Outracing the Flames RPG

[Arry]

Wulfham

Brand’s footsteps brought him soon to the banks of the river. The shadows of the trees were long as they threw themselves across the wide waters. And with the sun low on the horizon behind him, his shadow, too, strained eastward, rippling on the currents. He knelt down and dipped his cupped hands into the frigid stream, letting the water at first seep through his fingers.

The little drops fell like a waterfall, like tears, even, as they returned to the water. What few were left, he brought up to his face and let their coolness refresh him as they could. He took the bandage from his wound and let the cold air of evening wash over it. A certain layer of fatigue seemed to slip away as he made his ablutions with the air and water.

Incana’s words were not so easily purged. He stood up, jamming the bandage in the pocket of his breeches. His feet turned south, taking him along the rocky uneven river bank.

How was he to think of her now? Vaenosa. And the awful things she had endured as a child. He was sickened and made sad by them. But it would not due to give her his pity. He, himself, would not want to be pitied; it would make him feel small, and somehow shamed. He could not imagine it would be different for her.

Sympathy? She would see right through that. He had nothing in his ordinary little life that would give him any basis for understanding the hell she must have borne through the years. And how would such a false offering ease her pain at all?

He clasped his hands behind his back. His pace slowed as he picked his way along the river’s edge now by moonlight. ‘Think, think, man!’ he grumbled to himself.

There was the possibility of friendship. But that would . . . or he should say . . . might . . . come over time. They had gotten off to a rocky start. And to be honest he had never been around someone as . . . well, prickly, as her. Yes . . .prickly, short-tempered, sharp-tongued.

Now, in a way, he supposed those could be excused, knowing her history. Or perhaps the better word would be, ‘understood’. He kicked a small stone out from under his foot, listening to it as it skittered across the rocky ground and plop into the river. Somehow that didn’t seem right to him. It took away her accountability, and in a way made her a lesser person, at least in his way of thinking.

He’d come to a wide part of the river, where it curved a little and eddied in a large pool near the bank he stood on. The water here was relatively smooth, and the moon, which had risen higher in the sky, was reflected in it, with almost no distortion. His eyes flicked from the reflection to the moon itself and back again.

Brand put his hands on his hips and laughed. He’d been looking in the wrong places. ‘You can’t do anything about what happened to her, you fool. Only about yourself. You’re a hasty one to judge, you know that. As set in your own ways as she is . . .

The walk back seemed shorter and less burdensome. Brand saw the small fire of the campsite and headed toward it. His stomach growled, letting him know it expected to be filled now that he was done with his wandering.

[Valier]

Wulfham


Vaenosa opened her eyes and yawned. The day was beginning to darken. She had not planned to sleep so long, she was slightly embarrassed. The others were sure to think her lazy. "After I had said that I would cook the Boar, I should have done just that and not gone to sleep!" She got up quickly and rolled up her Bedroll. Looking around camp she could not see Incana or Brand, but Dorran was busying himself by the fire. She was still a little unsure of how to treat the men they were travelling with. She was getting used to their presense and she could not help but think they were not so bad. She had come across much worse. Her nap had left her refreshed and content for the moment.

Vaenosa whistled for Nay, she had never seen him get along with other horses so well. He was usually pestering them mercilessly, until they pushed him away. Then he would find her and pester her till she played with him. It suddenly dawned on her that if Nay could get along so well with these strangers, she could as well.Nay come up from behind her and gave her hair a good snort."Hello My Boy! Come on, lets go for a walk. I bet we can find you a good stick to chew on. You dog of a horse! Come on!"She scratched him vigorously behind the ear like you would a dog and lead him towards dorran. As she approached her mouth began to water at the smell of the pig.Dorran looked up as she neared.

" I see someone has started that pig. I am sorry I slept late, I would have done it....It does smell good though!" She smiled at Dorran. "Uuummm I was just going to take Nay for a bit of a walk. He is really fond of big sticks...I know it's strange!" She replied to Dorran's questioning look. "I will be back as soon as I find him a good sized stick to keep him busy for awhile." She smiled again kind of shyly at her own boldness for talking to Dorran and walked away before Dorran could respond.

Vaenosa still found it odd to speak with the men. She never spoke to men when she lived alone with her mother. They either scared her or she thought them crude and unkempt. She thought she had been nice to Dorran and refrained from teasing about the cooking.But she was unsure if the same tactics could be used with Brand. He did not seem to care for her much. She could not blame him, she was retched in attitude and more than likely in appearance. She liked the woman Incana though. She seemed familiar to her, but she could not put her finger on from when or where she recognized her.

She lead Nay slowly into a glen that was to the right of the camp. Vaenosa spotted a large fallen branch not far off, lying on the ground. She dropped Nay's reins and broke out into a run towards it. Nay followed gaily behind her. She reached the stick seconds before Nay. She picked it up and raised it over her head, waving it around." Oh you want this stick do you? No way It's mine!" She hid it behind her back as Nay protested with whinneys and snorts. He pawed the ground and tried to push Vaenosa over. She dropped the stick and Nay swooped in and snatched it in his mouth. She sat down on the drying grass and watched as nay rolled on the ground, legs in the air, stick still in his mouth. She burst out laughing. She picked up handfuls of dried leaves and tossed them onto a pile. Nay stopped his rolling and came to investigate her pile. He bend down to sniff it, but before he could Vaenosa tossed the leaves in his face with a laugh. He jumped back and ran around in circles. Vaenosa could not contain her laughter as the Colt sped now around a tree. She lay back in the grass holding her stomach. Nay could never resist trying to squish her if she lay on the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut and pretended to be asleep. She waited trying not to giggle, for the big lug to get her.

[Nogrod]

Bregoware

“Well, Raedwald my friend, do join us! We were just...”. As he turned to meet his old companions face, he had to turn his head back. And what he saw, was quite surprising to him – and the situation, or at least part of it, seemed pretty awkward. He was not sure, whether he should laugh or cry. He also noted, that both Osmod and Fionn had turned to look backwards. Readwald was watching straight ahead, to the other three riders. Sythric pulled Thydrë’s reins just lightly and addressed the others.

“Let’s not look like we are staring at them my friends. Just loose the pace a little.” He looked quizzically at Raedwald, and continued: “I’ve never been a woman, and so I don’t know how does it feel to be one. But I surely think, this is not looking good from the point of view of Eostre or Meghan. Indeed it’s not looking good from my own point of view either. It’s quite ironic, that me and Osmod were just talking about how to pull this party together – before it started to do so. Unhappily, it seems to mean only us men, for the time being. And this surely looks bad.” He had looked at all the others during his speech, and returned now his gaze on Raedwald. “Whatever has happened to Meghan, you only know – if even you.” He smiled helplessly after that last remark. “I’d be the first one to give her room for herself, but we just can’t leave her too far behind, neither can we just wait for too long.”

Suddenly he addressed Osmod personally: “Well Osmod, to me, it looks like it’s your time to enter. You surely remember, what we were talking about?”

[Arry]

Wulfham


He was nearly to the camp when laughter echoed from somewhere to his left and then faded. Brand did not recognize it, and curious he changed his course to find the source.

It was dark beneath the trees despite the fact that it was autumn and their limbs for the most part were bare. Still, their thick limbs and thinner branches wove in and out amongst each other, allowing only a spattering of moonlight here and there. At the inner edges of the trees, was a small glade, its grasses brown now as the promise of winter was coming nearer.

The moon shone bright in the glade. And there was Vaenosa’s horse, heading toward someone lying on the ground. From his vantage point, he could see it was Vaenosa. Not wishing to startle her, he stepped from beneath the branchy shadows and called softly to her.

‘Vaenosa, may I speak with you a moment?’ He did not wait for her reply, fearing her good mood might turn sour at the sight of him. Brand sat down on a fallen tree, a little ways away so as not to loom over her or appear threatening, and began to speak.

He took a deep breath and blew it out loudly, as his tongue tried to put words to his jumbled thoughts. He made a few false starts which trailed off into silences . . . ‘Geez! You know I’m really not all that good at talking to females,’ he confessed. ‘If only you were one of my ewes, this whole thing would go a lot smoother.’

You idiot! he chided himself silently. Now you’ve gone and wished her a sheep!

‘Right . . . then!’ he began once again. ‘Let me just try to speak plainly.’ He cleared his throat nervously. ‘We’ve gotten off on the wrong foot somehow. And I’ll be the first to claim my share of the blame for it. I haven’t been at my best when I’ve tried to talk to you, have I. It makes me very uncomfortable, this tension I feel when we try to have some sort of interaction. And I really hate the unpleasant feeling that I need always be on my guard.’ He reached up to rub the back of his neck then thought better of it and placed his hands one on each knee. ‘I’d like us to start over if we could.’

He cleared his throat again, this time gaining a little confidence. ‘Now I’ve done a little thinking on this, for my part. I’ll try to curb my plain-spoke tongue and try to respond to you in a less . . . well, hostile manner. I won’t crowd you too close . . . and please, make it known when this dumb shepherd tries to herd you in a way you just don’t like.’

Brand bit back the words of sympathy which had nearly spilled from his lips. He thought that perhaps Incana had spoken in confidence about her friend, and he didn’t want any bad blood between the two women.

She’ll tell me herself, or not, he cautioned himself, if she chooses and in her own time. And some secrets he knew were simply best left unspoken. There were some he held near, himself that would never see the light of day . . .

‘Anyways, that’s just what I’ve been thinking . . . ‘bout you and me, at least. Hope I haven’t talked your ear off and even more I hope you’ve made some kind of sense out of my bumbling thoughts and tangled words.’

[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.