Grindle Family/BazRP

The Cast:

Baz Grindle: Knight of Rrerat, Arcachon (though his family live in Mnalor)

Erwin: Baz's captain.

Gramel: Baz's servant. Generally unaffectionately referred to by Baz as 'Grumble' for valid reason.

Arcachon

Arrival in Archacon

18 Feb 2008

Baz arrives from the boat, and dismisses the sailor with an unsympathetic glare as he pays the man the bare minimum and takes most of the food with him. He is glad to be back on land, though he misses the more rugged coastline from his previous home.

A young boy runs up to him, offering him something which looks as if it's just been dragged out of the ocean. He accepts a sample of the Coofer Fish, or whatever he's told it is, decides it's pleasant enough to take a second large sample, then dismisses the boy without purchasing any and strides from the shore to the nearest village, where he demands information of the nearest man he finds.

Baz: I am Baz Grindle. I am seeking my mother Row Grindle, in the house of my father, Cur, where might I find her?

Man: [respectfully] Sir, I am sorry, but I have not heard of the Grindle family; do you know of their whereabouts that I might point you in the right direction?

Baz: [with a slightly cruel laugh, then a smile] Bah, you are miserable indeed not to have heard of my family! But I believe they are somewhere near the southern area of Mnalor, so you can oblige me by pointing the way there.

The man quickly points to a path, and hurries away. Baz knows only what was in the letter from his father Cur - that Cur has gone to Beluaterra in search of Baz's rogue sister Tidey, who has not been seen since passing through Netherworld and may be languishing in their jails. Cur then instructed Baz to come to Arcachon to protect his mother in his absense. The rest of the letter was some odd text about Adgharism, or something like that, which Baz didn't understand, but believed to be related to the new faith his father had found in recent years.

Baz is undecided whether it is in his interests or not to be here, though he likes seafood and knows his duty is to his family, so he doesn't regret following his father's orders. He knows he should head straight to search for his mother, so decides only to spend a few hours in the local inn, where he makes good friends with a bottle of Vergine Port, and starts to realise why his father moved here in the first place.

Getting to know Rrerat

22 Feb 2008

Sir Baz Grindle sits by the Rrerat shore looking out to sea, and beckons over his servant.

Baz: Grumble! Over here!

Grumble: Yes, sir, here, sir. But it's Gramel, not...

Baz: There you go again, grumbling away, Grumble. Enough of that. Now do we have any Vergine Port left?

Grumble: No, sir.

Baz: Then you'll go to Mnalor and fetch some. [He looks at Gramel, noticing the expectant look on his face] No, no money. Go to my mother and take some from her. My father has plenty, I'm sure he can spare some since he's not here to drink it.

Baz: Oh, and Grumble. More of this, whatsit, Coofer Fish stuff. Bloody delicious. Get me that first and then be gone.

Baz waits for the krqafer fish, then takes it and sits by the tavern nearest the Soniel-Rrerat road. Shouldn't be long before the army return from their expedition, and then there might be someone worth talking to. Meanwhile, plenty of ale behind the bar while Grumble's off getting the port.

Looting in Tapaliez

18 March 2008

Baz walks out from a burning barn in Tapaliez with a flaming torch in his hand, and throws it a considerable distance into the open window of a small hut. The hut sets alight, the owner of the building escaping from the upper floor as his cloth business burns beneath him. That'll teach them to welcome him with weapons.

He then walks over, and nods with a grin as his captain suggests dropping a few dead bodies into the water supply, and sends a few of his men to help out. Wow, but wasn't this a damn fine day! Better than sitting around in Obtal!

He sits on a bank, using the light from the burning village to read the letters his scribe has brought him. He gets through to the letter from Sir Ryftson, and his laugh is drowned out by the scream of a villager running with her two children away from Baz's rampant men.

Letter from the Judge

27 March 2008

Baz takes the letter from his scribe.

Baz: What this? From Judge Mikari? Ah. Men!

Most of the men - the ones that aren't involved in encouraging the fire in the barn to transfer into the other farm buildings - stop raiding the building, and look up at him, then slowly begin to walk towards him and stand in formation. But Baz waves for them to stand as they are.

Baz: Judge Mikari would like to know whether you feel that this experience is worth risking your lives for.

There's a cheer from the men, and then a second, louder cheer, as a barrel of wine is rolled out of the farmhouse, followed by a whole basket of bread and a lump of cheese. Baz waves the men away, and they crowd round to break into the barrel, fuelling themselves for another hour or two of looting the edge of the village by the coast.

Looting in Apasur

7 April 2008

Baz: Yes! Of course you have permission! Just make sure you bring back some for me!

Baz waves away two of his young troops, who return from the nearby houses a while later with a few bottles of good wine. He turns a blind eye to their clothing, which has clearly been removed from the waist down and hurriedly retied again later.

Baz: Away with you, then. Go and find more. Oh - and if you see Judge Mikari on your travels, let him know that you are happy risking your lives today!

The men chuckle, but scamper away quickly from Baz, who turns to his servant.

Baz: Grumble! Messages from our judge today?

Gramel: No, sir. [muttered] And 'Gramel', sir.

Baz: Good, good! Well, we can't have caught his attention yet, then, can we? Now, Grumble, go and make sure we've taken everything valuable from that building over there - maybe we need to turn it into a big torch and announce our presence a little more clearly.

Gramel turns, and heads slowly and unenthusiastically towards the building.

Baz: Oh, and Grumble! Is that Coofer fish you've got there?

Gramel: Krqafer, sir.

Baz: [reaching out to take it] Yes, I thought it was. Thank you. Off you go.

Burn, Stamp and Drown

26 September 2008

Baz: Captain Erwin!

Erwin: Sir?

Baz: We have orders.

Erwin: To attack! I mean, it is to attack, isn't it?

Baz: [sighing and waving a bit of red paper] You'd think so, wouldn't you. We're been sitting here watching the Sartanians rebuilding for so long I'm starting to think I'm at the theatre. But no. We are to stay in Tuhpos.

Captain Erwin rolls his eyes, nods to Baz, and walks out, passing Baz's servant coming in.

Gramel: Orders have arrived, sir.

Baz: Yes, I know that, that's why I've just given them out to the captain.

Gramel: But you've not read them yet, sir.

Baz: Of course I read them first, what do you take me for?

Gramel: Sorry, sir, it's just that they're here in my hand so I was surprised you could have read them yet.

Baz: Speak up, Grumble, what? You have them there? [pointing] But I put them here.

Gramel passes the letter from Haruka to Baz.

Baz: Grumble, what nonsense is this? Do these look like orders to you?

Gramel: It's Gramel, sir, and well, I rather thought they did, sir, yes.

Baz: Do they come on red paper?

Gramel: I thought perhaps they'd run out, sir, they do look awfully like orders to me.

Baz: And so they are, Grumble, so they are. But not for me. Now take them away please.

Gramel takes the paper back and leaves. Two minutes later he returns.

Gramel: [tentatively] Orders have arrived, sir.

Baz: What! Get away and burn them!

Gramel: Sir, you should read them, they are from our General.

Baz: Oh, are they indeed. Then you may not only burn them but you may also stamp on them multiple times afterwards to make absolutely sure that they're dead. And then drown them.

Gramel: Dead, sir? I'm not sure I...

Baz: Stop it, Grumble. I can see from here that it's not on red paper, it's not from my marshal and what's worse is it's from that insolent... do as I said, and burn, stamp and drown them.

Gramel, looking a little bemused, leaves again. Two minutes later, he's back.

Gramel: [rather timidly] Sir, I don't want to bother you again, but it's my duty to hand to you all orders we receive, and...

Baz: Now what are you grumbling about!? Right, now. Do I need to ask about them? Or can you work out what I'm going to say?

Gramel: Well, sir, they're not on red paper, they're not from your marshal, and then are in fact from our General.

Baz: I told you to burn, stamp and drown them!

Gramel: And so I did, sir, so I did. Most horrible concoction it was too when complete. But these are different.

Baz: [anger changing to a laugh] He's changed his mind already?

Gramel: Yes, sir, he's now saying...

Baz: I certainly don't want to know what he's saying. He's proven to me he's got no etiquette, and now he's proving he's got no ability as General. Take these new orders away, and...

Gramel: Burn them, stamp on them, and drown them?

Baz: [in a patronising voice] You're learning, Grumble, at last!

Gramel leaves, and before long Captain Edwin returns.

Edwin: Sir, I've just seen Gramel talking to a bucket of wet ash. I think he may be losing his mind a little.

Baz: No, no, Edwin, he hasn't a mind to lose. What are you here for?

Edwin: Well, sir, I've just received some orders, and...

Baz: [at full volume] Grumble!!

Gramel comes in, a few bits of damp ash on his hands.

Baz: Grumble, please take these orders from Captain Edwin, which you will note are not on red paper and are... [taking and peering at the letter] ...not from my Marshal, and please show the good captain how to deal with such items. You may spare this particular paper from the stamping procedure, since it comes only from Dame Haruka.

Gramel: Yes, s...

Baz: [almost screaming] Now!