Leaving Pardubitze

Upon learning that Xavier intends to stay behind with Fae, Padre Kokal approaches the Saxon and quickly crosses the Sword of Radegast in the air:

"May Radegast protect ye both 'ere an' see ye back safely t'us," he says. "Xavier, if ye need aid, don't forget Padre Lukas an' ye comrades-in-arms at the temple. Godspeed t'ye."

"Danke, Padre," Xavier replies. "I accept your blessing vith much thanks. Fear not for me or der fraulein. Ve shall rejoin you very soon. I also know now dat the Holy Church is again open to me, despite all my sins. Dat that door remains open to me gives me much hope"

Jihan listens to this conversation rather shamefacedly, and turns his head away as Xavier bows and pledges his service to the young sorceress. His face is a strange blend of frustration, shame, guilt and anger, all passing fleetingly before settling on a grimace of pain:

"Indeed..." he mutters to himself beneath his breath.

The elf crosses his arms and seeks the corner of the room, struggling his way through air still heavy with the passion of the recent argument, and takes out one of his new daggers almost unconsciously to toy with in his hands as he thinks.

As the talks of leaving and meeting come close to wrapping up one way or another, Jihan adds the following:

"Faewen'il Morwen is her own woman, and her decisions are hers to make," he says simply on that matter.

"If you want to meet up with us again," he continues, turning to face Xavier, "it'd probably be best for all concerned if we did it somewhere that wouldn't draw any carefully watching eyes anywhere close to the villages..."

Pausing to consider this, he raises an eyebrow:

"Have we decided on the route we would like to take to Olmutz? The trade road forks just outside of Hradetz, so we'll be going cross-country for part of the journey, if we decide to use the road at all. All those under surveillance will have to be warned. Was that what those letters were, Winn?" he asks.

"Perhaps it would be best if we met in Vysoke Myto, the town just before Trebova on the Southwestern Road. We have unfinished business with our 'Honest' friend there, any way. I really have little else to do here in the city at the moment, especially if we're pressing for time. I would just as well have the stars overhead without all these walls for a while..."

Bennett nods:

"That sounds like a good place to meet up to me, if Fae is agreeable. If we stop in Holitze to drop off Magda and pick up the dog and the serving boys, that should delay us long enough that we only have to stay a little while in Vysoke Myto, and that should be safe enough."

He looks toward Xavier:

"You think you can make it there day after tomorrow? I figure we can make it to Holitze by tomorrow morning, rest during the day, then travel tomorrow evening to Vysoke Myto. We can get there sometime during the day, wait a few hours, then meet up with Fae and Xavier."

He turns to Yaz:

"You think you can keep one of your birds watching out for Fae and Xavier? That way, if they run into trouble, we can try to come after her."

He then turns back to the group:

"We can travel from Myto to Trebova, maybe check out the local gossip about their Protektor biting it, and then head east cross-country to the Shumperk-Olmutz road and make it in a couple of days at worst. We should be there within the week, I think."

Pausing to sigh and stare at the ceiling, Jihan resheathes his new daggers, more than happy with his verdict on the quality of the razor sharp blades:

"One other thing," he says, almost as an afterthought, "If we're going to be heading south any time soon, I would like to make a quick stop at Hradetz to retrieve the Warder's chainmail that I left with Konan for safekeeping when we left to fight the elite force. It may prove valuable during an encounter with my people in Strakonitz..."

Bennett shakes his head again:

"Hradetz is north, and in any case I think that is someplace we want to avoid for a while. That is surely where the Nyemetz will assume we will go, and they should be ready for us if we do. In fact, if we can spread the rumor that we left by the north gate, perhaps by one of the charmed orc gate sargeants, that should help keep pursuit off our backs. It may not be practical, considering our rush, but it's something to think about."

"You really think we should be travelling the roads?" Yaz puts in. "Out in the open like that? It's not just dangerous for us, y'know... it's dangerous for everyone we run into along the way. Out in the open, nowhere to hide... The forest at least gives us protection on the way, from dragons' eyes in the sky and from any tree-killers who'd try to follow. And why go through cities if we don't have to? That's a horrible risk I don't see why we have to take."

Bennett shrugs a bit:

"Well, if you don't think we should use the towns, I don't see any reason why that's not something that's practical. It would indeed endanger us to do so. Just thinking it would be faster that way."

"I say we head to the forest to the west of the road, to the south -- right f***ing now, by the way -- and wait for Maire' there," replies Yaz. "If you want, I'll go get the dog and the boys from Holitze, and deliver Magda while you all wait for Maire'. I'll get some friends to fly us there... could be back in a day. Then we can set off through the forest and not have our asses in the air for a few days while we travel. Won't THAT be a change."

Bennett looks quizzically:

"I wonder about waiting outside of town. The Nyemetz might come up with the idea of sending the worgs out to sniff around for us in the off chance we didn't get away right away, and if they come across us waiting, then they may figure out what we are waiting for, and that's too much danger, I think. Besides, there are several people here that want to head to Holitze, so I don't think it will harm too much to go along with them, not if we don't stop there very long. I think a night's rest in the village is not something that will endanger us too much. I think Myto is safe enough as a meeting place for Fae and Xavier, particularly if you can keep a bird's eye on them, and it's not much out of our way. Then we can dodge Trebova, though I would like to find out how they feel about their Lord Protektor getting killed. That's just for enjoyment's sake, though, and certainly not necessary. Getting to Olumutz is the most important thing."

Having finished writing the letters while the debate continues, Winnacer calls Padre Kokal, Hana, and Magda over one by one, handing them respective letters and sharing a few words with each. It is obvious that Winnacer is trying to get others to tie up the loose strings that our absence will certainly cause.

Winnacer then sits down across the table from Padre Kokal in the back room of the Silver Unicorn. As the Padre finds a seat, he notices Winnacer's hands are blackened with ink and his face is full of concern over what he has been poring over. As the Padre jostles the seat, Winnacer jumps with a bit of surprise, looking up to see the Padre. His worried frown quickly is replaced by a friendly smile as he places the quill carefully back into its jar:

"Padre Kokal, I must apologize for my recent curtness. I have long wished to speak with you at length, as Honza has said decent things about you. Considering that your god and his god are not the same, I would take it as a compliment. Things, as you have seen, have been falling apart around us, in terms of manpower and motivation, both within the revolution and amongst our comrades. I have not the salve to cure what tears our group in twain, but I hope to help organize the local resistance with these letters before we head out."

"I appreciate the aid you have given our cause and I can see that perhaps your commitment to the revolution runs as deep as my own. I have also heard you mention your desire to involve yourself with the group of which I am attached. I dare not speak for any of the others, but I would be glad to have you. Another voice of reason and practicality would be quite appreciated, as I am sure you have seen for yourself."

"Well, I c'n see a NEED, p'raps ... what cause couldn't use such thins, eh?" Kokal grins slightly. "As to it bein' APPRECIATED, so far not so much. But I guess that's only t'be expected treatment fer a new recruit 'o tries at givin' orders!"

"But t'would most please an' honor me t'join with ye and these others, Lord Winnacer," the Padre continues, gravely serious. "An' I will do m'best fer Radegast and for th' cause an' fer all of ye."

"I also wish to share with you the burden today's events have placed upon my heart," the LawBringer continues. "I had expected both Will and Faewen'il to employ their abilities to warp the appearance of objects to allow the Foot to enter the Square sight unseen, or at least appearing as simple peasants and local folk. I believe that, by striking from surprise, our casualties would have been much less than what happened here today. But, as you saw, it seems that my judgement and voice are not worth as much as it once was with my companions. They felt it better to proceed with their own agendas despite my protestation. What was done today had to be done for the good of the Valley, but I refuse to feel good about it. It is not how a good military operation should have went as, and each death today shall haunt me until the end of my days. If you are to join us, perhaps you can aid in preventing such tragic oversights from happening again."

"I pray th'Radegast will 'elp me in that," the Padre says gravely, thinking on the members of the Foot unit who died in the Square. "All those men came 'ere of their own will an' courage, t'fight fer th'cause o' freein' their homes from the scourge upon it. Though I know they all, could they speak it now, say they were only too glad t'make the sacrifice, they 'ad a right t'spect more fr' me in leadin' 'em back safe."

"Like ye, I will likely carry this a long time ... but may our gods grant that th'memory serve only t'strengthen th'cause -- in that we never allow them t'be relived -- and honor th'memory of those 'o fell as 'eroes"

The young Lord nods and then continues:

"Why I have called you back here, however, is to discuss how to organize the remaining resistance so that the work of the revolution can continue in our absence."

"I have written a letter for you to take to your superiors before we leave. In it, I reveal a numnber of the different connections we have and what roles they wish to play. I also recommend that the Church continue to recruit men, sending them to the Villages to obtain the necessary training. The Villages should be used as a training ground and a staging area while it is free from the scrutiny of the Nyemetz."

Kokal nods, and says:

"I will see that th' Padre Commander gets it as soon as possible, milord. An' 'ave no fear of it bein' done ... Radegast's Church is always ready t'speed the fall of th' cursed an 'pestilent Nyemetz."

"You know that Padre Lubosh will soon be returning with supplies as well," continues Winnacer. "I made some recommendations of how to use the resources and who he should contact for aid in dispersing them. Our allies in Dvur will need some help as well, considering the limelight of infamy has fallen upon them as well. Perhaps both the church of Radegast and Spravedelna can aid in forming the core of a group of freedom fighters to support Alena, our ally who sits upon Dvur's throne."

"Aye, I know Lubosh an' am anxiously waitin' t'know 'ow 'e 'as fared in 'is mission," Kokal nods again, his eyes alive with the thought of the possible benefits.

"Finally, I feel that the local Churches and freedom fighters need to keep up the resistance while we are away," the LawBringer finishes. "Using the Charming abilities of Radegast to continue works of sabotage against Nyemetz buildings would continue the subtle undermining work without placing too much risk on any particular individuals. It may be time to spend time altering the structure of the walls or ruining the larger assault equipment the Nyemetz have available in town in case an assault is needed from the outside."

"You perhaps have more experience and teaching in these areas than do I. Do you have any other ideas how to keep the fires stirring while we are away?"

"Well," the Padre says thoughtfully, "first off, I know not any of Radegast's order 'o 'ave any such charmin' abilities as ye speak of. I 'ave 'em not, t'be sure, an' I know of none in Pardubitze's temple tha' do ... not even Commander Lukas, as I know. So I don' thin' tha' we, or I, can 'elp ye in tha' way."

"But as t'th raisin' an' continuin' trainin' of patriots fer th' fight .... now tha' we c'n do, jus' as we 'ave. In fact, Commander Lukas is seein' t'placin' a new Padre as replacement fer me in tha' capacity fer th' Twin Villages. 'Opefuly 'e an' Honza will work well together fer t'cause."

"One thin' I do feel we must be sure of as we travel through this region: We must make certain tha' th' word of what happened today in th' Square -- t'th Foot -- does not slow or squeeze of th'flow of volunteers t'our cause. As many of th' towns in th'Valley as we can reach, we should reach. Though it cannot be denied th' too many fell, we cannot allow the news of the bloodshed t'drown enthusiasm fer th' cause. We must insure tha' th' news is rather th' bravery o' the fallen Foot an' th' deep strike it made upon th'Nyemetz. No matter 'ow 'eavy our 'earts at the toll, we cannot show it an' douse th'flame o' rebellion bein' stoked, else the sacrifice be in vain."

As the talk runs longer, Winnacer looks long at the sheaf of papers still left to be written upon. He looks away and at Kokal and asks:

"How did you get involved in all of this? This work is so demanding that we often are busy doing rather than reflecting on how we got to where we are. I realize I've talked to you only as a comrade in arms. Perhaps you would care to tell me a bit more about Kokal the man?"

"Aye, an' I would know more of ye, Lord Winnacer, an' all of these others, whene'er th' chance may come on our journey ... which I hope will be t'th soon end we all seek. See of th' story of ye all does th'tales justice, eh?"

"As fer me, there is likely too much t'tell fer t'nite t' 'old it all, 'specially as we must be on soon, but ...."

"I 'ave spent nearly m'whole life 'ere in Pardubitze. M'father -- Viktor -- was a soldier. 'E fell in th'last throes o'th resistance t'th Nyemetz invasion -- nigh on 20 years ago. I was jus' a boy a'nine, then, and 'e 'as been away in one fight or another fer as long as I was able t'know it. Even 'ad not seen him in ... must've been two years when the news of 'is death reached our door. But m'mother 'ad been tellin' stories of m'father's valor t'me an' m'younger sister -- Katarina, jus' four then -- our whole lives. M'father was th'mightiest man I knew ... e'en f I truly DIDN'T know 'im"

"After 'is fall, life got 'arder 'round our 'ouse, as I s'ppose could only be expected. An' it was made ever worse once the cursed Nyemetz seized and occupied th'city. Seein' m'father's killers walkin' freely outside our doors filled me with rage. But I was jus' a boy, an' those were th' ones tha' 'ad killed th'most man in th'world t'me. What could I do a'gin such as could do THAT? Fer 10 years, I watched 'em, an' did nothin' else."

"But then, came time t'pay fer m'cowardice an' fear ... tho', by Radegast, would th' it t'were me 'oo paid."

"One night, when my mother was off lookin' fer work a a barmaid in one o'th' inns, the Nyemetz soldier 'o was posted on our street came t'our door, lookin' fer Katarina. 'o was then jus' startin' t'be a woman."

Kokal's fists tighten and his teeth grind, and Winnacer might even note a trace of a tear, as he continues:

"Th' foul scum kicked in our door, an' ..., " the Padre falters a bit with rage, but then continues," ..after 'e jammed m'inta m'room wedgin' 'is sword in th'door frame, 'e set on Katarina in 'er bed."

"I could 'ear 'er fight with 'em, 'er screams fer 'elp --'er resistin', as I 'ad been 'fraid t'do fer so long. It seemed t'go on fer 'ours, or jus' in slow, mebbe, as I tried t'get t'er aid.... but then it all went quiet."

"I could 'ear the filthy, wretched scum's 'ard breathin' outside m'door a few moments later, reclaimin' 'is sword. But I was still gripped in m'fear an' sat there f'ever, 'fraid t'open th'door, lest 'e be waitin' there an' kill me. E'en though I could 'ear Katarina's weak, small groans, still I sat in fear. Must 'ave been .... HELL, I don' know 'ow long, but when I finally DID go t'er, it was TOO LATE an' she was gone."

Kokal composes himself:

"Ah -- 'e says, snapping back to th'present. "After tha', well I guess I finally 'ad enough reason t'DO somethin'. I went t'Radegast's church, knowin' their ways would be th'best t'teach me to strike back at this cursed scourge, an' there I 'ave been these last 10 years. Tryin' t'make up fer lost ... time, I s'ppose."

"Speakin' o'which, milord, I 'ave taken t'much of it from th'important tasks still 'afore ye tonite. I thank ye for ye acceptin' me t'ye band, an' pledge t'ye m'best in reachin' our common ends, in th'name o' m'god an' country."

When all is said and done, Winnacer then goes off quietly to pray for the souls lost because of the group's ambition and petty quarrels.

The clock on the Cathedral of Spravedelna chimes the hour of four and then Hana speaks:

"Time is already moving on. It will be dark inside two hours and so it would seem to make sense to me to make your escape from the city under cover of darkness."

"It will take me that long to get the horses and supplies moved out in any case," the Padre replies. "Let me get on my way now so as not to cause any more delays."

With that, the Padre starts for the door, but Magda stops him on the way:

"Padre, is there any chance that you can get the names of the survivors for me? I need to know this information, as I will have to inform the families of those that have fallen about the heroic sacrifice that the members of the Foot made."

"I'll do my best," the Padre replies and then leaves the inn.

For the next two hours, all those that are leaving pack up their belongings onto the horses before the Padre arrives with a stable boy, whose job it will be to take the mounts through the gate. An hour later, all reassemble in the private room in order to say their goodbyes.

Hana starts by shaking Winnacer firmly by the hand:

"Thank you, LawBringer Stradheim, for all that you have done in this city. I know that you might feel some disappointment in the fact that all might not have gone as well as planned, but the most important factor is that you were able to achieve your objectives in that the free villages might remain free. Although the price paid in blood for their freedom was higher than we all might have wished for, the alternative would no doubt have been the deaths of all those villagers in the parish of Holitze as well as those in the Orlitze valley. As a result, the 37 who died have saved the lives of more than a thousand."

"I wish you well upon your journey to Olmutz and hope that you manage to accomplish all that you wish for there."

She locks eyes with Winnacer as she says this last:

"May Spravedelna watch over you on your travels, and I hope to see you in Pardubitze again before the year is out."

Winnacer smiles weakly with these words:

"May Spravedelna also watch over this city and continue to deliver it from the chains of imprisonment. And may She keep you all in good stead."

Hana then walks among all of them, shaking each of them by the hand. The other Senior Priests and Priestesses do the same, and then they all file out of the inn, heading back to the Cathedral.

Ithridiel, who has been silent through all of the conversations since the battle, is the next to speak:

"I would accompany you back to Holitze, if I may," the elf requests. "The MSW should be arriving back in the village either today or tomorrow, and so I need to meet with them before we return to give word to the villagers in the Orlitze valley."

"I have decided to leave two of my men here in order to continue to urge the proletariat to throw off the chains of the bourgeoisie. After the events of today, the proletariat should see that the Nyemetz are not all powerful and that the day when they shall be free is coming soon, but the fires of revolution need to continue to be stoked."

"We also need to recruit more educated members of the bourgeoisie who have seen the error of their ways to join our organization, and these types can only be found within the cities. Our already small numbers were decimated in the action against the elite force and so it is imperative that we recruit new members to replace those that have given their lives for the struggle."

It is then time to leave. They say their farewells to the two members of the WSM who are staying on in the city and also to Faewen'il and Xavier and then take their leave of the inn.

Jihan looks around outside the Silver Unicorn into the dusk and sees that the street outside is quiet, although there is the sound of activity coming from other parts of the city. The elf then leads the group out of the inn heading east, with Yaz following right behind him in order to show him the way to the hole.

It takes just ten minutes for the group to make their way through the side streets and back alleys on their way to the wall. They notice that the worg kennels are a hive of activity as you pass them, but it looks, at least, as if they are not preparing for an imminent departure.

"Here it is," says Yaz as he reaches the wall.

He looks around carefully to ensure that there are no goblin wall patrols around. However, all seems to be quiet and there are no patrols in sight.

"Looks t'me as if the Nyemetz are still in chaos and don't quite know what to do at the moment," Padre Kokal says as he scans the walls and sees no sign of any patrols whatsoever. "I be reckoning that it be taking them a while to reorganize themselves following the death of the Lord Protektor."

Not wasting any more time, Yaz removes the false stone that hides the entrance to the hole. Jihan is the first to crawl into the hole and has no problem in making his way through the tunnel. As he gets through to the other end, he gently removes the other false stone, takes it in his hands and slides down into the freezing cold waters of the stream below. The stream is not too deep now that the rainwater has had time to work its way into the Labe and so the elf wades through it with ease. He runs to the closest clump of bushes, takes Weitbeissen from his back and then covers the walls while the others crawl through the tunnel.

It takes just under five minutes for everyone to make their way through the tunnel, with most of the time taken to squeeze the bulky form of Gronk through. However, with Bennett pulling from one side and Winnacer pushing from the other, the stout fellow finally makes his way through the hole.

"Crimeny, can't ya make da 'ole bigger next time," Gronk exclaims. "I ain't none fond o' 'avin' Mr. 'oly 'ere shovin' 'is 'ands up me back side."

Once everyone is safely through the hole and across the stream, Jihan returns and places the false stone back in place so as to mask the secret entrance and then leads the group through the twilight heading east.

They walk for just over twenty minutes, with the Padre showing Jihan the way to the shrine of Dazbag. Upon reaching it, they see that the stable boy is waiting for them along with their mounts. The Padre thanks the lad for his assistance and is told that he had no problems whatsoever in getting through the gate, as the Nyemetz were not checking anyone coming in or out. The Padre then sends the lad back on his way.

They then all mount their horses and set off through the cold but clear night in the direction of Holitze. They start off by heading north, reaching the Labe after less than twenty minutes. They then follow the mighty river upstream, heading in the direction of the villages. The journey is made in silence in the main, as each are alone with their own thoughts. After a couple of hours of uneventful travel, the floodplain of the Labe starts to break up as they start to climb the low hills to the south of the villages. After another couple of hours, they crest the range of low hills and can just make out small pricks of light in the distance coming from the villages. The sight spurs them all on and they urge the horses on to a canter in order to get away from the cold and into warm accommodation for the evening.

During the ride to the twin villages, Will spends very little time with the party, but rather stays to himself, scouting ahead or checking behind for any possible dangers.

They travel for another hour and the aches and pains from the day's activities start to become apparent and it takes a great amount of effort to travel the last miles to get to the village. A short while after midnight, they see that the village is now in front of them. As usual, the warning horn sounds as they get close to the village and a couple of minutes later, they hear the pounding of hooves as a company of the Hammerers start to gallop towards them. As the Hammerers get closer, the riders rein in their steeds and the leader's visor is lifted to show that Honza is leading them:

"Back already," he says cheerily. "It's good to see you all again."

He then sees that his appearance is met only by weak smiles and his own smile fades immediately:

"What happened?" he asks. "Did everything going alright?"

"We're all very tired, Honza," Magda replies wearily. "All you need to know now is that the villages are safe for the time being. We'll go through the details with you tomorrow."

"Have the Sezemitze Company and the MSW returned yet?"

"Not yet," Honza replies. "I'm hoping that they will return either later tonight, or tomorrow. They should be back any day now."

The return to the village is not met by the usual raising of the village, as it is almost 1.00 by the time that they get in. Magda is looking very apprehensive about her return to the village, the task of being the bringer of bad news obviously playing upon her mind.

"I'd rather not wake the villagers to ask them to billet you this time," she says apologetically. "Perhaps it would be best if you spent the night on the floor of the 'Dancing Troll'. I'm sorry for my lack of hospitality, but would rather speak to the villagers about what happened in Pardubitze tomorrow."

They all agree and so Magda knocks upon the door of the 'Laughing Troll'. The door is answered a few minutes later by Tharnald, who is dressed in a negligee.

"The party will be staying on the floor of the inn tonight," Magda says to Tharnald. "The two of you had better behave yourselves and not get up to any funny business during the night or else the pair of you will be in big trouble."

Tharnald stifles a snigger and just nods in agreement as he opens the door wide to allow the party access to the inn. The party then begins to unpack their bedding and settles down for the evening.

"I shall leave you now to get settled in," Magda says. "I suggest that we all meet up in the morning to discuss what needs to be done after we've all had a good night's sleep."

Magda and Honza then take their leave of them, and they all fall asleep quickly.

Will followed all into the inn, but did not stay there. After all have gone to sleep, he quietly slips outside and finds a solitary place to sit and gaze at the stars while he considers the recent events.

As is his wont of late, Jihan caught the rest he needed as reverie when travelling on horseback or pausing for breaks, so the night in Holitze is spent wandering about the streets, soaking in the sights and sounds for what may be the last opportunity in a long while. He spends a little time speaking with the night watchmen and women, talking about things such as the worg problem and how the grain is holding out, but mostly he sits by the backs of the houses, where the fireplace and chimney protrude, soaking up the heat and watching the smoke mingle with the stars.