Finally

Intro
Jacob approached her, the elf who looked back at him with piercing blue eyes. She had seemed afraid of the wolf Silinrul, but now she seemed resigned to sadness. Perhaps it was the week spent without water. Her voice hollow, she greeted him.

Hello
Jacob replied, Greetings. I don't mean to impose, but I wanted to try and reassure you. The wolf is of no threat, so long as you mean the ranger no harm.
The elf seemed puzzled for a moment, but attempted a smile.

Harm? No. [heh] Even if I did..." she shook her head side to side, "I wouldn't stand a chance. None of us would, maybe not even together."
Her eyes shone with sadness.

Sorry. Damian brought you - I should be happier. I'm Lia. What's your name?"
Jacob, he replied with a subtle glance around the room. I've not been out this way in awhile, and Damian was a little short on details. What happened here?
"The feral happened here." she said. For the first time emotion cracked her hollow voice. "Not like usual. We've all seen raids but... this was something different. They came as... as destroyers. We weren't ready - the fires."
Her eyes were open wide as she looked into her past. Jacob could almost see the flames in her eyes, the city ablaze.

"They took half the town before we knew they were here. They... Oh, Dom."
She nearly choked out the last of the words. Jacob shifted uncomfortably in his boots but lay a hand on her should in reassurance.

"I know it means next to nothing, but I'm sorry for what you've had to endure."
Lia looked up from the floor, her eyes wet. She bit down on her lip so hard it almost drew blood and brought her gaze directly to Jacob's.

Make them pay.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


The Wait

Damian was nowhere to be found. He had thanked Clary and Jacob immensely, but seemed rather put out with himself nonetheless. After this, he had disappeared without bothering to explain where he was going.


As the day burned on, the travelers who chose to remain in the Hall spent much of their time in quiet conversation with one another, only rarely venturing a few words with the people of Pike. The general attitude toward them was mixed, but leaned toward grateful. Many of the townsfolk had hoped for an immediate fix, and new arrivals without any water had damped their spirits considerably.


Several hours passed without much activity. After only a week, everyone had learned how to stay alive during a drought. Stay cool, stay still, and keep your mouth shut. From an outsider's perpective it was incredibly boring. Suddenly, there was a commotion from the back of the hall.


Father Tolly and Brother Garret had emerged, and in front of them they rolled a good-sized cask. Together they hoisted it onto the great table. In moments they were swamped. The Hall, so used to silence, suddenly rang out with hundreds of voices all crying "Water!" It was only perhaps thirty gallons, but the mere presence of it seemed enough for many to regain their strength. Some pushed, some fought, but by and large everyone got a few handfuls of the precious stuff.


Garret and Tolly exchanged knowing looks as the throng grew and then disappated. Laughter echoed in the Hall, but neither cleric could raise a smile. This meager offering was the result of expending an entire day's prayer in the short time they had been here. Their work represented survival, nothing more.


Shortly before Rainfall, Daxos and Xana returned from their exploration. Dax spoke to Clary and Jacob. ""How have things gone here? The ferals aren't here. Do you know anything of what is being decided?""


Neither seemed to know what had happened to their wild companions, but they did manage to convey their time in the Hall to the prodigal adventurers. When asked what he had seen, Daxos replied,


""The town is empty. The buildings in disrepair. That much you saw for yourself on the way in. But it is the same all over - we headed down towards the river bed. It might be worth knowing that while the wall looks solid and clean all around the town, it isn't a great barrier anymore. There are gaps under it in many places where the rains have washed away the soil. Do not assume that attack could not come from any direction. The wall is not a solid barrier. But also, should an attack come - if you head to the wall you will likely find a way out. The wall will not trap you in. I hope it does not come to that, but I can see how feral raids could happen."

The rain started. A conversation about the ins and outs of protecting a city while under threat of invasion seemed about to begin, when another commotion stirred the back of the room. An elf walked to the podium. He seemed both young and old, as elves often do. Chestnut hair fell about his shoulders. His robes seemed fresh pressed, a great feat in times such as these.


A familiar voice spoke beside the group. It was Tommen, still wearing his ill-fitted guard uniform. "That's Eoghain. He's Pike's new Oldest. Nobody exactly put him in charge after the attack, but...

Eoghain spoke. With one hand on the podium his voice boomed as though he had accessed a spell of Resounding.


"Attention please." This he hardly needed to say. All eyes were already on him "I believe I speak for us all when I say that Damian Dawnshine deserves a Hero's Welcome! His bold journey to Lake City has saved our city. Damian, please make yourself known. Hip hip huzzah! Hip hip huzzah! Hip hip huzzah!"


The crowd joined Eoghain in this moment of merriment, each of them hip-hip-huzzah'ing with the rest.


We are forever indebted to you, Damian, and to your companions, the elf continued, "But now we must move on to more serious business. This company brought with them two of the raiding party that attacked Pike. We've got them in a cage and under guard, so do not be afraid. I have spoken with them myself, and they confess to - as they put it - 'breaking' our city. Their case seems clear to me, but we do still govern by popular vote. How shall we kill them? Hanging or burning?"

The crowd erupted.

Daxos listened as the oldest gave his pronouncement and the crowd cheered. His head hung a bit lower and his heart felt heavy. He knew the couple were guilty and deserved punishment. He thought he understood some of what they had done to this city. They were not innocent. He had no illusions about that. But death? Deserved, maybe. But even if deserved it seemed such a terrible waste. There were so few people left. Wasn't there some way to bring these two back into civilization? Whatever was left of it.

But what could he do about it? The gnome doubted his words were change the minds of these cheering people. What would he have to say beyond "we must all work together and save all people!" It sounded silly and utopian even to him. But at some point they would run out of people. And yet there didn't seem to be anything he could do about it. So for now he just sat back and listened. What would they decide to do and when would they do it? He could but listen.

He did desire, however, once he heard the pronouncement, to go and talk to the ferals again. Perhaps there was something they knew that could yet save their lives. Perhaps they knew something more of the water to the north. Yes, he would seek them out at the first opportunity.

Damian felt like he had failed the city of Pike. So to be thanked for saving the town felt like a little bit of a slap in the face.

He reprimanded himself, saying that they did save the town with the abilities of the clerics, they would be fine. Just... so much water wasted. Another shake of his head, he had to stop this.

Moving on the more pressing matters, he stood there, his jaw clenched as they talked about how they would deal with the feral. Having seen what they did to his friends and family, he had no compassion for them, no mercy... But still. They needed information. How the hell did the feral organize themselves for this attack?

Where was Mother Tully? (i forgot the name, will correct later if it's wrong). What about my abilities? Did Grumm truly bless me? He certainly saved me and the town. I need to experiment more.

Looking in the crowd, he saw Daxos hang his head slightly and Damian frowned slightly. I wonder what's on his mind. I should go talk to him and figure out what we should do next
((OOC: plans to talk to Daxos and hopefully go talk to the feral and learn more info))

"How shall we kill them? Hanging or burning?"

A chorus of shouts erupted from the crowd. They called for blood. And vengeance. And justice. And retribution. And... And... And... And it was all dreadfully predictable. Xana was more than tempted to liven things up a bit, but with the masses as rapid as they were she was likely to get caught in the flames herself. Not an end she particularly desired.

The dark faery exhaled softly and began to study her fingernails. Even after a century in this apocalypse she still managed to keep them perfect. Beauty had become a point of stubborn pride, one last thread that remained of who she had been before the fall.

Xana sighed again as she regarded her ragtag crew of traveling companions, will them to silence. If the people of Pike wanted the ferals dead there was no way of convincing them otherwise. Only blood would quench that thirst. Any efforts to dissuade them might well start a riot and that would be quite unpleasant.

It was a pity they could not learn more of the fabled land of water and stars to the north, but she doubted there were many drops left. If the opportunity came to speak with them, Xana would take it, but she would not put her neck out to do so. For now it might have to be enough to know there was a place where the stars still shone. Given time she would find it, and time was one thing she had.

So, she would wait for now and see what became of things. If she could not pursue one end, there were other curiosities that had arisen.

Jacob look around uneasily as the crowd stirred itself around him. If something wasn't said immediately, it would be too late to say it.

Jacob sighed to himself. He hated jumping into other people's business, but he needed to know. They would want to know.

Raising his voice above the crowd, he spoke. "Eoghain, before justice is wrought, could I speak with you, please?"

Clary sat at a distance, listening but remaining quiet. Only when Silinrul bumped his head against her did she actually pay attention to what was being said. The prisoners they had brought were the cause of the downfall of Pike.

"so.. Are we gonna kill 'em?" she gripped Silinrul's fur tightly. She hated mindless killing but these two had caused alot of grief for innocent people.