Book Three, Chapter Two: �You Have Two Choices. Surrender And Be Hung, Or Die Fighting.�

The first Electronic Chapter - 06/09/97 that funeral day.

We are in Azadmere for the wedding of the Khuzdul Princess from Kiraz and Kruel, Sergeant of the Royal Guard. The party consists of  Daniel Fichelscher the Bard and scribe of this Saga, the Erana Sir Martyn Yanyez De Barbudo and his mighty goat (what ever you do, don�t mention the goat), Zytsi of Orinane the Famous Khuzdul mason, and Aruth Hempstead of the War Wagon. Not forgetting our entourage - Aliester Crawlie, Martyn�s manservant, two porters and a cook. Oh yes and Giles and Estalyn may, or may not, be around, depending.

The celebrations might be more chivalrous stuff, Martin printed out 35 of the 5 pages from the Web that Mike forgot to bring with him. Daniel thinks that chivalrous sieges suck as a concept so what chance do tournaments have. Apparently not calling Martyn Sir is a crime punishable by flogging, branding, imprisonment or (or was it and) death by flogging.

It�s the month of Morgat and the Wedding is at the end of the year, which is 724. So we go shopping, again. Why is it that we spend most of our time nowadays shopping? When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. We�ll winter here and the gems are cut, so that�s another 7,200 d each. Aruth gets a rather neat bow. - Winter here? More like spend a couple of days.

Shopping for gear (mostly) at the Master Weapon smith, Pakath of Azadmere.

Bastard Sword costs. Base cost is 180d, base magical (no plus) is 360d, +5 bonus is 720d, +10 bonus is 1,440d, +15 bonus is 2,880d, +20 bonus is 6,000d, +25 bonus is 12,000d. This is the base weapon.

Then you add the extra gems that do interesting things:

Additional critical, same severity with a same roll is 4,000d, or one severity less 2,000d and different critical is an extra 2,000d.

Additional critical, same severity with a different roll is 20,000d.

Additional critical, one less severity with a different roll is 20,000d.

Additional critical, different critical, same severity with a different roll is 40,000d.

NB There is a 20% increase for bows.

Double damage 25,000d.

�Shield� spell built into something will cost 500d per round per day.

Circlet that protects as a helm and allows Mentalist spells to be cast - 5,000d.

Sir Martyn upgrades the bard! With a 5 round �Shield� spell ring and then added an additional critical, one severity less, same table and different roll the Bardic Sword. Daniel is very impressed.

Fortunately the Man of Power who needs to recharge Sir Martyn�s hand and foot each year, in Peonu next year, was at the wedding so we didn�t have to go to Melderyn. Zytsi the Magnificent presents the wedding present - exceptionally good workmanship even for Zytsi - even the Khuzdul are impressed with his carved stone box. Zytsi pulls one of the bridesmaids, youngest daughter of a lesser noble, who is impressed with him (triple roll up). Does Zytsi want a permanent sweetheart? Zhara is her name.

Your humble bard wrote this poem for him to celebrate the occasion:

Shall I compare thee to a two handed battle-axe,

useful to have and more than a hand full,

+25 with an extra-critical of a lesser severity on a different table.

A slim well formed body,

easy to grasp in a melee,

with a large heavy lump at the top,

very good against Gargun.

Daniel goes to the Harper�s Craft hall, one of only 4 on Harn, to research the Eye of Kor (which was we are going for) , the Sunken City of Ridow on the Isle of Gyzem (where the Eye of Kor is). The Isle of Gyzem and the Sunken City of Ridow - all the information we have been told by the demon is true. They have only limited information on the Eye of Kor, it is supposed to be a green emerald about goose egg size. There are rumours of it having magical powers of great healing (bring back from the dead) and great destruction (destroys cities). It is supposedly sentient. Associated with a legendary hero (humans, elfish, dwarfish, or demi-god) called Kor, or not as the case may be. Ancient, predating history as we know it, back to the days of the Earthmasters (or Ancients as they are sometimes called).

Sir Martyn talks to the lay healer who powered his hand and foot to take a message back to Cherafir. He tells him where we a going next, Araka-Kalai in Misyn, to deal with the demon following Sir Martyn. This is so he can find out more about the implications of the demon in the extra planar Portals being freed. Or at any rate being given the Eye of Kor.

So the route to Araka-Kalai in Misyn is to go to Kaldor and follow a pilgrim trail of the church of Ilvir. From Tashal the most direct route goes through the lands of the Kath, and some more Gargun. and then follow a trail over the Felsha mountains, down the Gethedon river across the Misyn plains to the Wose river. The Ivashu care little about the religious beliefs of their dinner. We�ll be going back via an Earthmaster site (because its there) and Trobridge (to see how it�s going). The Earthmaster site is called Anisha, and is protected by a small tribe. ((We research it before we go but we want to get a move on - so the information is still due)).

We leave Azadmere on the 14th of Nuzyael 725, it would have been earlier but Zytsi can�t be found for a while. I wonder why, but he gets a goodbye kiss and some jeers from a few the Royal Guard. He has a yellow ribbon and a dagger (+25 with an extra critical of a lesser severity) as favours, he gave her one (an ornamental one from the Hodiri) as well. He has had his evil way with her, is she pregnant? Does he know, err no to the last at any rate.

We are planning go to Olokand, which should take us about 3 weeks. The first three days are uneventful to the Gates of Azadmere, its Khuzdul patrolled. Here is the weather report, its raining. It�s Harn what did you expect the weather to be like. On the sixth day out we come to some waterfalls and a tree has fallen across the path. Like all journeys through Harnic wilderness we are currently in mixed forest. Paranoia, is it a trap? Sir Martyn braves rides forward to scout it. He thinks he can see a couple of guys a couple of hundred feet off into the woods crouching done. He hails them, nobody else can see them. Nothing happens, he hails them again, still nothing happens, so fires his arbalest in their general direction. The Erana Sir Martyn Yanyez De Barbudo awesomely and nobly charges them, with Daniel and Zytsi following. It was two bushes looking like people, so he must have scared them off. The tree is removed by the porters and the journey continues. The next day we reach the river with a bridge and a burnt out hut. I remember that one, but nobody mentions anything about. Chivalrous sieges are not a terribly good idea.

The next day see four armoured knights and eight men-at-arms, of Kaldor. They follow Baron of Nenda, the one whose men we �dealt with�. Veiled pleasantries at 20 paces. They don�t recognise Sir Martyn�s newly registered heraldic coat of arms, but they do know his name. Sir Martyn says he may meet their lord at the annual tournaments in Olokand. Afterwards we encounter 3 wagons, which pull off the road to let us by. That evening we encounter another group of wagons. We continue and camp further on.

Three days later, at midday, we find three dead bodies hacked to death, two in leather armour and one in robes. Relatively speaking recently dead. Six brigands did the dirty deed, says Aruth, and the bodies have been looted. The tracks go north, leading three horses (we are heading west). We leave the wagon off the road with the servants and follow their tracks, as Sir Martyn wishes to administer Feudal justice upon them. We find them at about 4 o�clock in the afternoon. We hear the sounds of shouting and drunken singing. They seem to think they are rich. We close on foot. Aruth goes the round the other side, Daniel and Zytsi take the two flanks. There is a small hut and five men roasting something on a fire.

Sir Martyn walks up and demands they surrender. They don�t. �You drop your sword or an arrow will hit you.� He doesn�t, an arrow hits and kills him, thanks Aruth. �Drop your swords and surrender�. They drop their swords and scatter. The sixth fell out of a tree and broke his arm (he was asleep). Sir Martyn throws his spear at one and hits him in the leg. Aruth shoots another one, but he keeps going. Zytsi hits one and stuns him something rotten. Daniel kills his stone dead.

Aruth shoots his one again, but misses. Sir Martyn captures the one who fell out of the tree. Zytsi  makes a very nasty mess of  his man with umpteen criticals, and knocks him into a two-month coma. Daniel closes on the other one that ran towards him, and had been hit by Sir Martyn�s spear, saying �Surrender or die.� He surrenders and Daniel leads him to the other prisoner and stands guard. Sir Martyn gets on his horse and follows the escapee with Aruth. Daniel stops the bleeding on the one Sir Martyn hit with his spear. They had 1200d and three horses. Sir Martyn and Aruth track the last one who is also bleeding. This one won�t surrender, he knows he will be hung  and attacks Sir Martyn with a dagger. Sir Martyn takes his dagger away. He still attacks and Sir Martyn knocks him out. We reassemble at the hut with the prisoners. The one who was in a coma died, nobody remembered he was bleeding. So we have three prisoners tied up.

They are charged with highway robbery, horse theft, grand larceny and murder, all hanging offences. Sir Martyn righteously hangs them. Three horses and three bandits and some rope. They are hung. Must remember to get some more hanging ropes. �Robbers� carved on tree, by Daniel.

Back to the road and supper, it takes three hours to get back. Then we have to bury the victims, my mistake the porters did that before we returned. Sir Martyn says a few words over the graves (The loot. 300d each for the bog standard riding horses we recovered, when we sell them, not forgetting the 1,200d). Its the 25th of Nuzyael 725 by the way.

Just as we are packing up a man in white robes, belt, boots, headband with two swords slung across back with hand luggage. He is coming towards us, from the way we are going. Sir Martyn greets him, and general chitchat ensures. He�s going to Azadmere, perchance to buy a sword. Makath is his name, of no fixed abode. He is a gladiator from Coranan. 28 years as a gladiator, now retired. He has heard of us. And, when asked, he remembers a gladiator from the minor league called Capel, the werewolf who vanished. Zytsi recommends Mazrabul as the best sword maker in Azadmere, and Pakath is recommended from Aruth and Daniel.

Three days later we find a dead body by the side of the road, and another eight as well. At the tatty end of armour, brigands perhaps. Sir Martyn says that they attacked a bloke, who proceeded to butcher them. It was short, fast and fairly efficiently, possibly Makath ? Later on that day we reach the bridge and enter Nenda�s lands. Three days later we reach Gardiren and buy 50 foot of rope in case we need to need to do some more hanging.

Four days later we finally reach Olokand, the 6th of Peonu. It costs us 42d in total to cross the bridge. The town as no town walls, and the town is considered to extend one arrow shot from the buildings. We sell the horses here. So now we have to follow the river Efrel into the foothills for 6 days, and then cross the Felsha mountains for about nine days (all things considered). Just spend the one day here, leaving on the 8th of Peonu.

Two days later we reach the point where the river forks. In the middle of the river is a bunch of people crossing on rafts, crossing the same way as us. There are about eight mercenary types. There are signs of campfire and raft construction on our side. After about 20 minutes they get to the other side, and then abandon the rafts. They seem ignore us and continue on. We have lunch as we wait. We eventually cross an hour after they have left, flying across in the wagon.

The next three days are uneventful and we arrive at the base of the mountains. It is the 12th of Peonu. Taking the wagon into the mountains should be impossible, but it is a special wagon. Daniel and  Zytsi go on to nocturnal mode.

On the first day a manticore encounters us camped, after flying, while Daniel and Zytsi are asleep. Daniel wakes up immediately, and Zytsi takes a bit longer. A quick Sudden Light drives it off, twice. The third time it comes in ignoring it this time, then the arbalest did some trivial damage, Daniel sang at it but it kept coming. It fired at Sir Martyn with its tail spikes, and hits him! Next attack was driven off by Daniel�s singing and Sir Martyn (on horseback) takes off and charges at it. It turns and fires at him, some more damage and then Sir Martyn hits it with his lance doing some damage. The next round Sir Martyn killed it on hit points! He flies around for a bit then comes back.

That evening Daniel was eating and leaning against a rock that moves. He moves away from as it starts to sprout arms and legs. And so do several others. Er quite a lot of others. They speak to us! They are hru, we are nervous. We don�t understand them at all, even if we do speak the same language, and then they meander off. Sir Martyn and Zytsi have met them before, with more or less the same result. They seem to get on all right with Khuzdul.

After two days during the night we are attacked by Gargun when Zytsi and Daniel are on watch. Eight attack Zytsi and four attacked Daniel. Zytsi kills one and two hit Daniel stunning him. The next round Zytsi kills another one, they hit Daniel again and he fell over a bit of a mess with six broken ribs. Aruth shot one in the head and killed it. Zytsi is hit and stunned. Sir Martyn leaps out of the wagon, does a �light� and hits one, which runs away. The other two hit him, as he is not wearing his armour. The next round Aruth takes another one out with an arrow and Sir Martyn takes out the last one that attacked Daniel. The next round they ran away.

The Herb pack fixes Daniel in 3 and 4 days for the total of 6 broken ribs. All damage cured in about a total of hour total. These were not the local Gargun, who are the Gargukiani, Red Gargun, the second nastiest ones. Just random white Gargun, the cheap ones like we fought in the Sorkin mountains. That hurt, but they don�t come back that night.

The next day, the fifth day in, as we get up in the morning we see storm clouds gathering. We find the best place we can, and camp to weather it out. Sir Martyn�s tent is a damn fine item. Aruth stays with the wagon, and the horses. There was a lightning strike that starts a minor avalanche, which he helps deflect with a Woodwall. It saved his life, but he did get a broken nose, a broken rib and a reasonable amount of damage.

The sixth day in, nothing happens. On the seventh night a snake tries to bite Zytsi, it fails miserably and expires of embarrassment. On the eighth day we see a hippogriff in the sky about half a mile away. It swoops in for the horses, Sir Martyn wounds it with the arbalest and this drove it off. This was the 20th of Peonu.

Here endeth the session.