[WFRP] The Lord of Lost Heart (II)

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar bit his lip, and there was blood. Through his empty-eyed stare, Illiiya ran. He watched the knight take a second swing at her and slowly, too slowly, he moved to interfere. His shield was splintered and battered, barely more than a wooden thing, flimsy and fragile. His chest ached. His head throbbed and there was something wrong with all his limbs.

Lothar watched Illiiya flee and knew he had to help. He stepped against the knight again, sword flicking towards the slits in the former man's helmet. He stepped sideways, pushed his flimsy, worthless shield forward - and then bolted. He ran, legs working through the treacle of his mind.

[Exeson]

Ithelus continued to shout for help as he dragged Pieter through the house. He made an educated guess from his previous visit here, looking for a drawing room or similar.

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Ithelus will try to find a chair/sofa to rest Pieter on, all the while calling for help. Once he has found somewhere he will head to check the stables for a horse unless someone answers his calls.

[LCP]

Ithelus' shouts received no answer but their own echo, bouncing down the long stone corridor. Dragging Pieter away from the stairwell, Ithelus made for the nearest door. Propping it open, he saw it led into the west hall. The room was unlit, its windowless outer wall casting the shabby tapestries and moth-eaten carpet into deep shadow. The cold cinders of an old fire were mouldering in the hearth.

From behind him, he could hear voices growing louder. It sounded like the action in the crypt had moved onto the stairs.

~

As Lothar turned to flee, the knight came surging forwards. At first, Lothar tensed to defend himself - but the armoured figure only pushed past him, rushing after Illiiya instead.

OOC:

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Post breaks here to see if Lothar takes a free attack as he passes.

[Exeson]

Ithelus looks at the room for a moment before dragging Pieter in. Using his enhanced night vision he navigated himself to a chair and propped Pieter in it. 'Come on, just hold out for me ok? I'll go get help.'

Just then his keen hearing picked up commotion from the cellar. Ithelus hesitated, indecisive about his plan to run.

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So moe action 5 squares to the nearest chair, standard action to prop Pieter in the chair, is that ok or could the propping be done as part of the move action?

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Too fast... I never thought he could... Why are humans slow until they're trying to kill me?!

Illiiya turned to find the knight right on her heels. Fleeing seemed futile, and she knew not what else she could do. She was too weak to fight and too slow to flee. She had few options... and could only think of one.

Desperate... are you? She told the armored figure, How far you've fallen must burn without this. I had no idea it was the blade, but you NEED it, don't you?

Illiiya stepped back, holding the blade defensively as Lothar taught her. She was no warrior, but she would try. She would die trying.

OOC:

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I considered tossing the thing to Lothar, but Illiiya would rather go down swinging than endanger him to the sword. An attack it is.

To hit: (1d100)[89]
Damage: (1d10+3)[4]
Ulrics? (1d100)[82]
Ulrics damage? (1d10)[10], (1d10)[6]

Illiiya will make ONE attack and save an action to parry for the inevitable counter-strike. The mage is in melee.... god help us all. I'd use a fortune point on the parry if I had one.

Parry: (1d100)[45]

Pretty sure that's a fail all around.

[LCP]

Lothar's sword hacked into the knight's side below the fauld of his plate as he pushed past. It was a blow that might have felled another man, but the knight seemed not to feel it, not even slowing his headlong pursuit. As Illiiya disappeared around the bend in the stairs, he sprinted after her, the clatter of his encumbering armour echoing as he ran.

~

Upstairs, Ithelus had just managed to manhandle Pieter up into the chair when he heard the rapid hammering of feet growing louder in the corridor outside.

[Exeson]

Ithelus paused at the sound of feet padding up the stairs. They didn't sound like the knight to his hearing. Could Illiiya and Lothar changed their mind? Had they decided that the best course of action was in fact to flee? Or was this just a trap?

Ithelus slowly padded out of the room, gently closing the door behind him. His priority was still to get help for Pieter, but if Lothar had fled then they might be able to carry him to the town themselves. However, if it was a trap, then Pieter would just slow him down...

'Iliiya? Lothar? is that you?' He called.

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Ithelus will make a full move instead of a run. see my OOC post for details.

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

It.... won't... bring her back... Illiiya muttered, her teeth clenched in anguish. Just.... let it... be over...

She tugged herself weakly from the knight's grip... struggling to stay on her feet as her vision blurred. Shock was setting in, and she felt woozy. Desperately, she tried to recall the words to her spell.

OOC:

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Trying for a drain life. I don't know if that will "fix" the chance of death, since it restores wounds... but it's all she's got. Since we already ruled it's not a missile, I can cast it in melee.

Channeling: (1d100)[38]
Casting: (1d10)[8], (1d10)[9], (1d10)[7]
Damage, if any: (1d10)[2]

Bleed out chance? I don't know if I roll that on my turn, but if so... here goes! (1d100)[77]

Edit: K, didn't die and I stole.... 2 wounds. Not much, but if it saves me from possibly slipping the mortal coil, I'll take it!

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar breathed, the sound catching in his lungs. He hesitated. Illiiya was around the corner, the knight in pursuit. With the fallen Panther between him and her, there was little he could do to stop the thing turning on him. And then! and then Illiiya would return, and she would die.

..but that was only if the knight still felt emotion. Didn' really seem so, did it?

The soldier's body moved faster than his sluggish, grey-soaked thoughts, and he followed the ringing form of his invisible opponent, sword drawn.

[LCP]

Lothar slammed into the knight and pulled him almost drunkenly to one side. He tried to bar the way with the edge of his sword, but the knight pushed it aside, its edge sliding from his armour. Head down, he thundered up the stairs after Illiiya.

At the top of the stairs, Ithelus had just reached the door to the great hall when Illiiya burst from the stairwell, the sword in her hands. Sprinting out into the hallway, she stopped as she saw Ithelus standing alone, Pieter's blood daubing his sleeves. Behind her, the weaponless knight came charging into view.

[Exeson]

'Illiiya!' Ithelus gasps as he saw her holding the knight's sword. He didn't have time to say any more before the Knight appeared at the top of the stairs, pounding after the tiny elf.

'Run!' he shouted as he made to grab her hand.

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Run action to leave the manor

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar shook his head. She was far ahead now, surely - elves ran fast. He'd seen it. If they could get him out, surround him...

He ran up the stairs.

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Ith! Illiiya cried out, rushing towards him with her stolen blade, Hurry!

She rushed to him, and more... leading Ithelus outside as quickly as she could. Perhaps with more room to move, they could swarm him... surround him and bring him down with his blade. She did not have the stomach to ask if Pieter was all right. So long as she held the blade, part of her did not even care. Destroying her enemy was first and foremost in her thoughts.

OOC:

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Actions as stated in the OOC channel. Illiiya shall withdraw at top speed until we're outside, only stopping to return if Lothar should need her. Then maybe we can all gang up on the knight and wedge this sword in his face neck groin heart.

[LCP]

Ithelus led the way, raising his arms in front of him to throw the gates of the great hall wide as he burst out into the night. The elves' feet flew over the muddy hillside, the sword clutched tight in Illiiya's hands.

The knight came charging after them, but he could not match their speed. Staggering to a halt in the doorway, he caught his balance against the frame, staring out after the thieves' receding backs. In the entrance to the corridor a few yards behind, Lothar found himself sizing up his own possibilities for escape.

OOC:

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I've resolved two rounds here, breaking off on Lothar's initiative step in the second round to get his plan for getting round the knight. Note that's not to say that the knight might not keep running and clear up the doorway - but Lothar has to make the call at this point in time.

Map:

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[goblinpaladin]

Lothar hesitated for a moment. He breathed out and some tension slid from his shoulders. then pressed himself to the back wall of the hall - he ran around the knight.

[LCP]

Lothar, Ithelus & Illiiya

The hall was long and large, and Lothar's footsteps echoed as he ran. The knight turned in the doorway, looking straight back in Lothar's direction – but he didn't give chase. With the sword gone from his hands, it was no longer clear which of them was the hunter, and which the hunted.

Reaching the door at the far end of the hall, Lothar cannoned through it. He raced through the kitchen, blundered a few steps down a false turn, then realised his error and turned in the true direction of the back door. Bursting out into the stableyard, he ran past the empty stalls towards the gate.

The weather was growing fouler by the hour, a low wind moaning through the eaves of the manor. All around, the monk's tonsure of forest that surrounded the mound hissed and rustled in the rain – but beyond one narrow spit of trees, a diffuse orange glow flickered through the rain. It seemed the Flychers' house was still burning.

Feet flying, he bowled down the hill towards the narrow path and the village below, looking left and right for the elves. If the knight was after him, he saw no sign of him in the dark.

~

At the foot of the hill, Ithelus and Illiiya slowed and stopped. Their shins were splattered with mud from their headlong descent, and the rain had soaked their clothes. It didn't help that Ithelus' coat had a couple of fresh tears in it from where he had used it to foul the knight's sword, but at least the rain was washing Pieter's blood out of the sleeves.

Up ahead, the misty light of the burning house illuminated the rain-swept village square. The well, standing alone, the occasional gust of wind making the bucket bob on its rope; the shapeless mass of the knight's horse, crumpled in front of the Faulebrands' door. There was no sign of Leopold or Aloysius any more – the young man must have carried his father inside. Or dragged him, considering the difference in weight.

The sword glistened in the wet firelight. It was strange to see it so close. It looked out of place in Illiiya's hands – almost three feet of tempered iron with a hand-and-a-half grip, its wicked edge still seeming as sharp as it must have been the day it was interred in the tomb. It didn't gleam like Marius' sword, it had no ornate details on the hilt or the blade, but somehow it seemed to be more real. It wasn't a statement or an accessory. It was just a weapon.

Illliiya Only

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Carrying the sword sent prickles of revulsion running through Illiiya's fingers, but she kept a tight grip nonetheless. To her second sight, the thing was alight with power, its black miasma crawling over her hands. Whenever she looked at it, she felt the instinctive urge to hold her breath so that she could not inhale the creeping corruption.

She saw Ithelus looking at it, though. She saw his eyes on the blade, and a voice that she was not sure was her own whispered to her that he was looking at it with envy.

Suddenly, the elves became aware of rapid footfalls approaching from the hill. Retreating a little further down the street, they turned and saw Lothar tearing down the path. There seemed to be no-one on his tail.

---

1

Pieter

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Pieter woke to the sensation of something cold against his cheek. He fuzzily lifted a hand to push it away. What was that... metal?

He blinked, his eyes refusing to focus. His whole body felt empty, drained. Something had happened to his arm. He couldn't feel his arm. Was that right? He rolled onto his side.

He could feel his arm, and it screamed, and he screamed too. He blacked out again. When he came round, it was to the cold touch of metal on his skin again. He forced his eyes to focus, and found them focusing on the shiny backplate of a steel gauntlet. The knight. The knight was standing over him.

Before Pieter could move, the tip of a sword touched his throat. Not the sword, he realised – it was Pieter's sword. The thin blade looked amusingly incongruous in the knight's armoured fist, or at least would have if its point had not been pressing against his jugular. The knight's visor met his eyes for a good few seconds before he spoke.

“Your friends have taken something from me. We are going to get it back.”

Waiting to see if Pieter tried any sudden movements, he thrust the sword into his empty scabbard. It hung rather loose there.

“Try anything,” he said, “and you will lose more than your arm.”

Picking up Pieter with both hands, he slung the injured man over his shoulders and turned towards the door.

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Illiiya glanced to Ithelus, then to the blade held tightly in her hand, and shook her head sternly.

No. She told him in an almost threatening tone, It must be.... destroyed. Where is Pieter?

She looked to Lothar as he approached, seeming almost defensive at his coming as well. She chided herself for a moment as she reflexively backed from him, putting her body between the sword and her friends. She needed be rid of it, before it wormed it's way into her mind further.

OOC:

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No much more to say. Illiiya will keep the sword away from the boys and keep an eye out for the knight... staying away from blind corners and ambush spots, if she can. Who knows, the plate-wearing bastard could be stealthy.

I shouldn't be swamped for the next day or three, so I shouldn't have an issue posting, but if something comes up, assume she'll keep with Lothar and Ith (though at a safe "no takin' my sword" 2 or 3 squares distance) and look for Pieter. If they have another plan, she'll probably go along with... unless it involves giving up the sword. If they have NO plan, she'll want to take it to the shrine of Shallya.

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar slid to a muddy, soaked halt. He clutched at his left arm, winced, and shook his head. His chest was still soaked in his own blood. Rainwater mingled with it, turning the shredded and faded remnants a blotchy brown and the chain into rust. His shoulders slumped, and his remaining eye flickered between the elves.

"Where - where's Pieter? You didn' get him out?"

[-Sentinel-]

Nuln.

Pieter stood in the middle of a wide, cobbled street. It was almost dawn; the eastern horizon was taking on a reddish hue and the stars were fading. The first thing that struck Pieter was how clean, perfect and empty the city was, like a life-sized, idealized model built by some insane architect. No trash in the gutters, no horse excrement all over the ground, no foul smells. The tall houses were in a pristine state, as if built this very year. There were no beggars snoring in the back alleys, no drunks lurching home, no guards patrolling the streets. Silence was almost complete; no barking of dogs or chirping of birds, and not a sound from the usually noisy College of Engineers. Such flawlessness was deeply unsettling. Was this the realm of Morr? An overly perfect mirror image of the land of the living?

Pieter looked down at himself and saw that he was still in his wet, blood-soaked robes. His right arm was slashed in two places, though the pain felt rather remote. No, the initiate thought, this was not death. He could not possibly spend eternity in the sorry state in which he had died. It was simply not fair.

As pink began to color the horizon, he wandered in the half-familiar, half-forgotten streets, looking for a sign of life. Any sign of life, even a dog or a rat; something to show him that he was not alone. He briefly considered yelling, but it seemed almost blasphemous to raise his voice in such an utter silence. Yet, he knew after but a few minutes, no one would be bothered even if he screamed at the top of his lungs. This world was empty.

Or so he thought. He almost jumped out of his skin when he caught movement not ten feet ahead while rounding a corner; orange-colored movement. None other than Mr. Cat was padding softly on the cobblestones, as if hunting. Hunting for what in this place, Pieter did not know. The feline saw him, stopped in his tracks and gave him the look of disdainful indifference typical of all cats everywhere. Grinning like a fool, the initiate reached out and ran his fingers through the animal’s striped fur, relieved that his only companion in Empty Nuln deigned to let him touch him. Mr. Cat purred contentedly for a moment, then sprang away from him and headed south with purposeful swiftness. Pieter followed him.

The cat led him from street to street in a sinuous, seemingly random path. The Ranaldite remembered every single place he passed through; the city was exactly as he had left it, except for the eerie emptiness. This alley was the place where Pieter had lifted the fattest purse in all his thieving career; this tavern was where Pieter’s eldest half-brother, Viktor, had worked as a bouncer for years; this corner was where the blind beggar lady ran her shell game scam; and this tanner’s shop over there had been a front for a brothel catering to men who loved other men.

The only sound came when the great clock of Nuln, half a city away, rang six times. How could it still keep time, wondered Pieter, with no one around to wind it up every day? If this all was but a dying dream, the answer was probably meaningless. But as the eastern sky turned to yellow, an inexplicable feeling of urgency gripped Pieter. Somewhere deep down, he knew that if the sun caught him in this place, he would be lost. Salvation lay wherever Mr. Cat was taking him – which was apparently the port district, the part of Nuln that he knew best.

The houses became smaller and less adorned, and Pieter knew they would also look shabbier if this were the real Nuln. The streets were narrow and some were unpaved. This was the poorer, more crime-ridden area, the part where guards did not venture in groups of less than three. Up ahead, Mr. Cat stopped at the mouth of a back-alley that met the street at a crooked angle. Pieter remembered the place well. It was where he had last seen his old master Berthold before leaving Nuln in search of adventure and enlightenment. If his instinct was right, the chase through the city would end right here. Not a minute too soon; the rising sun was basking the roofs, and it would not be long before it touched the streets and destroyed the Ranaldite where he stood, for reasons he could not explain.

Mr. Cat paused and turned his intense yellow eyes towards the initiate, as if making sure he was still following. Then he dashed into the alley. Pieter smiled and followed him in.

---

1

LCP only

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Pieter’s arm was wracked with pain. His throat was dry. His clothes were wet. His legs were shivering and tired. His nostrils were filled with the stench of decay. There was metal pressed against his cheek.

He opened his eyes. It was dark, and the knight filled his vision.

Oh, right. I’m still here.

He blacked out from the pain in his arm. When his senses came back to him, the situation had not improved; not that he had been expecting it to. More than any other time in his life, Pieter wished he were back in Nuln. The real one, that was.

“Your friends have taken something from me,” said the knight. “We are going to get it back.”

It did not take too long for Pieter, even in his half-conscious state, to figure out what something was. He knew he should be feeling a surge of triumph or at least hope at his friends’ small victory, but he could see no way out for himself, which did damper his optimism somewhat.

Look at the bright side – the knight needs you alive for now.

“No need to hurry, I don’t think they’re planning to sell it,” he mumbled, barely finding the strength to form the words. “’Cept maybe Ithelus.”

“Try anything and you will lose more than your arm,” the knight warned.

“There goes my plan to bite my way free,” Pieter just had time to wheeze before the knight grabbed him. He bit back a scream of pain as his wounded arm pressed against his captor’s armor. “Ow, careful!” he protested weakly.

[Exeson]

Ithelus looked to the ground, ashamed. 'He was too heavy for me to carry what with the knight chasing us. I was... I was running to go and get someone to help and then Illiiya had the sword and he was running after her and it all just happened so fast.'

Ithelus looked around the scene. 'We still need to find people. People to help us kill the knight. Someone who can help Pieter.' The elf avoided eye contact with the others, 'If the knight hasn't gotten to him first.'

Ithelus touched Illiiya on the shoulder, 'You're not a fighter, and Lothar is too wounded to be much use.' He held out his hand.

[LCP]

Lothar, Illiiya & Ithelus

It didn't take long for the door of the Faulebrands' house to open to Ithelus' insistent knocking. Leopold met them at the threshold. There was no sign of his father. The young man's face was pale, his supply of words seemingly dried up - but when he saw the sword Illiiya was holding, what Ithelus was suggesting needed little explanation. He let himself out, closing and locking the door behind him.

Rousing the rest of the village was going to be more difficult. Choosing the nearest cottage that didn't have the white 'X' of the plague daubed on its door, Ithelus knocked. There was no reply from inside.

Ithelus knocked again, more insistently. After a few moments' silence, a frightened voice called out from inside:

"Go away! We - we don't want any trouble!"

---

1

Pieter

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The knight took no notice of Pieter's discomfort, striding on towards the door. Pieter's quips seemed wasted on him.

Dangling over the man's armoured shoulders, Pieter could smell the sour stench of decay on him. Rain-sodden flies watched him from the joints and seams in the armour, crawling around the torn wound in the centre of the rusted breastplate. From time to time they would fan and vibrate their stubby wings, trying to dry the drops of moisture that kept them grounded.

The great rent over the knight's heart wasn't the only damage he had sustained. The back of his left vambrace was scored with bright scratches. At the joints where mail or leather showed, torn links dangled, the padding beneath cut deep by piercing blows. The deepest wound seemed even to show a hint of blood, although the knight showed no sign of discomfort.

The old house was groaning in the wind. Taking a last look back - Pieter could only guess at what - the knight pushed open the great front doors and stepped out into the rainy night.

OOC:

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No reply necessary yet.

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar bit his lip, glancing between Illiiya and Ithelus. "It's a'right," he muttered. "You're no fighter either." He glanced over his shoulder, back up at the night-shrouded manor.

"Right now, none of us are."

He blinked his one eye against the rain, lowered his head, and followed the the elves to the house that Faulebrand built.

[Exeson]

Ithelus nodded to Lothar, 'There's truth to that.'. He turned to Leopald, 'Pieter is still at the manor, we don't know if he is dead or alive, or worse in the hands of the knight. What we will need is someone to look after him if he makes it through this. You know these people, go find the most skilled healer that's left in this village. Now.'

------

'Trouble is already here!' Ithelus called back, 'In case you didn't notice the spawn of the Dark Gods that rode through town. We can beat it! we can kill it. It is the heartless man returned but we have his sword!'

Ithelus looked over his shoulder to Illiiya with concern. 'You know the legend, we have the power to slay the demon. Of course you could just stay in your house and refuse to help, you could let this cancer that has creeped into this peaceful village remain. You can wait here and when the time comes tell the rest of the Empire and it's witch hunters how you knew about the chaos and you did nothing. You could let all those who died to kill the demon tree, to begin the purge of taint from this place, have died in vain because you refused to finish what they started!'

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not sure which category of roll this falls into and also if there are any modifiers so I'm just going to make a couple of unmarked rolls and you could use then as you see fit.

roll 1: (1d100)[8]
roll 2: (1d100)[22]

[LCP]

He turned to Leopold, 'Pieter is still at the manor, we don't know if he is dead or alive, or worse in the hands of the knight. What we will need is someone to look after him if he makes it through this. You know these people, go find the most skilled healer that's left in this village. Now.'

A look of uncertainty crossed Leopold's face.

"Yilese is gone... I mean, I've been away for years..."

Sensing the urgency in Ithelus' voice, he stopped. Hurrying back down the line of silent houses, he set off to do the best he could.

'Trouble is already here!' Ithelus called back, 'In case you didn't notice the spawn of the Dark Gods that rode through town. We can beat it! we can kill it. It is the heartless man returned but we have his sword!'

Ithelus looked over his shoulder to Illiiya with concern. 'You know the legend, we have the power to slay the demon. Of course you could just stay in your house and refuse to help, you could let this cancer that has creeped into this peaceful village remain. You can wait here and when the time comes tell the rest of the Empire and it's witch hunters how you knew about the chaos and you did nothing. You could let all those who died to kill the demon tree, to begin the purge of taint from this place, have died in vain because you refused to finish what they started!'

A long silence followed Ithelus' words. Then, slowly, the door opened - just a crack. The pale oval of a peasant woman's face looked out at him. She seemed familiar - what was her name, Lise? Lisbeth? These humans all looked the same.

For a long moment, she looked at Ithelus, eye to eye.

"Just like the story," she said. Her voice was quiet. "You sound like the wizard."

Behind her, a child's face peered out at the strangers on the doorstep. The light of the dying fire playing over her features, Lisbeth's expression hardened.

"This ain't a story."

With a slam, she shut the door. Ithelus heard the scrape of a bolt being drawn into place behind it.

All around, the other houses were silent but for the hissing of the rain. Ithelus looked round, looking for any sign that the villagers of Hohlesbruck might be willing to stand and fight - but they cowered in their cottages like woodlice under a rock.

From somewhere behind him, there was the squelch of a footstep in the mud. Looking round, he saw one drenched figure step out of the rain-shadow of one thatched roof. The rain had plastered her hair flat over her face, but he recognised the girl Ellie that Pieter had seemed so partial to.

"I'll help," she said, her voice full of unwise determination. "Just tell me what to do."

Rather hurriedly, the boy Arne stepped out of the shadows as well. It seemed they had been hiding together.

"Me too," he said. Not pleased with the sound of his own voice, he tried again with more gravitas. "I mean... and me."

A gust of wind made the trees sway and moan, sending a billow of embers from the ruins of the Flychers' home. When the cloud of vapour cleared, the fire was burning lower than ever before, its light dying by the minute.

There was just enough to pick out a solitary figure descending the hill. It looked like the knight was coming to them.

OOC:

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I prefer it if you make the call on which skill to use, as I may assign a different modifier depending on the choice. Still, Ithelus doesn't seem to have any face-man skills trained, and if in doubt, go for Charm.

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Nothing... Illiiya said, a far off quality to her voice, You can distract him... At best, hold him in place as the blade is driven home...

She'll close her eyes a moment taking a long, slow breath.

If we fail... I wish you both to know... I love you. She said, head bowed, The blade makes it difficult to feel anything but contempt... and hate. It is trying to consume me. To make me as he was.

Her hand gripped the hilt tightly, knuckles growing white as she looked to the knight approaching in the distance.

He is coming... W-what do we do?

OOC:

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Illiiya is open to ideas. My best plan is to dogpile/grapple the knight to the ground and run him through. Any plans? Illiiya is hesitant to give up the sword, but she would if someone mad an earnest plea for it.

I will make certain I'm here at least once or twice over the weekend, since it seems like things are coming to a head. Let's DO this!

[Exeson]

'Elle, Arne. Quickly run and fetch a blanket, or a net, or some rope. We need something that we can tangle the knight up in.' Ithelus looked over to Illiiya, 'We're going to need your magic, which means someone else needs to take the sword. There's no time to argue.'

'I'd rather not take the chance of a fair fight, we still have some time to find somewhere to ambush him, Maybe the Faulerbrand's house?'

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Ithelus's plan is as follows: Lure the knight into an ambush, tangle him up in a net/blanket and then kill him with his own sword.

At the moment I think the best place for an ambush would be the Faulerbrand's house. There we can wait behind the doorway to ambush him, and we already have several routes of escape (back door and the rope we alrady have tied up from the first floor room.)

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar looked over the faces of the villagers volunteering to help. They were very, very young. He stared for a long moment, chewing on his lower lip, fiddling with his copper ring. Eventually, he turned away from them.

"I'll take the sword." He was very quiet, his voice hoarse. "I... there's no-one who can fight as well as me." Despite his words, he didn't reach for the grey weapon, both hands gripping the copper ring. "I don't want either of you in his reach, Ill. He'll - he came so - I mean..."

He looked down. "You'll live forever..."

He glanced sideways at Ithelus. "We could bring a house down on him. Dig a pit, if we had time. But we still need to stand up next to him and run the sword inta his chest. You got a plan with your rope?

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

I don't need much skill to slay a man held down... and I'll need strong backs to see him put prone. Illiiya said, clutching the sword, oddly protectively, It is not as if my spells have done much more than irritate him.

She glanced at their motley band, and worried on Pieter. Had she lost another friend? It was difficult to remember with the blade in hand, but memories told her what her heart refused to. She had trusted the initiate... relied on his saner head when hers was muddled or wild. How often had she sought his example when she felt herself grow riled. She prayed that he yet lived.

If you can hold him down, I should be able to strike him... She told the others, fear tinged in her voice, If I give up the blade.... we... we could have two enemies.

OOC:

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Illiiya holds onto the blade for now. She's afraid to give it up to her less mage-willed companions.

[Exeson]

'I say we lure him into the house and then try to tangle him up. There should be enough bedsheets or other things, We don't have time to set up a proper trap. And the Faulerbrand's is good as we have several ways to escape if we need.'

Ithelus motioned to the figure of the Knight, 'Illiiya, Lothar, we really don't have time to argue.'

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar nodded, reluctance written in his sillhouette. "Alright."