December 5th
2004 A.D.
Three Corners Fort
Southwest Megalos

This day had been a long time in coming.  Though he could see the parapets of the fort rising up in the distance, Giles guessed that he still had another hour of riding ahead of him.  Underneath him, the thick shouldered Warmblood (Giles had been told his name was Firebrand for his warm roan coloring) plodded on at an easy pace just keeping abreast of the lead cart of the supply caravan that was leading the way along the barely discernable path to the outlying unit.  The long march along side the caravan had given him plenty of time for thought.

It had been perhaps eight months ago that the last straw at the Templar College had been pulled away.  It was perhaps not a surprise in coming for Giles had seemed a marked man ever since the incident with the imp had happened.  He was blamed for nearly every mishap, punished at times for things he had not even been present for.  In truth, it had left a rather bitter aftertaste towards the Templars now that Giles thought back.  The last incident however was probably something that Giles could have predicted if he had thought about it logically as opposed to academically.  He had been discovered deep in study of a book of unsavory topics and the brother who had caught him was not one to tolerate even slight flaws of character.  Whether it was the mountain of small infractions or the last one specifically that had been the issue, Giles was never to know for his adjudication was carried out entirely by paperwork.  He was gone from the college within the week, shipped off to the capital of Megalos to be entered into the legions.  Here, surely, Giles had found true speed of bureaucracy.  Shuttled from person to person always showing the same certificate of inscription he received upon his expulsion, Giles felt sure that he could have deserted his charge and no one been the wiser if he had wished.  Still, Giles had suspected that the legions held possibilities that had never really been available to him in the Templars.

After a matter of months, Giles had finally managed to be assigned, had been given his writ of equipment for the quartermaster in Raphael and a handful of credits of travel to use on his way there not to mention of his insignia to be worn about the collar of his uniforms... when he got them.  Though it was certainly not he was deserving of, Giles did not fuss, deciding rather to write a letter off to his father to see what strings could be pulled in court for a commission.  From there he passed his first writ on a merchant vessel bound for the Keyhole bay.  It had been five weeks with stops at Dekamera, Sho'joor, Min, Serrun, and Yibyorak before finally making port at Hyrnan.

Giles second writ was used here to procure a steed, a dapple Appaloosa mare so that he could travel on with a trade caravan bound for Raphael.  Perhaps it would have been faster to take another vessel to Bannock and from there up the river Conn but Giles had been warned about stepping foot on Wazifi soil especially as a new army recruit... though there was no open war the locals there were not always entirely welcoming and foreigners could easily be made targets.  So the going was slow, a distance of over 300 miles taken perhaps twenty at a time before he had made his last stop along the way before he reached his new, permanent station.  He had turned in his writ to the quartermaster in exchange for his gear, traded his mare in for the fresh philly Warmblood and made ready for the last hundred and fifty miles of his trip.  Loathe to do the trip alone and so close to the borders, Giles hired on to the caravan bound for the fort that departed each month bringing grains, cloth, supplies, and medicine, for the fort had none of its own farming to sustain itself.  Finally, step by step, his trip was at last coming to an end in the rolling plains of the southwest.  Only a few miles farther south would be the river Makarem, the border between the southern stretches of Megalos and Al-Wazif, traveling farther west for much the same and Giles would be in Caithness.

Still, though it was late in the year and nearly the heart of winter, the temperatures were not unbearable.  The dry cool of the west was not nearly as inhumane as the wet and waspish winters of Azer.  His saddle horse was strong enough not to complain under his own weight and that of his extra bags and his sores from riding, though they had started out traumatic, had long since faded into the blur of his every day.

So as the gates of the fort grow on the horizon, Giles cannot help but mull over the past several months and wonder what the future months will bring...

OOC:  Sorry for the Delay Giles but welcome finally to your thread!  I have more to do in the way of introduction but I have run out of time for tonight to keep writing.  Feel free to write up your own post if desired but I'll probably carry on when I get the chance regardless.  What I do need from you is a reaction roll from your 'recruiter'.  Add a +2 for your charisma and attractive.  A poor or worse reaction will result in a rank of private, and neutral will mean he accounted for your 'time in service' with the Templars and will put you at corporal, and a good or better reaction will mean he accounted for your status as well and made you a sergeant.  Feel free to post your results here in OOC or in a private to me.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:11, Sun 26 May 2019.

It seems barely moments longer before the caravan pulled even with the gates, the thick, wooden draw was opened and Giles had his first glimpses of his new home.  The fort itself, though not overly large, looked like it had been built to withstand war.  Square in shape, it opened its gate to the East, or towards the rest of the country, although there were watch towers on each corner that were manned to look in all directions.  The outer walls were two feet thick of stone and twenty feet high at the shortest, growing another ten or more at the towers.  Inside was a ten foot wide open passageway that encircled the fort with openings at the corners that led in tight winding stairs to the top of the battlements.  The inner gates were part of the fort itself, blocked at two ends of a ten foot tunnel with portcullises that could only be opened and closed from the watch stations above.  Just inside there was a large courtyard boasting the few homely effects of the structure built and housed for war.  There was a humble garden with an apple and buckeye tree and on the other side a small sand pit.  Giles would learn that the south wing of the fort would house the barracks and staterooms, the north wing the stables, armory and quartermaster supply, while the west wing, by far the largest, included the mess hall, recreational areas, ready rooms and the few small offices for the company level officers.

Met in the courtyard by a score of other soldiers, most of them begin unloading the supply caravan.  However, one of the corporals sees to Giles, helping him with one of his bags from Firebrand before the horse was led off to the stables to be brushed and rested.  Giles was given only a moment to throw his gear on the bed he was shown, a neat little cot that seemed barely big enough for his body before he was lead off to check in with the first sergeant and captain.

And so, perhaps only fifteen minutes after stepping foot in the fort, Giles finds himself face to face with his new company officer, Captain Brashear.  He is a grizzled man of perhaps forty with peppered gray hairs just starting to leaking into the black, his skin rough with a two day growth of stubble and has a gruesome scar across his cheek and another thin one across his chin.  Though Giles saw no hint of enemies on his way, the man wears a tightly woven mail shirt over cloth padding rather than the uniform that Giles had seen on most of the other men.  At the introduction Brashear smiles, leading Giles into a small office, offering a chair and taking the one beside him rather than behind his small desk.

"Heard we had a new check in."  He starts, his voice easygoing and warm.  "And we can use you, think at this point we are almost a whole platoon down in manning.  What's your story soldier?"

OOC:  Roll 3d6 reaction for Captain Brashear as well as the one for your recruiter.  Remember for a reaction roll you want it to be high rather than low.  Here you get a +1 for your charisma and +1 for your attractive, as well as a potential bonus based on rank.

The past months had not gone the way Giles had hoped. Now he sat astride his new horse patting it lightly on the shoulder; it was a beautiful creature and he was happy to have received it. But it was a small victory that his father had enacted in lieu of everything that had happened over the past year.

Giles J’naeth Hind, soldier of the Megalan legion” he said to himself into the cool winter air. It was a mantra he had oft repeated of late to familiarise himself with his new position. It helped to bring reality to an otherwise dreamy series of unfortunate events. As the man repeated the words, his mind focussed on being present to the moment. With the thought exercise he felt the bite of the air and the warm ripple of Firebrand’s muscle work at counter point. A sword bounced on his hip and the weight of his garments had only just started to lose the alien feeling. He experienced the sensations with objective distance trying to disembody his self from the situation and re-evaluate the paradigm of his life.

A wash of giddy excitement hit Giles as the thought of skirmishing raids from his childhood came to the forefront of his mind. This was better than being a wizard, it must be.

Giles J’naeth Hind… General and hero of Megalan Legions he repeated with the added touch of ambition. He wanted to do well and make his family proud, his mother most of all.


A slew of thoughts passed his mind and disguised the closing of the main fort’s gate and it was with a touch of surprise that the door opened and welcomed him to his new life. He passed the gate and grinned to himself at the wonderful metaphor of passing the gate.

I’m here he said to himself and signed in preparedness.

Everything that happened next seemed to be a relative flurry but the one thing that prickled the new-arrival was how small he looked relative to the other soldiers. He held height over many of the others, a gift from his father’s blood, but had not thickened out in the way that most pure-men had done by his age. After a moment pondering whether he had made the right choice in staying with the legion Giles put the thoughts to the back of his mind and prepared to meet his new Captain.

The man had a grizzled look, more than that of any man he’d seen before and the crossing scars on the face of Captain Brashear sent a flash of red-hell through his mind, vicariously reliving a situation that could have caused such a wound. Giles winced a the thought but didn’t show it.

Captain Brashear

Thank you for the warm welcome, I am happy to be here.



He said standing straight and upright infront of the man, despite the easy demeanour. And began to tell the tale of his arrival. He thought it best to be frank and honest about the situation as the captain may already be aware of the man’s history. Despite this, however, he was sure to never mention anything that could be considered weakness – no complaints of unfairness, or poor treatment were made and Giles took the responsibility to the mistake he’d made in his curiosity regarding magic that was beyond his curriculum.

… after leaving the study of magic I thought that the best opportunity for me to do well in my life, make my family proud and achieve something was done in the legion.
he said in conclusion.





13:14, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 11 using 3d6.  giles reaction.
// Including charisma and attractiveness that is 13
// if status matters at all that’d be an additional +2


// Also in addition to reaction maybe the additional questions might work towards some social skill to improve the captain's opinion of Giles - my guess is that this would be best represented by diplomacy
13:20, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 9 using 3d6.  diplomacy.




Thinking to take initiative and appease his own curious nature Giles asked Sir, down a platoon? Is this a result of our proximity to the Wazifi border? Are there many skirmishes or sorties?
This message was last edited by the player at 13:20, Sun 22 Jan 2017.

It is not a short tale that Giles relays, for in truth, he has to start even before his admission into the mage's academy, however the Captain is patient, asking only a few questions during the tale as to Giles's family or interests and the tale passes with relative ease.  The captain only quirks his mouth towards a frown during a single moment, when Giles is talking of his transition from the Templar college to the army but the moment passes quickly.  When Giles wraps up his tale, Brashear smiles warmly and does not let the silence last for long.

"Well sergeant, I'll be frank.  We can use a mage regardless of your talents or interest out here.  Follow your orders and be true to the unit and mission and I don't forsee any problems.  I will say that I'm not sure your recruiter has done you any favors.  Most men make their way here as privates and only make their way to sergeant after putting in a few years of hard work and proven performance.  If the men get the impression you've never done anything but a year of college with the Templars and come out ahead of everyone it may be a little rough getting their trust...  We don't really have a position to spare in the platoons for a sergeant who hasn't been tested so you'll have to be on company staff until you've been tested, but not to worry, if you keep a level head and prove yourself to the men it won't take long to gain their trust."

Brashear leans back in his chair, stretching his legs and shoulders, restless after only a short sit.  "Well, I suppose that's that then.  We'll put you on assignment for the company, I think we have a spot open in logistics... I'll make sure you do watch with the platoons at interval to get to know the routine and some of our men.  You'll know your way around in no time and we'll set you to one of the platoons when we have a chance.  The command isn't that big and you should know most everyone after a few weeks.  I have small staff to run the everyday issues of the command, a lieutenant, first sergeant and a handful of others.  Below me are three platoons, each with their own officer and sergeant with about twenty or so men, though like I said we are short and are at more about sixteen or so.  Each of the platoon generally have three squads to divvy up the watches.  We have a patrol each day out to the border, the other two squads do twelve on twelve off sharing the watches of the fort, gates, battlements and whatnot.  Makes it so you do watch about every three days, patrols about every nine.  I do my best to get my staff involved when they can - everyone is here to be a soldier and protect against the next invasion, though somehow the thing that seems to matter most is the damn paper reports on supplies, pay, and spending.  Speaking of which make sure you stop by the quartermaster.  He'll have issued gear for you for patrol and watch.  Sword steel is in short supply and is only issued to the officers, but most everything else should be available."

When Giles asks his question about the platoon, Brashear laughs just slightly, "No, our shortage is mostly a shortfall in manning, though there will be dangers here.  Bushwolves have been known to pick out the single travelers on occasion and a wyvern or two has been spotted arcing around the skies to the south.  I don't doubt that there are a great many more beasts nearer the great forest and I would encourage you not to venture there.  The Wasifi army will probably be the least of your worries, though there can be a clan or two at times that decide to take matters into their own hands.  I wouldn't put it past fate for you to have a skirmish or two with the zealots during your time here.  The biggest thing is not to blow anything too far out of proportion...  No one here wants another border war, if for no other reason than our closest garrison is over a weeks march away."

Brashear smiles, trying to make light of the gruesome subject.  "Any other questions Giles before I release you to your duties?"

OOC:  The military structure here is as described above.  Each squad is led around by a sergeant or senior corporal and consists of around five people.  They each report to their platoon lieutenant who has something around 15-20 people under him.  Each lieutenant reports to Captain Brashear, the over all company officer.  The company armory has enough equipment to allow you a well-fitting (or close enough to well-fitting) suit of armor of your preference.  The armory carries cloth/leather/studded leather/and chainmail equipment.  Feel free to use anything from the basic books and let me know if you want to try out anything that branches out to a more specific genre.  You can also pick out a weapon of your choice - swords are reserved for officers but any just about any other TL3 missile or melee weapon is fair game.  The most common choices are by far spear, axe, or bow and arrows.  You can also pick out a shield if you desire to do so.  Keep in mind that you do not own any of this equipment.  Likewise your horse was procured through what amounts to an IOU from the army.  Essentially, the army owns your horse, but has leased it to you.  Of course, you could probably take it with you if you decided to leave, but it would only add horse theft to the crime of desertion.  At some point you will get paid in actual money, though in this posting there isn't a whole lot you can do with it other than save it up for liberty.  Feel free to ask any questions you wish of the captain or otherwise let me know when you are ready to progress.

Giles inwardly frowned at the suppressed laugh, it was a common thing to be taunted in the academy but this man had enough of a conscience to at least surpress what he supposed was a reasonable question given his new arrival.

The moment passed when he heard the rank of sergeant mentioned. It was a blessing that he already had enough regard to be given responsibility but the captain was correct - it would wrinkle a number of people and Giles was sure that he would have to prove himself both up the rank-chain and down it. A flash of doubt added a knot of worry to his stomach when Hind recalled every sergeant he'd ever seen previously. They all had presence and an intimidating aura that commanded respect, something that in all cases had been forged in fire. They had, in all cases that he knew, risen from the masses of people through apparent and obvious qualities that befitted the role. Giles suspected that he had few.

"Captain Brashear, I have no questions that would not be answered through familiarising myself with the place, the duty and the culture of the men here. he replied. The man inwardly was impressed with the demeanour of the captain he seemed well-practised both in command and soldiering - even if it was obvious from the battle scars. Though the cynicism of a rough life had obviously not taken its toll like Giles had seen on others.

He resolved in the moment to be an asset and an ally to the captain.

After a moment silence, purposefully thinking through anything that might have missed him a spark came to mind and he asked
"Will it be possible for me to write correspondence? How often is it collected?




I appreciate that my posts are a little bit light on content atm, but just finding my footing and getting things going.

As for armour/etc. (I guess we'll roleplay this bit anyway) Giles will take plenty of the heavier stuff.

- Shield
- Spear
- Axe
- Chain  (maybe with studded leather legs

- he realises that he still holds onto a youthful boyish appearance and hasn't quite 'filled out as a man' and will do himself no favours by dressing in 'flimsly light leather' because he can't carry anything heavier.

The captain stands up as Giles says he is finished, but does not hasten to leave and as Giles asks his question Brashear responds with a nod.  "The caravan that you came in with comes once a month - they will always take back to Raphael whatever is needed, including mail.  We'll have occasion here and there to send someone to the unit stationed there as well and will generally have our volunteer take correspondence with them to deliver in the city.  Likewise, if anyone takes liberty in the city they will usually ask around to see if anyone needs something delivered or purchased, I would encourage you to do the same if you get that opportunity."

With no other questions offered, the Captain shakes Giles's hand and opens up the doorway, offering for Giles to leave first as Brashear walks behind him to make his way back into the Fort to see to his many duties.

---

December 7th
2008 A.D.
Foothills on the Megalan Border

Captain Brashear had been good to his word.  After checking out a mail suit at the armory he had been introduced to the rest of the company staff including the executive officer, Lieutenant Dorian, First Sergeant Spratt and the handful of corporals and sergeants that handled company funding, infrastructure, pay, documents, and training.  Giles found that his first task as the logistics sergeant was logging the entire inventory of the caravan he had just accompanied for the past several days.  Though it seemed straightforward, first Sergeant Pratt found numerous errors when Giles went to ask him a question and it ended up taking more time unraveling his mistakes as it had writing the log in the first place.

Giles was much happier to hear that he had been put on the patrol unit for the next day with the first squad, second platoon, which would not only allow him to meet some of the soldiers other than staff, but would also allow him to get his feet wet and prove his metal.

So now Giles found himself, astride Firebrand and accompanying four more of the soldiers from the fort.  Lieutenant Broskow, the platoon officer for second platoon, Corporal Pierce, Corporal Edenburg, and Private Redman.  The team had started out that morning heading west from the fort before they were to turn south and then back east along the Makarem.  The five are now several miles west of the fort, well into the hills that mark the borderlands between Caithness and Megalos.  Corporal Edenburg drifts back astride with Giles, letting his bow rest on his saddle horn as he starts up a conversation.  "So what's the story Sergeant?  You from around here?"

OOC:  No worries about the posting,  Up to this point it's been mostly me setting the stage where I only need a few inputs from you for rudder.  Don't feel like you need to write a novella every time you post but hopefully I'll leave enough leeway for you to write something of significance.  I need a few rolls from you here.  Feel free to use a social skill in place of the reaction rolls if desired.

1.  Reaction: Broskow
2.  Reaction: Edenburg
3.  Reaction: Pierce
4.  Reaction: Redman
5.  Riding
6.  Perception

This message was last edited by the GM at 14:51, Sat 28 Mar 2020.

Giles had become frustrated for the first few days. Logistics, logging, records and all of those scribe things. He wondered inwardly if he had been assigned that role because people often thought of wizards as quill pushers who liked to act above their station. He remembered the easy manner of the Captain and dismissed the thoughts as a long series of unfortunately paranoid considerations.

The moment when he finished, Giles revelled in the sense of relief, it was different to that of gaining the hang of a spell and being able to show it to his mentors and peers – there was no bravado or glory to be had from filling in numbers correctly and yet what little sense of relishment he gained from a job well done was quickly destroyed by Pratt upon highlighting a number of numbers.
He recalled acutely the reaction, not sure whether to be dismissive or apologetic, Giles resigned to try and keep his relationship with other sergeants equal.
I’ll do better in future… he said flatly and left it there.

Giles was relieved to be on patrol. He was used to being inside and being around books so it wasn’t to rid himself of that, only to wash away some of the shame of fouling up the accounts as much as he did. It would be good to see if he had something else to contribute. In the back of his mind, Giles knew that he’d pick up the books quickly enough and soon be as good as anyone else but the lag phase, where he would have to make sure he assimilated into the group readily was arguably the most important in his service here.

Before setting off Giles had sneakily checked on the other men to make sure that he missed no equipment that was needed. It was December and cold and so he had taken with him a heavy cloak that would be a good wrap for him but one thing he noticed was the bow Edenburg had brought. He hadn’t thought to get one from the quartermaster and so before they were to set off Giles made his way and attempted to acquisition one. Otherwise he would match the equipment of the group.


Edenburg asked him the question and Giles grinned Not around here corporal. Was born up in Kethalos lived around there for a while helping my father deal with nomad-man raids. Before long I’d found myself in Azer having to figure out what I needed to do with my life. It was then I figured the legion might be a good match.

I’ve never been this far west before, to tell the truth I’ve never before seen one of these Wazifi… what about you? How long you been here?

He glossed over many of the details of his life, neglecting to mention his actual time in the army, his noble birth or the fact that he had been a wizard – a failed one at that – but with a casual easiness tried to deflect the conversation back to Edenburg. While half-elf was open and conversational it paid to not spew all the gossip from his life like a young house made in one sitting. Giles was genuinely curious and showed it and was happy to engage in conversation to get to know the men better.

what of the rest of you? he asked coolly observing the same easy manner he’d seen the Captain use. (OOC: it’s not copying, he just noted how impressed he was with the way Captain Brashear composed himself and is working towards something like that)

[13 blank lines suppressed]



OOC:

Reactions:
19:27, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 16 using 3d6.  Reaction 4. // Lt Broskow
19:27, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 13 using 3d6.  Reaction 3 . //  EdenBurg
19:27, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 8 using 3d6.  Reaction 2. // Pierce
19:27, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 12 using 3d6.  Reaction 1 . // Redman
+2 rank, +1 charisma, +1 attractiveness =
20
17
12
16

Riding: 19:29, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 16 using 3d6.  Riding. // uh oh….
19:30, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 11 using 3d6.  Perception/observation/scrounging?


OOC: Also a little kudos (i'd give you 5cps but as the GM it might not count for much ;)) that is the first game I think i've ever played where I've had to roll reactions. First time i think my charisma and/or appearance has ever mattered. Thank you!


This message was last edited by the player at 19:58, Sun 29 Jan 2017.

Corporal Edenburg whistles as he hears the trek that Giles had undergone, Kethalos to Azer and then leaps and bounds beyond back the other direction to his current station at Three Corners.  "That's quite a journey."  Edenburg puts simply.  "Most of us here aren't from farther than Arvey, though I think there might be one or two of the newer privates who hail from Quartedec.  I guess that's the new army, moving everyone to the front...  They say we're preparing for war, though with as calm as the other side of the Makarem has been I can't imagine it's with the clans."  When Giles asks of Edenburg's own history he merely shrugs.  "I'm from up north, New Jerusalem.  You'd have thought war was around the corner the way people talk up there, Hospitallers more than any of them, still haven't seen much to say of it down here in the past year and a half.  There have been a few run ins, but the clansmen stay for the most part south of the river, only ever seen a few north of it and generally they back off real quick when they see a few soldiering types.  I hear they capture slaves to take slaves back south of the border, but we've never caught 'em at it and to be fair there aren't many people here other than from the fort."

Up ahead, the Lieutenant stops, calling up Corporal Pierce from the middle of the pack as the rest of the soldiers stop in line.  Corporal Edenburg continues as his mare slows to a stop.  "It's not that bad here though, three square meals, the recent cooks aren't even half bad most of the time.  You'd be surprised how they can dress up a potato like new...  I can't tell you how morale improved when they planted that garden in the courtyard."  Up ahead, the lieutenant's voice has raised from a calm murmur to a harsh, cutting whisper.  Corporal Pierce's response, though it is quiet enough not to hear the exact words, his tone could only be described as reconciling.  Caught up by the conversation ahead, Corporal Edenburg pauses for a moment, craning an ear to try and catch some of the conversation ahead.

It is perhaps another moment of harsh undertones before Lieutenant Broskow stops, realizing that he has an audience in the three men trailing.  "It seems,"  The Lieutenant starts, completely audible now, and intending for the whole squad to hear him.  "That Corporal Pierce has made a few errors in his map reading and we have found ourselves some three miles north of our intended path.  I will tell you men that it is no matter and that we are already making course adjustment.  I only hope that the Corporal will not make such a mistake on our way back north from the Makarem..."  The lieutenant turns abruptly, making his way forward again into the opposing foothills.

Before starting off again, Edenburg leans in towards Giles and whispers "I had thought we were a little north."

The next hour is an arduous affair, the pace quickens just it seems the terrain gets worse with both hills and rock and Giles begins to sweat through his underclothes and the sores on his bottom begin to reignite despite the past weeks of consistent riding.  The Lieutenant stops their pace in a saddle between two hills giving Giles a welcome respite from the unforgiving lope.  He looks off in each direction, trying to gain some familiarization with his surroundings though he knows it unlikely that he will grow accustomed to any route before being tested.  His eyes come to rest on a small cave in the valley ahead and to the right.  Giles's attention seems to last on that object just a fraction of a second too long, for when he draws his gaze back, he sees Firebrand's ears laid back flat and though he tries to take a tight hold on the reign, the horse has somehow managed to get the bit in his teeth and seems to have a mind of his own...  Firebrand whinnies loudly shaking his head back and forth.  Giles holds fast to the reigns, half expecting the worst as the horse rears up on its hind legs before bolting as fast as it's legs will carry it.

OOC:  Ok, more rolls, make one more riding roll at -3 to stay seated.  if that roll is successful, then roll one more time for me, straight riding this time to see if you can regain control of the horse.

Gile shrugged dismissively at the notion that it was a long journey You go where life takes you, I suppose. I’ve had a lot of opportunity to see Megalos and different parts of it. It’s a blessing more than curse, I think. he said coolly as walking along the Lieutenant. But in response to the notion that many of the lads at the Three-Sided Fort are locals Giles added It seems wise to keep locals protecting the area. They’ll know the land, be familiar with the customs and culture and have stronger investment in protecting the people as it’s made up of their kin and friends. he observed, taking time to glance at the other members of his scouting group.

(OOC: Could I make some general observations about the men? Temperament, experience, prowess, etc?

OOC: also, ‘the clans’ these are the muslim wazifi clans, right?)

New Jerusalem, that’s West, near Caithness, right? Not seen it on a map, but I’ve heard a couple of the cities mentioned from round there. he asked continuing the casual conversation before addressing more about the Wazifi border.
”Well perhaps it’s calm before the storm. Granted, I know very little of this place but it seems that if one was building a force they wouldn’t want to squander any of their numbers first in border skirmishes. Nor would they probably want to have the enemy on high alert before an incursion.

Back in Kethalos there were so many raids from the Northmen that everybody was always on high alert and ready to respond quickly. It took the workings of a bastard fool to ever keep a weapon too far away in lieu of raiding threats. But over that time there were no big engagements.

he commented, his eyes wandered as he thought the scenarios and reasons and tried to enter the mind of an opponent. In truth he was voicing his own thoughts aloud, talking to himself more but it applied to the conversation to hand also.

There’s a garden now? Who tends it and what do they grow there Giles asked curiously before he felt Firebrand gentling to a stop beside Edenburg. The comment from Edenburg was met with a grin from Giles – to those familiar with the area it might have been an unforgivable sin but it happened reasonably often no doubt, especially with lack of familiarity or low-fidelity maps.  Giles was just glad that he’d not been asked to guide the group.

(OOC: Can I make a soldier/savoir faire roll to figure out whether it’d be a good thing to casually pat Pierce’s shoulder as I pass him? Like a gesture to say “don’t worry, you might get a bollocking but  we all make mistakes, just do better next time?” - like there is supposed to be the difference between Officers and NCO’s in terms of the dynamic of the relationship. Sergeants are supposed to be ‘one of the people’ even if elevated above them-  while officers are more distanced from them

If so the roll is:

)

As Giles rolled passed Pierce his grin dissipated but he couldn’t remove the slightly bemused look.


As the next hour passed the new sergeant could feel a roar in his legs as the sores on his flank rubbed against the saddle. It didn’t help that he was damp through sweating of the last bit of riding and each movement seemed to feel like the kiss of a thousand deaths – or perhaps he was just being dramatic. Though while the man could feel his jaw clenched, holding off the frustrations of the movement, his inexperience on a horse and the burning feeling shooting up his legs he resolved to show no weakness.

(acting roll:  )

Having caught glimpses of the cave to where the Lieutenant was looking Giles asked What is it……………... the trailing word was elongated as Firebrand reared and took to flight.

Bastard horse! he cursed as he tried to best hold himself to its flank and regain control of the beast.



So here we go...

15:09, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 10 using 3d6.  observation of soldiers. // pass by 1
15:09, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 8 using 3d6.  soldier skill . // pass by 7

15:10, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 10 using 3d6.  actring. // pass by 2

Riding:

15:11, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 10 using 3d6.  riding -3 . // FAIL

The conversation with Edenburg had carried on over the walk.  It was hard to really interpret much about the group.  They all seemed young, It seemed likely that only the lieutenant was older than Giles and he wasn't older by much.  The men seemed to carry themselves as competent riders not to mention professional soldiers.  Most of them are quiet and alert, even Edenburg scanning the foothills as he converses back and forth with Giles.  The Lieutenant was the only one that Giles really managed to get much of a read on.  The officer did not seem nearly as relaxed as the others and he seemed to make sounds of annoyance at interval, though it is hard to tell what the bother is.

At the mention of New Jerusalem, Edenburg had nodded.  "Yeah, up north on the border, acts like its own country though.  I don't think Megalos troubles themselves much about it either."  The conversation carries on to gardening and Edenburg had continued to nod along.  "It's in the Courtyard, I'm sure you passed it a few times and didn't notice.  Couple of trees and all sorts planted in the ground, beets, cabbage, peas, potatoes and whatnot.  The lifesaver though was the horseradish, spices things up a bit.  Sometimes salt is hard to come by around here.  One of the sergeants working the mess hall runs it most of the time, Alander.  There are a few others though that will tend it if needed.  I think there's more than a fair share of people here who worked agriculture."

At the spectacle in front of them Giles thinks for a moment to give encouragement to Pierce, though the other turns about and follows the Lieutenant before he has a chance.  A nagging though in the back of his mind keeps him from trying to catch up to the corporal... Giles hadn't even seen him holding a map or compass, and the corporal was only second in the line behind the lieutenant himself.

---

"Bastard horse!"  Giles barely has the words out of his mouth before his mount has his front legs reaching up in the air, kicking at some unseen terror.  Giles attempts to shift his weight, but his efforts are too late and he grasps wildly for a tighter grip on the reins though his efforts are in vain.  He tumbles back of the horse, landing on the flat of his back making him catch his breath as the horse takes off at a wild gallop toward the south.

"Damnit!"  The lieutenant curses, his eyes darting back to where Giles is lying before moving again to the swiftly departing equine.  "Can't you do anything right Hond?"  He snaps his head towards the other men and shouts again.  "Well, get the damn animal before it throws a shoe or worse!"  Pierce immediately turns his steed and lopes off followed closely by Redman.  Edenburg stays standing by Giles, ready to dismount and help but it seems readily apparent that it won't be necessary.  Though he was surprised, Giles find no harm done by the fall and is quickly back on his feet again.

"Wonder what spooked him?"  Edenburg almost echoes the words Giles had spoken just as the horse had reared gripping slightly tighter to the reins of his own horse as he looks off towards the cave.  "Think we should take a moment here sir since we're already stopped and the horses are going to be run down, or keep going?"

The Lieutenant glares at Edenburg fiercely though he does not answer the question.  "We'll see how long it takes them to round up the nag."  He finally spits staring off towards the south where Giles can just see Firebrand cresting another saddle between two hills at full speed, the two riders significantly behind...

OOC:  Would you mind putting OOC comments at the end of the post for me?  I normally make mine in green, but the coloring doesn't matter to me too much as the fact that the OOC stuff is separated and obvious.  That way it reads more like a story.  Let me know if I am going too fast for you with the pace, I tried to answer all your IC questions without backtracking too much.  I decided to forgo your decision to console Corporal Pierce based on your successes in observation and soldiering - based on everything that has happened, you are starting to suspect more and more that he had nothing to do with the charted course.  As for the men, other than what I've written IC you don't know a whole lot.  You asked about the Lieutenant before you came, and the info can be found in the persons/places/organizations of import thread.  The others you either didn't know were coming or haven't gotten a feel for yet.  I'll do my best to flush out the characters as we go along.  As for the 'clans' yes, they are the Wazifi tribes, often called Clans that are loosely conglomerated to form the nation.  They don't always work together and it isn't out of the realm of possibility for one of them to act independently from the Caliph (king).  I think I answered everything at this point, let me know if there is anything you want to know that is outstanding.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:55, Thu 02 Feb 2017.

It took a full two moments for Giles to realise that the warmth of Firebrand had left his legs and feel the air around him as he reached out all his limbs. A moment that stopped time in his mind and gave him pause to think before the inevitable gut punching force of the ground hitting him square in the back.

Everybody had seen him fall from the horse, there was no getting over it and Giles let out of a curse of frustration as he felt the wave of pain crash through him. Then moving each part of his body in turn he assessed the damage - mostly okay - and was thankful that he hadn't broken anything.

"The name is Hind, sir" he replied to the officer with a level tone but had started wondering what might be wrong with him. Then, pulling back to an upright position the fallen soldier looks around with a slightly sheepish visage and answers Edenburg.

"Maybe there are wolves or bears nearby. Perhaps up in the cave there and Firebrand caught a whiff of it. He's a new horse and hasn't been wartrained so far as I know... he offered idly but had come to focus more intensely on the Lieutanant.

"Anything wrong Lieutenant?" he asked casually providing him opportunity to openly speak his concerns.



OOC:
No problem, i'll keep everythign at the bottom for OOC stuff.
The pace is great, i'm enjoying this a lot so far. There's mystery to it and despite there being a few characaters on a scouting trip the unfolding of things is exciting.

I'll make an observation roll to see if I can figure out exactly what kind of stuff is worrying him?  If, for example he was scred of the cave, he might be looking there more often than usual, if he had some gastro-intestinal issues, he might be wiggling in his saddle. :D

09:31, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 9 using 3d6.  observation or something. // just in case

This message was last edited by the player at 09:32, Wed 01 Feb 2017.

Giles eyes the lieutenant questioningly, trying to discern the cause of all his ire but even watching him pace back and forth atop his horse there seems little evidence of any direct annoyance, other than perhaps being forced to wait now as Giles's horse was fetched.  As Giles corrects the officer, the man shows little interest and does not even respond as he shades his eyes to try and make out any progress of the other two soldiers.  "Can't even fetch a horse..."  Broskow mutters, not turning to address either Edenburg nor Giles.

Corporal Edenburg seems oblivious to the comment, and turns to respond to Giles, nodding his agreement.  "Could be wolves, or a bear, they are pretty much everywhere.  Bushwolves and striders are around here too at times, maybe even a lion.  Could be something to do with that cave I guess, makes as much sense as anything else."

Overhead, the sun drags towards it's apogee in the clear sky.  Though the midwinter morning is cool, the air is nearly completely dry and Giles already misses the waterskin he had tied on to his saddlebags.  The next few minutes pass awkwardly, with Lieutenant Broskow pacing and cursing under his breath at intervals, Edenburg attempting to make light of the situation with casual chat, even just to himself.  It is not quickly, but after a matter of minutes the small group of three eventually see a pair of men riding back over a distant hill and behind them they lead a third horse.  A few minutes later and Redman and Pierce have returned, though their horses are lathered with sweat and nickering as soon as they stop with Pierce's steed shaking his head roughly.  To Giles's pleasure, it seems that Firebrand shows no remnants of his panicked flight and seems almost playful as he nudges Pierce's quarterhorse with his nose.

Seemingly aware of the equine displeasure, Pierce dismounts, holding onto his reins as he hands over the reins of Firebrand to Giles.  "We're going to need to stop."  Pierce starts, though he doesn't seem to be speaking directly to Lieutenant Broskow.  "That horse had no mind to be caught, led us on for a few miles, didn't think we had much of a chance with ours being held down with all the extra weight, but then he just slows to a stop and starts munching on the grass out of nowhere.  Doesn't seem to be any worse for wear, but the others aren't happy to be sprinted that far, they need rest and water wouldn't hurt."

The muscles in Lieutenant Broskow's jaw clenches ever tighter during the short speech and a small vein surfaces on his forehead.  As he opens his mouth to address the matter, Edenburg cuts him off, his voice loud enough to cut the tension.  "Sir, why don' the horses rest here for a moment and Pierce and I can check out that cave down there?  If it was something to spook the horses wouldn't hurt to at least know what it was 'eh?  World could do well with one less bushwolf.  We could even take the Sergeant along for supervision."

For a moment, the lieutenant looks back and forth between his two corporals incredulously and though Giles fears the officer will begin to yell again, he eventually gives in to the will of his men.  "Fine."  Broskow spits.  "Leave all the horses here then, if it was something down there that spooked them I don't want them getting any closer.  Redman."  He says dismounting.  "Take all the reins, I don't want to take any chances."

Edenburg and Pierce don't need telling twice and immediately start making their way down the hill on foot.  "Coming Sergeant?"  Edenburg asks over his shoulder.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 03:08, Sun 19 Feb 2017.

The situation and dynamic of the group was awkward and Giles couldn't figure out whether the Lieutenant was naturally confrontational and bitter or whether it was something else that was plaguing his mind. He supposed that given the nature of other people he'd met so far it would be hard for an officer to go far with such a bad attitude, but then that might be the naivety of his lacking experience. A moment's reflection and he recalled his own unearned rank. maybe it's the same he thought inwardly.

As Pierce and Redman brought the horse back Giles was sure to thank them sincerely "I guess being a little untrained means he gets spooked more easily. Thanks for retrieving him" he said as the men came closer. It seemed a much more appropriate way of addressing those who had just retrieved his own horse.

A familiar knot had arisen in Giles's gut that he remembered from back at the academy. The officer reminded him of the berating and overly harsh teachers, bullies essentially. It wrinkled him and hat fixed a tension of frustration inside him. Giles had to consciously remind himself that he didn't know Braskow and that it could be any number of reasons he was so severe. A pang of guilt shot through the sergeant as he did, realising that it was primarily his fault; he sighed lightly.


The corporal's suggestion was a good one and it would give everyone time to calm down. If indeed there was a threat of bushwolves or any other animal that could kill a man perhaps giving everyone something else to think about was the best thing to do. The sergeant felt a little silly that he wasn't the one to have suggested the little excursion, but nodded affirmatively at its mention.

"Of course corporal..." he said before checking his equipment and joining the small group.


OOC:

What equipment do we have again?
Did we take shields? Did the corporal take a shield to look at the bushwolves or do i get the feeling they're just doing it to make sure that the time spent resting the horses isn't done with the Lt?

Essentially the goal is that Giles is trying not to look like an out of place idiot and som he'll just keep awareness of most of the things they do and emulate them as best he can - where he feels that sergeants should take initiative, he'll do that too.

Giles considers the offer and quickly agrees, making his way down the hill behind the two corporals.  As he descends, Giles is struck by the odd shape of the cave and the serendipity that they saw it at all.  Indeed, the mouth of the cavern is covered by boulders and stones and nearly any other view would have obstructed it completely and Giles finds himself wondering if that possibility is by coincidence or design.

At the bottom of the small valley between the hills the grasslands seem to yield at least in part to stone with lime and clay dominating over the grey dry dirt that predominates the area.  Giles kicks at some of the earth, knocking clear a small patch of rock that tumbles ahead and spits dust in the air.  Ahead, Pierce has a torch on the ground and is sparking his flint, trying to catch the greased cloth on top.  Edenburg still holds his bow in his left hand, though it is slack.  He has an axe sitting in his belt near his right hand.

"No need with the Corporal and whatnot,"  Edenburg smiles as Giles reaches the caves.   "At least down here.  I'm Allen, and this is Gustaf.  The Lieutenant's a piece of work though, so keep up appearances near him eh?"  Edenburg finishes as Pierce grunts a few paces below, the torch finally catching spark and igniting.

"He's a motherfucker."  Pierce adds, the back of his head still facing the resting grounds with the lieutenant and private Redman.  Pierce stands up holding the torch high, shining it's light into the cave, though it's hard to make out anything much farther than a few paces.  "I need a few minutes away from that shit, thought I was going to hit him just now.  What's the orders sergeant?"

OOC:  Sorry not asking about the shield thing earlier, it would have been available at the armory so if you want one just let me know.  Please declare what weapons you have on you right now.  I'm assuming you have your spear in your right hand with your axe on your belt.  If you have a shield that may also be readied.  Also let me know what the marching order is.  Pierce has the torch in his right hand with nothing else, Edenburg has his bow in his left hand, a quiver on his back, and a hatchet on his right hip.  Both corporals area wearing leather armor.  All your stuff is listed on your character sheet and you are currently medium encumbrance.  Roll vs. Health for the morning ride for fatigue suffered.  I will note your character sheet for any fatigue lost.

Giles couldn't help but chuckle at the men's disdain for their officer. It was something that he had always heard was the case, the distance between officers and soldier, but here it was apparent. The sergeant didn't mind it, letting people vent was fine for sanity and the Lieutenant probably deserved it with his severe attitude.

Check out those stones... do they look natural? he considered out loud.

As they approached the ntrance of the cave Giles shrugged his shoulders and twisted his body to assess the weight of the chain that sat on him. It was heavy and he didn't like it, but he wouldn't show that - at least he hoped after some time of wearing it he'd get used to it.

"He always like that?" Giles asked with genuine curiosity before taking another step forward.

The half-elf had cursed and spat when he found out that he wouldn't get a sword and despite numerous efforts to get used to the weightedness of the axe he simply didn't feel comfortable holding it; Giles opted to keep the spear.

Alright Allen, you stay at the back with that bow. Make sure you're on the edge of the light, between the mouth of the cave and the torch you should have some reasonable sight into it. Don't get too far behind though.

I'll take the middle, and cover with the spear and you, Gustaf, keep that axe ready and light the way for us.


If this place goes much deeper and it gets too dark you might want to use your axe Allen.

he offered as they began to take their first steps.




OOC:

Okay cool, i'd like to make a tactics or soldier roll to make sure that Giles isn't doing anything stupid.

09:44, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 11 using 3d6.  tactics/soldier.


09:44, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 13 using 3d6.  HT.

Darn... i guess Giles is a bit tired.


BTw, left the shield on the horse :)


This message was last edited by the player at 12:41, Mon 06 Feb 2017.

Giles takes a moment to ask a few questions before getting down to tactics.  Though neither of the men have much of an opinion about the rock formations, when asking about Lieutenant Broskow, Pierce's face sours before replying, "Yeah, he's always like that.  Just have to find an excuse here and there to get the hell away for a minute."

Shifting the order slightly for the others, Giles puts Pierce in front holding the torch, himself in the middle with his spear, with Edenburg in the back keeping an eye out with his bow.  The cave mouth itself is large enough for each of the men to enter, even with the torch held aloft and it slopes gently down into the base of the hill.  It does not take long for the outside sunshine and moderate cool to fade into the dark chill of the underground.  Though the path is initially only wide enough for single file, it does not take long before the narrow entryway to open up into a wider antechamber.

The torchlight flickers gleefully off the walls in the small room, which is perhaps only twenty feet square.  There seems to be some remnants of habitation here and there, small storages scatter the floor near the entry wall and there seems to be a fire ring of sorts on the far side of the room.  However, the dust lining the floor is thick in places and it seems it may have been a while since it has seen use.  It seems there are tunnels that continue on to both sides of the room, both to your immediate left and right.

OOC:  It does not make me particularly proud to admit that I spent most of my time trying to figure out how to make this damn map display properly in thread rather than actually writing a cohesive post.  I suppose for now I'll make due with at least just moving the scene along.  I've got a link to the map that's close enough for government work below.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Link to Map Entryway Map

Giles didn't reply any further and instead focussed his eyes on the dakrness of the cave. Even with the lighting of the torch it was still a whole other world when compared with the outside. The first thing he noticed though was the distinct change in scent. Freshness was pushed away as they delved into the mouth of the cave and it gave Giles a very claustrophobic sensation. He pressed on though, not showing any discomfort infront of his men.

"My men" he repeated in his mind, getting used to the idea of being among peers, but above them in rank. It was a feeling and notion he'd still have to get comfortable with.


They got into the clearing and, for the most part, daytime had died away. The room had been settled, but as the thick layer of dust indicated probably unused in a while. "Gustaf, have a quick look in those containers... see if there's anything useful or valuable. Allen, keep an eye on that passage way." he said, trying to sound friendly with an undertone of authority, but given their situation Giles felt that his voice came out as more of a whisper. Prudence, he thought, outweighs blind boldness.

"I'll cover this one" he said indicating the other passage.



OOC:

No worries! the map is very clear and makes everything a bit more fun - lets us use some tactical decisions and the environment should anything happen that might try and send us back to the mud.

Giles takes charge naturally, giving each of the men a task - Gustaf to search the room and Allen to cover the tunnel going off to the left.  Meanwhile, Giles himself looks down the tunnel to the right though he finds his vision is obscured without the aid of the torch right next to him.  Still, he can make out that the tunnel stays wide enough for a single man to pass through easily and that the path winds slightly to the right and then curves back abruptly to the left.

"Nothin' in here."  Pierce mentions as he rustles through the containers.  "Looks like some food of some sort but it's long rotten."

On the other side of the room, it seems like Allen is having the same difficulty as Giles.  "Can't see shit over here, but seems like another room in the cave.  Think I'll put this bow away, not sure I'd be able to see anything far enough away to shoot it."  The corporal states as he slings the bow over his shoulder and grabs for his axe from his hip.

"Look at this here."  Pierce mentions as he continues searching up through the room.  "Looks like bones, skull of some sort maybe."  He flashes the torchlight towards the back of the room as he walks in that direction.  Giles can make out even from his vantage point the makings of a firepit near the back of the wall and a few white fragments that are scattered around the floor.  It seems the one that Pierce is talking about lies close to the firepit, obscured slightly by the ash and soot around it.

OOC:  Forgot to ask for a couple of things when you came down here.  Can you tell me whether you have your spear in a one or two handed grip and if two handed, also whether you are holding it in a one or two hex grip?  As a side note, if you want to whisper please use <small> tags around your conversation.  Otherwise I'll treat it as normal speech.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:44, Sat 11 Feb 2017.

Giles looked over to where Pierce had indicated the bones and then went over to inspect them himself, on the way he nodded to Edenburg and said quietly "Keep an eye on that passage".

Upon reachinh the bones Giles looked closely trying to assess what kind of bones they were and maybe how old or how they would seem to come to demise. "Wonder what did this... I guess people just stayed here for shelter.

We'll need to check the other passages too.






OOC: OKay no problem.

As for the stance - he was aiming for a full range with the spear and would be holding it 2 handed. Naturally if he gets into close area he'll naturally just shorten his range a little bit so he's not hitting walls all over the place.

Ultimately, if he's in an openish area (in a cave, right? ) he'll stand between the other two with as big range as feasible in the area to make sure he can support them both.

Giles walks towards the splayed out fragments of bones trying to discern what animal they came from and what has happened to them since.  One thing is for certain, these bones have been trod on and broken since they fell here in this cave.  The damage done since then has destroyed many of the clues that might have helped Giles but here he sees a thick long bone like a leg of a large animal and the skull that Pierce has pointed out is more of a small plate of forehead with a cavernous eye socket.  Most of the rest has been broken away to shards or at least pieces small enough to be too difficult to tell by themselves alone.

OOC:  You've spent a minute or two glancing over the bones and haven't really gotten a whole lot of information of interest.  If you want to explore further, let me know whether you want to take the left passage or the right one.

Giles purposefully hmmed and ahhed over the bones and though he couldn't really glean any information from them he at least let the others think that he was working through some things. It was always better to appear like you could contribute something.

"Okay, lets check a bit further, first down this corridor and then we'll try the other. Enough to see if there's anything else but not too deep, we don't want to get lost in here  he offered.


OOC: Sorry, have been away for a couple of days, will move onto the next bit and then write something more substantial in response to the next one

Giles looks down the passage going to the left that Edenburg had been guarding.  He was loathe to get too far entrenched in this cave to remember the way back out, but for now the whole idea seemed a happy distraction.  It kept all three of them away from the Lieutenant for now, and who knows, perhaps they would come across something that could benefit them or the fort?

The walk down the next passage is short, it bends sharply down to the left and then opens back up to the right into another small chamber.  There are remnants that look like old furniture here and there, a broken chair, a splintered table...  As they get closer Giles can make out against the back wall what looks like a small spring that is gushing up into a small pond in the cave, rippling the surface in a constant churn which reflects the torchlight happily back up into the cavern.  The puddle is perhaps only a few feet wide in each dimension and it is impossible to tell how deep.

Left Passage

Giles sucked on his teeth as they walked into the chamber. He had felt the dryness in his mouth become more and more noticable and could feel the pulse of his own heartbeat in his ears. He wasn't entirely sure for what reason he'd be nervous, perhaps a combination of the new role as leader of this small group or the memory of the bush wolves that rang loudly in memory.

A whisper escaped his mouth "Deeper than I like...

As they entered the cavern the sound of rushing water hit Giles ears and in such an alien world it felt reassuring. "Have a look round... lets see what's in here he said after having made a quick appraisal of the room's emptiness.

Giles and his two corporals fan their way around the room, looking for something amidst the emptiness.  Giles moves towards the north and the small pond.  As he gets closer, he can tell that the water is not very deep and there in the middle...

Giles takes a step into the small puddle, the water coming up close to his ankle as he reaches into the center.  What he pulls out is a small bag that jingles merrily.  Stepping back out of the pond, he fumbles with the string and finds inside a small pouch containing silver and copper coin!

OOC:  You don't recognize the coins, although you would guess them to be of Wazifi make.  based on the weight and amount of silver, you would guess their worth somewhere around $100.  Just for your info, the pond is fed by an underground spring rather than a rushing waterfall like in the picture so it is for the most part silent, although the pond is shallow enough for the flow of the water to ripple the surface.

Giles looked at the coins and inspected them, trying to look and capture the glint of the arabic script in the light. He was more focussed on this than the cool water around his ankles, but as he stepped out he flicked his feet to get rid of some of the excess.

"That water looks like it's fed by a spring, probably drinkable if you wanted to fill your skins". As he said it he invited the others into come and look at the coins.

"Are these Wazifi?

We can divvy them up later but I wonder why they're here. It would suggest that some of those people had been here and put the coins here. Not sure when this place was last used but we better keep our eyes out for the rest of the patrol.

 

Pierce brings the torch over closer to Giles to take a look at the coins. "I'd say they look Wazifi.  Dirham, I think they're called"  He points at the small silver ones.  "They must have been there for a bit, the copper's nearly solid green with rust."

OOC:  The copper and silver are both heavily oxidized, the copper greening and the silver going black.  Neither of the two corporals have found anything in the room that wasn't obvious at the first.

"Are they still worth anything like this? his familiarity with Wazifi coin in the empire of Megalos was somewhat limited. He knew that people back from his home province would use and trade in northman wares but generally they were considered to be inferior and held in lower regard. A coin of the north was worth less than something similar for a Megalan coin. It was as it should be, he thought.

Once you're done with that water, we'll go look at the other tunnel and then we can get out of here. A bit of coin might ease the Lieutenant's critique he offered.

"Yeah, I reckon that if you polish them up they'll be just like new.  Probably won't even need to do that, I'm sure they'll go for value down south or you could trade them in up in Raphael for close to face value as is."

Giles pulls the ties on the small pouch, closing the bag, and tying it to his hip letting the wet cloth dry somewhat in the open.  The small party make their way back to the main opening, then down the passageway to the right.  Giles again goes first, letting Pierce go immediately behind him with the light, and Edenburg in the rear, though he has now put his bow back in favor of an axe with the tight quarters.

the tunnel bends much like Giles had seen, it narrows to just wide enough for a single person going first right and then curing sharply back to the left.  Giles picks his way forward carefully.

OOC:  Roll vs. Observation.

Right Passage

"That's good then, here... We'll divvy it up properly later" he said flicking each of them a coin before heading out the other way into the other tunnel. He wasn't sure how much the money was worth exactly, he suspected not a life changing amount and so Giles smiled inwardly as he suspected that the gesture itself would be more valuable than the gold. It seemed odd that he felt so little of the urgency to get gold and money in his life, it could have been that he was raised in a wealthy noble family and then educated in the arcane - both of which left little wanting for such things. Ultimately, he had heard of the greed of people and their desire for more and more and Giles felt a moment of confusion, power was power but money was just a limited proxy for it.

"To each their own" he said to himself quietly.


As they walked the Half-elf was careful not to make too much noise and even noticed that he had unwittingly slowed his breathing with caution. Stepping forward he reached his arm out across the others to signal that he would go first - another little gesture might be helpful-  and then he stepped forward with his weapon held high enough to block anything that might rush him.

[7 blank lines suppressed]


OOC:

He'll give them around 25$ if that can be managed in a coin

12:37, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 10 using 3d6.  Obs.

Giles makes his way around the sharp corner in the tunnel of the right hand fork, making his way carefully with his weapon raised.  As he and Pierce behind him round the sharp bend, he is able to start making out small details of the room beyond.  It seems to be a wider hallways, perhaps up to five shoulder widths wide.  The torchlight just creeps out beyond the entrance, where the ceiling is discolored brown and seems to be smoother than the other walls or ceiling.  On the floor just at the tip of his vision, Giles can just make out the colors of a rug rolled out on the floor along the right hand side and a small colorful mound that seems to emerge on top.

OOC:  The map isn't entirely accurate, so please disregard all the people/statues drawn into the picture.  Instead, there is a rug that starts about halfway up the room which is about four yards in width that continues up to the top of the room, which you can't see yet.  The 'mound' is about a yard and a half to two yards wide and shimmers with a certain luminescence.  Please let me know if you want to head into the room and make a stealth roll if desired.

Hallway

Giles' breath caught in his throat as he saw the colorful mound and the unfurled rug. It looked like this place may have been more recently inhabited and he felt his skin prickle as it sensitised and expected some immediate and surprising contact.

Waving slightly to signal quiet Giles took a half-side step into the room with his back to the closest wall in order to survey the room more completely. If he could see clearly in the low-light he would have definitely noticed the whitening of his knuckles as he tightly gripped the wooden shaft of his spear. I can feel the grain of the wood with such detail he thought to himself and then revelled momentarily in the odd places the mind wonders in such situations.

Looking to the man holding the torch Giles held his hand up to signal that he shouldn't pass the edge of the passage way. Moving into a clear opening would illuminate everything around them and let anybody further up instantly know.


OOC:

Stealth:
15:39, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 13 using 3d6.  stealth. // i hate this dice roller :)
Naturally, all out defence (double) - should it be required

Giles slowly pads his way forward, his eyes watching the colorful mound atop the rug.  Though he attempts to walk silently, the whole process is impossible with the chain armor all over himself rattling this way and that as he walks.  The mound ahead, nor anything else seems to take notice though and the whole scene seems out of place, however, he does not have long to contemplate the matter.

All of a sudden several things happen at once.  Giles feels a soft, wet slap, like a hand patting him on the back, but all over his head, face, shoulders, and upper back.  Whatever it is that has hit him does not have the weight of a full man, perhaps only thirty or forty pounds at best, though it sticks on his armor all over.  Reflexively, Giles closes his eyes, and it is a good thing, for as soon as the mass is atop his body, he can feel the slow burn of acid upon his face, the only exposed skin he has.

Behind him, Pierce gasps slightly thought the two have taken no action yet...

OOC:  Couple of notes.  If you plan on still trying to be quiet, please roll vs. Will in order to keep from crying out.  You are currently grappled (for lack of a better term) by a jelly-like mass that covers you from your shoulders on your front side to your mid back, completely encompassing your head.  You have your eyes closed and cannot see, you can attempt to open them if you wish, but it is not likely you will be able to see much through the thing on top of you based on how thick it feels.  You have multiple options here.  You can try and attack the thing (with risk of injuring yourself) or you can attempt to break grapple.  If you wish to attack, please roll a normal weapons skill at -5 for close combat and for not actually seeing the thing.  If you wish to break the grapple, roll vs. ST or escape to throw it off.  You have just stepped into the 'hallway' and the two corporals are standing behind you in the Tunnel.

Giles felt his face fall to the enveloping of the thing on him and instantly took to motion. The panic hit him like a warhorse and he pulled and began to flap himself like a fish out of water. As the tingling on his skin began he closed his eyes and mouth and tried to hold his breath as he wrestled off the creature.


OOC:

08:56, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 10 using 3d6.  St/judo?

Giles inadvertently cries out as the thing encompasses his head and unsure of what else to do, Giles heaves the viscous blob using his shoulders and free hand, luckily, it seems as if the thing has not quite acquired a steady grip yet and it falls to the floor with another wet slap.

The thing is grotesque with no form it slithers away from the impact, slowly sliding towards the wall of the cavern...

Up ahead, the colorful mound begins to stir with all the commotion, and rises into a crouched position.  What Giles had thought was simply a pile of painted cloth is instead a human... or something like it anyway.  It is decidedly female, with long red hair cascading over her back and breasts, though her arms seem to give way to feathered wings that are aflame with crimson and purple.  Instead of feet, she has enormous claws like those of a hawk exploded to ten times that size.  All told, she stands just under five feet tall in her crouch.

Her eyes turn and find Giles, axe in hand, and she shrieks a piercing scream that makes Giles jump in his skin.

"Harpy!"  Pierce whispers from behind.  Alerting Edenburg, who is still behind in the tunnel, to the danger.

OOC:  Roll vs. Naturalist or IQ-6.  The slime that attacked you is now three yards away from you and moving away at a speed of about 3.  The Harpy is about 11 yards away and so far is not doing anything other than making a lot of noise.

harpy
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:33, Tue 06 June 2017.

Giles, spent a moment or two wiping his face and head clean of the syrupy liquid left upon him by the creature that had almost enveloped him. Instinctively he took a step away and moved out of its grasp, back into the cave system.

As the mound began to move and take form Giles' stomach sank further but he tried to hold. "The lieutenant warned me about waking your wife Edenburg... he commented with a half-grin, indicating the harpy in front of them.

His next thoughts were two fold. First, they had to defend against the harpy and stay away from the wicked looking claws that potruded so offensively from her feet Pity... if she wasn't crossed with some demon fiend she'd be a good looking woman he thought to himself before observing that he was really just focused more on her womanly features. It was a passing thought.
The second feeling was to avoid the thing on the ceiling of the cave, and not let anyone else be captured by it.

Okay... hold in the entrance of this cave. And if she comes at us wait until I hit before circling quickly around both her sides and attacking. You must both go at once, no hesitation lads. he ordered consisely but hadn't diverted his eyes from the threat to hand.

His goal was simple, draw the harpy into the jaws of the acid-mouthed creature. And if that failed, attack as one from different sides.

[8 blank lines suppressed]


OOC: Did Giles not still have hold of his spear? I'm pretty sure I still have the spear in hand, rather than an axe.


Actions(Combat:

Wait maneuver-> Stop thrust

The harpy shrieks loudly again, the piercing cry rattling across the walls of the cave and seeming to echo to the single point where Giles is standing.  Though he seeks to slay the beast, Giles does not rush the creature, but settles back towards the mouth of the tunnel to wait for the beast to come to them.

After a lighthearted attempt at a joke, Giles turns to look at Edenburg, who seems completely taken aback by the monstrous form in front of them.  Giles follows up with simple instructions to his two corporals, to circle the thing and hack away as soon as they can get it close enough.  Though Edenburg seems still stupefied, pierce nods, gripping his axe in his right hand and the torch in his left waiting for the thing to charge...

Instead, to his surprise, the thing moves awkwardly to the left, it's giant birdlike claws obviously not built for the cave floors, its enormous wings beating softly as though it seeks to take flight but knows the ceiling is too low.

to his right, the brown slime-like creature still slithers away...

OOC:  Sorry, for some reason I got it in my head that you left your spear on your horse, but it was your shield.  You have your spear ready in a 2 hex, two handed grip.  The brown slime has made its way to the wall at the bottom right corner of the lower corridor map, and is starting to slither it's way up the wall.  The harpy has moved out of the map field of view by way of the tunnel to the left side of the map on upper corridor.  Sorry I didn't have both of these on the last map sequence, I'm not sure how I missed that this was a two frame area.
Upper Corridor
Lower Corridor

Giles gripped the spear closer and considered the wisdom of pursuing the harpy at all. "Are these things always bad? he asked while cautiously stepping forward into the cave, his spear constantly pointing towards the bird-woman, and avoiding any proximity to the slime creature.

"keep an eye on that Edenburg" he said shrugging towards the slim-creature. The momentary pause of the other man would soon pass he hoped, and in this istuation he had more things to give attention to than the shock of another soldier.



OOC: Are we the central dot infront of the doorway on Corridor1.jpg map?

If so, I want edenburg to keep an eye on the slime so it doesn't flank us fully. While we push towards the bird-woman.

Ultimately, we're being threatening and defensive. Giles is deciding the wisdom of engaging in a fight when it might not be needed.

It takes only a few moments before the bird-woman is gone from view, her entire body forced through another gap in the rocks further down the hallway...  "No clue."  Pierce answers back his question, the torch and axe ready in front of him.

Seeing that they have some time to decide the benefits of an all out brawl, Giles does not give over much attention to Edenburg's lapse of coherence.  Instead, he says his name loudly and gives him more instruction, hoping to break the stupor.  The idea works and without saying another word, Edenburg takes the few steps to cut the distance in half towards the slime, though he does not get near enough for the thing to jump on him if it is able.

As for Giles, he walks slowly up the wide room, up to the fringe of the rug on the floor.  Wary of some trick beneath, he steps carefully, but finds only a simple threadbare rug which looked like it was once beautiful.  The pattern on it is intricate and the design far more complicated than a simple market weave, though now it is caked heavily with dust.  Glancing above him, Giles notices a small red arrow painted on the ceiling near the center of the floor covering, though what it points to he cannot tell, for there is nothing but cave wall in that direction.  From off ahead, Giles can hear the reverberating shrieks of the harpy still ringing back toward him.

OOC you are now about half way up the map of the upper corridor, still about five yards or so from the tunnel entrance at the top left.  You are at the center of an old rug which is mostly faded colors of red, black, purple, and yellow, woven in an intricate design and caked all over with dust.  The arrow on the ceiling, painted in red, points toward the right wall of the cave, though it angled just slightly towards the bottom of the map as well.  From the harpy's shrieks, it seems like it has gone on a ways after the mouth of the tunnel to the right.

Fark! Giles muttered under his breath, irritated that he now faced a decision that had no obviously good outcome. They could pursue the harpy, delve deeper into the cave and further into bad odds or they could retreat and cut losses calling their exploration a win.  There was, after all, no need to clear out the living things in the cave and he considered that pushing further would only sate his ego and curiosity.

"But there might be something interesting in there... he said again, to nobody in particular.

He gestured quickly to Edenburg to keep an eye on the wall crawling slime and then considered a moment. "We should see what's in this cave" he reasoned, knowing fullwell that his curiosity of what lay deeper was poking at his insides. "What this arrow means and if there is any more treasures to be found within.

We can take one harpy, and this slime like creature seems to be relatively immobile - and could be useful.

Alright lads, lets form up and go deep he said grasping both the haft of his spear and pushing forward cautiously into the cave.

Giles wrestles with the idea of delving deeper, weighing the potential pros of what he might find against the cons of what further creatures this cave might uncover.  Deciding that the risks were worth the potential rewards (especially with that all that silver just sitting in the cave pond!) Giles presses forward still farther into the caves with Pierce just behind him followed by Edenburg.  The first thing he notices as he begins to move into the next tunnel is the spattering of light that cascades towards him, but as he turns the corner into the next open cavern he is shocked by just how far, and by what he can see.

The first thing he notices is the glow from luminescent fungi, growing in clumps across the cavern, that casts a low light across the entire area.  Apart from that, in the center of the room, a wide shaft of light cascades down onto the floor, striking upon a tile mosaic that looks to be jumble of snakes.

The space in the cavern is far larger than any of the others Giles had seen yet and the ceiling at least fifteen to twenty feet above his head.  The center area is thirty feet wide in each direction, with branches going off to his right, left, and straight ahead.  Off to the left seems to be what used to be a working area, with a desk within view from the alcove they are standing on.  All the way to the back and straight ahead is an area with beds and a trunk.  Just in front of them is a twelve foot wide ditch that descends perhaps another twelve feet down into the earth, though across it's middle is a plank bridge that spans the gap about three feet wide.

What is most apparent however, is the dias that sits just ahead of him and to the right.  It rises five feet off the ground and atop looks to be the remains of an old rectangular table, pulverized and flaying its legs out in all directions.  perched in the center is a nest made of grasses and twig, easily ten feet long.  On top of that is not the one, but four harpies, the closest of which stands and stares at Giles, shrieking a piercing cry that reverberates into his chest.

"Oh shit!"  Edenburg says behind him, dropping his axe to the floor with a clatter as he grasps wildly for his bow.

OOC:  I've got my awful rendition of a battle map below if you want to reference it.  Again, disregard the mounds of treasure, not to mention the man lurking behind the door on the dias.  Go ahead and give two rounds of action.  If you are not stunned, and wish to give a bonus to Pierce and Edenburg to their will rolls, you may roll against leadership.  Although the closest harpy is about seven hexes away, if you want to get to where the Harpies are  you are going to have to either cross the bridge or leap across the chasm (or otherwise cross by magic).  Please state your intent if it is your wish to move closer.  Also, note that the stairs to the dias are on the back side, and if you want to simply go up without climbing you will have to go all the way around.

Battle Map
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:07, Fri 17 Mar 2017.

"Alright, Edenburg, shoot them bring them down as you can. Loose at your will...

You, if they get close and land, put your axe in them..." he said with his own authority and grasping his spear to give it the best effective range he could muster. He prepared for an assault, but knew that their current position gave them the best defensive opportunity.

Surveying the surroundings briefly, Giles felt his throat tighten as the adrenaline surged into his body and all of a sudden he was reconnected with childhood. Standing behind a shield line with his father and brothers fighting with the north men and stabbing at their feet through the line, with a spear. In that moment Giles felt gut punch of loss, knowing he would never stand beside his brother again, and that even his father may be closer to the point where such warring was best left to younger men. He sighed as he felt the crumbling of his youth bring into sharp relief the current conflict that was imminent. "To glory... he said through gritted teeth.

Their situation, as he saw it was as strong as it could be in the room. The bridge ahead of them bottlenecked any advancement on the ground, and the chasm prevented crossing without serious threat. They harpies would be forced to fly into the assault and Giles had the range, but without an open space to maneuver their sweeping attacks would be stifled by the wall and they would undoubtedly be clumsy. At least that's how he imagined from his memories of watching hawks prey upon small game.


"Hold strong lads. We have the better ground and the range. Take your time edenburg, aim and fill them with arrows.



We will hold position.

Actions:

Stop-hit on any harpy coming into range. I guess their dodge would be hampered but i'll aim for a random location too.


Tactics:

Hold the line - with spear (giles)
Shoot at range, to take them out individually (edenburg)
Axe is for close combat should they get past the spear (pearce)

Giles is confident of the upper hand, with only a single avenue of approach, not to mention a ranged weapon.  However, things start moving quite more quickly and less in his favor that he would expect.  Edenburg grasps for his bow, but is unable to take his eyes from the monstrosities ahead and fumbles the bow as he brings it from over his shoulder and sending the weapon tumbling to the floor next to his axe.  Horrified, the corporal bends over to retrieve his weapon.

Up ahead it does not take long for the winged beasts to begin their attack.  The largest of the beasts shrieks again as it flexes its enormous wings and lifts itself to the high interior of the caves, perching on an outcropping near the ceiling as it unfolds its wings, making ready for some sort of dive.  Two others of the beasts leap down from their perch, launching themselves with their powerful legs across the chasm at nearly the same time!  Giles takes the first of the two bracing his spear and aiming towards the beast's chest.  It comes with an unhuman speed, reaching its razor claws out in front of it makes a single wingbeat to increase it's speed.  Luckily, Giles spear is just longer than the talons and he manages to rip a singing gash in the beast's stomach.

Giles braces himself for impact, but luckily it never comes.  The spear-thrust, though far from devastating, was enough to send the harpy off course, it grips outward with its enormous feet but misses its landing badly and stumbles backward into the pit below, landing with a sickening crunch at the bottom as it crumples into a heap with a mutter.

The second harpy is not so unlucky and launches itself towards Pierce, each swipe at the other, the Harpy reaching its claws forward for the soldier's chest though he swivels his body out of the way, bringing his axe down hard as the Harpy turns its body midflight to avoid the blow.  The thing lands on two feet between the three solders, screeching it's displeasure.

OOC:  Battle map updated.  Harpy 1 is currently perched near the ceiling of the cave and has it's wings unfolded.  Harpy 2 was lightly gashed by Giles, but then badly failed it's DX roll and fell backwards into the pit, landing on it's head.  It is not apparent yet if it is out of the fight.  Harpy 3 launched itself at Pierce and both Pierce and the beast made their dodge rolls to avoid the slam and the axe-blow.  It has now landed between the three men, though it is in close combat with Pierce, 1 hex range from Giles, and 1 hex range from Edenburg.  The last Harpy has made it's way towards the edge of the pit and seems to be readying to attack.  Giles has his spear ready in a 2 hand grip and is facing the chasm (SW on the map).  Pierce has his axe ready and has shifted to face the Harpy (SE on the map).  Edenburg missed his will roll for two consecutive turns and I decided to play it out in a more realistic manner than just standing and staring.  He is in a crouch and has his bow ready.  Please note that if you attempt to attack the harpy standing next to you your thrust will be at -4 unless you shift to a one hex grip (takes a combat turn).  Please post 2 rounds of action and note your planned defenses.

Turn 2!

Giles felt his insides torque into uncomfortable positions as he heard the bow clatter on the floor. He made a mental note that Edenburg was not combat seasoned, nor stoic in the face of danger - but he said nothing to make it worse. Istead he felt the gusting of the air as the wings moved around his area. It felt so soft, like a gentle gust that seemed odd juxtaposed to the screaming threat of the harpy that stood next to him. The claws looked menacing and Giles had to push back the thoughts of the damage that the claws could do.

The line is broken, deal with that bitch!" he shouted, trying over the screeching of the harpy next to him. Ultimately, he couldn't turn to attack it without prompting further attack from the remaining two creatures. IF they were swarmed, things would become very bad indeed.

Instead Giles recalled some of his past and grinned slightly as he began, maintaining his stance and position  in a stern, loud and commanding voice to speak.

"Let those who sit within the frozen heavens be drawn from its cold with the burning of soul fire! came the mantra.



OOC: I don't know the feasbility of this, but ultimatelyt we're doing more than 1 turn so here it is:

Actions:
1) Any reactionary dodge or parry
2) Shape fire (spell) on the torch (not all the flame). This fire will then be controlled to start ribboning and dancing around the nearest harpy.

I reckon I can burn or singe the wings enough for her to get a bit worried or at least distracted.

3) Stop hit on any additional harpies coming in.


Sorry for the dramatic spellcasting :D bu there you go.



This message was last edited by the player at 09:45, Wed 22 Mar 2017.

"Let those who sit..."  Giles begins his spell, attempting to channel the mana from around him, though his words and thoughts are broken by the deafening screech from up above.

"SCREEEEEE!"  The Harpy on the ceiling dives straight for Giles!  He works to get his spear in front of him to stop the blow just as he had with the other monstrosity, but his actions are too late and the beast rushes past him, diving at his face!  Franticly whipping his spear about again, he attempts to get it between himself and the talons he is just too late and the claws tear into flesh raking at the edges of his mail coif.  Hot blood spatters everywhere, arcing across his vision as he stumbles backwards, attempting to gain his balance...

Just behind, Giles can hear the screeches of the other harpy.

OOC:  That was only 1 combat turn.  Since the Harpy went first in the combat sequence, I elected to try your stop hit rather than cast the spell, which missed.  You subsequently missed your parry and took a major slashing attack to the face from the claws.  Roll vs. HT-5.  If you succeed the roll, you may act normally on your next turn, but with a shock penalty of -4 to your actions.  You would still have a ready spear in a two hex grip.  The Harpy who just attacked you will drop beside you in close combat.  If you fail the roll, you suffer knockdown and stun, meaning you drop your spear and are unable to do anything this turn, but may defend at -4.  In that case roll against HT again to recover from stun.  If you fail your first HT-5 roll by 5 or more you fall unconscious for the remainder of the fight.  Give me 1 more turn of action.

Giles saw the bird coming and stabbed at it. His heart plummeted when he felt the tip of the blade cut through air without any resistance and knew that he was in that trouble. "H......" was all he managed to get out as his entire world changed in that moment.

Suddenly everything he had thought about, all his worries the concessions his affections, feelings, goals, desires and frustrations with life all got slammed into the back corner of his mind and diminished to irrelevance; it was something that could only come as one's mortality came into sharp relief. He may have found it interesting to know what kind of man he was. Thinking on such situations as those infrequent and deeply disturbing situations that many people face in their lives, providing a true testament to the character. He may have considered it if the entire world didn't fall away into darkness and then come back into focus like a hammerfall to his face.

A welting scream of pain shot across Giles's face and he didn't know or care if he screamed out in his own anguish. It bubbled some slick warm fluid over his skin and as it began to pool in his mouth and nose the man dully formed a half-realisation that he was prone.

Through the haze Giles prayed to any deity that might be listening and tried to shake his head clear of the fog and red-blindness he now felt.




18:38, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 8 using 3d6.  HT-5.
// well, it was a noble effort...

I guess that's a wrap, a short and sweet adventure, with lots of potential...  I'll start writing a new character

Unfortunate that I missed with a spear skill of 13. And pity about not getting a sword, otherwise i'd have been using sword + shield, maybe. Note to self, bring a shield (though in fairness i felt it was much more true to realism to not have a shield strapped on while having a casual look in a cave.

For the next turn:
18:51, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 13 using 3d6.  IQ to recovery from stun.
// at least that's fortunate :)

The clang of steel and shrieks both mortal and beastly echo around Giles who hangs in a limbo, half aware of the carnage taking place all around him.

Behind, Edenburg forsakes his bow to grab his axe, realizing the time for ranged weapons is long passed.  He manages to escape the razor talons of the beast and deals it back a steady blow to the chest!  The thing crows weakly as it collapses in a swoon.

Pierce, likewise is taken up with the beast in front of him, striking away with all his might, until his is surprised by behind as another of the beasts collides into him from behind.  Slightly jarred by the impact but seeming no worse for wear, Pierce turns, swinging wildly at his foe, though he manages to strike nothing as the beast shifts it's weight abruptly with a half-beat of it's enourmous wings.

Atop Giles, the strongest of the harpies knows his advantage, and its eyes gleam wickedly as it stamps down hard to try and finish the job.  The blow catches Giles on the leg, completely covered by his chain, and does little more than jar Giles from his stupor.  Irate with the durability of its prey, the harpy shrieks its displeasure directly into Giles face, a resonating sound that would have cowered many other men, but still reeling from the first blow, Giles does not make much of the display of intimidation.

As Giles is shaking himself back to action, Edenburg steps ahead, nearly on top of him, swinging his axe wildly at their strongest foe, though with all the fallen forms underneath he misses his swing badly, just able to regain his balance.

OOC:  That was two rounds of combat.  Unfortunately, recovering from a stun is a roll against HT and not IQ (mental stuns are IQ) so your roll of 13 was a fail.  I rolled for you for the next round and it was a success.  Battle map is updated below.  You are barely aware of what happened around you, but you can ascertain that there are two Harpies in front of you, the first is squared off with Pierce, the second is the one that clawed your face who is engaged now with Edenburg.  Both of them have readied axes.  Pierce has bleeding from each of his legs, though he seems to be little the worse for wear at the moment.  You are currently prone with both hands empty.  Your tile is where your head is, your feet are near the edge of the ravine.  Harpy 3 is unconscious, about a yard to the right of your head, its tile has been removed from the map and it is no longer a factor.  Harpy 2 is still at the bottom of the pit moaning, though it seems to be conscious from all you can tell.  Your spear is next to the hex with your feet on the right side.  Please give me two rounds of action.

Turn 3

Giles came back into the world of the living for a moment and was wrecked with pain across his face and in his leg. He didn't know quite what was going on, how damaged he was or whether they were winning or losing, he simply acted on instinct. He felt his body reflexively crunch up into a ball lifting both legs right up into his gut before kicking out with all the force he could muster.

A roar from himself echoed into the chamber as he mustered every last bit of energy to kick at the legs of the harpy that had clawed his face into bloody ribbons, it wasn't much but there was nothing else for him to do that would help their situation and even if there were, he had little time to think about it before his allies were similarly shredded and devoured by the she-bitches he now fought against to survive.

In the back of his mind the sound he let out felt somewhat unnatural, and he felt a deep unsettling reverberation pulse through his body.



OOC: The posting is okay, right? (I appreciate that a lot of the other plots are a lot more narrative and lengthy (i just think given the nature of the current situation my posts are a little shorter)


Actions:

In any order:

Spell(Sound (or simply illusion): He will make some kind of incredibly loud bestial sound. Something that sounds vaguely terrifying and predatory.

It could be a dragon screech (though he doesnt' know what that sounds like) but as he's just going on his gut instinct, it might be a lion/gorilla/baboob-like or wolf snarl , or something he's naturally more familiar with. In either case, it's supposed to give the impression of very big predator.


Attack:

Brawling Kick, All out attack Determined, Telegraphic, to the knees, + Mighty Blows

I'm pretty sure that you need the focussed fury perk to stack AoA(Strong) and mighty blows But either way it's going to be a double stamp to the legs. In which case he'll used determined

I guess it'd break down like this:

DWA(kick) -4, Prone -4, legs -2, Tele +4, AoA  +4 -> final skill 13
Ultimately, if he's successful, he should get
2x 1d6+3 (+1 for boots too) crushing attacks agianst the harpy's legs.
DWA means that there will be a defensive penalty of -1
Tele gives it +2

I am assuming though that given I am currently stunned and the harpy is engaged in combat with edenburg that it might count as a surprise attack and give it no defence at all. Or in the best case count as some half-way maneuver like run-around attack or flank attack.


... i'm scared of rolling for these. So i'll let you do it :)

All about Giles, the world spins with flying axes, razor-sharp talons and the spittle and blood of the combatants are riddled across the walls of the close spaces.  Above him, Edenburg battles with the larges of the demonic birds as beside, Pierce slashes wildly at the only other remaining foe.

Finally shaking himself from his stun, and finding themselves with a numbers advantage, Giles thinks it pertinent to scare off the remaining two foes, and he conjures the mana around him attempting again a spell to scare off the beasts but just as he has started to draw the magic around him he is surprised by another attack.  The Harpy slashes out with it's claws wildly, digging a fierce track into the crotch of Giles's mail coat and digging into his skin.  Giles inadvertently lets out a gasp, spoiling his spell midsentence.

To his right, Pierce and the beast battle back and forth savagely, claws flying and Pierce's axe tearing gaping wounds in the monster not once, but twice.  Flailing wildly to avoid the blows the beast throws itself to the side, but misjudges entirely, catching the worst of the blow right upon it's chest.  The beast howls with madness scrapping to keep its footing although there is none and it falls backwards into the pit with a sickening crack of bone.

Edenburg brings his axe to bear as well, slashing out at the leader and rending a gaping wound that pours blood onto Giles's midsection, stinging his new wound all the more.  Thinking to end the creature's fighting ability, Edenburg slashes again for the creature's leg, catching only bits of flesh with the heaving swing.

Thinking along the same lines, Giles flashes out with a blistering series of kicks from his back, the first one just barely missing, but the second one hitting his mark enough to leave a bruising blow.

Alone and badly injured, the last of the harpies flares it's wings backwards as it lifts and thrusts itself to the other side of the bridge.  Bleeding heavily and with its back turned to the group, it pauses for a moment before it lifts off again, making it's way back to the perch onto the ceiling.  With intended and lethargic movements, it glides towards skylight in the ceiling of the caves, casting shadows on the floor as it perches on a ledge near the ceiling.  One last time it looks back at the small party of three, screeching pitifully one last time before it launches itself away, leaving the caves entirely.

The small party of three is beleaguered and exhausted.  Giles's face is still heavily wounded and beading small rivulets of blood and he has to squint and reposition to keep it from running in his eyes.  Pierce is also wounded, once in each leg with one larger and one smaller tear in his leathers.  Edenburg, the last one to join the fray is the only one lucky enough to have escaped being wounded.  Down in the pit, the two fallen harpies still murmur and moan with their injuries...

Watching to ensure the last of the harpies is entirely gone, Edenburg turns and swings his axe one last time, cleaving off the head of the harpy that had fallen next to them.  "Good fucking riddance!" he intones as newly detached orb lolls in a roll to come to a stop a foot away from Giles, its eyes fixed in a glare of madness.

OOC:  To answer your question, the posting is perfect.  I also find myself in difficulty to post large swath of prose when doing a fight scene - I'm really more of a plot guy myself anyway, though I strive to bring out the characters when I have the opportunity.  Secondly, Congratulations!  You guys managed to fend off the harpies and avoid any debilitating injury.  Giles is however, reeling from his wounds and is at half move and dodge.  If first aid is not performed on his facial wounds he is likely to bleed into unconsciousness before long.  Pierce is also slightly wounded, but not as badly and has his full capabilities.  Please make 2 HT+1 rolls, one labeled 'face' and the other labeled 'groin'.  While I am assuming that you guys are going to explore the last room of the caves, please give me some specifics on how you are going to do that.  Firstly, are you going to perform first aid first (Edenburg can perform first aid on you while Pierce manages himself) and then explore?  Secondly, give me a general order of who is leading the exploring or if you are each going to different portions of the cave to explore.  If you say nothing I will assume that you are leading the group and exploring all portions of the cave together (and one at a time).

After the harpy had flown off, Giles let his head fall back to the stone and gasped in a breath to bring himself under control. As he lay there, feeling the cool rock seep through his flesh he considered his previous naivety; the pain he felt washing through his body was better compared against a gentle fire's warmth versus hot irons blackening one's flesh.

Squinting and moving the muscles in his face he used the jolts of pain to gauge the damage. Quickly giving up that task he gently pulled himself into an upright position, taking more than one attempt to grit through the burning wound in his low abdomen. A brief sense of relief brought a half-smile to his half-ruined face as he noted his gender was still in tact.

"Are we all here? he asked aloud to the room, not yet wanting to risk the pain of turning to look around the cave.

"Are you all okay?" he said a while after, gritting his teeth, holding back the whimpers and puyshing himself to his feet.

Their wounds had to be wrapped and halted for blood, or it was so the man thought as he was continuinally reminded of his own battle trophies. Grinning a wry smile at the notion of the skirmishes irrelevance in the grand scheme of thing, Giles reflected on the ease with which fate could have had easily let him be bird food in a random cage in a random part of a random kingdom in the world. He felt small.

After all of the wounds had been appropriately attended Giles suggested that Edenburg finish looking around the cavern. "Try not to drop your axe, or bow" he stopped himself from saying pissily. The amount of blood on him compared to the others and the fact that he was the only man picking himself up from the floor had knotted an iron-root in his gut that made him re-double his resolve to become stronger than the others. As he stood there watching Edenburg make his rounds, Giles flexed his arms trying to assess the power they could generate but then flinched after deciding he'd do the same to other parts of his body.





19:15, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 11 using 3d6.  infection :/ HT+1. // groin
19:14, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 16 using 3d6.  infection :/ HT+1. // face

Haha, so so unlucky. Either lose his ability to procreate or his face. (I assume it's for the infection)


We will look around the last places after tending everybody's wounds. There's no point letting people continue bleeding and not cleaning out the wounds as best we can.

"Are we all here?"

Even as the words leave Giles's mouth he knows that he is by far the most hurt of the group.  Though he had seen Pierce take a wound as well, the man had still been up and fighting at the end of the fray.  Willing himself to get back up and to direct his men, Giles decides to apply bandages to all the wounds, and then to get moving and see what is in these caverns before making their way out, Broskow was probably already complaining about their absence.  Pierce seems to be able to work his own ministrations, so Edenburg takes a look at Giles's face, spreading a thick salve on his face and placing some cloth across the wounds.  Luckily, it seems no damage was done to the eyes, so apart from wearing bandages across his face for the time being Giles is no worse for wear.

Deciding to let Edenburg take the lead for a change, the three set off to cross the small footbridge crossing the gully.  Giles is just biting back an insult about Edenburg's combat nerves, when the man suddenly starts falling in front of him!  Taking a half step back in shock, Giles watches as a small portion in the center of the footbridge gives entirely, revealing a trick door just under Edenburg's feet.  The man grasps out wildly, but was not expecting his passage to give way underneath him and he only manages to grasp the edge of the footpath before plunging into the trench below.

"Allen!"  Pierce's voice is urgent from behind Giles.  Taking a quick hop over the small trap door, Giles places himself at the other side of the trench, kneeling down to place himself at the edge of the drop.

"Just twisted an ankle I think!"  Edenburg calls back up.  "I guess I'm lucky both the birds down here are out...  Guess I'll hack them a bit before I try and work my way up."

His gruesome task accomplished, Edenburg is just able to clasp hands with Giles to pull him up and out of the ditch.

The threesome first make their way towards the harpy nest, looking to ensure there are no eggs or young that need to be dealt with.  They travel near the opposite end of the cave before circling back and up a short set of stairs.  As it seemed from the other side of the chasm, the nest is simply a mix of vegetation and grasses built upon a squashed table.  In the nest itself there is little besides a few small piles of fetid meat, crawling with larvae and maggots.  From atop the small climb the three can also now make out the motif on the floor which they had first thought to be a simple drawing of snakes.  Now it seems readily apparent that painted area is instead a medusa - her venomous hair and sharp fangs bristling menacingly.  The most apparent sensation the group gets however, is the overbearing stench from the monster's nest and the three quickly move away.

Moving on towards the back of the cave in a counterclockwise manner, the three come across the small area broken out into bedding.  Though the flat wooden palates of the bed still stand it seems the straw mattresses have been entirely ripped out and scavenged by the cave's most recent inhabitants.  The small chest at the foot of one of the beds is opened to reveal a few weapons:  A shortstaff, a small hand held blackjack, and a small metallic ring that is sharpened on the outer edge with a few feathers decorating the inner handle.

The group makes their way at last to the small area with desk and bookshelf.  The furniture itself seems in poor repair, though built for function and has not yet failed.  On top of the desk there are a few sheets of parchment spread out, each with writing in the Wazifi language, though it is faded and the pages are cracked.  There is also a small model carving of a toy boat with a worn blue rope fringe, bathed in dust.  The three try the drawers and find a stash of dried up inkwells, broken pens and a worn and cracked map where most of the ink has faded beyond recognition.

On the bookshelf are a mix of cloth and leather-bound books, the cloth ones tattered and in poor repair while a few leather-bound tomes look slightly less weathered - a handful of them even have titles in Anglish.  Battlefield Medicine, Field Unit Composition and the Chain of Command, and Raphael: The Geography and Environs stand out, while the largest of the books have titles that seem to be written in the same scripted language that marks the coins Giles found in the small pond.  Lastly, the end of the top of the bookshelf seems to be topped with a fired clay sculpture of five wolves, each of them tipped back with their muzzles skyward as if howling at the moon.

OOC:  I just went ahead and gave you the whole room, sorry again for the lag.  Edenburg took some damage as he fell down into the pit but it wasn't bad enough to slow down the chain of events here, he basically is walking with a slight limp in order to keep some weight off but should be fine once he can rest it for a bit.  Roll 3d6 labeled ??? for me please.

Small Metallic Ring
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:35, Tue 06 June 2017.

The salve and bandages across his face sat uncomfortably, each time he moved, or turned his head quickly he felt the tugs of cloth against his torn skin and inwardly grimaced at the sharp sensation that throbbed the whole of his face. Every now and then he hoped that his face wasn't total ruin, but soon after he quickly had to push back the thoughts for fear of coming to misery. Vanity wasn't one of his sins, but he had known truly ugly people and how they were treated by the common person, he wished no such fate for himself. As if to accentuate the sickeningly real feeling pulsing through his head Giles felt battered all over, with a dull thudding throb pulsing up through his leg and into his lower gut. Luckily, he reflected, he could move relatively unhindered and seemed to still have control of his whole body, even if it was fragile.

Crashing of the bridge seemed to reflect the feeling that Hind felt, a sinking crashing feeling that sent Edenburg to the bottom of a hole. A quick couple of breaths to steady his feeling were met with relief once the voice came calling up from the pit. Giles noticed that he had lunged forward to attempt to catch the man, but having missed he simply looked down into the pit and was thankful that he hadn't lost any men.

"Yea, make sure they don't come back and then we'll pull you up he called down.


 As they made their way around the nest, Giles looked down at the painted repesentation of the snaked-haired woman and reflected to the others Glad we didn't have to fight against that too. Those snakes look wicked " it was an idle comment and after saying it the half-elven sergeant regretted his words and so he quickly added "But we would have been able to overcome that too, I think. . Before he was able to add anything else the overwhelming stench of rotting flesh hit him and a tugging raced up through to Gile's throat signalling his sickened state; he held back any exclamations though and commented.

"Make sure there's nothing in that nest and lets move on wishing to distance himself as much as possible from the nest.



The chest was interesting and Giles took the items with interest, assessing the weight of the stick, as if it were a sword, before inspecting the round sharpened object. "you guys seen anything like this before?" he said, turning it in his hands and stroking the edges delicately to find the sharper parts. "Looks like it would be thrown..."  he commented before attaching it to his belt. Noting Edenburg's limp, Giles offered him the short stick to use as a walking aid.


As the small group moved to the final area within the cavern Giles felt a familiar excitement when his eyes landed upon the books. It was true, as he had discovered, that entire worlds could be hidden in between the pages of such works and insights into the world obfuscated to most can reveal amazing things. Even if they were fantasy, or poetic in their narrative, they were always interesting and Giles reflected aloud "Pages left unturned are such a waste, take them all" to the other men. He dropped two of the books into his pack and then took hold of the lupine clay models and inspected them with the same interest as the Chakram earlier. Nothing to waste, he thought, as he similarly put those into his bag.

"We will measure these out when we get back to the fort. When i've read the books, I'll see if there is anything of value or if they can be sold and divide the money. he offered diplomatically, feeling that in reality he may have been the only one curious about their contents.






OOC:

He'll spend time inspecting some of the things, mostly a cursory look rather than in-depth.. but then he'll make sure that the items he feels are most valuable will be taken.

Scanning quickly through the remnants in the cave, Giles chooses his loot quickly knowing that they have already been too long.  As he grabs the steel disk to place it in his pack however, he notices a curious shimmer on the surface that cannot be explained by the torchlight or the various shafts of light that fall down several yards away.

The books too, Giles passes around to the others, offering the most diplomatic solution, to split the carriage so that each of them have a few.  The things are massively heavy for their size, though between the three of them they make easy work of them.  Lastly, Giles grabs the clay sculpture, noting a little of it's mediocre craftsmanship as he places it in his bag.

Seeing nothing else of significance, and finally ready to make their way back out, Giles leads his men back over the bridge (being careful to avoid the pitfall) through the tunnel and back out the front entrance.

As the three make their way back up the incline into the daylight and back towards their horses, it is easy to tell that Redman has not enjoyed his time alone with the lieutenant.  The man is out of his saddle, holing the long lead ropes of the other horses as he brushes his horse's hindquarters, using the full bulk of both his animal and the others to block himself from Broskow.  The lieutenant however, is giving the body language little mind and seems to be midstride in a long diatribe of leadership lessons to his fresh private.

"Ah!"  Broskow remarks as the three make their way up the hill just a stones throw away from the horses.  "It is about time you three made it back, we were about to - GOOD GOD MAN!"  Broskow's face changes immediately as his eyes bulge and his chin and cheekbones sag to meet Giles's gaze full in the face.  "What have you been doing in there?  You look like you have been savaged by a raccoon!"  Broskow does not wait for a reply from the three but instead moves right along to his next thought, getting back to the patrol.

"Nevermind, we're behind as it is.  I hope that you three are ready to move out, the horses are well rested and we'll have no more dallying about!"

OOC:  I've made note of the items you have taken as a group but only have the disk and the sculpture specifically on your person.  You can bring them up or not now if you wish, just let me know what you want to do in game terms with splitting the loot (tell Broskow, tell Brashear, keep it to yourself).  If you want to tell Brashear about the whole thing then we can wait and do that after the thread is over or in OOC.

Giles sucked on his teeth for a moment, tasting the metallic sensation of blood on his tongue. A wry grin passed across his face as he reflected on the meagre prize for such wounds. The prospect of gold or finding something amazing always pulling him a little too hard. Curiosity killed something, no doubt.

Giles had earlier felt something of an anxiety when talking to their lieutenant; he didn't want to make enemies so early in his post but now, through the throbbing and pain, in the context of the life that he'd just fought so hard to keep, Giles cared much less.

"There were three raccoons" he said ironically. And then ignored the command to get moving, instead opting to do sate his newly formed thirst. "Redman, bring us that water, would you?" he said while still shuffling to his horse.

He'd not bother elaborating further to the Lieutentant.



No problem, he'll keep the items found amongst him and his men for now... he didn't lie or do anything that could directly be considered insubordinate as the Lt didn't ask... he's thinking about telling it to the captain (which he probably will but after some deliberation)

Broskow half smiles at Giles response, though says little else as the men mount up.  Redman passes the water skins back, a quizzical look on his face, though the other two corporals brush him off for the moment instead whispering a few words under their breath.

The team pushes out again, with little other ado on their mission.  The ride is not difficult, though the rolling badlands make quite the impression of desolation on Giles as he takes in the hours of dry, cracked terrain speckled only with the dry grasses that shot up from every nook in the earth.

It does not take long for the five men to make their way back onto their original, planned route and from their they make acceptable time.  Though his face is certainly feels uncomfortable, Giles thinks it little more than the after effects of such a significant wound.

It is perhaps another few hours, surprisingly tolerable with minimal interruptions from the lieutenant before the small band has made their way back to the fort with nothing else of significance to report.  As they make their way to the drawn gate, Broskow pulls his mare to a halt before leading the way through.

"Perhaps you had best go through to the infirmary, Hond, at least get those scratches looked at."

In truth, the last hour of the ride, Giles had felt poor at best, though it had seemed fine at first, he was now rather sure that the cuts on his cheek were swelling.  Besides, he had felt tiredness and thirst draining away at his energy rapidly.

Behind him, Pierce speaks up as well.  "I'm going to do the same sir, I think my leg is swelling up from a wound of my own."

OOC:  This thread is effectively over, but you may feel free to write up a closing post as you wish.  Congrats on the successful mission.  I'll send you a private with more specifics on the loot you took as well as the CP earned on that mission.

"I've had worse from your mother Giles said under his breath in reply to the lieutenant with uncharacteristic impulsiveness. He was lucky that it hadn't come out at full volume, as there was a chance Broskow would have missed it. It was a bitter and petty response to the belittling of the near-death experience the trio had experienced and salt in the wound to the new sensations of infection Giles was seeming to feel. He made a mental note of ensuring that Braskow had his own share of raccoon encounters in future, maybe that'd make more strongly coupled with the spirit of the soldiers.

"Come on Pearce, lets get these tended, and we'll meet Edenburg and Redman later for a drink..." he announced in camaraderie at a mission well complete. Another little gesture that Giles hoped Braskow had the mental fortitude to notice.


After the infirmary and a few drinks Giles made his way to the captain's office and donated a book. "Raphael: The Geography and Environs".



Fantastic! I'm glad Giles managed to get through that without getting too badly maimed. And I'm hoping there'll be a next mission/encounter/etc. too.

If pressed by the captain, Giles will reveal what he found and provide a full report. Before giving the book however, a quick read of it would be good :)


This message was last edited by the player at 08:48, Thu 06 Apr 2017.