A light snow falls and blankets the early autumn brush as your caravan of weary travellers rolls eastward across unmarked and featureless hills and valleys. Closer and closer to the border and farther away from the safety of the last town you travelled through called Eldentree.where once cheering and laughter filled the air jubilant at their home coming now all is hushed as no-one dares to attract unwanted or unwholesome attention.
Early yesterday Savol and Julianda headed off on their own with half a dozen men and two empty carts saying only "I go to earn my crown, wait for us at the town of Tweyd and make it ready for it will be our starting point."
Finally structures can be seen in the far distance through the drifting white and better yet thin trails of smoke can be seen rising from several larger buildings. All sense of caution is lost as dozens of people start running the last mile or so forward heedless of the cries of Nayl and his outriders until the town truly reveals itself.
Before you lies a small town seemingly abandoned and the thin trails of smoke rise from the last dying embers of long-house reduced to blackened husks. Great trails of blood can be seen following the streets and over broken pallisades and barricades fading off into the wilds to the north and southwest.
As the shock wears off squad leaders and Savol's remaining lieutenants rein in unwary soldiers and prepare to defend the caravan.
Jediah strides along with the rest of the caravan, the cool air filling his lungs as he feels the stirring of purpose in his chest.
When everyone starts running to the town, Jediah joins them with long strides that eventually come to a halt as the ruins come into view. His blood running cold, Jediah unslings his bow and nocks an arrow as he joins the others, ready for any sign of dange that might threaten the group.
Early yesterday Savol and Julianda headed off on their own with half a dozen men and two empty carts saying only "I go to earn my crown, wait for us at the town of Tweyd and make it ready for it will be our starting point."
The young cavalier saluted Soval, and nodded.
Finally structures can be seen in the far distance through the drifting white and better yet thin trails of smoke can be seen rising from several larger buildings. All sense of caution is lost as dozens of people start running the last mile or so forward heedless of the cries of Nayl and his outriders until the town truly reveals itself.
Like the others,Rutilux was eager to see this town when they arrived, but he frowns as he sees the others rush ahead. Ulfen are... rash.
Before you lies a small town seemingly abandoned and the thin trails of smoke rise from the last dying embers of long-house reduced to blackened husks. Great trails of blood can be seen following the streets and over broken pallisades and barricades fading off into the wilds to the north and southwest.
As the shock wears off squad leaders and Savol's remaining lieutenants rein in unwary soldiers and prepare to defend the caravan.
"Pull back, and let's keep the bulk of us together" he says to the soldiers, echoing the officers. Some ignore him. He's too young and unproven yet. Others merely nod.
Dagmar looks about in shock at the ravaged town in front of her. She fights the urge to search for any survivors as Savol's lieutenants begin preparing the caravan for attack in case those responsible are still near. Readying her crossbow, Dagmar joins those peering through the lightly swirling snow for any signs of life.
Zethyris takes a deep breath of the crisp northern air as he walks alongside the caravan. A sudden grin crosses his face as the town comes in sight. As his eyes take in the smoke and blood, his expression grows solemn.
He glances about at the caravan, taking his place to help with the defense. He checks his rapier, draws his bow, and nocks an arrow. His eyes are focused as he looks for any threat, but a shade of a smile flickers over his lips.
And so it begins...
Anastasiya hurries back to the caravan. There she searches for a well defended raised position.
"So much for a hot bath and sleeping in a bed again soon." she mutters under her breath, while climbing on top of a wagon.
Anastasiya scans the area for any hint of magic, and prepares for an assault.
As the caravan rolls into sight of the village Andreas surveys the destruction from his position next to one of the wagons. The paladin slowly scans Tweyd as the procession nears the ruined town. "Goddess' Thorns, what happened here?"
Andreas clambers up next to the driver of the wagon next to him, readying his bow and waiting expectantly for orders from the caravan's leaders.
"Goddess' Thorns, what happened here?"
Rutilux frowns, "A raid and pillage is what it looks like to me, but as to who the raiders were or are... I have no idea." He asks no one in particular, "Did this town have any enemies that any know of?"
Julian disengages the rest of the party and tries to find a good hiding spot. And clearly just falls out of his cart.
Jediah also starts scanning the area.
His senses straining to detect any danger.
Several long minutes pass with everyone warily watching the surrounding brush and anything else that could hide assailants. Low sounds can be heard coming from the wreckage.
Content that no attack is imminent Bron sets his soldiers at ease and Nayl splits up his outriders to follow the trails of blood.
When he hears the sounds from the wreckage, "There are survivors it sounds like."And he heads towards the noise his horse carrying him there.
Should he find someone burried under rubble, he'll try to free whoever it is.
I hear crying deeper in town! Jediah rumbles. Let us split into teams and search for survivors. Jediah points in the direction that he heard the sobbing.
Jediah joins any group that forms to go into town and will lend his strength to help free trapped people.
But unfortunatly, his muscles fail him
Dagmar sends Alfdis to fly ahead of her with orders to head towards the sounds of crying and then shoulders her gear as she follows the men. As they begin to head out, she warns the men: "Please be careful, the injured may not know that we are here to help and mistake you for their attackers."
Zethyris runs towards the village to help join the rescue party. He tries to pinpoint the location of any survivors.
He will help with lifting if it is required to save someone.
"You're right, Dagmar! I'd better go with the boys to make sure they are not leaving the wrong impression."
Anastasiya follows the search party.
Even though she tries her best to help, she doesn't feel she is doing much but standing in the way.
She tries to calm down any survivors that they find.
At the news that there are survivors Andreas hands his bow to the wagon driver, nodding as he does. "In case there's still danger." The paladin then jumps the short distance to the ground and begins sprinting to assist in the rescue effort.
Murmuring and discussion can be heard throughout the caravan as eyes dart from the ruins of the buildings back out into the looming dusk with many men and women standing hesitant on the verge of rushing to aid anyone still alive until you all head into town without regard for your own safety. Seeing people brave enough to enter the town, foreigners included, sets off a wave of activity rippling outwards as fully half of the able bodied men and women follow your example and begin digging through the debris and calling out for survivors.
Near the centre of town several large cellars are exposed sheltering dozens of scared ulfen each.
As the groups apothecaries begin treating the injured a low wailing catches your attention. Buried under the rubble that was a large southern guard hall is a heavily wounded older woman. She cries out hysterically in ulfen
When asked who, all she says is "Weidjadr!
Jediah hurries over. We need a healer here! Jediah tries talking as calmy as he can in common. Do you understand me? We will get yououf of this. When others arrive to help, Jediah starts working on freeing the woman from the rubble.
Julian searches around for any sign of who or what might have done this.
Ugh, their language sounds like two oxen arguing. What the 魔界 are they warbling about?
Dagmar rushes over as she hears cries for a healer. Reaching the woman's side, she begins speaking words of comfort in Ulfen and holds her hand while the woman is dug out. "Please try to calm down and not struggle while they are moving the rubble, you could injure yourself more. You are safe now, no enemies are here now, just us and we are going to help you."
Andreas hurries in the direction of the half-orc, immediately setting to work helping to free the trapped woman. The paladin pauses as he recognizes mention of the Weidjadr, one of the few Ulfen terms he'd managed to pick up while listening to stories told around the nightly campfires.
Shaking his head the taldan returns to the task at hand, straining unsuccessfully against the rubble pinning the woman; the paladin's feet fail to find purchase in the snow, preventing him from applying any force to the obstacle.
Zethyris heads over to help Jediah and the human next to him. He grimaces wryly and shakes his head at the old woman's cries. I hope the rest of the survivors weathered the shock better than she did. Hopefully they are able to give a straight answer.
Zethyris tries to help Jediah move the larger pieces of rubble away from the woman.
Rutilux speaks Skald, and speaks soothingly even if his accent needs work, "Dagmar is right. I know little of these Weidjar but they are not here now. We will help you. The Kodiakborne would have us do no less. He has sent us here to help set matters right." Even as he helps move rocks, he keeps his tone reassuring if he can
Stepping back from a patrol, watching for incursions or ambushes, Isham looks puzzled at Rutilux and the older woman being treated. "Did she say Weldjar?"
"I haven't got the language yet, but some of the local guides have been talking about these Weldjar, as some debased version of berserker Ulfen. They've been described as deformed and as cannibals. In the Shackles, those are typical slurs of tribes and people that are misunderstood and vilified." He gives a wolfish grin, "But it's also not unusual for those slurs to be understatement."
"In caution, I'd suggest we maintain a watch," Indicating Andreas, "did you leave a bow?" Indicating Anastasya, "were you looking out from atop a wagon?" Indicating Zethyris, "have you some skill in stalking?"
"Let us not endanger these innocents further by crowding, or having further bad discipline. I'll be over there," waving a hand at a nearby vantage point with clear lines of sight. "Please sing out if you see anything suspicious."
Jediah helps move the woman to where she would be comfortable. We should keep looking for other survivors and get them here where we can keep them safe.
Stepping back from a patrol, watching for incursions or ambushes, Isham looks puzzled at Rutilux and the older woman being treated. "Did she say Weldjar?"
"She did," replies the Cavalier.
As Isham explains what that means, and the young nobleman finds himself nodding at many of his suggestions, "She mentioned some of those that had been captured by name: Dane, Thos, and Arin."
Dagmar is right. I know little of these Weidjar but they are not here now.
At the mention of Dagmar's name, Zethyris looks up from the debris he is moving and glances at the long-haired Ulfen. Dagmar... Ragnasdottir? Here? The family resemblance is certainly there...
"Have you some skill in stalking?"
"I've sharp eyes, but I must admit I'm quite awful at tracking. If there is skulking to be done, though, I am up to the task."
"She mentioned some of those that had been captured by name: Dane, Thos, and Arin."
"Sons or family members, I would expect," Zethyris replies. "Perhaps some of the other villagers would know who they are... or were. I don't share your optimism about their fates, Rutilux."
Anastasiya has no idea what the old woman is talking about, even though she understands the language.
"Please calm down. We are here to help. Savol Kodiakborne sent us. I am Anastasiya - what is your name? Who are these Weidjadr? What can you tell me of them?", she asks the old woman in Skald.
If she gets no satisfactory answer out of the old woman, she asks the other survivors (for more information on what happened, and on the Weidjadr) and the Ulfen people in the caravan (for general information on the Weidjadr).
... but apparently people aren't in the mood to answer her questions right now.
In reply to Isham: "I was looking for signs of magic, but I couldn't find any. It seems the Weidjadr don't need magic to do their pillaging."
A frantic hour searching recovers just over seventy people. Mostly the sick, infirm, young and old as well as a few warriors given the unenviable task of staying out of battle to protect the rest.
Night has fallen but everyone is still hard at work putting out any remaining fires and moving the caravan and supplies into the town proper.
The sounds of many comforting voices helps to calm down the old woman but she is still hysterical and tries her best to keep her eyes on the southern entrance until she is taken into one of the apothecary tents for further treatment.
Asking around while people work about "Weidjadr" gets you varied responses from laughing about wives tales to muttering about nuisances and a few warding signs against evil.
Talking to survivors you do find out that the raid occurred before dawn and the town underestimated their numbers until the raiders overran the towns defenses and started dragging people away. The only reason so many are still here is because the chieftain tried a bold plan. His fighters held back the raiders long enough to hide most of the town and then packed a wagon full of volunteers to act as a decoy. The remaining fighters and the wagon cut their way out of town and fled into the darkness drawing most of the raiders with them. Unfortunately, either the raiders set the fire or a stray spark fought but the fires above prevented the survivors from getting out until you rescued them.
Nayl and his outriders haven't returned yet and Bron has set up fully half the soldiers on guard surrounding the town.
"Sons or family members, I would expect," Zethyris replies. "Perhaps some of the other villagers would know who they are... or were. I don't share your optimism about their fates, Rutilux."
"Not optimism, Zethyris, just hope. These people may need that to continue. And if there is even a chance those people are still out there and alive, we should try to rescue them," Rutilux says as he lets a child pet his horse's muzzle.
But Night has fallen, and the young Cheliaxian knows that now may not be the best time. He looks to his companions, "The soldiers seem to have the area guarded for now. Should we rest ourselves and then try to find the raiders in the morning? Or does anyone else have a suggestion as to what Lord Soval would have wanted us to do? He thought this town whole so his orders to secure the town take on new challenges. We are up to them, I think, but these people are in danger and I think securing it means ending that danger. "
If it was daylight, I would suggest going out looking for the outriders to make sure they hadn't run into the raiders, but in darkness we would be at a serious disadvantage. We should secure the town in case their is another attack.
"Maybe at dawnbreak a scouting party could head out and follow the trail for a bit to look for any survivors? The longer we wait to look for any wounded out there, the less chance they have of surviving. Maybe the scouting party could also look for any sign of a trail that the raiders might have left heading back to their camp or village?"
"If there is any hope of survivors among those taken, we must hasten. Plus, I am worried about our outriders, they should have been back by now." Anastasiya looks at the bloody trails uneasily, trying to make up her mind how to proceed. "I say we send a small scouting party tonight, while the tracks are still fresh. No more than eight people or so. The rest must stay to defend the town. The raiders came at daybreak. So it is safe to assume that they are as blind in the night as we are. We might even use the night to our advantage. I'm willing to volunteer. Is anyone else with me?"
Very well, I will accompany a search group.
Andreas wanders among the survivors, attempting to console them as best he can but finding his efforts often spoiled by lack of a shared language. The paladin's frustrations have left him feeling defeated as he seeks a place near the fire.
He stares listlessly at the flames until Anastasiya's words catch his attention. "You're correct, every moment we delay puts more of the captives at risk. I doubt the attackers fear being followed, but they have a day's lead nonetheless." Andreas looks at the faces gathered around the fire but pauses when he notes the fatigue in their features, realizing that the day's strain is likely reflected on his own face as well.
"Our day was not without event, though; there is little hope that we can overcome the marauders if suffering from fatigue. Any going forth should rest, but no more than a few hours." The man turns to Anastasiya and nods in affirmation before looking to the others. "We will strike out while the night remains young."
"I'll join you if you insist on leaving right now, Anastasiya, but I do wonder how effective we shall be in the dark."
"Our day was not without event, though; there is little hope that we can overcome the marauders if suffering from fatigue. Any going forth should rest, but no more than a few hours." The man turns to Anastasiya and nods in affirmation before looking to the others. "We will strike out while the night remains young."
"A good compromise, I think."
"I volunteer to go as well. If we do find any wounded they will need tended to." I'm sure Val wouldn't hesitate to join the hunt for survivors, so I shouldn't either...
"Rutilux, I concur, but I think we should also make ourselves available to Bron for a coordinated defense of the town for the evening. I think Jediah has a good point about waiting for good light in the morning - I think we should work with Bron to determine who should look for the outriders, and who should pursue the villagers."
Looking around, Isham seems to size up current activities. 'This is not my squad - not my command. I need to rein back a little, and help folks find best employment, rather than ordering it. At least everyone seems willing.'
"I'll come along with a search band, if we're to go. But we should keep Bron informed, so there's no unnecessary concern about us. I'll go now and let him know our intentions. Rutilux, would you care to come as well?"
Isham takes whoever else desires to come along, and seeks out the command tent to ensure the chain of command is informed. Isham is still discomfited with the undisciplined and dangerous way the horde jumped ranks into the town, and feels it's important to demonstrate that he and those he associates with are maintaining good order.
Anastasiya is eager to leave right away, but ultimately she can see Andreas' point.
"Alright, I guess you are right. Lets rest for a few hours before we start."
"Of course, Isham," Rutilux makes sure his horse is provided for and then escorts Isham as Bron and others are informed of their plans. He himself plans to get some sleep after doing so. A short nap will ready him and prevent fatigue
"Bah, why rest??? Do you want to save these people or do you want to sip tea?"
"We will strike out while the night remains young."
"This sounds reasonable to me. We will be available if a raid happens at nightfall, as well."
"Bah, why rest??? Do you want to save these people or do you want to sip tea?"
Zethyris smiles. Direct and to the point, with the impatience of youth.
"The raiders will likely be camped for the night, and if they have prisoners it will only have slowed them down. If we are well rested, we will be able to accomplish more on the morrow. It would be no good to find them and be useless when the time comes to fight."
Those who head for the command tent see Bron pacing back and forth outside puffing aggressively on his pipe and watching the men on guard at the outskirts.
Seeing you approaching he stops and visibly settles his puffing to a normal level.
"Shouldn't you all be sleepin or sumthin? If your here to volunteer a watch there's no need, my men can handle keeping a town this size tight n cozy and the twins don't want anyone's help dealing wit supplies. So either get sum shut eye or find somethin ta occupy yerselves." he pauses, "Sorry, I shunna be so harsh its just all these wlmenfolk crying is startin ta get ta me.. What cin I do fer yas?"
"Each of you, like me, has been sitting on your 穴 for this journey. Is that so taxing for a いまいましい 外人? It is not for me. Are northern raiders known for their courtesy to captives on their first night?"
"I'm glad to hear the watches are covered - my first impulse was to offer to stand shifts. However, several of us desire to catch an overnight march on the raiders, and see if we can assist the outriders if we catch up with them. After a couple of hours of rest, we were going to set off in pursuit. The folks involved are:
The bullets in the list are audible - part of a crisp, military report of readiness and tasking.
"We wanted to ensure you know where we've gone, and see if you have recommendations as to where we might be most effective - the Outriders split north and southwest, but we don't know what their plans were."
I would be willing to head out after a few hours even though I am not tired yet, but having all of us in top shape is for the best. The raiders not doubt want to put as much distance between this place as they can before resting so we can't tarry for long.
"You, too, half-orc? Is everyone here a 神のろわれた 膣は涙で作られて尖る but me?"