HWD: Lady Yurisdotter’s Quest: The Rescue - All - READ FIRST - Mon 10/04/17 02:27 UTC
The Heartwood
The Dirkwood Forest
Home Again
Attaday, the Eighth Day of Yrick
Bekkah, Cesare, Kadri, Keiko, Lyric, Pietro, Tomomi, Dominic Korie, Miss Emerald Mouse, Broke, Soft, Clever, a pair of Rats and most of the Pack, Lady and various and sundry other Forest Folk
From his spot against the wall, near the window shared by mouse and companion, near the spot claimed by the Pack’s First and Second, beneath the gaze of Home’s mistress and behind a concerned clever rat a shadow grumbled a bit, a soft, hard to notice sound that made a pair of round ears perk. Dominic, in turn, nodded once. He looked between Lady and Clever, met Broke’s gaze before tugging up the collar of his black cloak, so they stood tall and proper.
He looked between Lyric and Keiko, head canting a bit as if making a mental note. Cesare’s silent nod was matched by one equally simple. Pietro was leveled a measuring gaze, one that seemed to see nothing unexpected, which, in turn, was exactly what he didn’t expect. Which left Kadri, who got a slow exhalation and last, for Lady Bekkah, an odd small and world weary smile accompanied by the shrug of his shoulders.
He waited for a moment, for a heartbeat and then whispered, a whisper that could only be heard by those next to him or if you had the ears of a beast. When he did speak he slowly nodded.
“I’ll go with the majority counsel.”
It was clever that spoke next, to address two concerns, one brought up my Pietro and the other by Lyric.
“What do you think, Squire? They will be scared, they have never seen the sky. How does one understand what freedom is when it has never been had? What would you do if a stranger asked you to do something that would normally get you punished or thrown away? Will they do what all scared people do? Will they freeze, will they hide, will they run in all directions but the right one?”
His attention then turned to Lyric.
“Your choices are good, they are acceptable. Deer and cattle are strong for moving things, they lift and they break. Raccoon are clever. They do a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Alone they can only do fine things, together can manipulate more. You have placed them well. The Mice, just remember, they can go places but they can take no more than what they wear and a knife. Or two. They can get to places but they cannot pull anyone out of the Mines.
“As for the Pack?”
Broke raised her head and offered the minstrel a very dangerous looking smile, one all filled with sharp teeth.
“Just make sure you keep up, Minstrel.”
And that would probably be true. Once they started down into the Keep they could not afford to stop.
The most disturbing thing, however, was not the Keep itself or what would happen come the fall of night. It was the silence that claimed the commons after Broke set her head back down upon her arms.
… slowly the sun fell into the west, its path marked by a square of sunlight that slipped along the floor. The closer it got to the far wall, the more elongated it became, the more the commons emptied as the Forest Folk made their preparations. One by one, until it was more than empty. There was no one left to see that loneliness, of a place whose family had left it behind while on a deadly quest, not knowing who would return, if any.
If the fates were kind, maybe the hall would fill again with laughter.
Maybe …
Cesare’s concerns were partially resolved. When the Rhoni came down to the docks there was, indeed, a veritable fleet for the Talantal Admiral to command. There were punts of many sizes, the coracles they had made, a set of simple rafts and several other hand crafted boats he had never seen before – narrow things either carved from logs or with sap sealed bark laced to a wooden frame.
Inflatables, however, would have to wait another several hundred years to be invented.
Keiko’s first concern was also resolved. Just before she stepped down the stairs towards the pier, Lady handed her a pack.
It was full of ribbons.
Some of the boats would be towed behind the others as the Forest Folk had the advantage of being able to travel through the Forest. They were not river bound like those who would be affected by the Forest’s curse – that was anyone not of Mother Nature or the Horned God. If things became rough it wasn’t as if they had to return to Home in the boats; just ferry those from the mines to the shore.
The trip to the Stone Wall was quiet. It was specifically timed – something Clever had pointed out from before, timing was essential. They arrived at the large dam just as the Sun set, her light very quickly abandoning the sky to the stars. Just as before those who could not climb the smooth Dwarven construction were lifted to place by Clever and his kin. When Pietro and Bekkah were tossed to the balcony of that first set of towers the Pack was already there, waiting.
The boats came next, set into the lake, and then the others.
From there the groups set to their appointed tasks.
“Lets take a boat …”
Dominic nodded to Keiko and Tomomi, commandeering one of the punts and finally answering the Rhoni wanderer’s question.
“We may want to save that manner of travel for emergencies. I have been told it’s kind of like being drunk.
“If you are a pint of Rory’s ale.”
Lyric, Kadri and the Pack took up a good portion of the remaining watercraft. This also included a collection Rats, one raccoon, a group of Mice and The Lockpick. She sat at the very back of a punt, clutching a small crockery cup-like thing with a wide cork pressed tightly into its top. Her cloak had a hood. Now that got a reaction from across the way. A certain Korie lordling looked more than a little jealous. As everyone moved into their appointed boats The Lockpick spoke up with a covetous whisper.
“If you drink this, it’ll totally ruin a weasel’s ability to track you by smell …
“… does anyone want it?”
Cesare’s small flotilla included a pair of deer, a triplet of rats, a mouse-girl and a passel of raccoons, including the lass from the night before.
Which left Bekkah, Pietro, several of the larger Forest Folk and Clever’s group at the end of the long bridge that led to the keep’s main gate. At those gatehouses Pietro would set his diversion; he could not just set himself in the middle of the bridge, his task was to draw them out and keep their attention.
No matter what the cost.
The Dirkwood Forest
Home Again
Attaday, the Eighth Day of Yrick
Bekkah, Cesare, Kadri, Keiko, Lyric, Pietro, Tomomi, Dominic Korie, Miss Emerald Mouse, Broke, Soft, Clever, a pair of Rats and most of the Pack, Lady and various and sundry other Forest Folk
Quote:
Fiat justitia ruat caelum
- High Imperial proverb, attributed to Lord Vers Hastur during the Shattering Wars.
- High Imperial proverb, attributed to Lord Vers Hastur during the Shattering Wars.
From his spot against the wall, near the window shared by mouse and companion, near the spot claimed by the Pack’s First and Second, beneath the gaze of Home’s mistress and behind a concerned clever rat a shadow grumbled a bit, a soft, hard to notice sound that made a pair of round ears perk. Dominic, in turn, nodded once. He looked between Lady and Clever, met Broke’s gaze before tugging up the collar of his black cloak, so they stood tall and proper.
He looked between Lyric and Keiko, head canting a bit as if making a mental note. Cesare’s silent nod was matched by one equally simple. Pietro was leveled a measuring gaze, one that seemed to see nothing unexpected, which, in turn, was exactly what he didn’t expect. Which left Kadri, who got a slow exhalation and last, for Lady Bekkah, an odd small and world weary smile accompanied by the shrug of his shoulders.
He waited for a moment, for a heartbeat and then whispered, a whisper that could only be heard by those next to him or if you had the ears of a beast. When he did speak he slowly nodded.
“I’ll go with the majority counsel.”
It was clever that spoke next, to address two concerns, one brought up my Pietro and the other by Lyric.
“What do you think, Squire? They will be scared, they have never seen the sky. How does one understand what freedom is when it has never been had? What would you do if a stranger asked you to do something that would normally get you punished or thrown away? Will they do what all scared people do? Will they freeze, will they hide, will they run in all directions but the right one?”
His attention then turned to Lyric.
“Your choices are good, they are acceptable. Deer and cattle are strong for moving things, they lift and they break. Raccoon are clever. They do a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Alone they can only do fine things, together can manipulate more. You have placed them well. The Mice, just remember, they can go places but they can take no more than what they wear and a knife. Or two. They can get to places but they cannot pull anyone out of the Mines.
“As for the Pack?”
Broke raised her head and offered the minstrel a very dangerous looking smile, one all filled with sharp teeth.
“Just make sure you keep up, Minstrel.”
And that would probably be true. Once they started down into the Keep they could not afford to stop.
The most disturbing thing, however, was not the Keep itself or what would happen come the fall of night. It was the silence that claimed the commons after Broke set her head back down upon her arms.
… slowly the sun fell into the west, its path marked by a square of sunlight that slipped along the floor. The closer it got to the far wall, the more elongated it became, the more the commons emptied as the Forest Folk made their preparations. One by one, until it was more than empty. There was no one left to see that loneliness, of a place whose family had left it behind while on a deadly quest, not knowing who would return, if any.
If the fates were kind, maybe the hall would fill again with laughter.
Maybe …
Cesare’s concerns were partially resolved. When the Rhoni came down to the docks there was, indeed, a veritable fleet for the Talantal Admiral to command. There were punts of many sizes, the coracles they had made, a set of simple rafts and several other hand crafted boats he had never seen before – narrow things either carved from logs or with sap sealed bark laced to a wooden frame.
Inflatables, however, would have to wait another several hundred years to be invented.
Keiko’s first concern was also resolved. Just before she stepped down the stairs towards the pier, Lady handed her a pack.
It was full of ribbons.
Some of the boats would be towed behind the others as the Forest Folk had the advantage of being able to travel through the Forest. They were not river bound like those who would be affected by the Forest’s curse – that was anyone not of Mother Nature or the Horned God. If things became rough it wasn’t as if they had to return to Home in the boats; just ferry those from the mines to the shore.
The trip to the Stone Wall was quiet. It was specifically timed – something Clever had pointed out from before, timing was essential. They arrived at the large dam just as the Sun set, her light very quickly abandoning the sky to the stars. Just as before those who could not climb the smooth Dwarven construction were lifted to place by Clever and his kin. When Pietro and Bekkah were tossed to the balcony of that first set of towers the Pack was already there, waiting.
The boats came next, set into the lake, and then the others.
From there the groups set to their appointed tasks.
“Lets take a boat …”
Dominic nodded to Keiko and Tomomi, commandeering one of the punts and finally answering the Rhoni wanderer’s question.
“We may want to save that manner of travel for emergencies. I have been told it’s kind of like being drunk.
“If you are a pint of Rory’s ale.”
Lyric, Kadri and the Pack took up a good portion of the remaining watercraft. This also included a collection Rats, one raccoon, a group of Mice and The Lockpick. She sat at the very back of a punt, clutching a small crockery cup-like thing with a wide cork pressed tightly into its top. Her cloak had a hood. Now that got a reaction from across the way. A certain Korie lordling looked more than a little jealous. As everyone moved into their appointed boats The Lockpick spoke up with a covetous whisper.
“If you drink this, it’ll totally ruin a weasel’s ability to track you by smell …
“… does anyone want it?”
Cesare’s small flotilla included a pair of deer, a triplet of rats, a mouse-girl and a passel of raccoons, including the lass from the night before.
Which left Bekkah, Pietro, several of the larger Forest Folk and Clever’s group at the end of the long bridge that led to the keep’s main gate. At those gatehouses Pietro would set his diversion; he could not just set himself in the middle of the bridge, his task was to draw them out and keep their attention.
No matter what the cost.