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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RedTonic" data-source="post: 5691006" data-attributes="member: 98994">I'm several sessions behind in making logs, but I nevertheless have a nice buffer again. Since I have a lot of catching up to do, I may as well update again and resume my Saturday-ish posts! Most of our sessions so far have been played with 3 out of 4 players available. As long as I have at least 3 people, I'm happy to run the game. When someone's missing, their PC is usually in the hands of another player or myself, and tends to stay in the background, following reasonable suggestions and not making major decisions.*****Absent this session: Agniprava.Night settled over the camp in a damp fog. It was Cael's watch. The moon was waxing. That night, it was a great, half-lidded eye looking over the mortals as they slept. Though it was night, all was not silent. Cael heard the brook behind the knoll, the shifting of his erstwhile companions in their sleep, and the breath of wind in the bare trees. He silently prayed to Zauriel and kept his own watchful eyes on the rest of the camp. He petitioned his god to watch over them and see the party makes a safe return. The power of his god's whim was as a cool caress as he was granted access to a sliver of Zauriel's might. For the moment, this part of the world is under his master's power.A noise interrupted the initiate’s reverie. Lighting a nearby piece of wood from the fire, Cael rose and moved cautiously towards the sound, before making a sweeping motion before him with the torch. A loose rock had rolled down. As he moved closer, a few more small stones abruptly rolled down.  He didn’t see anything amiss in the dark, given the fog and his night-blindness from the campfire. Shrugging his shoulders, Cael returned to the fire. Everyone else seemed dead to the world after a long day of walking and riding. At least their first day on the road had been quiet, with no unpleasant surprises—so close to Ceteran and the keep, any real trouble would have been quashed by now. Cael resumed his prayers, hoping for the safety of Red Brother, and thanking Zauriel for his new, kind companions. He gazed up as he made his devotions, noting something odd after a while. The tree branches were swaying, but there was no wind. A log tumbled in the fire, causing a shower of sparks to burst out before the flames subsided again. Cael decided to throw a few more logs onto the fire; the flames reluctantly licked at the damp offering, and cooled. More sparks spring up. In the distance, Cael heard a chilling howl.Dead asleep, the others heard nothing.Cael then realized why the rocks rolled down, the fire shifted, and the trees were moving despite merely a weak breeze: hooves pounding towards camp from across the river. Worried, he recalled what al'Pacem had told him earlier in the day about the animals with the foaming disease. He quickly called out to the others: “Awaken! There may be trouble afoot!"The captain and his men started rustling in their tents. "Where?" The captain was hardly bright-eyed, but comes out in his padded under-armor with sword in hand. Belsea rose stiffly, spending her time getting her bow in order.  The other three men were awake and armed though not armored. The horses were beginning to whicker nervously where they were tied."From across the river! I heard the cry of wolves and hooves heading this way!" Cael replied.Mikealus looked at the perimeter of the camp at the mention of hooves.  "From where, priest?"  He clumsily buckled his own swordbelt on.Cael pointed. Everyone could hear the pounding of hooves coming closer. With panic in his eyes, he pleaded, "Al'Pacem, what should we do?" No one could see what was coming. The fire was hurling sparks. The horses were unnerved and dancing around. Borche and Houshang headed towards the trees."Take cover!" the captain urged Cael. Khader had already disappeared into the copse and was trying to control of his horse. Following, Mikealus successfully calmed his warhorse; she was a little wild-eyed but accepted his commands easily.Heeding the captain's advice, Cael hid behind a tree, on the side away from the sounds and water. Ravi  moved into the trees as well, and was just ahead of Cael, crouching in the brush.  Agniprava flanked Ravi along with Belsea. Thinking quickly, Cael took up a defensive stance. The fire collapsed suddenly and flung sparks into the canvas tents. The ground trembled. Khader did not move; he gripped his weapon. Mikealus mounted up. Of all of them, Ravi seemed the most relaxed, despite his bared sword. Belsea held herself ready for an order, anticipating that the captain would set a precedent for them all to follow. Should the captain need any martial assistance, Belsea would provide.The roar of hoofbeats deafened them. The patrol could barely hear their own hearts. From across the stream tumbled a black wall of churning muscle. Belsea and Borche, with their keen vision, realized first what they witnessed: a stampede of water buffalo. The beasts exploded through the camp, breath and sweat steaming from their massive bodies. Still smoldering logs rolled before them and among them, tangling in the tents. The party's mounts panicked as they scented the herd's frenzy. Borche rolled out of the way of a kick from one of the horses. Houshang held back, biding his time. None of the water buffalo had broken for the trees--yet. He signaled for the others to wait. The stampede trundled past, leaving the camp a muddy pit in their wake. The stink of cattle excrement, singed hide, and smoking canvas assailed the group. The tents were a tangled, muddy mess, some lying beneath the scattered logs. The stampede seems to be heading away across the road at full tilt. An elderly specimen straggles behind.Mikealus patted Khongordsol's neck, and looked over the rest of the camp.  He paused, glancing at the Huntress: would she want to take the old creature down?  He'd assist if she wished, but...  he was more stunned by the devastation than out for blood.Belsea looked to the captain. Houshang seemed nonplussed. The rest began to calm their beasts and assess their supplies. Surprisingly, Cael's unpacked belongings were mostly intact, though muddy and battered. Since Agniprava owned nothing to speak of, he was less worried. The tents were in very bad shape, though. At best, they would require a great deal of repair, as would the bedrolls.Mikealus spoke up. "Captain?  Should we light some torches and sort through the camp?  Or wait for daybreak?""Better try to sort it out now... Bedrolls are covered in mud and <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> anyway," he sighed. He had managed to get his horse, a beast not unlike Mikealus', under control sooner than the others."Aye, sir."  Mikealus retied Khon, fetched a torch, and went to help the others.Cael spoke a prayer to Zauriel as he sorted through the shambles of the tents. A faint glow emanated from his hands as he went. The poles were snapped and the canvases torn. The poles needed replaced; the dirty canvases seemed like they could be stitched and patched. It would take more time than overnight, though.  Cael looked at his companions with a sad smile and quipped, "Looks like we'll be sleeping under the stars after all..." He found the tent the captain, Ravi, and Khader shared. The men's armor was more or less fine. The burst contents of a wineskin seeped into the trampled blankets. A campfire log burned through part of the tent. Houshang joined Cael and sifted through the equipment to find what needs replaced or repaired. Luckily for Belsea, she didn't do anything so foolish as to leave her bow and quiver behind, or the wood would have been destroyed. Her equipment was extremely dirty and smells richly of buffalo. Her tent was wadded up, but not singed. The old buffalo is wandering nearby, eyeballing her, and she eyeballed the old buffalo in return. She shuffled to where a bit of grass wasn't quite so caked with dung, and offered it to the wizened creature. The old buffalo gave Belsea a wall-eyed look and wandered no closer. She tossed the grass towards it and began trying to straighten out her belongings. The buffalo sidled over to the grass and munched warily. Content to let the animal eat, Belsea did her best to get the majority of the crap off her bedroll. The smell of dirt didn't offend her, but why did the animals defecate all the way?Mikealus gathered up his chain shirt and frowned.  "Well."Cael began inspecting his tools and gear. Some things were jostled, but everything seemed intact. "That could have gone worse."Borche sighs gustily. He has just kicked a log off of his bedroll. "Gonna take forever to get all the mud out of this, lest it rust." He shakes out the tent with a huge FLAP of snapping canvas.Mikealus chuckles, holding up his own bedroll.  It is literally full of holes, and parts of it which aren't instead have buffalo-prints so clear they might have been painted on.  "...I think I'll just stick with a horse blanket, to be honest."Sorting the camp out enough to sort out what was and wasn't worth keeping and organizing things enough to reasonably sleep took a few hours. Order reasserted itself nonetheless. At least, Khader reinforced, no one had been harmed--except Ravi's wine.  The rest of the night passed uneventfully, if somewhat uncomfortably.The last watch awakens the patrol before sunrise to get an early start on their day. The old water buffalo was found on the other side of the stand of trees, asleep and probably dreamingMore than a little paranoid of wild beasts, Cael inspected the tracks and area around the river. Still remembering what al'Pacem had told him about the wild beasts attacking, he checked if there were any clues that may be left behind. Using his quarterstaff, he poked through the brush that had been trampled upon. Despite his meticulous survey, any signs which may have explained the stampede have been destroyed by the beasts' hooves. The banks of the stream have been practically destroyed, and the water here is still quite muddy. Giving up, the initiate broke down straight canes with his handaxe for repairing the tents.Soon, Belsea also arrived at the stream. As she suspected, the eggs she had found yesterday evening had been destroyed in the stampede. With the birds nowhere in evidence, she gave up and went to tend Sage.The smell of breakfast porridge wafts from the campfire, where Ravi, Khader, and Borche were quibbling over breaking out a string of preserved sausages or not. Meanwhile, Houshang cleaned his banded mail with a small kit. Mikealus also cleaned his chain shirt holding his tongue about the sausages for sanity's sake. After a while, breakfast was ready, without sausages (or eggs). It's filling nonetheless. The mounts and packmules were fed and watered. Even given the stampede, very little was unusual about the morning camp activities. Belsea spent a moment comforting Sage while waiting for the others to finish packing up.On the way out, Cael noticed a glint in the mud. He stopped whittling for a moment and stooped to examine what was encased in the grime of last night’s stampede. It was a half-talent he’d seen. A corner of leather poked out of the ground to its side. Curious, he dug up both articles. The leather corner belonged to a smallish leather satchel which had obviously been buried under the sod before it was destroyed last night. Within, protected by hard-packed earth, were 10 freshwater pearls, a flask of clear liquid, 60 talents* (counting the one Cael found), and five fetishes carved from semi-precious stone. The satchel was partially rotted.Cael motioned to the others. "Not to cause any alarm, but I believe I have stumbled upon something. It seems to me a small cache has been uncovered by last night’s foray. By the looks, this pouch has been here for some time, suggesting some on may have dropped it or it was hidden and forgotten.""Perhaps the owner was not quick enough to get out of the way of a stampede," Belsea mused. Mikealus' eyes widened in surprise.  "Yet his goods were lucky enough to do just that, it seems."To put things in perspective, 60 talents represented more wealth than the peasants in the party would ordinarily see in their entire lives.*"A wealthy individual none-the-less," she agreed.Cael was interested in the more immediate question of the potion. The flask was bubbly glass; the liquid didn't appear unusually viscous. There was a bird stamped into the wax seal on top. The bag is filthy and stained dark from being buried for a long time, but Cael made out what may have been a stylized black eagle burned or dyed into what was the top flap. It matched the bird stamped into the wax. Mikealus and Houshang recognized the crest: it belonged to Oungmei Clan, just a couple days north of the village at the end of the journey. They were a poor clan, but much larger than Hel-Halmar."Huh.  Do you know the seal, Captain?"  Mikealus squints at it.  It’s familiar...  Hm. He then realizes that the vial emits a certain… Purity. "Oungmei's falcon, I think...""Yes.  And that flask... is....  ...blessed. Agniprava?  Do you know what it is?""I believe it's holy water," he replied thoughtfully.Mikealus cleared his throat.  Well.  That made sense.  He'd just been hoping for something a bit more specific.  Ahem.Belsea felt it was unfortunate that no money was likely to be spared for repairs if the owners were identifiable.Cael said to al'Pacem, "Sir, wouldn't it be best to see if we can find the rightful owners of this treasure? Perhaps if we inquire to some of the local villagers, we may get a clue as to who these belong to. You seem to be familiar with the crest that it bears.""Holy water, gold, and freshwater pearls...."  Mikealus muses."Yes... It's not too far north of the village at the end of our patrol. The Oungmei clanhold, that is. It wouldn't be a long detour..."Ravi and Khader were in apparant awe at the display of wealth. Borche already stopped paying attention and was picking at a patch of dried dirt crusting part of his strapped-on armor.  Cael handed the pouch to Houshang, "Well I suggest we make an attempt to find the rightful owners. Maybe they were scared away by a stampede and dropped their belongings."As she figured would happen. Belsea shrugged and returned to her pony's side."I suppose it's possible." Houshang accepted the pouch and mulled it over for a bit. "Have to figure out a better way to store this, but for now..." He took it over to his mount and cautiously repacked the contents in his saddlebags. "At any rate, let's move out."Belsea nodded, now eager to get on the road. The morning was foggy, but by the time the sun was high,   the mists had thinned. Midway through the day, al'Pacem signaled a stop at a watering hole not far from the road. Belsea went to check the surroundings for anything unusual… Or water buffalo tracks. She found a pair of horses tied up nearby in the trees. A low stone wall nearby enclosed a large area--by the old stone markers, she realized she had found a graveyard. Out in the midst, she spied a pair of figures standing among a few freshly dug graves, but the markers nearest those graves seem very aged...She sidled up to the captain. "We may have a set of grave diggers," She gestured towards the graveyard.Al'Pacem looked confused for a moment, then noticed the gravestones several paces away. "Grave diggers?" he frowned. He peered out there for a moment. Mikealus' face darkened.  "...Beneath and behind all things is eternity: serve the ever-lasting with pride, for you raise up the whole world with your devotion."  His hand was on his sword.  The unfortunate thing about being honor-bound to things.  Now he kind of really wanted to do something about this."I could be wrong, but fresh graves at old markers." Belsea looked at Mikealus.The younger paladin agreed. "...I do not mean to sound over-zealous, Captain, but..."Al'Pacem had realized a moment too late that the talk was about grave robbers. They could see comprehension dawn on him as his brow began to knit. "Indeed. You, Ravi, Khader, and Agniprava--take them from this side. Borche and I will circle around on mounts to keep them from escaping. If Akbar and Belsea will provide support..." She nodded her assent.Mikealus considered.  "Will our mounts defile the holy ground, Captain?  Should we proceed on foot?"The captain looked at them, each; "This is a grievous breech of the law; our duty is clear. Be wary of others." Regarding Mikealus, he shook his head. "Horses are not unclean; now, if we rode pigs into battle..."Mikealus chuckled and readied his lance.  "As you say."  Khongordsol snorted, hoof pawing the turf....  Borche, Ravi, and Khader mounted up, though Agniprava abstained from attempting to make a warmule. Cael took position beside Belsea, and watched Borche circle to the left and al’Pacem to the right. The initiate turned to Belsea, and uttered a prayer of guidance to steer her through.Lowering his lance, Mikealus charged. Khongordsol’s powerful hooves tore up turf as Khader and Ravi pounded along behind. Bemused, Belsea looked on: the three horsemen bore down on the two heretofore unsuspecting men. In a flash, the holy warriors are upon them. Mikealus's lance tore through its burly target; the man's crude hide armor isn't enough to protect him. He smashes into the stone behind him, shattering it. Mikealus rode past, arm throbbing from the impact, and noted he must repair the stone after they dispatched the grave robbers.Ravi's blade sheered through muscle and bone as his horse carried him past, yet the man remains standing. Khader's follow up blow misses as his target reels from the previous strike.Back by the wall, Belsea moved to the side, a bit surprised at the sudden brutality. She'd anticipated an attempt at civility at first, but apparently one did not look cross eyed at graveyards when paladins were about. Still, she would have thought the two dead with blows like that. Belsea let fly an arrow at the man at the base of the broken grave, hoping the priest's spell worked. The standing man jerked as an arrow pierced his breast, then he sagged back into the broken slate."I surrender!" The man Ravi had slashed open gasped.Borche trotted up from behind, sword at the ready. “Mikealus?” The wounded man was a dirty peasant, rough and muscular, but now terribly wounded. His compatriot was completely covered in gore. His blood wetted the stones and holy ground of this old place.Mikealus held his sword flat at his side, his shadow blotting out the sun above the fallen vagrant.  "...aye.  I hear you, man.  But know that you have profaned the Will of Thrones, and whatever fate is beset upon you, you will know little mercy, and less kindness.  You have committed a grave offense."  He dismounts.  "...yet I hear you."Borche didn't roll his eyes… Quite. Watching from afar, Belsea shook her head. The captain, Khader, and Ravi trotted up, still on horseback themselves. Cael steps forward and says, "Lay down any weapons and I will try to close your wounds." The two men bear a cudgel and an axe; the axe is simply a woodsman's axe. Their shovels were knocked aside in the charge.  The still-conscious man hadn't even had time to put hand to his cudgel, and feebly lifted his empty hands."Thank you, priest."  Mikealus said, reaching into his saddlebags.  He withdrew a pair of manacles.The fallen man was yet alive, but barely. Left untended, he would surely die; even if tended, he seemed likely to still slip this world. Mikealus dismounted as Cael struggled to bind the man’s gushing wounds—his grip on the bandages in his healer’s kit was fouled by the blood, and his hands were unsteady from nerves.Belsea looked at the priest, "Troubles?""I-I, I've never seen such bloodshed. It makes me, uneasy...." Belsea looked at the man, "It tends to happen when gored by a lance and shot with an arrow." She knelt beside Cael and the wounded one to help.Cael let her take over and went to the still conscious man. He attempted to close up his wounds, while asking, "Why were you digging up these graves?" The conscious man says nothing, merely shakes his head and grimaces in pain."Aye.  ...."  Mikealus closed the dying man's eyes, and looks unsure.  What gods did this man favor? What family did he have?Belsea shrugged. "He's beyond my help. The wounds are severe."Cael looks towards the other. "I may be able to save him, though it may put us at a greater risk. I will do as the group wishes, but I cast my vote to help this man. What say the rest of you?"Those who disgrace the Will of Bone will be broken into dust, without strength or support to find from anyone. Mikealus swallowed hard, but kept silent. Al’Pacem said nothing."I will leave that decision to the captain," said Belsea.Mikealus wanted very much to give the man back his life....  but the Will of Thrones...  Did it not refuse him that gift?  He looked to the Captain, uncertain - and obviously displeased.Ravi spat into the dirt. Borche spoke up. "He should face the law, so others know his crimes. The lords," he motioned to the captain and Mikealus, "Have the right of it, but this place's town has claim, too."Belsea smiled slightly. Mikealus nearly brightened at Borche's words.  But... Was Borche not also Sworn?Al'Pacem doesn't smile, but he doesn't seem to disapprove of what Borche has said. "We can push to reach the nearest town by supper, if we leave shortly."Khader dismounts and cleans his blade in the green grass. "Well, let's move on, then. That one hasn't much blood left to lose."Cael concentrated and prayed to Zauriel. He placed his hands over the man's wounds and they shone with a brilliant radiance.  After, he could no longer see through the man to the ground.  Their prisoner did not regain consciousness, however.Mikealus cleaned off his blade, and tried to piece together the name on the tombstone the man's fall broke. "Cheng-ji Suekh," it read.  "Is he whole, Cael?  Will he survive the ride?""I can't be sure. The wounds were deep. We better make haste, rather than wait. I fear the longer we tarry, the worse off he will be." Cael grimaced. Mikealus nodded.  "Then if we mean to save him, we should not tarry."Khader gestured to Ravi. "Help me." Ravi shook his head. "...Of all the," he muttered under his breath. "We'll strap him to my horse," Khader spoke over Ravi. Mikealus helped Khader; the men lifted the unconscious grave robber. It took some fumbling and resulted in fresh bleeding, but they got him strapped into the military-style saddle.Cael knelt before the three dug-up graves and prayed silently in hope that the spirits would remain at peace. There were two mouldering piles of remains, and no obvious valuables. The bones were very, very old and fragile. The third grave wasn't completely dug up; the duo were in the process of uncovering Suekh's grave when the party attacked. Mikealus, after helping saddle the man, turned to the disturbed graves and covered them once more with the same shovel used to exhume them.  Belsea switfly stacked the pieces of the shattered grave in a pile while the others worked. Borche helped rearrange the remains as respectfully as he could, but none of them were experienced in burials. "We'll have to see if the town has a priest or something." He glanced at Cael. "No offense. Their spirits will just be more at ease with family rites.”"...aye.  And I will need to speak with someone about replacing Cheng-ji Suekh's marker." Mikealus gestures for the other graverobber to rise.  "You'll ride with me.  If you cause trouble, I will bind your wrists.  Do you understand?"The man nodded faintly. With the graves righted as well could be and the prisoners sorted, the group set out again...*[sub]60 talents = 14,400 gold pieces. In my game, 1 gold piece is approximately the equivalent to a year's worth of a peasant's labor. Silver alloy and copper are the most used currency materials, followed by gems. Most trade occurs as barter for goods or labor. There are no platinum pieces. Talents are made from steel (not stainless) and were introduced roughly half a century ago as a sign of the empire's technological and martial dominance over the continent.[/sub]</blockquote>

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