2000-01-15: Strange Occurences Across the Realm - Guards Remain Unresponsive
Strange Occurences Across the Realm - Guards Remain Unresponsive / 世界中に不可解な事件が...衛兵達の反応は鈍い。
| Author: Clayton Trembell | Published: January 15, 2000 |
A rancher from Yew – “I awoke and went to feed muh animals jus’ like any other morn. But one step outside, and I saw the gate to muh fence was as open as the wide blue sky. Muh animals were gallivantin’ all over the place, screechin’ and hollerin’ like the world was ‘bout to end.
Well, I was madder than a polar bear trapped behind a wooden box and threw muh favorite straw hat on the ground to stomp it flat. But that’s when I saw a whole herd… or flock… or whatever they call it… of mongbats in muh fenced yard. They was busy feasting on the corpse of one o’ muh poor cows and hadn’t noticed me.
I turned tail as fast as a rabbit from a youngster with a new sword and hitched it on over to the closest guard post. Oh sure, I can stomp pure fury on a straw hat, but when it comes to something wild that’s gonna fight back… well, I’d just rather let the professionals step in.
Once I got to the guard post, though, all them guards were in there just sleepin’ or something. I whooped and hollered as loud as I was able, but they merely glared at me and ignored my pleas for help. Disheartened, I walked back to muh ranch wondering what to do. Luckily once I got there, them mongbats was gone. I was able to round up most of muh critters though a few of ‘em did disappeared. No sign of ‘em since. Plus the remains of one of muh best cows… poor dear.
I heard of the same thing all over the area most of the day. Can’t help but wonder why mongbats are suddenly comin’ into Yew like that. One or two isn’t unusual, but seems like a lot more of ‘em all the sudden. I’ve a feeling I’d best make sure the house is properly secure in case more show up.”
A beggar from Vesper – “I’ve lived on the streets in Vesper for a long time now. Sure people look down on me and my chosen career, but it’s not a bad life. A little cold some times, but I rarely go hungry. And I have no fear of anyone trying to rob me seeing as I have nothing for them to take.
So anyway, I tend to know what’s going on around Vesper, just because I have little else to do when not working but eavesdrop on other people. Ye can learn some interesting things that way, trust me.
I began to hear a lot about trolls wandering into Vesper. We’ve had our trouble with trolls before, no doubt. It usually blows over after our guards give them a whack on the nose with their swords or halberds. So I took note of this news, but was not truly concerned. Yet.
Then I began to hear more and more that none of the guards were confronting our troll visitors. People were banding together and fighting the trolls on their own, but not a single guard had done a thing to help.
I started to get concerned. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve nothing against trolls in general. But they tend to not only not give much in the way of gold to beggars but also make it difficult to find a safe place to sleep, what with their tendency to try and kill any humans they come across.
As if that was not enough, I then began to hear that offensive magic is somehow working in town again. That is every beggars’ nightmare! Who better for all those up and coming mages to practice on? Why beggars, of course! Beggars have nothing to do and won’t be going anywhere. Nice and easy targets. Youch!
Looks like I may have to get some use from the education my parents spent so much time and gold on and get a job.”
A miner from Cove – “We’re used to constant trouble from orcs. They have a big fort just on the other side of the mountain. But at least they rarely venture into the town itself. So when all these headless began to appear within our city walls, we began to worry.
My family has mined for iron in Cove for many a year. We’ve had little trouble and most of even that has come from bandits and thieves. But headless… I can’t work under constant threat like this. My nerves are completely frayed. As soon as we begin to think they’re gone, more headless appear. I nearly jumped clear out of my tunic one time when I thought I heard a headless chittering right behind me. Luckily it was just a torch rolling across the floor, but I nearly had a heart attack anyway.
And to make matters worse, the guards have not lifted a finger to help. I’ve seen other miners pay some warriors to protect them and fight the headless, but the guard have remained all cozy in their posts not doing a thing.
This is just too much. Maybe I’ll take up knitting and move to Britain.” **Sighs**
A paladin from Trinsic – “Zombies, skeletons, ghouls… if I don’t have to wipe their putrid ichor from my sword again in a long time, I will be a very happy lady. Seems hardly a month goes by without some sort of undead uprising around here.
As usual, the city guards are of little use, but the noble Paladins of Trinsic have long known that the true protection of our city falls squarely upon our shoulders. This is an obligation we accept willingly and gladly. As yet, no foe has managed to truly overrun our walls successfully. We’ve had our setbacks, but have always managed to regroup and free Trinsic from those who wish to tarnish our city’s honor and freedom.
We’ve also gained an unexpected boon in the form of the use of magic against these latest attacks. Mages who have allied themselves to our cause have found their spells fully functioning within the city walls, which has greatly aided in fending off the twisted mockeries of life that again assault us. As they fling balls of fire toward our foes and help our healers tend to our wounded, we’ve managed to easily crush the undead we’ve so far encountered.
But I fear these minor skirmishes are but the beginning. I suspect we will need all of the help our mages can muster. Perhaps they can even find away to bring our city guards back to life.
クレイトン・トレンベル（Clayton Trembell）
ユー（Yew）の牧場主曰く：
「わしゃ、いつも通り、朝一で家畜達に餌やりに行っただ。じゃが、外に出るとフェンスの門が開けっぴろげじゃ。家畜たちゃ、ヒーヒー、ギャーギャーいいながら皆そこらじゅう飛び回っていやがった。」
「わしゃ、そりゃもう、あったまきて麦わら帽も踏み潰したもんだが、フェンスの中をのぞくとこりゃまたびっくり！モンバットの群れがいっぱいだわさ。奴らわしの可愛い子牛の死体にいっぺー集ってんだ！」
「びっくらこえて、近くの衛兵の詰所にいちもくさん。そりゃ、麦わら帽ならつぶせるが、し返ししてくる獣はわしゃ相手にせんわい。プロに頼もうってなもんだ。」
「衛兵詰所じゃ、今度は、皆、寝ちまってるかなんか知らんが誰も相手にしてくれん。わしがいくら騒いでもわめいても、衛兵は、だまあってにらみ返すばかりじゃねえか。どうしょうもなっくって、牧場さ帰ってくると、モンバットは消えてたんだ。だいたいの家畜は何とか集めたが、何頭かはあの可愛い子牛の死体といっしょに消えちまっただ。」
「この辺じゃ、その日1日中、同じような話でもちきりだ。なんであんなにモンバットがユーにあらわれんだ!１匹や２匹とちゃうぞ。あんなにいっぺいだ。戸締りだきゃあしっかりしとかんと危なくってしかたねえ！」
ベスパー（Vesper）の乞食談。
「随分長い間ベスパーの街中で暮らしてきました。僕の仕事のせいでしょうか、皆僕をさげすむようですが、別に悪い暮らしではないですよ。時にはちょっと寒いけど、空腹に困ることもほとんどありませんし。それに、そもそも持ち物がないんですから、誰かに盗まれたりする心配もありませんし。」
「とにかく、僕はベスパーで起こっていることなら大体知っているつもりです。他にすることもないですから、人の噂話などをちょっと立ち聞きしちゃったりするわけですよね。結構面白いことなんか聞けるんですよ。」
「ベスパーにトロールが随分入ってきてるみたいなんですよ。そりゃ、今までも、トロールの問題はありましたよ。でも、大体は衛兵が刀や大刀で脅してやればいなくなるもんじゃないですか。だから、今度も最初は聞き流していたんですよ。」
「そしたら、今回は人に襲いかかってるトロールを衛兵が誰も相手にしてないって言うじゃないですか！街の人たちは団結して自分でトロールと戦ってますよ。でも衛兵はひとりも手伝ってませんって。」
「ちょっと、心配になってきましたよ。別に個人的にトロールはいいんですが、ゴールドはあまり貰えなくなってきちゃったし、その辺で眠るにも襲われるんじゃないかとちょっと不安なんですよね。」
「そればかりじゃないんです。攻撃魔法が街中で使えるなんて話を聞き始めたんですよ。こりゃ、乞食に取っちゃ死活問題ですよ。だって、格好の練習台でしょ。乞食はぼっとしててどこにも行かないし。ああこわっ！」
「ひょっとしたらこの家業から足を洗う時が来たのかなあ。」
コーブ（Cove）から来た坑夫の話：
「オークに邪魔されるのは慣れっこのつもりなんだよね。山の向こうにでっかい城砦構えてるから。でも、普通は街にはやってこないよ。あいつら。そしたら、最近街壁の中でもあの首なし野郎どもが出始めたんだよ、ちょっとびびったぜ。」
「俺の家族はずっとコーブで鉄を掘りつづけてんだけど、ほとんど問題なかったんだ。あったってせいぜい山賊や泥棒達の被害さ。でも首なし野郎どもだぜ。ちょっと仕事になんねえよ。神経磨り減っちまったよ。いなくなったと思ったら、他のがもっと出てくるんだぜ。こないだなんて、振り返ると『いた！』っと思って、ちびりそうになったよ。実際その時はたいまつが転がってただけだったんだけど、ほんとびびったぜ。」
「そんで、ひどいのは衛兵がなんもしねえんだよ。他の坑夫が首なし野郎どもやっつけるために戦士達を雇ってるって話も聞いたよ。けど、衛兵は何もやらずに、詰所でのんびりって感じだよ。」
「困ったもんだぜ。しかたねえから、刺繍でも学んでブリテインに引っ越そうかな。**ため息**」
トリンシック（Trinsic）のパラディンの談話：
「ゾンビ、骸骨、グール...私の剣から奴らの腐った汁を完全に乾かすことができたらどんなにうれしいかしら。この辺では、死にぞこないの奴らがいつも暴動を起こしているようだわ。」
「いつも通り、街の衛兵達は頼りにならないわ。でも、ここトリンシックの気高いパラディン達は私達の町の本当の擁護は私達の肩にかかっていることを十分知っているわ。私達はそれを進んで喜んで引き受けているのよ。でもね。今まで一度だって敵が街の城壁をうまく越えてきたことなんてなかったのよ。やり込められることはあってもいつだって形勢を整えてトリンシックをその名誉と自由にかけて守ってきたのよ。」
「それと、最近の攻撃に対しては魔法も使えるから、それはプラスになってるわよね。私達と目的を共にする魔法使いたちは城壁の内部でも呪文を使えるのよ。そのお陰で、攻撃してくるゆがんだ命の塊達をしりぞけるのに随分助かっているわ。敵には火の玉を、見方のけが人には治療をという具合で、今まで出くわした死にぞこないは簡単にやっつけることができたわ。」
「でも、心配なのは、この小さな衝突は何かの始まりに過ぎなんじゃないかってことなの。魔法使いが使えるすべての魔法の助けがこれからは必要になるんじゃないかと思えてしかたがないの。もしかしたら、衛兵達の目を覚まさせる魔法も見つけてくれるといいんだけど。」
