Arriving at the Nikorn Estate.
Bomilcar's Narrative
Or at least, what's left of it. A once substantial fortified manor house is in ruins, with evidence of a great deal of fire damage - a conflagration. Bodies of my tribe's fellows lie scattered everywhere, but there is a great deal of the blood of others, mostly leading to a separate funeral pyre that still smoulders.
I find three sets of tracks leading off in different directions. The largest grouping leads straight west, directly towards the coast; I reckon about a couple of dozen sets of footprints belonging to tall, heavy individuals, including a healthy scattering of blood marks. The smallest is a couple of sets of hoof prints, heading eastwards; one set is particularly large and powerful, possibly belonging to a warhorse. The other comes from a steppe pony. The third set of prints belongs to about a dozen tall travellers heading southwest on foot.
Some of the estate workers who managed to survive by taking cover and going into hiding reveal themselves to us. They say they have been sheltering Captain Masinissa (my father), but he is now fading fast. They tell us that the assault took place three days ago.
The sight that greets us is not pleasant, but it does make me proud; my father's wounds are of course all to the front. Destiny and Sir Blanque between them manage to revive him long enough to speak his final words: "We were attacked by a large party of tall Pikarayd warriors. They were led by a Pan Tang sorcerer. Orelius recognised him immediately: an old enemy of his by the name of Theleb K'aarna. With him was Syphax". He smiles. "He still bears the scar I gave him on his left cheek". Then he coughs weakly, and gathers himself. "Despite the odds and the surprise attack, we gave a good account of ourselves. I supervised the defence as long as I could, but when all was lost I managed to crawl off and hide. I knew you were coming, and I want you to hear my last story."
Syphax! The renegade who tried to usurp my father's leadership of the Pure Horse Tribe all those years ago. Someone like him in league with a Pan Tang sorcerer can only be bad news. And they are riding eastwards in the direction of our lands...
Masinissa continues. "Fortunately, though, they missed Jorthan and Ehlessa. They left for the Nikorn family's holiday dacha to the southwest a few days ago to make sure all is in order; Nikorn has been giving his son more and more responsibility recently. I saw a group of around a dozen of the warriors heading off in that direction. A capture party, they are armed with cudgels. Even riding fast you won't get there before them, but you will be able to stop them taking Jorthan and your sister any further. They will probably sell them into slavery on Pan Tang." He shudders. "Promise me that you will save them. Then kill Theleb K'aarna and Syphax." He passes to the Lands of the Shamen.
I hear myself dispassionately agreeing that I will do this. The others promise to help, but seem rather surprised at my seeming lack of emotion. I explain that my father's time had come, and he died well. It is not in our nature to mourn the passing of a great warrior. But vengeance is something we do understand. It must be savoured before being delivered as coldly and appropriately as possible.
The others murmur assent. I understand Sir Blanque and Marion well enough; after all, they have both lived in the Nikorn household for many years, and Sir Blanque is Jorthan's best friend. Destiny, though, is probably calculating strategy: rescuing Jorthan would salvage at least something from the ruins, and he would be a useful ally against whatever the man from Pan Tang is planning.
We spend the night in difficult sleep, with myself beside my father's body. In the morning I prepare him for the elements in the manner of my people, and then join the others in combing through the wreckage of the estate. Nikorn and his advisor Orelius, who was a priest of Law according to Sir Blanque, lie dead in the centre of the Great Hall, from a combination of blood wounds and fire. They obviously went down fighting. This gives the nobleman from the south another reason to stay with the rest of us; it turns out that Orelius tutored Sir Blanque and Jorthan through their childhoods, and Sir Blanque still remembers those days. Marion maintains her usual silence, but something dark lies behind her eyes. She owes Nikorn much.
I notice something rather strange about the pattern of charcoal left by the fires. I return to the shattered remains of the great doorway, followed by the others. Deep in thought, I say, "Look at the pattern here, on the outside. A great force of fire blasted its way in through this gateway. You can see the scorch marks on the surrounding stonework, almost like a dark sunburst." I then lead the way back into the hall. "See; there is something similar on the flagstones where Nikon and Orelius have fallen. It reminds me of a tale told among my people of a man who came in the night, a man who could control the fiery forces of nature. This is the work of powerful flame magics, and it must have started a full raging firestorm that engulfed the place. If we are in luck, this Theleb K'aarna will now be weakened after causing something of such magnitude."
Destiny in particular is surprised by this revelation, I suspect not so much by the story, but by its source being myself. I explain that as the son of the Chief Rider, I have had some education, although not so much as my sister. As the elder, she will inherit the mantle of leadership, and I know that she is much better suited to it than I. My feelings must remain suppressed, though, because becoming emotional about what might be about to happen to her will not help anybody. There will be time later for me to cleanse these thoughts in the traditional ways.
A few more of the estate workers arrive. They promise to clean up around the place as much as they can, and to bury the dead. Nikorn must have been a good Lord to have inspired such loyalty. It also makes me think a little; the raiders did not spend any time laying waste to the rest of the estate, but left as soon as they had completed their business.
Umpire's Notes
This actually took place immediately after we rolled up the characters. Both Destiny and Sir Blanque rolled well on First Aid to revive Masinissa, however briefly. As umpire I ruled that he was too far gone for First Aid to be able to save him (unless someone got really lucky), but they were able to get him to talk. Bomilcar made a good roll while poking around in the aftermath of the fire, and also made a Music Lore skill roll of 2 on a D20 to remember the tale about the elementalist. That story must really have made an impression...
Or at least, what's left of it. A once substantial fortified manor house is in ruins, with evidence of a great deal of fire damage - a conflagration. Bodies of my tribe's fellows lie scattered everywhere, but there is a great deal of the blood of others, mostly leading to a separate funeral pyre that still smoulders.
I find three sets of tracks leading off in different directions. The largest grouping leads straight west, directly towards the coast; I reckon about a couple of dozen sets of footprints belonging to tall, heavy individuals, including a healthy scattering of blood marks. The smallest is a couple of sets of hoof prints, heading eastwards; one set is particularly large and powerful, possibly belonging to a warhorse. The other comes from a steppe pony. The third set of prints belongs to about a dozen tall travellers heading southwest on foot.
Some of the estate workers who managed to survive by taking cover and going into hiding reveal themselves to us. They say they have been sheltering Captain Masinissa (my father), but he is now fading fast. They tell us that the assault took place three days ago.
The sight that greets us is not pleasant, but it does make me proud; my father's wounds are of course all to the front. Destiny and Sir Blanque between them manage to revive him long enough to speak his final words: "We were attacked by a large party of tall Pikarayd warriors. They were led by a Pan Tang sorcerer. Orelius recognised him immediately: an old enemy of his by the name of Theleb K'aarna. With him was Syphax". He smiles. "He still bears the scar I gave him on his left cheek". Then he coughs weakly, and gathers himself. "Despite the odds and the surprise attack, we gave a good account of ourselves. I supervised the defence as long as I could, but when all was lost I managed to crawl off and hide. I knew you were coming, and I want you to hear my last story."
Syphax! The renegade who tried to usurp my father's leadership of the Pure Horse Tribe all those years ago. Someone like him in league with a Pan Tang sorcerer can only be bad news. And they are riding eastwards in the direction of our lands...
Masinissa continues. "Fortunately, though, they missed Jorthan and Ehlessa. They left for the Nikorn family's holiday dacha to the southwest a few days ago to make sure all is in order; Nikorn has been giving his son more and more responsibility recently. I saw a group of around a dozen of the warriors heading off in that direction. A capture party, they are armed with cudgels. Even riding fast you won't get there before them, but you will be able to stop them taking Jorthan and your sister any further. They will probably sell them into slavery on Pan Tang." He shudders. "Promise me that you will save them. Then kill Theleb K'aarna and Syphax." He passes to the Lands of the Shamen.
I hear myself dispassionately agreeing that I will do this. The others promise to help, but seem rather surprised at my seeming lack of emotion. I explain that my father's time had come, and he died well. It is not in our nature to mourn the passing of a great warrior. But vengeance is something we do understand. It must be savoured before being delivered as coldly and appropriately as possible.
The others murmur assent. I understand Sir Blanque and Marion well enough; after all, they have both lived in the Nikorn household for many years, and Sir Blanque is Jorthan's best friend. Destiny, though, is probably calculating strategy: rescuing Jorthan would salvage at least something from the ruins, and he would be a useful ally against whatever the man from Pan Tang is planning.
We spend the night in difficult sleep, with myself beside my father's body. In the morning I prepare him for the elements in the manner of my people, and then join the others in combing through the wreckage of the estate. Nikorn and his advisor Orelius, who was a priest of Law according to Sir Blanque, lie dead in the centre of the Great Hall, from a combination of blood wounds and fire. They obviously went down fighting. This gives the nobleman from the south another reason to stay with the rest of us; it turns out that Orelius tutored Sir Blanque and Jorthan through their childhoods, and Sir Blanque still remembers those days. Marion maintains her usual silence, but something dark lies behind her eyes. She owes Nikorn much.
I notice something rather strange about the pattern of charcoal left by the fires. I return to the shattered remains of the great doorway, followed by the others. Deep in thought, I say, "Look at the pattern here, on the outside. A great force of fire blasted its way in through this gateway. You can see the scorch marks on the surrounding stonework, almost like a dark sunburst." I then lead the way back into the hall. "See; there is something similar on the flagstones where Nikon and Orelius have fallen. It reminds me of a tale told among my people of a man who came in the night, a man who could control the fiery forces of nature. This is the work of powerful flame magics, and it must have started a full raging firestorm that engulfed the place. If we are in luck, this Theleb K'aarna will now be weakened after causing something of such magnitude."
Destiny in particular is surprised by this revelation, I suspect not so much by the story, but by its source being myself. I explain that as the son of the Chief Rider, I have had some education, although not so much as my sister. As the elder, she will inherit the mantle of leadership, and I know that she is much better suited to it than I. My feelings must remain suppressed, though, because becoming emotional about what might be about to happen to her will not help anybody. There will be time later for me to cleanse these thoughts in the traditional ways.
A few more of the estate workers arrive. They promise to clean up around the place as much as they can, and to bury the dead. Nikorn must have been a good Lord to have inspired such loyalty. It also makes me think a little; the raiders did not spend any time laying waste to the rest of the estate, but left as soon as they had completed their business.
Umpire's Notes
This actually took place immediately after we rolled up the characters. Both Destiny and Sir Blanque rolled well on First Aid to revive Masinissa, however briefly. As umpire I ruled that he was too far gone for First Aid to be able to save him (unless someone got really lucky), but they were able to get him to talk. Bomilcar made a good roll while poking around in the aftermath of the fire, and also made a Music Lore skill roll of 2 on a D20 to remember the tale about the elementalist. That story must really have made an impression...
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