionally, a rather small creature that seems to stay back and coordinate the others, though the undead gleaming in its eyes is stronger than the one of its companions. Wren will certainly recognize him by the heavier, looted plate armor, made of dozens of different metals - it's the goblin commander you left alive earlier, though now his armor does not much more than protecting rotting flesh and bones. Whenever he strikes down one of the living fighters, they shortly after rise once more, this time aiding him in the battle. On the other side of the slaughter, a giant orc stands out, wielding a two-handed greataxe and smashing undead skulls left and right. Behind him, there is a goblin shaman, blue flames shooting out of its throat whenever one of the creatures gets too close.

Before you can see any further details, those leading your group more or less bump into the fighting, taking both of the engaged groups completely by surprise. An undead orc and two goblins fall as Renna, Veskassdak and Wren arrive, too sudden to leave them much of a chance. I'd assume that Baird will follow a bit further behind due to his casting, leaving him in a less exposed position - next to you, Io grabs her bow, ready to support your melee fighters.

Spoiler

Rolled perception to see what you can spot before running in there - the other three did pretty damn well, but, quite fittingly, Renna saw nuffin. The heroically charging paladin rolled a 2, so its quite impressive that she found the way at all. On the flipside, her initiative roll was amazing, as to be expected after such a charge.

You spotted two likely allied survivors on the other side of the valley - as well as a magical barrier, that might hint more trouble further along the way. To reach any of the commanders, you'd have to fight your way to the center of the fighting, and doing so won't be an easy task. Right in front of you, undead orcs fight a group of goblins, trying to break through their lines - it's your decision of whom to target first, all groups apart from those that aren't revealed as of yet, the commanders and those close to the cave are chargeable.

Psychie is the first one to make a decision.

For easier reference: Undead Alive

22 Renna
19 Scouts 1-2
19 Undead Goblins 1-10 (close to the cave)
17 Io
15 Undead Goblins 11-20 (in the middle)
14 ???
13 Orc Commander
12 Wren
11 Baird
11 Goblin Shaman
11 Undead Scouts 1-3 (2 men, 1 gnome) (in the middle, but closer to you)
10 Orcs 1-10 (in the middle)
9 ???
7 Undead Smashed Orcs 1-10 (in the middle)
6 Veskassdak
5 Goblins 1-10 (close to you)
4 Undead Orcs 1-10 (close to you)
3 Undead Goblin Commander

 

[Psychie]

Renna can feel the level of disgust in her rising. Undead. Filthy things. They must be stopped first, then we can deal with the problem of the orcs and goblins. With her greatsword in hand, she steps forward to face the undead orcs close to her, and with a powerful swing, she cuts into one, then lets her blade continue on its swing into a second.

Spoiler

Using my Cleave Feat to engage multiple targets (hopefully). Melee strike if +7 to hit, and damage is 2d6+9

 

[Silanon]

Spoiler

19+9 and 2+9 to hit, and solid 20 damage. -2 armor till next turn.

Swinging her sword to cut those down whose existence itself is an offense, the paladin easily strikes down the first undead, pretty much cutting the rotting flesh in halves, smashing bones along the way - the creature falls, its unholy gleaming fades. Lifeless remains hit the ground in front of Renna; but she already turns towards the next foe, ready to show him Iomadae's wrath as well. However, this time her sword is met with a rusty blade, yanked up to avoid the blow. And while the damaged weapon is no match for blessed steel, its enough to deflect the attack, saving the orc's unholy life - for now.

On the other side of the battle field, the scouts manage to down one of the undead goblins; just a drop in the bucket, but every bit might count. In response, a few arrows hit the rocks that give them cover - but most of the projectiles get sent towards the right cliff's edge. From your position, it's hard to see the creatures targeted with the primitive short bows - however, as multiple small, ratlike bodies fall down, it is not hard to guess that there must be more of them in cover. Indeed, the sound of light crossbows can be heard as they return fire, and end the 'life' of multiple undead goblins once and for all. However, one of the shot ratlings gets up from the dirt to replace one of them almot immediately.

Io targets one of the living orcs in the middle, and drops him for the count - by the looks of it, this one remains dead for now, though that might only be a matter of time. Where the elf's shot has opened the ranks, the undead goblins around can profit - from the distance, you can see how they pull down two of the fighters, and end their lives with precise thrusts. Moreover, one of them rises once more behind them, grabbing the former weapon of his murdered companion to turn against those who backed him up just moments ago.

Close by, the orc commander smashes two of the rock-marked orcs with a single strike, ending their undead life in style - however, the sheer amount of bodies pressing forward will most likely seal his fate eventually.

Next up is Sherwood with Wren - rumours are that she has an idea how to get rid of this entire mess. Does she wait and back up the others with solid sword-work for now, or is this the moment to act?


For easier reference: Undead Alive

22 Renna
19 Scouts 1-2
19 Undead Goblins 4-10 (close to the cave)
17 Io
15 Undead Goblins 11-20 (in the middle)
14 Ratlings 4-10 (close to the cave, on the cliff)
13 Orc Commander
--> 12 Wren
11 Baird
11 Goblin Shaman
11 Undead Scouts 1-3 (2 men, 1 gnome) (in the middle, but closer to you)
10 Orcs 4-10 (in the middle)
9 ???
7 Undead Smashed Orcs 3-10 (in the middle)
6 Veskassdak
5 Goblins 1-10 (close to you)
4 Undead Orcs 2-10 (close to you)
3 Undead Goblin Commander
1 New Undead - middle: 1 Orc.
1 New Undead - close to the cave: 1 Ratling.

 

[Sherwood]

Seeing the mass of combatants in front of them, Wren can see that this is going to be a tough fight. Time to even the odds a bit. She reaches into her pouch and pulls out the largest of the teeth, the one marked with the name Grongnif the First. Wren takes aim and throws the tooth into the middle of the fray, calling out, "Grongnif, I choose you! Attack the undead first!"

 

[Silanon]

At first, the result is somewhat disappointing - there is no frightening roar this time, and while some fog appears around the giant tooth, it quickly seems to sink into the ground instead of forming a mighty beast's ghostly body. You're about to call this experiment a complete failure, when you suddenly notice a rapid movement - not close by, or whereever you'd expect it, but in the midst of the battle instead. A ghostly, almost transparent jaw bursts through the muddy ground wiithout any sound, clumps of damp soil fly in all directions. It only misses the undead commander by a few feet, but his orc companions are not so lucky - two of them get caught between two rows of razersharp, white-glowing teeth, cutting through their armor without any resistance. They struggle for a moment, immune to the pain that might have killed them outright if they'd still been alive - but not for long, as Grognif, the first of the Warden's servants, drags them down into the ground, letting them disappear as if they'd never been there. An angry hiss reaches all of your minds, as if the ancient hunter was not satisfied with the result of his attack. Needless to say, he will try again - a silent promise to those who called him that none of the undead foes will see another day.

Clockwork Syringe is up with Baird.


For easier reference: Undead Alive

22 Renna
19 Scouts 1-2
19 Undead Goblins 4-10 (close to the cave)
17 Io
15 Undead Goblins 11-20 (in the middle)
14 Ratlings 4-10 (close to the cave, on the cliff)
13 Orc Commander
12 Wren
12 Grognif, the First
--> 11 Baird
11 Goblin Shaman
11 Undead Scouts 1-3 (2 men, 1 gnome) (in the middle, but closer to you)
10 Orcs 4-10 (in the middle)
9 ???
7 Undead Smashed Orcs 5-10 (in the middle)
6 Veskassdak
5 Goblins 1-10 (close to you)
4 Undead Orcs 2-10 (close to you)
3 Undead Goblin Commander
1 New Undead - middle: 1 Orc.
1 New Undead - close to the cave: 1 Ratling.

 

[Clockwork Syringe]

Baird is scanning the enemies assembled when all of a sudden, a giant ghostly jaw appears from the ground devouring two enemies before reappearing. Due to the sudden appearance of a powerful ally, or it seems to be, Baird decides to stop analyzing and just attack. He fires a crossbow bolt at one of the undead orcs that are close to the group in an attempt to help ease the pressure they are creating

((+3 to hit d10 damage))

 

[Silanon]

Spoiler

7+3 to hit.

The sorcerer takes aim, ready to cause some damage from afar - however, given the fiercely fighting paladin in the midst of the undead creatures, it is hard to pick a proper target. He does his best to score a hit regardless; however, the bolt only hits a wooden shield, and does not penetrate it. At least, your analysis of the enemy reveals a bit more information - as soon as the undead commander realizes your group's arrival, you see the three undead scouts turn towards you, as if they'd be the ones ordered to stop you. Moreover, you catch the shaman's reaction - as soon as he notices the ghostly jaw tearing apart the undead foes, the little wrinkled creature completely stops to influence the fight around him, and instead hastily grabs multiple bones on his belt - maybe an attempt to banish the summoned creature, it's hard to tell without knowing any goblin traditions.

The undead scouts easily cut down multiple goblins as they approach the group of yours - and thereby strengthen their own ranks, as two of the little creatures rise once more.
The living orcs in the center back up as as an immediate reaction to the sudden, unexpected jaw appearing, as they know fear like most living beings. However, as the udead goblins advance, they cut down a few of them regardless - and that, in combination with the shaman's reaction, seems to raise their fighting spirit at least a bit. However, the undead, smashed orcs move forward as well, after a moment of irritation. Perhaps, they don't know better and thus simply continue in their doing; or the undead commander himself plans to take care of Grognif. The axes they carry cause more casualties, and slowly turn things to favor the undead hordes as more bodies rise once more.

However, not everything goes in their favor - further back, in front of the cave, you notice several black-furred shapes tearing through the ranks of the undead goblins. You've fought these wolf-like beasts earlier, and know that they are both hard to take down and can do severe damage with their jaws themselves. If they happen to tear through the undead, they might threaten your allied scouts instead.

Next up is Dicer with Veskassdak - does the lizardman turn against the hordes of undead to lower their numbers, or against the orcs and friends instead? The advancing undead scouts are a threat as well, and seemingly chose your group as their target.

22 Renna
19 Scouts 1-2
19 Undead Goblins 4-10 (close to the cave)
17 Io
15 Undead Goblins 15-20 (in the middle)
14 Ratlings 4-10 (close to the cave, on the cliff)
13 Orc Commander
12 Wren
12 Grognif, the First
11 Baird
11 Goblin Shaman
11 Undead Scouts 1-3 (2 men, 1 gnome) (on their way towards you, chargeable)
10 Orcs 7-10 (in the middle)
9 Beasts 1-5
7 Undead Smashed Orcs 5-10 (in the middle)
--> 6 Veskassdak
5 Goblins 3-10 (close to you)
4 Undead Orcs 2-10 (close to you)
3 Undead Goblin Commander
1 New Undead - middle: 4 Orcs.
1 New Undead - close to the cave: 1 Ratling.
1 New Undead - close to you: 2 Goblins

 

[Silanon]

Further south:

To say that the whole situation is confusing certainly is an understatement. No matter whom you might have asked during the hours-long march through the night, there's been noone who would have claimed to know exactly what's going on. As one of the older archers worded things: "It's a huge, fricking mess." As far as you know, the Forgotten, one of the assembled mercenary companies, decided to deliver the first strike against Kazragun, sadly on their own - in fact, the northern sky is clouded by black smoke this morning, rising from the orc bastion's outskirts. The Third Princes didn't wait too long after that, sending support for the somehow successful offense; and thus discarding any arrangements for a coordinated, joint attack.

That more or less left only the regular armies behind: Firstly, the Order of the Flame, quickly deciding to not change their plans and instead delay their own attack until the situation is easier to grasp. Secondly, the remaining nobles who don't support Vyran Torch and his ambitions have still agreed to do the same. And so the King's Guard, as they call themselves despite the lack of a king since His death, is likely only now on the way; slowly moving forward, not too eager to aid those who are mostly regarded as scum or outsiders that shouldn't interfere at all.

A single noble makes an exception. As the archer has put it: "Our ever so brave lord decided that we'd better be part of the mess." Leading his group of about hundred men in person, Lord Petaccio rides his well-built warhorse. It doesn't take an expert to see that he's not a warrior himself: He has the stature of a man who'd rarely choose a sword over a third or forth chicken leg, and his armor barely seems to fit around his mighty waist. And yet, he's here, almost absently mustering the foul-smelling swamp around the track you're following for now. Maybe he just wants to get things done quickly, or really cares for those further ahead. Or things are as some have indicated, and he has simply nothing to lose anymore. You heard the rumours that even his wife-to-be ran away when she first saw him - not that anyone here would confirm it. His men are well-equipped, and carry the banners with the white dog sniffing at the family tree on it with pride. In fact, they show the bit of confidence that the grey-haired man certainly lacks. For what it's worth, he's here at least, willing to fight where others are still miles further south.

That alone might be the reason why the half-elven cleric Lenorei is part of this group; while you're not a member of his personal household, this is likely the place where your abilities will be needed the most. Where do you go - somewhere in the front, to be one of the first to know if somthing happens, or further back a bit more safer, amongst the heavily armored soldiers or in-between the archers even further in the back? Do you answer the cautious attempts of others to start a conversation, or do you respond to their sometimes sceptical, sometimes curious looks by simply remaining silent?

Danchou Tsubomi