Back to page 4
-----Within the next moment, a hardy voice is heard among the elves speaking something in their language. The reaction from the assembled elves is one of curiosity and careful interest as they continue to look toward the warrior atop Thunder.
-----Kazel keeps her bow fully pulled back. From behind her cover, she yells to Sol in a somewhat amused tone. "They're calling you the Champion. Make it a good one, your speech!"
-----A voice then speaks up from among the humans saying, "Arggh mates, it is the Lord Lambert's Man himself. Let's stop the fight and listen to what he has to say!"
-----This brings a reaction of confusion as many of the woodsmen look around and one of their number exclaims, "Bloody hell! Who said that?" Regardless, their attention turns back to Sol for the moment.
-----Raven turns toward Sarah, "Can you get rid of the darkness or cast a charm on yourself again so we can enter it safely?" Raven pauses his next action until Sarah speaks.
-----Sarah looks angrily at the Dread Pirate. She points at him and casts.
-----Suddenly Gimplefwick is enveloped in a mass of sticky webbing that stretches across the bushes, hedges and sapling trees in the area. It also encases the sylvan elf, who lies on the ground that the Dread Pirate struck with a dagger. The woodsman that had cursed at Gimplefwick now stands a few feet from the webs, mouth fully agape. "By Mother Terrena . . . !" he utters.
-----Seth is now absolutely inflicted with laughter so much he drops his cone of parchment and falls to the ground so the woodsmen and elves can not see his laughter and thus spoil the speech of Sol The Champion of Hearthorn. When he sees Sarah trap the Dread Pirate, Seth nearly chokes as he tries to cry and laugh at the same time.
-----Struggling like, well...like a madman, the Dread Pirate commences trying to tear his way through the webbing, keeping a wary eye on the assembled elves and humans. If it wasn't for the sticky webbing that keeps getting in his mouth, everyone in a five mile radius would be able to hear his ranting curses as he thrashes wildly about. He would probably be able to get out quicker if he wasn't continually stopping to disentangle his hat or his parrot from the web.
-----Sarah turns to address everyone from the back of Marlexana. "I swear to Destine I will blind the next person who moves to fight. Whoever that person may be." Sarah tries to make her voice heard, not being used to addressing a crowd. "Listen to my friend." She says, turning to Sol.
-----Sol quickly glances back at his companions. The look he gives his friends is one of 'Speech? What speech?' Nevertheless, he returns his gaze, this time unflinching, to the two factions. He carefully guides Thunder so that the horse ends up between the two groups. Sol's arms are still held out on either side of him, as if holding back the elves and woodsmen with sheer will alone.
-----Once again he speaks in the same decisive tone, though his mannerism seems out of place to his friends, "Would you lot do the work of evil for them? By fighting each other you're all doing just that. The scum who are responsible for that..." He points a hand at the sphere of Dark, "...are causing all the troubles in this forest. Now, before I ask you all to return to your homes, and spread word to your neighbors to end this needless conflict, I would ask you what has caused you to be at such violent odds. Furthermore my companions and I need to know of any other locations of these Dark zones and any suspicious parties seen near them." During his 'speech', Sol divides his attention between woodsmen and elves alike.
-----As Sol speaks, Sarah translates his speech into the elven language for the wood elves. She slowly goes down towards the battle, eyes alert for any attacks, one hand holding Marlexana’s reins, the other in one of her old pouches. She keeps an eye on Gimplefwick as well. She adds at the end of Sol’s speech, in both Elven and Common, "If any of you are hurt I may be able to help you."
-----The woodsmen reverently listen to Sol as he speaks. The occasional sunbeam casts a glint of light off his chainmail as Sol holds out his arms.
-----Then as he finishes, one of them, a non-descript man with shaggy brown hair, quickly speaks up. "It be them!" he says, pointing across at the elves, "Them savages with them pointy ears! They been sneakin’ and raidin’ our land! Their kind ain’t nothin’ more n’ a bunch o’ thieves! They be the ones been makin’ this black magic!"
-----The other woodsmen snarl and raise their swords as they look at the elves. An occasional ‘yeah!’ and murmurs of anger is said by the human host.
-----The elves remain quiet, but tense for the most part as Sol speaks. This changes as Sarah steps forward to interpret his speech. They relax somewhat although the frowns never leave their faces.
-----When the woodsmen begin to yell, one of the elven warriors yells something in a defiant tone. Immediately another stronger voice from the elves silences the outburst and a tall elf with a shock of bright blond hair steps before Sarah.
Go to Page 6