Maria looks over Marie, to see if she really is what she says or is merely talking herself up. Folk Ken (Soldiers) 4+ Per 1 + die roll of 0)...um...no botch...so, total of 5.
Maria will sidle up to Étienne and let him know what Marie had told her. Of course, she hasn't (afaik) actually seen Marie in action, so she can't vouch for her ability, and thus will leave it to Étienne's discretion. But Maria is of the opinion that we shouldn't just one scout...it should be either two or none.
Étienne nods and shakes his head. "Pauci." Privately Étienne wonders why he's on this mission. It's incredibly difficult to lead when he doesn't speak the language. He'll ask Esteban to tell Maria there are two few of them to risk Marie going very far ahead. She needs to stay within sight and hearing distance if she scouts ahead. As Esteban translates Étienne points to his eyes and good ear to emphasize the point.
[OOC. So I'm kinda NPC'ing Esteban by doing this. I hate to do that, but Fixer indicated he'd have a decreased post rate, and I don't think Esteban would have a reason not to translate. It's in the interests of moving the story along, at which point there's probably more interesting stuff for Fixer to do with Esteban than translate.]
Maria nods. "I understand," she says simply, hoping that Étienne will be able to understand and pick up short phrases better than long sentences...and harking back to her conversation with Fati two days ago, the quicker Étienne picks up Castilian the better, if he's going to continue being in charge. Not that she resents his command (she's too good a soldier to resent executive decisions), she just wants things to go as smoothly as possible. And the fewer ways the Devil can find to muck things up for them, the better.
She then falls back next to Marie and relays what Étienne had told her. She then adds that she will stay with Marie, and that this was her decision and not her being ordered to.
[OOC: Stick the personality as you've seen it, and it shouldn't be a problem. He did mention he'd be offline, and this is a troupe style game.]
Where do you guys go, and how are you searching?
[OOC, This is something I wasn't clear on and was planning to sort out via dialogue, presuming that Esteban had been more fully briefed about the situation. I had understood that this was to happen the day after Ra'am and his retinue arrived. If that's the case, Étienne will have had very little time to prepare (essentially settling Ra'ams retinue), and was going to rely on intel from others in the group, presuming Esteban would be the one to know more about this situation. The Rabbi is traveling on Shabbat, because he thinks people are in danger and is seeking to provide aid to them, regardless of their faith. From what I can tell in the Merchant Arrives thread, it is in the hills east of Castilblanco where we expect to find refugees. Étienne can certainly pump Esteban for information, but I think it's a bit unsatisfying to pump him for information as Étienne and me fill in the blanks as Esteban. So, if you can give me some guidelines as to what Étienne can know, and who he knows it from, he can then act accordingly. Otherwise, he'll wing it acting on the hills east of Castilblanco looking for signs of refugees.]
Esteban has only arrived a few days before Etienne did, and knows very little beyond that his skills as a healer may be needed.
According to Raoudha and Ra'am, there may be a small camp of refugees lurking somewhere in the southwest, somewhere near the road to Castiblanco. With the Knights Templar set up in Castiblanco, they are worried what may happen if these refugees are discovered by Castiblanco forces. If these people seem trustworthy, then Cijara desperately needs the manpower. However, Cijara has no one but women, children and newcomers to guard the walls. If these people are interested in helping themselves at Cijara's expense, then they must not know how easy it would be to do so.
Reconsidering their mission, Étienne deploys their force as follows. He takes the lead, along with Esteban. He asks Esteban to tell Maria to stay in the back and appear to cover our rear in the event of a hasty retreat, and asks that Marie scout the area where the reported camp was, and do her best to stay out of site. If she sees any armed men she is to come back and report immediately. Otherwise she is to stay out of sight as best she can and provide cover fire in the event the rest of the party needs to escape quickly. He'll ask for advice, if anyone has a better idea, based on the information he relays to them to speak up. This could be very dangerous or it could be a refugee mission.
Unless anyone has any objections or additions to the plan, that's what we'll do.
Étienne will tie his sword onto the donkey that Esteban is riding so as to appear unarmed, and unthreatening.
Étienne gives Marie a 30 minute head start (or some smaller amount if the distance isn't so great to the reported camp) and then has everyone else move out.
(OOC: Arya, and Peregrine, we should probably discuss splitting up some characters here to provide the best experience...)
Thus the mixed team: Skilled fighters if need be, a representative of the covenant, a healer...
Yup, this is the kind of things you can assume without problem.
He's not malicious or else, and would not blur the meaning, so there's no need for me to "re-translate".
Being a translator is, on one side, demeaning, but on the other, it's an acknowledgment of his culture and education, so it flatters him that the groups depends on him.
This seems kinda stupid to marie, but, if this comes from Maria, there's probably a good reason to it. Maybe...
Nonehteless, she'll tend to be forward and look out for dangers, as much as she can.
(I don't have any characters besides my maga, though if refugees are Jewish she would very much want to go.)
Actually this is not how pikuach nefesh works. There are Gentiles who can (and are) going so there is no mandate for him to desecrate Shabbat. If the rebbe had some special skills which were both known to be necessary in the direct application of saving a life (i.e. someone is drowning and he's the only one who can swim, or if he were a doctor and none of the gentiles travelling were doctors) then there is no sin in travelling during Shabbat. I don't think any of this is the case, and "there are refugees who might be found by crusaders" is pretty abstract for trying to apply pikuach nefesh in the first place. If he goes, he is breaking mitzvot; any rabbi would know that.
Ibrahim sees things are well in hand, and since Levi isn't observant, he makes on comment to him specifically and returns indoors as the party leaves.
This is a troupe style game. You can pick any of the covenant residents, previously established, or of your own invention (assuming they fit within the covenant theme) and play them at any time, in any thread (again, as appropriate).
Here's a list of the established identities (though I think it hasn't been updated since Arya or J.L have started playing). Since Chicozian is on indefinite hiatus, you can play any of his grogs.
Abdul Fati bin Saladin would be an obvious choice, as would any of Amos's grogs.
[I just noticed the second half of this, apparently my brain is not working properly. As this is taking place the morning after Azura's arrival, she can certainly come with.]
Azura and Fati arrive moments before the party leaves through the west gate. Fati's arthritis had slowed him down, and Azura had met him on the way to the gate.
(What day is it?)
Azura looks at the assembled group and assumes Etienne is in charge (he's the best-looking one, after all). "You there! I'm Azura Merceris. And this is Abdul al... bin... umm, his name is Abdul. So, I'm going to scout ahead, and around, and elsewise. I won't stick around if there's a fight, but Imm good for reconnaissance. Carry my bag? Thanks," she drops her pack into Etienne's arms and deliberately brushes her small-but-firm breasts against his arm, before disappearing in a puff of blue smoke.
(Charm: 8 + 4 Com + 3 Charm - 3 Gift = 12, to flirt with Etienne. She will then make judicious use of mastered BAMFing to scout around for the party, trying to stay out of sight of any passersby, and returning to give updates on what the landscape/area/climate/potential dangers is like.)
I believe it is Friday, March 15, 1213 when this thread starts.
"Fati, please, call me Fati," interjects the old warrior.
She will then make judicious use of mastered BAMFing to scout around for the party, trying to stay out of sight of any passersby, and returning to give updates on what the landscape/area/climate/potential dangers is like.)
[/quote]
[OOC: Because I am unfamiliar with much of the system, and this includes Mutantum stuff, please write out the math for me on your spells. Also, what skills are you using to determine where you BAMF to? Roll something appropriate for me.]
Map of the immediate area: toastology.com/junx/armphoen ... ap200m.png
Slightly wider scale: toastology.com/junx/armphoen ... Map5km.png
Both can be found: arm5phoenix.wetpaint.com/page/Th ... 2eSMH89K8G
The party is exiting from the manor gate, which is the east-most point where the two walls connect. Fati saw them a week or so ago somewhere amid the trees just south of the covenant wall, between the wall and the road.
The merchant Abdul, on the other hand, saw signs of people yesterday (Friday) somewhere between the road marked N-502a (in the modern parlance, in the old days, it was called, "that road"), and Cijara. He did not specify where.
(It is Seven League Stride, and because it is mastered there's no need for dice rolls because even on a zero it won't botch unless she's in a strong hostile aura. Her CT is 1 Stam + 12 Re + 14 Co + 2 Mastery = 29, for a spell level of 30. So on a roll of zero she would cast it successfully but with a fatigue level lost, in which case she'd rest for two minutes to catch her breath before casting again.)
Saturday morning (see the first post). Abdul al-Faisal didn't arrive until Friday afternoon with more news about the refugees.
Since it is Friday Azura will keep an eye out to find an inn the party can stop at for the night, and try to get them there before nightfall. She will let the others know well in advance that she will be back at the covenant before nightfall, and will rejoin them again after sundown Saturday night. "Don't worry, I can find you as long as you stay on the road."
Ah, in that case, Azura doesn't meet the group on the road, she'd send a messenger to ask Etienne to meet her in her room. She'll still flirt with him, tell him she'll meet them along the road after sundown, and ask him to carry her bag for her. (If he opens it, he'll find that the bag is full of naughty underclothes, lemon cakes wrapped in oiled cloth, a couple ornate daggers, and a few bottles of wine.)
So, let's see...we currently have:
Rabbi Ibrahim was originally in the group, but was retconned to stay behind when we realized that it would involve traveling on the Sabbath.
That sound about right?
