Dilemmas Forever?

It is with some relief that dawn comes and the party sets off, away from the blood-stained camp. There is no Colin to lead Giselle as has been the custom. Yaz takes over the role as herdsman, as Jihan volunteers to take the position of advanced guard for the party.

Once again, but for different reasons, there is little in the way of conversation on the journey. The party advances northwards, starting to climb up the foothills of Sudeten for the first time, but no one is in the mood for celebrating, not even Heimlin. At around noon, Jihan stops still. He shades his eyes from the noon sun to better see what is ahead of him.

'Ahead is a gently trickling stream of people, humans' says Jihan. 'They are not warriors. They seem to be families, with many women and children.'

The rest look on although can see only pin pricks. They realize what excellent sight Jihan must have. Xavier keeps his hand close to the hilt of his sword as the party advances. After 20 minutes more of travel, the sight comes clearly into view for all. It is, indeed, a stream of people, a mixture of all ages and both sexes moving in the direction of the party.

As the party comes closer still, the first couple of groups spot the party. They seem to be in some fear of the group, but seem too tired to flee. They simply stop and sit wearily, waiting for the party to reach them.

Winnacer slowly approaches the first group.

'Please, be not fearful of us, we mean you no harm.' says the young knight.

This does a little to calm the nerves of the tired humans.

'Who are you all?' Winnacer asks. 'Where are you going, and why?'

'It is the Nyemetz' an elderly man in his 50's replies sadly and fearfully. 'We come from the village of Holitze some four hours walk to the north. They came in the night and took away our youngsters and men-folk in chains. We are fleeing from them, although we know not where to go.'

A woman, probably this man's wife, adds:

'We'd heard rumors that the Nyemetz were in the area. Some say they are taking all of the men of fighting age to press them into combat as slave forces in preparation of the Slovene invasion of Morava. We hoped that it was just a rumor, but it was true.'

'There were not so many of them - just 10 orcs that came to take all of the menfolk from our village. But we villagers are not warriors, we have no weapons. Those that tried to cause harm against the Nyemetz were instantly put to death, and so the others realized that it was suicide to resist.'

A young woman with two small infants - tear stains running down their dirty faces - catches up with the first group and listens to the conversation.

'Not only Holitze did they come through. I live…used to live… in the village of Sezemitze, two miles from Holitze. Last night they came too. A small band took my husband - I don't know where they were taking him …but I fear that I may already be a widow.'

The young woman started sobbing hysterically - 'What are we all to do?'

Winnacer takes the villagers cry for help to his heart, giving a stirring speech to the others as to why the party should come to the aid of the villagers. His rallying cry gains the immediate support of Xavier and Yaz. Corrow, however, is not so sure as to whether the party is in any position to give immediate assistance to the plight of the villagers. His argument is sound, turning Yaz's opinion around against any intervention. Jihan too, gives good reasons as to why it would be better to avoid any encounter. Darius and Maire' look on without giving opinions of there own, willing to go with whatever solution the rest of the party agree to.

Debate between the 'pros' and 'cons' rages for quite a while, with each side arguing for their cause. In this time, several other small groups of villagers reach the position of the party and look on, pathetically, as the party debates as to whether to assist them in their plight.

Winnacer makes another impassioned plea to the others to help the poor villagers. After hearing what Winnacer has to say, Yaz informs the others that he is now not so sure as to whether to intervene or not. The party remains totally split on how to proceed - Winnacer and Xavier for, Corrow and Jihan against, Maire' and Darius abstaining and Yaz floating. Seeing the party split down the middle, Heimlin comes down in favor of those wishing to confront the Nyemetz:

'I'm appreciative of the fact that yer aware of yer obligations to get me back to my 'ome, an' 'ad this situation come up some ten days ago, then I'd 'ave prob'ly said to get me 'ome first and then worry about the villagers later. 'Owever, my eyes 'ave really been opened on this journey. I thought that I 'ad an 'ard life in Mnyesto, 'avin' to 'ide from the Nyemetz or bribe them constantly to leave me alone. After what I've seen by bein' on the road with you all, I cannot ignore what is 'appenin' elsewhere in Bohavia.'

'I jus' can't tell you to ignore what's goin' on until after you've got me back home. Once I'm back, I shall 'ave an easy life wiv me wife an' lad. I've made enough coin in me life not to 'ave to worry about money again. I'm no fighter as you are well aware, so I can't give yer any help battlin' the Nyemetz, but at least I can take care of Giselle and the orange horse while yer doin' yer stuff.'

'As it is, Holitze and Sezemitze lie directly in our path. We would 'ave to make a detour to pass the villages anyway, so it ain't gonna hold us up none to free at least one o' them.'

'You're right in the fact that we 'ad an 'ard time against the Nyemetz in the woods, but yers got to remember that those were some pretty elite an' well trained troops. The Nyemetz would 'ave put some o' their best on witch'unting duties knowin' what they were up against. Although it sounds like there will be more o' them this time, they ain't gonna be as well organized as the last patrol was, an' they ain't gonna be expectin' much in the way o' resistance from villagers alone. Plus, as you say, wiv our elven friend an' 'is skill wiv a bow, we're gonna be able to take some out at a distance, which we couldn't before. Don't get me wrong, it ain't likely to be a walk over, but I think that the odds are more on our side than they were the last time.'

'Equippin' the men to fight back shouldn't be so much of a problem. By givin' the villagers the weapons that we take off the corpses of the Nyemetz scum, we can arm them. Peasants won't be used to fightin' as the Nyemetz are, but what they lack in technique, I'm sure they can make up for with enthusiasm, knowin' that the fate o' there families be at stake.'

'The news that the Nyemetz are 'avin' to put together slave brigades is new an interestin'. It's somethin' that they've never done before. It looks as if the Nyemetz mus' be spread more thinly than ever before. There's obviously no guarantees that the Nyemetz will not take vengeance upon the villagers, but I don't think that they can spare regiments jus' to go 'round raizin' villages like they could in the days before the Slovene threat.'

Heimlin tips the balance in favor of those wishing to assist the villagers by rescuing the slaves. Corrow and Jihan agree to abide by the majority decision and agree to participate in the relief of the town.

Winnacer tells the herd of villagers that are now surrounding the party of their decision. The reaction of the villagers at this news is mixed. Some are overjoyed at the party's decision. Others shake their heads sadly - they obviously believe that their would be rescuers are all doomed.

Yaz gives his pet squirrel nuts to the young mother for safe keeping.

'Thank you kindly, Sir' the young woman replies. 'The young 'uns haven't eaten in days'.

'Errm…that wasn't quite what I meant' replies Yaz, swiftly bringing Nuts back to the safety of his collar. Instead, he reaches into his sack and pulls out a couple of parsnips that he took on one of his foraging expeditions.

Winnacer tells the group of villagers to stay put. He says that the party will send word to them of their results against the Nyemetz after they have investigated further. With that, the party heads on northwards, cautiously.

Jihan takes the lead some 50 paces ahead of the remainder of the party so as to ensure that, if the Nyemetz are ahead, then Jihan would spot them before the Nyemetz would see the cart. After a couple of hours of cautious travel, they reach the brow of the low range of hills that they have been traveling up. Below them, they party can see a large expanse of woods in the distance ahead. On the outskirts of the woods, they can see a village - Heimlin tells them that it is Holitze - two miles to the west of that village, they can see another village, which is Sezemitze. Looking further towards the horizon, they see the blue/brown strips over rivers to the east and west of you. To the west, they can just make out the town of Pardubitze, to the north, the town of Hradetz Kralovye. They cannot, however, see any orc slave party heading in your direction. The party carries on heading towards the two villages.

'So which are we…errm…you going to do first?' Heimlin asks the rest.

After a short debate, it is decided that Holitze would be best, as it is only a short distance from the village to the woods, which would provide a decent hiding place should things go wrong in the village and escape be required.

They spend the rest of the afternoon cautiously approaching the village. Their nervousness increases as they get closer and closer to the village, although they can see no sign of any Nyemetz activity. They reach a small copse of trees about half a mile from Holitze and decide not to risk advancing any closer.

Although Jihan was not in favor of the attack, he volunteers to scout out the situation, anxious to prove his worth to the others. The rest of the party all wish him luck as he moves out towards the village.

They see Jihan stealthily approaching Holitze. He keeps a low profile as he darts from tree to bush, keeping in cover wherever possible. He has his bow and an arrow in his hands, in case of any trouble. After a few minutes, he disappears from your line of sight.

There is a tense 45 minutes waiting for Jihan to return. Then, to everyone's relief, they see the slender elf making his way back to them.

'The Nyemetz are there' Jihan said without emotion. 'I saw a number of orcs - I cannot be sure of their exact numbers, but there number is almost certainly ten, perhaps more.'

Corrow shakes his head as he hears this news.

'What is good news, however, is that they are not all together.' Jihan continues. 'They are spread out throughout the village, looting and pillaging whatever they can find.'

Jihan takes an arrow and begins scratching a simple map in the soil.

'The only concentration of orcs is in the center of the village. I counted five of them. They are obviously guarding the slaves. I counted around 20 or 30 of them, chained together. They have stopped in front of a tavern. The orcs seem to be enjoying the hospitality of the tavern, as I saw several barrels in the street. It would appear that the orcs have already enjoyed much of the ale, as they were in very high spirits when I saw them. The others are spread throughout the village, which makes it difficult to accurately give their numbers. I could see no sentries on duty and was able to move through the village with ease. I would imagine that the Nyemetz have no fear of any encounter.'

Jihan then gives them a very accurate description of the content of the village.

All are silent for a moment after Jihan has given his report, until Heimlin speaks:

'So, has any of yers got any idea as to what yer strategy will be?'

After a couple of minutes, Heimlin regrets ever asking the rest of the party for their suggestions as every single one of them has a completely different idea as to how they believe the village could best be liberated. A common theme, however, is for Maire' to use her magick in order to send the orcs in front of the tavern to sleep. There is some misunderstanding, however, as to whether some of the slaves would also be affected.

'Ye nae have tae worry bout ma sendin' the slaves to sleep instead of tha orcs' replies Maire' to questions regarding her spell. 'I do have some control over who it be affectin'

Heimlin has been listening to all of the tactical planning with great interest and a little annoyance. When there is a pause in the conversation, he gives his opinion:

'I ain't sayin' that I'm no tactical genius, although Svatopluk did bend my ear on numerous occasions about battle plans an' the suchlike. To me, it seems that you're plans ain't takin' account o' the biggest advantage that yer 'as. There's more orcs than you, but they's spread all over the village. Surely it's better to let them come to you an' fight them one by one rather than 'avin' to fight the 'ole lot o' 'em at the same time. Also remember that rescuin' the slaves is more important than slaughterin' the Nyemetz. Yers gotta protect the slaves. Yer've all seen what bastards the Nyemetz are. If yer go round pickin' the looters off one by one and the alarm is raised, then I wouldn't put it past the Nyemetz to kill all o' the slaves in panic or simply because of spite.'

Everyone agrees that Heimlin is speaking wise words and agrees that the best solution is to stay together.

After everyone has prepared their weapons, checked their spell components, etc. it is time for action. The party members all bid Heimlin farewell as he agrees to stay behind to care for the animals. He sincerely wishes you them the best of luck in the forthcoming battle. With no small degree of trepidation, the party sets out towards the village.

As they get to within 100 paces of the village, they all freeze as they start to hear the sound of excited grunts and the smashing of woodwork from the cartwright's house ahead of them.

'This is not the best route into the village' says Jihan. 'I shall scout ahead and find a safe route into the center that avoids any chance encounter with the Nyemetz.'

Jihan disappears into the village. Twenty minutes later he returns, to everyone's relief.

'I believe that an approach from the north west will ensure that we are not spotted' he says.

They all move around the outskirts of the village from the 6 o'clock position to the 10 o'clock position and then, as quietly as possible, make their way into the village. They pass the wheelwright's house and move to the center of the village.

As they get to the center, the simple map that Jihan scratched in the dirt comes clear to the others. The ambush site could not have been better planned for them. Right next to the 'Thug and Succubus' is a clump of trees. This will have the twin advantages of giving a hiding place for those who do not wish to enter combat, and gives an excellent sniping position for Jihan, as it has good line of sight to all approaches to the village center. As they reach the leafy clump, they all get on the ground and crawl through the trees, peering through the foliage towards the center of the village.

What Jihan reported earlier is true. There are 23 humans chained together immediately south of the tavern. Next to the slaves is a large four-wheeled cart, attached to which are two horses. The cart is laden with the loot that the orcs have so far gathered. Between the slaves and the tavern are five orcs, sitting on or around a few smashed barrels. They are obviously completely drunk, singing and slapping each other moronically.

Jihan starts to climb up the tree in order to get into position. One of the slaves sees him as he starts climbing. Jihan puts a finger to his lips, telling the slave not to say anything. In seconds, Jihan is laying on one of the upper branches of the trees with his bow in his hands.

'OK, Maire' whispers Winnacer 'there's no time like the present - send those orcs to the Land of Nod.'