Game thread - It begins...

Phineas walked with his head bowed, foolishly oblivious to his surroundings. A smarter man would have been watching for potential danger on the road ahead, but he wasn't accustomed to walking long distances. His exhaustion was evident in both his stooped posture and his gait even before some small noise from up ahead caused him to look up, revealing a handsome face wearing a beleaguered expression. His sharp chin and strong jaw were accentuated by a closely trimmed, blonde beard and mustache, above which his cheeks glowed red from exertion. Thick, unruly blonde hair framed his angular features and when his eyes fell on the group of travelers his beleaguered expression became one of alarm.

Phineas' body tensed and it looked for a moment as if he were about to run until he realized that the open farmland offered little by way of a place to hide. Instead, he straightened his posture and rested his right hand on the handle of his mace, which hung from a frog on his belt. He eyed the group for a moment trying to decide what they were about and finally announced, "If you are bandits I am afraid you have come upon me too late. I was relieved of my horse and everything of value that I carried two days' journey south of here. I managed to convince my assailants to let me keep my weapon and armor rather than leaving me easy prey for any wild beast that might come upon me in the night."

His expression became thoughtful and he paused for a moment before continuing. "You seem to be better equipped than they were, though. I expect that if you were to continue along the road south you'd run into them and could probably manage to claim my belongings as well as any they might have taken from other travelers without much trouble."

Phineas meets Swaneke's bravado with a calm gaze. "Are there militia all around?", he asks. "I have seen none, save perhaps you? The only other armed men I have encountered are those that I have already mentioned. If you choose not to believe me, that is certainly your prerogative. Although, I can't imagine what you think I stand to gain from such a falsehood."

"In any case, a lone traveler is no threat to such a large and well-armed group as yours. So, if you will be kind enough to lower your sword I will be happy to introduce myself."

Phineas removes his hand from the handle of his mace and clasps his hands together in front of him. Then without paying any attention to whether or not Swaneke complies with his request, he looks past the ill-mannered soldier, smiles at the rest of the group, and addresses them.

"My name is Phineas. I am a priest of Justitia charged by the Cheif Justice of Her Holy Court to mediate in Her name any and all disputes between the Lord of this land and any aggrieved parties who seek redress for potential damages caused by a perceived dereliction of said noble Lord's duty to those that he is sworn to protect and to serve." Then looking pointedly back at Swaneke he adds, "I am sure that Lord Commander Emil is among those with whom I am to meet."

Then he turns his attention back to the rest of the group. "Now tell me, to who do I have the pleasure of speaking?"

Ax found the man's story wanting. No thief would have left the man with his weapon and armor, and he would know. His distaste for priests also crept into his tone of voice when he greeted the man and gave him his name.

"I'm Aaxi. No self-respecting brigand would have let you leave with your weapon and armor. What's your real story, priest?"

Rose raises an eyebrow at the priest's story. The other eyebrow gets raised at Swaneke. She steps forward and forces him to lower his sword. "Easy there. Let's try using our words first. You don't want people thinking that Lord Emil hires impulsive bloody thirsty mad men." She places herself between Sawneke and the Phineas; keeping her back turned on Swaneke. She wants him to realize how little she thinks of him and his impulsive behavior, while attempting to appear so confident in her own abilities that she doesn't consider him attacking her blindside as a possibility.

"Well met, Phineas. I am Rose. We are out here securing the roads. That job would certainly include looking into this bandits, but I have to agree with Ax here. You're story is very bizarre. Aren't bandits normally of the type to seek weapon and armors more than anything but perhaps gold?"

"Sheath your steel, man, there's no need for that yet," Arden is just saying to Swaneke when Rose moves boldly forward to guide the dialog to firmer ground. Still, his hand rests comfortably on the pommel of his sword. The halfling and the farmgirl have said what needs saying, so he just raises his eyebrows at the lone traveler.

Phineas' exhaustion from two nights spent trying to sleep in his heavy armor and two days spent walking in it had taken a toll on him; otherwise, he would have hidden his frustration over the group's disbelief. As it was, he replied a little too curtly, perhaps, "I can't help whether you believe me or not. I realize that it is unusual behavior for bandits. To that all I can say is that these weren't the smartest of their ilk. I nearly had them convinced to leave me alone, altogether. They were starving, though, and in spite of my most persuasive arguments insisted on keeping almost all of my rations and my horse. I believe they intended to eat the poor creature. Under the circumstances, I considered that a win and continued on my way."

"I don't have any proof to offer beyond my word, though. Unless you care to accompany me when I return home and would trust the word of Her Holy Court that I did, in fact, depart from there with a horse. I suppose it would still be left to you to decide whether I was robbed of the animal or ate it --"

He stopped abruptly, it having just occurred to him that they men he met on the road might have been refugees rather than bandits. "Lord Commander Emil, you said. His is not a name that I am familiar with. Doesn't the Royal Family rule these lands?"

Arden can't help but smirk at the scruffy blonde wanderer. "The winds have changed, man... there's been a revolt. Emil sits in the high keep. How have you not heard of this? Did your robbers not speak of it either?"

Phineas' furrowed his brow in consternation. "No, and I didn't think to ask," he replied hesitantly.

"In light of that, I wonder if perhaps they were refugees, and were only resorting to banditry out of necessity. Come to think of it, they did begin by asking me if I had any food to spare. I am afraid that I may have jumped to the wrong conclusion", he added.

Rose frowns. This certainly complicate things. If they were bandits, the group could simply march in there and reclaim the stolen goods with a clear conscience no matter how the confrontation went. If they are just desperate, hungry people... that's a bit more difficult.

She remembers the conversation they had with Otus. He wasn't opposed to recruiting individuals who at first appear to be enemies. "Arden. What do you say to paying these bandits a visit? We could forage along the way and show them that an honest living serving under Emil increases your odds of going to bed with a full belly." She looks to Phineas. "You're welcome to come along. If they haven't eaten your horse yet, you might even get it back."

Only after she has says these things does Rose realize that she is practically giving orders. She lowers her head to cover her blushing. "Unless you had another course of action in mind, of course. This was merely a suggestion--" She holds back from calling Arden 'sir,' at the last moment and it causes her to blush even deeper. Gods do I ever have a lot to learn about proper protocol.

It's just as Arden has feared -- out beyond the reaches of the city, chaos is already starting to reign. These men might have been bloodthirsty bandits who this priest Phineas was lucky to escape from with his life, or they might have been poor farmers forced to billet Emil's men as they marched on the royals, and who ate them out of house and home.

After all the conversation and more of Swaneke's tiresome posturing, the soldier nodded at Tamblyn. "Rose has it. We need to visit with these bandits -- find out if they are mere highwaymen, or if there is more to their story. If nothing else, we can learn more about what people know out here beyond Hoffnungsadel's walls."

To Swaneke and Arnd, Arden is clear:

"We can check in on that farmstead as we pass it, but there's no reason to dally or overnight there. We've a course now -- the men who robbed this poor arbiter here. Let's stay to it."

I'm of a mind to agree with Arden." Aaaxi said as he looked at Arnd with mild distaste. The man was already looking for a place to rest his head. Unbelievable. What a crew, he thought as they decided what to do next, and he still didn't trust the priest. It would be interesting to see if they could catch the bandits and verify his story. These were the people that had his back. He'd like to know as much as he could about them.

"Let's move on to the farm then," he said. He was getting antsy. All this talk and no action.

Phineas sighed. He was reluctant to present himself to Enil without a clear sign from the Lady of Justice, or instructions from Her Holy Court. Absent the former, he was left with a long walk ahead of him to obtain the latter. He quickly realized that there really wasn't a decision to be made.

News of the revolt meant that he would be traveling in the same direction that the group was. Not only would it be rude and more than a little awkward to decline their company only to trail behind them on the road, but if they could track down the men who had taken his horse, he could prove that he had been telling them the truth, as improbable as it seemed. He didn't know why their incredulity bothered him, but he was an honest man, or he tried to be, anyway. That meant being honest enough with himself to admit that it did bother him.

"t seems I am too late arriving to be able to do the job that I was sent here to do. So, at least for the time being, our paths are leading us in the same direction. I will be happy to share the road with you. Thank you. And if we find the men who took my horse, and if they didn't eat her for dinner, it may be as you say, that we can convince them to return her to me."

This affords me the opportunity to gather information about the revolt and the days leading up to it that The Court will be eager to hear, too, he thought, pleased to able to catch so many birds with a single stone.

"So, tell me," he asked as they made their way to the farmhouse. "Have any of you met the Lord Commander? What sort of man is he?"

"Not me," Arden lies easily, and then he's both peering towards the sound of woodcutting, and he's also making a comment to Phineas.

"And you're not too late, priest. There will be more need than ever for arbitration in these farmlands, I think. Times are uncertain, and tempers likely riled."

Phineas took note of Arnd's comments about the Lord Commander and his general lack of enthusiasm about the change in the local government but refrained from commenting about it. Arden directed the conversation away from Emil, though, instead preferring to focus on the needs of the people.

"I am happy to be of service should the need arise," the cleric replied. He didn't say anything else immediately but seemed to consider Arden's assertion as they continued on toward the farm. A minute or so later, Phineas finally found his words.

"You know the people who live around here far better than I do," he began. "I find it interesting, though, that you expect an increased need for arbitration among the farm folk in times like these. If we were among merchants, craftsmen, or the nobility, then yes, I would agree with you. Not here, though," he said gesturing at the quaint surroundings.

"The more people have, the more they stand to lose, and the more unsettled they become in times of change. Those are the people I would expect to find squabbling among themselves after a rebellion. The farmers, though... The people who work the land? Wouldn't you expect them to band together in difficult times?", Phineas asked.

When they arrived at the farm, Ax took no offense from the bitter farmer woman. She likely worked herself to the bone and the soldiers helped themselves. Could you blame her? "We appreciate the roof over our heads, thank you."

He thought about volunteering to accompany Arnd into town. It would have been better than doing nothing here at the farm. He wasn't totally unsympathetic to the plight of farmers. He might not have liked being forced into it as a youth on his parent's farm but he had a firm understanding of the hardships they faced. However, he decided against joining him. He just couldn't stomach the man.

Watching the conversation between Arnd and Phineas it was clear to Ax that Phineas sure talked a good game but was he the real deal? He supposed they'd find out eventually, whether it was by finding his horse or through his actions.

Before the farmers meet the group, Arden shrugs at Phineas, saying, "All I can tell you is that things seem unsettled."

When there's mention of another group of soldiers, that catches his ear. "What did these fellows look like," he asks, "were they in livery? What did they take?"