Posts
The familiar faces and familiar bumps of the wagon brings back memories of time gone by, when you first saw your fellow travelers.
2 years earlier...
15 Brummaire 1006
It was the waning days of summer as well as the waning days of the War of the Territories (though you didn't know it at the time). You were in a similar unbearably hot elephant wagon, in the middle of a similar sand storm, a few days out from Samarkand, with seemingly coincidentally, the same faces you are with today, but back before you all had a shared purpose. You are passengers on one of the few civilian transports still traveling the spice road. Some of you are returning to Samarkand after a business enterprise. Others are coming to lend succor to those afflicted by the war. Others are just passing through. But this particular transit will not be incident free, which is unsurprising for during these times of troubles, they never are. You hear an elephant handler start yelling something from the fore cabin, what exactly is hard to make out given the wind, when her voice suddenly goes silent, and the elephants plod to a halt.
You then hear a large blast like a cannon discharge from outside, and the ensuing explosion leaves a large hole in the back of the wagon. Through the hole, just barely visible through the blowing sands, and gray smoke, only because of its immense size, you see the wreckage of a large airship, it's hot air bladders deflated and buffeted and torn by the razor sharp sand laced wind.
Outside, you hear the indistinct murmur of many voices, but one gravelly voice cuts through the whistling winds: "This is Colonel Maddoc of the Francian Dragoons. We are commandeering this wagon in the name of his Excellency, l'Empereur. Come out with your hands empty and above your head, and no-one will be hurt."
Your move.
[The wagon is much like the one you are in. You are seated in the cargo hold, 20 feet high, 20 feet wide, 30 feet across. The hold is half full with crates and sacks of foodstuff, and 6 passengers. There is a cabin in front for the drivers; it is accessed by a ladder that goes 10 feet up in the front of the cargo hold. The obvious exit is through the new hole (radius about 6 feet) in the rear. Normally, the back wall folds down to serve as a ramp.
If you intend any actions that require checks, (like Spot or Listen) it would be helpful if you could give me your skill level. If you're hard core you can even send the roll to me via e-mail using something like http://hamete.org/dserver/maildice
Oh, in case it is not clear, you are level 1 in this scene.
Give me a few things you want to do or a general strategy at this point. Once I have a quorum, I will move on to what happens next]
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
16 comments:
Sher easily reverts to soldier mode and finds a location within the wagon that affords her maximum cover while enjoying the best vantage to view what is outside the newly formed hole. If need be she will sacrifice cover for best view for the shortest time possible. She will signal to whomever makes eye contact with her the number of enemies and approximate locations. If they call for surrender, she will reply, "WE HAVE WOUNDED IN HERE! COULD YOU GIVE US A HAND?" and buy them some time to prepare an ambush.
Sher quickly scans the largely featureless cargo hold for cover aside from the ladder in front. Deciding the small crates in the center are less than ideal, she quickly darts to the back of the hold, just to the side of the gaping hole. Back to the wall, and body tensed for action, she risks a quick glance outside.
Outside, she barely makes out 30 or so figures, dressed in Imperial Francian uniform, a dramatic and unwieldy blue affair with sashes and epaulets and other insignia, wielding an assortment of pikes and longbows. The sandstorm makes precise identification difficult, but Sher’s Knowledge (despite it being a foreign culture) allows her to identify the probable interlocutor who identified himself as Col Maddoc, by his broad brimmed hat. The holy symbol he wears as part of his uniform identifies him as part of a Holy Order (possibly a paladin) in addition to being a dragoon. Aside from Maddoc, of note, one of the soldiers is of Ceylonese descent (odd for the Francian military), and near Maddoc, standing out of place, is a woman in chiffon dress and petticoats, trying hard to look dignified while protecting herself from the sands.
Maddoc stands near two large metal tubes supported on wheels (one of which is still smoking). And a large stack of crates can be made out behind the men.
“You have until the count of 10. If you are not out by then, we will deliver you to the maker for judgement. You saw what we did to the door. 10 – 9 –“
"WE HAVE WOUNDED IN HERE! COULD YOU GIVE US A HAND?" Sher calls out.
“Leave the wounded, the rest of you come out. We will tend to them after you have been secured.”
“ – 8 –“
The Halfling, Pim, has a tight grip on his graphite stylus which is making incoherent marks in his journal as his hand quavers uncontrollably. “P-p-p-erhaps we should d-do what he says…” the Halfling stammers, standing up shakily from his seat.
(Everybody, do send me a text version of the character sheet (you should be able to just copy and paste most of it). Heroforge is great, but so damn slow.
We are outnumbered and at a distinct... disadvantage," she observes quietly. "Today is a good day to die, as they say." She looks to her companions for opinions as she reaches into her spell component pouch.
Ayesha will casually get up and make her way out of the gaping hole in the side of the cargo hold and look calmly at the paladin and say "we don't have any quarrel with you - we're just passengers who have been a bit startled. We are merely trying to make our way across the desert. Can we not come to an agreement that will not leave us stranded here?"
As Ayesha comes to the hole, where Sher is still crouched hidden to the side, they are both quickly aware of the clicks of 30 crossbows [minor retcon: figure dragoons would have crossbows as long bows are hard to fire from horseback].
Ayesha is just barely able to maintain aplomb [barely resisted intimidate check], and calmly addresses Maddoc: "We don't have any quarrel with you - we're just passengers who have been a bit startled. We are merely trying to make our way across the desert. Can we not come to an agreement that will not leave us stranded here?" [Diplomacy check: 24]
Maddoc looks as if he was about to give her hell, but his voice softens a shade. “We appreciate your situation, ma’am, but we need this wagon right this minute, it is a matter of imperial security, and we can’t be babysitting no passengers. We will send for somebody to pick you up. Some of my men will stay with you and ensure your safety.”
[historical note: most of the territories have never been properly part of any empire. The majority are settlers from various regions of Europa, but ownership has been disputed, and governance is largely independent. As the Zuge Khan’s forces began its advance, the Francian diplomats made noisy words about the illegal acts of aggression, but never sent official troops to help defend the territories. At this point in the flashback, Samarkand has yet to fall, though it has seen its share of battle. Zuge’s forces tend to be mobile and would strike and move on.]
[practical note: you are on a reasonably well traveled part of the spice road. In normal times, you would expect a caravan passing by every couple days. In war times, caravans are more scarce, though military units and refugees make up the difference.]
Maddoc continues, “lower the ramp, ma’am, and then gather the rest of the passengers and your wounded, and bring them out here. I’m not going to ask again.- Seven -!”
[the cargo hold is about 5 feet off the sandy ground below. There is a release latch that lowers the ramp which still appears functional. The other passengers are seated around the rim of the cargo hold. Maddoc and most of his troops are about 30 feet from the hole, though at Maddoc’s direction, about 8 of them have started moving toward the cargo wagon.]
[Sorry, guys; I didn't know about the most recent post until I randomly checked here a few minutes ago. Did I miss an e-mail, or are we supposed to just check this site periodically?]
Lake, not caring much either way, simply shrugs, gets up, and exits the hole, his wolf calmly following behind him.
Sher watchecomrades exit with a look that balances between incredulity and horror. She rises, shakes her head, and exits without another word. Outside she shields her eyes from the sun with her left hand while maintaining her right hand on her morningstar at her hip.
Posting for Jesper. (sorry Brian, somehow I didn't include your e-mail in the auto-notifications.)
Jesper exits as well, but once he notes the holy symbol on Maddoc he makes a beeline for him. "Good sir, may I ask what this is about? We are here to provide succor to those afflicted by the ravages of war. As you can see," he says, pointing at his thing robes and walking stick, "I am not armed. If we are stranded, I worry that some will be injured due to our inaction. The vows I have taken are serious ones, and I would not allow this to happen if there is some way to avoid it. I see that you too are a holy man. Perhaps we can come to some form of agreement."
Lake, not caring much either way, simply shrugs, gets up, and exits the hole, his wolf calmly following behind him.
Sher watch her comrades exit with a look that balances between incredulity and horror. She rises, shakes her head, and exits without another word. Outside she shields her eyes from the sun with her left hand while maintaining her right hand on her morningstar at her hip.
Pim follows eagerly behind. And sensing a shift, the other passengers quietly follow suit.
Once they are all outside, Maddoc barks a few orders, and a squad of 8 men with pikes forms a wall to keep you away from the wagon but otherwise leaves you be. The rest of the men release the ramp and begin loading crates. The more perspicacious among you note that the boxes seem exceptionally heavy for their size.
To the Ceylonese soldier, "Benny, make sure the elephants are ready to move in 15 minutes." Benny nods, laconically crawls into the wagon, and ambles toward the fore cabin. "Sergeant, check the ship, make sure everything's unloaded," the sergeant (whom you will later learn is named Sam) makes his way to the airship. As your gaze follows Sam trudging through the sand, you now have a better view of the airship and the extent of the damage. The canvas air bladders are ripped open and deflated, and the wooden hull has cracked wide open after an apparent crash landing. The words H.M.A.S. Lucius Newber-- can be made out on the hull. You also note that a few of the men did not fair much better than the ship, many limping, or with rough bandages soaked through with blood.
The woman in the blue chiffon dress whispers something in Maddoc's ea. Her face is obscured by a silk scarf wrapped around to protect from the sand, and she holds a stylish blue floral bonnet tightly over her blond locks. Maddoc grunts a reply, and the lady in blue makes her way purposefully to the wagon.
Jesper, noting the holy symbol on Maddoc, makes a beeline for him. "Good sir, may I ask what this is about? We are here to provide succor to those afflicted by the ravages of war. As you can see," he says, pointing at his thing robes and walking stick, "I am not armed. If we are stranded, I worry that some will be injured due to our inaction. The vows I have taken are serious ones, and I would not allow this to happen if there is some way to avoid it. I see that you too are a holy man. Perhaps we can come to some form of agreement."
Maddoc looks back impassively at Jesper, unimpressed by his height, or his attire, "and what vows would those be, 'holy man', vows to a false infidel servant of the Lightbringer? Our mission here is far more important than your 'succor'," Maddoc's voice drips with little disguised contempt on that last word. [Many servants of The One are tolerant of other faiths. Maddoc apparently is not one of them.]
[A lot happened just now. Aside from Jesper, I didn't specify what you were all doing, so feel free to have your character being doing other stuff at this time. sorry Paul the ambush didn't work out. I was already planning Maddoc's tactics too.]
Sher suggests quietly to her companions that an offer of healing magic for the wounded soldiers might go a long way in leveraging a ride out of the desert. Noting Jesper's chilly reception, she adds with a whisper, "But I would understand completely if you would have no desire to help ones who serve such ignorance."
Lake says, "Hey, man, some of your guys look hurt. I'd be happy to help heal them. Injuries are a drag."
If he's given permission to do so, while healing someone, he'll say, "So, did I hear something about elephants? Elephants are awesome."
Sher suggests quietly to her companions that an offer of healing magic for the wounded soldiers might go a long way in leveraging a ride out of the desert. Noting Jesper's chilly reception, she adds with a whisper, "But I would understand completely if you would have no desire to help ones who serve such ignorance."
Lake says, "Hey, man, some of your guys look hurt. I'd be happy to help heal them. Injuries are a drag."
Maddoc appears indifferent to the offer. "Do as you'd like."
Lake wanders over to the nearest injured dragoon. A limping steely eyed tall and stocky Moorish man who speaks with a Europan accent. Despite a number of open wounds, the Lieutenant continues to help load the cargo. He introduces himself as Lt. Erastus Koombe, and graciously thanks Lake for Lake's simple orison that cures his minor wounds.
"So, did I hear something about elephants? Elephants are awesome." Lake asks.
"That there's, Benny Xiau's job," referring to the Ceylonese man who was the first to board the wagon. The Lt reveals that Benny came to the company recently, as a former Ceylonese mystic in the Khan's army who defected. "Something not quite right about that boy though. Never did trust him. Damn Ceylonese."
[Elephant Wagons are the main mode of cargo transport in the Territories. They are piloted by those with some ability, typical spell or psionic to charm/placate/speak/dominate the elephants]
As other dragoons are healed, they are most appreciative. Random comments that sound pertinent.
One wonders about the weight capacity of the elephants. The crates are heavy and the crates combined with 30 men seems like more than the wagon can likely carry.
Another complains about the blond trollop who has the Colonel wrapped around her sweet little finger. "A pretty little barracuda" one calls her.
As this goes on, the last of the crates are loaded. The Benny Xiau, Lt. Koombe, the woman in blue, and the Sgt are already on board. As Maddoc starts making his way up the ramp of the cargo hold, he orders his men "Keep the civilians here. We will be back in two days after the cargo is safely delivered. The food and provisions that was previously on board the wagon should more than keep you until then."
So, which soldiers are left behind?
Any elephants? Or other animals?
So there are 27 soldiers left.
There are two elephants hitched to the front of the wagon, though you are on the other side, outside the rear.
No other apparent animals. Perhaps random dessert snakes and mice and scorpions if you look hard enough.
Okay, Lake continues to heal the soldiers (including over the next few days, if necessary). When he runs out of healing or when they're all fully healed, he wanders around to try to bond with the elephants.
When an opportunity presents itself, Sher will say to Jesper, "Not all of different faiths than yours will treat you as Maddoc did, only those who mask their ignorance with faith treat others so."
Post a Comment