Norwood checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 5 higher.

Alessandro checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 17 higher.

Simone checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 16 higher.

Marius checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 16 higher.

Cullen checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 10 higher.

Jeffeth has rolled a critical success!
Jeffeth checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 0 higher.

Coraline checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 6 lower.

Margret checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 2 lower.

Echo checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 16 higher.

This is the perfect place for an ambush. All the trees. All the bushes. The cold sun slowly sinking in the sky. The Greenwood is alive with the True Compact Knights in shining armor, trying to reclaim their leader while the heroes of the Greenwood try to keep them from slaughtering the peaceful diplomats, some ways deeper in the forest, in a small camp.

The captured True Compact Leader is a big, burly man in armor etched with chain links, his beard thick and filled with lice. So far, he hasn't said a word to the diplomats surrounding him.

Standing ready, Cora in full armor with sword drawn, waits for the attack. She knows it is coming, and she sure as anything isn't going to talk to like dude, so instead she will hold off the armor laden true compact so and sos as long as is possible for her to do so. Grrrrr.

Hopping off of his war elk since the noble beast isn't really trained well enough for battle yet, Cullen clanks down off of its back covered from head to toe in armor, Dusk drawn in in his hands. And he has no interest in speaking to the guy with a lice ridden beard, he's no diplomat. That's for...other people. So instead, he squints through the opening in his helmet, awaiting the degenerates to charge.

Norwood is not at all happy about having to face down bad guys, but you do what you gotta do. Settling beside Cullen's side Norwood draws his sword and stands at attention.

Though Echo is usually early or right on time, this time, she's a bit late. Still, she's not too far off, dressed in a clunky little set of steel armors that announces her presence, and she's readying her blade, preparing to help out the others around.

Simone stands at Marius side, watching the leader but staying far enough back to be out of harm's way for the moment. She studies him closely, tapping her chin thoughtfully. After a time, she speaks up in a gentle voice, "Please call off your knights. There is no need to fight us or to slaughter our people. Let us discuss this as rational people. Tell us why you are doing this." She motions to him up and down, taking in his tall form, "Surely you do not enjoy living like this? Like an animal? You are obviously trained as a knight. Please show us your honor and stop this nonsense?"

Marius stands over the captured leader, staring him down. From some distance away, because the Marquis isn't trusting his composure at the moment. "This has gone on too long." He states to nobody in particular before drawing a heavy sigh as he looks around him, studying the woods and the knights at the ready before turning his attention back to the leader. "This is the end. It is an end of your choosing. Your people have slaughtered their way through the Greenwood, shedding blood where none needed to be spilled. You've given little thought to honor, indulging in the fear of your victims. Stand down, and we will show you the mercy you denied so many others."

Alessandro is standing by Simone and Marius with Margret, his usual amusement nowhere to be found. "Please stop," he echoes the Marquis and Marquessa. "There has already been enough violence." He looks, as ever on these trips, a little out of place -- but maybe slightly less so now than before.

The large form of Jeffeth Bayweather is seated amongst his fellow guardians. Silverfall, a blade belonging to the Silver Order lays unsheathed across his lap. He is clad in a dark red, nearly black burnished suit of rubicund plate. His helmet rests on the ground beside him. The large man is looking ot at the trees, almost contemplatively, though he doesn't look on edge. If anything, he seems relaxed, his fingers drumming against the diamondplate of his blade.

There is a grave expression on Margret's face as she stands near the others. She is quiet as Marius, Simone, and Alessandro speak, her eyes flitting from the Leader to the warriors they brought with them as they engage the True Compact knights, before she looks back to the leader. When the others have spoken she adds, "What could you possibly gain from this? You may kill us, but that shall truly bring the Compact down on your heads. There is no better scenario for you than surrender right now."

Marius checked command + diplomacy at difficulty 20, rolling 56 higher.

Alessandro checked command + diplomacy at difficulty 20, rolling 7 higher.

Simone checked charm + diplomacy at difficulty 20, rolling 33 higher.

Margret checked command + diplomacy at difficulty 20, rolling 59 higher.

Norwood checked strength + medium wpn at difficulty 20, rolling 33 higher.

Jeffeth checked strength + medium wpn at difficulty 20, rolling 17 higher.

Norwood checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 20, rolling 51 higher.

Cullen checked strength + medium wpn at difficulty 20, rolling 25 higher.

Echo checked strength + huge wpn at difficulty 20, rolling 61 higher.

Echo checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 20, rolling 36 higher.

Jeffeth checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 20, rolling 24 higher.

Cullen checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 20, rolling 12 higher.

Coraline checked strength + medium wpn at difficulty 20, rolling 48 higher.

Coraline checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 20, rolling 41 higher.

The Knights pour in through the trees. There's just an overwhelming number of them to fight off. They swarm, and they're vicious. They badly want to break the line of fighters standing between them and their leader. They are knights, after all, however misguided.

Back in the camp, the leader is looking swayed. Why? Marius and Margret make a damn good team. What could he possibly gain from this? One can practically see the man thinking it over. In the end? There's a shake of his grizzled head. Silence.

Oh hey, knight to the face! But that is ok, Cora was anticipating this little snafu, it is why she is here after all. As he comes running up all grr rawr, she takes his legs out from under him, smash her foot acrost his help to blind him, and easily dispatch him by dent of a sword through the throat under the helm. Pulling her sword from the wound, she gets ready for the next one, eyes scanning the fruckus all around her.

Norwood is the kind of knight that fights without dramatics and without war calls. Bringing his sword up he takes a step forward as the tide of knights comes at him and brings HIS tide of oathlands sword into their faces, wounding the enemy knight but not killing him yet. When the knight hits back the older knight twists out of the way to avoid damage.

Looking a bit slow on the draw today, probably from his usual lack of sleep, Cullen's blade bites into the side of the knight that charges at him most obnoxiously, but it doesn't dispatch the blackguard. Slamming Dusk's pommel against the man's helmet, he sways to the side to avoid a riposte, not making a sound the whole time other than the occasional grunt or sigh. There's a lot of sighing. As usual.

Marius watches the man carefully as he seems to be considering the words, and as the leader shakes his head, so does the Marquis. "You're going die in a field, and so will your men, because you protect the honor of murdering children. That is your legacy, what you will be remembered for. The proud Knights, slaughtering innocents and refusing any offer of redemption. Is this what you dreamed of as a child? Your purpose as a leader?" There's a low grunt from the prodigal, glancing back at the fighting behind him before he eyes go back to the captured man all over again. "The clash of metal. The scream of your men, dying, needlessly. Do you hear that? Is there so little honor left in you that you will watch your men die in droves for a small chance, when there are options?"

When the knights start charging at them, Jeffeth lifts his blade up from his lap. One hand goes to the dirt and he pushes himself to his feet. Glancing at Coraline, he goes to place his helmet back over his head, giving the rubicund helm a ting ting with the diamondplate of the blade. "Don't die." The big man murmurs with the lightest of smiles. He is then turning to face the oncoming horde.

Pivoting his hip to the left Jeffeth sidesteps an incoming lance, a gauntleted hand swinging out to grip his attacker's weapon. The attack pushes his body into the large knight of Solace, driving him backwards. The two men grapple for a short period of time, Jeffeth eventually able to find his feet and swing his helmed forehead into the face of his enemy, a quick splatter of blood spraying onto Jeffeth's face.

Simone sighs deeply as the man sits silently against their arguments. Hearing the sounds of battle behind them she turns her head to look with a frown. Turning back toward the man, she gives him a stern expression, "It is obvious you were once men trained as knights. How could you turn so far from what you once espoused?" Her voice is velvet covered steel as she says firmly, "Give this madness up and stop the battle. You are but a call away from your men! Do not let them die for nothing! Stop your slaughtering."

It's a beautiful thing, really - The stance that Echo takes and the way she swings that far too heavy sword. She completely dodged a charging knight and used her momentum to cleave, or crush, the enemy over the shoulder without issue.

Margret adds her voice to the others, strengthening their points. "You will die known as a villain. Without honor. It is as my cousins say. But you've a chance to restore honor and glory to your name." Her gentle eyes focus on the Leader's, "Tell your men to lie down their arms and give up the fight. You've no honor to lose by doing so because you have sacrificed it by murdering innocents. What could you possibly hope to gain with indiscriminate murder?"

Simone checked charm + diplomacy at difficulty 30, rolling 39 higher.

Marius checked command + diplomacy at difficulty 30, rolling 35 higher.

Alessandro checked command + diplomacy at difficulty 20, rolling 9 higher.

Alessandro checked command + diplomacy at difficulty 30, rolling 19 lower.

Margret checked charm + diplomacy at difficulty 30, rolling 23 higher.

Jeffeth checked strength + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 33 higher.

Echo checked strength + huge wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 27 higher.

Cullen checked strength + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 21 higher.

Jeffeth checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 30, rolling 5 higher.

Cullen checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 30, rolling 17 higher.

Echo checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 30, rolling 19 higher.

Norwood checked strength + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 18 higher.

Norwood checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 30, rolling 30 higher.

It's a brutal fight. The Knight makes the Greenwood heroes work for it. They're not going down easy. And with each passing moment, it seems like they fight that much harder, make the defenders work to keep their unarmed diplomats alive. There's jeers, calls of 'dirty shav-lovers', a great deal of unrepressed anger.

Back at the camp, there's a great deal of internalization. Silence and thought. Silence and anger. Silence and guilt. And then finally? Silence and acceptance. The grizzled man bows his head. "All right. I'll call them off." He is a Knight, after all. Simone makes an excellent final point.

The two men struggle for a moment, but the attacking knight is reeling from Jeffeth's headbutt to his nose. Jeffeth advances, shoving his shoulder into the chest of the man, knocking him further back. Jeffeth is then descending on the man, all stumbles and momentum. The big man pushes forward and knocks the knight down with another shoulder charge.

Advancing on the fallen man, one of Jeffeth's knees goes to pin the man's arm down as Jeffeth uses both hands to drive the blade down into the man's throat. There is a little twist as the big man looks up with a stony stare and lifts himself back up to his feet.

Norwood continues to scuffle with his opponent until with a twist of the sword he drives the metal deep into the poor body of his opponent. As the man dies before Norwood steps backwards to keep up the defensive perimeter about the diplomats. He cats a gaze down around the others calling out to Jeffeth, "You injured?"

After a bit of trouble dislodging her blade from one knight, Echo continues past the first downed enemy and moves for the next with a jab forward. A bit off the mark on this one - The alaricite still cuts through that shoulder, but her enemy still stands tall and imposing. Fortunately, the retaliating strike was weak and easily avoided, likely due to that blade digging into their good arm. With her enemy still standing, she tightened her grip on her sword and brought it close to her center, ready to strike once more.

When the wounded man comes around again for another attack, Cullen looks more lively this time about. Perhaps the Haze is wearing off. In any case, the Greenwood knight takes a heavy chop with Dusk at the neck of the benighted knight and severs his jugular, spattering his rubicund plate a lovely shade of crimson atop the green enamel and silver engravings, a faint scowl upon his face. Barely, he notices a second attacker rounding in, but nimbly parries the blow and steps to the side.

Simone nods slightly in approval, "You have made the correct choice... the only honorable choice. Thank you." She moves out of the way to allow the men to try to help get the large, bound knight closer to his men. Her voice is still velvet covered steel as she says, "If you betray us, then you sign the death warrants of yourself and your men. Please do not betray us, and we will know that you do, indeed, have some of your honor left."

Marius steps up the leader of the men as he seems to finally relent, clasping his hand firmly across the man's shoulder and then simply pulls him on over towards the fighting, a few steps, as he nods to Simone "Then call them off. There's enough death that's stained the earth, even when it's men of your rank. Nobody else has to die. Blood shouldn't be spilled in vain. There might even be hope for some of your people." His hand remains on the captured leader as he pushes him along over towards where the knights are struggling against the wall of steel from the defenders.

When the leader acquiesces, Alessandro lets out a little breath that he may not have realized he was holding. He doesn't say anything, and he also doesn't touch the man, though he does flank his other side from Marius, walking him out toward where the fighting is taking place, though his gaze doesn't move from him, his expression still laced with distrust despite the words.

Margret says nothing more. Instead she takes Alessandro's hand and follows behind Marius as he moves the man towards where the action is.

Jeffeth checked strength + medium wpn at difficulty 40, rolling 16 higher.

Jeffeth checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 40, rolling 14 higher.

Echo checked strength + huge wpn at difficulty 40, rolling 25 higher.

Echo checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 40, rolling 6 higher.

Norwood checked strength + medium wpn at difficulty 40, rolling 17 higher.

Cullen checked strength + medium wpn at difficulty 40, rolling 39 higher.

Norwood checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 40, rolling 11 lower.

Cullen has rolled a critical success!
Cullen checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 40, rolling 70 higher.

11 inflicted and Norwood is unharmed.

55 inflicted and Norwood is harmed for minor damage.

The True Compact fight. They fight harder and harder, with vengeance and righteousness. And they die, too. It's a terrible thing, but they die for their cause and they curse shavs everywhere as they do.

But their leader is on the way, having clasped hands with Marius, albeit reluctantly. He has not played them false. He does not look happy as he accompanies whichever diplomats choose to go, but go he does.

Norwood probably shouldn't have taken his attention off the wave of bad guys to check on Jeffeth. Probably because he only wounds his next attacker, and the attacker in return manages to get a good ding in on Norwood. It's not serious, but a trickle of blood shows between the creases of his armor. To the enemy that hurt him the knight is more than irritated. "You know how much I did not want to have to tell Margerie I got hurt again?"

There's a brief moment where Echo takes in her surroundings, taking note of her brothers and sisters in arms around. A flicker of concern for Norwood might be seen in her expression; then, with what could be best described as a mixture of a yell and a growl, Echo throws the weight of her sword horizontally, downing one of her foes and leaving a nasty wound on the other. The carries the sword a bit less effortlessly than usual - Her focus is very sharp and her reflexes on point. Maybe she's just lucky, but either way, nothing manages to put a scratch on her armor.

When that same knight tries to cut him down, Cullen jumps out of the way with a spry leap - in rubicund, no less - then whirls around and thrusts forward the alaracite blade of Dusk, piercing the man's armor and impaling innards - missing any internal organs but giving him a very bloody and incapacitating wound. Yanking the bastard sword out of his victim, the Sword of Greenhaven watches him slide onto the ground upon his knees, gurgling up blood and generally making a mess of himself.

Jeffeth gives Norwood a slow nod before arching his brow. "Sir Norwood!" He yells out to warn the man about the approaching attacker. Don't put this on me Norwood! Jeffeth charges forward, swinging his blade up to knock away an incoming attack before ramming his shoulder into the attacking knight. The huge knight of Solace is quickly sprinting to Norwood's side, bringing up his blade to defend the man's flank. "Perhaps we can think of Lady Margerie later, Sir Norwood!"

Marius escorts the man over, a hand clamped on the man's shoulder, the other resting on the morningstar hilt hanging on his belt. As he goes, he looks over his shoulder, glancing back to make sure Simone is safely behind him and the other members of his family, and the retinue that goes with him, aren't getting jumped in the rare but deadly doubleambush. His attention returned to the leader of the knights, simply intoning. "You're doing the right thing. Finally."

Simone moves to follow along behind Marius and the leader, but stays far enough back to not put herself in harm's way. She stays as near to Marius as she can, though, and waits to see if the Knight is going to be true to his word. She glances back to see if Alessandro and Margret are following, turning to look over toward the battle and wincing as she sees Norwood take a blow, a soft gasp escaping.

Margret limps along with the other diplomats. When she sees the carnage of the battlefield she lets out a sad little sound and begins taking her bag off of her back so she's ready to get in there once the knights and their people have stopped fighting.

Alessandro comes with Margret, still watching the leader, though his attention is caught just as they get close enough to see Norwood take that blow. "No!" he cries out, the word seeming to escape involuntarily as it's all he says, and he starts to take a quicker step, though then hesitates, and ultimately keeps the pace, despite new tension in his movements.

As the diplomats arrive, and the Knights of the True Compact begin to notice their leader, unbound and unharmed, there is a lull in the fighting. It's quiet enough for the bearded, burly man to call out, "Lay down your weapons, True Compact! I will not sacrifice you for my cause." In the first truly noble thing he has done since being expelled from the Compact, their leader turns and bends his knee to Marquis Marius Greenmarch. One by one, his men follow.

The True Compact is no more.