Location: On the Kaava Cutter in the harbour of Pridon’s Hearth
Date: Toilsday, 18th day of Arodus (Season: Late Summer)
Time: 7.00am
Weather & Temperature: Clear for the most part; balmy, light winds, 24 deg C/75 deg. F
Moon Cycle: Almost First Quarter
==============
Eleven days had passed since the Kaava Cutter sailed out of Eleder’s harbour to transport the second wave of colonists to the upstart town of Pridon’s Hearth. The early morning had brought with it clear skies in comparison to the previous afternoon’s thunderstorm. Late afternoon seemed to be the time the storms and rainfall hit the hardest. The journey itself was not overly tedious or fraught with danger, which was welcomed by those on the ship.
The murky blue-green water had given way to the clearer blue at present. Captain Len Noradu had kept a tight ship – his sailors/crew all competent and loyal to the loud, stern but fair human male. Dropping anchor just outside the bay, as Pridon’s Hearth lacked a proper dock for larger ocean vessels; the longboats were being lowered down into water, and would be used on rotation to deliver the colonists to the smaller docks at Island Town. The Sargavan minor noble, Gallio Menius, demanded that he and his dozen labourers be the first ashore; and the Captain compiled – not really interested in who went first or last. All the colonists’ belongings were taken ahead and left on the fishing docks to be collected by the colonists once they disembarked the longboats.
When it came to the other colonists' turn to take a longboat to the dock, the fair-haired woman, holding a tiny, grey fox in the crook of her arm, looked to the west and her glacier-blue eyes took in the growing grey rain clouds. In the Common tongue, she quietly informed her male companion beside her; the swashbuckler, ”It will rain again this afternoon. The storms have not yet passed.” Her accent was unusual, yet pleasant to the ear for the melodic timbre of her voice. Scratching the tiny fox’s head in a loving manner, the woman carefully picked up the creature and placed it in the safe confines of her coat/cloak and spoke to it in hushed Polyglot as if to soothe the fox. Then she stepped into the returned longboat and made room for her companion. She was eager to reach the dock and see the colony for the first time. And her belongings were waiting for her there and she was concerned they would be snatched by another if they tarried too longer.
Primarily a Solo Game. There will be a supporting DMNPC.
Character Creation Rules:
• Level 1 character
• 25 pt buy
• Allowable Races: Human, Halfling, Dwarf, Elf, Half-Elf, Aasimar
• Allowable Classes: All Core, Base except for Shifter, Summoner, Vampire Hunter and Vigilante, Hybrid classes – the following only – Hunter, Investigator, Shaman, Slayer, Swashbuckler, Warpriest, Third Party (Tripod Machine classes): Beastmaster, Bounty Hunter, Scholar, Scout and Hunter.
• 3 traits (there are no campaign traits for this module, so choose what you would like). 4th trait allowable if Drawback is selected.
• Maximum HP at level 1; average plus one plus CON modifier on each successive level.
• Starting gold 400 gp
• Free/Bonus language at start of game: Polyglot
• Using Background Skills: 2 per level.
• No ability stat less than 10 (after penalties).
• All alignments (except for CE) are allowable.
• No crafting in this game. There won’t be much downtime to be able to sufficiently craft. (So bring and buy what you need.)
• Begin play with one M/W weapon to the value of 500 gp.
Getting started:
As Ire of the Storm begins, the PCs are on their way to the Sargavan settlement of Pridon’s Hearth via ship. This adventure assumes the PCs have never been to Pridon’s Hearth, and have heard only vague news about it in major Sargavan settlements such as Eleder*, or from recruiters throughout the Inner Sea region. Many of the adventure’s encounters involve getting to know the colony’s unique and colourful inhabitants, and this works best if the PCs have little or no prior connection to Pridon’s Hearth. Luckily, Count Narsus’s call for a second wave of colonization reached beyond Sargava to the major cities of the Inner Sea region, making almost any sort of character concept or origin appropriate for this adventure. The Kaava Cutter, a naval vessel that regularly runs cargo and passengers between Eleder and Port Freedom, makes monthly stops in Pridon’s Hearth and serves as transport for the PCs.
(* Eleder is the capital of Sargava and the country's only deepwater port. Its government remains stable and Eleder's military is capable of policing the city. The city’s incredibly wealthy trading companies contribute to Eleder's political value being capable of protecting their investments. The Aspis Consortium holds little power in Eleder due to the power of Eleder's trading companies.)
• Notable NPCs: Travelling from Eleder with you on the ship are a dozen additional passengers. They could be potential allies or simply play minor roles in the adventure.
1. Annabelle Tullia: Female Half-Elf Cleric of Shelyn 3 - garbed in radiant red dress and a constant glower. Hope to apply her skills as a painter and sculptor in the new colony.
2. Gallio Menius : Male Human Aristocrat 2 (rotund minor noble from Sargava’s capital. Purchased a parcel of land near Pridon’s Hearth to establish a papya farm. He is accompanied by a dozen indentured labourers.
3. Mr. Blackwell : Male Human Expert 4/Rogue 2 – Claims to be a prospector coming to assay the mineral wealth around Pridon’s Hearth.
4. Umuzu: Female Human Ranger 4 – Zenj woman hailing from Mwangi Expanse works as hunter and guide for travelling caravans.
An island mass breaks up the Arcadian Ocean, some still bearing the crumbling ruins of academies and towers atop them. These are the ruins of the Azlant and the lost Azlanti civilisation. The island ruins are only a small fraction of the buildings that yet exist, most of which are submerged underwater. Trade and travel ships skirt the islands, as spires or collapses hidden by the waves are a common danger. Small groups of adventurers and salvagers commission ships to carry them to the ruins, while larger expeditions sometime visit on the bankrolls of government patrons or private enterprises.
=====
After almost five hundred years since first making landfall there, the nation of Andoran is attempting to colonise one of the islands of the Arcadian Ocean.
The Andoran government in joint enterprise with the finance company, Bountiful Venture Company, have selected the island, Ancorato, as the site for the new colony of Talmandor's Bounty and put out a second call for colonists to help build and populate the settlement.
The second wave of colonists, much like the first, had to apply for membership in the expedition, and were put through numerous interviews and screenings to select the best individuals for this wave of settlement. The four of you stood out to the leaders of this expedition and you were recruited for the colony. The Peregrine, under the command of Captain Jacob Markosi, was then commissioned to transport supplies, materials and the settlers from the capital city of Almas in Andoran to Ancorato. The good crew of the Peregrine number twenty one souls and together with the fifty four passengers (including the four of you) set sail and begin the long journey across the sea to Ancorato (an island hundred of miles away from the closest civilised port).
The Andoren government recently founded a joint expedition with the Bountiful Venture Company to organise another expedition to the ruined islands that were once the legendary continent of Azlant to try to gain a foothold on the shattered land. They first sent a small fleet to survey the westernmost of the rocky islands that jut from the Arcadian Ocean. One ship discovered an island with fresh water, thick forests with plenty of animals to hunt and plants to forage, and an easy landing. They named the island 'Ancorato' after the captain who discovered it and it seemed to be the ideal location for a settlement.
The Bountiful Venture Company
offers a most excellent opportunity
for Laborers, Farmers, Soldiers, Explorers and Scholars
in the new Andoren colony of Ancorato.
Apply for the lottery now!
The expedition's funders put out a call for colonists to help build and populate the settlement. After a selection process that involved a lottery for general settlers and a more focused vetting process for the expedition's specialists, the first ship, 'Liberty's Herald', set sail to found the new colony, which was named 'Talmandor's Bounty'. Six months later, a second ship, the 'Peregrine' has been commissioned to follow and resupply the colony and bring new settlers. This is where the PCs' story begins...
==========
To the four players I've invited to join, welcome and let's have some fun! As I have mentioned to each of you, this game will not officially start until the second week of June. In the meantime, please feel free to post your concepts, ideas etc and ask questions here and on the discussion thread once I open it up. You may create backstory connections or you can be complete strangers - I leave that up to you.
Now, let's start with the character creation guidelines.
Creation Guidelines
• Starting at Level 1
• 20-Point Buy Build
• Allowable Races: Human, Halfing, Half-Elf, Elf, Dwarf, Gnome, Half-Orc, Undine, Changeling, Gillmen.
• Allowable Classes: Core, Base (exceptions: Summoner, Vampire Hunter) and Hybrid. No Occult Classes or Unchained Classes, please. No 3rd Party Publishers. The Player's Guide has some great archetypes for this AP.
• Max die roll for HP at first level. From second level onward, average rounded up.
• Max starting gold for your class.
• No evil alignments or reverence of evil deities.
• 3 Character Traits (must match background) and one must be a Campaign Trait. No Drawbacks.
• Using Background Skills: 2 per level.
• No ability stat less than 9 (after penalties).
• Level Progression Rate: I'm of a mind that when I feel the players have done enough in game to warrant a level, they'll gain a level. I advise players when it's levelling time.
• Posting rate: At least 1 to 2 posts over the week days. Weekends we'll play it by ear as I'm generally tied up on weekends with family and carer duties. I'm on an opposite time zone to my players and am aware of this fact. My Saturday and Sunday is your Friday and Saturday. As I said, we'll work out a nice, workable posting rhythm. :)
• I do like a good backstory and will use elements from each player's story in game in some way. It doesn't have to be a novel, but give me something to sink my teeth into, please (a few paragraphs is good). ;) Can you also provide me with the age of your character, physical description and a personality blurb on your profiles.
---
• There's a Free Player's Guide found here: Ruins of Azlant.
• Note: A thriving colony needs a wide range of settlers and each character class will have something to contribute to this campaign. Ideally, classes that don’t rely on urban settings are encouraged. This doesn’t mean that they can’t survive this Adventure Path, but cosmopolitan characters won’t have as many chances to shine as they would in an urban campaign. Classes that are best suited to exploration and dealing with natural hazards can find great success in this campaign, and ones that can use magic or guile to eliminate some of the hazards and challenges can excel as well. Your characters are going to get wet during the course of this Adventure Path. Most of Azlant lies beneath the Arcadian Ocean, so be mindful of this when selecting skills and talents to aid your character and party. The main focus of this AP is exploring terra incognita, delving into ancient ruins, and uncovering strange and archaic magic that the world hasn’t seen in thousands of years. It is in your best interest to future-proof your character into being good at dealing with some of the restrictions of fighting underwater.
General Notes:
• Please try to minimise player vs. player conflict in game. Working together is a must in this AP. I do realise that not every character will immediately get along; however keep in mind that it has to be appropriate or constructive "drama" and add to the story. ;)
• I like using Group Initiative for combat as it keeps combat moving with less 'wait time'. Saves can be rolled by each player.
• I enjoy proactive players. It is good when GM and players can work together to propel a game forward and not let it go idle and die. I will do what I can, too, to help keep the game moving.
• During important moments in game or in combat, I will give a player 24 hours to post and then I will bot them. If players are going to be away for more than a day, please let me know on discussion (or via PM) and I can take that into consideration and not bug you via PMs etc. I like communication and it makes for a less stressful game.
• Please keep bulky OOC to the discussion thread. This just helps keep the main game board free of clutter and people can find posts and GM responses more readily.
• I like rewarding great role playing or effort in game. Those who know me, know I prefer role play over roll play. That's because I come from a writing background. If I require certain checks to be made, I'll ask for them specifically in game. If players want to make checks, of their own volition, to gain more information or solve a mystery, then please feel free to roll to your heart's content. I'll try and provide as much information as I can.
• I am relatively new to this GM role. I will make mistakes (although I will try to minimise this as best as I can). If you feel I have erred in a rule etc then feel free to send me a PM and we can discuss it.
• I don't want to get overly bogged down in rules to the detriment of the game flowing and affecting players' fun. Fun is a high priority for me.
• My style of communication is direct. I tend to just say things in a straightforward manner while remaining respectful. Please do not take any of my words as a personal assault - for I never mean them in that way. I believe in mutual respect and understanding.
• I prefer a medium paced game. My life is full and hectic and I suspect other peoples' lives are too. This isn't a race and I don't want anyone feeling as though they are being pressured to post/game when they have other RL responsibilities to attend to. As I mentioned earlier, if a player can't post for whatever reason, then drop me a line and that character will be covered for that period of time. If I am unable to post, then I will certainly let the players know. Common courtesy is easy.
• I use spoilers for private conversations, responses to individual players, GM screens and lengthy posts. If you're someone who enjoys reading other people's spoilers, please do not use the info found within them to meta-game. If a player says it's fine to read and act on information provided in a spoiler, then go ahead.
Easy to view/Summary of Campaign Traits:
Campaign Traits
1. Athletic: You reduce your armour check penalty by a number equal to one-third your character level (minimum 1) for purposes of Acrobatics, Climb, and Swim checks, and you gain a +1 trait bonus to one of these three skills, chosen when you take this trait.
2. Azlanti Scholar: You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), and Use Magic Device checks, and one of these skills is a class skill for you. In addition,you gain Azlanti as a bonus language.
3. Eagle Knight Recruit: You begin play with a breastplate, a longsword (or some other martial or simple weapon), and an additional 100gp of gear. In addition, you gain a +1 trait bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting effects.
4. Employee: You begin play with an additional 150 gp of equipment and know (at least in some capacity) one of the other company employees: Lyra Heatherly, Perrell Beys, or Ramona Avandth. Due to your association with the Bountiful Venture Company, your words and ideas may carry additional weight with the other employees
of the company. (Your GM can grant a +1 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy checks in regards to these people in certain situations.) In addition, you gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff checks, and Bluff is always a class skill for you.
5. Expert Explorer: Choose one Knowledge skill when you gain this trait. You gain a +1 trait bonus to check with that Knowledge skill and Survival checks, and either that Knowledge skill or Survival is a class skill for you. In addition, you treat the machete as a simple weapon.
6. Following in the Footsteps: Whenever you use the aid another action to aid an adjacent ally, increase the bonus you grant your ally by 1. In addition, due to your positive and helpful nature, you gain a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks.
7. Healthy: You gain a +1 trait bonus on Fortitude saves, Swim checks to prevent nonlethal damage from fatigue after swimming for more than an hour at a time, and Constitution checks to prevent fatigue. In addition, you can hold your breath for a number of rounds equal to 3 times your Constitution score.
8. Pathfinder Recruit: You begin play with a standard wayfinder (see sidebar on page 11 of Player's Guide) and you gain a +1 trait bonus on initiative checks.
9. Resourceful: Choose one Craft or Profession skill when you gain this trait. You gain a +1 trait bonus on checks with that skill. In addition, the time required for you to create a magic item is decreased. You require only 8 hours for every 1,500 gp in the item’s base price (instead of the normal 8 hours per 1,000 gp). You can create potions and scrolls whose base price is 375 gp in just 2 hours; potions and scrolls with a base price more than 375 gp but less than 1,500 gp take 8 hours to create, just like any other magic item.
10. Seasoned Hunter: Pick one of the following creature types: aberration, animal, magical beast, or vermin. You gain a +1 trait
bonus on attack rolls or damage rolls (choose one; once chosen it can’t be changed) against creatures of that type.
11. Set Mind: Once per day when you fail a saving throw against a charm or compulsion effect that would cause you to act differently than you normally would, you can immediately re-roll that saving throw as a free action. You must take the second result, even if it’s worse.
12. Skillfull: Once per day when you fail an Acrobatics, Climb, Spellcraft, Stealth, or Use Magic Device check, you can immediately re-roll that check as a free action. You must take the second result, even if it’s worse.
Info on Machetes:
A machete is a light martial weapon that deals 1d6 points of slashing damage. Cost 10gp. This tool is a wide, single-edged blade about 2 ft in length and weighing 2 pounds. Most often used to hack through dense vegetation, it works equally well as a weapon. A character proficient with a machete gains a +1 circumstance bonus on Survival checks to get along in the wild.
====
If I've forgotten to include anything in this initial post, I'll cover it in subsequent posts.
Date: 30th day of Pharast
Time: 7.00pm
Location: The Wise Piper Inn
Evening fell on Belhaim after an eventful afternoon apprehending Silas Gribb and escorting him out of town and back to Cassomir. The old cuckoo clock in the dining hall struck the hours – Seven in the evening.
The Wise Piper Inn was as rustic as the town of Belhaim, itself. It was a well-crafted structure – solid – and clean, although some of the furnishings had seen better days. It was run by the friendly and compassionate Talia Orem, a handsome, slim, brown-haired and brown-eyed Taldan woman perhaps forty winters old. In the corner, by the fireplace, a fiddler played a soft melody for the patrons.
A good-sized tapestry hung across the top of the fireplace depicting a songbird with rainbow plumage, and, each oaken table in the small dining hall had bowls filled with fragrant wild roses. The stranded adventurers were seated at a large, oaken table situated by the hearth lit with welcoming flame, and, candlelight flooded the interior of the Inn. There were pretty paintings hanging on the walls - painted by Talia herself.
Upon the table sat a tall jug of watery mead and a bowl laden with freshly-baked bread. On a longer platter sat two small wheels of local cheeses, and two smaller bowls of local honey – one made from clover which was dark amber in colour and had a mild, floral sweetness with a sour aftertaste – and the other honey produced from orange blossoms – light and fruity. A short, sturdy iron pot sat in the middle of the table; it was filled with a fragrant stew of garden vegetables, strips of venison and cranberries.
There were no other patrons eating in the dining hall – Of the locals the only people present are Talia Orem, a pretty, young serving girl of fourteen winters named Delfi, the Inn's barkeep – a haggard, quiet man in his early 50’s, named Jax, and the elderly fiddler, Jorje. There were six humans working at the Inn (including the Proprietor herself). There were eight living chambers in the Inn – three taken by the locals/workers and five reserved for patrons. They were small living quarters, but comfortable and secure.
Opening the floor for some social rp. The PCs are free to talk among themselves at this point – get to know each other better and discuss the events of the day and what they will do now they are stranded in Belhaim.
Closed Group - My apologies to other players who may stumble upon this thread. Happy gaming on the boards to you.
------------------------------
For your own, respective reasons, you found yourself in Cassomir. An urgent call for adventurers and mercenaries was issued – Caravan Guards were needed for a well-to-do merchant headed into the Verduran Forest. The merchant was a portly, middle-aged, human male named Silas Gribb. He offered each guard 100 gold pieces to be paid once the caravan was safely delivered to Wispil. For your respective reasons (coin, experience, reputation, boredom, etc), you decided to become one of the caravan’s escorts. You were not given much information regarding the cargo you were protecting – merely that it was “delicate cargo” and Silas Gribb would not see it stolen on the road to its final destination.
The journey from Cassomir to the dangerous Verduran Forest was uneventful and the weather held up – fine days and semi-cool nights.
Late afternoon, in the very early days of mid spring (30th day of Pharast), your caravan arrives at the southern gates of the town of Belhaim. Upon arrival, the town’s Sheriff, Sir Pelle Benhovy, and a handful of his most skilled deputies, seize the caravan and arrest Silas Gribb on a warrant for smuggling. You manage to convince the local authorities that you were ignorant of Silas Gribb’s criminal activities and you are not arrested. Within an hour, the sheriff and his best deputies ride out of Belhaim to escort Gribb back south to Cassomir, leaving your group stranded and unpaid in town. The friendly Proprietess of The Wise Piper, a human woman named Talia Orem, takes pity on you and offers you all free room and board at her inn for a few days until you figure out what you will do next.
Courageous and displaced adventurers, welcome to Belhaim. Founded by a famous dragonslayer, Belhaim is a small, rural town located on a tributary of the Verduran Fork in the Verduran Forest of north-central Taldor, on a minor trade road between Wispil (a gnomish city) and Dunholme (a ruined settlement). The tributary runs along the side of the town, connected to the main road by a covered wooden bridge. This is a settlement where everyone knows everyone and strangers are the talk of the town.
This is my first foray as a GM on the Paizo boards - exciting and humbling at the same time.
Character Creation Rules:
Character Level: 1st
Allowable Races: Core + Changeling, Aasimar and Skinwalker.
Classes: Core, Base and Hybrid Classes only. No Third party, please.
Abilities: 20 pt buy (no ability lower than 8).
Alignment: Any non-evil.
Wealth: Roll per class, but if lower than average gold, then take average.
Character Traits: 2 traits of player’s choosing. May take a Drawback for a third trait, however this is not mandatory. Those who choose a drawback will be asked to play it out accordingly/appropriately in game.
Drawbacks permitted: Attached, Avarice, Forgetful, Headstrong, Hedonistic, Loner, Paranoid, Pride, Sentimental, Sheltered, Superstitious, Unlearned, Vain, Xenophobic, Zealous and
Amended Naïve: You take a -2 penalty on Sense Motive and Bluff and a -2 penalty to CMD against Dirty Trick Combat Manoeuvres.
Descriptions of Respective Drawbacks found here
Deities: Those found in Golarion and applicable to your selected alignment.
* Characters/PCs are NOT native to Belhaim.
* No Crafting in game as there is little downtime in which to do so in the adventure.
* There are 4 pre-selected PCs and possibly a DMNPC, if there is an unfilled/necessary role in the game and the PCs are happy to have one.
* I’m into roleplay and not necessarily roll play. There will be times where checks are necessary and I will advise you where they are required in the adventure. I will go ahead with group initiative vs monsters initiative to simplify the process and not hold up action/posting. I want people to enjoy themselves in this adventure.
* Posting Rate: Not set in concrete, but we’ll go with 1-2 times per week day and NO posting on weekends (family and individual time is important).
* I do require a decent backstory (it doesn't have to be a novel *winks*), personality and description of your character.
* No Player versus Player, please. You will need to work together to the best of your ability.
* Drama will not be tolerated. I’m pretty forthright in my communications. If there is any issue, it will be handled off the board, via private messages, whether between me and a player or between the players themselves. Detailed/lengthy OOC (more than three sentences) should be placed on the discussion thread so as to not clutter the main game thread, please.
* If a player will be away from the boards for any extended period (2 or more days), please advise us on the discussion board, so I can take that into consideration. I will extend you all the same courtesy. It can derail a game if people (including the GM) “disappear” without reason and I’d like to see this adventure through with you all.
------------------------
As this group has already been selected, you will have three weeks to create a character and nut out all the final details before we formally start the game. This will also give me time to get my stuff together and also look over your respective characters and make any changes.
You can use the recruitment thread to toss up ideas and talk amongst yourselves during these three weeks. I will attempt to give you as much information as I can in the meanwhile without giving away too much of the game/plot/story. Please don’t read spoilers online as I think that ruins the fun and mystery. It is, afterall, about FUN. ;)
This is for side quests for the Doom Comes To Dustpawn game.
Full Name
Magan Aetheling
Race
Human
Classes/Levels
Slayer/2 | VP 17/17 W26/26 T13| AC 19/13/16 (17/13/14 unshielded)| CMB 4| CMD 15| F +4| R +6| W -1| Init +9 Per +4
Gender
Male
Size
Medium
Age
23
Special Abilities
Mounted Combat, Studied Target, Track
Alignment
LN?
Deity
Odin
Languages
West - Saxon, Cornish
Occupation
Mercenary
Strength
14
Dexterity
17
Constitution
13
Intelligence
12
Wisdom
8
Charisma
10
About Magan Aetheling
Slayer 2
Male human slayer 2
LN Medium humanoid (human)
Magan has slightly curly blonde hair, a full beard and small scars on his face. His features are weather worn making him look much older than his 23 years.
Armour:
Chain Shirt
Spiked heavy wooden shield
Buckler
Weapons:
2 x hand axe - waist
2 x throwing axe - back
Spiked gauntlet
Battleaxe - in shield
Great axe - strapped to horse saddle
3 x dagger - chest and each leg
Composite shortbow +2 str rating
Waterproof weapon roll strapped to Errol's saddle containing longsword and 2 shortswords a light mace and a club
Consumable:
18 arrows
12 days trail rations
2 pints oil
0GP 7sp 22cp
3 days animal feed
Group loot: 28sp, agile breastplate, handaxe, dagger, arrows
Isolde: Buckler and Handaxe
Special :
Waterproof rolled leather case containing heirloom sword - Thea, and signet ring along with rolled noble's garb
Ealing:
horse stats:
Light Riding Horse
N Large animal
Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +6
DEFENSE
AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 9 (+2 Dex, –1 size)
hp 15 (2d8+6)
Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +1
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft.
Melee 2 hooves +3 (1d4+3)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 14, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 7
Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 17 (21 vs. trip)
Feats Endurance, RunB
Skills Perception +6
Tricks:
attack, come, defend, down, guard, and heel
Background - a back story backwards
The year 598 - Brittany
"Bletius will have you hanged for this" Tobias drools. His leg is split open ankle to knee where Jeffrey had cut it open moments before taking Tobias' knife through his throat.
Magan turns, pulls a giant sword from the saddle of his horse. The blade has been dulled and there is no glint as he raises it above his head. Small dents in the handle and guard betray where jewels have been prised from the hilt. The whistle as it swings effortlessly through the air sell the quality of the craftsmanship. The thud of Tobias'head on the floor, the efficacy of the swing.
Then there were 3.
3 minutes earlier
Tobias winces as he struggles to stand on his wounded leg.
"That makes 4 more, how many have we lost today." He stares Magan down, Magan meets the glare and controls the laughter as he wonders whether the question is rhetorical or if Tobias genuinely can't work out the difference berween the 25 they started with and the 9 that remain.
" and all because you care more about you and yours than having our back."
Magan blinks, this could go on a while
"and the girl. You insisted we take that time wasting..."
Yawn
"... Should have cut her down like I said in the first place"
Hang on, this is getting dangerous
"Well better late than never, kill him, kill her, and let's have this all over now"
Once again, steel flies, wood crunches, blood flows
10 minutes earlier
Tobias spits on the ground, grumbling to himself. Every few minutes he scowls at magan across the box of plunder strung between their horses. Tensions are high and the group is otherwise silent.
Ealing suddenly rears, Magan is almost thrown from the saddle as the box spills its contents on the floor. The tug on the rope pulls Tobias from his horse which falls on him. 3 arrows follow taking small Tom from his horse.
Ambush
Then the charge. 3 minutes of swirling chaos later and the dead are once again strewn around
5hours earlier
The mercenary band lands their ship silently on the beach, sweeping in a well practiced arc they ensure they are alone. Darkness has fallen many hours ago and a small glimmer of torchlight shows a sentry post to the east. Leng and Banning move off silently towards it as Jeffrey removes a map from a small pouch on his belt. He studies it for a few minutes before gesturing towards a distant hill.
Toland signals for the group to move out. Magan falls in with Jeffrey as the group winds its way towards the hill.
2 hours later the horses are left tied to some trees with young Tom to look over them as the building begins to fall into view, not a simple wooden structure as expected, but a stone wall, surrounding several structures of wood and stone. Leng and Banning fall back in as Toland gives a series of silent commands. Jeffrey and Magan draw bows and silently remove the guards from the north facing wall.
Guards on a monastery?
Grappling hooks are launched and the band begin the climb. As the first people reach the top of the wall a horn sounds and fighting begins on the eastern wall.
Never mind, the mission continues.
With attention drawn elsewhere the first half a minute is easy, knifes slide between chain links, throats spurt fountains, faces grow steel tongues. Then someone makes a heavy step, a second horn sounds, this one closer and the latrine pit spills it's contents on the cooling reeds.
Go loud
Torches are lit, cries go up, heavy steel is drawn, and the swirling chaos begins. Magan falls back into his old training ground habits, shield up, axe swinging, never stay still. Step left swing, step right duck. Catch the blow with the shield and slice the knee beneath. Throw the axe at the oncoming charge and back to his feet. Jeffrey by his right and Prasutagus to his left for now, but the formation could not hold long, men were falling down the line. Magan glanced to the east and saw the same. A building goes up in flames, the line folds into the full swirling chaos of battle.
And in the midst of it all, a woman, surrounded by her own fallen, fighting like a valkyrie of the legends, laying Christians down left and right.
The year 596 - somewhere in West Devon
The days passed slowly, always moving west. Magan taught Jeffrey to fight, Jeffrey taught Magan to survive in the wild, moving unseen. Always moving west.
2 months earlier
Slipping out of camp was easy, moving through the woods in the dark less so. He had to move quickly, it wouldn't be long before they noticed.
A cry.
And so it begins. Running, tripping, crawling, running. Cries all the time behind as the sun rose in the distance. Then smack.
Magan was facing down an arrow, on the end of the arrow was a bow, and holding that a hooded man. Magans sword was in his hand quick as a flash.
"What are you doing here"
"Poaching, you?" The man's tone was nonchalant, the relaxed calmness that comes from experience.
The cries were getting closer
Magan glanced over his shoulder
"Escaping the army"
The man smiled "Little well dressed for a soldier"
"Looking a little well armed for a poacher"
The cries were getting closer, accompanied by crashing of branches and clinking of chain.
