GURPS Banestorm redux narrative thread

Culture
41

Hayu

Crisse. These guys are determined. Whatever they want her for, it’s more than just a couple of minor baubles lifted in the marketplace. Not that she stopped to ask – when maniacs start charging at you with swords, it’s hardly the time for polite conversation. Usually, though, guards will stop at the city limits, whereas these bâtards sent horsemen to continue the chase. Three of them, from the sounds of it, though she doesn’t dare lose the time it will take to look back. She needs to get to the trees. The horses won’t be able to run in there, and the guards’ fancy armour will work to their disadvantage.

A small voice in her head notes that she could get a smidge extra speed if she abandons her pack but she squelches it by arguing that she’d lose speed getting out of it, and it’s everything she owns.

Her lungs are burning and her heart feels like it’s going to burst when she hears a grunt and one of the guards shouting that it’s an ambush, which is news to her. Then one of the horses screams and the sound is enough to give her a little burst of speed that she hadn’t thought possible. While Father Louis might argue many reasons why “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” might be false, right now, Hayu is willing to give thanks to whatever God, god or gods has provided her with this gift and sort out the intentions of these third parties, after they and hims fight. All she needs is to reach cover and catch her breath for a minute… maybe an hour or so. Just a little bit further…

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42

Thwip

When the rider falls and the horse screams its pain, time slows for Thwip.

– Why did I kill that pinkie? Because my remaining friend is in danger. But he created the danger. The rider did nothing to me. –

He slowly moves his sights to the wounded horse. Or perhaps he moves them quickly. He cannot tell.

– Why am I going to kill this horse? It’s in pain. Is that really why? I caused its pain to begin with. –

He finds himself yelling. He does not know how loud it is though it’s booming to his ears.

“Flee, befare yi die!”

– We are killing strangers for no reason. We know nothing of this situation. We don’t know anything of that pinkie we’re murdering for. We know nothing of the thumb behind us. Why are will killing as a first resort? That poor horse. Did the centaurs or the elves kill our old horses? Why are we doing this? Why am I doing this? I pride myself on my intelligence yet I have rarely used it this past week. My friends have died because of it.–

Thwip fires at the injured horse.

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43

Ranar

Ranar hefts his axe and tracks the leftmost horseman, aimed and ready to hurl the axe if the horseman reaches the trees, then crossdraw the other one for melee. He won’t miss again.

– So much fighting, so many lost. I hope the beardless one knows what he’s doing with his stone reading. – he thinks.

Upon hearing Thwip’s shout, he opens up with his own deep-throated roar “Begone, ye!”

44

GM POST

@DaakSyde @William_George @MalevolentPixy @strokeybeard @enceladus

As Hayu dives between Sasha and Thwip, Ranar steps forwards and Sasha mutters under his breath. Thwip draws a bead on the right-hand horse as he shouts his warning. Ranar brandishes his axe as he bellows his threat.

The horseman on the right appears confused, jerking his horse to a halt. The left-hand horseman, however, does not hesitate. He charges at Ranar, bent low over his horse’s neck with his arm outstretched as he seeks to place his tulwar’s point in the dwarven warrior’s heart.

Hayu scampers to the flank as Ranar and the horseman clash. Ranar’s axe swings first, but merely glances from the Wazifi’s shield. In return, the horseman’s swordpoint sneaks past Ranar’s defence, but is stopped cold by the dwarf’s substantial armour.

As the other horseman hesitates, Sasha stamps a foot and a firehose of dirt sprays from the ground behind the tree he is sheltering beside. Meanwhile, Thwip’s rifle wavers but remains aimed at the chest of the stationary horse.

Photo 19-7-17, 10 32 19 pm.jpg902×777 218 KB

[Player cue: Ranar, you’re in a lively melee; you don’t have any attention to spare for the events near Thwip and Sasha. Thwip: shoot or not? Sasha: the Fear spell fizzled, but you’ve got a nice little hidden pit dug between Thwip/yourself and the horseman, although Thwip is not aware of that. Hayu: hang back, or try to help Ranar? If so, how? Sorry for the delay on this one; been a bit unwell.]

45

Thwip

Thwip holds his shot. He shouts at the hesitant horseman once more in Arabic.

“Retreat or you vill be killdt!”

47

Hayu

Let’s make this interesting. These strangers have been kind enough to even out the odds, and she’s never been shy about returning a favour.

She takes two quick steps to the side, pulling out one of her knives. The downside to fighting on horseback is that it’s harder to fend off attacks from two directions at once. Sticking two fingers in her mouth she lets loose with an ear-piercing whistle, before letting fly with the knife.

48

GM POST

@DaakSyde @William_George @MalevolentPixy @strokeybeard @Macro

Scampering around a tree, Hayu snatches a knife and aims at Ranar’s foe. Meanwhile, Ranar lets his axe fall and snatches the rider’s leg, grinding bones under his ferociously strong grip. The Wazifi swordsman desperately hacks at the danger, but the dwarven warrior deflects the cut with the rim of his shield.

As Sasha aims his prodd, Thwip continues to shout his warning. Confused, the horseman looks to his embattled companion, and spurs his horse across to assist. As he does so, the horse steps directly onto Sasha’s pit, tumbling to the ground as the cavity collapses beneath it. The rider, however, smoothly rolls clear of his falling mount.

Unable to take a clear shot at the other man without risk of hitting Ranar, Hayu instead lets fly at the horse’s flank. Although the blade only lightly wounds the horse, the cut is sufficient to startle it. As the horse rears, the inevitable consequence of being anchored to a three hundred pound armoured dwarf takes effect, and the rider tumbles to the ground.

Dropping his shield, Ranar adds a second hand to his hold and gives the leg a mighty wrench. With a shocked scream and a loud crunch from his knee, the horseman’s lower limb twists into a direction that it was clearly never meant to go.

With a look of desperate panic, the third horseman scrambles to his feet and sprints back towards the first rider’s unoccupied mount. Upon reaching it, he flings himself into the saddle and gallops off back in the direction from where they appeared. He does not pause for a backward glance.

The rider on the ground faints as Ranar gives his knee a final twist. His mount turns and runs after the fleeing horseman.

[Player cue: you’ve got an unconscious rider at Ranar’s feet, a rider in unknown health on the ground out in the open and one seriously wounded horse trying to struggle to its feet]

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49

Thwip

– This was absolutely unnecessary. I am feeling deeply angry right now. I must focus though.–

In an attempt to keep the situation from making an even bigger outhouse splash, Thwip begins barking orders.

“Ranar! Grab wat healin’ kit yi kin and meet mi at t’ fallen man!”

As he begins trotting into the open towards the likely dead guardsman, he shouts at his new acquaintances. He points to the unconscious man who man never walk again.

“You two keep an eye on Ranar’s man tere. Ifin yi harm him furter yi’ll be answered t’ us.”

He runs out into the open, hoping that the adrenaline and air of authority is enough to keep the others from realizing they could easily beat him up.

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50

Ranar

Surprised at himself for haven gotten so carried away while dismounting his opponent, but satisfied that the attacker is out of action for the moment, Ranar grabs the horseman’s sword and tosses it a little ways into the copse. He then looks around to check on the others. As Thwip runs out into the open giving orders, he catches Sasha’s attention, nods, and points to the downed horseman with a ‘hold’ hand sign. Then, grabbing his shield and axe, he trots after Thwip.

Catching up, he positions himself between Thwip and the woods, as a bodyguard would, scanning to the east, where the riders had came from and one was retreating.

“T-th-they - w- we don’t know them.” he says, pointing back toward Sasha and the new arrival. “Or them.” pointing toward the fallen rider. “A-and the one that got away, may - might be - could bring - others.” A growl slips out. “Questions yes, but keep them short, we ne - must move soon. Find out what we’re now mixed up in.”

He looks over the fallen rider to see whether first aid could be useful, distractedly glancing back at the fallen horse.

51

Thwip

Thwip approaches the downed man. He stops just short and then turns to Ranar.

“I preciate yir freindship and admire yir skill at fightin. But we got t’ be smarter from now on. Were alone. We got a ring tat are friends all died fir. Were far from savety. We know notin about tos two tere. We do know tat tese are guardsmen and tey will be missedt. We can’t be shootin’ first because we don’t know ifin were ever gonna git home. We need t’ be clever and we need t’ get carful are were gonna git killdt.”

Thwip turns back to the man. “Let’s see ifin tey’re alife.”

Thwip sighs and says a prayer over the body.

“Ranar. We need t’ bury tis one. Could yi carry him fir me back to t’ trees? Ten we should tend to t’ hoss and t’ otter man.”

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52

Ranar

“Aye. ah… Understood.” Ranar nods, looking a little sheepish. But so far almost everyone in this land has tried to kill us, he thinks but doesn’t say. Still, the goblin seems wise and has proven capable. Maybe best to let him lead when meeting strangers in a strange land.

“No time for diggin’. The one that got away will send more, ‘n on horseback they’ll be movin’ faster so we’ll have to be movin’ first. We can at least give him dignity, though, as he died in battle. Then his family can bury him proper.”

Ranar straightens out the mans head and closes his eyes, placing hands on stomach and legs out straight, then draws the man’s weapon and places it in his hand. He solemnly hummed a bit of the Song of the Fallen Guardsman in honor (not realizing that the lyrics of the song that he was humming actually referred to getting falling-down drunk and it wasn’t really very honorable).

That done, he stands and turns to go patch up the horse. “I’ll tend to the horse as well as I can, you take charge of the others. Talk to the one was runnin’, and the one that’s downed if he’s able. Find out what that was all about. What he’s runnin’ from. Why they were chargin’ us. But not long, eh, we need to move quick.”

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53

Hayu

Hayu retrieves her knife from the ground where it fell from the horse’s flank and surveys the situation. One man down in the field, one at the feet of one of the two dwarves. A goblin argues with the dwarf about the use of violence, as though the guards hadn’t intended to do violence to her.

Her gaze turns to the remaining horse on the ground. It’s not in good shape. Without help quick, it’s going to be a long, painful death. Tightening her grip on the knife, she starts towards it.

54

Sasha

Sasha looks towards the man Ranar’s downed. Unconscious, good. Time to deal with the horse. He turns towards the new member of the group.

“Hey, you! Come hold this beast while I see if it can live.” With that he prepares to renew the animal’s connection with the Eternal.

55

Hayu

Hayu blinks, not at the address, but it’s rather that she’s somewhat surprised that there happens to be a healer handy and that he’s not prioritising the humans. It’s the beardless dwarf – and how strange is that, but to each his own, she guesses – but if he thinks he can help, better for it. It wasn’t the horse’s idea to chase her; poor dumb creature didn’t get a choice in the matter. If he can’t… Well, there’s still the knife.

It moves him up, in her esteem. Not just that he cares about the horse, but that he’s saving the arguments and interrogations until after the mop-up. Smart. Most people start squabbling before their heartbeats even slow down, which is why fallouts among thieves often get messy.

Murmuring softly, she takes the horse’s bridle, ready to jump if it tries to scramble to its feet. Bare feet and hooves don’t mix well, and her boots are in her pack. She barely had time to grab it from where she’d stashed it before running from town. Even that had nearly sunk her – there was at least one guard that wouldn’t be visiting the brothels anytime soon.

“Shhh.” She strokes the horse’s neck to calm it. She’s seen livery workers do the same thing with injured mounts. She hopes it’ll work.

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56

Eoin

The group gathers around the injured horse when they hear someone approaching for the other side of the copse.
Whoever it is, they aren’t being subtle. In fact, they’re singing in a broad lower-class Meglean accent. The singer’s hitting most of the right notes, but with far more enthusiasm than any real musical training.

"…with me,
Bonnie lass, won’t ye lie near me
I’ll gar all your ribbons reel
in the morning ere I leave ye

She takes the trooper by the hand…"

The song abruptly ends as an armed and armoured man, in a dark and dusty cloak, rounds a tree. He’s already switching to a greeting in Arabic.

“Peace be upon you, may I approach the…” the newcomer trails off as his eyes pass over the motley group gathered around the fallen horse.

From a goblin with one arm in a sling, to a dwarf in battered armour, and on to a midget…no, beardless dwarf and a beggar boy holding a bloody knife.

Then he quickly glances over the make-shift bundle of weapons, and the quietly moaning Wazifi lying in the undergrowth with a leg at an uncomfortably jaunty angle.

“And of course you’re bloody bandits,” he sighs in Anglish.

He continues without a pause, as he gestures ‘hold up’ and calmly walks around the camp-site maintaining a good distance from the group.

“Look, it’s been a long walk since the last lot. Could you at least give me a moment off my feet before you try and kill me?”

And with that he sits on a fallen log, his right-hand resting on his knee, his left on his belt. He looks at the others expectantly, over the camp fire.

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57

Thwip

Could you at least give me a moment off my feet before you try and kill me?

There is a deep sigh. There seem to be many of them coming from the goblin today.

– I’m starting to sound like that steam engine I tried to build when I was a boy. Hopefully I’ll avoid exploding like it did. –

“No bandits. I’m a seeker of knowledge and mi friend issa veterinarian. T’ beardless one tere makes tea and talks in riddles. T’ otter human seems t’ haff t’ magick ability t’ make strangurs kill guardsmen and we’ll haff t’ haff a talk wit tem about tat later.”

He waves the defeated enemy. “We haff an injuredt hoss, injuredt man, and a corpse. Ifin yi haff medikal skills we need help wit two off tem.”

He goes over to inspect the meager pile of loot and supplies. He addresses all within earshot. “I’m goin t’ try an set tat man’s leg an bind it. I couldt use t’ help off innyone wit a free hand.”

58

Sasha

Sasha eyes up Hayu as she soothes the horse and beyond her the soldier sat at the fire. Neither appears to be a threat so he deals with what’s in front of him. He presses his hands together and plants his feet firmly, concentrating on the solidity of the earth beneath his feet. He extends his awareness down into the ground, feeling the permanence of rock somewhere deep beneath him, attuning himself with the Eternal. He places his hands on the horse’s flank and gently reminds it’s flesh of the shape it ought to hold.

Moving over to the unconscious guard he repeats the trick, although with less care and effect. He glances at Eoin again, something niggling at the edge of his memory. Was there a fifth stone?

Addressing Thwip he says “The horse will be fine but this leg is beyond my powers. I do not know if his fate is to live or his fate it to die but he will breathe for now.”

Turning to Hayu he says “Hello Thief. I be Sasha DeStijl, Brother Protector of the Dark Places That Dwarves Must Go. I am fated to walk with Ranar,” he indicates towards the other dwarf, “and I am fated to walk with the Heathen,” he gestures towards Thwip, “and I am fated to walk with you. What trouble has fate brought us, that we must endure?”

59

Hayu

Thief! That’s quite the thing to assume at first meeting, despite the wild accusations of guards. “I didn’t do it, I swear.” She makes a quick sign of the Cross as she says the last words, opening her eyes wide and radiating sincerity. It’s the easiest thing to fake, after all. Citizens want to believe that people are basically honest. Her words are technically true. And if God didn’t like technicalities, He never would have created Jesuits.

As for Fate… Father Louis would have had a few things to say about that and so would have Hassan, but she doubts there’s time to get into one of those arguments right now.

“Those guys are going to be back, soon, and they’re going to bring a lot more friends. It’s good to meet you, Ser DeStijl, but I would suggest we save the getting to know yous until we’re somewhere less likely to be invaded by angry men with pointy metal things who aren’t going to be so interested in pleasantries and explanations of how it was all just a misunderstanding.”

60

Ranar

By the time Ranar’s short legs carry him back, the horse is looking much better. He nods wordlessly to the girl comforting it and kneels down to examine the wound. It’s in a bit of an awkward location, but after a moment he finally gets it packed and bandaged and sits back to repack his first aid kit - only to see the bandage fall off with the horse’s next deep breath.

His shoulders slumped, Ranar takes a few deep breaths of his own before continuing. “Easy girl, breathe normal, it’ll be fine.” After unpacking and carefully redoing the bandage, the horse seems to be breathing easier and the bandage staying in place. Another moment to see whether he’ll have to redo it again, and then he packs up, stands and walks to the campsite.

Thwip and the beardless one seem to have the downed guard taken care of, so he picks up his gear, readies his crossbow in one hand, and lifts the handle of the looted weapon pile in the other. Ready to go. The shaded moss looks so comfortable, but alas there’ll be no nap today.

He takes a look at the newest of the new arrivals, the one dressed like a guard or a raider, but not really acting like one. “Ey. M-m-may … N-not not a g … I wouldn’t sit for long. Raiders and guards and worse around here. Not the most welcomin’ place for travelers.”

61

Thwip

“I am in agreemendt. Let us make sure t’ dead man and the man we haff crippled has effry chance of getting home and ten we shouldt depart with haste. We are not… I don’t know t’ Anglish word. It’s ‘murderhoboz’ in Goblinese.”

Thwip looks over at Eabd’s armory and scans it for a few moments.

“Ranar. A guardsman who canna walk is destined t’ become a beggar witout some magickal healing. And I don’t tink tat a dead guardsman will haff much in t’ ways off safeings for his family. We shouldt leaf tem sometin t’ help pay for tese tings. Ifin anyting, these actions may keep tem from seeing us as mere bandits t’ be hunted doon fir killing one off tere own.”

Thwip looks back at the location of his friend’s new tomb, and then to where the guardsman rode off.

“We haff enouf trouble as it is witout having haff off al-Wazif after us. Mebee t’ mornin star?”

Assuming Ranar will carefully contemplate the loot and what would be acceptable to leave behind, he then addresses his three new companions. “Ifin yi haff a suggestion fir a direction tat won’t get us killedt, mi ears are as good as an elfs. We can discuss tings as we walk”

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