Closed Fog and Fear [Garland]

[Samuel Longwell]

Samuel Thoughts Others Samuel barely heard the squire speaking, he was too disappointed with himself. He was a knight, it was his job to protect his two companions, but he'd got them seriously lost in the woods. If anything happened to them it would be all his fault. Samuel was jolted out of his melancholic mood when Garland dropped his bundle of firewood, he hadn't even noticed the squire collecting it. The knight frowned, blaming himself had put the pair in even more danger. He had been too distracted by his thoughts to pay proper attention to his surroundings. As Garland started to light the fire, Samuel spent a few moments meditating. Right now he needed all his focus in order to get everyone through the night ahead. He pushed his shame away, focusing on his desire to keep the child safe. Once he'd got his emotions back under control, the knight crouched down by the young boy and gently rested a hand on his shoulder. “Do you know who we are?” Samuel asked, “My name is Ser Longwell, I'm a knight. But you can call me Samuel. The other man is Garland, he's a squire. What's your name?” “Billy.” the boy replied timidly. “That's a great name Billy” the knight said with a reassuring smile. When Samuel spotted the dagger that the boy was holding, his smile tightened. He hated the thought of children carrying weapons, but out here it was probably for the best. “Remember that's not a toy Billy, only take it out of the sheath if you're in danger.” the knight warned. Samuel spent the next few chimes showing the boy how to hold a weapon without hurting himself, then went over to Garland and spoke quietly to him. “I'm going to get the tent set up now, it's a good job you brought it.” he said, “We're not going to get much sleep tonight, we're gonna have to stay awake for half the night each.” Samuel looked over at the pile of firewood that the squire had collected. It would be enough for several bells, but the knight wanted to keep the fire going for the whole night. “Garland, please go and collect some more wood.” he said, “We're gonna need a fair bit more if the fire is going to last.” Looking at Billy, Samuel had a flash of inspiration. “Billy, please could you come and help me set up the tent?” the knight asked. The young boy nodded, getting to his feet. The knight hoped that getting the child involved would keep Billy's mind off the danger they were in. It also meant Samuel could keep a close eye on him even when working on the tent. In both of those ways, the plan was a success. However, Samuel was no expert in putting up a tent and Billy was more of a hindrance than anything else. Samuel made sure to not let the boy know that as the pair laboured away to get the tent set up.

[Garland]

Garland nodded and looked over to his war axe. "The Quartermaster is gonna chew me out, this axe is not used for cutting trees." Garland said and picked up the axe. "Oh well, I'll chop down some branches, this thing can't cut a big tree."

Garland decided to cut down the low hanging branches near the camp before heading off to get more wood.

Garland held up his axe and brought down on the branches on the trees, the axe was not made to cut down trees, but Garland had spent more than his fair share cutting down trees and wood when he was growing.

It took a little while but Garland left a small pile of sticks and branches in their makeshift camp. Garland looked at the pile, it looked barely enough for the night, but this wood was untreated, it still had water inside of it, they had no time or the means to treat the wood.

Garland walked a little ways out of the camp to get the closest trees away from the camp. Garland did the same thing, for the next few trees, but the sky was beginning to get darker and darker.

The fog made seeing nearly impossible in normal circumstances, but in the night, you might as well be blind in a dark cave, luckily, Garland didn't go far, and he could see the campfire close by.

Garland took as much wood as he could carry and went back to camp. He placed the pile of wood with the rest of the wood, and he picked one branch from the pile and started shaving it for tinder, mostly just in case they needed more tinder.

"We should have brought back a wolf, I have enough food for the three of us, but nothing really appetizing, mostly just crackers and cheese." Garland voiced out and tucked the tinder back into his tinderbox.

Garland looked over to the kid. "What were you doing out here anyway? The forest is dangerous without a deep fog covering it."

[Samuel Longwell]

Samuel Thoughts Others Billy eagerly did as Samuel told him, it seemed the knight's plan to distract the boy was working. Samuel listened while he worked, trying to make sure that nothing was sneaking up to the camp. All he could hear was Garland chopping branches off trees, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Eventually the tent was put up, taking much longer due to the fact that Samuel was trying to involve Billy. The tent would fit two people fairly easily. Samuel knew it would be all that was needed; at least one of the adults would need to be on watch at all times. At that moment Garland came back, setting down a large pile of firewood. “That's great.” the knight said, “Thanks Garland.” As the squire started speaking to the child, Samuel moved to the other side of the fire and started to hunt around the nearby forest for any edible plant material. However the light of the fire didn't reach far into the tree line, making it difficult to forage. Samuel managed to find a couple of green shoots that he knew were edible. But then it became too dark to see what he was doing so he came and sat back down by the fire. “I think we should eat now Garland.” Samuel said, “We should get the lad to bed soon so he can actually function tomorrow.” Samuel scratched his head, he had no idea how to divide the 2 shoots equally between three people. He knew it would be more than half, but that was about it. He thought about how to do it then shrugged, it wasn't important enough to keep thinking about. He cut the larger shoot in half, splitting it between himself and the boy then passed the other shoot to the squire. He chewed his shoot as he waited for Garland to hand out the rest of the food. It was bland, but Samuel knew it would help bolster the rations that the squire had thought to pack. The knight wanted to ensure that the group had enough energy for the following day, he didn't know how long they'd be lost in the woods.

[Garland]

Garland watched the flame with the boy, Billy. He shared the food with him and Garland looked the boy over. He didn't seem hurt at all, he seemed well-fed, the boy seemed to have come from a middle-class family.

"I'm running away... I hate my family, always trying to boss me around..." Billy grumbled and ate the crackers.

"Eh, I can see that, but think about it like this, why do they boss you around? Are they just sitting on their butts while you do your chores? But if they're out doing their jobs, getting mizas to pay for food and shelter, I think they deserve a bit of a break when they go home." Garland said and earned a huff from Billy.

"Maybe after a hard day of weaving baskets or tilting fields or running around delivering good, they don't want to go home to wash dishes, clean up messes, or sweep the floor." Garland just earned a snort from the child.

"They treat me like a slave!" Billy almost yelled, but kept his voice down just barely.

Garland shook his head. "You don't look like a slave to me, I don't see chains or bindings, you looks well-fed and clothed, and I assume you're smart enough to know your letters, you look the type." Garland looked over to Samuel as he came back. "You try talking to him. I'm not all that hungry for crackers."

Garland stood up from the fire and grumbled something about wolf meat and walked off to the side. He sat down on by the tree and took out a whetstone and started sharpening his sword.

[Samuel Longwell]

Samuel Thoughts Others Samuel sat down next to Billy, metal creaking loudly as he lowered himself down next to the upset child. The knight wasn't too sure how to comfort children, but he gave it his best shot. “We all need to do our part.” Samuel began, “Working together is the only way we can survive.” Billy wasn't as rude to the knight as he had been to Garland, but gave no indication of agreeing. Samuel grimaced, clearly children didn't respond to reason in quite the same way as adults. Samuel took out some crackers and started to eat, making sure to leave enough for the squire. They both needed their strength, something that the knight was all too aware of. The forest became even more dangerous if you hadn't eaten enough. Samuel decided that he would try another tactic with the boy. “At least you're safe with your parents Billy.” he said, “I'm sure you haven't been attacked by wolves while you're with them.” Billy seemed to consider this, seemingly remembering how terrifying the wolves had been, then gave a small nod. Samuel smiled, it seemed like he'd managed to convince the young boy that staying with his parents was for the best. It made the knight happy when he could make a positive impact in a regular citizen's life. Samuel finished his food, then pushed himself to his feet. “Time for you to get to bed lad.” he said, “Go get comfortable in the tent.” He made it clear with his tone that he wasn't to be argued with. Or at least he tried to. Billy opened his mouth as if to protest, but Samuel him gave a warning look and the boy went quietly into the tent. Samuel walked round the fire to speak to Garland. “Do you want first or second watch?” the knight said, watching the squire sharpen his weapon. “I'll take whichever you want me to.” Samuel had the right to tell the squire which shift to take, but he didn't want to abuse that power. When he was a squire he had always disliked it when knights had ordered him around just because they could. The knight always tired to avoid making the same mistake when he interacted with those under his command. He would give orders when it was necessary, but apart from those instances he thought it was important to be diplomatic.

[Garland]

"I'm fine either way, Sammy, er... Ser Samuel." Garland yawned sat down by the fire. "I'd prefer to sleep uninterrupted so I'd prefer the first shift."

Garland took a stick and started poking at the fire. Truth be told he was feeling tired today, just drained of energy, he wanted to rest but he can't. "Get to sleep, Ser. I'll stand watch."

Garland thought it would be best to try and keep active to keep himself awake, he stood up from the started doing a few stretches and few light jabs in the air. He didn't do anything extensive since his armor would most likely wake the two up.

Instead Garland simply just walked around the camp, keeping an eye out, whittling down a long branch into a makeshift wooden spear, sharpening his blade and repeating it ever few chimes.

There were a few times Garland had almost fallen asleep, but there was just something eerie about the whole forest that kept him on edge, he placed a few more pieces of firewood in the fire.

Despite the flames, and the light, the fog just seemed to eat it up, it didn't look as strong or feel as warm as he would have thought.

After a few bells, he was about to wake up Sam, but then he noticed something. Despite the wolves earlier, there were no animals, no sounds of insects, no rustle of the leaves.

He felt like they were being watched. "Sam, wake up. It's your shift, I feel like we're being watched, and... listen... no sounds." Garland watched as the fog seemed to thicken when they noticed the lack of sound.

Garland laid down in the tent to rest, but it took a little while for him to finally go to sleep, and his rest was very uneasy.

[Samuel Longwell]

Samuel Thoughts Others Samuel nodded, he was happy to head to bed first. He clambered into the tent, placing his sword nearby in case he needed it in a hurry. He drifted into a fitful sleep. Several times he was awoken by sounds from outside the tent, his hand grabbing his sword until he was sure there was no threat. When Garland woke him, the knight nearly groaned out loud. He had not slept for long enough and both body and mind protested at the awakening. He kept his silence, knowing that he had to try and set a good example for the squire under his command. Samuel peered out from the tent, rubbing his eyes. Garland was right, the silence seemed unnatural. The older man shivered involuntarily, the fog was really starting to get to him. Samuel steeled himself and stepped out of the tent, hoping that the younger man hadn't noticed his hesitation. “I'll keep an eye out” he knight said, sitting down by the fire, “you head to bed.” The thick fog swirled around the camp, seeming to dance around the light of the camp fire. Samuel couldn't help but dwell on the idea that there was something unnatural about the fog. He grimaced, his own imagination was making it hard for him to concentrate on the job at hand. Breathing deeply, he decided to meditate. Focusing on the two people in the tent behind him helped banish his fear of the fog. They were depending on him to keep them safe. Gripping his sword tightly, Samuel ran his eyes over the fog. The remainder of his watch passed without event. His fear was suppressed by his duty to protect, specifically his duty to protect Billy. As dawn came, the knight pulled himself to his feet and tapped lightly on the tent, calling to wake the others up. He then started to pack up the camp, stamping out the ashes of the fire.

[Garland]

Garland woke up, groggily. He had not gotten a good night's rest, everything was a haze, but he did remember he had some sort of nightmare, he couldn't quite recall what that nightmare entailed but Garland was on edge.

"Billy, come on, we need to go." Garland crawled out the tent and gave a few stretches to limber up his muscles. Sleeping inside a tent was better than sleeping on the ground, but it was very uncomfortable.

Billy woke up with a groan and rubbed his eyes. He crawled out of the tent sat down by the flickering fire. "We really need to get back, Ser. Being in the woods normally is dangerous enough, in this blasted fog, we might as well be blind men."

Garland tore down the tent and quickly stuffed it in his bag. Garland scratched his chin as he looked around in the fog. The one thing Garland forgot to bring was a lantern. "Do we have some cloth and oil? No I guess not. I was planning to make a torch but... I forgot to bring any."

The fog itself was weaker, thinner, but it felt just as tightening and constraining as before. At least they could see a few more feet ahead. With the fire gone, and the early morning sun barely penetrating the fog, the entire area seemed cold.

"Right! Let's try to find somewhere high and without trees so we can see the sun and find out which way is we have to -" Garland shushed Sam and Billy and pulled them off to the side, behind a tree.

A bright light glowed in the distance, followed by sounds of horses, clipping-and-clopping around.

Garland peeked out from the corner of the tree, and he heard. "Over there!", and he could see the bright light glow brighter, getting closer.

"Petch..." Garland muttered under his breath and pulled out his sword. He waited and when heard the clopping grow louder, he turned out of cover and swung his blade.

It was a wild swing, one without proper stance or strength to it. Garland felt the blade hit something, but instead of hearing the ding of metal on metal or the slick of a blade cutting through flesh, he heard the twack of metal hitting wood.

Garland was upper-cutted in the jaw and he stumbled back, then tackled to the ground. He could feel the cold bite of a dagger pressed on his throat.

"Bloody hai, Garland, almost slit your throat for that." Sera Catherine, climbed off of Garland, and looked over to the other knights, ready to jump in if a fight was to happen.

"Sera? What the heck are you doing here?" Garland voiced out and pulled himself up the ground.

"Looking for a boy, We were tracking him with magic and conventional tracking, but the fog was so thick, and it messed with magic, I don't think we'll find the boy soon."

"Huh... looking for a boy, huh? We happened to have found one." Garland looked over to Sam and Billy then back to Catherine. "Can we go home now? I really hate this fog."

"Alright, come on. Alright, does anyone know how to get back?" She asked the knights and squires that accompanied her.

"Aye, follow me!"

[Samuel Longwell]

Samuel Thoughts Others “You're right,” the knight agreed, “it would be better to avoid spending another night out here.” Samuel turned as the sound of hooves echoes through the forest. Samuel ducked behind the tree with Garland, pushing Billy behind him and loosening the sword in his sheath. He planned for the worst, he hoped the riders would be knights but he had to be ready in case they weren't. But Garland stepped out from the tree, swinging wildly. Samuel leapt out behind him, ready to back him up. The squire was knocked down and the older man dashed forward to help. But the knight slowed to a stop when he recognised the woman straddling Garland. “Thank goodness that tree was there” Samuel commented lightly. The knight coaxed the young boy forward, lifting him into the saddle of a nearby knight. The boy was probably exhausted, it had been a difficult day for him. Samuel was quietly relieved to be found, he had been anxious about the difficult feat of finding their way back to the city. But now there was a large group of other knights, at least one of whom seemed confident of the way home. Samuel watched the ground as the group set off. The large group of horses had left an obvious trail that even Samuel could have followed. He smiled to himself, he was no tracker but now he felt confident that he'd be able to lead the way back to Syliras if the occasion demanded it. He trailed behind Garland, taking the opportunity to study the imprints left in the mud by the squire's heavy boots. After a while the different shapes that the boots would make depending on the material that the younger man stepped on became ingrained in Samuel's memory. Samuel's involvement in the tracking practice made the return journey pass quickly for the knight. It wasn't long before the party reached the road and not long after that they finally entered through the gates. Samuel sighed contentedly, it was good to be home.

[Dove Brown]

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Samuel Longwell

Skills

• Observation 4
• Tracking 1
• Socialisation 5
• Leadership 5
• Weapon: Shield 2
• Persuasion 1
• Tactics 1
• Unarmed Combat 1
• Brawling 2
• Weapon: Dagger 1
• Weapon: Longsword 1
• Weapon: Shortbow 1
• Meditation 1
• Wilderness Survival 1
• Foraging 1

Lores

• Life goes on, fog or no fog
• Wolves hunt in packs
• Armoured fists pack a punch
• Losing a sword stuck in a corpse
• Angle of attack matters
• Self blame puts others in danger
• Wilderness Survival: putting up a tent
• Billy: a lost boy
• Billy: ran away

Miscellaneous

• Shield points: +5 (patrol), +6 (rescuing a citizen)

 

Garland

Skills

• Planning 1
• Organisation 1
• Wilderness Survival 2
• Weapon: Dagger 1
• Weapon: Bastard Sword 3
• Brawling 2
• Acting 1
• Weapon: Axe 1
• Weapon: Shield 1
• Leadership 1
• Carving 1

Lores

• Wilderness Survival: Prepare beforehand
• Wolves hunt in packs
• Throwing one wolf at another
• Acting: animal mimicry
• Billy: a lost boy
• Wilderness Survival: gather wood as you walk
• Lack of sound is a warning too
• Billy: ran away
• Look before you lunge

Miscellaneous

• Shield points: +5 (patrol), +6 (rescuing a citizen)

Comments: Enjoy your grades