Dreams of War (SilentSilth and Tsuki)

[SilentSilth]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth, sturm, and Tsuki)

The Kitsune's ears popped up as she heard a crunch coming from the direction of the orc, stopped in mid-sentence. She looks up, her blue eyes wide with horror as the knight's armor and ribs pressed inwards on his body. She took a few nervous steps towards him, jumping back as the second bolt strikes his chest, a yelp escaping her lips at the wet sound of his body crushing itself. She watched, hopelessly, as whatever vestige she had of not being torn dribbled away with the blood of the knight.

Looking over the surging attack force, and the destroyed walls, the absolute carnage, the Kitsune couldn't help but feel completely hollow; this all happened because of her - her failure and inability to lead. The people who had become slaves - or worse - were now in their current predicament because of her inactions. Surveying the carnage, and the loss of a battlemage who only wanted to help, Kiera couldn't help but make this decision on sheer selfishness:

"We need to run," She says, quietly. Ripping her eyes away from the scene, she looks down at Linara and Alhora, calling out as she starts towards the burning forest, "We need to go before we end up like the others. Follow me!" She'd only stay if the two refused to leave - but not for long. Waiting for the orcs to get them seemed... Not intelligent.

Spoiler

Run and shit, towards the forest.

 

[Tsuki]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth, sturm, and Tsuki)

Linara's legs were shaking again and she tried to catch her breath. That certainly did not feel good, having that much magic flowing through her body, but, as she looked at the corpse of the fallen knight, it was worth it. Hopefully, at least, as she looked up to see the oncoming horde. Why was there no end to them?

She listened to Kiera's orders and, as much as the Badarian didn't wish to admit it, the fox was right. They had a clear way of escape, and, now that the green-skins were inside the wall, it would be hard to fight them off. Yes, she wanted to wipe them out but, after having faced death once combined with the satisfaction of killing the knight, she could probably excuse herself from fighting the rest of them.

"Thank you," she managed to whisper out to Alhora. The force mage didn't know if the elf heard her, and she half-wished that it wasn't heard, but it was only polite to say something for being helped to her feet. "You're right, we should get out of here," she answered to Kiera, this one much louder. Turning towards the north, Linara called upon some more magic to her shaking hands. She took a deep breath helped to calm them.

"Prohibe eos immobilem murum, vis obiectas," she recited as she swiped her hand through the air. This time her spell was much less dramatic than what she had been casting thus far, having casted only a Force Barrier to stop the orcs in their tracks, or at least, hopefully, stop bullets. Bullets weren't pleasant. With the wall in place, Linara turned to Kiera to lead the way out.

Spoiler

Force Barrier (Utility) [The caster puts up a wall or dome, of any reasonable shape and size. This barrier cannot be moved or attacked through, and Spells and Powers cannot go through it unless the one making the attempt wins a Resistance check against the caster, who gains a +4 bonus. Costs 1 EP upkeep.]
Casting Check: 1d20 + 28 + 14 + 7 (Inner Strength) - 8 (Damage) vs 40
EP: 4 + 1 (Upkeep)
Resistance Check: 1d20 + 20 + 8 + 4 vs Target resistance

Then run

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth, sturm, and Tsuki)

Spoiler

Kiera: HP = 13/91, PP = 49, EP = 24/54, Status = Badly Injured

Selena: HP = 34, PP = 48, EP = 44/54, Status = Fine, Hasted and Psychic Shield X = 8 from mysterious ally

Linara: HP = 30/43, PP = 57, EP = 16/68, Status = Lightly Injured, +14 Mind (Inner Strength), Force Barrier

Rolls

Spoiler

Linara casts Force Barrier!
Casting: Success.

Some 5 upkeep periods later....

The survivors of Embershard looked to Kiera with alarm and fury at the kitsune's suggestion, but as despicable as the prospect of abandoning their home and all those within was, it only took a glance to know that she was right. Even Alhora, as filled with fury as she obviously was at her master's death, was able to see that to stay was to lose either life or freedom to the greenskins. The elf didn't even spare Linara a glance as she rose, hurling one last fireball over at the orcs before ascending the ladder beside which Linara had fallen. The Badarian mage's magical barrier came up, blocking off their pursuers and preventing them from firing on the fleeing humans as they ran down the ramps that the orcs had used to ascend the walls.

By the time she got up the wall herself, Linara was the last one save for Grawn and his archers, who ushered her onto the narrow logs quickly while firing at the squads of orcs pursuing them. At the same time, Kiera was leading the other humans towards the woods that Selena's drake had earlier set on fire, a prospect that those around her didn't seem to take too well to, but given their choices they followed the kitsune anyway. With the town in their hands, the orcs didn't even bother to follow them back over the wall.

They made the forest, Kiera, Alhora, the fourteen trained soldiers and the thirty seven barely-trained civilians that had come with them, with Grawn and his three men trailing behind with Linara just ahead of them. It had been a dry autumn, and despite the chill in the air the pine woods were well and fully ablaze, burning brightly and no less threateningly deadly than the orc horde behind them. "We'll never get through that alive!" Alhora declared, needing to shout to be heard over the crackling blaze. Many of the people behind them nodded in agreement, but there wasn't any other way to go. The river was too wide and too deep for them to ford here to reach the patch of woods that wasn't burning, and the blaze ran all the way across. They couldn't return to the village, and they couldn't stay where they were or the orcs would finish their pillaging and come to claim them anyway.

 

[Tsuki]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth, sturm, and Tsuki)

Linara was not feeling so hot. She was exhausted after all the magic she had spent, as she dismissed her force barrier. Sure, she had gas left but not much, and now there was this fire. It was definitely a good decision to have gotten out while they had the chance, there wouldn't have been much Linara could have done. But now there was a new problem Alhora was right, they were never going to make it through there, and putting out a forest fire seemed a bit infeasible. Who decided it was a good idea to set the forest on fire?

The Badarian looked to the river. Both paths seemed impassable. Seemed.

Slowly striding to the edge of the river, Linara, with a deep breath, drew upon her magic once again. "Prohibe eos immobilem murum, vis obiectas," she muttered, not audible over the fire. Her magic coalesced into another force barrier, this one horizontal. Actually, it looked quite a bit like a bridge to cross the river.

Spoiler

Force Barrier (Utility) [The caster puts up a wall or dome, of any reasonable shape and size. This barrier cannot be moved or attacked through, and Spells and Powers cannot go through it unless the one making the attempt wins a Resistance check against the caster, who gains a +4 bonus. Costs 1 EP upkeep.]
Casting Check: 1d20 + 28 + 14 + 7 (Inner Strength) - 8 (Damage) vs 40
EP: 4 + 1 (Upkeep)
Resistance Check: 1d20 + 20 + 8 + 4 vs Target resistance

Then, of course, get going again

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth, sturm, and Tsuki)

Spoiler

Kiera: HP = 91, PP = 49, EP = 54, Status = Fine

Selena: HP = 34, PP = 48, EP = 44/54, Status = Fine, Hasted and Psychic Shield X = 8 from mysterious ally

Linara: HP = 43, PP = 57, EP = 8/68, Status = Lightly Injured, +14 Mind (Inner Strength), Low on Energy

Rolls

Spoiler

Linara casts Force Barrier!
Casting: Success.

Some two upkeep periods later...

The people didn't immediately notice the bridge that Linara conjured across the river, but when the mage walked across it and thus led the way into the woods some of the milita glanced at one another and followed. Once they were sure that it would hold their wait, everyone (presumably including Kiera) followed her as well. Going around the fire before it could spread across the treetops, they left the area immediately around Embershard behind them and went off into the wilderness. They numbered about fifty seven including Linara and Kiera, with Grawn and his three companions being the only ones with real skills for surviving in the wilderness, and an additional fourteen soldiers trained to protect them from anything they might run into along the one. Alhora and Linara were their only mages, and neither of them were adept at calling upon natural magics that might be particularly useful in this environment. They were, for the moment, directionless, and many of them were in unfamiliar territory. Now would be the time for someone to take a degree of leadership over the group, who were still doing little more than putting one foot in front of the other in order to escape from their overtaken home village.

 

[Tsuki]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth, sturm, and Tsuki)

Once the last villager was across, Linara dispelled the force barrier. She wasn't doing well before, before crossing the river, but now she felt like she was running on fumes. They really needed to get somewhere safe(r) so she could get herself going again. But, that didn't seem like it was happening anytime soon.

That said, Linara had no idea where to go. She hadn't known where she was really going since she left her home and, had she not drank herself into oblivion the night before, she wouldn't have even been here. With that thought, and her exhaustion, her headache came rushing back. A slight groan escaped the mage's lips as she went to hold her head.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth, sturm, and Tsuki)

Spoiler

Kiera: HP = 91, PP = 49, EP = 54, Status = Fine

Linara: HP = 43, PP = 57, EP = 8/68, Status = Lightly Injured, +14 Mind (Inner Strength), Low on Energy

The peasants behind her followed Linara across the bridge of force that she created, somewhat hesitant to follow for a moment given the invisible nature of a wall of force until they'd seen her cross and tested it themselves. Proceeding out into the cleaner air of the woods that weren't burning, they made good time for a ways, before a man that Linara didn't recognize called them to a stop. Approaching her, she recognized him as one of the group that she'd seen retreating from the Eastern wall when it had fallen, their apparent leader, who came up to her as she clutched at her head courtesy of her returning hangover and the assorted ills of battle that were now all opting to hit her at the same time.

"Who are you?" he said sternly, eying her with readily apparent distrust, "Where are you from? Have you any skill at woodcraft, or a destination? I don't recognize you." Another, a woman with a voice that Linara vaguely recognized from the town, piped in; "I recognize her! She fought on the wall, and last night she was at the tavern! She just showed up yesterday!" That factoid didn't seem to reassure the man questioning her, and while they stood stopped the others that had got out with them started resting as best they could, likely feeling no less exhausted than Linara was feeling now that the adrenaline of battle was fading.

 

[Tsuki]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth and Tsuki)

Linara paused as the man questioned her, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about her horns. She wanted to reach up and hide them. But, she wouldn't. It'd probably only draw more attention to the hideous things at this point. Instead, she lowered her hand to try and compose herself... as well as someone suffering from exhaustion and a hangover can.

"I am Linara of Badaria," she answered, grimacing as the sound of her voice caused her head to throb. "I don't have any such skills, nor do I really have a destination. And, it is as she says," the mage indicated the woman who had spoke up, "I only arrived yesterday."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth, sturm, and Tsuki)

Spoiler

Kiera: HP = 91, PP = 49, EP = 54, Status = Fine

Linara: HP = 43, PP = 57, EP = 8/68, Status = Lightly Injured, +14 Mind (Inner Strength), Low on Energy

The man speaking to her didn't seem assuaged by her statement, and she noted that two of the man's comrades were scowling and moving slowly, clearly trying to remain unnoticed. "So you arrived yesterday..... What were you in our village for? If you're Badarian, why are you this far North?" Grawn asked slowly, his suspicion clear enough for her to see even with her hangover. The people immediately around them were starting to get nervous, but suddenly the elf that had revived her back in the town stepped forward and said; "She's the one that killed the enemy leader, and now isn't the time to be trying to spread blame! And we've got enough problems without turning on each other!"

Grawn turned his scowl upon the elf, but she glared back at him fiercely until he turned back to his men and nodded, causing them to relax. "We need a destination," the man said as he turned back to Linara and Alhora, "And the only settlement that we might be able to get to in less than three days is Skolifel." The elf's expression immediately soured, as did that of pretty much everyone within Linara's field of vision, but she'd never heard of the place before.

 

[Tsuki]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth and Tsuki)

Linara placed a hand on her weapon, though she knew it wouldn't do much. Sure, she carried it, but she certainly wasn't very good with the rapier. After all, when did a mage really need to resort to such a weapon? Apparently this was almost the time as she really didn't think she could muster up much of anything beyond the weakest of spells. Luckily, that didn't need to happen. Linara turned to the elf, about to say thank you, but the words caught in her throat. She'd... do it later. Probably.

She was tempted to criticize the man. How could he dare insinuate that she would work for the filthy greenskins? What lowlife would sink to that level? But, now wasn't the time. Still, knowing that the distrust existed with these people meant she could at least know to keep her guard up, or she could just leave if she wanted to. The latter option wasn't viable at the moment, though, as she wasn't in any condition to defend herself and there was a horde nearby.

When the topic moved on, the general drop in the mood was a bit disconcerting for Linara especially when she had not heard of the place. Her hand dropped to her side as her stance eased before she asked the question, "What is wrong with this... Skolifel? I can't say I recall the name."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth, sturm, and Tsuki)

Spoiler

Kiera: HP = 91, PP = 49, EP = 54, Status = Fine

Linara: HP = 43, PP = 57, EP = 8/68, Status = Lightly Injured, +14 Mind (Inner Strength), Low on Energy

"It's a neutral town," the elf explained sourly, as if saying that was enough to make Linara understand why the place was so reviled. "When the war with the orcs reached it, Skolifel opted to surrender on the condition that it would retain partial autonomy and wouldn't have to send fighters to join the orc advance. It's essentially an orc town, but there should be enough people of other races there for us to slip in. Plus, it's the only place we can get to without starving or freezing to death, so it's that or take your chances in the wilderness. That's where I'm going, and I suspect that's where my boys are going too," Grawn said, glancing at the men who followed him directly to view their nods of agreement. He glanced at the militia from Embershard, who certainly hesitated a lot more than the rangers, but also eventually nodded. Grawn glanced at Alhora, who still held a sour expression but nodded in agreement, "We'd better hope the place isn't as cutthroat as I've heard then." That left Linara, whom the older man looked to last.

 

[Tsuki]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth and Tsuki)

As she stood there, listening to the description of Skolifel, Linara grew visibly more disgusted as it went on. To be brief, surrendering to the orcs, as it was with Embershard, a vile prospect if you were any self-respecting human... or elf, in the case of Alhora. If this elf was more noble than such humans then they must truly be despicable. The mage's scowling at the idea only caused her head to throb in pain, resulting in a wince.

Still, as Linara looked around and saw that everyone was set on heading to this putrid excuse for a settlement, the Badarian looked to Grawn and nodded. "I shall accompany you then. I... don't fancy my chances out here alone."

That said, it didn't seem that she was in danger at the moment. Hopefully. And, she was desperately tired. With a sigh of relief, she unraveled her last remaining spell.

Spoiler

Release the buff!

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth, sturm, and Tsuki)

Spoiler

Kiera: HP = 91, PP = 49, EP = 54, Status = Derp

Linara: HP = 43, PP = 57, EP = 68, Status = Fine

With their choice of destination made, the group of refugees started through the woods in the direction chosen by Grawn, who claimed to know where he was going. Nobody around Linara gave any complaint to that, the villagers seemingly trusting of the man, but whether or not she felt the same was up to her. Regardless, they walked until dark, the night sky falling and her headache alleviated... Mostly.

With darkness descending and the temperature dropping steadily, the sight of a torchlit wall up ahead was a welcome sight to those around Linara, even to the consistently apprehensive Alhora, and as they approached the walls a patrol came forth to meet them, a large contingent of armed and armored men and women primarily comprised of orcs, while a woman's voice called down from above, its source initially unseen; "Stop where you stand. What is your business here? Why have you come so armed and in such numbers? Speak quickly, or arrows and bullets will greet your next step forward."

Clearing his throat, Grawn raised his hands and took a step forward, marking himself as their speaker, and said; "I am Grawn, formerly of the Therion Rangers. We are refugees fresh from battle, seeking asylum within your walls until such time as we are fit to strike out on our own. What coin we have will pay for our succor, and we will work for our stay if we must, we expect no charity." The woman atop the wall revealed herself, stepping into the light with a bow in her hands, and Linara quickly realized that she was both an elf, and possessed of exceptional beauty that was difficult not to notice even in their sorry state. "Fresh from battle.... That means you're from Embershard, correct?" she asked, to which Grawn nodded calmly.

"Very well then. I suspect you'll find Skolifel somewhat discomforting, but you are free to enter our city.... So long as you agree to abide by our laws. Rest assured that any attempts to start conflict within our walls will be dealt with harshly, regardless of your recent troubles," the elven captain replied, and then the squad of orcs slowly parted. The refugees behind her didn't seem to like the idea of walking through that gauntlet, but when Grawn started forward they reluctantly followed, as did Alhora. Linara was free to refuse, or to ask questions of the guardswoman on the wall if she so wished.

 

[Tsuki]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth and Tsuki)

As the group travelled, Linara was relieved that her headache was gone and that she had her strength back. While she was a bit uneasy traveling the forest at night, she found comfort in knowing that there were at least some in the group that knew how to fight. It was also nice that they had a destination, albeit not an ideal one.

However, these feelings were immediately replaced by dread as the orcs appeared on the walls of Skolifel. Linara immediately began gathering magic into a spell, but dispelled it as quickly as the situation diffused. It seemed odd that, despite having been told that they were from Embershard where they had just fought their allies, these greenskins didn't seem to care. She could only guess that when Alhora said neutral, they truly were neutral in this. Not that this made the idea of walking straight into the walls of a village that was technically controlled by the brutes any less displeasing. Regardless, the idea of turning around and heading back into the darkness of the forest alone would probably be even worse.

Linara followed the others in as she looked up at the elven guardswoman. While a plain old fashioned human would have been better, it was still a much better than if an orc had been the lead. While this still felt like a trap, to enter Skolifel, it was slightly less likely due to the elf. In case it wasn't, the Badarian felt like it was a better plan to draw as little attention as possible lest they get their hosts angry.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth, sturm, and Tsuki)

Spoiler

Kiera: HP = 91, PP = 49, EP = 54, Status = Derp

Linara: HP = 43, PP = 57, EP = 68, Status = Fine

Entering Skolifel, Linara and the refugees she'd arrived with found a bustling place filled with members of many races, elves and humans and orcs alike. There was a market in the square sitting ahead and two the left, but Grawn came over after speaking to one of the guards and said; "The guards are organizing a place for us to stay, but it's going to cost us. They'll put us up for the first night we're here, food and board, for a hundred in coin. That's a lot cheaper than we'd pay if we went for rooms at an inn. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't plan on staying here any longer than I have to. How much money do we have between us?" After pooling what little money they'd had on them before the attack, the other refugees produced about thirty denarii worth of assorted currency, well short of their goal. "I figured as much," Grawn grunted irritably, "Looks like some of us will be working tonight... Though I don't know how we'll scrape together seventy even with all of us."

Whether Linara wanted to reveal her own supply of money, or even remain with the refugees at all, was entirely up to her. It would be well within her ability to slip off and find accommodations for herself, or even buy some supplies and take off rather than spend a night in Skolifel.

 

[Tsuki]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth and Tsuki)

Linara shifted uncomfortably. Heading out of Skolifel was her top priority; she had no intention of staying in a filthy, orc-controlled town. It felt disgusting just being in the city walls. But, she knew she was no outdoorsman so leaving immediately, into the dark of the night was only going to ask for trouble. She had no destination and, even if she did, she would have no easy way of navigating to there. This was not to mention that hiking through the night, after a full-scale battle earlier, was not appealing nor was camping alone at night with unknown horrors lurking about.

This left two options open to the Badarian. Staying with the people of Embershard or trying to find an inn for herself. The thought of giving every last denarii away to aid these people, especially the few who had threatened her, did not sit well with her. Still, she did still owe Alhora and Linara was not about to be so vile as to leave her debts unpaid.

With a sigh, Linara stepped forward, offering fifty denarii to the pot. "We'll still need to work, but I think it'll be much more doable with this." For one night, she'd put up with Skolifel and Grawn, and she needed to keep some money for herself for when she set out. She briefly glanced at Alhora, unsure with herself whether this was the right decision.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth and Tsuki)

Spoiler

Kiera: HP = 91, PP = 49, EP = 54, Status = Derp

Linara: HP = 43, PP = 57, EP = 68, Status = Fine

Though they hadn't been privy to her inner battle, it was readily evident that Linara was uncomfortable, at least to Alhora. The elf adopted a worried expression, and was about ready to speak, possibly to ask her what was bothering her, when Linara spoke up and produced more than half of what they still needed. Alhora and Grawn both looked varying flavors of amazed, and the elf shot her a grateful look while Grawn looked fairly amazed as he took the coins and added them to the pot. "That's.... Good, and puts us a lot closer to where we need to get," the hunter said, unable to hide his surprise at Linara's generosity, "We owe you a debt for that.... But for now, lets see where we can get some more coin together."

The man would go off with their coins, but Linara wouldn't have long to be suspicious as he was back shortly. "Thank you," Alhora would say in the meantime, her voice soft and low and clearly directed only to Linara. The elf was smiling slightly, and patted Linara on the shoulder as she said; "You could have just walked off with that money and took care of yourself for a lot less. It was very selfless." Grawn was back shortly, but if Linara had something to say in response she had long enough to do so.

"Come on," he said, "We've got a building to stay in... It's not much according to the description, but it's a roof over our heads." The refugees were led by the hunter and his companions through the village, some taking notice of the large group of humans moving together but nobody bothering them along the way. They were eventually taken to a large poorly kept building, Grawn meeting up with a scruffy looking human man along the way and speaking with him for the duration of the encounter, and handing their money off when they arrived with a somewhat sour look. "This place is ours for the foreseeable future," Grawn announced calmly, "We'll get some food once we can scrape together the rest of the money together. How we're going to do that is going to be tricky, but hopefully there'll be some work around here that can earn us that much without sacrificing any more of our dignity."

The building was obviously not of the best construction, but it had three floors and a fairly sturdy set of doors. It would be a tight squeeze to fit all of them in, and their most likely wouldn't be much privacy, but they would have a roof over their heads for a while.

 

[Tsuki]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth and Tsuki)

Linara couldn't hold back the light redness that appeared in her cheeks as she awkwardly returned the smile. Why was she smiling at an elf? "It was nothing. It was the... right thing to do." The words caught in her mouth briefly, keeping some money hidden suddenly feeling like a horrible thing to do. "But, thank you." The tone with which the Badarian replied would carry more weight beyond just a simple 'thank you' for the compliment.

Upon Grawn's return, Linara was rather relieved that whatever deal was struck up with the village guard did seem to be true. She was also relieved that Grawn hadn't just run off with the money. He was the one who was overly suspicious, so it wouldn't have surprised her if the woodsman was the one who actually needed to be watched. As they headed towards 'their' place, the wary eyes of the Skolifel local did not go unnoticed by Linara. It did make sense as to why they would be watched, but it didn't make her any less at ease. Never know if the green skins were already planning some diabolical plan.

Then, a frown. The building was much smaller than she had hoped. The thought that the place would just collapse under the weight of all of the Embershard refugees crossed Linara's mind. In addition, she was not fond of the idea of squeezing in with so many others, especially after a battle and a long trek.

"Where do we start looking?" the horned girl asked to distract herself from the thought of what would be essentially a can of sweaty, and smelly people.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Dreams of War (SilentSilth and Tsuki)

Spoiler

Kiera: HP = 91, PP = 49, EP = 54, Status = Derp

Linara: HP = 43, PP = 57, EP = 68, Status = Fine

It was then, when Linara asked about how they could make some money, that Grawn frowned a bit harder. "It's not good," he began, "My friend here mentioned a job, one that would undoubtedly be illegal in some fashion and probably fairly dangerous. The obvious alternatives are pretty bad though, unless we're into the idea of selling someone into slavery, thievery, or.... Prostitution."