Birthright: Tuornen, Chapter Two

[ewancummins]

"Gods, I hate seeing dead children," Roald mutters as he stands at the door. His eyes follow the trail of footprints. "Where are you?"

The trail ends at the door where he is standing. Looking about, he notices a bloody half-handprint on the outer side of the door...
Something creaks overhead...
And a petite woman in a pink skirt, like a dancer's outfit, falls on him from the ceiling!

[Varrus the Ethical]

As the woman falls, Roald ducks and brings the point of his sword up to impale her.

[ewancummins]

As the woman falls, Roald ducks and brings the point of his sword up to impale her.

The sword point skids off her perfect bosom, as if it had struck glass.
The woman, a straight razor in her right hand, lands on her feet like a cat. Roald cannot see her face beneath the white porcelain mask she wears.

[ewancummins]

Roald, hallway-

The petite woman launches a series of brutal yet oddly predictable-almost mechanical- attacks on Roald. He manges to avoid being sliced by her bloody razor.

[ewancummins]

The River Gate-

Renn and most of his watchmen (the ones who aren't gathering thugs and brawlers to bolster the defense) arrive to find the gate broken and burning, the duke and his knights fighting beyond the wall in Riverside, and a bunch of crazed storm-worshippers slugging it out with river pirates in a broken area of the wall near the gate.

[Varrus the Ethical]

"Well, aren't you spry? Reminds me of some of the elves I've killed," says Roald as he turns away the woman's blows. He then swings his sword in an arch, trying to cut the woman in half.

[ewancummins]

Roald's sword bites into the woman's midriff like a hatchet hitting wood- and gets stuck. She spins and the sword slips from his hands!

No blood--there's no blood coming from her body, despite a sword stuck in her midsection.

[Varrus the Ethical]

"Okay, that's odd," Roald says as he produced his warhammer. "I think it's hammer time."

[RocEter]

Foerde at home

Laying down on the pillows Foerde pushes back a yawn, which sounds like a low growl, as he reads a book. He didn't notice Riordan, his tamed Bobcat, when he came in. Which means it is in Gael's room or some where else in the small house. He hears a small creak of the floor boards from the hallway that leads to his room and to Gael's room. Closing his book, he sets it down next to him and rolls over to face the hallway.

He watches the hallway intently, did he wake Gael when he came in?

[ewancummins]

Foerde at home

Laying down on the pillows Foerde pushes back a yawn, which sounds like a low growl, as he reads a book. He didn't notice Riordan, his tamed Bobcat, when he came in. Which means it is in Gael's room or some where else in the small house. He hears a small creak of the floor boards from the hallway that leads to his room and to Gael's room. Closing his book, he sets it down next to him and rolls over to face the hallway.

He watches the hallway intently, did he wake Gael when he came in?

Sure enough, the eight year old girl sticks her black-tressed head round the corner of Foerde's door. She spots him and smiles wide.

"You're back! Yay! Did you go on an adventure or something? You were gone longer than I thought you would be."

[JMaytr]

Devlin leads his men to the left toward the longbowmen. His heart grieves for the knights he knows will fall from this charge, but he knows he must make the difficult call. He raises his rapier high, and shouts a war cry, hoping that the bowmen will target him, and that his luck and the power of his divine blood will see him to victory.

[ewancummins]

DEVLIN, FIGHTING BEYOND THE WALL IN RIVERSIDE

Devlin leads his men to the left toward the longbowmen. His heart grieves for the knights he knows will fall from this charge, but he knows he must make the difficult call. He raises his rapier high, and shouts a war cry, hoping that the bowmen will target him, and that his luck and the power of his divine blood will see him to victory.

Many of the bowmen do in fact target Devlin (he's very conspicous among the knights, for he rides in the very tip of the wedge, wearing only light armor, bare-headed, and with a shiny chain of office hanging from his neck). Protected by magic and the power of his bloodline, he is barely hurt--but his horse is shot to ribbons.
The Tuor knights drive the Alamien archers from the streets, to take refuge under the boardwalks or inside buildings. Few of Devlin's knights are slain or badly hurt, but several horses are killed or lamed.

A man offer's Devlin his horse. ''My liege, do we fight on or fall back to the city?"
Over the screams of injured horses and the groans of hurt men, Devlin hears dozens of crossbows ratcheting and the tramp of boots from the side of the wharf district closer to the river-- and catches a few shouted commands or oaths in Brecht. If he looks that way, he sees the enemy crossbowmen forming a battle line along the far side of the street. Shield-carriers are moving the mantlets to face the Tuor knights.

Devlin hears the tramp of men and horses, a hint that the Alamien reserves may be advancing towards his position.

In the middle of the street, where the bombard still exhales smoke, surrounded by dead gunners and footmen, one of Devlin’s mounted knights lifts a keg and pushes it down the mouth of the iron gun. He tosses a torch in after that and then canters towards Devlin’s position, waving his arms as if trying to push the duke and the other knights away…

[RocEter]

Foerde at home

Laying down on the pillows Foerde pushes back a yawn, which sounds like a low growl, as he reads a book. He didn't notice Riordan, his tamed Bobcat, when he came in. Which means it is in Gael's room or some where else in the small house. He hears a small creak of the floor boards from the hallway that leads to his room and to Gael's room. Closing his book, he sets it down next to him and rolls over to face the hallway.

He watches the hallway intently, did he wake Gael when he came in?

Sure enough, the eight year old girl sticks her black-tressed head round the corner of Foerde's door. She spots him and smiles wide.

"You're back! Yay! Did you go on an adventure or something? You were gone longer than I thought you would be."

He flashes Gael a smile and sits up. "I did, nothing as fantastic as the Huntsman and Fhylie the sword but adventurous enough for us common folk." He says.

He pats one of the large pillows next to him on the floor. "Come on sit and I'll tell you all about it. Did you practice your writing today?"

[ewancummins]

Foerde at home

Laying down on the pillows Foerde pushes back a yawn, which sounds like a low growl, as he reads a book. He didn't notice Riordan, his tamed Bobcat, when he came in. Which means it is in Gael's room or some where else in the small house. He hears a small creak of the floor boards from the hallway that leads to his room and to Gael's room. Closing his book, he sets it down next to him and rolls over to face the hallway.

He watches the hallway intently, did he wake Gael when he came in?

Sure enough, the eight year old girl sticks her black-tressed head round the corner of Foerde's door. She spots him and smiles wide.

"You're back! Yay! Did you go on an adventure or something? You were gone longer than I thought you would be."

He flashes Gael a smile and sits up. "I did, nothing as fantastic as the Huntsman and Fhylie the sword but adventurous enough for us common folk." He says.

He pats one of the large pillows next to him on the floor. "Come on sit and I'll tell you all about it. Did you practice your writing today?"

''I did, yes."
She runs back to her room. When she returns a moment later, she carries a wax tablet, on which she has inscribed a simple story:
Gael fights goblins. The goblins run away. Gael finds treasure in a cave.

"I made it up myself."

[RocEter]

''I did, yes."
She runs back to her room. When she returns a moment later, she carries a wax tablet, on which she has inscribed a simple story:
Gael fights goblins. The goblins run away. Gael finds treasure in a cave.

"I made it up myself."

Foerde chuckles. "Its a very good story, I think tomorrow I will make a frame for it and we can hang on the wall in your room." He says.

He tells her tale about a giant owl that could talk and warned of him bandits on goblins following him. He tells her how he fought them off and they ran away when they realized they couldn't beat Foerde of Elevesnemeire.