DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Hall of Fame - Latest Top 10 completed games HWD: The Heartwood HWD: To Waverider's Watch

Mikal

He chuckles. "Bash it to bits is more like it. People are going to start becoming unwelcoming if this reputation spreads."

He nods at Pietro. "Alright. Keiko was staying with the Miller's so lets start there."

Pietro


"Yes, let us go."

The squire shouldered Lyric's haversack and followed Mikal outside.

Likewise with Kadri.

Cesare

As he is already outside looking around, he will fall in with the others on their voyage of discovery.

Bekkah

She left Lyric, Keiko and Tomomi behind and headed towards where she could see her friends coming towards her.

She actually blushed as she approached them. Being in the spotlight was not something she was used to. At least when it wasn't a situation requiring healing.

"Noticed that, did you?" she said trying to make a joke to calm herself, for despite how she looked, she was still feeling both tired and euphoric.

Pietro


The squire nodded and saluted the follower of Attera, but his expression was more than a bit puzzled.

"It would have been difficult to miss."

Pietro looked around, especially in the direction from which Bekkah had come.

"Do you know where Miss Lyric is?"

Mikal

"Noticed what?" He deadpans, with a delayed smile. "You know, if you want to be treated like everyone else you really should stop doing earth shaking things."

Kadri:

Kadr played right along with the joke.

"I understand, Bekkah. I mean, you were feeling left out in the earth shaking changes bit, although after the Tray business I have no idea why."

She says dryly.

"But isn't this overcompensating just a little bit? "

She winks at her and grins.

"Actually, what IS this? Or can you even say? I'd wager that was noticed quite a long ways away, by everyone with a pulse and probably by some without."

Pietro


Spotting Lyric moving away toward what he thought was a farmhouse with Keiko and a small person with whom he was not familiar, Pietro looked from those three to Kadri, Mikal and Cesare.

"I will be back in... well, I hope not too long a time." He gestured to the haversack slung over his shoulder.

"I need to get this to Lyric."

The squire grimaced and shrugged.

"If I am not back before you need to leave, Mikal, I am sorry, but I will try to return in time."

[OOC: Continued in the other thread.]

Cesare

"It felt.. awesome. So what momentous thing have you and your Goddess achieved here?"

Bekkah is Bekkah and a part of their group, something he has been thankful for many times. In fact he is standing here now entirely due to her. But this is on a different scale and he wants to understand what has happened. He knows it must be very important, life changing.. but how?

Bekkah

She let them each speak. She stood looking both tired and glowing. She had a simple smile on her pretty face.

"Yes, I do owe you all an explanation and an apology."

"The result you all felt were obviously not my doing but my Lady's. It was far more demonstrative than I would have expected. Although it was a large favor that I had requested of her so I suppose, I should have expected it."

"Let me back up a bit to tell you everything in order because I have a favor to ask of you all."

She looked around and there was no good place to sit, so she sat on a step, not explaining about being tired, that was probably obvious.

"Marektday intrigued me. Well specifically the forest folk. As some of you probably saw, I went to see if I could learn more and it caused quite a stir. They are quite nervous, especially around strangers. Even without touching one of them, I could sense the problem but I'll get to that in a bit."

"After Keiko removed me from the situation, I spent some time speaking with Renyard and Keiko. They began to trust me and my curiosity got the better of me and I went with Keiko and the forest folk back to their village, deep in the forest."

She bowed her head in a shameful gesture.

"I apologize for that. I should have told you where I was going and you all have the right to be upset with me. I did not think it through and I'm sure I made you worry. Again, I'm sorry but my curiosity got the better of me. Well that and I still thought perhaps I could help."

"We ventured to their village, not a trek I'd want to consider without the big ones at my side. I met many of their kind and I heard their story. Well, more correctly an incident made their story a bit more clear and they explained it to me."

"What I had senses in them is that they had no souls. This was why other Imperials had persecuted them. They weren't even considered people. But what I saw were a caring folk, a folk that were better in character than many so called real people. They cared for each other, they wanted nothing but peace. Even their One Rule was basically peace."

"They told me the whole story. They had been created, or converted from forest animals into people like versions of themselves. They'd been constructed by the Dwarves so that they would work in their mines. A dirty, dangerous task, but they didn't care if their workers died, they would just make more. But these folk refused to do the dwarves bidding and they escaped."

"So, instead of being tools for evil, they sought to try and integrate into a different life, but they were rejected by my closed minded brothers in spirit." she said this last with a disgusted and sad tone.

"I did not know if I could do anything, but I vowed to try. And that brings us to today. I spoke with Goddess and she knew what I knew and she found my plea worthy. The forest folk will never again be considered less than others in terms of worth. I had to offer a portion of myself to make my plea. But as my Lady pointed out, this is but a beginning. These folk are now better, but in a big way, they are not. They are a people under brutal overlords, treated as nothing more than tools."

She looked at each of them as she took a deep breath.

"I want to stop them but obviously, I have no means to do that alone. I need my friends."

"Mikal, I have a good feeling that I can find an army for you. I suspect that the forest folk would like nothing better than to help with this. They are smart, strong and are quite numerous."

"I will also speak to Sir Pietro. He may not have considered such an endeavor but he will help us as well." she said this last part with complete certainty. Those who understood the Imperial Gods, knew that he could not refuse her request.

"I wish, I had my sister's ability with speaking. If I did, I'd give you all an impassioned speech of righting wrongs, but I don't and I'm quite tired." she said with a small smile.

She then looked at Kadri and smiled.

"Kadri, you have good taste in a husband. He is well loved by the forest folk as he was one of the first people to help them in any way. He's quite famous amongst them. And I suspect Mouse who always seemed to be by his side will be quite stunned by my Lady's touch this day."

Mikal

He smiles at Bekkah's apology. "I will start to worry when you stop to tell me what you plan to do before you do it. That is when I know it will be truly dangerous."

He listens to the rest of the story, agreeing with what Bekkah and Attera did, but uncertain about her last point.

"So many, many questions come to mind, like are you asking us to rescue the Forest Folk from...., Dwarves? Do you, or the Forest Folk know where they are? How many Dwarves there are? How they are armed? What their mines look like? But beyond that, I am not certain I follow how the Forest Folk would help, or how they could be an army. They've taken a pledge of no violence. Are they going to abandon that?"

Kadri:

"There are many.any ways of contributing to a fight, my friend, that require no blade and no blood. These dwarves need to be taught humility. Bullies. And I have a certain opinion about bullies. One way or another, they are going to regret coming to my attention."

Mikal, Cesare and Bekkah probably well recognize by now her 'I aim to misbehave' face.

'But yes. First information. Would they be amenable to meet again?'

(That is MY presumption, but seems like a Zeim question)

Cesare

In his view people should be free. It is simple.

"I'll help."

He waits to see what he might be asked to do.

The Heartwood
Waverider’s Watch
The Dirkwood Forest
Rameday, the Sixth Day of Yrick

Bekkah, Cesare, Kadri, and Mikal

For all Her power as a Deity of Order, the actual days She marked by Her passage across the sky had a distinct habit of falling out of order — or at the least, not ending the way they had been planned that morning.

Another Goddess’ touch — the bolt and wavefront that had sped to the far horizon and most probably beyond — had shattered the morning plans. From the tower to the mill to the dairy barn, it had sent the day spiraling into disruption. Kadri’s small collection of companions lost Pietro, who continued further down the stairs into the village proper in search of Lyric.

They had, however, gained a Bekkah and learned what she had been up to the last few days. And that it indeed had been all her fault. Well, not all hers. There was a certain portion of the blame that Keiko, Renyard, Lady and Broke probably shared as well.

But that the quiet Atteran had just changed the world? That was certain.

Cesare offered aid, Mikal and Kadri had questions.

It would be a discussion that would take them deep into the afternoon, atop the Rock.

If this made Mikal’s trip to the southern fields even more imperative, the questions to be answered would need to wait until evening. However, Pietro had been absconded by the Heathersons. As the sun crossed overhead, tree harvesting on the morrow started to look better and better.

Otherwise, the watchtower might be a good location to have questions answered, conversations had, and plans made.


[[...please feel free to backfill conversation as you wish... I ask that any interaction with the other thread wait until late afternoon...]]

Bekkah

She couldn't help but give Mikal her most innocent look before answering his questions.

"Well this might well be that time, although I'm hardly the one to plan anything. I think Renyard, Lady and Broke can answer some of your more specific questions. For my part, the point my Lady made quite clear is that it does little good to give the forest folk a soul, only to leave them in captivity and torment. I don't think we are looking to rescue others so much as we need to make sure the dwarves can no longer twist creatures into their slaves."

"How to do that exactly? Well that is why I'm telling you this. You can hardly expect me to do everything, I'm but a simple healer after all." she said again, looking as sweet and innocent as any maiden.

"I suggest we get with others and discuss it. If my guess is right, some of the forest folk will come to us."

Mikal

"Yes. We should be ready, with questions and answers, if they will truly come back. Although", he shrugs at Bekkah, "I doubt they would want to talk to me. Apparently Broke believes I am a sadist who tortures women and children and pulls the wings off flies."

He glances at Kadri. "Best for you to talk to them. She doesn't strike me as the sort to apologize, and I am not certain I could maintain my temper if she didn't."

Madrid:

She spreads her hands.

"I can talk, hear her out. Liking her or not, the situation Bekkah describes can't be allowed to continue. And if that needs to go through Broke, sobeit. But I'm going to need your input even if I have to be the channel of your questions.'

Mikal

He nods. "I agree. People cannot be left in bondage if we can help them. I'll give you some questions beforehand, or perhaps I can talk with the others, Lady and Reynard? They seemed more reasonable."

Cesare

"Where do these dwarves live? In the forest?"

It doesn't seem a likely location for dwarves.

Kadri:

"When it comes to tactics, Mikal - Broke or no - the questions are coming to you. You know me."

She winks and grins.

"My pretty little head is none to bright about such things."

Mikal

"Well, we need to know lots of tactical things. Such as:

Where are they?
How many of them are there, both Dwarves and Forest Folk?
How are they armed?
What does their complex look like and how can we get in?
Can we sneak in or do we have to try to get inside in disguise?
Do we even have to get in, perhaps they take the Forest Folk outside from time to time to do something and we can wait in ambush?
Even a possibly very simple solution that would allow the Forest Folk and us to not break their One Rule, can we purchase them from the Dwarves and then just free them?"

He shrugs. "I am sure other questions will spring from these but it's a start."

The Heartwood
Waverider’s Watch
The Dirkwood Forest
Rameday, the Sixth Day of Yrick

Kadri, Cesare, Mikal, and Bekkah

Like sand through an hourglass, any chance to travel out into the fields had now slipped away. The sun had traversed across the sky, now painting the western horizon as She started to set. The morrow would be good for venturing beyond the Rock to find material for lances. At the least, this was a goal they could control.

The other one they wished to talk to, the little village’s boss guardian... the only thing they knew about her was that she sometimes showed up at the Amber Inn and her only regularly scheduled appearances seemed to be Marketday. Otherwise, they knew of no other way to contact the swordswoman. Keiko seemed acquainted with her, but whether or not she could summon the guardian was something that would have to be asked.

Cesare’s question did bring up one of the darkest legends of this Age. Indeed, there could be Dwarves in the Forest. Very early — once the Imperial armies had conquered all the Noble Keeps and forced Dawnview’s allegiance — it seemed an Imperial Prince by the name of Faast Bankorpool did indeed enter the Dirkwood Forest. The stories said he did not go alone. He was accompanied by his guard — the company of a Cathedral cadre of Knights and Squires of Rames, and Brothers of Hastur, as well as a gathering of the strange, stout people known as Dwarves.

It was the only story of Dwarves on the mainland... at least, on this side of the Black Mountains. On the other side, Cesare could remember a bedtime story or two where they were mentioned as being the smiths that crafted the finest weapons for the Eastern Princes. That said, much like any tradesman on the other side of the Mountains, whether or not this was by their own will was a debatable question.

With the sun on the far horizon, that left little time to complete anything they wished to do today.

Otherwise, they would have to wait until She rose again. Even if they waited, there was a benefit to that.

It was one day closer to Marketday.