Miroslav leads the group down the road...within just a few minutes of westward travel there is a faint smell of burning in the air carried on the west wind.

Loukas rides along quietly keeping to himself with eyes wide open. He notes the comfort Miroslav seems to have taken in their current warlike state and wonders how their captain will settle back into "peace" once their part in this siege is done. His own motivation is vengeance, but he unsure how far he wishes to take things. Regardless, he is relieved that things have worked out as well as they have to this point; although, he finds himself wondering how much longer it will be before things stop doing so...

Dyanna rides quietly for a few moments until the familiar tang of burning touches her senses, then she looks intently to the west in search of the signs of burning.

While riding she pulls her bow out and strings it, a subtle, fluid motion that speaks of ease of use, and nocks an arrow.

"How far to the gate?" she calls to the front of their column.

       The Stridesman tries his best, takes the reins of his horse, and follows
everyone elses example in order to get his mount to go in the same direction as
the war party.  Gultunga has an urge to row and realizes that this won't simply
do.  As the Norseman rides along, he gives part of his attention as to what
lies ahead in the hopes that he'll spy out their adversaries approach . . .
This message was last edited by the player at 02:40, Sun 31 Jan 2010.

Jean stands in the stirrups and looks for the plume of the smoke.

Miroslav calls back to Dyanna..."Ha! Always ready with her bow! We should be at the gate in 45 minutes or so."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:05, Sun 31 Jan 2010.

"The smell of smoke perhaps speaks nearer than 45 minutes, Captain," notes Dyanna.  "It never hurts to be careful."

Pyotr puts away his juggling, begins to snack on some dried fruit. If things heated up quickly, it might be awhile before he got fed again.

"The fire is inside the city. If the water shortage is severe enough they are doomed."

Jean's voice is grim. He knows well that fire takes no sides in war.

As the party grows nearer to the gates the others see the plume of smoke. it is not huge, the city is not on fire but at least one building and possibly more are.

The road is several hundred yards from the city wall and as you all progress you can hear the sound of battle coming from the city in spurts. Shouts and clashes of weapons can be heard but only for moments at a time as if there is a series of brief skirmishes taking place.

"Surely Sviatoslav has not breeched the harbor yet! There is no way he could have reached the north wall this fast unless the city has offered no resistance. Let us pick up our pace and get to the north gate as soon as we can." He spurs his horse forward to double the mounts pace fully expecting the others to follow.

Knocking an arrow, Loukas spurs his horse, "Unless the citizens have risen up against the Emperor... 'Tis to much to hope for I suspect!"

The Knight heels his mount forward catching up with Miroslav and riding alongside him.

The wind howls in his ears as Storm's Wind surges forward to keep up with the other mounts.  Grinning, A'kos gives the horse it's head...it needs no urging from him.  The Falcon is eager this morning for the hunt...

       Gultunga continues to ride along with his companions, although it
appears that he's now at the rear of the throng of mounted companions.
His arse hurts miserably and the Stridesman longs to be afoot once again.

Dyanna sees the big man lagging behind and slows to join him.

"Gultunga, right?  You must ride with your legs, Sir, else you may do permanant damage.  Here, like this..."

Sitting her saddle as she was taught to ride as a girl, she shows how she uses her thighs to sit astride her horse.

"You are trying to sit with your...arse, if you pardon my expression.  That'll play hell on a man's danglies, from what I've been told by the horsemasters who once trained me."

"Now, let's slow a bit.  They'll not get far that we can't follow their dust, and I'll have you riding fair enough in but a short time..."

         The Stridesman follows the instructions that he's been given without
fail.  After a short while, the Norseman addresses his companion thats shown
him concern, not to mention the finer aspects of riding as well . . .

         "Gultungs thanks thee for thy instructions about how to manage this
equine, and for assuring that my danglies remain unharmed too!"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:59, Mon 01 Feb 2010.

Dyanna grins, a wide smile, and let's out a laugh.

"Now, Master Gultunga, let us see if you've learned anything."

Pushing her horse to a canter she keep her eyes upon Gultunga as he tries to keep up.

"Very good!" she shouts in encouragement, but pushes no harder, knowing the fiery agony the man will feel come the morning in his inner thighs...and imagining worse in his more private regions.

Jaleh urged her horse forward as well, just not quite as quickly as A'kos and the others. She was maintaining more of a cautious pace thinking to let her allies hit things head on while came in behind them. That way if there were any ambushes or opposing forces they would flush them out and get them in the open.

"More likely the Pechenegs have taken advantage of their patrons, and loot the city before the Rus can besiege it," Barmak suggests in response to Loukas's comment.  "Mercenaries are notoriously untrustworthy..."  He ceases his comment when he realizes the irony of his words.

Falling back to the rear of the party, Barmak keeps pace with Gultunga.  He heeds the advice that Dyanna gives to the Stridesman, having experienced similar difficulties, but not wanting to admit to them aloud.

The Falcon peers intently forward toward the city, anxious to find what awaits.

        The Stridesman knees his horse hard several times in an attempt to
lengthen its gait in order to catch up with everyone.  Without having real-
ized it Gultungs horse goes into a full gallop instead of just a canter
. . .

        The Norseman thriving on his newfound excitement of riding begins to
pass his peers whilst screams of joy can be heard above the din of the contingent of cavalry . . . "Yaaaaa Yaaaaa Ya Ya Hooooooooooy!!!"

And watches in some amazement as the Stridesman passes them by!

As the party gets closer to the gate, the sounds of battle from within grow louder.

Within a few minutes the gate is visible, It is a small affair little wider than the road itself...double heavy doors 10 feet wide with an iron gate dropped in front of that. Clearly anything important or large is dealt with via the docks.

There is a tower on each side of the gate but from the vantage point on the ground it does not look like they are manned. From the sounds of battle just on the other side of the wal it is fairly clear why the towers are unmanned.

After taking in the lay of the land and the situation behind the wall Miroslav says..."It would seem that Barmak has called this. I do not think Sviatos;av would be this far in yet and this does not sound like a regular battle but more like terror, looting and rape. When the others arrive in the morn we will have to hear their orders before deciding what to do...but a little scouting now could go along way to making the right decision."

he then orders the party to make camp about 200 feet from the wall in a clearing protected by a low hill.

"You cannot allow those bastards the freedom to rape and pillage such!" exclaims Dyanna.  "This is not what I signed on for, and I will not take part in such."

Turning to everyone she says, "I've a way to get to the top of the walls undetected.  Once there I can drop a rope and we can open the gates.  From there we can go in and at least mitigate some of the disaster being inflicted upon the local folks!"

"Who among you is brave enough to do the right thing?  Magyar?  Sir Jean?"

Turning, she says to the other woman, "You?"

Jaleh happened to already be in the process of getting off her horse and gathering her equipment for sneaking inside. Checking her rope, Jaleh stopped when she felt someone looking straight at her and looked back at Dyanna. "Was already heading that way myself. I'll take a lift though."

Dyanna flashes a grateful smile to the other woman and nods, then turns back to the men.

"And who else among you will come?" she asks stubbornly, crossing her arms and awaiting an answer.  "Gultunga?  Barmak?  Who else will offer rescue and comfort to those wailing in the fires and smoke within?"

"I'm game," shrugs A'kos, eying the woman before looking at Jaleh and grinning.  "Will you protect me with your bow, little Jaleh?"

The knight smiles approvingly at Dyanna's words "I am not much of a climber, m'lady, nor can I assure you of the stealth needed for the feat you propose, but I assure you I will cross those gates as soon as the slightest breach is seen."

Miroslav scratches his chin as he hears the others talk of opening the gates then says..."I did say we needed to wait for orders but if the gates happen to open on their own, then I will surely be right there alongside the rest of you. I have no love for Pechenegs be they the orcish or human variety! The citizens of this city are suffering for their own stupidity for using the foul Pecheneg mercenaries but we are to blame as well. Our attack triggered this most likely...but from my experience with the Pólovtsy...it is only a matter of time before they will turn on you. Eventually Sviatoslav will need to deal with Seluk and all of his people if he wishes his empire to be safe."

"That's the spirit, Miro," A'kos chuckles.  "C'mon, it'll be fun."

"Woman, lead the way and at least some of us shall follow!"

"Will I need to protect you big man?" Jaleh asked with a sly grin.

Loukas sat quietly while through the conversation. He still was not sure who this Dyanna was or when she had "signed on" to the Heart of Oak, but he appreciated her sense of justice. "It looks as if we are back to the plan we had when were put onto the beach to begin with yesterday. Funny how the more things change... If there is fighting in the city we shall doubtless not have any trouble getting to the top of the walls without being seen. The guards are all looking the other way. I shall join you Dyanna -- with two ropes we shall get over the wall quicker, eh?"

While the others jibber jabber, and chatter like grown-ups are prone to do, Pyotr hasn't even slowed down, riding his disc towards the wall.

Carefully eying the towers for occupants, if they remain empty for the moment, he will guage the height of the wall, and consider ways to see what is going n within.

Jean sat his horse listening. Obviously the idea of being able to take some action against the mercenary scum inside the city appealed to him.

"Enough talking. I do not need to be shamed into doing what any man should rightly do."

He points to the city.

"Go. Open the gates if you can and I will enter...or wait a moment and perhaps yon idiot child will get himself killed and trouble you no more."

Dyanna nods to Loukas, and says to them all, "Follow me to the wall, not the gates.  Loukas and I shall scale the wall, and throw ropes down.  Once several of us are up, we can sneak to the gatehouse and check for any mongrels.  Once clear we can turn the windlass and up the porcullis, then heave open the gates.  At that point the rest of you can ride in, leading the spare mounts."

        The Stridesman looks to Dyanna and replies . . .

        "Gultunga shalt go to the wall and assist ye in opening the
gates of the city to our forces."

"My thanks, Goodman," she smiles warmly, then turns her mount and says, "Let us away, then."

        The Stridesman mutters under his breath so's only Dyanna can overhear him, "As long as Gultunga doth not hath to worry about hurting his dang-lies in so doing!  The Norsemans countenance brightens with a smile as
he looks upon Dyanna.

The sound of her laughter drifts back to him as she kicks her horse into motion.

I can't help but being reminded of one of the Thunderkittens on Thundercats.

Um, anyway, Balthazar says, "I could use my magic, but I'm much happier holding it in reserve while the gate is opened by mundane means."  He waits alongside Miroslav.

"Will you always wait for others to do the heavy lifting, fat man?" laughs A'kos, grinning at the mage before riding quickly after Dyanna.

"Woman, I would climb the walls to help get the gates open - you'll have need of a strong arm and back to do so."

Loukas spurs his horse after Dyanna with a nod to Miroslav.

You know, I don't picture Balthazar as fat.

Anyways, he readies his longbow and scans the walls and countryside for danger.

Dyanna, A'kos, Jaleh, Gultunga, Barmak and Loukas thunder towards the wall on their mounts and within a few moments are at the base of the 40' tall section of wall about 100 yards from the gate itself.

I don't see Balthazar as fat either but there is only little of him we know due to a weak character description:) Perhaps it;s just the wizard robes that make him look bigger than he is?
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:16, Sat 06 Feb 2010.

"We must be swift," Barmak says to Dyanna as the group rides for the wall, "and make for the gate as quickly as we may, that we shall have the strength of Miroslav and the knights behind us."

As they reach the portion of the wall that they mean to scale, Barmak dismounts and tests the stone, finding cracks and gaps where his fingers and toes may find purchase for climbing.

"Those of us who make for the gates may require a distraction, should our entry be noticed.  I suggest that fearsome A'kos, bold Gultunga, and eagle-eyed Jaleh provide this.  Dyanna, Loukas and I may move swiftly to open the way for our fellows.  What say you?"


OOC: Sorry for the late entry.  Barmak definitely would prefer to do the wall-scaling.

Once they have arrived at the wall, Loukas looks around for signs of guards. His suspicion is that there are none -- their focus on putting down the unrest within the walls. Nevertheless...

There are no guards visible from the the ground near the wall nor did they see any posted on their way towards the wall.

The walls are rough hewn stone, not smooth like the walls in the capital but not totally easy to climb either.

Loukas takes in the wall itself. He has certainly climbed more difficult surfaces, so he feels confident as he puts rope and grapple over his shoulder along with his bow and shield.

Looking at his companions he pauses, "It appears as if we should move quickly here. I shall see you all at the top!" So saying he begins to climb.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:27, Sat 06 Feb 2010.

Dyanna laughs, and with a swift gesture and quick word disappears.  A disembodied voice says, "Not I...but I shall see you."

The voice fades quickly, receding above, "I shall have a rope down shortly!"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:49, Sat 06 Feb 2010.

Not wishing to be shown up by Loukas, Barmak begins his ascent of the wall without the aid of ropes.  Finding cracks and crevasses in the stony bulwark, he swiftly moves up the wall, scaling it like a monkey.

Pyotr watches in amusement at the race up the wall, while he pulls off his shoes, and wriggles his toes in the floating grass. Reaching into the grass, he pulls out a small spider, then rolls it into a small ball of sticky tar.

"Yummy, yummy, in my tummy!"

Popping it into his mouth and using his picnic grounds as a launching point, he leaps up to a point about 10 feet above the ground. With un-natural dexterity, he the proceeds to climb up the wall, while his little picnic ground collapses to the ground, discarded.

Balthazar murmurs to those around him, "Magic-user, definitely magic-user like myself.  We must not make the mistake of underestimating little Pyotr."

Jaleh got to the wall and dismounted again. Then positioned herself near the base of the wall to prepare for a climb as soon as the rope was lowered.

            Gultunga patiently awaits the dropping of the rope.

Dyanna reaches the top, and secures 50' of rope and grapnel to a likely lodging spot.  Giving a quick tug she throws the end down to those below.

Those who reach the top see the rope moving mysteriously around as if of it's own accord, then see it drop, and hear footsteps quickly moving down the wall.

"Wait here!" drifts Dyanna's voice as if on the breeze.

Dyanna, Barmak, Loukas and a few seconds later Pyotr all make it to the top of the wall without any problem.

Seeing the first party make it up the wall safely in the dim light of dusk Miroslav calls to the remainder..."There may not be many of us but let us head to the wall to be ready when the gates open. I am unsure of what we will find once the gates are open but I think we will have to make the decision once we see...at the least we must try and hold the gate area open."
The small group consists of Miroslav, Jean, Roderychus, Michael, Balthazar and Conn.

Barmak leans over the side of the wall and looks down at those waiting on the ground.  "The gate is deserted," he informs them in a hissed whisper.  "Once the others are up and over, we shall make for it.  Jaleh, cover us with your bow from the parapets.  Quickly now - it appears Fate smiles upon us, but I do not wish to test her patience."

Having helped Gultanga and whomever else joins them atop the walls, "So, what is next? It appears as if we move now we can quickly gain control of the gates and let the Knyaz's troops in once they arrive."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:14, Tue 09 Feb 2010.

Gazing outward, Pyotr was entranced by the fires, unable to grasp the horror they represented.

Analytical to a fault, he ponders the fatal flaw of trusting those you cannot trust to defend you against those you cannot bribe, befriend, or befuddle.

Glancing at the others, he wonders if he has made the same flaw as the citizens of this town, now paying the price for the machinations of the high and mighty, most if not all of which will escape.

Would these rough folk turn on him?

He had to assume they would, eventually. They were, for the most part human, after all; betrayal was the defining characteristic of their kind.

Slipping his shoes back on, he looked about at his surrounding with a different eye, an eye to escape, or at least a good place to hide.

       Gultunga makes his way up the wall once the rope finally becomes
available to him.

Jean guides his horse close to Miroslav as they approach the gates but seems to have nothing to say.

Dyanna rushes back when she sees the sparsity of guards at the gates.

"Come, it's deserted!  Quickly now," her voice calls out, though she remains invisible.  "This way," she says so that they can mark her distance as she leads toward the gates.

With everyone's arrival at the wall, A'kos decides to stay with Storm's Wind and the rest of the riders, and head's to the gate.

In reply to Dyanna. (msg #65):

Turning, yet not seeing the body from whose voice comes the shout that seems to be repeating his own words, albeit with greater enthusiasm Loukas chuckles and begins to move to the gatehouse, "Well, shall we?"

Barmak, seeing A'kos ride away to rejoin the others, shakes his head in annoyance.  Still, the way does seem to be clear, and so long as they move quickly, the Persian reasons it will be better for the Magyar warrior to remain mounted.

Besides, he thinks, there is still Gultunga on this side of the wall.  We shall be enough.

Barmak, Dyanna, Gultunga, Jaleh, and Loukas all quickly make their way to the gate. The mechanism is strong but simple to operate...in a moment the gate begins to lift. Revealing the rest of the party waiting just outside.

A'kos, Balthazar, Conn, Michael, Miroslav, Roderychus and Sir Jean get their first look into the city. The area near the gate is deserted. But in the distance you all can see that several running battles are taking place between the city guards and the Pechenegs.

Miroslav nods to the Frankish knight then urges his mount forward through the gate.

Assessing the situation he calls out..."The gates are deserted for now but I do not imagine that will last very long.

He looks at the two empty guard towers, on at each side of the gate and says..."We need to take these and hold them before worrying about anything else. Once taken we can look further into the city and see what can be done to ease the suffering of the citizens. So please, archers, to the towers!"

Loukas turned to follow Miroslav's orders, but pauses before taking his place above, "We ought to be able to hold the gate against them for a time, and they may not notice what we have done for a while if we are lucky. That said, how long before the warriors coming to meet us arrive? Should we send a rider to them and ask them to hurry?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:40, Tue 09 Feb 2010.

Jaleh had actually gone over the wall behind Dyanna once she had lowered the rope. Finding the towers and gate deserted was a bit of a surprise, albeit a pleasant one. Not worrying too much about why things were deserted, Jaleh descended to the ground and began scouting ahead toward some of the buildings and such. While certainly not invisible like Dyanna, Jaleh tried to remain unseen.

       Once atop the wall and having found some cover, Gultunga readies his
mighty bow.  The Stridesmans icey blue orbs begin to flit this way and that
in an attempt to discover the approach or positioning of any adversaries or
threats.

Balthazar says to Miroslav, "Time to take a look inside that chest."  He mumbles, "Gosh, I wish Alyna was here when I said that."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:24, Tue 09 Feb 2010.

Barmak unslings his short Persian bow from his back as he runs to the empty guard tower on the right.  Once he climbs to the top, he strings his bow and notches an arrow, keeping his eyes peeled for any errant Pechenegs.

Or resident defenders.

Or anyone not in Miroslav's party, for that matter.

The big Rus laughs at the Hedonite's jest about the beautiful dancer and reaches into his saddle bag. From within he pulls a small wooden and metal chest. He does not even look remotely comfortable handling this object even while protected from it's magic by the chest.

He hands it to Balthazar..."Be quick...we have a pause in the action but that may change soon."

Just to make it more clear:)

There is one gatehouse with two towers and the gate being part of it. The access to get into the gatehouse is free but you will be able to lock it from the inside to hold off anyone you might need to deal with.

The walls are less secure but there is still good cover from ground fire if one were to back against the inside of the wall.

The area around the north gate is clear of buildings for at least 50' in all directions possible. There is a stone stairway on each side of the gate house.

Those mounted now occupy the open gate area...they have not been challenged nor have those who went over the wall....yet:)

"Shall we wait here, or go treat with mongrels and traitors as they deserve?" A'kos asks, stroking the hilt of his sword.

Suddenly, reaching into his pouch and draws the figurine into his left hand, making ready to bring his companion to life.

Balthazar looks to Miroslav and shakes his head in the negative.  He removes a juggling ball and hands it to Miroslav as a way of explanation.

         The Stridesman continues to observe the surrounding rooftops, buildings
and area surrounding the gates.  Gultunga also listens closely, as the noise of
accoutrements can alert one to the presence of ones adversaries.  With arrow
notched, the Norseman waits patiently for his foes to show themselves.

From his vantage atop the wall, Pyotr moves away from the towers and gate, until he finds himself close to a roof, hopefully one with an attic window near the level of the wall.

Leaping across, he will climb into the window, and vanish from sight...

Miroslav take the ball from Balthazar and slams it down on the cobblestone street...a visible red line goes up his broad face as he realizes he was fooled into thinking ti was the object. He looks up to the rooftops just in time to see Pyotr vanish into a window a less than a block away.
"By the gods! The little bastard stole the cube!"

He calls to those atop the wall...Keep an eye out for Pyotr...if you see him send him an arrow from me!"

Then to Balthazar..."Is there any way you can use your magic to find him?"

Loukas was surprised and confused by whatever it was Miroslav was talking about, "Cube? What cube? What is this?"

Still invisible, Dyanna answers Loukas, "A topic for later.  It seems our impish friend is a mischievous one."

Calling down to Miroslav she asks, "What now, Captain?"

Before Miroslav has a chance to answer Dyanna, Michael the Greek who a few moments ago joined the archers up on the wall calls out from his vantage point..."There to the south, there looks to be 10 or so horsemen..knights perhaps riding toward the gate.!" His hand is out and he is pointing south.

"Hold your arrows until we get a good look at them!"

He says to those around him..."I do not need to tell you that we should be prepared to hold this gate!" As he says this he leaps off his mount and slaps it on the rump sending it out the gate. He then sets himself in a somewhat squared fully offensive stance holding his 5 foot long single bladed Varangian style axe in his hands overhead in what the Germans call the Vom Tag position.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:23, Thu 11 Feb 2010.

Knocking an arrow Loukas shouts down, "Come shut the gates already! There are infantry behind those Knights, whom already outnumber you lads."

Miroslav whirls around and urges the mounted into the area inside the wall in front of the gate, then closes it and locks it down as the 10 horsemen speed into view. He quickly picks up his axe again and holds the same stance as before.

The riders slow when they see the party at the gate. Then they stop and turn to face whatever follows them. Nervously glancing back at the warriors near the gate.

A few seconds later a large force of Pecheneg mercenaries slam into the 10 Byzantine knights...the knights fight back but are pushed 10 foot into the 50 foot clearance near the gate.

Miroslav shouts his battle cry in the language of the Rus and charges forward axe held high. He plunges through one of the gaps between the Byzantine knights and into his much hated foe, the Pechenegs.

       With his crossbow readied, Gultungas icey blue orbs closely peruses the
throng of Pecheneg mercenaires that face the Roman Cavalry.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:40, Thu 11 Feb 2010.

18:59, Today: Secret Roll: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 2 using 1d20 with rolls of 2. to hit storm's wind 3.
18:59, Today: Secret Roll: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 5 using 1d20 with rolls of 5. to hit storm's wind 2.
18:59, Today: Secret Roll: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 18 using 1d20 with rolls of 18. to hit - Storm's Wind 1.
18:59, Today: Secret Roll: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 11 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 6. to hit 2nd attack.
18:59, Today: Secret Roll: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 21 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 16. to hit 1st attack.

Shouting the figurine's name, "Leonidas!" and tossing it to the ground, A'kos then launches a deadly attack on the leading ranks of pechanegs.  His sword swoops gracefully in two over head chops, while aided by storm's winds own attacks.

(Stance: Complete offense. +2/-2 not included in the rolls).

19:02, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 3 using 1d3. dmg horse hoof.
19:02, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 13 using 1d8+5. dmg sword att2.
19:02, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 12 using 1d8+5. dmg sword.

His wild cry is exultant as he slashes at two of the mongrels!

The lion, grown now sweeps about with teeth and claws, hitting (I think) twice!

19:05, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 7 using 1d8 damage.
19:05, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 1 using 1d4 damage.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:28, Fri 12 Feb 2010.

Barmak curses himself for a fool when he hears Miroslav give the order to kill the boy if he is seen.  Gultunga was right, he thinks bitterly, and I allowed my focus to slip, thinking the demon-child was aiding us.  Who knows what damnéd business that incubus is now about with that cube in his possession...

At sighting the Byzantine knights pursued by an army of Pechenegs, he laid aside those thoughts and readied his bow.  From his vantage point in the guard tower, he could see the entire host rapidly approaching.  He waited and watched to see what Miroslav would choose to do.

When he saw the Rus attack the Pechenegs, he took aim and began to loose arrows upon them, firing upon those far from his allies in the fray.

Range Increment 50'
16:24, Today: Barmak Mahvand rolled 8 using 1d20. Attack with Short Bow.
16:24, Today: Barmak Mahvand rolled 8 using 1d20. Attack with Short Bow.

"I can ... but I don't have the right spell currently memorized.  It will have to wait."  Balthazar decides that discretion is the better part of valor and for the initial assault stays out of the way and out of sight.  He goes off and finds a live spider to use for his own spider climb spell.

Loukas takes aim and fires into the fray.

From her perch, Dyanna debates whether to stay safe in her invisibility, or to allow herself to become invisible again by letting fly her arrows.  Deciding the parapet offered enough cover to fire safely, she too begins to fire into the attacking throng.

Dyanna's first arrow somehow manages to evade the oncoming rush of orcs, but the second is perfectly flown, landing square in the chest of an attacking mongrel.

20:31, Today: Dyanna. rolled 7 using 1d6+2. x2 dmg nat 20.
20:30, Today: Dyanna. rolled 22 using 1d20+2. att 2.
20:30, Today: Dyanna. rolled 4 using 1d20+2. att 1.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:33, Fri 12 Feb 2010.

Jean roared and charged his powerful mount into the fray. He too decided to join the Byzantine Knights against the Pecheneg scum driving his long hafted spear into the orcish ranks over and over.

When the attackers were seen coming, Jaleh quickly got into hiding and readied her bow. She waited patiently then for the battle to begin and once it did, methodically she began studying, aiming, and firing at the attackers. She followed a hunting strategy in her attacks, shooting at the last in line first and work her way to the front.

Today: Jaleh rolled 59 using 1d100 for assassination shot. (Succeeded if target under 6th Level/HD)

Suddenly a loud racket fills the area, as the sound of a raucous cavalry charge, complete with Greek profanities, and hooves clashing on cobblestone come from an alley slightly behind and to the side of the center of the Pechenega hoard. The group sounds like no more then a half-dozen mounted knights, but clearly vigorous in their desire to break bones, and draw blood.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:58, Sat 13 Feb 2010.

Dyanna watches the Greek's charge with something of a quirky, bemused smile, then looks down toward the mongrel horde and draws another arrow.

'May need to refill my quiver soon,' she thinks to herself, taking aim.

The ten knights of Byzantium and the hundred or so Pechenegs slam into each other with explosive force adding to this Miroslav, Jean, A'kos, Roderychus and Conn fit in between these knights and attack as well.

Both Sir Jean and A'kos with the aid of their mounts account for three of the Pechenegs each. Roderychus and Conn each slay one of the halfbreed Pechenegs and Miroslav drops two with his great battle axe. These melee attacks seem to be helped by some confusion on the Pechenegs part as they hear approaching knights and some turn to face what is not there.

The combined efforts of Gultunga and Loukas drop another of the Pechenegs at an arrow and crossbow bolt stick from the beast mans chest as he falls from his saddle.

Both Dyanna and Jaleh drop a Pecheneg rider...Jaleh in stunning fashion as her arrow enters the riders right eye and pushes into his brain.

Unfortunately for most of the melee fighters the Pechenegs hit back almost as hard. Miroslav is hit hard as his Jean , Roderychus only gets nicked  while Conn takes a sizable hit . A'kos on the other hands takes some massive shots. Three of the Byzantine knights fall from the Pecheneg onslaught.

It seems that there may be some city folk taking part in the battle as well since a number of Pechenegs are hit with rocks and blocks from the buildings as well as some bow attacks. There also are a few of what look to be city militia engaging the outer ranks of the Pechenegs.

Unfortunately it looks as if the Pechenegs have been reinforced by another troop of perhaps 75 riders coming from the west road into the area.

Miroslav, Jean, A'kos, Conn, Roderychus and the 7 remaining Knights are nearly surrounded by the Pecheneg force now with only the space between their backs and the north gate free of the enemy.

       Gultunga looks about the walls with a critical eye once again as he
reloads his crossbow . . .

       The Stridesman selects another mounted orc and lets fly his quarrel.
He reaches for another missle and to his dismay his weapon misfires when he
attempts a shot for the second time . . .
This message was last edited by the player at 14:42, Sun 14 Feb 2010.

Loukas continues to fire arrows into the crowded Perchenegs.

OOC: I'm really confused now... Are the gates closed or not? If they are, can we see how the city militia has joined the fight?

Suddenly the top of a stone tower on the flank of the charging mercenaries bloats in size, and quickly topples, as the structure was not designed to hold such weight.

The stones topple down among the hoard, where screams of panic echo across the square.

Barmak swears under his breath as he sees the mob of Pechenegs coming to assist their barbaric brethren.  He does not know if Miroslav and the others will be able to hear him above the din of battle and the sound of the collapsing tower, but he cries out from the gate tower nonetheless.

"Barbarian reinforcements, coming from the west!  More than fifty!"

He continues to draw arrows from his quiver, notching them, taking aim as he draws them back, and loosing them shrieking through the air into the crowd of combatants.


Barmak Mahvand rolled 17 using 1d20+3. Attack with Short Bow.
Barmak Mahvand rolled 4 using 1d6. Damage for Arrow #1.
Barmak Mahvand rolled 19 using 1d20+3. Attack with Short Bow #2.
Barmak Mahvand rolled 6 using 1d6. Damage for Arrow #2.

I realized that foolishly I forgot to add my Missile Adjustment for my Dex on the last rolls. *facepalm*
This message was last edited by the player at 19:31, Sun 14 Feb 2010.

Seeing the danger of being surrounded, Akos cries, "Back, to the gatehouse, it can be defended more easily!  Leo, to me!"

Backing Storm's Wind from the attack he takes a massive overhead chop at the nearest mongrel, the one who scored him w/ the worst wound and connects with the foeman's head (critical hit).  The lion leaps forward and covers tightly his right flank and scores a hit with one of the swipes of his paw.

13:49, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 3 using 1d4. Lion dmg.
13:49, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 8 using 1d8+5. damage .
13:47, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 3 using 1d20. Lion to hit 3.
13:47, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 3 using 1d20. Lion to hit 2.
13:47, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 21 using 1d20+5. Lion to hit 1.
13:46, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 25 using 1d20+5. to hit.

"Maintain formation as we back the horses!  Miro, to us, man, to us!"

Seeing the counterattack brought on by the mongrels, Dyanna let's fly to more arrows in quick succession.

16:08, Today: Dyanna. rolled 3 using 1d20+2. to hit 2.
16:08, Today: Dyanna. rolled 8 using 1d20+2. to hit 1.

"Shit!" she mutters fiercely as the arrows fly astray.  "They're going to need support down there!  We need to keep them from being surrounded!"

Jean dropped his spear and drew forth the mighty Coffin Nail.

He struck about him brutally and would not fall back until the others were clear to retreat.

Sorry, this is pretty confusing. Good for table top with about a million mini figures but rather hard online with so many entities in one little area.
The gate is indeed shut. You can see there are a few small (5-10 fighters) groups harrying the outer edges of the Pecheneg mini horde.

Moving in measured, routine movements, Jaleh drew and nocked another arrow, then sighted in on her prey. Her shot flew true and once again punctured the skull of the Pecheneg as easily as shooting a melon. Before her target even hit the ground, Jaleh was reaching for another arrow.

Today: Jaleh rolled 32 using 1d100 on an assassination shot. (Succeeded)

As the approaching reinforcements for the Pechenegs arrive a large stone mysteriously falls from on of the flanking towers and completely crushes both a rider and his horse leaving the reinforcements in a state of panic for a second or two.

Dyanna finds herself ineffective with her bow this round but both Loukas and Barmak make up for it killing three of the riders between the two of them.

Gultunga deeply wounds one of the riders with his crossbow before it misfires another shot off into the parapet.

Jaleh is proving herself to be deadly accurate with he bow as yet another Pecheneg falls to the ground with and arrow sticking from his eye.

A'kos, Roderychus and Conn make for a fighting retreat heading back towards the area just inside the portcullis. A'kos drops one encroaching rider with a swift slash of his blade and the Onyx lion wounds another and more importantly frightens him off for the time being. The Byzantine knight fairs well and between he and his horse another Pecheneg falls. Conn has little success in this round as far as attack and even less in defense as he is hit with two Pecheneg arrows, he slumps in his saddle but his horse manages to follow A'kos and Roderychus to relative safety. At this point he is unconscious. Roderychus also takes an arrow.

3 of the Byzantine knights survived this round but without their mounts. They also stand in the portcullis with the others.


Miroslav on foot and Sir Jean on his mount fight side by side allowing the others to safely reach the gate. Three more of the Pechenegs fall to their effort and another is severely wounded and must fall back. Unfortunately they receive the brunt of the Pecheneg attack.

The party on the ground now have their backs to the gate but have room to fight still from horseback if they choose. They can also abandon their mounts and get into the highly defensible gatehouse if they want. Conn can do nothing until he gets some type of aid. Luckily he is stuck fast in his saddle. They can open the gates and head out but that will definitely lead to the Pechenegs pouring through after them but that might be preferable.

A strange and sudden blast of scorching winds sweeps across the city streets but gone as quick as it appeared.

There was nothing to do but continue firing into the Perchangs. He had been skeptical of his comrades charge into the fray to begin with, and seeing he was correct held little condolence. Letting another arrow fly into the enemy massed about them he shouted over the wall hoping his friends could hear him, "Enough is enough! Come to us in gatehouse before it is too late!"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:27, Tue 16 Feb 2010.

        Gultunga screams above the dinn of battle so those in the gatehouse
can hear him . . .

        "Destroy the gates mechanism so's that the Gate cannot be closed!"

This message was last edited by the player at 02:34, Wed 17 Feb 2010.

Dyanna calls down to Jean and Miro as she readies her weapon for another attack.

"Back!  Fall back!  There are many more approaching from the east!"

With that she let's fly two more arrows:

17:52, Today: Dyanna. rolled 1 using 1d6. dmg arrow 2.
17:52, Today: Dyanna. rolled 1 using 1d6. dmg arrow 1.
17:52, Today: Dyanna. rolled 14 using 1d20+2. to hit arrow 2.
17:52, Today: Dyanna. rolled 15 using 1d20+2. to hit arrow 1.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:53, Mon 15 Feb 2010.

"An army of reinforcements," Barmak shouts from the tower in the Russian tongue, echoing Dyanna's cries.  "We must retreat!"

He continues to draw forth arrows and fire them into the melee as quickly as he can draw a bead, knowing that the hour of their glory or their doom is close at hand...


01:51, Today: Barmak Mahvand rolled 22 using 1d20+3. Attack with Short Bow.
01:51, Today: Barmak Mahvand rolled 5 using 1d6. Damage for Arrow #1.
01:51, Today: Barmak Mahvand rolled 15 using 1d20+3. Attack with Short Bow #2.
01:51, Today: Barmak Mahvand rolled 3 using 1d6. Damage for Arrow #2.

"Shall we join the others or stay here and defeat the city ourselves?" Jean inquires of Miroslav as he guides his warhorse in a effort to allow the big Rus to disengage and move back toward the rest of the group.

Conn is grabbed off of his mount by two of the three Byzantine knights and is joined by the third in carrying him into the gatehouse.

This leaves A'kos and Roderychus out still but with Miroslav and Jean between them and the brunt of the Pechenegs.
Just waiting on a few more posts before moving this along. No rush to those who still ned to post. If I need to move on I have no problem assuming your characters for a round:)

This message was deleted by the player at 15:04, Wed 17 Feb 2010.

I am pretty sure that Barmak is calling down to those on the ground to retreat into the gatehouse/ He is not calling for a general retreat form the area. Gultunga is on the wall. He is still safe but it is just a matter of time before the Pechenegs dismount and head up the stairs on either side of the gatehouse.

Those on the wall can get inside the gate house. The gate house is very defendable with lots of slots to shoot arrows out of and thick oak doors. Plus the gate mechanism is indie the gatehouse. T Here are still double oaken doors but the main defense for the gate was the iron gate itself.

Jaleh paused when she heard the call to retreat, and at first wondered if was her side or theirs. Once she noticed that it was her companions calling the retreat, Jaleh pulled back the arrow she had already nocked on the string of her bow. She sighted in on an enemy quickly and in short order, ended his life, likely with him never knowing what happened. She actually felt somewhat satisfied by that.

With that arrow spent, Jaleh left her hiding place. She did not however immediately go to rendezvous with the others, first she needed to restock her arrows, then she would go rendezvous.

Jaleh rolled 6 using 1d100 for a parting assassination shot.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:22, Wed 17 Feb 2010.

        After having slung his crosssobow over his back and brought his shield
to bear, the Stridesman quickly makes use of whatever cover is available along
the wall whilst making his way to the gatehouse.  Once inside, Gultunga looks
about to note whether there are any quarrels or arrows stashed here for the
defense of the wall by their adversaries.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:19, Thu 18 Feb 2010.

Dyanna enters the gate house.  Pushing her way forward toward the city side of the interior, she looks out of the murder holes and down into the street.  Estimating the amount of distance between the top of the gate down to the street at about a 30 degree angle, she stops, closes her eyes, and casts a huge web outside.

She anchors it as above: atop the gate and 30 degrees down to the street, taking care not to catch Jean or Miro in the trap - she hopes, briefly, that they can take care of whatever enemy she happened to miss.

Balthazar approaches Gultunga once inside the gatehouse and says, "Do you think we should destroy the mechanism as you shouted earlier?"

      Whilst continuing his brief search of the gatehouse, the Stridesman
makes his answer known to Balthazars query . . .

      "Methinks that such an act wouldst be to r'e forces advantage; it wouldst
assure O' an easier advance upon the city by r'e forces.  An open gate tis fare
easier to breech than a closed one.  Wouldst thee naught agree?"

Her web cast Dyanna looks over her shoulder and says, "We're in a defensible position - perhaps someone can go down and suggest to one of the horselords to ride like hell to find our advancing army.  In the meantime, we're in a defensible area.  Let's not break anything until we have to."

While firing arrows into the Perchangs Loukas shouts, "We were in a defensible position when the 'horselords' charged out there to begin with! Our troops will be here soon enough whether somebody rides to them or not. Besides, Dyanna, you are the only one of us I have seen turn invisible..."

Balthazar and Gultanga! The openness of the gate seems less relevant than the fact that our friends are being overwhelmed. Come join us attempting to relieve them of blood-thirsty Orcs! We can open the gate to let our boys in and then close it until the Knyaz arrives -- it will save him the capital investment to repair it later!"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:53, Fri 19 Feb 2010.

OOC: Loukas - I lost my invisibility the moment I started firing arrows at the bad guys.  fyi.

"Okee-dokee".  Balthazar uses his stinking cloud spell from the ring to the best possible effect to help Miroslav and company.

Dyanna's web finds itself stuck to roughly 12 of the Pechenegs and their mounts in the area directly in front of Miroslav and Jean. This is followed by a horrid sticking cloud of vomit inducement leveled at the Pechenegs by Balthazar...this cloud covers all of the Pechenegs caught in the web and then some. Almost all of them begin to vomit uncontrollably as do their horses.

This puts about 20 of the attackers out of commission for right now and most importantly it keeps the others held off. Only missile attacks will be possible for the Pechenegs this round.
I am going to hold off on the melee attacks so that others get a chance to post actions along with those who have. I will ba adding a heavy to hit bonus for everyone as well as long as they attack the incapaciated ones.

"Well done, my friends!", Loukas shouts as he does his best to ensure that none of the Perchenegs affected by the spells do not recover.

OOC: Given that this Gatehouse has been prepared for this sort of situation for some time, albeit its defenders and attackers were expected to be rather different than they are right now, am I correct to assume that there are arrows, rocks, etc. in place beyond what we have personally?

Yes there are lots of arrows stored here. Some rocks and a broken Ballista.

Most important you can see a large force nearing the gate. You do not see Sviatoslav but you do see Zmija, Alyna, Ulfr and Radvila in the front. only Alyna and a large older man are mounted.

This message was deleted by the player at 00:12, Sat 20 Feb 2010.

       The Stridesman proceeds to one of the arrowslits facing the enemy horde
and begins to fire his quarrels at the incapacitated orcs . . .

"Open the gate - the reinforcements have arrived!" shouts Dyanna to those below the gate house, while at the same time aiming for the trapped mongrels at the front of their enemy.

19:01, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 1 using 1d6 with rolls of 1.
19:01, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 6 using 1d6 with rolls of 6.
19:01, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 11 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 9.
19:01, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 11 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 9. Bow attack.

During the retreat to the gate A'kos had sheathed his sword and drawn his bow.  Letting fly he shouts, "Kill those entrapped!  Their bodies will slow the advance of the others if the burn away this weave!"

"Leo, attack!"

19:03, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 6 using 1d20. Leo 3.
19:03, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 3 using 1d20. Leo 2.
19:03, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 4 using 1d20. Leo 1.

19:04, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 6 using 1d8 with rolls of 6. Leo bite.
19:04, Today: A'kos, the Falcon rolled 6 using 2d4 with rolls of 4,2. Leo claws.

Reassured by the arrival of allies, Balthazar saves the rest of his magic arsenal for an emergency and switches to his bow to start shooting.  I gotta split - DM can roll for me.

OOC: Yes, that's what Barmak meant.  Sorry about the poor wording.  Having said that, Barmak's unaccustomed to war, so it might be the sort of error he'd make...

The Persian, heeding A'kos, begins to fire upon the magically ensnared and sickened Pechenegs, picking them off and leaving their corpses to trip up their swarming allies.  He hopes that they can hold the enemy off until the Rus reach the gate, trying to stave off fear and focus his attention only on aiming and releasing his arrows toward their prey...


22:26, Today: Barmak Mahvand rolled 16 using 1d20+3. Attack with Short Bow.
22:27, Today: Barmak Mahvand rolled 5 using 1d6. Damage for Arrow #1.
22:26, Today: Barmak Mahvand rolled 12 using 1d20+3. Attack with Short Bow #2.
22:27, Today: Barmak Mahvand rolled 3 using 1d6. Damage for Arrow #2...assuming it hits.

We are going to backtrack just a bit and I am going to allow Jean to attack before the webs and stink...nothing major but a little different than normal.

Jean lashes out once again with both his mount and his longsword and they do a tremendous amount of damage to the Pecheneg riders closest to the gates dropping three of them in the dust.

Hearing the call from above Miroslav makes no attacks this round, instead he grabs the bar and tosses it to the side and kicks open the gate revealing the Rus force just outside.

Meanwhile, Jaleh, Balthazar, Loukas, Gultunga, Barmak, Dyanna, A'kos and the onyx lion make short work of the incapacitated and stuck Pechenegs near the gate.

As soon as the gates are flung open a horn blows near the back of the Pecheneg mini horde and the entire group of surprisingly well trained riders turn at once to retreat and deliver the maneuver known as the Parthian Shot. To a man all those still capable among the Pechenegs ride in the opposite direction but twist in their saddles with bows drawn and deliver one final double volley of arrows as they retreat.

This is a massive hail of arrows and even those in good cover still risk being hit.

A'kos gets hit with an arrow in the leg.
Balthazar is alo hit by two arrows.
Barmak is hit by two arrows.
Even Jaleh is hit by an arrow as she slinks off in the darkness.
Loukas also takes and arrow to the leg.
Roderychus reels on his mount as 4 arrows slam into him.
Jean is hit as well.

With their volley complete the Pecheneg make top speed back into the city streets scattering in every direction.

Meanwhile a thunderous voice can be heard from high atop the buildings..."Who hath summoned Basrakan!"

The older mounted warrior rides through the gate first and looks at the situation with approval.

The man on the horse rides though...as for a description just imagine Miroslav about 20 years older with much more expensive looking equipment...not really better equipment but this man is outfitted for his station and that is far above anyone else here save Sviatoslav back at the ships.

He smiles as he takes in the scene of carnage and says.."Miroslav! It is good to see you have taken the gates before our arrival! Surely you have taken some casualties...I have brought healers with me."

He then turns around and in a very authoritative voice begins to bark orders for healers to heal the wounded and for soldiers to take control of the gate and secure the area.

He looks to have over 300 footmen with him.

Again to Miroslav...Yaropolk is on his way from Kiev with more troops he should be here bore two days time. You and your people have done well. The Knyaz will hear of this."

He looks up and around in search of whoever Basrakan might be then sniffs the air and says..."What is that smell?"

Miroslav also looks up trying to pinpoint the location of the thunderous voice but then looks again at the older man and bows his head..."I thank you General. We had one fall but we have many wounded. Your healers will be appreciated this night."

He then turns to the gatehouse and the others and says..."General Dobrynya Nikititch has brought healers. please come and see them and bring those wounded who may need help. We can rest for a bit now." Once again he scans the tops of the buildings for some clue to the voice.

Jean rides over and dismounts near Miroslav and Dobrynya sheathing his sword on the way.

He nods to Dobrynya saying "Well met General."

If the unconscious Conn is nearby Jean will take him down from his mount and carry him to a healer.

Wearily, A'kos slumps in his saddle, then remembering his duty he calls, "Leo, to my, my friend."

When the Lion arrives he deactivates it, and climbing down from his saddle he bends and picks up the figurine.  Stowing it, he leans dizzily upon his horses neck, then checks the mount for any wounds of his own.

Once satisfied the horse is still in good condition, he follow Jean to where the healers are assembled - his limp is pronounced, and the blood spills from several deep wounds.

Of sudden the voice thunders overhead and he turns and looks up toward the walls.

"What in all the layers of darkness is that!" he shouts, his hand going reflexively to his sword.

Jaleh yelped and issued a long line of colorful profanities as an arrow found its mark in her hip. The pain of the injury spurred her to slink off into the darkness faster than she had been doing. She cursed herself for being slow and providing an opportunity for some jackanape to shoot her. Under cover, She went about carefully removing the arrow, which she then kept with the intention of killing an enemy with it just for a bit of spite.

Meanwhile Jaleh wracked her brain trying to recall if she'd ever heard that name Basrakan before. It sounded almost familiar.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:28, Sat 20 Feb 2010.

When the voice thundered down Dyanna blanched.  Rushing out to the parapet she crouched beneath a merlon and looked up.

"What did he do!" exclaimed to no one in particular as she search the rooftops for signs of impending trouble.

To any of the others still in the vicinity she shouted, "Be ready for anything!  A Lord of Fire has found a way to this place!"

Dobrynya greets each of the party in turn as they pass before him. In many ways he seems like the Knyaz but perhaps he enjoys comfort a little more and it shows. He is however very charismatic and for the most part his troops look like they are in high morale.

The healers quickly get everyone back up to full strength, even Conn who was near death.

The three Byzantine knights also receive healing and are taken to the side for a private talk with Dobrynya...they are not stripped of their weapons but do not look like they are willing to fight with so many Rus here at the gate of their city.

Whatever spoke in the loud voice has been quiet since but there is an air of tension once Dyanna speaks.

As the big Rus is getting healed he hears Dyanna's exclamation and urges his healer to get closer to the wall. He looks to the woman and says..."Basrakan? What is this? Is this Pyotr's doing?"

Then to the rest he says..."We will let the General hold the gatehouse with his men unless they need us. After that battle we need sleep more than anything but i fear this Basrakan business will not wait till morning...so for now we rest but be prepared for trouble worse than the Pechenegs."

Looking down from the wall at Miroslav she nods.  Suddenly she hops to the lip of the wall and scuttles down the face to speak to Miroslav more quietly.


She shakes her head sadly and continues, "Poor Pyotr."

Loukas joined Miroslav and saluted the General Dobynya. "Captain. General. Pyotr disappeared almost as soon as we took control of the Gatehouse... What have you learned, Dyanna?"

Ulfr give the Lady Alyna a slight bow as he marches past her into the throng of soldiers just inside the city gate. He takes a good long look around, especially up since he heard about the loud voice but did not hear it himself.

Still a bit weak from his experience of late he leans on his axe and waits for orders from Miroslav or someone else in command.

       Not wishing to waste time with greetings, Gultunga leaves the gatehouse
in order to search those that have fallen in the battle for the gate . . .
This message was last edited by the player at 00:48, Sun 21 Feb 2010.

Balthazar joins the two of them.  "Dyanna's right.  Pyotr must have touched one of the cube faces and summoned what I believe to be an efreeti.  Very dangerous being of fire, far beyond our capabilities to deal with ... but also capable of granting wishes if the legends are true.  Pyotr may be attempting to get a wish as we speak."

Miroslav clearly does not know what an efreeti is but he does trust the word of the Hedonite in this matter. Plus given the fact that Dyanna expressed such a concern says something for both the situation and her credibility at this point. He knew little about the woman but clearly she was formidable in her own right.

"I knew I should have just thrown that accursed thing into the ocean." It is unclear whether he speaks of the cube or Pyotr.

Addressing Balthazar and Dyanna..."What can we expect here? What will this thing do? Can it grant wishes like you said...to Pyotr?"

Dobrynya sees Gultunga begin to search the bodies of the fallen knights and shouts..."There will be no looting of the bodies of the Romans! You would steal from the corpses while their mothers and wives look on through the windows of the city! Loot the Pechenegs but leave the fallen Byzantines to their own people."

He is serious but there is a look on his face which suggests he says this more for future relations than for real concern over the feelings of anyone living in this city. He also might be in some way trying to impress Alyna who's spell he seems to have fallen under in just this short time.

Then is a calmer tone..."There will be a sizable bonus for those who took and held the gates...rest assured."

With a brief glance at Loukas, Dyanna replies to Miroslav in a soft voice so that her speculation doesn't become rumor to frighten those around them, "I have to agree with Balthazar...'tis beyond my ability as well to control.  I've heard tales of parley with such beings when it amuses them to do so - if, however, this being was pulled from his own design by Pyotr's eager fumblings I suspect he may not be in the mood to parley.  As such he'll exact a steep price from whomever happens to be in the way."

"Well, I think some recon is in order."  Can Balthazar tell which building's top the booming voice was heard from?

The voice seemed to be everywhere.

A'kos, stitched up and none the worse for wear, approaches the group as they talk.

"Let's do some recon then."

He glances at the woman and grins and slaps Balthazar on the shoulder.

"Fun scrap, eh?"

Looking around he asks, "Anyone seen Jaleh?"

         Upon hearing Dobrynyas command, Gultunga spits upon the Roman that
he had begun to search as an outward sign of his disapproval.  The Stridesman
proceeds to speak only loud enough for those that are nearest to him . . .

         "Doth anyone naught heed Gultungas words of wisdom . . . nay I say to
mine chagrin!!!

         Neither didst my companions heed my warnings about the traitorous gut-
tersnipe whence r'e Captain placed the magiced cube into the treacherous hands
of the untrustworthy child.  Now r'e great supreme leader commands Gultunga to
leave the booty upon the Roman scum that wouldst sooner seen us drawn n'
quartered.  Doth he na know that whence Romans conquer they slay whomever they
please and place their enemies spawn into captivity!  A Roman conquerer wouldst
rip ones guts out to get at their stowed riches, or cut a babe in half for the pleasure and stygian sport of it.  Wot comes around, should go around."

         The Stridesman moves over to one of the fallen and better armored
formerly mounted orcs; he contiues his search for booty.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:40, Sun 21 Feb 2010.

Jean addresses Balthazar with a quizzical look on his face.

"You say this thing is beyond our ability to deal with but you think we should seek it out?"

"I have no fear of such creatures and so will join the Falcon in performing reconnaissance but I am curious of your explanation for this seeming contradiction."

In reply to Sir Jean D'Arzillieres (msg #158):

Loukas gives Gultanga a blank, somewhat confused glance and mumbles, "I have no idea what he just said..."

When Jean spoke he looked somewhat relieved and with a wry grin said, "It is rare that Sir Jean and I agree, but in this instance we do. Would somebody please explain what the hell is going on here?"

"The thing is beyond our ability to deal with, but - hopefully - Pyotr is not."  With a wink, he turns invisible, then heads off to the eastern side of the street where the large stone fell and sees if he can determine which building it fell from.  Once determined, he casts spider climb and heads on up to have a look.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:30, Sun 21 Feb 2010.

Miroslav looks around at the combined host of Rus and has a look of disbelief on his face..surely 300+ troops could take care of anything in his mind.

He looks about ready to say this out loud when Balthazar vanishes from sight.

As soon as the command was given to bring the wounded to the healers, Alyna excused herself from the Regent's side. "My Lord, with your permission I will help the healers care for the wounded."

Alyna jumped off the horse so gracefully that the horse didn't realize it's rider was gone. It trotted a few steps, then it seemed to shrug. Not feeling any weight on it's back, it turned it's head and looked.

It is rare, but even horses can look surprised.

Meanwhile Alyna had joined the healers, and she was quickly at Conn's side, who was badly hurt, holding him up so that the healers could help him. She also supported Roderychus, who had four arrows pulled out of his body. She seemed to be everywhere, lending a hand whereever possible. Balthasar, Barmak, Loukas and Jean all felt her gentle touch at some point. When they left to rejoin the soldiers, they left Alyna behind, who looked with a sigh down to her dress, which was soaked in blood.

Yeah, just go and get hurt again. If this keeps up, I am going to run out of dresses quickly.

Turning to the healers, she sais: "I assume none of you is able to get blood out of a dress with your magic?" When they denied and apologized, she just smiled at them and turned away, remounting her horse, which was still a bit confused and glad to have it's rider back.

Dyanna grins as Balthazar winks and disappears.  For a moment she considers following, but then accepts the fact that should she do so, not only would she likely be seen, but also that she might unwittingly cause the Hedonite to be discovered.  Turning instead, she seeks to answer Jean's question.

"A being from the elemental plane of fire.  I'll not bore you with an explanation of the greater planes of existance except to say that this particular being, if he's using such as a title, is a personage on said plane, and likely angry at being summoned away from whatever intrigues he is playing at home."

"Riiight..." With an incredulous look on his face he turns to Miroslav, "So, that cube you were mentioning earlier that this child got its hands upon is the source of this trouble? Did that thing come with our expanded crew or is it something you have been hiding from us for a while, Captain?"

"No Loukas," Dyanna shook her head. "It was recovered on the ship you sank, the ship Pyotr and I were aboard.  It was found among the other treasures recovered."

Looking around she added to the others, "Speaking of which - have a care with the Pechaneg mongrels.  There may be booty that should be fairly shared."

Another thought occured and she looked at Jean and A'kos, "I would not tell either of you what to do, but it may be a wiser course to at least wait for Balthazar to return before running through an unsecured city in a mad hunt for Basrakan.  Merely a suggestion, gentlemen."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:10, Sun 21 Feb 2010.

Barmak, gingerly rubbing his shoulder where one of his arrow wounds was kindly attended by Alyna, gives Loukas and Miroslav a grave look.

"Verily, it is as Dyanna has said," the Persian nods.  "The cube was not given to the demon-child - he obtained it through trickery and illusion, fooling us all with his wiles.  And if he has summoned an Efreet..."

Turning to Miroslav, he elaborates on the sorceress' explanation, "They are spirits spoken of in the words of the Prophet - peace be upon him - and among my people even more tales are told besides.  They are lower than the angels but above men, creatures of the Djinn - infernal beings, as the magi have told you, full of boastful pride and possessing considerable power.  What sleep we may find tonight must needs be fitful and shallow, though I doubt any strength even our army might raise against such a spirit."

"I should have heeded Gultunga's suspicions when he first voiced them about Pyotr," he says, his dark eyes downcast out of shame and regret.  "And now our fate may be sealed because I did not.  I shall not doubt his instinct again."

With that vow made, he turns and makes his way through the charnel killing ground to Gultunga's side, wearily picking the Pecheneg bodies for spoil.

"You have trapped me here! I will crush you!" Again the voice thunders from high among the buildings. This time it is clearly coming from the east.

As you all look for the source in that direction, a section of wall falls away from a third story of a building and you get your first look at the Efreeti and he stands swinging a great scimitar over his head. Near him glows and open portal to some other place...it looks as if snow is blowing through it.

You can see Pyotr standing in front of the great spirit.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:59, Mon 22 Feb 2010.

To say that Loukas is taken aback would be to making an understatement. He had lived in the greatest city in the world, traveled across the Mediterranean, and met peoples of all sorts, but never... Never something like this.

In a low voice, "Will this creature leave once he gets the child?"

       The Stridesman whispers to Barmak . . .
This message was last edited by the player at 12:51, Tue 23 Feb 2010.

Jean leaps, fully armored, from the ground into the saddle, sword flashing to hand.

"By God part of this City is mine. No infernal creature will take it from me without a fight whatever it's power."

Spurring his warhorse he rides a short distance in the direction of the Efreet.

"If the creature will not leave then it must be destroyed."


The Knight's stance is more than mere bravado. He clearly has no fear of the elemental creature at all. His fearlessness in fact is seemingly contagious as those nearest to him are emboldened against the monster.

OOC: No kidding all of you who are within 10 yards and are my allies are currently Immune to Fear.

Boistered by Sir Jeans rousing speech plus the practical knowledge that in some ways this Efreeti was his fault, Miroslav follows the Frankish knight close behind but on foot still carrying his 5' long axe in both hands.
"You are right! Balthazar says this thing is too much for us but I have yet to find a creature that will not respond to steel and a strong arm wielding it!

"By the gods! I missed out on the battle, I am not missing this!" Exclaims the Baltic warrior as he jogs close behind his old shipmate Miroslav.

After riding a distance in the direction of the Efreet (and allowing time for all those who would support them to move into position) Jean stood in the saddle and spoke in a booming voice trained to communicate across chaotic battlefields


"BASRAKAN OF THE EFREET! JEAN OF THE ARZILLIERES AND MIROSLAV OF THE RUS WOULD PARLEY WITH YOU! Leave the boy and bring your grievance to us!"

He speaks more quietly over his shoulder (addressing everyone but particularly Loukas), "If he comes then some of you who are swift of foot must go and secure Pyotr. At the least he must answer for this."

A'kos grins at Dyanna, "Aye, a wise course of action - something I've never been particularly accused of."

When the voice booms out it's wrath, he too is ready to respond when the Frank speaks.  Letting the knight take the lead he too follows the group, fearless at what he might face, though he spreads himself off the group's right flank.

"Where in Hell's damnation is Jaleh," he frowns to himself, beginning to worry.

Like the others Dyanna's gaze is drawn to the tumbling building.  She is shocked to see Pyotr there, an insignificant dot in front of a crimson behemoth.  Thinking quickly, she is unsure of what to do - she has nothing that might cause much harm to the being, her current retinue of spells insignificant against the Efreet's stature.  Still, as Jean speaks she moves quickly to the wall, running far to the right of where A'kos has set himself.  When she reaches the wall, she skitters up it's face once again, holding herself at the top and peeking over the battlement to see her proximity to Basrakan.

OOC: it seems I have quite a few posts to read to catch up with the story...

Roderychus thanks for any healing that he might have received. If there is anyone wounded he also offers whatever healing he can.

He smiles at the words spoken by Jean and Miroslav and jumps to his steed "You two are not expecting to march alone against that fiend, I suppose?" he spurs his horse and joins them.

You all can see from your vantage points the action on the exposed third floor. Pyotr ducks through the newly opened portal and Basrakan leans forward almost in fear of the opening into somewhere. A second or two later and the portal closes.

Dobrynya and the Rus host watch this all play out before them. None seem all that interested in coming over to take part in what must be some sort of strange personal matter. Dobrynya does order his archers to stand by and be ready on his command.

After Dobrynya barks his orders at the archers he turns to Alyna and says..."You have chosen interesting travel companions! I do urge that you stay back here with the army. This situation is volatile, I would hate to see anything happen to you. "
This message was last edited by the player at 11:59, Tue 23 Feb 2010.

When the portal closes leaving Basrakan alone in the destroyed building he howls in anger once again. Hearing Sir jean he whirls around and his feet lift off the floor by a foot or two...small fires spring up inside the room or what is left of the room he was standing in.

He levitates over the edge of the ruined floor then gently lowers himself to the ground 20 feet or so in front of where the warriors are. They can actually feel the heat coming from him at this distance.
"So it is you who are to blame?" He spits out in anger.

Noone has to tell Alyna twice that this is not a situation she wants to be in. She is barely able to control her horse anyway, and she would hate to add her blood to the already blood-soaked dress. So she just nods in quick agreement to the Regent, turns her horse around and retreats.

"Nay we have no part in your presence here."


Jean continues to stand in the stirrups.

"We are the guardians of this city. Your destructive rampage must stop."

"If you will cease you depredations peacefully we have amongst us several mystics who may, given time, be able to return you whence you came."

"If you will not then we must do our level best to destroy you." 

Jean's voice is level with all the strength and authority he can put into it.

Dyanna scuttles up over the edge of the wall and crouches behind a merlon while preparing a spell.

"Ah, Pyotr, what have you done?" she murmurs with some trepidation.

Her components ready, she listens to the exchange between Jean and the Efreet and waits.

While Sir Jean confronts the Efreet, and not bothering to suggest to him that actually no part of this city is his, but the Knyaz's, Loukas slips eastward keeping near the walls and out of sight of the awesome creature.

Clutching the pommel of his scimitar, Barmak looks at the fearsome master of fire and swallows hard, awestruck.  He replies to Gultunga amidst the din.

          Gultunga continues his search of the corpses as he continues to
whisper to Barmak . . .
This message was last edited by the player at 01:20, Thu 25 Feb 2010.

A'kos halts off the the Efreet's left, the party's right and sits patiently atop Storm's Wind.  His sword he rests across his lap, his arm loose but ready to whip it up and forward quickly if need be.  Looking up he spies Dyanna behind the big bastard and wonders briefly her intent.  He marvels at her ability to climb, then dismisses her with the thought, "Witch."

His attention is brought forward again to the Efreet, and he waits patiently for events to unfold...

Still watching the horrific spectacle of the Frankish warrior's standoff before the Efreet, Barmak continues to confer apprehensively with the seemingly-preoccupied Northerner.

A small stone, a tiny pebble more like, zings past A'kos. When he looks around, Jaleh waves to him from a place of concealment while trying to keep her actions out of the efreet's notice.

Basrakan looks as if he is about to explode but then the fire behind his eyes dies down somewhat and he leans forward in the hilt of his great scimitar as he places the point down in the cobblestone road.
Looking directly into jeans eyes he says..."You speak the truth Sir Jean D'Arzillieres...the little one stole this object from you, this I can see in you mind. It is best that I am after him rather than you.

He looks around and says..."I wish to follow him to exact my revenge but I do not have the power beyond my own wishes that I cannot use for myself...so i will offer you a deal. I will grant thee three wishes but the third must be used to send me to where the small one now is located. What say you?"

Balthazar, still invisible, but sitting on the side of the building nearby, completely forgets that no one can see him and yells, "Woohoo!  Go for it Sir Jean!  You've hit the jackpot!"

"So be it. As he has wronged us both I will accept your bargain in the hope that justice will be done."

Jean swings down from his mount and walks forward offering his hand to the Efreet as he would to anyone with whom he had sealed an agreement.

"Shall we retire to our rear area to converse further or do you wish to resolve this immediately?"

These people throw a kid to the wolves.

There has been a theft, yes, but still, that does not deserve death, at least not in Alyna's book. So she raises her voice, yelling over the heads of the troops: "No! Don't! He's just a kid!"

Her bravery does not go that far that she would face the demon, and she does not ride forward, keeping lots of people between her and that thing.

Basrakan's eyes flash once again as he turns to the woman... totally unaffected by how she looks. "Bah! He only looked like a child to your weak eyes. He has over 40 summer on earth. Do not be fooled by his height and boying looks!"

Alyna feels a drop of sweat form on her brow as the gaze of the beast falls upon her. She can feel the nervousness of the horse below her, and the animal starts to dance. She is barely able to control it.

Yet, she hears herself yelling: "Mighty one, there is a way to resolve this without bloodshed - whether the cause of your dismay is a child or not. Instead of wishing you to where the child is, why can't we just wish you back to where you came from? Is that not what you want?"

Great. First barbarians sink my ship, then i have to sleep on a wooden bench, and now I'm in a discussion with a monster with a burning head, and i did not even have a bath. God must hate me this week.

A'kos notices Jaleh and offers a grin and a wink, but shakes his head that she stay where she is.  As the Efreet and Jean parlay, he listens to the offer...for a moment he is overcome by greed...then foresight smacks him upside the head.

"Have a care, Frank," he says cheerfully.  "Our friend here offers a mighty bargain, yet likely will interpret your fondest desires in his own terrible way.  After traveling such with you these past weeks I would not see you set upon by his covey of burning beauties only to watch you char blacker than night..."

        Upon hearing Alynas screams as she argues with the Efreet, the Strides-
man continues his search amongst the dead for booty.  Gultungas anger rises to
the fore, and he commences to scream once the prying woman finishes . . .

        "Egads!  After Pyotr hath been entrusted with the magical cube by
r'e Captain, the untrustworthy lad breaks this trust by defying the Captains
orders, and in so doing places us n' harms way.  The swine O' a lad hath
brought wreak n' ruin to us to ausage his curiosity n' greed for power.  A
pox upon him.  A quick death wouldst be much too merciful for him in light
of his offence.  Thy words fall upon death ears Alyna as his actions hath
placed r'e mission n' complete jeapardy.

         It wouldst be best to wish the lad bound n' placed into the crushing
hands of the Effreet.  The more ye defend the vile Pyotr Alyna, the more thee
diminishes thy reputation amongst us!  Let um reap wot he hath sowed!"

"Let us take care of this now while the thirst for vengence is stil strong!" He replies to the Frankish knight.

Then turning to the dancer..."Why not just return home you ask? Where is the fun in that. This imp will pay for bringing me through with his cube.

Upon hearing the warning from A'kos he says with an evil smile..."Such is the nature of a wish, the more selfish, the more likely it will turn on the wisher. I have offered the first two wishes to this knight saving the last for myself. if I do not honor his wishes then he is free to not give the third to me. But still he must be mindful of the wording of the wish since there is little I can do but follow what he asks for."

Listening to the parlay Dyanna grows even more troubled by Pyotr's lack of foresight.  Always decisive, she finds herself in a difficult position, and gazes toward the ruined third floor where the Efreet emerged from.

Making her choice, she puts her spell component back in her bandolier, and climbs back onto the walkway of the wall.  An eye out for the mongrels, and others such she looks to the building where she last saw Pyotr.  Walking hunched behind the parapet, she rushes to the wall of the building and scales the wall to the ruins.

Once there she calls in a loud whisper, "Pyotr!  Pyotr you silly twit!  Where are you!"

"Frank...we've tales of these Efreet on the steppes, and the bargains they strike.  Heed me well - if you would parlay with such, couch your words carefully!"

With that, A'kos pulls his horse back a few steps and pulls a spear out of the holder on the saddle...just in case!

Alyna sends a look over to Gultunga. She has heard his threat, and it worries her, even though it was spoken by a barbarian who does not even pause his vile looting of the dead for the arrival of a demon. Greed is obviously his main motivation, and hearing him accuse someone else of greed is actually funny somehow. Alyna could point that out for all to see, but instead she just looks at him and at his pockets.

So, ignoring the comments of the big northman, Alyna answers the demon instead: "I do not condone the slaying of children. Pjotr is not human, he ages slower."

Now Alyna seems to speak to everyone present: "Anyone here who condones the slaying of children is nothing more than a monster in my eyes. I agree absolutely that Pjotr needs to be disciplined, but killed? No!"

Alyna seems to be talking herself into a frenzy. Now she points directly at Sir Jean and continues in Frankish: "And you! You call yourself a knight, is there honor in throwing a kid to the wolves for you? I did not think the Franks would be so cruel!"

Then Alyna sinks down on her horse, exhausted by her speach. In a low voice she adresses the Regent: "I apologize, my lord. I just can't stand by when a child is to be slaughtered. I have seen it before and I just can't."

Listening to the newcomer's speech A'kos considers the philosophical arguments and snorts.  She was giving him a headache...yet he wonders briefly how the Frank will negotiate a treacherous path between consorting with hellspawn and the rigors of his church and his order.

Knowing him this brief time, he suspects the Frank has other thoughts in mind...and rolls his shoulder for a mighty heave of his spear before he charges the Efreet.

Turning he shouts at Alyna, "Hush, woman...let us see how this plays out before you issue your condemnation!"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:00, Sat 27 Feb 2010.

Jean is unfazed by the ranting and continues in the same strong level voice.

"Very well we will settle it now."

"Firstly I wish that all of my allies...hm, and the civilian non-combatants, who are harmed in the taking of this city will heal quickly and completely."

He pauses and thinks for a moment.

"Secondly I wish the boy in question, Pyotr himself, were here, now, bound and in my custody."

The second pause is only a moment.

"Lastly, as agreed and according to your request, I wish you, the Efreet Basrakan, were transported to the place where Pyotr was located at the time of our agreement."

Jeans stands ready, hand on sword, as he awaits the outcome of his wishes.

Before he turns to face Jean for his wishes he replies to Alyna..."Killing children is of no consequence to me but do not be fooled. The imp is only of half blood with the elves. He is fully mature by the standards of his own people he just looks like a child...it is fitting that he duped all of you into thinking he was a child, fools that you are."

He then turns and begins to honor his bargain with the Frankish knight.

The first wish...the entire host of Rus and their allies as well as the civilians of the city are fully healed and a red wind whips through the streets then out to sea. Those dead are still dead though but the injured are taken care of.

The second wish...Pyotr lies bound and gagged on the ground at the Frankish knights feet. Basrakan licks his lips with anticipation.

The third wish (well played sir knight!)...Basrakan almost explodes he is so angry but he is caught up in his own wish given through the voice of the Frank. A rip in the air directly behind hip opens revealing a snowy landscape...the Efreeti is sucked backwards into the space and it closes behind him immediately.

Jeans picked up Pyotr. Handing him effortlessly to Miroslav he walked back and took the lead of his horse.

He held his head high as he moved back toward Dobrynia. The proud Knight had no intention of explaining himself despite the sting of the baseless accusations he had endured.

At last his mind turned to basic needs.

"I am hungry. Have we any food prepared?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:24, Sat 27 Feb 2010.

Ayasha sits on her horse, her mouth open, staring at the scene. "Oh my goodness.", she mutters.

Dyanna looks down from the heights where she watched the Frank issue his wishes.

"Well played," she mutters to herself, though silently she thinks perhaps the knight has earned himself a powerful nemesis in the Efreet.  Still, she sees the form of Pyotr, bound and gagged, at the knight's feet and smiles.

"Serves you right," she whispers.

Quickly she descends from the broken building and makes her way to Miroslav, where Pyotr is trussed.

"I think, perhaps, wiser hands should hold the cube for now," she says to those gathered, especially Miroslav.  "I would take it and study it's uses, and share with yon Pyotr the study to assuage his curiosity.  Balthazar no doubt would be interested in the Cube's uses as well."

She pauses a moment, then takes a breath and rushes on, "Basrakan called you fools for misguessing his age - I would not offer so harsh an insult, but it surprises me that each of you overlooked what was patently obvious from my first meeting with him...he is gifted with a fair bit of power, and has in him the ability to serve us as a group, should the right situation arise.  Tying him up, however, will not leave him predisposed toward such."

Pulling a dagger, she approaches Miroslav and says, "Will you put him down so I can cut him free and learn of where the cube may be?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:53, Sat 27 Feb 2010.

Alyna glides off her horse, embarrassed, but still graceful. She steps into the way of the Frankish knight and puts one hand on his shoulder. "I apologize, Sir Jean. I misjudged your intentions completely. Please forgive me.", she tells him in Frankish, looking very sheepish.

      After Gultunga finishes his search of the orc, he moves on . . .
This message was last edited by the player at 21:03, Sat 27 Feb 2010.

Events played out suddenly so that A'kos felt his head spinning as the boy appeared, and the Efreet vanished.  Looking up he could see the witch skittering down the town wall and rushing toward Miroslav.

Rolling his eyes he said aloud, "Now he's REALLY going to be insufferable."

Then he looks up toward where Jaleh is hidden and rides over.

"Come down, sweet.  The big, bad wolf is gone.  Just the little pup down here yearning for your affections."

Jaleh disappeared a moment and then came out on her horse, riding over to A'kos. "I am not so certain it is time to indulge the little pup if he is the one I believe you refer to. It seems that Frankish knight has just traded us a captive brat for an angry efreet. I would have sooner let the young one die for his deed than have to worry about some immortal spirit wanting my blood by association."

"You think I speak of that sprig of a half-blood?" laughs A'kos, shaking his head.  "No, lady fair, I speak of myself as the pup yearning for your affections."

Tenderly he reaches to touch the woman's shoulder.

"I was worried for you," he said quietly then.  "Let's go find something to eat, and perhaps a place to hide for an hour...or two!"

Jaleh laughed thinly. "No, I was speaking of that miserable sprig. I suspected you were worried about the sprig in your pants!"

She waved for A'kos to ride on. "Lead on though, you have my attention. I could use something flavorful."

Jean removed his helm.  He tried to look disdainfully down his nose at Alyna but failed miserably.

"Your opinion of me means nothing.", He lied (also in French).

"You do not know me at all and yet this is the first time you have spoken my language that was not an accusation."

He made no move to remove her hand from his shoulder and was clearly affected by her though he made every effort not to show it.

Pyotr's eyes go wide as the cootie charing going on around him. He wondered (and doubted) if it would be worth mentioning he had risked himself to try and save their lives using the cube. Big people thought too often with their little head, or at least that was what his nanny told him. Events here seemed to prove her point.

Sheathing his blade Loukas walks forward from the alley he had situated himself during the conversation. "Well done, Sir Jean."

"I really am sorry.", Alyna sais in Frankish, her voice trembling. She hang her head, a sad expression on her face. Her hair falls over her face and it actually seems to turn darker than it was before. Removing her hand, she looked up to him again, her big eyes shimmering in tears. "I'll stay out of your way. Maybe someday you will think better of me." With that she turns and walks back to her horse.

Alyna was pretty certain that the knight's anger was an act. It was not very convincing, so she gave him some of his own medicine. Her act though was perfect, there is a good reason people call dancers actresses.

Miroslav slaps Jean on the back for a job well done then picks up Pyotr like a sack of turnips and tosses him up onto his shoulder.

When he is approached by Dyanna he says..."This little thieving bastard shall not be cut free...but if you wish you can assist Balthazar in searching for the cube on his person."

He looks around for the Hedonite.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:17, Sat 27 Feb 2010.

Pyotr starts to squirm, having heard enough rumors about the Hedonites to not want one of them groping his body...

Dyanna's eyes flash for a moment before she regains her composure.

"He's part of this party, and though he lacks wisdom, what he did I am sure was meant for the greater good.  AND through the knight's quick thoughts and actions it did turn out for the better, though not through expected means!"

"Miroslav, I tell you true...this boy will play a role in our success or failure as a group - imprisonment bodes ill on us all if you insist upon it."

Whose a thief, anyway, Miroslob? Pyotr thinks to himself; everyone else took a piece of the treasure, and no one calls them thieves.

Pyotr had fought in the combat as well, and was due an equal share, but big-folk never think kids should get their due. Just like his meanie of a father, this guy thought kids were only for beating, abusing and ignoring. His Da hadn't been a Slav, but if this guy was an example, then he sure acted like one. What a sad, sorry lot their children must be.

          Gultunga gathers the reins of one of the fallen Byzantine Knights
mounts and coaxes it towards the next one.  He spits upon the bloodied ground
in disgust at Pyrotrs allies misbegotten efforts at trying to liberate him
from his much deserved punishment.  Dyanna doth naught know whence to keep
here tongue still and let fate take its due course.

Loukas listened to all and was a bit perplexed. Certainly he was not aboard the Heart of Oak when these people joined the crew, but he could not help but wonder who they were and why they thought themselves able to make such claims. All he knew is that suddenly they were faced with a major occult Lord (as such the Efreet seemed to him to be) amongst their other challenges. The only thought that came to him was best laid intentions...

"This boy's actions nearly laid us all to waste. Sir Jean's wisdom saved us all. I do not care if Pyotr joins us or not. I leave this for you to decide Miroslav, as you are Captain, but regardless of how smart he is, we know that he does not bear sufficient wisdom to deal with dangerous things. Regardless of his true age he ought to be treated as a child. If he continues with us we keep a tight leash on him... I do not wish to be a victim of his future learning experiences."

Dyanna ignores the others and focuses her efforts on the Captain of the Heart of Oak.

"Sir, emotions run high...yet still, Pyotr had claim right to the treasure from the other ship - he chose the Cube.  You seemed content to divvy up a reward that our efforts begot.  I would keep that in mind as you decide Pyotr's fate.  As for the Cube, again, I would leave that to either mine or Balthazar's keeping, giving those who appreciate knowledge rather than superstition a chance to learn more of it.  Since Pyotr's gifted he should also share with us his own learning...especially considering he's already used the device."

"Besides - were you to lock him away, he would be gone before the lock clicked shut."

Crossing her arms she looks at the Captain and asks, "What say you?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:23, Sun 28 Feb 2010.

          Whilst making his way to the next mount, the Stridesman screams . . .

          Trust naught anyone whom defends one that ye can naught any the
longer trust with your life r'e valuables!  Gultungas words hath naught
proven wrong before, let them naught fall upon death ears at this time.  If
thee doth not decide to destroy the vile ill begotten cube, place it n' the
hands O' one that shalt naught be tempted to use it.  For one to use it, is to
bring those about them to utter wreck and ruin! Place it n't the care O' one whom hath given thee long service, n' hath earned thy trust, n' no tuther!"

Miroslav calls to Oleg then turns the still magically bound and gagged Pyotr over to the Varangian saying..."I trust you and Radvila to keep an eye on him while we decide on a course of action. Do not let him free or ungag him...if he has to piss, let him swim in it. If he wants to play the child he can wet himself for a while eh?"

Then to Dyanna..."You make a good point...perhaps we should cut his tongue out and lop off his hands before imprisoning him?"

Then he turns his back and follows Jean saying..."Yes food! Then we sleep. Dobrynya and his men are securing the area for now. We can continue the discussion about what to do with our little thief in the morn...for now I am weary of this day."

Zmija sidles up next to where Miroslav gives over the half elf to Oleg. He quickly goes through the clothing of the prisoner and finds the cube and holds it up..."I assume the both Dyanna and Balthazar would like to join me in examining this cube. Anyone else?"

he then gives Miroslav a stern look and says..."I suggest you leave this mans fate in the hands of Lord Dobrynya. He will be regent over this city and unless Sviatoslabv himself decides to camp here, will be the one with true authority."

Jean watched Alyna leave and was completely unaffected by her tears. Of course. He felt nothing at all. The pain and hollow feeling in his breast was clearly a cramp from the long period for which he had been wearing his Hauberk...his enchanted Hauberk which was supple as cloth and weighed no more than a heavy tunic.

That was it certainly. Just fatigue.

He approached Zmija as that worthy addressed Miroslav.

"If Lord Dobrynya is to decide the boys fate I would like to be present. It was into my hand he was delivered and while I would not seek to thwart justice I would like to speak my mind before his fate is sealed."

"If harm comes to Pyotr, that is not justice," replies Dyanna.  "But - my actions in the fight notwithstanding - perhaps I have no voice here to testify on his behalf.  Perhaps, had I not cast the blanket of silk upon the mongrels' first rank, the four of you would have held firm, unscathed.  Perhaps, had my arrows not found some marks, you could have stood alone!  Had Jaleh not dealt death to our foes, had Alyna not healed the sick and wounded, you would still be standing in front of open gates for the Lord Dobrynya and handing him a city freed by your hands alone."

Pausing a moment, she finishes her speech to no one in particular, "Perhaps next time when we battle I will recall such attitudes from my allies and watch in womanly wonder at their exploits!"

Turning then she searches out Gultunga and shouts, "And next time I'll sit quietly as you try to ride a horse and let your balls fall off, you foolish ape!"

Walking from the others she approaches Zmija and quietly says, "I would repair with you and Balthazar to learn more of the gate - and at some point would replenish my spells.  I would as soon stay away from the main force right now, but would have my voice heard tomorrow if the Lord is to make judgment on Pyotr."

Alyna was a little surprised that the knight did not follow her. Not many men would be able to resist, but these were extraordinary circumstances.

Or I am losing my touch.

Shaking off the troublesome feeling, she instead remounted her horse again and led it over to the Regent. Turning to him, her eyes still shimmering, she spoke: "My Lord, now that the situation has been cleared up, I would ask you to show kindness to the people of this town and to the captured boy. Sir Jean's noble wish has already healed many, but there could still be mercenaries roaming the streets. New suffering could transpire."

When Alyna heard Dyanna shouting, she was barely able to keep herself from laughing. "Foolish ape". Brilliant. Yet, her face showed no amusement, as the situation of the city was not under control yet.

"Aye, no more ill will come to these city folk should they accept the rollover of government peacefully. I cannot promiise not to harm those who will try to stop the Knyaz's wishes. As for the boy...er man who has been captured. I will hear of this tomorrow after we break our fast."

He nods his head and hops back up onto his mount defying his age and says..."Now I suggest you find a rom and rest for the evening. I have matters to attend to that are quite pressing." Without waiting for a reply he wheels his horse around and is gone.

As Dobrynya left Jean studied the Pecheneg pony that Alyna sat on as if it's health was suddenly of great interest to him.

After a moment he looked up at her and spoke, "Would you consider...dining with me Alyna? I would that we avoid any further conflict caused by a lack of understanding."


The man had faced the awesome elemental might of an Efreet without so much as a twitch but clearly the woman had him off balance. His normally proud and powerful voice was noticeably nervous when he addressed her.

Looking at the Frankish knight, and back to Jaleh, A'kos says, "Like I said, he'll be REALLY insufferable..."

A mess has been set up by the Rus near the gates on the inside of the wall. Definitely food to be had but camp fair mostly...but augmented by what the cooks can scrounge in the nearby kitchens.

Several houses and buildings have been taken over as barracks. A large house for the women folk has been secured and guards stand by. The house is very large and each woman can have her own room if need be.

Zmija has set up a base of operations for the Regent in another building. The back room of which Zmija has taken for himself and the study of the cube with Balthazar and Dyanna.

Gultunga and several others has amassed a small fortune looting the bodies of the Pechenegs. It is also kept with Zmija. A herd of horses is also recovered and is outside the city wall with a small guard. Dobrynya has made it clear to all teh Rus that the spoils of the battle of the gate will go to those from the Heart of Oak.

Alyna was pretty sure she had done everything in her power to help the people of this town. Others had done far more, but hopefully her words had resonated with the Regent. She noticed the Frankish Knight standing there. That made her painfully aware of the fact that her legs were exposed again due to her hastily mounting the horse.

When he spoke, she turned her head, smiled at him and extended a hand, so that he could help her off the horse. "Of course i'll accompany you, Sir Jean."

I'm not losing my touch after all.

In reply to A'kos, the Falcon (msg #232):

Loukas laughed at A'kos's comment about Sir Jean, but when he speaks it is clear that he has gained a new admiration for the Frank, "Perhaps, but at this point it will be justified... Not that it will be any easier to take, I suppose."

At the end of the battle and the peculiar situation that has followed Loukas could not help but feel not only exhausted, but at loose ends. He could not help but feel rather disinterested in whatever loot there was here at the gate, nor could he feel any particular pride in having come up with the strategy that to some degree had gotten them to the victory. He could not help but hear his uncle's voice in the back of his head, "Luck has everything to do with everything and one's situation too often has everything to do with luck. The rest is up to you."

He takes off his gloves as he approaches Miroslav, and pulls out a flask "Well, my Captain, I share your weariness, but it seems as if this night would be a good one to drink too much and sing too loud before we sleep."

Sorry I wasn't able to get online long enough to keep up with the game over the weekend.

Balthazar turns visible once more and shakes hands with Sir Jean, but warns him that it is probably his fate to meet that Efreet once more, then winks adding it was probably worth it considering the attention Alyna is giving him.  Balthazar then says to Miroslav, "I can't wait to hear Pyotr's explanation for his actions.  This ought to be good!"

Then he sits down with Zmija and Dyanna to study the cube.  He laughs, "Heh, what are the chances that the previous owner scribbled on each side where it leads?"  When he gets a chance, Balthazar will memorize read magic just in case something is written on the cube that can only be seen with that spell active.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:00, Mon 01 Mar 2010.

To Balthazar she says, "Of certain one side leads to the elemental plane of fire - though it begs the question can water, wind and earth be reached using this device as well?  I would like to talk with Pyotr to hear what he learned in his impromptu experimentation."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:34, Mon 01 Mar 2010.

Giving the dancer a hand down Sir Jean scarcely glanced at her exposed legs. In fact he so pointedly did not look at them that it was painfully obvious he was aware of them.

As her feet touched the ground he spoke continuing to use the speech of his homeland.

"I expect it will be soldiers fare. There is ought else to be had until the city begins to settle down."

After they walk a short distance in the direction of the mess tent he asks, "So how did an eastern girl come to speak the language of West Frankland?"

The non-combative side of the Knight is apparently very polite. A situation many witnesses find mind wrenching as he has never so much as hinted at having a non-combative side before.

          Gultunga gathers as many of the Byzantine mounts as possible and brings
them to the designated area to releave them of all the booty thats been secured
upon them by their former masters.

Barmak accompanies Gultunga in his gathering, aiding as he may to add to their growing fortunes.  He mutters occasionally about the soft-heartedness of women, though judging by his expression his words are not said in flattery.  He vows to be present at Pyotr's trial, whatever form it may take under the Kynaz's law.

Once the work of looting is done, he makes his way to the mess to find nourishment, hoping there will be wine to soothe his frayed nerves.  "One can only face death so many times in a day," he says wearily to Gultunga.  "Your folk may be accustomed to living lives fraught with endless danger, but I am not."

"Well, we know another face leads to a cold place with a bridge, that's where I saw Pyotr flee to.  Actually, if you're curious as to what happened when I went after Pyotr, I arrived invisible on the scene as Basrakan was raising his scimitar to slay Pyotr.  I dashed for the cube - I could have had it so easily - but I stubbed my toe on a loose rock and fell flat on my face [OOC: I rolled a 1].  Neither Pyotr nor Basrakan even noticed me.  Then Pyotr picked up the cube, pressed the face that led to the cold place, and disappeared into it."

As soon as Alyna landed on the ground the skirt of her dress fell down and her legs were out of sight. Naturally she linked arms with the knight when they started walking, at which point the slit up the right front of her skirt revealed her long leg again with every step.

Alyna had only showy dresses, for her it was like a uniform.

Smiling up to the knight, she said: "Oh, do not worry. Although I enjoy a good meal, i am not that spoiled to expect one here, in this situation."

When he asked where she learned Frankish, she answered: "I have been travelling before I came to Constantinople, and my journeys took me to the northern part of your charming country, among others. Do you know Archbishop Artold of Reims? I was there on his invitation. I like learning languages, and yours is such a beautiful one. I stayed a while and learned it there."

Walking on, she asked: "And you, good Sir? What brought you here? I was rather surprised to see a Frankish Knight here."

"I know of the Archbishop but if I met him it was when I was very young. I traveled with my father during our war with the Magyars, A'kos' people, and so had little exposure to court life."

"As to why I am here it is a simple matter truly."

"Where I am from only the oldest brother may inherit. A man must either be born first, be willing to kill his brothers, or be willing to seek his own fortune."

"I love my brothers and so here I am."

Jean left her for a moment and returned with two steaming bowls of food and two wooden spoons. Finding a quiet spot in the lee of the walls he threw his cloak on the ground for Alyna to sit. Handing her one of the bowls he sat as close by as he dared.

"I have seen much of the world but had time to learn very little about it. I have letters and can speak Greek fairly well but I am far from a linguist.

"Those were days before Geza's soft rule, and his wish to suckle at your church's breast," called A'kos to the knight.  "Days when Magyars rode hard with the vicious fury that nations feared."

"Ah, for days long past!"

Jean rose and walked to where the A'kos sat eating. He stood over the Falcon with a hard look in his eyes and a hand on his sword.

"And we rode those fearsome Magyar invaders into the ground, destroyed them, and drove their remnants out of our lands."


He pauses and then his voice changes slightly.

"Had I known their were men of your quality among them the loss of so many would have made me weep."

"You faced the Efreet and stood with me when others, even some of those who have been with us from Byzantium, abandoned me and fled."

"We have been at knifes edge since we met...Before God I apologize for any slight I have done you."

"If you would allow it I would call you my friend."

And suddenly Alyna was sitting alone. She smiled to herself, whispered something that sounded like a comment about the behaviour of men and considered retreating to the house that was reserved for the women. It would show this frankish knight.

But instead, she just cleared her throat, so that it could be heard clearly by the two men.

Having not retreated to the women's quarters yet, Jaleh was still sitting next to A'kos when Sir Jean walked over threateningly at first. She was almost certain there might be a fight or argument, but that faded quickly when the knight changed his tone. She listened to Sir Jean give his apology and shifted her position slightly to lean against A'kos and remained silent as she watched Sir Jean and listened for what A'kos had to say in return.

"You know of the story of how I received this sword?" asked A'kos, squinting up at Jean and chewing thoughtfully.  "Won from a knight, perhaps of your own order.  A good man, and honorable combat.  He died well.  In another life I would have stood at his side in battle...perhaps.  Instead, the Winds send me you."

"In honor of that dead knight, aye, I will call you friend...and perhaps more importantly I will call you comrade."

"Now, go and sit next to the young lady, Sir Jean, before her legs get cold..."

A'kos offers a low chuckle and a wink to Jaleh, then nods his chin toward where Alyna sits.

"Go!" he laughs when Jean pauses.

Jean walked back to Alyna and sat down somewhat closer than before.

"I apologize but I felt that needed saying and had I waited until later I would have had to interrupt their...rest."

He picked his bowl back up with a smile. "Barring an attack my attention is exclusively yours for the remainder of the evening."

"Where were we?"

"I accept your apology.", Alyna said, smiling at the knight. "You did not let me react to what you told me. Would you mind telling me where your home is? Maybe I went through it on my travels. And what lured you to Constantinople?"

Alyna was curious about this knight, who had shown such bravery and wit in face of the monster. She knew life was not easy for any non-firstborn in the frankish empire, she had seen many young men leave their homes, never to return, at least not while she was in that land up north.

Loukas had no knowledge or interest in the cube, was not interested whatever loot was to be had, and felt a bit unsure what to do. Besides drink... He was standing off to the side of A'Kos and Jean's exchange and appreciated their bonding, but Jean's claim that he had been left alone... As if everyone else had run thoughtlessly away rather than moved to tactical positions for what appeared to be a forthcoming melee cut deep. This pompous goon finally does something useful and suddenly his judgement is justified? Suddenly the pride he'd not felt moments before in his earlier strategic thinking was reborn.

He began to speak and stopped himself. Whatever he said would only initiate a clash. Regardless how clever his argument is would only make him look like a spoil-sport at the very best. Sir Jean had acted heroically and, frankly, thought faster than he had. So, Loukas took a deep breath, said nothing, and let the Frank enjoy his moment. It was deserved.

"Well my home is in Arzillieres which is in Champagne south of the Ardene forest. The land there is as beautiful as any you will ever see."

"As to why I traveled to the Great City. It was a place that I had not been and one of great opportunity. You see my father is the Baron of Arzillieres and a Knight Captain of Emperor Lothair. He casts a long shadow and I wish to know that my accomplishments are my own."

"Closer to home and I would always suspect that my achievments were charity for a poor forth born son or manipulation to gain favor with a father to poor to support all of his get."

"I wonder where that cold place was - could be anywhere from certain parts of elemental air, to the middle layers of Hell.  Pyotr really needs to be here..."

Dyanna ground her teeth in frustration at the situation.

Jaleh laid backward across A'kos' lap and looked up at him. "Was that true, what you said about the knight and your sword? Tell me the story."

"I agree Dyanna...I cannot see a way for us to safely test this object out at all. At least if we had some idea of a few of the portals it opens we would have a lesser risk. The Lord Dobrynya will pass judgement on the little man tomorrow. We must at least make sure that he understands the risk we will be taking to go at this thing blindly."

By no means do I want to cut this nice roleplaying short...so keep going with this thread as long as you want. Tomorrow I will be opening a new thread for the Trial of Pyotr.

"Well, I think we've done all we can for now.  The next step is to find a library that might contain legends or references to the Cube.  What do you two say we head back to the safety of the army encampment, where I will stir up some nice rabbit stew for you both, followed by my special chocolate cake?"

"What seasonings do you use in the rabbit stew?" asks Dyanna, the roaring of her stomach revealing her hunger.  "I'm fair to good with a bow shot...if they're not moving.  A few nights it was my arrows that kept me fed out in the wilds."

She looks sad as she says this.

"Ach," replies the Falcon, his hand stroking Jaleh's hair.  "A challenge fought that probably should not have been, a challenge accepted by one too young, a challenge given by one too old.  At the end, he thanked me for offering him an honorable death, landless, holdless, poverty stricken."

A'kos goes quiet for a moment before adding quietly, "Even in my youth I saw the heedless recklessness of my action when he breathed his last, and I carry his sword to honor him."

Reaching up to touch A'kos on the cheek in something of a comforting or at least caring gesture, Jaleh continued. "So, he was an old knight and challenged you. Why, what was the purpose in challenging you and for what?"

In reply to Sir Jean D'Arzillieres (msg #252):

"Ahh, the beautiful Champagne.", Alyna answered the knight. "Such a wonderful land. You must miss it terribly." She softly put her hand on his arm and looked into his eyes, searching for something in there.

She sighed. "I sometimes miss Aleppo, too. My family is still there, but I had to go to Constantinople to pay for their lives. Still we were lucky, many others did not survive the sacking of Aleppo. War produces so many suffering. I do hope this city's suffering is over now."

Alyna then looked over to where A'kos and Jaleh were getting very close. She said: "On another subject, how long have these two been together?"

In reply to Alyna (msg #261):

"For almost as long as I have known them. Though they sometimes act as if they had been together far longer."

"I see.", Alyna answered, a little disappointment in her voice. It was not because of A'kos and Jaleh of course, but because the frankish knight did not seem interested in her past life. But instead of showing it, she just smiled at him, her smile that gets men's knees weak. "I can surely see that being in combat can make people appreciate life and love. I hope those two are careful though." She added in a low voice: "This Jaleh scares me. There is something in her eyes that makes me shiver."

"For awhile I followed the banner of the boy Prince Koppany, though he paid but lip service to the blood pact uniting the tribes, and soon I grew weary of serving a pretender," replied A'kos.  "I left to wander, to raid and to travel...it was during these excursions, soon after my eighteenth year day that I crossed paths with the knight.  He spoke in earnest of his God, but I grew weary of Gods in the arguments among my folk...it seems religion has done more to tear down the fabric of my folk than build it up.  I would have let be, though, yet he called me but a heathen boy.  I grew enraged."

"In retrospect I think he meant it only as an observation...that realization causes me no lack of shame.  When I bade him renounce such things he said to do so would be to renounce is God, and that he would not do.  I cursed his name, and he grew wroth...and the challenge, once given, would not be undone."

"I knew as soon as we crossed blades that I would win easily," sighed A'kos sadly, his dark eyes reflecting the light of the fire.  "I let him control the temper of the fight, gave him a measure of dignity in his final stand but he drew close and scored a hit, and I struck him down.  I knelt over his still form and we talked a moment and then he died.  This blade is his - I carry it in his honor."

In reply to Alyna (msg #263):

The smile had a noticeable effect on Jean and he returned it with a bright smile of his own. (ooc if it matters Jean also has a very high charisma. he just doesn't use it as much)

"I do not believe that careful is a part of the lives they have chosen but I would estimate she is more dangerous than most of the men I have known. They are safer in danger than many are in their homes."


He gestured around at the city.

"We came as conquerors but after the fools who rule this city brought in the Pechenegs our presence has most like staved off another tragedy such as your home suffered. Though I am not the most pious of men it is in things like these that I see the hand of God."

"I agree. Who knows what these beasts have been doing. I fear we will get more bad news in the morning. And i hope that the suffering is over for now. It all will start again when the Romans come. And they will come with anger. But until that happens it is the responsibility of the conquering army and it's commanders to make sure that the people are safe."

Alyna almost regretfully removed her hand from the knight's arm. "I thank you for the meal and the conversation. I will retire now to the women's house. Will you escort me there?"

"You lived out in the wilds?  Wow.  In Jerusalem, where the Hedonites are headquarted, as part of my induction training, we had to live out in the woods as ascetics for two weeks.  The idea of the exercise was to understand the difference between wanting and needing.  Zmija, you are probably familiar with that kind of lifestyle.  I still get shivers thinking of those times.  That's when I learned how to use the bow myself, though I confess that when the instructors weren't around I switched to magic missile. Hunting rabbits is quite simple when you can't miss. Anyways, I use garlic, salt, pepper, a little paprika, and then I add rosemary and thyme."  He goes on to describe it like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kao8Yn-_EOs
This message was last edited by the player at 01:23, Fri 05 Mar 2010.

In reply to Alyna (msg #266):

Jean stood and offered the dancer a hand up.

"It would be my honor Alyna."

He adjusted his baldric and once more offered her his arm.

Alyna took the offered hand to help her get up, but the knight could feel it was more of a courtesy than actual need. She then took his arm and let him lead her to the women's house.

"Thank you again.", she said, when they reached the house. "I enjoyed spending time with you." Then she rose up on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek, before she turned and walked past the guards into the house. She turned her head once more before she entered, a sassy smile on her face. Then the door closed behind her.

Alyna went to the room that has been assigned to her, undressed and went to bed. This has been a very long day, and she needed some rest. Tomorrow would not be easier, she feared.

"Aye. Twas my pleasure as well."

Jean stood for a few seconds too long watching Alyna leave. He had not been prepared for the kiss.

Finally, shaking his head to clear it, he sets out in search of Oleg and Radvila.

Jean has no problem finding Oleg and Radvila and their ward...Pyotr.

Jean enters and wasting no time speak directly to the two guards, "I would appreciate if you would leave me with the boy. I will take responsibility for him while you are away."

Both Oleg and Radvila look abit apprehensive about this but how can they argue with the one who brought the prisoner in? They close the door behind them as they leave to wait in the hall.

Jean picks up the youthful mage and sits him in a chair. He then moves a second chair opposite and sits in it himself.

"I have come to speak to you and offer a bargain. Will you hear me."

"You're sad you killed him. That's sweet." Jaleh told A'kos while idly playing with his hair. "I think he was stupid for putting that much faith in a god. Especially when that god probably didn't care what happened to him. If it was clear you were going to win, it was silly for the old guy to continue fighting. It's nice of you to carry his sword though, I guess."

A'kos frowns a moment, then shrugs.

"Not silly...it was courage," he sighs.  "He knew I would win, but stood by his faith and by his honor and fought anyway.  To do less would have been craven, and a smirch upon the honor of his vows and the strength of his faith.  He was a strong man, and honorable."

Settling down he lay back and enjoyed the warmth of Jaleh's nearness as they sat near the fire.

"It sounds lovely, I'm sure," smiles Dyanna.  "And do you have a rabbit at hand to cook?"

"It was courage to throw his life away meaninglessly? What did it accomplish for his faith? Nothing. That's why I said it was silly. Dying for honor is fine if it really accomplishes something or matters in some way. But his death really meant nothing. What you do with his sword these days are the only things that give his life or death any kind of meaning. I think he was silly. I'm sure if he had a woman somewhere, she would too."

"Why yes, our good hosts did a bit of hunting today."  He offers up the choice of 3 rabbits.

As he cooks, he is about to put a little wine into the stew, then stops himself and asks Zmija if that would be okay.  "I'm not sure if you drink at all."

A'kos mulls over Jaleh's perspective, then answers, "If a man falls alone doing the right thing where no one but his enemies see, is it silly?  I think not.  Somehow the winds will tell the tale of that lone warrior."

"I have given it no little thought, but I believe there is power in such a death...why else would the reach of the Christian Church have become so long?"

He pauses a moment and finishes, "No, Jaleh, the death, any such death holds a power all it's own, and is not silly, whether a woman awaits at the end of a journey or no."

"The winds tell many things, A'kos. Almost none of them true. One cannot rely on the wind to tell his story, all he count on it to tell is that he's a corpse. And if left in the hands of his enemies, a man's story can become nothing but lies. That is one thing among many a good woman can do for a man, keep his story safe."

Jaleh was quiet for a moment then laughed. "The Christian Church is powerful because lonely old men learned how to feed people bullshit and play power games. That's all. Their new god is no better than the old ones. Its just as capricious and just as uncaring. You're not starting to believe in their crap are you?"

"Heh," chuckled A'kos.  "No, I shall kneel to no one and nothing ever again.  Still, a man's bravery counts even if he falls alone, and truth has it's own sort of power.  Were I to die tomorrow, alone, I believe I would face my fate with courage regardless of whether my memory was sung of by the bards or no..."

"That's because you have people to carry on your memory. Even if you were to vanish tomorrow we would still remenber that you lived and what you were like, who you were. If you died tomorrow and everybody that ever knew you also died, then what would it matter how you died? It wouldn't. Because if no one ever knew you or heard of you, then you might as well have never existed."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:11, Sun 07 Mar 2010.

Zmija perks up at the mention of wine..."I am Rus! Pour some wine in the pot and when you think you have enough, pour more in!"
Holding off on Pyotr's trial thread...seeing how things play out this weekend before pushing the action ahead.

Loukas laughs, "The monks of Zmija's order are rather different than those of Mt. Athos or Epephanius in Egypt. You are in for quite a treat Dyanna. Balthazar's cooking would justify us calling him a Hedonist even if he did not call himself such. Combined with his magick it makes him an even more valuable comrade."

"Even if all of us died tomorrow, our conquerors would remember our deaths," answered A'kos.  "If we fought well, struggled to the end, then we would be told of in their stories as worthy foes.  History is replete with tales of such...which goes back to my original point, I suppose - it's not how one dies, 'tis how one lives that leaves the mark of that person as a man."

Finally A'kos finishes, "I am no philosopher, but I hold that knight in high esteem.  He is one I would emulate, and his death was not in vain because I remember and will continue to do so for the rest of my life - and I will tell of his bravery to any who will listen."

After a thoughtful pause he says, "I hope I have answered your questions, Little Jaleh."

A kiss on the top of her head punctuates the conversation.

"As long as his eyes don't light up while looking at me the way they do when talking about food, I have no issue with that," laughs Dyanna.  "I am starving!"

Smiling as A'kos kissed her head, Jaleh craned her neck to catch his mouth in a full kiss as he was pulling back. "You did. But I still think he was silly for dying defending some god. I give you he died honorably, but the reason he did so was stupid. Gods always get people killed. It just makes it worse because he was so honorable."

As Balthazar pours wine into the stew with Zmija's approval, he says, "Oh no, Dyanna, I wouldn't do that to you.  Women like Alyna, they want men to leer at them.  Being a magician, I surmised that you much prefer the furtive glance and the seemingly innocuous occasional touch."  He ladles out some soup to each of you, putting his hand on your shoulder in a friendly way as he does so.  "Enjoy!"  Then he winks.

Pyotr nods his head at the Frankish knight.

When the gag is removed he says..."What do you have in mind?"

When Jean speaks his voice is level and direct. He speaks as if he were speaking to another man rather than the boy-child that pyotr appears to be.

"First Pyotr let me say that it is quite obvious there is more to you than is apparent to the eye. Your decisions of late have placed you in bad stead with Miroslav and Dobrynya but I suspect you are not the villain they believe you to be."

"That is neither here nor there as it is their perceptions which will likely decide your fate. The order has already been given once to kill you and the law of the Rus will almost surely see you maimed at the least."

He pauses for a moment and contnues.

"I would not wish to see that."

"I have come to offer you terms by which I will stand in your defense if you agree to them."

"I will address Dobrynya's court tomorrow and explain that you were given into my custody and that therefore your fate should be mine to decide."

"If they will not accept that the task I have set for you is enough to balance your crimes then I will see you safely to the limits of the city and release you. Failing that I will demand to represent you as your champion in a trial by combat according to their own laws."

"Do you wish to hear my terms?"

"As long as 'tis me who is dolling out the 'occasional furtive touch'," answers Dyanna blandly to the Hedonite, then offers a small moan of appreciation as she samples the stew (her eyes mischievous).

"The stew is delicious!" she says after the first taste, then she sets to with a will.

Wiggling in the unpleasant feel (and stench) of urine, Pyotr works his jaw back and forth, to massage the muscles.

"I would put my trust in mama's family and name, but these nasty, fur-brained Russ wouldn't know they were making a mistake, and then Grandpa and the Uncles would ram pointed sticks of their aft portholes. That would be fun, it's just the dying that goes with it that irks me."

Twisting his neck to stretch out an ache, he gives the knight an appraising eye.

"I guess I should return the nice words, by the way. I heard about how you dealt with  Basrakan. You big folk usually think like ya look, but you've got more twixt your ears then most blade-swinging thugs."

He sighs deeply, and shakes his head in despair for the world.

"To be honest, I would rather trust myself in a battle against any of the champions they would offer, but they would make be defend myself without my own particular set of skills, and call it fair. If it's a test of brawn, then I guess I should at least listen to what you suggest, sir knight, though a mouthful of water first would not be frowned upon."

Pyotr peers out at the knight through the unkempt hair, and awaits his words...

Jean sniffs at a cup left behind by Oleg or Radvila and then offers Pyotr a drink.

"Ale not water. Though I suspect it is welcome none the less."

Jean remains standing close enough to offer another drink.

"My offer is simple. Become my Squire."

"Swear an oath to serve me before God and in your Mother's name. None here would question such an oath be they Christian or Heathen."

"Your primary task will be to teach me the language of the Rus though I would expect you to maintain the other duties of the job as well. You will be treated with the respect due your position and when some time has passed and you have proven yourself to the others I will release you from your oath."

"What say you?"

"Put the rag back in, before I use words my mommy doesn't like. I am servant to no grown-up, not ever again, nor a squire, whose main job consists of cleaning up horsey poop, and polishing the metal items that you big folk use to kill each other with. Metal gives me the heebeegeebees. Ick.

"If you wish to hire a tutor though, that is another thing, and a contract for a service provided, which includes the understanding that as your tutor, you listen to me, when whatever you wish me to teach you is at issue, however, is something that we might be able to agree on."

Jean stuffs the rag back in and re-ties the gag very tightly. He then replaces Pyotr on the floor where he found him.

"No. Without the oath I do not believe they would allow you to go unpunished."

"I wish you luck tomorrow."

Crossing to the door the Knight knocks to let Oleg and Radvila know to return and waits, watching Pyotr, for them to enter.

Once they enter he will take his leave and go in search of a place to rest.

Pyotr lies back on the floor, and allows his body to return to shivering. He had hidden his weakness from the big manly knight, but the only warmth he had was when he peed, and except for the mouthful of backwashed ale, he had had precious little to drink.

Rolling onto his stomach, he attempted to arch his back, and stretch a bit. He had last felt his fingers over six hours ago, and he wasn't one hundred percent sure they would still work, if the ropes were ever removed.

He was glad for the rag, he was certain without it, his teeth would chatter so hard, he would chip a tooth.

Still, it was reasonable that these people would fear a child, he realized. Clearly his modicum of knowledge scared them senseless; though for the bulk of the Russ, he suspected being able to spell your own name was cause for a stoning.

He strained to urinate, or even defecate, to generate some body heat. Even the few grown-ups who understood that he risked his life to save then were too busy 'rolling in the sheets' (whatever that meant). Why care about the child in their care, when they can create new ones to mistreat so easily?

And the Romans? Their history is full of tales of proud pater familias, leaving infants to die on barren hills. History books suggested they invented the very concept of abortion. Slaughtering children was apparently a human trait. The Byzantines were but poor simple-minded cousins to the real Romans, the Empire builder, but they specialized in keeping the basest, and most self indulgent portions of the Roman culture flourishing.

To your surprise, Balthazar turns bright red with a goofy smile on his face, then busies himself with baking the chocolate cake.  "A secret Hedonite recipe," he adds, "found from plants on an exotic continent."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:06, Thu 11 Mar 2010.

"I can only imagine the ingrediants," she replies with a wry grin.  "I will pass, thank you much...though the rabbit stew is phenomenal."

Grinning, she continues eating the rich stew.