"Agreed," Jaymin replies as he heads off, leading/clearing the way for the Baroness and Rebecca. "I was finished, anyway," he adds more softly.
|
With Zurladew reinforcing the Baron's call to arms, and directing the civilians away from danger, the panic of the crowds becomes, at least, more of an organised panic as the jester's designation of a place of safety seems to give people something of a sense of purpose, as small children are snatched into their parents' arms, the injured and elderly are helped, and everyone starts to hurry towards Castle Redwyrm...
With Aydan and Sirs Garrett and Jaymin escorting the Baron's family, the group lead the way to the castle...
As the tourney ground is left behind, and the castle approached, something doesn't seem quite right... The main doors of the curtain wall stand open, and beyond, in the bailey, a unseasonal mist seems to be lingering, obscuring the view of the entrance to the keep proper... What's more, no archers or guards can be seen partoling the battlements of the curtain wall...
Suddenly two giant figures come charging out of the mist, through the main gates, and towards the group seeking shelter in the castle. Each man must be a good thirteen or fourteen feet tall, with powerful, corded, muscles under frost-white skin. Both sport long light blue hair and long beards worn in braids, and both are clad in a silvery breastplate as well as white furs and dark leather. Both wield a greataxe of equally gigantic proportions. Here and there their skin is decorated with runic-looking blue tattoos...
... The two figures bellow battlecries as they charge to attack...
Clearly enraged, the second male barbarian spits fleck of white froth from his mouth as he utters what can only be foul language and tries to seperate your left half from your right with a powerful overhead blow... a blow you manage to sidestep, causing the barbarian's axe to instead splinter the planks covering the entrance pit (but not enough, alas, to collapse them...). As he wrenches the axe free and rounds on you once more, the female barbarian shrieks, lobbing first one, then the other, axe at your in rapid succession - you duck one, and just manage to pull your shoulder back in time to avoid the other as well, both axes clattering off the stone corridor wall behind you...
As the tourney ground is left behind, and the castle approached, something doesn't seem quite right... The main doors of the curtain wall stand open, and beyond, in the bailey, a unseasonal mist seems to be lingering, obscuring the view of the entrance to the keep proper... What's more, no archers or guards can be seen partoling the battlements of the curtain wall...
Suddenly two giant figures come charging out of the mist, through the main gates, and towards the group seeking shelter in the castle. Each man must be a good thirteen or fourteen feet tall, with powerful, corded, muscles under frost-white skin. Both sport long light blue hair and long beards worn in braids, and both are clad in a silvery breastplate as well as white furs and dark leather. Both wield a greataxe of equally gigantic proportions. Here and there their skin is decorated with runic-looking blue tattoos...
Beatrix grabs Rebbecca and practically drags her towards the forest, hoping to find at least some measure of protection from the rampaging dragon while the knights hold off the giants.
Initiative:
Jaymin readies an action to take a five foot step forward and attack when the first giant gets ten feet away.
Attack:
Jaymin is definitely getting tired. This is turning out to be the tournament from hell.
|
|
Pitting their knightly traning against the obvious fury of the two giants, both Jaymin and Garrett expertly time their motions to step within their opponent's greater reach and strike... Sir Jaymin's swing just traces the tip of his blade across the silvery metal of his opponent's breastplate, whilst Sir Garrett's attempt manages to score a small wound across his opponent's tree-trunk thick thigh...
The slight touch of Jaymin's blade not slowing him in at all, the first of the giants swings a mighty blow with his massive axe, catching Jaymin square on the side of the helm and fairly ringing him like a bell as the powerful attack near cleaves the knight's head...
The second giant tries something similar on Garrett, but Garrett manages to get his shield in place in time for the lion's share of the blow's power to be deflected... although he still finds his feet skidding back a little way in the muddy grass just from the sheer impact...
As Beatrix grabs Lady Rebecca, the latter is pulled a little way towards the forest before starting to resist,
'No!' the Redwyrm scion protests, 'We can't abandon them!'
Pulling againts Beatrix's grasp, Rebecca flings her free hand towards the two knights and their giant foes... strange words in an alien tongue drift from her lips... and suddenly a bright burst of flames erupts between the two giants at their head-height! Both giants let slip snarls and yells as they stagger a little, rubbing their eyes and blinking...
Meanwhile, Rebecca goes limp in Beatrix's arms. Breathing heavily and staring at her own hand as if seeing it for the first time Rebecca sounds utterly confused as she mutters...
'Wh... what just happened?'
Jaymin doesn't waste thoughts on mysterious flames as he swings again for everything he's worth, muttering a quick prayer to Kurgess to let his blade sever a major artery or something.
And again, Jaymin fails to hit what's in front of him.
'It is their duty to die for you, not make their sacrifices meaningless by getting yourself killed."
Based on how the fight is going, Beatrix fully expects the knights to lose, so she takes advantage of the opportunity to drag Rebecca away all the faster.
Aydan's eyes go wide at the site of the behemoths, his heart already racing, he feels in climb to his throat.
He sheathes his sword and draws his bow, placing himself between the giants and Rebecca, taking aim for the Giant that is attacking Sir Jaymin, he lets his first arrow fly...
|
|
Helm knocked to an awkward angle due to the giant's blow (not to mention the ringing in his head from the same) Jaymin swings wild...
Garrett does little better, his foe, rubbing his eyes, swaying just enough to avoid the knight's attempted attack...
Obviously having difficulty seeing, both giants also fail to hit their targets - the massive axe of Jaymin's foe thudding into the ground a little to the knight's left and causing divots to fly, even as the giant facing Garrett swings a side-to-side blow, but high, whistling over Garrett's head and nearly spinning the giant in a full circle from the force of the miss...
On the other hand, Aydan's bowshot flies straight and true...
'It is their duty to die for you, not make their sacrifices meaningless by getting yourself killed.'
Rebecca seems too confused to fight Beatrix at the moment, and the two race off towards the nearby woods...
Jaymin tries to shake his head clear and swings again for the back of the knee.
; damage
Rebecca seems too confused to fight Beatrix at the moment, and the two race off towards the nearby woods...
And keep running Beatrix does.
Sprinting to the side even before his first arrow hits its mark, Aydan drops to his knee and knocks another arrow from his quiver. He feels his body shaking, blood pumping and adrenaline surging. He forces his body to calm, his senses to quiet and focus. Gazing down the shaft of his arrow, he draws a bead on the same Giant and looses his second arrow.
|
Zurladew, herding the crowd from behind, eventually hears the cries and sounds of battle. Shoving his way through the masses, he eventually reaches the clearing where the knights are fighting the massive foes.
"Giants... Why did it have to be giants?," the jester asks mournfully. He spies Rebecca and the ladies fleeing away and follows after them. Turning, he carefully takes aim and fires a Flare into the face of the giant threatening Jaymin.
|
|
As Aydan's first arrow sinks into the oversized shoulder of the giant attacking Jaymin, the knight himself shakes his head clear, adjusts his helm, and steps round to swipe at the back of the giant's knees - this time carving a deep, bloody, rent which makes the big man howl...
Ducking under the swipe of his own foe, Sir Garrett rolls back to his feet and scores a second, small, cut - mirroring the wound he's already scored, but on the giant's other thigh...
Jaymin's foe yanks his axe out of the ground and once more swings, but Jaymin skillfully bobs out of the way...
Garrett's opponent staggers a little, between being dazzled by the sudden burst of flame, and the twin cuts opened on his legs, raises his axe high above his head... then manages to drop it! As the greataxe slips from the giant's grasp he curses and snatches for it... but by the time the weapon hits the grass, it's shrunken to a weapon sized for a mere human...
Hurrying after Beatrix and Rebecca (as fast as his little legs will carry him...) Zurladew pauses to ignite a bright flash of arcane light in the face of the giant facing Jaymin... it's hard to tell if he's more dazzled than he was before, for a moment later Aydan's second arrow thunks into the giant's chest, punching through silvery plate and causing the oversized, blue-haired, man to yell once more...
'It is so very polite for the prey to come to the hunters, wouldn't you say, Fanndís?' growls the first of the wolves. The other - named 'Fanndís' it seems - sounds like it's laughing, its tone a more feminine one as it replies, 'Come, Loki, where's the fun in that? The running... the screaming... that's at least half the fun...'
'Oh yes,' agrees the male wolf - Loki, 'half the fun at least...'
'I'm going to go out on a limb,' the smith chuckles humourlessly, 'and guess that those big blue-haired fellas which dragged you in here and killed the guards weren't working for your Baron, right?'
It takes little time for you to find out that you've only the clothes on your back - now ripped up and used as makeshift banadages thanks to your cellmate's efforts - you sword and other gear having been taken.
|
|
Sir Clarius starts with alarm at the sight of the strange summoner of creatures. 'You! How did you esc- Where?'
His shoulders slump as he recognizes his surroundings. 'Damn!' He vehemently cries out, pounding his fist on the floor. Rising, he takes stock of the situation.
'No, they are not working for the baron.' Doing a double take at the man's words, he makes a quick step forward right into the man's face and asks,
'Why are you not still bound and gagged? Where are your tethers?' Grabbing the man's arms, he threatens, 'If you even try to call forth one of your unholy minions I will throttle you with my bare hands.'
Desperate to put this giant down, Sir Jaymin waits until the creature is stooping down to swing, then leaps up, thrusting his sword at its middle.
Attack: ;
Damage:
Aydan smirks a mirthless smile, shifting his aim to the giant battling Garrett, and letting his third arrow loose at the creature.
|
|
Getting the measure of his oversized foe, Jaymin meets the giant's next clumsy attempt to cleave him in twain with a leaping upward thrust which slips under the giant's silvery breastplate to split open his belly! Staggering backwards, the giant drops his greataxe (which, like his companion's, shrinks to a more mundane size as it leaves his hand) and tries desperately for a few moments to prevent his own entrails from spilling out... tries and fails, as he crashes backwards to lay unmoving on the turf...
Not to be outdone, Garrett seizes his opening when his own foe foolishly reaches down to retrieve his (now too small for him) axe - with a step up on the giant's arm, then shoulder, the Redwyrm knight brings his falcata down on the giant's neck, severing flesh and bone! Leaping clear just before the decapitated giant falls, Garrett narrowly avoids being covered in the torrent of blood from the stump of the blue-haired fiend's neck...
Hurrying after Beatrix and Rebecca, Zurladew reaches the woods...
'Loki, my love,' says one of the wolves, her tone feminine, as she notes Zurladew's arrival, 'it appears the appetizer has arrived...' The other wolf laughs a male-sounding laugh...
With the success of the two knights, Aydan suddenly finds himself without a target...
'Why are you not still bound and gagged? Where are your tethers?.. If you even try to call forth one of your unholy minions I will throttle you with my bare hands.'
'No need to thank me for saving your life, your highness!' spits out the smith, 'I thought I'd better patch you up seeing as the rats had taking a fancy to nibbling on your bloody carcass... but what in the nine hells did I expect from one of you lot? Gratitude? Hah! Even in here - as equal as men can get - I'm just some commoner for you to push around as you please! Typical, bloody typical...'
Shrugging off your grip the man moves as far from you as he can get, to slump down in the corner of the filthy cell and stare sullenly into the shadows...
"That was too easy. Let's to Lady Rebecca in the woods, lest there be more of these fiends."
He slaps some of the ointment on himself, and then some on Garrett.
Healing himself:
Healing Garrett:
"Come M'Lady, I fear the castle is not safe," shouldering his bow and redrawing his sword, Aydan takes Lady Hilda by the arm and guides her after the others, his eyes peeled to the ground to follow their tracks, and to keep an eye for any signs that there are more giants the way they're going.
|
|
|
|
As Jaymin and Garret tend their wounds, and Aydan leads Baroness Hilda towards the woods, the rest of the gathered crowds seem unsure of what to do - follow Aydan and the others into the woods, remain with the giant-slaying knights, or keep heading for the castle...
"Well met, Master Wolf... While I admire your carnivorous spirit, I'm afraid I may be too much of a mouthful for you to handle, should you dare to come too close. You see, I am the most powerful sorceror of the House of Redwyrm, and I would be quite heart-broken to have to slay such a magnificent sample of the animal kingdom - but if my liege lady is in danger, then slay you I must."
Stopping in their tracks, the two white wolves exchange a glance. The female utters a low growl, but the male speaks,
'Forgive Fanndís her attempt at humour, Master Mage,' he says, 'we're both fond of innocent banter, but meant no harm... isn't that right, Fanndís?
'Of course, my love,' replies Fanndís, unable to stop her jaws salivating as she eyes Ladies Beatrix and Rebecca, 'no harm at all...'
'In fact,' the male wolf - Loki - continues, as he cautiously pads forwards a step, 'we are here to deliver a marriage proposal from our Lord to your Lady Rebecca. If you'd all just come along to the castle...'
'Yes,' agrees Fanndís, also padding a step closer, 'come along...'
'... we can get this all cleared up,' concludes Loki, 'wouldn't you agree, Master Mage?'
Who is this smith of whom you speak?
'You are a murderer! You conjure beasts to do your bidding and attempted to murder myself and others. Don't play the innocent victim with me!'
'And you're in here with me,' retorts Clarius's cellmate, 'so what did you do that was so bad?'
Aydan continues to guide the Baroness to the woods, every few moments his eyes darting back down the path to the tourney grounds... the lump in his chest growing.
|
|
'I've failed to kill all of my enemies today. Now shall I begin to rectify that mistake here and now or should I give you the chance to risk your life to earn my report of your efforts to drive out invaders who are most likely killing everyone, innocent and guilty, high born and commoner?'
Any spark of humanity goes out of Clarius' eyes as he finishes, 'Choose now.'
|
|
|
|
"Alas, good Master Wolves, but our lord is back at the tourney grounds, and we can't possibly give away the hand of his daughter without his permission. Perhaps we should all go and relay your message to him?,"
The two wolves exchange a quick glance, each padding another step forwards as Loki replies,
'That will not be a problem, Master Mage - everyone involved should be gathering at the castle, even as we speak.'
'Yes,' adds Fanndís, 'our Lord was planning on escorting your Baron there personally...'
As Jaymin and Garrett finish tending their wounds, and Aydan nears the woods with Baroness Hilda, a scream from one of the children in the crowd fleeing the tourney with them causes everyone to look where the child is pointing...
Soaring above the crowd the white dragon flaps its great glistening leathery wings once as it lands atop castle Redwyrm's curtain wall. The talons of its rear legs chipping the battlements as it settles, what causes the most shock amongst the crowd is what the thing is clutching in its foreclaws... the limp and bloody form of Baron Otto himself! Baroness Hilda screams, hanging onto Aydan's arm as she near faints...
With the dragon holding the Baron it's easier to get a sense of the creature's scale - it appears to be a little larger than a destrier in its body, although the serpentine tail and neck, not to mention the wings, make it seem bigger. Both its foreclaws grip the Baron by the front of his tunic, as he's dangled precariously over the edge of the wall... No evidence of any sort of defence appears from the castle...
'Choose now.'
The man looks at you like you're mad...
'You're mad!' he says...
Aydan's eyes go wide in terror as he sees the Dragon landing upon the wall, the Baron in its cluthes. He opens his mouth to scream, but his voice catches in his throat.
His eyes snap over to Garrett and Jaymin, unsure of what to do.
|
|
As they walk back towards the castle, Zurladew looks to Beatrix and Rebecca, eyes confused and a little frightened. "This looks bad, miladies," he says simply. "Let's keep our wits about us and we'll see whether we can make it out of here with the House of Redwyrm intact."
|
|
From Wed, Jun 22, 2011, 05:17 PM:
"That was too easy. Let's to Lady Rebecca in the woods, lest there be more of these fiends."
He slaps some of the ointment on himself, and then some on Garrett.Healing himself: 1d8+1
Healing Garrett: 1d8+1
"Thank you, my friend. I agree, that was rather simple...we had best hurry."
Garrett back to full HP
"Where are the castle's archers?" Jaymin says to Garrett. "Are they all dead from these giants? I will attempt to distract the dragon. See what defense remains inside the keep."
He dashes forward to the foot of the curtain wall and yells up to the dragon. "Great wyrm! I am Sir Jaymin of Thrushberry, liege man of the Baron you hold in your talons. I inquire after you, what is your purpose here? If it is sow chaos and death, you have succeeded mightily, and I would ask what further destruction you require. Mighten we sate your appetites in some other manner. Parlay, I beg of you, that we might resolve this dispute with no further violence."
Diplomacy:
|
|
'What do you want from me?!' he exclaims, 'I bandaged your wounds, saved your life - now you threaten me? What more help do you think I could possible provide - in here... with you?'
"We'll go, but at our speed. And you'll go in front of us, where I can see you,"
The two wolves exchange another glance, then turn back towards Zurladew...
'As you say, Master Mage,' agrees Loki. The pair of them proceed to skirt wide around the Ladies and the jester, before leading the way from the woods...
As Aydan - like the gathered crowd - looks on agog, Garrett and Jaymin approach the castle's outer wall...
"Great wyrm! I am Sir Jaymin of Thrushberry, liege man of the Baron you hold in your talons. I inquire after you, what is your purpose here? If it is sow chaos and death, you have succeeded mightily, and I would ask what further destruction you require. Mighten we sate your appetites in some other manner. Parlay, I beg of you, that we might resolve this dispute with no further violence."
The dragon shifts in position a little where it perches on the battlements, sending a rain of small stone and mortar chips tumbling down. Peering down towards the two knights it snarls... then begins to writhe and twist inside it's own reptilian skin...
... Moments later and the transformation is complete. Where the dragon perched now stands a tall and powerfully built young man, with long white hair, ice blue eyes, and white skin which seems to retain a shimmer of the dragon's scales. His clothes seem a strange blend of Taldan noble and the furs of the barbarian giants you recently fought, and his fine silvery metal breastplate seems of a similar design. Across his back is strapped a mighty-looking greatsword, and a signet ring can just be seen on his finger. He still grasps the limp form of the Baron in his hands, holding him dangling over the parapet with seeming ease...
As the knights await a reply to Jaymin's request, two bear-sized white wolves pad carefully from the nearby woods, followed by Zurladew, Beatrix, and Rebecca...
'I am Lord Adémar Whitedragon,' declares the young man clutching the Baron, his voice carrying easily, despite his not shouting, 'and the only further destruction I require is the death of this treacherous backstabber,' he shakes the Baron for emphasis, 'who led my entire family to their deaths and stole our lands. I have come for vengeance, and to set right the scales. The traitor Otto will die, his daughter's hand will be mine, and I will rule as the new Baron!'
With that, 'Lord Whitedragon's' hands shift once more to claws, and in one smooth motion he rakes out the throat of Baron Otto and tosses him from the battlements...
Both Baroness Hilda and Lady Rebecca scream, as do many in the crowd. For a moment the Baron's body seem to tumble in slow motion... then it impacts the ground at the foot of the curtain wall with a sickening wet thump...
Casting his eyes towards Lady Rebecca, Lord Adémar calls out,
'Fanndís, Loki - bring her to me. Do it quickly, for the longer this takes the longer I'll have to let the Ice Tooth tribe roam free in these lands...'
'By the gods! It can't be! Adémar Whitedragon... Ailith's brother! He was thought lost to the snows years ago...'
|
|
Sir Clarius glares down at the man. 'I am leaving, one way or another. Help me and I will do all in my power to relate how you assisted me. Perhaps my words will avail you at your trial.'
With that said, he begins searching the cell, taking time to be careful and thorough in his search so as not miss anything.
26
Without glancing to the other occupant of the cell, he growls, 'If you are going to help, you can start by helping me search this cell.'
"Noooo!" Aydan screams in terror as Otto Redwyrm - the closest man he ever had to a father - plummets from the battlements. Rage grips his heart, clouding his mind and he reaches for an arrow from the quiver on his side, stopped only by Lady Hilda grabbing his arm.
|
|
Falcata in hand, Garrett quietly says to Jaymin...
"He has killed our liege lord. Jaymin, you know what we must do, even if the odds are not in our favor."
Quickly scanning the area for the others and the two creatures Adémar has addressed....
"Jaymin, we must defend Lady Rebecca from this usurper and avenge the Baron. Our duty and honor demand no less."
"Not only we would perish, Garrett. There are still hundreds of civilians that would be easy pickings for that dragon, not to mention this tribe he mentioned, and those winter worgs."
Sir Jaymin sheaths his sword and heads over to Lady Rebecca. Addressing the worgs, he says, "I would speak with ... with Baroness Rebecca alone."