Fantasy RP

[Tikobe]

Othan

"Mmm..." I grumble as I close my eyes and think. It's effective and simple enough for the commoners to achieve, and they're really only bandits so there's no need for something complex, but something just doesn't sit right with me. Call me superstitious, but I'm on guard and I don't really know why.

Oh well, there doesn't seem to be much of a better option. Besides, I'm always a little anxious. It's good to be paranoid when you lead an army.

"Very well, I'll cast my vote behind that option," I decide. "That being said, I believe we should also discuss tactics to aid in the survival of our men. These aren't soldiers, they're not used to death like how we are. Furthermore, they're the backbone of the surrounding region. Too many casualties on our side will have far too negative of an impact for us. It'll be a lighter problem than the bandits, sure, but still a problem. We should plan out some formations that these men can follow even without the lack of training that focus on keeping them alive."

Kainer

I was surprised. I mean, I suppose that would make the most sense for that to be the letter, but to quite literally become a knight by given the king a letter...

Actually, once more, I suppose that was the most logical conclusion as well. Now that I think of it, that's probably how most knights start out. Eh, well at the least the matter's been concluded.

"Thank you, your majesty," I smile slightly as I, quite obviously apparent from the previous few words, fail to keep a poker face while I bow to the king.

[Bannanachair]

@ Jonos: "Aye, your majesty," Wallace said, leaving the tent briefly. Less than a minute later, he returned with the baronness.

@ Verous: "But it would be harder to get to," Perrin said. "And, for this, I don't think that splitting up would be the best course of action, though it could work. Either way, the brunt of the attack should be on the front entrance, or else they'll escape through there instead of the back."

@ Othan: "I've trained my peasants to hold a line and swing a spear around," Raethus said, "And there are a few veteran soldiers working my fields as well who will work as a solid backbone. Minimising casualties would just be a matter of ensuring that our tactics are good. So, outnumber and surround the bandits, I suppose, is the thing to do. Some casualties are inevitable, but it would be more injuries than deaths and we might be able to get the bandits to surrender once their leader's down or captured."

@ Kainer: "I have a task that you might... Well, actually, I'll tell you in the morning," The king said. "It's too late now to get on a horse and ride anyway, so there's no use telling you now anyways. Do you have accommodations in Calbourne?"

"Aye, your highness, he has a room at the Black Goose," Trihem said. "That's where I met him."

"Thank you, Sir Trihem, but Sir Kainer can speak for himself. Have a night's sleep and be at my court early in the morning. I'll tell my guards to let you past without any hassle. Did you, by any chance, get to speak with Sir Caidwyr at tonight's feast? Nevermind, if you haven't, you'll probably meet him tomorrow."

[Tikobe]

Othan

Well, I suppose Raethus makes a valid point. I decide to stay silent for now and watch on as the other talk to see if there's any more ideas.

Kainer

"Yes, your majesty. I'll be there tomorrow morning without fail."

Sir Caidwyr?

Hmm...

Nope! Don't remember him, but then again, at this point I don't remember any knights other than Trihem and I vaguely remember there was one named something like Llydan? Not sure which one. Too many new faces, too many names. Not gonna remember things like that.

[Leggo]

Jonos

“Lady Vena, I’ve come to the conclusion that a marriage with you is in my best interest as well as the realms. However, my vassals would be a tad skeptical if I announced all of the sudden that I was marrying a vassal of the very realm we are preparing to invade. It puts someone who was just our enemy in a position of somewhat great power. Therefore, my proposal is a betrothal. Fight with us to conquer Mescor, and once the county is mine and the Count is at my feet, we will marry. You have my word.”

I’m beginning to warm up to the idea of marrying Vena. She’s certainly a competent ruler. It’s her loyalty I’m worrried about. I will refrain from putting trust in her until Mescor is taken.

I worry about allowing her on the war council. Then again, it would be obvious if our plan gets leaked, and she is in our camp, outnumbered, after all. She wouldn’t risk her life and the lives of all her men like that. She’s not foolish enough.

[Duck14]

Verous

“If we’re worried about escape we should have at least one person at the back door. If we send the brunt of our attack at the front door they’ll have plenty of time to make off out the back.” I gazed at Prue for at moment. What did she think of this matter? Obviously she would want us to seize the resources but she had never seen me head into battle before. I had never seen me head into battle.

[Bannanachair]

@ Othan: "And if they refuse to surrender?" Boderick said.

"Kill or capture them. Any captured or surrendered will be hanged publicly," Raethus answered.

"The bandits have horses, remember?" Northan asked. "How do they get their horses to their lair?"

"We'll find out once we're there, I'd guess," Galad said. "As for our horses, I'll watch them at the base of the trail. Make sure they don't run off while you guys are fighting."

@ Tikobe: (So does Kainer do anything after leaving tonight, or should I just skip ahead to the next day?)

@ Jonos: Vena seemed a little bit surprised that you accepted her offer, and is clearly bad at hiding her emotions. "I didn't expect you to say yes to me so quickly. Well then, let's try to get it in paper. An oath of fealty to you as my Duke and liege-lord will be included, of course..."

You spend much of the rest of the working out details of the betrothal and marriage alliance (taking a break for lunch), including what it entails and what it doesn't entail. For instance, she is obligated to use her armies to aid you as fully as possible in any military conflict you find yourself in and will pay her own dowry, an amount equivalent to paying for a year of Redscar's service (Her initially proposed number was so absurdly large that you didn't bother to negotiate on it). She also threw one hundred casks of wine into the dowry, claiming that it's the Norven estates that are what people tend to think of when they hear "Mescor Reds". You also got firsthand knowledge of her economy and books, military strengths and pedigree.

About an hour before dusk, she cut off the negotiations. "I wasn't lying about the trap that I set for if I couldn't safely get back," She said. "If I'm not back by dusk, a messenger will ride to Count Arnil, and now that we're forming an alliance and getting married, I don't want that to happen."

@ Verous: "Two at the back, the rest going in the front, then," Perrin suggested. Prue was remaining quiet, likely because she knew that she didn't have the military knowledge to contribute to the discussion at hand.

That was right around the time that Berig returned. "Your majesty, the men'll be ready to attack within the hour," He said.

[Duck14]

Verous

“Alright, we better go and meet them Perrin. Ballus, we’ll have the supplies secured as soon as possible. Once we do we’ll need you to come over to take stock of what we gather. Oakwell eats tonight.” I leave the room with a grin. This shouldn’t be too hard. We had the numbers advantage and finally the people would have access to some proper food. Things were looking up.

[Tikobe]

(Kainer pretty much has nothing to do, considering that he's in a bit of a "country boy meets city" kind of situation. So, yeah, we good to skip to morning if you want)

Othan

"Their leader," I say, as I think of something important, "I would prefer it if we were to capture him alive. To begin with, having him publicly executed might give the denizens of the area a bit of relief. However, I mostly just wish to ask a few questions of him. It's nothing really important and if it becomes more practical to kill him do so, but there's some details that bother me. Really though, they're just things we can only confirm after we resolve the incident and once more, I highly doubt their importance."

[Leggo]

Jonos

“Aye, goodbye, Lady Vena," I nod.

Now that that bit of business has been handled, I can go back to doing something I enjoy, something I’m used to. Like checking the camp fortifications! After Vena leaves, I’m going to take Solmyr and that’s precisely what I’m going to do. This bit of talk on marriage and children makes me... uncomfortable.

[Bannanachair]

(Merry Christmas, guys, and sorry for the slow reply. I may be slow to reply throughout January as well, because I will be in-between living situations starting on the 28th and ending late January or early February. Sort of vacationing between moving out from my parents and in with my grandparents, but also lugging a suitcase around in the middle of winter when I've lived in Singapore in perpetual summer for the past ten years.)

@ Verous: Berig had chosen a meeting point just outside of the front of the palace-castle, and slowly over the course of the next hour some men began to arrive - One of the tallest people you've ever seen, seven-foot-tall Hersworth, was the first to arrive after you and Perrin, while Livil, one of the twins that Berig had mentioned, was the last. Some wore some light chain armour or a helmet, and some were just in roughspun clothes.

@ Othan: "I agree with that wholeheartedly," Raethus said. "A public execution in the public square of Wyst's Town, or maybe in Bistown where that fight was. Anyway, if we're splitting this group up, we need to decide how we're going to be splitting up tomorrow. Sir Galad will not be able to fight, but the rest of us should be."

@ Kainer: Sir Trihem got you the drink that he said that he would, and you returned to your room in the Black Goose. The night was dreamless, as always, and your morning meal relatively uneventful. Your breakfast was similarly uneventful, with just a small amount of conversation with Blyane where you told him what had happened the previous evening with the king. The guards let you in to attend the king's court without any hassle, as your name was likely added to their list, and you quickly found a seat with some of the other knights as the king listened to petitioners.

After a few hours, he got up from his throne and left his elderly advisor from the previous night to respond to petitioners. King Arthel approached the knights who were seated with you and spoke.

"Sir Caidwyr, Sir Todawc, Sir Rhyewn, Sir Gwyres, Sir Mobreul and Sir Kainer, I would like to discus a matter with all of you in private. I have an important task that I need all of you to attend to."

After the king led you and the other knights mentioned to a room behind the throneroom, he spoke again. "The village of Camasse, near the Chelpar, has been attacked and its inhabitants massacred. Survivors say that it was the trolls who live in that bog responsible for the slaughter, and I fear that that band may attack more villages or even a larger town if not dealt with. The Duke of Diton has requested immediate help in dealing with these trolls. Sir Caidwyr, I charge you with leading an expedition to Camasse and into the trollhaunts of the Chelpar to ensure that the rest of Diton is safe and the fallen villagers are avenged."

"Aye, your highness, I accept this charge," Sir Caidwyr said. "These others are all knights, tasked to aid me in this expedition and adventure, I'm assuming?"

"If they want to. There will be both danger and glory in this mission. If any here do not wish to go, I am sure that I can find other knights willing to go on this quest. If there are any who do not wish to go, please speak now."

@ Jonos: As you fly overhead, checking the camp fortifications, you see that they've all been set up rather well. You also see Vena in her small rowboat once or twice, and then see that she arrived back on her side of the river just before nightfall. Both your fortifications and hers were set up rather well, with ditches dug to prevent attacks on the flanks and regular patrols, but the camps of some of your vassals weren't as good. Thankfully, you placed those vassals in locations not as likely to be attacked.

As you fly Solmyr back to the ground, a thought occurs to you as to why Baronness Vena looked familiar - you've seen her before. In fact, you saw her just the previous night, in the dream that had you screaming in your sleep.

[Tikobe]

Othan

"Well, I'd prefer if I were to be by the side of my brother Northan and his squire," I say.

It's not like I distrust the others, but there's a certain relief in travelling with family. Raethus is also good company, of course.

It's really a shame that family has a harder time understanding me than Raethus does though. Perhaps that incident a few nights ago could've been avoided if that was the case.

Kainer

Trolls was it?

I had heard of those things before. After all, they're the reason why the elves never let me travel into the forest. Said that it'd be an issue if I strayed too far and encountered a group of them by myself.

Anyways, I stay silent. I had no reason to back down, after all.

[Duck14]

Verous

I took to the centre of the group to address my men. It was the first time I had to do such a thing but this came more naturally to me than speaking to the not-merchant. “Greetings all. I thank you for putting your time to this cause. I hope this matter is resolved swiftly so that you may all return to your lives. Right. You may know that we plan to raid a food store within our own town. Fear not, the people in charge of it now are not friends, they killed a man for no reason to exploit the poor. For that injustice alone they could be tried but as I said their treachery goes beyond exploitation. We will take that store." I cleared my throat and mulled over my next words.

“Restrain them if you can, but kill if you must. Your safety is more important than their arrest."

[Bannanachair]

(Last post of the year. Happy New Year!)

@ Othan: "So Othan and I'll lead one group, maybe with Arthel or Bode, and you'll lead the other with whichever of the other two isn't with us," Northan said to Raethus.

"That sounds like a good plan to me," Raethus said. "Which will you take."

"Bode, it's up to you."

"I guess I'll be going with you and your brother, then," Sir Boderick said. "I travelled with Raethus just yesterday, so it'll be interesting to see the differences in how the two of you operate."

@ Kainer: None of the knights speak up for half a minute, and then one does. "Your majesty, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we accept this charge wholeheartedly and will do everything we can to avenge the slaughter at Camasse."

"Good," The king said. "Sir Caidwyr, you have until the end of today to plan your excursion. If you need any supplies at all, everything that I have is at your disposal. Horses, weapons, other men that I haven't given you - you name it and it's yours. It's about two week's ride. I'll mark it on a map for you shortly and let you determine the course of travel you think would be the most appropriate."

"Camasse probably doesn't, but do any nearby settlements have teleportation circles?" Caidwyr asked. "Orobel? Golrane? Hell, even Borrault would do, I reckon." Golrane is the capital city of Diton, according to the faeries who taught you. Orobel is another large city in Diton. Borrault, on the other hand, is a ruined city which, according to the faeries, lay deep within the Chelmar and met the same fate that Camasse did around the fall of the Tarthelian empire.

"Borrault wouldn't work for obvious reasons, not the least of which is that you'd be slaughtered as soon as you arrived. I'll have to check with Eremer about Orobel and Golrane, but I don't think that he has anyone who knows those circles."

"The rest of you have until nightfall to get your affairs in order," Caidwyr said to you. "We ride at the break of dawn tomorrow, if we can't teleport somewhere closer. I've worked with most of you before, but there's a couple that I haven't yet met - Rhyewn and Kainer, I think. I'll be wanting to speak with both of you before the evening, just to get a grasp of who you are and where your strengths lie."

@ Verous: Your speech was met with a roar of enthusiasm from your small group, but none spoke yet, as they were awaiting their specific orders or for the speech to last longer. After a short while, Perrin spoke.

"Heresworth, Livil, the two of you are to look for the back door, apprehend anyone guarding it and block off that line of escape. Falson, Huneric, the two of you are to establish a perimeter around the building in case there are exits that I'm not thinking of, or to act as quick backup should anyone need it. Berig, Osthir, the two of you will be accompanying his majesty and I in assaulting the front entrance. I don't think that I need to tell you what the specific order for that entails." Perrin didn't need to tell you either what the implication there was, though he likely hoped that you missed it - more important than apprehending the criminals was ensuring that the Duke of Datha was safe. "Does anyone have any questions about their role in this?"

No questions were asked.

[Tikobe]

Othan

"Very well then. It'll be an interesting experience working with you," I smile.

Honestly, I didn't really give a damn. But like I always stress, Kallian wouldn't be happy to hear me being indifferent to our knights.

Kainer

"Of course!" I smile. "Call me when you want me."

Hey? What's the harm of knowing the guy I'll be following.

(You know, I sometimes like to joke about Kainer being the anti-Othan, but this post made me realize just how much these differ. It sometimes get tough going from one to the other.)

[Duck14]

Verous

I nodded, glad that Perrin would go with me. “Alright then, if there aren’t any questions we better get in position. Don’t want to leave the good people waiting for their food.” I led the way toward the storehouse.

[Bannanachair]

(Sorry for the late post. And yeah, juggling multiple distinct characters is really difficult - going from Raethus to Northan to Trihem to Garry to Perrin to Wallace to Vena, often all within one post, has proven to be difficult for me as well. Just make sure that everything is what the characters would do, or something that seems like what the characters might do, and you should be fine, and be sure to take your time with it if you need to. Often what I'll do is type a reply for one character and then go do something else for a while before typing a reply for another character, just because the tone of the story can be so different from character to character.)

@ Othan: That night, you had a dream of planning a battle. You were in a tent, a makeshift location for the war council. You weren't seated at the seat of prominence, as your father was leading the army, as old and infirm as he's been in the ten years since the Second Galbror War ended. "The siege is not going particularly well," He said. "Does anyone have any ideas for how to resolve it?"

Hedrek was the first to offer a suggestion. "We captured the Duke's son and heir three weeks ago. My stance remains the same as it has been - his heir for his city. We give him his heir without laying a finger on him, and he'll open his gates for our army."

"You've always been idealistic," Raethus said, "Hang the duke's son. He's useless and will just be a figure for them to rally behind."

"He surrendered honourably and we should treat him with the honour he deserves," Said another familiar voice, Sir Hartwig. "If you met him in battle and slew him that would be one thing, but he is our prisoner. We're not trying to terrify and oppress, we are simply trying to bring this nation under the benevolent rule of the Great Dragon. The benevolent rule."

"We still need to take this damned city somehow," Taran Gulyard said. "A simultaneous attack on two fronts, perhaps, one attack on the ports and another on the main gate. If one attack breaks through, they make a beeline for the Stone Tower - "

"And then besiege the castle while trapped in a hostile city?" Northan asked. "We need to pull back, draw the noble family out, get them to bring out their army to retake the countryside and then pounce upon them. It will be an open battle, and fought fairly."

There was a flash of lightning outside the tent. You could see the silhouette of the Great Dragon flying above you and hear the wind rustle in the trees. The flap of the tent opened and there was a newcomer - Wyst Shan, but not Wyst Shan. His skin was pale white instead of his old copper, and it clung so tightly to his skin that you could see the bones. His gums receded so more of his teeth were visible, and his hair was all gone. There was so much dirt and blood under his fingernails that you were sure he must have clawed his way out of his grave himself. "Do not worry," He said, "For I have already put plans in motion to ensure the fall of Estermere."

Then you woke up.

@ Kainer: A handful of hours go by as you get ready. Truthfully, you didn't have all that much that you needed to do in order to get ready, so you spent some of your hours killing time. You were in your room in the Black Goose when you heard a knock on your door, and Sir Caidwyr walked in.

"Sir Kainer, I am pleased to be formally meeting you. You'll forgive me if I have a few questions to ask - how new to Calbourne and the king's knights are you? Where were you before this? Lastly, what is your knowledge of and experience in fighting against trolls?"

@ Verous: The men followed you towards The Singing Steeds inn, and the various groups splintered off from your group quickly. Heresworth and Livil split away first, down a back alley before anyone at the tavern could see you. Falson and Huneric followed suit shortly after.

When you arrived, here were three guards out the front, the two from earlier having been joined by one other. Farryl seems to have changed in his cudgel for an axe of the type used to cut down trees, but he was still otherwise unarmoured.

"Your majesty," He said, maintaining his earlier air of mockery. "I'm afraid that you're not allowed back in here unless it's to grant the boss a knighthood and the gold you owe him."

@ Jonos: You sleep the night without thrashing or screaming in your sleep, and thankfully it was also a dreamless sleep. The following day two small rowboats crossed the river from Vena's camp, but neither of them contained your wife-to-be. The first boat contained two guards carrying a chest of solid Spiderwood, in which was contained sixty pounds of silver - a full eighth of the monetary value of Vena's dowry. They assured you that more was to come, but that most of her precious metals were in Norven instead of with her on a battlefield.

The second boat contained Vena's chief engineer, who was searching for Sir Oswald. When you questioned him, his answer for that was fairly simple - "The baroness sent me to figure out how you planned to cross the river, to see if I could help from the other side. Be it building a fleet or a bridge, I'm certain that your chief of engineers will benefit from my helping you from my side." And so, by the end of the day, the bridge was being built from both your side and from Vena's side, with the intention to make them meet somewhere in the middle.

The next day, one of the scouts that Wallace sent came back with a prisoner. "He says that he's a messenger from Baron Cirthil, of Holmsbury," The scout said. "He, uh, he asked to speak with you. Sir Wallace is keeping him a prisoner, searching him for hidden weapons right now."

[Tikobe]

Othan

I blink for a bit, and then shrug off the dream.

I now see for sure that I was correct in saying that the unpleasant dreams would stop when I distance myself from my wife. After all, dreaming of the fall of Estermere and the return of Wyst, who was all in all not that bad of a person even if he went a little out of this world, to put it kindly, towards the end of his life, was quite a pleasant thing to dream about.

Well, there's going to be some movement today. I dress myself and head out of my room to mentally prepare myself for the upcoming event.

Kainer

Oh boy, it's time for the awkward and loaded explanation again!

He's asking about trolls and I gotta tell him something that has, thus far, not been received well by sensible people other than the barkeeper, who probably was either drunk or thought it was an elaborate prank, and the king who had a full blown letter of recommendation in his face about it.

Well, I can just add in the basics of what I was taught. I was told quite a few more things just in case but judging from past reactions I was going to have to spend more time explaining the other matter.

"Um, let's see... I was knighted last night and if memory serves me well I came the day before yesterday. I hail from the faerie Court of Autumn, and while I've never met a troll the elves told me small number of tips about how to fight trolls and what I specifically should do as someone who prefers fighting with a spear and shield."

[Duck14]

Verous

Farryl obviously didn’t realise what the extra men at my side meant. That gave us the element of surprise and damn right he was in for a surprise. “I think you’ll find that we don’t owe your master anything until he hands over the merchandise. Be a good dog and get your master to come outside. The lack of fresh air can’t be doing him any good and I would much rather see him out here.” If we drew their leader out we may be able to forego the ordeal entirely, though that was unlikely.

[Leggo]

Jonos

I didn’t expect to come back into contact with Baron Cirthil so soon. I sense bad news coming. Nonetheless, I need to go.

“Take me to them,” I say as I nod to the scout.

[Bannanachair]

@ Othan: As you prepare for the upcoming day, you notice that much of the rest of the castle seems to be rather busy - the handful of servants that Raethus has are rushing back and forth down the hallways, and even Melery and Nerys Shan and young Thurum seem rather busy with something. As such, you're left to your own devices in preparing a breakfast. At the table, you notice your son, Raethus and his squire and Sir Boderick are already eating, and are making some light conversation.

@ Kainer: "Raised by faeries is good enough for me," Caidwyr said. "As you've never fought a troll before, which puts you in the majority of the knights on this quest, let me just give you a tips from my own experience. If one takes you by surprise, you're dead. If you're somehow not dead, your goal is to try to run away unless we outnumber them. Those bastards heal fast and no amount of hacking or stabbing has ever killed one that I've seen - I've watched as one of them regrew an entire hand in just under an hour. Sunlight doesn't turn them to stone like the stories say, but it does disorient them, weaken them and make them slower. To turn them to stone, you need fire. Got it?"

@ Verous: "I'm sorry that you didn't understand what I said earlier, your majesty," Farryl said, "But let me make it clear for you. Give us gold or fuck off." His weapons were drawn, as were the weapons of most of your and his men, and he clearly anticipated that a fight would shortly break out.

@ Jonos: The scout does, and you find Wallace with the man. "He had a sword on him, but he assured me that it's because the roads aren't safe and he wanted to defend himself," Wallace said. "I took it away from him anyway."

"Your majesty," The messenger said, "My master, baron Cirthil, has asked me to give you this letter." The messenger reached into his coat and pulled out a sealed envelope, bearing the seal of Cirthil.

"What the hell! How didn't I find that hidden pocket?" Wallace asked, tearing the man's cloak from him. The messenger didn't seem to mind, and handed you the letter. When you opened it, it read,

Dear mother,

The latest harvest has left me with a significant surplus of apples,

And I have heard that your brother's lands were hit by plague.

I would be more than willing to sell you and him some of my

Leftover apples, at a greatly discounted price. Please respond quickly,

Yours Truly,

Cirthil

"You'll need to hold it over a candle, your majesty," The messenger said. "The letter can't be seen otherwise."

[Tikobe]

Othan

I raise an eyebrow but question no further. I merely prepare my own meal, with a somewhat unpolished and for most quite far from satisfactory cooking skill I learned over the course of various different wars, as I listen in on their conversations. For this scenario, I think I'll fall into my habit of not joining in the conversation unless I'm invited.

Kainer

Huh? I either die or I don't die?

Is this a coin flip? This is a coin flip, isn't it? Surviving a surprise troll attack is a coin flip!

And what's this about the sun and the like? The elves never told me that! They just taught me about positioning and the like. Why would they never tell me about this fire and stone turning stuff?

Wait a minute, I'm vaguely beginning to remember a conversation I overheard from the rest of the Autumn Court guards, that it was best to just tell me only what I should do and leave the more sophisticated stuff for everyone else.

Are they saying that I'm too much of an idiot to handle this information? That's it, right!?

Why am I having a problem finding an argument against this!? Damn it, I'm just gonna stop thinking about the hard stuff!

"So, run if we don't outnumber, otherwise sunlight and fire. How much should we outnumber them by?"

[Duck14]

Verous

“Oh, Farryl. It’s you who misunderstood me. That was your last chance.” I stepped back and unsheathed my own weapon. There was no way around the fight now. It was happening, I just had to give the order. “Perrin, he’s all yours.”

[Leggo]

Jonos

Too bad I don’t happen to carry around candles.

“Wallace, with me, I’ve got a candle in my tent. Thank you, messenger. See that he’s properly taken care of before his journey back, he isn’t our enemy after all.”

I head back to my tent.

[Bannanachair]

(I just drove from Lewiston, ME to Schenectady, NY. A blizzard is meant to hit in under an hour as of me typing this sentence, and will probably have begun by the time this post is up. Going place to place to look at colleges is quite an adventure!)

@ Othan: The conversation between Raethus and Boderick was mostly about Tammen Almerry's education and an old squire of Boderick's who died in the Second Galbror War - it was nothing that you particularly cared to pay much attention to, and Raethus managed to stop either of the others from dragging you into the conversation. One notable event was when Boderick mentioned seeing Tammen spending some time with Raethus's daughter Nerys, but Raethus's heated response changed that topic of conversation fairly quickly.

After breakfast, you and Boderick met with Thander Marthus in the castle's armoury, and Northan arrived shortly later with a wide grin across his face. "Let's deal with these bandits and get back here quickly, can we?" He asked, clearly excited about something.

@ Kainer: "Ideally, as much as possible," Caidwyr said. "There's six of us? I've seen groups our size take out three trolls without losses, four or even five in some instances with favourable terrain. I have no idea how bad the attacks in Camasse were, but from the sounds of things, we may be outnumbered even as much as three to one. We'll need to see what we hear once we reach Diton, and see what information we can find out. Maybe Duke Floriet will be able to lend us some aid, but I doubt it would be enough or he would have dealt with it all himself... Nevermind all of that, it's for me to be concerned with, and whatever the circumstances I'll try to think of something to solve our problem."

@ Verous: As soon as you finished your sentence, Farryl's axe came hurtling towards your skull, but the head of the axe was cut off quickly by a stroke of Perrin's sword. The ensuing fight was over in under a minute, due to your men having substantially better weapons than Farryl's - Swords and spears against their clubs and broken axe. There were screams of pain, however, and a crowd gathered to watch.

"The bastard inside's probably heard the commotion out here and will likely be armed and ready for us. If he has anyone in there to help, we're in for a tough fight," Perrin said. Then he opened the door, but it wouldn't budge. Then he pushed it harder, and then shoved it as hard as he could. "It's locked, or it's been blocked. Either way, we're stuck out here."

"If it's locked, do you think these guys might have had a key?" Osthir asked.

"Do you think that these cowards would have been out here if they did have a key?" Berig responded.

[Bannanachair]

(My first latepost in all of Fantasy RP, aside from accepting Tikobe's CS! I'm surprised that it's taken a whole 23 pages to get to one!)

@ Jonos: The guard nods, and you and Wallace return quickly to your tent. Once there, you place your letter over a candle and more words begin to form.

Dear mother,
Your Majesty,
The latest harvest has left me with a significant surplus of apples,
I have misled Count Arnil into thinking that you were going around the river
And I have heard that your brother's lands were hit by plague.
With the goal to attack Mescor from the south.
I would be more than willing to sell you and him some of my
Countess Vena did not believe me, but I will deal with any messengers she sends.
Leftover apples, at a greatly discounted price. Please respond quickly,
I am in charge of Count Arnil's scouts and information. He will not see you coming.
Yours Truly,

Cirthil