There was a commotion on the village green at Garstone Shore. It had begun around midday, with two fishermen getting into a heated argument. One thing led to another, and soon enough it seemed half of Garstone Top was facing off with half of the Shorers.

Elder Delsean was doing his best to calm matters down, but tempers were frayed and clubs had been produced.

Lyra Duphaneous and a local girl named Siliwen stood on the edge of the green looking on. Milo Neek and his client Haruuna Dhacuul had just entered the village - this was not the welcome they'd anticipated.

Siliwen had moved up to the edge of the crowd that had gathered on the green.  She really didn't know what it was all about, only that what ever the fuss was  had cause an unusual commotion amongst the people of Garstone Shore and, apparently from what little she had gathered from the Garstone Top folk were involved as well.

Normally she wouldn't have bothered with the brouhaha, however she wanted a room at the local inn and the innkeeper was out here somewhere amidst the milling throng, according to the serving wench.  So she stood in the back of the crowd, closest to the inn waiting for someone who looked like the innkeeper to return to his business.

Casually she looked about her, making sure there were no familiar faces in the crowd. The only people she knew that might be out and about, she would not want to see or more impoortantly to be seen by.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:28, Wed 19 Aug 2009.

Haruuna walks slowly towards the crowd, curious of what could be the reason for such a commotion. She stops before stepping onto the green in order to observe before being noticed.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:04, Fri 15 May 2009.

Milo positioned himself in front of his employer, and gripped the hilt of his longsword. He focused his keen eyes and ears to try and discover what this disagreement was about.

(OOC: Spot Check: 11
 Listen Check: 22)

As the observers looked on, it seemed a leader was emerging on each side - in both cases not without reluctance. The appearance of more of the village, drawn to the commotion, was not helping. The folk of Garstone Shore outnumbered those from the Top by quite a margin.

One group of Shorers in particular looked like trouble; young men carrying cudgels and farm implements, they were huddled together, glowering towards the men of the other village. Every now and then one of them would start towards the others, only to be pulled back. The discussion amongst them was getting more heated.

[Private to Siliwen: Near the back of the crowd, you can listen in on the onlookers - the argument seems to be something to do with fishing rights. You know that the two villages have an agreement to share the lake, but to stick within specific zones. This agreement has never been a problem before.]

[Private to Milo Neek: You can see no physical evidence for the cause of the commotion, but from this distance you're able to pick up snatches of the argument - they seem to be arguing over fishing rights.]

Siliwen turned to regard the rowdy group of mostly young men with not enough to do to keep them out of others business,  However with this crowd about those type are quickly drawn into it and they tended to make it their business whether it was or not.  Siliwen looked around for some sort of town leader or anyone seeming about to take charge of the current situation before it go out of hand.  [Private to GM: (Search roll You can do it if you want if not let me know.)
]
Moving over more towards the rowdies and in front of them Siliwen place herself so she would be near in case anything happened.  Siliwen began to weave through the crowd searching for the aforementioned town official and moving closer to the center of the Altercation.

Siliwen though half-elven was not a small girl rather she was taller than most human females well proportions definitely female though she had a slenderness to ehr waist and a graceful movement that was inherited from her mother's kind. as well a her proportions of limbs to body.  long legs and longs arms were also elven physical traits, But  by no stretch  of the imagination could she be called fragile.

This matter  needed a third party and she didn't want to be it but perhaps she could urge that third party to do their job, before things rot out of hand, if she could find anyone to take charge.

Siliwen made a thorough search of the crowd, but the only authority figure present seemed to be Elder Delsean, who was occupied trying to keep the two groups of fishers apart.

The reason for the commotion was beginning to become clear to the onlookers. It seemed that both sets of fishermen were accusing the others of fishing outside their agreed area. Quite why this was worthy of such aggression and debate was not at all obvious.

Elder Delsean loudly sent a boy to fetch one of the local nobles - whoever could be found - but this did not seem to calm anyone down.

[Private to Haruuna Dhacuul; Milo Neek: You notice one of the young louts picking up a large rock and hefting it whilst eyeing the men from Garstone Top.]

Siliwen moves over closer to the Elder.  "Elder Delsean, Might I suggest, sir, that you ask these two fisherment to come with you over to the inn for a pint of beer while you wait.  That might cool them down a bit and let these other good folk go about their business elswhere, "Siliwen suggests politely to the old man who seem a bit out of his element and definitely not in control.

"Shall we stop this?" Haruuna asks Milo "It looks like those young smoothies" she points "are up to np good!"

   As Lyra approached the scene at a jog, he quickly noticed the stirrings of conflict beginning to simmer to a boil in the hearts of the villagers.

This was quite a commotion.  He had a feeling he knew what might be causing it.

   The man was known as a noble of two houses, the one for which he was vocal being the the house, Aprostius; he even wore the coat of arms on his shield, but the name for which he carried in the town was Duphaneus.  Although his ancestry was dubious at best, with little evidence save a few small trinkets from his homeland, it was apparent that he was noble-born, for few looked down their nose the way he could at others.  His intentions were well, he had an obvious charm that was apparent upon his speaking, and he had an ability to relate well with others despite his apparent conceit and, sometimes, arrogance.

   He manuevered through the crowd, clearing people with his sheer size, but mostly presence, moving with toward the spectacles of the scene.  He wanted to intercede before it was too late to do so.

   He strode with intent from the crowd and came to the quarreling sides,he approached the two leaders, or apparent leaders, coming to address them both, " What's the meaning of all of this? "

   He turned his gaze form one man, then his head, and did the same to the other.

As Siliwen stepped over to talk to the Elder, Lyra moved in to address the ringleaders.

The intervention of the armed warrior interrupted the two fishermen, before they began simulataneous shouting at the knight. Each accused the other of fishing outside the proper area, insisting that their family would starve if it continued.

The Elder listened politely but somewhat distractedly to Siliwen's proposal, his attention split between the young woman and the argument before him.

As he spoke, a rock flew from the direction of the Garstone Shore locals and struck one of the Top folk on his shoulder. A stunned silence was soon broken as the two sides charged and fell upon each other, cudgels and blunt farm instruments being used in equal measure with fists and feet in their attempts to make the other side see sense. The Elder cowered in the middle, trying to avoid being clobbered.

[Private to Haruuna Dhacuul; Milo Neek: From your position at the edge of the green you saw that the rock was thrown by the young troublemaker who'd picked it up, and not any of the fishermen.]

[Private to Haruuna Dhacuul: Milo's away for a while so you don't need to wait for him if you feel like rushing in :)]

[Private to Lyra Duphaneus; Siliwen: You may make a spot check to see if you are alert enough to notice where the rock came from. If you want to duck out of the area of the fight before it kicks off that's a reflex save, otherwise you're bang in the middle of it!]

Haruuna tries to get to where the troublemakers are standing, aiming for the one who threw the stone. She casts 'Bulls Strength' on herself as she goes.

Seeing the rock thrown, Lyra knew that something was going to happen if he didn't react soon.  However, it was too late to do anything even as the thought occured.  So he did what any man of honor would do, he waded right into the battle going for the nearest armed combatant and attempted to disarm him with the flat of his sword.

[Private to Mr. DM: Usign shield block on the guy I'm disarming. (Ac against him: 19)]

Siliwen's hope for a quieter settlement of the issues disappeared as a rock came flying in from the back somewhere and struck one of the fishermen from Garstone Tp[/  There ws a momentary lulled before the storm erupted.  The lightning and struck and now the thunder could be heard growing loder as the aggitated townsfolk erupted.  The Elder try to shiel himself from the onslaught of slinging fist and cugels.  Siliwen stepped up to him and pulled him out o fthe center of the now roiling mob trying to move him to safety as quickly as possible.

Usinge shouldered and elbows and a swift kick to clear a way through those trying to move to the center of the fracas.  She did not pull  her sword, this was not a killing affair.

[Private to Haruuna Dhacuul: You get to them easily as they're standing apart. Now that everything's kicked off they're just standing there laughing and slapping the back of the miscreant who threw the rock. ]

Lyra struggled to draw his sword amidst the crush, but succeeded after pushing and shoving to get some room. As he made to disarm the nearest rioter, the milling throng threw off his attempt and his blade merely bounced off the hoe his target was holding. Faced with an armed knight, the fisherman hesitated, then threw down his tool anyway, attempting to push his way out of the crowd.

Meanwhile, Siliwen had bravely pulled the Elder from the mob. He thanked her, then recognised her as local to the village. He was clearly worried - this sort of confrontation was out of character for the locals, and he expressed these concerns to Siliwen, whilst looking on anxiously.

A thunder of hoofbeats announced the arrival of Lord Leonidas and two guards, who quickly set about using their horses to drive the crowd apart, shouting angrily and laying about them with the hafts of their weapons.

Silwen recognized the insignia on the armor of the guards and the shinging cap of golden blond hair could only belong to one man,  Exactly the person she want less to meet or even be seen by. She guides the Elder up towards the inn and onto the pourch while she silently cursed the situation,, the arrivel of Lord Leonides and her own height and electrum hair.

Slipping the hood of her cloak up, Siliwen sets off to disappear into the stable with her horse.  She planned to stay there until the Lord had gone or find a way out the back.  They were not here to look for her but neither could she let any of the guards or especially Leonides see her.

Seeing that the Lord of this village seems to have arrived Haruuna refrains from taking offensive action, but looks cslosely at the troublemakers in order to be able to describe them if needed. Should they become active again she will stop them.

   The nobleman wasn't exactly pleased whenever he heard the commotion of the guards, he felt that being the first here he should have it under control.  No matter, though, the quicker the guard got this under control the quicker he could get to the root of the problem.  When Leonidas appeared on the scene Lyra nodded to him.

   "They were like this when I arrived here, I know not what caused them to squabble, only that somebody threw a rock and that was what incited them to attack.  ", he told the Lord.

   Lyra waited to be addressed, or waited for somebody else to speak up so that he might learn what exactly had caused this.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:46, Tue 19 May 2009.

Haruuna points at the guy who threw the rock: "It was him, Sir. He and his cronies seem to be the troublemakers!"

Having subdued the crowd, Lord Leonidas glared about him. He acknowledge Lyra's presence with a curt nod, then shouted to the crowd:

"And who may be responsible for this outrage? I want the ringleaders delivered to me by nightfall, lest I increase the fishing levies!"

Hearing Haruuna, he guided his horse over to her and stared in astonishment.

"Who and what in the heavens are you?"

Seeing the group that Haruuna had pointed at attempting to sneak off, he gestured to them with a mailed fist and ordered his two guards to hold them.

"Honored Lord, my name is Haruuna Dhacuul and I serve Nym-Weselyn, God of War and Peace." Haruuna says, proudly displaying the symbol of her god on her breastplate and shield: "I know my kind is not well represented in these lands, but I am proud to be a Hobgoblin."

Milo, noticing his employer was in trouble with the local Lord, quickly ran to Haruuna's side, and bowed his head. "My lord, she speaks the truth. She would not have made it this far using my services if her intentions were anything but pure," he exclaimed. "Sire, I am Milo Neek. I am a loyal ranger, and a guide to those who require my services."

Lord Leonidas raised one handsome eyebrow in an expression resembling disdain.

"Well, they do let all sorts in here don't they?"

He shouted further orders at his two guards, who brought over the rock-throwing miscreants. The oldest of the four couldn't have been much more than 16, the youngest perhaps 13. The lads appeared frightened, their serious expressions a far cry from their ealier mocking attitude. The guards shoved and harassed, cursing and swearing about their insolence.

Leonidas turned back to Haruuna and Milo.

"So, proud hobgoblin priest and loyal ranger," he said, a trace of mockery in his voice ,"how should we deal with these louts? They are the ones who started this?"

---

Meanwhile, Elder Dalsean hurried back out of the inn after Siliwen, where the little old man grasped at her cloak.

[Private to Siliwen: "Pray stay, Siliwen. I understand you are not keen to cross paths with the noble Lord" - here Dalsean rolled his eyes as if to impugne Leonidas' nobility - "but there are matters I wish to discuss with you. Would you await me in the inn? I must see that our noble Lord treats the young lads fairly, for though he means well he is, I fear, often hasty in his punishment."]

Siliwen paused as the elder grasps her hand.   She nods courteously to the town elder, as was due his years and position in this town..

"I will await you there, for now, if Lord Leonidas enters then I will be in the stables until he leaves."

"Until later, Elder.  Oh, and one more thing....." Siliwen take time to carefully describe the rock tosser with details that would separate him out from the others.