DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Hall of Fame - Latest Top 10 completed games HWD: The Heartwood HWD: Lady Yurisdotter's Quest - Pietro, Cesare and Kadri

The Heartwood
The Dirkwood Forest
To the Stone Wall
Attaday, the Eighth Day of Yrick

Cesare, Kadri, Pietro, Broke, Soft, Clever, Lockpick, Hard-To-Surprise, a pair of Rats and most of the Pack

“As soon as you can draw on your own travel cloaks.”

Clever answered Pietro sure and direct. The Rat was also correct; as soon as Cesare, Kadri and Pietro were ready he escorted them down the winding stairs, descending through Home and back out doors. They came into the morning light among the roots of the large, swamp surrounded tree, upon the makeshift arrangement of wooden docks and piers.

Others were waiting. All wore their own distinctly individual patchwork cloaks. The most active was the Guardian Pack, readying their armor and weapons. Like everything else in Home it was all darksteel Just on these docks this much metal was a wealth that would rival the coffers of Bordertown or Cragside. But here it was simply all they had to work with.

To one side stood a very tall and very slender Forest Kin. Her cloak was a bit unusual. It was made up of dark colored leather. In some ways it was reminiscent of a Montague cloak but with an important difference. Instead of being many shades of grey it was many shades of black. Clever made the introductions.

“This is our Lockpick. She doesn’t speak much. But do not worry. When she does, just remember she is one of us. She means no harm.”

He then nodded to a bigg’un, whose travel cloak was heavy wool with black metal fastenings. A piece of clothing obviously bartered for at their market day. He had wide set eyes and was straight out of the legends of the Second Age. Legends that spoke of witches dancing around a fire wearing helms decorated with antlers. Thus the woolen cloak made sense. This one was probably uncomfortable wearing deerskin.

“This is Hard-To-Surprise. He makes sure nothing comes through the Forest we are not expecting. If he says move, move. If he says be quiet, be quiet.”

Last were two of Clever’s Kin.

“These two? Well, it’s because on a Rescue you can never have enough Rats. Not that we are going on a Rescue today. But there may be Weasels.”

The coracles were drawn to the side and tied up. They would not be used today. It seemed Home had a small collection of punts. The small flat bottomed boats would be perfect for moving through the swamp and were used for fishing and similar day to day tasks by the Forest Folk.

They would be taking four of them. They all wouldn’t fit. It seemed that most of the Guardians would be shadowing them from shore. Not all of them were going. Broke, Wrath and Soft lead their escort. The black one called Wuff-Wuff and the Twins were staying.

It seems they never left Home completely undefended.

The trip up river was, for the most part, uneventful. But that did not mean it was without cause for concern. The deeper one went into the Forest the thicker the woods became. It was impossible to see more than a handful of feet past the riverbank. Every now and then one of their Guardians – the Tawny one named Flower or her white cohort – would appear at the river’s edge for a brief moment, reminding them that they were being watched. Clever also kept the boats relatively near to the banks. Even when they moved out into the river, so they would not pass underneath a set of overhanging ranches, they stayed with the range of One Fang’s bow.

One would think a branch would be the least of their worries. But when they passed close, the branches would move, the vines that hung from them would snake out, seeking the strangers inside their realm.

The wriver was neither blue, nor clear, nor green, nor any of the colors usually associated with water. The river was black and it looked like oil. The further they went the more the Forest itself seemed twisted and poisoned, as if with each passing moment they were getting closer to the Dirkwood’s dark heart.

“We do not know …”

Clever observed.

“We do not know how much of this is the Forest’s Curse or the fault of the Old Masters. The Curse is one thing, the Old Masters? They use things, they use them up and then just throw them away.”

Before the sun was even a quarter of the way towards noon they heard the dull roar of water falling. One turn later and the tree line moved back, the forest opening up and it was obvious that they had reached their destination.

Before them the broken and bare banks of the Blackwater rose up, creating a small ravine, perhaps thirty feet high and one hundred and fifty feet wide. Spanning the ravine, the source of the Blackwater was a solidly built stone structure. At first it seemed to be carved from a single piece of cold white marble. Only a closer look would reveal perfectly the fitted hairline joints between individual stones. It was a dam, and except for the size and craftsmanship, similar to those found across the mainland’s many mill ponds. Two spillways flanked a central tower, which had a crenellated top and an observation balcony, but as far as one could tell the structure was not occupied.

Loch Faast Keep - The Stone Wall

“Dwarves live longer then Men. Luckily for us, Dwarves prefer to stay within the keep.”

As they looked up they saw three of the Pack – Soft, Broke and a grey Guardian, sprint along the top of the dam and into the central tower. After a few minutes the grey wuff appeared at the balcony and waved.

“We can go up.”

Once the punts were safely dmoored, weel, that was when the strange thing happened. Pietro was given no time to decide how to get to the top of the dam before he found himself lifted from the ground and tossed upwards, very much like a child would throw a rock. Over the watchful eyes of the Forest Folk he arced upwards, from the ground to the balcony, held for a heartbeat above the stone and then – for the last few inches – unceremoniously dropped.

Cesare and Kadri were equally manhandled, for a moment knowing what is was like to fly.

When they arrived, Broke simply smirked.

“Rats.”

It took a little longer for the Rats and Hard-To-Surprise to join them. One of the Rats stayed with the boats.

The room beyond the balcony was more like a simple passage. The far side opened to a long bridge. On one side there was a door, made of heavy timber and reinforced by heavy black metal plates. It had a latch. As they watched the latch rattled and as if by itself the door opened. On the other side was the black-cloaked Forest Kin. She had opened the door. From the other side. That was probably why she was called Lockpick.

Beyond the door there were stairs leading up.

“Come …”

Clever led them to the top of the tower. Upon its ramparts one could look upon Loch Faast Keep.

The dam, obviously, created the lake. Just as shown on Tomomi’s map a long stone bridge lead from the dam to the Keep proper. The Keep was like a dam itself, but this one shaped like a ring. Along the ring were set several sets of odd structures. Each grouping was made up of two tall windmills, the blades slowly moving round and round. Between the windmills were two large wooden doors. They looked like sluice gates.

From the farthest two windmills, one on each side of the Keep ring, dark black smoke rose, billowing into sky like the land itself was bleeding upwards.

Clever shook his eyes and crossed his arms.

Loch Faast Keep - From Above

Loch Faast Keep - Keep Gatehouse

Loch Faast Keep - The Keep Proper

“Welcome to Loch Faast Keep.”

Pietro


The trip to the Keep was easy enough, the flat bottomed punts better handling than the coracles they had used before. Once they arrived, there was a lot to take in and Pietro stood, slowly turning to make sure he'd seen everything whether he'd yet understood it or not.

Then there was the gesture to come up and UP! he went, his breath catching in his throat in surprise but his natural agility allowing him to land softly on flexed knees.

"Thanks for the boost up... and the warning," he said in a sarcastic tone, the harshness of the tone softened by the grin he offered the rat who'd thrown him upward so easily.

Then, again, the squire looked around at the Keep. Despite himself, he was impressed.

"Do you think this place would provide a sufficient distraction if we destroyed it?" he asked the others.

Cesare

He had been forewarned by watching Pietro being thrown and so arrived in a more prepared and more relaxed manner. He too takes the time to look around and gain his bearings. The task now looks bigger and more difficult than before.

"How do we go in? Down the hole? And how easy is it to get back out?"

He keeps his voice pitched low. Then he looks at Pietro curiously.

"Destroy the dam? How would we do that and where would the water go?"

He is thinking that this might swamp Home, direction seems about right.

Pietro


"Don't know yet," the squire said with a shrug and a slight, crooked grin. "Just exploring our options."

He turned to Clever Rat with a questioning expression.

"What do you think... about Cesare's questions primarily, but what we should do about the dam, too."

Kadri:

"So ... In this setup - what do the windmills do, precisely? They look like a good point for chaos."

The Heartwood
The Dirkwood Forest
The Stone Wall
Attaday, the Eighth Day of Yrick

Cesare, Kadri, Pietro, Broke, Soft, Clever, Lockpick, Hard-To-Surprise, a pair of Rats and most of the Pack

“The lad has the right of it …”

Clever nodded to Cesare, as they discussed the dam upon which they stood.

“I suppose with enough Rats we could dismantle this dam. But in itself the Stone Wall is not a bad thing. I am sure those who wish matters as natural as they can be are affronted. But Home and the Blackwater have never flooded. Opposed to all the other rivers we have seen or been told, except for it’s cursed nature it is fairly well behaved when it comes to staying within its banks.

“I have been told the lake itself is quite pretty and would warrant if the curses upon it were lifted it would become a good place to fish.”

The Rat crossed his arms and peeked through the crenellations, to the Keep proper.

“I also suspect it would only be an inconvenience. The Mines are much deeper than the lake itself, so they could keep their machines operating as long as the water flowed. Last, they’d just repair it.”

Kadri’s question received further explanation to the workings of the keep.

“Consider the entire Keep a single, complicated mill. The vanes take the power of the wind to turn gears and axles. The water through the sluice gates turns wheels far larger than any others. They operate the sluice gates, as the gates are too heavy for even a team of dwarves to lift by themselves.

"Add to that pulleys and ropes and chains and you have Loch Faast Keep.

"Not only do they grind what needs to be ground, they make the forge’s trip-hammers work. Looms for stitching threads of darksteel. They mill air like water and draw good air from above to deep below and push the bad air out. They bring fresh water in and take bad water out. If we mine too well sometimes there is huge gout of blood and they keep the mines from being filled. They operate bellows and boxes for carrying folks up and down the shaft. More water wheels work the stone streams that carry the darksteel before it dries solid. They pull trolleys for carrying forged ingots.”

The Mouse in the black cloak added to the conversation in a droll and completely flat monotone.

“You can give a Dwarf a fish and he will have lunch. You teach a Dwarf to fish and he will make a mill to do it for him.”

The Lockpick paused, holding her dull words for a beat before continuing.

“And then send you back into the mines.”

Pietro


The squire shrugged and then flashed a quick grin in response to the mouse's quip.

"So, it's all very efficient and heartless. When I mentioned destroying the dam, I was just thinking in terms of a distraction."

Pietro looked from the mouse in turn to each of the others.

"As I understand it, there are two many of the dwarves for us to be able to defeat them one on one, so we need to distract them."

Kadri:

"So if the mills stop, everything ... stops? I"m not a mechanic. but it seems that if one wanted to stop the mines, longer term - the Mills would be where to act. They are the lungs, the muscles, the organs of the operations. Nothing moves without the mills. Not sure if that is practical to damage, but there it is."

Cesare

"The more I see, the more questions I have. And I feel further from a plan than I did back at Home."

He scratches his head and looks over at Kadri.

"I don't think the windmills are the answer either, probably too easy to fix.. and necessary for the forestkin's survival too. I know we hope we can free them all but we cannot guarantee it. Somehow we have to permanently damage the process for making the forestkin. But I don't have any idea how to do that. Maybe we need to see it?"

He looks at Clever.

"Is that possible? How risky might it be?"

Clever Rat and The Lockpick

"If the windmills stop, certainly parts of the Keep's machinery will no longer work. But yes, what we break, the Dwarves would be able to repair. It is what they do. So the true answer may lie elsewhere. And the Rhoni lad here, he has it right. While the mines are in operation they keep our Kin alive."

Clever responded to the questions in a general manner. As Cesare asked his last question, the Rat shared a slow look with The Lockpick and then shook his head.

"During the day, this is as close as we can get and still be safe. We could venture the long bridge, but if there is a watch on the Keep itself we will be spotted. You and the Pack may be swift, but Weasels are swifter. It would be a chance; if it went wrong, it would go very wrong very fast. That said, if you point something out the Lockpick could go visit it, come back and describe what she sees. Until she got seen.

"If we came back at night, we could put a boat in the lake and get right up to the Keep itself. Until a Weasel caught our scent.

"What we have going for us is that the Dwarves consider us a nuisance; their patrols are light and while not frequent, the where and when are unpredictable. We are a nuisance because steal one, maybe two, of our Kin at a time and not on any schedule either. For example, if we wanted to get one of you inside, that might be done. But not all of you, well at least not until we were actually doing this thing. And if you got caught, the Dwarves would know something was up. Do not underestimate the Dwarves, anything that has to do with this Keep comes at a risk. Some times we are lucky, other times we are not."

He looked out at the Keep again, peeking before returning to cover.

"It seems grim. Just remember, we have never had the resources we have today. We have never had help or the power of the Gods on our side. We do not have to kill the Dwarves. We just have to keep them at bay until our Kin have been rescued. Then we need to destroy the forges.

"Perhaps not all of us have to do everything all at once. We don't have to outnumber the Dwarves.

"We just have to be smarter then them."

At that The Lockpick simply leaned forward and rested her forehead against the stone and offered her own monotone response to that last statement.

"Ja. We are all going to die."

Clever did not seem put out at all by his Kin's dull words.


[[ OOC Note: That said, if you point something out the Lockpick could go visit it, come back and describe what she sees <<< OOC translation: if you look at the images and want to know what something is or how it might work (from an outside viewpoint) simply ask and Clever and The Lockpick should be able to answer your questions. If you have multiple questions like that, simply put them in one post! ]]

Cesare

He muses for a moment, details going around in his head.

"So you are saying that when we go in, it is best if that is the main event? These weasels, can we do something that could mask our scent? Maybe a few herbs?"

He pauses again, several herbs coming to mind but none of them ideal. Needs more thinking about.

"Or do something that would render their abilities useless, at least for a time? Would a freed weasel not side with you guys?"

His thoughts are tumbling over one another.

"The main thing is the forges. Do you know a way to destroy them? If not I need to know how they are constructed? Size? Shape? Material? Then maybe I can figure something out.."

Pietro


"I would like to know how the forges are arranged... what they look like, exactly where they lie in relation to each other and, like Cesare says, just what it would take to destroy them."

He looked at The Lockpick and shrugged.

"Eventually we will all surely die, but I see no future in planning on dying."

The Heartwood
The Dirkwood Forest
To the Stone Wall
Attaday, the Eighth Day of Yrick

Cesare, Kadri, Pietro, Broke, Soft, Clever, Lockpick, Hard-To-Surprise, a pair of Rats and most of the Pack

“Weasels…”

Clever Rat explained, whiskers twitching back and forth.

“Weasels serve the Dwarves. They cannot be freed because they are not in chains, they are not bound and they are loyal to their Masters by choice. One can no more take the Weasels away from the Dwarves than Coven Wolves their Priestess or a Black Unicorn their Star-touched. Our normal strategy, when dealing with Weasels is to run away and Rescue another day. We may not have that choice this time.

“As for hiding our scent, it has not been a need before. It could be possible.”

The Rat then looked towards the black cloaked Mouse. That Mouse was quiet for a bit, the wind teasing the hem of her patchwork travel-cloak. When The Lockpick answered, it was in a dull but definitive and straightforward monotone.

“Anything can be done with enough mushrooms.”

Clever narrowed his eyes and put his hands on his hips.

“No bouts of sneezing? No melting a hole through three floors of Home? No giggling soap bubbles? No turning anyone into strange colors?”

That last claim caused The Lockpick to straighten suddenly, as if affronted. When she replied, however, her words were still completely flat and without any hint of emotion.

“Pink is a perfectly good color.”

“NOT FOR A WUFF!”

The interruption came from a certain Guardian, barked a bit louder than wise. Broke crossed her arms and gave her little kin a most aggravated look.

“You are no Mouse. Mice are cute, kind, and caring. You are a demon in a Mouse suit.”

The Lockpick simply shrugged her shoulders and silently raised her hands, even with each other, flat and with her palms up. Clever looked between the two of them and sternly refocused the conversation, turning to the Mouse.

“Well?”

The Lockpick let out a long breath.

“Ja. Ja. Ja. You never let me have any fun.”

The Rat then returned his attention to Cesare and Pietro.

“The Forges? As I spoke before, there is not much we remember of them. But we can draw some legitimate conclusions. They are probably stone, steel and darksteel. Stone because it is what Dwarves work in, steel because they would have brought anvils and hammers with them and they needed first to make the tools to get a steady supply of darksteel. Darksteel because once they started to mine, they could make the forges better. They are located deep in the Keep.

“As for how the Keep itself is arranged – well that should be obvious. The keep halls are a series of rings descending the main shaft, with rooms scattered about the circumference. The windmills sit atop shafts running up and down, to bring air in and send smoke out, with tall axles to move gears in the Mills below.

“As for how those rings are arranged, we only know bits and pieces. Because of the way we Rescue, we only see small parts. The wuffs, they fight mostly on the stairs that run around the windmill shafts – when we have to run that way they slow down the dwarves and weasels until we have gotten to a place where we can flee.

“But there are folks who know more.

“Tomomi was a Good Mouse. They used her to send messages throughout the Keep. The Young Master probably knows more about the prison cells and answering question rooms than others. You can ask them when we get back.”

The Rat looked across the lake.

“Have you seen enough? If so we should return Home.”

Pietro


There was more he felt he needed to know, but the squire could not think of what question to ask or how to word a reasonable query.

"I suppose we could return and ask... the young master."

Cesare

He nods, looking thoughtful.

"Best not to put them on any state of alert should they detect our presence now. We will need every element on our side if we are to do this thing - fate, luck and surprise."

He looks at Clever.

"Can we climb down? I don't fancy being dropped."

The tone is dry but the eyes do hold a glint of humour.

Kadri: "yes, perhaps for the best."

She is still pondering the windmills, the forges - all of it. There had to be some way to put things out of commission.

The Heartwood
The Dirkwood Forest
At the Stone Wall
Attaday, the Eighth Day of Yrick

Cesare, Kadri, Pietro, Broke, Soft, Clever, The Lockpick, Hard-To-Surprise, a pair of Rats and most of the Pack

Clever looked back to Cesare at that pronouncement.

“I have never let anything drop in my life.”

To which, of course, The Lockpick had a very predictable deadpan answer.

“There’s a first time for everything.”

That got the black-cloaked Mouse a cuff at the back of the head.

“Now, Mister Cesare, Master Squire and Lady Kadri. If you remembered to bring rope with you, you can probably climb down after a while. Or you can trust us to do what we were made for. Moving things. Holding things. Making sure things go where they are supposed to.

“And if you don’t trust us now, this whole thing isn’t going to work. We are trusting you, after all.

“This thing is truly beyond us. Now it might not seem right, but all of us were good at what we did. We know how to follow what we’ve been told. But the planning of this, that’s you. But you say you can do it and we believe that.”

It would take a bit, one way or another, to return to the base of the dam.

“But you start simple I suppose. Day or night? Over the bridge or over the lake? How do you want to get into the halls?


It’s all in how you ask the questions that determines your answer.”

Then followed the trip back in the little wooden boats.

“If you need more of us, we’ll be taking your boats too.”

The trip back was easier – and faster – than the trip out to the Stone Wall. When they reached Home their escort busied themselves on the small piers and boardwalks. While the Rats did so, from the woods the Pack had gathered, with Soft dragging Broke down the trail for a private talk. One Fang vanished into Home quickly, while Wrath and the others tarried on the makeshift docks.

As Clever tied the boats to the sturdy wooden posts he gave each of them – Cesare, Pietro and Kadri a long look.

“So what is next? When do we go?”

Pietro


The squire did not remember saying he could do this, but it was not that big of a stretch from he would try to he could do. Not worth arguing about anyway.

"I am willing to trust you, if only because I have to," he said with a restrained smile. "We will all need to trust each other if we are to have a reasonable chance of getting through this successfully."

"And alive."

"The three of us will have to talk first," he said to the Forest Kin as they made their way back to the camp, "so at least we will know what questions remain to be answered."

In response to Clever's last question, Pietro scowled and shrugged.

"I do not know yet. But dark is usually better than light for stealthy maneuvering and sooner is better than later."

Cesare

"I do trust you. Just that it is.. disconcerting to suddenly be manhandled."

He winks at Clever, showing there is no offence.

"And yes, we still have questions that need answers. No point in rushing off, getting deep into the mine to find we need a tool and don't have it. We'll talk to Lord Dominic and see what we can come up with."

Kadri:

"I trust, and yes I agree that dark is better than light for misbehaving. "

Cesare

"It is for us but if dwarves see perfectly well in the dark, why give them the advantage? And what of weasels? Though, by the sound of it, with their noses it probably matters little. It will be dark underground I assume?"

Kadri

"It would not be a significant advantage ... over me. I have my ways of getting along just fine with my old friend darkness. It may well hinder the rest of you though, that is true." They may think me more hindered by the darkness than I am, which would be its own sort of advantage."

The Heartwood
The Dirkwood Forest
Home Again
Attaday, the Eighth Day of Yrick

Cesare, Kadri, Pietro, Broke, Soft, Clever, The Lockpick, Hard-To-Surprise, a pair of Rats and most of the Pack

They had made decent time in their return and Home had not slept. Looking up into the tall treehouse one could easily tell that it was a bustle of activity. The Forest Folk had their daily tasks of life, from fishing and hunting to preparing the upcoming meal to cleaning, gathering water, making crafts to sell at Market and stitching together patchwork clothes and their distinctive travel cloaks.

Choosing a wooden pier to sit on, The Lockpick listened dispassionately to the conversation, all wrapped up in her night shaded cloak. She did, however, place her face in the palms of her paws as the conversation went on.

Clever continued to discuss matters with the three, hands folded at the small of his back.

“I would agree that night and a clandestine approach would be best – we have never tried a rescue of this scale and the cover of night will best hide our numbers. As for sooner?”

The Rat glanced to the side, catching the gaze of the Pack Leader. Broke simply nodded, a silent confirmation of an unspoken request.

“The Guardians can be ready before dusk. I can gather my companions – our rescuing folk – but you will need to ready yours. Think on what you will want to bring; we have much in Home – ropes, blades, lamps, whatever you may think we need.

“Where to go down – you have seen the Keep. There is the main gate and the front passageways into the Dwarven realm. There are the windmill shafts, they dive straight down into the mills and heart of the Keep. Do we go down as one group or as two? Swift or subtle? Do not forget darkness is a two edged sword; it hides everything from everyone.

“As for talking to the Young Master, I suspect he is inside with the other Mice. He is a soft for them.

“But in the end, Squire, Rhoni-Lad and Dama we shall follow your lead.

“We will be ready for you by the end of the day.”

The Lockpick reached up and just waved her hand. She spoke one word.

“Sunset.”

Clever just shrugged his shoulders.

“Fine. Sunset.”

Cesare

"I know you are all eager to rescue your kin but we still need to have some idea of how to destroy the forges but maybe we can find that out by talking to the Young Master."

He nods to them.

"We will go and find him."

He heads inside.

Pietro


The squire of Lord Rames nodded and turned to follow the young Rhoni man.

Kadri's well follows.