[Testament] In the Shadow of Sinai

[Maerdwyn]

"SHEMA YISRAEL, ADONAI ELOHEINU, ADONAI ECHAD" *

He stands there, arms raised, head staring into the sky, putting himself at the mercy of the mob.

Time slows down then, and Avram feels a knife enter his belly. Looking at the snarling faces before him, closing in on him, Avram is sure more blows will follow. But then, he sees the faces again. Four men advancing to join the one who has stabbed him, all five with the same expression; their mouths silently forming the same words: "No, not him, you dogs!" as they push past him towards Tsedeq and Hur.

Edit: ooc, just to be clear, Avram was only wounded (moderately so) by this, before the men moved on.

 

[Maerdwyn]

Caleb watches as the cowled man gestures at the two hold in the pig, then turns and hurries to his belongings. He hears the man say something, but can't hear exactly what it is. Behind him the men drop the calf. and begin walking towards him, leaving the animal to quietly wail on the ground. Their faces look grim, and Caleb is filled with fear.

 

[Tonguez]

"I do not die so easily" Tsedeq says more to ease his own mind than for any to hear.

Shifting the wieght of Hur the warrior draws forth his Great Club and weilding it in one hand prepares to fight his way out through the mob.

First though he moves towards the tent to see whther the boy survives...

 

[Ghostknight]

Avram cluthches his stomach- then holds his bloodied hands out to the crowd

"You stand there- you watch your own people go to kill your own brothers? How much more blood will you allow? This blood, the blood of that innocent man, the blood of those children will be on you if you just stand and do nothing!

What do you think Avraham would have done? Or the children of Yaakov? They killed an entire city for what was done to their sister- but you would allow far worse while you stand and watch! What are you, the Children of Israel or Egyptians, standing around and enjoying the slaughter of innocents?"

 

[humble minion]

Melech has never shot at a living man before today, but an eerie sense of deja vu creeps though the back of his mind as he whips out another arrow with a practised hand. He remembers the lion that took the daughter of Jereboam, and how he tracked it to its lair at the request of the girl's family, and how he dislodged a rock while stalking and woke the beast. He remembers how it came storming forth as he put arrow after arrow into its hide, reaching within a stride of him before collapsing to the ground.

There is no lion now, only a pack of men, but as they close upon him his fear feels the same, and his arrows fly once more. Later he will think about the reality of what he has done. For now, there is only survival.

ooc: 5ft step back, to put Melech's back against the tent, then Rapid Shot into the approaching group of men. Aim at the nearest armed one first.

 

[yangnome]

Caleb's bllod turns to ice and he feels the chill course through his veins. He had the feeling that he had stumbled upon something that he shouldn't have. His mind raced as he tried to decide what to do. He fought back the urge to flee from the scene. If they wanted him dead, he could do nothing to stop it anyway. He started to speak and his voice cracked. He looked towards the stars from a moment and gathered his strength. "Yo....You know each other? What do you intend to do with this calf?"

 

[Maerdwyn]

The hooded man replies to Caleb, "As I said, 'It is a grim night for those who follow the Lord." Then to the others: "Take him." The two men close in on Caleb, their purpose clear.

*************
As Melech raises his bow, blinding light fills his vision. In the center of it he sees a small plateau in the desert, one he recognizes from his hunts It is night time, and a cowled man stands over a burning bowl. Melech recognizes him as the Hik Shasu from his dream. As before, the dread and hatred he feels for the man is palpable - all cosuming, such that Melech momentarily forgets where he is, even who he is. Suddenly, another man lies, tied up, face up and bare breasted at the Hik Shasu's feet. The pity Melech feels for the bound man is unbearable, as if it were his own child waiting for the Hik Shasu's knife to fall. The dread man's lips moves, pouring fourth sounds that seem like the bleating of a calf. Melech feels a need to stop the Hik Shasu, to free man before him, to overturn the brazier. And Melech will need help, for the Hik Shasu has allies. Now! But as the vision fades, so to does its compulsory nature. Whatever the source of the vision, Melech knows what it wanted him to do, but is not being forced to do it.

The mob is before him still - no time has passed during his vision, though he would have sworn it had.

**********
A few of the people within hearing distance of Avram begin to look uncertain, and he sees many in the crowd cease their stone throwing, if only few actually restrain others from launching their missiles. Someone shouts "Egyptian Slave master!" One of the stones that is cast strikes him on the cheek, and then another in the chest. Someone from the crowd, who Avram doesn't not recognize, moves out into the clreaing and starts trying to drag Avram away "You have to get away from here! You'll be killed!. You're right, but they will kill you for it!"

**********
Tsedeq look into the tent, carrying the unconscious Hur on his back. When his lifts the flap, Yuval looks up from beating on the boy, his eyes reflecting the torchlight from outside almost like a dog's eyes in the moonlight. He smiles cruelly, and in a blink, porduces a knife whic he hold against Nahir's neck. "Give me the old man, brute, and I will free the boy. If you take one step inside this tent, I will kill him. Nahir, nose bloodied, eye swollen, weakly shakes his head, and Tsedeq is unsure if the boy is telling Tsedeq not to give up Hur, or asking for mercy from Yuval.

 

[Tonguez]

"and if you kill the boy" Tsedeq growls the low deep growl of a desert lion, seemingly unconcerned for the boy but instead revelling in the fight "then I will have no sin when I smash your brains to pulp"

to make his point the Danite brandishes his great club and scowls a savage scowl

"now let the boy go and fight a man"....

(ooc intimidation attempt)

 

[Ghostknight]

Avram looks at his would be savior

"Is it right to live when the very people that should be listening are the ones trying to kill me? What will hashems anger be like when he chooses to show himself on this very night that Moses is due to return to the camp?"

Bowing his head he gives a scathing look at the crowd and shouts

"I go but remind you once more "SHEMA YISRAEL, ADONAI ELOHEINU, ADONAI ECHAD""

He allows himself to be pulled into the crowd, deftly retrieving his dropped whip at the same time, hopong that is hysical presence amongst the crowd, the blood from his belly, chest and cheek tangible to those present, will give pause to their murderous intensity, or at least redirect it to himsefl, giving Hur and the boys time to escape.

 

[humble minion]

Melech's aim falters, and his nocked arrow droops toward the ground. He releases the tension on his bowstring slowly, almost absently, as he mentally reels from the vision, and quakes in residual loathing of the Hik Shasu. None of his waking dreams have been anything resembling so clear before, and he wonders why this is so. And he wonders why he in particular was chosen to be a leaf, blown about at the mercy of Hashem's windstorm...

ooc: Melech spends the round recovering from the vision, and does nothing.