[WFRP] The Bloody Crown IX

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Probably," Sieghard replied, "Toss 'em here." Catching the key ring, he tried each one until he found the key that undid Astoria's manacles.

"Sir....if your men find an older looking blade of Estalian make among the dead or captive - it would have a small eagle holding a stylized 'E' upon the pommel. Would you at least save me the dishonor of losing my father's sword?"

"If we find it, we'll put it with the armor," Sieghard grumbled, his patience straining.

[Erulasto]

Sieghard

"Probably," Sieghard replied, "Toss 'em here." Catching the key ring, he tried each one until he found the key that undid Astoria's manacles.

"Sir....if your men find an older looking blade of Estalian make among the dead or captive - it would have a small eagle holding a stylized 'E' upon the pommel. Would you at least save me the dishonor of losing my father's sword?"

"If we find it, we'll put it with the armor," Sieghard grumbled, his patience straining.

When the manacles clatter uselessly to the ground, Astoria rubs gingerly at the sore flesh of her wrists.

Astoria looks around, a little lost and bewildered at the turn of events. Destitute and lacking even her blade? Some Knight she had turned out to be. This was not at all like the stories her father had told her. As her copper eyes shifted across the horizon, trying to find some sign or meaning to her current predicament, she noticed the cloud of dust rising.

Oh, they got here a lot quicker than she would have expected!

"Um...Sir? Commander?" What did the Halberdier call him? "Slayer!"

If she got his attention, irritated or not, she had no intent of allowing herself to be back in the tender mercies of Alvarr's soldiers. She pointed to where, unbeknownst to her, Ludo indicated the approaching riders earlier.

"The caravan sent runners last night to Savonne. They're bringing the Army. I would hazard a guess that's them..."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Sieghard," he snapped, far more annoyed than seemed reasonable. It was bad enough he couldn't stop the halberdiers from calling him by that nickname - he wasn't about to have it from some random woman who called herself a knight.

"The caravan sent runners last night to Savonne. They're bringing the Army. I would hazard a guess that's them..."

"Figured they'd do something like that," he replied, calm again. "It'll still be a few hours before they're here. Soon as we can get the wagons moving, we'll be leaving. You want to make that happen sooner, you can help the halfling track down Alvarr's horses."

Spoiler

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Mind you, Sieghard isn't planning on sticking around for too long, but OOC, we've got 2-3 hours before Alvarr arrives. Anything we can't carry we can burn, but we've got a bit of time to try to round up a few of the horses and sort the less less valuable and more burnable stuff from the stuff we're more inclined to keep

[-Sentinel-]

"You....you are the Red Wizard? I..I had heard stories in my travels that there was a Wizard of the Bright Order in the Broken Reaches..." Astoria scratched at her messy, tangled mane of hair a bit nervously. "It is pleasure to meet you, my lady." The indecision written upon her face disappeared as she remembered herself, and dropped to a knee before Elsa. "You..ah...you are much fairer a vision to behold than the stories had indicated."

Elsa looked a bit uncomfortable with the kneeling and compliments. "Erm. Thank you. So you're a knight. Should I call you sir? That does not sound right."


"The caravan sent runners last night to Savonne. They're bringing the Army. I would hazard a guess that's them..."

"Hmm. Better be on our way." Shame to miss this opportunity to catch part of Alvarr's forces outside the walls of Savonne, but they simply did not have the numbers for this kind of fight. "I think we should burn the wagons," she reiterated. "Can't go off the road with them."


OOC

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At least Elsa was the only one who was likely to take a liking to the perfumed soaps wrapped safely at the bottom of her backpack.

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Random piece of advice, Erulasto: I think Astoria's internal monologues should refer to Elsa as Beatrix Hildebrand (at least for the time being), since that's the name she's using in her capacity as Sforza's wizard.

[Erulasto]

"Hmm...in Estalia it was Caballera, though the more informal Dona or the Reiksiel Dame would be appropriate. Admittedly, it's usually soldiers who are addressing me as such. Most of the ladies at the court in Magritta simply called me Astoria." There was a dark edge to the final comment, perhaps hinting that many of the men in said court did not have flattering things to say about the young knight, despite her apprenticeship in a prestigious Order.

"I wonder if it would be possible to leave a parting gift for the Duke and his wretched armies. I don't suppose there's a surplus of spirits or black powder sitting around, is there?" She smiled a bit sheepishly at the Bright Wizard. Command of fire! That was like something straight out of the stories.

Spoiler: OOC

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Honestly, I completely forgot she's going by a Pseudonym. I shall post accordingly henceforth.

"Sieghard," he snapped, far more annoyed than seemed reasonable. It was bad enough he couldn't stop the halberdiers from calling him by that nickname - he wasn't about to have it from some random woman who called herself a knight.

"Figured they'd do something like that," he replied, calm again. "It'll still be a few hours before they're here. Soon as we can get the wagons moving, we'll be leaving. You want to make that happen sooner, you can help the halfling track down Alvarr's horses.

The young knight nodded, almost seemingly grateful for his waspish response. At least she had his name now. That was the first step, she told herself. Even the sourest of grapes will make a fine wine if worked long enough!

"Sir Sieghard." She glances out in the direction the horses escaped. "I have little experience in tracking, but I am good with horses. If the Master Halfling can find them, I will calm them." She seems rather sure of this fact, having spent many years training her old warhorse Pomfrey, and Pomfrey was a surly beast at the best of times. Likely because she gave him such a ludicrous name, or so the stableboys whispered behind her back.

[LeSwordfish]

Deeply curious about this new arrival, Ludo nevertheless turned to pick out those of the Thorns who had been hunters, and head off with them in search of horses. The trail of devastation left by the stampede was easy enough to find at first.

Spoiler

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Perception roll vs 47: (1d100)[67]

[LCP]

Sieghard, Elsa, Astoria & Ludo

The caravan's draft animals had scattered to the four winds, leaving a trampled path of destruction through the fields to the east side of the road. The oxen at least hadn't gone as far or as fast as the horses - but they proved stubborn beasts to bring back, particularly with the fires still burning among the wagons. Ludo decided he was best suited to supervising and giving moral support as four Thorns did their best to drag one ornery ox back towards the road.

In the end they managed to bring four oxen and one horse back to the wagons, the latter being led by Astoria as if she had raised it from a foal. As the halberdiers continued ransacking the wagons, Ingwald took it upon himself to make an inventory of the plunder. Most of the caravan's cargo was sacks of grain and casks of salted mutton. One wagon carried a good number of clay jars that turned out to contain lard and pickled cabbage; another, locked up almost as securely as Astoria's cage, barrels of ale and wheels of cheese. For the most part though it seemed that they had concentrated on quantity over quality, trying to fit as much solid weight of simple staples onto the wagons as they could. Savonne was a big city to feed.

Beyond the food, the only thing they found was a small, iron-bound chest at the back of the locked beer wagon. It resisted their attempts to crack it open, but one of the keys from Marat's ring fit the lock. It opened to reveal a small hoard of gold coins - mostly locally minted, stamped with the boar's-head heraldry of the Duke on one side and a crude likeness of his face on the other. Doubtless this had been the paychest for their mercenary guards.

The Thorns and Volunteers had each lost one man, while three more had taken wounds serious enough to require a surgeon's attention. Among the enemy there were seven dead and five wounded left behind, including the sergeant. Most were the Duke's men, carrying the same equipment Sieghard had seen in the city - leather armour, spears, short swords and tall shields. Two were sellswords with mail shirts and crossbows. Checking the sword-belt of one of the dead, Roth unbuckled his scabbard and held it up for Sieghard's attention. It looked like an uncommonly fine weapon for one of Alvarr's men-at-arms to carry, with a black leather hilt and a stylised "E" on the pommel.

"This what the young lady was looking for?" asked Roth.

OOC:

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The paychest contains (7d10)[43]gc (2d10)[14]s. There are a handful more coins and trinkets to be had among the dead but those will be going straight into your men's pockets unless you want to intervene.

Equipment up for grabs = 2 crossbows, 2 mail shirts, 1 set of full mail (Marat), 9 spears, 9 shields, 12 hand weapons. All the dead and wounded have also got leather armour but it's a bit cut up and bloody.

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo was embarrassingly deficient with the crossbow, but after an embarrassing moment that he was sure nobody had seen where he had nearly killed one of the oxen, he had slung it over his back, determined to make a better account for himself in the next battle.

"Excuse me!" he said, taking the sword from Roth. "Miss Caballera? Is this your sword?"

[Erulasto]

Once returned with the horse, Astoria secured it with the soldiers' other steeds, one last gentle rub along the haunch of the horse and she turned to pick through the battlefield. She would likely need, she thought wistfully, to find a new spear as well. There seemed to be a fair number laying about, though Astoria was certain she would likely be reprimanded if she sought to arm herself.

Astoria made her way over to Sieghard, and patiently waited for him to finish whatever he was doing. It wouldn't do to further annoy the commander of these men, especially if he was the warden who controlled access to her arms and armour.

"Sir, I have some skill in healing if you or your men need tending. I am no surgeon, but I have experience with battlefield medicine. There should be some healing poultices in my pack, as well, if there is anyone more severely injured."

Ludo was embarrassingly deficient with the crossbow, but after an embarrassing moment that he was sure nobody had seen where he had nearly killed one of the oxen, he had slung it over his back, determined to make a better account for himself in the next battle.

"Excuse me!" he said, taking the sword from Roth. "Miss Caballera? Is this your sword?"

Astoria's expression brightened at seeing her father's sword, though the remembered command to toss it in with the rest of the plunder chaffed. She offered the Halfling as bright a smile a she could muster, given the circumstances, and nodded.

"Yes, Master Halfling. It is! It warms my heard to know it is found."

[-Sentinel-]

Astoria, Ludo, Elsa and Sieghard

Elsa paced restlessly while Sieghard's men set out to catch the escaped draft animals. She munched on salted mutton and fed some to Morrslieb to help the wounded bird recover. Every few minutes she checked on the advance of the armies from Savonne.

"Can we get moving already? We can split up the loot later."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Sir Sieghard."

Sir Sieghard... That was a new one. Did she think he was a knight? Well, I am wearing one's armor...

---

Sieghard oversaw his men rummaging through the wagons, telling them what to save and what would be destroyed, and doing his best to ignore Elsa's urging to just burn everything and leave. By the time Ludo had returned with the oxen, he was confident they had found everything of value and gave the order to have it tied to the animals and the rest burned.

"We should send a runner to the Captain," he suggested to Elsa. "Let him know what's happened and that Alvarr's men are on the march."

"Sir, I have some skill in healing if you or your men need tending. I am no surgeon, but I have experience with battlefield medicine. There should be some healing poultices in my pack, as well, if there is anyone more severely injured."

Sieghard considered the option. He was skeptical, but after a moment replied "They'll need the surgeons either way, but if you can bind their wounds until we can reach them, then do it quickly."

Spoiler

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Sieghard wants to take the cheese and ale, as well as the paychest, mail, and weapons. Also, the weapons and boots from the dead Thorn and Volunteer. He's not going to bother picking bloody soaked leather off the battlefield dead and he'll let his men help themselves to the coin they find on the dead men themselves. Marat's coming with as well, though he's not worth so much that we can't slit his throat and drop him if he proves to be too troublesome. Ludo of course is welcome to one of the crossbows if he can avoid shooting the oxen and Astoria can have one of the spears after we've gotten her to Sforza if she wants one.

We'll go north until we regroup with the men left to guard the carts and then, depending on whether we're still being pursued or if they stop when they find the burned wagons, we can either finish our sweep of the countryside or head back to Sforza directly. We could also send our wounded back to Sforza with a small escort now while the majority stick to the road for the time being.

[Erulasto]

If Astoria noticed Sieghard's hesitance at her alleged skills as a healer, she did not make much indication of it. Instead, she simply acknowledged his instruction with a small, but curt nod and hurried off to find those who needed some assistance.

The young knight did what she could, as swiftly as she could - it wasn't much at the moment, given the haste the company worked with. When she was done her work, she sighed and wiped a sleeve across her brow. It smudged the sweat and soot even more, but at this point she had grown accustomed to it. Astoria sought as clean a rag as she could find, and began to wipe some blood from her hands as she approached the Bright Wizard, and her - apparently injured - companion.

"My lady..." She stopped a short distance away, not wanting to approach abruptly or give the injured animal a reason to take displeasure with her arrival. "If your feathered friend is injured, I may be able to offer some aid. If it is your desire."

Spoiler: OOC

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All the Heals.

(1d100)[40] vs INT 47
(1d10)[5] for Lightly Wounded

If Elsa is okay with Astoria helping Morrslieb, I figure an Animal Care and a Heal? Correct me if I'm wrong, or being presumptuous.

Animal Care (1d100)[28]
Heal (1d100)[77]

When she has done all she can to assist those wounded in the sortie that free'd her, Astoria picked through the gathering slowly - looking for a drink of water, if one was to be found, and awaiting further instructions before they headed out.

[-Sentinel-]

"My lady... If your feathered friend is injured, I may be able to offer some aid. If it is your desire."

Elsa's first impulse was to flatly refuse, as if a strange woman had asked her permission to nurse her baby. Her raven had a value that could not be quantified. Then it occurred to her that Astoria had every reason to oppose the Duke, and so far had given no sign that she feared or hated magic.

"I'll let you have a look," she said reluctantly. "I'll be watching you."

It took her a moment to convince the nervous Morrslieb to stop thrashing under the knight's fingers.

[LeSwordfish]

A little taken aback at being referred to as Master Halfling, Ludo handed over the sword and turned back to Sieghard. "Are you sure? If they can keep up with us until we reach our own wagons, we could lose everything. Let's just throw what we can on the horses and leave the rest to burn."

[LCP]

Elsa, Ludo, Sieghard & Astoria

Astoria inspected Morrslieb's bloodied wing, but scarcely knew where to begin. The Order had taught her most everything about caring for a horse, but birds and horses were very different animals. She cleaned the wound as best she could, and left it at that.

Loading the animals up with the stolen goods took some time - the barrels of ale in particular were both bulky and heavy. While some of the men saw to the loading, others set to work pitching what they couldn't take with them into the flames of the burning wagons. The one that had been burning longest didn't take well to the added weight - its charred axles gave way one after the other, sending Norten and his men scrambling back as it slumped to the ground in a cloud of embers. One of the horses reared, clearly still agitated by the flames.

By now the cloud of dust to the south was visible even from ground level. Rounding up the prisoners and the wounded, the company headed back the way they had come, cutting cross-country through the fields and pastures west of the road. With their heavily-laden beasts trailing behind them, their tracks would not be difficult to follow.

~

It was some time after midday when they returned to their own carts. Having been denied their promised rest after last night's march, the men were moving slowly - but if the force coming from Savonne had followed them, they had seen no sign of it yet. Thin black streaks of smoke on the horizon marked where they had left the wagons to burn.

There was some congratulatory back-slapping as the soldiers who'd been left behind saw what the main party had brought back. Ingwald however just stood back and looked at their spoils with an appraising eye.

"Don't reckon we can carry any more with us, boss," he said to Sieghard. "Carts are full already, and now we've got these poor beasts all trussed up with barrels of beer. Maybe time we ran some of this back to the Captain?"

[Erulasto]

Spoiler: Before the march

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Astoria and Beatrix*

When she had done all she could for Morrslieb, she rose and offered the Bright Wizard a small smile.

"I apologize that I cannot do more, my Lady. Plenty of rest and food, and I would wager your friend here will be right as a smile from Myrmidia."

Astoria and the Little Master

It had surprised her when Ludo handed her the sword, but her soot covered face broke into a wide, happy smile.

"Master Halfling, you have my deepest gratitude!"

The young knight offered Ludo a deep, sweeping bow before securing the blade at her hip with reverent, but practiced ease.

"I am in your debt." It was said with a certain amount of finality that gave a firm impression she would brook no argument.

* * * * *

Astoria was already tired when they arrived at the camp; between hunting down the horse, tending what wounded she could, and the march - not to mention her many days in captivity.

When there came a moment of respite, she allowed herself to slump down to the ground with a weary groan and rubbed the back of her neck to ease the tension there.

The Knight did not assume that her input would be welcome, nor wanted, and contented herself with what rest she could find.

It wouldn't surprise her if they were marching again, before long. Nor would it surprise her to find that there were more important matters to attend than seeing her to this Sforza, and by proxy Barbaro.

[-Sentinel-]

"I apologize that I cannot do more, my Lady. Plenty of rest and food, and I would wager your friend here will be right as a smile from Myrmidia."

"Thank you for your efforts," said Elsa, examining the cleaned-up wound. "I think what he most needs is some rest."

---

"Maybe time we ran some of this back to the Captain?"

"I'm inclined to agree here, Sieghard, said Elsa, filling her waterskin from a barrel of ale. "Besides, we need to send word to the Captain that Morrslieb is wounded and can't be relied on to carry messages."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"You're going to have to figure out how to tell him that," Sieghard replied. He didn't envy her.

"As long as the scouts say the way is safe, we'll head that way. I'd rather not have anyone split off until we're sure Alvarr's soldiers aren't around anymore and we've still got men who need the surgeons' care." He turned back to Ingwald. "We'll rest here a bit before continuing on. I want to send a message to the Captain though... 'Caravan stopped and supplies burned. Alvarr's sergeant captured. Casualties light. Reinforcements from Savonne in the field but too late to save wagons.' "

[Erulasto]

After a brief rest - finding a measure of respite from the harsh conditions of the last few days - Astoria picks herself up, and makes her way towards the wounded men. The knight spends some time checking wounds, and ensuring that the travel back to the camp did not exacerbate any of their injuries, or undo the effort she had made at tending them.

After she had spent some time offering her services to those in need, Astoria wandered through the camp until she found a quiet spot just on the outskirts. She drew her father's sword, and plunged it into the dirt before dropping down to her knee's before it.

Astoria closed her eyes, and raised a hand to her breast with fingers splayed wide to represent the rays of the sun.

"Mother of Battle....She who keeps my blade keen, who keeps my shield ready and my armour strong: Grant me the grace to know my enemies, the honour to stand against them and the strength to defeat them. This I pray, in Myrmidia’s name."

[LCP]

Sieghard, Astoria, Ludo & Elsa

“Right,” said Ingwald. Patting his pockets, he looked towards the carts. “Got to be some writing things around here somewhere.”

While Ingwald searched, Sieghard sent two of the guards they had left behind to recall Tannhofer and the scouts. Most of the company seemed dead on their feet; it seemed best to let them rest.

Rahim at least was well-rested. The surly Arabyan had remained behind with the others, and they now found him reclining on one of the back of the carts, his arms folded behind his head and his eyes closed in an expression of contentment. Once woken and handed the letter Ingwald had scribed, he saddled his horse and set off with barely a grunt of acknowledgement, only muttering something to himself in his own language. At least what he lacked in manners he made up for in horsemanship – taking off like an arrow from a bow, he quickly vanished from sight.

It was some hours later when the scouts returned, sorry to have missed out on the action. Tannhofer confirmed that there was no sign of the Duke’s forces on their tail – they looked to have reached the site of the battle and turned back to the city with whatever they could salvage.

One possible reason for their decision was looming to the north. Black clouds were building over the Karst, heavy with the promise of a storm. Fitful breaths of wind rustled the leaves of the trees around their sheltered hollow, sending the last leavings of winter’s dead growth tumbling in the breeze.

“Looks like we’ll be getting some rain after all,” said Gustaf, eyes raising to the building thunderheads. “About time.”

---

Wellentag, 30th Pflugzeit

Narcisa

Narcisa had the feeling she’d lost the company. Yesterday she’d seen no fires behind her, though she’d told the locals to leave all the same. Most had listened, barring those too old to move, and one obstinate turnip farmer who had insisted he was “skilled in self defence” - by now, some measure of her reputation was running before her. If her ravenous looters now failed to appear, some of that credibility would be lost. She’d climbed to the top of a stony hillock to better look for the others, but seen no sign – only faint trails of smoke rising in the far distance, somewhere near the Alvarran road. The sight of the oncoming storm had been much more concerning.

She’d found cover in an abandoned shack, by the dry bed of a stream that ran down from the foothills of the Giant’s Teeth. The storm had broken in the night, and she’d listened to the wind howl around her fragile shelter as the rain hammered at the old boards. When dawn finally came, the stream was full and rushing, and the storm had passed. She could see it still moving across the Downlands – a ragged black arrowhead of cloud, stretching out its shadow towards Savonne.

She had scarcely gone twenty steps from the shack when she noticed something out of the ordinary. A stunted tree on a rocky outcropping nearby had lost some of its leaves, and something white and was lodged in its crooked branches, washed clean and glistening by the rain.

It was a sheep. Or rather, it was half a sheep. Its forequarters had been torn messily away, leaving just the rump and hind legs tangled in the upper branches of the tree. They looked as if they had been dropped there from quite a height…

---

Elsa, Sieghard, Ludo & Astoria

Rain was still falling in the storm’s wake as Sieghard’s company broke camp, headed back to where they had last seen the Iron Company. Progress was slow with their carts and draft animals behind them; the sudden deluge had turned the dry ground of the Downlands to mud with startling speed. The afternoon was drawing to a close when the camp at the foot of the hills hove into view.

The Tileans had evidently been busy too – heaps of plunder had been stacked up in some rough semblance of order around Abdul’s unharnessed carts, the Arabyan’s men lounging around them and doing a sterling impression of the world’s most indifferent guards. Sieghard caught sight of Rahim among them, leaning on the side of a cart and slowly eating a handful of nuts. He spat out a shell and gave the barest of nods.

The number of men in the camp didn’t look anything like the Iron Company’s full strength. Sieghard assumed the rest must be in the field; he could see no sign of Carraciolo either. The banner still flew over the Captain’s pavilion, however, and as the militia filed into the camp the man himself emerged.

“Sieghard,” he said, two Iron Company men falling in beside him. He held Ingwald’s letter in his hand, but let a brief silence reign as he ran an appraising eye over the loot Sieghard’s men were carrying. “Looks like you’ve been busy. Good work.”

He tapped one of his bodyguards on the arm, and the man ran off shouting for Abdul. Turning to walk with Sieghard, the Captain held up the letter.

“So it seems they do venture out from behind their walls. We weren’t close enough this time to catch their little relief force, but next time...” He closed his fist as if crushing a fly. “I want you to post a watch at the mouth of the pass. If any more try to make the crossing, we’ll be ready for them.”

Trailing a little way behind, Astoria was still taking in the sights of the camp. The Iron Company’s encampment was much more neat and disciplined than anything Marat’s men had managed; she felt like she was looking at an illustration straight from the pages of one of the treatises she had studied with the Order in Magritta. The rain had rendered everything a little squelchy, but still, it was impressive.

[Erulasto]

While the rain had muddied the roads and made the travel more arduous than it otherwise would have been, Astoria enjoyed the feeling of the rain on her soot-caked skin as it seemed to wash away the stress of the last few days of captivity.

When they arrived at the camp of the Iron Company, Astoria found herself a bit giddy. This was more like it!

Astoria had seen the mercenary camps that had been hired by those Merchant Princes of both Estalia, and Tilea but even they paled in the grandeur of the men in service to this Capitano Sforza. She gawked at the precision and - if she was honest - the size of the plunder piled at the camp.

She trailed along behind Sieghard and the man she assumed was Sforza himself. Astoria walked with hands clasped lightly behind her, hoping to have a moment to introduce herself and perhaps see some resolution to the task her Masters had set for her. It was a matter of her honour as a Knight to see it through, no matter the odds stacked against her. Sieghard and Sforza seemed rather busy, so Astoria contented herself to not interrupt. Patience, she reminded herself. She must be patient.

She would get her chance.

[-Sentinel-]

Drenched from head to toe, Elsa was in a vile mood by the time the company reached Sforza's camp. She dismounted and ate ravenously while listening to the Captain.

"Unfortunately Morrslieb's no longer sky-worthy," said Elsa, showing the wounded bird perched on her arm. "He'll recover, but I don't think he'll fly for a few days. We can't keep an eye on Bunthafen. On the bright side, the enemy believes him dead."

And she intended to keep it that way for as long as possible. She had kept Morrslieb in her saddlebag the whole way and prevented Marat from ever seeing it. If the man escaped or was freed, he would not carry that knowledge back to his Duke.

"Any news from Lady Groz's pregnancy?"



OOC

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Is the 30th only the next day from the attack on the caravan? Been a while since we last saw a date in the IC thread...

<It... I just thought I saw something, before dawn,> said the pikeman. He pointed up into the hills south-west of the camp, where the crags of the Giant's Teeth reared highest. <Flying up there. It was far off, but it looked a lot bigger than a bird to me.> He looked to his comrade and shrugged. <I lost it behind the hills.>

It was a sheep. Or rather, it was half a sheep. Its forequarters had been torn messily away, leaving just the rump and hind legs tangled in the upper branches of the tree. They looked as if they had been dropped there from quite a height…

w
y
v
e
r
n

[LCP]

Elsa, Sieghard, Ludo & Astoria

Sforza peered at Morrslieb, while Morrslieb glared sullenly back. Being grounded had Morrslieb thoroughly miserable, and he was acting up accordingly. Elsa prayed he wouldn't peck the Captain the way he'd been pecking at her leg all the way back.

"You should take more care," said Sforza at last. "That bird is worth a dozen scouts. Now we have no eyes north of the Karst." He met Elsa's eyes. "How did it come to be injured?"

"Any news from Lady Groz's pregnancy?"

"No," said Sforza. "In such matters I would assume no news is good news. I am sure Irene is ensuring the lady is well cared for."

[-Sentinel-]

"How did it come to be injured?"

"I got careless," Elsa admitted frankly, not lowering her gaze. "Sent him to blast the convoy with some fireballs to slow it down. I didn't realize they even had crossbowmen until one of them got lucky. We both learned a lesson."

She paused. "Speaking of being shot at, I seem to have become a target of late. Maybe I should try to blend in with the soldiers when we're in the field. Wear a uniform, keep my hair short..."

[LCP]

Elsa, Sieghard, Ludo & Astoria

"Careless indeed," said the Captain. "Sieghard had a hundred men to stop that caravan. We only had one bird watching the Jarl."

"Speaking of being shot at, I seem to have become a target of late. Maybe I should try to blend in with the soldiers when we're in the field. Wear a uniform, keep my hair short..."

There was a pause. "You are asking my opinion on whether to cut your hair?" asked Sforza, sharply. "Am I your captain, or your barber? Abdul is quartermaster, if you want a uniform speak to him. Or any of the commanders." He raised an eyebrow at Elsa. "I think the enemy will notice you all the same when you start throwing fire from your fingers."

[Erulasto]

Astoria may have been milling about on the periphery, in plain sight though being as unobtrusive as possible, however when the words of Sforza about being a barber or a captain, the young knight couldn't help but to snort a half-choked laugh.

A hand clapped over her mouth at the sound, eyes wide as she realized that yes - that did indeed come from her.

Dignity! There was little dignity in such crass mirth. Later, when ruminating on her sudden outburst, she would place the blame wholly upon the weariness of her journey stifling natural proclivities.

Any attention the outburst would have garnered was hopefully placated with a small bow, and murmured apologies - hopefully to hide the flush of embarrassment.

[LCP]

Sieghard, Astoria, Elsa & Ludo

The Captain turned his head at the sound of Astoria's laugh, his dark eyes quickly picking her out in the crowd.

"Who's this, Sieghard?" he asked, in clipped, neutral tones. "A new recruit?"

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"She claims to be a knight," Sieghard answered, "Sent to speak with Father Barbaro of all people." And then after a pause, "Alvarr's men had her held prisoner."

[Erulasto]

When Capitano Sforza turned his gaze on Astoria, she felt a wave of cold panic grip at her heart for a moment. Steeling herself, it took a mental reprimand that she was a Knight and should behave as such. Sir Di Souza - her mentor - would have sighed heavily at the breech of etiquette, but he was always pushing her to be better and to remember not to let her excitement get the better of her.

Sieghard had given a basic explanation, and Astoria took the opportunity to approach them, head held high.

"Capitano Sforza? I am Caballera Astoria Evangelisti of the Order of the Knights of the Blazing Sun and Initiate to the Temple of Myrmidia in Magritta." When she had come closer, to give him perhaps a better measure of her bearing, she bowed deeply. "It is an honour to meet you. What Sir Sieghard says is true. He and his men were kind enough to free me of my bonds after they had taken that snakes caravan."

[LCP]

Astoria, Sieghard, Ludo & Elsa

Sforza's face remained mostly impassive, but the corner of his mouth crooked in the shadow of a smile.

"Sir Sieghard," he said, looking to Sieghard himself. "Do you hear that? She's knighted you."

He looked Astoria up and down. "Forgive me, mia dama, if I say that you don't... look like a knight. What business does the Blazing Sun have in the Broken Reaches?"