Storms of Change [IC]

[silentspace]

You proceed on your journey. In the rain, with the low visibility, there’s not much to look at. You spend a lot of time looking down at the road itself. The Trade Road was built millennia ago by the Jangis Empire. It is part of a network of roads that tied their vast empire together. The road you are on is simply called “The Trade Road” by the locals. Rowyn learned the original name of the road in her studies of history, but she can’t remember it right now. Not that it really matters, she muses. The road is thirty feet wide, slightly higher then its surroundings, with drainage ditches on both sides. The road surface was once made entirely of flagstone and cobblestone. Shillen maintained the road pretty well over the centuries, but over the last couple decades it has fallen into some disrepair. The most recent repairs have been done in a pretty ad-hoc manner. You see gravel, sawn timbers, or even just packed earth in spots.

About an hour after the orcs pass you come upon a bridge. In the rain, it comes up on you pretty unexpectedly. It is the Rillathane Bridge, also built by the Jangis Empire. The Rillathane Bridge is an extraordinarily well-built, massive construction, spanning five hundred feet in a series of tiered arches. The road bed is a continuation of the Trade Road, thirty feet wide. The bridge is in remarkably good repair. You peer down into the mists below the bridge, but cannot see the bottom.

This is a good place for an ambush. Luckily, Darien and members of the front guard had scouted the area well before the caravan arrived.

As you are crossing the Rillathane Bridge, the rain stops. The water slides off your hats and hoods, or your faces if you lack them, dripping off your cloaks and clothes and armor. As the rains stop and the sun comes out your visibility improves. You see over the sides of the bridge to the gorge two hundred feet below you. On the bottom of the gorge is the Krin River, which is sixty feet wide. Surrounding the river, below the bridge, is the small hamlet of Muck. On either side of the bridge are narrow pathways leading down the cliff walls to Muck. The pathways look too narrow for anything larger than a medium sized creature to traverse easily.

Just past the Rillathane Bridge is the caravan stop. The stop is located right next to the gorge. A pathway leading to the bottom of the gorge, and to Muck, is here. Unlike the previous caravan stop, this one is paved, much as the road is. There is also a large sculpture here. It looks like a fountain, with many stone basins at different levels. You learn that this sculpture is a well. The lower basins are trough-like for animals, while others are higher up, and meant for use by persons.

Two figures, one an impossibly tall man, the other an impossibly tall boy, are seen behind the fountain. As you get closer, they move out from behind the fountain. Their movements are a bit strange. Then as they emerge completely from behind the fountain, you see why. Their lower bodies are that of horses. You recognize them as centaurs. You see that the adult centaur is wounded.

 

[GPEKO]

Bert

To Rowyn: (OOC : if Darien is close enough to hear this, Filbert will not say it for now.)
"Well, I don't want to alarm you or anything. Mavdeno seems friendly and helpful but the all-seeing power of Fharlanghn tells me otherwise. I'm not telling you to avoid her but I'm not sure what her agenda is so be on your guard. "

To the centaurs:
"By the horizon, what happen to you ? Do you need any assistance ?"

 

[Seonaid]

Rowyn nods in response to Bert's comment. "Fharlangan is wise."

[Rowyn's reaction to the centaurs will depend on the answers to these two questions. 1) What is their status among the people of Shillen, i.e., are they enemies, are they legend, etc.? and 2) What does Rowyn personally know of centaurs?]

 

[Dimwhit]

Aronai shows obvious concern for the injured Centaur. He gets off his horse and moves a few feet toward the two. In Elvish, he speaks, "Friend Centaur, you are injured. May my companions and I help you?"

 

[silentspace]

Centaurs are pretty uncommon, but everyone’s heard of them. Everyone knows they are woodland creatures who mostly shun the company of outsiders. They are mostly considered friendly creatures by good folk, although its rare for them to actually become friends. Most of you know that they are usually good. In areas far from large forests (this area has many small forests, but none large enough to house centaurs), centaur sightings are very rare. In areas closer to large forests, less so. Rowyn, coming from the Severin Forest, is fairly familiar with them. As far as Rowyn knows, they have not involved themselves in any of the recent wars. Aronai knows they are about as strong and tough as a heavy warhorse, but one that’s intelligent and can fire arrows. Devan has heard about their powerful bows.

 

[Seonaid]

Rowyn hops off the wagon and heads toward the centaurs cautiously, hoping the scene isn't an ambush. Sabala follows. "Do you require aid?" she calls in Common.

 

[silentspace]

The paved caravan stop is about 200 feet by 200 feet. The well is in the center. There are posts along the perimeter, where torches or lanterns can be placed. Beyond the posts are groves of trees and meadow. The caravan pulls into the stop and the drivers maneuver their wagons about in a dance of orchestrated chaos. They arrange the wagons in a semi-circle, backed up against the cliff. The stairs down the cliff are in the middle of the half-circle. There won’t be any patrols tonight. Rather, the perimeter will be lit with torches, and the drivers will keep watch from their wagons. The rear guard will be keeping watch with the drivers for the first half of the night, and the front guard will be keeping watch the second half.

Darien and the front guards go ahead to speak with the centaur, but only for a moment. It looks like they cannot communicate with them. Not seeing the centaurs as a threat, the guards leave and head down the cliff stairs to have dinner and go to sleep. They are heading to The Riverfolk Brewery and Inn, located sixty feet down the face of the cliff, built into the actual cliff wall. This is where everyone will be sleeping, when they’re not on watch.

As the last wagons pull into the caravan stop the rear guard heads towards the fountain-well and the centaurs. As you get closer to the well you see that all of its basins are full. You see the handles of pumps, but there’s little need to pump now. The rain has topped off the basins. The centaurs are just filling waterskins as you arrive.

The centaurs resemble strongly built human males with horses as their bottom halves. They have red roan fur, and hair falling past their shoulders. They have fine quality composite longbows, and several weapons and bags slung over their shoulders and backs. You soon realize you can only communicate with them in Elvish.

“Thank you Kind People. I would welcome any assistance. I am Polindun, and this is my son Bolandun. We were attacked by Humans, not long ago. Luckily, we seem to have lost our pursuers in the rain. We came here to rest a bit before continuing. We will stay here tonight, in that grove of trees, before returning to our homes tomorrow. These lands are teeming with bandits. In fact, bandits usually camp on this bridge, collecting ‘tolls’. It looks like they were driven off by the rain today. Not that you need to worry though, I’m sure your caravan could afford the ‘toll’ or fight off the bandits. Because I am alone, traveling with my young son, they chose to attack us instead. I might have fought them, but because of my young son, I fled.”

“Father, I am not afraid of the God-Killers!”

“Please, Bolandun, do not use that term. They are called ‘Humans’. We Centaurs sometimes refer to Humans as God-Killers. As Humans have covered the World, pushing out the other races, so have the Human Gods pushed the Elder Gods out, until now the Human Gods are the most powerful gods above, just as the Humans are the most powerful of the races below. As it is in the world, so it is in the heavens, it seems. There is no offense in the term. It is a term of both fear and respect.”

“Strangely, most creatures pay only lip service to their gods, if they bother to worship one at all. Even the Humans, who have the most powerful gods in the heavens.”

“But who are you fine people? And what kind of aid can you give me? It is for my wound, yes?” He had washed his wounds with water, but they are still gaping and raw.

 

[Seonaid]

Rowyn looks expectantly at Aronai. I should have studied Elvish, she thinks to herself. If Aronai doesn't translate, and no one else offers, she will study the Centaurs carefully, committing to memory their movements and their expressions.

 

[Dimwhit]

OOC: Wow, am I the only one who speaks Elvish?

Aronai relays the information to the others in the group, not leaving out any of the information, to the best of his ability, anyway. After finishing, he says to the group, "Are any of you healers? I can bind his wounds, and in the morning offer more proper healing. Unless any of you can offer more immediate healing.

He turns to the Centaur and speaks in Elvish, "We will be happy to offer you healing, as best we can. As as long as you camp near us, we will help to fight off the bandits if they return again."

 

[Manzanita]

Manzanita

Manzanita dismounts and approaches the centaurs slowly. "perhaps we can help you, sirs," she says in common. "What happened?"