She Said Yes! - In character discussions
Some snippets of conversation along the way...
[Sergent Snowfoot (Master)] get in, get Mathinder and get back to Midturn as quickly as you can, I hope that all of you return if not your familes will be paid the death wage
Androp Ilkep (new guy) rolls his eyes and shakes his head, "Well thats comforting", he states sarcastically
[Tristan Elaire (Eric)] What about the rest of the town? Leave them to die?
[Sergent Snowfoot (Master)] Frostnor Nagar? you need to save Mathinder, beyond that .....
Tristan Elaire (Eric) smiles "right...got it"
Miranda (Christina) sends a smile in Tristan's direction.
Quiet conversation in the back of the party while everyone is getting ready to teleport....
[Tristan Elaire (Eric) (to Christina only)] If he won't go willingly then we can use that to our advantage to save this town. You are with me right?
[Miranda (Christina) (to Eric only)] Hell yes, but I don't think our unnamed patrons are willing to go along with it.
Tristan Elaire (Eric) (to Christina only)] then we have work to do *smiles*
[Miranda (Christina) (to Eric only)] It's also a city -- we're going to have to get creative to save the City.
[Miranda (Christina) (to Eric only)] Either we evacuate everyone, or we figure out some way of helping defeat the cannibals. Personally, I think we have a better chance of evacuation.
[Tristan Elaire (Eric) (to Christina only)] start with the faithful. Then work our way out to the women and children. I will try to help the men do what they can to save themselves...but...
[Miranda (Christina) (to Eric only)] start with the women and children. They need the most help first. The gods will help those who help themselves first, so we get the ones who cant' help themselves.
[Tristan Elaire (Eric) (to Christina only)] *smiles* The gods save those who are worth saving. We can discuss this as we travel. I too loath the idea of a woman or child dying at the hands of those monsters but this may be the gods will to cleanse the world of the non-belivers. I will do what I can to bring all to the rightous way.
teleport to ice tunnels
[Miranda (Christina) (to Eric only)] We need to be very, very careful how we do this. We could cause a stampede and a riot by even suggesting that we have a means out of the city.
[Tristan Elaire (Eric) (to Christina only)] agreed. We need to win the party over one by one. You work on Bran I will work work on the fighters.
[Miranda (Christina) (to Eric only)] We should look at it this way -- if you let the women and children leave first, you have a whole pool of potential converts. You can't convert corpses.
[Tristan Elaire (Eric) (to Christina only)] spoken like a true diplomat! Very well I shall consider your proposal my lady
shuffling around in the group getting organized
[Miranda (Christina) (to Eric only)] We could continue our evacuation conspiracy talk back here!
[Tristan Elaire (Eric)] /miranda how large is this city. Do we know?
After the Remorrhaz is slain:
Shurkural (TMO) staggers and trips, giving a cry as she goes down, holding the remains of her sword hilt in her hands. She sits in the slush and snow for a while, with an occasional tear freezing to her cheek. After a bit she starts trying to collect every piece she can of the blade.
One evening Barnabas pulled Branwyn aside to speak with her "Look Branwyn, I know that Snowfoot said that we are only supposed to get this one person and then leave. If we try theres going to be a mutiny among yer troops and Ill have to go along with them. We cant leave these people to face against those bloody cannibals it would be inhuman. Why do ye think I got forced on ye, because I fought tooth and nail against going after just 1 person and forgetting the rest of the city. Ye can see where that got me but since Im here I plan on doing all I can to help these people and Snowfoot can go kiss a bloody troll fer all I care."
Looks at Barnabas in surprise and laughs, "What kind of a mercenary are you anyway?”
Thinks for a moment and then shakes her head. “Mutiny? What mutiny? First of all, this is your mission not mine and I command no troops. Nobody is mutinying against me. If anything if I did not decide to follow the group it would be my mutiny and not anyone else’s. No one has spoken a word to me about deviating from the mission or saving the city. If you want to kill a bunch of cannibals, that’s fine with me. We can discuss. I just hope you and whoever you are saying wants this so called “mutiny” doesn’t have some sort of foolish idea that they can take anyone else with us. That’s impossible with the person and weight limits.
And if you think I am going for some kind of evacuation plan, you will definitely be doing this without me. If you remember, we could not get in the front gate, as it is overrun with cannibals. The bridge to the tunnel at the back gate is destroyed and it is at least 50 miles south to Terraguard with God knows how many people that you will have to convince and herd like cats to follow you and then feed and protect the whole way down with no supplies. My guess would be you would kill a whole mess of peasants all in the name of saving them.
Did you see what they did with that poor woman and the Remorhaz? There is a huge beast in the Plaza and the woman was trying to run to safety inside a building where the creature most likely would not have followed her. And there was Tristan waving her over to the area where the fighters were. That was ensuring her safety? She was heading in the right direction and there we were, yelling for her to come over where the battle was going to happen. If the woman wasn’t eaten alive and incinerated, I would have found it amusing really.
I have the coin that teleports us back and I know how to use it. If everyone else would like to walk back, that’s fine with me. I have no problems with that. There’s 1,000 gold pieces with our names on it waiting for us at Midturn. Shurkural lost her sword and Androp his club. We are short on arrows and spells. Exactly how many of us are you saying really want to save the city over their own lives? There’s a vote I’d like to take.”
Thinks for a moment and shrugs, “But like I said, I’m up for a good bloodbath if you want to go decimate a cannibal army. I am sure Esmerelda can whip up an illusion or two that could drive off a large chunk of them and then we go kill the rest. But carting around an Oracle AND a city full of peasants on foot? Not a chance, Barnabas. But I’m not in charge of this mission, you are.
This is really rather disturbing in concept. Not the actual issue of whether to save or not save the city, but rather this discussion behind people’s backs and the fact that you would even use the word mutiny. I know you just got here and we have a lot of new people with this group, but I have NEVER seen members of the party plotting behind other people’s backs to sabotage a mission before. We have always debated and discussed but never schemed behind people’s backs. Things change. New ideas come out. But that it has always been in the open and we agree on a plan. We don't undermine people and potentially put their lives in danger without their knowledge and consent. If this is how this group wishes to handle issues, then I have no one I can trust. Without trust? Well I'm not sure what to say about that.”
Overhearing this conversation, Tristan walks up.
"Forgive my intrusion but I feel I must clarify the intent of my discussion with Miranda that was obviously overheard. I am a new member to this team and felt that I should see how everyone felt before I declared my intent. First, Barnabas the accusation of "mutany" (he says the word with clear disdain) should not be used with out care. Our actions were simple strategy. To win an arguement you must first see what support you have. I was never planning on forcing or coercing anyone to do what I thought was right."
"Second, all I was trying to do was see what support we had for our idea to try and save those we could, rather than come in, get our target, and damn the rest to their fate. Perhaps I can't stomach the idea of doing nothing to protect those who can not protect themselves as well as you may lady. Or perhaps I desire the chance to fight gloriously for my lord in battle. Either way, I would never, NEVER, betray the trust of my fellow comrades. Perhaps discussions in private on how to help a fellow comrade see your best intent are frowned upon in this group?"
As for the unfortunate lady who was killed... I was not calling her to join our frey but rather to run past us so we could hold off her escape. How are we to know if she was going to hide in another building. The creature made little work of the other structure. But I suppose we could speculate every possiblity. The point is I called for her, and failed in saving her. I will take responsiblity for that."
"But think of this, what would the people here say of the Dragonslayers if we were able to pull off it rescue from those cannibals? Think of the rewards my lady. Think of the future contracts! Our fame would be legendary in these parts. Clearly they are lacking the military might to protect themselves. A hired arm would be welcome in this area where so many fighting men and women have died."
"But I meant no offense to you or the others."
Branwyn looks over at Tristan, a slight look of exasperation on her face. “Oh, the priests! I should have known. I didn’t overhear anything, Tristan. Barnabas’ words to me are the first I’m hearing of anything. I have no idea what he overheard or what you have told him. And I personally could not care less what private discussions you have or do not have as long as it does not put mine or Indigo’s lives in danger.
But now that it is out in the open, I would love to hear the plan. All I have managed to hear are things like save the city and rescue the people. So, when I was talking to Barnabas I was trying to think of all the ways that could be done and they all pretty much lead to a lot of death. The guard mentioned that many people already did try to leave the city and would probably all be dead in the Northern Wastes.”
Thinks for a moment. “It would be somewhat ironic if the people who fled the cannibals were starving to death in the Northern Wastes and then had to start eating the corpses to survive, thus becoming cannibals themselves. Hmmm…. But anyway, here are all the possibilities I could think of. A. Defeat the cannibal army in battle. I really do think we would need a spectacular Esmerelda illusion for that one since they outnumber us by a mile. B. There is gathering up the citizens, pushing them out the door into the Northern Wastes and wishing them good luck. C. You could escort them to TerraGuard yourselves, which I was originally mistaken about, and is really hundreds of miles away. D. We could hold a lucky citizen lottery. Since with Mathinder we would have 15 people with a 20 person limit, we could raffle off tickets and pick 5 lucky winners that get to leave their homes and go to Midturn where they have no land and know no one, while the rest of the poor citizenry are left to their fates. Or E. an option that I have not thought of, but would be eager to hear.”
Sighs and softens her tone as she looks at Tristan. “I am not as hard hearted as I do sound. Yes of course I am saddened about a city under siege. I have no objections to performing acts of heroism to save innocents when it is possible. I would be first in line. But I know my limits. I also do not think it right to save someone from one terrible fate only to hand them another of a different kind. That is what I am seeing in this case.
I am also good to my word. Barnabas brought us this mission and we agreed to fulfill it as it stands. Snowfoot will be waiting for us and if we do not arrive in a reasonable time, we will be considered failures and not true to our word. Taking a month to walk a band of peasants to TerraGuard, if it could even be done in a month, will not bring us accolades. It will have quite the opposite effect.
This is the reason why keeping silent brings more harm than good. We are mere blocks from our goal and no one except your confidants has heard anything of your plan! When were you going to share this with us? None of this was brought up in earnest when we were negotiating with Sergeant Snowfoot. None of this was discussed when we were packing supplies for the trip. We brought supplies for an afternoon jaunt. This is why we are running out of arrows already, did not bring more that loose change, bare minimum spell books and why I am not more welcoming of a rescue plan. If this was discussed at the outset and we would have agreed, we would be far better prepared and ready for what you propose. But then I get ahead of myself. What exactly are you proposing we do exactly?”
---
"Your right. There are few good options here. There are no true believers here. Perhaps it is the gods' will to punish these heathens. Forgive me Marquessa, you speak sage words. However, I still say we see what we can do. I don't have a plan yet. I'm still working on it. I don't even know what kind of defenses these people have. Perhaps it is already a lost cause. Your coin takes us back quickly right? So there is no harm in using what abilities we have to help these people. Give them a fighting chance? It gets too hot we retreat. Take the oracle back to safety. Complete our mission."
Miranda scowls at both of them, and turns her attention to Tristan. "You! You give up your sworn duty to serve the people and serve your god merely because you receive a harsh word or two? Who are you to judge these people? Maybe they haven't been at all introduced to the glory of your god? Why should they be punished for YOUR failings? YOU are the one who failed to teach them about Cahus. YOU are the one so tasked to bring more souls unto your cause, are you not? So rather than try and find a way to help save those left in the city, you meekly bow before the Marquessa's words and fall in line. If nothing else, I am serving the divine more than you are with my will alone. I should think Cahus himself would be ashamed that his own priest has so little spine."
She then turns her attention to Branwyn. "And you," she says, almost as soft as whisper, "if you can just leave all of these people to die a gruesome death without even trying, then I don't know you any more. Maybe its the weight of the title you bear that has made you cold and soulless. You are ready to dismiss ALL of these people, without a second thought, your mind only on the payment. That woman in the square ran because she wanted to LIVE, not because she wanted to sit there and be eaten. It was a slim chance at surviving at all, with the way that monster destroyed buildings and with the speed at which it pursued her, but she took it anyways. That is what HOPE is. And yet, without a second thought, you'd deny every living soul here that chance. It was him," Miranda points fiercely at Tristan, "who even thought of asking Snowfoot about possibly saving others, and not you, the most experienced, the leader of our group. And even Snowfoot dislikes the idea, which should tell you something. Not once did I hear you question why we were here to only save one man. And now the words I hear from your lips make me die inside. You would abandon all of us at a whim, leaving us to fend for ourselves. Did you forget the meaning of fellowship? Did you forget the meaning of FRIENDSHIP? YOU of all people should know that I cannot stand idly by and do nothing while these people die. If failing to save one innocent changed the course of my life, what do you think willingly allowing ten innocents would do? A hundred? A thousand?
"Mutiny, you say? A mutiny would require a leader. Right now, I don't see a leader before me. All I see is a blood-stained mercenary waiting for the next payday. A leader would not talk of just abandoning the people who came with her without due cause. Right now there is merely discussion of ideas of how we could save these people, and from this alone you would drop us and run. I may not be the strongest of mages yet, but right now, I'm offering these poor people more than the callous death you would." Miranda shakes her head in dismay. "I really don't know you any more."
Resolute, but with tears making their slow way down her cheeks, she stands alongside Barnabus. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I know that we haven't even TRIED to help these people yet. We still have the coin, which means that, if worse comes to worse, we can try to use it at the last possible minute. That gives us a lot of time to try and work something out, and to answer questions that need to be answered. If we could be teleported a long ways away, why weren't we teleported into an abandoned cellar in the middle of the city? Why to some remote ice tunnel outside of the city? It could have been collapsed, or the bridge could have been out; a location directly in the city would have been far safer and more assured. How is it that the Oracle can freeze an entire city, but not an army? Even a cold snap could decimate an army. Make it really cold, and they would have to leave or freeze to death, as they don't have permanent shelters or a means to deal with truly extreme cold. And aren't oracles supposed to forsee the future? Why hasn't this one evacuated the city in advance? Or at the very least, known of our coming and helped provide an escort so we could get into the city? Or hell, he could have told the guards to watch out for us and let us in. None of that happened. Our unknown employers aren't telling us everything, and I think we really need to find out before we just do what they want, not only for the sake of these people, but of our own.
"You talk as though death is guaranteed for these people. I think otherwise. If they had wanted to die, they would have surrendered meekly. Instead, they're holding onto hope with every ounce of strength they have, and we owe it to them to at least try and help them. You heard the guards -- they LIVE here. In the cold that blankets this city. They are used to this, and they know how to deal with it. If we could find a way to get them out of the city, they would survive more than long enough for us to use the coin and get to the nearest ally and request aid from them. We could then reach them with resupply and assistance. A city like this would have to have allies to endure. If nothing else, we could negotiate to empty the treasury to buy us allies to help evacuate. The only major problem is the army, and we haven't conferred with anyone here yet as to what they can do, and what we can do to help them. Illusions, deception, diversions! Has anyone else wondered where that ice tunnel we teleported into goes? Ice bridge or no ice bridge, the army would have used it by now if they knew about it. I'm sure that with the rubble lying around here, and with some assistance from the forces already here, we could remake the bridge from sturdier materials and evacuate the citizens out that, if we could find where it goes. We haven't even tapped the potential resources and ideas for saving the people of this city! And you would abandon them at the slightest hint of danger? Who are you?"
---
Tristan looks darkly at Miranda. Careful my dear who you call coward. First, I never claimed to be the leader of this group nor has that burden been laid upon me. Second, I do not "bow meekly". My order teaches proper discipline and following orders of your superiors. The Marquesa holds superior rank and made a valid argument. If you listened to my words I have not abandoned these people. I said I would try and save these people before we left. But if nothing can be done because the battle was already lost, then I have no issues completing our mission as given. Lastly, (his face turns red with rage) never say I do not serve my lord an master or that I would shame him. He does not care if lives are lost. It is war. The innocent are always casualties in war. Finally, I hav not failed these people. i take the burde. O my failures when they are mine to bare. These people know of Cahus, they know of the true gods. You heard the sergeant at the checkpoint. They refused to believe and thus this could be their punishment. My god has not given me insight to his family's plans. I am just a servant. I told you I would help and I plan on it. I never said I would save everyone. It's was my intent to save the faithful. Saving everyone was your foolish plan. I see no faithful here. I have failed no one (looks around him). I see no one here to save! The preachers of my faith tried and were turned away. It is not cowardess to know when a battle is lost and regroup your troops to fight another day. It is foolish to continue to fight a lost cause. But how are we to know what situation we have here? We just got here! You all look at me as though I'm prophetic. How am I to have a plan when I don't know the force of the enemy, the strength of our allies, the status of the defenses? I will try and help form a defense if one is not already in place. But from what I've seen these people have done a good job with the resources they have.
A bit rankled from Miranda's tirade, she bypasses Tristan's last words and looking directly at Miranda asks, “Are you quite finished?”
Pausing and hearing nothing she continues, “As I told Tristan, the first I am hearing about this was about two minutes ago when Barnabas pulled me aside talking about saving the city and mutinies. I hear nothing from you when we accept the mission or when we are preparing supplies or while we are travelling to our goal. You still would not have spoken up if not for Barnabas being good enough to bring your thoughts to my attention. And now that you do have the floor and can explain your plans, you are hysterical and emotionally distraught. You fling accusations around, ranting and raving, and bursting into tears like a child trying to get her way without giving any of us the chance to hear your ideas and respond to them first. I do apologize if my response in the last 30 seconds of hearing limited news of this with no concrete plans does not meet up with your lofty expectations. You do really need to work on your approach and the art of persuasion. This one doesn’t win any points with me.
Look over there,” Branwyn points down the street. “That is how we close we are to the point where Barnabas sticks his head in the door and says, ‘I’m Barnabas Stone. I’m here to rescue you.’ Don’t you think that perhaps it would be a good thing to share your thoughts and concerns before that time? If you really think that I am so close minded that you could not discuss your ideas or think that I am not open to a well thought out and reasonable rescue mission, then perhaps we do need to have a little refresher course on your burning existential question of Who I am. Well, let’s see…
When someone comes up to me and says we’ want to save the city, I start to immediately think of ways that can be accomplished and what the costs and benefits would be to those possible solutions. Hence the list of options that came to mind off the top of my head. I have not been ruminating over this for the last two days as you apparently have. But this is why we usually work as a group, dearest Miranda. I cannot possibly think of every solution and putting different minds on the matter brings different ideas.
I am the kind of person that teleports in front of a charging lion thing and tackles it in a desperate attempt to try to save someone I cared about. I am the one that jumps into a river to save the innocent owner of a barge we were travelling on while we are being attacked. I am the person that enters a choking cloud of gas to try to pull people out who have been caught in it. I am the person that stands toe to toe with the fighters so I can take some of the hits they would have gotten so that they don’t have to take them all. There is no standing in the back for me and abandoning dangerous situations is not what I am known for.
I am part of the Dragonslayer Company in a detached mercenary unit. I have no idea why you or Barnabas joined the Dragonslayers, but I know why I did. When I had just received my first level of spell training, my Master left me to fight an evil mage that was plaguing the area. He thought he was protecting me but he left me alone. I took what funds I had and went in a futile search for him. When I was out of funds and far from home, I got the chance to join the Dragonslayers. It put some gold in my pocket and enabled me to travel and continue my search. I would not be where I am without them giving me my start. So when they knock on my door and ask me to do something for them, I say yes. Just like I did for the Mosskins who I also am indebted to for their help and kindness.
As far as my heart and soul are concerned, I can assure you they are quite intact. I have seen too much and lost too much to get as emotional as you do. As much as I would like to, I cannot save everyone. And I cannot kill everything and everyone who deserves it. I do the best I can in every situation and go from there. I feel very deeply but my priorities are a bit different from yours obviously.
What am I not? I am not your mother. I am not a mind reader. I am not a martyr. I am not suicidal. I have no desire to be a role model or to command troops or be the leader on every single outing that we undertake. I did not want to train you. I don’t want to train Jharym. I am not good at those kinds of things and don’t think that I am the kind of mage that you or anyone else wants to be like anyway. I hate the fancy titles that I have been given and every time anyone uses them I cringe. If you think any of that means anything to me, then you really haven’t been paying attention.
But enough of that. In your haste to accuse me of being an unfeeling, soulless monster with no heart and no concept of friendship, I think you may have missed a few things I did actually say. What I said was, that I am not willing to walk hundreds of miles to TerraGuard. Yes, if that is what you wish to do, then I will take Mathinder and teleport back to fulfill our contract and take anyone who wants to come home with me. Like I said, I am not suicidal and I will not so flagrantly renege on our deal with the Dragonslayers.
I am of the mindset that if you have a problem, you should eliminate it. We have a bit of a cannibal problem here and I said more than once if we are up for getting rid of them, I’m willing to do that. How is that abandoning the group at the slightest sign of danger again please?
As far as evacuating the city, we can certainly speak to some people as to the feasibility of that option. I do realize that people live here, Miranda. But the guard also said that most of the people who escaped earlier to the Northern Wastes were probably dead. Probably the reason why they call it the Northern Wastes and not the Northern Oasis. Do you think we keep discussing TerraGuard because we like it so much? We are discussing it because it is the closest place to take them. If there were a multitude of ice cities close by, I think they would have found them by themselves.
Like I said to Tristan, I do not believe it is right to save innocents from one terrible fate just to hand them over to another. To me, this is cruel and heartless and this is currently how I am seeing the evacuation plan idea. And it would be heartless of me not to mention the possible mass deaths from starvation and from creatures in the wilderness that could result from it. If you do this without a firm basis to believe that they will be fine and healthy travelling on their own into the Wastes, then their deaths will hang heavier with me than any possible deaths that would come with them going out fighting to save their city. But that’s where my heart lies.
I will fight if a battle is what we want. I will regretfully and with great sorrow watch you send civilians to the Northern Wastes to die. I am quite willing to hear hard facts telling me that I am wrong about the Northern Wastes and sending them off will be a blessing and not a curse. Ask your questions. Why on earth would you possibly think I had a problem with that? But I will not travel hundreds of miles to TerraGuard on foot. Are we any clearer on the questions of Who I am and where I stand now?’
Chuckles a bit and says, “You know, it really didn’t have to be like this. So much drama, Miranda! Quite unnecessary.”
"Im here lass because I argued against even taking this bloody job. The thought of saving 1 person and leaving an entire city to the so called mercy of those blasted cannibals turns my stomach.None of you have ever faced them across a battlefield, none of you have had to watch helplessly as your friends and companions were eaten by those gods cursed beasts, but I have and I swore that if I could Id never let another person suffer what my friends did. You talk about the gold waiting for you then it seems as if you truly have become a mercenary but at what cost? As far as being able to walk to Terraguard your correct in saying that theres no way we can do it,but Im sure that we can put our heads together and come up with ways to make it so costly that even if they do manage to take the city those bloody savages will never be a threat again!"
Tristan looks at Miranda. "I know your heart is in the right place. It sounds like we all want to try and do something to help the people in this city from an awful fate. We need to get together as group and stop this damn bickering. No one here is smarter than all of us combined. We all bring unique traits and experiences to this table. Its time we start working as a team. I say we go find Mathinder, find out what the kind of defense this ragged city has left, and make plan TOGETHER on what to do from there."
