Turn 6.0
Sent: 12/1/98
Seeing that the situation could quickly get out of hand, Edryd is quick to react, jumping upon a nearby barrel and shouting to the troops:
>"Please, good soldiers! Listen close! Upon the name
>of Anhur and in his stead I call upon you to abandon
>the chaos of this moment and answer the call of the
>discipline of your station!"
Guilliam then steps forward, on the ground in front of Edryd and begins to call out a poem in an attempt to influence the troop's reactions:
>"The Marshall was murdered aft the midnight toll
>but none knew that evil was done till cock's crow
>
>Shocked and suspecting soldiers finger points thrust
>But none accused more than the man who's knife stuck!
>
>>From the chest of the Marshall stuck a blade from a letch
>And now he wreaked havoc by blaming the rest
>
>So look to the man who confuses the cause
>For he'll ran the fastest when judgement does fall
>Yes he'll run the fastest when judgement does fall!"
Meanwhile, Crayne instructs Hound to go quietly to the gatehouse to investigate if anyone had come in during the night. Hound listens intently, eyes wide, and then walks off in the direction of the gate. Crayne follows him with his eyes until he becomes lost in the crowd and the overcast morningg.
As Edryd and Guilliam attempt to control the crowd, Cy looks over the group. There are perhaps fifty men and six or eight officers. The men are hard to judge, some look terribly suspicious while others begin to smile at Guilliam's poem. The officers look concerned, but not accusatory, listening to Edryd and Guilliam. Cy also looks to the body, which is laid out on a table. Though the view from his location isn't good, Cy can make out the bloody slit across the Captain's neck and the bloodly wound through his nightshirt in the chest area.
Storm keeps himself hidden behind Canter, who stands by Crayne. Seeing that Edryd and Guilliam seem to be taking care of things, he places his left hand on his sword, still in its sheath, and tries to look as innocent as possible.
As Guilliam finishes his chant, one of the officers breaks off from his comrades and approaches the party. He offers his hand as a friendly gesture to Edryd, helping him down from the barrel and hoisting himself up to address the soldiers.
"Men, we all know that something terrible has happened here. As Captain Frond's second in command, I am taking over this fort until this situation can be resolved. You men should carry on about your business, but there will be no patrols leaving this fort until the culprit has been found--and he will be." Nodding and murmuring to themselves, then soldiers slowly disperse, heading off to the shops, the stable, and their other duties.
The officer then gets down and turns to the party. "The men are scared above all, gentlemen. And this could not have come at a worst time. Not only are the raids getting worse by the day, but today is the anniversary..."
"Of what?" asks Canter, shrugging his shoulders.
"There is a rumor," the officer explains, "of the Lanot Massacre. Supposedly, two hundred years ago, a troupe of soldiers of Rinder camped here on their way to battle in Caerloon. According to legend, they were all killed that night in their sleep. Not a soul knows how it was done; fifty men killed overnight and not a single man escaped to tell the tale. Today is the anniversary of that morning, and it terrifies these men.
"Personally, I don't believe it; or at least I believe they were attacked by an army from Caerloon who had the advantages of surprise and darkness, and covered their tracks well. But these men are poor farmer folk, and they don't always have the same sense about these things that you and I do.
"So we must act quickly. The officers and I agree that we must send for the Knight from the nearest fort. If someone left within the hour, at top speed, the Knight could be here shortly after sunset. With a Knight of Rinder present, we can conduct the necessary investigation.
"We need to send a small party to get the Knight. Two of the officers have volunteered to go, taking a few soldiers with them. In the meantime, you gentlemen will need to stay in your rooms, under guard, for obvious reasons. That is, of course, unless you would like to go to the nearest fort. I can give you directions and the message for the Knight. If you go, however, I will insist that one of your party stay here, to guarantee that the rest will return."
As the officer finishes, Hound comes rushing back from the gatehouse, out of breath. "The gatekeeper..." he begins, catching his breath, "he is dead, too, and I cannot find a log book!"
The officer's eyes grow wide. He quickly turns around, calling over one of the other officers.
"This situation can get out of control. I need to know, gentlemen, shall I send my men and keep you here, or will you go and fetch us the Knight and restore order to Mitchend?!"
1. At this point, you have the obvious choice: Let the officer send his men and stay at Mitchend under guard, or volunteer to get the Knight yourselves, leaving one of you behind to guarantee your return. Which will you do?
If you decide to go, will you make any quick preparations? Will you take the wagon?
2. I will be sending out mid-game evaluations to you in a separate email. This is a short form in which you can give me feedback regarding the game and tell me what you would like to see more of, less of, etc.
3. Any comments on the web site? https://members.tripod.com/~DMRinder