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Red_Snow |
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Title
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First posted
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Turn 15 |
Taking In The View
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16/11/99
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---Back-post: Turn 14--- Seizing the opportunity, Aenarion skilfully switched the points on the old man's train of thought. "Have you ever encountered anything in these parts that seemed to be of a super-natural or magical origin?" The old man thought for a moment. "Well, apart from the thing in the cave I was telling you about before - and Lucky's ghost…" "That beaker of milk disappearing and all that yurt appearing was pretty miraculous" Amos ignored Martha's sarcasm. "There's the noises down pit 13 - no-one knows what's making them, and the rock-spirit that led those boys out when that tunnel caved in, and…" Martha cut him off. "In other words, yes, lots. Was there anything specific you wanted to hear about?" ---Skip--- The two haggled over the burgundy beret, the cloak, and the ox-hide boots for a while. Xavier made his position clear and made great efforts to point out his contribution to the town's defence. Magden pointed out that if he was so important, he could borrow the money, or get it directly from the Factor. Xavier got upset. Magden got grumpy. Xavier got sarcastic. Magden dropped the price to 16 Crowns. ---Skip--- The door opened and Darmon apologetically entered. "Umm, hi." Magden forced a grin. "What would you like, youngster?" Darmon cleared his throat. "A hammer. A war-hammer, please. And some suitable clothes for this weather." Magden snorted. "There's cloaks, hats, and boots on the counter." Scratching his head absently, he disappeared behind the wall of bins. He soon reappeared with an armload of non-descript tunics, leggings, and the like. "I've got woollen breeches, doublets, shirts, tunics, leggings, hose, vests, you name it. I can do you a complete set for…10 Crowns. Or less if you don't mind something that's been properly 'worn in'." He put the pile down on the counter and disappeared behind the wall again. "I've not got any war-hammers, I'm afraid. We don't get many of Sigmar's Templers out here, you see. I can do a…no, that's a broom. I can do a - damn, what's that doing there? - axe, and a… two-handed axe. That good enough?" ---Skip--- "The Toa-Suo are a race of evil, shaggy beings. They live in caves high up in the mountains and only come down to hunt when there's deep snow on the ground. They look like men from a distance, but their fur is snowy white and they can hide, invisibly, on the open hillside. They hunt in packs, and can smell blood from miles away. They have very, very sharp claws and razor sharp teeth and eat human flesh…" Lucrezia shrieked and spun round. The two guards sitting on the side of the platform behind her were rolling about, laughing hysterically. One of the long Ballista quarrels were lying on the flagstones were one of the guards had dropped it after poking her in the rear with the sharpened end. Rat wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "I told you we'd get her!" He gasped between chuckles. "Oh, wow, you should have seen your face!" He paused, laughing too hard to speak. "I thought the game was up when we told you about the ghost the last Priestess of Verena, and you stayed up all night sitting in the graveyard…" He gave up talking to concentrate on laughing. "The sheet!" "The howling!" "Her face!" "Oh Grundi, her face!" The three guards collapsed into hysterical laughter. Lucrezia looked like she wasn't sure whether to laugh or get angry. ---Turn 15--- Duncan continued to stare at the ledge for several minutes while the conversation continued around him. He turned back to look when everyone began laughing, and began chuckling along with the others after taking in the situation. Lucrezia's face was a picture of hurt innocence and amusement. Once Rat had recovered from his fit of mirth, Duncan raised a hand and pointed to the ledge. "So if we were going to put the powder keg out there, it would be near that ledge?" he asked, turning to Rat for the answer. "Uh, yes, I guess so. You'd have to put it right up there, right on the edge or even further back or else the ledge itself would protect them. Of course, if the Goblins have moved on or they're in some sort of gully or foxhole they would be still be protected. It'd be a brave man who climbs up there with a keg of gunpowder under one arm, expecting Goblin arrows to come raining down any second." "Well, if the little monsters are already out there, there's not much chance of anyone getting out there to place the keg, without getting injured, right? What's the possibility of someone doing that?" he asked again. Rat scratched his chin and glanced sideways at Lucrezia, still chuckling. "Two chances: Good and terrible. If they're lucky, the Goblins aren't there and there's no danger. There's also no point in going up there. If they're up there waiting for you, you're dead. There's no two ways about THAT. Sword, arrow, club, whatever - there'd be no way we could help 'cause the guy up there would be in the way." "Well, if it needs to be done, I guess I should be the one to do it. It was my idea." Duncan replied with a slight grin. "That's a big if. I reckon we'd be best off either storming them or waiting for them to stick their ugly green skulls above the horizon." Looking back out to the ledge again, Duncan thought for another few moments. Turning back to the others, he stated: "Maybe I should go and talk to the Alchemist about getting more powder and whether we might bring down the mountain." Rat took a glance up at the mountain while he thought about it. "I suppose he's the man to talk to about gunpowder if you're so set on it. It's probably worth talking to Urkan as well, just in case he's got something planned. Oh, and you'd better check that the Goblins are actually up there and not somewhere else before you risk anything." He shook his head. "I reckon it's a waste of time, myself." "What about your catapult idea? Do you have one in the town?" Rat thought for a moment. "No, I don't think we do. You might be able to make one out of wood and gut, or you could make a Trebuchet out of wood and rocks. We've certainly got a lot of those lying about! See what Magden or Hortion says." "Hortion?" "He's the mine Foreman. Short guy - you know, Dwarven - with a helmet with a candle stuck in it. He's normally waving a tape measure or a spanner or two around. Whatever you do, don't ask him about the Engineer's Guild, all right? He'll go mad if you do. It's not a pretty sight." Duncan shrugged. "Ok, you know more about this situation then me, which method is better? Catapult or Ballista?" "You mean, is it better to lob the barrel up there or to ask someone to carry it up there, balance it on the edge in full view of them AND us, and get him to run back down here without them noticing or us torching the barrel? Umm, let me think…" "The catapult?" "I reckon." One of the crew chuckled. "Safe, easy, and pretty accurate. Of course, it'd still be a bit of a waste if there isn't anyone up there, but that's not my problem, is it?" "Ok, good choice," Duncan replies, patting the man on the shoulder. "I'll go talk to the Alchemist anyway, and I can come back and help you out later if you need it." ---Skip to the Inn--- Amos ignored Martha's sarcasm. "There's the noises down pit 13 - no-one knows what's making them, and the rock-spirit that led those boys out when that tunnel caved in, and…" Martha cut him off. "In other words, yes, lots. Was there anything specific you wanted to hear about?" Aenarion coolly replied: "While we were heading into town we came across some goblins; or, should I say, the remains of them. My comrades also said that they saw a white beast of some sort, and I heard a horrible cry, which I am assuming came from the beast. Have you heard about or seen anything that in any way matches this description?" "Dead Goblins -" "- Good thing too! - "- and loud noises. Could be anyone of a lot of things. Snow leopard, Dragon, Toa Suo, Elemental, Demon, Undead… Can you narrow it down at all?" "There was also a crater beside the dead Goblin. It was still hot when we found it, although it was cooling fast." "Sounds like a Dragon to me." Amos decided smugly. "It's a fire-breathing Snow-Dragon." "Or a Wraith. Or a Demon." Amos glared at Martha who continued obliviously. "Or a Necromancer who doesn't mind damaging the goods. Or it could be a really pissed-off Zoat. That'd be a guy well-worth avoiding!" Martha and Amos began discussing the finer points of snow-dwelling, Goblin-killing, fire-wielding mythical beasts. Aenarion settled down to listen, fully prepared to learn as long as the two were willing to teach. ---End Turn--- |
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