WOT Adv 33 - Palvear and his Guard

--- The Wheel Turns ---

"You want to do what?" Lorwyn looks at you as if you were mad.

"Just try it, you quickly explain what you want him to do as you pull the coil of rope from your pack. "It will work, with the horsemen unseated, they will be much easier to handle."

Lorwyn sighs and shakes his head. "Well, there is some truth in what you say... If it works." He looks doubtful. "But I'll try it."

"Here's the rope. I'll run to the wagon; when I arrive, throw me the hook. I will attach it and you will swing around, and with any luck we'll unseat some horsemen." You then turn to Maeslyn and Keb.

"You two stay put. And Keb, don't let any get away." Keb peaks from behind the tree and grins. "Don't worry about me! I can't take care of myself."

You can hear the sounds of the battle some paces in the distance punctuated by a loud cry. In the distance you can see one of the foot soldiers around the wagon stagger as a sword pierces his torso, another cry is also heard and a victory shout, but you can't see what happened since it came from the other side of one of the wagons, but it certainly doesn't sound very good.

"Alright. Let's do it!" Lorwyn says grimly as he wraps the rope around his saddle's pommel for leverage. He starts off through the trees.

And you head off at a trot using the closest wagon as cover. Weaving your way between the wagons on the road, you head south along the road and in a matter of seconds pass the southernmost wagon reaching two of the caravan's guards. The one on your right starts as you appear and shouts to the other, "Look out, there's more of them!"

"I'm here to help!" You yell, and draw your spear, standing between them. A large rock, half the size of your head, all of a sudden leaps from the ground, and slams into the wagon side nearby causing a board to splinter. It was much to large to have been kicked up from a horse. You look about in confusion.

The guard didn't seem to notice. But he looks at you and then nods, turning back to the fight. All of a sudden, you see his body crumple to the ground, a sword point coming out his back. Behind him you see a strong war horse in front of you. You ready your spear, cursing your luck, and hoping that Lorwyn can quickly get into position.

Behind you and to your right, you can hear some diminishing sounds off hoof beats. You assume someone is trying to get around the wagons by moving north.

Far to your left on the eastern side of the rode you can see movement among the trees as another horsemen gallops southward. You can see it's Lorwyn, he throws the grapple hook and it lands near your feet.

Just then the guard on your left takes a deep wound to the chest. He staggers back, nearly dropping his weapon, blood running down his arm, but he shakes it off, and yells a fearsome cry and swings his hafted axe in a wide arc, slamming it into the chest of the horsemen who had attacked him, unseating him. The Taraboner doesn't move; and blood pools around the ground where he dropped.

With one hand and a quick, swift movement, you pick up the grappling hook and attach it to the side of the wagon.

The horseman to your right, who impaled that guard, engages the guard with the two handed axe who just felled his companion. With one swift strike, he gets through the wounded man's poor defenses, bringing the sword down on his head, felling the other guard.

Behind you to your left, back where you left Maeslyn and Keb you hear a piercing feminine cry of pain. It's Maeslyn, you look back and can see her fall to her knees, her right hand still clutching the dagger, her left hand holding her head, even at this distance you can see the blood. "Maeslyn!" you and Keb both shout at the same time. Then you see Maeslyn struggle, shaking her head, blood dripping down the left side of her face, but a determination and a fire in her eyes. She eyes the man and he chuckles evilly. Keb drops her bow and draws her rapier and moves around the tree flanking the man attacking Maeslyn.

Then in front of you, to the south, but moving from the west to the east, cutting the road, you see another soldier charging toward Lorwyn who had cut out of the trees, moving west. Their horses meet in the middle of the road and Lorwyn manages to parry the blow and then they ride past each other, the Taraboner moving around Lorywn. Lorwyn still has the rope attached to his saddle and you hear the man in front of you on his horse curse just as he becomes aware of Lorwyn's plot. He ducks under the rope as it passes over him and then turns to face you.

"Blazes!" Lorywn curses, wheeling his horse around, and then cuts the taught rope with his sword, seeing that it won't do any more good.

Veiling your face you attack with your spear, but the mounted man parries your blow. You also step and position yourself so that the mounted man who just attacked Lorwyn won't be able to flank you.

The man grunts and swings a heaving overhead blow at your head, you duck and roll, coming up at the ready, the sword slamming into the wagon top, sends up chips of colored wood. "You will die, by the Light!"

"I'll kill you wench." you hear the man say who attacked Maeslyn, then you see Keb ducking a blow.

In front of you, you see Lorwyn and the other Taraboner charging each other swords at the ready. In a collision of swords, horses and flailing limbs they both come apart. Lorwyn is severely wounded, a large deep wound in his chest. But you also see the Taraboner is also wounded.

"Fall back! Retreat!" the wounded Taraboner yells. And he wheels his horse and escapes into the trees, soon disappearing from sight. The one in front of you does the same, pulling his horse away from you and with a kick in its sides is soon lost among the scattered trees.

To the north you hear a man curse "Tar Valon witch! Your kind should be stamped out!" You can see his sword hand extended as if to strike, but it never moves, but his off hand draws a short sword.

Keb steps and plunges her rapier into him. He shrieks in pain, wildly moving the sword back and forth, but in vain. Maeslyn moves in with her dagger and gets in his guard, causing the man to go limp. His horse moves away, but by some unknown force he hangs limply in the air.

Keb sends her deadly rapier once more into the man and whatever force was holding him suddenly disappears because he falls to the ground in an unceremonious thud.

"It's over." Maeslyn says tiredly and with Keb's help they move to where the three guards once stood.

"You're hurt." Keb says to Maeslyn.

"It's not bad." Maeslyn says tiredly, sitting down. There's an ugly wound on her head, but it's not as bad as you previously anticipated.

A short bald man emerges from inside the second wagon. "Thank you! Thank you!" he shouts as he approaches you. "When those bandits attacked, I was sure my good fortune had run out. Ah," he notices his guards. "Poor fools. This is indeed a dark day."

"Who are you?" Keb asks.

"My name is Palvear, a local peddler of these parts. I would be honored if you would share my camp this evening."

Lorwyn holding his chest, blood seeping from a wound dismounts. "I don't think we're in much of a condition to do much traveling and we are weary. We graciously accept," Lorwyn states with a grimace of pain and a stagger.

Maeslyn approaches him with concern in her eyes. "I'm all right." Lorwyn says between clenched teeth.

"I'll be the judge of that." Maeslyn says. With practiced hands she examines the wound. At her very touch it seems to get better; while there's still a deep wound, it's no longer bleeding. "You'll need some rest, but you'll be alright."

"My thanks, Lady Maeslyn" Lorwyn says sincerely. "How... How did you do that?"

You notice one of the guards still lives. While bleeding and unconscious, there is still some life in him. You try to stop the bleeding but to no avail. "This man needs help!"

Maeslyn comes closer and lays her hand on the wound, the bleeding stops and the man's breathing comes easier. "He's lost a lot of blood and will need care. But over time, he should improve."

Palvear seeing that things are under control barks out orders to set up camp and four servants move about, starting a fire, setting up tents.

"One of our wagon wheels was damaged in the fighting," Palvear explains to Lorwyn. "We will have to set up camp here."

Lorwyn nods. "Very well. What should we do with the bodies of the guards and that Taraboners?" He asks Palvear

"Bury them. For your aid, you're welcome to any of their equipment."