Graf Silth's Mission -
Lady Ceiling's Journal - Part 2
Lady Ceilings Journal
It seemed that I had only
just lain down when I found the Cook Melda shaking me awake. “We have to get up!
There are wild people looking at us from the forest!” It seemed rather dark
until I realised that someone had pitches a tent over us. I went out to join our
defensive line between the four tents and the little stream. The drum had
stopped but I could make out several figures lurking amongst the trees on the
far side.
“Druid Barbver! You speak Washa, go and
find out what they want with us!” ordered Graf Silth. Rather nervously the druid
went forward to the edge of the stream. “Greetings people of Limura. We are just
passing through your lands.” He tried in Kazid.
“This is not normal. Why do you hope to
pass through our land?” snarled a voice replying in the same language.
“We seek to go to the Bossil Fall
looking for a plant to make dyes from.”
“It is not on our land. I have never
heard of it!” snarled the voice and as we watched two large dead trees
metamorphosed into creatures with eyes! I realised that these must be Ents who I
knew we had in the wilder parts of our forest.
“We mean you no harm. We are just
travellers!” pleaded Barbver and some of the wild people and the Ents argued
amongst themselves. Presently another man arrived. “I am the Arch Druid Gravido.
Your arrival seems passing strange to these good people. The more so as the Ent
Bamagon here heard two of you say that King Granbold must declare war on
Limura?”
“The Ent must have heard me speaking
with my brother.” Muttered Graffin Zilch.
Druid Barbver replied,
“That message was not sent to King Granbold. Wolves from Limura have invaded
Neradh and this party has killed seventeen of them. By now the King will know
about them and will make his own decisions but we have a mission to carry out
regardless of them! We are peaceable folk.”
There were more discussion
amongst the leader’s opposite. Then the Arch Druid spoke “We will accept for the
moment that you are peaceable folk and ask which direction do you intend to
proceed seeking this Bossil Fall?”
“East and then northwards over the
grasslands?”
“Mayhap this fall is on the River
Eorwine then. However do you really expect to cross the Hunara grasslands on
foot?”
“We dwarves do not ride!”
“Well assuming you survive passing
through our forest I would think it suicide for you to try to cross Hunara as
you are. If we are to allow you to proceed further into the forest, you will
have to agree the rules as laid down by the Ents. Cut no live wood thicker than
a finger. Fires must be guarded at all times. Our deer stocks are sadly depleted
so we cannot allow to kill any of them. Wolves you may slay with our blessing.
Only those specially authorised may carry axes. Do you have any?”
We checked amongst
ourselves and Graf Silth replied “We have no axes but we do have three halberds,
those are pole weapons topped with an axe head. We could cover them with cloth?
We agree to your other terms.”
There was another consultation amongst
the leaders.
“That is acceptable. We too
are peaceable folk and if you are able we suggest that you hire some of the
Placki Horsemen tribe to escort you over Hunara. We could send for them to meet
you near the Junction megalith. Unlike us they have a taste for gold.”
“I have plenty of money!” whispered
Princess Griselda.
“I too have a substantial sum.”
whispered Graf Silth back. “We are agreed that hiring the Placki will be a wise
move. Please make the arrangement.”
“We will do so. I will spread the word
to some forest dwellers others that you are not hostile. Meanwhile Chief Balder
here has suggested that we provide you with a guide to the edge of the Pantaloni
lands so that you do not lose your way. He will be Russet the Herbalist.
Perchance if you describe this plant that you seek, he will know if it can be
found hereabouts. He will join you tomorrow morning. May the Maghi be with you!”
And the host facing us melted into the
trees although we knew some were still watching us. Then we had to get the three
abigails to convert the felt mufflers the mace dwarves had used into coverings
for the heads of the Halberds. Princess Griselda set to sketch the scene here
and re-do one of the battles with the wolves. I meanwhile wrote up this journal.
I awoke within the
tent hearing the most horrible screaming! Being closest to the tent flap I
peered out. It was the middle of the night and Sir Shure and two soldiers were
staring at something beyond them who was shrieking at them. I caught a few words
and realised she was shrieking in Simnith. Then I heard Graf Silth mutter to
Druid Barbver, “You’re our magician deal with it!”
Then there was a bright
flash and Sir Shure said “She’s gone! Very well done!” and now it seemed so
peaceful and so we crept back into our sleeping sacks.
At breakfast Sir Shure told us that the
ghost had appeared as a pitch black human woman. She obviously had a grudge
against dwarves! Unfortunately her shrieking had stampeded one of the mules
away. So when our guide Russet appeared we bargained for a couple of men to help
us carry its load. Although we had plenty of coins we had not brought any trade
goods. Princess Griselda gave up her silver comb and I sacrificed my steel
mirror. Graf Silth came up with two daggers and these were deemed acceptable. My
mirror had been given to me by my father when I was only five years old.
Naturally back in Naug we had Elvish glass mirrors but they were too fragile to
take into the wilds.
So after breakfast we were
led eastwards by Russet through the everlasting deciduous trees of the forest.
We did not follow a path for there were none! Eventually we came to a very large
clearing and wonder of wonders there was four definite fields, two ploughed and
two with young crops just coming up. The two men carrying our gear put it down
and our guide Russet said, “This is Raghi territory, we leave you now!” So the
surplus baggage left was shared out between us. Meanwhile Graf Silth and the
princess were deciding which way to go. The direct route would have been
diagonally across the fields but that might anger the Raghi unnecessarily.
Failing that there seemed to be three parallel grass paths up to a long crag at
the end of the fields. The left one along a great bank of bramble bushes had
heavy spiked obstacles called Cheval de Frisse blocking it. The rightmost one
went close to two crags joined by a wooden bridge. The second crag had a large
cave in it which they guessed might be lived in by the Raghi. From memory the
Raghi were led by Sir Vrinto son of Vino exiled for gambling. Above the cave was
a small fortification and there was another on the far end crag. Our leaders
decided to advance via the central path between the fields. Sir Shure with two
halberdiers led the way only to fall into a deep pit trap just past the start of
the fields. Fortunately it had a muddy bottom so that they were unharmed. We
hauled them out and bypassed the pit by walking on the ploughed field. Graf
Silth found a mechanism which would normally have made the trap roof safe but
the three falling in had made it inoperable. Sir Shure nearly fell in another
one just short of a cross path. At that moment we heard shouting from the
fortification above the cave and some archers appeared in the first crag. They
loosed arrows at us so Cord and Cant fired back, bringing one archer down. This
stopped them for a bit but another archer in the fortification hit the Mace
dwarf Kinder in his calf. It bled badly but abigail Bonny bandaged it
immediately so he said that he could carry on. We assumed that there would be
pit traps in similar positions relative to the field further on and this was
found to be correct. The archers on the first crag ran over the bridge onto the
second one and we realised that they would be able to fire at close range as we
passed below it. At our level four more dwarves emerged from some bushes and ran
along the bottom of the two crags towards us. Graf Silth gave abigail Shapa the
spare crossbow to load so Cord could keep firing. The archers loosed at us again
as the four sword armed Raghi charged into us. Cord and Cant returned the
archers fire bringing two of them down. The rest ran away as did the single
survivor of the melee below. One was dead but the other two sore wounded so
having collected their shields, swords and daggers we bandaged them up. Then
using the occasional glimpse of the sun as our guide, we marched onwards once
more. Graf Silth allowed us only a brief halt for lunch before driving us on
again. We ladies were getting very weary when in mid-afternoon we chanced on a
pond beside a crag. “It looks like a
perfect camping spot!” declared Sir Shure. “Look people have camped here before,
for there are the traces of their fires!”
“I feel very suspicious about perfect
camping spots!” grumbled the Graf.
Barbver commented “People have been
following us for the last hour so they know that we are here! It looks an easier
place to defend?” So the Graf allowed us to set up the tents and camp there.
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