Caravan - Open Fantasy RP - Jump right in!

[ChickieBooBoo]

Linden reached for the harness of the nearest horse and tugged at the strapes holding the heavy leather in place. The animal snorted nervously and took a few skittish steps to the side, nearly dragging Linden off his feet. "Bloody beast, hold still!" He growled under his breath, letting forth a string of hot curses as it stepped on his foot.

"Here, let me help you..." Mavis reached around Linden and placed his hand on the horse's huge nose to push it away from them, and off Linden's foot. If he wasn't much help moving the tree by hand, he at least had enough experience working with horses to use them instead. "You just got to be gentle, and quiet. So that they trust you." He told Linden, looking up at the much larger man who had about a foot of height on him.

"Hmph." Linden grumbled, flexing his sore foot before stepping back away from the wagon. "I'll leave them to you kid, never was much a friend to the beasts."

Mavis looked away from Linden and finished unhooking the horse from the wagon. He tied a rope to the rest of the harness still on the horse's back and tossed the other end to Terrick. "Hey, wrap that around the tree! I'll see if I can move it!"

 

[Frundette]

Brylla did not spot any of the caravan scouts as she looked over the road a half mile behind where the caravan was stuck. She looked back, gesturing to the others that it was safe to approach the road. Only a few of their number were bowmen, so she waited until they had caught up and were watching the road before she darted across, the heavy mud churned up from the horses and wagons sucking at her boots. Being on the open road made her nervous, even if it was only for a short time.

Once safely on the other side, she covered the road with her bow while the others crossed, the lot of them making more noise than she would have liked.


--


Terrick caught the rope and fished it around two heavy branches, tying it securely. "Okay, kid, see what that horse can do." He stepped away a few steps to avoid getting caught up in the branches should the horse be able to move it quicker than he imagined.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Linden looked back down the road from where the caravan was stopped, he could have sworn that he heard something. He frowned and narrowed his eyes, squinting to try and see the distance. There appeared to be something on the road, something moving, but he was too far away to tell what exactly it was. He was about to mention it to Terrick when the tree suddenly pulled free and jerked along the bumpy ground, nearly taking out his legs. With a surprised grunt he sidestepped quickly to avoid the tree and forgot to mention the sighting to his friend.

Meanwhile, Mavis clicked softly with his tongue at Terrick's word and led the horse forward. The large animal came quite willingly until the rope grew taunt and begin to stretch. A large gust of hot breath billowed around the back of Mavis's neck as the horse strained against the rope, pulling as hard as it could but still not moving the tree. Finally, as Mavis was about to give up, the bit of friction holding the tree in place snapped free and it jerked forwards, sending both Mavis and the horse stumbling. Spooked, the horse surged forwards again and pulled the tree clear of the road. It took Mavis frantically grabbing for the halter to stop the frightened animal before it charged into the bushes, tree and all.

"Whola there, kid!" Linden exclaimed, assisting Mavis in holding the horse still. He pulled the rope connecting the tree and the horse free and threw the end to Terrick. "What'd I tell you, that took no time at all!"

 

[Frundette]

Rorik hurried his group into position. The caravaners were celebrating getting the tree off the road and there would not be a better time. He motioned with his hand and he and 9 armed men stepped into view from one side of the road.

"Hold there, good travelers!" Rorik hollered.

That was the cue and Brylla and that crew came into view. The archers in the group leveled their arrows at the caravan members.

"Perhaps you were not informed that this road runs through the territory of Rorik the Benevolent." Rorik smiled, as if he was the most good-natured person in the world. "And there is a tax to have the privilege of using this road."

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Linden turned around quickly to face Rorick, narrowing his eyes dangerously. The archers hadn't gone unnoticed, and though he hadn't counted exactly, he was quite sure there was more of them then there were travelers. He wasn't stupid, and he didn't want an arrow stuck through his chest, so instead of swearing like he wanted to he only asked: "And what tax is this?"

Mavis visably jumped, spooked by Rorick's forceful voice. He spun around, nearly completing two full circles before spotting the source of the voice. Unlike Linden he had never been through an ambush, or any kind of violence at all come to think of it. Unknowingly he look a step closer to the horse, as if it could protect him from the row of bandits with arrows pointed at them.

 

[Frundette]

"The tax is 1 gold crown per wagon, which of course may also be paid in goods." Rorik answered Linden.

Brylla felt her nerves flutter. Things would get ugly fast if the caravan was not willing to pay the steep tax. She had her arrow trained on a man that looked like he was probably one of the traders, a fact not lost on the trader as he tried to slowly inch his way toward one of the wagons.

Terrick swore inwardly as he counted the brigands. The caravan guards were slightly outnumbered and any altercation was bound to lead to casualties. But there was hope that this 'Rorik the Benevolent' fellow wouldn't want to lose any of his men either and would be willing to negotiate.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

"A gold crown per wagon?" Linden echoed in disbelief, mentally doing a quick, rough calculation of how much they would lose if they were forced to pay that, and not liking the results. It made the entire trip almost a wash! "Thats unreasonable, surely, as civil men we can agree to more fair terms?" He opened his arms to appear less threatening and more apt to bargin instead of shoot. "A middle ground?"

 

[Frundette]

Rorik, unfortunately, was neither a very reasonable or a very civil man. More importantly, he was reckless and he felt as if he had the upper hand right now. He'd lose a few men, surely, if this came to blows, but that was a sacrifice he was willing to make to ensure the rest could survive the upcoming winter.

"I'm nothing if not fair," Rorik said. "But rules are rules. Word gets out that I let you slip by with a discount, that's hardly fair, is it? So, gold or goods, then?"

The caravan master could keep himself silent no longer. "Robbery!" he said loudly, sure that any profit from this trip would be lost if the bandits got away with taking that much.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

"That is hardly a fair tax!" Linden protested angrily. "Our trip would be worth nothing, wasted! This is not a tax, this is robbery!" He echoed the caravan master's words. "And if you think you can get away with robbery, you are seriously out to lunch!"

 

[Frundette]

"So be it," Rorik looked almost sad.

He dropped his hand from his beard, the signal the bandits had been waiting for.

Brylla's arrow was in the air before Rorik's hand even made it to his sword hilt. The arrow embedded into itself into the shoulder of the trader it had been trained on and the man feel to his knees. A few more arrows from other bandits were in the air a moment later. And the others with swords, axes, or spears rushed forward to claim what they could.