>>37933145
>>How bad is he?
then
>Where'd you learn the healer trade?

>>37933145
>How bad is he?

We might as well figure out just how screwed this guy is so we can account for it.

>>37933145
By the way, lets speak theoreticals, its possible someone is false flagging to cause centaur aggression, most likely being either The Phoenix empire because Centaur silk trade would completely fuck them over, it could be our orc friend who is trying to play centaurs against each other so he can fund both and make profits, or its possible, and very likely, this is aggression between the not-cossacks and the not-feudal lords. It could be some mix of both as well, or potentially even a proxy war.

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>>37934060

is this what they call "shadowruns?"

>>37934136
I actually never spent the time to read up on it, is shadow runs are theories as to what might occur?

>>37934178
Shadowruns are super paranoia that everyone and everything is out to kill you with multiple layers of complexity and gambits.

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>>37934178

Specifically, "shadowrunning" refers to being bugfuck paranoid. Shower knife levels of paranoid.

>>37934235
>>37934224
Oh, super paranoia is the best kind of paranoia, I mean seriously, how do we know our horse isn't secretly a Phoenix Empire sleeper agent!?

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[How bad is he?] You ask after taking a swig from the waterskin.

[I think a better thing to ask is what is good with him. The list would be shorter. He has multiple cuts, likely before he was set on fire. It must have been raining during or shortly after whatever happened. The fire was long enough to scar, but not enough to kill. No limbs appear broken, a small mercy, but he likely has been lying here for some time upwards of a week. Malnourished, nearly fell out of his breastplate when I was checking on him.]

[You mean to say he's been lying there since before the traders even found him?] You ask with alarm.

[Its is entirely possible. Though I doubt he's been awake for most of it. Either way, I don't think we'll get much in the way of information from him.] She says, reapplying the lid on the jar of whatever that foul smelling stuff was.

[What makes you say that?]

[His jaw is shattered. How well he can speak through a broken one, I do not know.] She states, with a hint of grim finality.

You wince, [Not to doubt you, but you seem awfully sure of this. Were you always in the healer trade?]

If she took offence to your doubt she doesn't show it. [This is what the Kozaks showed us. These remedies were intended should I find myself in trouble. I can only say I'm glad it is not myself I am having to use them on.] She says, gesturing to the satchel of poultices and herbs.

>What do?

>>37934446
...that is bad... I hope everyone likes soup and broth, thats all he's eating for the next few weeks, and if he doesn't regain consciousness soon we're going to have to discuss force feeding.

In the mean time, search for tracks, search for ANY sign of survivors elsewhere, and keep an eye out for trolls. He has a very high risk of infection so we are going to need to get him back to a civilized doctor ASAP, he's also going to need his jaw set which we can't do effectively.

Personally I'd say we take some time to search around while he gets field stabilized. Than we bumrush for the pass back home, he needs more than herbal healing, although it will help.

>>37934446
but yeah, as I said
>Confirm the centaur is stabilized,
>If not search while hes stabilized for travel
>if yes lets get him the hell out of dodge and to people who can actually fix him.

>>37934598
>>37935360

Seem to have a bit of cross purposes here, one for looking for more survivors, another for getting the hell out of dodge.

>>37935416
Its the same guy, I was clarifying what I was asking for before.

Aw shit, this is running today?
>>37934598
>>37935360
>>37935416
Well, to be a voice of compromise, I say we look for as many survivors as we can, and then get them the hell out.

>>37935449
Those two were me samefagging, the latter was a clarification. Sorry for the confusion.

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Rolled 19 (1d20)

"We'll probably be bringing him back with us," You say, slipping back into your normal tongue. "We need to know what happened here, and if that means getting him to a proper doctor, then so be it. We'll do a sweep for any other survivors, and then see about getting him back to a proper doctor to get him patched up. Marie, you fit to have a look around?"

She lets out a quiet cough before replying, "Provided they don't get me in any more strangleholds. I should be fine."

Leaving McCain and Tatiana to tend to the troll bonfire and the survivor, you poke your way through the ruins. There's not much to see other than fallen timber, scorched stone, and burnt husks of what you can only assume to be centaurs. Whoever did this was particularly thorough in their arson. In the peasant district, more of the same, but the ruins here are in even more disarray, not being built with stout stone like the area you found the hussar.

Not finding any other signs of life, and having doubled back through the small town twice now, you head toward the acrid blaze of the troll pile.

"Miss, how do you suppose we go about moving this fella?" McCain asks, gesturing to the still prone form being tended to by your own refugee.

>Well?

>>37935856
Let's see how damn heavy the guy is.

see about making one of them stretchers with wheels on the end, and try to drag 'im. If wheels aren't invented in this civilization yet, then shit. We'll have to rig up some kind of sled deal.

I think between us and the centaur, we should be able to figure out how to carry this guy.

>>37935856
We should be able to construct a basic stretcher, alternatively, if we have a wagon we can use that to carry him, I take it we can't throw him on horseback as that would be impractical and ironic. Wouldn't they have wagons for heavy lifting around here, for the picking up of all the farm goods? if so we can use that.

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Rolled 3 (1d20)

"That might not be necessary." Tatiana calls from the downed centaur. "He is waking up."

Hurrying over, you see him stirring, instantly reaching towards his own face, before being stopped by Tatiana, who begins talking to him in a blur of murmured Casimiran. His first vocalizations are a groan of pain, followed by the other hand shooting toward his face, again stopped by Tatiana, who hastens to try and explain everything. You see his eyes widen in alarm as he spots you, flitting back and forth between yourself, Marie, and McCain. Again Tatiana tries hurried and soothing words to calm him, which seems to work as he eventually relaxes back against the ground. Then comes the important question.

[Can you stand?] She asks, receiving a grunt in return. Slowly he tries to rise, falling back down again heavily. You wince, as McCain and Tatiana move to help. Between the three of them he gets to his feet, if only for a second, locking them in place shakily before giving out and sagging back down to the ground.

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>>37936846
"We will need a litter, likely to be strung between either myself and one of your animals or between both of yours." She says, referring to the pair of horses Marie and McCain brought along. "Probably better if I were one part, so as to keep watch. I do not thing he is entirely lucid, and I believe the jaw is causing too much pain for him to speak."

"We could have me go to the Nitor for help, get some more bodies with guns to see to it he gets safe." Marie suggests.

"That would leave us stuck here a while on our own Miss Robinson." McCain says, "And I don't fancy having another go at those things."

"What about a wagon? We could rig something up out of the wreckage of some of these?" You ask.

"Not much in the way of good wood around here Miss Masterson, at least anything that survived this fire." Marie says.

"Not to mention the lack of proper roads and harnesses to get something like that working." McCain chimes in.

You sigh, well, that's one idea shot.

Any way you go about it, it'd take some time to get the injured one back to your side of the mountain.

>Take the wounded one back as a group.
>Send Marie to get help
>other?

>>37936868
>>Take the wounded one back as a group.
Best to get moving, and this place isn't defensible enough after the whole "fire" thing to justify fortifying it long enough for help to arrive.

not even taking into account how likely it is for the house to simply fall down on us.

>>37936868
>>Take the wounded one back as a group.

>>37936868
Thank god, we don't need to worry about force feeding him to keep him alive now, infection is still a serious concern however.

>Take the wounded one back as a group. I'd rather get away from the slaughter site, and I assume so does he.

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Rolled 10 (1d20)

Rigging the stretcher isn't hard, the silk undershirt that the hussar had providing more than enough material to make up a rudimentary sling, which is then slung between Tatiana and Greenbriar, leaving Marie up in the air keeping watch as she always did. The difference in heights between the horse and the centaur prove convenient as well, allowing Tatiana to support the weakened centaurs upper body as well.

The hussar keeps trying to speak, but seems unable to, be it from the pain, or just physically unable to talk. Until stern but calm words from Tatiana cause the near delirious casualty to quiet down and focus on moving forward.

Exiting the ruins, you head back the way you came, out into the badlands proper. Its really slow going, as the twelve legs of your improvised corpsman rig try to get into sync, and sometimes cross purposes. You take the rearguard, just in case any of them should stumble, with McCain up front, and Marie winging through the air.

>Give me a 1d20 travel roll, lower is better.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>37938105

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>37938105
on the road again

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>37938105
For the glory of satan.

>>37938391
Well Satan fucked us over asshole.

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>>37938391
Satan has nat20'd, the end is upon us, all shall be purged in the flames. Hail Satan.

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Rolled 16 (1d100)

>>37938391
Ok, lemme just roll something real fast.

>>37938391
why do you do this to us, satan.

Rolled 37 (1d100)

>>37938522
Rolling for anal circumference

>>37938725
Forgot lamia modifier.

>>37938806
What size creature would a lamia qualify as?

>>37939145
Large or bigger depending on size.

>>37939145
>>37938806
I choose not to participate in this. Though it would probably be a negative modifier, because of how snakes work.

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Rolled 94 (1d100)

>20

The next two days of travel are remarkably clear, which is just as well, because you're travelling at half speed. Late the second day, you are roused from the humdrum of keeping watch by marie swooping down with news.

"Huge fight. East of here. Lots of trolls." The out of breath harpy

Moving to the fore of the group, you slither to a ridge with Marie in tow. After you finish dragging her along with you, you ask her to point it out, from the relative safety of the ridgeline.

"Over there, something like eight groups surrounded by who knows how many of those troll buggers." She says, extending a winged arm toward the movement barely illuminated by the dying light.

McCain, having secured Tatiana and the injured centaur in a swell of ground is quick to join you. He lets out a low whistle. "That's more of those monsters than we've ever seen. I'm not sure we've got enough ammo for even half of them."

"Its probably best we don't get involved." You say, "Those look like Kozaks, and they look more than capable of driving them back."

"I think its a bit too late for that Miss." McCain says, pointing at a dark mass breaking off from the main group. "If they do drive them back, they'll drive 'em right through us."

>What do?

>>37939271
Doubletime it, people!
We can't up a tree with this wounded guy, so we gotta SCOOT. And by we I mean me. You guys will jog. Only I scoot.

Rolled 15, 19 = 34 (2d20)

>>37939308
Going to need a 1d20 roll then

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>37939467
rolled

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>37939467

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>37939467

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>17

"We need to move, I don't fancy our chances holding up against something that size. Better to scoot. Or leg it in your case." You say hurriedly, moving back down the ridge to where the centaurs are concealed. Again rousing the injured one off the ground, McCain takes you aside.

"Take it slow miss, don't be too frantic here. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. In this case at least." He says, remounting Traveller before you flit off to the next disaster.

Inwardly you calm yourself, trying to stop the adrenalin from giving you the shakes. Taking the rear again, you try your damnedest to keep the groups profile low, but even know you can hear the keening as innumerable count of trolls, driven back by the onslaught of Kozak battlegroups. Here Marie earns her pay. Snatching the unused cattleman revolver still holstered on Greenbriar's saddle, she wings into the air, toward the trolls. Firing random shots, she grabs the attention of the horde, winging off into the night due south, back towards the ruins of the town.

It does the trick, and its an hour before a breathless Marie wings back, diving out from high altitude. You don't even complain when she passes out, simply scooping the harpy onto your back as you continue on, not even risking a camp tonight.

The rest of the trip is largely uneventful, the horde must be dismantling or infesting whatever was left of Purobka by the time you make it to your canyon.

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>>37940952
You catch sight of the Nitor post, and frown when there are only one of the soldiers.

"What's going on?" You call to the sergeant, moving from his seat.

"Colonel Braun's recalled all personnel Sah- err Ma'am. We've got a runner ready in case you were in trouble, but frankly, we've got a bit more on our plate now."

"And what's that?"

"The Phoenix Empire has declared war."

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>>37940988
And that's it for this thread folks. As always, thanks for reading.


Yes I know I'm a bastard.

>>37941030
Thanks for running!

>>37941030
Phoenix Empire confirmed for satan worshippers.

>>37941030
Also OP remember to archive the thread, I'm way to lazy to do it for you.

>>37941030
Aw jeez, wartimes. That's no good.