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Mathyas grins widely back at Beezle. "Now if you'll excuse me Bee...I have much business to attend to....Good day to you sir." He turns away from Beezle and into his barracks. As he enters he turns to the closest guard to him, Malachai. He lowers his voice and gives him an order. "Go outside and make sure that that man leaves in his wagon. I don't trust him." |
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The guard follows Beezle into town, where he stops at the market.... and peddles things from his wagon. Several of the other merchants protest with glares. He peddles simple cooking pots, pans, and utencils. All made of metal, and of good quality. There were metal workers in Elmshade, but all of them were either weapon or armor smiths. Beezle claimes he made them himself, being a metalsmith himself.... among a few other hobbies. The guard Mathyas sent to watch Bee stayed out of sight, but kept an eye on him throughout the day. Beezle would occasionally step inside his wagon with noble, or rich looking customers for a few moments before emerging again with a deal making grinn. That evening he puts up his remaining stock, and heads to the stables. There he checks in his oxen, and stores his wagon and supplies. He then goes to the Twisted Root, where he has several drinks before aquiring a room, and passing out. Mathyas guard even checks on Beezle upstairs. He finds the door wide open, and Bee half in and half off the bed. He looked very unconsiouse from drink, and smelling of it heavily. The guard simply shuts the door, and goes back to Captain Mathyas to report.
meanwhile.... Back at the guard house, Grant was recovering quickly due to the aid of some acolytes from the Temple. They used herbal healing packs, and minor healing spells on his wounds. Grant remained solemn and quiet when he awoke, realizing what had happened. He didnt really blame them, he had promised them so much... and delivered very little. The acolytes would talk and listen to him and the other men, caudling to their predicament with mercy. Back in the cells, the former guards were starting a ruckus. Claiming they were all innocent, blaming everything on Grant. One spoke out... "If'n we didnt follow orders, he woulda killed us. What were we supposed to do?" They would rant on about how Grant had planned everything, and was the one in charge. Word was quickly getting out about Grant and his men, along with news of giant orcs, and drow knights. Talk lead to rumors, and rumors lead to inflated stories among the merchants and farmers of Elmshade. Half were wanting to hang the whole lot of Grant and his men for their crimes. The others remembering the times of honerable service Grant and his men provided Elmshade. Those were the ones to complain the most to the officials, who were eying the new mayor of Elmshade to soon take care of the matter. The acolytes sent a complaint to the Temple, and directly to priestess Siannodell. They were against any kind of imprisonment to anyone, and were definatly against hangings. They would prefer banishment if there be a punishment to Grant and his men. Mathyas himself was even approached by one of the acolytes, a small human female with golden hair.... "Im not afraid of you." .. was the first words from her mouth, as she tried to look her bravest... "And you cant keep them locked up like animals like this forever. What do you plan to do with them?" Nothing as of yet has been heard from the Trinity on the matter. Tis said that other matters are currently occupying both the Mediator and Trinity so that may not be possible. Some speculate it has to do with the ruins nearby. |
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Mathyas looks to the brash priestess with a momentary look of surprise on his face, but it soon lapses into a warm smile. "I appreicate your concern madam...But my intention is not for you to fear me....Much on the contrary....The opinion of the temple is of the utmost importance to me....It is not of my intention to break any religious grounds in this fair town....But you must also understand my predicament my dear....As captain of the guard of this city...It is my responsibility to act in the interests of the people....In this case...With the Trinity's placing of this judgement solely in the hands of my comrades and myself...I was intending to place the decision in the hands of the villagers...As they know Grant much better than I.....But it seems to be a split decision...." "Therefore I have but a handful of alternatives left. At the very worst I would carry out this judgement on my own accounts of the man....But a good soldier knows when to defer to his superiors...I shall meet with the mayor and ask of his feelings towards the manner....If he feels the same as the Trinity....Then I shall act in the interests of the temple and banish Grant and his men....But do take my word for it dear lady...Unless our mayor deems it so I shall not put these men to death." Just then Malachai re-enters the barracks. Mathyas nods to the acolyte. "Ahhh...It seems I have some business to attend to....I shall let you get back to yours...If you wish to request anything else of me....Do not hesitate to come to me...Or any of the rest of the guard for that matter....We shall conduct ourselves as perfect gentlemen." He walks away from the acolyte and motions Malachai into a back room. |
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The female acolyte seemed please by the Captains report. She actually broke a smile to him.... "Well.... thank you Captain. I had no idea you and your men thought this way. I will be sure to let the others know." She bows politely and indeed does go off to inform the others. To say the least, the complaints from the temple acolytes drops dramaticly. The tend to the prisoners as best they can, and assure them of a fair trial.
The next morning Beezle was weary amd hungover looking as his wagon and supplies creeked to a stop in front of the Guard House. He looks to a nearby guard and has him go and fetch Captain Mathyas, while he stays in the wagon. He fidgets with a small wooden box he pulled out from under the seat while waiting on Mathyas to arrive. |
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Mathyas steps out into the morning air, already ready for the day. He is clean shaven and well - groomed as usual, attesting to his work habits as well as his concern for his appearance. He approaches the wagon casually, not wanting to tip off the man that anything may be wrong, but he is wary of the man...Especially taking into consideration that he may have noticed his man following him. "Yes Beezle....What has sent you here to request for my presence?" |
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Beezle smiled the best he could as the Captain walked up to his wagon. Beezle held out a large block of burlap, stained brown and black. "Im headin home now, I'll be back in a month with your next supply of resin. Ive stocked up on supplies that I need. Heres this months supply for you. I hope the sample I gave you was satisfactory, this is from the same batch." Beezle holds out his other hand as well... "That'll be 24 silver my friend." |
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Mathyas nods sternly. "I keep our money in the barracks. I'll go get it." He walks away and back into the barracks. Once inside he walks into a back room, gathers some silver in a bag and walks back out towards the wagon. On the way out he stops near one of the guards, whispering to him. "Get together a few of our comrades. I want the horses ready as soon as possible. As soon as that wagon leaves I want some men following him understand? Upon his entrance to his house....That is when we arrest him and confiscate any supplies he has for the production of resin....We cannot prove the man's guilt without sufficient evidence...Stay out of sight. And strike once he least expects it." He walks away as the guard nods and he walks back out to Beezle, handing him the bag of silver and taking the bag of resin. "Here it is Bee...All present and accounted for. With a little extra for the sample. I hope the amount I gave you is satisfactory as well." |
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Beezle grinns a yellow smile... "Ahh. Im sure its fine Captain. Thank ye for your time, and I'll see ya next month." Beezle scoops up the silver, and quickly counts it as he puts it all into a pouch. He then tips his hat to Captain Mathyas, and snaps a whip at the oxen. He is soon traveling down the road, and disapearing over the horizon to the south. Several days go by as Mathyas's men follow Beezle southward. He only stops to camp, and talk to passerby merchants as he travels. Doing a little trading and selling of his wares. He looks down the road occasionally to see if hes being followed as he turns off the main road and heads down hidden trails. The soldiers would have never found the trails if they werent following him. The foilage seems to swallow up the trail after Beezle passes by. After a total of 4 days following Beezle into some of the deeper parts of the forest, they finally come across a small clearing. There sits a small cottage nestled out in the middle of nowhere. The area is surrounded by tall totem poles evenly spaced around the clearing. As Beezle passes through a couple, he says something... but is unintelligable at the distance the soldiers are from him. He pulls the wagon up to the side of the cottage, and goes inside the front door. It isnt long before smoke starts to pour from the chimney, and light can be seen inside. The soldiers look up to the cloudy sky promising rain later in the night. The sky darkens as the sun sets for the evening. |
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As night falls, Mathyas's men finally sense the opportunity to strike. The four soldiers who set out after Beezle: Alain, Leon, William and Marcus stand still aways from Beezle's home. Marcus stares at the home and looks back to the men. "Alright men...This is how we will apprehend this man. The gods smile on us this eve....They promise us rain. And once it rains such will we our cue to enter the home. I am quite sure the accompanying thunder shall cover the sound of our footsteps if he is not asleep yet.....If not thunder then at least the dropping of rain. We shall then enter and apprehend him...And obtain enough evidence to be able to convict the man. Is this clear?" Alain, Leon and William all nod, and anticipate the rainfall. |
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Soon darkness falls, and the rain begins. Distant thunder rumbles across the sky as the soldiers begin to be soaked by the downpour. Lightning crashes, flashing an instant light over the scene. The cottage windows glow with an orange firelight inside, and an occasional shadow crosses the curtains. The structure was only one story, and of average build. It seemed like a normal peasants cottage sitting alone out on the clearing. There was a small garden on one side, and an outhouse in the back. Other than the wooden totems and cottage, there were no other man made structures around. Marcus lead the other three soldiers closer and into the clearing. All moving quietly as they approached the cottage. Any noise they did make was covered by the storm as they predicted. However... they did not count on the totems comming to life as they passed through them. After triggering the first two they passed though, the rest activate one by one all around the clearing. Each totem was different from the others and had several animal and plantlife carved into it, along with strange symbols. The top of the totems all had animals with wide mouths open at the top, and this is where the high pitched sirens came from. Even in the thundering storm and lightning, the shrill sound of the totem alarms sounded clearly and very loud. So loud that Marcus and the others had to cover their ears from the intense noise. At that moment, Marcus saw a curtain on the cottage push to the side, and a familiar face look out into the clearing. After spotting the soldiers, Beezle quickly went to the doors and bolted them. |
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Marcus grits his teeth....With the screeching sound, giving orders was nigh impossible, and once he sees Beezle's face in the curtains, he knows that he must have bolted the doors. Seeing no alternative, still covering his ears, Marcus goes to the back by himself, looking to see if there was a back door. At least if he tried to break in the back door, then Beezle might go running out the other side into the waiting arms of his three comrades. |
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| Soon the screeching alarms of the totems went silent again, leaving only the pouring rain, and clapping thunder. Flashes of lightning would occasionally light up the area, as Marcus and the others creeped up to the cottage trying to keep out of sight. Marcus went around back, while the others stayed in front and waited. Marcus slammed into the thick door, noting it was strong and bolted. However he could also hear the cracks in the shamble construction of the doorframe, and how it seemed to give to his weight more and more. Wood split, and nails popped from their place as Marcus continued to batter the rear door. Marcus then saw a shadow cross over the cracks of the door from the inside light, and Beezles voice shout from behind the door. "Go away thieves! If you value your life, you will leave before my friend arrives. He doesnt live far away, and the alarms have alerted him. He will be here soon to kill every one of you if you dont leave." Marcus was about to respond to Beezle, when he heard one of his men shout from around the front of the house. Then there is a loud roar, and a dull thump as Marcus sees William go flying through the air to the side of the house, and into some bushes. Marcus can hear his men shouting to each other through the rain as they attack something. Marcus himself hears Beezle through the door again... "Ooops! Too late! Now you and your friends will die." | | | |
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Marcus grits his teeth as the two choices are presented in front of him....Catch Beezle and risk the death of his comrades, or risk losing Beezle and try to battle Beezle's "friend." Even then...They may even have to retreat. He is about to continue kicking the door in, but he stops....The bonds of friendship between his fellow men were too strong to let Marcus leave them to whatever was around front. Cursing under his breath, Marcus draws his sword and begins to creep back to the front, pressing up against the wall of the cabin and looking over to the front. |
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Marcus creeps along the side of the building and peeks his head around the corner. There in the front yard of the cottage, surrounded by Marcus's remaining men, is a large brown ogre. Wearing animal skins for cloths, and feathers in his braided black hair, the Ogre carries a large wooden hammer carved from the trunk of a tree. He swings it around in deadly arcs over the guards heads, and roaring threats. He brings the hammer down near Leon, almost driving the man into the ground like a nail into a plank of wood. It instead flattens the ground right next to him in a square shape matching the large head of the hammer. Marcus notices William come crawling out of the bushes holding his left arm. He looks in pain and possibly broke it. ((OOC: Combat Initiative, determines the order of actions by PC's (Player Characters. Ex. Marcus and his men.) and NPC's (Non-Player Characters. Ex. Beezle and Ogre.). The characters involved in the combat each roll on a 10 sided dice (1d10), the lowest number going first.... and continueing on down the line to 10. This initiative number can be adjusted by weapon speeds (which slow the init. and raise the number closer to 10.), and dexterity bonuses. (which speed init. and lower the number closer to 1.); Try rolling Init with me this combat phase against the Ogre. He rolled a 4 on a 10 sided dice. (d10) It is adjusted by his hammers weapon speed of 6, adjusting his Init to 10. He has no Dexterity bonus. Your guards weapons speeds are 3, and they all get a +1 Dexterity bonus. Now figure their Init against the Ogre. Ogre Init.= 10.)) |
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| ((OOC: Yo! DrumGod! Get back to work and stop dilly-dallying with the ladies, or I'll have Raven dock your pay for malingering! Sheesh, one day on the job as Captain of the Guard, and already slacking off! I'm gonna have to report this to the Mayor of Elmshade.)) |
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