[Testament] In the Shadow of Sinai

[Maerdwyn]

Though there are dozens, even hundreds of people between them and Hur, a few in the crowd -- all those who try -- find it strikingly easy to reach him.

Two young men are struggling to keep the wooden scaffold upright, while Hur now lies prone on top, blood leaking from a wound on his cheek. A girl swings torch from side to side clumsily, trying to keep the mob back, but as Melech, Asenath, Tsedeq, and Avram arrive, a stone strikes her in the head and she falls as a dozen men and boys surge forward toward the scaffold, murder in their eyes. One of the boys turns to face them, defiant, but clearly terrified. In the background, Aaron is yelling for peace, but is ignored by all.



ooc: Hik Shasu=Hyksos - my view ( and this campaigns) is that they were mostly non-Hebrew Canaanites of one national group or another

Edit: On the map, blue dots are people not directly involved with hostilities beyond yelling an jeering.

 

[Ghostknight]

Avram jumps onto the scaffolding, trying to shield the body of Hur. He cracks his whip over the heads of those surging forward, trying to intimidate them into staying back, rather than actually trying to hit out at anyone!

 

[Tonguez]

Trusting in his mighty thews and the protection of the hashem Tsedeq forcibly thrust his way into the attacking mob, manhandling those in his way, striking as necessary but more to intimidate than to injure.

His hope is to split and disrupt the mob, intimidating and disturbing them enough that their muderous focus on Hur is broken and that they fall away rather than turn it against himself. No matter with the blood boiling in his veins it will not be much to change his flailing and shoves into more forceful and aggressive blows....

(ooc um so is this a mass grapple attempt?)

 

[Maerdwyn]

(ooc um so is this a mass grapple attempt?)

ooc: yup, . Just so everyone knows, I'm going to wait for everyone to post their intended actions, then resolve.

 

[Maerdwyn]

On the edge of camp, Caleb runs. He is largely ignored, at lease by those caught up in the spectacle in the camp. When he finally stops to catch his breath, it is atop a rise that overlooks a dry wadi*. Looking back, he has a clear view of the camp, and he can't help but stare for a few moments, until he is startled by a soft male voice a few yards away: "Shalom, Kohen. Good evening Why are you not in the camp with all the others?" Caleb sees a man dressed in a simple robe and cowl stepping out from the small stand of trees and scrub vegetation on the rocky rise.

 

[humble minion]

Melech watches with sickening fear in the pit of his stomach as the crowd advance on the two frightened boys and the wounded old man. The boys remind him of Shimon, the laughing teenaged Shimon of the happier past.

He half-slides down the rock to where Paqad waits, then stoops down to the hyena, points to where Nahir and Adnon struggle with the wavering platform, and hisses a command of "Defend!"

Paqad streaks into the crowd, snarling, and plants himself in front of the two boys. Melech settles himself into a half-kneeling position on the slope of his boulder, and puts an arrow to his bow. Every instinct cries out for him to melt into the crowd and remain safely inconspicuous, but he simply cannot let harm come to the two brave young men...


ooc: This is one of those times where I wish we were one level higher, because if that were so then Paqad would have another two HD, and therefore a size increase to Large. A 10-foot hyena would be much more intimidating right now!

 

[yangnome]

On the edge of camp, Caleb runs. He is largely ignored, at lease by those caught up in the spectacle in the camp. When he finally stops to catch his breath, it is atop a rise that overlooks a dry wadi*. Looking back, he has a clear view of the camp, and he can't help but stare for a few moments, until he is startled by a soft male voice a few yards away: "Shalom, Kohen. Good evening Why are you not in the camp with all the others?" Caleb sees a man dressed in a simple robe and cowl stepping out from the small stand of trees and scrub vegetation on the rocky rise.

Caleb, startled turns towards the voice. He stumbles over the words in his mouth while thrying to figure out what he wants to say. "Huh? Me? Who goes there?"

 

[Maerdwyn]

The man steps in front of Caleb and gives a crisp bow in greeting. "It is only I, Kohen, Aqhat - an herbalist. I found that I needed to get away from the camp for a while. Much as yourself, maybe?"

Caleb recognizes the name as a foreign one, but not the man himself, which is not surprising as he has kept is hood up over his head, and it is rather dark anyway. The man apparently has laid out a blanket and some belongings a little ways away, by the scrub, and he has positioned himself directly in Caleb's line of sight to the items.


ooc: still waiting for Andrew to declare an action re:Hur, et al. I'll move on if he hasn't posted by Monday afternoon.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

"What madness is this?" Asenath shouts to no-one in particular as she dashes out from the crowd towards the fallen Hur. Looking around, she sees several other people she recognizes from the altercation at the Egyptian's stand and - a hyena? As she nears the scaffold, she looks down to make certain that her sword is still at her side, and places her hand on it reassuringly, prepared to draw it to defend herself, the fallen girl, and Hur.

Sorry about the wait - my computer's acting up here lately, I really need a new one...

 

[Maerdwyn]

"What madness is this?" Asenath shouts to no-one in particular as she dashes out from the crowd towards the fallen Hur, but stopping when she sees the girl lying in the dirt, about to be trampled. The sight of her word give several of the mob pause, and they stop, squaring off with her, seemingly suddenly unsure of what they are doing.

Melech orders Paqad toward the scaffolding, and the hyena bounds in, snarling at those in it's way. Drunk with the fury of the mob, the boy at front of the pack swings his torch at Paqad's head as the animal races by, but the strike whooshes through the air harmlessly. Paqad stop in front of Nahir and Adnon, still struggling to keep the shaky scaffold from falling over, and turnsto face the oncoming men. Yuriel's face reddens in embarassed fury at missing the hyena as it passed him, and he shouts "Filthy Beast!" as he charges in for another swing. This time, the boy connects, scorching* the fur on Paqad's face and tearing a cut on his cheek. He yelps, and snaps at the boy's arm trying to get him to drop the torch, but the boy jerks out of the way, sneering at the big animal.

The mob, save for the three men facing Asenath, surges forward behind Yuriel**. Two of them, and man and what must be his son, barrel into Adnon, who is no match for the attackers. The boy is knock backwards and down. Another of the men, Yuval, goes after Nahir. Paqad, desparate to fulfill his master's orders bites at Yuval, but, distracted by the pain he is in, fails to strike him. The man plows into Nahir, and both crash backwards through the flap and into the tent beyond.

The rest of the men advance, still wary of the wounded beast, but also still shouting and jeering, calling Hur to let Aaron make the god. Four of them cast stones at the man, whose head it still visible despite his lying prone on top of the scaffold, but all the stones bounce of the wood. Another of the men takes up a stone and hurls it at Padad, but misses. The three men in fron of Asenath, continue staring at her, but begin moving to the sides, trying to get around her.

Tsedeq and Avram watch in shock as all of this happens, but finally spring into action. Tsedeq tears forward toward the the boy in front of the hyena, and snatches him up easily, squeezing the boy until he cries out in pain.

Without the two boys stabilizing it, Avram is sure the scaffold will not support the force of him jumping up onto it, and so stop in front of the scaffold, one eye on Hur, the other on the rest of the scene.


***
ooc: Asenath, Avram, and Melech, and three of the mob each have a standard action still available to them this round.

*I accidentally put an extra +1 on Yuriel's fire damage vs. Paqad. Total damage was 4 blunt and 4 fire = 8hp
**Asenath may take an attack of opportunity here, if she wishes.