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

[Guilt Puppy]

Shavah absorbs the news, quiet and unmoving. It is only after a long stretch of seconds that she has a response:

"I'll stay with the group at least until Valsport, to deliver the letter... If I decide to return to Bethel, it would be on the way. Before we leave here, though, I would like to speak with Brother Aramil again... I doubt he has men to spare, if he is expecting the war to reach this city," she says, lightly, "but I must at least ask. Cuthbert has long been an ally."

She takes a deep breath, staring flatly at the unadorned walls of the Common Hall, then turns to address the group.

"I'll meet you at the monument, whenever we're finished. If there's anything that you need to do in this city, go ahead and I'll wait for you there. But I would like to leave within the hour."

Waiting only for the first nod of confirmation, she turns and walks briskly back through the doors, bowing her head to the crest of Cuthbert as she passes.

 

[Festy_Dog]

It didn't take long for Nurthk to come to the conclusion that he had nothing more to conclude in Despia.

"She might need some company," Nurthk said, looking out after the woman whose comrades were in dire need, "I'll meet you gentlemen there as well."

Nurthk left not long after Shavah. He thought he may be able to offer some form of assistance, if it would help when the time came.

 

[dpdx]

Hiritus goes into the stables, and emerges a minute later with Justice.

"So, you reach your people, Brother Fendric?"

Fendric nods yes, and proceeds to fill Hiritus in on the messages out of earshot, so as not to retrouble the others.

"I wondered how long it would take Bethel to go to ashes once the city started making guards out of the undead..." Hiritus nearly spits the last word out, and for good measure, does indeed spit on the ground to punctuate his displeasure.

"We are going to help them, aren't we?"

Fendric can be heard mumbling a response which sounds like 'not yet', to which Hiritus stands bolt upright, a look of misunderstanding and disappointment upon his knightly countenance.

"When, then? Fendric, we have to go!"

"Shavah and Nurthk are petitioning Brother Aramil for an expeditionary force to the capital, to do whatever can be done, Brother Hiritus. We must content ourselves with this for now, and carry on with our mission until all of the letters are delivered. I suspect we will have our choice of crises to address when this is over, and certainly we can go to Bethel at that point.

I know this is not a popular choice, nor is it necessarily fair. But we all must know that it is the correct one."

As Fendric speaks, the expression changes on Hiritus. Glancing backward at Justice for a split-second, Hiritus nods and clasps Fendric on the shoulder. Fendric, unaccustomed to being touched, recoils ever so slightly before awkwardly returning the gesture. A smile escapes the cleric's face before Hiritus lets go.

Justice snorts her approval, just before chewing on a nearby sprig of ryegrass.

"She asked us to meet them at the monument within the hour. We had best not be late, I fear - I would not wish to ruin your chance to impress her."

"Oh, I'm too late for that, anyway. But perhaps if I ground a hole in your head with my knuckle..."

"You could not do worse than Brother Kalen with a pair of scissors, I am sure."

 

[doghead]

Xiao falls silent

Xiao follows and watches as the party moves around Despia, but he is not really sure about all that he is hearing. So many new names; the cities and people, the deities and groups all keep getting confused in his head. Uncertainty leads him to hold his tongue generally, and particularly in the meetings with the big man in the iron suit. Xiao keeps his impulsive enthusiasms on a tight leash, and becomes somewhat of a silent shadow in the background of events.

In his spare time, Xiao works hard at honing and refining his skills and techniques. He notices some improvements. Things that were once beyond him fall into place. Ideas planted many years ago, like seeds, sprout into something new. But he has, he realises, still much to learn. And without a teacher, he wonders occasionally if he is still treading the right path. Without anyone to guide him, he must make his own decisions and be his own council. Not believing himself to be the wisest of people, that causes him some concern. It is his night out with Olivier that convinces him that worry will not help him. Xiao wishes that he could remember what it was that Olivier said exactly to banish the doubts that had been haunting him. But like much of the night, its a blur, and all he can truely say is that he work up the next day feeling more confident, and that somehow it had come out of the night before.

When it becomes clear that they are finally leaving Despia, Xiao is gladdened. They have not been in the city for long, but Xiao finds himself keen to be gone from the city and back on the road again. As he has nothing to pack, he is ready to leave immediately. He volunteers to help the others in anyway he can.

 

[Guilt Puppy]

It is a short wait in the Common Hall before Kethett will again see Shavah and Nurthk. When he does, Shavah proceeds directly to recount the events that have transpired in Bethel -- the undead perimeter, the sudden capture of Premule by the Visach's forces, and the apparent civil war which has resulted -- before making her request. She is straightforward abot it, neither pleading nor demanding, stating simply that the Knights of Heironeous are in need of aid.

"It is unfortunate..." Kethett responds. "In other circumstances, I would of course gladly offer all the help I could assemble, would even travel there myself... But, if... Well, currently I have some concern about meeting the obligations of this letter. But I will talk with some of my brethren, until I find a few who could be sent... And I do mean few, unfortunately, but be sure that they will be men who could make a difference, however slight. If you make the same request often enough on your way home, perhaps you can put together a decent liberation party. And when you do return, I would look first to see where the commonfolk of Bethel may of fled -- they have more power to shape the destiny of their city, far more than any outside force, more than even the ruling power. If you can make them realize this, and bring them to your side, I would not be surprised to see the fight turn quickly to your favor."

Kethett looks down, tapping his fingers against his desk, thoughtfully.

"As for Despia's contribution, I'll know by this evening who I will send. If you can wait here that long, my men will travel with you; otherwise, I'll try to arrange for them to meet you in Valsport." The old cleric raises his brow apologetically. "I'm sorry I cannot offer more."

Shavah nods with polite gratitude, and glances toward Nurthk to see if he has anything to add before returning to meet with the rest of the party, to confer upon the options.

 

[dpdx]

In the meantime, Fendric and Hiritus get their affairs in order, mount up, and proceed with the rest of the group to the Monument of Just Unity. Vespers and Justice seem to enjoy the outside air, and the two ride slowly enough not to knock over any citizens of Despia.

"Do you think Shavah and Nurthk will be successful, Fendric?"

"It depends on what you mean by success, Brother. I fear that Shavah will successfully leave us to go help Lanatus, possibly after we deliver Peltram's letter to Valsport. Whether she gets any soldiers from Brother Aramil to take back there is important, but very much up for discussion. Bethel is supremely important to the Realm, of course, but Brother Aramil's charge is of utmost importance to him, and therein lies the dilemma."

Fendric looks around to the others. Spotting Xiao, he notes with amusement that the monk is keeping up with the riders fairly easily. He calls out to him:

"Friend Xiao, if you wish to unburden your feet, and ride with one of us, you need only ask. It is a fairly long walk to Valsport."

 

[doghead]

Xiao Yu, human master of mayhem

Xiao looks up at Fendric and grins.

"My heart is happy to be back on the road and legs happy to carry it. But thank you. I will ask for riding if feet begin to grumble."

Xiao waves gauntily and continues trotting along side of the riders with little apparent effort. The grin remains.

 

[Festy_Dog]

Nurthk feels some weight lifted from his shoulders with the prospect of help.

"As for Despia's contribution, I'll know by this evening who I will send. If you can wait here that long, my men will travel with you; otherwise, I'll try to arrange for them to meet you in Valsport." The old cleric raises his brow apologetically. "I'm sorry I cannot offer more."

"You have our thanks nonetheless, Brother Aramil. It's impressive that you're offering assistance at all at such a time," Nurthk said gratefully.

Aramil's advice was well taken. If there was only a small number of people available it would be necessary seek the populace's assistance, but to do that they would need to find them.

 

[DrZombie]

Raven uses the hour to stock up on ammunition, and buying some wax and leather scraps for the necessairy maintenance of bow and armor. He hurries to the meeting site, and patiently waits, glad to be leaving this place again.

 

[Guilt Puppy]

Once the group has reassembled, Shavah lets out the results of her exchange with Kethett. "Some help, but very little. We can wait for them here or have them meet us in Valsport. I would prefer we do not wait..."

She asks around, looking for Aerda's map, then considers it briefly. "Which road will we be taking? The East road looks to take us to larger cities, where we might have better luck gathering support for Bethel... Does anyone see a reason to go North, along the coast, instead?"