Online Session Recap 25.03.2018

Tylendel just left The Wayward Boar and rounds the corner into Oak Street, the walls of the North Ward Town Council looming over him as he approaches the gate.

Tylendel talks a bit with Lukska once inside the gate, and Lukska explains that the weakened people of the entourage are being moved to Summergate, the heavily fortified citadel in the city wall to the west. Tylendel watches the high-ranking priest Erik the Rose and Syr Comton help Justina, Ionel Horvath, Marcon Horvath, Apell Horvath and many peasants, mostly elders and the very young (a peasant woman carried a weak girl in her arms), aboard wagons. The steward of Arganhold, Patrik Vomir, oversees it all. To his surprise, he sees Bug - Duke Amos Oldrich's servant - carried out and into a wagon as well. Tylendel walks over to Syr Comton and tells him they better guard these wagons well, as there might be a Cultist lurking about.

Tylendel enters the council chamber. Duke Harmond and his brother Harman stand by the fire. Baron Prister sits on a bench, brushing dust off his lap. Haralamb Horvath sits by the council table staring into a cup. Austyn Karklin, the Heir of the Silver Meadows, and Count Ales Malion, bannerman to Austyn's father, stand and talk between themselves. Tylendel explains about encountering the Lost Cultist. Duke Harmond decides to have Syr Comton and a squad investigate the shed with the blankets and the satchel.

While they speak and sip heavily watered down wine, a horn blows at Griffin Gate. At first they think it's finally time for Syr Bohumíl Camrey to arrive, but two more blasts are heard and everyone marches out into the yard, concerned there is trouble instead. Tylendel runs east down Oakstreet, followed by many soldiers from the yard and the duke's brother (the duke himself stays behind). Tylendel finds his way to the wall above the gate itself, where the hornblower stands. They hear someone shout for help; Tylendel thinks he recognizes the voice.

Soon, he sees the distant, black silhouette of something large following three bobbing lights speeding down Camrey's Ride: three horsemen, followed by... the only thing Tylendel can think of is a Giant Norocht, which may be correct.

Tylendel calls for archers, who soon begin to file out of Griffinhold to join him on the walls.
As the three riders pass through the two nearest buildings outside the walls, he realizes the closest rider is Syr Ramon Duntry, a Messonian he encountered one and a half months earlier in the Breywoods. Behind him follow two of his traveling companions, the huntsman Poncio, who shouted for help, and the young woman Emmalyn, her hair flying wild.

Tylendel ordered the knights in the yard to open the gate enough to let them through (though briefly considering not opening it). Just as Syr Ramon Duntry rides into the archway, the bear's unbelievably large paws - its claws are like curved shortswords - slams into Poncio's side, toppling his horse but not before he's already been broken in half as he flies off the horse to land in the field beyond.

This gives Emmalyn just the time she needs to also slip into the archway, and the two riders are brought into Griffinhold's courtyard, their horses rearing in terror, the riders taken off their saddles and quickly brought away. Emmalyn screams for Poncio.
"Loose!" Tylendel shouts and the first volley from the archers speeds toward the humongous, black-pelted terror. Some arrows stick, but most skitter off - Tylendel understands he's facing a very tough beast indeed.

The bear begins ripping open Poncio's horse, discarding organs and tearing into its meat. Tylendel shouts at the top of his lungs and pulls Red Dancer to gain its attention. It turns its massive head, yellow burning eyes staring at him.

"Aim for the eyes!" he calls, his voice a thunder. Taking charge of the gate, he keeps most of the men under control, though a few flee into towers, and some stand frozen, piss steaming from their breeches.

One lucky shot from a Horvath archer plunges deep into the bear's right eye, and it whines in pain. This brings a short surge of hope in the men on the walls as they continue to let the arrows rain down on the hulking black bear.

In reflex or some malign cunning, the bear begins ramming the gate itself with the power of a battering ram. In two bursts, the right door's reinforcements give up as bolts shoot from their sockets, and the bear's giant muzzle appears in the crack between the doors. Tylendel orders pikemen into formation and leads a charge against the great, terrifying head on the other side of the gate. The pikes hit, but not deep, but again there are the sounds of whining pain. If the bear breaks through, it will be a massacre, so Tylendel orders the pikemen to keep steady and push.

The bear, while stronger than anything, retreats, the poking pikes an annoyance. It turns, clasps Poncio's horse by a thigh in its jaws, and runs off, the ground shaking under its paws.

There is a stunned silence. Men sit down, gasping for air. The fear is real and thick among them. Tylendel speaks to them, and gets a little cheer. He tells Harman Horvath, who has been cowering near the stables of the city bondsman, to order a rider to go to the Temple of Summer - they will need the aid of the Prophet's engineers to repair Griffin Gate. Tylendel intended for Harman to take charge at the gate but Harman runs off to follow the order himself.

Staying with the men around the Griffinhold, he commands them to close the one intact door. Bolts are plucked from the ground, attempts are made to close the second door. After a good while, the soldiers encircle Tylendel, chanting "Greyoak. Greyoak. Greyoak." Now that they have regained their wits, they applaud him for his quick thinking and good command, and some even apologize for losing their courage.

After some thinking, Tylendel decides it is necessary to actually go after the massive creature. On his way to the Town Council Hall he meets with a curious, amazed and very grateful Duke Harmond Horvath (accompanied by three House knights and Count Ales Malion). Tylendel takes them to the gate to show the damage and explain what happened.
Then, he climbs onto a crate by the stables and calls for attention: He needs archers and pikemen to join him in tracking down the great black bear because... what if it crosses paths with Syr Bohumíl, who is enroute with five hundred refugees?

Three knights appear - Syr Decebal of House Horvath, Syr Yaskar, and a knight whose name Tylendel doesn't know (he saw the same man earlier, helping escorting the wagons with the elderly and the young to Summergate) who all vow to help him. Syr Decebal also tells him they have a man who is renowned for his tracking skills, albeit a bit of a strange fellow, named Yvan, from the Morninglands.

In the end, Tylendel prepares a group of ten Horvath pikemen, 10 Ziven pikemen, 10 Torrister pikemen and 30 Horvath archers who will, along with the three knights and the tracker, join him in finding the great beast that so easily tore down Griffin Gate (as it attacked, Tylendel heard stone crashing - he will see when he exits the gate that the good old griffin statue has toppled and broken in many pieces).

The archers bring an additional quiver of arrows each, and Tylendel also commands that the group bring torches (twentyfive of them), axes, and rope.