One Who Tames

Terrenum: The Great War (Fantasy/Realistic/Dice - Recruiting Applicants)

At the interior gates of Galant...

As the sun rose and the hours ticked by, the idea that something had gone wrong would solidify for Kolrim. There was no sign of hide nor hair of his companions-to-be. The prime time for departure for a two day trip came and went.

"Uh, Kolrim," came a voice behind him. It was the runner who had given him details of his task. "Good sir, what are you still doing here?"

In short order, the confusion would be cleared up. Considering Kolrim didn't have the benefit of the group's purse, the runner gave him what money he could for supplies and went to make good on reimbursement. Kolrim was given directions to the most likely area where his companions would be bedding down for the night and, with luck, sent on his way.

Kolrim's road conditions were similarly poor to the group that went before him. However, he made decent time since the weather was also just as lovely. By the time he made it to the area where Eomer, Ezlan and Nemeia were looking for lodging the sun would already be dipping a toe over the horizon.

Poor Man's road, half way to its intersection with the Swamp Road...

In short, the group's attempt to seek out the Traveler's Protection during the night did not go over well. The tiefling, even with her hood up, didn't manage to pass a closer inspection at the gates. Of the few properly protected areas within walking distance, two offered room for everybody but Nemia and one threatened to run them off with force. Considering that these places tended to be wealthy enough to hire at least a small mercenary group each, the adventurers would be outnumbered if they attempted to force their way.

It was up to them if they wanted to camp together outside the walls or leave Nemeia to her own devices and accept the rooms open to rest of them. They found themselves back on the road during the failing hours of the day, having spent the last of their light visiting the farms. It was at this point that they would see a short, stocky figure making his way diligently down the road.

Kolrim had, at long last, caught up with the group.

Red Dead Reckoning

You guys mind if I keep posting my story line?

Foreign Legion - First Contact is First Contract

Anybody know if HeySeuss is still accepting new players?

Terrenum: The Great War (Fantasy/Realistic/Dice - Recruiting Applicants)

Hey, guys, it's all cool. Bleinheim, continue as normal dude. Same to everybody else. I'll work with Luckless. For the time being, his character is on a, ah, "side quest" so to speak. I'll catch him up to the rest of you in good time!

Red Dead Reckoning

West Elizabeth
Tall Trees

Savage resisted the urge to push the horses for a quicker pace. They still had a lot of distance to travel and running them to death wouldn't improve his situation in the short or long term. So he selected for an easy step that would eat ground while keeping the animals healthy. They were heading South, toward the Lower Montana River. There was a rail camp in that direction where he would turn his fugitive in for the bounty. Most of the day was already gone from the ride. He wanted to find a decent hidden spot to bed down for the night before the trees thinned out and turned into plains.

The two of them had been mostly silent. When they stopped to water the horses, Savage let the man tend to his own needs then offered him food and what little bit of whiskey he had on him. He never threatened the fugitive outright but he also didn't need to. The trees were nowhere near thick enough to hide him if he decided to run and a bullet could go a lot quicker than a man on foot.

Suddenly, there was a not-so-distant shout.

"Whose that," the bound man said, nodding toward the direction they were headed. Even with the trees, three riders could be seen racing toward them. There wasn't a clear path so they did have to move with some care, least they risk their horses. "Friends of yours?"

"No," Savage said. He had seen them too. "Don't listen to anything they say."

Savage looked around but didn't seem to find anything he wanted to see. Next, he began to direct his horse backwards until he moved past the fugitive's. The way he did it ended up tugging the horse across him, putting the man and animal between him and the oncoming riders.

"What'r you doing?"

"Don't say anything. You'll be fine."

Savage's words seemed to conflict with how he discretely drew his pistol while he was hidden by his bounty.

"This is your backup, isn't it?"

The bounty hunter smirked but didn't say anything. By then, the three riders were slowing down, having caught up with them.

"Just what in the fuck do you think you're doing, Savage," yelled the lead horseman as they were coming to a stop. "I said we were taking him together! How in the blue Hell did you get him on your own anyway?"

"You didn't think you could just double-cross us and claim the money for yourself, did you," another snarled. "You an't that fucking slick, boy."

"Easy," Savage yelled as he held his pistol in his lap, just out of view. It looked like he was simply holding onto his saddle. He could pull this off for as long as the bounty was between them. "You were slowing me down. I told you I like to move quick-"

"That's a load of pig shit! You went with us until you learned whereabouts this fella was. Then you rode off without a word! Slowing you down my ass; we did all the work learning about him in the first place!"

"Easy, Ralph," the lead horseman said. Ralph seemed to have more to say, though.

"You tried to screw us, boy. Now you're handing him over or by God I'll cut you in half myself!"

"No need for that," Savage said in an easy, friendly voice. "He's all yours."

This seemed to surprise all of them to some degree. The shot that rang out from Savage's revolver surprised them more. The fugitive's horse screamed and hopped away. He let go of the reins as it stumbled over itself then fell, throwing its rider onto the ground. It was still alive but Savage had put the round into its lung. It would have to be put down.

When the beast moved, it revealed the weapon. It was aimed square at the riders.

"Easy," Savage repeated, raising his pistol for emphasis. Of course they had gone for their weapons, however none had actually drawn them at that point. "As I said, he's all yours. We square?"

By their expressions, it didn't seem like they were square. The fugitive complained about his leg and made no attempt to get up while his horse continued to panic and kick at the ground. A long moment of tension went past as the animal slowed its thrashing and the three riders debated on just how badly they wanted revenge.

"We square," Savage asked again, this time lifting his revolver to pointedly aim down the sights at each of them until they gave in.

"Yeah. I suppose we are."

Savage nodded and slowly began to walk his horse wide around them, keeping his pistol on them as he went.

"I'll be going now."

"You do that."

He took his sweet time gaining distance from them until he was at the edge of a pistol's effective range. Then he kicked his horse into a run and made for the plains. He knew this wasn't over yet. It was never that easy. But he had a head start on them at the very least.

Terrenum: The Great War (Fantasy/Realistic/Dice - Recruiting Applicants)

No worries! Looking forward to the posts.

Red Dead Reckoning

West Elizabeth
Tall Trees

The morning air was already hot as the sun raced into the sky. There was a slight sound of critters hurrying to get a meal in before the heat became too much to bear. Birds chased bugs and deer stepped cautiously through the thickets looking for the best seedlings to harvest.

This was a good spot to set up a home if one wanted to be away from society - or if they wanted to lay low and be hard to find. There was plenty of game, grass enough to keep a pony fed and even a modest stream of fresh water from the mountains. Trees broke the wind and provided shelter and wood while the land was fertile enough for a small garden.

Evidently, somebody had already come to this conclusion. You would have to look hard for it but, tucked under a lovely set of trees, there was a small cottage. An easy walk away from it was an outhouse. Scattered about were tanning racks, lines for drying clothes and meat, a work station and even a small barn fit for only one horse and some tools - horse included. In a clearing with good sunlight was even a modest patch tilled earth. Nothing had sprouted yet but somebody seemed to be building a fence around it. Already there were over a dozen posts sticking out of the ground and a stack of rough cut lumber laying next to it.

It was into this quaint clearing that Savage rode his horse. He moved at a walking pace around some trees and thick brush, putting the building on his right, and moved slowly onward. Although he was armed, both of his hands were in his lap holding lazily onto the reigns. He made it about half way to the house when the front door opened and a man stepped out holding a double-barrel shotgun.

Quickly, Savage lifted his right hand and half looked over his shoulder. "Woah," he called out, at the same time tugging on the reigns to bring his horse to a stop. This action seemed to startle the man with the shotgun who began peering into the trees and brush behind the mounted man.

"Why'r you here," yelled the startled shotgunner. He was clearly past his prime but still fit for his age. A weathered leather hat rested upon his head and he was dressed normally for the time. His brown hair flowed messily from the hat and a formidable beard grew from his face.

"There's a bounty on your head," Savage called back. "Alive. So for both of our sake, don't raise that shotgun. I'm keen on getting paid and I wager you're keen on making bail unharmed."

Silence stretched between the two of them. The man with the shotgun scanned the trees with narrowed eyes, occasionally clenching and relaxing his jaw. He had recognized Savage's raised hand as a signal but couldn't find any evidence of more people.

"How many are ya?"

"Just a few," Savage replied. After another moment of tension, he added, "Your crimes aren't that bad. Give it a week and you'll be back out here. I promise even not to tell anybody where I found you." When the gunman still hesitated, Savage gave his hand a wave. "My arm is getting tired, you know."

"Alright," the fugitive snapped. He gripped the shotgun tighter for a moment then thumbed the hammer down gently and slowly put it on the ground. "Now what?"

"Now walk forward with your hands up, please. Nice and easy."

When the man complied, Savage dismounted and walked to him. His rifle was still slung with his saddle and he made no move to go for his revolver. Instead, he grabbed a short line of rope and made his way over to his soon-to-be captive. Without a word between them, he firmly tied the man's hands in front of him then guided him to the stable to saddle up the horse there. For the sake of safety, he tied his prize to one of the posts while he prepared the horse for riding.

After everything was ready, Savage checked the man for any extra weapons then grabbed his fallen shotgun and placed it back inside his cabin. Then he helped him mount up and took the lead of his horse before mounting his own.

"You comfortable," he said to his captive.

"Yeah," he grumbled.

"You comfortable for a long ride?"

"Yeah..."

On the way out, the fugitive asked, "So, where are the rest of you?"

"Hmm? Oh, they disbanded once I had you tied and mounted on your horse." Savage grinned and half turned to face his man. "Relax. There is no way you would surrender to just one person."

Red Dead Reckoning

My Hider

Name Conal Wolf alias Savage

Age 25

Gender Male

Appearance

Occupations
Bounty Hunter
Mercenary
Outlaw

Assets
1873 Springfield Trapdoor Carbine 45 70 (Cavalry)
Smith & Wessen Schofield Revolver
CSA "D Guard" Bowie Knife (15" blade)
Skinning Knife
A Horse with various saddle bags and other stuff

Personality
For his loved ones, Conal had been described as distant or even cold. His fellow soldiers might describe him as brutal and underhanded. To his commanders, he was effecient. Strangers tended to think of him as charming. The closer a person came to knowing him, the darker their reviews of him became. In truth, Conal was aware that he could little relate to the people around him. What he did understand was when to smile, when to say "please" and "thank you" and when to hurt people.

He does not enjoy hurting people. In fact, he feels very little for the suffering of others. Conal enjoys the act of completing a task effeciently. He is capable of being ruthless, underhanded and seemingly sadistic all in the pursuit of the objective. To him, the ends always justify the means. And, to him, if a person allows themselves to be taken advantage of then they deserve to be taken advantage of by him.

History
Conal was born in 1872 to a wealthy Kentucky family. He was educated and joined the Union army as a Cavalryman as soon as he was able. Eventually, he found himself deployed in the West with the 7th Cavalry where he served with distinction. Some time after the battle of Wounded Knee Creek in 1890, after hearing that he was to be one of many who would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle, Conal went AWOL from the army. Reportedly he was hunted down and executed for treason by his fellows.

Since that time, a man going by the name of Savage has been wondering the former frontier lands of the West. He has managed to keep mostly to himself and makes ends meet by hunting down bounties and as a mercenary.

Additional Info
"He didn't leave because of what he saw at Wounded Knee. It's not like it bothered him to kill redskins or anything. He would sleep just as well killing reds or you an' me. I think what bothered him is how happy everybody seemed to be over it." - Union Cavalryman when asked about Conal Wolf.

Theme Song
When The Man Comes Around

Terrenum: The Great War (Fantasy/Realistic/Dice - Recruiting Applicants)

I moved the story along to the first night on the road. If anybody needs a scene for any idea they wanted to carry out, just let me know. As always, nobody is going be kicked out for missing an update so feel free to post when you can! I'm aiming to post another update next weekend or sooner if everybody (or the vast majority of players) catches up.

Terrenum: The Great War (Fantasy/Realistic/Dice - Recruiting Applicants)

The day eventually came to an end in Gallant. The sun set in the East as it always had in Terrenum and the city settled into a mostly peaceful slumber. As one might expect, the city didn't have much in the way of a nightlife. There were only a few sources of light scattered about and many of those were peppered about the main road ways. Torches carried by roaming guards on night shift or the occasional brazier could barely compete with the starlight, much less illuminate the streets. Sometimes one could hear cats or dogs or the shrill, frantic cackling of tiny goblins as they fought with rats over scraps.

It being Summer, the days were long and the nights short. The sun began its slow, steady rise from the West and life once again returned to the city.

The fresh members of the Shield Brethren had the previous day to settle their affairs and gather their supplies and equipment. It was decided that all would meet at the gates after dawn had finished its artful display and the sky had settled on just the one color; blue.

By now it would be understood by all of them that this was to be, ideally, a two-day venture. They had enough money in their purse to purchase food for four days and, with just a bit of haggling, to bed down in one of the few fortified plantations or walled farming communities along the way. Since there weren't many roads to take, the odds of them getting lost were low.

Quickly, they would find the weather to be ideal. The sky was slightly cloudy but no sign of rain and there was a cool, salty breeze chasing them from the narrow sea. The road, however, was a different story. The road they followed ran along the South side of the river which leads into Galant. Only days before, heavy rains and quick waters had caused a mudslide which took a large section of the road with it. Already there was a large crew working on rebuilding the road around the damage, however, making their way around this would eat up a significant part of the day.

By the time the sun began to set, they would have two options: find a spot to camp out (which was still considered a bit dangerous even in this time of prosperity and growth) or stop and beg the Traveler's Safety at a plantation along their path. Plantations and walled farms often accepted such travelers for the extra coin and stories they brought with them.