Charlie flipped a dagger into the dirt repeatedly as he listened to the old man ramble on. Some of the strikes sticking into the soil a mere few feet from the man's toes, making him back up a step. Finally, he raised his gaze, cold stare stopping the man mid babble. "Fine, I'll look into it, provided I ken find Kat. She might actually give a rat's arse." As he finishes the words, an memory of a knight of in training holding a shield for hours in a courtyard of stone flashes through his head, and his expression softens. He adds quietly, "Right, heros 'n stuff." Charlie darts off in the direction of Hempstead, long limbs moving almost effortlessly, looking for others.
'Where are you going in such a rush, Charlie?' Kat says, smiling.
'Missing children? That sounds serious, and from your description, I'm wondering if we've got some sort of pied piper around. Of course I'll help you.'
A large dwarf stood on a stool teetering on a pedastle so that he could adress a small group of commoners in who had gathered in Center.
"People! Somet'in is affectin' our children, an' I dun' like the looks of it," the dwarf yelled. The crowd he addressed gave a few "ayes" in response. "We've got ta find the root of tha' problem, 'fore its too late!"
An elderly woman in the crowd spoke up. "But sir, they could just be playing. They are children, after all? We all had silly fantasies when we were young!"
The dwarf furrowed his brow down at the lady. "Perhaps the cause ain't somet'in, but rather someone..."
The crowd murmered, some looking at the dwarf and some looking at the lady suspiciously. The dwarf stepped down from his perch and walked off into the Bulls Eye Inn, while the elderly lady went towards the merchant tents.
A mysterious orcish raid hit Center that evening. Although repelled by a joint effort of merchants and adventurers, several commoners were slain, including the son of the dwarf who had spoken recently.
The dwarf, Darius, took to his perch once again the next morning, to speak. "People of Center! You've seen what has happened to me, my family! I spoke out yesterday, and I've been punished for it by the loss of my son! Your children run away, mine slain... Someone is punishing me for accusing me, perhaps for speaking against them?" The dwarf looks at the elderly lady, adressing her directly. "I do believe there was some suspicion of you yesterday... Yes? Perhaps you had something to do with the loss of my only son?"
The old woman looks about her and the commoners gathered, wide-eyed as she watched the group turn from an assembly into a mob. Murmers were spoken from the many people who had suddenly been turned against her. One person, a pudgy human, cried out "She's a witch! Our children are tainted by witchcraft!"
The commoners seized the old woman roughly. The dwarf Darius shouted above the din for a cage to be held to contain the witch until a trial was held.
*Lindara stands again under the same tree in the shadows watching the commotion grow. As the crowd gets restless she loosens her blade in the scabbard a bit and closly watches the crowd.*
A young woman in simple robes and chain of Lucinda, upon leaving the old crypt she's taken to assisting with in exchange for lodging, seems taken aback by the mood of those gathered and listens with growing dismay. She murmurs a prayer to herself and attempts to detect with her fledgling senses any traces of magic in the area.
Men bustled about Center, seeming caught up in the dwarf Darius's words. Some worked cleaning up after the raid, reparing fences and such. Others were set to work building a cage to contain the 'witch', and two stood guard over the elderly woman who had been accused.
Darius seemed to have become the focal point for attention. Many parents who had lost children were refering to him for advice on if they would see their loved ones again, and if there was a way to return him. The dwarf did not shy away from the attention.
***
The young Lucindite woman felt small traces of magic in the area. There were too many people moving about to tell who, or what, was the source.
***
Lindara watched the townspeople move about from her shady spot by the tree. It was not far from her that the townspeople chose to begin constructing a cage; a crude box made of staves of wood and lashed together with rope.
***
Moments later, a cry was heard from one of the residential tents.
"Timmy! My boy Timmy has gone missing!" A woman cried, out, bursting from her tent and running towards Darius. "The witch! She took my boy!"
Darius in turn looked back towards the elderly woman, who was still awaiting the cage's completion. "What have ye done with her child?" He spat.
"I haven't done nothing, Darius! You're whipping this town into a frenzy over nothing! There is no witchcraft here!" The old woman shouted.
"Not you, eh? Ye been under watch since we discovered yer intentions, anyhow... Tell me, who be yer accomplice than?"
After reflecting on what seems to be playing out before her, and praying on the role she is meant to play if any, Neema gathers her robe and staff and walks calmly through town. She does not look at the woman.
"Blessings of the Lady of Spells. There does not seem to be among us any familiar with magical workings, and so I would like to offer you my assistance. I fear I would be of little aid to you if there should be further troubles with orcs, but perhaps I can advise, here?"
*A gnome garbed in green and brown leathers skirts the town and the gathering of town folks listening and looking down at the ground from time to time. After he gets the gist of what's going on he makes his way to the broken gates were the orcs entered. He asks any nearby guards or witnesses for any information about the direction the raid came from if any. After he gets what information he can, he leaves the town searching for tracks of were the orcs may have come from.*
"What in the bloody pits transpires here!" A loud commanding voice over the din shouts as an elderly man in the full regalia of a Knight Captain of the Wyrm strides forward with a slight limp. "Unhand that woman, this instant!" Daniel continues forward, using his height and bulk to nudge those that hesitate out of the way, ungently if necessary until he reaches the old woman's side where he stands, glaring at the crowd. "This is not the Gold's will, all of you should be ashamed of yourselves!" He lets the full weight and authority of his words sink into the crowd, not showing an ounce of fear, before attempting to escort the old woman from the mob.
The gnome, upon reaching the gates at which the orcs entered, realizes that the town of Center in fact has no gates. Or walls. Or guards. In fact, the only defenses the orcs crossed to enter was a poorly built fence designed to keep cows from straying too far. Although the orcs tried to jump over it, it looks as though they had simply ran headlong through it.
In place of any guards is a few townsfolk. A tall male human and a dwarven female. Upon asking them where the orcs came from, they claim to know not. However, a group of adventurers had gone after them after the raid, and returned with word of some sort of army. The adventurers were Charlie and Kat Poetr, and someone called the Cat Witch.
***
The Lucindite woman begins speaking to the elderly woman just as she is about to be transported to her cage, but is interupted as a very angry Roferianite storms into town. Darius has the look of a child caught stealing candy from a store, a mix of guilt and terror. His once loyal followers disperse rather quickly, leaving the dwarf alone to face the Paladin. Rather short for a dwarf without his pedastle, and about equal in height and width, the dwarf toes a pebble around in front of him, not making eye contact with the Roferian.
"Well, ya see ser... The lady, she was usin' witchcraft an' takin the children from the people here. Me, being the honorable dwarf I am, well I went ahead and took action so ya wouldn't have ta, ya see? It's all jus' a simple misunderstanding so there's no need to hang anybody today, right?" The dwarf casts a quick glance towards the partly-finished gallows he had ordered for construction.
The elderly woman shifts towards the Lucindite woman, seeming to be afraid of Darius. Her hands are still bound. "Would you mind freeing an old lady's hands, miss?"
//Deleted, double post.
*Corky comes back from a purple mushroom picking session to see all the commotion and stops to sit on a log and observe. He's intrigued by the yelling and shouting and grins a bit. Seeming to be enjoying himself and practicing his skald abilities, he joins either group from time to time yelling with them in tune and encouragement*
A woman dressed in a lavender dress and a dark, black, hooded cloak comes out of the Bullseye, opening up a metal ribbed coal grey parasol. She moves toward the crowd silently, the skirt of her dress gently gliding over the grass and gravel with each step. A booming voice draws her attention to a familiar face. Moving closer, she stands behind the robed woman, looking at the bound woman's bindings. "Need some nimble fingers?"
Daniel's eyebrows come together fiercely as he continues to glare at the now lone dwarf, "Very well, no one will or should hang today." His tone softens a little and he continues. "Witchcraft is a very serious charge, master dwarf, I have seen its evil in person and unless you very substantial proof, there is no cause to hold anyone to it. I understand you are distraught at the loss and will let this matter pass provided.." He holds up a finger, "You dismantle those gallows and swear you will take such matters to the mayor or to a proper authority such as the guard in Hempstead or to Captain Tunnings in Wayfare before taking the law into your own hands with a mob." Daniel nods to Neema and Tyra and indicates that the woman should be untied.
//fyi Daniel is a Priest not a paladin. :D
Neema (who had actually been offering her assistance to those handling the woman and not the woman herself ;) ) straightens somewhat at the priest's assertion that "witchcraft is a serious charge". She nods politely to Tyra if the woman works on any restraints, and smiles to the woman beneath her cowl. Once all seems well in hand, she quietly excuses herself without fanfare back to the crypts once there seems little need of anything she could provide.
((Edited to account for her being spoken to so she's not ignoring anybody on purpose!))
Now and then, as events transpire, another human woman leans casually in the shadow of one of Center's few buildings, listening to the situation unfold. She is slender where the other was curved, with a battered breastplate and a rough face that makes her gender less obvious than the sway of the priestess. Her focus, like that of the others, is drawn frequently to the dwarf, but she pays most heed to the talk exchanged about the orcs. She watches others burst onto the scene and later makes a few marks on parchment, crossbow always within reach.
"Thank you, Tyrra." Daniel steps away after seeing that all is well and looks around for his charges, Charlie and Katelyn. Not seeing them immediately, he makes for the Store in Hemp Fields.
After being freed, the elderly woman speaks up. "Despite Darius's... Misguided opinions, the fact stands that something, or someone, is taking the children." She looks around at those nearby. "Perhaps a search party should be formed to find them."
//Going to put this up on the calendar for an IG session, what times work for everybody? I was thinking Thursday or Friday at 7:30 CST or so, although I'm on spring break so if everybody needs a different time I could accomodate easily.
friday probably better for me
//Friday sounds good
Out of town Thurs, Fri, Sat. Sorry.
//Quest is on the calendar!//
//Oh no I can't do it in the morning. My fault I saw 7:30 cst as suggested time and thought you meant pm. Oh well, Corky will make you guys eggs n bacon for breakfast and send you out :)
//If that AM time is correct, no way I can come. Gonna just be getting to work.
//Err... no thats my fault for not putting the time in correctly! It is PM time, I just can't follow instructions apparently//