Birthright Tuornen Chapter 3

[ewancummins]

FOOTHILLS, GHONALLISON

"Aye, why don' yeh go do yer scoutin'," Cormac agrees, creeping over to his horse. "We'll see to the rider. Meet back here when it's done, yeah?"

He joins with Dietric presuming Gunnar agrees, turning and trying to lead the horses silently in the direction the rider is coming from.

Leaving behind Rumbler, Gunnar's ill-tempered charger, Cormac and Dietric lead the other horses down and out of the gulley, proceeding with cautious, quiet tread.


The two men find a low ridge flanked by a row of stunted trees, a good place to hide.The sun is rising now, and the the summits of the gray-blue hills to the east flame red and orange.

Dietric holds the horses while Cormac takes a peek through a shallow break in the ridge top. Sure enough, the lone rider comes into view, approaching from the southeast; a broad shouldered, cloaked figure mounted on a chestnut mare. A long lyre pipe hood and a twist of scarf hide the rider's face. Cormac picks out a war sword hanging in a battered sheath at horseman’s hip.

[ewancummins]

ENDIER

"We'll ask inside where to find one, Reese, instead of walking around with no clue."

She heads inside and finds the Innkeeper to ask just that.

Inside, Dominica finds the wall-eyed little innkeeper happy to direct her to a healer.

"Just go down the street and turn left when you see the butcher's shop. Another block and you'll see the Temple of the Celestial Jewel. They fixed my carbuncles.''

[ewancummins]

DUCAL CHAMBERS, CAER HAES-- DEVLIN, FILBERT, AND BRAEDONNAL

"Good. Braedonnal, we need more men out there beyond the walls. I cannot bear to see any more civilians hanged by these invaders. To that end, I need you to levy us some men from the city. It's their homes that Alam is burning right now, they must rise tto defend them.

"Filbert, I need you to fetch Captain Ghonallison, He must lead these levies alongside Braedonnal and I. I require his military insight."

[steveflam]

ENDIER

"We'll ask inside where to find one, Reese, instead of walking around with no clue."

She heads inside and finds the Innkeeper to ask just that.

Inside, Dominica finds the wall-eyed little innkeeper happy to direct her to a healer.

"Just go down the street and turn left when you see the butcher's shop. Another block and you'll see the Temple of the Celestial Jewel. They fixed my carbuncles.''

"Ah, thank you and I am glad to hear they fixed your carbuncles." She nods respectively and exits the building. Presuming they follow she walks in between both. "Now I have been thinking about something and thought you might like to hear what I have to say, so I shall."

"Let us say, for arguments sake, we can find merceneries, good men here. Lots of them, say. So many, in fact that, we could use these men to go back with us to Caer Haes. Help the young Duke Devlin. This, of course is just a thought, idea if you wish. I believe he is in much need of help and these merceneries would be a blessing."

[ewancummins]

CITY WATCH HQ

Rennault wakes and almost instinctively reaches for the mug. Normally the sort of man to eschew creature comforts, the last few days have exhausted him so that the stein was welcome. Probably Gilly again. A sentimental man, the sergeant, but a good one to have in a scrap. And in a siege, so it would seem.

The last few days had been the demons' own business. His men had poured boiling-hot oil onto the attackers as they came. And when the next wave had arrived, his flaming arrows had lit the spilled oil, turning spots of the battlefield orange with flame and black with the smoke of charred Alamians.

He smiles, remembering.

Soon, his senses are gathered enough to check the parchments. "Bloody hell...new orders?" He picks them up to examine the parchment.

The first parchment contains a long list of estimated losses or warehoused goods, with frequent colorful interjections, and bears the signatures of a dozen or so merchants of the two. The next few sheets prove to be further complaints about damaged property and lost business, these from foreign –based trading guilds. Flipping down through the stack, Renn finds a report on a bakery riot; rumors of food shortages have already hit the city. Some heads busted by Coll’s goon squad, but no one killed and the bakery was saved intact. Most of the rest consists of inventory and manpower counts. Short on arrows, bows, and volunteer archers (locals with hunting bows are notably less common here than in the hills of Renn’s home province, north near the Five Peaks). Short on rations. Not short on dressings and bandages—thanks to donations from some of the local cloth-sellers.
The last sheet turns out to be soft rag-paper, not scraped-over parchment. Blue spidery script reads-
I know the toymaker’s secret. If you would like to know it too, come to the play tonight at The World’s Stage. My sign will be a yellow mask.

[Varrus the Ethical]

"Ah, thank you and I am glad to hear they fixed your carbuncles." She nods respectively and exits the building. Presuming they follow she walks in between both. "Now I have been thinking about something and thought you might like to hear what I have to say, so I shall."

"Let us say, for arguments sake, we can find merceneries, good men here. Lots of them, say. So many, in fact that, we could use these men to go back with us to Caer Haes. Help the young Duke Devlin. This, of course is just a thought, idea if you wish. I believe he is in much need of help and these merceneries would be a blessing."

"One cannot be both a mercenary or a good man, my Lady. And I didn't bring enough gold to hire a useful number of sellswords, anyway. Finally, I suspect that Alamie has already hired most of the sellswords in Endier. Any who haven't are likely already on their way to either Haes or Lofton to sell there services. And though your desire to help is admirable, my only concern is seeing you safely to Coeranys."

[Adam]

Cormac creeps back towards Dietric and whispers, "Aye, one rider. 'E's armed, but I migh' be more suspicious if he wasn't, given our surroundin's."

He gives Dietric a cautious look. "I'll go down an' talk to 'im. You keep a look ou'. If somethin' seem suspicious, come runnin' wi' tha' axe in yer hand."

With that he turns and creeps into the rider's path, waiting casually with his spear in his hand and bow over his shoulder.

[steveflam]

Dominica merely nods at Roald's response and keeps walking towards their destination.

[RocEter]

Cormac creeps back towards Dietric and whispers, "Aye, one rider. 'E's armed, but I migh' be more suspicious if he wasn't, given our surroundin's."

He gives Dietric a cautious look. "I'll go down an' talk to 'im. You keep a look ou'. If somethin' seem suspicious, come runnin' wi' tha' axe in yer hand."

With that he turns and creeps into the rider's path, waiting casually with his spear in his hand and bow over his shoulder.

The lone rider comes around the base of the hill towing a pony behind with additional supplies. Other than his light traveling cloak the rider appears to be dressed for the chilly weather up here in the north. Between the riders hood and twist of scarf it's makes it difficult to see his face.

As the rider gets closer Cormac can see thick tufts of tawny colored hair sticking out of the scarf and hood. The riders eyes are yellow and intense as they search the surrounding area and watch Cormac.

"You lost, stranger?" The rider says as he stops short of Cormac.

[Lord Skybolt]

"Aye, why don' yeh go do yer scoutin'," Cormac agrees, creeping over to his horse. "We'll see to the rider. Meet back here when it's done, yeah?"

He joins with Dietric presuming Gunnar agrees, turning and trying to lead the horses silently in the direction the rider is coming from.

On looking at Cormac looking at him to scout he looks at his departing back thinking: I can't scout in field plate as it does not make for a quiet scout . He waits with the horse for Cormac to come back for him to take look as he is only in leather armor, which is much better suited to scout a hill than what Gunnar is armored up in .

[VAN]

DUCAL CHAMBERS, CAER HAES-- DEVLIN, FILBERT, AND BRAEDONNAL

"Good. Braedonnal, we need more men out there beyond the walls. I cannot bear to see any more civilians hanged by these invaders. To that end, I need you to levy us some men from the city. It's their homes that Alam is burning right now, they must rise tto defend them.

"Filbert, I need you to fetch Captain Ghonallison, He must lead these levies alongside Braedonnal and I. I require his military insight."

"Will be done Your Grace, but do you know where is Captain Ghonallison right now? I know he has departed to come here but do you know his exact location right now?"

[JMaytr]

"Well Filbert, I imagine he is at the city watch HQ, though he may not be. Perhaps thats the firt place to look?"

[Varrus the Ethical]

Dominica merely nods at Roald's response and keeps walking towards their destination.

Roald follows Dominica, resting his hand casually on the hilt of his sword as he keeps an eye out for trouble.

[ewancummins]

"Aye, why don' yeh go do yer scoutin'," Cormac agrees, creeping over to his horse. "We'll see to the rider. Meet back here when it's done, yeah?"

He joins with Dietric presuming Gunnar agrees, turning and trying to lead the horses silently in the direction the rider is coming from.

On looking at Cormac looking at him to scout he looks at his departing back thinking: I can't scout in field plate as it does not make for a quiet scout . He waits with the horse for Cormac to come back for him to take look as he is only in leather armor, which is much better suited to scout a hill than what Gunnar is armored up in .

Gunnar waits...

Pebbles roll down from the heights. Looking up Gunnar spots a half dozen bent figures creeping over the top of the ridge, headed right for his position. Ugly, hissing voices cry out-
''A human! We found a human!"
Gunnar picks out the points of spears and arrowheads glinting in the early morning sun.
The goblins haven't reached his position yet. He still has time to mount and flee. Looking at the steep slope, Gunnar knows his horse would have trouble charging up at the oncoming goblins. Will he run, fight, or talk? Whatever his choice, he must make it soon, of the patrol will catch him.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

WATCH HQ

Rennault reads over the notes, nodding with approval as he sees the goon squad's effectiveness in suppressing what could have been a nasty situation. Maybe there would be a place in the watch for that big fellow with the cudgel. Or if not, it never hurt a Watch Commander's chances to know a few of the seedier folk in town.

He finds the last note on the rag and blinks in confusion. He'd nearly forgotten about the Toymaker in all the chaos of battle, but now -would- be the time the enemy would strike at his Duke. After all, Renn had been thinking about doing the same thing to Alamie's commanders...

It strikes him as odd that, in the midst of a siege, Haes could stage theatre. A testament to his men's effectiveness in preserving order, perhaps. Whatever the case, he knows he must see the Duke, and soon. He briefly checks himself in the mirror, then head for the palace to discuss the grim work ahead.