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Jørn Jakobsen and his men approached their home town with the three prisoners in tow. They stopped just outside of the town.
“Well, we’re home at last!” exclaimed Jørn. “Everything looks just like how we left it…”
“Sir? What’s that column of smoke rising from the town square?”
Jørn directed his gaze over to the town square and replied, “Hmm, unusual. I suppose we
should go in and take a peek. I sure hope that band of outlaws isn’t attacking again.”
As Jørn walked through the streets of the town he knew so well, he realized how empty it was.
“Where on earth is everyone?” Jørn thought out loud.
As they neared the town square, Jørn began to hear a voice that he did not recognize (and he knew nearly everyone in town):
“…and resistance, above all, is futile. Let the burning of these flags be a reminder that you are no longer under the rule of the Jarl, but of the Queen of Roawia!”
Jørn peered around the corner as the final flag was being thrown into the flames by a knight clad in black and red armor. Knights in similar armor could be seen surrounding a group of the town guard.
“Now, as for these pathetic men that were attempting to lead a rebellion against us. They shall be executed at first light tomorrow, and I am requiring attendance of the entire town. Refusal to attend the execution will result in severe punishment. Good day to you all.”
The man addressing the crowd turned his horse around and led his troops out of the square. The crowd stared helplessly into the flames as the watched their flags burn to ashes.
“We have to do something about this, sir!” exclaimed one of Jørn’s men.
“Right now, I think it’s best if we found out what’s happened here,” said Jørn. “I’ll go ask around and get as much information as I can about the current situation. Set the prisoners loose. There’s no point in letting them drag us down. Wait for me until I return, and stay out of sight. Good luck.”
With that, Jørn made his way to the pub, knowing he’d probably find his friend Borin there. As soon as he entered the pub, Jørn headed over Borin’s usual seat. As usual, Borin was sitting at his spot enjoying a mug of ale. Unusual though, was the obvious look of grief on his face.
“Borin, hey! It’s me, Jørn.”
“Jørn? You’ve been gone for weeks! Did you finally catch them?”
“Yes, but that’s not what I came to talk about. Come with me.”
Jørn and Borin went over to the back corner of the pub that was less crowded to avoid being overheard.
In the corner, Borin explained all of the events that had transpired in his absence, including the coronation of the queen, the capturing of Roawia’s leaders, and the takeover of the land at the hand of the Queen’s troops.
After about a minute of silence, Jørn replied, “Alright, here’s what we need to do. I need you to go around and alert the town of an evacuation taking place after supper. Based off of what you said, fighting back will only lead to our leader’s death, so we have no other choice but to evacuate while we still can. Be discrete, for if they hear word of our plan it will only lead to more problems. Good luck Borin.”
With a nod of the head, Borin quickly made way to the door.
-Later that evening-
Borin approached Jørn and said, “We’re all ready, Jørn. We just need your word to proceed.”
“Alright, be ready. Have everyone come out when they see my banner being carried through the streets. Follow it, for my men will be with it, and they will lead you all to a safe place to stay. There are plenty of supplies already there, so it will be able to accommodate this town until we can return here.”
“Alright, will do Jørn.”
Within the next five minutes, the entirety of the town had begun their exodus, following the banner of blue, a color of which had not been seen carried proudly in the town for weeks.
All would have gone according to plan, had the Queen’s troops not noticed some of the townspeople stealing their way to the town square. Word spread quickly to their commanding officer, and just as the last of the crowd was leaving the square, a force of the Queen’s troops marched in to deal with the escapees.
Jørn looked back to see this, and called to his troops, “We must cover the escape of our people!”
While tentatively drawing his sword, which he knew could lead to the death of the Jarl, Jørn noticed something behind the Queen’s troops: three individuals clad in ragtag armor. It took him another second to realize that those three individuals were the same outlaws that he had just recently allowed escape. With a loud cry the three outlaws charged the Queen’s troops and quickly killed a few before they had any idea what was going on. The three fought valiantly and killed all of the troops, save the commanding officer who rode away in cowardice. The skirmish was not without a price though; two of the outlaws lay dead and the third clutched a wound and set against a nearby building.
Jørn approached the near-dead man and asked, “Why did you return to fight? Did you not value your freedom?”
The outlaw replied weakly, “I-I felt I owed you for s-setting us free. We weren’t r-really bad people you know. I used to be a decent man, b-but I d-didn’t have enough food to get b-by every day. I had to steal what I could to survive. I just n-needed to be able to eat. At least I can say that I d-died protecting my fellow Garhims. L-leave me here to rest. Go to your people and lead th-them through these perilous times.”
And with his final word spoken, the outlaw died.
“Thank you. We will not forget the actions of you and your comrades.”
Leaving the outlaw to rest against the stone walls of the building, Jørn and his men left to join with the rest of the crowd, leaving behind the ghost of what was once their home.
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Well, this is our GC V entry! Quite possibly our largest Castle MOC to date, this build really stretched our parts collection, and gave us opportunities to try new techniques.
Enjoy!
-JJ
Our previous build.
