Attack on Zu Yanghei (Sai)

[Li Dao Wen]

Halberd tightly gripped in one hand, Duke Xun Jiang stalked the prison cells of Qin's many captured generals. What he was intending to do with the wicked-looking weapon was vague, as his expression remained blank to the untrained eye. Yet despite the victory, in which he played quite a part,he was still seething over the gall of that red-armored warrior who dared roll out into the open to challenge him. If he had not been under specific orders barring him from riding out -an order he didn't take too kindly to-- he would have gotten rid of that foolhardy He Qi personally.

Instead of getting a duel to add to his notch, he was in the dark, dank prison, with every intention of killing an unarmed prisoner. Such was the honor of bandits.

Yet as he moved about, his grim shadow making the prison guards' hairs stand on end, he noticed one prisoner who seemed oddly familiar to him. Stopping before a cell which was obviously a bit better-furnished than that of the others, he stared at Ding Yi with eyes that hovered between cruelty and nonchalance. Still he took a moment to stop and address her woes.

"Woman, do you remember me? Shall I have someone look at that arm?"

The tone of his voice was flat, almost uncaring, yet he was indeed prepared to have someone fix the problem, if only to help her be quiet.

[Meia]

Sensing the dark shadow of a large-framed figure standing outside her cell, Ding Yi lowered her head and shut her eyes, hoping that - whatever terrible thing it was - it would go away. However the indomitable figure stayed on, hardly making a twitch. A moment of the warrior's quiet observation felt like ages to the visably trembling Ding Yi. To her utter disbelief, she heard a voice which she thought was familiar. This forced her to look at his face.

At first she looked confused by his question, then she realised the ropeburn on her left arm was showing. Silently she drew her other hand over, fingers gently touching the affected skin.
It was only after a moment that she kept her teeth from chattering too much and she was prepared to answer him. "..Yes, I remember." Her voice echoed amongst the cold stone walls, but the certainty to her unhurried answer was clear. Sweeping her hand across her face to wipe away tears, she kept her eyes on him while she answered his other question. "I don't know. It wouldn't it help if..my end is near, would it?" After she had said this, Ding felt nought but a wave of despair. Only then did she turn her eyes and face away.

[Phailak]

Lai was furious, despite his best plans and organization, the enemy commanders had been hauled into holding cells with the common captives.

Arriving in the massive prisoner camps, he noticed that the would be jailors had at least provided isolated prisons but he was still seehing.

After much abuse of the officers in charge of the captives, an important escort was organized so that all the major captured officials could be presented to King Ma. Lai supervised it personally knowing his brother would be more upset than him even.

Seeing his massive friend, Lai assumed the man was visiting He Qi who dared to challenge him to personal combat and so ignored him, not wanting to revisit the terrible argument the trio had had in the command tents.

Lai was surprised to see Qi being escorted safely away from Rui and grew concerned with what could of distracted him, so he decided to send the captured officials ahead and waited for the Black Ogre to finish his conversation. He had discovered who he was talking to by simple process of elimination and was curious, so he waited to be noticed or to intercept him on the way out.

[Li Dao Wen]

Watching Ding Yi whimper and shudder before him in pain would have been a troubling, pitiful sight for many people. However, the sight of her so weak and limp aroused many bestial impulses instead within the dreadful Duke of Jiujiang. For a moment his eyes gleamed with wicked lust, and he inhaled her entirety like she was a flower ready for picking. Yet for the moment he stood his ground, doing nothing but stare, her blood making her look so vulnerable. He may have been a bandit, but he was one no more; he was royalty, and as such he had learned long ago to keep his head on his shoulders when dealing with his own agendas.

Xun Jiang neither sneered nor scoffed at the woman's meek, naive notions as he usually would have. She made a good point, after all, and that merited consideration. What's the use of helping her wound heal if she's going to die anyway? It would be the most common mindset for any prisoner trapped within a cavern of darkness as she was. What he found amusing was that she couldn't read the significance of his offer.

As sure as she wouldn't need first aid if death was in store for her, he wouldn't have offered her anything if she was to die.

Huffing, he bellowed out, his voice echoing through the prison camp. "Guards! Send for a doctor. The lady needs treatment."

As soon as the medic had arrived to open the door, Xun Jiang entered the cell behind the man, having to duck under the portal due to his height. He simply leaned against the wall and folded his arms on his chest, watching the man do his job. He had bought a pail of clean water, some stiches, herbal ointments, and fresh bandages to stifle the wound.

"A pity you joined that weakling of a worm," he grunted in disgust as he referred to the deposed king of Qin. "You performed well during the battle. Tell me, then. Do you wish to leave this cell with your life?"

He had sensed the troubled Fei Lai pass by, the minister's anger apparent from the bitter scoldings that burst from wall to wall. He planned to make his visit to Ding Yi quick.

[Meia]

His comment on her liege seemed to enrage her. "Zu Yanghei is a good person..!" she protested, lunging forward but the physician instinctively tried to hold her back, urging his patient to keep still. "You are infesting his lands. You, like Shi Tong, are the worms..!" The memory of Wen Luan's kingdom being mercilessly snuffed out by Shi came flooding back. Ding struggled for a while longer, to point of her almost screaming, before finally slumping against the wall, by then too distraught to say anything else.

She did not care that a feared general from the opposing side had commended on her performance in the battlefield; it bore no consolation to her capture and the current state of her kingdom. She tensed when the physician reached for the old bandages around her neck, letting him unwind the cloth to reveal a horizontal slit, most likely caused by a grazing arrow. Ding gritted her teeth when ointment and fresh bandages were carefully administered, all along casting wary glances at Xun Jiang. What could a man like him be thinking? Was her life his for the taking? Yet, here she was getting treatment by his orders. At the back of her mind she considered one remaining possibility. A life worse than death...a frightful notion.

[Li Dao Wen]

"I would watch my mouth if I were you," the warrior warned, his teeth starting to clench tightly around his jaw. She seemed to show no fear of death whatsoever, so he didn't bother to explain her circumstances. "There is a very short limit to my patience. I just showed you some kindness; that isn't as easy as it seems. And since you just called us men of Chu worms, let me tell you. That is a rare thing for anyone."

He nodded for the physician to leave their presence once he was done trying to calm the woman down. Once the iron doors were closed, only a faint sliver of light could be seen from outside, a warm torch burning by the cavernous walls. It cast a gleam on Xun Jiang's chiseled features, revealing a very mundane expression. "You are fortunate, woman; I did not come here to kill you, in particular, no. I came here to kill that arrogant, red-faced bastard you called the champion of Qin. You, on the other hand, are but another prisoner in this dark labyrinth, save for one glaring fact: you have caught my attention in another manner."

The giant took one step closer to Ding Yi, then another, then another, until he was practically looming over her, killing the tiny light around them completely with his gait. "Your freedom comes with a condition. As a Duke, I find myself in a very peculiar predicament: I am in need of a bride. If I demanded it my power would fetch me an unlimited supply of women of my choosing, but I am not looking for just any woman."

Knowing that she'd probably be fuming with rage now, he made a point to swing his halberd over his shoulders. If she kept her cool to let him finish his little proposition, he would have felt appreciation--another rarity for the cold-blooded Duke of Jiujiang. "A strong and valiant general like you would make a good duchess--no, Queen, because Ma Dieu is obliged to ennoble me as such for my aid in his wars. Bear me my heirs, and not only will you leave this cell with your life, but you will receive power and riches beyond your wildest imaginations."

His face softened somewhat as he stooped down to face Ding Yi squarely. "Are you willing to barter for your freedom with your devotion, General Ding Yi?"

As if it wasn't already obvious enough in his brash arrogance, Xun Jiang's eyes carried the hint that he was not the type to take no for an answer.

[Mardagg]

Ma Dieu waited in his command tent, looking over reports of losses and nodding to himself, satisfied with the campaign. His brother had sent the prisoners over but was not present, which was odd. One of the men whispered that Lai had some other business to attend to and would join later if he could.

“You are here before me because you defied the authority of the Emperor and his wish to bring all the lands under his banner. Because the Son of Heaven believes in second chances, you are free to join his cause under my leadership or leave my presence without further injuries, except…” Dieu turned his gazed at Han Xin and then Guan Ying, both men had made haste to join the Lord Scholar and face him again. “You Han Xin and Guan Ying are sentenced to death for having dared to face the Emperor’s ambitions for a second time, unless you pledge loyalty here and now.” Dieu was known for his hunger for ‘special’ items and therefore inspected everything seized from the officers. “I will be keeping these as spoils of war, if nothing I have learned a lot can be gained from others’ personal effects.” Looking at the spear of the enemy champion had but then turned back to the prisoners, finally noticing one was absent, but deciding that perhaps that was the reason Lai was away. “So will you fight for the Emperor’s will?”


OOC: Free to go or join Ma Dieu. All items seized. Han Xin and Guan Ying are to be executed if they do not join (Guan Ying pending a recruit roll)


The Red Comet Horse (+1 att, +2 def, +1 speed horse)
Lamellar Peytral Akhal-Teke Horse +3 Speed, +1 Defence
Xiongnu Mare +6 Speed
Winter Star Horse +3 Speed
Horse +2 Speed
Smoke Colored Stallion Horse +1 Speed
Horse +1 Speed

Gihren's Greed (+7 Billhook)
Oracle Spear (+2 Might, +1 Judge),
Qin Billhook (Melee, Mgt+2, Rally I)
Billhook (+2 Might)
The Spear of Xianyang (+10 Might)
Ancestral Blade (+7 Might) [sword]
Billhook (Mgt +2)

Crossbow
Bow
Javelins

Hero's Armor (+7 Might)
Plumed Helmet (+3 Might)
Ancestral Armor (Mgt +4)
Iron Lamellar Cuirass (+4 Might)
Iron Cuirass (Mgt +3)
Black Ogre's Ancient Dragon Head (Mgt +3, Cha +2)

Wen Zhong’s Heirloom (+3 Charisma, *Propagandist)
Wei Liaozi (+2 Command, +2 Judgment, *Aid)
Writings of Wu Zixu (+3 Judgment, *Saboteur)
Rule of Law in the Kingdom of Qin (Book, +6 Judge)
The Path of Benevolence(+6 Judgment)
The Burden of a Hero (+6 Judgment)
The Will of Heaven (Jud+4)
Command +7 book
The Art of War (+6 Com)
Art of War (Com +6)
Art of War (Com +6)
Book of Formations (Com +3)

Di Tribe Amulet (+4 Charm)


on an other note:

Di is now under Zhu Lizhim control
Sai and Yangdi (Hann province) is now under my control
Han will be given to Shen Feng before the end of this KT

[Phailak]

Updated armies, I assumed ZL and SF each took 50% each of prisoners and adjusted, if you rather not take them and release them, admin comm me.

Updated cities. Still need to get rolls for NPCs, waiting on Kymvir, else I'll just do them tomorrow and change the turn.

Still a few things to be done, wanted to update here since I'll likely only get to it tomorrow

[Phailak]

BTW, all three recruit attempts fail.

[Meia]

"I don't believe this" Ding muttered between intermitted sobs, burying her forehead in her hands as she battled the fear, anger and now bewilderment inside of her. But with the Orge's unrelenting presence looming, Yi knew she had to provide an answer.

"A year ago, I escaped from invaders. This time..no more running. No more hiding. No escape.." She recalled aloud with a heavy heart, seeming to be talking to herself more than to Xun. Slowly her hands dropped to her sides, and she closed her eyes and took a calming breath, before gazing squarely into his. Was there anything in them apart from blackness? Yet, in the dark corner of the cell perhaps Xun could sense a change in her expression; a different look in her eyes, like one would have when he or she has attained some sort of realization through a life-changing encounter.

"You shall have what you ask...But, I will not fight in your liege's wars." It was her only condition. She gave the Orge a slight squint, the gaze from her tear-brimmed eyes held steadfast. "Do you promise?"