The lady Trencavel and her chivalrous knight slowly make their way through the throng, moving east towards the manor. At the edge of the market square they find Henri, carrying what they suppose is a chessboard under his arm.

Henri made his way back to the lady. "Apologies for the delay, lady Trencavel. While I had found the chessboard early on, I decided to look for some small things for Pierre while I was here."
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:49, Sat 03 Sept 2022.

"We're heading back right now, Henri," Quin tells him once the lady has acknowledged the older knight's greeting, "The master builder has plunged off the new castle wall and there might be a villain caught for the doing of it, though the apprentice sent was not sure."

He motions Henry to come along with them. "A pilgrim knight has gone to keep order there until arrangements can be made - to take the body off or to bring the miscreant before the Lady, either way."

Henri nodded at the younger knight, frowning at word of the master builder's sudden death. "What led the apprentice to think someone pushed the master builder off?" He followed the younger knight and the lady.

"I think that was all he knew of it," Quin says, sparing de Lyon a glance before returning his attention to the way ahead, his big horse pacing beside him. "He said he was sent to run into town and 'fetch someone', and having no more instruction than that and hearing the Seigneuresse was in the marketplace, skidded to a halt in front of me."

"I almost thought he was a lunatic on the attack, knocking people hither and yon," Quin admits with an easy laugh at his flash of worry. "There has been some of it about, it seems, sickness and compulsive petty wickedness. It might be well to have a priest bless the workers' small ale and grain in case some sin or witch has rotted them in a way not apparent to the eye."

Emma greets Henri with a smile but seems preoccupied, eyes in the distance as the two chivaliers speak. The small group reaches the northern bridge, a recent construction of sturdy stone with a low railing, designed by the german master builder Ulrich Bluome himself. There are lots of people crossing in both directions but as the lady and her knights reach the middle of the bridge they notice a disturbance, two men quarreling. People pass them in a wide arc, hurrying about their business. The argument becomes more heated and soon they are shouting and loudly gesticulating. Suddenly the men starts to shove each other, it seems like they are mere moments from a proper fist fight.

Quin throws his knightly companion a look that asks if Henri will go over to quiet the fight or stay back to guard their liege, ready to take the other task in a heartbeat. "...?"

Henri nods at Quintillian, returning the look. "I'll break up the fight. Guard the lady." With that, he will move ahead and try to stand between both men, saying, "Enough, both of you. What led to this?"

Whilst Henri deals with the fight Quin simply makes sure his horse and self lie between any further brawls and his mistress, remaining at heel and on the alert. His eyes flick to Henri with concern as the older knight gets into the midst of things, but Henri can handle himself well enough and Quin's gaze breaks from that focus to roam the crowds in general.

"Indeed, there's a lot of this about," he remarks to the Lady de Trencavel. "I was saying to Henri, it might be time to have our stores of grain blessed against witchcraft."

As Henri comes closer he can clearly hear the men and snippets of what the quarrel seems to be about.

One of the men is short, heavy set and have a large, black beard. The other is younger, thin and clean shaven. The heavy set man seems to be defending himself and, though flush with rising anger, mostly seems bewildered at the aggression of the younger man. "For the last time Piers, I didn't lay with your mother," he says between clenched teeth, looking around at the gathering crowd around them. The public nature of this confrontation is clearly making him uncomfortable.

The younger man -Piers- is clearly not listening to reason, screams something unintelligble and lunges at the bearded man who is taken by surprise. Before anyone can react, he tumbles over the low stone railing and into the river. A woman screams in shock. Though the stream is not nearly as rapid here as it is further up into the mountains it is by no means slow. The man quickly starts to sink under the water as it carries him away.

Quin had been looking away at the moment the tilt turned critical, though the sudden swell of crowd noise brought de Grézels' suddenly-white face up through his memory even as he turned. Henri, reaching out as though trying to get between the men, the youth flushed and furious where he'd lurched away and no more of the other man than the tip of a foot and a shoe launched into the blue, everything seeming slow.

...then the tableau breaks. There's a scream on the bridge that brings Quin's attention lancing back, the muscles of his left arm tensing hard as his great horse shies a little, snorting in alarm. Trusting to Henri to tackle the murderer - or would-be murderer - now in easy reach, he points to the owner of the least burdened beast in view and pitches his voice to carry, only now feeling the rush of being close to violence running through his blood like air buoying a raptor's wings.

"You there! Ride down to the mill at the point and tell them to watch for him. Anything you need to drop, we'll hold it for you at the manor," he adds.

Henri quickly walks ahead when the tableau breaks, and the older man tumbles back into the riger below. He then sprints, attempting to tackle the younger man and tie him with some rope. "Quin, ride down with one of the people here to follow this Piers,", Henri says to the younger knight. "As for you, boy, " he says, turning to the would-be murderer, "You'll need to follow us."



If there are any other knights with us, Henri would tell them to go as well, or if any knew how to swim, to get Piers out of the water. Apologies if I messed up any names. Should I roll anything to tackle?

Quin looks to his lady for instruction, little willing to leave her whilst Henri is occupied trying to contain the youth and find rope with the braver of the peasantry. The man's quiet on hitting the water and lack of attempt to save himself likely denoted a broken back, too late even for a priest.

Fate saves the lady and her chivalier from having to part, a man leading a swift-looking mount heeds the call for aid. Judging by the bulge of the bags hanging on the back of his bay mount and the fine quality of his sturdy travelers gear he could be a messenger of some kind. The man calls back "I'll ride!" and as quickly as that he sets off down the streets along the river, quickly vanishing from view.

Meanwhile, back on the bridge, Chivalier de Lyon finds himself wrestling Piers, a most unwilling young man and by far stronger than his look might suggest. The youngling spits and curses at Henri to let him go, wriggling and snarling from under the older man.

Henri, give me an Unarmed Attack roll. We're in combat, kind of, where this is the first round and you're two participants. The way this is going to play out is you get your roll to grapple/hold and Piers will get a roll to evade. It will be an Opposed Skill Test.

The young man's wriggling seems to throw off Henri for a moment, but he continues to try to hold the man down.


14:06, Today: Henri de Lyon rolled 44 using 1d100 ((44)). Unarmed Combat 41.

Piers is fighting like a madman, clearly too far gone down whatever rabbit hole his mind has wandered into to care about the fact he is fighting a better. He manages to wriggle free from the older knights attempts to restrain him, turn and run like the devil is chasing him.

Emma gasps and calls out. "Quickly Quin! Do something!"

23:03, Today: Referee rolled 40 using 1d100.  Unarmed Combat.

This roll is a failure for the young man but as he rolled lower than Henri (that was also a failure), he wins the opposed roll. Henri or Quin, if either of you want to take chase you'll make an opposed Athletics roll for round 2. If you win you'll catch up.

Withot true thought, heeding only his lady's call and the way the crowd parts and falls away from the running man, Quin slaps Etienne forward and is already gripping the pommel and half-mounted by the time the big horse's forward hoof returns to the cobbles, accelerating. Like one bright creature of cloth and muscle and glittering steel they fall down that cleared path, the roadway trembling underfoot.

The beast overtakes the runner in a handful of breaths, becoming once more knight and mount, wills separate as Quin pulls Etienne about to sharply block the path.

"Stop," he says, hand on hilt.


[[Pursue on foot? Non mais... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIWINsaEpnw

22:32, Today: Quintillian de Serignac rolled 27 using 1d100.  Ride? (66)
Better than half, boss. Reckon the time mounting accounts for enough runup to overcome the few seconds of human 'less legs to sort out' advantage with that, right?]]

Quintillian plows through the crowd on the bridge in pursuit of the fleeing man, the large horse wading like a battering ram and people throw themselves out of its way.

OOC: Sure, Ride is certainly relevant for this. Before I resolve the pursuit, give me another Ride roll to avoid trampling anyone.

Etienne is not sure about being amongst so many things near his legs: he rumbles and tugs uneasily at the reins where he stands, one good excuse from rearing or threatening to kick. Quin presses his right leg into the horse's side to ensure the beast's shoulder will go into the miscreant rather than the crowd in general should his control lapse at all and raises an eyebrow at the youth, quite prepared to give him the flat of the blade should he demonstrate a need to be subdued.

[[Oh, I thought they were out of the way already, given how fast the fellow was going.

15:13, Today: Quintillian de Serignac rolled 44 using 1d100.  Did we squish any peasants? (66)
The peasants remain unsquished. Huzzah! edit: grammar.]]
This message was last edited by the player at 14:27, Fri 16 Sept 2022.

The young man dodges and pushes people aside in a scramble to get away from the knights. He starts to believe he is going to make it as he reaches the end of the bridge. He turns his head to look back at Henri but the mounted Quin suddenly appears before him, Etiennes flanks expertly positioned to push the boy who shrieks and falls backwards, landing on his bottom. Several rough looking farmers gather around, barring the path for the young man. His shoulders slump as he realizes he won't get away after all but he stares defiantly at the mounted knight.

Emma walks up at the edge of the gathered crowd, stops by her chivalier and nods in appreciation. "Someone bring the prévôtal to sort this out, then take me back to the Manor. I'm quite tired after this commotion."

22:12, Today: Referee rolled 77 using 1d100.  Athletics. Opposed roll  to flee, skill value 26.

Quin meets the defiant stare with mild puzzlement, frowning then simply sliding into a curiously graceful dismount and asking the prisoner: "Why did you determine to kill a man in the street?"

He looks up as his lady approaches, though her proximity to the youth held for sudden violence brings a tension to his outline even as he offers her a smile, subtly moving to put himself between them. "Would you ride, Lady de Trencavel?" he asks, and offers to make a stirrup of his hands to boost her up to the high horse should she wish to do so. Etienne flares his nostrils and picks up one hoof or another restively but forbears to try and wander off, at least.

Henri would move up to Quin, helping to tie the prisoner up and smiling at the lady.

Piers pointedly ignores the question and stares defiantly into Quins eyes even as the lady gratefully nods at his offer to ride but ignores his hands, swinging herself onto the tall warhorses back with practiced grace. The knights and their lady don't need to wait for long until an officer of the towns constabulary arrives, the prévôtal himself. He is a tall, burly man that takes the young man away after promising to find out exactly what happened here and report back to the lady.

The commotion quickly dies down and people scatter, whispering among themselves, drawing their own conclusions about the events on the bridge. The small party, led by the lady Trencavel, eventually make their way to the manor.

[Continued in another thread]