In reply to Jacob (msg # 35):

You and Raive go forward.

The swamp goblin takes out a bolo, and begins to swing it over his head.  He throws it, and it wraps around the legs of Sir Raive's horse's front legs, bringing Sir Raive down.  You hear splashes to your right and left.  Raive is drawing his sword as he lands on his feet...

In reply to Tadeusz (msg # 36):

I draw my sword and growl. They want a fight, they will get it. I help raive up as well.

In reply to Jacob (msg # 37):

Sir Raive comes up, and you and he charge the Swamp Goblin in the way.  A goblin on your right pitches a javelin at you, but it goes over your head, and slams into one on your left.  Another javelin flies over from the left and goes over everyone.

Raive and you both swing at the Swamp Goblin in your path, but he blocks with a cross block, and leaps backwards.  You're growling, and he looks frightened, and dives off the causeway and deep into the water.  You can see him swimming away under the water.  The other Goblins shake their weapons at you, and then sink as well.

In reply to Tadeusz (msg # 38):

"Let's go then, and quickly."

"Aye. My king." And you and he both mount and gallop on quickly.  It seems to you as you go that there are eyes in the swamp, unfriendly eyes.  But there are no more attacks as you pass through small village and by castle mount and onward until toward evening with your stomach pressing hard on your backbone you reach the village of the armorer's father.

The guards at the open gate look startled to see you.

As you come up, Sir Raive says quietly.

"They are in half armor.  This is unusual."


You have gained
+@3 to riding.
+@1 to swordfighting.

"Stay cautious, but be diplomatic," I whisper as I rode ahead.

In reply to Jacob (msg # 41):

You nod as you go past them and they bow.

"Sire."

You come to the Mayor's house, and he has two armed guards in front of his door as well.  They are startled as well.  One hurries inside to get the Mayor and the Mayor comes out, obviously in the middle of a meal with a napkin at his chin, and a bit of stained mustard on his tunic.

He's shocked to see you.

"My...king." He flutters his hands, and then goes to one knee.  "Guards." He mutters, and they belatedly go to one knee as well.

After seeing the man bow when he saw me, I said, "No need for formalities. I'm looking for someone here - the blacksmith who made the armor for the old king. Where is he?"

He blinks, and takes you to an old man who is just finishing up on fixing his roof.  He bows low, and tells you that he did indeed make the armor for the old king, some twenty years past.  His son works for the Duke of the Swamps.  Hopefully, he will be able to visit the old man sometime.

The old man is bald with a bushy white mustache, and clearly still agile, and he has some remnant of his muscles from his black smithing days.

The mayor is with you.

"Hello there. I realize that this is an extreme consequence for a meeting, but as it stands the kingdom is in an urgent situation. I am Jacob. I need to speak somewhere privately with you."

In reply to Jacob (msg # 45):

He brings you inside his house, and insists on getting you some bread and tea.  Sir Raive is guarding the door, and all the doors are locked.  There are some examples of swords and shields on his wall, and a couple delicate bits on ironwork that look decorative.  The table and stools are sturdy but plain and well made.  The light is a pair of candles.

I smile at him, looking for a place to sit. "Good sir, the kingdom finds itself in a dire situation - the old king is dead, supposedly from a suit of armor you created for him. What do you know of this?"

"That can't be."  He looks perplexed.  "I've been in this town fixing my home for the last two weeks.  I've never given the King armor, not that I would mind doing, I mean, I'd be honored, wait...the king is dead?  I thought you were the King?  You look like him."

There is a 'thunk' noise outside.  And then the door bursts open, and Sir Raive dives sideways into the room.  "Shut the door! Ambush!"

You slam the door shut, seeing one of the Mayor's men outside with an arrow through his chest.  An arrow goes by your face as you do the slamming burying itself into the door jam with another 'thunk'.  Two inches closer, and you'd have had a very open mind.

In reply to Tadeusz (msg # 48):

I dive to the ground, bringing the smith down with me. "Sir, we need to go. Now." I plan the door shut and lock it.

In reply to Jacob (msg # 49):

Its shut, and a second later you hear someone try to crash into the door, to force it, but its a sturdy door.  The smith nods fervently, and you and Sir Raive scurry on hands and knees across the floor to the back door.  An arrow comes through a window and skitters around the room.  Sir Raive peeks out a window next to the back door.

"That traitor!!" He hisses.  And then you hear the voice of your 'loyal' Duke.

"Throw the torches.  We'll burn them out." The Duke commands.

"Stay down. We will crawl out of here, on the ground. Kill the traitorous bastard, and figure it out from there. As for you, sir - I will help rebuild this, and make certain the men of the Duke pay for this. We have to go."

In reply to Jacob (msg # 51):

"Politics being what it is, always handy me grandpappy, put this in. And I'll hold you to that promise, my king."  And he yanks on a odd shaped brick in the wall which pulls out a door with a long unused screech.  Its truly a crawling door, as to fit in, Sir Raive has to take off his sheathe for his sword, and so do you.

After the door is closed behind you, the group crawls downward into darkness and damp.  Something slithers down here, but it decides to go away rather than contest your passage.  And then blessedly, finally you feel the inner doorknob, and open the stone that hides the exterior exit just outside the town, and but yards from the edge of the swamp.  Fresh air and starlight was never so wonderful.

"We have to go, and go now." I look for any method of fast transportation.

In reply to Jacob (msg # 53):

The locals tell you that they could take a flat bottomed fishing boat, suitable for eight, if one did not move much, or get to the main road either back up to the Capitol or further into the swamp.

"I was sure the Duke was not playing us false, but it seems he has sold out to the Matriarchs to the South of us." Sir Raive smacks his fist into his open hand.

"Sir Raive, what would you have me do?"

In reply to Jacob (msg # 55):

"You are the King. Do we flee by land or water? Do we go back into the city and try to hunt down the traitor?"

"My  men should be loyal." The Mayor says, hopefully.

In reply to Tadeusz (msg # 56):

"Right now, we head back and prepare for war."

In reply to Jacob (msg # 57):

"Head back to the capital?"

OOC: That's what I think you are saying, but I'm not sure.

Ooc: yes

In reply to Jacob (msg # 59):

You head back to the Duke's island in the swamp...and its gates are closed to you and above it flies not your flag above the Duke's flag, but the Matriarchies flag above the Duke's flag.   The Matriarchy is to the south of the swamp and a rival power.  And it seems the Duke has sold you out to them.  This is a problem because to take a horse back on the road you have to go through the small walled town of the enemy.