Planning In The Tavern

With the trial over, Hrust once again casts the spell that enables him to speak Bohavian and asks the party whether they have had chance to think of how he and Zsolt the bodyguard could aid them, or whether they have any ideas as to what the Slovenes should do now that their translators are dead.

Will is the first to make some suggestions. He suggests that the shaman and his bodyguard stay in Holitze, where their good deeds and language limitations are both known.

"They can certainly be of aid to the cause here" he says. "If, in the future, we go to Pannonia or Slovensko, they are more than welcome to journey in our company. Surely we will journey near the borders sometime in the future."

Winnacer is less keen on the shaman staying in Holitze, although he does suggest the idea of Hrust accompanying them on the mission to investigate Boscobelous Tower, and idea that Will agrees with.

The young lord then speaks directly to Hrust:

"Shaman Hrust, you have proven yourself to be quite honorable and courageous, especially considering this fight is not your own. All that I can request of you is to safely return to Slovensko and convince your brethren to support a free Bohavia. Your eyes have seen much, and Bohavia readies itself to overthrow the shackles of the Nyemetz. You now know how to contact us and we know how to contact you. As with any alliance, it should be based on mutual respect and understanding rather than debt. Persuade your Tzar that Bohavian independence is a cause worthy of working towards. Bohavia is gearing up to destroy any who would deny it independence, and your country can provide much aid either in equipment, training, or bringing the fight to Nyemetzko. If the rest of your country proves to be as honorable as you, the Nyemetz do not stand a chance."

Bennett also welcomes them to join the party on their investigation of Boscobelous Tower, if they so desire, but if they wish to safely return to Slovensko or anywhere else, he feels honor-bound to take them there before doing anything else.

Winnacer shakes his head as he hears Bennett's words:

'The journey to Slovensko is far, Bennett, and would take several weeks for us to undertake and there is no other reason for us to go in that direction. We have so many more pressing matters what with our oath to Konan to investigate the Tower, the trip to the fur farm to meet up with Darius again and the trip to Kutna Hora to attempt to reunite Heimlin with his son, which will not be easy. I am also interested in finding out more about Yiri of Podyebrad. All of these will take time to complete without making more pledges.'

Winnacer is silent as he sees Bennett look at the ground. He can see that it is a matter of honor for him:

'Please, Bennett, do not let honor separate us as was the case with Darius' Winnacer requests. 'I can easily see that our travels will take us in the direction of Slovensko at some time in the future, but not just now. Will you agree to the Slovenes staying here for an unspecified time, that we may assist them at some time in the future?'

Bennett considers Winnacer's offer and nods.

'Does this situation meet with your approval, Kesryk?' adds Winnacer.

Kesryk looks over to The Dancing Troll and sees Tharnald and Darry are at the door, winking at him and blowing him kisses. Granny is talking at them, telling them all about the dangers of wearing shoes that are too tight. The cleric then looks up at the huge bear like creature. The cleric gives a little sigh and then replies to Winnacer's question:

'Well, you certainly have brought us a…errm…an interesting collection of friends, but I cannot refuse to help you for all of the assistance that you have provided to the village, so he can stay with us. In any case, I have heard you say that the shaman and the Pannon are powerful adversaries or allies. I think that they may be able to be of great assistance to us should the Nyemetz make another attempt upon us.'

'And what about you, Shaman Hrust?' questions Winnacer. 'Are you acceptable to staying in the village for a period of what could be several months.'

'While I would prefer to return to Slovensko' the shaman replies, 'there are advantages to be had by having an extended stay in your country. It will give me an opportunity to see the ways of its people at first hand. Yes, I will stay here.'

As that conversation finishes, Yaz's form starts to blur and increases in size rapidly. Over a period of a few minutes, the form of the dirty three-year-old vanishes to be replaced by the familiar form of Yaz.

Later in the afternoon, when there is nothing else for you to do, Jihan speaks to Kesryk regarding the importance of training:

"I realize that the harvest must take precedence if we are to have food for this winter war, but we may not be back for some time, and by then, weather may not be ideal for any training which will come in useful in the spring and summer months. I can't imagine that there are too many here who would volunteer for such positions anyway, but if it would help, perhaps we could help in the fields to cut some time in half for those suitable for these rigorous tasks and begin some rudimentary instruction, if in nothing else than a few skills which could be practiced and thought about when the gathering has all been completed. If training is out of the question, still, I would like to look over your people and see just who may be suitable, to keep in mind for later on."

'I agree with the importance of training' replies Kesryk. 'But the gathering of the harvest must take precedence. Yarovit has provided for us well this year and the crops are bountiful. However, all could be ruined were we to have one heavy storm or a freeze. For a small community such as ours, this could lead to starvation. The task is always a major one and will take the entire village more than 10 days to complete. Please, speak to the villagers in the evening, and choose your scouts, but I cannot afford for the whole village to take many hours away from the task.'

Will and Jihan go toward the nearest field. Pulling out large sacks, they take their position at the next row of corn near whoever is harvesting this field. Pulling the ears and putting them in the sack, Will begins to sing a good song of work and Jihan joins with him. When the person next to them has a full sack, they follow them and empty their sacks wherever they empty theirs. Throughout the remainder of the afternoon, Will and Jihan work with the villagers in the fields, singing songs in praise to Yarovit for the harvest and elven songs. By the end of the day, they are all chanting a harvester's song together. At the close of the work day, when the sun starts to set, Will leads the children and anyone else who wishes to cool off from the heat of the evening, down to the nearest water hole where he disrobes down to undershirt and britches, and jumps in, splashing and washing off the sweat of the day.

Yaz spends the afternoon looking after the worgs. Seeing that they are hungry, he starts to cast spells upon three of them and then talks to them. He tells them to go into the forest in order to collect food for the others. The worgs bark their agreement.

He then opens the door to the barn and carefully lets just the three charmed ones out.

There is some panic amongst the villagers as they see three large worgs let loose, but the worgs ignore them as they make their way to the woods. The worgs return after an hour, each dragging a deer with them. They obediently return to the barn and share their catch with the others.

As was the case the previous evening, the party retires to The Dancing Troll. The tavern is once more near to capacity as the villagers quench their thirsts. Darry brings a large meal for them all, and they eat with vigor after not having a lunch break because of the trial. With relief, they see that the villagers are starting to accept Tharnald and Darry for what they are, seeing that they are not going to lead them into a life of sin and debauchery. The two dwarves' cheeky remarks start to lead to grins from many of the villagers rather than the shock of the previous evening.

During the evening, the form of the second Darry starters to shimmer and blur, to be replaced by that of Faewen'il. Tharnald and the real Darry look a little disappointed at the transformation, but everyone else look highly relieved, especially Jihan.

The elf is observing the villagers carefully, trying to locate some of them to act as scouts. A couple of the younger Hammerers, now out of their mail, come to his attention. The elf thinks that they could be the type that he is looking for to become scouts.

Winnacer interrupts the jollity by getting back to business:

'We need to make a decision as to what our next course of action should be, starting from tomorrow morning, as we will all be back to full health by then. Obviously, we can stay here for more time if we consider it necessary. The other alternatives as I see it is to go to Pardubitze to meet with Kesryk's High Priestess to ask for her help with the many tasks we have. Then there is, of course, Boscobelous Tower and also the fur farm to consider. Some of you may have other suggestions as well.'

'If we cannot all agree on one destination, then can we all at least agree to go with a majority decision? Please, let no more of us follow Darius' lead, as it is unlikely that we will achieve anything is we spilt into smaller groups. So what are your thoughts?'

Bennett is the first to answer Winnacer's question regarding the next destination:

"I would prefer to go to the Tower, as that is closest and the most obvious target, but I will follow whatever route the group decides."

While the conversation regarding actions continues, Kesryk draws Bennett to one side:

'I believe that you wanted to speak to me in private. I apologize for not being able to speak with you earlier, but have had many tasks to see to. Let us take a walk outside to get some air.'

The two of them leave the smoky tavern and stand outside deep in dicussion in the cooler air:

"Winnacer! Have you not a moment for respite my lord?" says Will in response to the young lord's question. "We can speak of these things in due time. Tell me first, has there ever been a maiden that has distracted this noble warrior from his duties? If not, then we must find a pleasant distraction for you my lord. All work and no play makes for a long day my leader."

Will's question takes him quite aback:

"Errrm....ladies? I can't say that....uhh... that I have much experience ....errrm...in those sorts of things."

Winnacer starts to get a little red-faced at the mention of dalliances and such.

"A distraction of sorts, huh? Errrm...well....errrm....look at me."

Winnacer moves his hands along the silhouette of Reinberger's cruel features.

"I would not...uhh..want to subject any proper maiden to such a face. It makes me feel nasty just to look like this."

Winnacer blinks and catches himself.

"Anyway, there is no time for respite. We have the Nyemetz reeling from our recent victories, a companion who most likely is getting into troubles he could not deal with, and a number of time commitments that must be met. Pleasantries will just have to wait until ... errm.... until we have more time."

"I suggest that we strike out in the morning for Boscobelous' Tower. Hopefully, it will not take too long to scout it out, and perhaps we can find time for...errrm...these dalliances and so forth when we have to prepare our formal papers for Konan."

"Apologies my lord" replies Will. "I am grown accustomed to this form you wear now, being it is the only one of you that I have known. Perhaps another time would be better."

Jihan has been sitting at a table, slowly supping at a glass of whisky after those few long hours in the fields. For him, the work was hard, but welcome respite from the thoughts of the past few days. What he lacked in strength, he made up for with his quick and dextrous hands, which were only slightly diminished in efficiency by Tharnald's small form.

"This form is beginning to chafe, brother," he says to Will. "There are too many things to worry about, and this is just another to pile atop them. I only hope that Granny's magic does not disprove Heimlin's estimation of the duration of this powder..."

He was happy to see Yaz's earlier transformation, yet as Faewen'il is transmogrified in the tavern, he can but sigh and put his head in his hands.

Later in the evening, Shaman Hrust uses the last of the spells that allow him to converse in Bohavian, not for any important reason, but simply to be able to chat as the rest of you are doing.

Will speaks with the shaman:

"Shaman Hrust, have you families at home that await your return?"

"Forgive my curiosity, and please let me know if I pry overly much, but how did you, being from Slovensko, come to be in the company of a Pannon?"

Hrust seems to smile as Will asks the question:

'The only family that I have is my father, and he is my god, Blesk. He is all of the family I need and I have devoted myself to him totally. Priests of Blesk are not allowed to mate, and this is one of the reasons why I was not afraid to die. No one would shed tears for me and I would only get to meet my Lord all the quicker.'

'As for how I came to be in the company of the Pannons, it is a simple story. In order to move around Bohavia I needed to be in the company of a group of humans. Pannonia is neutral in the conflict between Nyemetzko and Slovensko. The Pannons are known for being a peaceful nation as well as being a nation of merchants. As a result, being in their company arouses less suspicion than if I were in the company of other human nationals, such as Polaks.'

He pauses for a second and his voice takes on a note of sadness:

'Miklosh and Gabor were good people and they should not have had to die. Was it not for the Slovenes standing against the might of Nyemetzko, then I fear that their nation would be the next to fall under the double-headed eagle banner of the Nyemetz.'

After the conversation with Hrust is over, Will makes his way over to Faewen'il:

"Apologies, my fair lady. Had I known such beauty lay veiled beneath the magics, I would have shown more respect."

He kneels in front of Faewen'il, takes her hand and lays the back of it to his bowed forehead.

"Forgive me any presumptuous behavior that I may have exhibited toward you."

Then standing and smiling broadly, he bows again:

"May I ask a dance?"

Leading her by the hand to Jihan, he speaks to her again:

"I deign not dance with one that is the object a friend's affection. Even if there were another to play the music. The dance I ask is for another."

Pulling the chair beside Jihan out, he leads Faewen'il to sit at his table.

Will speaks to the elf:

"Jihan, this fair lady was sitting upon yonder stool alone, with none to keep her company nor to dance with. Tis a shame wouldn't you say?"

He then goes to play for the crowd.

Jihan was just hopping off of his chair when Will approached with Faewen'il. Upon seeing her up close again, he cannot keep the red from his ears, and he looks towards the floor, dawdling his feet.

"Would that I could dance, brother, but my feet are all cramped and my back is an agony," he mumbles, still standing and facing towards the door. "I'd be nothing but a disappointment and a burden," he says with an apologetic look towards Tharnald, "dwarves were made to dance with dwarves, and these feet don't obey as once my own did. I'm sorry Will... Fae..."

Looking quite dejected, but with a brave smile on nonetheless, he looks towards the door:

"Maybe I'll go for a bit of a walk to work out these cramps. It's such a nice night any way..."

He bows to take leave of the two and then hobbles towards the door, obviously in real pain.

Will looks a little sad as he sees Jihan depart, but sees that he has already tried all that he can.

Even Faewen'il herself had breathed a sigh of relief as her form once more returned to her own as she had grown tired of wearing Darry's atrocious clothing. Though inwardly she would miss the interesting opportunities that being a woman inside of a man had afforded her.

Will's attention to her was embarrassing and made her want to use the powder to change herself into something else as he drug her by the hand to where Jihan sat. The embarrassment quickly vanished as Jihan made an excuse not to dance with her; even though her own skill at dancing was just about abysmal. As she watched him hobble away, her shoulders sagged a bit and the expression on her face turned somewhat cool. Brushing a lock of her wavy red hair out of her face, she turns to Will and speaks with him.

"Please donna do that again sar... though at least I know now how he feels about me. Iffin tha others need me for somethin I will be in me room studyin spells," she says in a somewhat clipped tone before walking away.

Faewen'il's words make Will feel a little embarrassed too. He decides to lose himself in a familiar task. After twiddling in the corner for a bit, humming to himself and scribbling notes down on paper, Will once again takes the floor to sing the songs of Bohavia.

Calling for the floor again, Will starts a chilling, dreary tune which changes as the story progresses and ends in a stirring, strong upbeat song of victory.

 

"Twas silent on the open hills,

A Bohavian autumn day;

The cold Oktober's windy chills,

Blew travellers that way.

 

A noble band of rebels who,

were weary and dead tired.

Headed to the villages two,

with which they had conspired.

 

When over the crest worg riders flew,

The warband numbered thirty;

Our noble heros were but few,

Hungry, beat and dirty.

 

Though vastly over numbered they,

and weary to the bone;

The heros stood and fought that day,

The few of them alone.

 

The clash it made a mighty sound,

Heard o'er the windy hills;

As battle raged, the enemy found,

their own made up the kills.

 

As the defenders slew the foes,

the next would fill the slot;

Swords and daggers, arrows and bows,

Sent them to death to rot.

 

But weariness it takes a toll,

No one forever stands;

The ones who took a hero's role,

must harken fatigue's demands.

 

It seemed they were about to fall,

when over the hill they heard:

'Spravedelna!' - the Holy Hammers' call!

A glorious rallying word!

 

Justice' cause had won the day,

with noble courageous deeds;

Hooves' thundering music did play,

From flaming orange steeds!"

 

Will bows out and goes to ask a drink from Tharnald who applauded Will's efforts heartily. He pours Will a frothing flagon of ale and Will returns to the rest of the party.

Winnacer calls Will back over. He applauds him for the song, but tries to bring the party to discuss the most pressing matter:

'Apart from Bennett. I have still not heard anyone take a view regarding our plan of actions for tomorrow. The two of us have said that we would both prefer to undertake the assault upon Boscobelous' Tower as our next course of action. Are the rest of you in agreement? If not, then please state your objections, otherwise I suggest that we leave for the Tower in the morning.'

The young lord then looks over at Kesryk:

 'And what about you? Will you join us upon our quest?'

Kesryk shakes his head a little sadly.

 'I cannot do this at this time. I need to stay here and look after my flock, especially during harvest time. In any case, I believe that it is not so important that I accompany you on your quest as it could have been. If Shaman Hrust is really willing to accompany you to the Tower, then I feel that he is much better qualified than I aim to assist you in the task.'

'The shaman has shown that he is a fearsome adversary and his powers seem to be greater than mine. I feel that a priest of a storm god is more suited for such a task as ridding the world of undead is not something that a follower of Spravedelna is expressly required for. There will be no questions of justice to ponder on in the Tower. All undead are abominations of nature and Spravedelna would not question the need to rid the land of them all.'

In response to Winnacer's question regarding everyone's decision on the next destination, Will puts his total support behind Winnacer:

"The tower in the morning it is!" Will agrees.

"OK" Yaz adds a little sadly. "There's a big part of me that wants to go and check up on Darius, but he made his own decision, so the Tower it will have to be."

Winn then tries to ask Shaman Hrust if he cares to join us in exploring Boscobelous' Tower and purging any of the undead that may be there. Hrust, however, just points towards his mouth and shakes his head. It is obvious that he is out of any more spells that will let him communicate further today.

Kesryk sees Winnacer's predicament and interrupts:

'Allow me to act as translator. I asked Spravedelna for the means to communicate with our guest and have not yet been required to use it.'

Kesryk then starts to growl with the bugbear in a guttural way. The conversation lasts for just a couple of minutes and then Kesryk gives a summary:

'Hrust says that he will be happy to accompany you on your journey. Not only does he feel indebted to you for saving the life of his bodyguard and himself, but he also relishes the chance of serving his god by smiting the abominations. I feel that you have a powerful ally on your side for this task.'

When the decision as to your next destination has been finalized, Will asks Winnacer if he can have a word with him in private. Winnacer agrees and the two of them walk outside for a while.

Then Will begins to speak:

"My lord Winnacer. I have a confession to make. Regarding Yiri of Podyebrad, I have not revealed all that I know of him to you. Please understand that I had to assure myself of your true intentions before I spoke of what I am now about to reveal. After the past days, my conversations with each of you, your honor in battle with the Nyemetz, witnessing the people of this village and their knowledge of you, and the trial of today; I can no longer doubt your faithfulness to the cause."

"What I am about to reveal to you, you must protect with your life and your honor."

"I knew Yiri of Podyebrad as a child. We grew up together in the very same Holy Library of Kitry in Podyebrad. He is indeed as the ballad says, a noble warrior for Bohavia in whose blood is that of King Karel's. I served under him after we grew to age, and I was there when the Nyemetz destroyed the resistance movement that he started. Rest your hope in the knowledge that Yiri does yet live. Wounded and defeated after trying to resist the surprise assault he retreated from the ambush, and I accompanied him. He could find none else alive. He has taken refuge for the present while I in my anonymity seek to find supporters for the cause."

"You said you were interested in finding out more about Yiri, so I am giving you the knowledge you desire. Please forgive my mistrust and hesitation to share this knowledge, but you must understand that I jealously guard this information. Father Konan is the only soul I have entrusted this knowledge to before now. He has pledged his aid in any way possible, and given me credentials to show any temple of Kitry which may help us as well. He suggested that we seek out Yiri as soon as possible and bring him to lead the rebellion."

"Winnacer. You are my liege at present. I follow where you command and my conscience allows until such time as I am reunited with Yiri. We have much to do that must be done immediately: The fur farm, the tower, freeing Heimlin's son, delivering Bekkah to the High Priestess for healing, and possibly others that I do not know of. Yiri is safe, and will await word of the resistance."

Winnacer's eyes go wide at this news:

"You are friends with Yiri of Podyebrad?!? He lives and you know where he is hiding?!?"

Winnacer pauses, absorbing the shock to better approach this situation.

"While I am quite curious to where he may be, it perhaps is best that you do not tell any of us. I would hate for a slip of the tongue or the torturer's rack to doom such a valiant warrior. While I would like to meet him, a man who can fight battalions of Nyemetz single-handedly would be a worthy ally, our resistance is still small and our commitments are many. As we travel, tell us when we are approaching his hiding place. I would not be surprised if Spravedelna guided us to him. But for now, let us stick to the tasks at hand."

"If it would not trouble you, could you tell me what type of man Yiri is? Yiri the man, not the legend or the song. For he is one I have often looked up to, a hero of the highest caliber."

Will smiles as he remembers in his mind's eye the person of Yiri:

"He is a kind and noble man, easy to befriend and quickly earning trust from strangers. I owe my life to him it is sure. He reminds me a lot of yourself, Winnacer."

"I think you are right not to ask the location of Yiri's hiding place. The knowledge that I bear is both a blessing and a curse to me, as I sometimes feel as if I am carrying the weight of Bohavia upon my shoulders. I would wish not to burden others with the same responsibility if it is not essential. I will, however, tell you that the location is far from here and that the tasks that I currently know that you have agreed to complete do not take us in that direction. I would not recommend postponing any of the pressing matters that we have discussed, as Yiri has waited several years to meet with a group such as yourselves and so I doubt that another month or so will make a great difference. However, I would very much like for you to meet with him once these tasks have been completed."

As was the case with the previous evening, they continue drinking at The Dancing Troll for several more hours until they decide that it is time to call it a night, knowing that you have a long journey ahead of you the following day. You each return to the cottages where you spent the previous night.