Introduction Autumn was ending on the central settlements and the temperatures were starting to fall. This year, the shortening days and the chilly wind came with the new of the destruction of the Aconilun and the sack of Kimaeslo Ori, which plunged the human kingdoms in anguish. Because the scale of the blunder – three hundred men slain in a country of two thousands – but even more importantly because by attacking far behind the front line, Osme shown they could strike anywhere they'd please. Cavalry now allowed Osmite warlords to swiftly transport armies without being slowed down by their size. Nowhere was safe anymore.
Terrible imperial troops were advancing fron the east, flesh eating Pilalene elves were still organizing in the west, to the south, the infranchissable oceanic barrier, and now, a terrible man-eating winter was falling from the north. The last days of the decade, it seems, would prove difficult for the human kingdoms of the central sea.
However dire the situation was for the villages, it was even worst for the part of the population living outside. Vagrants and travellers, having neither home nor community, are cursed to travel the land from home to home, begging for hospitality and spare food.
And if, by time of abundance generosity applenty, as people are keen of giving away the food that would otherwise rot away, the cold weather and the rapid emptying of granaries grew the people stingier. Left homeless and hungry, vagrants would become more desperate – some would elect to try and join a community as a farmhand, others would pick up a weapon and become mercenaries – or the gods forbid, a bandit. A good pearlite would never sink as low as to become a bandit, but a starved one ? There is no wall to high, no body of water too deep, and no value held too preciously to stop a starving man from acquiring his next meal.
« Are you suggesting we become bandits ? » asked a rather large man, holding his leather hood on his orange hair agaisnt the howling autumn wind. « Surely you jest – we don't have weapons and even if he had, it'd take a different man than I am to swing it at someone.
-Why not, answered his interlocutor, a woman in her thirty. Weapons are easy to come about, and we would not kill people, just rob them.
-But people defend themselves when they are robbed, the man interjected. Soon or late, it'll come to blows and after that... »
He marked a pause, looking around as the sun was quietly setting over the Desor Uzol mountains in the west. The evening will come fast and he should get the fire going.
He assembled the dead wood he gathered earlier, lied smallwood on the ground, and using a tool composed of a smallbow, a stick and a pierced plank, started to try to light a fire.
The weather was a bit humid and the exercise took him longer than he expected – but maybe ten minutes of intense effort, small flames would soon appear and spread to the smallwood. His companion soon helped him by organizing the medium-sized branches in a conic shape around the smallwood. The flames soon spread to them, a log could then be placed in the heart of the camp and the fire was truely born.
A smile of satisfaction appeared on the faces of the two travellers. At least they will have some warmth for the night, and will be able to cook their evening's meal. But as the temperature went higher, that smile soon disapeared.
« Totten, the monsoon is coming soon » the man frowned. « It'll be multiple weeks of rain and thunder - that's probably the last fire we'll enjoy for a long time.
-Don't worry, Toki, we'll be fine in the end. » the woman smiled sincerely. « Whatever it is, we'll find a solution. »
The bleat of a couple goat interrupted the conversation. They were lead by a tall pearlite man wearing a cloth cloak over a fish leather tunic. The herder smiled as he saw the fire was ready, and attached his three goats to a nearby tree.
The man's name was Figaro – a small herder accompanying the company. - he helped with the foraging, his beasts provided a steady supply of milk and he could cook competently. He was a good all around camp follower and the rest of the team liked him.
« I come back from the ruins, he said with a smile. We found a wagon from the merchant's guild. ; it has the nose in the mud but still full of stuff ! We'll need a bit of help to pack it all »
*-*-*-*-*-*
Difficult not to discover the wagon, indeed. Its front weels were missing, pulling the weight of the wagon to the front and immobilizing it in the mud, between two gutted buildings. Its cart beasts, a couple of wooly yaks, were roped to an improvized stake and were happily grazing around.
« Looks like the front axle snapped » remarked a vagrant of the group wearing a cloth bandana over his pale red hair. « The driver probably went to the next hamlet by foot to look for help ».
His name was Kaos - he was a redsmith by trade. If redsmithing was a very sought after professions in Mong Kima, the man has could not find a hamlet with the equipment and supplies to excercise his crafts. He could work in a big city – but he would prefer.
Unlike the other members of the small band, travelling did him no good. Out in the wild, he could not work nor practice, and even tho he enjoyed the company of his friends, he often found himself eager to settle somewhere. If push was to come to shove, Kaos would probably go to the southern pearlite cities of Damirabe or Ishaakul – but since he was still a young man, he was still willing to travel in search of better opportunities.
In the wagon were stored all kinds of goods tightly packed – food, barrels of alcohols, sins of beasts. Enough to survive for quite a long time, and maybe even make a profit.
That was indeed most probably the case. The front axe was broken and the weels, shoddily attached, flew off under the pressure.
The wagon was suitably large – nine meters by nine meters, needing two bulls to be adequatly pulled, and a well maintained road to safely travel. It is very probable that the driver tried to take a path through the ruins, had a weel stuck on the mud and, due to the huge frame and shoddy construction of the vehicle, had its whole weight pulled toward the front axle.
Regardless, its whole content was too heavy to be transported by the smal crew of seven vagrants and a decision had to be made. Would they pillage it for supplies, or just leave it there for the driver to return.
« No, we'll take the wagon. » a woman said. She was a young woman in her twenty, brown hairs cut in a bowl cut with clean bangs, far too cleanly for a vagrant. Histamine – it was her name – claimed to have studied history and warfare front an undisclosed master. Whether it was true or not, she was clearly learned and would be relied upon to take the decisions conscerning the small company.. « We just need to replace the axle »
To do things correctly, making another axle would take a couple days in a workshop – but the group was running low on time. When Toki and Totten arrived at the wagon, they decided to improvize some emergency repairs and came out with a new axle carved directly on a small tree cut for the occasion.
Toki, a trained lumberjack, knew well of the limitations of his emergency repairs, but after a couple hours of hard work, the wagon was standing again.
The four companions looked back at their work – shoddy repairs over a shoddy construction – but it was good enough.
« Let's go eat something » Histamine proposed. « We'll just leave at dawn ».
They walked back to the campfire who, cared of by Figaro, was still burning softly. He was sitting next to the other two last members of the crew – Ralin, a young female doctor tending to the health of the crew, and Yarling, a tall, emaciated grave robber whose speciality was to undress corpses – functions equally vital to the vagrant band.
They drank a soup made of roots cooked into goat milk and went to sleep.
From left to right
Top row :
`Toki' Ilrebeksur, "`Toki' Tongsskirt", Woodcutter
"I'm alright."
He is a citizen of The Nation of Pearls. He is a member of The League of Dominions. He arrived at Kimaeslo Ori on the 7th of Timber in the year 149.
He is thirty-three years old, born on the 4th of Granite in the year 117.
His straight sparse hair is extremely long. He has a jutting chin. His teeth are crowded. His lips are very thin. His somewhat narrow long nose is slightly upturned. His head is somewhat tall. His hair is burnt umber. His skin is pale taupe. His eyes are ecru.
He is strong, but he is slow to heal.
`Toki' Ilrebeksur likes serpentine, nickel, wood opal, candlenut wood, elk hoof, hemp fabric, the color brass, leather armor, coffins, animal traps, king cobra men for their charming hood, the sound of The Lace of Glimmers and the sight of The Vermilion Cerulean Wonder. When possible, he prefers to consume raccoon, finger millet beer, white millet flour and cranberries. He absolutely detests worms.
He has a good feel for social relationships, an ability to read emotions fairly well and a good spatial sense, but he has a poor kinesthetic sense, a poor memory and little natural inclination toward music.
Like others in his culture, he believes that peace is always preferable to war, deeply dislikes competition, greatly respects those that observe decorum and maintain their dignity, strongly values tranquility and quiet, deeply respects those that work hard at their labors, hates those who wield power over others, finds the following of tradition foolish and limiting, greatly respects individuals that persevere through their trials and labors, respects fair-dealing and fair-play, finds introspection to be a waste of time, finds romance distasteful, sees merrymaking as a waste, is put off by family, finds the ideas of independence and freedom somewhat foolish, values martial prowess, finds artwork boring, believes it is important to conceal emotions and refrain from complaining, values self-control, respects commerce, sees guile and cunning as indirect and somewhat worthless and finds nature somewhat disturbing. He personally finds the pursuit of knowledge to be a waste of effort, dislikes cooperation, sees equal parts of harmony and discord as part of life and doesn't think one way or the other about leisure time. He dreams of bringing lasting peace to the world.
He is incurious and never seeks out knowledge or information to satisfy himself. He strongly prefers discussions of ideas and abstract concepts over handling specific practical issues. He has a strong sense of duty. He tends to avoid crowds. He tends to think before acting. He is not particularly interested in what others think of him. He often acts with compassion. He is slow to anger. He takes offered help and gifts without feeling particularly grateful. He likes working outdoors and grumbles only mildly at inclement weather.
A medium-sized creature prone to great ambition.
[/color]A medium-sized creature prone to great ambition.
`Yarlig' Nithimgicast, "`Yarlig' Tomesstyled", Farmer
He is a citizen of The Nation of Pearls. He is a member of The League of Dominions. He arrived at Kimaeslo Ori on the 7th of Timber in the year 149.
He is twenty-four years old, born on the 8th of Malachite in the year 126.
His incredibly straight sparse hair is extremely long. He is tall and skinny. His eyebrows are extremely low. His ecru eyes are narrow. He has a prominent chin. His lips are very thin. His nose bridge is somewhat concave. His hair is dark brown. His skin is pale taupe.
He is quick to heal, but he is susceptible to disease and very flimsy.
`Yarlig' Nithimgicast likes jet, lay pewter, light yellow diamond, bushtit leather, chicken tooth, parakeet parchment, the color fuchsia, yaks for their shaggy hair, the words of The Mother of Luxuries and the sound of The Misty Moss. When possible, he prefers to consume mead. He absolutely detests lizards.
He has a great deal of patience, willpower and an ability to read emotions fairly well, but he has poor focus, a little difficulty with words and meager creativity.
Like others in his culture, he believes that peace is always preferable to war, deeply dislikes competition, greatly respects those that observe decorum and maintain their dignity, strongly values tranquility and quiet, deeply respects those that work hard at their labors, hates those who wield power over others, finds the following of tradition foolish and limiting, thinks the quest for knowledge is a delusional fantasy, greatly respects individuals that persevere through their trials and labors, respects fair-dealing and fair-play, finds introspection to be a waste of time, finds romance distasteful, doesn't respect a society that has settled into harmony without debate and strife, sees merrymaking as a waste, is put off by family, finds the ideas of independence and freedom somewhat foolish, values martial prowess, believes it is important to conceal emotions and refrain from complaining, values self-control, respects commerce, sees guile and cunning as indirect and somewhat worthless and finds nature somewhat disturbing. He personally doesn't think one way or the other about leisure time and doesn't care about art one way or another. He dreams of bringing lasting peace to the world.
He occasionally overindulges, and he is troubled by this because he values self-control. He is somewhat quarrelsome. He isn't particularly curious about the world. He has a tendency to go it alone, without considering the advice of others. He tends to make a small mess with his own possessions. He is trusting. He can occasionally lose focus on the matter at hand. He tends to avoid crowds. He doesn't mind wearing something special now and again. He tends to think before acting. He is brave in the face of imminent danger. He tends to avoid any physical confrontations, and he works to square this natural tendency with his respect of martial prowess. He lives a fast-paced life. He likes working outdoors and grumbles only mildly at inclement weather.
A medium-sized creature prone to great ambition.
`Kaos' Lofiemsi, "`Kaos' Trotadmire", Metalsmith
"The mind thinks best when the world is at rest."
He is a citizen of The Nation of Pearls. He is a member of The League of Dominions. He arrived at Kimaeslo Ori on the 7th of Timber in the year 149.
He is twenty-five years old, born on the 14th of Galena in the year 125.
His incredibly straight sparse hair is extremely long. His teeth are tangled. His ecru eyes are narrow. His lips are very thin. His somewhat tall ears are slightly flattened. His hair is chestnut. His skin is pale taupe. His nose bridge is somewhat concave.
He is indefatigable and mighty.
`Kaos' Lofiemsi likes gypsum, brass, brown zircon, giant warthog hoof, coral, moon snail shell, sperm whale parchment, doors, ballista arrows, fire imps for their terrifying features, the words of The Mother of Luxuries and the sight of The Vermilion Cerulean Wonder. When possible, he prefers to consume grackle and quinoa beer. He absolutely detests slugs.
He has great creativity, a great musical sense, a sharp intellect, very good focus and a very good feel for social relationships, but he has very little linguistic ability.
Like others in his culture, he believes that peace is always preferable to war, is offended by leisure time and leisurely living, deeply dislikes competition, greatly respects those that observe decorum and maintain their dignity, strongly values tranquility and quiet, deeply respects those that work hard at their labors, hates those who wield power over others, finds the following of tradition foolish and limiting, thinks the quest for knowledge is a delusional fantasy, greatly respects individuals that persevere through their trials and labors, respects fair-dealing and fair-play, finds introspection to be a waste of time, finds romance distasteful, doesn't respect a society that has settled into harmony without debate and strife, sees merrymaking as a waste, is put off by family, finds the ideas of independence and freedom somewhat foolish, finds artwork boring, values self-control, respects commerce, sees guile and cunning as indirect and somewhat worthless and finds nature somewhat disturbing. He personally sees no value in holding back complaints and concealing emotions, values good craftsmanship and finds those that develop skill with weapons and fighting distasteful. He dreams of bringing lasting peace to the world.
He strongly prefers discussions of ideas and abstract concepts over handling specific practical issues. He lacks confidence in his abilities. He is quite polite. He is moved by art and natural beauty, though he is conflicted by this for more than one reason. He isn't particularly ambitious. He doesn't try to get things done perfectly. He doesn't often feel envious of others. He tends to avoid crowds. He is stubborn. He tends to assume the worst of two outcomes will be the one that comes to pass. When he's nervous, he often drums his fingers. He likes working outdoors and grumbles only mildly at inclement weather.
A medium-sized creature prone to great ambition.
Bottom row :
`Totten' Lemhuhrulak, "`Totten' Stirbasin", Planter
"I finished up some work. That was satisfying."
She is a citizen of The Nation of Pearls. She is a member of The League of Dominions. She arrived at Kimaeslo Ori on the 7th of Timber in the year 149.
She is thirty-seven years old, born on the 21st of Opal in the year 113.
Her quite sparse hair is extremely long. Her extremely narrow nose is quite long. She has a prominent chin. Her head is somewhat tall. Her hair is brown. Her skin is pale taupe. Her eyes are ecru.
She is slow to heal and flimsy.
`Totten' Lemhuhrulak likes conglomerate, aluminum, moonstone, gems, thrones and the sight of The Worthy Bird. When possible, she prefers to consume giant crab and custard-apple cider. She absolutely detests oysters.
She has a deep well of patience and willpower.
Like others in her culture, she believes that peace is always preferable to war, is offended by leisure time and leisurely living, deeply dislikes competition, greatly respects those that observe decorum and maintain their dignity, strongly values tranquility and quiet, deeply respects those that work hard at their labors, hates those who wield power over others, finds the following of tradition foolish and limiting, thinks the quest for knowledge is a delusional fantasy, greatly respects individuals that persevere through their trials and labors, respects fair-dealing and fair-play, finds introspection to be a waste of time, finds romance distasteful, doesn't respect a society that has settled into harmony without debate and strife, is put off by family, finds the ideas of independence and freedom somewhat foolish, values martial prowess, finds artwork boring, believes it is important to conceal emotions and refrain from complaining, values self-control, respects commerce and sees guile and cunning as indirect and somewhat worthless. She personally values nature, values cooperation, views loyalty unfavorably and doesn't really value merrymaking. She dreams of bringing lasting peace to the world.
She is an optimist. She forms strong emotional bonds with others, at times to her detriment. She is brave in the face of imminent danger. She likes to brawl, though she is disturbed by this since she values quiet so, at least in the abstract. She doesn't often experience strong cravings or urges. She tends to consider what others think of her. She is rarely happy or enthusiastic. She isn't particularly curious about the world. She sometimes acts with little determination and confidence. She has a noticeable lack of perseverance, and she finds this troubling, since she values perseverance. She inhales sharply when she is angry. She likes working outdoors and grumbles only mildly at inclement weather.
`Figaro' Cituuxen, "`Figaro' Gripsearches", Herder
He is a citizen of The Nation of Pearls. He is a member of The League of Dominions. He arrived at Kimaeslo Ori on the 7th of Timber in the year 149.
He is thirty years old, born on the 1st of Hematite in the year 120.
His extremely sparse hair is extremely long. He is tall but has quite ill-defined muscles. His teeth are tangled. His lips are very thin. His eyebrows are quite sparse. His nose bridge is somewhat concave. His ears are free-lobed. His hair is raw umber. His skin is pale taupe. His eyes are ecru.
He is rarely sick, but he is very weak.
`Figaro' Cituuxen likes kimberlite, tin, aventurine, the color blue, mail shirts, enormous corkscrews, moths for their coloration, the words of The Wisps of Meditation and the sight of The Worthy Bird. When possible, he prefers to consume perch, pig cheese, cassava beer and maize flour. He absolutely detests worms.
He has willpower and a good intellect, but he has little patience and very bad intuition.
Like others in his culture, he believes that peace is always preferable to war, is offended by leisure time and leisurely living, deeply dislikes competition, greatly respects those that observe decorum and maintain their dignity, strongly values tranquility and quiet, deeply respects those that work hard at their labors, hates those who wield power over others, finds the following of tradition foolish and limiting, thinks the quest for knowledge is a delusional fantasy, greatly respects individuals that persevere through their trials and labors, respects fair-dealing and fair-play, finds introspection to be a waste of time, finds romance distasteful, doesn't respect a society that has settled into harmony without debate and strife, sees merrymaking as a waste, is put off by family, finds the ideas of independence and freedom somewhat foolish, values martial prowess, finds artwork boring, believes it is important to conceal emotions and refrain from complaining, values self-control, respects commerce and finds nature somewhat disturbing. He personally sees sacrifice as wasteful and foolish and values cunning. He dreams of bringing lasting peace to the world.
He presents himself modestly and frowns on any flashy accoutrements. He tends not to be swayed by emotional appeals. He has a sense of duty. He prefers that everyone live as harmoniously as possible, though he is troubled by his own nature as he prefers discord and debate at a more abstract level. He doesn't seek out excitement. He has a noticeable lack of perseverance, and he finds this troubling, since he values perseverance. He tends to ask others for help with difficult decisions. He isn't particularly curious about the world. Whenever there's a pause in a conversation, he starts to mutter under his breath. He exhales sharply when he gets angry. He likes working outdoors and grumbles only mildly at inclement weather.
A medium-sized creature prone to great ambition.
`Histamine' Uzuasna, "`Histamine' Beesflung", Tactician
"I finished up some work. That was satisfying."
She is a citizen of The Nation of Pearls. She is a member of The League of Dominions. She is the expedition leader of The League of Dominions. She arrived at Kimaeslo Ori on the 7th of Timber in the year 149.
She is twenty-five years old, born on the 15th of Opal in the year 125.
Her straight sparse hair is extremely long. She has a broad chin. Her nose is extremely narrow. Her head is extraordinarily broad. Her lips are thin. Her ears have small lobes. Her hair is brown. Her skin is pale taupe. Her eyes are ecru.
She is rarely sick, but she is very quick to tire.
`Histamine' Uzuasna likes limonite, nickel, red spinel, geese for their formation flying, hungry heads for their terrifying features, the sound of The Misty Moss and the sight of The Dance of Smiles. When possible, she prefers to consume giant wild boar, plump helmets and perry. She absolutely detests large roaches.
She has a great memory and a very good sense of the position of her own body, but she has a meager ability with social relationships and poor spatial senses.
Like others in her culture, she believes that peace is always preferable to war, is offended by leisure time and leisurely living, deeply dislikes competition, greatly respects those that observe decorum and maintain their dignity, strongly values tranquility and quiet, deeply respects those that work hard at their labors, hates those who wield power over others, finds the following of tradition foolish and limiting, thinks the quest for knowledge is a delusional fantasy, greatly respects individuals that persevere through their trials and labors, respects fair-dealing and fair-play, finds introspection to be a waste of time, finds romance distasteful, doesn't respect a society that has settled into harmony without debate and strife, sees merrymaking as a waste, is put off by family, finds the ideas of independence and freedom somewhat foolish, values martial prowess, finds artwork boring, believes it is important to conceal emotions and refrain from complaining, values self-control, sees guile and cunning as indirect and somewhat worthless and finds nature somewhat disturbing. She personally doesn't particularly respect commerce. She dreams of bringing lasting peace to the world.
She almost never feels discouraged. She doesn't focus on material goods. She doesn't tend to hold on to grievances. She occasionally overindulges, and she is troubled by this because she values self-control. She is quite ambitious. She has a tendency to go it alone, without considering the advice of others. She tends to be passive in discussions. She is not particularly interested in what others think of her. She begins to talk much more slowly when she's exasperated. She likes working outdoors and grumbles only mildly at inclement weather.
A medium-sized creature prone to great ambition.
`Ralin' Nithonikom, "`Ralin' Bellycritters", Doctor
"Don't get on my bad side."
She is a citizen of The Nation of Pearls. She is a member of The League of Dominions. She arrived at Kimaeslo Ori on the 7th of Timber in the year 149.
She is thirty-five years old, born on the 1st of Limestone in the year 115.
Her incredibly straight sparse hair is extremely long. Her ears have nearly fused lobes. She has a prominent chin. Her somewhat tall head is broad. Her lips are thin. Her eyelashes are quite long. Her eyebrows are slightly low. Her ecru eyes are slightly protruding. Her hair is black. Her skin is pale taupe.
She is quite quick to heal, but she is quick to tire and flimsy.
`Ralin' Nithonikom likes diorite, rose gold, purple spinel, green glass, chickens for their scratching, the words of The Mother of Luxuries, the sound of The Sienna Butterfly and the sight of The Dance of Smiles. When possible, she prefers to consume sand pear cider. She absolutely detests mussels.
She has a natural ability with music, a lot of willpower and a way with words, but she has poor analytical abilities, a meager ability with social relationships and bad intuition.
Like others in her culture, she believes that peace is always preferable to war, is offended by leisure time and leisurely living, deeply dislikes competition, greatly respects those that observe decorum and maintain their dignity, strongly values tranquility and quiet, deeply respects those that work hard at their labors, hates those who wield power over others, finds the following of tradition foolish and limiting, thinks the quest for knowledge is a delusional fantasy, greatly respects individuals that persevere through their trials and labors, respects fair-dealing and fair-play, finds introspection to be a waste of time, finds romance distasteful, doesn't respect a society that has settled into harmony without debate and strife, sees merrymaking as a waste, is put off by family, finds the ideas of independence and freedom somewhat foolish, values martial prowess, finds artwork boring, believes it is important to conceal emotions and refrain from complaining, values self-control, respects commerce and sees guile and cunning as indirect and somewhat worthless. She personally doesn't care about nature one way or another. She dreams of bringing lasting peace to the world.
She is deliberately cruel to those unfortunate enough to be subject to her sadism, and she is disturbed by this as someone who dislikes those that seek to acquire power over others. She would never pass up a chance for a good fistfight, though she is disturbed by this since she values quiet so, at least in the abstract. She is dour as a rule. She is somewhat fearful in the face of imminent danger. She is a friendly individual, and she is conflicted by her nature since she would ideally prefer more strife in her life. She tends to hang on to grievances. She isn't given to flights of fancy. She tends to consider what others think of her. She chews her lips intently when she's thinking. She gets distracted during conversations when she's excited. She likes working outdoors and grumbles only mildly at inclement weather.
A medium-sized creature prone to great ambition.
*-*-*-*-*-*
The bridgeMore or less by consensus, it was decided that the crew would continue its journey by going to the east side of the interior sea. Edetledir, the free city, would be a suitable candidate town to spend the winter in. Its granary was said to be still full enough, and locals had fled long ago, due to the war. Laying low, they hoped to remain undetected until the end of spring, during and after the harvest, when they could resume their vagrancy.
Luckily for them, the wooly yaks were trusting enough, and so they could ride their tinkered wagon, hopefully to their destination. Between them and Edetledir was an obstacle, however : the interior sea.
The interior sea was an arm of salt water reaching far in the main continent – the Land of Oak – and until recently, was an uncrossable obstacle – it could only be got around from by the north, and that solution would force the travellers to undergo a long trip in the wooden wilderness, in an area controlled by the enemy elven nation of Wulemaapasi.
Luckily, there was another solution now – the bridge of Kimaeslo Ori, built over a bottleneck in the interior sea, effectively linking the two side of the Land of Oak.
The bridge was undergoing an extension when the town owning it was sacked and pillaged, but reports from other travellers insured them that the bridge by itself was still functionnal. Osmite troops, not wanting to be trapped deep in civilized territory, retreated back to their pits. They would probably attack again, but for now the path was clear.
The crew walked along the caravan not to overcharge it, and to preserve the integrity of the wagon, the yaks had to walk a very slow pace. The small trunk, refited as an axle, made some worrying sound and was apparently eating away at the wagon's structure much too quickly, but the group evaluated it would survive long enough to reach Edetledir.
The travel was a bit worrying – slow, noisy, unarmed, forced by the size of their prize to use larges roads, the group was a easy target for bandits. They hope the size of their group alone would deter other vagrants to attack, but had no illusion : in the central settlements, bandits were known to attack and rob entire villages.
The group was led by Histamine and was comprised of Totten the mercenary, Toki the lumberjack, Figaro the herder, Kaos the redsmith, Yarlig the graverobber and Ralin the doctor. They also had two cats, three dogs, three goats and the aformentionned two wooly yaks they found with the wagon. A group far too big, indeed, not to be noticed from afar.
Ther arrived at Kimaeslo Ori in the evening., under heavy rain A small but dense forest had grown on the western side of the sea and Toki had to give a couple of axe blows to make way for the wagon.
A cry of protestation emerged from the bridge. A group of elves, looters and vagrants, made aggressive gestures to them, calling them « butchers ».
In late 149, Elves from Iferifiyopi were still busy undressing corpses in the bridgetownToki then stopped, not wanting to antagonize them, and the group had to squeeze the wagon to the next clearing. That was not done without pain or damage.
They then exchanged worried looks with the elven looters, busy loading some pieces of armor still intact on their own tamed yaks,then progressed quickly toward the bridge. They passed the two copper-roofed barracks built in front of the bridge and pressed the yaks further.
It's passed the initial slope of the bridge that the makeshift axle decided to give way snapping in two. This time, the weels did not survived the shock – the wagon was now immoobilized for good.
« Not the best place to break your cart, ain't it ? » exclaimed a low voice behind them. Histamine, who closed the march, turned around : it was a fat man, wearing a leather and fur tuque over his eyes, his face otherwise obstructed by his large unkept beard.
« Tell me about it, Histamine responded. Who are you, again ?
- I'm Lesno, the man said. I was a soldier, now I'm a vagrant ; long story. »
Long story – maybe not. Lesno hasn, indeed, be a soldier in Kimaeslo Ori. But in a brawl, he killed a younger militia-man and was exiled as a result. His wife, fellow soldier, accompanyied him in exile out of loyalty, but did not really forgive him.
He only dared to return after the fall of the local government. - and now he was nothing but a vagrant.
« Better vagrant than dead, anyway » he laughed. « Turned down that the people who exiled me are now feeding the crows, so in the end,they made me a solid, banning me from the town. »
Exiled murderer, the man was still a pearlite – Histamine felt confident enough to ask him informations about the town.
« Don't leave your stuff here – the elves will steal it all. Everything that's not nailed to the ground, they will take. It would not be under them, I wager, to take the whole if it, wagon, supplies and workbeasts !
-Outrageous beyond bounds, commented the girl. What do you recommend we do ?
-The town is sacked, but uninhabited. If you want, you'll find walls to shelter you from the winter, and enough space to stock your loot. »
Author
Topic: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls (DF 0.47.05) (Read 254663 times)