Finding himself without an opponent, Kieran smiles in turn at the guard, Nolwazi, before following suit, quickly making his way towards the southern part of the group's camp. As he gets closer, the half-elf looks around in an attempt to get a better grasp of the situation. Taking note of Ansha wounded and disheveled, yet still standing, he breathes a sigh of relief before turning his eyes to look for Tebati, finding the Mwangi priestess unharmed.
"Good," he softly mutters to himself with a smile as he continues towards the remaining enemies, sword in hand and eager to join the fight.
The three surviving warriors to the south show no sign of breaking and two of them take advantage of Tebati's proximity to the front line to swiftly flank her and try to quickly take the powerful healing force out of the fight. Tebati's natural agility is negated by the difficulty she has in responding to both combatant's attacks and her armour is little proof against their brutal terbutje's. Tebati is cut twice with powerful blows despite her best efforts to defend herself, and is left barely standing under the onslaught. Mengak is cut down, a cunning counter performed by the veteran warrior facing the young soldier leaving a gaping wound in his chest as he collapses in the mud. The warrior moves to flank Stephanie with his comrade.
Hit
Hit
Hit
"Get away from me Cousin!"
Trying too hard to avoid hitting his cousin, N'bellocq's shots go wide. He still intends to help by stepping up behind one of her assailants.
Seeing the dire straits Tebati is in but unwilling to back up and allow the third warrior passage to her, Stephanie pushes herself to a second wind and forces her opponent back, slashing him across the belly with her sword.
Now free to rise to his feet, Thenjiwee gamely returns to the melee, helping to assault Tebati's attackers. He stabs his short sword into one of the priestess' attackers who staggers in pain from the blow but does not fall. Unwe carefully rises to her feet, shield up to protect herself from the incoming blow she receives on it while rising. Nolwazi and Albert continue to lumber towards the southern melee in their heavier armour
Miss
Round 7-
Ordered Initiative-
Tebati- 17
Qhude- 12
Ansha- 8
Jakob- 7
Kieran- 5a
Warriors & Lion- 5b
N'bellocq- 4a
Guards- 4b
Map-
Map Link
Notes-
Strong Wind: Gusts that automatically extinguish unprotected flames (candles, torches, and the like). Such gusts impose a –2 penalty on ranged attack rolls and on Perception checks.
Rain: Rain reduces visibility ranges by half, resulting in a –4 penalty on Perception checks. I have already accounted for the half visibility with vision on Maptools.
Checks to identify the strange red substance visible on their lips can be made with a DC16 Knowledge (Nature) check or DC15 Knowledge (Local).
Active Effects-
Bless- +1 to attack rolls and saves VS fear
Action-
Tebati feels the dark flicker of fate as her goddess turns her back. Made a mistake, she realizes. Too near the front lines. Had to be certain he was dead. Thinking like the colonials. Nothing is certain. She can hear Marisama's harsh voice chiding her. If I live, I will be wiser. For a moment, she is numb, the mingling temperatures of the hot blood and cold rain the only things she feels; then, the pain blossoms all along the edges of her torn flesh. Looking around, she sees no escape, no safe haven she can reach before their weapons rip her open. All she can do is wait and hope the others can save her.
Round 7:
Qhude whips his head around to look upon the field of combat and finds all opponents near him dead or dying. The noise coming from the Southern fighting line draws his attention and he sees Tebati beset by two foes. Snarling he lopes towards her, seeking to punish those that would attack the Sangoma.
Long strides eating up the distance, the bleeding Mwangi suffused by rage draws near before rearing up to drive a heavy fist at the red lipped attacker...
Charging Raging Blessed Power Attack: for
Moving closer to the combat Qhude calls out to one of the Mwangi in Polyglot "Tsotsi, I killed your indaba... you are next"
Jakob turns to follow Kieran but something nags at his mind. He looks closer at the stains on the fallen warrior's lips. He recognizes something in the colour,
but he can't place it and besides he has more important things to worry about.
Hurrying aroind the corner of the wagon Jacob takes in the dire situation of the southern defenders and his face pales.
"...no...No....NO!" Something in his voice catches the attention of the warrior before him. The warrior lists his blood soaked weapon from the still form of Tebati and looks around him. He does not notice the thin wisp of ground fog coiling up his leg to his spine. Cooling his battle lust, stoking his fear. "I am surrounded. The Lions are dead. Our leader is dead. I do not want to be torn apart!"
Seeing Tebati fall, the smile quickly vanishes from Kieran's face and his expression turns to one of worry. 'No, no, no,' is the only thought in his mind as he quickly closes the distance to stand right next to the Mwangi cleric. 'She is still breathing, keep your head in the fight, worry afterwards,' he tries to silently admonish himself as his expression turns from worrisome to unreadable and his sword is once again put to the task at hand.
Qhude stalks closer to the fight, the fire blocking any realistic chance of rushing directly into battle. The pugilist works his way around the fire and moves into melee range against one of the warriors, keeping a wary distance from the man's terbutje and seeking an opportunity to strike like a panther past his guard.
Ansha takes a cautious step behind Qhude, giving the furious Bas'o some room to fight and concentrates on one of the warrior's attacking Tebati. Grabbing a pinch of wool from her pouch, she infuses it with enchantment magic and gently lets it float to the ground as the warrior watches it, slack jawed and paying only enough attention to the fight to defend himself silently.
Will fail
Illuminated by the firelight next to him, the dangerous Bas'o threatens one of the remaining warriors with his imminent death, causing the man to pale. When Jakob adds his magic to the already shaken individual, his fear grows to a truly overwhelming state. The warrior's legs begin to shake and he looks around as though seeking an escape route, panicked by the simultaneous sources of fear.
Will save fail
Kieran quickly takes advantage of the warrior's fascination with the slowly falling piece of wool to move up and slash the man's back open, causing him to crumple to the ground.
Caught between two enemies and gasping with pain, Tebati is waiting desperately for a chance to slip away when the Mwangi to the west of her suddenly crumples and pitches forward into the mud, and she is left staring up into Kieran's face, his expression stern and unreadable, as the Mwangi slides off his blade. She stares numbly a moment, then thinks to glance over her shoulder at her other attacker. Finding him staring toward the others approaching from the north with a look of terror, having seemingly forgotten about the woman whose blood is still dripping from his weapon, she stumbles quickly away past Kieran, coming to rest against the wheel of the nearest wagon, the simple act of moving those few feet leaving her breathless and light-headed.
Looking for the best route to flee, the warrior frightened into panic by Qhude and Jakob decides to run past the archer, figuring that he will be distracted by nocking his next arrow while he rushes past. N'bellocq surprises him by managing a sudden kick to his chest- but the chain shirt absorbs the impact and the frightened Mwangi swiftly moves close to his color sprayed comrades on the eastern edge of the light. The last surviving warrior seems determined to take someone down with him in his journey to the next world, and he quick-steps over to Unwe and rains down heavy blows upon her shield as she handily defends herself from the last-ditch attempt to take her life.
He tries to help Unwe, but launching a kick at one of Tebati's attackers as he ran by, completely throws N'bellocq off his rhythm, as two arrows skitter off into the dark.
The soldiers manage to cut down the last fighting Mwangi attacker between them, and a couple of crossbow bolts are let off at the fleeing man, downing him. With no immediate threats left, Albert barks orders to finish off the dying and sleeping attackers and to save one or two for questioning.
N'bellocq hurries over to help support Tebati. "Cousin! Easy there...you are badly hurt." He shoulders his bow and then gently lifts her up and places her in the back in the wagon, out of the rain. "I must go see that the camp is secure, you should rest here," as he steps back into the rain and the dark.
N'bellocq will see to the musk bombs. Carefully removing what he can and burying with scoops of mud what can't be easily removed.
In no immediate condition to resist, Tebati allows N'bellocq to treat her like an invalid. "Unwe," she calls weakly from the back of the wagon. "Mengak ... is he alive? I can help him if you carry him here." Despite the pain of her own wounds, she resists the temptation to expend any more of her goddess's energy until all those who need it can be gathered.
In no immediate condition to resist, Tebati allows N'bellocq to treat her like an invalid.
Jakob rushes to Tebati as she is placed in the wagon.
"Hmm the gambling women need to teach you to duck. This should help."
Jakob draws a baton of Zebra wood wrapped with a heavy iron wire and taps the more obvious wounds.
They close in seconds, filling in from the edges like a mason repairing a brick wall. Soon all that is left are a few bruises.
"There, that should get you back among the ambulatory."
As Qhude sees the last of the enemy fall he grows suddenly weary. Eyes heavy lidded with exertion and the aches and pains of his wounds and exertion rising above the diminishing white heat. Breathing hoarse and laboured, yet remaining even he languidly looks to his companions, noting that they remain standing. Nodding slightly as though pleased, his eyes turn North and he strides forward on leaden limbs.
Ignoring the wet blood still seeping from his cut skin, he moves to where his javelin fell - retrieving it before moving to the spot where the enemy's leader had fallen. Kneeling upon the grass by the red lipped behemoth, Qhude grasps the man's head by the hair - lifting it up and checking for any sign of remaining life.
Qhude finds that the leader is no longer breathing. He had a couple of javelins but no other secondary weapons. His earth-breaker is of exquisite quality and has an engraving of a pair of broken manacles engraved into it.
Seeing no arguments to his orders, Albert's soldiers swiftly finish off the incapacitated attackers and keep two of them alive (stable and unconcious) for questioning. Mengak is carried over to Tebati by Nolwazi. Now that the combat is over, the porters and various staff who had been cowering in the wagons emerge to begin to assess the damage the lion and Ansha did to the wagon.
With the leader's head still raised in one hand Qhude reaches out with the other to force open it's eyelids so that he may gaze into the dead eyes of his opponent. Holding the macarbe pose for a ten count, Qhude then lets the leader's head drop into the sodden turf and stands. Taking the red lipped behemoth's javelin he draws it's point across his chest - cutting a jagged scar radiating from his right nipple up to his right shoulder. Grimacing as he draws the javelin point across his skin, he brings the weapon's tip to his mouth - tasting his own blood before spitting on the corpse of the leader of the attackers. He then raises his head and cries out to the sky with a triumphant "Whoop"
Dragging the earthbreaker behind him, Qhude moves to the corpse of the lion he fought. Drawing his dagger, Qhude begins the grisly task of skinning the majestic animal.
Some of the porters and general staff look on in horror at Qhude's grim acts.
Tebati bites back a protest at Jakob's profligacy with the valuable charges of his wand. While she is shocked at his extravagance, she dares not gainsay the chosen one of her goddess; plus, she can deny neither the sweet relief the magical healing brings her nor her visceral horror at the thought of Unwe ministering to her wounds with needle and thread. "My thanks," she nods a bit reservedly, as her torn flesh and crushed ribs knit themselves back together.
Her attention is almost immediately drawn away, however, by the arrival of Mengak in Nolwazi's arms. She is able quickly to get to her feet to make room for him to be lain in the relative dryness of the wagon. "Shimye-Magalla, let him still live," she breathes as she examines him.
With the fight over, Kieran quickly wipes the blood off of his sword and sheathes it as the look of concern returns to his face once more. Making his way to Tebati, the half-elf is glad to see N'bellocq and Jakob taking care of her and her wounds and allows himself a sigh of relief. Now in better control of his emotions, he manages to collect himself and allow the Mwangi priestess the time needed for her to tend to the wounded before approaching her and bringing one hand to her shoulder and then to her cheek in a light and gentle caress.
"Are you alright? Are you still hurt?" His voice is soft, the words spoken only for her to hear, at least as much as such a thing is possible. "I... I was away, I did not see what was happening, I could not get here in time..."
When Tebati sees Kieran approaching, her eyes light with welcome and relief; she leans her cheek eagerly into his palm as he touches her face. "You were here," she assures him with a smile, "unless I only imagined it was you who cut down the Zenj so I could get away to safety. Very dramatic," she teases him. "If only you'd had an audience to admire your heroics." She raises a hand beneath his wet hair to pull his face down to hers for a kiss. As their lips part, she finally responds to his initial questions. "I am well. Jakob saw to that. I...." She shakes her head in disapproval. "I acted foolishly. I am fortunate the mistake was not my last." The smile returns to her lips a bit ruefully. "Another lesson I would not have learned in Nantambu. And you? Were you hurt?"" She lets her hands slide gently over his body, watching his face for any twinges of pain or discomfort.
Mengak as it turned out, had already managed to stabilise through dumb luck and sheer stubbornness. Tebati's two channels are enough to heal the wounds of most of the soldiers and bring Mengak into conciousness. While the group is not exactly at full strength, everyone is now up and there were no casualties in the fight.
The soldiers mostly sink to the ground and rest, tired from fighting in their scale mail. They all politely thank Tebati for her healing efforts. Jeggare has busied himself overseeing repairs to your wagon by torchlight, but its plain to see that you won't be sleeping in it anytime soon. It looks like they are just trying to get it in a good enough state to carry the cargo, strap down the canvas over it and not bother with the roof.
"Well," the half-elf quips as his usual smile returns to his face, "I do so aim to please. One must not let such a trivial thing as the lack of an audience get in the way of a good performance."
"Just a scratch," Kieran answers, although there is a tightening of his jaw as her hands move over the wound at his side. "Alright, maybe a little more than a scratch, but nothing too serious. Certainly nothing like Qhude's brand new scars."
N'bellocq helps pull the other lion over to Qhude. He pulls the arrow out of its eye with a sickening <squelch>.
"Shooting the beasts I have no trouble with. This was the first I had to shoot men...it was...not as easy. Must I think of them as no more than beasts? Does that make it easier?"
While talking, he does not make eye contact with Qhude, instead he concentrates on recovering the lion pelt.
"Well," the half-elf quips as his usual smile returns to his face, "I do so aim to please. One must not let such a trivial thing as the lack of an audience get in the way of a good performance."
"Just a scratch," Kieran answers, although there is a tightening of his jaw as her hands move over the wound at his side. "Alright, maybe a little more than a scratch, but nothing too serious. Certainly nothing like Qhude's brand new scars."
Her eyes narrow as he flinches under her touch, and she carefully rolls up the light links of his shirt to examine his side. Although the wound is not serious, it is ugly enough to make her glad she had never seen what their attackers' weapons had done to her own flesh. "I can fix this," she assures him, letting the mithral fall back where it belongs. "Good as new. But I hope you will not adopt the Bas'o ways. There is a reason it is you in my bed and not Qhude with his scars," she teases.
She glances over at the barbarian at his bloody task, seeming ready to approach him, when she sees N'bellocq dragging the second lion from the wreck of the wagon over to join him. The men need their time after battle without a woman hovering, she decides. "Ansha? She was not badly hurt?"
Tebati's waves of healing pass over the bloodied Baso while he works stemming some of the red tide.
A few moments silence pass between the Mwangi warriors as they cut into the carcasses of their quarry, before Qhude responds in a heavy voice "There are many men who are more a beast than these mbube... the tale of your back holds truth to that." wiping a bloodied hand across his weary brow to slough away the sweat "Battle strips away all colours... and there are but two. Those that stand before you and those that stand beside. You did well brother, and even Jakob with his words has marked his spear today."
Now that the fight is over and Tebati has healed their wounds, Ansha takes a whiff of her soiled sleeve and screws her face up as the powerful scent reaches her sensitive nose. "Ewwwww," she whines petulantly. "It reeks of animal pee. I'm never going to get this stain out--and this was my favorite cloak!" Murmuring the words to a cantrip, she makes scrubbing motions in the air above the soiled garment, desperately tries to erase the scent of the kaava musk.
Tebati watches Ansha with interest. "Is it in your garment or on your skin?" she wonders. "You could bury the clothing." Off Ansha's glare at the idea of abandoning her cloak, Tebati shrugs. "Better alive in borrowed raiment than devoured by wild beasts in the latest fashion. Will your magic remove blood?" She displays her own stained clothing. "I have heard that the mages at the Magaambya never have to send their laundry to the river to be washed but clean it with their arcane arts."
Qhude and N'bellocq quietly work alongside one another skinning the young lions. Qhude's work lacks finesse and is significantly bloodier than the other Mwangi but both are making good progress.
It takes a few consecutive castings of the cantrip, but Ansha's clothes and skin are eventually purged of the disgusting substances. The smell of Kaava Musk seems to linger in areas where the throw was a miss, and Jeggare approaches Ansha after he cleaning to ask her politely-
Miss Ansha, would you mind using your magic to remove the smell from the grass too- or I fear we may attract yet more trouble this night.
After a quick breather to catch their breath, Albert issues furtherorders to his squad. Unwe is assigned for long-term care for any still wounded after Tebati's healing and hovers near Qhude waiting to try and patch him up. Nolwazi and Thenjiwee are given guard duty over the two bound prisoners, Mengak is assigned to help supervise the work on the broken wagon and Albert and Stephanie busy themselves stripping the dead of their belongings and press ganging a team of labourers into digging a large grave to dump the bodies in. Several fires have been started around the caravan and thus for now it is well lit.
Those not currently busying themselves in the caravan note that many of the fallen warriors had flasks of alchemists fire, the potent substance never seeing use in the battle. They also notice that Albert has six terbutje set aside for him and his squad from the fallen. Everything else is being placed into a large organised area although its not clear how it is supposed to be distributed.
After speaking to Ansha, Jeggare makes a very brief announcement, praising the bravery of both the soldiers and your own group. He calls particular attention to the bravery of the outnumbered southern line supported by Tebati and to N'bellocq's fine feats of marksmanship- and to Qhude's brutal destruction of the attackers leader. Once his speech is made, he approaches Kieran, who seems to be mostly idle.
Any idea who might have been behind the attack? Looks like a raiding party to me at first glance, but they seemed to have an agenda, judging from their fanaticism...
As Qhude continues to work on the lion in relative silence he is able to shake the vestiges of fatigue that lingered. After a short time he grows aware of Unwe's hovering... but does not easily open himself to her treatment.
If she remains near without speaking, Qhude ventures "Have you words to speak woman, or did the javelin rob your breath?"
Overhearing Jeggare's words as he works on the lion's corpse Qhude adds "Their induna has a marking on his weapon, broken bindings" picking up the earthbreaker and tossing it to land nearer to the man.
Tebati shoots a sharp glance toward Ansha at Jeggare's question, waiting to hear Kieran's response. She remembers the elf's words in the library about the enemies the pair had made in Crown's End and the possibility they might be hunted.
As Qhude continues to work on the lion in relative silence he is able to shake the vestiges of fatigue that lingered. After a short time he grows aware of Unwe's hovering... but does not easily open himself to her treatment.
If she remains near without speaking, Qhude ventures "Have you words to speak woman, or did the javelin rob your breath?"
I thought I might interrupt your attempt to become blood brothers with the lion to offer to bandage those bloody wounds... Unwe says with a hint of menace as she brandishes a needle with a fire in her eyes.
Overhearing Jeggare's words as he works on the lion's corpse Qhude adds "Their induna has a marking on his weapon, broken bindings" picking up the earthbreaker and tossing it to land nearer to the man.
Jeggare examines the Earth-Breaker carefully.
A clear marking. It looks like the Freeman Brotherhood was not content merely to try and disrupt the Trials.
Kieran sighs as he considers Jeggare's question before answering. "Although there are certainly some people who would gladly do everything in their power to... inconvenience some of us," he finally starts, glancing towards Ansha for a brief second before returning to the other half-elf, "I would not think they would use Mwangi warriors and their pet lions to do so. Although if these fellows here do -or rather did- belong to the Freeman Brotherhood, I can see how they would try to make their presence felt, as they have already done so during the Trials."
"I have found myself in the wrong company often, friend," the half-elven rogue continues with a smile, "but not anymore. Were these ghosts of my past come to haunt me and mine? Maybe, but I rather doubt it."
"Of course," he finally adds with a wink, "I have been known to be wrong on occasion, however rare."
"What is this 'Freeman Brotherhood?'" Tebati asks Jeggare. "The Custodian mentioned them at the Trials."
Ansha seems far too preoccupied with removing the musk from her clothing to respond to Tebati's question about the cantrip removing blood. She spends quite a while removing every last trace of blood and musk from her clothing, but after she is finished she lets her eyes travel up and down Tebati. Closing her eyes, she visualizes the shamaness in her mind and begins removing the bloodstains on Tebati in her mind--with a corresponding change in reality. When she's finished, she opens her emerald eyes and looks at Tebati again. "I think that answers your question," she says with a lopsided smile.
When Jeggare approaches her, she nods. "Good idea. Do you know where all these flasks were thrown?" With guidance as to the locations the musk was splashed, she removes the scents from those spots as well, though she pauses long enough after the rain stops to dry herself off.
Her gaze keeps drifting back to the raiders the group had taken prisoner as she works.
Jeggare grimaces.
Just follow your nose miss.
He is right, you have little difficulty finding the spots where Kaave Musk has been spilt.
I thought I might interrupt your attempt to become blood brothers with the lion to offer to bandage those bloody wounds... Unwe says with a hint of menace as she brandishes a needle with a fire in her eyes.
Qhude stops his work and stabs his dagger blade down into the turf next to the lion. Standing, he turns to face Unwe directly. Now that the rain had ceased, some of the blood festooning his frame had begun to congeal and dry. Taking in the woman's fire he holds gaze a moment or two before conceding "As you wish"
He follows any instructions given by the Mwangi field surgeon, except if she reaches for his self-inflicted wound on his chest. If Unwe reaches for it he grabs her hand "That mark is not to be touched."
Part way through her ministrations, if not ventured by Unwe first, Qhude seeks to elicit what seems to be festering in her mind. "Your eyes are speaking words your mouth does not. Give voice to your mind woman"
"What is this 'Freeman Brotherhood?'" Tebati asks Jeggare. "The Custodian mentioned them at the Trials."
Ex-slaves mostly. They style themselves as freedom fighters who want slavery abolished and are aided by the underclass in Eleder, but recently they seem more like anti-government terrorists. I surmise they might have no idea what your task is but are still attempting to stop it purely to oppose the Grand Custodian.
Jeggare takes a deep breath, breathing the night air in before softly adding.
Or they know something we don't.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- -
Unwe's ministrations are painfully slow as she slowly bandages Qhude's wounds and sews up a couple of the more gruesome ones, applying poultices to a few in case of infection. Qhude does feel a little better after his wounds have been tended though.
Part way through her ministrations, if not ventured by Unwe first, Qhude seeks to elicit what seems to be festering in her mind. "Your eyes are speaking words your mouth does not. Give voice to your mind woman"
Unwe narrows her eyes at Qhude, applying a poultice somewhat viciously in response to his words.
My mind is still befuddled by almost being killed by three or four seperate wounds; don't test my patience Bas'o, let me work she threatens as she brandishes the bloody needle and thread once more.
The whole process takes about an hour.