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Maughus, who has bedded down in a corner of the main room, nods sleepily at Galanis. "You can help out, but you may need to move quickly. So get some rest tonight. You have a lot of healing to do."

Galanis looks at himself as if he forgot his wounds. It might be the excitement. "Good night." he bids the tracker and then plans to go to bed. But before bed he must eat something... He looks around to see if anyone has something worth biting into. Then he looks for Dida and the baby. If the baby is placed in a crib he will sing him a short lullaby and then go to sleep himself.

With a smile, Liri gets up gracefully and follows Angel.

Ari world carefully at the forge, finding solace in the rhythm of the bellows and the hammer, and peace in the light of the fire and the glowing metal. Patric, for his part, tries to stay awake to work the bellows, but doesn't last long.
After perhaps an hour of working, Ari is disturbed by an arrythmic sound from the courtyard - wood rattling and creaking.

Ari banks the coals so they hold their heat in case he is delayed, setting the work where it won't burn if left for a time. He positions something between the door and the boy so that if any intruder comes in it won't see the young man immediately. Taking up a good 5lb hammer he steps to the door and gives a peek out to see what the source of the noise might be...

The noise is coming from the exterior gate in the courtyard, which is rattling in its frame. It is braced at the moment, but two of its six hinges are currently in the forge, and the ones that are in place have taken a beating recently.

Ari wakes the boy quickly, motioning him for silence. Summat's at the gate... rouse the others, I'll do what ah cahn 'ere. Off wit ye, and quick aboot it now!

Ari looks for a heavy cart to roll in front of the gate and brace it, does so as quickly as possible. If time allows he will add more heavy things to the cart.

There is a horse cart one of the sheds, but it is probably too heavy for Ari to effectively move alone. And the makeshift braces inside the gate would prevent it from being placed right against the gate, although it could be parked inside to act as an obstacle to anyone coming in.

The gates continue to rattle, but there is no rhythm to it, as you would expect from someone trying to force it by matching their pushes with the frequency of the door's motion.

Patric quickly rushes through the house shouting everyone else awake, then wakes the younger children.

Maughus comes awake immediately, looking as if he had slept with his bow in hand and an arrow across it. He rushes up the stairs to the second floor, quiver and sword belt hanging crossed on his bare torso.

As the adults rise, Patric and Dida herd the children up the stairs. This is the first time the group has seen the children all at once - a boy and a girl, both under ten that bear a passing resemblance to Patric, and three in simple slaves' garb. "Inside, bolt that door, and brace it with the chest!" he is heard to say from the landing above.

Sommat lend me a hand wit tha gate! Ari calls out to the members of the group (Galanus or the like).

[How about tipping the cart on it's side against the braces to further fortify the gate?]

Angel rises in alarm, dressed in no more than a simple undershirt and a black leather skirt she darts down the stairs, hair flying behind her as she fights to buckle on her blade while running.

"Whats all the noise?" She asks in alarm, paying no heed to her state of dress while approaching the gate.

Galanis wakes up quickly. "A new day, a new adventure!" he proclaims and goes swiftly to the dwarf. "How can I assist?" he asks while checking the country yard, bow in hand.

Liri comes out of the room she was in with Angel, her brown leather clothes thrown on casually, closing the belt with her sword sheath. "Will the children be all right alone?" she asks Patric. "I'm not much use in a battle. Perhaps there is a secret way out where I could lead them?"

Patric is rushing to buckle on some armor - it's not his size, but it isn't so large that it would be ridiculous. Liri, familiar with a legion kit, steps in to assist with practiced ease. As the two of them work, Patric says: "That room is the best we can do right now. If you are no help in a fight, perhaps you can stay on the balcony and throw debris down. I have a pile up there."
Once his breastplate is done up, Patric hefts the spear he found, which is half again his height and clumsy for him to wield, but better than nothing.

The cart is much easier to move and maneuver with three people working at it (and even easier when Egg comes out, after having taken the time to put on his armor) rather than one, and takes only a moment to move the cart into the gateway and chock its wheels. The braces prevent it from being rolled right against the doors, but the doors won't be able to swing all the way open with the cart so close.

Maughus calls down from the balcony above: "Dead ones - a bunch of them. I can not see how many are right against the gate, but there are about half a dozen behind them that I can see."

Liri nods at Patric suggestion. "Good idea. I will do that." She follows Maughus out on the balcony. Is there anything else she can see with her elven infravision?