Antapkos will augment his athletic skill and throw his javelin at his closest opponent. Siofrita will shoot her arrow at the other while mystically assaulting him by bending chemical waylines to cause more physical harm. Cormorant and Kuwaia both close the distance to their chosen foes, both augmenting their ability to move. Britta will wait on hers to reach her, since she fights defensively. Sprthnt will fire his arrow at one of his opponents while mystically pushing him away with a pulse of air.
Britta takes her stance about half a second before Antapkos throws his javelin, and Cormorante and Kuwaia reach their opponents. The javelin from Antapkos slices into the abdomen of his chosen target, cutting a nasty gash just below the rib cage, markedly slowing but not dropping the Wildcat. As that enemy staggers, Kuwaia slides to her left laterally swinging her right sword. The blade cuts a line of blood across the ribs as she moves, doing almost as much harm as that of the javelin of Antapkos. A second Katalian reaches her as she completes her cut. As she is slightly out of position to defend against the second man, the Wildcat stabs his crude spear, cutting Kuwaia’s right hip.
Cormorante stops his forward charge, lunging his right javelin forward and into the gut of his first enemy, doing as much damage as the cut of Kuwaia had. A second Katalian reaches him and stabs his spear by the guard of his second javelin. The crude blade is partially halted by his tunic, and the resulting cut is only a mere irritation.
Just over a second after Britta was set, Siofrita, then Sprthnt released their arrows. Each arrow finds a vital point in the body of its target. The two Wildcats thus struck, stumble and fall. As the arrow from Siofrita strikes her enemy, his insides begin to burn, caustically, almost killing him. The arrow from Sprthnt is accompanied by an unnatural force of air that throws the Katalian backward 11 strides. That one hits the ground, never to move again.
Just after those arrows are released Katalians reach Britta, Siofrita, and Sprthnt. Britta blocks the incoming spear with her defender and counters with her hammer, striking just below the collar bone of the extended arm of her enemy, knocking the breath from him. She follows back with her shield, slamming the defender into the upper body with enough force to knock the man backward 3 strides. The additional trauma from the fall causes the Katalian to lose consciousness. The last three to join the battle, though they are all second opponents, fail to capitalize on their flanking positions, and none is able to strike effectively enough to hit flesh, only protective clothing.
As less than two seconds of time has passed, seven of the ten Katalian Wildcats are still engaged. The one facing Antapkos is considerably hurt. Only one remains on Sprthnt, as the one flung away is dying. Two remain on Cormorante and two one Kuwaia, though one of each is injured. Only one remains facing Britta. Siofrita is free of any immediate threat.
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: Body: 10 - 1 = 9, irritated. Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: Body: 10 - 2 = 8, hurt.
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide 2 random rolls.
Antapkos switches his sword to his right hand and thrusts it at the midsection of his injured foe. Siofrita, seeing that her heartmate is faring well, fires an arrow at the uninjured opponent facing Kuwaia, again adding the mystical chemical assault. Cormorant and Kuwaia, both, press in at their injured opponents. Brenda returns to her defensive position, waiting on her remaining enemy to attack. Sprthnt decides to delay firing another arrow, choosing, instead, to fling his second opponent away with a pulse of air, then fire.
This had very quickly and decidedly become a one-sided battle. The Sojourn Six were far superior to the ten katalian Wildcats who had made the mistake of attacking them. In less than four seconds all of the indigenous headhunters had been crippled or killed. None escape their fatal mistake. Only Kuwaia had been, actually, hurt and that was rather insignificant. It took longer for breathing to slow to its normal pace than it did to decimate the enemy.
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: Body: 10 - 1 = 9, irritated. Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: Body: 10 - 2 = 8, hurt.
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Sprthnt will help Kuwaia tend to her wound while everyone else finishes any enemies still breathing. The others will also gleen any curiosities, before everyone moves farther upstream to make camp. The next day the party will continue on its way to Plum Orchard.
The Katalian Wildcats were disappointingly void of curiosities, though they did have some foodstuff worth liberating. Plum Orchard was the name given to a Spiofthest community, by South Road Fair, for the literal expanse of plum trees. In addition to providing a tradable amount of fruit in its season, the plums also attracted quite a bit of game, which kept the local Faethrins in meat.
All was well and good in life but pointless. The Sojourn Six spent the remainder of the Cycle making trips to the various local communities, accomplishing much of nothing. Though their reputation was good and the youths were decent hunters, all of this motion felt more like avoiding labor; which admittedly, it was.
Returning to South Road Fair early during the Rebirth Season, some terrible news came to the forefront of everyone’s attention. Both of the former guards and both former caravaners, as well as two additional local Ansylins had been killed over the course of about three days. This was no mere accident or coincidence. These people were all assassinated. Their bodies were disfigured and displayed so as to leave no doubt. The level of avarice to commit such an act was incredible.
Very quickly after returning to town word reached the party that Giodavi, Clavo, and Sannit wanted to specifically speak with Antapkos and Cormorante. The four locals were included, because the six were inseparable. After the gruesome events were conveyed in exacting detail, Clavo said that he had no doubt that the deeds were done by a professional from the Assassins’ Guild in Asylim. Very little was known of the assassins, except for their existence. The guild had only been known to work outside of the city once before, as one had been sent for Sannit and the other Seekers. The three leaders were adamantly certain that Antapkos and Cormorante were in danger. Able-bodied laborers were never allowed to leave Asylim.
This was not a problem that could be met directly. No one knew any of the members nor how to contact the guild. It was suspected that one of the seven Magisters of Asylim controlled the guild, but this was only a suspicion. Not wanting more deaths in South Road Fair, something had to be done, but the three leaders had not determined a solution. Sannit and Clavo were of a similar mind, but their idea was risky and offered no vision of a future. Their idea was for the entire six, not just the two, to rejoin a different caravan headed back to Asylim, but there were too many uncertainties
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: full wellness Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: full wellness
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character ages 1 Cycle and receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Clavo stood from where he had been seated and stared down at the youths. The sarcasm in his voice was blatant. “Wrong? Unjust? Perhaps you feel your worth to be more than that of the ones who were killed? It is not.”
Sannit made a sound like he had spit upon the floor. He had not but the noise symbolized his irritation at the selfish responses. “Go meet your fate on your feet. You want to be respected? You want to be independent? You should want to be free of the those who wish to hold sway over you, by killing others in your stead. One does not become heroic without surviving opposition.”
Giodavi, more diplomatically, added to the statements of the two, perpetually angry men. “You can refuse. You can hide. You can run. We are not throwing you to the jackals. We are suggesting you hunt them instead of them hunting you. You six have skills that the general populace does not possess. Whether or not you are ready, those skills must now serve you or fail you. Death is coming for you. Your best option is to meet its handler on your own terms. It would not set well with the community if more citizens are killed. We do not get to choose the thoughts of others, even if we try to influence them.”
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: full wellness Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: full wellness
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Resolute to have been sufficiently admonished, Antapkos and Siofrita both give over to the calmer decisiveness of Cormorant. All six agree to depart with the next caravan, whosever it might be.
The Sojourn Six were not being run out of town. Despite the unpleasantness of the meeting with the town leaders, no ill treatment or disregard followed. The matter having been settled Giodavi was his usual friendly self. Neither Clavo nor Sannit had ever been friendly. A few days passed before the Salt Caravan stopped for rest, returning to Asylim from Boga City. It was one of the smaller caravans, only composed of three wagons pulled by teams of burros. One wagon carried the salt. One wagon carried a popular item completely unique to Asylim, fish cakes.
Such an oddity had been developed based upon the manufacture of faux stone. During the Shifting Season, which was neither cold nor volatile in the southern tip of the continent, very large schools of a small silvery fish went through one of its two breeding periods of the Cycle. The thin fish, which were about the length of a person’s hand, were packed inside molded clay bricks and then baked in the kilns. The process was not so simple as it appeared, and no one outside of Asylim had ever attempted to duplicate it. The bricks could be broken by hand and the salted fish consumed whole, remaining edible for many seasons. The third wagon was for drinking water. As was the usual practice, the caravan would remain for an entire day, departing the morning after.
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: full wellness Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: full wellness
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
