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| Action Id: 3939 | Crisis: | Participants: Jeffeth, Natalia, Vesper, Rohran, Adalyn, Liam, Bree, Richard, Brannen, Bhandn and Podraig | |
| Status: Resolved | Submitted: March 14, 2020, 9:11 p.m. | Public: True | GM: Apostate |
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Silver: 500000 Economic Resources: 250 Military Resources: 5500 Social Resources: 450 Action Points: 100 |
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Action by Jeffeth
Jeffeth and the Knights of Solace will be escorting the newly arrived refugees to safe harbor and shelter. The knights will be protecting the refugees at their landing and riding through with them to various locations throughout the compact to provide them a new home. The Knights of Solace will be gathering in force to support these large groups of refugees, because of this, they will be in position to support the Templars should martial conflict arise.
At their arrival, the Knights of Solace will be providing full security for the refugees to allow them to be cared by the Mercies before escorting them across the land to various safe harbors owned by the Compact.
Jeffeth himself will be amongst the throng of his knights, leading by example. Riding with his knights back and forth to ensure their safe paths. He will most of the time try to endear himself to the refugees, dismounting and hiking among the refugees as one of them. Carrying their burdens, their children, maybe some of them at times. He will pledge his strength to be their strength, so that they are assured they are truly welcome and safe here.
Action by Natalia
Natalia will be providing comfort and assistance to the refugees while they are on the move. There is a great deal of very scary change going on for a lot of people, and so Natalia is moving amongst them and doing everything she can to keep people calm, hopeful, and tended to. Socializing, telling stories, explaining things sensibly, finding things for people to look forward to, and so on. She'll help at meal times and the like as well. Lots of lending a quiet, comforting presence.
Action by Podraig
Podraig will be assessing the refugees for combat ability and pointing out those who could potentially pose a danger to Natalia or Jeffeth as the case may be. He'll also be assisting Natalia with providing further assistance in the process.
Action by Rohran
Rohran will be joining the effort, assisting in whatever way he can. When large groups of people move like this, there's always work that needs doing, and he's not a man who's averse to getting his hands roughed up and dirty. Carrying things; setting up, and tearing down camps; sitting around campfires and drinking ale. He's a man of the people, even these people.
Action by Adalyn
Adalyn will be joining in the effort to assist the flood of refugees. She will be there predominantly as support in whatever capacity is needed - helping to carry items, listening to their concerns and experiences, sharing in burdens both physical and emotional, providing a safe space and an empathetic ear.
Action by Bree
Bree became a Knight of Solace so that she might do some good in this world - and here is the chance. These refuges wanted nothing of their plight, and now in their freedom she will make certain that they are cared for, protected, and made to feel safe. Along with her fellow knights, she will ride along with the group, walk apace with them, carry their loads, lend an ear when they wish to speak, a smile when she deems it might help. Throughout, she will also offer her sword to defend them. A true Knight of Solace, she hopes.
Action by Vesper
Vesper will join her fellow knights in guiding refugees toward some semblance of respite from the drums of war. As boots on the ground, her time will be spent walking among the weary travelers and attempting to keep their minds focused on the road ahead and their spirits up. She'll learn names, share stories and offer companionship to those shouldering the burden of loss. She will also frequently break from the group to scout for any surrounding dangers and report any problems that can't be handled by a lone knight back to the group. The nights are long, and Vesper is distrustful of the road's many threats, so she'll coordinate with the others to sleep in shifts.
Action by Bhandn
Bhandn will be heavily focused on keeping an eye out for trouble (e.g. ambushes). He's also bringing along extra supplies and calling in a few favors to try and accomodate for some of the refugees, as well. While his primary focus will be upon martial services and preventing loss of life, he'll be applying some of his past charity work in the Lowers (action #3647) in how he distributes the extra bit that he's brought along.
Action by Brannen
Brannen will try to ensure that neither refugees nor the helpers come to harm. Hence he will beforehand check the routes the trek is going to use. If he has enough time, he will also try to foresee difficult terrains and obstacles which may necessitate a change in routes so that they know of alternatives if necessary. During the travelling, he will command the forces of the Knights of Solace so that they are evenly distributed across the refugees so there is always a helping hand where necessary.
Action by Richard
It's no surprise that Lord Richard Wyrmguard puts forth most of his efforts in seeing to the health and well-being of the refugees, aiding with the Mercies' efforts to see to their health before the escort begins. He also sees to contributing to making sure everyone's nutritional needs can be met along the way (150 eco resources).
While other Knights have their eyes outward, Richard has his eyes inward, trying to ensure no further injuries are sustained by the people as they travel, tracking proper hydration (both a dearth and a surfeit of water can imbalance the humors), even going to so far as to establish proper stretching habits for anyone willing to listen to him.
He isn't a particularly charismatic sort, but its times like this that his straightforward earnestness has the opportunity to come to the forefront. Plus, travelling in full armor is an excellent workout all its own.
Action by Liam
Prior to departing to the Grey River Liam will offer some tidbits how he can. While he isn't the most experienced Knight he has the less common knowledge of having been a refugee and understanding it. He provides recommendations and guidance and helps with planning for handling the no doubt uneasy refugees.
Result
It's a daunting task. There's thousands upon thousands of refugees and former slaves of Eurus, and they are all going to different domains in the Compact. It's not like when they are dealing with Abandoned, who are often culturally identical to the Compact and speak the same language. A majority of the Eurusi can't speak a word of Arvani and the different Dune Kingdoms don't share a religion with each other, let alone the Compact. They are frightened and confused by Arvum, and it takes a master diplomat to ease people in that situation.
Fortunately they have Natalia, who is a master diplomat.
The dangers of riots and violence is allayed with her present, letting Jeffeth finally organize escorts by Knights of Solace to dozens of different destinations of the Compact. The biggest concern is really that locals will try to attack the Eurusi refugees, as the drums of war are beating loudly due to Skal'daja, and foreigners who cannot speak the language associated with that are just easy targets. As the columns of refugees finally get underway, more than once the Knights of Solace have to dissuade local guardsmen or townfolk from picking fights, and on least three separate occassions Natalia saves the day by convincing petty lords to let the columns pass through their lands when they had withdrawn their initial permission to let Eurusi through. Liam knows the Crownlands well, and helps plan routes that minimize trouble. Brannen scouts the routes, doing his best to verify their safety. Richard helps train and comfort refugees, and Natalia and the others spend a great deal of time with them, reviewing the refugees and aiding them. Jeffeth leads, the knights of Solace rallying around their grandmaster. It's tense, and as the refugees travel through the Crownlands and to the Oathlands, Lyceum and Northlands, it's a testament to the knights and Natalia that violence is avoided.
At least at the start.
Rohran and Podraig know military men when they see them. Some of the Eurusi are clearly soldiers, and their questioning reveals they are deserters from the armies of the Dune Emperor of Eurus. One older soldier named Ferys seems to get a great deal of deference from the others, but the man is brisk and secretive, only revealing to Natalia that he came from the Dune Kingdom of Glor'Ruus- where the Dune Emperor now holds court. Several of the other Eurusi seem very wary of Ferys and the former soldiers, and one elderly well liked man named Duuj'ra warns Natalia and others, saying that Ferys is not to be trusted. Adalyn hears similar comments as well.
Trouble comes when they get closer to Sanctum, during the last evening before they'd reach the city. Bree, Vesper and Bhandn detect trouble first- movement in the tree line, and the signs of individuals trying to sneak up to the refugee camp and elude pickets. As soon as Bree raises the alarm, armed raiders rush to attack; an Abandoned tribe, the Ulryn Bloodcallers who had been looking for easy prey.
Jeffeth immediately leads the counterattack, and it's likely the Abandoned drastically underestimated the size of the Solace escort and thought it would be largely unarmed Eurusi. As Vesper and Bree cut down initial raiders, and Bhandn smashed through several Abandoned to get at an archer in the rear, Jeffeth gets into a heated duel with who is likely the raiders' leader but his size and violent vehemence. Rohran, Adalyn, Liam, Richard, Brannen- all of them are fighting, and it's chaos in the dimly lit camp at night, and extremely confused.
And that's when the little old man Duuj'ra tries to murder Ferys in his sleep, trying to cut the throats of Ferys and the deserters as they slumbered.
As Duuj'ra brings his blade downward, the old man is pulled backwards by Podraig who is standing with a Natalia Whisper who looks entirely too pleased with herself. Natalia had made Duuj'ra for an Obsidian Huntsman almost immediately from the start, by the answers he gave and the pieces of information had put together. The woman grew up among the highest ranks of nobility and frankly, she knows liars that are vastly better and more practiced than any huntsman could ever hope to be, and she could tell when something just fit a little too neatly together and was ever too convenient. Duuj'ra the 'elderly' man springing catlike at Podraig and ruthlessly pressing him despite Podraig's edge in reach is more confirmation, as the 85 year old man practically batters Podraig off his feet with the force of his blows as Podraig parries and tries to counter attack. With a war cry, Jeffeth rejoins the fray after finishing defeating the raider warchief, and he presses Duuj'ra together with Podraig, as Ferys and the deserters are waking up and trying to help as well. Duuj'ra jumps suicidally at Ferys, and Jeffeth cleaves Duuj'ra in his side while Podraig takes the man's head off.
Afterwards, Ferys admits that he is Ferys'nam'ruus, an exiled prince from the Dune Kingdom of Glor'ruus, and has come to Arvum to seek aid against the Dune Emperor. He wasn't sure about the Arvani at first. Now, it seems, he can trust them. Particularly Natalia. She doesn't stop looking pleased.