"Shut, up, Vestan!" Arek says through tightly clenched teeth. The use of the small mans actual name showed just how serious Arek was - never before had he refered to him as anything other than "boy".
Leaning heavily on his hammer, he scanned the littered field, shock and fatigue written plainly on his face for all to see. A tear slides grudgingly from his eye.
"I cannot help anyone here." Glad he was that Peter saw to Elmo, Arek's own powers had been sorely tested, almost to exhaustion.
Hooking the hammer to his belt, Arek began checking the bodies starting with the downed villagers.
"We must return the wounded and dead to Homlet. They deserve a decent burial if nothing else."
Although he didn't show it, Arek blamed himself for the fate of many of the dead. If only he'd reacted a little quicker to the battle raging he may have been able to save some. As it was a pathetic handful survived to drag themselves home to wives and children who could never have suspected this outcome. It was supposed to have been safe...

Vestan, for once does shut up, more to do with running out of breath than actually obeying the grumpy dwarf. He does continue to skip across to the bugbear though, his keen eyes moving over the still forms of those on the floor, friend and foe alike.

"Oh, gramps, come on. We've not got time to waste faffing around with the dead. let's loo-, er, check-see if they've got owt useful on them and plough on after that wizard we were following down below. Don't want to let ,i>him</i> get away too, do we?" Some primeval sense of self preservation stops him using the "L" word - some indication he's learning about those he is with, perhaps?

He stoops over the fallen creature, checking for life signs before he starts loo-, er, checking it over.

"Who do you think that was up the hill, Boy?" "Yet again he's overlooked the obvious," he thought to himself.
"You might b' able to kep goin' but how long til you need healin'? I'm head'n back to Homlet with the dead and wounded. Stay if ya like but remember the ogres' still about!"

Vestan looks up from his examination and shrugs. "Gramps, I never saw the mage. You never do when they go invisible. You sure that one with the ogre was him?" Vestan shakes his head in wonder and continues the job in hand. "I still say we should stay here, we can camp out and draw them to us, set traps and the like, get crafty. All this backwards and forwards stuff just wastes time. Who's to say they won't attack us on the road, when we are out in the open and vunerable. My Great Uncle Albert always said that when the sherriff is after you, you should pick your battle ground yourself. Never let him pick it for you!"

Sword still in hand, Yesil first considered chasing the mangy human down but then her real concern hit her.  Her horse!  She scanned the area, trotting in a circle as she looked for the beast.

A quick examination of the bodies show that the villager next to the drawbridge is still alive, though very close to death. Peter and Arek aid him as best they can and manage to stabilise his wounds. The others all have secumbed to their wounds, a decent burial the best that can be done.

Vestan's tanuts bear some fruit as the bugbars take-up the well known goblin chant of "Your sh*te and you know you are. Your sh*te and you know you are." quickly followed by the lesser well known "Iuz barmy army! Iuz barmy army!" which is cut off suddenly, possibly in response to an order. Vestan shrugs and begins to search the enemy dead for anything useful.

Ronalt and Yesil are reasonably sure that they have left the field and none remain. Yesil goes in search of her horse and is quickly lost to view.

[Private to Yesil: You find the horse quickly, the goblin that lead him off long gone. Even more surprising you find the caravan of three wagons also intact.]

[Private to Vestan Pance: OC: Nice one... and well remembered that you never saw the mage.

IC: Vestan recognises the tanner amoungst the fallen. ]

[Private to Arek Blackiron: As Peter and Arek work on the wounded villager, Peter says "Do you think this was a planned ambush? ]
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:47, Mon 17 Apr 2006.

A look of shock and horror crosses Areks face as he and Peter work to save the last villager.
"You think that's a possibility?" he asks in reply. "But who could or even would have betrayed us?" It had to be betrayal. The humanoids would be difficult enough to remain hidden for even a short period of time, they wouldn't have been kept waiting just in case the party returned...

Yesil, when she found her horse, gave it a quick inspection to make sure the dregs hadn't hurt it.  Once she was satisfied, she stroked the horse's face, talking quietly to her Batu before grabbing its shaggy mane and swinging up onto its back.

Soon, she was back in camp, still astride the beast, and pointing back from where she'd come.  "The wagons are there," she announced simply, patting her horse's neck.  "They did not get far."

Areks eyes drifted to Vestan as the implications of Peters words sunk in. Could that be why he'd appeared so late in the battle? Could it be him?
He had motive after the punishment handed down to him by the Homlet authorities.
But what about Yesil? She hadn't been amongst their number on the previous journey, perhaps she'd been sent by the enemy to infiltrate their number?
Even Adia-Ny was suspect...
The only person Arek felt he could trust was Felicia. He'd spent a fair amount of time travelling to the area with her. She was far from the type to betray them.

Peter looks at Arek and answers him, "Yes, I think someone has given the enemy information, this ambush was matched to our likely approach. The archers in the moathouse, and you say the mage on the hill? They would not just have been waiting there on the off chance we came today."

He looks around at the carnage, shaking his head before continuing, a bitter tone coming into his voice, "The attack on the wagon train would have been easy to beat off if you were there, but that damned cleric knew what was going to happen and waited until you were engaged before he attacked us. It is only through your timely arrival that any survived at all."

Again he paused in thought then said, "As to who? Many saw us leave and were aware of our mission. With the wagons, we were slow so it would have been easy to overtake us and alert them we were coming. We must make inquiried in the village, pehaps someone was missed after we left."

Vestan continues with his checkiong of the bodies. When he sees one villager in particular, he shows great signs of agitation. "Arr! Bugger it! We need to get to the village straight away. This fellow" Vestan prods one of the stiffs with his toe, "was making me my new suit! You know the snakeskin one. He'd better of finished it before coming here and ambushing us! Took me money too. Best check and see if he's still got it on him!" Vestan bends over the fallen tanner.

"Alright then you lot!" yelled Arek with authority in his voice. "Load up the wagons with the dead and wounded. We bury any here and they may end up Zombies like those below."
The aged dwarf immediately followed his own orders and assisted Peter with the injured villager.
"Bring the enemy too, we don't want to have to face them again either!"

Ronalt brings a wagon closer so the bodies can be loaded along with any weapons and armour. No use in letting the foe have anything of value.
The wounded are lifted/loaded upon the second wagon.

Before leaving Ronalt examines the footprints the elven leader had made so to memorise it. He had a gut feeling he would be seeing that one again.

Felicia approached the others with a look of saddness at so much death and concern for her friends who survived.  "Is there anything I might do?"she offered, not having the strength to lift bodies.

Arek's short stature had hampered him somewhat in loading the wagons but he struggled on. Felicia's question came as the last of the wounded was settled in as comfortably as they could manage.
"Keep an eye on the boy please Felicia. Don't wan' 'im gettin' into trouble now do we?"
What trouble that may be Arek didn't feel the need to state, but he had recently run afoul of the local laws with the "zombie incident".

Seeing Vestan start to search the tanner, Peter snorts the says, "Vestan, the dead leave families behind that will need any coin they carry.  If you have a legitimate claim with the tanner, you should take it up with his kin, on return to Hommlet." the tone of his voice makes it clear he expect no argument.

He assist in loading the wagons and soon the wounded and the dead villagers are accomodated.  The enemy howevere is too plentiful to fit in the remaining wagon. The best that can be done is to pile up the bugbears and two of the humans before it is full. All their weapons are piled in the wagon with Elmo and the other unconcious villager. Eventually everything is ready for departure.

OOC: I'll start up a new thread for your arrival back at Hommlet, but leave this one open if anyone has some last minute things they want to do.

The remaining dead, Ronalt piles up with deadfall and pours his 3 flasks of oil over them before torching them as they leave.
On the trip back to town he trails the wagon keeping a watch for trouble.

"Good thinking there Ronalt. Leave nothing for those evil mongrels to use."
Arek's last act before the wagons roll is to toss another log on the pyre.

PM


[Private to GM: I don't have my books with me right now (got some downtime at work), but I think a movement rate of 16" is above normal?  If that is so, then I'd like to try and trail the raiders from afar (i.e. not close enough for them to attack me, but close enough to see where they go) -- I know my move silently is not very good, but distance will help it out.  I'd like to invite Vestan to come with me, but he wouldn't be able to keep up with me, would he?]

Peter helped with the burning of the bodies before starting back for hommlet.

[Private to Adia-Ny: You could trail them if you like. Vestan would struggle to keep up. It is possible they might prepare for possible tracking attempts.]

As the others look to the fallen, Adia-Ny looks around and sees that there is really nothing he can do to help...  here.  Sprinting across the courtyard in the direction of the vanishing enemies, he disappears into the treeline.



[Private to GM: Indeed it is possible, however since no time has yet passed, it is unlikely that they'd be able to get the drop on me, especially if i stick to cover.]

Adia-Ny disappears into the undergrowth moving very quickly.  It is clear few if any could keep pace with him.

OOC: If anyone wants to follow Adia-Ny can they post their actions, otherwise I will close this thread shortly.

[Private to Adia-Ny: I'll start another thread up for you later today.]

  Felicia strides over to the halfling, tempted to seize him by his ear-lobe, instead, she places her fists on the curves of her hips to regard him sternly.  "Vestan, there are trophies in battle and there is looting.  Which are you doing?  I see no battle trophies in your hands!"

Vestan looks up at the female a puzzled look on his face. " I don't understand what you are on about. But if you want to give me a hand, feel free! There's plenty to go around." He points at the fallen around the place.

He continues with his task, whistling merrily as he does.

Eventually the party is finished and moves torwards Hommlet.  The speed they travel at ensures that Adia-Ny will catch them up before they arrive, if he chooses to.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:05, Wed 19 Apr 2006.