Birthright: Tuornen, Chapter Two

[ewancummins]

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.

''That's a fun story. Can owls really talk? I've never heard one talk. Was it magic because it was giant?"

[Lord Skybolt]

Cormac strokes his beard thoughtfully. "One last thing," he mutters.

He turns and puts a hand on Gunnar's arm, leading him a distance from the bandit. Speaking in a quiet voice, he leans in close. "This man doesn't seem to me like he cares much for his friends. People get desperate, and they do desperate things to survive. He's done wrong, but maybe we should give 'im a chance to redeem himself." Cormac seems somewhat conflicted. "Give 'im a weapon. Let 'im ride with us. I'll take it as my responsibility to keep an eye on him. What ya' think?"

Gunnar looks over at the bandit as a thought full look pass's over his face as he says to Cormac:"It is not for me to say alone, the Law is clear on banditry as far as I know it is a death penalty from where I come from . You must ask those that he assaulted if they will let him redeem himself . I will abide by their decision . It would be useful to have guide though to there hideout though ."

[ewancummins]

Auld Oak

Brennan calls the men still in the tavern together in the common room for a meeting about releasing the bandit into the custody of Cormac and Gunnar. Some argument ensues among the jittery, tired men. A few wish to just hang the man tonight; others wish to hold him for the sheriff's return, and some seem open to letting him go with Cormac.

[RocEter]

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.

''That's a fun story. Can owls really talk? I've never heard one talk. Was it magic because it was giant?"

"Well that's the first time I've ever heard an owl talk or seen one so big. Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't, maybe it was a messenger from the gods."

[ewancummins]

"Well that's the first time I've ever heard an owl talk or seen one so big. Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't, maybe it was a messenger from the gods."

Gael nods.
"That makes sense. The gods send messages in all sorts of ways in the stories I know. Animals, dreams, storms, things like that. They are always watching us, but we almost never see them-- except for pictures and statues."

[RocEter]

Foerde nods in agreement. "That's right." He says to her. "Now time for bed, we have a big a day tomorrow. After I make that frame for your story, we are going to on a little trip. We can stop at the Auld Oak for lunch."

Standing up he grabs his violin. "Come on, I play you a song while you go to sleep."

[VAN]

Filbert runs as silent as he can and takes cover behind a gravemark. Hoping the 2 men don't spot him he concentrates and tries to cross the walls of the Shadow World.

[ewancummins]

FILBERT ALONE-

Filbert runs as silent as he can and takes cover behind a gravemark. Hoping the 2 men don't spot him he concentrates and tries to cross the walls of the Shadow World.

The gloom around him deepens. The lantern glow of the searchers fades, and then disappears. The stars twinkle out one by one, and the silvery crescent moon turns blood-red before it vanishes. The hafling experiences an instant of absolute blackness, helpless and blind-- and then wandering witch lights appear over the graves. Weird gloaming creeps along the horizon all around, eternal dusk at the edges of his sight and night upon him. Looking up, Filbert sees no celestial bodies, only a black sky that looks so hollow and vast that it could devour entire worlds.

He knows this place, the ancient land of his people, corrupted, conquered, yet somehow still home.

[ewancummins]

Foerde nods in agreement. "That's right." He says to her. "Now time for bed, we have a big a day tomorrow. After I make that frame for your story, we are going to on a little trip. We can stop at the Auld Oak for lunch."

Standing up he grabs his violin. "Come on, I play you a song while you go to sleep."

''Oh, will you play Maeve's Lily?"

[VAN]

Filbert looks around and gulps. Everytime he travels in the Shadow World was like first time, the feeling of loneliness and desperation is very strong. He could not help be in awe by looking around and knowing that this dark, spooky place was once his homeland, where all the halflings came from. Gathering his wit the halfling takes a deep breath, gets his sword out and presses farward to Ghonalison. He knows he has to hurry to deliver Devlin's message to Lord of house Ghonallison.

[ewancummins]

FILBERT IN THE SHADOW-WORLD

Filbert looks around and gulps. Everytime he travels in the Shadow World was like first time, the feeling of loneliness and desperation is very strong. He could not help be in awe by looking around and knowing that this dark, spooky place was once his homeland, where all the halflings came from. Gathering his wit the halfling takes a deep breath, gets his sword out and presses farward to Ghonalison. He knows he has to hurry to deliver Devlin's message to Lord of house Ghonallison.

Filbert has several choices. He could just start walking north-- although it's easy for even a hafling to get lost in this starless, sunless world. He could follow the river upstream. That might be slower, but the shadow-river tends to flow in the same way here the river Tuor as in Cerilia. But either route could take him past the Shadow of Haes. He recalls his last trip past it, years ago; the high towers of black glass and the crumbling walls of bone-white stonework. He might avoid the shadow city by plunging into the black bogs and tangled woods beyond it, but that wilderness has its own horrors...

[ewancummins]

DOMINICA

Dominica makes the most of her temporary confinement (as she sees it) by gossiping with the ladies and the maids present. She collects some juicy tidbits before the sounds of fighting in the hall distracts everyone and encourages a few of the women to get hysterical. The guard starts for the door once or twice, but mindful of his charges, holds back.

He shouts through the closed door.

''Roald, do you need help?"

[Varrus the Ethical]

With blow after blow, Roald's hammer sends bits of shattered porcelline flying off the toy, exposing the gears underneath. The clock-work dancer slashes at Roald again and again, heedless of the damage.

Most of it's attack fail to penetrate the elivish chain he wears under his cloak, but a few get through and Roald is soon bleeding from gashes on the side of his face and along his arms.

But it's movements are mechanical, predictable. Roald times a hammer swing for the machine's next lunch. As it darts forward, Roald side-steps and swings his hammer to meet it's porcelline mask, smashing it to shards, and crushing the gears underneath.

The machine falls to the ground, and Roald crushes it's head with an overhead swing of his hammer to keep it down.

Roald then pulls his sword out of the dancer's midsection and hangs his hammer back on his belt.

Sword in hand, he drags the machine back into the room and closes the door behind him before responding to the guard, "Not anymore. I think I broke whatever this...thing was supposed to be. Watch the doors, there could be another one of these for all I know."

[VAN]

Filbert takes a moment to think of his possibilities. Fail was no option for him and despite following the river upstream might be slower at least he will be sure that he will not get lost. The memory of the Shadow City makes him shiver but he has no other choice, he doesn't want to risk to get lost in the woods and face who knows what monster in there.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

RIVER GATE

Rennault curses as he sees the chaos at the gate. He grits his teeth. Taking his men off the wall would be suicide for most. But there was already fighting in the streets.

"Alright boys, I know most of you didn't sign on to be soldiers. Neither did I." A lie, but a necessary one, as most are. "Most of us signed on to protect hearth and home, to make our streets safe. But that's where the fighting is now, at our gates, in our homes! It is time for us all to do our duty, and to bind our oaths in blood. Every man who falls this day falls a hero of Haes. But if you hold tight to my squad, and we keep together, we'll be making heroic bloody corpses of those damned Alamiens instead!"

With his personal squad of fighters in the lead, he moves to the fighting in the streets. His bow is drawn, and his eyes scan the melee for targets.

"Hold to me!" He shouts through the din. "Hold to me!"