Meanwhile, Marika is surprised to see that the sounds of battle have caused Xania to stir. She looks about, quite confused, and rises dizzily to her feet. She still seems a little bit out of it from her two day sleep, but clearly can walk.

Rhune looks around and notices that Xania is fine. She puts her sword away for the moment. She quickly darts over to gather as many of the packs as possible making sure that she has hers in any case. "Marika, Xania, quick grab as many as you can. We have company coming and if we hurry we can make it to the village," she calls out to them. She then takes what she has and makes for the bridge and the village.

Xania sees her pack lying nearby and struggles to pick it up. Rhune begins shouting at her to pick up more packs, but Xania can barely manage her own. She staggers dizzily in the direction Rhune points out, raising her hand to her face and feeling the scar there with dismay. She pulls the hood of her cloak up over her face, trying to hide her new ugliness from the others.

Rhune calls out, "Marika help Xania. I will get as many of the packs as I can. Then we should make all haste to the village. I don't really want to face wolfriders at the moment." She attempts to smile but fails.

Marika whispers thanks to her Goddess as she help Xania struggle to her feet. When Xania tries to reach for her pack, Marika begins to tell her to leave it, but then realizes that the mage will never consent to leaving behind her spellbook. "I'll get it," Marika says. She leaves her own heavy pack lying on the ground and hoists Xania's, hoping that it's lighter than hers. Then she puts a steadying arm around the dizzy woman's shoulders and helps her to hurry toward the safety of the stockade.

Ullar runs back. "People, get over to Jacobus, I'll help Marika and Xania to get there and I'll take as many packs as I can carry!"

Ullars reason is coming back to him. He realizes how stupid he was, charging a group of attackers with no armor. "Well." he mumbles to himself while running towards Marika and Xania, "at least my sword has proven to be worthy in battle"........

Asif retrieves his bow and then runs with speed towards the apparent safety of the Gatehouse. Seeing Jacobus stop, and in admiration of his bravery Asif comes to a stop as well. He draws his bow or sciminatars depending on how close the enemy is and prepares to buy time for his companions to get to the gatehouse safely.

Jacobus cries out to the others "Wolf-Riders !! Come on over here to the Gatehouse." He watches, feeling helpless as the riders come charging forth. He tries to calculate the distance his companions have to travel to get to the Gatehouse. If he feels that they aren't going to make it without a distraction, he sighs "I guess now would be a good time to see if my luck has just come to an end."

"Efendi Fortune is but with you for an hour and against you for ten. I pray to Aten that the hour of great fortune is upon us. But fear not, alone shall you not be when you meet your fate!"

Jacobus can't help but laugh out loud, at the appearance of the strange foreigner, whether it was from the adrenaline surge or the fear he was feeling Jacobus couldn't tell.

"Don't worry my friend, I've decided that I've no intention of dying today." He gripped his sword tighter and fought the urge to run as the riders approached them, Jacobus drew from Asif's strength and could not help but feel the thrill of what he was doing. He was awash with adrenaline and couldn't stop from grinning.

"Come on, Come on !!" he shouts at the approaching creatures.

Asif too if flushed with that raw emotion of the moment. Run, Run his body screams, but his heart remains firm. A Faris is beyond such cowardly thoughts. A son of Aten never abandons a friend, and firends these foreigners had become. Friends which filled the vacum left by friends and family he had been forced by fate to leave behind. Asif voice ehcoes across the road, an undulating chant which bounces off the hills.

"ATEN IS GREAT, ATEN IS ALL SEEING, HIS LIGHT GUIDES ALL WHOSE EYES ARE OPEN, COME INFIDELS DEATH AWAITS YOU!!"

The group attempts to gather their things and make a run for it as Asif and Jacobus watch the bridge. They are largely successful, but Ullar must partially support Xania while Marika carries her pack, and in the chaos, Marika's pack gets left behind. Everyone else is able to gather their own equipment and make headway. Only Krige appears to be overly burdened by his gear, and he is relatively fleet of foot so he can compensate.

As Asif and Jacobus prepare to face the onrushing wolves and surely embrace their deaths, the group races past. With the wolves within panting distance, Asif and Jacobus dash madly across the bridge behind the rest. As you hurry through the gateway into the smoke-filled yard beyond, spears, hurled by the mounted goblins, thud into the timbers of the gatehouse and door behind you. To your surprise, the gate is held open by a young woman, who quickly shuts and bars it once you are all through.

Marika throws her back against the gate as it closes, then remains there for a moment, panting as she rests her back on the gate and tries to blink the smoke out of her stinging eyes. As her vision clears, she takes stock of the situation inside the stockade -- it appears better than outside, but not decisively so. She quickly reaches into her pouch for the little parchment bundle of sand and rose petals, holding it ready in her left hand in case of trouble.

For a moment you are all safe, but the flames from the building to the north, apparently some sort of barn by it's remainder, are already starting to spread to the wooden tower above the gate. Beyond the barn, a group of scarlet-clad small men who appear to be the same race as the wolfskins has broken through the palisade surrounding the settlement, and is rushing toward you. Some fall to missiles fired from the main building immediately to the east, but the rest press on regardless. Unmoved, the woman waits until a man wearing leather armour makes his way down the ladder from the smoke-filled gatehouse tower. Then the couple make a dash for the main building, calling on you to follow.

Sam looks at the wolfskins rushing in his direction; then to the main building and the members of his party rushing towards it. He pauses to make some obvious hand motion towards the wolfskins (OOC- a medieval form of flicking someone off- whatever that may be in your imagination) and then rushes towards the main building with the same dexterous skill that he displayed in his mad dash for the bridge.

Rhune dashes toward the building following the couple. She has her sword out to attack anyone coming near her. She also tries to go to the defense of anyone else that might need it. She wonders where the defenders of the village are but does not have time to find out.

The group stumbles and runs toward the main building. The man and woman lead the way, and someone on the interior opens the door as they dash inside. The group for the most part follows, but those in the rear must stop to deal with the red-garbed little trolls that come rushing toward the open door. They viciously attack the largest men, ignoring the women and Sam. These are equipped differently than those in the woods, as you see that their clothes and weapons are painted red. Even their skins are reddish-orange. They come rushing with their short swords, attacking before the rest of you can bring your larger weapons to bear. One stabs upward, penetrating Krige's chest and catching in his ribs. Urak dodges the swipe of a second, and Asif is a pace away by the time his opponent lunges, missing badly. Matteo is not so lucky, as one of the little creatures stabs him firmly in the left arm. Combined with the blows he has already taken, Matteo stumbles and falls. Ullar dodges the awkward blow of his opponent.

Furious at the nasty weapon sticking from his chest, Krige slashes with his sword, catching the perpetrator in the head and lodging his weapon halfway through it's face. He is forced to place his foot on the creature's body to free it up. Urak brings his staff about in a low arc, smashing into the knee of his target. You hear the sickening crack of broken bones as the creature falls to the ground. Asif's flashing scimitars make quick work of his target, who appeared to be sporting an arrow in his stomach already. Ullar sweeps with his great sword but the creature dodges away. Jacobus attempts to stab at him as he heads north where he came from, but his aim is off. However, the little beast does not get far, as an arrow from a window immediately upstairs catches it in the chest. The creature that downed Matteo dodges Rhune's lunge and dashes off as well, in turn dodging another arrow fired from another window upstairs and jumping through a broken down section of the palisades to the northeast of the settlement.

While grabbing Matteo, the gladiator calls out to the rest of the group: "Regroup inside! We're going to have them for lunch!" Ullar grabs Matteo and hauls him in through the heavy oaken door. The man from the gatehouse slams and bars it behind them. Things seem to have quieted down for the moment. The room you have entered appears to be some sort of kitchen. It appears to be well-equipped, with a large hearth and adjacent bread oven. A beautiful carved spice rack sits above the hearth, and various utensils and cooking equipment are placed in orderly fashion all around.

Meanwhile, as the others fight the red men out in the clearing, Xania stumbles into the building still in a partial daze. Marika helps Xania stumble the last couple of steps across the threshold, and the door slams behind them with a heavy thud. Glancing down at Marika, an observer could swear for a moment that the priestess has at least eight or ten eyes, as her gaze seems to flit everywhere at once -- examining Xania's eyes and skin tone for signs of lasting shock or concussion, scanning the inhabitants of the building for familiar faces or injured people in need of help, and watching those defenders near Urak to make sure no one panics at his appearance and attacks him.

Marika sticks close to Xania, helping the newly conscious mage along as best she can. Her bundle of components still lies in her palm, and the words of the Sleep spell hang ready on her lips, but she holds off on casting it unless it looks as though the attackers are going to fire missiles, or to cut the group off from reaching the main building.

"Thank you." Xania says, in a very small voice. Her hand keeps going to the scar and she keeps her face well hidden.

"You're welcome," says Marika, still breathing heavily. "I'm glad you came around; we were worried about you."

In truth, she is STILL worried, especially since Xania doesn't seem her former confident self. At the Temple, serious head injuries had always been the province of more experienced healers, and Marika hopes her lack of skill hasn't caused the mage any lasting impairment. "Do you remember what happened to you?" she asks, gently trying to pull back the hood of Xania's cloak to see if her eyes are focussed and her pupils of normal size.

"Yes. An arrow caught me on the head." Xania says softly. She holds the hood up for a moment, then lets Marika pull it back, but tries to tilt her head to one side, so the scar wouldn't be as visible.

"Yep, that's how I heard it happened," agrees Marika. "I was a bit out of it myself at the time." As she speaks, a rather comical chase scene is taking place as the healer stands on her toes and leans to one side, trying to get a good look at the taller woman's eyes, while Xania tilts her head farther and farther to the side to keep the scar on her temple hidden. Just before she reaches the point of tipping over, Marika manages to verify that Xania's eyes focus properly and her pupils aren't blown. "You're a tough one, Xania," she sighs with relief. "It's good to have you back."

"Am I hideous looking now?" asked Xania, rather plaintively.

"Hideous?" Marika does a slight double-take, then grins as she realizes the reason for Xania's sudden shyness. "Xania, if you're hideous, then every woman in Italia had best start wearing bags on our heads."

Not wanting to sound as if she's making fun of Xania's expense, she continues in a more serious voice. "You've got a little scar on your temple there." She reaches out and touches the side of Xania's head behind her right eye. "A good healer could erase it for you...until then, you'll have an interesting conversation starter." The grin returns to Marika's face. "And I doubt you'll run across many men who don't want to keep that conversation going once you start it, scar or no scar," she says with a wink.

Xania sighs with relief. "Sorry." She looks sheepish for a few moments, then begins to look around more normally. "Is everyone ok?"

Jacobus comes running in to find Xania up and about. Hearing the last part of her conversation, he couldn't help but laugh "My dear, we have just walked into someone else's battle and you're worried about how you look ?" he walks up to her and places both hands on her shoulders he looks at her face critically.

"Hmmm, you look a little pale, but other than that I would still rather gaze upon the beauty of your face than a wonderous dawn. Now do you think we can find out what's going on?" he nods in the direction of the man and woman that led them inside. He offers his arm to Xania helping her to move.

Xania doesn't even blush. "We all have our priorities. I need to find a place where I can study for a few minutes. Then I can be useful again." She takes his arm, but smiles at Marika. "My thanks for saving my spellbook. It is the only other thing I have of value." The smile she gives Marika, reaches her eyes.

Asif sucking in the air after his run, looks up with great relief upon his face.

"Indeed Efendi the gods have been most kind this day. Fortune was indeed with us. Praise be to Aten! Alas one can not count on such fortune continuing in the coming hours. Those infidels outside seem pretty hostile. They are unlike any creature I have seen. What are they?"

As you look at your erstwhile saviors, a large red-haired comes through the eastern door, the only one of three that is not barred and fortified with tables. The man definitely looks familiar to you and he looks quite a bit like the muscular red-haired fellow that led you into the building, but he also looks like someone else.

The man, dressed in a blue tunic and wearing chain mail, bears a buckler at his hip and fine long sword at the other. He still holds a yeoman's bow in his left hand as he introduces himself. "You picked an interesting time to visit, my friends." He smiles broadly, and you realize to whom he bears a resemblance, "I am Petr, clan head of Sukiskayn, at least for as long as it stands...."

Rhune smiles at Petr,"It would seem that we did."

Suddenly, the younger man who led you in leaps toward Urak. "Father, a spy!" He draws his large one-bladed axe above his head with vicious intent.

As Rhune hears the younger man's words she immediately dives for his knees, "NO! He is a friend." She shouts at him, trying to knock him from his feet in the process (and not get herself killed by the axe!!)

Xania tries to interpose herself between the hasty Rhune and the young man, still hoping for a non-violent solution. She reaches down, but is still somewhat dizzy and just manages to miss falling to the floor as well. However, it was for naught, as Rhune simply bounces off the sturdy young fellow's legs, not effecting him in the slightest.

Urak looks confused at the young man's sudden movement. Stumbling back away from the blow, he makes a warding gesture with his free hand, and shakes his head vigorously. "No... I think you must mean someone else...." he says, bewildered by the man's reaction.

Jacobus steps forward and points his longsword at the young man's chest "I wouldn't do that if I was you" he says in a warning tone.

"Are you sure, young man?" says Krige, standing near Jacobus and readying his longsword, -" Your statement could offend our friend Urak. And I swear that he is not a spy!"

Marika steps quickly in front of Urak, blocking the red-haired man's line of attack. "Urak is a friend," she says firmly, trying to stare down the impetuous young human despite the fact that he's easily a foot taller than she...

The tall, red-haired man, who sports a long moustache, hesitates slightly, his axe still raised above his fur hat. He is dressed in a red tunic and orange trousers, both smudged with dirt and ash. He looks at the whole group rather suspiciously.

Ullar returns the look, trying even to improve it. "Lad, it's not the time now to gaze at us with suspicioun. It seems to me we have some work to do, in saving your home. So, if you would be so kind to lead the way here, I'd be happy to help you guard your house."

The fellow sizes up the brawny man for a moment, "We could use help from one like you. A warrior is what we need right now!" His expression does not change toward most of the others, who do not appear to be "warriors".

Xania, hoping for a quiet chance to study, sighs and walks over to the testosterone-laden men. Smiling at the young man, "I assure you, we have no traitors amongst us. Please, put up your weapons. We have enough enemies already, don't you think? Without making ones amongst ourselves." She places a hand on the axe handle, though it is clear she could not stop the swing of the weapon if she wanted to. "Please, we have bled for you. Can you not at least find out if your accusations are true?"

Rhune, "I am sorry to have to tried that. But Urak is a friend not an enemy." she says looking at the young man, a trifle embarrassed, from her position at his knees, "Listen to her. Ask your father if you don't believe us." Her purple eyes are glittering in the light of the room.

The sandy-blond woman who was with this fellow appears more disturbed by the attentions the two lovely young women are paying him than the danger presented by Urak. She is a plain looking woman, bright-eyed, with a long grey dress and apron. She wears a dirty yellow scarf about her head. Both she and the man look toward Petr. He is about to speak when...

Matteo struggles to his feet, ignoring the pain of his many wounds. Pointing his one good arm towards the youth Matteo belts out, "In the name of the gods, HOLD!" Seeing that the entire party had done likewise, Matteo feels confident that Urak is protected for now.

"This must be some misunderstanding," Urak continues, his hands still held in a non-threatening manner. "The enemy is out there, and unless we can find some way to peacefully settle this situation, I fear there will be bloodshed. Er... more bloodshed, rather," he finishes somewhat bashfully.

Urak holds himself perfectly still, his mind racing as he tries to make sense of this situation. Speaker did say that Humans could be excitable at times, perhaps this was one of them? After all, this man had probably never seen one of the People before, and had doubtlessly just come from combat. Even Urk sometimes became excitable during combat.

Offering his most open tusk-bearing smile, Urak does his best to try and calm the warrior's nerves. (Although, perhaps showing his truly impressive range of teeth was not the way to do it...)

Petr cringes a bit at Urak's smile, though he attempts to return it. "Well, spy or no, my clan cannot hope to hold off the goblins outside and you all from inside, so we'll have to trust your word. Never seen an Orc speak so well before." He shakes his head, "Taras! Lower your axe! This one is apparently a friend, and we need as many of them as we can get." The man does as instructed, clearly not quite satisfied. Petr then looks down, "What are you about?" The group sees Sam behind the man underneath his cloak. "Away with you!" He shoves the little fellow angrily. Sam protests, "I was looking for a place to hide!" but the man clearly is unimpressed.

Matteo cleans and sheathes his two weapons, then forces the hand of his injured arm into his belt to keep it from swinging and injuring him more. That done, Matteo moves towards Krige and sees to his wounded chest.

Matteo sees that the wound is not mortal, though obviously painful. He summons up the powers of his god and lays his hands upon Krige's chest. Remarkably, the wound seals itself instantaneously, leaving not a trace behind. Krige is uninjured again.

"Oh.. Thank you Matteo. I see your god doesn't forget you!" says Krige, examining the damaged leather armor.

Once Krige's bleeding has stopped, Matteo looks around for who else needs serious healing. Only once the rest of the party is healed does Matteo take the time to heal himself.

While Sam is the most seriously injured of the bunch, Matteo is close behind. He tends to Sam, but finds he has used most of his magical energy on Krige, and his powers do very little to heal Sam's many wounds. He then turns his final curative power seflessly on Urak, who is also badly injured. The effects are once again remarkable, as Urak's wounds, even the old one, disappear completely. Urak is now fully healthy, leaving Sam and Matteo still very seriously injured and Ullar injured. The rest of the group is full strength. Matteo tends to Ullar nonmagically, binding his wounds and cleaning them, improving him quite a bit, before his strength gives out and he falls to the floor, clearly exhausted and in terrible shape.