Runt was a bit confused when Mistress Norla didn't ask any questions after he finished his meal.  She seemed in intense thought, so he didn't disturb her with any questions of his own, instead studying more of what he could see around the room and there was a lot more to see.  The tapestry had a lot more detail than he had noticed before and there was a Christ painting that was very different, much more gruesome than he had ever seen before.

He jumped a bit when Hugh came in and spoke to Mistress Norla.  He had been so intent on studying the objects in the room, he hadn't even heard Hugh enter.  He chided himself over this, he was usually much more aware of his surroundings and swore that he would pay more attention.



Runt did as Mistress said and tried to clear his mind.

OOC - No reason for him to resist.
14:05, Today: Runt rolled 15 using 3d6 with rolls of 6,4,5.  IQ.  Well, crap, blew that one badly.  But he will try to be more aware, he really didn't like the lack of awareness the day yesterday.  So, 14:08, Today: Runt rolled 12 using 3d6 ((2,5,5)).  Better but not good enough, I think.  This could really be not good for him.  We will just have to see where this goes.




Edit - hit the wrong the button
This message was last edited by the player at 19:11, Fri 09 Sept 2022.

Rund did as he was bid, he closed his eyes, and tried to clear his mind.  He felt Norla's soft hands cover his own on the table, and felt the wave of magic again...  Again his brain descended into fog, his actions became mushy, his senses dulled.  Again, Runt felt like his body was disconnected from his mind.

The good part about being himself though, at least from Runt's point of view, was that he had a really good memory for directions, and places... and well, just about everything.  So even though Runt couldn't see the room he was sitting in any more, Runt began to fill in the details with his memory, setting his surroundings as a sort of thought experiment until he could see properly again.

"Very good Daniel, you are getting better at this."  Runt can hear the smile in Norla's soft voice.  He wonders for a moment if she's talking about the magic, or about him picturing the room in his mind.

"Now come along Daniel, we have a very important job to do."

Norla's hands leave Runt's, and though he can't really see, and he doesn't really mean to do it, he finds himself standing up and walking towards the exit, following Norla though he isn't exactly sure how.

"Hugh, bring up Elkins will you?  Leave him restrained though, and don't bother getting his things, I don't need him trying to make things even more difficult."

Hugh responds, some softly murmured word that seems fuzzy in Runt's ears, though he can't imagine that it's anything apart from a 'yes ma'am'.

And then the two are walking.  Norla does not hold his hand this time, but walks ahead, Runt following despite the fact that he can barely see where he is going.  His mind keeps up however and traces his steps down the long hallway, past the doors, the the left and down the slope, then back right again past the room he had met Mendel and down the hallway...  down the hallway towards the cave exit going towards the canyon...

But then suddenly, Norla stops.  Runt finds himself, if his memory serves him, just a few steps from the cave leading out to the mouth of the canyon.  Somewhere at the periphery of Runt's hearing, there is a conversation... a buzz of conversation that seems little more than a toiling bee or a pesky fly.  Runt strains to hear, though the magic he has cast... or that Norla has helped him cast... seems to keep him from making out the words.

OOC:  Again, feel free to roll vs. Will to hear/see or a contest of skills against Norla's magic to act independently.

Runt cleared his mind, and felt the fuzziness come over him again.  At Mistress Norla's instruction he followed her.  He wasn't sure how he knew how, considering he really didn't see where she was leading.  Maybe his eyes did see and talked directly to his body without going through his brain.  At least they were going where he had been and seen, so at least in his mind he knew exactly where he was at the moment.  Mistress Norla stopped suddenly, just before the cave entrance leading out.  He could just barely hear talking, maybe a group talking back and forth though he couldn't make out what was being said.  Not like they were talking quietly, but like his ears were going past his brain also.  He tried hard to make out what was being said, more because he knew he should be able to hear it than anything else.

OOC - 21:19, Today: Secret Roll: Runt rolled 13 using 3d6 with rolls of 5,2,6.  Will roll.  Man, the dice roller just is not my friend lately, LOL.  This is going to be interesting. 

His vision clouded by fog, Runt follows up until the point where Norla stops.  Several moments pass before Runt can hear another voice, one that he doesn't recongize from only a few feet away.

"They say they are willing to talk ma'am."

"Good."  Norla responds.  "Make yourselves ready.  I don't think they would be foolish enough to attack from the ground, though it's best not to rule anything out."

Again, Runt is moving forward, though now, for the first time, Runt can feel warm sunshine streaming down upon his face.  She's taking him outside!

"Congratulations."  Norla's voice starts, though she pauses for several moments after the single word.

Runt can feel his own head tipping slightly up and to the side, his eyes wide open, though it is difficult to see anything.  To the best of his knowledge though, the only place he could be is standing just near the brink of the caves, sixty feet up over the edge of the canyon.

"I hear you have rid this canyon of its plague of bandits."  Norla continues, "They have been a menace to us for some time.  I thank you for your efforts, and I hope that you do not expect that the same danger you've faced in other parts of this canyon extends here."

Again, Norla pauses.

"It is Rolf, yes?  It is my hope that we need not resort to uninformed violence...  For you see, we mean you no harm."

OOC:  Feel free to make more will rolls.

Runt stood in place, near Mistress Norla, just a bit from the entrance, and waited.  He wasn't sure, but it felt like the fog was greater than it had been yesterday.  When she moved forward in response to a new voice Runt followed, staying near her.  He had no idea why he followed or stayed by her side, no one had told him to, and he hadn't seen or heard her move.  It just happened.

He was very happy to feel the sunshine and fresh air on his face.  It wasn't like he had been underground all that long, but it still felt good.  Maybe it was because he had been prevented, locked up even, that made it better than normal.

When Mistress Norla stopped, he did also, and quickly.  If his brain was right, he was within a step or so of the edge.  While he was almost surely safe here, after all his knowing exactly where he was had never failed him before, but he had never had to depend on it with his mind in such a state.  If he had to move in any direction but back the way he had just walked, he would need to be extremely careful and take very small steps, just in case!

Mistress Norla spoke, then paused.

Runt wondered idly who she was talking to.

Mistress Norla continued and then paused again.

Maybe she was pausing for dramatic effect like he heard some storytellers do.  Or maybe it was the other person talking back and he just couldn't hear them.



When she spoke the name Rolf, he wondered briefly if that was Master Rolf she was talking to, but decided if it was important, Mistress Norla would let him know.


OOC - 20:17, Today: Secret Roll: Runt rolled 12 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,4,5.  Will roll.  Man, I just can't catch a break here, LOL.  The charm must be extra strong today.
 (shaking my head).  Oh well, them's the breaks.

The first voice that Runt hears respond to Norla is not Rolf, but instead it is the throaty Arlaise accent of Gustav, who seems to be shouting up from the bottom of the canyon.

"So if you please, Milady, who are you, that you were here, but could not rid the canyon of these bandits? You seem powerful and have an obviously a strong guard."

Norla pauses for several moments before responding.

"Yes, we are a strong group I admit.  For we are travelers of a sorts, brought to the area by a threat that we believe even now barks at the door of Megalos...  Were you aware, I wonder, that Megalos was invaded, the fort here attacked but a few months ago?  My fighters and I seek to do our part for the security of this region."

"As for these bandits, I will say that we did not have much interaction with them.  We knew of their presence though not much of their activities...  we recently learned most of what we know when one of their number fled to our cave in an effort to escape you."

"If it would help to prove our sincerity, I am willing to hand him over."

There is another silence for some short time, though this time Runt does not hear what question is asked of Norla.

"Of course the boy is safe!"  Norla says her warm and soothing voice hardening with an undercurrent of ice.  "Daniel has joined us to be trained as my apprentice.  He is quite happy with his lot."

Norla waits for a moment before continuing, though Runt can almost feel the tension in the woman next to her.

"Though there is no need to insult me by addressing my men when I am seeking to speak to you.  Perhaps you have not dealt with a woman as an equal before, but I assure you I am quite capable of answering any questions you might have...  I assure you this is no trick."

Runt heard a voice, shouting from somewhere below the ledge he thought.



Hey, that be Master Gustav, he thought, raising one hand to give a small wave in the general direction the voice had come from even though he couldn't see much of anything.

There was a short pause before Mistress Norla answered back.  Maybe others down below had talked, but he wasn't paying attention, just enjoying the fresh air and the sun on his face.



Another pause that Runt guessed was more talk from below but it probably wasn't important to him.



That must be Elkins she's talkin' 'bout, he thought.  Good riddance, he can't even lie well.  Too bad she not throwing Ashe out too.

Runt's thoughts drifted off for a bit, remembering how dumb Ashe had acted.  As a result, he completely missed the next question or question from below, or even that someone down there had spoken.



Hey, that be me they be talking 'bout, he thought after a second, remembering that Mistress Norla had renamed him.  She sounds pissed off.  Someone down there must be making her mad.  Bet it be Princess Mitra.  Get two powerful women talkin' 'gainst each other and then the fur might start flying.

He remembered numerous times that he had seen women square off against each other, everything from regular citizens, to streetwalkers, to shopkeepers and madams.  The regular citizens usually just insulted each other and occasionally screamed and shouted, but it almost never went beyond that unless someone was seeing someone else's man and then there could be some blood flowing.  The street walkers almost always started with screaming and usually went straight to a fight, mostly over territory or clients.  Shopkeepers and madams were about the same, lots of sly insults and cold comments, not a lot of screaming or screeching, and rarely a fight.  But when there was a fight, someone usually ended up face down in the gutter and with the madams there was probably several other folks there with them.

Runt could feel the tension in Mistress Norla's voice as she responded to something else that he missed while his mind had drifted off.  Should be paying more attention.



Oh crap!  Someone done stepped in it bad, flashed in his mind.  Normally, at this point he would remove himself far enough away to watch safely from what could become ground zero of a big explosion real soon, but he stayed put, just hoping that if (when) things went south he wouldn't become collateral damage.

OOC -
20:27, Today: Secret Roll: Runt rolled 10 using 3d6 with rolls of 1,5,4.  Will roll.  Well, at least this one might have a chance of him paying closer attention.  I just threw out some random thoughts that I figured might drift into his mind.  Figured that it might help explain why he was missing most of the conversation.  I've got no idea who is pushing Norla's buttons, but Sajaa is highest on the list, followed by Rolf, and possibly with Lisa putting in a few choice comments.  Probably a combination.  Lot's of fun!  Looking forward to the next set of exchanges!

Runt thinks to lift his hand, giving a wave to Gustav, who he assumes is standing at the bottom of the cliff.  Though despite his intent, and despite trying to lift his hand and give any sort of a wave, Runt finds that the task simply cannot be accomplished by his body.

Though when Norla's voice finds a vein of ice, Runt's mind begins to run rampant, and the activity seems to uncloud his perception, at least to a degree.  The fog pulls back, exposing the cliff at his feet, Norla's whole form, and three other men behind him, two with crossbows trained towards the ground (one of them Ashe), and the last with a sword, though it is scabarded away.

"Daniel was a prophet."  The voice is Sajaa's, though Runt cannot yet see her beyond the fog which still clouds a few yards away.  "I choose to believe Mistress Norla means us no harm. If she is a friend of Ru---Daniel, she is a friend of mine.  Let us go up and speak with her."

At Sajaa's mention that Daniel is a prophet, Norla snaps her gaze slightly up and right, her brow furrowed in thought.

"So will you help me come up to you?"  Lisa calls in turn.

"Sorry if I misspoke."  Rolf adds with haste.  "I'm no statesmen and still have much to learn in this area.  I mean no disrespect."  He pauses for a moment, though he adds a moment later, "Please send down Daniel if you may Norla.  We'd like to catch up with him."

But before Norla can respond, Lisa calls up again as well, adding her voice to the fray.

"Right, you've got an easy way up and down, yes, Lady Nora? Well, you may have noticed, I'm a woman but I wouldn't claim to be your equal. I'm just a woman. Having said that, you've said this is no trick. Well, if there is no trick, and pardon me, please, for being suspicious, all overly trusting adventuers that I've encountered seem to meet unpleasant ends.. Pardon again my digression. Simply then, please will you send Daniel, the fellow previously know as Runt, down to talk with us? It's almost certainly the fastest way to cut through all this, assuming that on wishes to, of course."

Norla pauses for several seconds, her mind clearly at work.

"We have a rope is all..."  Norla decides to respond to Lisa's query about an easy way up first.  "Serviceable, though I will admit that most of us find little reason to go down to the canyon floor so it does not have much use."

"Of course, you must turn your own logic back upon yourself Lisa.  What reason do I have to trust?  For while I have offered you the last of these bandits as proof of my sincerity, you have killed everything you have come across here and Rolf seeks to undermine me in front of my men."

"I shall be honest."  Norla says, glancing down towards the canyon floor and through the fog.  "I wish for you leave.  I fear that you are bringing violence here which serves no one."

She looks down at Runt.  "I do not wish for you to go down to them Daniel, for you have told me how they ignored you, how they refused to look for Sally or Conal when it was clearly so important to you...  though of course the choice is yours.  Tell them what you wish."

OOC:  I hadn't meant for you to roll against will there, but I would have given you an opportunity in this post anyway, so I'll just use that one here.  Obviously, you perception has expanded out, though is not quite normal yet.

Norla has told you that she wishes for you not to go down to the others.  Roll vs. Will-5.  If you succeed, you can do as you wish.  If you fail, you must insist you want to stay up in the caves with Norla.

The fog around Runt's mind cleared some, he could finally see what was around him.  Mistress Norla of course, he had known she was there, and three of her men, two he didn't recognize and Ashe.  Maybe there would be a bit of a breeze and Ashe would get blown off the ledge.  He could also hear both sides of the exchange now and listened with interest even though he couldn't see that far away.

Princess Mitra and Lisa wanted to come up to talk with Mistress Norla, Master Rolf wanted him to come down to catch up with them.  And Lisa wanted an easy way up, like climbing up with the rope to help wouldn't be a piece of cake.  Heck, he could do it without the rope!  Then it seemed Lisa changed her mind and wanted him to come down there.

Mistress Norla calmly explained to them that the rope was what they used to get up and down and asked them really nicely to leave.  Made sense to him!  Then she asked him if he wanted to go down to the others.  Hardly anyone ever asked him what he wanted to do.  They just told him.

His brow furrowed with thought while he considered his two options.  If it had been just Master Rolf or Master Gustav, he might would have considered going down.  But he wasn't sure he wanted Princess Mitra or Lisa getting their hands on him.  No telling what they would do.
 It was a moment before he stepped to the very edge and spoke up, projecting his voice to those below.

"I thinks that I wants to stay here with Mistress Norla.  She gonna be teaching me 'bout magic an how to be a mage!"  His voice was a bit excited at that last part.  "She got me all my stuff back that Niall and his gang stole an got me Conal's lyre so I can takes it back to his family.  An I is gonna get to bury Conal proper like.  An she gots me my own room an it's got a pallet!"

His piece said, he waited for any replies.

OOC - sorry about the roll earlier, thanks for using it here though.  It was simply supposed to be another IQ roll.

23:50, Today: Secret Roll: Runt rolled 6 using 3d6 with rolls of 1,3,2.  Will -5.  Finally, a good roll, just not good enough.  Not sure what choice he would have made if he had succeeded.  Still glad I can now hear both sides of the exchange, makes things a lot easier (for me at least - LOL).  Fun, fun, fun.

Runt finds himself wanting to please Norla... that he should follow what she wants, what she has said she prefers...  Though in the depths of his mind, he can't help but ask "what if I don't?"

The question alone beats back the fuzz engulfing Runt's mind and the fog seems to clear, allowing him to see the base of the canyon, where Rolf, Lisa, Terri, Sajaa, and Gustav all huddle, their weapons lowered and their faces etched in looks of concern.

Still, Runt answers in the way that he expects Norla prefers.  Runt waits for a reply to his words, and finds them forthcoming from Lisa.

""So, Lady Norla, I do whole heartedly believe you when you say you wish us to leave and that in general you're not telling us untruths. Now if I had placed an enchantment on Daniel-Runt then the wording you chose, expressing your wishes prior to him making his own decision, well, that is pretty much the wording I would use. Now, I'm not sure how well you'll take this, but Runt was our friend and that work both ways. It means that while there's a very distinct possibility that he has been enspelled, effectively arcane kidnapping, and we, certainly I, can't just abandon him that way. I'm sure, Lady Norla, you can see where this is going. Either you'll show your hand and have us attacked, or else we'll end up following you, all unless we can have an uninfluenced conversation with Runt down here. I'm guessing you can tell if I'm telling the truth or not. Well, I'm also telling you that this is the whole of the truth as I know it. And also that if there is actually some huge threat to the realm then we're actually just the folks to help defend the realm. Now, Lady Norla, assuming the things you've cited about the realm and so forth are true and not self-serving hyperbole, you have a decision to make. And, by the way, Daniel-Runt can vouch for how effective this little group down here can be."

Norla's response is short and to the point.

"I tell you my concerns of your violent nature and you respond with veiled threats?"  Norla asks, her smile thinning.  "Do you have ears to listen upon your own words?  Daniel has heard your offer and has made his decision, and yet you insist that you know best?  I will admit that I am not surprised by it."

Down below, without saying much of anything, Sajaa begins to climb the face of the cliff up to where Runt stands.

Runt hears the rustle of movement behind him, and Ashe takes a step forward, his crossbow coming up to bear, though Norla holds up a hand to stop him in his tracks.

"Throw her the rope."  Norla says after a moment.  Begrudgingly, Ashe continues forward and lifts up the coil with a single hand, tossing it down over the side.  It smacks the cliff face as it tumbles down, straightening by the force of its own weight and settling just a few feet away from where Sajaa hangs.

It is a few minutes, but eventually Sajaa pulls herself over the edge.  Though she stands exposed at the edge, sixty feet above the ground, none of the soldiers attempt to take advantage of her vulnerability.  Instead, the three men have pulled back, all the way to the entryway of the cave.

Sajaa takes the moment while she is catching her breath to take in as much as she can.

Norla is the first one to break the silence, her voice low and soothing, though her eyes are narrowed suspiciously.

"Be very careful Princess Mitra."

OOC:  Really nice will roll there, It would definitely have been interesting if you managed to snake that one in there especially with the margin of success of the spell.  Depending on how things go here, you'll also have more chances.

Runt said his piece and waited, though he did glance over to Mistress Norla to see if she approved.  He hoped that what he had said would be enough, and that the group down below would accept it and leave but he really didn’t expect that to be all.  He figured that there would be some back and forth for them to finally decide that he really did want to stay with Mistress Norla.  He thought that it would probably be Master Rolf or Princess Mitra who would respond, but instead it was Lisa.  As he listened, he became irritated and that grew to anger.  Not only was she using words that he didn’t know so that he couldn’t understand some of what she was saying, she wasn’t even talking to him!  She was talking to Mistress Norla, about him, like he wasn’t even there!  It was like she had completely ignored everything that he had said.  He was used to adults not asking his opinion most of the time, but when it was asked, they should listen.  He just wanted to shout down for them to go away and leave him alone, and he started to but stifled that thought.  Not only was it rude and would it probably make things worse, but everyone down there had been nice to him, and he didn’t really want to hurt their feelings.  Plus, it just might start a fight and he certainly didn’t want that.  People would get hurt or worse.  So, he just stood there quietly while Mistress Norla responded.

Then, without a word, Princess Mitra began to climb up the cliff and Ashe stepped forward, aiming his crossbow down.  Luckily Mistress Norla motioned the man to stop and then told him to throw the rope down.

While waiting for the princess to make it up the rope he looked over to Mistress Norla.
“I don’t want to go, but I thinks that I is gonna haf to go with them,” he said quietly.  “Dat’s the only way I thinks that they will leave and nobody’s gets hurt.  Don’t want no fightin’ and don’t wants nobody’s getting hurt or dead.  I gets back to Craine an you can come an get me there.”

Princess Mitra finally made it up and paused to catch her breath.  Runt made himself move to stand between the two women, his back to Mistress Norla, closer to her, and facing the princess.  Maybe his being in between the two just might make them not come to blows.  At least he hoped it would.

OOC – Interesting as usual.  I should have expected something like this, but thought there might be a chance they would note what a really poor tactical situation they were in.  I am curious as to what happens next.  And yes, Runt is more than a bit angry with the party, well some of them.  More fun to come!

Below, Runt hears the scuffle of feet on stone, no doubt another of the group climbing up, but for the moment, his attention is fully focused on the two women standing on either side of him.

When Sajaa asks of whom she should be careful, Norla simply her thin lipped smile.

"My men are not accustomed to heathens and enemies roaming among us."  Norla says in low tones.  She holds her staff out slightly to the side, offering the sight of her open palms, perhaps as a gesture of amity.

"It seems strange, Mitra.  It is rare, is it not, for your women to be trained in the sword?  I wonder where you learned it?  Perhaps you too were part of the attack on Megalos?  I do not seek a fight Mitra, though I warn you to make clear your intentions, lest my men be forced to judge your intentions for themselves."

Sajaa's glance strays across Norla and the men behind, her easy countenance falling to one of sharp concern.

Stepping forward, Runt offers a solution... going with the group to avoid a fight, though Norla doesn't respond immediately, instead narrowing her eyes and looking down at the boy.

"Zut Alors!"  Gustav's shout comes from down below, with much commotion to follow.  Lisa also shouts and the thick rope hanging over the edge jiggles with tension.

“My intentions – our intentions – Mistress," Sajaa responds carefully.  "Are to rid this region of outlaws. If you are enemies of the bandits who haunt these caves – then you are friends of ours. But if you are in league with them, you are my enemy and we are duty-bound to the people of Three Corners to drive you away – or wipe you out.”

She then turns to Runt and places her left hand on his shoulder.  “Listen to me, Little One, and please speak truthfully for this is life or death important.  Am I safe to trust Mistress Norla and her men? Answer me!”

OOC:  No combat yet.  Ball's in your court.

Runt could hear another person from below start to climb up and it worried him.  No matter who it was he knew that Mistress Norla would not be happy if someone else poked their head over the rim.  As the women talked Mistress Norla seemed to be trying to tell the Princess that she didn’t want a fight.  But she seemed to also be saying that the group being here was making the rest of the gang nervous.  At least that is what he thought she was saying.

Runt took a step towards Princess Mitra and made his offer to go with the group if they would leave.  He had said this to Mistress Norla while they were waiting for the Princess to climb up and he could tell that the Mistress wasn’t happy with the idea, even though the boy said that she could get him in Craine.  He could tell that the Mistress was not pleased with him making the offer again directly to the Princess, especially without her approval, but he really didn’t want to see a fight start.  Even worse, it seemed that the Princess was ignoring what he said, just like Lisa had earlier.

He heard Master Gustav shout something from below.  It sounded like he was cussing.  Runt might not understand the language, but cussing had a certain tone no matter what.  He would need to remember that phrase and ask someone later what it meant.  You could always use more colorful phrases.  There was much commotion from below and Lisa was also shouting.  Definitely more people coming up, not good.

He refocused on the exchange between the Princess and Mistress Norla.  The Princess stated her (their?) intentions and it came across to him as a threat.  His hope that there would be no blood spilled was fading and it really seemed like it was the Princess and the others who were pushing this.

She finally turned to him and put her hand on his shoulder, addressing him directly.

“Listen to me, Little One, and please speak truthfully for this is life or death important.  Am I safe to trust Mistress Norla and her men? Answer me!”

He shrugged her hand off, stepping back, some confusion on his face.  Why she asking me ‘bout trusting, he thought.  They don’t trust me when I say I want to stay with Mistress Norla.  He gathered his thought, and after a moment spoke.

“I trusts em lessen I wouldn’ have said I wants to stay here.  But why is you asking me?  You not be trustin’ me when I says I wants to stay with Mistress Norla.  I jus’ say that I go with you if you leave.  Even iffin I really want to stay here.  But I’ll go anyway cause I don’t want anybody get hurt.  Ain’t that good ‘nough?"  His speech had started calm and steady, but became louder and heated as it continued, ending almost in sobs, with him having to visibly hold back tears.

OOC – well, I did get it through today, but not by much.  I’ll be curious what the party does, but I’m currently betting on them starting a fight anyway.  If a fight starts out, he’ll act as stated in the PM.  Absent any contradictory orders from Norla and those will need to be judged as they come, if they come.  Should be interesting!

Norla looks back and fort between Runt and Sajaa, her eyes narrowed and her face chiseled into an expression of stoic contemplation.

"Very well."  Norla says finally, lifting her chin up towards Runt.  "Though it is against my better judgement, there's no doubt you know them better than I.  Go with my blessing, on one condition."  She turns her gaze towards Sajaa, then down to the group below.  "All of you leave this canyon.  Your efforts to this point have been for the good, though I assure you there is nothing to gain from spreading your violence any further here..."

She lifts her eyes back up to Sajaa, setting her staff tip upon the ground and gripping it with both hands as she leans forward into her subtle smile.

"Do we have an agreement?"

"A moment!" Sajaa says, lifting a finger, anger flaring in her eyes.

She turns to Runt.

"Runt." Sajaa says gently, a thin smile on her lips.  "I still do not understand you. Do you want to stay here with Mistress Norla more than you want to come with Rolf, Gustav, Lisa, Terri and I? If that is your wish, Little One, we will not force you to come.  We just do not want to leave you here if it is not safe for you."

Sajaa squats down so she is face to face with the boy.  Gently she brushes a strand of Runt's unkempt hair from his eyes, smiles again, and says: "What say you, Child?"

Runt was both gladdened and saddened by what Mistress Norla said.  Glad because she had listened to what he had said and trusted his judgement.  Sad because that meant that he would be leaving her.  He was sure that she understood how much he didn't want to leave and more so how much he didn't want anyone to get hurt.  He knew without a doubt that she would come and find him in Craine and that made him very glad.  Her one condition to the others was very reasonable and the same as what he had said, but with more authority behind it.  All that was left was for Princess Mitra to agree, and everything would be fine.



He flinched back a bit and looked at her closely, carefully weighing what she had said and how she said it.  He could often judge what a person was going to do based on how they talked and acted but it wasn't always reliable.  This time though, he was pretty sure he was right, and she was being sincere.

He thought hard on what he would say.  It would need to be right.  Things could still go so very wrong.

"Yeah, I really do wanna stay with Mistress Norla.  You guys were nice to me.
 Real nice.  But Mistress Norla be real nice to me.  She be teaching me how to do magic like Master Rolf.  An she gots all my stuff back.  An now I gots Connal's lyre to take back to his family.  She did that for me.  An I gonna get to bury him proper."  He paused to catch his breath and gather his thoughts.  "I is sure dat I is safe with Mistress Norla.  She not gonna let no man eatin' monster get me," he said with a pointed look.  "So I'd like to stay with her.  But I has to go with you so you will leave then I will."  He put his hands on his hips and looked at the Princess squarely in the eyes.  "So do I gets to stay and you leave or is I gonna haf to go with you so you leave?"

OOC - Interesting.  Not sure where things are going.  Having fun!

20:53, Today: Secret Roll: Runt rolled 10 using 3d6 with rolls of 4,5,1.  Body Language.
 Just might have read Sajaa right.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:43, Wed 28 Sept 2022.

Sajaa nods and smiles in response to Runt.

She reaches for Runt and takes him in her arms and draws him into a long, hard embrace.

"Then, if you wish to stay here, Little One, I will not stand in your way." She says in a tight voice.

"If Mistress Norla takes good care of you and is going to teach you her Arts and you feel safe with her, then stay, Child. Stay. Neither I, nor any of the others are your Keeper. If you were just any child, we might have protested your decision. But you are not just any child. You are a remarkable little boy ... Daniel? Is that the name you wish to keep? You are a resourceful, brave, cunning and talented boy with abilities that exceed your youth. So, stay and be well."

She brushes away a tear and stands and turns to Norla.

"Take care of him, Mistress. And know I will check on him from time to time. But now I ask ... why do you wish to drive us so swiftly from these Caves if you know we are the enemy of the Bandits who prowl here?  If you claim to be a force of Good in this region, and the welfare of Three Corners is as important to you as it is to us, then why do you wish to be rid of us?"

"Of course."  Norla responds with a smile when Sajaa insists that she take care of the boy.

However, when Sajaa asks why they are so keen for the adventurers to leave, the woman waits for several moments, her eyes fixed and narrowed on Sajaa in thought.

"I shall admit to you."  Norla finally responds.  "That we had not intended to stay long here in these caves.  It was merely a midway point... a transitory solution.  Even now we are in the midst of relocating.  Your presence here..."  She trails off for a moment, her lips pursing in search of a word.

"...Is a distraction.  I do not trust you, nor do I believe that you trust me, as was made clear by Lisa who accuses me of subversion."  She turns her head down towards the other woman, her mouth wrapped in the thinnest of expressions.

She turns her face back towards Sajaa.  "My reasons are simple.  If you leave, we can continue, and then be on our way.  If you stay, I am forced to split my resources, leaving valuable personnel to watching for attack."

OOC:  Thanks for the patience!

When the Princess moved to embrace him, Runt started to move back, but decided to allow her.  He was pretty sure that she wasn’t going to grab him and try to get away.  It seemed like she was going to let him stay with Mistress Norla so this goodbye gesture was probably inevitable, and he should just get it over with.  He hoped that the hug was all she had in mind and didn’t plan on smothering him with kisses.  He didn’t know why most women were so emotional and demonstrative at farewells, it was a mystery.  His reading of Princess Mitra seemed to be confirmed when she spoke to him.

“Mistress Norla is naming me after Daniel from the Bible so that is what I will go by now,” he answered.

When the Princess released him (finally!) and spoke to the Mistress he was not bothered too much with her statement that she would be checking on him on occasion, though he didn’t know why.  It wasn’t like she had known him more than a couple of days.  He would be perfectly safe with the Mistress and had told the Princess that.  He shrugged mentally; women were a mystery!

He began to get a bit exasperated with the Princess when she asked why Mistress Norla wanted the group from Three Corners to leave the area.  Don’t matter why, just quit asking questions and go, he thought.  Mistress Norla’s reply sounded reasonable to him and he could understand her not trusting the group.  Even though he thought that the Princess would do what she had said, he wasn’t positive that they might not try to follow where Mistress Norla and her group went.

He waited quietly to see what would happen next.

OOC – Hmmm, not sure what’s going to happen next.  And no problems with the delay.  I’m just enjoying seeing how this is working out.  Nothing like I thought things would, LOL.

"Give us the slaver and we'll go." Rolf calls up from below.  "He should stand trial for his crimes and be questioned as to where the rest of his lot have gone off to and if they are still a threat."

Sajaa looks down the precipice when Rolf speaks up, demanding their prisoner.  She then turns back to Norla.

”We will go then, Mistress.  As Master Rolf says. But it is only fair that you turn over your prisoner as he asks.  That man and his band have preyed on the locals.  We will see to it that justice is served.  Too, we shall stay away from these Caves for a time, until you and your group have cleared out – if you are threatened by our law enforcement activities here.  But once you have departed, we shall return, to continue what we have started – to clear this region of outlaws.”

"Very well."  Norla agrees, nodding quickly as she turns her head to the men behind her.  "Hugh, bring him out."

With a rough thrust of the palm to the prisoner's shoulders, the guard in the cave shoves the other man forward into the light.  Runt takes in the appearance of Elkins, the man who had rushed at him from the other caves the previous day.  Now, the man's eyes are reddened and tortured, narrowed immediately as he is exposed to the light of the day.  His body hunched and useless-looking... and he has the noxious smell of some foul smoke hanging about him.

Sajaa steps back and gives Runt’s touseled head one last, affectionate ruffle.

”I will miss you, Daniel.” She says with a smile.  Sajaa then tugs free the coin purse that hangs from her belt and gives it a shake to show Norla that it is filled with coins.

”Though you understandably do not trust us strangers, please accept this coin as a small gesture of our goodwill and as a token of appreciation for taking in this boy.  You do not have to, Mistress Norla, but I Sajaa, Daughter of Kassem the Candlemaker, shall consider you a friend.”

Sajaa executes a short bow and a smile. "May Allah bless you." Then she turns, takes hold of the rope and begins picking her way carefully back down to her comrades.

The whole event seems to confuse Norla, who says nothing, even to Sajaa's blessing, and the purse sits in her hand as she turns to watch Sajaa walk over to the rope, grip it with both hands, and throw a leg down over the side.

Norla takes several moments before she finally does speak, and then, it is to Hugh, rather than to any of the others.

"Give him to them Hugh."  Norla says calmly after a moment, while Sajaa's coin still hangs like a limp fish in her hand opposite her staff.

"Off you go."  Says Hugh, again shoving the prisoner roughly towards the rope.

But the second push seems to bring life to the prisoner, who finally seems to be able to shake the stun brought on by the daylight.  He turns his shoulder down and away from the rope, turning his anguished face to where Norla and Runt stand.

"I won't go!"  The man shouts, his voice crackling with emotion as he turns his head towards Norla.  "This is bullshit!  I done everything you asked!"  The man struggles against his captor, his shoulder down, though his other side struggles to retain his balance, his motions wild and drunken.

"Quiet you disgusting inebriate!"  Norla's face screws up in anger.  Her voice is instantly cold, her nostrils flare and her eyes cast daggers at Elkins.  Though the prisoner seems to take little notice.

"We fucking did everything you wanted!"  The prisoner shouts, pushing his way back towards Norla and the center of the plinth.  Hugh, the guard, moves quickly to regain control and the contest is short and decidedly one-sided.

It's a shove more than anything else.  Elkins had lunged towards Runt and Norla with his head and face, his hands held fast behind his back with some binding.  The motion was anguished and jerky, and Hugh's response was to push him immediately off course.  Unfortunately, there was really only one way to go.

Runt gasps as the man is shoved harshly and stumbles wildly past his side and over the edge.  The man screams!  His legs kick furiously as he plummets down through the air, straining against the ropes that bind his hands, though his efforts are useless as he rockets downwards straight towards where Rolf and the others stand below!

OOC:  Consider yourself free to make any action or say any words you see fit... apart from trying to stop Elkins from falling, which would both endanger you and likely fail to save him.  But mainly, it's simply already been written.

Runt continued waiting patiently.  It seemed like things were going to end peacefully.  He would be able to stay, and the group below would leave.  When Master Rolf demanded that Elkins be turned over to them and Princess Mitra joined in the first thing that went through his mind was that Mistress Norla had already offered Elkins to them!  Adults, he thought.  Guess they really can’t remember stuff that was just said.  Then the Princess continued on saying that the group would let them stay away for a while but would be back.  Like Mistress Norla didn’t know that.  Heck, even Ashe could figure that one and he certainly wasn’t the sharpest of the group.

He didn’t even flinch when the Princess messed with his hair and gave him a hopefully final goodbye, calling him by his new name.  Daniel, gonna haf to remember that my name is Daniel now, he thought.  That what I answer to now.  Daniel, Daniel, Daniel.  He continued repeating his new name over and over again in his mind.  Not that he couldn’t remember it, but he needed to respond to it when he was called.  As a result, he wasn’t paying complete attention when the Princess handed Mistress Norla a bag of coin and made her vow and gave a blessing.

Wait, what!  She say her name be Sajaa, Daughter of Kassem the Candlemaker?  He was confused as he thought back to when she had said her name the day before yesterday and what he had heard others call her since.  Wonder why she not use her right name and what else I get wrong?  His thoughts whirled as he mulled over this new information.

His focus came back to what was going on around as Elkins began to yell and resist being sent down the rope to the group below.  Runt had seen more than a few folks in Craine who drank or smoked weed a lot, and a goodly number who used other substances.  Most didn’t, but there were some who couldn’t stop, indulged at the wrong times, or couldn’t shake it off when they needed to.  They usually ended up living in the gutter or dead in a fight they shouldn’t have been in.  Elkins seemed to be one of those with a problem and now was going to pay for it.

Hugh tried to keep the man under control, but it looked to Runt that Elkins had broken free and was lunging towards the Mistress.  The boy lowered his head and threw himself at the prisoner, trying to tangle up his legs.  He hit someone, maybe it was Elkins maybe it was Hugh, but the next thing he knew Elkins was stumbling past him and going over the edge, screaming as he realized he was falling.

Runt pulled up short at the edge and watched the man plummet towards the ground.

“It was an accident,” he said to no-one in particular.

OOC – Does that work for you?  Change as needed, I’m easy.

Runt steps to the edge and watches as the man drops like a stone, his hands tied behind his back and kicking like a fish!  Lisa and Rolf dive out of the way while Terri quicksteps backwards... though Gustav rushes forward, his arms outstretched as if he is trying to catch the man!

WHAM!

Elkins slams into Gustav, knocking the swordsman to his backside, though miraculously he seems to be not much more than stunned from the ordeal.  Elkins on the other hand, crashes into the ground in front of Gustav with force, moaning with pain before he quickly goes silent.

Norla's form steps to the edge where she looks down upon the scene, her expression as unmoved as a mask.  "You have your prisoner, yes?  Then go."

Sajaa alights upon the ground just as Gustav and the others are making their way back to their feet.  Terri holds her bow ready and her gaze on the men above, though she keeps her weapon pointed well away from anything that may be perceived as a threat.

There is a flurry of activity at the bottom of the cliff, with Gustav and Rolf immediately going to the aid of the fallen man.  Rolf places his hands upon the man's back, no doubt, Runt thinks, trying to heal the fallen man.

Lisa too makes her way to the center of the fray, though she places her hands on Rolf's shoulder...  perhaps trying to keep the mage relaxed through his spell?

While the others huddle around the prisoner, Terri and Sajaa keep their attention up above, it seems to Runt that they may be speaking to each other below, though the tones are too low for him to hear...

OOC:  It is 1430 on the 5th of January.  That post works perfectly for me.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:40, Wed 12 Oct 2022.

Runt watched as Elkins fell.  No more than two, three, maybe four heartbeats until he slammed into Master Gustav who had inexplicably rushed forward.  It looked to Runt that the swordsman was only knocked down and not really hurt.  But Elkins didn’t fare so well.  He hit the ground hard, moaned briefly, and went silent.  Yesterday when Runt had tripped him, Elkins had only been stunned, but then the fall had not been straight down and not near as far.  This time though, Elkins looked more like the other man, Beltik, that Runt had sent over the edge.  Runt didn’t feel bad about what he had done yesterday.  Both men had been armed and dangerous even if they were running away.  And neither had been tied up at the time.  This was more like an execution and that sickened Runt more than a little.

He watched as the others dashed around down below, some trying to heal Elkins he guessed, others keeping a cautious eye up at Runt and the others up on the ledge.

“I … It … I’m … I didn’t mean to.  It were an accident.”

Runt quit talking, not knowing what he could say to make things right.  He sensed Mistress Norla moving up beside him and speaking to the group below.



He turned to her, shame on his face, concerned that he had disappointed her.

“I sorry.  I mess up bad.”

OOC – glad Gustav is mostly OK.  Oh, and not really important but in the last line above you wrote Rolf and I think you meant Runt.  Easy mistake, both are short, same number of letters in the name and both begin with R, both natives of Craine, LOL.  Just having fun.

Runt watches down below for a moment as the five turn over Elkins's frame and begin to lift him up off the ground.

To Runt's surprise, the man groans in pain, sending his hand down to his right side as his face is screwed up in agony...  Somehow, Elkins has lived...

Norla does not immediately respond to Runt, but instead watches as the five lift up Elkins and walk back along the worn path that weaves downriver.

"Tishpak."  Norla turns and addresses the guard with the sword once the five wind out of sight beyond the heavy brush of the river.  "I don't for a moment believe that they are leaving...  Haul up the rope and double the guard here.  Send the alarm the moment you see them.  They have agreed to leave, so consider any reappearance as trespassing.  You may warn them once if you wish, but it is imperative we stall them here at the entrance.  You are not to underestimate them.  Clearly they are far more capable than they seem, or Niall would have had more success with twice their number."

"Hugh."  She turns to the other guard, tossing him the small leather pouch that Sajaa placed in Norla's hand.  "Take this and add it to the rest.  Find Ishara.  Tell her we are leaving the largest things.  Anything that it takes two men to carry.  Tell her she has one hour at most before we leave.  I'll not tarry here and risk a pitched battle.  Get the weapons, the money, the treasure.  Tell Mendel to get out with whatever he has if he hasn't already gone.  I'm sure the greedy bastard is just waiting for us to leave something here for him to put his grubby paws on."

She turns her head and looks down at Runt.  "Daniel, come."

Then the woman is moving without so much as a second glance or even a response from her soldiers.  Though Hugh darts Runt a severe look, Runt finds to his surprise that for the first time, he neither has a chaperone, nor the odd fog in his head...  He is in complete command of his faculties.

OOC:  You are correct and I fixed the above post.  I have almost done that Rolf/Runt thing probably 1000 times, so I'm not surprised that one slipped past my feeble editing.

The charm spell has completely expired and Norla's command has no compulsory affect on you.  You may opt to make a run for it if you wish, though there are still 4 guards out on the outcrop that are within six feet or so, not to mention Hugh who is within a yard.  Otherwise, Norla is moving quickly back in the compound if you wish to catch up.

Runt was very relieved that he hadn’t killed Elkins.  Yes, the bandit was hurt badly, but he had no doubt that Master Rolf would be able to fix him.  Though the man might not be too happy when he was turned over to the sticks.  Runt knew from experience, thankfully not personal, what might be done to thieves and robbers in Crane when they got caught.  He was pretty sure that what would happen to someone who robbed and tried to enslave supply caravans going to Three Corners and the fort would be worse, much worse.  If Elkins was lucky, he’d just be strung up, but he’d probably be put to The Question first and just might be put up as a show in the Arena or sent to the mines.

He watched with Mistress Norla as the party below carried Elkins out of sight, presumably to where they had their horses.  Runt bet that it was the same spot as yesterday.  He listened as the Mistress gave out orders for the group to pack up and leave – very soon!  Runt knew that it would take him only a few moments to get all of his possessions ready to go so he wasn’t really worried there.  He only hoped that he would be allowed to take his stool along.



As he turned to follow, he realized that everything was sharper, the fog seemed to have lifted from his mind.  He shrugged at Hugh’s look and trotted along behind his mistress.  He just hoped, fervently, that she wasn’t angry with him over almost killing Elkins and thus blowing the truce.   And he had a bad feeling that she wasn’t too happy over him thinking that Sajaa was Princess Mitra.  But it wasn’t his fault that he had been lied to.

OOC – Interesting, absolutely no idea where this is going.  But loads of fun!  I will suggest keeping this thread closed to the others, too much information they need to discover on their own (if they ever discover it).  I’m not planning on telling the other players any of this stuff.  Can’t wait till you get back from deployment and get things fully running again.  This has been a blast!

Runt follows along behind Norla, having to half-run to keep up with her hurried pace.  The woman turns right, walks down the stairs and continues on into parts of the cave Runt has not yet been.  No one else moves with her, and though Runt isn't sure he's supposed to go so far, she did tell him to follow, so he continues to jog to keep up, turning right at the end of the hallway and then left again before quickly stepping down another flight of stone steps.

The room at the bottom is unlike anything Runt has ever seen.

It's a bedroom, clearly, though much larger than any place he's ever slept.  Here and there, the room is lighted by alternating red and black candles which cast heavy shadows over the various artworks which hang on the walls.  Runt recognizes one of them being Jesus due to a tightly wrapped crown of thorns on the man's head.  He sits in a pose of meditation, eyes closed... again, oddly, wounds are prevalent in his wrists, ankles, and side, and blood seems to pour from his wounds, though his countenance seems undisturbed.

Other artwork Runt does not recognize.  There are paintings of knights and monks, one of a shrewd man overlooking a babe, his face so wrapped in shadow and contorted in sadistic glee that Runt has a hard time imagining it as anything as the personification of evil.

But the room is well furnished also, with a wide, circular rug of red and black covering the majority of the cold stone in the center of the room, a large desk pressed against a wall, a solidly built armoire and dresser, a large table with four chairs...  There is also a large four-poster bed which hangs with black wrappings tucked away in the corner of the room.

Norla however, moves to a wooden lecturn not far from the table, closing the massive leather book which sits there, and immediately takes it over to the armoire which she opens.

Runt watches from the doorway for several minutes as Norla busies herself.  She packs her book within a bag along with various clothes and containers from the armoire.  As she finishes there, she briefly turns to Runt, her face and eyes betraying the feverish thought going on behind her pale complexion.

It looks for a moment as if she is about to speak, though she closes her mouth again and instead turns, walking towards the desk where she busies herself for several more moments, sorting papers into piles before she ties them into a heavy parchment folder and places them into the backpack as well.

Finally, when it seems as if the bag can hold nothing further, Norla looks up, her eyes piercing.

"You are an odd child Daniel...  Though I have to say I admire your courage.  Tell me...  What do you expect to come of staying with me?  You must realize that I cannot now stay here within these caves..."  Norla shakes her head slightly as she hoists the bag onto a shoulder.

"There is little, in fact, that I am sure of at this moment.  Only that the next several days will be full of trials and adversity.  Are you ready to put your faith in God, that he will care for you, that he will give you the strength to face your pains, to vanquish your foes?"

Norla places the tip of her staff on the floor, facing Runt fully now, her ice blue eyes intent upon the boy.  "If those outside come to attack us, which they surely will, are you prepared to fight them to defend yourself?  To save your life?"

Runt trotted along just behind Mistress Norla back into the complex.  From the direction they went, he at first thought that they were returning to where he had eaten.  Instead, they turned and went down the set of stairs leading to the level where his room was.  They continued on, past other corridors branching off and down yet another stairway ending a fairly large room, maybe half the size of the room where he had eaten.  Runt was fairly sure that this room was way below the entrance above, almost to the floor of the valley outside.  And what a room it was.  A bedroom, no question, larger than even the stables he had sometime slept in.  What furnishings, paintings – lots of them – and tapestries, a large table with four chairs, and a giant bed.  Mistress Norla musy have been here for quite a while to have all this.

She went immediately and began to pack, a large book, clothes, various containers, and lots of papers.  The boy waited patiently at the doorway, taking in all that he could see.



Runt had been called many things in his life; sometimes derogatory like brat, bastard, whoreson, or thief (time to run fast!), often with a forthcoming slap – sometimes neutral like child, boy, hey you, or runt – and on occasion nice like cute, sweet, or songbird.  But he had never been called odd and didn’t understand it, though it certainly didn’t sound like she was insulting or making mock of him.  He wondered if maybe she didn’t understand him, didn’t know what to make of him.

“You said you was gonna teach me magic an I want to learn it,” he replied, nodding his head.



“Uh huh,” continuing to nod his head.



“If I gots to fight I will.  Ain’t gonna just stand there.  But I usually try to get away first.  I ain’t very good fighting most folk.  Not very strong an don’t really know how.  But I is good ‘bout getting away from ‘em.  I can run fast an long and folks just give up after a while.  Iffin they don’t then they be more tired than me an I can hurt ‘em ‘nough to make ‘em leave me alone.  But I fight ‘em straight up iffin there be choice.”

OOC – Not sure if she really expected a serious answer from him, but what the heck.  Maybe she just was talking out-loud.  But he’s made his choice and will stick with it unless she really does something to chase him away or that he finds morally reprehensible.  Interesting and a bit confusing.  But fun!