Giles mimicked the motion of Edenburg unwittingly stroking the stubble that had grown and after noticing with irritation that it was lighter and less dense than the other man's, possibly due to a mixed heritage, he stopped and took the spear instead.

"Okay, lets see if we can stop this man from dying too he grunted while limping heavily over to the bleeding man to fix up the wounds as best he can. "We need to stop this bleeding if he'll live he said, more to himself as his hands swept over the man's wounds and added to the gore that was already spread generously across his now red skin.

As he worked, Giles inwardly cursed at focusing his original magic study on the arts of battle rather than something perhaps more utilitarian or even helpful to the world. It seemed to him, as he  waded through blood and felt the shocking sensations of his own torn muscles course through him, that the world seemed to constantly be at war somewhere. There's glory to be had vicariously, when people talk of war and battle and great songs to be sung of heroes passed but those virtuous praises often seemed to be tacked on after the fact. In reality, it was just carnage and having to watch men thrash, scream and slowly fade until they became nothing more than a stain on the mud.

His mind had darkened as he sought to staunch the bleeding and could hear the moans of the other.


"Roderickson, take the water, give him some, and see if you can find out anything about why they were here. Ask if he knows about the coins and see if you can find anything of a force around these parts. he said in a level tone, knowing that only Roderickson would be able to communicate with the fallen men. Pausing a moment he continued "... if you can get him to settle a little, that is.

Edenburg, we will need to camp soon, and we will need to rest and eat. You each take 2 rations, and I'll take one. The others we will save - we will need to find a place to camp and check our traps, and even make sure that there aren't any more Wazifi in this area.

He finished speaking, leaned back onto his haunches and wiped his brow with a sleeve that turned out to be soaked in three men's blood. Giles gave a deep sigh, and then rose to his feet.






First aid - 05:51, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 9 using 3d6.  First Aid.

Btw, the helping of the fallen men I think is just an expression of Giles's code of honour as well as his charitable nature.

Yea, the camping thing was just me misunderstanding the details of the situation.

Ultimately the goals are, in aa general sense:

- make sure the Wazifi don't die
- make sure the area is safe
- ensure we have a place to recover/rest/etc.
- question the Wazifi about their location and any acitivites in the area/etc. (obviously before they die if the wounds are too great)


This message was last edited by the GM at 18:26, Wed 29 Nov 2017.

Giles gives a few directions and then gets to work on the other Wazifi.  Using a knife, he cuts away the man's jacket and shirt, exposing the gruesome wound across his chest and his still bleeding cut across his arm that he had sustained from their brief scuffle before Rodrickson had arrived with the horses.  Giles washes both wounds off with water, frowning with concern as the blood continues to churn out of the axe wound at an alarming rate.  He tears a few patches of the shirt material away, placing one on top of the next to cover the cut and watches as the blot of crimson continues to soak through each layer.  As he uses his last patch, Giles cuts away at the backing of the jacket, making a similar large bandage to place on top.

Over his shoulder, Giles can hear Rodrickson jabbering on in Arabic, and by the sound of it is not making much progress as his sentences are becoming shorter and his tone more agitated.  Giles chuckles to himself lightly, thankful that he is tending to the man that can't resist.

With a few last modifications, using strips of leather to tie to his thicker bandage, Giles wraps the impromptu instrument around the man and ties it tightly, again content in his work.

When at last Giles stands, Rodrickson is doing the same, though he seems to be giving up in frustration.

"He's not really cooperating."  Rodrickson says, turning towards Giles.  "When I asked him what his name was, his response loosely translates to 'fuck you'.  Needless to say he didn't answer anything about where he was from, or the money.  What he did say was that someone named Haj Umr was going to kill us, kill us all... and I think he was talking about everyone at the fort, or maybe just everyone in Megalos.  When I asked him about who that was, or where he was or what particular manner of killing we were talking about he just repeated he was going to kill us all or cursed at me a lot.  I'm not sure if these were the guys we were looking for, but I can't imagine that the guys would be much more hostile than he is proving to be."

"We could take them prisoner back at the fort sarge."  Edenburg offers from a few strides away.  I'm sure their tongues will loosen up when they have a few days to mull over their options...  Besides,"  He adds after a moment of thought.  "It might not be a good idea to let them back to their village and tell everybody that there are three soldiers lurking about what with their condition and all - probably would make us out to be bad guys and all."
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:23, Wed 29 Nov 2017.

Giles brushed his light stubble again with a stroke of his hand as he stood, inwardly considering the options. Again he realised that he may have just smeared his own face with blood and let out a small hiss of annoyance.

It did seem likely that returning them to any of the Wazifi villages would result in their own swift demise, especially if they leaned towards similar levels of animosity to the foreigners. He also didn't like the idea of turning over the Wazifi to the Megalan army. Despite knowing their commander to have some degree of good character Giles couldn't be sure what method of information extraction would be emplyed. The though of what might happen left an uneasey feeling in his gut.

Looking at Edenburg the man leaned heavily on the spear and answered "We'll see what happens  with them. At the moment we'll keep them close to avoid letting them die.

We're already the bad guys here, but the point is good. For now we'll keep them with us.
He took a step or two, and then forced himselfg to walk more upright and striding, despite the shocks of pain that seared through his leg. Patting Roderickson, he indicated he should follow, and then moved over to the cursing Wazifi.

Giles looked down at the man and then kneeled beside, laying a hand firmly but without an over exersion of force and locking his eyes on the man. His voice calm he spoke directly to the man (hoping that Roderickson will just trnaslate in the background) "Settle down now. Save your energy for recovery", leaving it a moment for the words to sinkin in Giles then spoke again.

"Whatever the wishes of your man, Haj Umr, none will be dying today. But understand that his wish to wage war with us will have to be answered for. And I'll be the one to whom he answers. he said, his almost gentle calm voice spoke.

After giving the man a few moments to reply, Giles then stood up and walked towards his men and said "Lets go find a place to camp. Edenburg, can you check the traps? and lets see if we're able to find something to build a litter with




Alright, so, giles is going to try and talk to the guy.

He was very conscious about what he said and how he spoke. If they understand Anglish, then they might realise that he's perhaps 'an honourable' man who won't just slaughter the dying - which might earn him credit.

Also when speaking to the cursing Wazifi, he is very purposeful in his intent. Calm and undisturbed by the man's thrashing insults and threats - I guess it's to show that there's no fear of whatever retribution they're planning (though, at present there's no fear anyway, they are the victors) - and when he spoke he said it with enough authority to make it seem that 'life and death' are his choice currently.

"Your man Haj Umr" is to prompt a counter if he isn't just one of their leaders. And the implication is that 'just a man' will fail to him. It's a kind of ploy to see if the man's pride or loyalty will provide more information. But it's also supposedly building the air of  power for himself to the man. Like "you won't even get through me - I decide whether people will go to war and I decide whether I allow your leadeer to kill anyone"

Perhaps it's an intimidation roll? ?Not sure exactly if that's even needed, possibly get a bonus for the Charisma? And/or Bonus for the 'threat of violence'.

20:21, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 11 using 3d6.  Intimidation maybe?

Giles stoops down to talk to the single conscious Wazifi and it becomes apparent quickly that the man does not know Anglish, at least not well enough to hold a conversation.  Rodrickson steps in to interpret and the man's reaction is swift.

He spits on the ground next to him, and looks Giles back in the eye, sitting up with effort.  "[Language unknown: wica The antut popro atiderter n ngpr.  Ai ecar omheio wi cerut, hante miset ieasfi pr wit thceit.  M vor ev oun i notproare isle asos oreul tinshetio i rom no rom.]"

Rodrickson is quiet for the moment following, his face wrinkled with concern.  "He said that Haj Umr would feed you to demons, sarge.  That he would send your corpse to kill others...  Sarge, I think this guy's a necromancer."

Though Giles takes the words seriously, he knows regardless of what the man says, there is still much the group of three must do.  Edenburg and Giles construct a makeshift litter after using some of their own equipment and braiding some of the remaining torn leather from the man's jacket.  Though it is by no means the finest of medical equipment, it will do the job of transporting the unconscious man back to their camp.

After perhaps an hour, start the slow trek back to their equipment, deciding that this patch of high ground is as good as any to place their camp for the evening.  Edenburg suggests that since the animals are most active at dawn and dusk, their best bet for the traps will likely be in the morning, though he agrees it can't hurt to check now and see.

Edenburg resaddles his horse and heads southward, returning perhaps fifteen minutes later and confirming that the trap is indeed still empty.  After staging their camp, the second Wazifi stirs to wakefulness, groaning his agony as he writhes slightly in the grasses.

OOC:  It is 1430 on the 10th of December.  Your camp is set up and both of the Wazifi are now awake and seem capable of slight movement (1/2 move/dodge).  Edenburg suggests checking the traps in the morning for the best success.  Each of the three of you took a meal from the rations you purloined and are at least no longer hungry.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:16, Fri 01 Dec 2017.

The man seemed to be devout to their own cause and caused Giles to doubt whether the man could ever achieve a semblance of reason. He also inwardly questioned his reasoning to ensure the man lived - the world didn't need more people like this. But at least, he considered, It has to start somewhere meaning the goodwill between two peoples.

A threat, translated by Roderickson, sent a stream of chills through the once-mage who had felt the brunt of concern for interest in necromantic arts. He certainly felt repulsed at the idea of bringing the walking dead, but had always felt that the magic was a neutral tool rather than an inherant evil; that there might be utility in its teachings had occurred to Giles more than once, but there was little argument he could bring against one who sought to raise rotting corpses, shades of who they once were, to feed and maim and corrupt life in such a terrible way.

Giles smiled at the Wazifi and casually mentioned, as he stood Better men have tried. and then walked away to Roderickson.

He lead his men away from the wounded Wazifi and then stood, looking out southbound across the plain, contemplative and thoughtful. "Set the camp, I need to think on this he said as he went to retrieve Cutlass.

Losing thought for a moment, focussing on the horse, was a great way to hold back the tides of anxiety that had been riding with him since the captain had suggested a possible attack against Megalos. He'd never really had chance to learn how to properly care for horses, but as he stood beside Cutlass, looking into the animal's deep dark black and chesnut eyes, he felt some level of empathy for the creature. Speaking softly and soothing, he looked through the knapsack for something it might eat and then offered it gently, stroking and feeling its presence.

A necromancer. Feeding us to demons. Rather than a necromancer proper, could it be a man who had made pact with darker forces and in return be granted power over the dead?

I think that such a person would perhaps be beyond any form of reason, and if they were even capable of considering it a leash that rested upon them would prevent such diplomacy.


Sitting round the camp fire Giles finally spoke "The importance of this mission has increased, if the enemy force employs darker powers. And we will be the van in the conflict, I feel, but if Roderickson's suspicions are true, then irrelevant of politics or posturing, it is a force that we must deal with to its finality. he said, looking into the fire.  Taking a minute or two to let the words sink in to their full meaning, he added.

"Life before death."




I'm deeply sorry for stealing the line so obviously from this. But a good book  to read (that i've just finished): 'The Stormlight Archives'

# the first ideal
http://stormlightarchive.wikia...wiki/Knights_Radiant

Makes it fun, a little.



Actions are below. Obviously, this is kind of going from 'specific' to 'general' actions. But I'll play off the next update.
Actions:

- Camp
- Get Edenburg to see if he can find tracks of others (scouting/tracking) that might be with the Wazifi
- Rest
- Eat
- Check the traps
- Take the litter and move towards the foothills that we found the harpies in - continue with the plan.

This message was last edited by the player at 16:18, Fri 01 Dec 2017.

Giles simmers on the man's comments for a moment, but it seems their path from this point is clear.  The necromancer, regardless of it's association with the militant group using the medusa head emblem has now become the priority.

Still, the three men have only recently had their first meal of the day and the status of their next is likely in question.  Their march to the fort is a day long in even the best of conditions and if they are taking the prisoners with them it likely means they will be delayed beyond that timeline.  Besides, their prisoners were freshly injured and in serious condition and walking was likely not even possible until at least a little healing had happened.  Giles decided that their best options were to bed down here for the night to give some time for their traps - hopefully resulting in a boon good enough to tide them over until they could make the fort.  Then from there they would go back to the foothills where they had found the medusa lair to look for more clues.

Informing the others of his plan, the rest of the day passes swiftly, Edenburg scouring the area for tracks, of which he finds little, Rodrickson scouring the area for firewood, and Giles setting up the last pieces of the camp as he keeps an eye on the two prisoners.  The two men lay on blankets from the soldiers, provided by Giles.  They stir restlessly, though their bandages do not bleed through and it seems that even if they will not recover quickly, they will not likely die quickly either.

And on passes the afternoon and into the evening.  The smattering of clouds in the sky roll along into the dusk, flashing orange and purple as the sun sets behind the hillsides.  If Giles is thankful of one thing, it is that the temperature does not drop as it had the previous two nights and even as the darkness falls, the air only cools relieving any concern that their two prisoners might freeze without their own tent.

The three soldiers choose their watch, Giles first, Rodrickson second, and Edenburg third, and the two later shifts move into their tent early, hoping to be well rested for the next day.

The hours pass slowly.  The two men beside him stir restlessly, likely finding little and troubled sleep.  From within the small three-man the sounds the light snores of Rodrickson.  The sound rolls over and over in the night, a background noise that soothes him as he waits for his time for shift change...

Giles sits bolt upright.  Somewhere over the noise of the Rodrickson's breathing a low and guttural growl breaks.  Beside him, one of the Wazifi men pulls himself to one elbow slowly and gibbering under his breath as he rubs the sleep from his eye.

OOC:  It is 2300 on the 10th of December.  The growl you heard is low and bestial, likely from a large animal but you can't see anything yet.  You do not have a fire going at the moment, favoring to save the wood for the case where Edenburg's traps are successful.  One of the Wazifis is awake (the bigger of the two, the one that Rodrickson interrogated), the other seems to be still sleeping.  Both Rodrickson and Edenburg seem to be asleep.

Ah, what an interesting turn of events. Chasing phantoms and finding monsters and now shifting ourselves to those that stalk the night on four legs Giles thought wrly as he automatically reached for the sword.  Nudging the side of the three man tent forcefully to wake the other two, Giles twists into a half-kneeling position.

It was an interesting metaphor that he wasn't able to fully correlate to his life yet, but here he was clutching at a borrowed weapon, injured badly for the second time and about to head into the unknown against the real and present dangers of the night.

He idly itched the claw marks that crissed across his face and raised his blade into a ready position.

"Well hello there! he said through the rhythm of the drum beat in his chest. He didn't know why, but perhaps it was to counter the anxiety he felt from being alone in the dark. (OOC: great game btw).

GM Edit to reflect Giles was already outside the tent
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:28, Wed 06 Dec 2017.

At the slap of the side of the tent, Giles hears surprised grunts and a scurry of movement, it seems that at least one of the men had woken and was alert enough to be readying themselves.  The other Wazifi man has seemed to awake as well, and the two foreigners are now talking to each other in hushed and frantic voices.

As for Giles, he knows that there is little to be had from panicking and he instead directs his attention to those things he can affect.  To his right, the horses paw restlessly at the ground, and Cutlass shakes his with a whiny and a nicker.  In their situation of limited resources and features on the plains, Giles had simply tied the horses together the previous night in the hope that if they roamed somewhere, at least they wouldn't be spread all over the plains.  The same prospect was likely now, if the horses took off from fear, at least Giles would only they would only have to chase one group instead of three.

Giles scans back to his left, down the slope of the hill and sees twin orbs of reflected light in the darkness, some two feet off the ground.  Whatever it is that stalks them is likely large if it stands on four feet, or tiny if it stands on two.

OOC:  The two Wazifi men are still prone and jabbering fearfully.  Edenburg and Rodrickson are starting to make their way out of the tent.  Edenburg first.  You would guess that the thing is some twenty yards away but it is difficult to tell.  You have no light source as of now and the lighting penalty is at -7 due to the dim light of the moon and the partial cloud cover.

Those dark orbs glowing, bestial and animal like. Through quick accounting, Giles tried to hold back his instincts of fear and anxiety by accounting everything that could have been stalking them, but his own mind failed as he glared right at the eyes and felt the world fall away from him.

The dark was complete and all that seemed to exist was he and the animal to which those eyes belonged. But it was a night stalker, and seemed to rely on stealth.

"We need light" he called out to Edenburg and Roderickson.

As he stepped forward, uttering some words in an odd tongue Giles looked out, pointedly ignoring the Wazifi and focussed all his attention on the beast.



Description to you GM:


All out defence(double)

Giles racks his mind for the best way to defeat or scare off their intruder and in the end he falls on using his magic a tool which he finds himself practicing less and less.  In his mind the trick will at the very least give the beast reason to pause while his soldiers ready themselves for battle.  Whispering a few words under his breath as he gestures with his off hand, he attempts to make himself seem much more intimidating.

Though the spell itself works, it lacks some of the effect that Giles had hoped.  Instead of his armor gaining a shining halo like a beacon in the night, his outer armor and garments simply change color to a bright white and Giles finds that the effect does not move with him as he shifts.  Instead, there appears to be a disembodied mesh of fluorescent white that simply hangs in the darkness until Giles wills it to move.

"Shit boss!"  Edenburg states as he readies an axe, staring out into the night to catch sight of the tormentor.

Rodrickson digs through his equipment on all fours, cursing foully.

Giles holds onto his sword firmly in his right hand as his eyes scour the darkness.  He hears another growl and turns his head wildly, catching sight of a brownish form slinking through the night on all fours.  Though Giles hails from the north, he has seen enough cats and heard enough stories about the Emperor's forest of ferocious game to recognize a lion when he sees one.

The beast simply slinks around Giles in a clockwise fashion, his eyes focused on Giles intently.

Lion!

It never worked, his training was too little. Instead a phantom of himself, a shade, appeared bright white and stayed in place as he naturally moved around the Lion. Fuck he thought to himself, really surprised at his own crude term, but the situation called for it.

Wishing he had a shield, Giles circled around to position himself between the wounded and the beast, thinking that his allies would be capable of holding it off with their own spears. Though he didn't want to be too far away so that help could not move either way, if needed.  Giles casually wondered why he might fight to hold a beast off these people that were clearly the enemy, hated  him, and wanted him dead - he didn't know exactly, but it felt right and so he did it.

"Here kitty kitty, why don't you run on along now, little kitty... he said to the cat as it prowled around him. Levity appeared a good way to help release his own tension and reduce the stiffness that he felt before engaging. A man could fight with nervousness, but tension would be the end of them.

Shit Boss! came the words, but at this stage Giles was entirely focussed on the creature, hoping to react quickly to any of its attacks and attempting to draw its attention.






Actions: Defensive stance (defensive grip sword please, for +1 to defence)
Evaluate for as long as possible
All out defence(double)


Ah, i've been trying to figure out ways to use the magic in a way that didn't make him a vulgar wizard but also retained some of the investment i'd put into it.  At the moment he's a little crippledby the 25 or so points that he's got in something he doesn't really use - i mean it makes sense for the flavour, but I just wanted to make something of it. I guess it's one of those things that might just come with a bit of time :)

I appreciate that this might not be the perfect solution

For several moments, Giles watches the beast circle, its eyes glowing like the embers of a fire in the darkness.  Giles is sure the thing is staring right at him and he brandishes his sword as a warning for the cat lest he get any threatening ideas.  However, with the lack of light, Giles wonders if all his bluster isn't just for show.

It is that thought perhaps that gives the lion enough confidence to pounce, lurching out from his position in the night with a growl, covering what seems to be twenty yards in only a few short leaps!  Giles steps back to counter the blow, but in the last second he realizes that the beast is not charging for him, but for one of his downed prisoners!  The two men scream at the top of their lungs, as the cat leaps forward, far overshooting his mark as his shoulders droop forward to the ground in an effort to pause his momentum.

The sudden appearance of the predator in their midst causes chaos amongst the group.  One of the Wazifi men, barely saved from his body being torn to shreds shrieks again as he pushes himself back and to his feet, turning his back to the lion as he seeks to flee at top speed!  The other Wazifi man scrambles backwards with his feet and hands, sending a spray of vomit on his crotch and legs as he pushes himself backwards.  Likewise the horses' fear gets the better of them and Cutlass rears before bolting off into the night.  Rodrickson's filly seems unprepared for the movements, and the horse's face jerks forward harshly as the rope holding them together goes taught and the girl is pulled off her front legs, though miraculously she makes it back to her feet and the three bolt off into the night together.

Rodrickson, the lantern still not prepared and lit, turns and stands in an en guard position, the useless iron and glass item hoisted in one hand.

OOC:  Ok, I stopped the first turn of combat halfway through and these are the rough results.  Wazifi 1 (the one slashed through the chest) is horrorstruck and vomiting all over himself only 1 yard away from the lion, though it doesn't look like he is prepared to do anything to protect himself.  Wazifi 2 has made his way to his feet and is running away (though slowly, due to his injuries).  The horses failed their fright check and bolted, with one of them being injured, though luckily not enough to break a leg.  You and Edenburg are left to act.   The lion is 2 yards away from you on your left hand side.  Your sword is ready in your right hand.  Edenburg is on your right hand side, about 3 yards away from the lion.  As a reminder, vision is a -7 penalty due to darkness.  Give me only 1 round of combat.

Three heart beats. It took all three for the spike of shame to follow the wash of relief that he felt when the lion pounced for the other man. In that moment there was too much to take in, and Giles was only vaguely aware of the whinny of the horses and the screaming of the man, it seemed that the centre of existence focussed on the shadow coloured beast that began to savage the helpless Wazifi.

Four heartbeats later, pity took centre stage as the vomitting and helpless man shuffled as best he could away from the animal's maw - he had no chance. Each emotion washed through the soldier in waves but the heat of the moment, its intensity quickly burned away the excess as quickly as it came.

Stepping to the side, to face it directly,  and cursing with the added weight on his wounded leg he called out to Edenburg "Stay close! You attack, I defend" it was all he could get out in the moment. But Giles had positioned himself to interpose his own body with Edenburgs, giving the other man better opportunity to focus on the attack, while he himself prepared against  those glowing feline eyes turning attention towards them.




Actions:

- 1 step (face the lion, roughly half body/shoulder to shoulder with edenburg, and slightly infront)

- All out defence(double), (defensive grip)

The idea is that Giles will be closer to the animal than edenburg, by a fraction, and so if it devides to attack them, it should go for Giles, giving Edenburg the opportunity to attack more freely.

Does edenburg have a spear?

I dont think I ever mentioned explicitly it, and I guess maybe it would be an issue to do now, but would it be possible after the adventure to just switch Giles to being fully left-handed?

I usually make characters that are. It's not a big thing, just usually some flavour. But if it's alright, then that'd be great

"Got it sarge!"  Edenburg responds as Giles takes a step towards the beast, his sword brandished in front of him.  Edenburg takes a step forward, his axe carving a savage arc towards the beast.  Unfortunately for the three soldiers, the darkness of the night makes hitting the thing difficult despite its size and the swing goes wide.  Despite Giles's fears for the downed and useless Wazifi soldier, the beast leaps back into the night and out of range before turning to face the one man fleeing from the group.  It is a mere bound for the massive beast that puts him on the man, his forepaws bared and his whole body airborne as he catches the man at his side.

The Wazifi barely seems to see the thing before it is upon him, and though he staggers one way with a scream, he never had any real chance to evade the blow.  The man is sent into a spin, by the grace of some miracle keeping his feet.  However the man now finds himself squared with the beast, who has forsaken the others in the group for this one man on his own.

"[Language unknown: Whien il!]"  The man screams at the top of his lungs, his hands pushed in front of him as he stumbles backwards.

OOC:  Two rounds of action please.  The lion is about 6 yards away from you, facing away.  Edenburg is a step ahead of you and on your left.  The Wazifi is another yard beyond the lion, facing toward you and retreating.

Edenburg is carrying his axe.  Rodrickson now has dropped the unlit lantern from his left hand, and is trying to light it again, his spear is also at his feet.

Giles cursed again at the Lion's elusiveness and then called out to Roderickson and Edenburg "Get the light! We'll go after them and see if we can save the other one too."

Before pushing out into the night, the half-elven sergeant took a sidewards glance at the man who had suffered maiming by the beast already and inwardly wondered whether he'd survive the encounter, especially with their focus diverted by the immediacy of the cat's threat. Unlikely, given his already poor health, but it is life.

"Come! he shouted to the group as he kicked up his heels and headed out to catch up with the other Wazifi and assailant. The going was hard and each movement was arduous through the pain caused by his own injury, but he gritted teeth and pushed on.

OOC:

Actions:

I guess we'll wait a moment for ROderickson to light the lantern, and then push out towards the beast. I expect we won't get there in time, but  it's worth taking the extra time for the light.

Same plan though, one light, one attacking and one defending.

Giles will be all out defending.

Giles holds in his attack as Rodrickson strikes the lantern.  Several moments it takes, all the while Giles can hear screams from the fled Wazifi.  The lion roars, and Giles can see the beast rear up at the edges of his vision, knocking the Wazifi down into silence.

"Got it!"  Rodrickson finally calls as the lantern flares to life and he holds it overhead as he grasps his spear with his other hand.

Light spills out in front of them, clearly illuminating the scene for the first time.  Some 10 yards away the Wazifi man lays prone and silent, blood spilled all over his body again.  The lion crouches, mouth closed about the man's shoulder as he drags the man backwards, leaving a trail of bloodied grass stalks.

The animal snarls as the light spills across it, his focus drawn to the light for a moment as he ceases his movement.

Giles pushes out a few steps, Rodrickson and Edenburg moving with him though slightly behind.  The lion snarls ferociously, dropping his kill for the moment as he stares down his attackers, each waiting for the others to strike.

"[Language unknown: Ic ndul rothel een!]"  The second Wazifi man cries from behind them.

OOC:  It looks for the moment like the lion is willing to back off if you leave him with his kill (the first Wazifi - the dude that was an asshole when you questioned him).  I'm not suggesting you do that, but just giving you the option before going in for the attack.  Light penalty has been reduced to 0 within 3 yards and is good enough to see where the beast is reliably within 20.

It all seemed to go in exactly the direction Giles didn't want, but he supposed, with resignation, that was how things happen sometimes.

As the lion swiped and stomped on the man and his screams went quiet, Giles felt an odd sensation inside as he realised that death had likely come. The lion had caught its prey and the man slowed to a stop oncehe caguth a glimpse of the glowing yellow eyes in the dark. With its maw wrapped around the body, the lion had won.

"Hold,

What did he say?" he asked after standing a moment




Hey, sorry for the relatively short post. Just need to get the update on the other guy

Unsure of whether to advance or not, Giles calls for his companions to hold, and directs his question to Rodrickson, the only of their party that was able to speak Arabic.

"He said that the lion had killed him..."  Rodrickson breathes, his eyes wide and the lantern held high, trying to cast the light as far as possible.

Edenburg drops his axe and dives into his gear to grab his bow and quiver, rapidly throwing it over his shoulder as the arrows clatter together.

"[Language unknown:  Ar wier!  Hatiwe sanredith eeai!]"  The Wazifi man screams again clamoring his way back to his knees.  "[Language unknown:  Iv ad fi sanll!  Ic ant lin orelo.]"  But even this effort causes the man to double over in pain.

"He wants to fight it."  Rodrickson says without being prompted this time.  "He says to give him a bow...  I think it's obvious to caution against that."

Meanwhile, the glowing embers of the lions eyes slowly recede into the darkness as Giles can hear the slinking rustle of disturbed grass.

OOC:  Only a few more moments have passed.  Rodrickson has the lantern ready with his spear in hand.  Edenburg now has a Bow ready in his left hand with the quiver secured over his right shoulder.  Giles has his sword ready in his right hand.  The lion is slowly retreating, dragging the body as he does so and has now made it to 15 yards away.  If you wish to continue the combat, give me 3 rounds, otherwise give me your general intentions.

Cursing again under his breath Giles waved a hand of dismissal at the man lying prone on the floor, having suffered a rather hideous set of wounds in the last day. "Tell him, I applaud his resolve to fight off the creature but he's not in a position to be killing it. It's over for now.

Roderickson, keep an eye out. I'm not letting anyone run off into the night to chase down a hungry beast. It's unfortunate, but it'll eat and probably be satisfied. The dark is no place to put ourselves against that, for now. he said, hoping inwardly that what he said was true. If the beast had chosen to kill for fun rather than feeding itself then the night could be a very long one.

"Edenburg, go get the horses with Roderickson and then get that fire stoked to keep our little piece of nowhere nice and bright"

Giles put his sword away and then went over to theman that was still alive and began to inspect the wounds, offering a placating gesture before squatting down neext to him.




Disengage from combat. The gambit is that the lion will basically just take its kill and bugger off for the evening. Once the day comes, it'll be worthwhile re-evaluating our situation.

Giles will take first guard after that.

It is an exhausted Giles that, in the end, decides letting a single of their captive enemy go was far better than to test their luck against a predator in the night.  After a short pause to ensure that the lion was indeed gone, Giles sets Edenburg and Rodrickson to find the horses and tasks himself with ensuring no further damage is done to their one remaining captive.

Giles finds that the man is uninjured (at least beyond the injuries he sustained in the previous day) and checks the bandages to ensure that they are not bleeding further.  The task is difficult without much light (for Edenburg and Rodrickson had taken the lantern to go and fetch the horses) but Giles manages well enough, and thirty minutes later as he is leaning back from his work as he sees the light of the lantern approaching from the distance, accompanied by the sounds of clomping hooves.

"Found 'em!"  Edenburg's voice carries from beyond the lantern in a jubilant mood.  "They wandered off south back where we came from a bit... it was so close I figured we might as well check my trap, and look!"

Giles can't help himself from smiling as the lantern shines back on Edenburg, who has an antelope slung over his shoulders.  Though the beast is smaller than most wild game, probably only a hundred pounds or less, Giles knows the thing will at the least keep them fed for long enough to make the fort.  "The thing was going crazy, yanking the trap this way and that as he was screaming!  We're lucky we looked now or otherwise he probably would have been taken out by some roaming predators as well!"

With little question that none of the men have much interest in going back to sleep, Rodrickson starts building a fire as Edenburg skins and filets the meat to get it ready to cook.  Meanwhile, their sole prisoner lays quietly, undoubtedly awake as well, though he makes no attempts to move or speak.

The night passes slowly, Giles offers the first watch but each Rodrickson and Edenburg admit to being too worked up from the encounter to sleep.  As Edenburg puts as much of the meat as he can on the fire to cook he makes the same offer, to stay up with the meat until it's ready.  Eventually, Giles makes his own attempt to get some sleep and manages after a time to drift into an easy sleep.

As the morning breaks, the three men find themselves with much improved spirits despite their tiredness.  They are now stocked with food to complete their trip, all survived the lion attack of the previous night and despite the doubt of whether or not they would have been able to fend it off from killing all of them, there are undoubtedly benefits to having one less captive.  Firstly, now they only have to let the one man ride, rather than both of them as they were both too injured to walk.  Secondly, the remaining captive seemed much subdued after the altercation, with no interest in fighting or continuing his hostile attitude in his battered state.

After a quick meal, the four set off, Rodrickson and Giles riding as the Wazifi is carried in a makeshift stretcher supported by Edenburg's horse as Edenburg leads the animal on.

As luck would have it, the three men come across the carcass of their other prisoner, torn to pieces and largely devoured with the open wounds and intestines supporting a host of flies.  Without any real equipment to bury the body but feeling somewhat responsible nevertheless, Giles takes the better of an hour for the three men to dig up enough dirt using axe and sword to at least put the man in a shallow grave.  All the while, their living captor looks on with a stoic silence.

As the daylight falls to afternoon, the three men find themselves at the river Makarem once again.  The waters swish along at a moderate pace, causing eddies by the shorelines.  Remembering the swim across previously on the trip, Giles is wary of sending a badly injured man either to ford it, or worse yet to swim, but he is not sure entirely what other options he has.

OOC:  I took some liberties to speed things along.  Feel free to post through your actions of the previous night or the morning, but I'm not going to go back and change what happened.  You managed to get most of a full night's sleep (down 1 fatigue) but you have restocked your rations enough to get all four of you back to the fort without missing any more meals.  Your last obstacle looks to be the Makarem, which is certain to be difficult for the injured Wazifi if not everyone else.  If you plan to ford it again, let me know exactly how you plan to do it (Wazifi riding, tied to the stirrups, having someone else ride across first and pulling the stretcher across on a rope, whatever.  If you plan to ford, make a roll against riding.  You may spend a hero point to reroll if you don't like the results.  I'll make the rolls for all the other NPCs once you let me know how you are going to attack it.

"Good work, lads" he complemented the man after returning and ate heartily.


The world gives everything to a man and the world will burn a man to ashes in its own way. Everything is a roll of the dice and people, just try to tilt them to land more favourably. It's the condition of people, trying to build themselves into a thing capable of moving odds in their favour rather than being a leaf blowing to the name of the wind. Unfortunately, the one Wazifi had a bad set of dice; such is life Giles thought philosophically as they buried the man.

Still, it was hard to feel too much sorrow for a man that had tried to kill him, and with his belly full and the spirits of his men improved, Giles had ridden with a wide smile for the whole day.

"Leave some food and water with him, so he can eat and drink as he wishes the sergeant had said as they strapped their injured captive to the makeshift litter. The man seemed subdued now and the previous night had not been able to help patting the man's shoulder with a comforting gesture to indicate his empathy at the loss of the man's friend.

The remainder of their trip to the river was spent mostly with GIles keeping to himself, running through a series of thoughts and scenarios about what they'd discovered and trying to think of a good solution. A threat to Raphael proper would have to be dealt with, and something that dealt with the darkest of arts was an additional worry. He himself had relatively little knowledge of necromancy, failing to really make headway into the field at the academy, but the things he did know  caused shivers to run up and down his spine. Picturing a dead man walking made Giles want to vomit.

After thinking for sometime Giles asked his men "Do either of you know anything of magic? Do you know what necromancy is? he suspected they had even less knowlege than he, but still would be aware of its terrible power.

---

Now the time was upon them, before cresting the small hillock in the earth, Giles could hear the gurgling of the river. It's pitched white noise sound was distinctive and the man had never felt so much apprehension about the approach of a river. They had been lucky last time in that they'd just lost a spear but the crossing had been precarious at best. Now it would be harder, even if they didn't have to take the Wazifi across in his injured state Giles himself was injured and tired from their excursion.

"Is there anywhere better to cross the river?" he asked the Wazifi, hoping that he might be more forthcoming with helpful information, but Giles didn't hold his breath for any support. Instead, he quickly turned to the others "Do we have any rope? We could tie it around us all and then cross. If any of us fall to the water, the strength of the others, on horseback could hold the third.
he asked.

Either way, he would push out first and make the crossing, it was something his father had once told him. "Never ask your men to do something you wouldn't do yourself". And so he kicked Cutlass and edged him cautiously into the water.



OOC: Cross the river,

if possible then we can tie around the waist of each man, so if any fall the others can bear the weight.

19:04, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 13 using 3d6.  riding.
- I guess i need to really use that HP

->19:05, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 3 using 3d6.  hp riding 3.
19:05, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 15 using 3d6.  HP riding 2.
19:05, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 9 using 3d6.  HP riding 1.
// Critical Success

As expected, the Wazifi knows little of river crossings (for they do not often wander into Megalan land).  Knowing that they will have to cross the river in one way or another and unwilling to waste time, Giles takes the length of their rope, tying a bit of the cordage to each of himself, the Wazifi and Rodrickson at the end.  It is decided that Rodrickson will put the prisoner on his horse, both because Rodrickson is the lightest and because Edenburg is the more experienced rider and swimmer and there is not enough rope to secure all four of them.

And so the four men charge into the waters, Giles first, Rodrickson and their prisoner next, tied on to Giles with their length of rope.  Edenburg follows last, unsecured to the others, though highly confident in his ability to make the far shore.

As Giles presses his horse forward, it is apparent early that this stretch of the river is deeper than where they had previously crossed.  He has not yet made the middle of the river and the waters climb up to his horses flank, it's shoulder...  Giles shivers as the frigid water seeps into his boots and skirts around his lower back.  For a moment he thinks about turning back and finding another spot to cross but he is far too committed now, turning around would likely only entangle them in the waters further.  As the water climbs to the horse's neck, Giles prepares himself for the inevitable, slipping his bottom from the saddle, gripping onto the saddle horn as he kicks with his feet to ease the burden on Cutlass who by now is swimming as well.

The moment is short lived, and Giles pulls himself back up to the saddle, though a scream behind him pulls his attention over his shoulder.

Rodrickson and the Wazifi have been pulled from their horse, Rodrickson pushing downward with his arms, just keeping his head above water, though the Wazifi seems to be faring far worse.  His arms flap wildly over his head ineffectually and his head breaks the surface for only a moment at a time before returning back under the surface.  Giles feels the rope go taught at his waist as the rope pulls the two men downriver but closer to abreast of Giles than aft.

OOC:  Rodrickson seems to be holding his own, but the Wazifi is definitely drowning at the moment.  Nice work on your use of your hero point, your subsequent crit success earns you another to replace it and you won't need to make any further riding rolls as you cross.  Due to your crit success in riding (and lack of any points in swimming not to mention your encumbrance) it is highly encouraged that you not attempt to try and save the two by getting off your horse, but you may try and pull them towards you with a ST-2 roll.  Otherwise you may simply try and gain the opposite bank as quickly as possible and pull them in from there (which would allow you the full use of both arms and the removal of the modifier).  Both Edenburg and Rodrickson's horse seems to be fairing fine at this point behind you.

Giles' anxiety was apparent, but he didn't show it as he stepped Cutlass deeper into the water. For a moment he felt the horse had lost its footing and felt a bobbing of the horse. A surge in panic was quickly evaporated once he felt the thump of its feet on the ground again and begun to emerge from the water.

Phew he thought inwardly. Each time he'd crossed this place the man had put his lack of swimming ability to the back of his mind. Perhaps it was foolish so near a river, or when he'd grown up so near the sea. Either way, the relief washed over him as Cutlass brought him up onto the bank of the other.

"Damn" he called out, exlaiming when he heard the other mean shout as they were swept off their horse and down into the cold river. Thinking quickly, he took the back of his rope and yanked on it, to pull up the slack, before looping it twice around Cutlasses' saddle horn. Then, he turned Cutlass at an angle away from them and kicked him into a canter. "Come on, boy he said patting the horse as he pushed it to motion, hoping that the large horse would at least pull the others to the shallows at the side of the river, even if not out completely. As he did it, he leaned down into the saddle and held onto the creature with all his might, hoping to reduce any leverage on his own waist.

Never easy.... the thought flashed though his mind .


OOC: OKay, he's going to try and wrap the rope around cutlass's saddle horn and turn the horse directly away from the flow (the strongest direction). The goal is to use the horse's strength too in helping pull them to the side. If they're free-floating, even if down river, we should be able to generate enough force to at least pull them slightly off to the side.

Giles grips onto the rope with his right hand, trying to haul in enough slack to circle it around his saddle horn, but the force of the river against the two men is so much that the feat seems nigh impossible.  Dispirited by his failure but not beaten, Giles gives a stern kick to Cutlass’s flanks sending the horse surging forward in the river as he nickers.  The rope rubs painfully against Giles’s waist, though the links of his mail repels most of any real damage.

In a moment, Giles feels his feet clear the water, in another two Cutlass’s belly has cleared the flow.  Giles nudges her onward towards the bank as he spares a glance behind him, where he sees the Wazifi man entirely unconscious, though Rodrickson holds on to the rope with both hands, nudging the man’s head to keep it above water.

As Giles makes the opposite bank he nudges Cutlass onward, keeping the rope taught to ensure the two men make the bank.  And indeed Rodrickson and the Wazifi manage the bank on hands and knees as Rodrickson rolls to his back and the Wazifi stays huddled, his many bandages newly wetted with sodden blood.

”I can’t wait to get back to the fort.”  Rodrickson says miserably as he starts to strip himself of his clothes.

”I’ll second that.”  Edenburg shouts as his mare tromps ashore.  ”Though you really ought to pay some mind to riding Rodrickson, that’s the second time we’ve nearly lost you in the river and I recon you might not have made it if the sarge hadn’t run you ashore!”

---

It is only after another day that the three men ride back into the Fort on Three Corners.  Though the Wazifi man survived his crossing of the river, he is fit for little else than riding in the litter the entire way back.  As the three men make their way in Giles instructs his men to take their prisoner to the infirmary and makes his way straight to the Captain to report.

Giles debrief is thorough and detailed, admitting his own mistakes on foreign soil as well as his modest successes in diplomacy with the border town.  Though Brashear quirks an eyebrow at times, he remains silent for the entirety of Giles’s report, only speaking with the Sergeant is finished.

”Well, I can’t say that’s the way I would have done it.”  Brashear starts simply, though he smiles at Giles.  ”Though I’m impressed with your results.  You’ve found corroborating evidence of our foreign adversary if it is indeed the same one who used the cave you found some weeks ago and you’ve brought back one of his men to boot who will likely be a boon of information.  Though I’m skeptical if this foe is really a Necromancer I suppose we won’t know for sure until we ask our prisoner the right questions.  Thank you Giles for your excellent work.”

”Oh,”  The captain adds as an afterthought, grabbing a parcel at his desk that rattles as he grips it.  ”This came for you.”

Giles grabs first the letter at the front of the package, finding it contains two letters, the first embossed with the Imperial Megalan Seal.

He who sees these presence greetings.  This is to certify that that on this 1st day of December, 2014 Giles 'J'naeth' Hind did earn his commission in the Megalan Army.  From hence forth he shall be Lieutenant Hind and has earned all the rights and privileges there unto.

                                                        R. J. Blackwood
                                                        Adjutant General

Giles shoots a confused glance at the Captain before turning the letter over and looking at the next, which has writing that he recognizes as his father’s.

Giles,
Congratulations on finally finding a worthwhile profession!  Though I am disheartened that the effort was necessary, I have gone through all the necessary actions and petitioned the right people to earn your commission which is included in this message.  You are now a Lieutenant and if you show even a fraction of the skill of your brother I imagine you will be promoted to Captain forthwith!  Your letter finds us well and your mother and I are proud of you, we look forward to seeing you when you make your way back north.  Stay safe, the enclosed gift may help you to that end.

                                                        Love,
                                                        Olegard

”Congratulations, Lieutenant.”  Brashear smiles from across the desk.

OOC:  Congratulations on the successful thread!  Though perhaps not the most safe of techniques, swatting the beehive lightly managed to provoke just enough of a response to get you exactly what you needed.  In game rewards include a promotion to Lieutenant (no increase in point value, though you are now an officer and outrank a sergeant) as well as a fine mail coat which your father sent as a gift in the package.  You will also get bonus CPs and skills which will be sent to you in private.  You may write up a closing post here if you wish.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:56, Thu 25 Jan 2018.

The passing of the river was the their last great hurdle. And once Roderickson had crawled up onto the bank, spluttering, with the unconscious Wazifi by his side, Giles let out a sigh of relief. Rivers shouldn't be so demanding, and in that moment of lucidity he understood why the river was the true mark of a border between Megalos and Wazifi; getting an army across this would require engineering on a much larger scale and would take the longest time.  Bridgebuilders would be very useful though and he made a mental note of those that might be capable of such an undertaking - he would ask Brashear about it when he returned.

"Aye, it's been a long trip and we've encountered more than our fair share of lady luck's scorn. I agree with Edenburg though, when we return to the fort I'll have you assigned to some duties with the horses, you can practice riding.
he said with a grin.

The trip back gave the half-elf soldier some time to think on events and forumlate the time line into something coherant ready for his debreif with the Captain. The trip had been tough and even though he was sore from the riding, fighting and general lack of food, comfort and shelter, Giles couldn't help but break into a wide smile when the fort came into view.

"There she is, whatever grey and unforgiving sentinal she may be, we're home for now. he said in poetic fashion.

---

As they passed through the gate, Giles felt a wash of warm air that mingled with an array of familiar sounds and smells. Clashing iron, weapon oil, food and horses. They all were familiar and the man had a hard time trying to be stoic in his return. Forcing himself to sit  high in the horse and nod at the passing soldiers, acting like a dignified sergeant in the Legion, the man entered and dismounted. He grunted a frustrated sound as he landed on the injured leg, but quickly shifted over and tried not to limp as he walked through the courtyard.

"Get the Wazifi to the infirmary. Post a guard on him, make sure nobody presses him. I'll talk with the Captain about how best to deal with him. he said as he quick-paced, or as quickly as he could, to Brashear's office.

After recounting the tale to Brashear, Giles cocked a grin at the Captain in response to his admission of a difference of opinion on how he was to proceed.

"Mostly, sir, I just tried my best not to cause a war while being determined to find out of any threats to our fort or Raphael. he shuffled from his left foot to his right before continuing.

"Necromancers are uncommon indeed, I find it hard that any civilised society would welcome such arcane practices with open arms. I did, however, really get to see a shade of the animosity their people feel towards Megalos. It's said that necessity knows no law, so maybe they're desperate enough to put trust in such forces in order to secure Raphael and its province from the empire.

As the Captain handed Giles the parcel, he had taken a moment to pause and then add "Also, I do have a request. I understand that the Wazifi in the infirmary may be our enemy but I would sleep better knowing that the information he bears wasn't too.... violently... extracted from him.

If it is not too bold for me to say - If there really is ever to be some level of peace between the Empire and Al Wazif then it would appear to me that the most difficult step is the first taken. And that such a gesture would be taken by the better men. he said with a touch of apprehension to his voice. It was perhaps an unreasonable request to make of a Captain, from a mere sergeant, and perhaps a touch humourous that a man of the Legion - one on the front lines no less - would think to do so. But as they say he thought "Necessity knows no law", or at least only the law borne unto oneself.


Looking down at the sealed letter Giles felt a flash of panic. His expulsion from the academy had come by way of such letter. He took a breath and cracked the seal, opening it to read. An officer he took a moment's pause and then spoke

"Lieutenant... my commission. the news was surprising to say the least, and judging by the skipping of a beat or three in his chest, he would determine great news.

The armour brought a big smile to Giles, it was a fine piece and he laid it down on the table while he read the second letter. Father, always critical and always underestimating Giles, he was his mother's child more than his fathers, but it still didn't sate the hunger he had always felt to prove himself worth of his family. He sighed deeply and then smiled at the mention of his mother.

"My parents wish me well and write to say they're proud of my chosen life.  They gift the armour he said to Brashear to alleviate any curiosity the captain might have. He then added with a wry smile "Maybe it'll help me to avoid getting any more 'pretty' he said in reference to the scars across his face, and wound on his leg.

"... and thank you Captain. You'll not regret having me as an officer. he said simply before clicking his heels to attention, grimacing at the pain in his leg.




Thanks! it was great. the end was quite surprising, but a great one nevertheless. The armour will definitely help him get less wrecked by everything.


Now that I know the outcome, i'll start posting more earnestly in Giles' Journal.


I look forward to the next adventure. If you need ideas, A battle! :) hehe