Moving along...
You thank the soldier for his keen ear, and order the prisoner brought forward. As you do so, you give orders to the men to give the settlement a cursory rooting through, then put the place to the torch, for you have business to attend to in Torchester. Several of your men scatter into the village, searching through houses for foodstuffs and other items of value.
Sending orders for the rest of your men to mobilize, the soldier you spoke with brings forward a woman, of average height and build. Her skin is a deep tan and her hair is a peculiar shade of deep auburn, but she is quite unremarkable otherwise, outside of her keen eyes. You give her an appraising look, and ask her if she can ride a horse. She looks at you for a moment, then says, "No." You scratch your chin, and then tell Luther to ride tandem with her, as you wish to ask her some questions on the journey to Torchester.
You tell her that her people are your prisoners, which she seems to view as self-evident, and that if they do not resist, they will not be killed. She raises an eyebrow at that, but says nothing. You ask her to pass the word along to the other prisoners, which she leaves briefly to do. You hear her yelling in a melodic language that baffles you, but she returns and says that you will not have any trouble from the captured.
Your men return from the village, with some salted fish and root vegetables, but nothing else of value. You see from your encampment smoke rising, and the men tell you that the village will be no more soon. You order your men to guard the prisoners closely, with the Halberdiers landward and the Archers to the seaside. With your host ready for the road, you set out.
As you travel, she sits in front of Luther on his massive steed, and answers your questions as you pass the days to Torchester. Luther appears somewhat uncomfortable with the situation, but says nothing.
The journey proves extremely interesting. The woman, whose name is Joral, proves to be quite adept at speaking your language, and equally willing to share information with you. You introduce yourself as Count Stone, and she nods her head to you in what appears to be respect.
Early in the trip you ask her if there are soldiers near the village. She shakes her head, and tells you that the warriors have all gone to pillage the town of your King. This strikes you as odd, and you point out that the village was undefended and easily taken.
She replies gruffly. "The Warlord of this expedition, Gergal the Fat, has much... what is the word... not respect for you and yours. He took all the Warriors to raid when your people did not strike at us on the beaches. He sent many groups up and down the coast to fish and secure supplies for the Warhost. Laughed and said that Northsea Kingdom is weak."
You ask for further clarification, and she states slowly, as one would with a child, that this is the first time your people have struck back at them, so this Gergal apparently was confident enough to send out several splinter groups, undefended, to gather supplies for his host.
You ask her why her people are here, and she explains that this Gergal has united several clans with the promise of easy pillage. When you point out that your people rebuffed an earlier invasion, she states that Gergal has much not respect for the leader of that invasion.
You inquire as to whether Gergal is their biggest chief. She smiles, quite disarmingly. "Yes, he is very big. That is why we call him the Fat." Clarifying your question, she replies that there are many Clans in her lands. Often they fight amongst themselves, but sometimes a powerful Warlord like Gergal will rise and unite several clans with the promise of pillage or rich, distant Kingdoms.
"Gergal united the Kamchuk, the Boral, the In'url, and the Mardak. The last invasion of your people's lands was only three clans, and weak ones at that. I would be surprised if your King still stands, Count Stone." You ask how many people comprise four Clans, and she says that each clan sports thousands of warriors, and their families. This gives you a great sense of unease.
You ask how she knows all of this. "It is well known, Count Stone." When you press her, she tells you that she was the wife of one of the leaders of this settlement, but that it appears her husband fled in one of the fishing boats. She seems quite nonplussed about this.
Later in the ride, the subject of conversation turns to her religion. She explains that battle and the sea are the faith of her people. Great warriors and sailors are venerated, but their beliefs do not extend to the hereafter. These are a people concerned with the here and now, it seems.
Besides her strange and bizarre faith, she is a pleasant companion on your journey. As you near Torchester, she asks you a simple question. "What will become of us now, Count Stone?"
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Topic: Lordship: A Suggestion Game (Read 327986 times)