(Casual D&D IV) A Knight for a Pawn

[dpdx]

[A thousand pardons - I didn't see a subscription update.]

The first approaches Fendric, but while his mouth moves for words, he seems unable to find any. The one behind him, a younger man (but with an older man's stubble) steps in front of him to call their need.

"The caves came down, and many are still trapped. I pray ye've magic left in you, healer."

He backpedals slightly, beckoning to follow, while the two trailing behind him begin to make their way back to whatever encampment has fallen.

Fendric needs no further prodding, and starts after the man before Hiritus can even steer him in that direction.

"Indeed I have, good sir. Point the way."

As the group gets there, Fendric overhears Nurthk:

"Fendric and the others will show up here eventually and then we'll all be giving these guys a hand, and that could take quite some time. On top of that we've lost two horses, meaning myself and Oliver are on foot, which means longer travel times."

Hiritus saves Fendric the trouble of interjecting.

"That was Fendric's horse, Nurthk."

Fendric is reaching out to others lost in the rubble, checking for signs of life [can I take 10 on a Heal check?] among the cave-in victims, and casting spontaneous Cure Moderates, Cure Lights and Cure Minors to stablize those who do cling to life. This seems to consume him, until:

Wait: so those arrowhawks weren't just bad luck, they didn't just happen by? Some druid thought I was working with you and torched my ship without knowing me or my business? Boy you guys must have really pissed somebody off. What's so important in that letter that my ship gets burned and these people get crushed to death?

Fendric abruptly gains his feet amongst the rubble, turning to face the mariner directly:
"That certainly is not how I would have chosen to characterize what just happened to those among this entire coast, Captain. And while it is true that some random druid of this world seems to have a predilection to this particular group, and it is true that we do carry letters to Tourne, I fail to see how that in and of itself absolves you of your own position as an object of this attack! After all, are you not also a man who wishes peace in this land? Perhaps you dropped hook and line, once, where you should not have? Did you relieve yourself over the side, and upon a nest of aquarians?

Perhaps then, you'll see fit to pardon me while I attend to those whom our band's violent act of walking across the coast might also have endangered. "

 

[DrZombie]

"Peace, Fendric" Raven says. "The man just lost his ship and his entire crew, and is now excavating a lot of dead strangers, and quite a few mutilated ones. We just lost some horses. Precious horses, in more then one way, but still horses. We're not to blame if some crazy druid doesn't care who he kills trying to get to us. This is his fault, not ours. But it sure isn't the skipper here who's to blame. The man's just got some questions. We might not answer 'em, but he's entitled to ask 'em."

Raven sighs, and gets ready for another argument with the grumpy priest.

 

[Festy_Dog]

"That was Fendric's horse, Nurthk."

Nurthk pulls a backpack full of crushed equipment out of the rubble, then clears away a little more in search of the backpack's owner.

"Ah, my apologies, I was hasty and wasn't certain of the details. Nonetheless that's two horses down, and I still insist on whoever's capable to make haste to Tourne. The time we spend here, while beneficial to our colleagues, could be far more hurtful to us and those who depend on us than we know," he insists, "I know it's generally unwise to divide our group, but in this instance we may just have to if we're to make the deliveries in time. I propose myself and whoever else lacks a horse stays here to help, while everyone else makes the delivery to Tourne. We'll catch up once this situation is resolved."

The half-orc pulls a limp and bloody form from the rubble, but being unskilled in the healing arts he delivers the individual gently before Fendric. He looks to the cleric, his eyes asking whether the man was still within the reach of Pelor's blessings.

 

[doghead]

Xiao Yu, male human monk.

Xiao bows to the leader of the yellow scarfs before proceeding to assist with the evacuation of the dead and wounded from the rubble. Like Nurthk, he delivers any of the wounded he finds to Fendric or anyone else with skills and abilities in healing.

Xiao does his best to follow the conversation as he works. But once again, he is just along for the ride and doesn't really have anything useful to add. He could add that he can travel as fast as a horse, but as he has been doing so for the last few days, Xiao is pretty sure that everyone knows that already.

 

[dpdx]

"Peace, Fendric" Raven says. "The man just lost his ship and his entire crew, and is now excavating a lot of dead strangers, and quite a few mutilated ones. We just lost some horses. Precious horses, in more then one way, but still horses. We're not to blame if some crazy druid doesn't care who he kills trying to get to us. This is his fault, not ours. But it sure isn't the skipper here who's to blame. The man's just got some questions. We might not answer 'em, but he's entitled to ask 'em."

Raven sighs, and gets ready for another argument with the grumpy priest.

"He can ask them of the druid, when we find him. I am NOT interested."

Fendric then turns around to Nurthk, and runs a hand over the person Nurthk is holding. Sadly, Fendric shakes his head at the gentle half-orc; that one has crossed over, and is hopefully bathing in the Radiant Light.

"We shall all go to Tourne when we have done all we can for these Gentle Servants and Good People of the Radiant Light. For now, we are barely in better traveling shape than these poor souls. When we have finished here, I will have exhausted all but the slightest of healing. I will require rest, and a morsel of food, which I will provide myself. I will not impose a meal upon these people, Pelor Bless Them All."

 

[doghead]

Xiao Yu, male human monk.

... I will require rest, and a morsel of food, which I will provide myself. I will not impose a meal upon these people, Pelor Bless Them All."

"Better they offer foods," Xiao mutters under his breath, somewhat shocked at the idea that the people would *not* do so after all the aid Fendric has offered. In the Middle Kingdom, no one would dream of sending a priest away without a warm meal in his belly and a little something to sustain him on his journey. And Xiao's imagination can't even begin to wrap itself around the image of a priest spurning such an offer in favour of his own food.

Well, some of the fat High Priests in the wealthy city temples might, Xiao eventually concludes. Although they don't so much spurn the offer as keep themselves suffciently distanced from common folk that such an situation would never come up.

And then there was the High Priest of Wu Yeun who ...

Xiao scatters the thoughts from his mind with shake of the head. The more you think about things, the more complicated they get, he thinks to himself irritably.

"Xiao will strive more for empty mind," Xiao announces suddenly.

 

[Guilt Puppy]

"We lost our horses as well," one member of this band near Nurthk offers, "otherwise we'd put them to your service."

After some time, the man who seems to have taken charge -- Benneth, you gather his name to be -- approaches Fendric.

"I think this is everyone who was near the surface," he says, gesturing toward the piles of dead and the rows of wounded. "We'll dig deeper, and some have said they've heard voices behind the rocks. Maybe some of the deep chambers are standing. We'd be obliged to your aid, but it would take some time, and I gather you have places to be."

He puts his hands on his hips, sighing.

"Not much favor to offer you, please pardon, but if you're in need of travel gear..." He nods over to the tiny piles of found goods that have assembled here and there, which represent a wide range of weapons and equipment. "We've found more of that than hands to use it, it seems."

(To split or not to split the party? Also, Spot, Listen, and Search checks for those who continue on.)

 

[dpdx]

"We have much to do here, As We Look To The Radiant Light that Guides Us, before we even think of continuing on our way, good sir, and those topics can certainly wait until morning. Perhaps we should gather ourselves for a short while before we proceed further?"

Fendric takes some rest next to a pile of gear, where Hiritus quickly joins him. Going through his backpack, he finds a small tied cloth satchel: one of his trail rations. Opening it he finds a hardscrabble but sufficient meal. Hiritus does likewise with his rations, and the two eat in silence, punctuated by the occasional stretching of tired and tightened muscles.

From time to time Fendric hands bits of his meal to those of the natives still working. During one such offer, Fendric raises his arm to reveal a good-sized wound to Hiritus.

"Fendric, you're bleeding!"

"I had not noticed, Hiritus. I will tend to it before I retire for the night."

"Well, you heard the man. See if there are a healer's kit and bandages among that gear."

"May I have a minute, dear Brother?"

"Well, Fendric of Sesphar, that depends. If you're going to destroy yourself little by little by working when you should be resting and regaining your damned strength, the answer is NO, your time is up! Otherwise, if you're going to sit there, EAT, and not strain yourself, YES, you may have a minute.

Fendric, we've just, all of us, been through the Nine Hells. I nearly died out there. Many people already have, and you're going to have to be on the back of my horse until we can find the next town.

So sit down, EAT, REST, and RECOVER."

 

[doghead]

Xiao Yu, male human monk.

Xiao continues to help the others dig for survivors until the party is ready to move on. Or at least, until some decision is made as to who is going where.

[sblock=ooc]I'll leave it up to the others whether or not to split the party.
Spot; Listen (1d20+7=10, 1d20+9=24), no ranks in search.[/sblock]

 

[Festy_Dog]

Nurthk runs a hand down his face, partly to clear it of dirt and partly from frustration, "I know I've been wrong before, but if I'm not precious moments are leaking from our grasp. Can we afford to sit still? The most urgent work here is done, the rest will be even more time consuming. I'd leave right now had I a horse, but the druid made a point of killing as many as possible."

He looks around.

"Who is willing to go? And of those staying, who has a horse I can borrow?"

[sblock=ooc]Guilt Puppy, how many days travel to Tourne from the party's current location by horse? And how much longer would it take on foot?[/sblock]