Duister Mes

Eventide Castle Grounds - 


 * ''Just south of the main castle of, the landscape breaks free of stone battlements and gives way to fertile fields, well-stocked barns, and farmhouses inhabited by Freelanders working in the service of the mistress of Eventide Castle.


 * ''Zahir Road can be seen cutting a direct east-west path upon the southern horizon, while the rocky spire of the rise known as the Fanghill looms in the west. The Hedgehem Moors stretch out in every other direction.

Thayndor Zahir, astride Sundust, has just left the walls of Eventide with Wildfire walking behind his horse and to one side. A Knight with a lantern follows a comfortable distance after, leading a prisoner who stumbles along ahead of them with bound hands and a sack over his head.

Thayndor Zahir frowns as he looks out over the moors. "The road should be just to the south," he observes, and sets off.

Wildfire, longbow in hand, keeps her eyes on their surroundings as she follows along with the procession. She doesn't say anything for the moment, merely walking and watching.

"You've been hiking about this entire time?" Thayndor asks Wildfire. "Where's your horse?"

"The Refuge," Wildfire replies, "I'd bring him through the Aria if I could, and I'm not about to make the trip the long way just so I can have my horse. I've been taking carriages and hiking when I need to."

R05 - Zahir Road - 


 * ''Formerly a twisting serpentine road that twisted and writhed through shadowy forest groves, over hills, and around bends so sharp as to confuse all but the most experienced pathfinders, Zahir Road has recently been rebuilt by engineers of the Imperial Watch into a modern highway that runs a mostly northwest-southeast route between Wildling Reach, Fanghill and Hedgehem. On the eastern end, an east-west stretch passes between Hedgehem and the Imperial Throughfare, while on the western end, it passes Fanghill, reaching onwards towards Wildling Reach.


 * ''The highway itself has been constructed with smooth cobbles, with a width large enough to permit four carriages at any one time; two on one side of the highway, and two on the right. To prevent flooding, the highway has also been elevated upon a man-made dyke which - given the often moist nature of the moors that roll into the distance all around the highway - are a major boon for those that follow this trade route during the colder months.


 * ''Several small cottages line the southern edge of the road, with little plots of farmland behind them, kept tilled by the local Freelanders. Baluf's Juncture can be found directly to the west of here, while to the east, the road continues on toward Hedgehem. The northern edge of the road is bordered by wet heathland that eventually leads to the grounds of Eventide Castle.

"We have to get you a second horse," Thayndor says, shaking his head. "That's a rough thing. Horses don't always last the trip back and forth from Crown's Refuge anyhow." He talks casually enough, but keeps his eyes on the road. He makes a left turn. "They've been working on the road," he observes. "It doesn't bend the way it did when I was a boy."

"Yeah, it's about as straight as Mikin Road," Wildfire nods, before remembering about the Knight and adding, "So this road used to bend? I just figured they were all straight around here."

Thayndor Zahir laughs. "It was so convoluted you had to memorize the right turns to take or you'd spend the entire night leading your horse in circles. That was part of the House's defenses -- anyone wanting to invade our land would have to find it first."

"A little strange," Wildfire remarks, continuing to watch their surroundings, "They couldn't just cut through? I'm not familiar with this area's terrain."

"They could," Thayndor replies, "but the marshes and the natural Zahir contrariness inspired them not to, until the Empire did it for them." He squints towards the East. "I think we're close to town. I guess we passed the garrison not long ago, hm?"

"On the bright side, our trip is shorter now," Wildfire points out, "And I'm not sure how close to town the garrison is."

"Little shorter," THayndor agrees with a nod. "How was Norran when you saw him?"

"He looked bored," Wildfire remarks, "Very, very bored. But he seemed in good spirits when I showed up."

Thayndor Zahir laughs softly. "The man is leader of the Empire's men of war in a time of insurgency, and he's bored," Thayndor says, astounded, as they approach the outskirts of town. "And he's receiving regular, reliable intelligence, and he's bored." The Zahir shakes his head. "Astounding."

"The man sits in a big room all day, it looks like," Wildfire remarks, "I would be bored, too."

Thayndor Zahir shakes his head. "That's no way to run an order," he says to himself, quietly.

"I'm not about to tell him so," Wildfire remarks, smirking.

Thayndor Zahir chuckles. "Me neither, I suppose," he says. "Perhaps I'm criticizing him too early. Perhaps I'm running my mouth without understanding what it is he has to deal with." He sniffs.

Wildfire rolls her Perception with a 0 modifier. The result of the roll is Fair (0).

As the little procession passes Bramblestone, the road becomes very quiet, and very dark. Three moons are not enough, it would seem, to lift the oppression. To either side of the road, the woods are silent--no wind, no sounds. Though a night bird calls on occasion, and eary-autumn crickets chirrup. Behind the talking pair, the night stirs uneasily and looks back to check on the prisoner.

There's a disturbance in the woods--Thayndor may hear it, and while Wildfire may suspect, she probably knows it less as an actual *sound* than 'something's wrong'. It's a faint rustling in the bushes, a stirring... and a murmur of voices? Words are indistinguishable, but it definitely sounds like human voices.

Wildfire is about to reply when she gets a chill, frowning slightly. Pale green eyes search more carefully, looking for something specific rather than just looking in general. What, exactly, she's unsure of. "You feel that?" she asks of the nobleman softly.

"I think my horse is going lame," Thayndor replies, casting a sly eye towards the sounds in the bushes. "Hold on." He slides off the horse, on the far side of it from the sound in the bushes. Obscured, the Zahir casts the Knight a look, then an obvious glance to the bushes, one hand casually going to loosen his sword in its scabbard. He casts another glance over his shoulder, checking the group's other flank.

The knight narrows his eyes, looking from Thayndor to his other prisoner and muttering something under his breath about the workload around here. His hand goes to his side, however, and loosens the sword hanging there even as he dismounts. The other prisoner may have to wait, but he does take the precaution of tying the reigns of his horse to the prisoner's bound wrists before leading the thus-hobbled pair closer to the front of the procession. His brow rises as he studies Thayndor, a definite warning in the look.

The voices have fallen silent. So have the bushes. The woods have returned to normal... or somebody's realized they're in trouble.

The wildlander keeps her eyes on the woods, occasionally looking back in Thayndor's direction. Wildfire reaches up to scratch at the back of her head, hand hovering there overlong to remain near her arrows.

Thayndor Zahir makes a brief show of checking his horse's front right hoof, still concealed from view by the big paso fino. "Yes," he says, "lame. I'll have to walk along with you," he tells Isa. He takes the horse by the reins, leading it close, keeping the big steed's body more or less between him and the other side of the road. Warily -- but not obviously so -- the Zahir starts moving again.

Eyes narrowed on the Zahir, the knight leads horse and prisoner after the two.

The procession has followed the road along a fair ways past the place where the disturbance was first detected, and the sense of danger has a feeling of dying back when once again, there is a sound. A decided "Oomph!" in the brush near the road, a glint of steel, a muffled "Oof." Everyone can hear these sounds. Half a second later, a pair of dagger-armed Freelanders stand on the road in front of the company, with a third tumbling out of the woods after them.

Isa is already nocking an arrow and aiming as the freelanders step out, having been startled by the noises. She looks down the shaft at them, eyes narrowing slightly. She doesn't draw back more than slightly for the time being, nor does she say anything. She just waits for an order, or for the men to attack.

Thayndor Zahir also seems to be expecting the freelanders' appearance. He seems more amused than anything else, eyes going down to their daggers and then back to their faces. He keeps leading Sundust towards the men for several steps, unfazed -- laughing softly, even -- until he finally stops. "Good evening," he says to the three men, calmly. He regards the trio for a moment longer, looks this way and that into the woods, looks back at them. "You came alone?" He blinks, owlish, then smiles sympathetically. "You poor sots. You don't know who I am, do you?"

The biggest of the men--apparently their leader, by the way he stands agressively before the other two--narrows his eyes at Thayndor and squints up at the Zahir. "Aye. O' course we do." He brandishes the dagger. "An' ye better be afrai', aye. We's knowin' 'ow t' use dese." This is, apparently, some mighty threat.

The knight is not so tolerant. In typical chivalric stupidity, he draws his sword, shouts something about nasty scum, and charges.

There's instant action. The three in front, content a moment ago just to stand and toss insults at the Zahir, are now all blades. The back two turn towards the charging knight, while the front raises against Thayndor.

Grumbling that Thayndor is, "'N meh bloodeh way," Wildfire pulls back and looses her arrow at one of the two going for the Knight, the girl moving forward and to the side as she readies her next one, trying to get a clear view of the one going after the Zahir.

"The woods, Isa! More of 'em to your left!" Thayndor shouts, letting go of Sundust's reins and stepping clear enough of the horse to draw his sword. He stands there, waiting for his opponent to arrive, sabre glinting cruelly in the moonlight. He stands with one shoulder facing his opponent, lifting the sabre arrogantly. As he does so, one corner of his lip curls up, baring a defiant canine as he lets loose a growl -- "Arr."

That arrow flies quick and clean, eliciting a solid grunt from the man closest to Wildfire as it lodges in his side, just under the arm and gliding smoothly between two ribs. Down he goes, landing in an undignified heap beside his companion, who is at the same time striking out for the knight with the dagger. The knight lifts his own blade to deflect that knife, his broadsword failing against that glint of silver which darts around him. The attacking Freelander, with quick, practiced steps, sidesteps that sword and sinks the dagger up to its hilt into the shoulder of the knight's sword arm, between two pieces of armor.

As for the one going for Thayndor? That knife may be quick, but its not quick enough. Down comes that sabre, shining with the moonlight and cleaving into the hollow between shoulder and neck. There's a loud *crack!* as the collarbone snaps, and he falls with a cry--badly injured, but not dead. Meanwhile, the indicated three are bounding out of the woods to join the fray.

Isa blinks, before turning her attention leftwards and aiming for a moment at the first enemy she sees. Her next arrow is loosed, her hand sweeping up to get the next one as she growls, "Ligh', I's so STUP'D!" The girl seems a bit angry at this point.

It only takes a single fluid movement for Thayndor to lay his attacker low, a step and a sweep of that glittering sabre timed just a split-second before the man can reach him. "Don't fret," he calls to Isa," as the stunned thug falls to the ground beside him. "Just get the one with the crossbow!" He rushes one of the men, hoping to put the would-be assassin's body between himself and the aforementioned weapon.

Thayndor Zahir brings his blade upwards at his assailant's knees as he rushes, a vicious, two-handed charging slash with a follow-through towards the opposite shoulder.

Thayndor's blade cleaves cleanly through his next victim, felling him in a spray of blood, the half-mangled corpse tumbling to the ground. Behind him and to his right, nearer to Wildfire, the knight lies on his back, bleeding from the wound while his attacker lowers his knife for a killing stroke.

Isa's arrow lodges in the upper thigh of one of the three--one of the two with daggers. The one with a crossbow has already nocked and is firing at Wildfire, while his companion heads for Thayndor.

The abandoned prisoner is moaning pittifully, tugging at his bindings and distressing the knight's horse, which balks and stamps its feet, eyes wide and rolling.

Wildfire's eyes widen and she jerks to the side, the bolt barely grazing her armor. She responds with an arrow, taking her time to pull back and aim while the man is reloading. The girl grimaces and looses her next shot at her assailant.

Thayndor Zahir turns at the sound of the armored Knight hitting the ground. His eyes go wide, and he begins another charge -- this one perhaps riskier, the blade held out point-first, clearly intent on skewering the knife-wielder with enough force to throw him off the Knight before he can land that killing stroke.

Thayndor's blade skims along the front of the Freelander's tunic, cutting flesh and knocking him back. He gives a cry and falls away from his victim before the stroke can fall, lying on the ground with a nasty wound to his abdomen.

Behind him, Wildfire's crossbow-wielding victim gives a startled cry and ducks as her arrow whistles through the space where just an instant before, his head was. Coming back up, he's already nocking an arrow to fire again.

As for the third remaining Freelander? He's headed top-speed for Thayndor and his heavily-wounded captive, dagger raised.

Thayndor Zahir follows through on his charge with a yell, winding up prone, atop the dying Freelander, his sword above him in both hands. He spins on his back to greet the approaching Freelander with a weary groan, lifting his sword to a ready position. "Why bother?" he warns. The blade, like Thayndor's face and armor, and the body of the Freelander beneath him, is slick with blood and gore. "You'll die like the rest!"

Isa moves aside from the next shot, another close one but not as close as the last. She just nocks, pulls, and shoots again, continuing the pair's back-and-forth. When she's reaching to get her next arrow, she checks her quiver to see how many arrows she has left.

Wildfire finally manages to plant an arrow solidly in her opponent, lodging it in the hollow of his throat, just above the collarbone. He gurgles, falls back, and down...

The final Freelander facing Thayndor isn't buying it. Face set in grim, hard lines, he lifts that blade and prepares to pounce the nobleman.

As Wildfire sees her target go down, she turns back towards the last and growls. The girl strafes, nocking her next arrow and putting herself in a position where she can shoot at the enemy without worrying about stray arrows hitting allies. "Don' do 't," she warns, "'S nae worth ye's life."

"His life has no worth," Thayndor replies to Wildfire, shifting a little to better defend himself from his prone position. He looks comfortable down there. "Do it then, if you want to die." He wears a skeletal grin.

The final man looks from one to the other, eyes going frantically from arrow to sword, a hint of fear betrayed. He gasps out some single, terrified syllable, drops the dagger, and dashes for the woods.

Wildfire lowers her bow, apparently not inclined to shoot an unarmed fleeing opponent in the back. She takes one more look around their surroundings to make sure it's over, collecting herself mentally as she does so.

Thayndor Zahir rolls into a crouching position long enough to wipe his blade off on a formerly clean part of the nearest corpse's garments before standing. His sabre slides back into its sheath. "Secure the prisoner," he tells Isa, turning to the knight. "This man is hurt," he says. "Can you stand?"

The road is strewn with blood and corpses. Four dead men, a prisoner, and the footprints of the fled one. The knight lies in the road, and the prisoner with a sack over his had has been reduced to feeble whimpering. The horse seems to have dragged him a couple of feet, and one arm hangs at an odd angle; the beast has managed to dislocate it amidst the tussle.

"...Y-yes," the knight manages, breathing heavily and pushing himself up with his good arm. It hurts, and a deep wince crosses his face, but he's standing--wavering--nonetheless. More hobbling than actually walking, he's about to head towards the crazed horse and the prisoner.

Letting out a sigh, Isa returns the bow and arrow to her quiver, running a hand over her hair. The wildlander-with-a-new-accent blinks, then, before taking another breath and working back into her fake accent. "Which one?" she asks, gesturing between the bleeding assailant prisoner and the wimpering ow-my-arm prisoner.

Thayndor Zahir exhales, irritated. "The one on the ground, I suppose," he says, nodding to the man he stopped short of beheading moments before. "I'll help him with this one." He winces. "That doesn't look good. We've too many wounded; let's get back to Bramblestone quick as we can."

Nodding, Isa makes for Thayndor's horse to look for some rope. She manages to find some and makes over to the assailant, working at getting him secured and able to travel. She seems a little bit irritable, but keeps it to herself.

"Nice shot," Thayndor tells Isa, as he helps the knight move the other prisoner's arm to a more manageable position and moves to calm Sundust as the knight works on his own steed. "Earlier, I mean."

Wildfire smirks briefly, glancing the Count's way. "Thanks." She looks him over a bit more thoroughly, then, before adding, "Remind me not to get on your bad side." Seems to be a joke.

"I hope that won't be necessary," Thayndor replies, somewhere between grim and darkly amused. He secures Sundust's reins and turns, waiting for the knight to get settled. "Let's get back to town and the Ravensguard. We'll have to make sure our escort and our prisoners stay alive, then finish our journey in the morning."

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