Session Start: Sun Aug 13 10:34:57 2017
Session Ident: #tcci-5
[10:34] * Now talking in #tcci-5
[10:39] * Yelena (Toaster@B1260186.6915C585.BBF83A7B.IP) has joined #tcci-5
[10:39] <Yelena> Damnit.
[10:41] <Commissar_Cornflakes> dohoho
[11:00] * Baba_Baichu (Emo_Duck@Baron.Mc.NoFun) has joined #tcci-5
[11:06] * TXT_Work (d7430655@sux-FCD30E9C.mibbit.com) has joined #tcci-5
[11:11] * Kristoff (chatzilla@sux-1DE96501.lightspeed.stlsmo.sbcglobal.net) has joined #tcci-5
[11:15] * Antonio (IceChat9@sux-5EAB6038.hsd1.va.comcast.net) has joined #tcci-5
[11:16] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The iron-cold early watches of the morning pass in peace.  The fire that used to be the wagon cover and several yurtas is maintained; at this point, it's the best purpose it can serve.  Most are subdued in this gloom, though Karl and Hans pass a wineskin back and forth and talk loudly.  The coats and hats of the two false roadwardens have been requisitioned.
[11:17] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Paradoxically, the morning grows darker with the passing hours as heavy clouds roll in to hide the stars and Morrslieb's unsavory face, and the grey light of dawn is an uncertain thing.
[11:17] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Blackcloak, at least, seems certain of it, since those of you who are yet awake see the fur-clad mercenary stalking about, speaking to people, apparently telling them to prepare to leave.
[11:18] <Commissar_Cornflakes> He eventually makes his way to your group, "We should set out.  It's the better part of a day until Gerdouen, and we don't want to have to argue to get inside the stockade."
[11:18] * Baba_Baichu sits where can be sat, stroking Mabrouk's back and humming old Ungol songs.
[11:18] <Antonio> "Youra too supersitious forra mercenary, Blackcloak! All you need issa trust inna Myrmydia! She watches over alla good mercenaries. Like-a me!"
[11:20] <Kristoff> "A pack of wandering villagers during Morrsleib is a common tactic for Cultists."
[11:21] <Yelena> "But does she watch over refugees?" she asks before yawning.
[11:21] <Kristoff> "You'd be suprised how many blades you can wrap in sswaddling cloth and pass it off as a baby."
[11:22] <Antonio> "I'll have to be-be honest. I'mma not the most offa devout of Myrmydia's faithful. I justa know that She grants me the fortune int battle."
[11:23] <Kristoff> "You go on about Myrmidia more than a Cantor. Are you a clergyman playing at mercenary?"
[11:23] * Baba_Baichu chuckles to herself in the background. "Best hhope so, magpie of Tilea. Best hhope so."
[11:24] <Kristoff> "Maybe all this royal bloodline stuff is just a well-crafted persona?"
[11:24] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Blackcloak shows his teeth, "Just now Ostermark's patience for roving bands of displaced Kislevites is low.  How do you expect they'll favor such a group, some of them armed, showing up after dark and demanding entry?" there's mild humor to the man's tone.  "You can sleep in your saddle, Tilean."
[11:25] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Overhead there's a roll of thunder, and the black sky is shot through with threads of lightning.
[11:25] <Kristoff> "Blackcloak's right. And if worse comes to pass, we'll have daylight on our-"
[11:25] * Kristoff looks up at the sky
[11:26] <Kristoff> "....shallya's mercy." He grumbles. "More the reason to move."
[11:27] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "You best see to that girl knight," Blackcloak calls over his shoulder, "If she can't ride, I suppose we can find a place in the cart for her.  Maybe in Baldy's rolling bandit-bait, eh?"
[11:27] <Antonio> "Litle rain never killa anyone. But... I agree with the bow wow. We should make-a haste."
[11:27] * Baba_Baichu pulls herself upright with her staff, its gnarled head now blackened and soot-stained from handling the burning tarp. Without a word she moves to check on Jean's condition.
[11:28] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Already the refugees are loading themselves back into the tarpless wagon, looking up at the sky warily.  Karl seems entirely indifferent, having secured a wide-brimmed hat from his own bundle, though the similarly-dressed Hans curses bitterly about the damp and his powder charges for his blunderbuss.
[11:28] * Yelena shrugs. "Tor will watch over us." She grabs her gear and sets out to find her horse.
[11:29] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The young Bretonnian seems fine - no sign of fever or scent of putrefication, though she's sleeping deeply.
[11:30] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Your merchant friend, surprisingly, has proven the quickest to prepare himself.  Now the big, balding man stares up at the dawn sky with trepidation as he checks the trappings hanging from his cart.  His son is nowhere in sight.
[11:32] * Baba_Baichu approaches Karl and/or Hans, suggesting that the Bretonnian take her place in the wagon for now. "Young Yelena's horse is stronk, and will not even notice old baba on its back."
[11:32] <Kristoff> "Clocksmith!" Barks Kristoff. "Where is your son?"
[11:34] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Elmer junior?" the older man calls, "Inside the cart.  He doesn't fancy thunderstorms," the merchant says, "Gods, but it's early in the year for something like this!" he complains.
[11:34] * Yelena , settled in the saddle, brings her horse towards Kristoff after hearing him shout.
[11:34] <Kristoff> "Welcome to Kislev. Make sure you stay dry, the wet mixed with kislevarin cold can kill easy."
[11:34] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The two Ostermarker mercenaries give Baichu odd looks, but with a glance at one another shrug and agree, "Can't hurt, but it's not the smoothest ride," Hans notes.
[11:35] * Kristoff pulls his cloak over his shoulders and raises the hood.
[11:35] <Yelena> "Speaking of dry..." she gestures uneasily toward the refugee's wagon, missing its cover.
[11:37] <Antonio> "If there issa no complaints, I think I shalla passa the time with the singing. Why, just before I hadda leave home, I picked uppa delightful ditty byya some Sartossan fishermen." The tilean clears his throat. "Imma not sure howwa it sounds inna Reikspeil." And then... the man starts to sing.
[11:37] <Commissar_Cornflakes> There's another, louder boom of thunder.
[11:37] * Baba_Baichu nods with a grunt, turning away to join Yelena. She waves her staff for attention as she approaches. "Yelena, my girl!" she calls in Ungol. "Let old baba ride with you!"
[11:37] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Elmer's nags shy at the sound.
[11:38] <Kristoff> "Best not to sing for now, seems Tor isn't a fan."
[11:38] * Yelena gets down. "I don't suppose I have a choice?" she asks in kislevarin as she's helping the old woman up.
[11:39] <Kristoff> "Maybe something more local?"
[11:39] <Antonio> "Oh! What is the use offa this looting anna pillaging! Swinging my saber througha the blood, the guts, anna gore! The raping anna the robbing anna the boozing growwa boring! Thissa life of a pirate is no fun anymore! No fun any more! No fun any more! Issa only a job, issa no fun any more!"
[11:39] * Antonio looks at Kristoff. "I donna know any local songs."
[11:39] <Kristoff> "Klakina."
[11:39] <Kristoff> "I heard it a lot during The Storm."
[11:39] <Kristoff> "It's a good one."
[11:44] <Kristoff> "But for now, we should go."
[11:44] <Kristoff> "And maybe don't sing about raping and pillaging around the refugees?"
[11:45] <Antonio> "Hmmmm? But issa song of Sartossa?"
[11:45] <Antonio> "Anna singer offa song issa tired of alla that."
[11:45] <Commissar_Cornflakes> There's another flash of lightning and a guttering reddish light in the far distance across the river, then a sharp CRACK.  Presently, the rain begins, slowly at first, then steadily.
[11:46] * Yelena scoffs. She hadn't really paid attention and had tuned out what she thought to be yet another drinking song.
[11:46] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Hans swears vociferously, covering his blunderbuss quickly in his cloak.
[11:46] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The raindrops come in hard and stinging, and very cold.
[11:47] * Yelena gives a quick look to Baichu to make sure the frail old woman is covered enough and only then adjusts her own cloak, before getting back in the saddle.
[11:48] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Blackcloak trots his horse up, who is tossing its head irritably, "You lot ready?  Baldy?"
[11:49] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Elmer grunts sourly from the driver's board of his cart, the weather apparently taking its toll on his usual tone.
[11:58] <Commissar_Cornflakes> When no reply is forthcoming, Blackcloak tugs the reins of his horse, trots over to Karl, says something, and makes for the road.
[11:58] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The Ostermarker soldier shouts to his beasts and cracks his own reins, and the big wagon slowly groans to life, rolling out of mud ruts it had already begun to sink into.
[11:59] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Thought we'd never get going," Elmer comments, "Gods, but I hope those Gerdouen has an inn."
[12:00] <Commissar_Cornflakes> You find there is ice mixed with the rain now, making it less pleasant than ever.  Thunder continues to boom overhead as you make your way towards the road and, hopefully, safety and civilization.
[12:01] <Kristoff> "I'm still annoyed I didn't get to tuck into any of that Shcweinstag hog-roast before the damn beastmen came and ruined my appetite with their stench." He notes, chuckling bitterly. "An Inn would be just what I need."
[12:01] <Kristoff> "Some warm, dark beer and a pidgeon-and-apple pie."
[12:02] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "A nice, strong stout," Elmer grouses, "Back in Nuln, there was this tavern down in the Shantytown, dwarf-run place.  Terrible neighborhood, but the fellow brewed an excellent Particular..."
[12:03] <Commissar_Cornflakes> In the refugee wagon, folks huddle together closely for warmth.  Most are not well-dressed for this sort of weather, but those that are try to share as much as they can with their neighbors.  Only Anatai seems completely unmoved.
[12:03] <Antonio> "Wine, mi amici! Wine issa what makes a man do what he does! I would notta mind a bigga plate of pasta, either. But the IMperials... they donna know how to make itta right."
[12:04] <Kristoff> "There's a Halfling-run tavern me and my chapter-mates would frequent in Bechafen. 'The Badger and Boar' was run by a halfling cook and a dwarven brewer. When the two weren't arguing like a married couple, they were making the best pies and beer in the empire."
[12:05] <Kristoff> "Some of my more...libertine brothers had a pool going whether the two would either kill each-other, or fuck."
[12:05] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Elmer scoffs, "The best wine to be had can be found in Bretonnia, then Averland.  And their wine festival makes up for the difference.  Last summer there was even some murders, folk being set on fire.  Made for a memorable fest, that."
[12:06] <Antonio> "Aye. I know. I wassa there. A brutal finish indeed." Antonio nodded, but then tilted his head. "Good wine? From the Bretonnia? Surely, you-a jest tick-a-tock man!"
[12:06] <Kristoff> "People set on fire? Must have been the inquisition had a vineyard they wanted to win."
[12:07] <Antonio> "Oh, no. The wine setta people onna fire."
[12:07] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Some sorcery, I heard," Elmer says.
[12:08] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Of course, there WAS a wizard about.  Saw him with my own eyes, I did."
[12:08] <Antonio> "Manna drinks the wine, gives it a gooda rating... then FWOOSH!"
[12:08] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Big fellow, bushy red beard, looked like a dockside thug in robes."
[12:08] <Kristoff> "Must've been from one of the colleges."
[12:09] <Kristoff> "Everybody knows college-wizards love big bushy beards."
[12:09] <Yelena> "A college? What's that?"
[12:10] <Kristoff> "Magic, wizard magic, can be dangerous. So the empire shuts all its wizards away in a college to blow each-other up when they're not on the field blowing the enemys of man up."
[12:11] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Elmer looks at Yelena strangely, as if to ascertain whether she's making a joke, realising she isn't, he explains, "Here in the Empire, Fraulein, all those who have the witching way are sent to Altdorf, to be trained properly."
[12:11] <Kristoff> "They all dress in big garish robes and grow huge bushy beards so they can stroke them and look smart. Even the women, they wear false ones made with goat-fur of course."
[12:12] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Our great Magnus the Pious - he helped save Kislev - set up the system.  Personally, I think it was too generous.  I have friends in Altdorf, and the stories they tell me," he hmphs.
[12:12] <Kristoff> "Saw one during the Storm, a man coated head to toe in gold with a voice like a shrieking midwife."
[12:12] <Kristoff> "Waved his hand and turned a norscan to solid lead."
[12:14] <Antonio> "Woulda been better iffa solid gold. Then you haffa something to pay the men..."
[12:14] <Kristoff> "They melted him down into cannon-balls to fire at the other norscans."
[12:14] <Yelena> "Oh, that's that then... I had heard of some fancy noble in the south... the south of Kislev, that is, that had sent his son away."
[12:14] <Kristoff> "A better use, I'd say."
[12:14] <Yelena> "The ice witches won't take men, they say they'll turn to chaos."
[12:15] <Kristoff> "I've more trust for hag and witch's magic than I do wizardry."
[12:16] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Well, it's like the miracles our men of Sigmar perform, isn't it?" Elmer asks.
[12:16] <Kristoff> "I've never seen a hag accidentally vomit up a daemonic imp or turn a man into a swarm of stinging wapss with man-faces."
[12:16] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Miracles and witchery aren't the same thing, after all."
[12:16] <Antonio> "I never hadda chance to fight with the wizards. Either against orra with." He shrugs. He isn't exactly going to tell them he's never been in battle, that would drive the price down.
[12:16] <Kristoff> "I'm no scholar. I only know what I've seen."
[12:17] * Baba_Baichu mutters behind Yelena: "Humph, it takes wisdom and good sense to wield magic without tragedy. So of course the tzarina lets only women do it."
[12:17] <Kristoff> "But I beleive what the witches say may be true. That spirit magic is man's magic. Let the elves play with the winds if they like."
[12:17] * Yelena chuckles.
[12:18] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "They say the tzarina lives in a palace made of glass," Elmer says conversationally, looking from Yelena to Baichu, "Surely you've seen it?"
[12:19] <Kristoff> "Glass is terrible stronghold material. Suppose the enemy hurled burning pitch. The heat would move through the glass as sunlight's heat does,. and burn those inside."
[12:20] * Yelena shrugs. "It's not made of glass. It's made of ice."
[12:21] <Yelena> "It never melts in the summer. I don't think burning pitch would do anything mroe."
[12:21] <Kristoff> "You've seen the palace?"
[12:22] <Baba_Baichu> "Once," Baichu answers in Yelena's stead. "From far away."
[12:23] * Yelena nods. "Quite tall, too."
[12:24] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Ice?" Elmer says skeptically.  He doesn't seem enthusiastic about the prospect.  Under the current circumstances, that is perhaps understandable.
[12:25] <Yelena> "Oh, don't worry, it's not the entire palace. And none here would be allowed in."
[12:26] <Yelena> "But once a year, the Winter Gardens are open to everyone, maybe we'll be lucky."
[12:26] <Kristoff> "A garden in winter? Hilde would love to see that."
[12:27] <Yelena> "I heard it was a gigantic garden, with all sort of trees and flowers. All made of ice. And that it was always night inside its walls."
[12:28] <Yelena> "I didn't hear anything about animals inside, though. Or maybe they're made of ice too. Who knows."
[12:30] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Though the thunder and lightning abate with time, the rain continues to sheet down steadily, soaking everything and leaving the unprotected refugees looking quite miserable.  Even Anatai's kinsmen, steppe-folk like Baichu and Yelena, look sour-tempered.  Blackcloak sets a relentless pace, talking Karl out of a stop to rest.
[12:30] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The sun never really seems to rise in these conditions, leaving you all in a grey and uncertain twilight.  You have only the vaguest sense that it is past mid-day.
[12:31] <Commissar_Cornflakes> At least you have been unaccosted by beastmen, bandits, or worst of all - tollkeepers.
[12:40] * Baba_Baichu shivers even as she holds onto Yelena's back. She utters not a word of complaint, but it's unclear whether it's out of stoicism or because her chattering teeth won't allow it.
[12:41] * Yelena is glad for the bit of wartm from Baichu because her worn out clothes certainly aren't helping.
[12:41] * Antonio shivers. "Spring, you say, eh?"
[12:41] * Kristoff looks back at Antonio from under his thick, protective cloak. "Yes."
[12:43] <Yelena> "And it's only going to get worse the farther north we go..."
[12:44] <Commissar_Cornflakes> It's late afternoon or early evening by the time you see your first signs of civilization - smoke on the horizon, then signs of cut trees and finally, a wooden wall of rough-hewn timbers flanked by a pair of towers.  You're certain yuo can see movements from within - the gates you can tell are closed.
[12:45] <Kristoff> "HAIL!" Calls Kristoff over the walls.
[12:48] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Once you've gotten close, you can see that you're not the only folks to have recently had a brush with rampaging beastman bands.  A number of severed heads are staked outside the gate to the village, mutilated hopefully by birds.  One of the scrawny hornless creatures appears to have been taken alive, because his whole corpse sways from a length of rope tied to a tree.  A group of crows worry its flesh and caw angrily at your group.
[12:49] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Over the wall of the guard tower, a man with a face like a bulldog and a beard like a warthog's arse stares down at you, "Hail!" he looks deliberately from the riders to the refugee wagon, then frowns, "What business do you have?"
[12:51] <Kristoff> "We come with refugees from the south! The hold was attacked by beastmen on Shcweinstag! They had a damned minotaur, smashed our doors wide open!"
[12:52] * TXT_Work (d7430655@sux-FCD30E9C.mibbit.com) Quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
[12:55] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The man pulls his head back inside the protection of the tower, apparently to converse with other men within.  After a moment, his face reappears, "We've met with the same warherd, I wot.  We can't accept any more refugees, winter stocks are too low.  Turn back for Bechafen."
[12:56] <Antonio> "Hey! You letta me in, boar man! I needa take the ferry to the Kislev!"
[12:56] <Yelena> "We're only passing through, we'll be gone tomorrow!"
[12:56] <Kristoff> "We're headed for Kislev. We just need a place to rest and ressuply. We're willing to trade for what we need."
[12:57] <Kristoff> "Also, you'll want to burn those bodies. The ones we fought served the Fly-Lord, you'd be wise not to risk illness."
[13:00] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The man grunts, "And where's the proof in that?  We've not had word from Bechafen about such, and the Margrave bid us be wary.  Brigands are as thick as fleas on a dog's arse," he gives your own canine companion a look.
[13:01] <Kristoff> "Don't we know it. We slew a few on the way here. Wreckers, came up along the river."
[13:02] <Kristoff> "If you want proof that I'm no bandit." He would pull away his gauntlet, revealing the red designs etched into his hand from the tips of the fingers to the wrist. "I am Kristoff Stahlhund, Knight of the Crimson Gauntlet."
[13:04] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "I don't recognize-" the man cocks his head, then disappears again for a moment.  Karl and Hans argue animatedly about elves, though about what specifically, you can't tell.  Blackcloak watches the treeline.  The refugees shiver, while Elmer tries to disappear into his sodden cloak and hat.
[13:04] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Finally, the man reappears, "Awight," he says, "We're opening the gate.  They're nawt to be opened again before morning, though."
[13:05] <Kristoff> "Understood."
[13:05] * Baba_Baichu turns her hooded head toward Kristoff and gives him an appreciative nod.
[13:06] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "These folk are your responsibility," the militiaman continues self-importantly, "Any thievery they do will be on your head."  The man barks an order, and a hidden winch clatters into motion, slowly opening the gate, to a collective sigh of relief.
[13:06] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Karl and Hans seem to notice something is happening, and the former looks up, "Eh?  What'd I miss?"
[13:06] * Kristoff regards Baichu with a nod. He turns to the Refugees. "We are guests here, people! We'
[13:06] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Blackcloak kicks his horse forward and shoots through the gap before the gate has completely opened, leaving you behind.
[13:07] <Kristoff> "Exploit their hospitality, and ALL Will pay for it."
[13:07] * Yelena turns her head to the side to speak to Baichu. "Mayne we should ask Anatai to repeat that."
[13:07] * Kristoff waits until everybody is safely inside before following.
[13:08] * Baba_Baichu nods again, this time in agreement with Yelena.
[13:08] <Antonio> "Who do you thinka I am, bow wow? Exploit? Mi?"
[13:08] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The old Ungol abides, and the message seems to get across clearly enough to the other refugees.
[13:09] <Kristoff> "Yes. You."
[13:09] <Kristoff> "Now, get inside. We'll need to find a new tarp for the firepit, and more rations."
[13:10] * Yelena leads her horse in and looks around for Blackcloak.
[13:12] * TXTypewriter (Mutter@AF65559C.EB440313.8633422E.IP) has joined #tcci-5
[13:12] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The main road for Gerdouen - little more than a dirt track - takes you past a number of small fields, currently fallow and awaiting planting,  before the shape of buildings loom up out of the misty gloom.  Locals eye you warily as you pass, and you see signs that the beastmen might have gotten over the walls before being killed.  Other details are more reassuring.
[13:12] <Kristoff> "I'll go check on Jean. Grandmother Baichu, make sure that antonio does not set something on fire or sleep with the burgemeister's cat or something."
[13:12] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The sound of a smith's hammer falling in steady rhythm, the shrieking of children at games, bitter old men arguing over things that don't matter, the smell of woodsmoke.
[13:13] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Blackcloak, for his part, can be seen trotting down the lane towards a large, long timber building that must be Gerdouen's inn.
[13:13] * Kristoff rides off to the impromptu sick-cart.
[13:14] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "You know," Hans says, "Karl DID have papers, ser, you needn't have done that."
[13:14] * Yelena keeps her mount close to Antonio's.
[13:14] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Apparently the soldier has pieced together what had happened when he and the other Bechafen native had been having their chat.
[13:14] * Baba_Baichu huffs. "I am not everyone's grandmother, my boy." - She gives an acquiescent nod. "But for you southern men, I'll make him behave."
[13:15] * TXTypewriter is now known as Jean
[13:17] * Antonio would be riding just behind him to the right. "Aaaah... finally... some civilization."
[13:18] * Jean awakens slowly at the sound of civilization.  She moves to sit up, albeit slowly due to her injured rib.
[13:18] <Kristoff> "Good. You're not dead."
[13:18] <Kristoff> "We
[13:19] <Kristoff> "We found a village, It's not going to allow us to stay long, but we can ressuply. And once you're feeling better I could use the help babysitting Antonio."
[13:19] <Kristoff> "Making sure he doesn't attempt to seduce anyone he souldn't, that sort of thing."
[13:19] <Jean> "I feel dead.  Well, I suppose dead people don't feel much of anything."
[13:19] <Yelena> "How is she then?" she calls out to Kristoff.
[13:20] <Jean> "I expect him to attempt to seduce me, which he definitely shouldn't do."
[13:20] <Kristoff> "Dehydrated most likely. You've been asleep for a while. Drink and you should feel better in a bit."
[13:21] <Jean> "Mm."
[13:21] <Kristoff> "There's a cask of fresh water, we used it to clean your wounds, but there should be plenty enough for drinking."
[13:22] * Jean stands and leaves the cart.
[13:23] <Jean> "Lady, it's cold."
[13:23] <Kristoff> "Welcome to Kislev."
[13:24] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Ostermark still," Karl says touchily from the driver's board.
[13:24] <Jean> "We've crossed the border, then?"
[13:24] <Jean> "Ah."
[13:24] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "We haven't crossed the Talabec yet."
[13:24] * Jean seems to take that as a que to put her helmet back on.
[13:25] * Baba_Baichu reaches across with her staff from her horse to Antonio's, prodding the Tilean on the shoulder. "The Blackcloak is fhinding a place to sleep. It hwould be good to fhind food."
[13:27] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Eventually, Blackcloak does reappear.  He notices Jean is awake and affords her a curt nod before addressing the rest of you, "Well, they do have an inn.  Taal's Huntsman, sign of the striding ranger," he points down the road, though it's hard to miss, "Luckily, since those two 'road wardens' left, they've not had any business through.  Rates are normal enough."
[13:27] * Yelena puts a finger in a hole in her cloak and pulls. "I hope it's big enough there's a clothier, too."
[13:28] <Yelena> "Oh and we'll need something for the wagon."
[13:29] <Kristoff> "Good, let's get out of this cold and get a meal."
[13:31] * Jean grunts and nods, going to get her horse(s) stabled.
[13:31] <Antonio> "Anna some wine!"
[13:40] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Taal's Huntsman isn't an especially large inn, though larger than you might expect for Gerdouen.  It is built in a style that you recognize from the coaching inn only two days' past, perhaps a local favorite.  It seems likely that the only reason it exists at all is to serve Fortenhaf and the traffic from that important ferry.
[13:41] <Commissar_Cornflakes> A heavy rack of antlers hang above the dual doors, currently propped open.  A fat, insolent-looking cat sits in the doorframe, ignoring your approach.
[13:41] <Commissar_Cornflakes> From within, you can hear some low conversations and see the flickering glow of a fire.
[13:43] * Kristoff opens the door and pulls out the closest seat he can get to the fire, plopping down into it and exhaling loudly, glad to relax for once.
[13:44] * Antonio goes in, shaking off the cool. "I needa wine anna hot meal!" He calls almost immediately, before he sits down at an occupied table, near Kristoff.
[13:45] <Antonio> He'll also take off his helmet, placing it on the table, running his fingers through his dark hair.
[13:45] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The two men at the table Antonio sits at look up from their game of Find the Empress ill-naturedly.
[13:47] * Kristoff stands up, grabs Antonio by his ear like a mother with an unruly child and begins to tug him back to his table.
[13:47] <Commissar_Cornflakes> A few others from the train filter in.  Blackcloak sits on his own; Karl speaks with the barman while Elmer takes a seat at the wolfcloak-wearing mercenary's table, his son close by his side.
[13:48] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The refugees at large filter in slowly, looking cheered by the fire; the barman goes to say something when Karl catches his attention and you hear words exchanged before coins.
[13:49] * Antonio looks at them. Then looks over to Kristoff on the next table over. Then looks back to the other two men. "Issa free pronvince." Is all he says.
[13:49] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The low-ceilinged common room is, at least, warm and cozy, suffused with the smell of smoke from its stained rafters and a delicious smell of the great cauldron of stew simmering over the fire.
[13:50] * Baba_Baichu enters at the tail end of the group, staff thumping on the floor, charms and bone fetishes jangling. The frayed rim of her hood occludes her eyes as she moves toward the table where Kristoff has sat himself, taking a seat across from him.
[13:50] * Jean returns from stabling her horses to sit at the table chosen by the others.
[13:50] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The locals mutter at the sight of Baba Baichu, making the sign of the evil eye to ward off witchery.
[13:51] <Kristoff> "....Old grandmother. They tell me that spirit talkers like you know of visions, prophecies and the like...yes?"
[13:51] * Yelena takes off her helmet and lets her shoulder length hair free as she sits next to Baichu.
[13:52] * Yelena was raising her arm to call for a waiter but brings it back down when she hears Kristoff.
[13:53] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Eventually, a barmaid - plain but not unlovely, looking bored - moves amongst your group to receive coin and dole out refreshment.  "No wine," she says gruffly to Antonio, "All we've got's beer at a pfennig.  Another pfennig for a bowl of brown, another pfennig for a half of bread."
[13:53] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The 'bowl of brown' seems to be the stew simmering over the hearth.
[13:54] * Baba_Baichu lets out a dubious "hrrmmmm". She leans forward, resting a wrinkled hand on the table's surface, speaking to Kristoff in Kislevarin even though she lets her hood block eye contact. "I know *of* visions, and I know that spirits talk to men, should the fancy strike them."
[13:55] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Karl goes among the refugees, speaking slowly and loudly, "The count has paid for a bowl each for you, and a spot to bed down in the stables.  There'll be warm, dry hay.  Water from the well is free."
[13:55] <Kristoff> "On the night of my being dubbed a knight of the Crimson Gauntlet, I was visited by a dream...at least I had thought it a dream, but the Morrite who worked alongside the grandmaster saw it differently. It's the reason I went north to begin with..."
[13:55] * Jean calls for a bowl and the bread, handing the pennies over for it.
[13:55] * Antonio eyes lights up seeing the barmaid. Finally, a woman that wasn't the mannish Bretonnian or the horse woman. He practically pulls at her onto his lap. "E quanto per te? La mia mano, è un coniglio, e la sua tana si trova tra le cosce. Lascialo tornare a casa!" He says, just loud enough that everyone near him can hear.
[13:57] * Yelena groans. "Ignore him, he's already drunk. Don't serve him alcohol neither."
[13:58] * Baba_Baichu inclines her head slightly sideways, like an inquisitive crow. "And how did your holy man see it? Do you not trust his word, that you ask old baba for advice?"
[13:58] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The bread is tough, brown fare, but the stew is dark and delicious.  It seems to be a 'perpetual stew,' a common enough sight; a dish that never really leaves the fire, only receiving regular infusions of meat and vegetables from travelers looking to barter and the proprietor.  It softens the bread most satisfactorily.
[13:58] * Jean cuffs the Tilean.  "I am hungry, and thirsty, and she needs to fetch our meals."
[13:59] <Kristoff> "He's a priest of Morr, and I am a faithful of Shallya, though my work displeases her." He says, looking down at his hand. "But I understand you may have a perspective or insight that might help me."
[13:59] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The woman darts free of Antonio's grasp at Jean's distraction,  muttering something about 'bloody foreigners' and shooting the Tilean an appraising gaze.
[14:00] <Commissar_Cornflakes> If Jean had to guess, her bowl contains an abundance of potatoes and onions, perhaps some carrots, and certainly some venison and rabbit.
[14:00] * Yelena hands enough to the barmaid for bread and meal for two.
[14:00] * Antonio gives her a smile, handing over the pennies for the stew and bread and beer.
[14:00] * Baba_Baichu turns her palm upward, gesturing for Kristoff to proceed.
[14:01] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The barmaid remains quite busy filling and taking orders, much to the irritation of the locals, who aren't even ordering anything.
[14:01] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The general mass of your refugee companions receive bowls and portion out their own rations, which proves to be a bad choice.
[14:02] <Commissar_Cornflakes> There is plenty of swearing at burned thumbs and singed hands, but everyone goes away with a bowl full to spilling.
[14:02] <Kristoff> "....It was a dream, you see...but In that dream I saw things, images that moved. I saw a temple of Shallya, abandoned, her doors locked and her grounds singed with flame.  I saw a dove with red feathers on its chest like a bleeding wound. I saw a heart made from iron that beat as if made of flesh...and I saw Her, Shallya, Mistress of the key and the dove, pointing northward."
[14:02] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Irritably, the barman speaks up, "One bowl means ONE BOWL," he warns, shooting a look at Karl, who merely shrugs indifferently and watches the barmaid's ass.
[14:02] * Jean obviously takes her helmet off to eat, having decided it isn't worth hiding anymore.  Even with her hair covered, it's obvious why she needed to wear a helmet all the time - there's absolutely no way someone could mistake her face for that of a man.
[14:06] * Yelena toys with her meal while listening to Kristoff. Not enough meat and cheese to her taste.
[14:07] * Baba_Baichu lets out another pensive "hrrmmm", then silently ponders the imagery for a while. She shuffles in her seat before speaking: "They are signs of the times, my southern knight. In its passing, the Storm has left its mark - not merely on the land, but on its people. The abandoned temple, the bleeding dove, the iron heart - they speak of the death of mercy, of compassion dying when food is
[14:07] * Baba_Baichu scarce and beasts roam the night."
[14:09] * Baba_Baichu leans even closer. "Thus are the hearts of men hardened when they fear what the darkness brings. Thus why brave men are needed to stand against it."
[14:10] * Antonio eats his soup and bread with some delicateness. He is, after all, the superior specimen of Tilean male and it's not enough that he knows it, but he has to show it to these provincial Imperials what the truth of the matter is. Also, he's trying to impress the barmaid.
[14:12] <Commissar_Cornflakes> It's not particularly fancy fare, but it warms from the inside-out.  The beer the barmaid means is by no means remarkable but an excellent accompaniment.  There's a reason big city poets wax lyrical about rural living, though only rarely sample it at length.
[14:12] <Kristoff> "So, you beleive this vision to be metaphorical."
[14:13] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Elmer, for his part, is already asleep at his table, while his son busily scrapes both of their bowls.
[14:16] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Gradually, the refugees are filtering out, talking quietly amongst themselves as they head off to bed.  None of them seem particularly put off by the idea of being accomodated in the stables.  Outside, the rain continues unabated.  Rarely, thunder peals distantly.  Darkness steals in.
[14:17] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Eventually, your party has left you alone in the common room with nothing but the locals and the tavern's occupants for company.
[14:18] * Baba_Baichu leans back into her seat with a sigh. "Child, you will some day learn that most of what you see is not what really is. The gods and the spirits are unlike us in power and perspective - but we are all creatures of meaning. If your goddess wishes you to see something, she will show you its *meaning*, not some flawed thing in the realm of flesh." - She gestures around at the people inside
[14:18] * Baba_Baichu the tavern.
[14:18] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Elmer and his son apparently paid for an actual room, while Blackcloak left to join the refugees.  Karl and Hans left to 'stretch their legs' and haven't been seen since.
[14:20] <Kristoff> "....Hmn...Thank you for your Council, Baichu, I will retire to my room for the night..."
[14:21] * Baba_Baichu gives Kristoff a single nod. "Pleasant dreams."
[14:21] * Jean had finished eating, not joining in the conversation because they were all speaking a language she didn't understand.
[14:22] * Jean apparently thinks nothing of it, paying for a room and retiring for the night.
[14:24] * Yelena pays for a room for herself and Baba Baichu.
[14:25] * Antonio will also pay for a room. A nice feather bed, if possible!
[14:27] * Baba_Baichu pats Yelena on the cheek as they retreat to sleep. "Such a kind child."
[14:28] <Yelena> "Wouldn't be decent to let my grandmother sleep in the stables" she smirks, saying "grandmother" in reikspiel.
[14:28] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The beds aren't feather, but straw-stuffed.  All the same, they are clean and lice-free, which is always a bonus for a rural town.
[14:29] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The night passes in relative peace, with the rain growing heavier throughout the night and the thunder and lightning returning in force in the morning's early watches.  The timber inn groans and leaks a little, but nothing too badly; it certainly beats being out in the rain, and the heat makes for a good night's sleep.
[14:30] <Commissar_Cornflakes> When the morning dawns, the rain has finally stopped, though the air still has a damp, humid smell.
[14:30] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Outside, a thick fog has rolled in; you can hardly see buildings across the lane.
[14:31] * Kristoff yawns and stretches to wakefulness, offering his morning prayers to shallya including the hymnal of 'forgiveness for past and future acts of violence'
[14:36] * Antonio would already be down in the common room. He looks refreshed. And he's trying to get some kind of way to break his fast. He is grumbling, though.
[14:41] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The common room has a few more occupants this morning - hunters, from the look, trading dressed and cleaned kills to the innkeep or drinking and laughing loudly among themselves.  A young, rangy-looking girl plays the mouth harp in time with the thump of her foot while Elmer junior listens intently.  The inn cat is nowhere in evidence.
[14:42] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Last night's stew is still on offer (of course it is), but has gained some fresh fare (if you like venison, wait until you've tried more venison).  A pan is in the fire, frying some chicken's eggs.
[14:43] * Kristoff gladly takes up the offer of stew, eggs, and bread. "How far from Kislev are we, exactly?"
[14:45] * Baba_Baichu sits in a corner of the common room, hood down. Did she even sleep? Who knows?
[14:46] * Yelena is sitting close by, trying to sew shut holes in her clothes.
[14:46] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Blackcloak, who is busy drinking hot water with bitter, crushed-up herbs in it, looks at Kristoff, "We're two days until Fortenhaf if we make good time, then we're in Kislev proper.  From there it's...about a week to the capital."
[14:47] <Commissar_Cornflakes> He shows his teeth, "Well, there's also the ferry here, which goes to Ryazan.  It's in the Forest of Shadows, though, so unless you were planning on becoming a woodsman and dying with a goblin's arrow in your back, I can't recommend it."
[14:47] <Antonio> "Issa cross river, no?" Antonio would take some of the stew, and some bread, and if possible, some eggs as well.
[14:47] <Kristoff> "The fog will likely slow us down a bit. I'd rather we arrive late than not at all, we'd best err on the side of caution."
[14:48] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Yes," Blackcloak confirms.
[14:50] <Kristoff> "How soon can we get back on the road?"
[14:51] <Kristoff> "Grandmother Baichu, we'll  need your dog to be at his best to sniff out trouble in the fog!"
[14:52] * Baba_Baichu reaches down to pet Mabrouk. "How are you, boy? Didn't catch a cold in the night, I hope."
[14:52] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Once everyone's woken," Blackcloak says, "And had food, if the Count budgeted for that," the mercenary says dryly, "Yesterday was harrowing.  A little slack in the rope won't hurt now.  Perhaps the fog will boil off."
[14:53] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The dog looks at Baichu enigmatically, tail swaying slowly.  The big, shaggy dog seems to have been not put off by the rain or cold at all.
[14:53] <Commissar_Cornflakes> But then, those oily coats count for something.
[14:53] <Yelena> "How far does the count's generosity extend? Are they going all the way to Kislev, the city, or only the border?"
[14:55] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "From what I understand, they're going to be brought all the way to the city," Blackcloak says, "I assume to keep them from getting the notion to cross back over again.  I'm not sure why the Tzarina agreed to this, but it's no secret things are getting tense here with the refugees."
[14:55] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Over east, in the Veldt, some tried to partition off grazeland for farming."
[14:56] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "There was...violence.  Considerable violence, actually."
[14:56] <Antonio> "Issa there a day when there issa no violence in the Empire?"
[14:56] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Blackcloak laughs, "What good would that be for the likes of me?" he asks.
[14:57] <Yelena> "Ah. Still, better the imperials don't get too angry at kislevites, mh. Who knows what could happen."
[14:58] <Kristoff> "Mercenaries find work all over, mostly as 'adventurers'"
[14:58] <Antonio> "Exactly! Blackcloak, you mayya well be a Tilean! Wine, women, anna war!"
[14:58] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Adventuring is for fools," Blackcloak opines, "Doesn't pay well and you've rarely got force enough to back up any deals you make with employers.
[14:59] * Yelena gestures to the others to shut their mouths. "Wait. Do you hear that?" paying closer attention she adds "Sounds like shouting outside."
[14:59] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The craggy-faced man shows his teeth, "I don't think so," he replies to Antonio.
[14:59] * Yelena gets up and walks toward the door.
[14:59] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Now Yelena can definitely hear it, "Hit him again, Mikael, he still has teeth!"
[15:00] <Commissar_Cornflakes> A couple of voices join in laughing, and you hear a thump.
[15:00] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Oi, bad form!" another voice says, "He hasn't no teeth down there!"
[15:00] * Yelena goes out to check but tells her comrades beforehand. "Sounds like someone's getting a beating."
[15:00] <Commissar_Cornflakes> This draws more laughter.
[15:01] * Baba_Baichu hesitates a moment, but decides to follow Yelena out to see what the fuss is about. She clicks her tongue and gestures for Mabrouk to come along.
[15:02] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The dog jumps up and follows.
[15:03] * Kristoff hauls himself out of his chair, straightens his helm and heads out to the source of the commotion.
[15:03] <Antonio> "Issa none offa our business?" He'd sigh, putting on his helmet and following.
[15:04] <Yelena> "I have to check. It better not be some of my countrymen beating up some poor imperial."
[15:05] * Yelena goes toward the stables, since the sounds seem to come from over there.
[15:06] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Walking towards the stables, you find the source of the commotion.  One of the refugees, an older-looking Gospodar, rolls around in the mud.  A massive, hunch-shouldered local looms over him, while four more toughs form a loose ring around the fight; a last pair of men, these two armed with a maul and a cudgel, watch the other refugees who watch, anxious, angry, and fearful.
[15:06] <Kristoff> "HEY!" Snarls Kristoff, stepping forward, shield and sword in hand.
[15:06] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The man on the ground gasps something in Kislevarin, and the big thug kicks him in the belly.
[15:07] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The group look up, startled at first, then wary.  For now, the refugee is forgotten.
[15:07] * Yelena unsheathes her sword and dagger.
[15:07] <Commissar_Cornflakes> One of the armed men starts forward, and the big thug stops him with one meaty forearm.
[15:07] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Wot you want, raubritter?" he asks.
[15:07] <Kristoff> "I am Kristoff Stahlhund of the Crimson Gauntlet."
[15:07] <Commissar_Cornflakes> While his six companions look anxious, he doesn't.
[15:08] <Yelena> "How about you stop that, you bachor?" she spits.
[15:08] <Antonio> "Hey, hey, hey." Antonio would go up to the group. "I amma man offa the peace. No needa to beat up onna this poor old man."
[15:09] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The big man spits, then fixes a menacing glare on Antonio as he approaches, "Wot, you lot come to defend one of your pet rats?  Ought to leave them outside where wild animals belong."
[15:09] <Commissar_Cornflakes> This draws a nervous laugh from the other men, but they don't seem quite so keen on the confrontation now that live steel has gotten involved.
[15:10] <Kristoff> "Big talk from a shaved boar. Only a beast would prey on an unarmed man."
[15:10] <Antonio> "You see... you made a bigga mistake. That man? He issa unner my protection. So hitting him issa like hitting me."
[15:11] <Kristoff> "But for a crowd of them to beat on a single unarmed person? That is an insult to beasts."
[15:11] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "I'll gladly hit you, Tilean," the big man says, then looks to Kristoff, "Unarmed, he says - but that didn't stop his thievin.'"
[15:11] * Baba_Baichu stops a good few behind her companions. She frowns at the confrontation ahead.
[15:11] * Antonio gives the man a swift kick in the jewels, then.
[15:11] <Kristoff> "What did he steal?"
[15:13] * Yelena lets Kristoff handle it, he seems to have experience with idiotic imperial peasants.
[15:13] * Antonio plants his hob nailed boot right in the man's nether region. "Imma sure you woulda."
[15:18] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The man gives an agonized cry and staggers back, looking like he might faint outright.
[15:18] <Commissar_Cornflakes> A cry of anger goes up from the other locals.
[15:19] <Antonio> "You heard himma all? He said he woulda hitta me. I hadda to defend myself."
[15:19] <Kristoff> "Why."
[15:19] <Kristoff> "Antonio. WHY."
[15:20] <Antonio> "And you, knight of the bow wow. I wassa defendin' the weak anna the helpless. Issa that what you do?"
[15:20] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "That's it!" the man with the sledge says angrily, and hefts his weapon to bear.
[15:22] * Baba_Baichu tries to circle around the two arguing mobs to reach the beaten man and drag him to safety.
[15:22] <Kristoff> "Try not to kill the idiot."
[15:22] <Kristoff> "Baichu, get the ma- Yes, good."
[15:23] <Antonio> "Please, bow wow... it's me. Imma only embarass him."
[15:23] <Commissar_Cornflakes> No one stops the old woman, and the other refugees quickly drag him back inside with murmered thanks.  Anatai appears at the woman's shoulder, lays a hand on her shoulder, and whispers something in her ear.
[15:23] <Yelena> "And now his friends wants to crack your skull open with that hammer of his. I'm half tempted to let him."
[15:25] <Antonio> "Why? I wassa defending your country man? Anna now you wish me the harm?"
* Retrieving #tcci-5 modes...
[15:26] * Commissar_Cornflakes changes topic to 'Yelena, Kristoff, Mikael, Four Stooges, Baba Baichu, Peter Gabriel, Stick Man, Antonio'
[15:27] <Kristoff> "The others follow the big one, bring him down and they'll disperse."
[15:31] <Kristoff> "What did the refugee steal?" He tries to ask over the insanity.
[15:32] <Kristoff> "I'm responsible for the actions of the people Ive brought into this town. If you want to take this out of anyone, take it out on me."
[15:32] * Kristoff spreads his arms wide.
[15:32] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "He stole right out of Mikael's mum's larder!" the cudgel-clutching thug says angrily, "Followed his trail, I did!  Even found them on him!  Damn thieving scum!"
[15:33] <Kristoff> "What. Did. He. Steal."
[15:33] <Kristoff> "What was worth you nearly killing the man?"
[15:33] <Kristoff> "A sausage? A chunk of goatflesh?"
[15:34] <Antonio> "Do I needa kick another man inna goolies to answer the bow wow?"
[15:34] * Yelena keeps her sword hanging down while keeping an eye on the crowd.
[15:34] * Kristoff flashes antonio a glare
[15:35] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Mikael finally gains back his breath and draws a ragged gasp, "Stole a whole sack of taters, he did.  It's all this trash does is steal," he looks around, seeing the man has been spirited off, and growls at the refugees, who glare back at him.
[15:36] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Crawling into our homes and taking out of OUR mouths and we're supposed to just sit around and take it?" the man's building his rage again, "I didn't fight no northern hordes to starve on account of Kislev rats!"
[15:36] <Kristoff> "You fought in the Storm then?"
[15:36] <Kristoff> "What Batallion?"
[15:36] <Antonio> "Anna what? You go anna get justice yourself? When thissa man and hissa family are gonna head back home?"
[15:37] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Kristoff's willingness to take a beating on behalf of the injured Gospodar seems to have taken the wind out of the sail of the other toughs, at least.
[15:37] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The cudgel-armed man studies his boots, while the man with the maul looks suddenly abashed.  The other four look sullen now, at worst.  Only Mikael still seems angry enough to do violence.
[15:38] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "don't know what you're askin'," Mikael grunts, "We were free company militia."
[15:39] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Maybe a few broken bones'll teach the lot of 'em a lesson," Mikael growls at Antonio.
[15:39] <Kristoff> "I was a squire for the Silver Gauntlet. We were evacuating refugees out of Ostermark. Getting Shallyan sisters out of beseiged abbeys."
[15:39] <Kristoff> *Crimson Gauntlet
[15:40] <Kristoff> "Go home. I'll pay you back for the potatoes if that'll satisfy you, but nobody needs to be hurt."
[15:41] <Kristoff> "We're all men, mortals facing chaos and worse. IF we turn against each-other, we play into the hands of our enemies. Petty conflicts like this cannot tear us apart. We cannot allow it."
[15:41] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Anatai continues to speak to Baba Baichu in hushed tones.
[15:42] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The men mutter to each other, and even Mikael seems somewhat deflated by this.
[15:42] * Yelena sheathes her sword and dagger.
[15:42] <Kristoff> "Every man here has earned their right to live, staring down the maw of chaos and not flinching. These people are desperate, hungry, they lost their homes and worse to the Beastmen."
[15:42] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "It's OUR HOME," he says sullenly, "We didn't ask for this, they can't just make their problems OURS."
[15:43] <Kristoff> "You are a human, and a good one I would hope. Good men make the suffering of others their business and do all in their power to ease it."
[15:44] * Baba_Baichu thumps her staff into the ground, whirling about-face to enter the stable.
[15:46] <Kristoff> "You are as much a part of this world as He. Your suffering is his, and his, yours. He would not have stolen from you were he not desperate, were no other option available to him."
[15:46] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Now Mikael seems to be getting angry again, "Already did that, fighting and bleeding, lost a brother, I did.  Now I come home and I got outlanders starving me an' mine to feed themselves.  I don't remember seeing HIM onna field."
[15:47] * Yelena sees Baichu disappearing into the stables but sticks close to Kristoff instead. He does seem to have a way with words.
[15:49] * Kristoff pulls off his helmet, revealing his face for the first time for all to see. He's young, barely seventeen summers with an icy, pale face and short cut black hair. His eyes are a frigid shade of blue, as if he had been carved from ice, save for a long, hideous red scar that travels from the corner of his mouth to his ear. The lip near the scar is ragged, exposing some of his teeth.
[15:49] <Kristoff> "We all have suffered in our own ways."
[15:50] <Kristoff> "But we cannot alleviate this suffering by inflicting it on the undeserving."
[15:50] * Yelena pre-emptively glares at Antonio.
[15:51] * Baba_Baichu comes staggering back out, leaning on the staff in one hand with a sack of potatoes slung over her opposite shoulder. She approaches the shouting man, this Mikael, until she's within arm's reach, panting slightly under the weight.
[15:52] <Commissar_Cornflakes> This revelation brings winces and mutters from some of the other men, and even Mikael's expression is pained, "...Awight," he grumbles, "Alright, fine," he hears the sound of Baichu's approach and turns, then winces.
[15:54] <Kristoff> "Thank you."
[15:54] <Antonio> "Those what I thinka those are?"
[15:55] <Kristoff> "I'd not ask you to starve for someone you don't know. Honored Grandmother, give this man half the potatoes in the bag."
[15:55] * Yelena walks toward Baichu, giving the previously angrymen a wide berth.
[15:55] <Kristoff> "Will this satisfy?"
[15:55] * Baba_Baichu glances up at Kristoff and swallows before speaking her broken Reikspiel: "Hyoung man is right. But... kindness is given, not taken." - She lowers the sack as gingerly as she can. She keeps hold of its neck, however. "What was stolen, now being returned. But old baba would ask hyou..." - She straightens her back, the hood sliding back to reveal her wrinkled face. "Hwould you give
[15:55] * Baba_Baichu something to those in need?"
[15:56] <Kristoff> "....Your'e entirely right, Grandmother."
[15:56] <Kristoff> "This man will do what he knows to be right.";
[15:58] <Commissar_Cornflakes> Mikael looks away, shamefaced.  The other toughs watch him, and he sighs, "If you'd just ASKED to begin with, then maybe," he shakes his head, "Keep the damn potatoes.  Just keep that rat away from our larders.  Lads?  Fair's fair, then."
[15:58] <Commissar_Cornflakes> He offers Kristoff a nod and Antonio a wary look, then slumps off.  The other men soon follow.
[15:59] <Antonio> "Bona! We are alla friends again! Yayayayayaya!"
[15:59] * Baba_Baichu bows her head gratefully. "Yes, that hwas his mistake. Pain hwill teach him this lesson. This old woman thanks hyou."
[16:01] <Baba_Baichu> Once the locals have gone, Baichu lets go of the sack, groaning as she stretches out her back. She mutters curses to herself in Ungol.
[16:01] <Antonio> "Imma bit disappointed."
[16:01] * Yelena sighs. "Not sad we'll be gone soon."
[16:01] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Did Artzyn not carry that bag for you?" Anatai asks, sounding outraged.
[16:02] * Baba_Baichu waves her hand at Anatai, even though the gesture goes unseen. "It was important that I did. Who could say no to an old baba in pain?"
[16:03] * Kristoff exhales a sigh and slings his helmet over his shoulder. "Is everybody alright?"
[16:03] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The Ungol pauses, then laughs, "Well, it makes for better theater," he nods in the general direction of the other refugees, "I hope the rest of you were listening."
[16:04] <Antonio> "So... who tooka the potatoes?"
[16:05] <Baba_Baichu> The sack is resting lumpily on the ground next to Baichu. She beckons to Antonio. "Come, my boy, take these back in, yes?"
[16:05] * Antonio leans over to Kristoff. "I thinka she's talking to you, bow wo!"
[16:06] * Kristoff smacks Antonio upside the head
[16:06] <Antonio> "Hey!"
[16:07] <Yelena> "You know, you said we'd meet three southmen." she pauses. "I'm expecting Antonio to reveal he's a eunuch any time soon now."
[16:07] * Baba_Baichu throws up her hands. "Either!" she snaps, still in Reikspiel. "Someone is hungry somewhere, yes?! Ay-ay-ay..." - She shuffles back toward the stables, kneeling down by the beaten man again to tend to his pain.
[16:08] <Commissar_Cornflakes> With the confrontation over, the remaining crowd disperses.  The Gospodar thief is given wide bearth, countryman or not.  He looks down and away from Baichu and remains silent.
[16:08] <Antonio> "Oh, signorina! Imma more man then you canna handle."
[16:10] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "Not bad," Blackcloak says from the porch, "I'd have just given them the thief, but that worked too," the older man nods at Kristoff, dismounting the steps and eying the stable.
[16:10] * Yelena picks up the sack and brings it in the stable, since neither of the men does it. Typical.
[16:10] * Baba_Baichu tugs at her hood, making it slide down to its customary eye-concealing position. "How do you feel?" she asks him.
[16:10] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "All the same, I think we'll want to move on before too long.  One thief among the bunch, and now every missing thing will be blamed on the lot."
[16:10] <Kristoff> "That would be against the will of Shallya, and my vocation already defies her wishes."
[16:11] <Kristoff> "But yes, we should move on as quickly as we can."
[16:11] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The Gospodar laughs bitterly, then winces, "It only hurts if I breathe," he says, then, "I never wanted to come to this place."
[16:12] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "No more money in the budget for food and board, anyway," Blackcloak says, "I've already spoken to Karl and Hans, they just got back from their...walking about."
[16:12] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "I expect they'll be moved to tears by your kindness with the tarp," he says to Yelena.  Was that a joke?
[16:13] <Antonio> "The sooner we leave thissa place, the betta."
[16:13] * Yelena stares at Blackcloak in confusion. Now she's starting to wonder if there's something that's never been said about this particular lot of refugees.
[16:14] * Baba_Baichu huffs. "Neither did baba. Gruff men with shifty ways here. But it had to be done." - She puts her hand on his chest, prodding despite any pain to feel for broken bones or anything that might result in disability down the line.
[16:15] <Commissar_Cornflakes> As far as Baichu can tell, Mikael hadn't gotten down to really doing long-lasting harm yet.  The man's lip is split and he's bruised in the ribs and gut - to say nothing of the groin kick - but he'll heal, albeit painfully.
[16:17] * Baba_Baichu nods to herself. "It seems you will live with just the pain, and eventually just the memory. I hope its lesson will stay with you firmly." - She rises to her feet.
[16:18] <Commissar_Cornflakes> The man grunts, but nods slowly.  Certainly, he looks ashamed.
[16:19] <Kristoff> "I think there's some brewer's yeast, we might be able to make some potato bread from these, should stretch things out."
[16:20] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "A good trick with the potatoes, old woman," Blackcloak says, approaching, "Now if your helper could take down a deer, we could have some stew to tide folks over for the road ahead."  He looks to the injured thief, "Hopefully we won't have any more embarrassing incidents like this."
[16:21] * Baba_Baichu gives Blackcloak a single, slow nod, but feels no need to add anything further.
[16:22] <Antonio> "I could takka down a deer if needed... Horse woman willa clean it..."
[16:22] <Yelena> "You're too loud to hunt, you'll scare the game away."
[16:26] <Commissar_Cornflakes> "You can both shoot a deer, then.  We don't have what we need to make jerky, but fresh vension will be fine for as long as it keeps."
[16:32] * Baba_Baichu is now known as Emo_Duck
[16:43] * Yelena (Toaster@B1260186.6915C585.BBF83A7B.IP) Quit (Quit: Leaving)
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[18:32] * Jean is now known as TXTypewriter
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[20:51] * Kristoff is now known as Spindles
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Session Time: Mon Aug 14 00:00:01 2017
[01:34] * Spindles (chatzilla@sux-1DE96501.lightspeed.stlsmo.sbcglobal.net) Quit (Quit: ChatZilla 0.9.93 [Firefox 54.0.1/20170628075643])
Session Close: Mon Aug 14 11:04:20 2017