Episode 1

Reference: Borderland Map

Origin from Pylos

Ivor and Qiu have been at the secret camp of the Voldruvan Captain Nemes Zaituc for a little over a week now. It has been a good stay. It was an amazing sight to see Nemes and his crew slide The Blackfin down Owain Branch and then into an even narrower tributary, to finally tuck into a small inner pond surrounded by thick foliage. The huge knarr was soon hidden within the vegetation of the fens.

You both moved to the nearby longhouse which has served as a comfortable and entertaining base of operations for the entire crew. Since you have arrived, there has been plenty of ale, wine, food, women, gambling, and games. Zaituc says that he wants you both to stay until you can meet some of his contacts who will be visiting. It is a crew of Jeresians who can give steady mercenary work and also access to the secret but lucrative pit fighting circuit that is emerging in some of the larger Jeresian cities.

Once now you have visited the nearby Dannein settlement of Fish Point (pronounced Baoill in Dannein). It is a simple collection of rural shelters, several families that all provide for themselves by fishing and hunting. Zaituc seems comfortable and accepted by these people, but also remains separated from them to a degree. You learn that these are the people of his now deceased mother. They are called the Murrogh Clan. Their chieftain, named Padrig, is an imposing and serious man. Zaituc speaks directly with him in his house for a time during the visit.

Back at Zaituc's longhouse, you enjoy time carousing, but also help out with the rest of the crew on ship repairs and equipment staging. Zaituc is impressed with Qiu's knowledge of thatch and pitch roofing and his industrious hand for repair. Ivor is an exceptional resource at rigging, line, and rope repair and improvement.

Late one afternoon, a messenger approaches to speak with Zaituc. It is a runner from Baoill. He says that visitors are inbound. They are the Yuorics, the ones who Zaituc has been expecting.

"Trust?" Zaituc asks, filling a mug with wine."What is trust?" he says, more to himself perhaps.

"I know them. They seek profits first, so they can be trusted as much as any man I suppose." the old Voldruvan says as he leans back in the chair and looks down the trail that leads to Fish Point.

"I know that they have a knack for finding killers and matching them with wealthy men who want other men killed. I know they pay on any agreement they make."

Zaituc stands and walks by the huge Dannein. "Patience, Ivor. We both know that you are neither going home directly nor staying here to help me fix my rigging much longer. These friends of mine may become yours as well. Not everyone is your opponent in the ring, but these men can take you to those who could be. And won't that be enough for now - to quench the thirst of your trident with enough blood for each day?"

Origin from Caerlleon

Kray, Talius, and Thorn left Caerllon two days ago. After meeting briefly with Cullan at Melig Trade, they decided to press on to camp outside of Low Creek last night. Chief Rine let them stay in the loft of the stable house, a luxury during the storm and also a testimony that the leader of the Bardh Clan had come to accept the agents of House Mercon's passage through the Draw Gap and to the west bank. All three men noticed that Capulet, the Baron's Ranger he called himself, still stayed in a tent outside of Rine's settlement. He had glared at them as they rode by. Frustration surely that mercenary scouts had better connections with the locals than all that he had been able to buy.

They had left the horses in the care of Rine's son Conlemon and stepped out on the eastbound foot trail before sunrise. At the Dunaigh camp, they found a passage across. An old fisherman named Deach. The raft was large enough and sturdy, but the slow drift across the Azan made for a long day.

They arrived in Fish Point late in the afternoon. The heat of the day made the smell of the fens thick and pungent. Fishermen were working at the boards, slicing and chopping a large catch of drakk eels. On Talius' recommendation, the three travelers joined a small camp cook with Baraide, Culpon, and some of Baichan's sons. The grilled eel was a welcomed dinner and well worth the sharps.

Scarach, Chief Padrig's shield bearer, approached Kray at the campfire. "Your guide is there," the young warrior said in Dannein, pointing to a large spearman who stood across the village clearing, looking towards the camp. "You are to go with him after you finish your cook and refill your skins. He is called Ruacht, from Resburgh but now he is a corsair raider. My Chief says you will not stay in Fish Point, but you may pass to the camp of the Capcaun."

It was late in the day. None of them wanted to be setting up camp in the fens after dark, but Kray knew that the longhouse was not far from here. If they left soon, they would be able to reach their destination before nightfall.

"Don't worry, you dogs. I made no promises about either one of you. No agreements. You know on my ship every man is free and makes his own way, speaks for himself." Zaituc says as he is packing a long pipe with dried leaves from a small leather bag. "And I've already told you you don't owe me anything for the ride here, Alijaniman. What is it with you river-boaters? Always worried about debt so much-- try to pay back what you don't even owe..." He grumbles to himself and then offers the bag of weed to Qiu.

"And NO" Zaituc says to Ivor as he leans forward to light his pipe with a candle burning on the table, "I don't want you to cinch this kid up in your fish-catcher and start stabbing holes into him!" He leans back and draws a series of puffs on his pipe to get the leaves burning steady. "He's a grandson of an old shipmate of mine. I don't want to send him home bled out and stiff as a bone fish. Devil Hade would get back on the deck and try to raid my hold, and stop his heart in his own chest on the way here he'd be so fierce." He puffs slowly on the pipe looking off into the setting sun in the west.

"Listen, you rabble-rousers." He says after a time of quiet. "Don't let Padrig's men hear us talking about any plans. No business in front of those chambermaids." He looks at Qiu and then back at Ivor, pointing casually with his pipe. "If Feargan or Riocard or one of those other pogues comes looking for a handout tonight, don't let them have anything to run back to tell their split-tail heifer of a chief." He grumbles something else inaudible, then raises the volume slightly "...can't get laid on their own so they keep stalling to see if I will spare one of the whores after I get drunk..."and trails off again.

Cuixtia, one of the Gaermundi hotties that stays at the longhouse, walks out onto the front deck, sits down in Ivor's lap, and starts to rub her hands lightly over his shoulders and chest, as she leans her face close to his smiling. "Will you stay with me tonight, my champion?" She whispers in his ear.

"Gandish...why would they be so far south . . ." Zaituc says quietly after another stall. "Did you have the goblin half-breeds running the woods up north at Annagain Pass, Connal's Son?" Zaituc asks, looking quizzically at Ivor.

Ruacht makes a quick greeting, but is not excessively talkative as he takes the lead. Kray, Thorn, and Talius follow, walking through the brush of the bog on no trail at all for a time, and then picking up a barely visible game trail that cuts through the foliage and high grass. The ground is either damp, saturated, or muddy, and in some stretches it is flooded with a few inches of water.

The sun continues to set even as the brush becomes thicker along the trail. Darkness gradually sets in. The fens buzz and croak and chirp with the wildlife of the wetlands. A thin fog hangs in the air and it seems to be getting worse. Even though all of the travelers are used to operating in the wilderness, perception is hindered and maintaining directional sense becomes a real challenge. Kray, Thorn, and Talius come to realize that they are becoming increasingly dependent on their guide Ruacht to manage the route. The Dannein though moves with ease through the unwelcoming environment, pressing smoothly onward and making very little sound.

After close to an hour of walking through the tough terrain, Ruacht stops and gives a quick hand signal for the others to do the same. He holds completely still, listening and perhaps using other senses to detect something. After a few moments, the three travelers can sense what their guide does as well: something, or someone, is approaching them from behind.

Ruacht makes a silent hand signal to move to the side. He takes up cover, seeking to conceal himself within the brush. He looks as if he means to let whoever or whatever is approaching to either reveal itself or pass through. He uses hand signals to convey a message for the others to do the same.

Kray sees Ruacht's hand move to rest softly onto the handle of a chakram that hangs at his side, and the Dannein stares intently at the small clearing through which the travelers had just passed. The sound of movement through the bushes gets louder and louder.

"I not forget you, musician!" says Zaeti, a tall and well-endowed Arkkadi bombshell, calling out from inside the longhouse. She is laying on a couch and reaches her arms outward towards Qiu, beckoning him inside. "Come and play a song about I am most beautiful woman you see for your life."

Scowling at Qiu is the Alijanian helmswoman of The Blackfin, Shen Lain. She is sharpening one of her long knives with a whetstone while sitting at a table just inside the door. She quickly thrusts the knife into her side scabbard, throws her sword belt over her shoulder, and steps strongly towards the front exit of the house. When she passes Qiu at the threshold of the door, her shoulder crashes into his. "Watch where you are going, tar slinger!" she barks out in Alijanian as she storms past.

Zaituc sits on the font porch, staring away into the night. "Why are they so far south? ....shouldn't be here..." he asks quietly to himself as he puffs slowly on his pipe.

As Ruacht's hand signals a quick stop, Thorn freezes, listening intently for whatever it was that stopped the guide short. As the corsair motions the group off the path, Thorn, ever the observant one, is already stepping as lightly as possible into the brush.

Everyone waits behind scrub bushes and thin trees, as still and quiet as possible, looking out into the high grass clearing. A layer of fog hangs in the air. The moon is not yet high in the sky, so the darkness is still imposing, but everyone peers closely outward towards the southbound trail where the noise is coming from, yet also maintaining awareness in all directions. Ruacht crouches as still as a statue.

The shrubs on the trail begin to shake and rustle ever so slightly. It is difficult to make out at first, but eventually four men can be seen walking quietly in a line into the clearing, following the sparse trail. Their garb and equipment detail is not exactly clear in the darkness, but at least two of them are seen with spears or javelins, and a couple of shields can be made out from their outlines. This trailing party is clearly exposed now to everyone who sits waiting in position, but it is also clear that the members of the trailing party are decent at maneuvering through the terrain quietly. Not good enough to catch this crowd unaware, but they are not crashing through sending excessive signal either. They are moderately skilled at stealth and seem to have comfort in the terrain.

Glancing over at Ruacht, Kray can see that the guide has interpreted something now that the followers are visible. Most Danneins give very little away in their facial expressions and body language, and Ruacht is no different. Still though, Kray has been around the community enough to notice that Ruacht is now more annoyed than furious. Seemingly on cue, Ruacht looks over at Kray and tips his head ever so slightly one way and then another, and then grimaces to show his frustration. He puts a fist up slowly, arm at a right angle and facing forward, and then covers the fist slowly with his other hand. This is a fairly well known hand signal among Danneins, and Kray has no trouble understanding the meaning. It is a Dannein call for non-lethal combat. Unarmed blows, clutches, and throws are unrestricted. Clubs, staffs, ropes, and improvised weapons optional. Metal or edged weapons are completely restricted.

Ruacht nods for Kray to pass the signal to Talius. He then turns to send the signal to Thorn himself. Kray sees Ruachts hand shift back down to his side holsters, but this time to a wooden cudgel instead of his chakram.

About that time, the lead figure of the trailing party stops abruptly. The entire group follows his lead and freezes where they stand.

"Here!" one of the trailers says, audible enough to alert, but not shouting. He snaps a spear to a two hand grip, pointing it directly at the bush behind which Talius was trying to hide, and shifts to an at-ready stance.

His fellows jump to action. The squad leader puts up his shield and draws out some sort of mace or club, holding it high and ready as he scans outward in all directions. The other two patrolmen move outward at two angle seeking to flank their perceived opponent in the bush. Talius sees these men swing around to both his right and his left.

As the trailing party moves and approaches, everyone in laying in wait can see them more clearly. It becomes clear that these are no villains. They are young Dannein warriors in training. Their smock coats suggest that they are from Baoill. Their size and movement suggests that they are likely in their mid or upper teenage years. Still, their patrol tactics and aggression is impressive for their youth.

Ruacht stands up. His cudgel is in his hand and then it is spinning end over end at high speed towards the trail party point man. Before the thrown cudgel even reaches its target, Ruacht, though unarmed, is already in barreling full charge towards the young shield bearer.

EDIT AFTER ROLL RESULTS: Ruachts cudgel hits the young point man in the forehead. A painful thunking sound rings out in the night, the sound of wood popping against bone. The cudgel bounces high in the air, and before it hits the ground Ruacht crashes full speed into the youth's shield, blowing him completely off of his feet. The boy sails up and hits the ground hard. Ruacht is already standing over him and jerks the shield out the boy's hand while he lies on his back prone.