Outracing the Flames RPG

[Arry]

Wulfham


‘Wake up, wake up. Someone's out there in the bushes....a woman, I think. We have to help her.’

Dorran’s voice broke through the thick fog of sleep. That and the accompanying screams that tore among the trees. Brand scrambled out from his blankets and jammed his feet into his boots. ‘A woman?’

The sounds of the panicking horses grew louder. They were whinnying in fear and moving restlessly against their tethers. ‘No human that,’ he said picking up his oak cudgel.

‘Fetch your bow,’ he called to Dorran. ‘Vaenosa! Incana! To the horses with your weapons. They’re under attack!’

Brand grabbed up one of the long branches that lay by the fire and lit it, wielding it in his left hand. He and the others fanned out from each other just a little as they made their way quickly to the now screaming horses . . .

[Maeggaladiel]

"A Rider?" Fionn echoed, the corners of his mouth curving into a wry smile. "Oh, I've thought about it, to be sure. Most of the village lads have thought about it, when they were younger." He stood and stretched, and went to the party's saddlebags. He dug through their packs, looking for a kettle or something that would serve as one.

"Most've us would have done anything for a chance. But the fact is, we're farmers," he continued, as though the concept of becoming a Rider were but a silly childhood dream. "I don't weild a great lance or ride giant horse; I raise chickens." He grinned over his shoulder at the man and held up a small copper kettle.

"Found one," he said, waving the kettle. "Don't suppose the others will mind us using it; they'll be drinking from it too." He dissappeared for a moment, going down to the stream. He came back a few minutes later with the pot filled with clear water.

It had been a lie; Fionn would have jumped at the chance to join the Riders. Yes, he knew it sounded like the stereotypical young hero story. A farm boy from nowhere in particular rises to greatness in the service of his King. But it was much more appealing than the story of his life thusfar: amateur archer and lord of a vegetable garden and a bunch of brainless chickens.

Despite his apparent naiveté, Fionn knew when to keep some dreams to himself. Otherwise, they were trod upon. This was one of those dreams.

Fionn set the kettle down by the fire. The smell of cooking potatoes made his stomach growl.

"I don't think plain potatoes have ever sounded so appealing," he said with a laugh. "Although hopefully the others will have had some luck hunting, and then we'll have some meat to go with 'em." Still, he thought, some butter would be nice as well.

Fionn reclaimed his seat by the fire.

"You said you've been to Edoras?" he asked suddenly. "As a Rider? What was it like? I've never seen it."

[Naria]

Wulfham


Incana had just go to dreaming in her warm bedroll; when she heard Brand's panicked voice, "Vaenosa, Incana! To the horses with your weapons they're under attack!" Fully awake at that point she heard Starlight. The mare was making a horrible snorting scream. Incana quickly jumped up and grabbed her knife that had been tucked under her bedroll. It was still dark and very little could be seen, but she heard everything including a low catlike rumble that came from the trees as she passed them to get to Starlight.

Incana reached her horse and went to untie her, but because the horse was so spooked and scared the lead that was around the tree had been tightened. Incana tried to untie the knot but to no avail. She brought her knife to the lead and began hacking at the leather straps. Incana's actions were making it worse for the mare and she started to pull back even harder and whinnying louder. Incana ignored the protesting horse and kept working at the lead. She finally had freed Starlight and held the remaining strap in her hand. Incana approached the other two horses, this time she did not take as long on their leads as she had on Starlight's. Now that she had all three nervous equins in her grasp she headed towards the dying firelight. Suddenly Incana heard another yowl from the animal in the trees; Starlight became spooked again and reared up almost bringing Incana's arm with her. The mare's hooves came down witht a thud her right front hoof grazing Incana's thigh. Incana let out a blood curdling scream of pain, she desperately wanted this night and this wretched beast in the shadows to be gone.

[Nogrod]

Bregoware

Sythric

After finishing his modest meal, Sythric just sat motionless for a time, staring at the landscape and the diminishing light. As the light really started fading, he finally rose up and called Thydrë with a low whistle. She appeared from the deepening shadows, and Sythric walked to meet it half-way. After securing the packing, he patted her gently on the neck. Thydrë lowered and turned its head a bit to better meet the man’s face, watching him with her large, dark eyes.

“I’m sorry my friend. Yes, I am.”, he said with a soft voice. “And yes, I had a choice. The March-warden would have given me a rested horse from his stables, yes he would have.” Sythric sighed, and run his fingers through her mane. “But here you are with me, my friend. I couldn’t think of getting to a journey like this without you.” Thydrë shaked her head, just a little. Like she would have said, that she understood. Sythric wasn’t quite sure about this mutual understanding in this case though. “Not this night, but the next, we will both sleep well. That I’ll promise to you, if it is under my power. And before the morning, you will eat well too.” He patted her twice, and got himself into the saddle.

“Now, let’s ride swiftly to gain some rest at the early hours, before tomorrow’s ride.”

[Valier]

Wulfham

After a short while of sitting on her bedroll leaning up against Nay, Vaenosa stretched her legs out of the cross-legged position. She was getting drowsy and thought she would find somewhere less comfortable that had a better view point. She placed her daggers back in their sheaths and shouldered her bow and quiver. Grabbing Nay's reins she led him towards a large tree that overlooked the fire and the sleeping people. She left Nay to graze at the bottom while, she scrambled her way up to a large branch. She leaned her back against the bark and stretched her legs out in froint of her.

She was enjoying the brisk breeze and the darkness that crept up on the borders of their camp, when Nay began to prance nervously with his nostrels flaired and his ears back. Then came the low growl and the horses screams. Vaenosa squinted in the darkness and made out a tawny outline and the flash of feline eyes. It was a female and she was stalking the horses with the intent of eating at least one of them.

Vaenosa stealthily pulled her bow and a single arrow from her back. She quietly lined up and pulled back on the string. She would take her time, kill the animal as it crouched in the longer grass. She let out a slow prolonged breathe, she was aiming directly for the cat's head. When out of the corner of her eye she saw Dorran jump up from the sounds from the horses. He ran towards Brand, shaking him awake. Now both men were on their feet, shouting for the women to get the horses.

Vaenosa's eyes faultered from her target and she let the arrow go with a twang, it went wild, off in to the bush. Incana screamed and the cat vanished.

Thouroughly enraged with the actions of the group. She shouldered her weapons and lept to the ground, sprinting towards the camp.

"You mindless Fools!" Vaenosa screeched, red faced and out of breath. What did you think I was doing all night? brushing my hair? I saw the cat! I was just about to put an arrow through it's head, but all your screaming scared it away! Now it will be lurking in the shadows waiting for another opportunity to pounce.

We have but two choices; We cower by the fire and hope that we don't fall asleep or it sneaks up at unawares. Or we can hunt down the beast now and put an end to all this! If the cat is that hungry she may follow us a distance hoping we will stop again. Vaenosa stood chest heaving eyes blazing at the people who had ruined her shot.

[Tevildo]

"Are you mad, truly mad, to turn on a wild beast alone without even bothering to wake the rest of us?" Dorran muttered through gritted teeth. He had finally reached his breaking point, and his anger spilled over onto the woman. He stared out into the night but could neither hear or see the cat. "I do not pretend to have faced such a creature before, but I do know he is swift and ferocious and outweighs you by many stones. I don't doubt that you are a good shot, Vaenosa, but you are no professional hunter. And a creature like this has not been seen anywhere near our village in the past ten years."

"If you had hit him, but failed to strike a fatal blow, he would have turned on you or, more likely, murdered us as we slept in our bedrolls. There would have been no one to back you. You are lucky that you missed him and that he ran away."

"I am sorry," growled Dorran, "but ever since this day began your only aim has been to show us exactly how tough you are. We know you're tough and bright. Aldwulf would never have let you go on this trek had you been anything else. But our group will never reach Edoras, not one of us, unless we stop battling each other. And if we fail in our mission, many innocent people may die, struck down by these Orcs. You have never seen these creatures, but I tell you they will make mincemeat of us unless we start acting and thinking like a team. Orcs care not whether you are woman or man: they will rip your body apart and devour the flesh raw. I know. I have seen them do it."

With anger still glinting in his face, Dorran placed his hand over his eyes, rubbing away something that looked suspiciously like a tear. Then he glared down at the ground, knowing he had said and shown too much, "This creature is hungry and knows our horses are easy pickings," he continued in a calmer tone. "Surely he will be back. Will he not? So what do we do? How do we prepare? How do we take him on as a team?" He looked around the circle at the others, waiting for someone to speak. Except for the sound of the human's voices, it was deathly silent in the camp. There was no howling cat who sounded like a woman, but the usual background noise of frogs and other small night creatures was also ominously absent.

[Valier]

Wulfham


Vaenosa stood with fists clenched answered Dorran with obstinance in her voice, "Mad you say? The choice I made was not mad infact I thought that I was doing the right thing by everyone. I realized while I was in the tree top that the cat was not ready to attack and I had enough time to take a kill shot. My shouting would have given the animal more targets than just our horses. I may not be a professional hunter but I have succesfully killed my share of large prey in my journeys with Nay. With the time I felt I had before the cat sprung, I was sure my arrow would have flown true."

"Are you suggesting that I was not acting a team member? Looking back I truly believe that I was making the right move until you guys messed it up with your hollering. Now look what you have done, you've scared it off into the shadows and Incana is hurt. I will tell you this only one time, I will never take on an Orc by myself. If I did then you could call me mad."

Vaenosa glared at the two heroic men and asked "Now what shall we do, oh wise ones with one member injured and a hungry cougar on the loose. Seeming as you have messed up my hunt I will do what you wish in order to get the beast," Vaenosa said bending low with outstretched arms towards the bushes.

[Envinyatar]

Wulfham

The smell of the woman’s blood inflamed her. The cat circled around in the shadows beyond the camp. Several of the two-leggeds were speaking loudly to each other; their attention focused away from her for the moment.

The horses were in disarray. It did not take much to come sprinting up quickly in silence and frighten one enough that it pulled away from the injured women. The chestnut mare went galloping wild-eyed from camp. The cat, her ears flattened against her skull, made powerful strides to close the distance.

Her cub by this time had moved in despite his mother’s warning and crawling low along the ground began stalking the bleeding woman. Once he was in range he would make the killing leap . . .