Siting on a table, with his feet resting on the bench, sharpening his sword and chewing on a straw Berrin looks up suspiciously as Akiros enters. Pulling out the straw he discards it casually and spits as he stands up and sheathes his sword. "You'd best wait for Jemini bud. I don't do well with talking fancy." he says and hooks his thumbs under his belt, half glowering at Akiros.
Tandlara rises early and communes with Riddleskin, silently beseeching her distant patron for aid. If you are out there. I need your power no more than ever. Return me to what I was a century ago, and I could stop this with no blood spilled.
But she knew it was futile, power was not so easily gained as it was lost, and she had squandered the intervening century in despair and inactivity. For all my elven wisdom, I am as naught before the tide of Man. If this is my last day, I will stand tall, fight and die beside my friends, my new family, and the brave, foolish people of the Stolen Lands. If only hope could steal them back.
Her spells prepared, she donned her green tunic, and took a knife to her hair, shortening it to just shoulder length, and binding its remaining length in a tight leather cord so that it would not obscure her vision. She then wove six knots out of her shorn hair, each hung with the skull of a different small creature and scarred with an immaculate little rune, a charm. Some would call it useless, for it held no magic of its own, yet Tandlara thought that she was perhaps wiser than that at least, she had crafted each with love, even the newest one. That means something. To me at least.
Just before Akiros arrives she gives a talisman to each of her friends, one adorned with the skull of a young owl to Verik, one adorned with a rabbit for Zander, one adorned with three vole skulls to Corwin, one adorned with a sparrow's skull to Taispar, one adorned with a large rat's skull with a third eye drilled into it to Jemini and finally just as Akiros is entering she gives a ward adorned with a fox pup's skull to Berrin, and wishes him eternal luck before moving to sit atop one of the tables, her legs crossed under her, as Berrin stands to speak to Akiros.
I am ready to meet this day. One way or another. Let it come, and see me spit in its face. I am the lioness, and my cubs will not die this day.
When Akiros arrives and talks with Berrin he sees Jemini on the far side of Oleg's. Quietly contemplating. Her eyes are closed and her face is kissed by the morning sun. A river of hair flows behind her in the morning breeze. Her lips are moving, soundlessly, some prayer that only her gods hear.
Akiros, for his part, has the patience to wait a few minutes; long enough for Jemini to complete her prayers and contemplations. She gets up, as if carried by the wind, her branching out behind her. Her eyes are strong. Steady. She approaches without hurry, but her arrival is swift nonetheless.
"Good morning, Akiros. Return to the Stag Lord that the free people of these lands bow to no tyrant." She looks at him earnestly, a small pause, before she adds: "This day will see blood, one way or another. But it need not be spilled without end. You can tell the Stag Lord that those who defend their land and lives here, will challenge him and fight to the bitter end. I also tell you, Akiros, that once the Stag Lord falls there need not be any more bloodshed. You appear to care for more than the rush of the kill, unlike the man you swear allegiance to. If the Stag Lord falls, know that the bandits under him have a chance to turn their lives around. Any that surrender will be tried and may hang if found without redemption - but otherwise can proof their commitment to a better life by working of their debt to these lands."
Akiros offers a small smile. "I understand. I actually did not expect anything else. I will give him your answer, though he has already set out for his stronghold. He expected that you were going to submit. He will be angry to hear it, to say the least."
He begins towards his horse, then hestitates and turns. "He isn't entirely the tyrant you see him as. True, he is violent, petty, and power-hungry, but he is loyal to his men. They both fear and respect him. He has done much to earn both. I, for one, swore my allegiance to him when he saved my life."
He sighs and begins to tell his story. "I am from Mivon to the south. Like all Mivonese citizens, I dueled for status. I was rising swiftly in standing, but I lost everything one day when I fell in love. Despite my better judgment, I engaged in a dishonorable affair with a noblewoman. Her husband found us and challenged me to a duel for her honor when she told him that it was against her will. It was a savage duel, one without witnesses to legitimize it. We fought for what felt like hours until I was about to land the finishing blow. She leapt in the way in a last second attempt to stay my hand. I was too exhausted to stop the momentum. In a single blow, I killed both of them. I knew what it appeared to be, so I fled."
"Pursued by his brothers and friends, I made it to these lands but was too weak to continue. In a stroke of luck, I found myself at the Stag Lord's fort. He accepted me, gave me respite and food. Mere hours later, my pursuers arrived. They demanded that he hand me over, but the Stag Lord does not respond well to demands. He did battle with them outside the walls. In less than two minutes, four trained swordsmen lay dead, four ranked members of the Aldori Swordpact. Covered in blood, both his own and theirs, he seemed a giant and my savior. I swore my loyalty to him as long as we live, then and there." Akiros looks at them, his gaze steady and true. "I may disagree with much of what he does, but I swore an oath and intend to keep it. I hold out hope that he will one day be the great man he has the potential to be, but I fear his mysterious patron has too much hold over him for that to happen."
Taisper, who had been finishing up morning exercises, comes over to where Akiros and the others are talking. "Akiros. What happened to the Stag Lord's face. Do you happen to know?" It's not clear if the teen didn't hear aught but the last of Akiros' story, or is just choosing not to respond to it, but he does seem rather focused, as if working something out in his head, so the former is definitely a possibility.
Akiros pauses, thinking to himself as if considering something. "The Stag Lord doesn't speak often of his past, except when he has too much excess. He told me once that his father treated him as a bargaining chip in a deal for power. As a child, he was sent by his father to a cruel master, one who burned him beyond recognition, healed him through magic, and burned him again and again. For years, he endured and grew stronger, until he freed himself and fled south into the Stolen Lands. That was ten years ago. Since then, he has tried to gain as much power as possible, so that he is not subject to the whims of another ever again. You see, he is the product of his upbringing."
Tandlara listens attentively to all that Akiros has to say, and finds herself feeling sorry for the Stag Lord, right now she can understand the horror of feeling too weak. She can even understand the gratitude Akiros feels for the bestial man who saved him, as Akiros' tale is tragic in its own right.
However, she is no less prepared to face him. No less prepared to bring him low. 'He is a tragic figure. As are you, Akiros. But he also spreads his own miasma, he has become strong, but only off the backs of the suffering of others. He has turned men against each other, and given the cruellest and worst bandits free reign of the land. He is creating children with tales as dark and tragic as his own. And they will eventually rise and carve out their own bloody revenge agaisnt the world, at the Stag Lords expense. The cycle will go on. Unless it is broken. You know the redemption we offer, you know that we are not part of this cycle, we don't seek revenge on the Stag Lord, or hold grudge against him. We offer peace for the land. And indeed, if the man you call king has true potential for greatness, we can guide him towards it. If we are willing to try and save the likes of Kressle and Dovan, what makes you think we won't be equally attentive, if not more so for your lord? He'll never become better with the men below him, you are the only one with his interests at heart. Betray him for his own good, and the good of the land. He will hate you at first, but it is the only way to save him long term. For even if we fall, the Stag Lord's tyranny will be opposed time and time again, his underlings will try and steal his power, even under your watch, indeed you may be targetted first. Or help us to capture and subdue him. You can set conditions with Jemini and Verik, you can make this a formal, if clandestine surrender and do what is best for everyone, regain your honor and that of your lord. You have but to say the word,' Tandlara says it all softly, her greatly shortened hair pulled back from her face would look severe on anyone else, but simply makes her face seem exposed and vulnerable, her large entirely green eyes settle on Akiros, gazing at him with the weight of centuries of sorrow and the futility of watching the same conflicts play out again and again.
Jemini nods, solemnly, "It is true, Tandlara is right. The same courtesy we offer all is available to the Stag Lord himself as well. His tragedy does not justify his actions, but it does explain a lot - but without a new force in his life to create a new history for him he will remain trapped in his old ways and memories; unable to find the solace and redemption he himself may be seeking."
"But, if so, the mysterious patron is indeed a shackle that binds him in his ways as much as his personal past. Both will need to be considered if he is to find a new life."
Akiros nods sadly, as he knows that they are right but that there is little he can do to sway the Stag Lord. "I will relay your message to the Stag Lord, but I do not hold out hope that he will be moved. I cannot betray him, even if I believe it to be for the best. I trust that when we meet in the field of battle, it will be an honorable fight." He mounts his horse and offers a final bow. "I want these lands to be safe. The Stag Lord may not be a part of that, but that doesn't mean I can abandon my oath or hope that he will heed my advice. Good luck to you all. I imagine that he will turn around to march on you immediately. I would not recommend this spot for a battle: he can easily burn you out or simply wait in seige until you run out of food. If you will agree, there is a potential battlefield to the west in the plains that would allow our forces to meet fairly."
Taisper arches an eyebrow. "Fairly? Honorable?" He looks at his companions and then back at Akiros. "Oh! Oh I get it. Hahahaaa, I knew there was a reason I liked you, Akiros. It's too bad about things, you know. Hahaa. Yeah, it's really too bad." Taisper shakes his head, a wry grin on his face, and walks off to clean up and gear up. He expected it was going to be a long day, and one he probably would not survive at that.
Ready for a battle that he no longer has to fight, Corwin listens without comment to Akiros' story. All until the end when he is about to leave.
A sad tale. I can see why you would want to keep your word when everything else is gone.
But you know, somewhere, that there is no honour in serving a bandit and a murderer. He's not going to change. You know that as well. There will just be more and more blood until one day you'll wake up and the part of you that cares about your word will be gone.
Your a coward Akiros. You know all of this. You could do something about it. But that would be hard.
He points to his axe. I'll try and give you a clean death in battle. You deserve that at least.
Jemini considers the offer fair as well, "Perhaps meeting on the field of battle elsewhere is best. Oleg's place could at least be safe then."
To Corwin she adds, "That is noble, in its own way, but remember to focus on the Stag Lord first - once he falls, if Akiros is free from his oath, the battle may end prematurely if he's willing and able."
Corwin looks like he's struggling a bit to restrain himself in front of Akiros.
Keeping his voice low so Akiros can't hear. Noble? Fair? I said I'd fight for you and I'll keep my word but this. T'is folly! Theres nothing noble or fair about two groups of men trying to turn each other into meat. I think you want a battle Jemini. A shining battle you can win and justify ruling these lands. Maybe we'll win but we're going to end up with a lot of people dead. A lot of grieving wives and children. They have more men than we do. If we fight we sure as hells shouldn't do it where and when they expect us.
He stalks off.
Berrin says nothing as Akiros regales his tale, uncomfortably similar to his own. 'I wonder if I can say my actions were accidental, that I didn't mean to kill him.' he thinks a bit bitter. 'No.' he decides, 'Mine were intentional, if emotional. I really meant to kill that little lordling.'
Reflecting on the events that had taken place since his arival at Oleg's Berrin realizes that he might well have ended up as Akiros, had fate delt him another hand he might be the one fighting for a murderous madman instead of leaders with noble intent. "You can always walk away Akiros. Head further south if you must but the decision will always rest on you shoulders, you chose to follow that madman, you can choose a different path if it presents itself."
"We'll meet you on the field of battle, Akiros, just know that we aim to win." He finishes, hoping that Akiros will believe that their forces will meet in open battle.
Akiros somewhat glares at Berrin. Apparently his first impression has not worn off. He responds rather icily. "I will not abandon my oath, not for the chance to save myself. I do not take my word lightly, and you should not either. I swore to stand as his servant until we are separated by death, and I stand by that, in good or ill. If you defeat us, that is part of any battle. If you do not, I will continue to try to press the Stag Lord onto a better path. I will ensure that our battle is honorable. I will have the Stag Lord's forces at the field of battle by sunset. I suggest that you do the same." Those last words seem directed straight at Berrin. With a final bow (mostly towards Jemini), he rides out of the fort and takes off at a gallop to catch up with his liege.
"Right." Berrin mutters as he watches Akiros gallop off. "The field of battle it is then."
"Let's gather up Nicholas, Kesten and the riders, we need to leave now if were to have any hope of setting up an ambush for the Stag Lord. Akiros gave us their destination so it should'nt be hard to find a suitable place along their route." he says, turning to the group.
'Berrin is right. Its tactical suicide to meet them on the field of battle. We need to launch an ambush. Its the elven way of war. Often outnumbered, you hit you enemy hard and fast. We have a little more magic, but not much, and don't really know the land better. Not to mention losing the numbers game and having inexperienced soldiers. Our best bet is to overrun the Stag Lord himself. It may be our only chance. Corwin was right aswell, an open battle wins no-one anything, only death. We have to outmaneuver our foes, or we all die.'
Taisper, after cleaning up and gearing up, notices the group still talking things over. He stops and looks at them for a little while, his face utterly blank. He feels he has a fair idea of how that conversation's going, and is pretty sure he wants no part of it. Pulling on his gloves, he walks over to where Nicholas and Ilyana and their son are sleeping in a small tent. "Nicholas Sr. Man. Hey, we need to talk for a moment." The inquisitor is uncharacteristically brusque when dealing with the man. He averts his eyes from the still-sleeping form of Ilyana.
Once Nicholas Sr. has roused himself and stepped outside, Taisper takes him aside and speaks in a low voice. "Nicholas, so, first I want to thank you for being okay last night. I was worried. It's...it's good you have a family in your life. I'm sure they help keep you grounded. But so but anyway; we're meeting the Stag Lord today, you know that. Meeting 'em in battle. This field that they're gonna fight in , there any stands of trees near it? Or is it just all totally open? Because here is what I want to do. I want to take five or six of the prisoners, and I want to make a deal with them. They help me come around the flank and attack the Stag Lord's regular troops that way, and I'll let 'em go. I'm pretty sure I can convince a few to follow me. You see, Nicholas, God is with me. He guides everything I do. Abadar, the Master. I was given a vision, and while the Stag Lord may have some mysterious patron or whatever, I have Abadar behind me. My god is Named and Known. I wield the Hammer of the Lawgiver." Taisper raises his magicked morningstar, giving Nicholas a long enough look to see the writing in celestial, and to feel the aura of the thing. He looks significantly at the building housing the prisoners, then back at Nicholas. "I'm going to take them to the woods, you see? One by one. You understand me? That is why I'm here. But if they'll fight, I'll offer them freedom. We won't go for that walk. They'll have freedom to run into the woods and live their own lives after they help me. This is just with me. The others ain't gotta know. Are there any you think are more likely to come with me? Or should I just plan on a busy morning with a lot of short walks into the trees?"
Taisper fixes Nicholas sr. with a blinkless stare, his golden eyes rimmed with some divine and disturbed light.
Nicholas easily picks up on Taisper's alluded statement, and bows his head so that he doesn't need to meet his eyes. "I can talk to them, but they're going to be more afraid of the Stag Lord than they are of you. You can get them to swear an oath, but some of them will desert you as soon as they can. If you can convince them that you're the one that they should fear more, they'll do what you want. Me, I'm fighting for my family. I did what I had to do to survive out there. I know that I was wrong, and I want to make it right."
Jemini instructs Walthon and Kesten to organize marching their forces to the prospective battlefield. Then to the regulars, and Corwin, she suggests: "It might be opportune for us to scout ahead; there may be opportunity for us to shift the odds on the battlefield to our favor. Perhaps we can re-route some of their troop movements - if we can get a portion of the bandits to march to the wrong location we can shift the battle in our favor. Likewise, we might be able to run into the Stag Lord with only a small detachment of his men at hand. If we fight it out in a small scale, then most of the lives on both side could be spared. What you say?"
Jemini instructs Walthon and Kesten to organize marching their forces to the prospective battlefield. Then to the regulars, and Corwin, she suggests: "It might be opportune for us to scout ahead; there may be opportunity for us to shift the odds on the battlefield to our favor. Perhaps we can re-route some of their troop movements - if we can get a portion of the bandits to march to the wrong location we can shift the battle in our favor. Likewise, we might be able to run into the Stag Lord with only a small detachment of his men at hand. If we fight it out in a small scale, then most of the lives on both side could be spared. What you say?"
Aye. A small group will travel faster than a larger. And we need to check out this place anyway. For all his pathos, I doubt Akiros would suggest somewhere that favors us over his own forces. If you want to stay with the main force I'll take a dozen men and remounts. Zander as well if he wants to come.
Taisper works as quickly as he can.
With Nicholas' help, he selects the 8 most likely candidates, then pulls each one aside individually for a bit of a talk. He leaves no doubt that none of their lives mean anything to him, that they are, as far as the inquisitor is concerned, all forfeit already. With each, he lets a little bit more of the insistence of the Voice of the Master, of the Lawgiver, of the whisperings that calm and instruct him, to come forward, and always there is the determined, devine, and slightly unhinged look in his glowing golden eyes.
The first two went down easy. When faced with the raving and ravenous inquisitor before them, surrounded by the golden light of Law, they cave in and swear to follow Taisper's orders in exchange for their lives. Unfortunately this early success causes the teen to lose focus, and the next three laugh in his face, one of them even spitting at him. Nicholas looks shocked at this, but Taisper doesn't move, doesn't wipe the spittle from his cheek. THIS IS THE PRICE OF FAILURE KID YOU SEE YOU SEE YOU AIN'T GOT BUT MEAT THEY GOT STEEL IN THEIR HEARTS YOU His resolve strengthened by his failure, Taisper nearly gets the next bandit to cower and kneel before the spiked head of his morningstar, so forceful is he. This encounter leaves the youngster shaky, though, and he loses the next one, then summons everything he's got left to wrangle the last one in line.
He takes three deep breaths. Never before has he attempted to channel this much pure cold fury from the divine plane. The breath and blood of the Lawgiver is a white-hot lance of divine energy piercing the fragile vessel of his body, his weak flesh. His will, however, is iron, and does not bend.
Four men. Alright then. That's how it gets to be. "Okay you four, you stay with me now. Come on." Taisper can hear the prisoners he failed to intimidate mocking him in the prison cell, emasculating and eviscerating him with their crude words. they don't know that last walk you just make it hurt more the flesh bits they think they raw they think they but all talk now you watch The inquisitor approaches his companions, his erstwhile "troops" following behind, looking tentative. When they get close, he has them stay a bit away, asking a couple of Kesten's men to watch them. "But don't be all mean or anything about it, okay? These fellas here, they've seen the light of the Master, of the Keeper, and they're gonna help. So don't you worry."
Taisper then walks up to Corwin, Tandlara, Jemini, and Berrin. "Hey you guys, great news! I took a little time to give the prisoners one last once-over before I take 'em for a walk in the woods, you know, and I found a few more what'll fight for us. Just took a bit more of a chat than I think maybe ol' Jhod and Verik could give 'em, I guess." The inquisitor smiles broadly at you all, his typical laconic grin. "So. What have y'all decided about how to proceed?"
"Well done, Taisper. But watch out for their treachery; if they see the Stag Lord, he may inspire a swift change of heart." Jemini explains then that, "Most of our forces will proceed to the stage of battle - but I think we" she motions the inner circle "can best prepare by forming an advance guard. There may be ways in which we can make the odds favor us in battle: I was thinking of trying to re-route some of the Stag Lord's forces for example; if we're very lucky we can run into the Stag Lord in relative isolation - we might be able to challenge him with a much smaller part of his total forces; that way a great amount of bloodshed might be avoided."
The group seems to have come to some sort of compromise between the ruthless pragmatism espoused by Tandlara and Berrin and the honorable combat desired by Jemini and Verik. Their plan is to send the majority of their men to do battle with the Stag Lord's forces, while splitting the Stag Lord and Akiros off through an ambush. Zander catches Jemini before they split into two groups to talk to her about the battle. "If the other side has any archers, which is a pretty sure bet, the conscripts are going to get slaughtered. These folks aren't soldiers. They'll run away instead of towards them, just getting picked off one by one. Then our odds are just as bad as they were before, but with piss-poor morale. I've got to go with them to even the odds. I can pick off their archers and give them a fighting chance. I think Verik should come too. He and Jhod can heal the men, drag out the battle. That way, it can just be you and the Stag Lord. Otherwise, they'll overrun our troops and come at you from behind. That's all there is to it."
Taisper nods. "Absolutely, Jemini. I'll be watching 'em. Just figured one more pass through their ranks couldn't hurt, you know?"
'Zander's right. We need every body, every arm, every sword if we're to even hope of pulling this off.' Tandlara rises up and stretches, stray bits of her newly shorn hair breaking out of the knot and flowing in the breeze. Its such a peaceful day, how little nature cares for our petty conflicts.
'Let's get about it so. Do we have any particualrly fast horses, they might be useful for harrying and diversion purposes. How do you want to divert them? Maybe with a flashy bit of magic off to the side, he might some troops to investigate. If only we had a Tian skydragon. Or more people capable of rudimentary magicks.'
The militia, for lack of a better description, marches to the field of battle. Kesten and Garess, the most experienced and skilled of the soldiers, lead the way from atop their mounts. All of the fighters are mounted, as it is practically impossible to navigate the treacherous wilds of the Stolen Land without horses. Even Taisper's new additions are mounted, though they are forced to ride square in the middle of the group. Once they arrive, most will have to unmount. These horses were bred and trained for work, not war. Kesten and a few of his men will stay mounted, while Walthon will lead the troops on foot.
The day, one sure to see its share of blood and death, is about the best weather offered by the Stolen Lands. The temperature is mild, the breeze is welcome, and the sky is blue. The plains to the west of Oleg's are very similar to the rolling fields owned by House Lebeda and its vassals, though not dotted with the farms common in the northern nation. Its soil is likely fertile, as is common in the River Kingdoms, and the blood soon to be spilled will give it quite a bit of additional fertilizer.
About fifteen miles west of Oleg's, the two groups split up. The main force is to proceed to the field of battle, while the smaller force is to engage the Stag Lord at a spot selected by the scouts about half a mile from the main battle. Any further and it would be difficult to separate the Stag Lord from his men, and any closer would make it nearly impossible to isolate him at all. The location is a large rocky outcropping, just large enough to give them a place to hide as the Stag Lord's forces approach from the southeast towards their army. How they draw him away is up to them, though Walthon and Kesten both had little idea beyond hitting him from behind and physically placing the militia in between the Stag Lord and his bandits.
Zander shifts atop his horse as they prepare to split up. He seems unsure of what to say to the people who have become so important to him over the previous month. "Thanks, guys. Stay safe." While he has few words, he does have something to help. He dismounts, removes his headband, and tosses it to Jemini. The magic of the headband quickly dissipates from his visage, leaving the scarred flesh exposed to vision. "Maybe you can use that to draw him out. Pretend to be Dovan or Kressle or something. Just.. Just be safe." The last few words are directed at Tandlara, his eyes locking with hers for a moment.
Verik comes up to the group, unsure of himself. He first approaches his cousin. "Taisper, if I don't make it out of this, please take care of yourself. Remember the tenets of the Lawgiver, and remember that you can't take the law into your own hands. You're good on the inside, and I'm proud to have you as a cousin." He clasps hands with Berrin and Corwin, gives Tandlara a light hug, then arrives at Jemini. After a moment of indecision, he offers her a handshake. "You are an excellent leader. I was happy to be behind you, ah, to follow you. You'll be a legend one day. Don't forget about me when that happens."
Jemini - perplexing the Abadarian cleric - gives him a hug instead of accepting the handshake. "You too, it is a shame that your calling is to stay at home. I hope that will change one day."
She nods at Zander, turning the headband in her hand. She's not sure how to use it yet, but it certainly opens up possibilities. She puts on the item, imagining herself - for a moment - to be a big brute - the Stag Lord. "Yohoho and a bottle of rum." She looks at the group who stare at her wide-eyed. "Not very convincing, right?" Jemini, in brutish form, cannot change her voice enough to persuade even her own ears. She tries for Akiros, "My oath is binding." And the resonance is better, but not particularly likely to fool anyone.
She takes of the magical circlet. "Speaking will be a problem, at best I manage a boy who's voice is going through the changing."
'Kressle has a woman's voice, dear one,' Tandlara pipes up, adding her thoguhts to the discussion, but her eyes stay on Zander, returning his gaze with equal intensity, after another moment, she looks away, sadness deep set in her eyes.
'We have talked all night, it seems like we have been talking about this forever, and as an elf, that truly is a feat. Let's get about this, and see who's blood will feed the ground this day. Death is unavoidable, all men must die, let us make it them who die first. Your gods guide you, good luck everyone.'
After saying her peice Tandlara turns away, ready to go to the site of the ambush and get ready for what may the last fight her friedns fight together.
Corwin is quiet during the ride, trying to think of a way to make the battle to the death, well a little less battle to the death.
He watches Jemini use the magic of Zander's circlet with some amazement.
He muses Pity we seem to have no way to work out who this Stag Lord fears or at least their appearance. Ego seems to be his weakness, well that and alcohol and we can't do much about that. Maybe if he though this Kressle woman had changed sides, taunted him for his madness and weakness. We saw how we reacted to the other one who failed to follow his orders. It might be enough to make him lose his head?
Taisper rides with his erstwhile recruits, speaking with them about possible weak points in the Stag Lord's defenses, or ways to draw him out. When the forces split up, Taisper gives his cousing an uncharacteristically stiff handshake. "Just...just come home, okay Verik? Be safe and get back in one piece." He turns quickly away, a troubled look on his face.
Later, after Jemini's experimentation with the headband, he pipes up. "So. I was thinking. I could take my four, uh, "troops" here, and we could try to get the Stag Lord to split off. We have them armed, they tell the Stag Lord that they got away from us to tell him it's a ruse, that he's walking into a trap, and if he follows them they'll lead him around. But really, they just lead him to us?" It's pretty obvious Taisper's grasp of tactics is not good for any fighting force beyond just himself.
"Do you think that is safe? If you're by yourself with these convicts, close to the Stag Lord... it just takes one of them, if their moral breaks..." Jemini looks doubtful. "It might be simpler if we keep them in reserve and try to get the Stag Lord's attention directly. He doesn't seem to take kindly to challenges to his authority - maybe we can appeal to that nature of his and have him attack us directly like that."
Sounds like a good way to get yourself chopped into sausage lad. All it takes is one of them deciding to get back in his good graces.
Corwin is more blunt :)
'I must agree with Jemini, the Stag Lord does not seem like a hard man to draw out. He should react fairly predictably to such a challenge.' Tandlara nods along as she speaks. He is a brutal creature. The insult won't be tolerated.
The defenders of the good people of the Stolen Lands, future founders of a potentially great nation, stand in wait for the Stag Lord's army of bandits to arrive at the field of battle. Half a mile from the main force, the five brave adventurers who answered the call for justice stay hidden, hoping to draw the fury and terrible strength of the bandit king to them and to minimize bloodshed of the brave militia sworn to help them. The leaders of their soldiers, brave men themselves, confer between themselves about the state of their troops.
In the late afternoon, just as the sun begins to dip towards the western horizon, the sound of horses approaching fills the air. At the rocky outcropping, the five individuals lay still and let them pass. The sound of horses is almost overwhelming, though it is difficult to guess without looking how many there are. The sound alone is disheartening, though it does little to sway their resolve to fight back.
After the sound of horses passes, it is soon replaced with the sound of dozens of men dismounting. They peek over to gauge the strength of the enemy. Quickly, they count at least five dozen men, a few more than he had come out of the forest. They are not assembled into organized rows, though their body language suggests that they are clearly looking forward to the battle. On the other side of them, an almost equal number of defenders stands at the ready, though they have at least some semblance of battle lines from the quick lesson that Kesten and Walthon were able to impart on their new recruits. When the battle begins, the two groups will likely merge in a mass melee without organization or tactics, merely two forces trying to overpower the other.
The Stag Lord himself remains mounted, as does Akiros, and raises his giant sword into the air. His thunderous voice carries both to the adventurers in the outcropping and to their militia to the northwest. He lets out a wordless roar, in which his men join and share. They begin to charge, the Stag Lord leading the way on horseback.
The battle has begun.
This is it. Iomedae, give me the strength to stand against your foes. Irori, grant me the insight to lead wisely. Sarenrae, confer onto me the fires of justice.
"" Here Jemini uses the hat of disguise to grow herself to appear bigger, gaining in height, stature and visibility. ""
The bandit army hears the challenge, but the pounding adrenaline of the upcoming combat is too much to resist. The militia, hearing their leader's call, runs forward to meet them in battle before they can turn as a group. The two forces crash into each other on the field of battle mere moments later. Just as Zander predicted, a number of them hang back to fire volleys of arrows towards the back of the militia.
The Stag Lord bursts from the edge of his troops, galloping at maximum speed towards them. He streaks across the plains with Akiros not far behind him. The massive man shouts in a wordless rage at Jemini's defiance. He will be upon them in moments, prepared to tear them all limb from limb.
Taisper lets out a little sigh. well at least now they'll know today the hammer tomorrow the noose NEVER AGAIN that's all the He starts walking up towards where Jemini is standing by herself, prepared to meet their divinely enhanced foe. As he walks, he prays, though his tone makes it sound more like a conversation.
"I wuy a xicw likelt pelt. I tuc'y xcuf acz xicwl, poy ib ucel vasel ujeln, I woelll rel't pel vusbunyaphel. "Ur, zuo'nel a xicw, zuo laz? Felhh zuo fuc'y pelhieljel fray I rajel ic lyunel bun zuo! Iy'l yu zuon elgavy lqelvibivayiucl! I pelhieljel I vac lely oq zuon uht hatz, yuu! I bict a tovx'l uqiciuc ub sel il jelnz sovr icbhoelcvelt pz frelyreln un cuy I rajel pnelat. Tovxl hujel pnelat, poy yrelz vac'y poz acz. Yray'l yrel piwwelly muxel uc yrel tovx eljeln."
There is a moment when a shield of energy springs up around the slim teenager, like countless times before, but this time instead of a gleam of divine and golden flame, the shield is dull and grey and almost invisible, matching his dingy armor. When he notices this, Taisper looks up, his eyes misty with thankfulness, then smiles broadly, like an old friend just told him a joke. The auras around him now are all transparent to most, giving the inquisitor a wholly unremarkable appearance. Let them underestimate me. It'll be the last thing they ever do.
His usual calm in place, the teen thinks about all the families who have been terrorized by this man. Of the profane and empty Kressle, of Nicholas and...Nicholas jr. and...and Ilyana NEVER AGAIN UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY NEVER and his own family, so far away in Alkenstar. One by one their faces pass before his mind's eye, and one by one he watches them drift into the sunny sky and vanish. With each one he feels lighter and even more resolute and relaxed, his iron will strengthened by the freedom from attachment, his spirit bolstered by the knowledge of their support, of their very existence.
As he takes the last couple steps up to where the paladin stands, Taisper gives a small sniff and looks around. His eyes are bright and clear, his hair ruffled by a warm breeze. He looks at Jemini in profile. "Gosh it's a nice day, huh?" He smiles and turns to face the two thundering horsemen bearing down on them.
Tandlara weaves a glamer of protection over herself, and armor of force appearing.
'Remember to try and unsettle him, that I may affect him all the more with my debilatiting spells. Stay alive everyone!'
Jemini draws her sword and levels it at the approaching Stag Lord. ""
"Iomedae! Give this sword its keen edge! Irori! Make steadfast this shield! Sarenrae! Inflame our hearts with the desire to return justice to these lands!"
"Akiros, forgive me, this battle may not last long. Blood will only beget more blood, let peace settle quickly."
INITIATIVE
Akiros
Berrin
Corwin
Jemini
Stag Lord
Taisper
Tandlara
As the Stag Lord and his lieutenant thunder on horseback towards the group, their backs to the rocky outcropping, Jemini calls upon the souls that have a grudge against the Stag Lord to make their displeasure known. Spirits swirl around Jemini, concealing her and Taisper within them. They swarm and swirl around her, echoes of their former selves. They offer no danger, but provide protection in that what the Stag Lord cannot see, he cannot kill.
The Stag Lord roars out as they approach, leaping off his mount with a thunderous landing. The very earth seems to shudder as he rises to his feet, massive greatsword still in hand. He shouts at them, "You think I am a fool? You think I hold no men in reserve for the battle? I will crush you beneath my boot and present your head to my patron as a gift!" Akiros dismounts behind him, more cautiously appraising the situation than his sworn lord.
To the south, another half dozen men are riding up on horseback. Their hearts fall, as it will be difficult to ward off a half dozen men while fighting a man with the strength of a dozen. Suddenly and without warning, Alexius Morai-Thrune appears between the expedition and the approaching bandits, magical concealment sliding off his countenance like water from a duck. "It seems that this is my fight after all. I'll hold them off of you. My blade will drink heavily of their blood." The mysterious Chelaxian seems unconcerned by their shock, as if this was part of his inscrutable plan all along.
To the northwest, the battle continues unabated by the disappearance of the Stag Lord and Akiros. Zander has picked off a few of the archers in the back, though it otherwise does not look to be going very well. Walthon is shouting the best encouragement he can to the ill-trained militia, bolstered by Jhod and Verik healing the most grievous wounds, but their morale is shaky when confronted with the horrible reality of men killing other men in a field.