Usopi nodded in agreement with Caith. Having faced plague creatures and the like, he knew the danger of disease and sickness. Hopefully the steed had simply been killed by a wild beast, in which case the cause of death would likely be obvious without getting too close to the horse. The other alternative was an ambush of some kind, but he expected Gat would be able to smell any strangers before the large knight would be able to see them.

Deise and Aphail went wide on opposite sides as Caith and Leofwyn moved up to the horse flanked by Sir Turren and Sir Usopi.

Brannon covered them with his bow and Sir Uthen scanned the road behind with practiced eyes.

As Caith and Leofwyn approached they saw it was a pale grey mare which was still breathing shallowly from a deep stab wound through its right side the blood bubbling out was bright red.

As Aphail and Deise drew level with the four at the horse an arrow plunged into the ground near Aphails feet. Quickly scanning the nearby woods Aphail could make out vague forms in the shadows beneath the trees...

"Nay dead yet, by the look of her..." Caith says quietly as she moves towards the mare's head, whispering "Nay fret, Mari Lwyd. Fix that mess for ye in a moment..." then murmurs the charm best fit for the task of stanching the blood and closing the wound.

OOC: Caith will cast GREATER HEALING for 7Health/3MP on Mari Lwyd ('Grey Mare').

She says softly in a worried tone as the gash closes under the arc of her spread out fingers "Nay a beast of the woods did that. Sword's point, I'd reckon, and a damn big one too."


_{EDITED for additional information.}
This message was last edited by the player at 11:27, Tue 03 Dec 2019.

When Usopi saw the horse was still alive and Caith stepped forward to heal the creature, He pushed forward a bit more, his back to Caith and Leofwyn. He was relieved that the horse wasn't an infected trap by worshipers of rimfax.

Sir Turren moves until everyone stops at the horse, he continues to prioritise guarding their left flank, shield readied with javelin in hand. He won't stray more than a couple of steps from Caith and Leofwyn at this stage. Not while they're out in the open.

In reply to GM (msg # 38):

Deises keen eyesight sees the arrow drive into the ground near Aphail on the opposite slope, Deise immediately begins scanning in the opposite direction in the hope of preventing the party being outflanked. Seeking the cover of trees he seeks potential targets.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:15, Wed 04 Dec 2019.

As soon as the arrow hits the ground, Aphail's eyes dart along the assumed trajectory of the arrow.  Aphail is so keen a hunter he is prepared to be shot at again in order to see the enemy.  He remains still and silent and scans the vista.

14:23, Today: Aphail MacRoach rolled 12 using 1d20.  PER+5= 17

Leofwyn stands and steps towards Sir Turren, eager to convey the information she just heard whispered from Caith.

"I do not know if you heard just now, but Caith believes that this damage was done, not by an animal or a curse, but by sword."

"And since this mare is not yet dead, I believe there could be danger a lot closer than we anticipated."

She let her gaze wander around, staying close to the safety of Sir Turren's shield.

In reply to Leofwyn (msg # 44):

Turren nods his thanks, still watching outward.

As Caiths healing energies began flowing into the horse the wound closed but then the animal started panting and convulsing unexpectedly.

Usopi, Leofwyn and Turren turned to see what was happening.

..........

As Aphail scanned the woods he found it hard to make out the shapes he had seen earlier, but as he scanned he made out two men dressed in maille and plate, one of them flicked his hand towards Aphail and another arrow flew out towards him thudding into the ground beside the other one.

..........

As Deise approached the woods on his side of the road he began to make out dark shapes under the trees.  An arrow thudded into the dirt at his feet.

........

Brannon and Uthen couldn't make out much from their position, though there didn't seem any obvious danger.

Caith rocks back on her heels to avoid being slammed in the chest by a suddenly lunging equine head and bites down on the sharp retort on her lips as she sidesteps and stands up, intent on catching Mari by the mane.

"Hey now, enough of that!" the hedgewitch says softly to the panicked grey mare, but in a tone stern enough to to build the rest of a boat onto.

"What's bothering ye, lass? Nay one will harm ye now..." she says quietly as she looks over Mari again, afraid she's missed some vital clue to her patient's unstable condition.

'Patient needs some room,' Sir Turren is grim as he eases backward a few yards the way they came, so as to keep the beast in view and well before him, not at his exposed flank as it was. As Turren backs up, he gives Leofwyn an incline of the head - as if giving her full permission to use him as a human shield if she wants to back up with him. But the look is in no way commanding, more he is concerned.

OOC: Deise is considering the range between where he croches and the shapes he can now make out. He will keep moving in erratic directions to make him more difficult to hit.

Deise takes aim preparing to send a bolt toward the shapes should  he be in at least medium range.
He speaks calmly but loudly to his comrades by the horse.
"Take cover, we are attacked."

Uthen had moved to guard the rear, but at the call of 'Attack' turns around in a complete circle looking for any sign of danger. If he doesn't see anything, he will move towards the fallen horse.

Brannon looks wildly in the direction of Deise's cry, scanning to see if there is anyone to fire upon, while slowly backing towards the trees in the opposite direction.

Usopi initially looked to the horse in case anyone looked to be under threat from the farrier's craft, but when Deise cried out he spun back toward Hallowhall. He brought his shield and mace up before him and glared toward the north east.

"Show yourselves and fight with honor!" he called at the unseen attackers. If they were secreted away in the foliage or kit for ranged combat Usopi would be in trouble. Better then to attempt to bring them in to the open where he might not be at such a disadvantage.

Aphail lowers his bow, shouting across to everyone. "We are NOT attacked, the ambush is nay for us! Twas merely a warning shot! PARLEY, Sir Usopi. PARLEY!"

Sir Turren, shakes his head dubiously, looks over to Usopi. 'Parley tends to work best on even ground before the opposition, and makes bargaining all the better when things go sour. Perhaps we should all muster to friend Aphail, and see what he sees.'

Turren looks again to the horse, trying not to think of a bad joust in another lifetime.

As Caith remained with the mare those with her heard the horse scream suddenly, something presses up briefly against the struggling horse's belly from the inside.

A limb, terminating in a hoof-like shape, then another, then a mouth, set with a predator's canine teeth taut against the skin.

Mari groans piteously, again convulsing in pain, hooves lashing out at the air beside her.

...........

At the shouts of ' Parley', groups of men stepped out from either side of the trees. A dozen or so in total with two men in plate and maille on either side and four in padded armour armed with bows accompanying.

" Parley? Nay, give back what was stolen and we might not kill ye."

..........

As those gathered about the horse took in the new developments around them suddenly a bloodstained gelatinous mass slithers from the horse's flanks onto the ground, thrashing about wildly as it lands.

Deise retains the cross bow on target while attemlting to seem casual.

"Stolen? What was stolen?"

OOC - is this about the treasure perhaps? Are the men wearing any distinctive markings; tabards, shields or suchlike?

It seems only fair that Deises crossbow is aimed at one of the armoured men as the four bowmen are all aiming at him.

The 'knight' with curling red hair and a facial scar nods across the way to the men facing Aphail some 100m away, " A spear, Rhongomyniad the Striker, in Sir Grellens family since the days of Vallandar.", he points across the way to a tall older man as he says 'Sir Grellen'."

OOC: One of the men, the oldest near Aphail, is wearing a plain green tabbard which is in a very bad state of repair.  Looking closer he can see that much or their armour is in a bad state of repair and their clothing is dirt smeared as if they had been living rough for quite some time.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:35, Wed 04 Dec 2019.

In reply to GM (msg # 57):

OOC - we don't have a spear do we?
Deise will keep talking attempting to keep the bowmen and knights engaged.

"Now, now men. You can see with your own eyes that I carry no spear and neither does my companion in the woods, nor the ladies. Why I'm too small to carry a spear. Now what say you, that you put your bows down an' we can talk over cider like. Ya'see I've not got the strength to hold this trigger forever like. Might be, if I get nervous that this bolt flies off uncontrollable like. Who knows where it might end up. Could take someones eye out as my old nan would say." Staring at the closest Knight.

Has the horse given birth prematurely or is this going to end up like a scene from Aliens?

Caith looks from Mari's side with a horrified expression, then to the thrashing bundle lying on the ground, jams the willow bark hastily grabbed from her belt pouch into the horse's mouth and says "I'm nay sure just who ye've been consorting with, but we'll see soon enough, nay fret..."

Utterly ignoring the parley, Caith moves to the bloody shambles tearing the earth up in it's frenzy to escape, and looks carefully at the shape of it before reaching a sharp thumbnail to the tautest part of the mass she can see, to cut the caul open.

OOC: If it's the second option, Deise, then Caith's already at ground zero with a flamethrower DRAGONSBREATH ready to Ripley...
This message was last edited by the player at 00:00, Thu 05 Dec 2019.

Usopi made a snap decision about what the more pressing portion of the encounter was most dangerous. Deise seemed capable of speaking to the men, and as far as he knew none of them possessed a spear, so it was likely that the encounter would not devolve in to combat. What was pressing was the slithering gelatinous form containing a creature with predatory jaws. He had never witnessed a horse give birth, so perhaps it was normal, but instinctually he felt something was wrong with it.


Then Usopi turned away from the men on the road and stepped up beside Caith, mace at the ready should the new born animal prove itself a threat of some kind.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:04, Thu 05 Dec 2019.

Turren remains behind Caith and the horse, but now he's focused not on the men in the woods but over Caith's shoulder.

'Speak the word, m'lady and I'll cast Falchorus straight over yon shoulder. Is she in labour or goblin-touched? And if you are uncertain I say she is goblin-touched, be done before you're undone.'