Outracing the Flames RPG

[Farael]

Osmod looked back at Meghan. She was falling behind quickly, yet Osmod could not see any problems with her or the horse. He thought then that she looked sad; as if the dark thoughts that crowded on the back of his own mind had found a way into hers. He feared that she, as he had felt the day before, was feeling she did not belong with the rest. Why else would she stop now? There was no reason to feel more scared than the day before; the only thing that had changed was the two old ones. And they seemed to be decent people so far. Remembering how Meghan had encouraged him not so long ago, he decided that it was his duty to help her.

”Sorry Sythric, but if I am to be the leader I will need to start making choices by myself. Meghan is a smart woman; she needs not the condescending presence of ‘the leader’ to make up her mind. If I go to her now, I will only make her feel insecure as if we did not trust her. Let’s move on, do not look back again. Soon we will hear her call out for us, and if not, your job will turn a whole lot easier Master Raewald.” He smiled then, as his mind was made up. Looking around him he saw all the other men. Where was Eostre now? She was probably behind them, but he dared not to peek back for Meghan’s sake. He wanted her to feel that at least he trusted she would make the right choice. The others probably trusted her as well. Maybe even Sythric did. Why was that man so untrusting? Osmod wondered.

” He always seems to be second-guessing us, or is it just me the one he doubts? Does he really want the best for me or does he want a puppet to handle and then blame if things go awry?” His mind raced, but for every answer he tried to find, only more questions seemed to appear “Stop thinking like that right now, you fool. That old warrior’s body may be past his prime but his mind does not seem to have lost one step. You better find something else to talk about.”

”So Fion… " He started, hoping not to startle the boy "from what I understand your family has a farm, right? Do you own some cattle as well? I used to shepherd my dad's cattle quite often, and I have a few stories you might find funny. I know it sounds almost frivolous to talk about it right now, but why should we not talk about innocent things? Our mission sure is important, but let’s enjoy our company and leave the war stories to be told tonight by the fire.”

[Undómë]

Bregoware

Meghan


‘Better to make the right decision now, before the river is crossed, before you become nothing more than a liability.’ She voiced the words aloud, letting them hang in the air before her. Ash turned her head to the side, fixing an eye on Meghan. The mare’s ears swiveled backward, as if awaiting further instruction.

Of a sudden, an old voice echoed in the back of the woman’s thoughts. A plaintive and rather peevish voice. And with it she could just see a wrinkled old finger being shook right in her face. It was her mother’s mother . . . Gammer Bernia. And didn’t her name fit her! “Battle Maiden”!

The wizened old granny was the one who’d named her Meghan. And she never let the young girl forget the meaning of it. ‘We’re strong’uns, us daughters of old Freya. And so I named you . . . “Strong and Capable”. In you runs the blood of Freya, herself, and wasn’t she such a queen of power and glory that even the old gods bowed down before her when her step trembled on the earth!’

Meghan could see her bent over, her back bowed from her many years. And in her mind’s eye the old woman leaned on her twisted yew-wood cane and clucked her tongue at the cowardly thoughts of her granddaughter. ‘Put a little starch in that backbone, missy. You’ll be needed somewhere down the line. Be patient and be ready.’

The old woman snorted and seemed to cock her head toward the knot of men who rode at the head of the group. ‘Showy birds, ain’t they? Useful themselves, at times.’ She turned her head back to Meghan, fixing her with her clouded blue eyes. ‘Just you remember . . . just cuz they got some extra equipment on ‘em don’t make ‘em one whit better or smarter than you.’

Meghan could hear the old lady cackling uproariously at her own wit. And she could not help but laugh herself, though a crimson stain spread up her neck and cross her cheeks at her Gammer’s bawdy comment.

The voice faded in her thoughts, still laughing. And there were faint words that trailed behind.

‘Well . . . g’wan! Get goin’, girl!’

And as if she had heard them herself and taken them as a command, Ash leapt forward, carrying Meghan back to the odd assemblage of fated riders.

[Valier]

Wulfham


Vaenosa sat quietly and listened as Brand offered peace between them. She was a little taken back and was unsure as how to reply. A man had never apologized to her before, they always raged at her then never spoke to her again. She did not want to seem to eager to make friends with this man. His actions and words were strange to her. Dorran's actions seemed almost child like, she felt more compelled to laugh at him then argue with him. Brand on the other side had shown some authority over the group and Vaenosa felt slightly pressed to do as she was told, which went against everything she believed in.

She was unsure if he was being honest or just trying to get her to let her guard down. She bit her tongue and decided against a snide remark. She nodded at the man replying weakly." Sure, that would be fine. No hard feelings then....She paused slightly, uncomfortable, before saying." I am hungry though and that Boar sure smells good. I think Nay's done here so I am heading back." She managed a pretty enough smile before she turned her back to Brand and started back to the camp. Her stomach was growling, she could hardly wait to taste the pig.

[Maeggaladiel]

”So Fion…--" The lad straightened in the saddle, hearing Osmod's voice. "--from what I understand your family has a farm, right? Do you own some cattle as well? I used to shepherd my dad's cattle quite often, and I have a few stories you might find funny. I know it sounds almost frivolous to talk about it right now, but why should we not talk about innocent things? Our mission sure is important, but let’s enjoy our company and leave the war stories to be told tonight by the fire.”

Fionn gave a curt nod.

"We've a farm, but we've only got one cow," he said. "We got her as a trade, you see. Our farm is really more for vegetables, chickens, and geese than for sheep and cattle, but sometimes my father trades for livestock."

At that, his mouth bent into an almost embarrased smirk.

"It really doesn't sound like much, but we do quite well with what we have," he said. "Guess I'm something of the odd man out, hm? Among the herders of the mighty beasts, I am the one who prods geese with a pole and hacks away at weeds all day."

He was suddenly aware that he had been rambling. Embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck with a hand and looked down at the saddle-horn.

"But anyway, to answer your question, I do know something of cattle. And I'm sure whatever stories you had to tell would be much more interesting than The Chronicles of Fionn and his Amazing Poultry."

[Naria]

Wulfham



Incana didn't know what to make of the way Dorran had acted while he was holding her hand and then ran off. She thought to herself he is kind and gentle, but why would he be so shy with me?. She would think some more about Dorran as she searched for the vegetables he had directed her too.

Incana had found the turnips and much to her surprise, some potatoes. She had put them along side the boar to cook and before long they were done. She would have let everyone know that supper was ready, but there was only Dorran and herself at the camp. Incana took out two bowls and a set of two pronged forks and gave the lone couple some boar and potatoes.

She scooped a cupfull of tea out of the pot and sat down to enjoy her long awaited supper. Incana had finished eating and cleaned out her bowl with some grass, doing a better job would have to wait. Night had fallen and the woman was getting tired, she took her boots off and slipped into her bedroll giving Dorran a warm smile goodnight.

[Arry]

Wulfham

Day 3


The next day’s ride was a relatively peaceful one. They’d started early, before first light and taken turns taking the lead as they rode. It was their third day out, and they pushed themselves a little harder than they might have, had they not needed to take a rest day.

Their midday meal was taken in the saddle, and washed down with a few swallows of water. They’d packed what boar meat they could in moss from near the river bank, wet with the cold river water. It would be enough for the evening supper, along with some of the root vegetables they’d found in their last camp.

By the time they found a suitable place to camp, the four riders were bone tired and their horses were glad to be unsaddled and let rest. They were just beyond the slow, wide section of the river where the ford was. To their left, as they had passed, they saw the barge-ferry on the far shore of the river. It was said, Brand told the others, that in olden days the King himself had once crossed there and gone to see the lands of those villages who gave him their fealty though they lay outside his realm.

---------------

Day 4

On the fourth day, Brand rode ahead of the others. They had covered a long distance the day before, and this morning he led them out at a more leisurely pace. He was the first to reach the top of a small rise and look southwest to where the air seemed thick with smoke.

It was windy, and the smoke and ash swirled and eddied in the gusting breezes. Brand motioned for the others to ride up along side him. ‘A village has been burnt,’ he called out to them as they drew near. Below them they could see the wreckage of the houses and halls. From this distance they could see that the fire had destroyed most of the cottages and the larger lord’s hall. Amidst the ruins were many, many bodies.

The four riders stayed on their little hill for quite a while, their eyes sweeping the scene of ruin below. They saw no Orcs about nor did they spy any armed men. They let their mounts pick their way down to the now smoldering village. The scene that opened to their sight as they drew nearer sickened them.

‘We should see if there are any we can help,’ Brand said. ‘And take close note of what we see so that we might report it to the king.’

He urged Lady down one of the ashy ways; among the dead he could see the corpses of a few foul Orcs. And once he thought he spied the body of a dead Easterling warrior, though it was horridly burned, and the upper half of the man’s torso had been crushed beneath a falling beam.

‘Let’s stick close together,’ he urged the group. ‘We cannot be sure that all the enemy are dead.’

[Valier]

Wulfham

Vaenosa was horrified at the sight she saw. She could only think to herself that if they did not get help soon their own village could look like this upon their return. Nay was spooking a bit from the retched smell that arose from the town. Vaenosa almost gagged at the smell herself. "Oh" she said to the others. "So this what burnt orc smells like." As she covered her nose with her sleeve. " I think we should have our weapons ready. The Orcs may still be lurking somewhere...pillaging and feasting..."

Vaenosa was afraid, she had never seen an Orc, and the thought of meeting some alive here in this village was terrifying to her. She put on a brave face to hide her inner feelings and started surveying the area. "We could look for any survivors as well as some supplies that might not have been damaged by the fires." She said looking at the other three riders. "Maybe we should split up. Then we could cover more ground quickly, leaving this place sooner if we recover nothing. Or perhaps we should check out the whole village together, then split up to look for supplies and survivors." She looked imploringly at the other three, waiting as patientally as Nay would allow, before he bolted out of the village, for the others to reply.

[Nogrod]

Bregoware

As Osmod and Fionn seemed to be getting to their discussions, the old timers’ saw the natural chance of coming together. The question of Meghan still loomed over their talking. Raedwald was not so keen to open up on that one, and Sythric was alert enough, not to pressure over it. So they remembered their common ventures, those days of glory, now so definitively behind. Maybe this was indeed the last ride? It would be good to share this one, then. They remembered common friends and foes. They remembered those who had fallen.

At the time, Sythric took a glance backwards, and saw Eostre riding steadily behind them, but also Meghan far, far behind, but riding towards them.

“Your Meghan is coming after us, after a piece of thought. Maybe we all should have had that piece of thinking before we really tied ourselves with this?” Sythric adressed Raedwald. “Maybe she’s the only one who really knows, what she is doing?”

But just as he glanced forwards, to where they were riding to, he was terrified. There were houses, barns and all. They were approaching Arnanaes. But there were no movement whatsoever. That was frightening.