Following after Tawil out the door, the party heads to the left to the storehouse. It is nearly as large as the manor they were just in, but not as ornate. It stands tall and wide, clearly two stories high, and is guarded by a single man at the entrance. "So you've agreed to the Lord's request?" the man asks, his tone hopeful.
A Tale of Two Orphans — IC
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Aye, we have," Valcus says in response to the storehouse guard. "I assume you have been briefed as to why we are here?" the knight returns, not interested in having to explain himself once again today.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Yes," the man says with a nod. "The lord has been worrying about the refugees ever since they started pouring in. Your return, and the tales of your success, gave him great hope. He decided to ask you to help them only earlier this morning, after the mercenary captain came to visit."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Correct," Valcus says, nodding. "We will be taking on significant responsibility by escorting these refugees. Have the supplies Lord Lorkan allotted us been organized yet? We haven't been privy to the exact details, in the interest of time."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Sort of," the man says. "I've been instructed to make sure a minimum amount of various things remain in the store house, but I've been told you are free to take whatever you think you will need of the rest. It is up to you to decide what it is you will be taking with you. Shall I show you in?"
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Certainly," Valcus says. "Please, show us in. It might also be appropriate to have a head-count for the number of people that we will be taking with us. I want to ensure we don't take too much from your supplies in case of a siege, but it is imperative we have enough food and such for the refugees on our journey."
He turns to Caelen. "You are the best scout of the group, nobody can deny that. Perhaps you can get an estimate of refugees we should account for." The knight says, facing the guard again. "That is, unless you have someone on hand who can do the same?"
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Did you say he decided to ask only after the mercenary captain visited him? Do you know what they talked about?" Caelen asks the man, now aware of the captain's traitorous ways.
Turning to Valcus as the knight addresses him, the elf boy responds, "I can definitely try to get an estimate, but who knows how perfect it will be with so many spread all over the city."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Good question Caelen," Drake says, catching on to the elf's train of thought.
"If Captain Farjad convinced Lord Lorkan to send us away with the refugees, then it is very likely that it is exactly what the Imardanians want us to do. It could be a trap, or a ploy to make Greywood easier to capture."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
Rorin crosses his arms, thinking on the situation, then nods to Drake.
"I'd say it is a trap. One that we have to fall into due to our morals, or at least, so the captain suspects. Though, just conjecture here, I'm willing to bet we can't turn this job down. He'll just get someone else to take the refugees out of town, and then they'll be attacked, and we'd have to rescue them to keep moral up."
He sighs shaking his head, tapping his foot in frustration.
"It's a pretty simple ploy. Trap your opponent between helping the innocent, or being framed as uncaring. If we don't do something to break from that framework, we'll probably end up in a fair amount of trouble either way. Of course, this is all assuming that Lord Lorkan is in on this. If not, then we're jumping at shadows."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Yes, well, it is this way," the man says, his tone now much colder than before. He opens the large doors to the store house to reveal a space clearly designed to hold a lot of supplies. The areas to either sides of the doors are segmented off into different sections, separated by partial walls, and most of the sections seem roughly half full of whatever supplies they contain. Sacks, barrels, and crates fill many of them, though there is one that is simply a large pile of hay, and in the distance there appear to be a few more that are simple piles.
In the center of the walkway, which is a straight line perpendicular to the doors, there is a ramp of about 5 feet wide that gradually inclines up to a second floor. Light can be seen coming from the area up above, though from the angle it is not possible to tell what lies above.
"There is food down here, other supplies like tools and weapons above. I know how much of each needs to stay, so once you know what you're taking I can help you with loading up," the man says, glancing to Caelen. His demeanor has shifted to be clearly less friendly than he'd been before, though he still seems willing to help. "There are also wagons out back we can load things onto, if you've the animals to pull them."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
Valcus narrows his eyes as the others discuss possible nefarious dealings. Lord Lorkan seemed truthful and honest. But could the mercenary captain have tricked him -- and us?
"Not now," the knight says, feeling uncomfortable that the guard was near. "We can speak with Lord Lorkan later if there is anything we still need to clarify before leaving Greywood." As they continue inside, he notes the guard's colder tone.
"We've no oxen, but we do have horses. As long as we plan well, we should be able to pull a few wagons. Perhaps two horses per wagon, three wagons total. Caelen, maybe it is best if you try and get an estimate? We can start here and adjust when you've returned with a number." He steps alongside him for a moment, close enough for a whisper. "Bring the sellswords, as many as you can. Hurry." If this is a trap, then we might be safe. If not, then we have hands to help move."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
Nodding at Valcus' suggestion, Caelen sets off to begin getting an estimate on the number of refugees in the city. Deciding it best to start at the opposite end of the city and make his way back to the castle, the elf boy weaves his way through the crowds. As he walks, he tried to peer into buildings he passes, hoping to catch of glimpse of any refugees who reside within. Who knew so many people could fit within a city? Not that anyone is comfortable like this.
Meandering through the crowds, he mentally attempts to count the heads of those who look to be refugees, a difficult task, but one that must be done. He, however, remains wary of any sort of danger or trouble. Times like these also lead to more chaos and people taking advantage of that chaos.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
Caelen frowns as he strolls through the streets, seeing people in such desolate and desperate conditions, though there is little he can do to help them. Too often these faces of war are forgotten. Though some of the refugees choose to employ racist remarks, the elf merely brushes them off, not one to pick a fight with a refugee.
As the Serran mercenary approaches and speaks to him, Caelen's face is painted with confusion. "I'm sorry, you must have me mistaken for someone else," he says to the woman, unsure of who she is or what she meant. "I'm part of Lord Aerden's vanguard, not your mercenary band."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Guardsman, perhaps you can show us to the wagons?" Valcus asks, curious to see them. "We'll need to plan based on how much our horses will be able to pull. Small enough and one horse can pull the load -- too large and we'll require two horses per wagon."[/sblock]
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"There is one wagon you'd need two horses for, at least if it was full. The other three should be doable with just a single horse. They are this way," he says, leading Valcus, and whoever follows, back out of the building, around the side along a path. Towards the end of the left side of the building two of the smaller wagons are visible, backed against the structure. Around the corner, on the back side, can be found the other small wagon and the larger one. There is also a pile of wood and various scattered farm tools that look rusted, like they've sat in the same spot for years.
"These are the wagons. Typically we use them to haul grain in from the fields, or transport goods to nearby towns for trade, but with the war they've had little use of late. You can make much more use of them than we can while the invasion is still under way."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"These look like they should be able to do the job. I think we'll have plenty of supplies for those that we bring along," Valcus reasons, his hand resting on the larger of the wagons as he peeks over into it. "Do you have any men that can help us with the lifting and loading, or are we expected to do this ourselves?" the man asks. I'm no stranger to hard labor, but this could be accomplished much faster with more than a half-dozen of us. Hopefully the boy will bring us back some of the sellswords.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Yes we should start loading them as soon as possible," Drake says, the we in his statement not including himself.
"Regardless of how many refugees Caelen counts, we can at least assume a decent number," he adds.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"I was under the impression you were taking the mercenaries - some of them at least - with you. They should be able to aid in loading as well, I would hope," the man says.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"I haven't been to Greywood in weeks, so I can assure you it wasn't me," Caelen responds to the woman, hoping she gets the message. "If you don't believe me, you can ask your man Tawil, or we could see Lord Aerden himself."
Hoping to explain himself more, the elf boy adds, "I've been charged with estimating just how many refugees are in the city. Maybe you can help me get a more accurate count?"
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"I should hope. Though I hope they don't ask me to pay them for the manual labor," Valcus half-jests. Or anything for that matter. We have little coin, and much to do.
Sensing from Lord Aerden's attitude that it would fall upon Valcus to do the brunt of the work, he sighs inwardly and grabs hold of one of the empty wagons -- the largest. Nobles, the knight comments to himself. "Everybody, grab the wagons and we will bring them around front. We may as well start the process." Using his conditioned strength, the man does his best to handle the heavy cart and guide it around to the front of the building if possible.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"They are still under the employ of Lord Lorkan. They will do as they're told if they want to continue to receive their pay," the guard says. As he sees Valcus trying to move them on his own, and asking the others for their aid, he adds, "would you like me to have someone fetch your steeds for you? I assume you have something to pull these."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Please," Valcus nods to the guard. "They'll be stabled here in the city," he says with a grunt as he puts his weight into the cart, moving it to the front of the warehouse.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Hmm," the elf responds to the woman. "I guess it's too hard to get an exact count."
Seeing a golden opportunity given the day's events, Caelen decides the press the woman for knowledge on her former captain. "Say, what could you tell me about your former Captain Farjad? After showing his true allegiance to Imardin early, any information on him could be helpful in the future."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Some of the few horses left in these parts of Tulrisse I imagine. Not counting the Imardanian forces I'm sure," Drake muses as Valcus moves the cart.
"Let the mercenaries do that," he says, echoing the guard's sentiment.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
Strained by Lord Aerden's comment, Valcus continues to push the cart alone. If he will not get his hands dirty with the needs of our brethren, then perhaps I should lead these refugees instead. The man was no stranger to labor, growing up the son of a silversmith.
"The Serranborn will be here to help load the carts. We should all lend a helping hand as a sign of unity," he suggests calmly, his irritation witheld. "It would be wise for us prevent any possible tensions with those that we will travel with for some time."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"As I said before, if you don't believe me, you can ask Tawil yourself," Caelen repeats, unhappy with the woman's repeated denial. "Or you can speak to Lord Aerden or Lorkan about it." Hoping to ring his point true, he adds, "but I can assume you, I'm not trying to distract from anything. What I speak is the truth."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"I'm not sure why he would," Caelen responds to the woman, a look of sympathy on his face. "Maybe they promised him something he couldn't refuse. Land? Money? Power? I'm not sure." Realizing the woman's change in attitude given these new facts, he adds, "But I can guarantee that he turned against us on the battlefield, and fled with an Imardanian responsible for killing the Lord and Lady of Violet Keep."
"I'm sorry that you've had to hear this from someone you don't even know, I really am. But the truth remains, and I hope your mercenary band can move beyond this question of loyalties."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
Valcus dusts himself off, taking a moment to catch his breath. "Good. It shouldn't take too long to get these loaded and ready to leave the city," he reasons. The knight leans against the wall of the warehouse, waiting for Caelen to return with the estimate.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Yes, we should make our leave as soon as possible. The longer we spend here in Greywood, the greater the danger to those refugees," Drake replies.
"We can never stay anywhere too long. I fear the urgency of our endeavour is turning me into an impatient man," he laughs.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
Rorin nods to Drake, agreeing with the man.
"After Peloth, getting any refugees to safety would sit well with me. I could not do much for my home when the time came, so I suppose this is a bit of reparation for such."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"My thoughts exactly," Valcus admits, thinking back to the day of the attack on the castle. "The real victims of this war are the folk. Their lives have been thrust into chaos. Anything we can do to better things for them now is worth the effort, especially when it is en route to our important tasks at hand."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"I'm Caelen," the elf responds to the inquisitive man. "I'm part of Lord Aerden's group." With the guard now assisting in gathering up volunteers, Caelen adds, "Yes, and we should get back to Lord Aerden as soon as we've got enough men.
I'm sure the others are eager to know more on the refugee situation too."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
Valcus takes the reigns of his horse, muttering a thank-you to the guard before drawing it over to the wagon. Running a hand through its mane, he begins to look for or fashion a way to secure the soon-to-be-filled wagon to the horse.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
Valcus begins harnessing his mount -- then his allies' -- to their respective wagons. "Perhaps Stonefoot can haul this wagon," he says, pointing to the larger one with a yoke. "We might need another horse or an ox, though."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"With the Imardanians growing closer, the Lord wishes to have the refugees moved to safer lands east of here," Caelen responds to the mercenary woman. "I believe the Lord hopes that some of your mercenaries will help with escorting these refugees to ensure their safety. The roads aren't as safe as they used to be, after all. I doubt a band of highwaymen would think twice about preying on these poor people."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
Looking over the mounts brought to them, Valcus plans the loadout. "Lord Aerden will retain his steed -- the remaining five will pull the wagons. Embla and Rorin, yours will haul this larger wagon for two. Caelen's horse, my horse," he pauses for a moment, staring at the remaining mount. "And Zara's horse... these three will pull the smaller wagons."
He turns away, running his hand along Stonefoot's bushy mane. "This old man can keep hauling our personal supplies and gear."
The knight turns back to face his allies. "Once the Serranborn arrive, we'll start loading out. We should be heading out within two hours, I'd reckon."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
Drake nods in agreement with Valcus' plan, glad to retain his own horse.
"We should aim to acquire more horses if the opportunity arises. The beasts will be invaluable in our war effort," he says.
"Especially one for you," he adds, speaking to Valcus. "Mounted Tulrissian knights are some of the most powerful cavalry in the known world. And if we're to ensure your Lordship of Castle Halstos, we need to present you as a Lord."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
Valcus mouth wrinkled. He's right, on both accounts. The knight had trained very heavily in mounted combat under Halstos' command. And much of this diplomacy feels vain in nature. If I gave my leathers a scrub and polished my mail... I might look the part.
"I don't seek to elevate myself above our allies or these refugees, but I fear your words have truth. My weight as a diplomat is only symbolic in nature while the foreigners hold Halstos land, but my blood is Tulrissian. My claim to the keep is strongest, and I know my family and my leader would think less of me if I were to shirk this role." He ran a hand through his beard. I'll need a trim. How queer it is to worry about one's looks in a time like this, but that is how this whole charade of lords and keeps goes.
"On our way out, I will try and secure purchase of another steed -- possibly more."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"There are larger threats to their safety than just highwaymen in the woods as well," the elf responds to the questioning man.
"Night creatures plague the woods as well, and in great numbers." Though he's unsure if the mercenaries will even believe him, he hopes they'll trust him. "Besides, the refugees can't stay here, or they'll be slaughtered."
After a moment, he adds, "We should return to Lord Aerden and the others soon. We shouldn't keep them waiting too long."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
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Just as Valcus is speaking of acquiring more steeds for the party, a group of mercenaries steps into the estate complex, led by one of the Lord's guards. Caelen accompanies them, having potentially completed his task of estimating the number of refugees.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"Welcome, all," Valcus offers as he sees the others approach. "We'll start loading the carts soon, here." He steps over to the elf. "What do the numbers look like?"
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
Caelen grins as he sees his companions once more, hoping this will help stifle any remaining doubt that he's a mercenary, as the woman had previously assumed. At Valcus' question, the elf responds "I wish I could have gotten a clear estimate, but it's impossible with so many around and in buildings. But there are likely between five hundred and a thousand refugees in the city."
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC
"That's a large number for so few of us to defend," Drake says, thinking aloud.
"We should see if Lord Lorkan has any weapons to spare, to arm the more able of the refugees. Nothing that requires too much skill obviously. Spears would do, they've formed the bulk of levied armies for centuries," he says.