Smiling at Pen's antics, Prasutagus looks to the girl and says, "Ydych chi'n hoffi ceffylau? Aurelius yw'r ceffyl gorau y byddwch chi erioed yn cwrdd." While gesturing towards his horse Aurelius.
If she wants to she can approach Aurelius and Prasutagus will follow. He also won't let her mount Aurelius, but will let her pet him.
Magan frowns as Gawen leads him down the trail and they discover that the tracks head away from Tintagel.
At least the decision on whether to deal with them is made for us. But who are they working for? Is this retribution for last month?
Magan was used to doing what needed to be done, and he understood that sometimes life had to get ugly, but burning a baby alive turned even his stomach and was enough to bring a ball of anger into his stomach that he couldn't ignore. He turns back to the camp to collect the others.
"Time to go, if we are going to catch these animals we need to get moving."
He decides on something more subtle in cornish for Prasutagus so as not to startle the girl.
"Os ydym am gyflawni cyfiawnder, efallai mai amser fod yn hanfodol"
He looks at Kara's finds he waits for everyone to gather. They serve to feed his fears that the attack was not simple banditry and his expression fixes into the cold soldiers gaze he always wears in battle.
Kara had a grim expression as Magan looks it over, before offering to him, " I think this was a personal attack. These dogs deserve to die. We will escort them to Freya for this, and then let her decide how their souls fall. I doubt any of them will be in the halls of honor though." She then keeps the small silver raven on her, feeling that it was an important clue. Even she had never raided a small farm before, and could not understand why one would raid, then leave the valueables... She turns and excitedly says " Are there more children?! This may have been about the children." She was grasping at straws, trying to make sense of it. But she just could not. Her sense of right and wrong protested this heinous act. She would get ready, and would move out once the rest of the group was ready.
The little girl cautiously holds her hand up to Aurelius' flank, softly petting him. She's clearly familiar with horses, which is odd, since there are none here, alive or dead. She rests her head against his side and begins to quietly weep into his coat.
F&~&... Just f##%...
Prasutagus will put a hand on the child's shoulder to comfort her, "We need to get going. There is a nice carriage to ride in, and you can play with Aurelius again later."
With that Prasutagus will guide the child to the carriage, or if need be carry her kicking and screaming. He will then mount Aurelius.
The little girl goes quietly, clinging to Branok's robe the whole way.
Gawen refrains from approaching the girl, still cautious of intimidating her, but once she's safely in the carriage he whistles to Pen, and directs the dog into the carriage after her. The dog obligingly climbs in and settles down next to the small child, whilst Gawen has a quiet word with the priest.
"Branok, if you wanted to remain with the girl I'd be happy to drive the carriage in your stead - she seems the most comfortable around you, and I don't want to scare the child."
Branok nods sagely, coaxing the girl inside and closing the door once Pen is also in. Finding his place as ever, the shaggy little mutt hops up onto the seat and curls up besides her. Felix joins Gawen up on the driver's bench as a look out and Branok calls to Kara to give him some company in the cab, while Magan and Prasutagus return to riding point.
The tracks from the farm lead about half a mile further up the road away from Tintagel until they reach another turn. There's a small, natural earth bridge here, with a larger stream running beneath it. At the turning the tracks merge with many others coming and going from this place. Whatever is down this path to the left, it seems to be frequented.
Gawen calls back to Branok, asking if he's familiar with the junction.
Magan pulls out the map to aid in the discussion. As well as thinking what he knows about the local area and people.
Felix helps in locating the group and tries to remember if he has being through this way before.
Looking at the bridge and the frequency of use, Prasutagus prepares to meet people by strapping his shield on and testing the balance of his spear in case it needs to be thrown at something.
At least Branok is in the carriage now, no more questioning of my mannerisms...
"Pa ffordd i ni fynd Magan?" Prasutagus says.
Although neither Felix nor Magan personally know anything about this turning in the woods, Magan's map indicates that it leads to a local quarry.
Kara kept trying to talk and interact with the child, telling her stories of Freya and how she would slay the jotun, or how she would trick Loki into doing some task, only for the joke to be on him. She kept this up as the men debated some direction of travel, and she kept her mouth shut. Having no idea where to go did hamper her ability to have meaningful input.
Magan looks up from the map. His mind was made up before they left the farm house really. Finding these men had become his priority.
"Mae yna chwarel i fyny fel hyn, efallai maen nhw wedi gwneud gwersyll yno? Rwy'n credu ei bod orau y byddwn yn eu canfod cyn i ni symud ymlaen, ar gyfer heddwch meddwl pobbodies."
He leads the way towards the quarry, trying once again to pick up a familiar footprint out of the muddled mess on the ground, but can't make out anything in the mess.
Gawen jumps down from the carriage, and walks around to the side to talk to Branok.
"So it sounds like we're going to look up this track here, in case whoever attacked the house is up there. I think it might be best if you and the girl stay with the carriage here though - Pen can look after the pair of you."
He reaches over and gives the dog's head a scratch, before continuing in a slightly quieter voice.
"I know it's a bit of a long shot, and probably far too soon besides, but it might be worth seeing if the girl is willing to tell us what she saw, just so we know what might be waiting for us?"
He's in one of his moods again... Prasutagus thinks of Magan, He never is good at focusing on the mission when something like this happens...
Prasutagus will follow Magan on Aurelius, about 20 feet back, prepared to hurl his spear at the first adversary he sees close in on them.
Soothed by the steady motion of the carriage and the lilting melody of Kara's Norse, the exhausted little girl has fallen asleep against Pen's side. The dog himself seems quite please with the warm comfy situation and also somewhat protective of his new charge.
Branok nods to Gawen in understanding, but holds a finger to his lips, gesturing to the sleeping little girl. His meaning is clear: let her rest.
As the group moves forwards and away from the carriage at the fork in the road, the path drifts to the right.
Ahead through the trees Magan spots a large wooden gate, possibly manned.
As Magan would warn them of the gate, Kara readies her shield and spear, but has her battle axe loose enough in case she had to switch. From her experiences quarries never had gates, as to move the stones took a good many men, so none ever worried over theft.
Gawen returns Branok's nod then, taking his quarterstaff in hand, turns to follow Magan. He hangs a little way back from Magan, keenly aware that he's not particularly stealthy and is neither as well-armed as the others, nor as fast as those on horseback. He pats his belt to ensure his sling remains in place, ready should it be needed.
As Magan comes to a halt Gawen draws up beside him and peers through the trees towards the gate.
This may be where Felix earns his pay... Gawen thinks to himself.
"Perhaps we should get a better idea of what we're up against. Felix?"
Felix nods to Magan's suggestion and moves ahead to scout out the gates.
Felix slips into the trees and is quickly hidden to even his comrades as he blends with the shadows of the undergrowth. The gate is a palisade, constructed of many large, spiked posts. Either side behind a simple palisade wall either side of the gate stand two guard platforms, each with man armed with a bow keeping watch atop it. They have not yet seen the party, but seem to have heard the horses approaching and are aware.
Felix stays for a moment to gather up all the information he could before returning to the group to relay his findings.
"The place is pretty well fortified and they heard our horses so they know we are coming. Let's take a detour and not give them the upper hand."
"Agreed, we don't want to storm a guarded position. Perhaps a distraction though, whilst you and I sneak around and clear the way for the others." Magan takes a brief moment to explain what was said to Prasutagus before leaping down from Ealing.
Whilst Felix slips away, Gawen has been examining the ground, looking for some sign of the tracks they had been following earlier.
"I'm no soldier, but it might be worth seeing if there's another angle we can come from," says Gawen thoughtfully. "Maybe get a better idea of what's inside first - make sure there's not two dozen of them in there, that sort of thing?"
"Dylem sicrhau bod gan y bobl hyn hyd yn oed unrhyw beth i'w wneud â'r tŷ. Dim pwynt mewn lladd am ddim rheswm." Prasutagus says.
We should probably get back to the mission...
The tracks from the farm definitely lead down this path towards the gate.
Magan peers through the trees, thinking carefully about their next move.
"If they've heard the horses we should probably take a few steps back, they may already be sending someone out to investigate. I suggest we wait a few minutes, see if someone comes, if they do we can capture them and get some information about what is behind the wall. If not, Felix and I will take a walk around the perimeter, see if we can find a gap in the defenses and take a look inside the camp. Unless someone has a better idea?"
Kara offers up after a long bit of thinking, something she had been doing while the discussion was had over what to do.
" Why could me and Branok not pretend to be a travelling holy couple? That will explain the horses, and it would leave me with some of my arms. It would also explain the stop, for then we could pretend to debate over which path to us." she said in a soft and low voice, in case some one had already came out to check on the sounds. She felt that her and Branok could possibly get away with it, and lull the bandits into a false sense of security.
"Either way, it's best to be prepared. I will stay in the tree lines and keep and eye out whilst you guys makes a decision."
Felix melds back into the shadow of the near by leaves and bushes.
Magan ponders the options for a second.
"These men burn babies alive, I'm not sure they are the type of people to enjoy a visit from travelling priests."
As always, Magan ensures Prasutagus is kept up with the conversation.
"And I'd rather not see Branok put in harm's way if it can be helped. No, I think I probably agree with Magan here."
Grins, says a quick prayer to Freya for the coming battle, and puts on her helm. She then hefts her shield and gets her spear ready in her left hand. She was ready, and nods to Magan, letting him know she was ready to approach from whatever side they choose. Or go straight at the gate. She would however move in front, leading with whoever else wished to be in front. She would not just stand in the back if she didn't have to.
"Right, now that's settled. Let's move on, shall we?"
Felix's disembodied voice came from the bushes nearby.
"Magan and I will go on ahead and see if we can find a sneaky way past the gate. Once we are sure this is a fight that we can take we will give you a signal to charge in from the front. If not, we will regroup here."
Felix pauses for a second, slaps himself across the forehead and continues.
"Speaking of which, can we please agree upon a signal?"
Looks like I'm leaving Aurelius behind...
"Dylai fod gennym ddau arwydd, y cyntaf yw rhywfaint o alwad adar, maen nhw'n cario'n dda, ac ni all y rhan fwyaf o bobl ddweud wrth ffug go iawn. Dylai'r ail fod eich sgrechiau. Os byddwn ni'n eu clywed, byddwn yn prysur â chi yn gyflymach." Prasutagus says, with a bit of a grin.
"We should have two signals, the first being some bird call, they carry well and most people can't tell real from fake. The second should be your screams. If we hear them, we shall hasten to you more quickly."
Magan grins at Prasutagus, nods and follows Felix into the bushes.
With Felix and Magan both well hidden, the group lies in wait for any guards who come to investigate. However, nothing happens and eventually Magan and Felix sneak forwards to scout up ahead. The guards seem to still be at their posts. Given that the quarry lies off of a commonly used road through the woods it's likely that travellers often mistakenly start down this path.
The palisade appears to run a little way into the tree off the side of the road, but soon comes to an end. It is clearly not a full wall and merely a barricade to those on the road itself. Ahead, both Felix and Magan can make out a treeline, where the woods end, opening up onto the grounds of the quarry itself. Various tents are scattered about around the top and a large scaffolding leads down into its depths.
Felix creeps up to the edge of the woods to get a better view of the encampment, trying to get a better idea of how many and what sort of enemies they are dealing with.
Felix can make out at least three men moving about the tents within 100 feet of the tree line, as well as the two guards at the gate. They are armed and clad in leathers.
Felix turns back and whispers to Magan
"I make out 5 of them, 2 guards at the gate and 3 more in the camp, but there could be more."
Felix looks around the ground for a second and picks up a fair sized rock and grins at Magan.
"Let's try lure one of the guards out, sounds good?"
Magan holds his hand out.
"wait"
Magan takes a look for himself, looking at the size and number of the tents, and how many men they should accommodate. He also looks for a place that would only be visible by one or none of the gate guards.
The tents Magan can see could likely accommodate as many as twenty men, maybe thirty given that the camp extends out of sight. How many are present right now is unclear beyond the number that Felix spotted. By sneaking further through the woods around the perimeter of the quarry, it would be possible to enter without the guards seeing. The easiest way to do this would be to climb down the sheer edge of the quarry.
Magan taps Felix on the shoulder and gestures back towards the others. Once back at the carriage he outlines his plan to ambush the next party that leaves, take them prisoner and question them as to the details of the camp.
Felix drops the rock, a bit deflated that he couldn't get a good head shot in this time round, but follows Magan back to the camp.
"Mae hynny'n swnio fel cynllun da." Prasutagus says after Magan outlines his idea. "Dylem ddychwelyd a chael Branok a'r ferch i ffwrdd â hyn er hynny."
Even better since I get to keep Aurelius...
Magan nods and goes to give Branok an update on the situation, suggesting he may want to move a little further down the road as Prasutagus suggested.
Kara speaks up after Magan returns from talking with Branok. She was worried over the approach, and possible handling of prisoners. " You know we must let them have an honorable death if they deserve it. If not, for the death of a father for no reason, I have a special ceremony for the leader if taken alive. He will be given to Odin as a sacrifice. Freya would not take in a killer of innocent children." She then switches to norse, briefly, as she was not sure how to say it in Saxon.
"De vil betale av blodørn til Odin, for de har ingen ære"
Magan smiles at Kara.
"You find your own honour in life and death. How they confront theirs is out of my control. I will do what must be done to keep us safe as we seek justice on those who have acted as animals."
He gathers the group around. Scratching a diagram into the ground with a stick.
"Prasutagus, efallai y dylech aros ymhellach i lawr y ffordd, lle gallwch chi gadw'r cerbyd yn y golwg, yna codi tâl wrth i ni wanhau'r llithrfa. Felix a minnau'n cuddio ar bob ochr i'r ffordd, Kara fydd yr angor. Dechreuwch wylfa gwersylla, rhowch rai dail i'w gwneud yn ysmygu, gadewch iddyn nhw feddwl bod ganddynt ginio hawdd."
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"Mae hynny'n gadarn. Yell i mi, felly dydw i ddim yn dod yn gynnar gan na fyddaf yn gallu gweld. A chadw llwybr codi ar agor i mi." Prasutagus says. He will then get on Aurelius and wait until everyone seems to know the plan and agree with it before walking Aurelius away.
Once mounted he puts his spear away and pulls out his sling, making sure it has a bullet in it.
I won't be able to do much other than let this fly at first. Hopefully they don't forget to give me a way through."