| Logs |
2011 January 03
| Neverneverwhere |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
| Realms: Taps Logs |
On the Road Again
The passage through Donner Pass was smooth -- at least, it was as smooth as a passage through dangerous mountains on old roads can be. The smuggler's road shown to them by Jerome Bradley helped out with that rather a lot. Having new hands on board and passengers as well was no more of a hindrance than they could have expected, and the descent down the eastern side of the mountain range was almost too easy to be believed. Springtime through the Pass means rain, though -- and a lot of it. Dominic's skills are very much in demand as they travel, with the wet making some of the rock faces unstable and undermining parts of the road.
Chanticleer is more than a little relieved to be out of the Pass. He'd heard stories from the rest of the caravaneers about why it was called Donner Pass, and he's distinctly uncomfortable about that whole idea. Still, Suraksha is a good caravan driver, and she'd make sure they'd never be stuck in the Pass. Chanticleer keeps his oilskins close as they come over the pass, ready to pull them on when the sky threatens to open up again. It's quite rough at times with this weather, and he's glad Dominic is there to keep the roads from collapsing underneath the wagons.
Dominic misses his hat. Not the sentimental value so much -- it was for that reason he gave it to Diana. It felt right, to pass on a token that meant so much to him, in an effort to inspire the sweet, brave girl. No, he's just tired of rain. After the second rainstorm he asks Sabrina who he could ask to give him a haircut, and he trades with one of the other caravan members for a replacement hat -- which keeps the rain off better, but... only just. The next settlement they get to, he swears: new and well made hat. Sabrina laughs and cuts his hair for him. Later, Ohkwari shakes his head amusedly when he sees Dominic, and casually hands off a broader brimmed hat to the young man.
Roseville's analog on the eastern side of the mountains is a ways out from the Pass, but there is a small trading post where people often get rid of things which are going to weight them down excessively on the westward trip. As they heave into view of it, however, it looks unnervingly silent and still. Suraksha is standing on top of the main wagon, studying the settlement carefully. Finally she sighs and hops down, "All right. Joe, Chanti, Dommie -- the three of you ride ahead and check out what's wrong there. Stay together, kids, please. No heroics. We want you all back safe and sound." Suraksha quietly keeps the caravan moving smoothly along; at its usual current speed, this should give the young men plenty of time to reconnoiter and return.
Chanticleer frowns as he looks at the trading post from a distance. He nods resolutely at Suraksha's orders, moving to saddle up Chevrefoil as worry gnaws at him. Dominic is absently picking at his closer-cropped hair as the Lady talks. Feels weird to have so much of that thick mane of hair stripped away... but thinking about it, it was the pragmatic thing to do. He can always grow it out again when it gets colder. He adjusts Ohkwari's solemn gift on his head, and gives a firm nod to Sura, then to the others. "You want I should take point?" he queries of Joe.
Joe nods, "Go for it, Dom," as he swings up into the saddle and adjusts his oilskins. He glances at Chanti and grins, "Tailgate for us until we're at the edge of town? Then you and Dom can swap, yeah? You and Chevre have the best senses of us here, after all."
Chanticleer nods to Joe as he swings up into Chevrefoil's saddle. "Right." He makes sure to bring both his bow and his sword with him. Dominic goes and saddles his sensible mare, swinging up onto her back and moving into position at the lead. He had, of course, to pick an older, well trained mount that doesn't spook easily, if he's going to be taking readings while on horseback. As the group trots out ahead of the caravan, he reaches for the ley lines, curious what he'll find ahead of them...
Dominic's eyes snap open. [Well. That's not good,] he thinks, his eyebrows knitting as he feels very slowly, very carefully for his crossbow, to make sure it's close at hand. He slows up then, letting Chanti and Joe catch up. "There's some man-made pits in the road ahead. Big enough to take down a wagon, more than enough to break a lot of horses' legs. Could be wrong, but this screams 'highwaymen,'" he mutters under his beard.
The road itself is fairly clear-seeming, though there are leaves and other botanical detritus on the surface, such as one gets in a rainy spring. The verges are scrubby and a little bit sparse compared to the majestic forests through which they just passed. Chanticleer frowns. "Highwaymen or something worse," he murmurs. "Most highwaymen leave outposts and settlements alone, don't they?"
Joe nods calmly, pulling his horse to a halt and saying a bit loudly, "Hol' on, y'all -- think I gotta problem with my tack here." He dismounts and fusses with the girths, adding quietly to the other two, "Chanti, you getting anything? Dominic, give the 'not okay' high sign to th' caravan." Even more quietly he adds, "How far ahead are th' pits, Dom?" Dominic grunts to Chanti as he makes a good point. So... worse. He glances to the lead caravan and gives the signal... thankful that whoever came up with these signals chose them to be not easily decipherable. Giving a 'thumbs down' would probably give them away.
Back at the caravan Del grunts and mutters to Daniel, "Something's wrong ahead. Pass it back." The new young scout nods and dashes back down the line. The wagons start bunching up a little, and people calmly tuck kids inside and pull out their weaponry. Alg snarls excitedly and bounds up towards the front with the wolfish dog pack happily on his heels.
Dominic squints at the trading post and then looks down, fiddling with his cinch. "Right in close to the post isself. Probably natural cover and hiding for whoever comes out to ruin a caravan's day," he tells Joe.
Chanticleer's mind races as he glances around. He also opens himself up to listen to the local avian life. This is damned disturbing. A moment later he purses his lips. "Bird life is okay, all in all," he murmurs. "Lots of buzzards... but they're not feeding on carrion, just 'spoiled meat.' I'm thnking there might have been a food store that's gone bad in the outpost. But that doesn't explain the silence, or the traps."
Dominic considers. "Maybe it's more complicated, then. Maybe it's not someone lying in wait... these were traps left behind to stymie pursuers."
Chanticleer murmurs, "Maybe, but we'll need to find out more." He leans in closer to look at Joe's tack, as if they were all studying it. "They're going to suspect something in a little bit -- if there's any 'they,' that is. We need to decide if we're going to go back or give away that we know the pits are there."
Joe murmurs quietly, "Keep your voices down, fellas. We're buyin' time at this point for t'others to reconnoiter. I'll have a broken girth after a bit, and we'll walk back to th' caravan just like usual."
Dominic slumps a little in his saddle as if bored, head dipped down. "Could try springing it. We bring the caravan closer in, and I walk Sheila right on down, right around the trap, and gee her to a run when they come charging out."
Joe gives Dominic an incredulous and teasing grin, "You bored, boy? Bringing the caravan in closer, where they can't maneuver, isn't your best idea." He gives a hard yank on the cinch, pantomiming something breaking, and swears, holding up a piece of leather. In a normal speaking voice he adds, "Well, that tears it! Let's get back to the caravan, and I'll swap saddles." In a softer voice just to his companions he adds, "What if they just shoot at you from cover, Dom? You know better than this. C'mon." He turns and starts leading the horse back.
Dominic looks abashed. "Mebbe not," he agrees, feeling a little foolish for having made the suggestion when he knew it wasn't exactly wise.
Chanticleer throws up his hands as if frustrated beyond all hope at Joe's broken tack. "Well, I think scouting by horses is out of the question anyway," he says without moving his lips much. "We'll have to try flanking the pits stealthily."
Joe laughs easily, calling over his shoulder to Chanti, "Sorry, fella -- didn't know it was that old!" He waves Dominic ahead of him, so Chanti's better senses can cover their backs. Dominic just keeps his mouth shut, self-conscious as he moves ahead of Joe. Normally he wouldn't make suggestions at all, just do what he's told -- and then he's made a suggestion, and it's foolhardy. Dominic takes a moment to remind himself: even if he were to be showing off, Diana isn't here to see it. "Keep it simple," he mutters.
Out in the underbrush, each on one of the sides of the road, the tiger and the bear are sniffing quietly around. They smell people, which isn't strange -- the trading post is normally fairly busy in the spring and fall. They smell horses and the various other sorts of animals one would expect. Somewhere nearby there's also a mountain lion with cubs. Closer in there are the scents of various non-humans -- also not surprising. The rotten food is relatively distant; probably at the trading post itself. Most of the scents of sapients are at least a couple of days old. The caravan has yet to pass anyone headed west, and Suraksha knows they're the first caravan the Roseville elders has allowed through Donner Pass... some of the human and non-human scent is pretty fresh, however -- maybe a hundred yards from the trading post itself.
Suraksha hmms to herself as she continues searching for people set up to ambush the caravan. Clearly these folks have no connection to the Roseville town elders; otherwise they'd know to expect little to no traffic through the Pass. She glances up at the high, fortified walls and nods silently to herself -- she's willing to bet the 'ambush' is simply firing on wagons petitioning for entry. She turns and heads back towards the caravan... and that's when she spots the huge, open pits in the road. Clearly they aren't meant to take the caravans by surprise in the daytime, and horses would be fairly safe because they've got the good sense not to step in a big hole. But the pits do impede progress -- and they weren't here when the caravan passed in the fall. Suraksha pauses, studying the pits with exasperation... then she turns and trots swiftly back towards the waiting wagons. When she's far enough away from the fortified trading post she does a low, coughing roar to call Ohkwa back too, when he's ready.
When Ohkwa returns at a leisurely amble a short while later, he too reports pretty much the same thing Suraksha did -- as well as that there seems to be the normal amount of prey about. Suraksha looks up from the second rare steak Buddy had waiting for her and nods, still chewing busily. Once she swallows, she adds, "All right, we'll do a negotiation run next. Let's see... me, Chanti... Dommie, you want to come? Anyone else? Not too many, please."
Alg's excitedly snarled offer is gently refused, leaving him to grumpily patrol the wagon train with the dog pack. Chanticleer frowns a little. "Negotiation run?"
Dominic's brow knits. "You want to negotiate with the people that are willing to shoot us dead and take our things?" he says in Chanti's wake, similarly disbelieving.
Suraksha nods, neatly and swiftly cutting up the steak into bite-sized pieces, "They made no attempt to hide the pits, so I'm assuming this isn't supposed to be a surprise. We'll have to shout from a distance, since I don't want to get shot... but at the very least we'll see if they'll talk or shoot. If the latter, we're just going around." She tidily devours another few bites before she adds, "If they're willing to talk... well, maybe we can find out what happened -- and maybe we'll have to go around regardless." She adds to Del, "If we have to go around, we're going to have to count on you to guide the horses along whatever path Joe and Dom find or blaze." She sighs, devouring another bite before she mutters, "Bandits... hate stupid destructive bandits!" She finishes the steak and glances at the two young men, "Well? Yea or nay on accompanying me, boys?"
Dominic's lips purse. [If we're not sure if there's even anyone there, we should go around anyway. If they're going to attack, then they'll have to do it on our terms -- and if they're not then we report the waystation to better armed people that don't have the well-being of a caravan in mind.] But he says none of that. Sura's made up her mind to do it, and he can't let her go out alone. "Yeah," he rumbles.
Chanticleer glances to Dom, then back to Suraksha. "I'm uncomfortable with negotiating with bandits... but we do need to find out what's going on. I'll go."
Suraksha mounts up on a horse Del brings around, and checks her crossbow is in good working order as she waits for the others to prepare. She smiles at Chanticleer, "Call it an information gathering run, then, dear. But since this area has no road around the trading post, and it's not flatlands... blazing a trail for the wagons would be incredibly time-consuming. We'd have to spend at least one night camped near them, and I don't think that's wise."
Suraksha heads out at a fast trot with Chanti and Dominic as soon as they're mounted up. She's careful not to pass into crossbow range as they approach the walls, and she murmurs quietly to Chanti as they ride, "Can you get anything from birds within the fort?" Once they're close enough she draws rein and has Dominic shout a greeting to the silent fort.
Dominic glares at the fort under the brim of his hat. "Hello the fort!" he says in his booming voice. [Love what you've done with the place. The pits are so regulation perfect.] "Request a parley!" Suraksha waits relaxedly, glancing all around them with careful wariness.
It takes several minutes before there's a reply, and when it comes, the voice is mellifluous and calm, "Halloo the riders! You can parley from there! We've had too much trouble to let you get close!"
Dominic blinks, but doesn't look at Sura. She can take things from here. He relaxes a fraction... so, it might be unhappy natives, and not evil cutthroats. That makes blazing a path a bit safer, perhaps. Chanticleer looks to the outpost, frowning. "There are chickens in there, and they are definitely Not Happy," he murmurs, as if this is the most serious thing in the world. "But it's more from them not being fed. We can expect them to raise a ruckus if they see us. They're not being mistreated, just... neglected. That fits in with the outpost being virtually abandoned."
Suraksha murmurs quietly to Dominic, "Ask them if they are allowing caravans through or not, and if we should expect bandit attack out here."
Dominic is surprised when Sura tells him to keep talking... but then, it makes sense if she's playing 'the men are in charge' again. "Not looking to make trouble, just looking to pass through! You have issue with caravans passing through? Is there a bandit scourge about?"
Suraksha murmurs quietly, "Ask also about the pits -- why?" To Chanti she murmurs, "Is it just me, or is that a non-human voice talking to us? Way too smooth for a worried human... and humans would feed the chickens."
The voice laughs bitterly, "You might say that. You might also say that the Unseelie have let loose the sluagh and just about forced us out."
Dominic opens his mouth and then shuts it -- and looks at Sura. He then looks at Chanti. He's not an expert on non-humans, but he knows enough to know Chanti might know the most about anything 'Unseelie.' Suraksha considers thoughtfully... then smiles at Dominic, "Go on. Ask, dear." Under cover of Dominic's talking, she adds to Chanti, "What does that mean, please? Or should we go talk to Sna'tha?"
Dominic clears his throat, keeping up the dialogue. "Do the Sluagh drive wagons, or ride mounts? I'm just saying... we'd be more than happy to just pass by and leave y'all be, except for those unfriendly pits you've got there," he calls back.
Suraksha gives Dominic an exasperated glance, then murmurs softly, "Pits?" She smiles amusedly and shakes her head, then turns back to Chanticleer, "Go on."
The voice says, "It wasn't we that put the pits there. We just uncovered them. We have plants to help move your animals across if you need it. Once we know you're safe."
Chanticleer frowns. "The word 'Sluagh' means 'spirits of the restless dead.'" He hesitates for only a moment, dropping his voice. "It also can mean a particularly nasty branch of the Unseelie court army -- you know how some military units will take on nicknames? Same thing here. It's sometimes also been used to refer to rogue fey in general." He hesitates again. "Then again they could actually mean the restless dead."
Dominic's brow knits. This is getting stranger. "You have us at a disadvantage, sirrah. How does one determine if we are 'safe'?"
Suraksha nods approvingly to Dominic, then murmurs to Chanticleer, "All right. We're going to have to talk with Sna'tha too, then. You never said, by the way -- do you feel we're talking to a non-human too?"
The voice from the trading post says, "We'll send out a liaison. You'll leave your weapons."
Chanticleer shakes his head. "Talking like that... it's likely a fae of some kind. I'm wondering what Seelie are doing so in the open, though. Have there ever been fae at this outpost before?"
Suraksha raises an eyebrow consideringly... then nods to Chanticleer as she murmurs, "Chanti, return to the caravan and update Sna'tha on this. Find out what she knows about a sluagh and pit-digging."
Dominic hems. "Forgive me, sirrah, but... I'm a mite confused. If you're sending someone to us rather than us coming to you, where are we leaving our weapons? You want us to go back to the caravan, and then come back to meet your fella in this spot?" He just wants to be clear. Suraksha grins at Dominic -- well put!
The voice says, "You'll leave your weapons where you stand. You can have them back when you return."
Suraksha considers, then murmurs quietly to Chanticleer, "Well, there have been rumors at least one of the traders is fae. Past that... not that I recall?" She grins as she adds very softly, "Aside from ours, of course."
Chanticleer nods a little. "This is demmed odd," he murmurs.
Suraksha says, "I quite agree. You're our backup, Chanti -- keep the caravan updated and gather what information we have about those subjects. Dommie, dear, ask what guarantees of safety we have, please? We want to be able to walk out again, even if they decide for some goddess-forsaken reason that we're not safe by their definitions."
Dominic looks skeptical, already thinking along the same lines. "So, you're going to send someone out... and he's going to bring us into your heavily fortified enclosure, without any measure of protection, so we can assure you that we're 'safe'?" he says back slowly, his words heavy with meaning. "I'd really like to know how we know we are safe... from you."
The voice laughs and says, "Good point, sir. But moot. Your choices are taking the road past here or breaking new trail."
Chanticleer nods to Suraksha, "Will do. If the chickens inside start acting like something bad is happening, I'll come in as fast as I can."
Suraksha brightens, "Excellent idea, Chanti! If it gets bad, we'll do our best to upset them, as a signal."
Chanticleer mutters, "They're holding up trade through here. They're lucky we came through. Had it been another caravan less politely-inclined...."
Suraksha is silent for a few heartbeats, thinking carefully... then she says quietly, "Dominic, I will not demand you follow me in. It is up to you." She nods silently to Chanticleer as she watches the human man. Chanticleer is reluctant to leave, but he does at last turn back to the caravan, intending to let the others -- especially Sna'tha -- know what's going on.
Dominic looks at Sura. At first he was just going to agree. But... "Lady, I'm inclined to just say 'hell with it,' and blaze it. Curiosity is not worth putting you at risk to whatever these folks are. If you insist on going in, then I can do no less than be at your side... but this whole mess just rubs me wrong."
Suraksha drums her fingers on the pommel of her saddle a few times... then simply nods once, "Excellent point, Dominic. Come, we'll all return and see what everyone has to say. If they're going to stay in their fort, and the rogue fae are out here, then at least we should find out precisely what we're dealing with." She turns her horse and follows Chanti's stag at a quick trot, "Sna'tha should have something for us."
Dominic looks back at the fort. "Have to consult with the big cheese. If we agree, we'll return unarmed," he calls to the unseen speaker, then turns to follow Suraksha.
Suraksha grins over her shoulder at Dominic, giving him a wink, "Nice!"
Dominic shrugs, smiling slightly. "It ain't even a lie."
It doesn't take long to return to the caravan and Sna'thaid is waiting for them, not seeming entirely pleased with what she's been hearing. The sidhe says, "They could be trying to force you to blaze them a new road. But if they brought out the name sluagh... they're either really frightened or really disgusted."
Suraksha smiles from the horse's back at her godsmother, "Well? What's a sluagh, how bad is it, should we take the day or so it will require to blaze a new trail?"
Sna'thaid says, "It's considered a deadly insult to most. There is a part of the Unseelie army that calls themselves that because they will take on certain-death missions as a matter of course. We would know if they were about. They could mean zombies of a sort. Or ghosts. But they most likely mean rogues. Bandits. Rejected by the courts. They said Unseelie specifically?"
Dominic nods. "Without much prompting."
Suraksha nods thoughtfully, "They said the Unseelie have let loose the sluagh and just about forced them out." She adds curiously, "Which part is the deadly insult?"
Sna'thaid smiles slightly, "The rogue. Bandits. Throwing off even the rule of the Unseelie."
Suraksha sighs, "Godsmama, I don't mean to be rude, but this is not making sense. Who is insulting whom? Where are you insinuating the rogues are -- out here with us, or in there? What the fuck is a sluagh, and can we sort this out quickly please, as we need to decide how to best defend ourselves? We are talking people's lives here, after all?"
Sna'thaid says, "Rogue fae. Outlaws. I'd say they're out here with us and whoever you're negotiating with is probably of the Light Court -- the Seelie -- and I'd say you're not dealing with actual sluagh. The people in that trading post are scared and disgusted with whoever did this. Essentially they're telling you the rogues are ruthless, greedy, and likely from the Winter Court."
Suraksha nods in relief, "Finally. So, we want to be inside that trading post by nightfall? And why are they disgusted?"
Sna'thaid says, "Yes, it would be best to be inside walls -- though we are not your typical caravan. They're disgusted because sluagh bandits are usually quite chaotic and sometimes a bit insane. Having control of oneself is important to the Seelie."
Suraksha considers for a bit, then nods again, "So if we are carefully controlled, the Seelie will be more likely to let us in? Or should we just have you talk to them?"
Sna'thaid smiles, "Keep your cool and you will impress them. Having Chanticleer along will help as well. Let's get some of our goods together to show them we are what we say."
Suraksha glances around, "All right. Dominic, can you help gather up some goods, please? Ohkwa, Del, bring the caravan up to well outside crossbow reach -- we'll want to move in quickly once we're accounted safe. Sna'tha, there are huge pits in the road before the fort which the wagons will have to drive around. Is that a, er... sluagh or rogue thing to do? What sorts of insanity should we be watching for? Are they likely to attack during the day?" Dominic nods and immediately trots off to do her bidding. While he's still not entirely happy... if there's a threat to the caravan that is not the people in the fort, then it's worth the risk to get their people under the protection of walls -- and he can certainly control himself. Easy peasy.
Sna'thaid says, "If the pits were covered then yes, it would be typical. Disable. Rob. Leave helpless. It's their sort of thing. Look out for illusions. They have glamour, of course. Touch anything you're offered. Make sure it is what they say. They are more likely to attack at night."
Suraksha nods grimly, "That's them. The folk in the fort uncovered the pits. All right, then: let's get moving! We want to be undercover by nightfall."
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