[Nogrod]

”Herbert! Herbert! Quick now! They’re coming!”

Herbert had fallen into some kind of dreamlike state after crudely bandaging his left foot but was awakened harshly as Mr. Hearst pulled him. He fell off the chair stumbling to the floor and hitting his head nastily.

“We must run! Now!” the man shouted pulling him up from the floor quite violently. Herbert could see that Mr. Hearst’s uniform was muddied and his another sleeve had been torn. He was indeed bleeding from that shoulder and didn’t seem to be able to use the arm at all. It kind of just hung there.

Herbert cried from pain when pulled upright and his weight fell to his left foot. The cut he had gotten from the last figurine had gone sour.

“Now!” Mr. Hearst yelled his voice trailing off when Herbert seemed to froze from pain in the middle of the floor.

The first shells landed near enough so that even Herbert realised there was something that was very wrong. He was wide awake now and took a leap towards the table to grasp his figurines ignoring the pain in his foot and his head.

“There’s no time Herbert!” Mr. Hearst shouted as he realised what Herbert was trying to do. He tried to catch the boy rushing towards him.

“I need them!” Herbert cried as he busily picked up figurines from the table with him.

A shell exploded somewhere near the bunker and Herbert heard a voice crying from pain outside. Then the voice died out. But he was now aware there were people running up above, their breath panting heavily and their gear clattering.

“It’s not bombers or artillery! Tanks! They are coming and we must flee… now!” Mr. Hearst grabbed Herbert from the shoulder and yanked him away from the table dragging the stunned boy out from the bunker. He pushed him over the trench. It took some time he finally managed to climb up himself with difficulty using his only usable hand.

One of the female figurines - that of Brita - had dropped from Herbert's pocket and was cracked under his boot as he climbed.

Herbert had thought he had been somewhat aware of the situation but it was only now the full force of the truth hit him. He could never have imagined such a scene. His legs started shaking even if he was on his fours.

Scattered soldiers ran towards them and glancing around he saw a host running for their life towards the forest behind them. The first tanks were already at the other end of the fields behind the ruins of their house and were pounding the fleeing soldiers mercilessly. The enemy infantry was emerging from the edge of the forest behind the tanks.

“Now run! Run for your life! They’re making a break-through!”

Herbert ran. He ran like mad his foot aching more with every step and his head was still feeling dizzy. Explosions went off far and nearer. He was slowly losing his concentration but still pressed on aided by Mr. Hearst’s occasional pushes.

His hand went to his pocket as he ran and picked one of the figurines he had managed to grab from the table. He pulled it out without even trying to guess whose figurine it was.

Herbert took a firm hold of it with both of his hands – still running – and cracked it in two throwing it away without even glancing after it. And he ran.


*~*

With their Good Wizard not there to guide them the villagers were quite confused. Even if his bullying had annoyed people for the last few Days he had still made it smooth and easy basically giving them a wolf a Day. But now it was different. The villagers had to think for themselves. There was only one left but who was it?

The suspicions ran quite equally. First it looked like Kath was going to be lynched but then morm gained a few votes to make it equal only for Kath be put into the lead once more – until Greenie got a few also to tie with first morm and then Kath.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Eönwë and Legate. Legate seemed to be in heavy sleep and could not be awakened.

“Great udders of disappointment! Where are you Eönwë?” Kath exclaimed in frustration.

“I’d change my vote if I could” morm murmured.


“What are we to do then?” asked Legate who had just awakened.

“Even if I don’t like this, what’s wrong with a good-ole hanging?” morm suggested.

“Nothing I guess…” Kath admitted, “What a pity it had to be me…”

“Let’s hang her then! I have a rope here.” Lommy called.

Greenie and Lalaith took her from both arms and forced her to the oak tree beside the well.

“Now we’ll see what you’ve been up toDay!” Lommy said when she checked the rope and gave Greenie and Lalaith a mark to kick the stool from under her.

“I’ll prove my words to be true.” Kath said laconically. Then the rope tightened and she fell down her feet kicking in the air.

There was no change whatsoever.

Kath had been an innocent innkeeper.


*~*

Alive:

+ A Little Green, a fortune-teller - folklorist - herb-grower - unofficial therapist, advisor and midwife, most presumably a witch, the gammer (the eccentric mother of Lommy & Mac)
+ Shastanis Althreduin, astrologer/fortune teller, gaffer (Greenie's husband, father of Lommy & Mac)

+ Thinlómien, a bird tamer, adult (married to Nilp, Macalaure's sister)
+ Eönwë, Rikae's unofficial helper-person, 22 (their son)
+ Satansaloser 2005, Lommy's assistant, 17 (their daughter)

+ Durelin, poisoner 20 (Lhuna's evil twin, daughter of Cailín)


+ Roa_Aoife, school teacher, adult (mother of Legate, Brinn and Kit, wife of Nogrod, sister of Rikae)
+ Legate of Amon Lanc, sheep herder with tp, 19 (brother of Brinn & Kit, Sally's boyfriend, Agan's ex-bf)

+ Lalaith, chocolate maker, adult (sister of Nerwen, mother of Aganzir, Volo's daughter)

+ Mormegil, adult (son of Volo, husband of Celuien, father of Gwath and McCaber)
+ Gwathagor, a highwayman, 20 (McCaber's big brother)



The dead:
Eomer of the Rohirrim, adult (Cailín's husband, Lhuna's and Dury's father); An innocent beheaded by the werewolves on Night1
Nogrod, the judge, adult (Roa's husband, father of Legate, Brinn and Kit); An innocent torn in two by werewolves on Night1
Nerwen, the healer, adult (sister of Lalaith, Volo's daughter); An innocent nailed to the oak-tree on Day1.
Volo, the guy who knows everything about staying alive, the gaffer (Father of Nogrod, morm, Nerwen and Lalaith); The seer mutilated and eyes pulled off on Night2.
Kitanna, a tavern wench 21 (Legate's sister and Brinn's twin sister); An innocent ripped into pieces and thrown into the well on Night2.
Aganzir, the little match girl, 15 (Lalaith's daughter, dates McCaber); A werewolf burnt alive on Day2.
Macalaure, apple farmer, adult (married to Rikae, Lommy's brother); The ranger overpowered by four werewolves in a fight and torn to pieces on Night3.
The Ka, a dog whipper (a fatherless and ageless little child of Lalaith); An innocent impaled to a spear her doll in her hand on Night3.
Cailín, guinea pig breeder, adult (Nilp's sister); A werewolf melted into a candle-wax and burnt on Day3.
Diamond 18, dissolute, 11 (phantom's pre-teen littlesister); The seer eyes picked out (once again, what a bore...), throat slit and thrown into the well on Night4.
Nilpaurion Felagund, a house-bound sandwich-maker, adult (married to Lommy); A werewolf committed a suicide when the whole village turned against him on Day4.
Isabellkya, a gammer who loves asparagus and throwing knives (Shasta's sister); An innocent cut down in a way too horrible to describe on Night5.
Rikae, a lumberjack, adult (married to Macalaure, Roa's sister); The EW vanished in the battle of the Wizards on Day5.
the phantom, sheep herder with Legate, 21 (their adopted son, Di's brother); The GW vanished in the battle of the Wizards on Day5.
Celuien, a candle maker, adult (wife of morm, mother of Gwath and McCaber); A werewolf sliced in pieces by the men of the village on Day5.
Brinniel, Greenie's apprentice, 21 (Legate's sister and Kitanna's twin sister, Kath's life partner); An innocent chopped and turned into an exquisite dinner on Night6.
Lhunardawen, healer's apprentice, 20 (Cailín's daughter, good twin of Durelin); An innocent who had enough of the madness and ran away to find meaning into her life on the morning of Day6.
McCaber, a henchman, 18 (Gwath's little brother, dates Aganzir); An innocent who had enough of the madness and ran away to find meaning into his life on the morning of Day6.
Kath, tavern owner, 20 (their daughter, Brinn's life partner); An innocent traditionally hanged to the oak tree on Day6.



Night7 has begun!


Ranger and wolf do what you please. Others have a break…