[WFRP] The Bloody Crown XI

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard frowned. Elsa was telling the girl far too much about the vampire for his liking. "You should show her what you can do," Sieghard suggested as a way to change the subject, "Prove you're telling the truth about your magic and what she can learn to do. Something small should be enough, no need to call forth a wall of flame or anything."

[LCP]

She finished her chunk of sausage and washed it down with some water from her waterskin. "As for what you get... you get to harness your powers and control your visions. You get to strengthen your bond with your animal friends. We'll also make sure your folks don't go hungry. The Jackal has only starvation and death to offer them and all who live in the Reaches."

"That's the opposite of what Armin says," said Tatiana, giving Elsa a sideways look. "He says the princes are bringing the gods' curse upon themselves. He says the Drinker... the Jackal looks out for those who have nothing."

Sieghard frowned. Elsa was telling the girl far too much about the vampire for his liking. "You should show her what you can do," Sieghard suggested as a way to change the subject, "Prove you're telling the truth about your magic and what she can learn to do. Something small should be enough, no need to call forth a wall of flame or anything."

Sieghard's suggestion seemed to light a mischievous twinkle in Tatiana's eyes. "Yeah!" she said, popping the last sliver of sausage into her mouth. "Show ush shome magic."

[RossN]

Adelbert

Adelbert smiled. 'You remind me of a priestess of Rhya. I am a priest myself of course, of the wise goddess Verena. I can't conjure any fire but she does aid me a little.'

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa was reluctant to cast magic to show off; gone was the day she would have been delighted to do so, like that one time in front of Kelda and her men. But it was not an unreasonable request, all things considered. Who would follow a wizard who refused to cast spells?

"Alright then... just a small spell. It may spook your goats, so please, make sure they have a way out of the cave. ...Thank you."

OOC

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Channeling 73: (d100)[34]
Crown of Fire 8+/5+: (2d10)[9][2](11)

Elsa pronounced some words in the arcane language, and a fiery diadem of orange flames burst to life above her head, bathing the inside of the cave in a pleasant warmth.

"Pretty, eh?"

[LCP]

Tatiana's eyes went as wide as saucers, reflecting the orange flicker of the flames. She definitely seemed impressed.

"You... you think you can teach me to do that?" she asked, in hushed tones.

Hanna, meanwhile, leaned over close to Urgrim. "When you said no fires," she murmured, "does this count?"

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa's smile froze. "Ah... I think your skill lies in other areas of magic," she said apologetically. "You see, there are many kinds of wizards... fire wizards, shadow wizards, metal wizards, beast wizards... and those who try to be more than one kind usually go mad, or attract the attention of dark things. That's actually lesson number one of being a wizard. You have to choose your path... or rather, take the path chosen for you... and never stray from it."

As someone who had harnessed Dhar more than once, she was painfully aware of the hypocrisy.

But if I can help her avoid my mistakes...

"You likely see the Amber Wind as more colorful, more vibrant than the others. That is the Wind you must learn to control. I can teach you the basics, but you will have to do a lot of learning on your own. You won't be able to crown yourself with fire, but you'll do things I could never dream of doing."

She had her crown of fire go out. While the warmth was welcome, it was not worth the risk.

[Thragka]

Hanna, meanwhile, leaned over close to Urgrim. "When you said no fires," she murmured, "does this count?"

Urgrim's bright eyes met Hanna's, lambent in the spell's reflection. "Does that woman ever think before setting a flame?" he replied, his tone as artificially light as Elsa's brow.

He bit his tongue. Elsa was trotting out much dangerous foolishness and singing the temptations of witchcraft, but he knew now was not the time to quarrel. Still, the dwarf folded his arms and furrowed his brow.

[LCP]

Tatiana looked a little disappointed. "The path chosen for you," she echoed. "Hm."

She looked past Elsa to the mouth of the cave, where the moons were coming out. "You should get some rest," she said, though her eyes still held questions. "Hope your ankle feels better in the morning."

She nudged one of her goats to sit between her and the wall, then nestled down against it, using its shaggy side as a pillow. Keeping one yellow eye on Elsa, the animal began idly chewing on a stray strand of Tatiana's hair. She had enough to spare.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"You're right, it is getting late. I'll take the first watch," Sieghard offered. "Adelbert, you're with me."

---

There was much on his mind, though Sieghard stayed silent as the hours passed. Only when their shift was nearing its end and he was certain the girl was in a deep sleep did he voice his concerns. "I don't like it," he said. "Armin and their village. We've both seen what happens when jackal priests lead small villages cut off from the rest of the world. Help me wake the others."

"We've got to find some way to get Armin away from the rest of the people at the farm," he told them. "If we leave him, he'll end up leading them right into the Klammenberg's hands," he turned to Elsa. "And if Tatiana repeats a word of what you said about the vampire, it'll only make that harder," he said rather sharply. "They haven't seen what we have and they've already got plenty of reason to trust him over us."

[Thragka]

Urgrim sprung awake instantly at the slightest nudge, and seemed about to leap into action. He grumbled under his breath when he learned it wasn't his shift, but collected himself and listened to Sieghard.

"'Get him away'? And what then?" He seemed about to say something else, but lapsed back into silence for a moment. "You're sure he's already got these folk in his power? Might be they don't all think so highly of his leadership. All these people thrown together ... there must be some that don't like his creed, if it's as distasteful as you say." He nodded to Adelbert.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"I don't know what then," Sieghard said. "Whatever it takes, I guess. I don't think he's got them in his power and I don't think he knows the evils he's giving himself to or else the two of you wouldn't have walked in and out unharmed. It doesn't change things, a madman convinced of his own righteousness is no less dangerous than one who knows what he's doing if both serve the same master. If we leave him alone with them long enough, he'll be the ruin of them. If there was a way we could turn them against him, that'd be best. Problem is they've got no reason to trust us and every reason to trust him."

[Thragka]

Urgrim folded his arms and leaned back. "A good thing your righteousness and your master are beyond reproach, then," he said pointedly. "He's broken some law? A capital crime against gods or mortals? Are we to kill every man or woman of the Reaches who thinks the Jackal is harmless? We'd be doing the enemy's work for him."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Is worship of dark gods not crime enough?" Sieghard shot back, ignoring the comment about Sforza. "It's innocent enough to think Jackal is harmless, but you heard what the girl said. He fills their heads with nonsense that it's the face of the Drinker and that he protects folk like them. Leave him to it and when Klammenberg marches, they'll see his monster as their god made flesh. If he doesn't drain them of blood one by one, he'll use them as cannon fodder." He stared hard at Urgrim "Do you have a better idea or would you leave them to be led to their deaths?"

[Thragka]

"Is worship of dark gods not crime enough?" Sieghard shot back, ignoring the comment about Sforza.

"Is witchcraft?" Urgrim's whisper nearly became a hiss.

He stared hard at Urgrim "Do you have a better idea or would you leave them to be led to their deaths?"

"Aye, here's one. These folk are refugees. It's your war, your Prince's war that left them poor and hungry and homeless. And it's their penury that gives the zealot power over them. But if your prince can give his people back their livelihoods, they'll no longer be at risk. So what's his peace good for, hmmm? Will it make these folks' lives better? Or will bloodshed only ever lead to more bloodshed in these lands?"

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard exhaled sharply. The dwarf's stubbornness was straining his patience.

"You were the one who brought us word of what happened in Turnpike Hollow," he said, trying another angle. "Armin's village isn't far from there and I don't remember hearing that there was anyone else from Greasy Drop at that farm." He glanced over at Adelbert for confirmation. "Where are they and why is he here without them? Was he still carrying that sickle? You know what he uses that for, right? Think back," he said, his expression hardening again. "What did you tell us you saw in the pyramid?"

He let his words hang for a while before continuing. "It's not proof he had anything to do with it, but it fits together too good for me to be comfortable with. It's enough to be worth looking into."

[-Sentinel-]

"Hmm. I think I'm with Urgrim here," muttered Elsa with extreme reluctance. "I don't like the idea of Armin preaching the word of the Jackal unopposed, but if the Captain's men try something against him... the refugees will see it as wolves eating their shepherd. I think... I think our immediate goal should be to convince Tatiana to follow us, for now. Then, once we're back in Savonne, we'll have time to devise some sort of plan to prove Armin a liar, or give the refugees something more tangible than Armin's sermons."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"I'm not suggesting we march in there with swords drawn," Sieghard said, "But if we could find out what he's been up to and give them reason to trust us, maybe we can get them to cast him out." He knew it was a long shot. "We can get the girl to Savonne first, but I'm not going to just sit by and let the place become another Rivermouth."

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Notably, Adelbert does have access to a spell that compels the target to tell the truth. I imagine any attempt of using it will be a one-shot all or nothing, so we can't just have him march in and cast it. However, if we can find something that suggests foul play, we may be able to force him to confess in front of the entire band of refugees.

[Thragka]

To those who'd known him a little while by now, Urgrim was visibly shocked by Sieghard using the details of what had happened on the expedition to the Red Pyramid. His nostrils flared. His eyes widened, and then narrowed again furiously.

"Don't speak so ignorantly of something you know nothing about," the dwarf rumbled after waiting for the mercenary to finish talking.

He turned his head towards Adelbert. "You heard the women at the big house. The human wants to try to tend the land, re-establish the farmstead and try to provide for the community. They are crying out for a chance to rebuild – to prosper! And from the sound of their discussion, that wasn't something they were asking Armin permission to do.

"One of the powers in this land could help them with that goal – Prince or Temple. And maybe some sense of a future would give them some confidence, some trust in those of us who come along with grand ideas. That would weaken that doomsayer's grip on them. It's do away with any need to depend on him. That's how you get him away from these people, peacefully, without making more enemies."

[-Sentinel-]

"We can get the girl to Savonne first, but I'm not going to just sit by and let the place become another Rivermouth."

Elsa, who had worried that Sieghard would attempt an early, aggressive action that would drive Tatiana away from them before they had even brought her to Savonne, found that compromise satisfying.

[RossN]

Adelbert

'Believe me you're not the only one who isn't happy about the war Urgrim and if the Tilean was sleeping where the girl is I'd already be looking for a rock to dash his brains in. We make do with what we have.' Adelbert said. The priest sighed. 'This Jackal business is... complex. There are plenty of people who worship a benign nature spirit and they'd wonder why we are targeting a priest that to them has done no wrong.'

[Thragka]

"Dash his brains in," Urgrim repeated. His gaze slid between the priest and the mercenary. A noise came from his throat.

"Well," he said breathily after a brief pause. "I'm going to get some fresh air." He stepped towards the mouth of the cave, speaking without looking back. "I'll take the next watch. You two should get some sleep. We have some hard ground to cover tomorrow."

The dwarf stood in silence for some time at the mouth of the cave, staring out into the night.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard rolled his eyes. They spoke as though dwarfs never went to war or that a war could be fought by only one side.

"I'll deal with it myself if I have to," Elsa heard him mutter as he began to remove his armor.

[LCP]

Tatiana was still sleeping soundly when the others returned to the cave. Leaving Hanna to take the watch with Urgrim, the others followed the goatherd's example, doing their best to get some rest before dawn. The pain in Elsa's ankle had died down to a dull throb; hopefully by the morning it would have diminished further.

When Urgrim's watch was over, it was the turn of Ludo and Gustaf. The wind was whistling past the mouth of the cave, bringing a chill down from the tops of the crags. Wrapping himself tightly in his cloak, Ludo sat on the gravel slope outside the entrance and watched the eastern horizon for the first sign of dawn.

The sky was still dark when they heard movement behind them - looking round, Ludo saw Tatiana emerge into the moonlight. "Call of nature," she said, without embarrassment. She had left her goats sleeping somewhere back in the dark of the cave.

Sidling off along the slope, she passed out of view behind a wind-worn boulder. Gustaf studiously looked the other way all the same. Ludo had just turned his eyes back to the horizon when he thought he heard a skitter of loose rock behind him. Turning back, he craned his neck to look up at the top of the rocky overhang in which the cave was set - and saw six pairs of beady red eyes glinting back at him.

The next thing he knew, a weighted net of coarse, hairy rope had been thrown over him, pinning him to the stony ground. Gustaf swore and jumped back as another dropped towards him, missing him by inches: a third sailed wildly into the night, missing him by yards. From the top of the overhang Ludo heard shrill, whispering voices bickering over the bad throw.

Before he could throw off the net, two stunted figures leapt down from above, tattered robes fluttering behind them. One landed on its feet by Gustaf, brandishing an outsize wooden club. It swung at his head, but swung wide. The other lost control of its jump and landed face-first on the ground beside Ludo, rolling onto its back and clutching its bloody nose with a whine of pain. With its cowl fallen back, the moonlight let Ludo see its gnarled, green face, the nose it had broken in the fall as long and sharp as a knife. Goblins!

OOC:

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Ludo has been successfully netted, but if you want to fortune point the Ag roll he failed to avoid the net, success will mean you start this round free to do whatever you want. Otherwise you can take your pick of testing S or Ag as a full action to escape the net on your turn.

Initiative order goes Ludo - Gustaf - Goblins. Those back in the cave are still sound asleep.

[LeSwordfish]

The net was not nearly as tightly around Ludo as he had expected and he shrugged it off easily, reaching for his sling. In the half-light he didn't have a clear shot on the goblin attacking Gustaf so instead he slung two stones into the small of the back of the downed one - hard to miss at this range.

"Goblins!" he called out at the top of his voice. "We're under attack! Wake up!"

[LCP]

"No ya ain't!" yelled a scratchy voice from atop the rocks. "Go back ter sleep!"

Ludo's slingstones cracked into the fallen goblin as it tried to rise, knocking it sprawling into the scree. It looked unlikely to rise again - but with whoops and shrieks, the four other goblins above them leapt down, rusty knives gleaming in the moonlight. Two landed by Ludo, one to either side. The one to his left landed badly, pitching to the ground with a yelp as its leg buckled underneath it - but the one to his right landed cat-like on its feet, a sharp-toothed grin splitting its face from ear to pointy ear. The hooked blade in its hand looked wickedly sharp.

A few feet away, the goblin with the club was still trying to brain Gustaf, whooping and cackling as it swung its weighty weapon in both hands. Gustaf managed to avoid the wild swings, drawing his sword and taking a defensive swipe at his assailant - but as he did, two more goblins dropped down beside him...

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard shot upright, grabbed his sword and headed towards the sound of the fighting.

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Half action to stand, half move towards the fighting. Quick draw free action to grab his sword off the ground as he does this.

[LeSwordfish]

"Don't listen to it!" Ludo shouted, backing away from the goblin and dodging the wicked dagger. "It's lying!"

He slung another shot from his sling at the fallen goblin as it attempted to rise, and drew his dagger from it's sheaf to counter any further attacks.

[-Sentinel-]

"Goblins! We're under attack! Wake up!"

"No ya ain't! Go back ter sleep!"

"Don't listen to it! It's lying!"

"Yes, thank you, Ludo," grumbled Elsa, too sleepy to think of a wittier retort, as she stumbled to her feet and followed Sieghard.


OOC

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Half action to stand up. Half action to move, taking care to stay behind Urgrim and Sieghard since they'll need to charge. (I don't mind if it's not far enough to take me within line of sight. I can both move and cast next round if needed.)

[Thragka]

Urgrim sprung awake immediately at Ludo's call; deep in his bones, he'd been waiting for something like this.

"Grobi!" he exclaimed. He clambered to his feet and scooped up his sword and shield, making ready to race out after Sieghard.

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Think I'll need the full turn to stand up and ready his sword and shield (with one Quick Draw), so I guess I'm not moving 'til next round.

[RossN]

Adelbert

Adelbert clambered to his feet groggily. It seemed like he'd scarcely closed his eyes after his watch. As the nature of the situation dawned on him his eyes widened, he grabbed for his sword.

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I really must get Quick Draw at some point. As it is I'm guessing this takes up Adelbert's turn.