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b Bush; - Entangle area, D Doghead; F Doghead with metalbars; w Wolf; d dead Doghead

h Horse; x Mule; d Donkey

C Callum; R Rolf; E Elsbeth; A Aenis; K Kerim; P Peter; m Mandrake; s Smilo; M Madelyn

Wolves AC7 normal size; Dogheads AC6 large size.

Smilo upends the doghead's pouch into its hat, and spots an eye (closer inspection shows it a false eye, painted to look like a real one, two long pointed teeth (about the right size for a doghead) and two bone rings that have been dyed blue. Moving on to the dead doghead at Oe, Smilo sees the same sort of makeshift armour and weaponry This one has a water skin and a small pouch at its belt. There are no rings or earrings to be seen.

Madelyn retrieves her lance, Kerim calms down the pack animals and Peter stands trying to examine the spot where he had been wounded, but looks faintly silly stretching to see his own neck and shoulder..

Rolf, Mandrake and Callum take position around the trapped doghead. Its eyes watch Rolf's bow, and then occasionally its head jerks around as it tries to see what Callum and Mandrake are doing behind it. "Bishi alhevro hull, carna be hama fetooken" it calls with its head turned towards Mandrake, "Bishi be hama fetooken"

"Bishi alhevro hull, carna be hama fetooken" it calls with its head turned towards Mandrake, "Bishi be hama fetooken"

Pointing to Rolf Mandrake replies "Drak bisha spek Alhevro na hull ifna Alhevro fetooken ek drak bosna bisha."

"Drak bisha sprizena spek na hull enzama drak fetooken."

"Drak bisha spek Alhevro kestna ek Alhevro burdna iza ek thanz ta mi, ma Alhevro soove ek Alhevro gooz vitlz."

"Aka, Alhevro lookza durook boogok? Alhevro voloom, ma masker ek ik durook. Mi lookza."

Mandrake awaits a response from the creature.

Rolf looks a little confused at the gibberish. "What's the deal, Mandrake?"

"What's the deal, Mandrake?" asked Rolf.

"M' gnoll's a bit poorish," replied the hobbit, "but I think he said, 'spit on me again yah flea infested bastard, and I'll stick this ere blade right up yer arse!'".

Smilo grins from ear to ear.

The Doghead barks "Alhevro na burdna, Alhevro piko bosna, Alhevro neenzamat sprizena Yeenoghu. Panna neenzamat Alhevro iki. Bishi fetooken. Alhevro soove bishi!"

Mandrake turns to Rolf "He asked why he should surrender if we kill him anyway.

"I told him that you are in charge and that if you said not to then we wouldn't kill him and that if he surrendered, your god stops you killing him.

"Over simplified, perhaps, but appropriate to their type I think.

"I also told him that he would be taken slave but would be well fed, I don't know if they have a word for prisoner, I suspect that you are either slave or food to them.

"He said that he is a "little boss", witch doctor maybe, and that many would come for him, that if we surrender to him then we would be slaves but would live.

"So, what's it to be boss." Mandrake smiles.

Callum hefts his sword meaningfully. "Kill it!" he says.

Elsbeth carefully cleans her scimitar and moves over to calm her mare. She watches with interest the confrontation with the dogfaced creature, even as she makes sure that all the steeds are accounted for.

"Our leader will have his hands full with that lad," she remarks to nobody in particular, watching Callum. "That lad is wilder than the land itself." She shakes her head, her auburn braid swinging. "You can tame sort that as easily as you tame the wind, I think."

Rolf listens to Mandrakes translation. "So, what's it to be, boss?" The question brings home that the lives of these others are in his hands. Still, despite the consequences, what's right is right. But before he can answer, Callum blurts out, "Kill it!"

"Easy Callum. We're not going to kill it unless we have to." he says. With a mocking laugh, he says to no one in particular, "It wants *US* to surrender?!?!"

"Mandrake, tell it that as long as it does what it's told, I vow to protect it. But should it play false with us, it'll suffer for it."

Calling to the others, he gives his orders, "Madelyn, be prepared to chase him down. Callum, Kerim, prepare to cut off it's escape if it runs. Remember people, we want it captured, not killed."

Peter tries to brush the blood from his leather coat, but only suceeds in spreading it further around. Walking over to stand between Kerim and Elbeth, he asks "You two alright?" slight pause, "Perhaps I'm not cut out for this fighting and adventuring lark, after all."

OOC: If you hadn't worked it out Peter is an NPC. When I get time I will make proper posts for him, ie under his own name, and I will try and respond to people "In character" when I can. but sometimes his moves will just be included in the refs moves. :) JohnB

Mandrake says to the creature “Bosna oatz Alhevro soove ifna fetooken Alhevro, ma Alhevro hull ifna scapaz.”

Then turning back to Rolf he says “If he is a witch doctor or something like that, then I would think that they would not bother to come after us, after all, if he cannot look after himself then they wouldn’t respect him.

“On the other hand, “little boss” could mean that he is the son of their chief or whatever they call it, in which case I think that we should keep our eyes open.”

Once Madelyn is set to ride if the doghead runs and Kerim and Callum are at either rear flank, Rolf calls out, "Kerim, Callum, tighten it up. Get ready to jump it. Remember, capture, not kill." He says the last looking directly at Callum, his arm beginning to tremble slightly at the strain of holding the bow drawn.

Assuring Peter is OK, Madelyn mounts Keldon, and with lance at the ready covers the doghead, in case he makes a run for it.

OOC: Sorry for the delay guys, seem to have done nothing but rebuild my machine for the last week!