The Sentinels: Sleeping Giants

[DeletedUser]

"The boy passed not too long ago. We will have time to move before he can return with support. Where are the others?"
"They're moving out, come on, we need to move quickly." Galen replied, after casting one last weary glance towards Cytringham, he turned and began to sprint back towards where he'd left Drake and Cesare.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

Cesare
Although his hand moved away from his swords hilt Cesare was still sceptical about the alchemist's reasons for tracking down the former members of a long dead order but decided to let the matter rest "No you wouldn't have found me for I was never a Sentinel, that particular honour belonged to my brother Dashel...an honour that cost him his life" an edge of bitterness crept into the mans voice as he spoke of his brothers death. It hadn't been the Sentinels fault that he had died; his brother had always been eager to be where the fighting was thickest or to volunteer for some dangerous errand deep into enemy territory.
Despite Drakes offer to take him back to his house to show Cesare what he had learnt he continued walking down the road deciding that to actually return to the city they had just escaped from would be the height of foolishness "Another time perhaps...though if you wish to learn about them then I will tell you what I know of them; The assassin I never met nor her apprentice though I gather they just upped and left one day, abandoning the order. The older male leader you speak of was...Ragnar?...yes... that was it Ragnar, again I never met him but the female leader you speak of was Kaella, gods she was beautiful and able to sing the birds from out of the tree's I would have made her my wife if she had been inclined to return my affections but alas she perished in Rithe Halla whilst fighting Queen Ariel" a fleeting glimpse of her smiling face flashed across his mind, a memory of that day he had taught her to fight with a sword all those years ago causing a stab of grief in his chest.
Hurrying on with his train of thought lest he become mired in the memories of the girl he had once professed to love he moves onto the next name on his list "Ben Andrews he was another one...some kind of warrior mage , last I heard he was some kind of mercenary though I also heard rumours that he'd died on the burning shore so I can't be certain of his fate either way...that’s about it really, you already know about Galen" it was hard to believe that the history of the last group of Sentinels had been summarised within the space of a few minutes when suddenly another name came to him "Mark...yes he was one too...now what happened to him?" he spoke quietly to himself as he slowly tried to drag the details of the priests fate from out of his mind.
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The Oracle
Raising a single hand in order to stop the flow of questions "You ask too many questions Ben Andrews, many of which only you yourself can answer...about your condition I am no healer I merely see things that others do not, only the one thought lost to you has the ability to heal this affliction and as for the one you call Isolla..." the girl closes the lids over her sightless eyes and stands in silence for several seconds before slowly speaking once again "...her fate is unclear to me… perhaps you should ask your gods to give you a sign? As good a destination as any is it not?"

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Drake listened to the explanation Cesare gave about the members of the Sentinels. He twitched slightly when he said that Kaella was dead. He hadn't heard of her death...he'd lost track of her after the battle, but figured she'd just been keeping a low profile. He had either directly heard or guessed the rest, but the information had been highly useful, as it confirmed a lot of what he'd had to guess on.

Cesare then mentioned a man named Mark. Drake stopped, cocking his head curiously. "I'll be honest, I haven't heard of a Mark...unless he was the priest I heard of in some stories. Was never able to find any priest that matched descriptions of him, though, so I dismissed the stories as being incorrect. What can you tell me of him?"

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Ben listened, it appeared Isolla was not the one who would heal his injury. "Perhaps you should ask your gods to give you a sign? As good a destination as any is it not?" Ben stiffened, attempting to remain calm. Ben had always felt like the gods had abandoned him since his incident, so he had turned his back on them too. But still, it was worth a try. "Oracle, I thank you. Is there anything I can do for you in return for this service? The least I could do is lend you a spare bed roll." Ben spoke calmly and softly. He would pray once he returned to his bedroll.

 

[DeletedUser]

Galen ran towards where he expected Cesare and Drake to be, sure enough, they were steadily moving along a dirt track.
With Brynjolf behind him, Galen ran out in front of the pair, breathing in deeply, he began to speak, his voice rasping. “Got Brynjolf, sounds like the boy made it to Cytringham, we need to hightail south fast. I suggest we loot the next inn we find for horses and supplies.”
He finished, Cytringham would surely send a patrol out, and they needed to get south as fast as possible, if that meant pillaging and murder, then so be it, their survival was more important.

 

[DeletedUser]

"I suggest we loot the next inn we find for horses and supplies.”
Brynjolf listened to Galen as he laid out his plan to the others but he did not agree. There was no way he would start down that path unless he really had to. Rogest had taught him better than that so he stepped forward. 'There are other ways. I did not agree to looting and if that is the path we are taking, I will take my leave. I still do not know why we have suddenly found ourselves in such danger but I suspect that they will not be looking for me considering I was out of sight when all this happened. Now if you are willing to let me guide, I can take us through the wilds faster than any patrol can follow but if you insist on preying on the weak then this is farewell.'

To emphasise his point Brynjolf began walking away. They would follow or not. Either way he didn't want to be near here if things really did go wrong.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

The Oracle
"No thank you, Lothar and I have a small camp within the forest...though any food you can spare would be appreciated" the girl replied quietly to Ben's offer of a bed roll "if you wish to speak with your gods then there is a shrine a short distance to the south of here that should suit your needs" she supplied, pointing roughly in its direction. Although it was far too dark to make the trip now it would be possible for them to make a quick stop in the morning.
The oracle and her giant guardian would stay long enough to accept any offerings made to them before disappearing into the night once more without a trace.
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Cesare
"Not a lot I am afraid...I only met him very briefly before the battle at the black gates...asked my brother for some of his men to accompany him to some standing stones, said it was vital that he went there...all I know for sure is that of the five men that went there only one returned and he died shortly afterwards" it had been a miracle that the scout had managed to make his way back to their camp, his entire body covered in horrific burns and scars leaving him practically blind and with blood flowing openly from his wounds and his breath rattling painfully from out of his chest "...he told us that the Prince regent; Oberon had been waiting for them and that he was the only one that had managed to flee before things got nasty" the battle of the black gate had started the following morning and so none of them had travelled up to the standing stones in order to verify the dead mans tale however Mark had never returned so there was no reason for them to doubt its truth.
Pulling an inch of sword blade from out of its scabbard Cesare turned to watch as the others joined them from out of the darkness, letting the blade drop back into place as he listened to what Galen had to tell them followed by both his and Brynjolf’s solutions "What so that the guards can follow our trail of destruction?...no Brynjolf's right, we need to disappear...they won't follow us far, not in the dark anyway" Cesare replied before turning to follow the Chasind. Times were hard enough without him making things harder by stealing people’s livelihoods or their lives.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Drake listened to Cesare's explanation about Mark, his body twitching as Oberon was mentioned. When the one-armed man was finished, the alchemist shook his head. "I didn't start looking for Sentinels until a year after the Battle of the Black Gate, so it's no surprise I never found Mark. I wonder why he was so special that the prince regent himself was dispatched to eliminate him." He had planned on saying more, but Brynjolf and Galen reappeared, prompting plan discussions. Galen wanted to loot the next town they came to, and Brynjolf wanted to live off the land. Drake favored the Chasind's plan, and was relieved when Cesare agreed with it. He kept quiet, following Brynjolf and Cesare, thinking about what he'd learned. His tracking the Sentinels had gone surprisingly well, and Mark was thought dead. The alchemist hadn't been entirely honest with the man...someone had sparked his interest in the stories thought to be folklore...a certain priest, striving to be a mage, with green eyes and brown hair, had instilled the drive in him. He had only started looking for Sentinels three years ago, a full half-year after Mark had supposedly died...so how had the priest inspired him to start his search?

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Ben thanked the Oracle and went and grabbed a spare loaf of bread from the food supplies. One of the men asked him what he was doing "An offering to the gods, for sending us some guidance." Ben replied before coming back to the Oracle and giving her and Lothar the bread. "Thank you for you advice. It has been much appreciated." Ben told the Oracle and then he watched as she turned and left the temple. It was almost time for his watch so he took over early. He kept watch at the temple until the morning.

(OOC: I'll wait for the night to pass for everyone else too before I make my next post)

 

[DeletedUser]

Brynjolf gave a sigh of relief as Cesare agreed with his plan. He really didn’t like the idea of hurting anybody when he still had no real idea of what was happening.
Brynjolf turned and looked at the wilds ahead of him. He would need to find somewhere that was safe and well hidden for them to sleep and rest and he doubted the others were as adept at sleeping in trees as he was.

Brynjolf cupped his hands together over his mouth and let out a loud cawing noise which was greeted by a reply in the distance. ‘This way,’ he said to the others and moved off into the trees. Raven’s never roosted near natural threats so where they were was a good place to start looking for a camp. It also helped to have birds around as they made excellent early warning for approaching danger.

Brynjolf ran quickly through a plan in his head. He would get the others to a place to rest, go hunting while one of them stood watch and then take over watch once he returned. He also wanted to find time to speak with Drake but that could wait.

‘Come on,’ he shouted back as he waited for the others to catch up.

 

[DeletedUser]

Galen scowled underneath his mouthguard as Cesare said something about a trail of destruction, ruling that they would discreetly move to their destination.
Brynjolf proceeded to lead the way, after making animal noises.
Galen fumed, although he did not show it. Why didn’t Cesare get it? He wasn’t proposing that they burn everything they came across. Only that it would be quicker if they stole a few horses, and maybe some supplies. If they had to kill to get them, so be it.
Why didn’t they all understand? They obviously hadn’t fought in the war. They didn’t understand that things were different now. So very much different.
The rules of society no longer stood rock solid. You took all that you could, and you gave nothing back. It was dog eat dog, survival of the fittest.
If they carried on like this they’d end up screwed somehow.
Galen of course, had grown accustomed to the new rules of life much more quickly. After all, he’d grown up in Allansia, the most lawless hive of scum there once was.
Galen could still remember it, all those years ago, when he’d stolen from Busana, and Ragnar had recruited him.
He thought he’d finally got it. Taken out of living in a slum, stealing coppers, to working with specialists on elite missions.
Life seemed so easy; pick a lock or two and relax.
That was all he had to do.
Then the mission to get Isolla had come. Then the war…oh the war. With Ragnar dead, Busana, Matheld and Ben missing, then was the battle of the Black Gate.
Oh, the memories, how they haunted him every day and every night.
Snapping out of his thoughts Galen followed the others through the trees, as Brynjolf searched for a campsite.
By now, the boy would have got to the Cytringham garrison, a patrol was probably riding out at this very moment.
It would take them a short while to get to the village, after making enquiries there, if they felt that the group were worth the trouble, they would scout the neighbouring countryside.
If they did Galen gave it a matter of hours before a scout chanced upon them.
But of course, if they’d liberated some horses they have been away a lot faster, but noooo…..
The Chasind didn’t want to do any bad things to ‘innocents’.
Sooner or later, he would realise that no one was innocent. There weren’t people like that. Only people like them.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

Cesare
They had followed the Chasind for several hours through the trees before finally stopping and making camp around a small smokeless fire not to dissimilar to the ones Ragnar used to make back in the old days before the war that would drive much of mankind from their homelands and into the far north becoming uneasy neighbours for the Chasind.
"Come first light we'll continue towards Dunnoc and then we can begin our search" Cesare spoke quietly from out of the shadows, the light of the fire barely capable of illuminating him as he spoke with the others "With any luck it'll only be a simple matter of finding her somewhere in the village but if not..." Cesare let the sentence die not liking the thoughts it provoked in his head; images of finding his sister dead or dying although there were fates far worse than dying after all they were headed for the borderlands after all hence his desire for a group of able bodied men with swords.
"I doubt the guards will find us as they'll probably only follow the road down to the next village but we'd best set a guard...I'll take the first watch"

 

[DeletedUser]

Galen lay down by the campfire, Cesare was taking the first watch. Galen wasn't going to complain, he could use some sleep.
Although hidden by his hood, large bags lay under his eyes, which in turn were filled with shadows.
He did not remove any of the weapons strapped to his body. He wasn't going to be caught off guard.
Laying his head down against the cold earth, he closed his eyes.
And then they came. They came every night, when he lapsed for a moment, they played incessantly.
The memories.

Screams. Cries. Roars. War.
He was in the passes in the mountains by the Black Gate. Part of the force that had been assigned to protect the flanks.
It had been easy at first. The Kavori flanking forces attacking were funneled by the narrow passes, from there they had been picked off one by one.
It was tough, but the line held.
And then came hell.
The bravest Golden Ones had climbed upwards, and then jumping downwards, crashing into the enemy.
With the enemy falling on them, and an endless stream of Golden ones charging at their front. The line broke. The men routed.
It was a slaughter. Men were crushed under the feet of others, the Golden ones wreaked havoc unhindered.
Galen remembered it well. Too well.

He woke abruptly.
Standing up, he moved over to Cesare.
"I'll take the watch. You get some sleep."

 

[DeletedUser]

Brynjolf lead the party to a likely spot for a camp and left them all to their own devices while he hunted down a couple of pheasants and a grouse. They might choose to complain about the cold but they wouldn’t go hungry.

Once he had tossed the birds to the side of the camp fire he began his own preparations. He didn’t travel with people very often but he wouldn’t let it change his routine. So after checking the ground for tracks and signs of predators and satisfying himself that they were safe, he began searching for a roost to sleep. He didn’t want to disturb the ravens that nested in the area and spoil the early warning of danger which they provided so he found himself a low branch not far from the camp and getting himself comfortable he watched the others.
He watched as the two strangers exchanged words before the angry one laid down, weapons and all, for sleep. He also watched as the same man tossed and turned before waking again to take his turn at watch. Brynjolf couldn’t decide if he should trust them or not but he trusted Drake and for now their paths went the same direction.
Brynjolf became suddenly aware that he had drew his swords and he was gently cleaning them. He had no idea when he had begun but the action comforted him so he continued.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

They came to a decent campsite and set up. Cesare took the first watch before Drake could offer, so he resigned himself to attempting to sleep. He typically only caught a couple of restless hours a night as his fear of the curse jolted him awake constantly, just in case he needed to actively fight it. He sat with his back against a tree, still in full armor. He idly wondered if anyone would ask him about his unwillingness to remove the heavy equipment, but was glad no one did...he wouldn't have an easy answer for them.

In the middle of the night the alchemist started awake, tensing himself for the curse...only to find it wasn't afflicting him. Cursing softly, he looked around to see Galen had taken the watch. Rising, he went over to the thief and said, "You can go back to sleep...odds are I won't be getting any more rest tonight, so I might as well do something useful." His voice wasn't as gruff as usual, but rather was resigned...he'd had way too long to get used to this.

 

[DeletedUser]

"You can go back to sleep...odds are I won't be getting any more rest tonight, so I might as well do something useful."
Galen nodded. Even though he knew that these days he could hardly ever get to sleep without remembering.
Without saying a word he stood up and moved back to his place.
Once more he tried to sleep. But once more every time his eyelids fell shut his mind replayed those horrific few hours.
Eventually he gave up. Sitting up, he took out a whetstone and began to sharpen his knives as quietly as he could. Trying not to wake Cesare, who evidently was the only one out of them all who was able to sleep.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

Cesare
With the first rays of dawns light filtering its way through the trees; the ravens crowing loudly overhead as Cesare and the others set about breaking camp and erasing any sign of their small campfire, he doubted that anybody would come looking for them but it didn't hurt to be careful.
They travelled through the trees for around half an hour before coming to the edge of the great rolling hills beyond, stopping to eat one of the birds that Brynjolf had caught during the night before carrying on.
Travelling across the undulating terrain they saw little sign of civilisation before they reached the river. Crouched atop of the hill Cesare looked down upon the wide slow moving river in the distance, its muddy brown waters capable of taking a trading cog so long as the captain didn't wish to turn around, a single wooden bridge seeming to be the only way across, the pair of squat wooden towers declaring that at they would have to pay a toll at the very least in order to use it "We'll have to use the bridge...there’s no telling how far down stream we'll have to walk before finding another crossing point" and it'll probably be guarded too Cesare silently lamented after all its what he'd have done.
Shifting the pack on his back into a more comfortable position he looks over his shoulder at the others waiting to see if there was any objections before they continued on their way.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

(OOC: Morning has come, I'll take my cue)
Ben sat out the rest of the night on watch and as the suns rays light the temple he began to appreciate the ruins. Most of the roof was missing, but it appeared that wildlife had taken it's place, there were birds chirping from the rooftop. The camp was beginning to stir and so Ben walked back into the camp, greeting the men as he went. They ate a small breakfast of some sausages, using up some of the perishables before putting out the fire, putting all the stuff on the horses and leaving. Ben led the group across the field towards the temple.

 

[DeletedUser]

Brynjolf looked out at the towers. They meant guards and guards of any kind were often bad news. Still, he had seen bad omens everywhere he looked recently and he was determined to be positive for once.

‘Shall I scout ahead?’ He asked the party as a whole. ‘Have a look at what and who we are dealing with?’

He smiled despite himself and gently eased the hilts of his swords loose in their scabbards. It was something he did subconsciously. Rogest had taught him that he needed to keep his weapons loose so that they didn’t stick in battle. An unarmed man is a dead man He used to say.

 

[DeletedUser]

"Shall I scout ahead? Have a look at what and who we are dealing with?"
"Don't bother." Replied Galen. "It shouldn't turn sour, and if it does, we'll be capable of dealing with them." He said confidently.
With that in mind he moved off down the hill towards the river. Though despite his words he kept his hands near the hilts of his knives.