Orick Faust
Hortin grins at his food parcel and the little boy. "Go go go, enjoy the market and don't worry the next show is after I finish eating this with Tillispey. Take your time, Orick."
The Red Barn
Valdimir finds the dog pretty happy to trot next to him round the side to Taya. He sees Nagy help Korgoth get up into the hay loft.
From the corner (where Vladimir can see a waving ribbon) it is only about twenty five feet to the double doors and Daetha. Orick has run off.
Back in the loft Korgoth and Taya can here voices down below, voices coming up through the trapdoor from the stables. Looking down through the trapdoor, they can see Finwe listening and hiding behind two bales on the edge of the lower loft. There are steps down and the start of a ladder is visible.
A pony whinnies.
Seeing that Vladimir is trying to get the dog to come with him, Daetha dashes over to help. He likes dogs, although his family has never been able to afford to keep one, so he doesn’t have much experience with them.
“Here boy,” he says, patting his leg and trying to get the dog to come. He glances at the other boy. “Do you know who’s dog it is?” he asks.
Nagy, with some difficulty, joins the others in the loft.
As Nagy starts to slip a little, he manages to grip the window edge and scramble to safety. Taya moves to help the little independent tyke but it proves unnecessary.
Meanwhile the dog takes an instant liking to Daetha. The hound may be a vicious guard dog but he is yet to show any signs, more like a family pet.
And the halflings do keep dogs.
Vladimir gets into position to where he can see the ribbon when waved. He gently pets the dog and hopes that when the time is right the canine's natural protective instincts will take over. Vladimir moves close to the double doors as possible with still seeing the signal and waits to cause a distraction hoping the dog will scare off some of the boys and the other boys will chase him. If it works hopefully the remaining children can rescue the hostage.
Taya looks doubtfully at the big bales.
"Do we want to block off the doors? We might be able to push them down, but it's not going to help if we trap Daetha and Vlad in there with Jerrid's gang."
Very, very cautiously she peers over, trying to spot Asfer.
Taya cannot see over the six foot high, two foot thick wall of bales. But she, Nagy and Korgoth can see that the wall stretches the full width of the barn from the doors to the opposite wall.
To see Asfer, someone will need to go down through the trapdoor to the where Finwe is on the lower loft. They would need to be very quiet too.
Daetha scratches the dog behind the ear. “Good boy,” he says. Then, a little doubtfully to Vlad; “He doesn’t look that scary…”
Taya cannot see over the six foot high, two foot thick wall of bales. But she, Nagy and Korgoth can see that the wall stretches the full width of the barn from the doors to the opposite wall.
To see Asfer, someone will need to go down through the trapdoor to the where Finwe is on the lower loft. They would need to be very quiet too.
Nagy, Korgoth and Taya all hear a little slap followed by a roar from Jerrid, "b*!$#! horse kissin' slut!"
"How about a bigger smile! I can slice this up your cheeks so quick!"
Taya flinches back at the sounds from below.
"We've got to stop this now." she hisses, groping her way down to the next level and looking desperately around her for something to drop on Jerrid.
Taya negotiates the steps down through the trapdoor, towards where Finwe is.
Move silently (fingers crossed): (1d20-1=18)
Fear for Asfer's safety and hatred of Jerrid's behaviour make Taya's feet take on a silent life of their own.
Those in the Barn Loft
"Jerrid. Ain't right us putting a scare in Korgoth is one thing but not cutting up his girl. I'm getting out of here. Leeth will kill us if anyone gets hurt!"
"Go coward and if you do I will cut you next. That Korgoth marked me and I'm gunna mark him too!" Jerrid's voice is easy to hear, commanding and full of menace.
"It's not right. That's all I'm sayin' Don't cut me, I was just jokin'"
answers a weaselly voice. "Where's Seddani? he should be here."
Another voice laughs, it sounds like Jerrid's brother, "you want to go take a look, mouse heart! Jerrid said Korgoth will come. And he will. Or else I'm gunna have some fun with his girlie."
--
Nagy tries to quietly slip down to follow his sister, but is over-hurried.
"What was that?" hisses a small voice from below.
"Yes, what was it? I heard something, too big to be rats," answers Jerrid. "Get up there."
"Who?" says the weaselly voice.
"You."
Orick quickly runs back to retrieve his valuable waterskin. Then he creeps over to the barn to see what the others are up too.
Horrified, Taya gestures at Korgoth and mouths
"Wave that ribbon! They heard us."
She creeps to the trapdoor with Nagy, still trying to hide.
"Keep still and see if he spots us. If he does, we could try pushing him. We need to get Asfer out of here."
Vladimir runs to the door with the dog and kicks it open he attempts to have the dog growl and bark menanancly. He feels a new confidence from his friends and a sense of need to help others he screams at Jerrid and his gang
"that's enough Jerrid!!!, your games are over drop the dagger and I do not let this dog loose on you guys!
The ladder creaks and Finwe points down with her little dagger.
"I don't think it was naught, Jerrid," says the weasel voice. The small sharp face of Darnis appears above the lip, his mouth opens into an Oh in shock at seeing Nagy, Taya and Finwe.
Taya sees that Korgoth is swishing his branch and not paying any attention to her mouthings.
Korgoth, wrapped up in trying to figure out how to use the branch as a weapon fails to see the signal.
Korgoth sees the frantic waving of Taya out of the corner of his eye. He turns and begins waving to the boys outside. So hard that the ribbon slips through his fingers.
Meanwhile Vladimir and the hound disappear round the front..
The double doors spring open and light floods into the barn.
Vladimir sees two boys stood in the open middle. One is a tall, thin boy staring upwards, Kollar Kinslarn. The other is a large hulking fellow, Ilran, he is slightly further back nearer the wall.
Two long aisles run away left and right with three foot high fenced stables either side, above them are two lofts of hay. In the shadows, Jerrid can be seen stood in the second stable.
Darnis can be seen frozen on the ladder with the others in the shadows.
Vladimir (and Daetha) notice that the hound seems to sense something is up and a low growl comes out when it sees the boys in the barn.
Korgoth prepares to join the others at their position.
Almost as startled as Darnis, Taya reacts instinctively, slapping her own hand over the little weasel's mouth and shoving backwards hard.
She prepares to follow Darnis down the ladder.
Taya
Daetha, concentrating on the dog, misses the signal; but he sees Vlad begin to run, and in an instant is up, running with him towards the barn.
He keeps a hold of the dog’s collar, either to get it to come if it does not seem inclined, or perhaps to hold it back if things get out of control.
Taya reacts to Darnis first.
As she pushes hard against his face, the boy slips backwards his arms flailing.
As he falls, little Darnis twists catlike just avoiding landing on his face. The boy lands in a heap with a dull thud, in the middle of the all four boys and the hound.
Nagy descends the ladder as rapidly as he can.
initiative in the barn
Initiative Roll.
Jerrid shouts from the stables, "Kollar! Kollar! where's Korgoth." He disappears from view and re-appears with Asfer in one big arm and a dagger near her face.
He snarls, "Korgoth Darkhand!"
Oh god oh god oh god let me not have killed him, please please ...
Taya hurls herself down the ladder and grabbing Jerrid's dagger wielding arm from behind, bites him hard in the wrist.
Biting Jerrid's wrist: (1d20-1=13)
"Bully, you taste as disgusting as you look." she yells.
Taya climbs down the ladder, passed Darnis' body and Kollar along the aisle and stops when she reaches the shut stable gate.
Jerrid stares at her wide eyed. Briefly.
Korgoth shows himself to the bully Jeridd.
"Jeridd you piece of scum! You want me? Fight me like a man instead of torturing young girls you lily-livered puke!"
"Come here or she gets a big smile! It's you I want."
Kollar is frozen by the sight of Darnis lying still. His fingers twist in his leggings.
"Kollar, help me." But Jerrid's words go unheeded.
Finwe leans out a little from the first level of the hayloft with her dagger raised, waiting for a shot at Jerrid.
The hound erupts in barks, that bounce off the walls and hit everyone. Daetha and Vladimir can just about restrain it as the dog jumps forwards in hops against the rope. This is all too much for Kollar and he runs off into the farthest stables away from the hound and Jerrid. Blubbing tears and cries can be heard from him afterwards.
The big farmer's boy Ilran stares wide eyed at the beast.
Daetha has not, until now, really appreciated the situation that might face them within the barn. Now, seeing Jerrid holding the girl, his face hardens, and he has a sudden, momentary urge to hurt the older boy. For an instant, he considers letting go of the dog in the hopes that it will attack the other boys, but he reigns in that impulse at the same time he attempts to reign in the now excited dog.
It suddenly occurs to him that there is something far more important than teaching Jerrid a lesson. “Someone needs to get that girl away,” he says quietly, either to himself or Vlad.
Some of Daetha's tension transmits to the hound, its barking increases.
"Come here or she gets a big smile! It's you I want."
...
Korgoth descends to the central space
"I don't know what you have against me Jeridd, but you have caused enough problems. Unhand Asfer and I'll meet you one-on-one ... that is unless you are too much of a coward to fight me that way."
Korgoth brandishes his stick
"If you insist we can fight stick to dagger, but that way I will hurt you. I prefer fists if you want to settle something. Darnis is already hurt, let's not let this thing get any worse."
"Jerrid let the girl go, if you touch her with that dagger this dog is gonna eat you, and the rest of us will make you pay five fold!" Vladimir's face darkens as he takes his move action walking towards Jerrid with the hound "It seems to me you have only one option, drop the dagger and run for safety you do this now and you may have a chance to escape, look around all your boys are defeated". Vladimir raises his voice and glares at Jerrid "I am gonna count to six if you are still here I am letting go of this dog...one....two...three...."
As Vladimir's voice rises, the hound gets more and more frantic. It pulls hard on the leash. It is aimed at the nearest target, the dumb Ilran. The teeth are fully bared now as the barks take on a frightening aspect. This dog could be a killer.