By late evening Kabeera, Artiga and Williarth agreed that their companions clearly would not be returning of their own volition. For the lady and the priest a rescue attempt was the only honourable thing to do. For the bard it posed an exciting prospect for his ballad. They waited a couple more hours for the camp to reach its most quiet and then, with Mayatanay in tow, crept down the slope towards the mass of tents.
DISCOVER A SITE - Black Hall (Fortified Stronghold, Dangerous, Denizens: Warriors and Common Folk)
FEATURE - Something unusual or unexpected
The four of them warily entered the camp and heard soft, sultry music from a lyre nearby and the unmistakable sounds of fornication. They ducked into shadow as a drunken soldier emerged from a tent, shirtless and smiling. They surmised that this area was something of a brothel. They waited for the soldier to wander off and then pressed on. Williarth gave his raven, Quoth, a hushed command and it fluttered off to perch on a banner-pole to keep lookout.
AID YOUR ALLY (Williarth) - Weak Hit
DELVE THE DEPTHS (Kabeera, Shadow) - Miss with Complication (10)
ORACLE - The true enemy is revealed
A cry from the raven warned them to take cover and they waited silently behind a tent as two figures passed by. Kabeera heard one address the other as 'general' and took a peek to see who was in charge of this place. She was stunned to find it was someone she knew well - Morter Greyflower, son of the family ruling Old Hall, a cruel and ugly man who she knew to have certain intentions towards her. She gasped and was snatched out of sight by Artiga, ushering her quickly in the other direction.
REVEAL A DANGER - Reveal two dangers
REVEAL A DANGER - You encounter a hostile denizen
REVEAL A DANGER - You face a tough choice
But the other direction was blocked - two soldiers manhandling a young elf girl, pulling at her clothes and grabbing at her body. Kabeera went to try another route but Mayatanay tugged insistently at her sleeve. Artiga sighed and drew his sword. He motioned for Kabeera to creep up behind whilst he and Williarth faced them head on.
ENTER THE FRAY - 2 x Warrior (Dangerous)
... [Shadow] (Kabeera) - Strong hit with Opportunity
... [Heart] (Artiga) - Miss with Complication (10)
... [Heart] (Williarth) - Miss
COMPLICATION - New foe (+1 Warrior, making a Formidable pack) with harm dealt
"Unhand her!" Artiga commanded in a gruff and subdued voice, not wanting to raise any kind of alarm, but immediately a sudden movement to his side stymied him and a sword-blade coming out of nowhere hacked into his arm.
ENDURE HARM - Miss (Injured) with Complication (10)
COMPLICATION - Compromise position
He cried out in pain, too loudly to hope nobody would notice. In a pained fury he turned to face the previously-unnoticed third soldier and swung to meet his next blow.
CLASH [0/10] - Strong Hit [2/10]
Despite the priest's agony, the flanking assailant fell swiftly to a couple of expert slashes.
Kabeera stepped out of the shadows directly behind one of the soldiers. She took his shoulder in her hand and in a swift and cold movement lurched him backwards onto her wicked-sharp dagger.
OPPORTUNITY - Deal harm [4/10]
Williarth rushed the last guard with his staff, but the fiend still had a hold of the girl and was fighting from behind her.
CLASH [4/10] - Strong Hit [5/10]
The bard whirled his long-arm about deftly and in a slick move lightly batted the girl to one side, then followed that straight up with a forceful blow to the soldier's face. The soldier reeled away, clutching a broken mess of a nose, but his companion was in a far worse predicament.
STRIKE [5/10] (Kabeera) - Strong Hit [8/10]
The young lady rammed her blade into her victim's back again and again, lightning fast, until blood was bubbling from his lips and he made no sound but a sick gurgling. She let him fall and spat on his corpse.
END THE FIGHT [8/10] - Miss
PAY THE PRICE - Captured
Only one soldier remained, but Artiga was feeling the weight of his wound and Williarth's path was obstructed by the panicking elf girl. Kabeera knew she should have stayed focused on the task, but she lingered just slightly too long over the body at her feet. Troops were rousing nearby thanks to Artiga's cry, but now the broken-nosed-guy was off and alerting them all to the location. They had no time to contemplate evasive action before they were surrounded and horribly outnumbered. The rescue attempt was over.
A captain of one of the units stationed at Black Hall arrived on the scene and looked the interlopers up and down. He gave an ambiguous 'Hrmph' and instructed they be incarcerated with the other two, except for Mayatanay who was dragged off towards the tents of carnal servitude. All their weapons and equipment were taken from them. Kabeera prayed that they wouldn't find all her concealed daggers.
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE - Miss
Disappointingly they found every one of them.
Luiden and Bjorn had been making small talk on and off for a few hours now. Tied back-to-back around a stout wooden pillar in a small log hut they wiled away the time in the darkness getting to know each other better.
ORACLE (Are there any corpses in the hut? 50-50) - No
Luiden had hoped there might be a dead body or two in here by which to ply his craft to some advantage, but their luck was still dry. And to further confound their misfotrune, when the door opened and their comrades appeared the burst of relief was short-lived. The soldiers added the three new prisoners to the pillar, forming a crowded and tightly-bound mess of limbs and shoulders. They weren't there long before Lord Morter arrived to appraise his prisoners. The stout, balding man did a double-take upon seeing Kabeera and gave her a twisted grin. He bent over to talk creepily close to her face and gloated without subtlety over the shift in balance of power between them. It appeared that distance from their respective settlements had lifted all sense of obligation to maintain friendly appearances - Kabeera's suspicions of the Greyflower family being part of the plot against Bleakfalls were all but confirmed.
REACH A MILESTONE (Protect Bleakfalls from the plots of an allied circle) - [1.5/10]
Morter was called away - the hour was late and the leaders of the other factions were keen to conclude their meeting in the Black Hall. A guard was stationed and the door closed, leaving the party alone in the dark.
Williarth was quite pessimistic about the whole situation, lamenting the lack of heroism-fodder for his ballad, but Kabeera remained positive. She reasoned that as the slightest of the group she had the best chance of wriggling an arm free and set about it.
FACE DANGER - Weak Hit
With great effort and a lot of jostling her neighbours, she managed to squeeze an arm between Luiden's back and the pillar, then work it upwards and out over his head. From there it was trivial to free herself, but the guard had been checking in periodically and freeing everyone wouldn't be quick. Williarth had a plan though. He would sing a ballad to cover any noise and sing it so badly that the guard would be dissuaded from looking in.
AID YOUR ALLY - Miss with Complication (8)
PAY THE PRICE - Out of time
Kabeera had freed two of the others when the door flung open and a captain strode in with a bunch of his men. On seeing half the prisoners free from their bonds he sharply admonished the guard and gave him a forceful punch to the stomach. He then had the rest of them untied and marched to the Black Hall.
The Black Hall was dimly lit inside, making it look smaller than expected. To one side Morter and three other leaders mused over a large map of the area, strewn with carved wooden pieces like an elaborate game. Williarth quickly surveyed the map to glean what he could.
GATHER INFORMATION - Weak Hit
The map was definitely concerning the pending war with the elves and from what little else he could ascertain it seemed that the easiest and most direct paths to the Deep Wilds from here were too densely populated with soldiers for the rest of their journey - they would need to find a more circuitous route once they were out of Black Hall.
Morter looked up at the party and called the meeting to a close, but didn't dismiss the other leaders - he wanted them to see him in a position of power, and he used it to resume his indignant gloating and sinister insinuations. Kabeera pressed him on his purposes here and, not wanting to seem threatened by his prisoner, Morter explained in broad strokes that the elves refused to trade a particular resource and so steps were to be taken to liberate it by force.
REACH A MILESTONE (Escort elf outcast back to her tribe) - [3/10]
Morter insisted on an explanation for their trespassing and for Kabeera's venturing so far from home, with an elf in tow no less! Back in the cell the party had given thought to this and had prepared a story for Kabeera to sell - that on hearing of the impending war with the elves Bleakfalls had turned on Mayatanay and Kabeera had assembled a group to escort her to the fight so that she might be used as a bargaining counter. The surreptitious incursion was to establish the lie of the land and make sure they were delivering Mayatanay to the right warlord, whilst the violent incident was just a misunderstanding gone wrong. Now perhaps the air could be cleared and Morter would like to discuss the direction of their future relationship?
COMPEL - Strong Hit
Amazingly he bought it, or seemed to. He'd been unashamedly leering at her the whole time and after a tense paused burst into the most friendly smile he could manage. He invited her to join him for a (very) late dinner for she looked famished and they would discuss the prospect of a marriage to free her from the Morda family to become a noble Greyflower instead. Kabeera accepted of course, much to Artiga's concern. Williarth also thought leaving Kabeera alone in this way would be a bad idea and offered his bardic services (with a demonstration) as an accompaniment to the meal.
COMPEL (Storyweaver) - Strong Hit
This too pleased the lecherous lord and it was agreed. The rest of the group were reunited with their equipment in a small tent and presented with meagre scraps to feed their bellies. Luiden played a game called 'guess the meat', but Artiga would not accept it was anything but poultry.
After they ate they decided upon a course of action. No longer prisoners, they were free to roam the encampment and few soldiers would still be up and about, so they set their sights on quietly rescuing Mayatanay first and then Kabeera and Williarth. The walk across the site was indeed quiet and uneventful. The brothel tents were still open for business and the ugly sounds still carried out on the cold night air. The question was which tent housed the elf they wanted. A madam appeared, touring the tents to check all was well and Luiden suggested that Artiga, being an older fellow, might conceivably enquire about an older companion on the assumption that most of the elves would not be as old as Mayatanay. Artiga bristled a little at this, but couldn't deny it was as good a pretext as any.
GATHER INFORMATION - Strong Hit with Opportunity (3)
The madam seemed pleased to have interest she could match with her latest acquisition. As luck would have it she had a 'mature' elf in that out-of-the-way tent over there and she was available immediately. Artiga scowled at her as he headed towards it. Inside he found Mayatanay lying on messy bedding facing away from the entrance and with arms clasped about her body, sobbing so very gently. Her clothes were torn and a great deal of flesh exposed. Artiga laid a tender hand on her shoulder and she winced. He gave a soft-voiced expression of sympathy and a promise that he'd not let this fate befall her ever again. But they needed to be gone immediately so she should gather herself quickly and come with.
COMPEL - Weak Hit
"The others too" was all she said, not moving.
Artiga sighed and considered this. Mayatanay's protests would raise a problematic degree of suspicion on the way to the Black Hall. And then there was the notion of leaving innocent young girls to the sordid urges of hundreds of men away from their marital beds. He could not deny her, so poked his head out of the tent to inform Luiden and Bjorn that the scope of the rescue mission had suddenly increased somewhat.
Elsewhere, Lord Morter had a personal area at the back of the hall, featuring most prominently a huge table with four massive candles for ample illumination and a bed cordoned off with large, thick blankets. He sat at the head with Kabeera to his side but the rest of the places empty. The table was decked with a sumptuous feast that could serve a dozen, including a suckling pig and a mountain of grapes. Williarth by contrast had a tiny side-table in the corner and a modest plate of fruit and meat. He quietly sang calm ditties as a backdrop to their conversation.
Morter was overly-eager to focus on what might follow the meal and what might follow that. Kabeera tried to keep talk to the warfront, but he patronisingly dismissed her as uselessly naive of such matters. Nevertheless, she kept the conversation going, encouraging him to drink more and more in an attempt to get him inebriated.
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE - Weak Hit
Morter gained on her in terms of alcohol consumption, but noticed that she wasn't keeping up and pressured her to do the same. Talk got flirty and highly suggestive. In an attempt to lull him into a false sense of security and to deflect his insinuations of their getting married soon Kabeera grabbed his head and buried it in her cleavage.
SECURE ADVANTAGE - Weak Hit
That certainly upped things a gear! He started getting handsy and Williarth quickly interrupted with fresh wine for them both - one of which he'd heavily spiked with a very strong brandy he kept with him in case of 'emergencies'. hopefully this would finish him off such that they could spirit away before her ladyship's honour was disgraced.
AID YOUR ALLY (Williarth) - Weak Hit (Burn)
FACE DANGER (Kabeera) - Strong Hit
Mercifully the strategy worked. Morter theatrically drained the goblet in one and led Kabeera off to the bedchamber, dismissing Williarth as he went. She played hard to get for as long as it took and just when it was seeming hopeless he swiftly passed out. She removed his trousers, grabbed up her pack and hurried out with the bard into the night.
Mayatanay had counted four other elves in captivity - even she saw the folly in scouring the camp for prisoners that may not exist, so that was the number to free.
SCENE CHALLENGE - Free the elf slaves (Dangerous)
They started with the next tent along. Bjorn took the lead and walked slowly past, nonchalantly glancing in to scope the occupency.
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE - Miss
This one was indeed occupied, by both a girl and a customer. The half-naked soldier spotted the peeking tom and took great exception. He came storming out and Bjorn backed away but too slowly - he received a couple of brutal punches that laid him out flat. Luiden came running to his aid, attempting to mollify the enraged soldier.
AID YOUR ALLY - Strong Hit
The sexually-frustrated man was tough to reason with, but the distraction was more than plenty to afford Artiga an opportunity to sneak in the back of the tent and extract the girl unnoticed.
FACE DANGER [0/10] [0/4] - Strong Hit (Burn) [2/10] [0/4]
The girl was young and traumatised to say the least. She was initially fearful of him, but as soon as his intentions became clear she was up and away with him.
Luiden's distraction wore thin and the man turned to return to what he was in the middle of. Luiden quickly grabbed his arm and asked where he could find a girl of his own.
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE - Weak Hit
The man grunted, annoyed, but gestured loosely to a few nearby tents. He and the Bjorn proceeded in that direction and kept to the same tactic with Artiga following round the back with the evacuees.
FACE DANGER [2/10] [0/4] (Bjorn) - Strong Hit [4/10] [0/4]
AID YOUR ALLY (Bjorn) - Strong Hit
FACE DANGER [4/10] [0/4] (Artiga) - Weak Hit [6/10] [1/4]
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE (Bjorn) - Strong Hit (Burn)
FACE DANGER [6/10] [1/4] (Luiden) - Miss with Complication (9) [6/10] [1/4]
The strategy worked quite well and they had freed three elves plus Mayatanay by the time an alarm was raised as to their shenanigans. The shout-out startled Luiden, who hurried into the final tent without due care and attention. The two soldiers within were ready for him and he was punched hard enough in the face to take him off his feet and make him drop his spear.
ENDURE HARM - Strong Hit
He embraced the pain and let the adrenaline surge.
Artiga burst in through the back, sword brandished, outflanking the soldiers whilst Mayatanay ushered out the last elf.
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE - Weak Hit
It bought enough time, but only just. The soldiers were on fighting form and going for their weapons...
AID YOUR ALLY (Bjorn) - Strong Hit
...but Bjorn was quicker and scooped them up, pointing one of the blades straight at the nearest one's throat as he skidded to a halt. The other started to say something to Artiga...
FACE DANGER [6/10] [1/4] (Luiden) - Weak Hit [8/10] [2/4]
...but was cut short by Luiden's spear in his back, which then whirled back through the air and helicoptered into the other. Luiden finished the silky-smooth double-kill with a dramatic crouched pose, but then the sounds of a hell of a lot of soldiers heading their way returned the sense of urgency. They ran out the back, checked the elves were all good to go and spirited them away from the camp and back up the ridge.
RESOLVE SCENE CHALLENGE [8/10] [2/4] - Weak Hit
PAY THE PRICE - It is stressful
ENDURE STRESS (Artiga) - Miss
ENDURE STRESS (Luiden) - Weak Hit
ENDURE STRESS (Bjorn) - Miss (Shaken)
They got clear of the camp and into the darkness and relaxed a little - the operation had been taxing and nerve-wracking to say the least. Artiga was the most preoccupied with empathy for the poor girls and what they'd been through, but suffering the most was Bjorn. Despite the success, the scout's self-confidence was dropping further and further the more he thought about the danger this venture was subjecting him to (and would likely continue to).
Kabeera and Williarth were already on the slope and soon noticed them. Together again they all hiked over the ridge and collected themselves out of sight of the camp. They were worse for wear, had picked up a bunch of mouths to feed, had brought themselves to the attention of the enemy and now had to find a new route to the Deep Wilds.
But at least it would make for a good ballad verse.
REACH A MILESTONE (Write an exceptional ballad of Mayatanay's quest) - [2/10]