Derri Hill

[nerk]

Player	Character	Class	Text Color	PP/PS
the hellbug	Tulug	Monk	green	12/12
Estralita	Mara	Paladin	teal	12/8
ProudGrognard	Crixus	Barbarian		13/11
Stavrost	Tobias	Cleric	red	13/5

For the past three months, the Rackport road has been closed to Derri. Bandits have been harrying any who attempt to make the journey, and the village has suffered. The stonecarvers of Derri are famed throughout the Yikossag Sea as among the best sculptors in the world, and the trade in both unworked marble stone and fine sculpture has supported the village as long as there has been a village here. The interruption of that trade has the people on the verge of starvation, as the land is not capable of supporting even such a modest population.

The Lady Ghanette claims that the banditry is the work of her sister Airesa, who has recently come to power in Dary’s Knoll, the village halfway between Derri and Rackport. Airesa has sent several messages, offering her assistance in dealing with the lawlessness, but they have all returned with no response.

Each of you has made it to Derri in the past few days, by one road or another.

You each are dreaming of your past, the crucial moments that turned you on this path. Along with most of the population of Derri, the players wake to the sound of a trumpet blowing the alarm. It's past midnight, but several hours before dawn.

[Amaril]

Petyr's sleep is fitful and restless, as it so often is on the first night in an unfamiliar place.

His dreams are chaotic and disquieting. For some reason, he finds himself several times back in the halls of Lord Fosseth's keep. Carried by a child's stubby legs, he weaves and dodges around the legs of tables fit for giants. His mother smiles and reaches out a hand, but her fingers are sword blades, cutting him when he takes hold. The visions fade into surprisingly clear reenactments of his journey to Derri Hill. Rain pours off the hood of his cloak as he readjusts it over his shoulders, hiding the sword at his belt. Time flashes forward. A bandit's axe whistles toward his head; he brings his blade up to hook the weapon, yanking it backward out of his attacker's hand, follows through for a downward cut. His opponent falls, twitching on the ground. From somewhere off in the distance, a horn sounds.

His eyes snap open, staring up at the common hall ceiling. The alarm. Acting reflexively, Petyr pushes himself to his knees, hands groping along the floor in the dark for his equipment. He scrambles to throw on his mail hauberk and buckle on his sword belt. "What's going on? Anyone know?"

[Sredni Vashtar]

The sun was bright that day, and warm on his face. It was midsummer, but still Tobias Wendelain shivered. For the first time in a very long time, he was nervous. He had served in battle, and faced it fearlessly. Why would he shake in his boots now, one would wonder. That is, one would wonder if they did not know Agnes. The young woman had not only stolen the sergeant's heart, but she had broken through his tough exterior to do so, and Tobias knew it.

His face flushed red with embarrassment underneath his dark moustache. He could see his soldiers in the crowd, snickering at his obvious anxiety. A scowl from Tobias was noted and put a stop to the quiet laughter. The priest, a cleric of Paroc, stood behind him, exuding an aura of calm.

And then there she was. Agnes was a beautiful maiden, her white gown flowing down from her shoulders like radiance cascading off of an angel. Tobias felt his mouth go dry when she approached him. He stifled a tremor in his hands as she stood before him. She smiled, and he returned it.

Then the horn sounded.

Tobias sat up, awake. He was not alone, as others stirred around him in the common hall, yet the absence of Agnes tore at his heart. He was no longer warm, as the cold of night surrounded him even indoors. He was no longer young and tanned, just old and grey. However, old habits die hard and the old soldier scrambled at the alarm, gathering up his armor and beginning to don it. A voice called out.

"What's going on? Anyone know?"

"Not sure just yet, son," replied Tobias, "but I wager it's nothing good."

[Estralita]

Mara dreamed of smoke. Thick, choking smoke, that got into everything. The smoke was the first sign that the evil of the world had found the Hollow. The smoke that permeated their clothes for days after the village burned. The smell of smoke as she lay in front of the fireplace listening to the same words whispered by a dying man in the burnt remains of a battle.

The hooves were smoking.

The first sign of danger, and the last reminder of destruction.

The blaring horn woke her up. Mara's hand went to her sheathed rapier, and she got to her feet. Right now wasn't the time to remember the past. People were likely in trouble in the present.

[The Hellbug]

The mob surges forward. Tulug wants to shout out, to do anything, but desperation has stolen his voice. The last thing he remembers is the look on Master Kehmed's face--his eyes closing at the last moment, serenity written on his features...

The alarm wakes Tulug from his rest with a start. He is back in the common room in Derri, the floor hard even with his bedroll spread out on it. The half-orc stands and rolls his shoulders before taking his spear in hand from where it leans on the wall. Perhaps the bandits who had been harassing the village had finally decided to show their faces in earnest. The day when they did that could not come fast enough, in Tulug's opinion; the longer this waiting lasted, the worse the nerves of the defenders would get.

As he finishes preparing by fastening his belt that holds his throwing darts, Tulug responds succinctly to Petyr's question with a deep voice, "no, but I don't intend to keep it that way." The half-orc then begins making his way towards the door to find out where the alarm is coming from.

[Fischer]

Gale stared up at the stars, humming quietly. She was outside the common hall, sitting against the wall and considering the melody that had been winding its way around her head for the past hours. Sleep could wait until she was sure she had experienced all this tune could offer. That was the only way she could be sure she'd remember it- and this one was worth remembering.

Her meditation was broken when the alarm horn blew, and she was seized with a sudden panic. Not now, I was almost finished! She rose, still humming, but knew the melody would fade in time. As good things have a habit of doing in this world... She let that melancholy thought bounce about in her head as she poked her head into the common hall, nearly bumping into Tulag. She recognized the towering half-orc from the past few days spent in the common hall.

"Sorry, uh, Tulag was it? You look like you know where you're going. Mind if I follow? I want to help with whatever's happening."

[nerk]

As Petyr and Tobias begin to don their armor, the others head out into the village center, to find things in a state of chaos, with half-asleep villagers milling about in confusion, asking many of the same questions. What's going on? Who sounded the alarm? Are we in danger? Finally Hanos Derri, the elder son of the Prince, bellows for silence.

"Soldier, report," he shouts.

From the watchtower by the village gate, an orc points to the North. Those who have been here a few days, or longer, would recognize him as one of the Prince's guards. Tobias and Petyr burst out of the common hall, buckling the last straps of their armor, as he speaks.

"Fire at the Zopas farm," he calls down. He squints off into the distance, and his arm swings a little to the right. "And it looks like ... yes, fire at the Giereas place, as well."

Hanos scowls and then turns to the crowd.

"We are under attack," he says. "My Aunt Airesa has come. Arm yourselves, be ready to repel the enemy. Those of you who cannot fight, to the well. We need to wet the roofs and be ready to contain any fires." He then turns to another of his orcish guards and issues more specific orders. "Reinforce the gate, wake Lady Ghanette and the rest of the guard, tell Thamaf to get his knights ready."

The orc barks commands in his language, and others spring into action, obeying his commands. The rest of the villagers slowly begin to move, following Hanos's instructions. A few seem purposeful, many are close to panic.

Spoiler: Tobias + anyone else who feels they'd know the people on the outlying homesteads

Show

The Zopas farm is roughly a half-mile out of town, just to the west side of the road to Dary's Knoll. The family is sternly governed by a matriarch, with two grown sons, a daughter-in-law and three youngish grandchildren. They grow what crops they can and have a good-sized herd of goats who graze in the hills.

The Giereas' are an elven couple who live in a tiny hovel overlooking the Rack River Valley, who are known to be standoffish but talented healers. Their place is a mile from the village gate, and the path to their home passes along the edge of the Zopas' fields, but there has never been any enmity between the families.

In addition to a half dozen other small households within a mile or so of the gates, mainly to the west, there is also the quarry, a mile away to the south and east. At least twenty of the village men spend their nights there, only returning to their homes and families for festivals and week's end. There are other houses even further off as well, deep in the wilds of the valley.

[Amaril]

Petyr's jaw sets in determination as he finishes tightening his belt. So it's really happening...

He mentally goes over his equipment one last time as he makes to join the procession of fighters headed for the outer wall. Sword at his left hip, like always; quiver at his right, bow strung and ready over his shoulders; boot dagger safely tucked away. His cloak remains behind in the common hall, leaving his weapons, mail coat, and steel half-helm visible to all. Wouldn't want it getting in the way, and there's no rain in any case. His pack rests with it, though on a last-minute impulse, he'd dug out the vial of anesthetic and stowed it in his trouser pocket. No telling when the stuff would come in handy.

"We have a plan?" he asks the nearest warrior as he falls in line with the group.

[ProudGrognard]

Crixus

The waves crush in the catapult-torn hull of the ship and bob it gently, like a baby 's cradle. After last night's storm, even the weather has apparently decided that the Rackport Marines are not worth its trouble. Well, the joke was on it. The pouring rain was the only water Crixus had drunk in three days. He would crawl to the puddle formed just some meters away, if he could spare the energy. Crixus could not. None of the sixteen survivors of the battle could.

Crixus had heard of what his condition was. Sailors talked about it. He would have been very worried, if he wasn't delirious from thirst, blood loss and fever. But finally, his brain had given up and waited for his body to die. There was no pain anymore. No sensations. In the relative comfort of approaching death, Crixus was smiling while thinking of how he got to this.

Three years of fighting. Three years of killing. Three years of cold, salt and deprivation. And for what? To make an old man even richer. Though putting Greendeath down was almost a worthwhile goal. Almost.

Crixus hears yelling. Someone cries with sobs while yelling "Sail! Sail!". Crixus can barely turn his head, with his torso and hand broken. But through the hole in derelict, he sees the other ship approaching. With hope, pain starts again...

Crixus is instantly up when the bell starts ringing. This was usually where the nightmare ended anyway. Unconsciously reaching for his wate bottle, he takes a sip to clean his mouth of remembered tastes. And then he is up and running with the others, his halberd in hand. Having no armor to strap on makes him get there fast.

So. It has begun. And only two days after he arrived. They were waiting for him, hah? That would be his luck. Or opportunity.

Crixus waits, at a comfortable at-ease, his halberd in hand. Someone would start issuing orders soon. Nobles and commanders love to do that.

[Sredni Vashtar]

"People are going to get hurt tonight, good people," Tobias said. His voice was soft, but loud enough to be heard. He had a grim look on his face. "The Giereas' are healers, and their services will likely be needed, if they're alive. And the Zopa's have little ones. Whatever plan we get better involve a rescue mission."

"If not," he added, "I'll be going out there myself."

[The Hellbug]

"Sorry, uh, Tulag was it? You look like you know where you're going. Mind if I follow? I want to help with whatever's happening."

"If that is what you desire," is the half-orc's response. As the young woman steps in behind him, Tulug can't help but think that she does not have the look of a fighter, but he had been surprised before--if some of the other monks at his monastery had chosen to do so, they could have easily passed for an untrained peasant.

____________________

After the announcement by Captain Hanos, the fear and anxiety running through the crowd are palpable; even he can feel a tinge of nervousness like a pit in his stomach. In the face of such emotions, Gale's earlier enthusiasm is a small comfort.

"I'll be going out there myself."

"That won't be necessary," Tulug says as he makes his way toward Tobias, "every moment we waste is another chance for these brigands to harm us. If you go, my spear will follow."

[ProudGrognard]

Crixus

Crixus turns as the one with the soft voice speaks. Someone who seems to know the area, and who has his priorities straight. And a cool head. All very, very valuable qualities. He shifts his halberd on the marching position.

"I am Crixus, formerly a Colonel on the Royal Rackport Marines. I Ill be going with you. I say we start with the family. The healers might be more capable of defending themselves until we get there. In either case, lead on. When we are closer to the target, I can help track"


Unconsciously, Crixus has fallen back to crisp, military terminology. Old habits die hard.

[Fischer]

As Gale listened to the prince's words, she felt a wave of grief for the families whose homes had been burned. She hadn't known them, but in a way that made it worse- now she never would. When Tobias mentioned there were children at one of the farms, she felt her throat go tight.

"That's horrible..." she whispered to herself, but when Tobias mentioned his rescue mission, her spirits lifted somewhat. "You think they're still alive out there? If there's a chance..." She walked over to stand beside Tobias. "Gale Grenindorn at your service. I may not be the strongest warrior, but I've got some tricks up my sleeve. I can help."

[nerk]

Spoiler: Petyr

Show

You were only a child the last time you encountered Airesa, but this has an eerie familiarity. You remember hearing your father talking about the farms that were burning, and Lord Gawen sobbing as he made the decision to let them burn. You remember the sky was streaked with smoke the next morning, and the way it felt like the battle was already lost, though it hadn't truly begun.

The village wall is a simple wooden palisade made of heavy tree trunks, buried in the earth and braced with stones at the bottom. It stands twelve feet tall. There is no wall walk, but many of the villages homes are built against it, and the roofs seem to be doing duty as positions for archers.

Under the direction of the orcs, barrels, boulders and a small wagon are rolled against the gate to barricade it. There is a small postern on the opposite side of the village, that opens onto a narrow ledge at the top of a cliff. A path leads down into the valley west of the village.

At first, everyone seems too busy to bother with you, but as you begin to form a group, one of the orcs draws Hanos's attention your way. He scowls for a moment, and then turns away to issue other orders, keeping the villagers moving.

[Amaril]

Petyr licks his suddenly dry lips, memories flashing in his mind. The plumes of smoke are hardly visible against the dark sky, but even so they seem to loom and menace, like an army of giants. His knuckles whiten on the hilt of his sword. This time, it'll be different.

Catching sight of the archers taking up positions on the rooftops, he starts looking around for a staircase, or a place to climb up. He pays little mind to the others nearby, or to Hanos. If the commander didn't want to give him orders, he'd follow his own judgment.

[Estralita]

No wonder she was dreaming of smoke. The fire had followed her. Mara felt her blood run cold. She hadn't reached the stage of her training where she could ignore fear. But more than that, she felt paralyzed, trying to figure out which way she was supposed to go. Whether she was needed to heal, or fight. Either way, people were going to be hurt.

But in a way, there wasn't a choice. Or rather, she had made the choice a long time ago. She was a paladin, and she knew her duty. Even in her sleep, she went for her rapier before her Healer's Kit.

Mara prepared herself for battle. She called out to the others, "Stand strong. We will repel the attackers by sunrise, or I will buy the whole squadron drinks!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

How much speechifying do I need to do to activate Inspiring Leader?

[nerk]

((Petyr, there are ladders onto the roofs of the houses near the wall))

((I don't think you need to write out the full 10 minute speech, but a little taste of something wouldn't hurt. It can be "Friends, Romans, Countrymen," or "chicks dig scars, glory lasts forever!" but a little something))

[Sredni Vashtar]

Tobias shook hands with the large half-orc that stepped up to pledge his spear to aid with the rescue.

"Colonel." Tobias regards Crixis with a nod. "My name is Tobias Wendelain, formerly Sergeant of the militia under Geordain II."

"You think they're still alive out there? If there's a chance..." said a young half-elven woman. She approached Tobias to stand beside him. "Gale Grenindorn at your service. I may not be the strongest warrior, but I've got some tricks up my sleeve. I can help."

"I'm sure you can," Tobias said, placing a hand on Gale's shoulder. He gave a brief smile before getting serious again.


"Stand strong. We will repel the attackers by sunrise, or I will buy the whole squadron drinks!" Another young woman rallied the rest of them. This one was human, dressed in armor and holding a shield bearing the symbol of Paroc, remarkably similar to Tobias's own shield. He recognized her as a paladin immediately.

"Paladin!" He called to her. "Have you any inspiring words for us before we depart to bring justice to those who seek our blood?"

Tobias looked around, noting both nervousness and eagerness on the faces of those around him. Gale seemed worried. Crixis stood in the relaxed yet alert way that comes from military service, while the other young warrior among them licked his lips and scanned the top of the wall. The half-orc looked ready for a fight. Tobias noted it with satisfaction, those with orcish blood were always fierce combatants and the old soldier always liked having one at his side.

[The Hellbug]

Tulug

Tulug tightens his grip on the shaft of his weapon. His place was not on the wall hurling missiles but amongst the enemy, dealing death at a spear's lengthr. "The walls are strong," Tulug says sternly, "but the victims of those fires don't have their benefit. A small sortie through the postern could perhaps evade the main force and make it to those in need."

[Estralita]

Mara was a bit hesitant to give a big speech. She knew that she had only just qualified as a paladin. She hadn't even taken her vows yet. But if a fellow follower of Paroc thought it was best to give some encouragement, then who was she to question it? Staying where she was, Mara spoke loud enough that the company could hear.

"My friends, I would not call myself the wisest of us all. I am certainly not the most experienced. I can only say what I believe, and what I've learned. But what I've learned in my time on this world is that it's better to go out and make a difference, to try your hardest and go out fighting, than to run away. While running may seem like the best way to stay safe, the world is not made for those who run, because no matter where you run to, danger will always find you. And I believe that we are the ones who are brave enough, and smart enough to face our attackers head on. I believe in this, and I believe in all of you! So let's fight with all our hearts and souls and remind them who's town this is!

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Inspirational speeches are hard. Please tell me that was enough. Pretty please

[ProudGrognard]

Crixus

Something is not quite right. Why is the leader scowling like that? He should be happy. Crixus has had to learn deep mistrust of anyone at the top levels of government. He approaches the man Tobias and says in a soft whisper.


"Heya there. Why is the Baron's son unhappy to see us go? Are we sure that we know the whole picture here? Perhaps if we go and investigate, we will find ...inconvenient truths.

I will go, mind you. I am just saying we must be ready for all possibilities"

Then the handsome but rough lady speaks. A paladin, hah? Never seen one of those. They are pretty capable, Crixus has heard. And powered by more than strength at arms.

[nerk]

As Mara speaks, you all feel yourselves more determined than before to do what you must. ((everyone gains 4 temporary hp))

While she speaks, Petyr climbs a ladder onto the roof of a building near the wall, where one of Hanos's archers has set up his bow and quiver, and is emptying buckets of water onto the roof.

From this vantage, Petyr can see what must be the Zopas farm, burning like a massive bonfire a half mile off. There is no doubt that the house is lost, but Petyr doesn't see anyone moving near by. Closer by as the crow flies is the Giereas place. The fire there is well along, though mainly the roof is burning at this point. It is close enough that he can see the door is open, and a body lies just outside.

His eye is drawn by flickering lights a little distance to the right, down in the valley, a little more than a mile off. Another fire started, and then another at the foot of the hill to the east side of the road. He can hear screams in the distance.

"Owis and Walak," the archer sounds ill as he gives the names of the families whose houses are now catching fire. The Walak place is close enough with a clear enough view that he can see a short, stout figure charge out of the door and quickly fall back.

Spoiler: Tobias and anyone who knows the locals

Show

Owis is a solitary goblin, a poacher, petty thief and scavenger for the most part. He doesn't like anyone, and the feeling is mostly mutual. The Walak are a family of dwarven miners, at least, that's what they call themselves. They have goats and a garden and have never been known to offer anything resembling a mineral to trade, though they do dig a lot of holes.

[Amaril]

Petyr finds his own stomach turning as the screams drift in from the farms. He glances down to the assembled warriors on the ground below. "Hey!" he calls out. "Is there going to be a sortie? Those people out there are defenceless."

[ProudGrognard]

Crixus

"My thoughts exactly, neighbor. We should be going! Let 's go the family stead first."

He looks around, calm but obviously in a mood to speed things up.

"I say Tobias leads the way, because he is from around here. I can also be in the frontline, since I can help track and my specialty is smashing people 's face, up close and personal. Lady paladin, do you object guarding the rear? Or perhaps you, Petyr? Either way, we should get moving."

[nerk]

"There will be no sortie," Hanos snarls. "My duty is to defend this village, and I will not throw men away that are needed here. Those people out there are bait. Airesa is out there, waiting for me to send my men out so she can close her trap. I pray our people will find their way to safety, but they chose to live outside of these walls. They knew war was coming, and they chose to stay outside the walls. That was their choice. I will not send any of my men through the postern to try to save those people, to send them to Catfish or Hardwood or somewhere safe. There will be no sortie."

He sounds fairly bitter about it. It is clear that he is not going to send his men out, but he seems almost to be encouraging you to go yourselves.

[Estralita]

Mara felt her lip curl reflexively at suggestion to leave the people out there with no support, but she forced herself to be civil. Like many, he was trying to balance lots of different factors for his people's safety. Still, there was a slight edge to her voice as she replied, "You and your men may do as you see fit. But I have only one commander, and my duty is clear. To protect those in need and repel the invaders." Mara turns to the gathered people not under his official command, the ones who had already been proposing strategies. "Do you agree?"

[Amaril]

Petyr is halfway down the ladder by the time the woman speaks. Hopping off and falling the rest of the way down, he nods to her. "I'll go." He turns to the commander. "Sorry, but I'm not one of your soldiers, and I'm not following that order. Not that I'd imagine you'd care if I got myself killed, so there's nothing for you to worry about."

[Sredni Vashtar]

Tobias nodded in agreement with the young paladin's statement. He narrowed his eyes at Hanos.

"Hanos, you coward!" He called in response to the nobleman. "You stay here with your men and guard your wall, while the old man and the strangers go out and rescue your people!"

"I hope you survive this night," the old cleric added, fully meaning the curse in the statement.

Tobias turned to address the gathered "strangers" he had fallen among. Deep down, part of him was proud of this group already. Such fire in their young hearts. "I will lead the way, by directing our path, but I don't want the responsibility of leading the group by directing your actions," he said. "I've since left that life behind me."

[nerk]

A few of the villagers have stopped to watch the conversation. Hanos frowns at your words and then gives a dismissive gesture towards the postern gate.

"May Umha watch over you," he says. "Save those you can. Survive, and I will personally see you receive the reward you deserve." He turns to the villagers that are watching and barks orders, getting them back to work carrying water to wet down the village's roofs.

=========

The postern gate was built before the well was dug, to give access to the creek in the valley below. It is a stair that drops under the wall, low and narrow, forcing anyone taller than 5' to duck down. There is a portcullis at the top, a stout door at the bottom, and a murder hole directly over the door. One of Hanos' archers is in place, to stop any attempt to storm the postern, and to close the door behind you. It opens onto a narrow ledge at the top of a 40' tall cliff. It's possible to skirt around the walls (single file) or to follow a path down the cliff (also single file). At the bottom of the cliff, the land changes dramatically, from the rocky, grass covered hills to the valley bottomlands, a dense forest with marshy patches, crisscrossed by hunter's paths and game trails.

[Fischer]

"You and your men may do as you see fit. But I have only one commander, and my duty is clear. To protect those in need and repel the invaders." Mara turns to the gathered people not under his official command, the ones who had already been proposing strategies. "Do you agree?"

"I'm with you!" With Mara's inspiring words still running through her mind, Gale was perfectly ready to ignore Hanos's directions and follow Mara, Petyr, and Tobias on the sortie.

Upon reaching the postern gate, Gale involuntarily glanced out over the cliff. It was a long way down, and she could feel the vertigo tugging at her. She resolved to keep her eyes up, and found a spot on Mara's shoulder to focus on. She needed to keep her head clear. There would probably be fighting at the farms ahead- people's lives would depend on her being at her best.