As the sun rises on a warm and steamy day in Jastery the sound of trumpets and marching feet rouse anyone who might have been sleeping late.
Advancing down the road is a mighty army, each man is dressed in tabards of red and white, armored in shining mail and carrying a shining sword or wickedly sharp long pike. Parti-colored banners of the same colors float on standards above the marching soldiers. Rumbling drums beat out a stern cadence. The full might of the Army of Ressik marches toward the little town.
At the head of the column rides Frederick Douglas. His golden hair practically glows in the early morning light. As he rides past the buildings of the little town he glances neither to the right or the left. His face is peaceful, but determined. "Not a retreat," his eyes seem to say. "We must move beyond this pitiful place. My glory lies beyond."
In his van, the troops are not as stoic. Sneers are the order of the day. There is a palpable air of, "We'll be back!" But the column, and then the wagons with the tents and stores, pass on.
Zenphere's eyes pop open as he quickly rises out of bed. "What the hell?" He says in a low voice. He wears a simple tunic and trousers. He looks at the long oak box with a "Z" in the center and a lightning bolt across it. He looks out the window and sees the banner. "Ressk!" He quickly grabs the box and pulls out a massive sword. "Looks like it is time to show these bastards what you can do!" Zenphere said and the sword glowed blue. He slips on his blue cloak and then kicks the door of his cabin open and runs outside. He runs infront of the moving calvalry. "Hold followers of Ressik! What buisness do you have in this town!?" Zenphere yells, hiding the sword under his cloak.
Taklinn stands and watches as the procession goes by, As Zenphere comes out and challenges the troops, He begins laughing and says "Well lad its better late than never I suppose. It appears to me that the Army has grown bored of our little community and are ready to find their fun elsewhere. Why are ye trying to raise their ire as they walk out of town? Do ye want them to have an extended stay here ye dolt?! I do admire yer courage though, and wish ye well in this course of action, as foolish as it seems to be." He then regards a platoon as it walks by, obviously undermanned. "It looks like they lost a few of their fellows in the fields, and I think I recognize the banner as one of the companies who decided to jump on a glowing dwarf and got more than what they was looking for!" he says loudly to Zenphere as they pass, pausing at the end to spit on the ground as he regards the dogs of the Army.
"Verywell Ressik scum.. Go burn your innocent villages! Just stay away from Zanardine or I will kill you all!" Zenphere said, walking out of the way so that the army can pass. He rubbed his short beared, grayed with old hairs. "Thank you Taklinn." He said with a grin. "I am getting to old for this.." He unstrapped his cloak and wrapped it around the stick like figure inside it. "Well, make sure you keep an eye on them." He said, then walked back to his cabin.
Lyrion leans casually against the side of the Shady Corner with his arms folded, watching the soldiers walk away from beneath the brim of his hat. He nods politely and smiles toward the sneering men as they pass, but says nothing, enjoying the spectacle in quiet, self-satisfied nonchalance.
By forenoon the Army has passed away. The sounds of drums and marching fade into the distance. In the cool of the evening, the citizens of Jastrey emerge from their shops and homes and the Shady Rest is full of customers (and speculation) for the first time since the fall.
Dusk finds Tregard asleep, twenty feet in a oak tree. The call of a starling breaks into the bard's slumber. “What the frack?” he mumbles slowly coming awake. A glance downwards forces him to become very personal with the tree's trunks. “O' Myrna, how did I get up here?” I put us up here, a voice answers. Tregard groans “Why?” You decided to do something foolish and I stopped you. The man is made aware of the knife lodged in the tree above him. “Merde, I was going to kill him, wasn't I” More like getting yourself killed. But the attempted murder or suicide is no longer relevant. Gather your courage and look below. Tregard carefully detaches himself from the tree and looks down. Before him is the remnants of Ressik's army camp. Old camp fire rings and dead grass are all that remains of Douglas' and his goons.
Funny how fate gets you so close to what you desire and then POOF!; you find yourself waking up in a tree. Tregard ignores the mocking voice and contemplates the situation. The source of his nightmares is gone. Relief and despair combat each other in his mind. The man has no idea what to do with his life. Revenge is gone. Possessions are gone. All that is left is a broken man. Tregard's hand searches for the knife embedded in the tree.
Breakfast! The voice shouts. Tregard stops in confusion. Breakfast, you need breakfast before you make another life altering decision. “Its evening, so it would be dinner,” argues Tregard. Have you just awaken from sleep induced fasting. The bard reluctantly nods. Then,you need to break your fast. With breakfast. The man throws his hands up in resignation. “Fine, breakfast it is. “ Tregard shifts his body and looks uncomfortably at the ground. “Umm, can you get me down?”
At the sound of the commotion, Branwyn rushes to the window of her cabin and watches wide-eyed. It took her a moment to realize what was happening, but when she did, she snatched a piece of parchment and started recording the number of the swordsmen, pikemen, wagons, and horses...