| Alarum at Alnburgh |
| Summary: | A young militiaman comes to Alnburgh to beg aid after an incident at Hullscove (Alnburgh based) |
| Date: | 31st July 2018 |
| Related: | None |
| NPCs: | Adam the Militiaman |
| Players: |
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| The Hamlet of Hullscove, Alnburgh Region, The Great Salt, Riverwatch (Sokar) Province |
| Room description |
| 1874 07 31 |
Down in the bailey of Alnburgh castle (the castle where the sokar provinces forces have gathered in preparation for the anticipated partharian invasion) a bell starts to ring. Alarum! Alarum!
The bell ringer is a young man dressed in Alnburgh's livery who's muddy and sweaty from a hard ride along the way. "Partharians!" He yells "The Partharians have landed!"
Frowning as the bell rings, Jarret makes his way over from where he has been sparring with some of the forces, pausing as he hears what's yelled. Stepping over a bit faster now. "What? Where?‘" It’s said rather loudly as he looks to the young man. There's a glance around the bailey before he looks to the young man again.
As Jarret look about, hell find Rowena already jogging in his direction, in time to not only hear the bell ringing frantically but the pronouncement from the messenger. "Water!" She glances towards one of the many gathered around, not seeming to care who brought it, so long as it was brought. Once it is, a heavy waterskin, she steps forward to offer it to the young man, "Drink. We'll get nothing out of you if you collapse."
The sound of alarm bells ringing makes Lianna break off the conversation she's having with the ferrier who has recently re-shod her gray roan. She tightens her grip on the reins, keeping Faran's head from lifting in alarm, as she well knows that 'alarm' often leads to her horse kicking who ever is unlucky enough to be in unwary proximity.
The young guardsman falls to one knee as Jarret approaches. "My Lord!" He says in a voice made higher with a mixture of excitement and fatigue. "The Partharians are raiding." The young man gratefully accepts the waterskin and guzzles a large part of its contents down before adding and urgent. "We have to move! We are going to miss them!"
Chessa was practicing with her new bow at the range when she hears the alarm go up, and she pauses, lowering the bow, putting the arrow back in the quiver. The others around her react more quickly, rushing over to the racks to grab full quivers of arrows, but she just stands.
Nodding to Rowena as she makes sure the guardsman gets some water, Jarret frowns a little. "Where, and how many?" he asks, studying the man carefully now.
Sharing a nod with the ferrier as he hurries off to see to other riders and mounts, Lianna leads Faran through the sudden crush of people rushing every-which-way until she reaches Chessa. "Are you ready for this?" she asks in a low voice, keeping her attention divided between the runner and her sister.
"A dozen maybe." The Guardsman replies. "They attacked some of the villagers in Hullcove and I came straight here with the news."
Chessa looks over to her sister and just nods once. "I… need to go put on armor. Get a horse." She sighs and turns to follow the others now, moving into a jog as she goes to put on her armor and find a horse for herself.
Looking after Chessa as she jogs away to do what's necessary to prepare, Lianna exhales a small sound that conveys regret.
"I can have my ship to sail with all haste, Jarret, attempt to intercept their ships, hopefully before they can depart, possibly destroy or damage them and leave them trapped on the ground." Of course, for all she nows, they might well have already left, but Rowena's no rider, nor knight. Her weapon is ship.
Jarret frowns as he hears that, letting out a bit of a breath. "About a dozen?" He nods a little at Rowena's words, letting out a bit of a breath. "Did you see any more ships?" he asks the guardsman, before he adds, "While we should bring a big enough force to deal with them, we should not leave an opening here."
"I did not see anything My Lord." The guardsman starts to look embarassed. "When the womenfolk told me about an attack by partharians I felt it important to bring news here as quick as I could. Theres only me and Ned in Hullcove normally and Ned's got a gammy leg and.." he falls off, cheeks blooming red.
Chessa doesn't like horses. But… she's leading one as she enters, and then her expression lightens. "Could I go on Cousin Rowena's ship with her?" she asks, walking over towards her cousins. She's still holding the reins, but seems more than ready to give them to someone else.
Having finished questioning the young guardsmen and mounting up on horse or ship you all head down to the little village of Hullcove. Its a small place that is high up on a seacliff that mostly makes a living through a number of fishing vessels named thus because the small cove in which the fishing vessels dock vaguely looks like the hull of a ship (if you are drunk and squint). The cove in which the fishing vessels dock would be a very tight squeeze for Rowena's ship.
Those fishing vessels are almost all out to sea at this time of day and there is a general lack of menfolk around as a result. The village center has a small shrine to the saints and it is about this that about twenty women are all gathered, talking excitedly. Out on the great salt there is nothing to see but an occasional fishing boat.
Chessa had handed off her horse, and she stands at the bow of the ship, her face is lifted to the wind, and she half closes her eyes, listening for the call from the lookout. Her new bow is in her hand, and quiver on her back.
Jarret lets out a brief breath as he rides into the village. The group he brought is not a big one, although it should be large enough to deal with the number of people the Guardsman said there was. "Keep your eyes open," he says to the group as they start to enter. "It looks too peaceful…"
Rowena made haste, all of her crew bent to the task of setting the ship to sail with all haste. Rowena stood not far from Chessa, her own bow held loosely in her hand, "Chessa, if I proceed further, and attempt to enter the cove, we will be trapped in there, with precious little room to maneuver, if it comes to that, if they should attempt to come in behind us. It would be best for us to stay out there, where we might be able to guard against any ships they might attempt to send in, or, if they've found some way to hide the ship she sailed in, catch it on the way out. if you wish to be brought in, I can set a small boat to take you, but I would rather not risk an attack on that ship." So, in essence, they're stuck here.
Lianna dismounts her roan and, handing the reins to one of the Sokar armsmen who accompany her in the field, nodding to Jarret as he voices the wary suggestion. She angles a nod toward the gathered women and moves in their direction, trying to pick up on what they're saying as she approaches.
The villagers realise the reinforcements have arrived and three of them hurry over to the riders in a rush. Two of them are injured. One is wearing a bandage about her upper arm and the other has a black eye. "Oh thank goodness you came!" says the one with the black eye. "The raiders made off with all my pigs!" she waves over to the west. "Please my Lord. My Ladies. I dont know how we'll ever live without our Dolly!" The more slender, but older, one with the bandages pipes up "He ran off with my best layer he did!" And the third, the youngest and apparantly unwounded one adds. "What if they sunk the fishing boats. How will we feed our children! You have to save our husbands!"
Chessa nods slowly to Rowena, and keeps her stance, not opening her eyes. "We can watch their backs for them, at the very least. Perhaps we'll find the ship they came in and take away their retreat?"
Jarret frowns as he hears the words of the three of them. "What happened? Where are the enemies?" There's a brief pause as he looks to them. "One at the time, please." He looks around to see if there's anyone around, then back to the villagers.
"We're here to help," Lianna confirms as she glances from face to face, studying the women and the visible wounds some of them are sporting. "They stole pigs and some of your able bodied young and your husbands?" she tries to clarify.
Rowena looked towards the cove, and then back at her cousin, "I do not like this, Chessa. It is too damned quiet. If they meant to raid the village, even one as small as this one, they would have had to come with more than a single ship, they would have left some sort of trail. And I cannot see a single thing." She frowns, "I can only hope that Jarret thought to bring the rider with him. He would know this area better than any of us."
(Chessa tries using her sorcery to sense any foes downwind but can sense nothing)
There are plenty of villagers around but most of them are hanging back and watching either because they are shy or because they have nothing to say. The woman with the black eyes says "We live a bit out of the main village, by the stream, and they came out of the trees. We tried to fight them we did but we arent no match for partharians!" The woman with the bandaged arms say "The one that pushed me over had the darkest skin i've ever seen! Black as Pitch it was!" The young uninjured one gives Lianna a shocked look. "We thought our husbands were out fishing. Are they in trouble? What happened. My poor Andre. Please save him! We just had our first child. I can't live without him!"
The guardsman that Rowena just mentioned is stood near Jarret, trying to merge in with the other men, but honestly sticking out like a militia man surrounded by highly trained professions. Which is what he is.
On the great salt nothing that seems unusual moves.
"Why would they even waste their time with a village this small?" Chessa asks. "Can anyone see anything from the masts? Movement in the woods?" Gving a little shake of her head, she lifts her opening her eyes. "Can you send a boat ashore? A couple men to send signals back? Maybe Jarret is having more luck in the village?"
Jarret frowns again as he listens, nodding a little. "Was anyone killed?" he asks, after a few brief moments of pause, before he adds, "And you're sure they're Parthrians?" Another brief moments, before he adds, "Where did they go?" He looks to Lianna briefly, then back to the women. He then turns to look at the guardsman. "You know this area well, I hope?"
"A target of opportunity, perhaps." Rowena pauses, hearing the rest of Chessa's words, "If they had a larger force elsewhere…they might have come here, when the ships were all out to resupply. These small villages are barely manned and almost entirely unfortified. Simple folk, with goods that are useful, but no way to defend them." At Chessa's suggestion, she actually grins, "Chessa, we will make a ship's captain of you yet." She moves away from where she's standing, calling out the order, "Lower a ship, a set of oarsman, an armsman and a signalman. Have them head towards shore and signal that we are holding here and have had no contact. As for a report from the village."
"We'll do our best to find out," Lianna prromises. "Were they only on foot or did you see, or hear, any horses? Any strange ships at anchor?"
"I'm sorry my Lord." The woman with the black eye says "There were only six of us. When they hit me the others they just gave up. We werent in no state to be fighting so many of them." She frowns and then adds. "I dont rightly know what a partharian looks like my Lord, my Lady, but they had coal black skin and strange spiked armor. Who else could they be?"
The guardsman says "Yes my Lord. I grew up here."
The woman with the cut arm says "They went over there" And points at a stand of trees a short distance from the village. As Lianna asks her questions she shakes her head. "No my lady. They came from the trees. I dont think they have horses. We havent seen any strange ships."
"Fair point," Lianna agrees, though theres a fine thread of healthy wariness in her voice. She murmurs to Jarret, "Werw I them I'd hire mercenaries to do the first wave of the foothold work. Shock. Terror. Destabilize the region before marching my real soldiers in." Someone, it seems, has been listening to Otto and Brenn all these years. Tactical and situational awareness by osmosis.
Chessa's cheeks tinge a bit pink at the praise from Rowena, and she doesn't manage to keep a completely straight face, despite the seriousness of the situation. "That would be preferable to anything on a horse," she replies, and watches as Rowena gives the order and the crew hops to obeying.
Jarret lets out a breath. "I meant if any of you people got killed," he offers, before he nods a bit at Lianna's words. "It feels like someone has tried destabilizing things for a long while," he offers, with a bit of a sigh, before he turns to the guardsman. "What's over there?" A brief pause, before he adds, "And what's your name? I don't want to have to just call you 'you' if something happens."
The ship is soon lowered to the sea, the oarsman setting to the task of coming close enough to be able to signal to the shore, and here's to hoping either Lianna or Jarret can read that. Rowena, still considering Chessa's words, turns to one of the midshipman, "Bring me a map of the coastline. Preferably one which shows as any of our holdings as you can." She looks back to he cousin, "If they did come from the woods, we may be able to find a way to pinpoint where they might have landed."
"Adam Sir. My Lord." Adam the guardsman tells Jarret. "The trees follow the stream for a little while but stop a bit before the stream feeds into the coast. Theres a seacave right by where the river ends. Other than that there isnt really anything My Lord. My mam swears blind that the pigs do better in the western part of the woods.. if that helps?"
The woman with the black eye dips into an awkward curtsey. "Sorry My Lord. My Lady. None of us died. We didnt put up much of a fight. I'm sorry. We should have tried harder. But they had weapons they did."
Rowena gets the map she requested pretty quickly. This close to your posting it is up to date and quite detailed.
"Staying alive to relay word of what's happened, where and when, is absolutely vital to the war effort," Lianna replies as she eases forward and offers her hands to the woman with the black eye. "As much fun as it would be to be a big bruiser of a fighter with strong arms and a keen eye and dead shot targeting skills, that's not how all of the battles will be won. Information. Quiet keen observation. Making sure that the information gets back to those who have to move people in to help keep all of you safe? That's absolutely vital to the effort. Our thanks to you and yours," she gives a gentle squeeze of the womans hands. "I'm a healer, anyone who's been wounded, please come forward. I'll tend to everyone I can while we're sorting out what to do next," she offers.
Chessa helps Rowena unroll the map and look it over. "Where are you thinking? You don't think they sent some smaller ships in somewhere down the coast?" Her finger traces lightly along the depth markers, looking for the closest place to bring a warship.
Jarret frowns as he listens to Adam's words. "Wait… a seacave?" he asks, after a few moments of pause. "Can we reach that one from land?" He pauses for a few moments as he hears that, glancing out towards the ship. "We should let them know…" he begins. He frowns momentarily at Lianna's words about fighters, although he shakes his head quickly, clearing up his expression a bit.
Rowena is more than happy to share the map with Chessa, listening attentively to Chessa, while the pair of them pour over the map. Her fingertip traces the outline of the coast. "I can see a few points here, here, here…" the seacave is noted as one of the points of interest, "If it were me? If I had enough time and equipment? I would land somewhere where I couldn't be seen, someplace I could shelter my ships to avoid being seen from a distance, and then travel overland to find what I needed. But that would also mean having a good idea of the lay of the land and the people who lived there."
There are a few places where you could potentially beach a warship but nothing that counts as a dock or good harbor. At least not close enough that its likely to matter.
The woman with the black eye gives Lianna a grateful smile. "Thank you my lady." She says. "A few of us got a little roughed up. You can use my Maisie's house. She wont mind. She's a gentle sort you know." And Lianna is led off to help with patching up all the cuts and bruises in the village.
"Thats right my Lord." Adam the guardsman tells Jarret. "Its not very big but its the only thing I can think of thats down that way." He nods at the question of it being reachable. "You can climb down into it even during high tide my lord." and the tide is low right now. "Would you like me to show you?"
Jarret frowns as he considers, nodding a little. "We just need to get word to the ship about the cave, so we're certain they can get there too."
"But, would you land in a sea cave that could be blocked in?" Chessa asks Rowena, looking to the cave marked on the map. "Could we sail over here and block anything that tried to come out?"
"I think that would depend on how easily I could maneuver in and out of such a cave. Dimensions are difficult to gauge on even a map such as this. And if I came in small boats, under the cover of darkness, and was careful to move only when i was sure no one would see me? How would anyone know that I was there?" Rowena rises from the map, looking towards the midshipman who had been tasked with signaling the boat, "Any word from the shore? Signal them that we mean to move to the cave to investigate."
Once you've had a look at the wounded you can see that none of them have suffered anything worse than the cut on the woman's arm. They have all had basic first aid and you're attention isnt urgently required here. You can still help of course but they should be fine without more treatment.
Getting word to the ship is just a matter of sending a couple of signals or sending the rowboat crew that brought Chessa in back out to the ship.
You can sail over to the area around the mouth of the sea cave.
As the women said there is an area near the houses that shows signs of a scuffle. There are tracks leading from that area which run alongside the stream. Following the stream you eventually leave the wooded area and come out on the grassy top of a cliff. There is a vent hole here that has partially collapsed that Adam assures you can be climbed. From the river side of the cave there is an entrance just about large enough to get a rowboat inside at low tide. Its gone low tide now and the water line is probably too high to get a boat into the cave.
(Questions are asked about the seacave only being accessible at lowtide and I add the detail that the sea entrance to the cave is usually submerged and the entrance Jarret and Lianna are approaching is a blowhole)
Jarret nods, and makes sure the signals is given out to the ship. "Lead the way," he offers to Adam, bringing the men he brought with them. As they get to the cliff, and the vent hole, he frowns a little. "I have a suspicion these people are using this as a hiding place," he says, a bit quietly. He looks around, then at the hole. "And you're sure we can get up again just as well, Adam?"
Once she's taken a good survey of the villagers and found nothing that couldn't be handled, Lianna spent most of her time hand holding, listening to the villagers, learning names and holding one baby after another. By the time they depart her attire is splotched from a number of small sticky hands, adorable baby faces and all the stuff that goes with babies. Point of fact, she's in a pretty good mood until she gets a good look at what it is that they're coming up on. The moment she emerges, with the rest, from the wooded area and sees the cliff up ahead, the Sokar healer stops. She just stops. "I've a good set of eyes, I'll stay up as lookout," she volunteers before anyone else can suggest doing the same. Right here. Nice trees. Trees are nice.
"I've not tried for a few years now." Adam tells Jarret. "But I dont see why not My Lord. We can tie some ropes just to make sure. Wait." Adam freezes near the cave. "Theres already a rope here."
To Be Continued