it would be to the benefit of both this mining camp and the Kozzog if the DWAC wanting to attempt to negotiate on their behalf with the discovered Deviard
Coldtree thinks the only way to negotiate is from a position of strength. While watching the transfer of slave labor, he comes up with a plan. He says, "If we sneak around and free the slaves of this tribe it will weaken them. If we let them continue to use these tactics of forced labor, it will only be a matter of time before they are attacking Midway in force for the experienced workers and tools." He intends to observe guard numbers and frequency of trips around the slaves, making notes to keep the information correct.
Paying meticulous attention to the housing and movement of the slaves yields a surprising amount of information. There are two distinct groups of slaves both being housed in the same facility. The shifts allow for a larger number of people in a smaller space. The housing is strategically located within the village, not readily allowing for unnoticed access.
The slaves are fed outside and, apparently, fed and watered well. They are not bound in any way nor specifically kept under guard. No guard is even posted outside the sleeping quarters, but the door is barred from the outside. The slaves are treated as sub-par people but not with abuse or cruelty. Logistically there seems too few handlers during transport, but counting shows that no slave has run during the observation period.
The slaves even carry their own tools which certainly could be applied as weapons. The returning group brings back ore, indicating their purpose.
After several more days of observation, it does not seem likely that the living structure could be approached but it is highly likely that the mining crew could be assaulted as some distant point. Other activities show that slaves are only used for mining. The Deviards hunt and gather their own food.
Coldtree: full wellness
Harnin arrows: 17
Tunic: 52 Tehn: full wellness
Tunic: 52
Currency:
Standard Earnings: 360 shillings / 10 days
Shillings: 437
The transport of the slaves for mining is performed quite efficiently, but there is an opportunity for ambush. For when the miners and their slaves break for meals, they are taken outside of the dig site and little care seems to be taken of the local environment.
Not having had to use his bow in some time, Coldtree works his shoulders and stretches the string a few time to make sure that he is ready. He takes a position downhill, a short distance from the entrance to the small manmade cave to wait. Tehn moves uphill very near the cave and hides, having no feasible means of a projectile assault. The plan being that when the Deviard manage to determine from where they are being shot, he will engage them in melee.
The Deviard are far from stupid. It only take two shots for them to analyze the trajectory and begin to move. The slaves all lay face down on the ground after the second arrow.
There are 4 Deviards and 8 slaves. The Deviards are clad in thin leather tunics, whether male or female, and each is equipped, or could be as they are currently eating, with a metal buckler and hammer. The slaves have hammers and mining spikes.
As the first Deviard is dropped with an arrow, the remaining three instantly stand, drawing their bucklers and hammers. As the second falls, the remaining two turn to charge toward the hidden location of Coldtree, having now determined where he is. They are still unaware of Lunnaya, who has yet to engage.
Coldtree: full wellness
Harnin arrows: 17
Tunic: 52 Tehn: full wellness
Tunic: 52
Currency:
Standard Earnings: 360 shillings / 10 days
Shillings: 437
Coldtree is pleased that the slaves do not fight with them, since he wants DWAC to take all the credit. He intends to drop his bow and fight in melee next to Tehn. He will manipulate waylines to cause sonic attacks with his hand to hand strikes.
Coldtree sees Tehn come from hiding and begin running up behind the two Deviards who are running toward him. The image of each Deviard blurs as he runs. Coldtree takes a defensive posture, bending mechanical waylines to manipulate air as he does. He is faster to act than the first Deviard to reach him.
Coldtree moves with the agility of an elder adder. He snakes to his right and punches the first Deviard to reach him in the face, despite his blurry image, dazing him a bit. He is, however, unable to generate a sonic thump. The Deviard, in turn, is unable to connect with his hammer.
The second Deviard, using the advantage of a double team, hits Nigel in the chest with a hammer, knocking the wind from him.
Even thought he has the advantage of surprise, Lunnaya runs up behind the enemy but, likely due to their blurred images, misses his assault. The Deviards realize they have been duped into thinking there was only one enemy.
Though the Deviard is a bit dazed and Nigel somewhat confused, both are still functional, only slowed. The Deviard gathers his wits first and strikes out, ineffectively. Coldtree generates mystical heat and punches the Prospector a second time, further confusing his mind and causing a tiny amount of physical harm.
The remaining Deviard, who had turned his attention to Tehn, moves faster and hits the Faethrin with his hammer, but the blow is only glancing and the force is soaked by the tunic.
Tehn is not able to effectively riposte. Both remaining Deviards show a composure to continue to fight.
Tehn berates himself, mentally, for not augmenting his athletic skill before trying to surprise the Deviards. Though he should not spend those two extra seconds necessary to do it, he needs his luck to change.
Though he was previously dazed by a blow, Coldtree moves his body in a trained pattern of motion that prevents the Deviard from being able to strike him, and Fortune smiles upon him. He strikes the blurred Prospector with a left hook. The blow plus the added pulse of air almost knocks the Deviard out. He wobbles on his feet. A second more and Coldtree lays him out.
Lunnaya is not faring so well. He seems evenly matched with the Deviard, and the two exchange and block assaults, neither getting the better of one another. The Deviard is focused on his enemy and is unaware that his remaining parter has fallen.
As they have done so for the passed seven seconds, Lunnaya and his opponent continue to ineffectively engage one another. Coldtree intervenes by rabbit punching the Deviard in the left kidney. He is unable to generate and accompanying thump of air.
The blow hurts. It hurts just enough to make the Deviard flinch and look for his new opponent. The reflexive action is an unrecoverable mistake and the Deviard is no match for two equal opponents. He falls.
Tehn sighs, "Thanks, that was taking far too long and going nowhere positive."
The former slaves stand to their feet and look toward the two men as they make sure the fallen Deviards will not recover. Three of the slaves are Kozzog, two are Maldrog and the remaining three are of a Mhytre tribe that is unfamiliar to either Tehn or Coldtree. They are a mixture of males and females, since the Deviard do not discriminate for labor. The male Maldrog quietly says "Thanks," in his own language, which is understood.
Coldtree speaks to the Mhytres in Orngaddrin, and the few words he knows of Maldrog and Kozzog. "You may go your own way, or you may come back with us to Midway. There you will do the same mining work, but it will be for your own benefit."
He will search the Deviard for anything useful.
The three Mhytres who are of an unfamiliar tribe, take up their mining hammers and spikes and begin to back away from the rest. Determining that their rescuers are not going to become hostile, they make some gesture of departing, then leave. It becomes evident that they can neither understand Orngaddrin nor Maldrog.
The Kozzogs speak a few chopped phrases in Maldrog. It seems they are from the known Kozzog monastery and wish to return. They will accompany the DWAC, if its members are headed that way soon, If not, they will depart on their own. They leave their mining tools.
Maldrogs, in general, are much more talkative. Learning that the DWAC members can communicate in such, they engage, explaining that the Mhytres who left are Ekimmards, not the sharpest of tools. The two also explain that they were originally part of a prospecting company that was defeated by a group of Deviard, and they are the only two to have lived because they were rendered unconscious. They would indeed like to journey to Midway to become part of another prospecting crew.
Since the former slaves do not seem to understand Orngaddrin, Tehn uses it when speaking to Coldtree. "Do we want to head back to rid ourselves of this extra baggage or poke around more with them hanging around?"
Other than the obvious 4 harnin hammers and 4 harnin bucklers, the fallen Deviards also hold 8 lodestones, 4 unknown white stones that feel wet when touched, 4 ingots of an unknown, light, silvery metal, and 4 ingots of whitish metal.
Coldtree: full wellness
Harnin arrows: 17
Tunic: 52 Tehn: full wellness
Tunic: 52
Currency:
Standard Earnings: 360 shillings / 10 days
Shillings: 437
Keep the spoils secret from the former slaves. Makes a mental note to investigate the metal when he has some privacy.
In response to Tehn's question, Coldtree responds in Orngaddrin. "Let us head back to Midway at once. I do not want to rely on anyone in the wilds that I do not trust."
He secrets away several of the collected items, as well, to be examined later, away from prying eyes and less competent minds. He collects the remaining hammers, spikes and bucklers, since they are overt items, and hands them to the others, saying, "carry" in Maldrog. He nods at Coldtree indicating that he ready to travel.
Nothing overt is required in attempting to learn the proclivity of a particular item. It only needs to be in bodily contact. Even while sleeping, a Bender will dream about the particular item in contact if it was consciously considered when first taking to rest. The white stone, called slickstone, is found to be able to absorb heat, making it effective in augmenting the bending of thermal waylines for such or in resisting heat. The light, silvery metal is aluminum. It is beneficial in the alteration of electromagnetic waylines with regard to shock. It is also found to enhance the motility of its bearer. There has not yet been opportunity to examine the whitish metal.
Having now made the trek several times, the return trip to Midway is routine, even mundane, except for the fact that the two Maldrogs are quite talkative. Once within the boundaries of the mining community, Coldtree and Tehn are greeted, overtly. Comments are made about the two Maldrogs tagging along and they are mildly hazed by the others of their tribe, which is typical behavior.
Foreman Gebbrik is impressed and extremely interested in this turn of events. He congratulates the DWAC on their success, thus far, and hosts a feast in their honor. The Maldrog members of the mining community are demonstratively grateful for the rescue of two of their brothers and much alcohol is shared at the feast.
A couple of days is warranted to recover from the feast before strenuous labor or adventures are pursued.
Coldtree: full wellness
Harnin arrows: 17
Tunic: 52 Tehn: full wellness
Tunic: 52
Currency:
Standard Earnings: 360 shillings / 10 days
Shillings: 437
Harnin Bucklers: 2
Harnin Hammers: 12
Having sufficiently recovered from the festivities, Tehn catches a moment with Coldtree to engage in private conversation. "I feel sufficient with the equipment that I currently carry. I do not want to add heavier armor. I am in favor of trading these hammers and bucklers to the smith to see what future credit it may warrant. After that, I am good to make another run at the Deviards, but I have no plan or strategy, as yet."
Coldtree strokes his beard as he considers Tehn's words. He says, "I am fine with my gear as well, so I agree to trade for credit. Let us ask one of the Maldrog here in Midway to assist us in conversing with the ones we rescued to see if there is anymore useful information they have about the Deviards."
The Maldrog people are known for their boisterous nature; but away from the public eye, they can prove to be sensible and level headed. The two in question are also quite forthcoming with all information they can remember once they learn the motivation for the DWAC asking.
"We were captured... Let me start at what I know of these people..."
The man doing most of the talking explains things in way that makes sense to help him remember. He conveys that all mining communities send out prospectors, but those of the Deviard are not looking for ore. They are looking for other miners. They use their inherent talent of Bending to alter the minds of others. If this does not work so well, they can also electrocute people. Once captured it seems to be difficult to even think about escaping. It is like the thought just slips away and is forgotten. Despite this, the Deviard are not especially cruel to prisoners. they do not beat them or starve them, as this would reduce labor, anyway.
The Deviard encampment to the north is fairly new. The two Maldrog were originally captured to the South and brought north. Others were captured later. There were two work units of prisoners. One would still be there. The prisoners worked in half day shifts so that only one group was in camp at a time. The locked quarters were shared. As there are no old prisoners, it is suspected that once a person becomes less viable at work, he is killed.
"That is what I know, as I can remember it. Is there anything more?"
Coldtree: full wellness
Harnin arrows: 17
Tunic: 52 Tehn: full wellness
Tunic: 52
Currency:
Standard Earnings: 360 shillings / 10 days
Shillings: 437
Harnin Bucklers: 2
Harnin Hammers: 12
