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+ | < | ||
+ | turn:30 | ||
+ | title: | ||
+ | start: | ||
+ | end: | ||
+ | posted_date: | ||
+ | weather: | ||
+ | location:in the town of Maelbourg, the Barony of Huerten, the Kingdom of Rang | ||
+ | xp_korisca: | ||
+ | xp_ziedon: | ||
+ | xp_kay: | ||
+ | xp_sahlman: | ||
+ | xp_kreemon: | ||
+ | xp_ardith: | ||
+ | </ | ||
+ | < | ||
+ | |||
+ | Sahlman stood staring at the townhouse. His mind raced from one to | ||
+ | another of the topics currently facing himself and the other members of | ||
+ | the small band. Balban' | ||
+ | concern. The day to day matters of survival were another. Ziedon was a | ||
+ | third. The young woman who'd caused so much trouble the night before | ||
+ | presented yet a fourth dilemma. Too much. Far too much for a simple man | ||
+ | like Sahlman el' | ||
+ | about most of those things, yet he had worries as to whether or not | ||
+ | Ardith would make the right decisions. | ||
+ | |||
+ | For such a young woman, Ardith showed admirable devotion to her | ||
+ | goddess. Sahl could not help but admire and envy that kind of zeal, but | ||
+ | the cynic that had been crudely formed under the harsh hammer of | ||
+ | the desert wanted more substance. Where was this goddess, anyway? | ||
+ | Sahl could put faith in Ay' | ||
+ | to place himself at the disposal of an entity completely without | ||
+ | presence? Still, Sahl didn't see where haste on his own part would be | ||
+ | of any benefit. It would be best to stay aware of his own feelings | ||
+ | regarding these events. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The shrouded figure grasped the hilt of his scimitar, subconsciously | ||
+ | tilting the long weapon upward as he squatted. He faced the edifice | ||
+ | where his companions were having their meeting and waited. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon retrieved his staff from the guards and used it as a walking | ||
+ | stick. His mind was awhirl with the information that he just learned, | ||
+ | and its ramifications. It seemed it was Balban' | ||
+ | under him as ruler of Maelbourg in a month' | ||
+ | was successful, and, after seing Grenzig, there was no reason to assume | ||
+ | it would fail, what would it mean to the law of the land? 'I must get | ||
+ | word to the king,' Ziedon thought, 'but how? What role does Galgewe | ||
+ | really play? Perhaps I should not have made him gather firewood.' | ||
+ | Ziedon smiled wryly at the last, but the smile was short-lived. 'But to | ||
+ | warn the King...' | ||
+ | impossible events and wondering how they could be manipulated. Gaining | ||
+ | an audience with the king of Rang was not an easy task, and then what | ||
+ | if the king ignored him? Balban, after all, was only conquering towns | ||
+ | over which the king had no juristiction, | ||
+ | attack Huerten? If he won such a battle, he would gain control of one | ||
+ | of the largest baronies in Rang. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Kay saw Ziedon and Ardith leave the building, and made her excuses | ||
+ | to the holy man of Morenth. The robed priest watched her walk briskly | ||
+ | toward the townhouse and the odd-looking pair emerging from it. From | ||
+ | another angle, he saw a bulky man wearing an unusual headdress look | ||
+ | suddenly alert, and run to the group. 'Ah, the lives of heathens. They | ||
+ | will learn of the True Path soon enough,' | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Sahlman and Kay asked about the encounter with Ulan, but Ardith | ||
+ | waved them off. "Not here. Not so close to the town center. Let us go | ||
+ | back to the inn. We can discuss it there, in my room if the common | ||
+ | room is too crowded." | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon was still in deep thought as the collected group entered | ||
+ | Grabble' | ||
+ | at the impact. After a few minutes more thought, Ziedon slammed his | ||
+ | hand down on the table. " | ||
+ | here now!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Several patrons, working calmly on their first ales of the night, | ||
+ | looked at Ziedon momentarily, | ||
+ | the folds of the bent man's cloak, turned back to the more interesting | ||
+ | subjects in their hands. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon turned to a wall. Hearing no immediate response, he waited a | ||
+ | minute, then rose to his feet and explained himself. "I don't trust | ||
+ | that townsman or the ministrel. I will feel much safer on the trail to | ||
+ | our next destination, | ||
+ | be poised anywhere." | ||
+ | gone. His face flushed a deep, uncharactaristic red when he remembered | ||
+ | Ardith' | ||
+ | his face set into a scowl that seemed to be intended for all patrons of | ||
+ | the inn, blaming them for this happening. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | The rest of the group climbed the stairs and entered the room let to | ||
+ | Ardith and Kay. It was a fairly large room for the rude inn, but still | ||
+ | small for an assembled group. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Several times, Ardith began to address the company, but was | ||
+ | interrupted by the arrival of one or another. Finally, she threw up her | ||
+ | hands and said, "No use until we are all here. Meanwhile, Kay, would | ||
+ | you please go downstairs and retrieve the mage, and bring up a flagon | ||
+ | of ale, some bread and some cheese?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | The archer agreed, but before Kay could complete her errand, the | ||
+ | dark mage found his way to the room, and shortly thereafter, Korisca | ||
+ | also. When Ziedon entered, he gave a brief glance to Kreemon, who | ||
+ | noticed it and turned away. When Korisca arrived, Ziedon' | ||
+ | on her and did not move. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kay returned with her armload of food and drink, to the cheers of | ||
+ | most, and shut and barred the door behind her. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "All right, we are finally all here," Ardith began in hushed tones, | ||
+ | passing the bread around. "Much has happened since this morning, and | ||
+ | there has not been time or opportunity to tell you all everything." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ardith proceeded to relate the tale of their encounter with Ulan, of | ||
+ | Galgewe' | ||
+ | conversations early this morning with the ranger and the thief. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I believe," | ||
+ | Korisca will be of value to us in our quest. I know many of you will | ||
+ | find it hard to trust Korisca since she stole -- or better said | ||
+ | attempted to steal -- from us, but I believe that, in the absence of | ||
+ | hunger and need, she will be trustworthy, | ||
+ | fingers will be of use to us before long. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I suggest we take them both, ranger and thief, into our party, and | ||
+ | leave this place no later than dawn tomorrow." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon was the first to object. His rough voice emitted slowly from | ||
+ | the dark recesses of his hood. "The brigand should have already been | ||
+ | turned over to the authorities. Law and Justice need to be satisfied." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ardith sighed deeply, then raised her eyes to bore directly into | ||
+ | those of the mage. " | ||
+ | "have you never done anything of which you were later ashamed? Have you | ||
+ | never made a mistake out of need? This young woman was hungry and in | ||
+ | need. She saw my pouch, thought it full of coin, and meant to use it to | ||
+ | fill her empty belly. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "It was a mistake. An error of judgement, born of hunger and thirst. | ||
+ | Since last night, I have spoken with her at length, and judge her to | ||
+ | be good at heart. I invite you to do the same before you render your | ||
+ | final verdict." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon pulled back the hood of his cloak. "I have committed my share | ||
+ | of mistakes in the past, but I never broke the law. I have even allowed | ||
+ | myself to be arrested and tried when I did no crime. If the magistrate | ||
+ | finds her innocent, then so be it. This nimmer committed a crime, her | ||
+ | justification doesn' | ||
+ | she could have found other ways to sate her needs." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon' | ||
+ | judgment and ignorance do not excuse it. Neither you nor I is a | ||
+ | magistrate, so we have no right to judge her. She is to be turned over | ||
+ | to the local constable and her punishment decided." | ||
+ | |||
+ | After a long moment, Ardith broke off eye contact with Ziedon, and | ||
+ | looked around the room at the other adventurers. "How say the rest of | ||
+ | the company? I have told her she may need to stand for an interview if | ||
+ | you so decide. For what it is worth, I vouch for her. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kay stood. " | ||
+ | to have nothing to pay for food or clothing, though it's true I always | ||
+ | had a trade, as fletcher, if not archer. But this woman has nothing to | ||
+ | fall back on but her nimble fingers and fleet feet. I think that we can | ||
+ | use these talents. We do not know what we will run into when we go | ||
+ | where we've been sent. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Both these people can do under-cover work that none of us know how | ||
+ | to do. Spy, listen in places where we, armed as we are, would raise | ||
+ | suspicion. They know how to use the shadows. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I say we take them both in. True, maybe we should watch them both to | ||
+ | be sure they are worth our trust, but I at least don't want to see | ||
+ | Korisca in jail. I'd rather have her with us than against us!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon shook his head in disbelief. "She has nothing to fall back | ||
+ | on? She has a strong back and is light on her feet, there are several | ||
+ | jobs that she could be doing. She chose not to learn honest work. | ||
+ | Instead, she honed her arts of thievery. More the evidence that this | ||
+ | was not an act made out of desperation but of deliberation. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I doubt that she would be placed in jail. I believe they brand | ||
+ | thieves in this part of the kingdom." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Korisca backed away slowly. At the mention of branding, Ziedon | ||
+ | transformed in her eyes to her father, ever preaching about his "just | ||
+ | punishments." | ||
+ | slipped from reality and could think only of long-past memories and | ||
+ | insane fantasies. Curling up against the wall and pulling her arm up by | ||
+ | her head, she cried. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon' | ||
+ | of his anger were kindled at the thief' | ||
+ | breed was known for their misleading performances, | ||
+ | one to be fooled. He turned away from Korisca and took a few breaths | ||
+ | to calm himself. "Would you place yourself above the Law?" he asked all | ||
+ | those around him. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ardith sighed. "Whose Law, Ziedon? I follow the Law of my goddess, | ||
+ | Andritha. The laws of men are secondary, and carry not the weight of | ||
+ | Her Truth." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon' | ||
+ | ignore the law of the land. Such words bordered on treason. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | further, ' | ||
+ | and yet further, 'Lest ye be judged, judge not.'" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "The law of _your_ god you say. I am sure I could find another | ||
+ | whose faith calls for swift and merciless justice. You are in this | ||
+ | town, and in this town, their Law rules. To do otherwise invites | ||
+ | anarchy!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "We are not of this town. Who can say what law applies to us? Allow | ||
+ | me to finish, in any case. I do not believe that Korisca is faking. She | ||
+ | is a very troubled woman with hurts we cannot imagine. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "But I am not a dictator who wields above the heads of her flock the | ||
+ | sword of vengeance. I merely do my best to interpret Andritha' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What say you, all? Kay, Sahlman? Shall we turn this poor wretch | ||
+ | over to a magistrate as Ziedon demands, to publicly brand her? Or | ||
+ | worse, to incarcerate her with brigands far lower than she? Or shall we | ||
+ | forgive and forget her attempted transgression against us, and welcome | ||
+ | her -- and her talents -- into our company?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Do not twist words. Justice demands the thief to be tried in | ||
+ | accordance with the law. Nothing more and nothing less. If she is found | ||
+ | guilty then she will pay for her crime. If you truly believe that the | ||
+ | magistrate will brand or incarcerate her," Ziedon paused, his eyes | ||
+ | aglow, "then you admit that she is guilty." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Sahlman turned from the others, silently pacing to the other end of | ||
+ | the small room. There he stood for some time, pondering what words | ||
+ | he could say. When he faced them again, his dark eyes held trepidation | ||
+ | and sorrow. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | this girl, but I cannot. She has done wrong, and it is not being my | ||
+ | place to decide about it, though my mind has been full of such things | ||
+ | for all of this day. At the end of it, the only certain thing I can be | ||
+ | saying about this girl is that she is having the will to do wrong. When | ||
+ | it is ourselves at stake, I am not being able to trust her. Not with | ||
+ | my, or your, life." He held Ardith' | ||
+ | adding, "Can it be that you would adjudge another on your own, without | ||
+ | the knowledge or counsel of the leaders of this place? It does not seem | ||
+ | like you." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Sahlman braced himself for the hurt and accusation he was certain | ||
+ | would leap at him from Ardith' | ||
+ | pitiful sound over to one side Sahl looked down at the young thief | ||
+ | where she lie huddled on the floor sobbing. The man's broad shoulders | ||
+ | slumped just a little as the hopelessness in the girl wrenched | ||
+ | unmercifully at his heart. Her sobbing brought hidden memories back | ||
+ | into the awareness of the gnarled man: memories of a boy leaving his | ||
+ | home, his father dead and his reputation in ruins; of time spent | ||
+ | stealing goats from other bedouins in the black of night; theft | ||
+ | resulting from hunger; deaths of other men whose sole crime was | ||
+ | attempting to prevent the loss of their property; the vision, so clear | ||
+ | even after more than a decade, of a living human being screaming | ||
+ | soundlessly in pain as a scimitar was drawn from his body, blood | ||
+ | staining the length of it with crimson ichor. The nausea that had been | ||
+ | the reward of young Saladin al' | ||
+ | older Sahlman. He had not been able to eat at all from the booty gained | ||
+ | that night. | ||
+ | |||
+ | His breath catching in his throat, Sahlman turned from his curious | ||
+ | friends. "Let her stay with us, Arditta, Ziedon, Kay. For my part, let | ||
+ | her stay." But, remembering the lessons learned from his own | ||
+ | experience, Sahl tuned a haggard visage back to the others. "But only | ||
+ | this one thing. She must have the learning from it and never do its | ||
+ | like again." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ardith nodded at Sahlman' | ||
+ | shook his head at Sahlman' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kay chimed in. "I agree with Ardith and Sahlman. Let her stay. I'm | ||
+ | not saying it was all right for her to try to steal from us -- or from | ||
+ | Ardith. It was wrong. But who are these magistrates of this town to | ||
+ | judge her? After all, it was _us_ she tried to steal from, not them. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I don't want to see her flogged, or whatever they do to thieves in | ||
+ | this place. And if we turn her over to them, after they punish her, | ||
+ | then what? Won't she just be in the same pickle-barrel that made her | ||
+ | try to steal before? With us, she can learn better ways, and maybe even | ||
+ | an honest trade. I could teach her to make arrows, for instance. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I, for one, am tired of other people pushing us ' | ||
+ | around, trying to make us do things their way." | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Korisca seemed harmless enough, Kreemon thought, and if she tried | ||
+ | anything, he'd be ready for her. Anyway, she was the closest thing to a | ||
+ | friend he had in Maelbourg, other than Bork, and if it wasn't for her, | ||
+ | Kreemon would still be out of work. He thought the last with a grin. It | ||
+ | was strange how things worked in Kreemon' | ||
+ | chase the night before was little more than an accident. Kreemon | ||
+ | normally was not out so late at night. He couldn' | ||
+ | left for a breath of air, when he heard the running and checked it out. | ||
+ | Now, through an unlikely series of events, he was part of this group, | ||
+ | ready to leave Maelbourg and start on a more interesting life than he | ||
+ | ever expected for himself. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kreemon definitely was indebted to the thief. Still, there was | ||
+ | Ziedon. Seeing such amazing power flow from the necromancer' | ||
+ | did he dare confront him? The others disagreed with Ziedon freely, but | ||
+ | perhaps they were already more friendly with him, or perhaps -- Kreemon | ||
+ | could not discount the possibility -- the whole group was capable of | ||
+ | wielding that same power. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The worst that could happen if Kreemon confronted Ziedon was that he | ||
+ | would be killed. Kreemon did not fear death. When he was young, the | ||
+ | teachings of Zahira persuaded him not to. "When we die, we return, and | ||
+ | come and go and come and go until Zahira proclaims neutrality." | ||
+ | did not fear death. No, who was he kidding? Every man fears death. | ||
+ | After all, Zahira also taught that " | ||
+ | Suffering was always something to fear. Kreemon' | ||
+ | been lessened by his devotion to Zahira, but not removed. At this | ||
+ | moment, Kreemon feared the cold death that he knew Ziedon could | ||
+ | provide him. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kreemon said a short, silent prayer to Zahira. Korisca might be | ||
+ | killed if she were put before the authorities. Kreemon feared death, | ||
+ | but Korisca surely feared it more than he. Whatever the result, he had | ||
+ | to make an attempt to help her. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "How much power does the magician have in this group?" | ||
+ | Ardith. "Most of you want to let Korisca come along, so let her. If | ||
+ | you're afraid she'll steal something and run, I'll be happy to keep an | ||
+ | eye on her." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon gave Kreemon a cold look, and Kreemon closed his eyes and | ||
+ | awaited death. Death did not come, but Ziedon' | ||
+ | Kreemon' | ||
+ | |||
+ | 'What say does this vagabond have in this matter?' | ||
+ | 'He is only here by sufferance.' | ||
+ | realized that the group was going to allow the cutpurse to avoid | ||
+ | justice. Ziedon slowly turns his head to let his chilling gaze rest | ||
+ | upon the young thief. At Ziedon' | ||
+ | another crying spasm. "The thief may be allowed to skirt Justice now," | ||
+ | Ziedon continued to himself when he was satisfied with the results, | ||
+ | "but that doesn' | ||
+ | representative in the future. The others will relax their vigil and | ||
+ | then Justice will be served." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon quickly glanced down at his concealed orb, and then relaxed | ||
+ | in his chair, knowing that the outcome of this encounter was all but | ||
+ | assured. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ardith nodded, with a look of finality about her. "OK then," she | ||
+ | said. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | < | ||
+ | |||
+ | All: I apologize to the players and to the AD&D echo for the lateness | ||
+ | of two consecutive turns. If all goes well, this trend will not | ||
+ | continue. As the players, at least, must have noticed by now, this turn | ||
+ | has been cut short. I thought it only right to give _something_ to the | ||
+ | FidoNet echo. Turn 26, with luck, should be out in a week, but just in | ||
+ | case it's delayed for some reason, it's nice to have this one around. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ardith and Ziedon: I took a bit of liberty with your characters to get | ||
+ | the turn out. If you didn't notice, then I guess it didn't matter. If | ||
+ | you did, I hope it wasn't out of character. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Your Bill, Sir: | ||
+ | * Ardith: .6ag*(bread& | ||
+ | * Kay: .6ag(bread& | ||
+ | * Korisca: 1.7ag(bread& | ||
+ | * Kreemon: .6ag(bread& | ||
+ | * Sahlman: .6ag(bread& | ||
+ | * Ziedon: .6ag(bread& | ||
+ | |||
+ | *silver aglars | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hitpoints: Sahlman: 18/22 | ||
+ | |||
+ | Korisca, you raised a level. You get 5HP for a total of 10. You also | ||
+ | get 30 points to distribute among your thieving skills. You can not | ||
+ | add more than 15 to any skill, and no skill can be raised above 95. | ||
+ | Since you've been hiding in shadows a lot, it makes sense to put at | ||
+ | least a few points into that. | ||
+ | < | ||
+ | |||