"Did Quintas Pelorias give it to you?"

In reply to Dorion Lightbody (msg # 48):

"I can't speak to that Khan, " Temush says looking back at Kobal "I'm quite new in the band; we had it before I joined. Our braves meant no harm when they went down to that house. I feel sure they would have leant their aid had there been cause."

Ohanzee snorts "Pha!" when the yellow beard says "our land" and spits on the Earth.

He leans forward and speaks into the Granite Rhino's ear "Their land. See anything you like the look of feel free to snack on it."

This makes the officer laugh, but he doesn't reply, looking instead if he expects more from the Rangers.

Kobal kicks Black Hoof forward a step.  "We are not here to raid.  See how few we are.  Nor are we dressed for war.  The Wastes are a hard place.  We are dressed for survival.  A few days past we were ambushed by a mob of broo.  As for this armour, as Waha is my witness, I swear that we neither killed nor harmed any of your people for it.  We found it on one who was already dead.  Again, the Wastes are a hard place, and we use whatever is at hand."



Kobal frowns, in part to restrain himself from any retort.  At least it doesn't sound like they mean to kill Melock or Amara.  For now.



At Temush's glance, Kobal shrugs.  He can't remember where the clay disk came from.  Foreign stuff doesn't interest him.

"Well, Now we are getting somewhere.

So here you are and here I am, with two little prisoners between us. I have a proposition for you, one which if you agree to, will see your friends released and you then being free to continue. If you turn it down then they shall be handed over to the Lunar patrol that we are expecting either today or the day after."

Amara spoke from where she stood. "For the time being I am safe and so is Melock. Should any harm befall the village, Melock and I will feel the consequences. He has a task for us to do in order to win our freedom from the Sun people. The token will not be honoured unless the one who was given the token by Quintas Pelorias himself arrives here. I do not know if there were any survivors aside from Avalarn from the homestead. I suggest that some of you come closer and listen to..." Amara frowned "the soldiers request."

Hoskar nods in seeming approval.

Of course you are well, comrade. he calls up to Amara. From a worthy people known for their honour, bright as the sun, I expected nothing less.

His gaze slips sideways to the soldier, mien open, arms still wide We have helped many people on our journeys so far. I hope we will be able to meet your proposition also. As you see I'm but a talker, yet we have many skills between us and he scratches his head ruefully with his free right hand we're not exactly in a position to bargain hard.

We'll not know if your proposition falls within our power to accomplish unless we know what it is he concludes, leaving the implied question hanging.

"There's a tower up above....No one has been in there for a long, long time. Should be empty by now....But it's not. Go up and find out what's wrong and then deal with it. You'll know which one I mean...."

The officer points up towards the beast fold and the towers above it.

"Do not damage the towers."

"Worthy?" Ohanzee says at Hoskar's words already urging Feldspar on towards the indicated tower "Pah! Bunch o' wankers who carry such long spears to compensate for certain other short-comings."

Amara looked at the man "I agree and would do this on my own, with one proviso. You provide me with armour, replacement armour if necessary and something that will allow us safe passage through Sun County without further....interference."

Henal listens to the back and forth having sneered at Ohanzee's foolishness in not remembering that Kobal and he had been initiated into Waha's cult. Finallu he speaks up after the offer from the sun worshipper.

"The free passage without interference is important, we don't come to raid so why should we have to struggle and fight when we come in peace. We can go to see what lies there in the tower, but what has made you with all your numbers fail to deal with it?"

The officer orders his men in his own language and they escort Amara out of sight, then he turns to look down on Henal

"The towers are holy to us. We can not enter. I will not give you a pass to enter our lands. Do as I ask or do not. If you aid us I will free our prisoners and you may leave unmolested. Do not and you must face the consequences."

With that he too vanishes behind the wall, to be replaced by several archers, yellow fletched arrows at the ready.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:32, Wed 01 Mar 2017.

Ohanzee finds the going hard, but soon makes it up to where the animal fold is. The 2m walled compound is filled with a herd of domesticated Impala and Sable. One end has a covered barn, with the rest of the stone walled area open for the beasts. A strong wooden gate allow access.

At Ohanzee's approach the animals begin to kick up a fuss, their sounds echoing around the valley.

Ignoring the archers, Temush whistles a happy tune as he saunters back to collect Stomp and head up to the towers.

Hoskar sighs.
That went well he murmurs resignedly. So now we don't know what we're facing. Ghosts, I shouldn't wonder.

Still, let's get it done.

Still afoot and leading Ram, he trudges after Ohanzee towards the indicated towers.

As he reaches the animal pens he can't help but cast a raiders eye over the beasts, estimating numbers and assaying quality.

Then he rides off for the tower in question.

Kobal can't hide his frown.  Have you no shame, man?  Well, Hoskar's always been different.



Kobal kicks Black Hoof forward after Ohanzee and his rhino.  As he makes his way to the base of the indicated tower, he looks left and right, trying to take in as much as he can about the place - number of buildings, number of people, fortifications.  Whatever the elders might find interesting in future.

The Rangers arrive at the top of the highlands looking down on the valley below. They can see into the walled settlement, where folk can be seen scurrying back and forth.

There are four towers here spread out along the slope, 10 to 12 metres high, made of close fitting stone blocks. Arriving at the first they seen nothing odd or out of sorts and bound spirits detect nothing living inside. There's a walled in entrance at ground level, the stones blackened by cleansing fires. It looks as if the tower is open to the sky.

The next tower is identical, but not the third for close to it's base is a scorched are of ground, in the centre of which lies a blackened and twisted corpse, with what remains of it's arms reaching up to the sky as if warding off some terror. Like the others the door is filled in and blackened by fire.

"Something powerful inside" announce the spirits of the Rangers in unison.

Henal uses his charm to detect undead creatures drawing on blue eye's power and casts a charm of protection from spirits.

Henal's spell comes back positive, the undead sat in the centre of the tower's floor.

"How do we even get in?" mutters Kobal, eyeing the walled in entrance.  He dismounts slowly walks closer to the tower, taking particular care when he moves roughly within the same distance from the tower as the charred body, his senses alert to any sudden magical attack.  Keep back, Haaro.

The charred body is about a spear length from the tower and as Kobal reaches that distance he feels the familiar tingling of a spell being cast on him. There's no pain, but he knows from experience that it is some sort of detection charm.

One thing Kobal notices is that this tower is bigger than the others, better made, it's blocks larger and closer fitting than the coarser bricks used in the previous two they'd examined. Perhaps older?

Kobal announces to the others that he's just been scanned by whatever's in the tower, then continues forward, shield on one arm raised protectively, sword in the other, until he reaches in the walled-in door.  There he hacks firmly, not too hard, at the wall to see how easily the barrier will be to remove.  Thunder Bird, preserve me from undead.