Zion: Light of the New Moon, Ch 3.2 Myre
Zion - Light of the New Moon Chapter 3.2
Myre Graceless
The group is going to combat the Wild Landers conservatively. They will try to avoid killing anyone, instead preferring to incapacitate, wound, and harry if at all possible. The party gets -2 attack, -1 defense.
I'm not exactly sure how long I was unconscious but I was hurting all over; I'm pretty sure I would have ended up sleeping for days if I had the chance, but the sound of combat woke me. Several hours had passed at least because it was late afternoon when the attack came and I awoke to Sergeant Reilly shouting out commands.
I've been in fights a few times as a guard, Miri, but it was nothing like what the wagons faced. I'd dealt with drunks, and even a gang of thugs, but the Wild Landers that set upon the caravan guard were crazed... insane... barbaric. While I don't think anybody realized it at the time, I was able to tell right away what caused their insanity: they all had signs of Grace withdrawal. Gripping the satchel of narcotic in my pocket I peeked over the tailgate of the wagon and surveyed the battleground.
"Don't kill them if you don't have to!" Anor-Roc shouted, "They're acting like they're being compelled!"
"Either way, they're attacking." Sergeant Reilly declared, "Protect yourselves, and fight them off." He raised his sword and shouted out in a commanding tone, "Wild Landers, we are a holy envoy of Myre! If you attack us you court the wrath of the Moon Mother! Turn away, or risk her vengeance!" He didn't realize how little they would have cared and, frankly, I would have been surprised if any of them were able to even understand him at that point. I hope you never have to experience the final acts of desperate Grace-users, Miri... it's frightening in ways you couldn't imagine.
A roar to the side caught my attention and I watched a silvery light flow all over Josh, the young lion acolyte. What fist sounded like a combination of a young lion trying to sound fearsome and a little house cat having its nails pulled, Josh changed... and, as he did, so did that roar. Miri... his voice sounded fearsome... but what he turned into... Goddess... it was even a bigger change than the roar.
The cub grew to the size of an adult in seconds, his body filling up and out as his youthful frame broadened with corded muscle. The hide across his back rippled and I watched, awestruck as a large, feathery wing emerged from right shoulder, dazzling white in the afternoon light; a large, skeletal-looking black-as-night wing with thinly stretched hide spread across its length erupted like a burst boil from his left shoulder-blade.
His muzzle, spread to its fullest extent with his roar, stretched impossibly wide, the jaws distending as an entirely new head emerged part way before stopping, wearing Josh's previous face like a knight would wear a helm. The new head was as pure-white as the snow. Despite knowing that the change that took place was the will of the Moon Goddess it was still a frightening thing to see. The cub's eyes on his normal head blinked once then rolled back, disappearing from their sockets. Those eyelids closed at the same time as those of the new head opened; I felt a moment of nausia as eyeballs rolled forward to fill the sockets, "Blessed be, Goddess, for granting me this strength." the white muzzle spoke, but the voice was far different than what I expected from Josh... it was deep... purposeful... dire.
"The Moon Mother is with us!" Lady Marion called to the caravan, then looked to the Wild Landers, "Tremble, savages... for the instrument of your blessed salvation has come!" and she motioned to Josh who, as if on cue, released a ground-shaking roar. Unlike Sergeant Reilly's earlier attempt at intimidating the heathens of the Wild Land, the Priestess' show of force was much more effective, and several broke from combat and fled. When it became apparent that the majority of the attackers were not about to relent, she turned to Josh. The enormous, changed lion who, despite his fearsome appearance, exuded the air of an attentive pupil as he watched her. She nodded, and he acted without hesitation.
His large paws came together before him, forming a circle with his fingers and thumbs. He began to intone powerfully, closing his white eyelids as those from his golden-furred head opened... but, instead of eyes beneath only deep pools of silvery blue were visible. The spell complete, Josh spread his paws apart in a quick, violent motion. His top set of eyelids shut immediately and the ground shook from the force of a powerful explosion; in the middle of the charging Wild Landers an enormous concussion sent huge chunks of rock in every direction. Although the majority of the attackers pressed onward, a half-dozen of them collapsed, knocked out and battered by the shattered stones.
Once the dust settled and Josh grew quiet I swore I could hear the continued sound of chanting. Anor-Roc apparently heard it too because he was quick to shout, "CASTER!" and he dove for cover as the front line of our caravan defense was set upon by icy cold. The ball of frigid magic struck amidst our defenders and an enormous spray of snow exploded outward.
I saw Sergeant Reilly cover his face with an arm as he got caught in the arctic blast. He weathered through it and kept up the defense. Lady Marion presented her Divine Shield but its limited surface area did nothing to protect her... though fortunately her faith did... while icicles hung from her hair and an unhealthy paleness parched her skin, she was still ready to intercept the Wild Landers. Josh, whose huge form was completely consumed in the blast of ice, stepped out of it, casually shaking the icicles from his coat. Though he shivered against the effects he didn't appear slowed in the least.
The first of the Wild Landers hit the front of our defensive line, and the caravan guards stood fast. A large number of the barbarians flanked our guards, and the first of several clashed with our second wave of forces... Anor-Roc was the first to be set upon. The Wild Lander, a gray-furred rabbit raised a spike club high, shouting out indecipherable words as he frothed at the muzzle. "Ursis." the coy-wolf said in a loud, but unconcerned tone. In a split second, a flash of light erupted between the prone magus and his enraged attacker and, suddenly, the two were separated by a very large, very intent, feral bear.
"Don't kill him." Anor-Roc asked of the bear, who apparently had no trouble understanding the request. With a beastly roar, the bear rose up onto his back legs and swiped with a powerful attack. Though the rabbit was able to raise his club in time to deflect the paw, the force of the blow sent him sailing into a tree. The Wild Lander collided with it face-first and fell over, the impact rendering him unconscious. The bear growled something at the coy-wolf; though it just sounded like any other feral call to me, Anor-Roc nodded as if understanding it, and grabbed hold of the bear's leg, using it to pull himself back into a standing position.
The peal of metal on metal far too close to my wagon called my attention away from the coy-wolf and I saw Bahrla barely 20 feet from me doing battle with a very intimidating-looking wolverine. The minotaur woman was backpedaling, talking to him even as he struck, "What have you done, you fool?" she demanded. The wolverine continued to launch blow after blow at her even as she continued to defend, "I always knew your clan would fall to your stupidity if your father gave you his title." she paused as she said it, and the wolverine launched a strike forward, cleaving at her with a hatchet in each paw.
Bahrla blocked the first hatchet with the heft of her double-handed axe and quickly threw her arm in the way of the second attack aimed at her neck. She took the blow on the forearm, the axe biting into her flesh. The minotaur woman scowled and I could have sworn I felt the entire world pull back, cowering at her expression, "Your clan is better off without you."
She pushed down hard with her double-handed axe, forcing the wolverine's remaining weapon to the ground before she let go of hers. Grabbing the hatchet in her arm with her now available hand, Bahrla pulled it free, and, before her opponent could react, she struck it down on the wolverine's head. The sickening sound of his skull being cleaved open was bad enough, but I was also unwitting audience to the weapon's blade disappearing completely into his brain. With only a foot of wooden hilt showing out of his forehead, the wolverine fell flat onto his back, unmoving except for a few twitches from his legs and a spasm in one paw.
"So much for keeping them alive." I mumbled to myself, but I only had so much time for musings as more clashes pulled my attention back to the fighting.
I felt my own weary arms instinctively move to where my sword belt would have rested had I been equipped and watched as Sergeant Reilly moved to fill a gap in our defending guards, "Forward!" he ordered the men around him, starting down the slight grade toward the attacking Wild Landers. His forces pushed the barbarians back, but not without receiving some wounds for their trouble; Keeland himself fought back three, taking a blow from a club on the shoulder and a spear to the ribs, but neither attack seemed severe enough to slow him, or his men.
Closer to us than the front of battle, several more Wild Landers closed in on our second line. Bahrla had quickly stepped forward to rejoin the defenders and she met two of the attackers head-on. The first came at her with a curved blade, but she batted it easily out of the way and head butted him, flooring him with one strike. The second, wielding a spear, changed his hold on the pole arm and slashed a long gash in her thigh with the bladed tip. The attack caught her off-guard and, for a moment, she slipped on the grass.
Josh moved by her side in an instant as a third came to take advantage of the opening. The lion intercepted him. The moon-blessed cub unsheathed his claws and swiped at the barbarian, but the Wild-Lander, a mongoose, was skillful enough to quickly evade before sliding in under Josh's arms and deliver a powerful sword blow to his ribs. It was a skilled strike, and Josh stumbled back, covering the wound with a paw as blood poured out from between his fingers. "And now I'm angry..." the white head growled.
Closer than that, I saw a porcupine approaching Lady Marion; he had a long club pierced with several of his quills, menacing it clearly. Lady Marion backed away, raising a wooden staff in defense. His attack was quick and harsh and I watched as the priestess raised her stick to protect herself, but it had little effect. The wood splintered against the oncoming club but, thankfully, the staff did deflect the blow enough that the spines in the club struck Lady Marion's shoulder instead of her head. She cried out as she was forced to her knees, but I wasn't able to give it any more of my attention.
Even closer, I saw Valda swinging a tree branch as a fox drew close to the wagon where Agnes was (Miri, I remembered her name without having to look back for it!). The fox held a longsword, and had no trouble fending the clumsy attacks away with it. His tongue hung out of his muzzle, drooling as he exchanged blow after blow with the squirrel, her attacks too clumsy and her dodging to skilled for either to get the upper hand.
Much closer to me I heard the sound of a growl. Looking barely a dozen feet away I saw a lynx approaching me, a skinning knife in either paw. His eyes were focused entirely on me and I could see the Grace-induced insanity... the Wild Landers had obviously been without the drug for too long to survive. They were walking dead already, and the aggression they were displaying was as much a failure of thought as it was helpless redirection of the agony they were feeling. I would have felt sorry for them if not for the fact that I had one about to kill me.
"Back!" Anor-Roc barked suddenly, moving to stand between me and the lynx, "Get back!" and he brandished a rubber mallet.
"You're not..." I said, my voice failing me in my weariness. My casual comment about a joiner's hammer being useless in a knife fight didn't manage to get spoken, but I think the coy-wolf got the idea as the lynx came forward and, with surreal grace (even more amazing considering his withdrawals), easily bypassed Anor-Roc's defenses and buried both blades to their hilt into his unarmored chest. I gasped once as Anor-Roc, my only guardian went rigid from the strike... and then gasped again when the lynx drew his blades away, torn and crumpled as if he had tried attacking a metal wall. A shimmer of light surrounded Anor-Roc and, for a moment, I could have sworn I saw the faint outline of full plate armor encasing the coy-wolf... but my attention was attracted to the mallet in its wide arc as it swept downward and sideways right into the lynx's head, dropping him where he stood.
"Stay under cover." Anor-Roc said back at me, and called out, "Ursis, over here!" and he returned to the fray as the enormous bear rejoined him.
The battle was going well, I realized, when Sergeant Reilly and his men reached the back of the Wild Lander forces; most of them broke off the attack and ran at that point. As Bahrla and Josh pushed the line, more of the barbarians fled as well. As more and more of the attackers broke rank, my hope increased, "We're going to survive this." I said quietly aside to the still unconscious Liam. The fox was on his back, unmoving, but alive.
"Moon Goddess, Mother of all Faithful, easer of pain and healer of wounds, grace us with your favor." Lady Marion spoke quietly, "We have given our blood in your name... please show us that we have given enough." and, before my very eyes, I watched as the injuries of the guards closest to the wagons seemed to disappear, cuts and bruises falling off like a snake would shed its skin. Further down the hill, Keeland, and Bahrla also showed the signs of renewed vigor. It was obvious that Tah'aveen heard the prayer. I even heard Liam shift behind me at it, and had to admit that my own aches seemed somehow lessened.
The main body of our force was rapidly approaching the Wild Lander caster that had struck our defenses with the arctic blast. I watched as the owl tried to cast again, but his talons were shaking so severely from the withdrawals that he had no success. Two of the Wild Landers charged our men from the side but, Anor-Roc, now closer to the front lines was able to handle that. With a simple gesture of his paw, the coy-wolf had his bear throughly maul them... enough to get them to stop, but not enough to kill. Another Wild Lander charged the party but Josh casually held out a paw, encasing the attacker's legs in a block of ice, pinning him in place.
"And now it's just us." Sergeant Reilly said, gazing at the caster as he, Bahrla, and Josh approached. The shaman shouted out something incoherent, still babbling, and rushed the shepherd. The clumsy attack was casually knocked aside by the skilled guard and he responded with a powerful head butt, sending his stone helm right into the owl's forehead. It took him a moment to regain his bearings, but the owl raised his cudgel to attack again and Bahrla casually knocked it away with the flat of her axe. The shaman let out a high-pitched, feral-sounding cry, and launched at Sergeant Reilly with his bare talons... at which point Josh casually reached out with a balled fist and gifted the bird with unconsciousness.
The resounding crack of a wooden branch against a fox's head suddenly reminded me that the battle hadn't QUITE been over. Glancing over to Valda, the squirrel was busy tying the fox up with twine. With the rest of the Wild Landers in full retreat, I realized that we'd won the battle. Though there were many wounded, we had only lost five guards. I suppose we were able to call it a win, especially since only nine people in total had died; except for three, all of the defeated Wild Landers had either run, or were unconscious.
Of course, while nobody else realized it, the fact that the Wild Landers hadn't died in combat wasn't anything to be pleased with. I certainly didn't get all that excited; despite everyone's wish to keep the Wild Landers alive, they only delayed the inevitable... they were all Grace addicts who had gone far too long without their fix... even if they didn't all end up dead within an hour, any that survived for longer than that would have irrevocable brain damage. Some might have been able to have been saved with a dose or two of Grace... but there wasn't any extra. I still feel guilty, Miri... I sat there rubbing the small bump in my pocket. So little left... I didn't say a thing.
* * * * * *
The Myrenese survived an encounter with some crazed Wild Landers.
Although Leijh and Liam were both out of commission for the entirety of the combat, the over-all result turned out well enough because everyone in the party survived. Although several wounds were received, the group is still in relatively good order.
Contributing Readers, if your character has 11 or more points in Magic + Focus, Religion + Full Moon, and/or Religion + Crescent Moon you may speak now to provide magical/spiritual healing to those in need. It will cost an undisclosed amount of fatigue and/or willpower depending on how well the dice rolls go and the amount of injuries are attempted to be removed. Before you do, however, consider the vote below:
1) The party's healing needs to be conserved for the party. Any aid should be given to the party-- the Wild Landers are going to die and nothing can be done about that.
2) Keep the magical and divine healing for the party and see what can be done with herbs and bandages for the Wild Landers... it's unfortunate, but they chose their path.
3) Consider triage: help whatever Wild Landers look like they might stand a chance of surviving (despite Grace withdrawal) but keep the majority of the healing for the party.
4) Heal the Wild Landers at all cost... they are innocent of any REAL wrong-doing and should be saved if at all possible. The group can survive a few days without any medical attention but the Wild Landers need aid fast!
Make certain that you have your healing designation assigned and your votes made by Thursday, July 21st. Congratulations, travelers: you've survived another day!