City Ride

[Honathor Longreach]

9th of Cylus, Morning
City Ride
Travelling to Ne'haer from the outskirts and farms east.
Continued from here

H

aving the Ellune on the farm for a day to rest up, had meant his backside got a rest too, damn the horses, it felt like he’d strained muscles he didn’t even know he had. More than that, the young injured farmhand with his broken foot still needed a doctor, it had been almost three days now and the injury was beginning to worry the farmer Fingal. The herb they brought back had helped, but damn it all, the young lad needed proper care.

So off one confused, lonely Ellune, and one shaggy bearded, thickset Lotharro set off to the city, hitching a ride on the back of a farmer’s cart, which at least gave them straw seats. The Ellune kept trying to put straw in his hair, maybe she was playing around or just having one of her funny turns, he didn’t know. Humouring her, the Lotharro ended up with a makeshift hat of straw, or just a bird’s nest, either way on they went.

“We’ll get you back to the city soon luv.” He said in his best broken common, having no idea if she understood a word he said. “Bound to be other Ellune there to help you.” Honathor was dressed in his work clothes, because he didn’t own anything else, carrying his loaned axe on his back, and fencing post hammer. The tall ellune was wearing ill-fitting clothes, probably a size too small for her, at her size of over eight feet tall, she was probably hard to buy for!

He tried to engage the confused passenger in something to occupy her mind, choosing to point out local landmarks. Pointing his big hand up to something, she was straining to see what he was showing her. Doing this didn’t require much thought on her part, just to look at what he named, which helped settle her down. He’d found earlier that she panicked when he made her think too much.

On they rode, coming to a bump in the road, which almost threw both out of the cart. She was the one that steadied him, being the taller of the two. He had the weight, half of which was hanging out the cart. Honathor decided to pull his legs up and sit further back in the straw.

[Honathor Longreach]

A

ll told he was tired, not having stopped for more than a few hours, since seeing off the furry menace three days ago. He’d grabbed a few hours sleep last night at the farm, after he’d walked the farm's fence to make sure the animal wasn’t still hanging around to cause trouble, but his eyes were heavy, the darkness wasn’t helping him keep awake. He should have taken Fingal the farmer's advice to get more sleep.

His Ellune friend had collapsed back in the straw, pointing up at Cylus’s night clouds, drawing faces around them with her finger. Honathor at half her height almost, had to shuffle up a bit to see what she was pointing out. She was playing the same game back at him, one that didn’t require words or thought.

After laughing at a shape or two she pointed out, and doing the same at a cloud face he saw above, the Lotharro felt weary, and eventually ended up snoring heavily on the wagon, drifting off into a deep slumber. His stomach noticeably rising and falling, the confused ellune looked worried that she was alone again, not because she was alone, but because there was nothing coming to her from anyone else.

A break or two passed, and with a jolt the cart pulled up. “Cart in the road,” the driver called, Honathor snorted heavily, blinking, thinking he was having a bad dream. He awoke to find the Ellune tugging his sleeve gently. “Cart in the road,” she mimicked the driver. “Cart… in the…” Honathor said grumpily, you have to be kidding me. On the last trip there had been two carts in the road, and two clowns who wanted tolls to fix the road, an excuse to try and rob him blind.

“Wait here,” Honathor said grabbing his axe, and hopping down the cart furiously. Before he’d even seen what was going on he started shouting, “Don’t care if you are friends of the road needing donations, if you’ve three kids to feed or your last oxen caught chicken plague, get out of the road.” The last part of his rant was said especially loudly, the bandits from the trip two days ago had put him in a mood for a brawl.

Sadly his voice was so angry and loud, that the old women in muddy clothes sat with her back to her cart started crying, and Honathor felt awful when he saw what was going on.

[Honathor Longreach]

Well his metaphorical foot was up to the kneecap in his mouth today, there was no removing it.

"Oh bugger it," Honathor said rubbing his neck. The Ellune ran over and seeing the other woman cry, did her healer thing and gave her a hug, giving Honathor a disapproving look. "I didn't know," he grumbled, "sorry." Thankfully to make right, there was a cart to be fixed, it looked like a wheel had come off, the horses had dragged the cart flipping it and the contents all over the road.

"Can you steady the horses," Honathor asked his cart's driver, "ma'am i'll be needing you to stand up and away for safety." The old woman looked up and laughed oddly, Honathor realising he still had a makeshift straw hat on from earlier and brushed his head clean, happy to have made her grin. The two women got up and away, and he was left with a tricky situation, could he and the driver right the heavy cart. Honathor squatted to the floor, wedged his hands under the wood and tried to lift with his legs and shoulders, getting a few feet up but no where near enough to flip it onto its side.

The horses settled, the driver and he both gave it a go together, the ellune even came on over for what it was worth, three of them together heaving, it went up a few more feet, if they could just roll it... his legs were starting to give, and he groaned out, "hold on, hold on, hold on." They lowered it back down. He put his hands on his knees catching his breath, then rolled his shoulders back and loosened up his neck, smashing his heavy hands together, fist into palm.

"We need a lever", their driver suggested. Honathor looked around, not spotting anything but trees nearby, trees and his axe. That'd do.

[Honathor Longreach]

R

emembering what the farmer Fingal had taught him about woodcutting, he began working on the nearest tree that looked sturdy but small enough to move easily. Giving it a good hit with the back of the axe to clear the top of it. It shook some snow loose, scattered birds free, and cleared some junk from the top of it. Making cuts into the opposite side, downwards, in the direction he wanted it to fall.

Honathor moved back to the road and began cutting downward, safely, going for accuracy with the axe rather than speed or power. He couldn’t help but put some power into it, the two handed axe as big as it was, he wasn’t exactly a subtle Loatharro.

“Stand back,” he called after a few minutes of chopping away.

With a creak and a groan the wood gave way coming down the other side, not a big fall, as it was a small tree. Picking it up on his shoulder he carried it over to the cart and put it down, the driver had spent the time looking for a rock to lean it against. Spitting into his hands, Honathor rubbed them together. “Alright let’s get this on here, on three.”

Eventually the three of them shifted the wood underneath. Honathor taking the end, while the other two made ready. “Better see the horses stay ma’am,” the Lothorro still couldn’t look her directly in the eye after shouting at her. She'd stopped crying and didn't seem angry, just shocked at seeing her cart all over the road. Both sets of horses were tied up but they still might scatter when they started throwing carts around, it gave the woman something to do, to keep her mind occupied.

“Can we do this?” Their cart driver asked.

“Hell if I know,” Honathor said bluntly. Rolling his shoulders around, ”were sure as hell gonna try.” The stocky farmhand was doubly motivated, if only to make up for his misinformed entrance.

“Lift with your legs!” The Lotharro’s hefty voice boomed out, and they all tried together, pushing all his weight down on the wood lever at the same time.

[Honathor Longreach]

W

ith a roar as big as his lungs could muster, the heavy set Lotharro put all his weight into the wood, which was substantial, creaking the wooden cart and the log both. With the lever's assistance the three of them got the cart up onto its side and it wobbled, the horses nearby shifting uneasily, good thing the old lady was there to pat their noses. Phew he’d be feeling that in the morning, only half the battle, now how to get it down without damaging the other wheel too badly.

“Probably bad idea to just push it,” the driver advised.

“Lets shove this log the other side,” Honathor took the log and the cart driver the rock. Dropping both the other side of the cart and setting them again, this was going to hurt to drop the cart onto the lever, he didn’t see any other way. “Name’s Honathor, friends call me Hona,” the Lotharro extended a large hand over, “Ulgan” the human driver shook it and laughed, “let me guess, your not sure if this will work either.”

“No idea,” Honathor grinned broadly.

“Wait, use my cart not your body,” the driver had an idea, which to anyone thinking about it, might have saved Honathor a broken rib or two. They moved their own cart so it was sitting over the other end of the lever.

“Could damage it,” Honathor looked at what they were trying, pushing the sideways cart onto the wood lever, which would slow its fall, using the other loaded cart to weight it. “Better it than you Honathor.” When it was all set up, for his part, this time Honathor cleared the other two away, as he was sure it was going to be difficult to avoid getting hit by the cart as it fell, much to the Ellune’s confused protest who didn't understand his falling hand gestures, thinking he was playing a game.

With a heavy shove Honathor pushed the sideways cart over, it was top heavy with the good wheel attached, making it easier, and apart from his elbow which received a sizeable bump, the cart fell straight onto the makeshift lever, cracking it upwards and into the belly of the other cart. It slowed the fall and spared the good wheel, but shattered the log and cracked a panel or two of their own cart.

Some swearing followed.

[Honathor Longreach]

A heated commentary about the nature of oxen’s behinds aside.

H

onathor’s elbow bruise was the least of their worries, there were two split panels on the cart they’d used to get here, and the damaged cart’s wheel was still off. First thing was first, the two men wheeled the cart wheel over, it was a heavy thing, Honathor lifting the cart it in place while the driver put the axel back into position. When the wheel was in place, they switched positions so Honathor could hold the axle steady, while Ulgan replaced the spindle on the end, to fasten it in place. The women were finding and picking up all the cart’s goods which had been scattered all over the road, if it were not for some small furry rodents running off with their cabbage dinner, they’d have returned it all.

The Lotharro got a good lesson in cart maintenance here, the driver showing him how it was done. The dirtboard which kept dirt from getting to the axel arm was shattered but that would have to wait, they’d need all the spare wood for the panels on the main cart. The driver decided to leave one panel for later till they got back, the main panel that looked completely trashed, they took off and nailed it on. Good thing Honathor had his fencing hammer, because the driver was lacking some of his tools, much to his embarrassment.

They had a chat about life while they worked, Ulgan the driver was a down to earth man, he liked his job because he enjoyed the travel and the horses. Quick with a hammer but terrible at jokes, one involving midnight fish spotting and giant balloon pyjamas got a giggle from their Ellune friend, who could be seen checking the skies for likely deflating undergarments. Honathor scratched his beard and shrugged, as long as she was happy.

Finishing up the cart panel, the replacement wasn’t as strong, it’d need proper glue and some finishing touches when they made their way to the city. Deciding to go in a convoy with the older woman, both carts made off with them in front and the elderly lady behind. A job well done, one sore elbow, one confused Ellune, and a snoring Lothorro resting in the back. He’d earned it.

Fin for now!

[Pegasus]

Honathor

Points!:

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: NA (solo thread)
Structure: 5/ 5

Knowledge:

Carpentry: Basic woodchopping techniques
Carpentry: Shaping wood as needed.
Cosmetology: A hat of straw
Endurance: Pushing yourself so that you feel it in the morning
Etiquette: Maybe it's best to see what's going on first, before shouting?
Etiquette: After shouting at an old lady, maybe don't swear too?
Fieldcraft: Creating a lever to lift
Fieldcraft: Using what's available in the environment.
Fieldcraft: Changing a wheel at the side of the road
Fieldcraft: Cart maintenance 101.
Intimidation: Shout at vulnerable people, it scares them.
Leadership: Motivational speeches.
Logistics: Safety consideration.
Strength: Lifting from the knees, even when you aren't strong enough.
Strength: A war cry / roar helps give you a boost.
Strength: A heavy shove
Strength: Balancing a wheel whilst moving it requires strength and precision

Loot:

None

Fame:

+3 good deeds

Magic:

These points may NOT be used for arcana

Overview:

Story I really like Honathor and how you show his funny / uncomfortable side as well as his strength and determination. A well written story, you didn't overplay your skills or make your pc the impervious hero - he was a guy doing his best. Great stuff.
Structure No problems.

Please do PM me if you've got any questions