IC - Mad King's Monkey

[ghostcat]

Libros sits down for tea and nods occasionally as Henri's tells his story.

Once Henri has finished his story he waits to see if any of the others say anything then says "You have my word that I won't talk to anyone about this outside of the group until we have spoken to the Chancellor."

 

[Axel]

Bayar

By the end of the story Bayar is quite annoyed. "Why should we be leaving these creatures alone? Them be attacking us with no warning not once, but twice! They be dangerous to good people, and should be killed on sight. Otherwise we not be cutting trees for our houses and fires in case we be needing allies from the fairy folk! Or not be fishing in case we need mermaids! This thinking would see us all be sitting in our houses too afraid to move without offending folks we might need later. I not be talking about it yet, but we be taking our prisoners back to the Chancellor and not hiding them. He needs to know, and seeing with your eyes is knowing."

 

[Scott DeWar]

"The ones we defended ourselves from were from the western mountains, not the locals. The locals were their target. If they are living peacefully, then they should be defended. I remember in history that they once aided the people of this land."

 

[Fangor the Fierce]

Eban only shakes his head as Bayar continues his tirade. "Enough Bayar. The Chancellor sent us here and stated that we were to act on his behalf. If he knows of these refugee Gnolls and had not already sent soldiers to deal with them, then he chose that for a reason. I think he sent you along for your brawn, which has shown to be your most valuable asset, and not your wits, which seem to look for trouble every which way they can. The Chancellor seems to favor Henri here, and as such, we should respect that. Our mission was to find Henri or what happened to him and give the information to the Chancellor."

Eban can only hope that his outburst does not get the warrior into a pissing match, but felt that it needed to be said. "We work as a team, or fail as individuals. Your body would be counted among the gnoll casualties were it not for help. Gnolls seem to be the same as us humans. We have evil people and we have good people. Seems that the gnolls fleeing the west mountains are not evil, else there would have been mention and fear of them for the past 10 years. Instead, it seems that the many have known of their existence and have tolerated their moving into the region. They have lived with them for 10 years, yet it appears that you, who I assume have not had the pleasure of these gnolls being neighbors, know more about them than the locals."

Eban turns to Henri, stating, "The Chancellor will hear this relay of information from us only. As for the prisoners we captured, what do you propose we do with them? Gallivanting back to the Chancellor with them in tow and for all to see would definitely give way to mass fear and hysteria on what they are doing here. One escaped, so it knows there is opposition, and how many of us there were. If it gets back to the other leader it spoke of, a larger party would most likely come looking for revenge or trouble. You would be alone to fend for yourself against them. Will you be safe here? Now that they think you are working with their missing kin?"

 

[doghead]

Day Three, at Henri's house

Henri listens to Bayar's outburst in oaken silence. He holds his tongue until Jan and Eban have finished, although his gaze is stormy*.

"You did have the opportunity to kill the captives last night," Henri responds quietly to the fighter.

"I was thinking of handing the gnolls over to the exiles. If the captives know anything, they will tell it. What I learn, the Chancellor will learn also. And if he wishes to see them for himself, that could be arranged as well. But you can take the western gnolls to the Chancellor if you feel you must. I suspect that he won't thank you for it. Even if you can get them to the city unseen, he will have two gnolls in his cells and people will notice."

He falls silent for a moment. Suddenly he looks very tired.

"It's up to you."

"As you said," he continues, with a nod in Eban's direction, "The one that escaped is a concern. The western gnolls know that the exiles fled east, but as far was we can tell, western gnolls do not know that the exiles stopped in the mountains here. They could not have learnt it from you. But they fact that they came here, looking specifically for me, is a concern. I would dearly like to capture that last gnoll. If he gets back to others of his tribe, they will be back.

"I know that this is not the task the Chancellor set you. But it would a great help if you could hunt down that gnoll. I can provide some assistance in finding it. And I am pretty sure that I can persuade the Chancellor to understand. But it will take a few days to get word to him, and a response back. You would have to make a decision before you heard his response."

[sblock=*]Not that Bayar probably noticed, or would give a flying monkey poo if he had [/sblock]

 

[Axel]

Bayar

If Bayar was annoyed before, now he's just plain angry. "I am not stupid!" he bellows at Eban. "If I be so stupid I be sleeping with everyone else. And we all be having our throats slit." he adds in quieter, though no less angry, tone as he remembers Eban can't hear anyway.

Turning to Henri, deliberately moving his body away from Eban, he explains his opinion further in a tone closer to conversational. It is clear he's still angry to anyone with the slightest ability at interpreting body language and subtext. "Henri, I not be hunting these creatures. Or looking for fights. Enough people be trying to fight me without looking for more. How can these animals NOT be dangerous when they be attacking people with no reason? I be happy to dump the prisoners in a river. Or take them to the Chancellor. Or be leaving them behind. But we be telling the Chancellor, and I be taking a head if not a body." He pauses for a second, and scowls. "And potions. We be coming for potions from you and have none."

 

[Scott DeWar]

*sigh*

"Henri, And I am sure you are he, And every one. Fighting amongst ourselves will get us dead - one way or another. I see wisdom in getting these gnolls here to the gnolls of the east. Displaying the bone discs is just asking for more fights, and that is not always for the best.

Henri, the letter and what you can send will have to be sufficient. The chacellor will hear only what he wants to know from me, and only directly from me.

You staying here alone is a very not good idea. Getting these beasts to our friends to the East sounds wise to me, without a peep to the people of the village. On the subject of the village, they know something. What it is I do not know and they aren't telling. They were acting very cagey us about finding you.

Finding the wayward gnoll is imperative, but that fish may have done swam away. He escaped last night.

Would every one agree I am spot on thus far?"

 

[Fangor the Fierce]

Eban ignores Bayar's outrage, for the effort in his yelling was lost on the deaf man. When he turns away from Eban, deciding that he would instead deal with Eban as an outcast, in their own group, Eban's mind is made up. When Jan's words call out for reason, he nods. "Agreed so far."

Eban turns to henri, asking, "Can you help with capturing the escaped gnoll? And please, speak where I can read your lips, for my hearing is gone. Unless you too intend on treating me as an outcast turning your back to shun me. I am used to such ignorance, as I have grown up without this luxury..." The last comment warranted a glance to Bayar, but with no emotion behind it.

"We are not the law out here, and the Chancellor requested that any issues be relayed to the appropriate authorities. Stirring up trouble was also mentioned as something that we should not do. Yet, it appears that things are in motion. If the escaped gnoll reaches his destination, then a hornets nest will have been stirred. If we capture him, then perhaps this travesty can be prevented."

Eban shakes his head. "It seems that whichever decision we make, we have already crossed a line... just how far and which side is up to us to decide."

 

[Axel]

Bayar

Growing up without luxuries?! What be the dead dullard on about... Bayar was now thoroughly confused, as well as frustrated. Why be they listening to this old man? And why be causing problems for some fairy tale? I don't understand...


"Just why, in all the gods names, be we bloody caring what some stupid dog tribes do to each other? We be here for potions. We be having none. Time to go and let the be dogs sorting themselves out. Why be making it our problem? Because this old man here says so? We be fixing all people's problems now?"

 

[ghostcat]

Libros is dismayed but not really surprised at Bayar's outburst and Eban's response does nothing to calm things down, in fact it makes things worse. "And they tell me I have problems relating to people" he mutters to himself.

Trying to get the group back together, Libros says "As Bayer says we were sent here to get some potions, which aren't ready yet. If we let the Gnoll go, then Henri will be spending all of his time dodging hostile Gnolls and won't have time to make them. Therefore I think we need to track down the last Gnoll before it can get back to its tribe. However, we need to keep the group together, so it has to be a joint decision." Libros look like he was about to say something else but he just stopped speaking.