[WFRP] Through the Drakwald

[Karl Green]

Jurgen von Schweitzer (Male Human Hunter)

Jurgen curses under his breath when he hears the shouts from the other side of the village but he races that way none the less, another arrow notched almost instantly as he runs.

 

[jglamere]

As you approach the main gate, you can see that battle is not the cause of the commotion. It turns out to be Hans Baumer returning from the forest followed by a ragtag band of people, with fear in their eyes and their meager possessions on their backs.

(OOC: From your short time spent in the small village, you all know that Hans is a local Woodsman who has been gone for a time and was feared dead.)

Many of the townsfolk, including town leaders Captain Schiller, Father Dietrich, and the local midwife Granny Moescher, have gather to meet Hans just inside the town gate.

The barrage of questions from the gathered townsfolk subsides when Hans makes a gesture for the crowd to quite down and begins his tale. “I’ve been scouting the surrounding countryside and picking up stragglers. These folk with me”—he motions to the refugees he’s brought to Untergard—“are survivors I found wandering in the woods. They came from villages all over Middenland.

“As I was bringing them back, I found fresh Beastman tracks south of here. It looks like a warherd of over 200 strong is headed towards Untergard. I rushed back here to warn you.

“I will of course defer to Captain Schiller but it is my feeling that we should leave Untergard before the Beastmen arrive. I don’t know if we could withstand them and there is no help to be had in time. I visited Grimminhagen six days ago and it’s a wreck. We can’t expect help from there. What else is new, eh? I must also report that while Grimminhagen was sacked, Graf Elster Sternhauer survived by hiding out in his keep.”

At the mention of the Graf, many in the crowd boo. Even kindly Granny Moescher has a scowl cross her face.

When the Woodsman is finished, Father Dietrich expresses his interests. “And where would we go? You cannot expect these people to make a nearly week long trek through the Drakwald to Middenheim. I say we build up our defenses, send for aid from Altdorf or Middenheim, and weather the coming storm.”

 

[Catulle]

Tobias Kaufmann (Male Human Soldier)

Besieged and battered…but there stands my best hope. To think I left to find the war before it all blew over. Stupid.

Tobias nods his aquiescence to Schiller's response, . “I’ll gather my things, then, and set up by the platz later.” After I've found something to eat, I think. The deserter-come-volunteer then stalks back to his tent, pulling his powder flask from the bag slung across his back to check on its condition. Once there, he gathers a meagre selection of leftovers from the night before and walks back towards the platz.

 

[Wilphe]

Carlotta - Female Camp Follower

Having spent far too long cooking for the guards on the gate, only to see it tipped over and go largely to waste when the attack came, Carlotta makes her way to the Platz. She looks and finds Tobias there, she sits and smoothes her skirt - a largely superflous gesture considering it's condition, but apparently a reflexive one.
This one does not have the look of defeat in his eyes. He just might be worth tagging along with to get out of here.
"Hello, you would be one of the heroes who beat off the mutants wouldn't you?"

 

[Karl Green]

Jurgen von Schweitzer (Male Human Hunter)

Jurgen listens to the report of the other Woodsman and nods his head to the man. He shakes his head, not agreeing at all with what Father Dietrich 'plan' but he is a bit to shy to speak up... he instead waits for the Captain to speak up with a plan of action.

 

[Catulle]

Tobias Kaufmann (Male Human Soldier)

Tobias is stood by a broken-down mounting post, his slingbag open atop it when the woman arrives at the bridge. He has a pistol out of the bag, having primed and loaded it, and the glint of a badge or device worked into the butt cap is momentarily apparant before his gaze swings up from his work to fix on her approach. Damn. He slides the weapon clumsily out of her line of sight before smiling back at her coolly as she sits. Not born to this, then, to be so mannered. So what of this?

"I'd scarcely call myself a 'hero' miss." No, I'd call myself coward and deserter both, and gallows-bait soon after, but you're not to know that... His smile widens and at the same time grows thinner, lips curling to reveal a hint of teeth. "Just where I was needed to be and never for a moment alone." His eyes flicker across her unconsciously, gauging and yet never quite probing. A cursory examination, all told.

He shrugs his shoulders, their breadth accentuating his face's thinness. "I've bread, though it's stale, and ale that's more water and past its prime at that. If you'd want to share." He raises a jug from the bag by means of illustration at this before adding, "Tobias Kaufmann."

 

[Wilphe]

Carlotta Female Human Camp Follower

She's fairly average height, long brown hair would normally fall down her back; but for now it's stained, in need of a good comb and tied up in a large bun at the back. An otherwise ordinary sword of what might be Breton make is well secured at her side and a bow and quiver are likewise secured across her back.

Carlotta stands, takes the proffered jug and curtesies, "Carlotta Uberwald is pleased to make your acquaintance Herr Kaufmann," she sits with a certain grace that suggests a reasonably respectable upbringing at some point.
"How can I refuse such hospiitality? Had we the ingredients I could make something more worthy," She gives a quiet sniff, "We can only do what we can, where we are. You did well I am told."
Her eyes flick over to the decapitated corpses of the mutants and the coagulated blood that has spilled out of their necks, "These creatures have been searched?"

 

[Catulle]

Tobias Kaufmann (Male Human Soldier)

Tobias tears free a crust of hard bread before handing the remainder down to Carlotta, remaining for his part on his feet and fetching the occasional wary glance across the holed bridge into the ruins of eastern-Untergard. Polite even in squallour, eh? And that's not a Middenlander's sword, either. So either from the south, or like me a looter of corpses... or both. Best not to ask questions I wouldn't care to answer myself.

"Would that what we must be other than what we can, madam." He shakes his head as if to dislodge a stray thought. "But, yes, I'm told well enough for Untergard. Had the scum greater numbers or pressed their edge, it would have gone ill at the finish." And had they come in force, would I stand or flee?

"As to them," His nod indicates the mutants' carcasses, a rag-picker most likely, then, "I'll not handle them, nor I think would many others here. Anything they owned's like to be tainted to bar its use for fit purposes, though I'd grant they ought to be burned before they fester. Sickness is the last we need. I heard Talabheim sags under the weight of its plague-dead."

 

[Wilphe]

Carlotta (Female Human Camp Follower)

"Let they would seem good arrows at least. A shame to give them only one drink of tainted blood," Carlotta takes a small piece of the bread before handing it back to Tobias and busies herself with seeing if any of the arrows are salvagable. She also takes the time to see if any of them have anything of value - hopefully without getting too much blood on her.

 

[jglamere]

The Gates of Untergard

As the debate of leaving town and staying to fight becomes overly heated, Captain Schiller at last steps forward.

“I have listened to both sides of the argument,” begins Captain Schiller, “and now, as Untergard’s rightful leader, I must make a decision. As much as it pains me to say, I agree with Hans that we cannot hope to stand against so many Beastmen. At first light tomorrow, we’ll head north to Middenheim. We know Count Toddbringer is there and within the cities walls we can find safety. And with the Count’s aid, we will return here and finish rebuilding our homes. Untergard will rise again!

“Now, let us enjoy the Count’s bounty and then prepare to depart. There is much to do before sunrise.”