Session Six 19th Peonu - 20th Peonu 720

Where we follow the vicissitudes of a separate viking pHarn Down Under ...

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Session Six 19th Peonu - 20th Peonu 720

Postby Neil » Sat Aug 05, 2006 11:22 pm

19th Peonu 720

Raan pays a final visit to Horvald seeking directions to Fornan. Horvald complies giving Raan the necessary directions. Raan bids his friend goodbye and before leaving says “You may hear deeds that I am accussed of committing know that I had nothing do with any of them. I will not hold you to keep your silence on my business here tonight, I enjoyed our time together old man and I wish that things had turned out differently.” Holding out his hand Horvald takes his hand and says “I will not tell anyone that does not ask. May Sarajin guide your way young Raan.”

About an one and a half hours after darkness has fallen, the warband head along the coast road skirting the edges of a small village that could not be more than a mile or so from Sherwyn.

The group quickly and quietly pass around the village and not long after find themselves approaching the outskirts of another settlement. As they skirt around they notice the silouhette of a clan longhouse sitting atop a small rise. They quickly leave this settlement behind also.

The warband travel past another small village before arriving at another larger settlement, the sound coming from the inn drowns out any noise the warband might make allowing them to bypass this settlement quickly.

Another small fishing village is bypassed by the warband. As the group head west they begin to enter some hilly terrain with thick woodlands. The warband become more cautious as they move through this ambush country. Not long after the warband descend from a rise and can hear the sounds of a watercourse ahead of them. As they approach they can see the road pass through a river at a well used ford. The rain that has been falling the last several hours has done little to raise the water level and with their guard up the warband cross the river. Gaining the other side and heading off back into the hills and woods.

Not long after crossing the ford the warband notice a change in the country side no longer are they climbing and descending the hills but have entered a more flat countryside. Bypassing another large settlement and a smaller fishing village the warband come upon a third small village along their journey to Fornan.

The warband continue along the trail, Raan and Kjarl leading with Kalyn and Anvil following with Atol protecting the rear.

Leaving the third village behind them the warband continue cautiously along the trail entering another of the numerous small but densly wooded copse of trees that populate the area, the warband are greeted with a volley of arrows.

The arrows fail to find their mark except one, striking Raan in the forehead. The jolt sending him backwards but otherwise unhurt, the helmut having done it’s job.

The warband stand in shock as the darkness conceals the attackers. No more arrows are loosed as the warband move at a jog into the trees. Anvil crouches in the middle of the road.

Kjarl and Raan become the targets of more arrows, one striking the tree Raan is hiding behind while a second strikes Kjarl’s shield. Atol sensings an impass moves forward to hunt out the attackers and as he moves through the woods finds one of his attackers hiding behind a tree with bow in hand ready to loose his next volley. The initial contact surprises both opponents.

Meanwhile the rest of the warband are advancing towards their attackers. Raan finds another would be attacker hiding behind another tree not far from the road.

The warrior fighting Raan steps back and draws his shortsword while the warrior fighting Atol steps back and fires the arrow he had nocked missing his target.

A third warrior is found near his companions by Kjarl as he crosses the road to lend his support to his companions.

The battle is taking place at night in amongst a well wooded area making the fight difficult to tell friend from foe with figures looming out of the darkness not more than striking distance from each other. The battle sways towards the warbands favour as 1 and then 2 of the warriors fall to blows from the warband.

As the morale of the lone warrior was about to fail out of the darkness appears 3 of his comrades, they all fall on Kjarl but due to the poor visibility they were unable to attack him.

The warband gathers together and moves towards Kjarls aid. Raan moves off to check the trail for anymore would be opponents. Moving in behind him 3 more warriors move in to attack the warband. The battle flows on in the darkness with another 2 of the warriors falling to blows landed by Kjarl and Atol.

Raan falls on the rear of the warriors but is unable to land any blows due to the poor visibility. The warrior attacked by Raan attempts to retreat over the body of one of his comrades but stumbles to the ground.

The warband attacks maiming 2 more of the warriors a lone warrior cut off from the rest of his comrades throws down his club and offers his surrender, Atol having none of it moves towards him and lands a blow which fells him where he stood.

The warrior that had lost his footing manages to gain his feet avoiding a blow from Raan while his companion blocks a blow from Kjarl and Anvil. The last 2 warriors sensing the fight is not with them by the lack of noise coming from the other side take to the trees and disappear into the darkness.

The warband surveys the battlefield and after checking the bodies of the attackers find that 3 have not been killed, 3 have peircing wounds to the neck while the 4th has a mortal blow to his head.

Kalyn appraising the least wounded hands him over to Kjarl. The warband discover after the fight that Raan’s shield took a hit which sees it looking a little worse for wear and Atol has taken a blow from a club to the thorax allowing Kalyn to treat Atol for some fractured ribs.

Kjarl tries to interrogate the wounded man but he is to wounded and in shock to be able to answer any questions. Anvil quickly dispatches him and his body is dragged over to where the rest of his companions lay.

A quick look around the battlefield reveals that the 7 attackers were not well armoured most being in a mix of cloth and leather with 2 wearing a Kurbul helmet. They are carrying 21d in coin on their persons and 1 of the warriors has a small cut gem and a gold ring in a beltpouch.

Three of the men were carrying shortswords while the other 4 had clubs. All were carrying shortbows.

The warband replenish their arrow stocks from the dead and take several bowstrings as well.

Dragging the bodies into the trees the warband continue their journey to Fornan.

About 1/2 a mile from the battle site the warband enters an area of countryside similiar to that already passed with a number of hills over a well wooded area. This slows the warbands a little but with the night quickly passing the warband need to put some distance between the battle site and themselves.

With the fading darkness and sunrise approaching the warband decide to find a place to rest as they have been on the go now for almost 24 hours.

Anvil finds a campsite remote from the road and with a small stream nearby to allow them to refill their waterskins.

Kjarl hands around some of the food contained in the sack he was given by Staabo the master shipwright in Sherwyn. The warband reluctantly accept his offer of food.

Anvil takes the first watch as the warband falls off to sleep. His watch passes without event. Anvil wakes Raan and Kjarl to take the next watch. Not long after they have taken up their posts they hear noises coming from towards the road it sounds like someone travelling along the road, they quickly fade into silence as the traveller heads east.

Later that same morning more noises can be heard coming from the road, these noises sound like booted feet and the clinking of metal on metal gives the impression that these might be armed men. Some hushed voices can be heard although what is being said is not. “This might be the huscarls looking for us” says Raan. The sounds of marching stop and the numberof voices increase as the ‘patrol’ appears to be taking a rest just down by the road. Around 10 minutes pass and the ‘patrol’ packs up and continues it’s journey west.

Atol and Kalyn take the next watch allowing Kalyn to check Atol’s wounds and change his dressing.

With the fading light Atol wakes the warband to prepare for the rest of their journey. Kjarl offers the remains of his sack to the warband which is eargerly taken and within minutes consumed, Kjarl stuffing the now empty sack into his backpack.

The warband wait for darkness before making their way towards to road and west again towards Fornan.

The warband skirt a small village not long after leaving the hills and trees behind. They make their way around the village without event.

They approach another larger settlement, however, as they attempt to skirt a small dwelling remote from the village a dog starts barking at the warband, still hidden by the surrounding terrain the dog continues to bark until a figure opens the door with a candle in hand and scans the surrounding area taking a walk around his house. The warband have frozen some from training some from fear. The local finishes his search with the still barking dog and before returning inside yells something at the dog that the warband are unable to understand.

The warband breathe a collective sigh of relief and head off.

The warband continues to move along the road through the night....

20th Peonu 720

Not long after middnight the warband approach another small settlement and are quickly past it and away.

The warband moves on for another mile or so and approaches another settlement a small fishing village and for the first time since their fight they can see the sea. Atol turning to Raan says “Is this Fornan?” Raan trying to recollect his instructions remembers that he was told Fornan was a large settlement and replies that “It is not”. Kjarl offers his suggestion that they might yet steal a boat a make their way to the mainland without any assistance from Ran. This idea is rejected and the warband again skirt the village without event.

Following the road along the coast most of the way the warband makes it’s way to the next settlement, a larger settlement that Raan recalls fitting the description given by Horvald. “This is it” declares Raan.

The warband stops by the side of the road outside of town. “Look” says Kjarl “high ground on the other side of the village let us get up there and observe the village and wait for our boat tonight.” Anvil says that he should go into the village and see if any boats are there waiting them already. The warband agrees and Anvil removing his armour and weapons makes his way into the village.

Using the darkness and shadows to remain concealed Anvil makes his way to the shoreline where he can see numerous talbars pulled up onto the sand some have been overturned while others have a canvas cover. None appear to be guarded or ready to sail.

Making his way back towards the centre of the village he notices a body sprawled by the roadside, as Anvil approaches a tankard can be seen still clutched in his hand, as Anvil nears the body looks up at him and as if this took all his effort the head collapses again on the road. Moving towards the high ground Anvil notices a glow coming from the high ground, moving closer he can see that a group of buildings are surrounded by a pallisade.

Making his way back into the village Anvil notices the drunk has moved and is no longer sprawled on the road, he has dragged himself towards the side of an out building and is sitting with his legs drawn up towards him and his head resting on his crossed arms. The drunk manages to look up again as Anvil approaches but does not appear to pay much attention as he lets his head fall back onto his arms.

Anvil manages to make his way back to where the warband have remained hidden and passes on this new found information.

Anvil then leads the warband back on to some high ground to the east of the village away from the walled buildings.

The warband manage to find a suitable site to rest before day break. The warband sets up a small camp but try to remain hidden.

With the sun up the warband try to get some rest again. Anvil takes the first watch and it passes without event. He does notice the fishing fleet put to sea some of the vessels remain in or near the bay but most disappear out of sight around the southern headland.

Raan and Kjarl take the next watch and as they sit quietly among the trees a lone male figure approaches, he is wearing normal clothing and carrying several pieces of timber under his arm and scans the area near where the warband are lying. He picks up several pieces of timber and discards each in turn and then disappears into the trees not to be seen again.

Just before their watch is complete Raan and Kjarl notice a large ship to big to be a fishing boat appear heading towards the shoreline of the village.

Raan and Kjarl wake Atol and Kalyn for their watch and after waking and dressing Kalyn tends to Atol’s wound again. With the business for the day done, they sit down and keep watch several hours later a lone female figure approaches she is wearing normal clothing but carries a bag over one shoulder which rests against her right hip. She is seen on several occassions to bend down and pick up several sprigs of plants and place them into her bag, she too disappears from sight amongst the trees.

During the afternoon the village fishing fleet makes it’s return to the village in dribs and drabs.

Later in the afternoon the warband are awoken and make preparations to head into the village, the Anvil, Atol and Kjarl notice at this time 2 men walking towards the village Atol thinks they look like the 2 men that escaped them during the fight the other night.

The warband watch as these 2 men enter the village. The warband spoiling for a rematch gather their things and discuss the options and repercussions of conducting another fight inside the village. They quickly decide it would be worth it if they can get one of them to surrender and get them to talk.

Making their way down to the village they can see the large ship making sail and heading out of the bay. As the warband picks up the pace to arrive by the shore and find that ‘their’ boat has picked up the other 2 men and is sailing out to sea.

The warband scanning the area notice that there are several fishing boats still in the process of packing their gear. Making their way over to one of them Kjarl says “How much to catch up with that boat there?” pointing to the boat disappearing from the shore. “No point by the time I gathered by crew together and got her back into the water they could be anywhere. Sorry!”

The warband approach another vessel nearby and ask the same questions “How much you offering?” the fisherman says in a broken Ivinian “How much do you want?” says Kjarl “How much are you offering?” continues the fisherman. “Just leave, let’s look for another boat” says Atol.

Moving further down the shoreline they come across another fisherman that has just pulled his boat out of the water and his crew are walking towards the village. “How much to catch that boat?” asks Kjarl. The Jarin turning towards the offending ship the Jarin says “100d and I will put on sail but I make no guarantees that we will catch her, she has a good lead and it is nearing dark.” Kjarl turning back to the Jarin continues “How many in your family?” but before the Jarin can answer Kjarl continues “would you like to leave here?” and without answering the Jarin looking rather nervous says “I will go get my crew together for you, I will be back directly.” and with that he turns and heads towards the centre of the village disappearing from view quickly as he quickens his pace the further from the warband he gets.

Realising that they have just scared him to death and that he is not coming back. The warband begin to discuss the events of the last 2 or 3 days.

Standing on the shoreline the warband discuss the recent events that Ran has not organised a boat to take them to safety, the boat was organised for the other group who are probably responsible for the actual attack on the Valhakar of Sherwyn and that they were setup to take the fall for the attack. This Ran fellow is not the friend Anvil thought him to be. The warband have another name to place on the list of retribution.

The warband turns back towards the village walking slowly and enter the village square and make their way to the ‘Fisherman’s Net’ the local inn.

The warband find a table and seat themselves and without a delay the local innkeeper arrives at the table and asks if the warband would like something to drink. They confirm that something to drink would be nice and that they would also like something to eat and a roof over their heads for the night. Anvil looks suspiciously at the innkeeper and declines the offer for food or beverage but takes the offer for a place to sleep.

The innkeeper quickly disappears reappearing with a tankard of ale for each of the warband except Anvil. The innkeeper then reappears with several wooden plates with a serving of smoked cod and garden vegtables for each of the warband less Anvil.

Through the evening the warband enjoys the meal and ale and while the Jarin around them seem to keep their distance. Raan always on the prowl for some new friends sits at a table with 4 Jarin and asks if he can join them, they agree and make a space for him at their table. Raan tries to make conversation but they do not offer much but answer his questions and try to make conversation. Raan tires of this and returns to his table.

“Get much out of them?” asks Anvil. “Not much, guess I just scared them more than anything.” answers Raan.

The innkeeper returns to clear the plates and after doing so organises a place in the common room for the warband. As the inn empties later that evening the warband are each giving a sleeping roll, extra sawdust is thrown on the floor and the tables and benches cleared to allow the group of 5 a place to sleep.

The warband unrolls their sleeping gear and before getting to sleep organise a watch to be kept for the night.
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Neil
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