Plate armour of proof is strong stuff, but it's by no means invulnerable to attack, as it ably demonstrated when one of the wolves ducks in low to fastens its jaws about Adonis' right ankle, wrenching his leg painfully before he's able to bat it away with a too-late sweep of his shield, though the southron knight limps visibly from that point on as he continues to hold the centre of the retreat, blade lashing back and forth to keep the wolves from pressing in to overwhelm the thin line of human warriors.

 "They've no fear of man 'nor blade, try fire upon them!" he calls with his usual stentorian bellow, "Else we needs must seek what base coward drives the poor beasts onto our steel!"

 ---

00:26, Today: Sir Adonis Campbell rolled 2 using 1d20. Choppy choppy.
00:26, Today: Sir Adonis Campbell rolled 2 using 1d6. Shield!.

Thomas keeps at his making hay with the wolves but is largely ineffective at hitting anything on this moment having to recover from his last strike.

OOC: 20:36, Today: Thomas Keith rolled 19 using 1d20. Attack any wolf closing with us.

PLs

d10: 4
d10: 1
2d10: 5

The wolves seem to be losing a little of their vigour - Adonis and Creldo jointly send one to the afterlife, and in return none of them are able to bite through armour.

Harou and the slender man manage to light a pitch-dipped torch and it quickly flares up, the many pairs of eyes in the pack glinting like a sea before you.

...

Back at the entrance, you can begin to hear the sounds of growling and clashing metal, it seems the others are not far away.

Just across the entrance, the ground begins to darken and sink, as though the earth itself is draining away into the netherworld.

[ooc: ok, gentlemen, you are on the last lap of this little race, some dramatic posts s'il vous plaît]

 The brief gap in the press of the attack that the death of yet another wolf opens up gives room for Adonis to swing back and hand his honourably-wielded steel to the nearest man and instead extend it for the pitch-soaked brand with a call of "Quickly, another if you have it!" before he turns once more to drive it at the wolves with a sharp yell of "Back into the night dogs!" as he tries to add volume and aggression to the mound of their own dead in an effort to break the spirit of the attack rather than the flesh.

Thomas seems to have noticed that the ground is beginning to collapse where Adonis has not. He grabs the knight by the shoulder and urges him on. "We need to go now!!! the ground sinks and it will take us with it if we remain!"

He begins to back up with alacrity staying onguard for any wolf which would dare to close with them.

In reply to Thomas Keith (msg #99):

PLs

Karl backs up, backing away from the throng of wolves. "Cursed bloody creatures!"

Squinting, Brakkus looses a shaft against the lead wolf, but the arrow falls short.

Holding his sword at the ready, Beren squinted to make out what was happening in the ground...

]

Eldor looses and arrow and notches the first of the three he'd placed before him ready to let fly a second.

20:02, Today: Eldor Leaf-fall rolled 15 using 1d20. bow attack.
 

More PLs to answer the questions.

[ooc: I will be away all of easter weekend, we are hopping over the border to Swaziland - so those who were waiting for answers please try and post today.  I have my next post all lined up...].

The line of wolves wavers and then holds back as the flaming brands are shoved harshly in their faces.

Heeding Thomas' warning cry, the rescue party quicken their pace and finally turn away from the fangs to run almost at a sprint through the dissolving ground to the entrance of the trail.

Everyone who can wield a weapon is there waiting to close ranks against the hunters.

The wolves only take a few moments to recover their nerve as they see even Adonis' huge figure pounding away from them.   However the four-legged beasts are are not quite fast enough and they pull back, snarling at the edge of the deep rift that has opened in the path.  The surrounding trees rustle and whisper - the wolves seem unable to cut between them and as the seconds pass their eyes crowd in ever greater numbers on the other side of the gap.  Eldor's shot flies into their midst and is followed by a half-dozen others.

The rescuers and the men they saved have sunk to their knees in the mud, gasping to catch their breath once more, when there is a collective howl and the eyes part in the middle - down the path comes a great growling and three large wolves leap the gap and bound down into the torchlight of the waiting defenders.  Almost at the moment they start their leap, Hadrik starts forward with the foaming chops of a berserk and as the first one lands he is swinging his axe in a huge arc.  The wolf springs up again for his throat but time is not with it - the axe takes it in the side and cuts it open lengthways.   On the backswing Hadrik crushes the hip of the second wolf but his axe is buried in its bone and then the last and mightiest wolf is upon him.

Hadrik is knocked onto his back but as he goes his massive fist grabs for the beast's throat and those closest clearly see his dagger thrust upwards for the killing stroke.  And yet... the knife turns aside from the hairy coat and flies from his hand.   Undeterred he reaches up for a wrestling hold but the wolf shrugs and throws the big man aside almost contemptuously.   Now the others are beginning to react but the closest man-at-arms is not quick enough to drop his bow - the wolf strides past him and tears his throat out with a raking paw.

A second is knocked to the ground but before the beast can take his throat it is struck a great blow from behind - Brejgun is there, shouting in anger.  He swings his sword and lands a second blow - which like the first lands true and draws a gout of blood.  The creature turns on its tail with lightning quickness and sinks its teeth into his arm.  Crying in pain he grabs his blade with his bare hand and stabs it into the creature's eye, dimming the feverish yellow light.

A moment later Hadrik and several others are at his side, hacking and slashing - but their blows seem to have no effect - only a minute later does the beast sink silent to the ground.  The pack marooned on the other side of the mysterious gap set off a howl of anguish but then, bit by big, retreat into the night.

Brejgun is laid out beside the wolf and his face has gone a deathly grey.  His useless arm leaks blood that will not be staunched and his body seems to be sinking away from the world before your eyes.

[ooc: anyone have some noble actions to perform before we close this scene?]

 [ There doesn't seem to be much point since it's all been decided. I suppose we might as well just move on. ]

[Nope, I am good at this moment.]

[OOC: Sorry for the lack of posting, been busy this weekend. Nothing more to contribute.]

Hadrik is clearly exhausted as the berserk leaves him, and shaken by the blow from the wolf.  He picks up Brejgun's sword and looks at it in wonder.

"Well laddie it seems ye have slain Fynach - luck was wi' us that he attacked before the full moon."   He hands the sword to Thomas and starts issuing instructions.
"Keith that is no ony wolf.   Quarter it wi Kregnasson's blade... Then Master Beren here must burn it wi strange fire that it never walk again.

Sir Campbell would  ye speak wi Brejgun as his spirit passes. He has the venom o Fynach in his veins which no man can withstand.  Help him tae go peacefully"

Hadrik then makes the count of his men and their wounds.

Bjorn approaches Eldor.

Beren warily approached the few wolf's body, whispered a short phrase - "Drakontheios aasmos!" - and summoned his magical flames to burn it to a crisp.

Eldor seeing the creatures run off picks up his remaining arrows and moves forward to cover the retreating men.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:19, Mon 05 Apr 2010.

In reply to Eldor Leaf-fall (msg #112):

PL

 Sir Campbell, whose part in the grand finale to the days events was curiously slight for someone who seems to have an absolute knack for throwing violent body-checks at the least hint of adventure that crosses his path offers a nod to Hadrik and then settles down beside Brejgun, reaching out with a gauntleted hand to do his best to stem the flow of blood from the ravaged arm before throwing a disbelieving look at Hadrik as the man deprives Brejgun of his blade in the moments before death.

 Smoothly then, he draws his own sword of good Albish steel and sets it in the hand of the dying man before propping him up across one leg and lowering his head to Brejguns ear, knowing well the words even if his own faith is a different one, helping the man of the ship-folk through a prayer that was old even before Gatanades was born with his deep and resonant voice "Lo, There do I see my Father." he begins, encouraging the other man to take up the words, "Lo, There do I see my Mother and; My Brothers and my Sisters. Lo, There do I see the line of my people back to the begining."

 He has to search a little in his memory for the remainder, but despite his often willful stupidity and blunt manner it's rare that Adonis will forget something that was well-thrashed into him as a youth and so he goes on without faltering when the words come "Lo, They do call to me. They bid me take my place among them in the halls of Valhalla. Where thine enemies have been vanquished. Where the brave shall live Forever. Nor shall we mourn but rejoice for those that have died the glorious death."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:16, Mon 05 Apr 2010.

Seeing that the fight was over and the wolf pack fled Eldor walked over to Hadrik's side.

"My Lord a word if I may." He looked down at the burning body "If this is the dread Fynach that has been slain then I fear we are in dire trouble. My mother the witch Olga once told me the story of Fynach and Grynach and how they hunt every seven years at the coming of Spring."

He looked off in the direction the pack fled "About 3 years ago my mother warned me not to enter the woods one night the forest had told her that two beasts were on the hunt. If those two were indeed Fynach and Grynach then some one or something has disturbed their sleep for them to have awaken again 4 years early."

Eldor slung his bow over his shoulder as he talked "I am no expert in the area of myth and legend but I know from living with a witch that this person or thing would have to be of great power to pull the spirits of these great beasts out of their slumber."

He crouched and studied the body "It would also seemthat from this attack and the one before that these beasts are possibly being controled and sent to attack us specifically. The stories I've been told have never mentioned them being so coordinated in a hunt, and this was not a hunt this was an attack."

He looked Hadrik in the eye "I fear for our lives if not our souls if we cannot defend ourselves and the inn from the next attack."

He then turned and walked back tothe inn "And there will be another attack ...I can feelit in the wind blowing through woods. I suggest we start making this place secure as soon as possible."

Hadrik has been conferring with the slim man who was rescued from the wolves.

When Eldor comes up he considers the woodsman's words thoughtfully, then summons all of you around and speaks loudly "I too ha' heard that tale... and I reckon it more than just a tale.  But I willnae sit here and wait nae longer.   We ha' lost Kregnasson and puir Jerkyls.  E'en so, we march on Ettryck lands tomorrow at dawn.    We'll keep a good watch but for the rest ae us.... catch all the sleep yous can.

Sir Campbell, you will take the east way wi' Beren here and Harou - and the three the Athelstanes wha are hale and strong.

Sir Thomas, the west way with Karl, Eldor, auld Brakkus and Bjorn.

I will take my men up the main path and leave the two wounded tae guard the inn.

At noon three days hence we shall meet in the middle o' yon scheming hamlet, come what may!"

[ooc: west group please continue posting here: link to a message in this game
      east group here: link to a message in this game
 ]

In reply to Sir Adonis Campbell (msg #114):

Brejgun hardly seemed to recover his senses all through Adonis' farewell - however just for a moment he raised his head and fixed the knight with a lucid stare, gripping the man's sword hand with his good hand for what seemed like minutes.  Then his eyes drifted closed for the last time, and somehow the young Huscarl's expression set peacefully.