[ic] nameless II: the seventh from seven

In the distance a dog begins to bark. Soon another joins it, then another and another. Then silence. From the stables you hear a faint, anxious whinny and a clatter of hoves on hard ground. The building groans and the glass in the window splinters and cracks.

A massive hand slams you down on your bed. Then it is gone. There is a moment of absolute calm and quiet. You lie tangled in you sheets and blankets, the ever present, rarely noticed pull of the earth has abandoned you. Then it returns to claim its own. Chairs sidetables, beds and occupants crash to the floor. The silence is rent by the crashing of furniture to floors, the splintering of timber, the creaks and groans of the building itself and the screams of fear and pain from its occupants. The room, when you manage to pull your wits together is a three-year-old-child's cut and paste representation of the one you fell woke up in moments before.

As you pick yourself up off the floor, the building creaks and groans softly and your legs feel wobbly beneath you. Or is it the floor iself?

"Earthquake!!" Nate yells. Gods, that must be the goblin-mage trying to escape. Grabbing his mace, he'll get outside as soon as possible and head to the jail, tryng to see if the goblin has used the confusion to try and escape. He'll offcourse try and help anyone in danger, and lend a hand where needed.

Oscar starts from deep deathlike slumber. He grabs for his clothing and money purse leaving anything replacable in the room.

"Can anyone hear me?" He yells into the rubble.

Nate gets to the door only to find it stuck. Fortunately, its still somewhat ajar from when Cromwell we out. With a good pull, it rips free and Nate steps out into the corridor.

Cromwell is there, one his feet but nursing his left arm somewhat. To Nates right, one of the local militia is getting groggily to his feet. Another lies sprawled awkwardly at on the landing below. From the ground floor comes the sounds of men in pain and someone trying to get them organised - the voice slightly shrill with panic. Muted cries and screams come from some of the other rooms. For a moment Nate figures that he must have got a bang on the noggin. All the lines and angles are wonky and out of whack. Then he realises that its not his eyes. The floors and walls and ceilings all sit a slightly odd angles to each other.

The door opposite opens and a man staggers out into the corridor, bounces off the opposite wall before scrambling past Nate and Cromwell and the steps down. His eyes are wide with panic and he ignores any attempt to speak to him, concerned only to get down and out. Another appears shortly after. Nate's about to head downstairs himself when he hears someone pounding away at their door, screaming for help.

The door to Oscar's room drags heavily across the floor, but it opens. He steps out into the corridor to find Nate and Cromwell to his right. A man dressed in his nightwear nearly knocks Oscar over as he bolts past yelling something incomprehensible. Oscar hears a pounding coming for a couple of doors down, accompanied by someone yelling for help. At the other side of the building, a couple of the Bremen exit their rooms, bleery eyed and a foul tempered.

Methodically working his way clockwise through the hallway, Nate tries to open every door. When people start to panic, Nate will try to calm 'm down, either by speaking to 'em, or a gentle slap (offcourse, a gentle slap from him might lift the recepient off his feet, but at least they'll stop panicking) if all else fails.

Oscar makes his way to the pounding and shouting and says, "Hold on! I'm going to find an axe to break the door down with." And then he looks for an axe.

There is a frantic banging and wailing coming from down aways {room 10}. Nate steps across the way, hefting his mace a couple of times to loosen up his shoulder. A push is enough to tell you that its well stuck. So with a warning to those inside to stand clear, Nate hammers the door with the mace. A couple of blows is enough to fracture it sufficiently to loosen it up. Nate kicks it open.

Oscar remembers that there is a pile of split wood by the fire downstirs. There must be a axe somewhere nearby. He's about to dash down and get it when he sees Nate attack the door with his mace. From the other side of the building, Oscar can hear the Bremen sorting out their own door problems. Over all the noise a voice barks out orders in their gutteral tongue.

Inside the room there is an old man standing scrunched up in the centre of the room. An old woman crouches in the corner with her arms wrapped around two small sobbing childern. The old man flys at Nate, all arms and legs and spittle, as soon as the door opens. "Help us! You must help me get my grandchildren out!"

-- downstairs --

Craddoc finishes picking himself up off the floor and settling the helm back straight on his head. The room is in a little disarray, but nothing a good brawl wouldn't have achieved. A couple of men a helping the Captain to his feet - a bloody gash on his forehead bleeds profusely. Its the Sergeant's voice that has been drilling into his head. The mans voice is shrill and the white of his eyes are showing. Although it seems that he retains some composure as what he says makes sense enough - get the wounded out, get upstairs and get all the people from there out too. The soldiers are happy to do the first, but there seem to be little motion towards the stairs leading up. Craddoc notices that there is a man, a guardman, slumped motionless on the landing of the stairs.

"Calm down good sir, we'll help. OSCAR. GET IN HERE AND HELP THESE PEOPLE. There, you carry one,and oscar will carry the other. Lady, grab a few blankets and some clothing, leave the rest. Off you go." Making sure Oscar knows what to do and evrything stays under control, Nate will go to the next door.

Craddoc runs over to the slumped gaurdsman and checks his pulse quickly. If he's unconscious but okay, he'll hand him off to another guard, otherwise he'll make a heal check (+9) to stabilize him and then hand him off.

"Take him out, I'm going to check the upstairs to see if there's anyone stuck."

Craddoc finds that the man has a pulse, but is indeed unconscious. The other guardman staggers down the stairs a moment later, joining Craddoc on the landing. "Is he aw'right?" Craddoc nods and helps the guard get the unconcious man up and onto his shoulder. The guards sets off with his inert companion. Craddoc moves upstairs.

Upstairs he spies some of the Seventh. From inside a room, one of them is calling for Oscar the young noble? to help with some people. A young man in fine linen sleepwear stands at the other end of the corridor. aye, that would be Oscar then. Cromwell, the corporal leans against a wall nursing his arm and seemingly a little dazed.

A moment later two of the Bremen appear from around the corner. One of them limping badly and supported by the other. Two more including the halfling appear, carring bundles of clothes, armour and weapons. A heart beat later the Ubersaxe appears with the last Bremen, also carrying gear. The Ubersaxe pauses infront of Cromwell. He says something, then waves his hand infront of Cromwells face, then says something to his to his companion. The other Bremen shifts his bundle and puts Cromwells arm over his shoulder and helps him towards the stairs. By this time the first two Bremen are past Craddoc and down the stairs, but the corridor is still somewhat crowded.