Chapter 1: the Road to Holgrim - part 1

[TigerStripedDog]

Bill takes a deadly serious tone:

"If time for kill, point me in direction. I can draw in, take first wave. You come after, clear way out if Bill cannot. You will see smash I make on zombie head. Is... good."

[Jenara]

"We fight together, hold the front line, if we fall the least we can do is soften them up for the others." She eyes him seriously, he was a good guy, shame, he didnt know what she was like.

[Kafen]

"Let's get going, then." Dee tells Slade. "What kind of creature shall we find?" He jokes with the man as if they have a choice in a matter. "I fear the human monsters are worse than the nightmares that we share with each other in the bars." He checks his dagger and weapons as he moves out.

[Breila]

Hedra nods to Carith: "I will do my best."

Still, she waits for Carson or Dorir to confirm. After all, the're in command, not Carith.

[Jenara]

Carith shrugs, "It was but a suggestion. Use it how you will Chanter."

She shrugs again, point made, she was still ave for a reason, the sooner these people realised the better.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Carson and Dorir, who were previously engaged in their own discussion, have since stopped and have been staring at the mismatched group of mercs squabbling with each other. Carson has a grim set to his face while Dorir is standing there with his mouth agape, his head shaking slightly from side to side in disbelief. They look at each other, sigh and walk toward the group.

Dorir takes Hedra aside to speak to her specifically. "Lass, ye need to think less and do more. Noone here needs to give you permission or direction. Yer a chanter! You KNOW what the people need!" He taps Hedra on the chest with the back of his gauntlet. "You have communion with the divine. If there's anyone you should be getting direction from it's HER. Go, take care of those who cannot care for themselves, and lead prayers for those who stand between us and the darkness."

Carson strides casually toward the mismatched group and looks around at them all, deciding where to begin. He decides to start with Bill. "You are a newcomer here. A refugee that we picked up along the way. If you draw more attention to our caravan than is necessary (More than we already draw from braying mules, squeaky wagons, and wailing children even!) then we will leave you behind." He turns to look at the rest of the group. "We have a situation. Noone is sure what it is yet, which is why I sent the thieves out to scout. They may not be the most reliable in a fight, but they are quick and quiet." This last word is punctuated with a glare toward Bill. "I want you all ready in case they come back quickly with a horde of shamblers chasing them. I want you all to hold here, at the front of the caravan. Mage, take up possition behind the Ox and the Amazon." He says referring to Bill and Carith. Callan suddenly realizes that he's been lumped in with the group.....wonderful.


_________________________


Slade snickers under his breath, a wry smile creeping to his face. "True, but I've noticed that birds will sing, when men lie in wait. Here, there's nothing. We may have monsters to deal with after all!" They creep silently through the brush, following the road. After a few minutes, Slade points ahead. "Will you look at that!" He walks out into the road and gazes forward with open confusion. There, takign up the full breadth of the road itself, is an ancient tree, its gnarled branches twisted and deformed with rot. It's not fallen, like one would assume, but is in fact rooted in place as if someone had planted it here to grow in the center of the road. It has entirely taken up the path, which continues in both directions, despite being blocked by the arboreal behemoth.

[Breila]

Hedra answers Dorir: "I'm sorry. I let my inexperience stand in the way of my confidence. This shall not happen again."

She turns on her heel and quietly speaks to one wagon leader after the other, urging them to group the wagons in a way that they're makeshift barricades with a free room inside. There, she gathers the elderly and children. She tells them: "You need to be very quiet now. Someone has come to warn us that undead are near. If we're very quiet, they might pass us by. If not, you'll chant with me as you've learned. OK?"

She surveys the adults and older children and makes sure they watch all sides for a possible attack. Than she stands for a moment alone, eyes closed, palms together, fingers touching her front, praying for a safe returm of the two scouts, and for vigilant eyes, ears and hearts for them all.

[Marcus]

Gus only scoffs as he checks his spearhead. Scwabblin won't help anybody when the attack comes. At least these new warriors seem to be ready for a fight now that the hour is approaching. Too many Gus met over the years had folded in the face of danger, even some with plenty of talk and stories of bravery and glory around the campfire. Witnessing so much dissension in the group and knowing they will all have to depend on each other soon, Gus reluctantly speaks up.

"I don't care what's out there, could be some goons bent on taking our food or some zombies looking to make us food, but I don't plan on letting them get to our wagons or the innocents. As far as I'm concerned, everything behind us is our lawn. You have to take pride in your lawn, and you never let anyone else on it, cuz they'll ruin it." Gus draws a line in front of the wagons with the base of his spear. "Whatever is out there had better keep off my lawn, or they'll get a spear run through 'em. I better not see either of you tough youngsters fall behind an old-timer like me when the time for killin' comes."

[Talyn]

Wolf just nods slightly and glances at the two who will be on point. He waits for them to get in position before lining himself up behind them. "Best be on your guard and stay away from those I set ablaze." he advises them. "The flames can spread quickly if your not careful."

He has a half grin and a sense of amusement in his voice about what he has told them, but his eyes are focused and scanning the direction the two thieves ran off to.

[Jenara]

(Bit of history now... but:)

Carith smiles, "Amazon? I know a few well.." Thinking of the her last night, the pain, the pleasure.. All there was out here was her thoughts. "I do not make that grade."

Watching the Chanter leave she smirks, Dorir had obviously explained how things worked,
You didn't wait for permission, you got on with it.

Looking at Bill she smiles, "Hey, hold your own, he'll be fine." She punches his arm, and smiles.

Her face changes quickly when she sees Gus and his Spear, she winces and steps back.
"I'll watch the lawn." Is all she says.

(Now for the present:)

"I'll remember that," she smiles, and takes position.

[TigerStripedDog]

Bill grins a large, lopsided grin. The kind that comes from taking those blows to your face that never leave it quite the same after.

"HA! Is true, I strong like Ox. And like Ox **Bill points to the oxen pulling the wagons** I carry your behinds! Is joke of old!"

Bill looks around again, almost concerned...

"Wait, where is old womayn? Bill will need much food when smash is done. Smash make a mayn much hungry, zombie smash even more!"

[Breila]

After her prayer, Hedra walks over to Karen and speaks quietly:
"Listen, I know you are a courageous girl. We need someone who goes up front with the warriors who tells us what the scouts have found out, so we can prepare ourselves. Do you think you can do that?"

When Karen leaves (or, if she refuses, Hedra has found someone else to do the job), Hedra gathers the shileld-bearers around her.
"When I was as young as you are now, we still had undead attacking the dwarven caves. While the adults fought, we in the second line would back them up with a battle chant, like this:"
She quietly drums an insistant one-two-three, one-two-three rythm with her fingertips onto a shield and whispers: "Makhde undode heh, makhde undode heh!"
"This means something like "Go destroy the undead". It doesn't matter which language you use, the divinites understand any of our languages, it's what we mean that matters to them.
So if you want to try that out, as long as you're not needed to protect a fallen warrior, beat that rythm and chant. And don't begin before I tell you to!"

[Ismaels-Legacy]

(OOC: "Hey you kids! Get offa my lawn!!!")

Preparations are made, wagons 'circled' for defensive purposes (Granted the defensive circle is a simple square since you only have four wagons). The children are huddled together in the center, the older ones bringing out makeshift dice and other simple games to play with the younger ones. The elders all stand together (The few that there are), passing wary glances at each other. Silently they each pat a concealed knife, nodding to each other, aware of what they may have to do.

The shield bearers and spearmen take their positions around the camp, their defensive circle growing closer to the wagons. Each spearman had his own shiled bearer, and each of the pair was armed with a short, crude, chopping sword similar to a machete. Most were in disrepair or rusted, but every one of them was sharpened to a razors edge.

Everyone stands at ready, waiting for the first wave. After a half hour or so, the two scouts return, jogging up the road itself at brisk pace. Slade is the first to speak, "You're never going to believe this....."

(OOC: I'll let Kafen take over the next part.)
(OOC x2: Kafen, feel free to PM me for info if you would like Dee to examine the area a bit more before returning to camp.)

[Kafen]

"We have the root of the problem in sight." Dee jokes darkly. "Meaning, there is a rather large tree with its roots blocking the road. What's up with that?" He looks around. "If one of the veteran travelers of the area could enlighten us as to the normal spot for that tree..."

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Carson brow darkens. "It doesn't matter. We don't have time to investigate." He looks to Bill and Carith, "Grab the axes. We've got a tree to fell."


-<{ End Chapter 1 }>-