Birthright: Tuornen Chapter Five

[Varrus the Ethical]

Courtroom

Nice hat, Roald thinks as he bows slightly. "Of course, your honor. It all started while I was at the Kraken's Arms, where an assassin fired a crossbow bolt that almost caught me in the neck. I gave chase to the assailant and managed to catch him. Before he died, he told me Fez had paid him to do the kill me."

"Afterword, Torthur and I went to the Watch's headquaters to report the incident. Unfortunately, with Captain Ghollison gone and some kind of unrest brewing between the religious orders, the guard did not have the manpower to hunt down Fez. So Torthur and I were tasked to bring Fez in alive."

"We decided to get try and lure Fez out by staging a wrestling tournament with the help of Mag Megs. The plan worked in drawing Fez out, but unfortunately, he slit Mag Meg's throat in full view of the public when he attempted to escape. I gave chase and managed to run down Fez. As for his accomplice...well...Clyde is a bear, your honor."

[Adam]

The woodsman and priests stand in the church below, propping up Dietric and looking frantically up at the now closed belfry door. The sounds of combat echo out, followed by a shrieking cry and the sounds of bones breaking on the ground outside. The door crunches behind them, goblins and wargs trying desperately to hack their way in to the helpless men inside. For a moment, all seems lost...

Then Cormac throws open the trap door, one eye swelling shut, cuts and bruises all over his body, but intact. "What're ye standin' around, for?" he shouts. "Get yer asses up here!"

[ewancummins]

Courtroom

Nice hat, Roald thinks as he bows slightly. "Of course, your honor. It all started while I was at the Kraken's Arms, where an assassin fired a crossbow bolt that almost caught me in the neck. I gave chase to the assailant and managed to catch him. Before he died, he told me Fez had paid him to do the kill me."

"Afterword, Torthur and I went to the Watch's headquaters to report the incident. Unfortunately, with Captain Ghollison gone and some kind of unrest brewing between the religious orders, the guard did not have the manpower to hunt down Fez. So Torthur and I were tasked to bring Fez in alive."

"We decided to get try and lure Fez out by staging a wrestling tournament with the help of Mag Megs. The plan worked in drawing Fez out, but unfortunately, he slit Mag Meg's throat in full view of the public when he attempted to escape. I gave chase and managed to run down Fez. As for his accomplice...well...Clyde is a bear, your honor."

''Witnesses report that you killed the would-be assassin by slitting his throat as he lay helpless under the weight of the dwarf's bear. Is that true?"

[Varrus the Ethical]

Courtroom


"Well of course I killed him! That's the only way to make sure an assassin doesn't get another chance at you."

[ewancummins]

Courtroom


"Well of course I killed him! That's the only way to make sure an assassin doesn't get another chance at you."

"Hmmm, that might be murder. But given the circumstances, and your good service in bringing in this Fez villain, I'm inclined to call it manslaughter and fine you, the fee to be assayed once the victim's identity is known. If he's just rabble, well, it won't be a large fee."

He turns to look at Torthur.
"Your bear may have killed a man. There are no witnesses to his death, but his body shows claw marks and the bear was seen chasing him. Is there a reason I shouldn't have it put down?"

[steveflam]

"Put Clyde down? Uh, and so? CLyde don't do nothin unless he gots a reason. That man was a scumbag like Fez. An furthermore, CLyde wrestles men an wimmin alike an never ever did he hurt one. He wrestles cuz he likes it an the people. I am responsible fer him. If he done killed that man, e kin tell e were a bad man. ANimals kin tell, not jest bears. Clyde been me friend fer years an he never done hurt a soul unless they deserved it, sir."

[ewancummins]

"Put Clyde down? Uh, and so? CLyde don't do nothin unless he gots a reason. That man was a scumbag like Fez. An furthermore, CLyde wrestles men an wimmin alike an never ever did he hurt one. He wrestles cuz he likes it an the people. I am responsible fer him. If he done killed that man, e kin tell e were a bad man. ANimals kin tell, not jest bears. Clyde been me friend fer years an he never done hurt a soul unless they deserved it, sir."

"Indeed.
Well, being as the man might have broken his neck in falling-- several of his bloody fingernails were found stuck in the lintel of the roof above him-- I'm inclined to show mercy on the bear. I'm fining you ten silver stags for disturbing the peace. And you need to pay ten more stags to buy a writ that allows you to keep it unchained within the city walls. Keep an eye on your beast and don't make me regret my leniency."

[steveflam]

"Er, yessir, I won't, n thank ye. You should come see Clyde wrestle, sir. You'd unnerstand."

Torthur asks Roald "Did you or Reese git the coins? I guess so. Okay I'll pay me fines an fer CLyde an head fer tha Kraken's Arms. See you there."

The dwarf pays his fine and for Clyde, then realizes he is flat broke. Cursing, he shrugs and heads for the Kraken Arms with Clyde. Wrestling always brought him some coinage.

[Varrus the Ethical]

COURTROOM

"I believe his Honor has yet to calculate my fine, Torthur. Feel free to go on without me. I'll join you once this little, incident is settled."

[ewancummins]

COURTROOM

"I believe his Honor has yet to calculate my fine, Torthur. Feel free to go on without me. I'll join you once this little, incident is settled."

The judge says,
"In your case, I think an oath will stand in lieu of payment, until the fine may be determined based on the dead man’s identity.”

He turns to the court warden.

"Bring forth the relic, so that Master Roald may swear."

[steveflam]

Torthur heads for the Kraken's Arms with Clyde.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

GRIFFIN CASTLE

"I'd call that fair, kinsman." He gives a satisfied grin. A chance to bloody Alam's nose and replenish the gold he'd spent to keep Lud and his goons in line. "A good blow for law and order.

"I'll write the letter straightaway."

[JMaytr]

Croaker Norge-

Devlin thinks for a long moment and then finally sticks out his hand.

"You have my word, as a man and a Tuor. I will do this quest for you in exchange for your help so long as the conditions you set are kept honorably."

[ewancummins]

Croaker Norge-

Devlin thinks for a long moment and then finally sticks out his hand.

"You have my word, as a man and a Tuor. I will do this quest for you in exchange for your help so long as the conditions you set are kept honorably."

''Indeed, the conditions will be kept as I set them, brave Duke. Your honor and your courage both made you my choice. For the quest to come, I need a hero such as you. "

She takes Devlin's hand with a surprisingly strong grip and bows so that her long black tresses fall across his forearm.

Straightening up, Maeve says,
''The goblins dread to come near Croaker Norge, but I will send chaos and terror among them at Fox Run. In three days' time, your forces should strike. I will send you a message if things work out otherwise. Goodbye, Your Grace.''

She steps back, swallowed by the thick fog.

The lantern that Root had dropped flickers and dies, leaving Devlin and Filbert in total darkness.
Somewhere in the surrounding blackness, a woman's lilting voice sings nonsense lullabyes, and hundreds of frogs croak.

[ewancummins]

THE BELFRY


Cormac's war band and the freed prisoners crowd into the belfry. Foerde nearly trips over a loose beam; looks like some repairs may have been interrupted by the goblin attack. The trapdoor slams shut and somebody stacks loose building stones on it to hold it in place; goblins are already beating at the underside.

Gray light streams through the open windows of the upper portion of the tower. The whistling, chill wind brings waves of cold rain through, drenching everyone standing up.
With help from Foerde, Brother Aelfred and a woman bind the wounds of Hob and Dietric

Cormac has begun to pull down the large bronze bell with help from the two woodcutters.

Foerde prays for the help of the Stormlord while some of the men try to block the shivering trap door.

The wood bursts, stones fall, and a big goblin wearing a brass mask bulls his way through the door, shrugging off blows, and grabs a screaming woman by the waist. Using her as a sheild, it smashes into the defenders , driving them back in a terrfic rush.

Cormac and his helpers man-handle the bell into place over the trap door just in time to drop it down on the line of angry goblins pushing up the stairs.

CLANG!

Goblins fall cursing as the bell rolls partway down the stairs and bounces off the wall to crash with a thunderous boom at the floor below.

A heap of broken and stunned goblins lays all about the cracked bell. Some rise to stagger back up the steps, but many others will never get up again.

One quick glance out the south window shows Foerde a large number of goblins trying to scale the wall by climbing over one another.
Some men heave a loose beam over at them, but the heavy wood crashes off target.

The woman screams again. Foerde moves to help her, punching the metal-masked goblin hard in the ribs and left temple. It staggers back, and then hurls the poor woman out the nearest window! She falls screaming to her death. Goblins below laugh loud and long, their horrid cackling rising to taunt Foerde.

The metal-face bellow a challenge, raising a mace to strike Foerde.