You've guided a group of computer geeks up the lower slopes of Mount Rainier, and back down again to a base camp. They have some wonderful pictures, and sore muscles, and one of them feels a bit intimidated, and so wants to show off his expertise so as to prove he's not totally helpless.

So he's dragged out his prototype Palmtop, and connected it to the ancient circuitry of the cabin, and he's giving you a tour with him as guide.  While its buggy as all get out, you're at ease enough to honestly admit that it does look pretty impressive.

So mollified, he begins to turn it off, and then there's a power flicker. A buzz. Probably another squirrel just sacrificed himself, or the wind moved a wire.  The lights go on and off.

Its not a big deal.  And then you turn back to the buzzing Palmpad. A spark launches off it, and the geek tosses it skyward, involuntary muscle reaction, and you dive clear, but not fast enough.  It lands on your leg, and races up your body through the heart, and grounds down into the arm in the overturned cup of healthy water you'd been drinking.

A short circuit is completed with you in the loop.

"OH!!!"

================================================================================

You wake feeling light-headed, and chill, but not bad, laying on what feels like rock.  The air has a spicy, ferny smell, and something is shuffling near you.

PT

What the....Stupid techno geeks and their toys, almost fried me.

As I notice the sound of something moving near me, I tense up. Going from sitting in a nice warm cabin to laying on a cold rock is enough to make me a little nervous. I decide the best move in this situation is to play 'possum until I can identify whatever is making the noise.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:38, Mon 17 Oct 2005.

The noise sounds human, but lightfooted, and eating, sloppily.

PT

Cracking an eyelid open, I glance in the direction of the noise. Running a several possible senerios through my head quickly, I decide I should play it loose until I can find out if I'm in a hostile enviornment.

You see a tall, hmm, seven to eight foot, perhaps one eighty pounds at the outside, bipedal covered in short hair what you can see, and covered in a wrapped up blanket which is falling off.  It seems to be shivering.  Its stuffing its mouth with mushrooms? which are growing on the wall of the stone cave you are in.

You blink your eyes in the half-light from the cave mouth. He turns and stares at you with his three eyes.

PT

Slowly I sit up and face the creature, my eyes widen as I realize it isnt human. Ok Toto, we definantly arent in Kansas anymore. What in the world is this thing, an anorexic big foot?

I ease my hand toward my .45, and in as soothing a voice as I can I say "Easy there fella. Those shrooms dont look too tastey, how about some good old fashioned, government issue MREs?"

I prepare myself for a violent reaction from the creature, but make no aggresive moves myself.

It looks back at you, and then decides you're not a threat, and incuriously returns to stuffing its mouth with mushrooms.  The blanket falls off it, but it seems unable to master getting it back on, and then it lays down trembling.

Your head feels strange, almost stuffed, the closest sensation is like you've just crammed for a test, or have a serious head cold, but you can breathe fine.

PT
OOC: Just keeping the game moving until Mal shows back up. He will take over when he does.

Shaking my head, trying to clear it, I walk over to the creature, and cover it with its blanket.

"You aint too smart, but at least you aint violent. I wonder how much I can get for a close up picture of bigfoot?"

I take the digital camrea out of my pack that I use for photos of the people that take my survival course, and snap a couple of close up pictures of the creature. Then just to keep the scales balanced, I take out and open a couple of granola and honey bars and leave them next to the creature.

"Ok, time to figure out where I am and get back to base camp before those techno geeks wet themselves."

I put away the camera and bring out my personal GPS and start looking for the exit to the cave.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:08, Tue 18 Oct 2005.

Its not hard.  Just ten feet away.  You stoop to the waist to get out, feeling a bit creaky in the knees, and clamber out on to barren rock dotted with moss.  Already a bit worried, you look out.

Copper colored hills of stone, with moss, snow on the highest peaks, and the infrequent tree roll out away from you.  There are few jagged ridges or spires; its more high hills and rock-strewn valleys.  In the depth of the valleys you see some growth, and perhaps a herd.

In the distance you can see lights glowing toward the horizon, and then tracking them by sight as they climb into the sky brings your eyes up to see the most massive and brilliant display of aurora borealis, the Northern Lights, you've ever seen.  Looking past them into the night sky, which is brighter than a full moon on a cloudless night from the aurora, you see bright, clear stars.

Unfortunately, you don't recognize any constellations.  Not even the Southern Cross.

PT

What in the world? Wait, scratch that. I think I know whats going on....when that palm pilot thingee almost fried me, I bet it knocked me into a coma. Lots of folks think that people in a coma are dreaming, so I bet this is whats going on. It has to be, or else I'm not only not in Washington, I'm not even on Earth.

Taking out my Smith & Wesson .45, I chamber a round, then put it away and make sure that there is a round in my .308 Remmington.

"Even if this is a coma dream or whatever, you still cant be too careful. God, I wish I was one of those NRA nuts that hunts rabbits with an M16-A4, and used an M-40A3 sniper rifle for bigger game. My .308 is a good weapon, but in this wierd situation I'd prefer a little more firepower."

Deciding to try and conserve my MREs. I start moving to a better vantage point to get a look at the herd in the valley. Just for laughs, I check my compass to see which direction is north. If the dream is gonna last for a while, I might as well use the cave as a base camp. It might be a little chilly, but I'm betting its weather proof and with the small entrance, its highly a defenseable position. I feel a little more confident now that I have a plan of action and think I might even enjoy this if my head would just clear up.

The herd in the valley looks like your buddy from the cave, perhaps twenty of them.

"Wealth if only I could get it down to my house without them all dying from the cold and the hard walk."  A musing voice seems to sound from the air around you.  Your stuffy head feels worse as if its on the edge of a splitting headache.

PT

Pulling my .45 I spin around trying to locate the sound of the voice, then sag to my knees as the pain in my head starts to get worse and worse. I've been in combat situations with worse pain, but its still hard to focus and my eyes are watering a little.

"Ok buddy, come on out with your hands where I can see them. If you dont, you might just get a terminal case of lead poisioning....along with a fairly large hole through your middle."

Thats right Jess, act from a position of strength, even if you feel like you couldnt fight off a kitten right now. God....when did I get so old? Never mind that, Marines never quit!

"Good surround me, Ancestors preserve me, it was sentient. Oh, I am undone, the shame..."

The pain flares dropping you to your knees.  And then it rapidly fades.

"My humblest and deepest apologies.  Never even in facing true death would I have done this abomination, but your strange vessel seemed unoccupied, and from no where, as if sent in response to my prayers.  There was no glow of mind about it above that of an animal.  But regardless, I have gravely wronged you.  I am Tilnak'thrum of the Red River Village hard by the White Mountain, and but a day from the Ancestors."

Then the tone changes to a prayer.

"Oh great Ancestors, preserve me, for I have fallen into dire mischief..."

The whole time the sound is coming from all around you, and you look about to find anyone, but no one appears.  Nor is there really much to hide in around here.

*The 'thrum' is a counterbass vibrato??.

PT

Looking around for the source of the voice I remeber this is a coma dream and decide to play along.

"Ok Tilnak, I'll consider forgiving you on one condition. Answer a couple of questions. Where on God's green Earth am I? And more to the point, where are you?"

Wow, I never knew I had such a vivid imagination. This is like something straight out of a Heinlein novel. Get up Jess, its hard to act from a position of strength while your on your knees."

"As for a vessel, I dont have one. But I would dearly love a Humvee right now, and as to my mind not being above that of an animal, its probally old instincts from boot camp kicking in. Boot might have been over 22 years ago, but when a Marine is trained, he stays trained. Where is this Red River Village? I could really stand to resupply a bit, do your stores accept American Express"


OOC: I know the the vessel comment was about Jesse's body, but he is a bit freaked out and not all that rational at this point. :P

"You are standing on the flanks of one of the Cold Mountains, south of my village, and perilously near where the Thanar raiders have come.  As to where I am, ah the shame of it, I am in your vessel.  Stores? We have a blacksmith, and occasionally a trader comes through. American Express...I have never heard of this.

And while I do not long to contradict my unwitting host, but you do have a vessel." Here it begins to describe your body, but from an alien viewpoint.

PT

"Wait a minute...your inside my head? Thats what your apoligizing for, aint it? You needed a body, and you thought mine was unoccupied. I'll bet thats why I had the splitting headache."

Getting up, I holster my pistol and check my compass. Looking north, I point.

"That way to your villiage? If we get there, can someone get you back into your own body? And whats all this about raiders? What exactlly is a Thanar?"

This is just too sureal. I hope my mind doesnt decide to take a Bodysnatchers twist.

I check my rifle again, making sure that if there is trouble I can make good use of the 700-800 yard range, and beguin walking north.

"Ok Tilnak, explain this to me as we travel, I really need to understand what we might run into and what to expect when we get to your village."

Your arm suddenly points out the direction you expect.

"My village is down that track, but first we need to recapture my riding beast. I left it free when I was about to die. Um, yes, after a bit, I can transfer to a new vessel."

At this time you realize you're not speaking English.
But it still gathers your intent as you go quiet.

"My village fights as need drives it, but we spend most of our days tending herds, and growing crops, and fixing the village.  But the Thanar do none of these things, instead they take from those who have for themselves.  They are an evergrowing menace.  It was my job to try to talk some of the other villages into an alliance, but they would not, and on the way back Thanar ambushed my party, and I escaped by running higher into the killing cold.

Funny, but your vessel does not seem so bothered by the cold."

PT

"Its a little chilly, but I'd hardly call it cold. Lets go find your ride and head out...just another quick question before we go. Those three-eyed, hairy things. What are they? The one in the cave had covered itself with a blanket, so I'm assuming they have some sort of intelligence. And why wasnt that one with the rest of its kind down in the valley?"

As more and more questions start to pop into my mind, a practical one rises above the rest. Instead of asking, I decied to figure it out for myself.

Can you hear this Tilnak? It would be very useful in certain situations if I didnt have to speak out loud to communicate with you, but since you thought my body was mindless I need to find out if we can talk with just our thoughts.

The response comes as always.

"That is my former vessel. Poor thing. It served me well.  No, I had covered myself with a blanket for I was freezing.  And then you appeared out of nothing.  And as to why it was not with the wild vessels, well, I owned it.  It was part of my herd.

Oh indeed, I can hear you.  I should be able to figure out how to communicate that way, but I thought it less invasive to simply excite the nerve that comes from your ear rather than stick my fingers deeper into your side of this vessel's brain.

You do know that there is a lot of unused space up here, of course.  Quite capacious it is.  Do you know where I could get other vessels like this one?"

PT
OOC: Heh, heh.

Walking in the direction Tilnak indicated his transport beast was in a I ask him about the availability of water, game animals, and when and where I should be looking out for the Thanar.

"Yeah, I know there is plenty of space. Humans only use about 10% of our brains, we are still evolving and the rest will come into play at some point in the future...unless you know how to unlock it for me? A lot of people think that we would have some rather unusual ablities if we had access to those parts of our brains that arent currently in use. Telepathy, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, foresight...things like that. If you knew how to open those areas to me, I would consider your hitching a ride in my head paid in full."

"Very odd concepts those, but then a typical vessel's brain has very little space left over.  Perhaps you are right.  I do see some odd structures in your vessel's brain whose purpose I don't understand.  I will study on this.

If you like, I can teach you pain control.  Its a simple matter to reroute information from a vessel that registers as pain as something else, perhaps a numerical count."

And then in the distance you see a large, riding size, lizard with a saddle, but no stirrups, and a box of javelins,and some saddlebags.  It looks up at you curiously from about fifty feet downhill.

PT

Heading toward  the lizard I get a little nervous. I had a Savannah Monitor when I was a kid, and that thing was evil. Carefully I make my way toward it, giving it time to catch my scent.

"Pain suppression, huh? That could come in handy. Except instead of a numerical count, how about the creedo we used in the Marine Corp. "Corp,God,Country'. That would fit my personality a little better."

I circle the lizard watching for any aggresive moves on its part and keep my hands on my rifle.

"Uh Tilank, are there any special instructions I need to handle this beast?"

"You need to show it that you're dominant without scaring it so that it thinks you're going to eat it."

You get closer, and the creature balefully glares at you.  It flicks out a long tongue.

"Um, I just realized.  You don't smell like a regular rider."  Thats a definite note of fear in Tilnak's "voice".

PT

I've spent enough time on horseback to know how to deal with a fiesty mount....but I hope it works on lizards too, or I just might lose an arm. I grab for its reins with one hand and give it a sharp, but not excessive slap to the snout, then in a strong but not loud voice I say:

"Easy there. Settle down and we will get along just fine."

Get ready with that pain suppression stuff Tilnak, if this doesnt work I think I'm gonna need it.

You smack it, and it bobs its head in submission, and then you vault on the back.

Tilnak laughs in your mind.

"A true natural. I've rarely seen it done better."

The lizard looks back at you for directions, and you start it heading toward Tilnak's village.

The miles pass under its feet...

PT
OOC: How good are you at riding?  I'm going to have to increase that a bit after these experiences, and your very good dice roll.

It takes me a while to get used to the gait of a lizard mount, its not much like riding a horse, but I adjust pretty quickly. I decide I need to check the saddle bags and the javelins.

"Hmmm, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to use these javelins or not. I guess I could handle them in a stabbing motion, like a bayonet, but as far as the throwing is concerned, I'm going to have to pick it up as I go along. I can throw a knife well enough, but the balance and dynamics are totally diffrent."

I keep my eyes open for water, anything that looks like game, and most importantly, Thanar. While riding I break out an MRE and my canteen just to keep my energy up.


OOC: IRL I'm a very good rider, and I think Jesse would be too. He hunts a lot, and there are places you cant get a truck to, and ATVs tend to scare game away. So I would think he would be fairly skilled.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:22, Fri 21 Oct 2005.

You descend into a valley, and you are grateful for the lizard's flexible feet.  A horse would have a hard time in this rock-strewn wasteland, but the lizard...takes it in stride.

You see a small herbivore, about the size of a fox.  But Tilnak is uninterested.

He points out across the valley, about two to three miles, a cleft in the cliff face.

"The pass to my home.  Beyond that is another mountain, a valley, another mountain, and then we come into my homelands."

PT

"So in other words, we are on the right track, but we stil have a long ride ahead of us? Thats ok with me, I wouldnt mind learning that pain suppression trick on the way, and if you keep studying those 'srtange clusters' in my brain maybe we will have something new to experiment with."

Just for laughs, I practice throwing javelins, then leaning down in the saddle and grabbing them as we pass by. It may be a low tech weapon, but I kinda doubt I'll get any sort of supply drop and I should attempt to conserve my ammo as much as possible.

You start tossing the javelins, and are getting used to them when Tilnak offers to show you how to do it.

"Not that I am a great warrior."

A bit later, he shows you a mental image.  A box into which red light flows, and inside it is turned into words.  He commands you to hold this image clearly in your mind.

Suddenly, the pain from your war-wounds fade, and you hear a distant chant.  "God, Corp, Country." repeated over and over like there was a line of marchers moving past you with their voices raised in chorus.

But your wonder at it dissolves the box, and the pains come back.

PT

I try to picture a company of recruits marching within a square with red flood lights over them, calling the cadence "God, Corp, Country", hoping that will bring back the momentary relief I felt.

"That was nice, I need to practice throwing and working on relieveing the curse of age all at once."

As we travel on I attempt to work on both at once.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:33, Sat 22 Oct 2005.

The box stays put, and the javelin's still keep flying in a straight line, and you realize your Marine Corp training is coming into use.  A disciplined mind is a fine weapon in this bleak, new land.

You traverse most of the valley, and are coming up on the cleft in the cliff-face.  The cliff goes up say seven man-heights, and it does offer an abundance of handholds.

The mere concept of rock-climbing makes your visitor's laughter surround you.

"How delightfully weird!"

Below your lizard's splayed, yellow-tinged web feet, a dozen rocks ranging in size from a basketball to a refridgerator lie in his shadow as the early morning sun rises like a laser blast to the eyes.

It makes it hard to see, but a javelin clattering to a stop next to your lizard catches your attention.  It has a bag attached to it, near the spear head.  The bag is empty and seem to be made of a fur taken.

"Fill the bag" You hear.  The call comes from up in front of you.  Its hard to see in the dazzling light.

Highwaymen.

PT

Awwww crud. This definatly could be bad.

I lean over and pick up the javelin and make a closer inspection of the bag, while stalling for time.

I'm guessing these are the Thanar? OK Tilnak, any suggestions on how to deal with these guys? I'd rather not have to start killing them...especially since I cant see them very well.

I ease my rifle around and click off the saftey, while concentrating on where the voice had come from.

"Continue stalling as you are.  The sun will be off the horizon in a couple minutes, and you'll be able to see better.  These are not Thanar. Simple brigands they are.  The Thanar would not be content with your wealth."

Tilknak pauses.

"I can see them just at the outer range of my Mindsight.  Perhaps forty-sixty of your steps ahead."

Another shouted demand, and your ears agree with his Mindsight, whatever that is.  Your eyes are watering, and you are keeping the crown of your head tilted toward the sun to reduce the blinding glare filling the flat rocky valley floor.

PT

Alright Tilnak, you might not like whats going to happen next. Its time for an object lesson, and these thieves are the ones unfortuanate enough to be the target of it. I'm going to set a standard of brutality toward anyone who is hostile toward me...I mean us.

I pause and try to gain some sense of how many of them there are, and what their approximate locations are.

My plan is to kill all these brigands except for one to tell the tale of what happened today. Believe it or not by being excessivly bloody in this conflict, it will save lives later on. If the people of this world realize that I'm a stone cold killer when provoked, few if any will attempt violent actions towards us, so in a way I'm going to be killing to save lives.

I slowly back the lizard up and scan for a boulder or ditch to use as cover while I'm firing.

If there are a lot of sudden loud noises, will the beast run away? And do you have any idea of how many of them there are?

"They have chosen to set up on us, and no doubt, if you are of tender feelings, they have a jumpstone so that their souls may travel back to the Ancestors, if they are lucky."  There is a surprising degree of brutality in his voice, strengthened by recent memories of pain and loss, but also it seems of some long standing.  It occurs to you that Tilnak did have some useful comments on throwing javelins which showed he had at least trained to fight or hunt before.  At a minimum, he's at least as hard-nosed as a modern hunter.  While he's been very apologetic toward you, that because he feels himself guilty of a severe crime against you.

Your vision starts clearing, and another javelin lands on your other side.  No doubt as an encouragement.

"I think there are four of them. This is a battle trained beast.  It will not run from noise of war."

You can see, as shapes, three of them, about sixty feet ahead.

In this valley there are plentiful spots that meet your need.  You take a few steps, off the "path" and have seventy percent cover.  Now you can see them more clearly as the sun has almost completely risen.

They seem to be making ready to advance.

PT

I sight in on the furthest and take a deep breath, release half of it, and slowly squeeze the trigger. I eject the spent round, and slide a fresh one in the intake so I have enough shells in the rifle for the rest of them...assuming my aim is as true as it always has been in the past.

I'm going to take out the furthest ones first, if the ones in front dont see the ones behind them fall they might keep comming and I can kill the last three, and then give the first one a very painful but not fatal wound.

Your bullet catches the last one over a "moundulous" rock, high in the chest.  He spins about, and flops down behind the rock and out of sight.  The lizard starts, but there is no time to consider that.  Your second shot takes the next in your list, in the chest as well, but he drops howling.  The other two, turn to look at him.

You groan,and take a quick shot.  It smashes the third in the leg.  The fourth has vanished.  You finish off the third, just in time for the lizard to run right over the top of you and stampede for the horizon.

You're not dead, but having a huge lizard use you as a rug has to rank low on the list of experiences you want to repeat.  You have been forced to let go of your pain control by the shock of it.

OOC: Very bad GE roll on the lizard question.  So you got Tilnak in all honesty thinking it would be okay, but he did not anticipate how loud your rifle would be.

PT

OUCH!!!!!!!!!

I slowly raise to a sitting position and take inventory of the injuries caused by the lizard. I reload my rifle and police up all the spent shells, who knows I might find a way to reload them at some point.

"God Jess, your getting old. 15 years ago that idiot would have dropped without a scream, and a shot in the leg? Your slipping boy, your slipping."

You still there Tilnak? If so I could use some help with the pain suppression. I cant seem to maintain it myself, and I have to track that gun shy lizard down so I dont have to limp all the way to your village.

You suddenly feel the pain go away.

"I'm still here. What weapon was that? It sounded as if you carried thunder in your hands, and then you struck them down with flame."

You roll to your feet.  You can't be sure, but you think from the remembered pain that perhaps something in your rib cage went sproing!  And your left shoulder is out of its socket.  Your face is covered with some mix of blood and small stones which you brush off.  Your right eyelid seems to want to stick shut.

As to internal injuries?

PT

OK Tilnak, we can talk about my weapon a little later but we have more pressing concerns now. I'm injured, possibly very badly and if we dont do something about it soon, I might be looking for another 'vessel' myself. The big problem there is that my people cant jump from body to body, so if I die, thats it. I'm dead, end of story.

I think about something Tilank told me earlier and feel the slightest glimmer of hope. If this little idea works out, he just might be able to save my butt, and get me to his village instead of the other way around.

You said those raiders have a portal, or gate or something to get them back to their Ancestors, right? Could you use it to get back to your village? If you could do that and then send a healer this way, I might make it, but if not...internal injuries are a really crappy way to die. Just a thought...could you check on those, and maybe speed my body's healing process?

As I wait for his answer, I remove the strap fropm my canteen and use it to rig up a makeshift sling for my left arm, then place my canteen in my pack.

"Dead? What madness is this?"  You can feel Tilnak pausing, and then suddenly you feel his "fingers" rummaging through your memories and thoughts.

"What in all the lands under the Flux are you?  A creature bonded to ....no, you're right. We must get you healing if we may.  I am sorry, but the gate does not work that way.  It allows one of the People to mayhap jump to the Flux, and take up residence there before one faces True Death.  But once in the Flux, you can't just leave at will.  I could be waiting in the Flux for decades.  Longer even.

Yes, I will study your body."

Over the next few minutes you feel a variety of strange sensations.  Tickles, spikes of needles, and chills race up and down your body.

"I don't think you have something irreparable broken inside you.  I could be wrong.  I had to give light to various parts of your body in order to see them, and to do much talking to your light bearing streams that congregate in your head.  I could continue, but I'd have to stop holding off the pain."  He sounds exhausted.

PT

I'm sorry Tilnak, I just realized how much I've been asking of you and I dont think I've said thank you once....or even properly introduced myself. My dear old mother, God rest her soul, would skin me alive if she knew how rude I've been. My name is Jesse Taylor, I'm a human, retired Master Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corp.

Thinking about the things that have happened to me, I beguin to doubt that this is all just some coma dream. I've never felt pain in a dream that I could remeber, but being on another planet with an alien in my head?

I was a warrior for my...tribe. I fought in many battles and saw a great deal of my world. I left the military after 20 years of service, and retired to Washington where I strated a survival school with a friend from the Corp. There, I guess that hits all the major highlights about me.

Hearing the exhaustion in his 'voice' I decide Tilnak needs something of a break and brace myself for the pain I know is going to come very soon.

Listen bud, you sound pretty tired so why dont you take a nap or what ever you do to rest? I'll try to take over the pain suppression myself, and if I cant maintain it...well, I've dealt with pain before. My biggest worry is my left shoulder, I know its dislocated and if I dont get it back into socket soon, its going to start to swell up and it will be that much more difficult to treat. I could relocate someone elses shoulder, but if I tried to do my own I'm pretty sure I would black out from the pain.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:34, Wed 26 Oct 2005.

"Jesse'thrumTaylor. It is a good name.  You speak of many strange things. God. Corp. Country, and now Mother.  Perhaps later you can explain as we sit at our ease in my home before my fire.

Warrior makes sense.  You are resilient and lethal, more than any I've known. One of my old vessels would have already expired from the damage yours has taken.

I am tired. I had to spend of my self to light your body.  But from what you say, you need to heal your shoulder.  From what I see, you can handle the pain suppression, if you are not startled or too much pressed.  I think it would be best if we fixed your shoulder first, and then I could give the job over to you, and let the light of the sun revive me?"

PT

Alright, but you had better stay on top of the pain suppression cause this is gonna hurt like all get out.

I take the improvised sling off and tie one end to my left arm just above the elbow and the other to my left boot. With a slow steady motion I extend my left leg until its straight and the arm is pulling back into place, then with my right hand I guide the shoulder back into socket. I untie the strap and set it back up as a sling agian, pop three Asprin from my first aid kit to help with the swelling a little and use some antiseptic pads to clean the cuts on my face and right eye.

OK Tilnak, I'll try and take it from here, get some rest my friend. I think I'm going to check the bodies of the three I killed for anything useful and try and find that flighty lizard while I'm at it. I'd rather not have to walk all the way to your village if I can avoid it. I'm getting a little too old for forced marches.

I slide the strap of my rifle onver my right shoulder and draw my .45 before investigating the three corpses, looking for anything I might be able to use later.

God, Corp, Country. God, Corp, Country. God, Corp...ect.

You pop your shoulder back into its socket on the first try, and fairly smoothly transfer over the pain control, although for one second you're not covered, and tears spring to your eyes.

Looking over the bodies, you find four more javelins, a pair of bronze swords, a bag held by one guy of a dozen silver coins, of varying sizes, and differing symbols, along with a flint and steel tinderbox (so why do they have bronze swords?), a flint knife, and a leather piece rolled up, with strange script upon it.

There's a small, dinner sized circular, rough-hewn plate set in the ground, but Tilnak revives enough to tell you not to get close to it, before he fades back out.  It looks like magnetite rock.

You also see they have two equipped riding beasts that are tied down by heavy rocks and ropes.

PT
OOC: And thats a GE 5 roll. Very lucky.

Ahhh, the spoils of war.

Grinning I gather up all the equipment I've taken from the dead thieves, and carry it over to the two lizards. I load one with all the equipment except for the  rolled up leather with symbols on it. That I tuck into my shirt to show to Tilnak after he is rested. I tie the reigns of the loaded beast to the saddle of the unburdened one, mount up and head out for Tilnaks village, keeping my eyes open for trouble and the other riding beast.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:30, Thu 27 Oct 2005.

You ride through the cleft in the rocks, and into a tunnel formed of the two cliff faces leaning together far over your head.  Its not very dark as the other entrance is not very far away.  You ride about fifty feet through the twilight cave, around some small twists, and back down and out into the light.

A mountain rises off to your right forward, about 2 O'clock, and at 10 O'clock the new valley stretches away from you.  There's a passage off to your right at 4 O' clock, and the rest is mountains and cliff faces.

You head across the new valley, step over a tiny creek, and continue on up the slope of the mountain.  As you get higher on the mountain, you realize your stomach is rumbling.

PT

I break out an MRE and wolf it down pretty quickly, then wash my meal down with some water from my canteen. The long ride with Tilnak asleep has given me some time to think about his problem with the Thanar, and I've come up with some ideas about how to improve their chances in an open conflict.

Being a soldier for as long as I was, I've read a great deal about historcial warfare, and some of the more primitive methods seem like they would work perfectly here...as long as his people arent too squeemish. I start looking around for trees, and try to spot hardwoods and softwoods, they are both fairly important to my plans, but there is a lot I need to know about Tilnak's village. He already mentioned there was a blacksmith, so I'm sure at least a few of my plans will work, but I have to remeber to ask him if his people have saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur. The sulfur isnt absolutely needed, but it makes the mixture work a lot better. I can manufacture the other two ingredients given enough time.

While I'm thinking and am relativly alone, I check out the bronze swords and the flint knife, then something hits me. If they have steel for tinderboxes, they should have everything else I need to set up a workable defence, and a truely terrifying (to primitive people) offence.

Things are looking up Jess. You might have retired from the Corp, but it looks like your back in the soldier buisness again.

I smile a little at that thought. I've been a soldier since I was seventeen, and I did really feel comfortable as a civilian. My only worry is how the folks in charge of Tilnak's village are going to react to my presence and my ideas.



OOC: Since Jesse is a survivalist and a former soldier this stuff should be right up his alley.

So far, you haven't spotted any trees.  Rocks, moss, low brush dominate the landscape with the interspersal of mushrooms, and some grasses.

You climb over the mountain, and look down into a valley.  All the buildings are simple huts, except for two.  There is a fence wall, about six feet high around the village.  The small creek goes through the center of the village, and its obviously been leveed.

A long building in the center, and a stone motte and bailey castle on the outskirts, and a number of stone fenced fields.  Some growing mushrooms, and some filled with various herds of riding beasts, vessels, and some smaller creature.

Its odd to see a "vessel" holding a whip, and guiding several other vessels with it, but you can see the difference, the intent in the first, and the sheep-like nature in the latter.

Its close to nightfall.  Tilnak has awoken.

PT

Ok Tilnak, what now? Do we just march right in or should we wait for morning?

I ask him about the saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur, then settle back double checking my equipment and getting ready to settle in for the night if needs be.

"We should march in as you are ill."

You ride down the last of the mountain, and cross the valley to be met at the gate by a crowd of around a dozen 'vessels'.

"Tilnak? Is that you? We gave you up for dead.  Where did you get this strange vessel of yours? What happened?"

PT

As I ride in I look around to get a better feel for the way the village is laid out. I dismount as I come up to the small crowd of people and start explaining the situation to them.

"Yes Tilnak is here with us, but he isnt in charge. We need to get him a new vessel because this one is still occupied. Appearantly my mind works in a way that isnt decectable to you folks and he didnt realize that I was intelligent until he tried to use my body. We have worked things out between the two of us and everything is cleared up."

I wince a little as the cuts on my face start to open up a little from all the talking.

"If you folks dont mind, I need a place to lie down and rest as soon as we get Tilnak set up in another vessel."

For a minute nothing happens, and then one of them, obviously one of the more important, speaks seeking clarification.

"You mean Tilnak'thrum has committed grave sin and crime, and inhabited a vessel already in use by another?"

Tilnak is saying something, but it sounds more like whimpers mixed in with predictions of "we are so dead."

PT

Getting a little irritated because I've already said that things are worked out, I automatically fall back into the habits of a career sergant. My shoulders straighten, which hurts enough to break through the pain suppression...making me feel even meaner, my eyes narrow, and I switch to the standard aggresive posture used for dealing with new recruits.

"Can YOU detect my mind? If so I'll bet your getting fairly uncomfortable with the things I'm thinking right now. The words 'Mule headed jackass' keep popping into my head when I think about the fact that my friend made a mistake that ANY of you would have, and now your ready to condem him for it."

I start to pace in circles around the speaker, looking at him like you might look at something nasty you stepped in, before you scrape it off the bottom of your boot.

"I have already stated that Tilnak and I have worked this little situation out, and once we get him into a new vessel, the problem is solved with no harm or foul. What part of that didnt you understand? Do you need me to speak slower, or maybe use smaller words?"

Now that I've gotten started, I just continue to steamroll along, not letting anyone get a word in edgewise. The volume of my voice never raises, but my tone is definatly icy.

"As a matter of fact, Tilnak's insight, information, and observations have played a major role in my survival in this world. Without him I would most likely be dead at this point." Ok Tilnak, I know thats an exaggeration, but just let me work here. I'll have an apology for you in a few minutes. "He has gone above and beyond the call of duty in keeping me informed of dangers, and helping me deal with those four bandits we encountered on the way here. I have my doubts that ANY of you could have done better, even if you had found the courage to leave your little hidey hole and attempt to deal with the Thanar."

I stop cold and give the person that had spoken of Tilnak's 'Sin' a murderous look.

"Care to change your tune a little now?"


OOC: I know its a long post, but once I got started it was a little hard to stop. :P

They flutter back in shock, and then as you pace around the speaker, he puts his hand on his sword, but he does not draw it.  You make a note in your head of when he did so, and don't get any closer, and no blood is shed.

"We sent out Tilnak'thrum to raise an alliance to resist the Thanar.  We want to fight them, but we need help. As to Tilnak's grievous crime, even if it is unwitting, it still is a crime.  We will have to discuss things in council tonight."

And then he backs up, nods quickly, and begins to walk away.  The others stare at you,and you can see a few of them measuring you, as if wondering just how tough you are, but then they step aside, at least for now.

This opens a path into the village.

PT
OOC: Long is fine. I enjoy reading long.

Alright bud, the apology might take a little longer than I expected, but I've made the first and most important step. I backed their big dog down, so now things will get a little easier....but I think that nice long rest I had in mind might just have to wait. I'm going to do and say some things over the next couple of hours, maybe even the next couple of days that will seem overly rude and aggresive, but they are all for the best so bear with me.

I gather the reins to the riding beasts and pick out one of the more curious onlookers. Now that I've antoganized one of them, I need to gain a little support with a few. Divide and conquer tactics.

"Excuse me neighbor, could you show me the place where Tilnak stables his riding beasts? I also have a few supplies that I took off of the bodies of the raiders I want to sell, and I need to know where. If you would be so kind as to help me with these small things, I'd be willing to give you one of the bronze swords I took as spoils of war."

While I wait for an answer, I decide I need to fill Tilnak in a little more on my plan to help him avoid punishment for an honest mistake.

I know your ready to get into a body of your own bud, but for the moment I think its safer for the both of us if you stay where you are. Safer for me because I dont have any allies in your village aside from you, and I just did my best to insult someone in authority. Plus I need someone to let me know the local customs and keep me from making too many mistakes. Safer for you because I doubt they will try any punishment while your still in my head. Let me have a crack at this counsil of yours tonight, and I think we can settle this matter in a way we can all deal with. I think I also need to demonstrate my weapons, something short range...maybe 20 or 30 paces. I'll show them some of my 'thunder and fire', that might make them more willing to listen.

His face suddenly distorts, and you hear Tilnak murmur.

"Great. You've ticked off Murr-at-kapp-thummmm.  He thinks you're implying that he's a bandit, and has to use a bronze sword because he's too poor to own a good one. While he is poor, he's also proud and touchy, and too honest to bandit."

The other turns away, and you see the rest step back as well.

Tilnak speaks in response to your plan.

"I think you may succeed, and I think at this point the only thing to do is to press forward.  I didn't realize you were going to simply tell everyone.  I thought we'd lie, but I guess thats not your nature.

But, I can't jump to another body.  Not yet.  It takes at least a thirty-day for one of us to recover from an emergency jump.  If I jump too early, I risk insanity.

And if you want me to advise you, then you need to ask me first before you jump in.  But then again, I'm not being tied up,and tossed in a cage to be offered to the Flux right now, so on the whole your methods have some merit."

PT
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:23, Tue 01 Nov 2005.

I quickly choose a target close to the person walking away from me. Far enough away from him that there is no danger of accidenally hitting him, but close enough that he cant help but see it be knocked over, shatter or explode. I drop the reins of the riding beasts and step on them then draw my pistol and fire.

"Murr-at-kapp!. If I had thought you were a bandit, I would have never offered to trade you a weapon in exchange for guiding me through you village, I would have simply killed you."

I holster my pistol, grab a bronze sword from the pack beast, and walk into Murr's path and throw the weapon down on the ground at his feet. Clearing my voice of aggresion, I speak as calmly as I can.

"Keep the weapon, sell it, or throw it away. I dont care which. I offered goods in exchange for an honest service. Are my weapons too shabby or are you simply too proud to take payment for a days work? And believe me neighbor, its gonna be work. My shoulder is injured from being used as a door mat by a riding lizard, and I'll need someone to carry the remaining goods, and care for the animals."

As I wait for his response I pick up the pain suppression mantra again.

You put a slug through a clay pot, and shatter it into a dozen pieces.  Murr-at-kapp spins toward the noise, and then back to the pot, and then back to you. You can see he is struggling to figure out what is going on.  His sword is out, and so is everyone elses, and the rest of the village has spilled out of their huts.

You stalk over to him, and throw down the sword, and you can sense on a deeper level than you're accustomed to that everyone is paying extremely close attention to you.

You make your speech, and he stares at you for a full minute.  No one moves, and your throat gets dry realizing that if he attacks you, probably everyone in the village is going to jump you at the same time.  But if you move to defend yourself, thats very likely to provoke the same response.

Then he bends over, and picks up your weapon, and gently and respectfully hands it back to you.

"I will help you, but this is too much for that.  You can give it to me later when I have helped you enough for such a gift."

Your stuff is quickly gathered by those standing in the gate, and everything is brought to Tilnak's hut, which while it is not the nicest, is still on the nicer side for stone huts.  Evidently being a Shepherd/Ambassador is "upper middle class" for the People.

The big man then hands you a goblet, and pours from a jug, as you stand in Tilnak's doorway, surrounded by the crowd.  He takes a sip, and then hands it to you.

It looks vaguely like milk.

PT

Well now...lets hear it for Marine diplomacy! OK Tilnak, I think the best approach is one of honesty, if not polietness. Now that I've won Murr-at-kapp over, I'll attempt to solidify that friendship before I work on too many others. We can rule out the nice guy method because of my actions earlier, but I think I can still pull off respectful but distant until I'm ready to work on gathering more allies. I guess since I'm going to be using your home as a base of operations, I'll make myself at home and invite Murr in as well. If I breach any local protocols, you can always use the fact that I'm controling things and I'm not the easiset person to placate.

I take a small drink of the liquid Murr-at-kapp hands to me. Since he has shown that it isnt poisionous, it would make me seem distrustful of him if I refused. I invite Murr in and ask him to explain to me what the capablities of the local blacksmiths are, what they use for fuel in their forges, and what metals they have avalible to them.

While Murr is explaining the things to me that you already know, why dont you fill me in on what to expect at this counsil tonight. I need to know who might speak for you, and who will be against you...besides the guy I insulted earlier. And just what have I been drinking? It looks like milk, but it tastes....odd.

I take the sword that I offered to Murr-at-kapp and place it on the mantle, then turn to him and grin.

"Tilnak tells me that you are an honset person, so I'm going to leave this weapon here. When you decide that you have done enough to earn it, its yours to take. You know the value of your labor better than anyone else, so I'll be guided by you in this matter."

I look around for a comfortable place to sit while Murr-at-kapp is explaining to me about the blacksmiths.

The drink is some form of milk, but unfamiliar to you.

"The local blacksmith?  He uses blackrock, and occasionally charcoal, but that is expensive as wood must be brought a great distance.

We have copper, bronze, tin, silver, gold and iron.  The five metals that the world's bones were made of.  But a twenty year ago, we discovered from a trader how to make iron into steel.

But our blacksmith cannot make swords. For that we must travel a week.  And the last party to go and buy swords never came back.  He can make javelin heads."

Tilnak speaks, but as usual, only you can hear him.

"Its vessel milk."

Murr-at-kapp stares at you.

"Very well done, Jesse'thrumTaylor. You would make a fine ambassador."  Tilnak congratulates you as Murr-at-kapp stammers out his thanks.  You find a bed pallet, and a pair of stone seats, and a table, but all of it is sized for a skinny, seven-eight foot tall alien, and not for a human.

PT

"Murr-at-kapp, how skilled are your local carpenters? I have a few ideas for dealing with the Thanar that would require their craft as well as that of the black smiths. Swords wouldnt really be needed, something close to an arrow head would work just fine. Do you think they could make this? "

I roughly draw a crude crossbow in the dust on the floor.

"Also, do your people have sulfur and saltpeter? I could use those to items and the charcoal to make a few nasty little surprises for the Thanar. It would put your people in a better situation in battle."

As I look at the furniture, I decide that it just wont do. I decide to let Murr handle the matter for me.

"I would also like to hire someone to make me a comfortable chair and bed...one that fits my frame better than your native ones. I may not be as tall as your vessels, but I'm a lot broader and heavier. If you are skilled in such things, you earn your sword quicker, if not, I would appreciate you commisioning them for me. I would consider dealing with the local craftsmen to be a very important service, and if you can do it without making me a pauper, all the better."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:03, Wed 02 Nov 2005.

"We have one that you might call a carpenter.  Remember, there are no woods nearby.  Its hard for a being to work a trade without supplies.  But I can fetch him easily enough, and you can ask him if he can make this curious design."

They do have both sulphur, which they get from boiling the water from a nearby spring, and saltpeter which correct me if I'm wrong, would be found in bat dung in caves, among other places.

Murr says that he would gladly make you a bed and a chair.  He leaves to go find some stones, and to send back the carpenter.

Ten minutes later, another vessel, this one with black stripes in its fur, stands in the doorway waiting to be asked entrance.

"I am a carpenter of sorts.  Mostly I farm, but when I get a chance, I make javelins, and cunning little things."  He shows you a highly polished, foot-high, six inches wide, thing that looks like a grill set on fire.  Tilnak is very impressed.

"He has captured the very face of Do-rath-ar-dummm.  Beautiful."

PT

I invite the carpenter in and redraw the crossbow stock, asking him if he can make such a thing. If I can get one working model, I can try to convince the counsil to import wood for more. After the carpenter answers me, I ask him if he would be so kind to send the blacksmith or his apprentice my way. Once he leaves, I remove the leather scroll from inside my shirt and ask Tilnak to translate it for me.

Things are moving along in the right direction, and after I get my hands on the slatpeter, sulfur and charcoal I'll need to find a mortar and pestle. Once I have those things I'm sure the counsil will be eating out of the palm of my hand and this trial buisness should be pretty easy to handle. Tilnak, do your people have intoxicating beverages? If not your in for a real treat!

I fish my bottle of 20 year old scotch out of my pack and enjoy a small drink...now all I need is a good cigar.

The carpenter thinks he can do it, but he admits to having done nothing like it before.

Tilnak reads it off to you, his voice getting progressively more troubled.

"'The bearer of this scroll, and his companions are the friends of the Thanar Empire.  Do not harm them.

Va-lilk-domin-'crummmm, Chief of a Hundred Thanarians. Vengeance will be ours!'

Why would brigands be carrying this? They either stole it, or forged it but that is unlikely, or I fear the Thanarians are recruiting brigands as allies."

The scotch still tastes good, and your plans seem sound, but it seems clear the Thanarians also have plans that seem sound to them.

PT
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:52, Thu 03 Nov 2005.

This sounds like things are heating up. We will use this pass at the counsil meeting, along with the information about the raiders as a bargininig chip. If I can take out three and only be harmed by that stupid luzard, I can teach your people to not only defend themselves from the Thanar, but to go on the offensive sometime in the future.

I start thinking about plans to get the skinny People in a little better shape...sorta like a off world boot camp.

A messenger comes in, and says.

"By order of the chief, in light of your injuries, we will grant you a span of five days to recover before we will hold council on your matter.  The Ancestors grant you a good healing, or a..."

He stops, and then nods, and leaves.

"Or a smooth transfer to another vessel."  Tilnak finishes for him.  And suddenly, you are deeply weary.  Even though the pallet looks a mite uncomfortable, its the best you have, and it is night...

PT

I settle in on Tilnak's pallet and catch a little shut eye. It may be uncomfortable, but in the field I've slept in worse situations. At least its warm and dry.As soon as I wake, I start talking with Tilnak.

Alright, we have five days to come up with enough reasons to force the counsil to overlook this little mess. First I need to get my hands on the saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal, then I need to get a mortar and pestle. After that we need to go talk to the blacksmith about a few things. I think we should also find Murr-at-kapp and get him involved with the process. There are going to be things I need that a local can find for me a lot easier than the two of us trying it ourselves.

While I was sleeping I came up with a few more ideas to make life uncomfortable for the Thanar, and I want the chance to impliment them all. I've thought about the way the pass for the raiders was signed, 'Va-lilk-domin-'crummmm, Chief of a Hundred Thanarians' and it has me wondering if the Thanar wander in groups of one hundred, or if thats all of them there are. Either way I'm confident that they wont be much of an issue once I bring some of my plans into play.

You toss and turn half the night until Tilnak says something soft which you don't recall, and you sleep like you got hit in the head, deep, dreamless slumber.

Upon waking the next morning, you're stiff.  A look under your shirt tells the tale.  From your shoulder to your hips, you're practically one solid bruise.  Its only with pain suppression that you're able to get to your feet.

You go out and find Murr-at-kapp who is making fried mushrooms? for breakfast.  He offers you some.  You notice he's not married, and in fact, you haven't see any kids.

PT

Before I leave Tilnak's hut, I decide to make a little point about the toughness of humans. I take off the sling, strip off my shirt, then replace the sling.

Thats right Jess, let them see that your injured, but still able to take care of buisness.

I walk out and see Murr making mushrooms for breakfast and think its a bit odd, but then again I havent seen any other kinds of crops, so I might as well get used to it.

"My thanks Murr-at-kapp, your generousity is appreciated. Its nice to know that at least some of the People have good manners."

While I wait for him to dish me up some shrooms, I start going over some of the plans I have in mind.

"Do you know what a caltrop is? And do the People have tar, pitch or some kind of lamp oil? I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but the Thanar are a threat, and I consider you and Tilnak to be friends. My people do everything in their power to defend their friends, even if our own lives are forefit. Unlike your people, we cant jump into an new vessel. We live our entire lives in the ones we are born with, and when they age or are damaged beyond repair, we die. But that doesnt keep us from fighting for those we consider friends."

Murr-at-kapp seems a little uncertain at first, but then he begins putting the shrooms on a pottery plate.

"We have tar, and we have beeswax.  In the spring, the hills are covered with flowers."

The image that comes to mind is not quite an earthly bee, but more something that lives in clefts in the rocks in hives, and hibernates most of the year.

As you sit there, you see others "casually" wandering by, and getting a good view of your bruises.  Then they hurry off to tell others.  You keep your grin inside as your plan seems to be working.

They know what a caltrop is, but they don't use them much.

"Jesse'thrumTaylor. I would then be honored to count you as a friend. A sword-brother. You can stand to my left in the line of battle."  Murr-at-kapp says seriously.

PT

"Thats just the thing Murr-at-kapp, once I gather the things I need and work with them a bit, I can change the way battles are fought here. I can show the People a new way of fighting that causes more damage to the enemy and has fewer casualites among the allies. Once we finish breakfast, if you dont already have other plans I'll show you how to make a powder that is very close to the weapon I used on the clay pot yesterday. You and Tilnak will be the only ones besides myself that know this method among the People, and you will be able to help destroy the Thanar menace...not to mention making a tidy profit once this war is over. The powder can be used for many things aside from warfare, so I just might be showing you a new profession Sword brother."

I dig into the mushrooms and let Murr think about what I have just told him.

He thinks about it, from various angles, looking long into the fire.

Then he looks up.

"All right. If anything can defeat the Thanar it is a worthy try. We sent out Tilnak as a desperate thing. We should be willing to take a small chance on better odds, even if it is a thing unheard of."

He finishes up, and damps the fire, and then sets off into the hills to show you where to find tar.  Its about three miles away, and he shows you a hillside covered with shale.  There is a few spots where it is dug already.

"Those belong to the workers who dug there.  But we can buy from them, or dig ourselves."

PT

"Considering that we only have four more days until the Counsil meeting, I think we should buy the things we need and put our time to better use. Also if we want to keep the method of making the powder secret, we should spread our purchases out, and buy other things at the same time."

I dig out the pouch containing the silver coins I took off of the dead raiders, open it and spill the coins out into my hand. I shake them a little so the sun light catches them then deposit them back into the bag. I hand the bag to Murr and smile.

"Sword brother, you not only have my friendship and loyalty, you have my absolute trust. You know the value of these coins better than I do, so I'd appreciate it if you made the purchases. I'll have to admit, bartering isnt one of my strong suits."

He takes it with a reverent hand, and ties the bag to his belt with two knots, which it pleases you to see, you recognize.  Something familiar in a strange land; for a second, seeing the knots feels like meeting old friends.

And then you shake yourself, and they are just knots tightly drawn by a being determined to prove himself worthy of your trust.

You turn to go back to the village, I assume?

Tilnak speaks.

"I've been looking around inside your head.  I see several nodules that I would like to try to see what they do.  But you might want to be sitting down first just to be cautious."

PT

I lead Murr back to Tilnak's hut and settle down on the pallet. I ask Murr to start gathering the supplies we need, and store them here. Just to be sure we get everything I make him a list.

Saltpeter, sulfur, charcoal, tar, the closest thing to lamp oil he can get, clay pots,twine, a yard of leather and the mortar and pestle. I also ask him to make an appointmnet with the blacksmith so I can get the other parts for the crossbow under construction as soon as possible. As he leaves I get as comfortable as the pallet allows.



OK Tilnak, lets see what you can unlock.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:13, Sat 05 Nov 2005.

He touches something in your brain, and suddenly you're slumping, and you're out.  You yawn, and the light in the room seems slightly different.

"You were asleep the time it took to walk to the shale hill."  Which translates to almost an hour.

"That was my practise one since I was pretty sure of that one.  This second is more scary.  Ohhhhhhhh!"  You hear Tilnak wail, and then you can hear other voices. Dozens of them, all at once.  Most are babbling over trivialities, but you catch one faint thought...

*tell the Thanar a strange vessel has come*

The strain is telling on you, and with your hands on your head, you wobble around the room. Something is on your lip, and a check with a hand brings back blood.  You're bleeding out the nose copiously.

PT
OOC: And thats a psi botch.

Stop Tilnak! Please stop, this hurts more than I can say, and I might hemorage if you dont.

Still holding my head, I stumble to the pallet and try to lay down. I pinch my nose to try and stem the flow of blood and wait for the pain and voices to stop.

"I think we have a spy in the village."


OOC: Oh well, I guess its good to get the first botch out of the way. Maybe I'll do better next time.   :P

Your cries seem go unheard, and you stumble more frantically about the room with two trickles of blood going down each of your forearms, and spattering on the floor.  The pressure increases, and then with your head, and perhaps your body spinning you flop over on your back, and pass out.

Later, you wake to hear Tilnak's voice, tired and worn, and a strange vessel is sitting next to you, and you are not in your house.

"I had to take over once I recovered, your mind is ferociously strong, much like your body.  Perhaps because they are connected because it seemed like a feedback loop got started adn then kept spinning faster.  I don't think my mind would have done that, even if I had the capability in teh old vessel because we are not so intimately connected as you are to your vessel.  But it was much like your trying to stop the lizard with your body for me to stop your mind.  Anyways, I'm rambling because I'm worried. Here is Sta-kim-verr'thrummm, a noted healer.  He has given you herbs to rest your head, and your body."

Indeed, you do feel a little doped up.

PT

I shake my head in an attempt to clear it a little, and nod to the healer.


"You have my thanks Sta-kim-verr. The herbs you used have completely eased any pain that I might have felt."

Thinking back over the episode, I recall the comment I picked up about telling the Thanar that a strange vessel had arrived. I wonder if that little piece of information might help me identify the spy in the village.

OK, that was NOT fun...but it did serve a purpose. Did you hear the bit about reporting my presence to the Thanar? I think I know of a way that we might be able to take advantage of this situation.

"Master healer, would it be at all possible for me to speak to my Sword Brother, Murr-at-kapp? The matter is very important."

Do you know what went wrong with the attempt to access that area of my mind? If so it will be helpful the next time we try...and maybe we will pick another node, it might be less painful.

"Thank you, stranger. I was worried that my herbs might not work right on your body as they are suited to our vessels.  But fearful that if I did not do something that worse harm would come.  I would be most happy to later examine your vessel for its responses."

The healer gets up, and crosses the room to add a bit of fuel to the fire.

"I did not hear, and that is dreadful.  To betray one's lifelong friends to the Thanar." Tilnak pauses, and shudders, and then agrees with your summoning of Murr-at-kapp.  The healer bows, and leaves to go fetch your sword brother.

"I do not know.  The interactions of your mind with body are very complex.  Something took off, and avalanched.  But for a while, you were in contact with the surface thoughts of everyone of the People in the village."

Murr-at-kapp arives at a run.

PT

I sit up a little as Murr enters and once I'm sure we are alone,  I ask him if he got all the supplies we needed to start making the powder. I can tell he is worried by the way he arrived, so I try to put him at ease before I drop the bomb about the traitor.

"There is a little story from my world I would like to tell you and Tilnak." I say to Murr, then proceed to describe what a poodle, a leopard and a monkey are...

"A wealthy old lady decides to go on a photo safari in Africa, taking her faithful aged poodle named Cuddles, along for the company.

One day the poodle starts chasing butterflies and before long, Cuddles discovers that he's lost.  Wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

    The old poodle thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!"
Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat.  Just as the leopard is about to leap, the old poodle exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard!   I wonder if there are any more around here?"

Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. "Whew!", says the leopard, "That was close!  That old poodle nearly had me!"

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard.   So off he goes, but the old poodle sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up.

The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.  The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says,  "Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!"

Now, the old poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?", but instead of running, the  dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen  them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old poodle  says:

"Where's that stupid monkey?  I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!"

I sit a moment to see if they understand the moral of the story. Then just go ahead and tell them.

"Sometimes a person will betray a stranger to a natural enemy if they think they  can gain some measure of safety. But you never know when that stranger is a clever old dog that will feed you to your enemy. I am one clever old dog. Murr-at-kapp, I'd like you to look around and see if anyone takes any sudden trips, or does anything out of the ordinary. If we can spot the traitor, perhaps we can feed them to the Thanar. We have a turn coat amongst us."

It takes them a while to get the concepts of "poodle" and "leopard", but they laugh loud and long once they understand.  And then Murr-at-kapp nods that he will keep watch.

He has three small pots of supplies that you wanted. They wait in your stone hut.  Each is an individualized pot, with slightly different shapes, and decorated with gold and iron fleck paint geometric lines.

 He also has your bed assembled, a stone foundation. Others are sewing you a new pallet to go over it. The chair, he's still working on that.

You feel up to walking about, as long as nothing too strenuous is involved, like fighting for your life, or running dodging javelins.

OOC: I greatly enjoyed the story.  Very clever, and quite amusing.

PT

Since there isnt a mortar and pestle, I cant start making powder yet. Besides, I promised Murr that I would teach him the secret, so I might as well wait until all the other supplies are gathered. I look around and find writing materials, then start drawing the metal parts of the crossbow. Once finished I decide to take a walk around the village and maybe drop in and visit with the blacksmith.

While walking, I rack my brains for more ways to make life uncomfortable for the Thanar. I start thinking of ways to make land mines once I have the black powder, I can add metal bits into a tightly wrapped package of powder and have fragmentation grenades, the tar and lamp oil will make a primitive form of napalm, just not as explosive...I might even be able to put together some kind of rocket if I can find some type of paper, but with the lack of trees, I dont really see that happening.

In no hurry, I stroll around the village seeing what is to be seen. I make a closer investigation of the motte and bailey castle. That could be very important in a siege situation.

Tilnak, I know the river runs through the village, but does the castle have a well? A siege wouldnt last long if the defenders started runnning out of water. Are there places to keep extra vessels? Food stockpiles? Weapon cashes? I need some details to work out a viable battle plan.

After looking over the castle I head for the blacksmith to try and get the crossbow into production.



OOC: Thanks, I had to clean the story up a lot, but its still good without the profanity.   :P

As you wander the small village, you begin to see the difference between the People and simple vessels.  One moves erect with an obvious deliberate intent, and the other is usually found in small groups meandering around looking for a food supply on the ground.  Besides most are kept in corrals behind the huts, or by Shepherds such as Tilnak on the rocky stone fields about the village.

You see one People jump onto a lizard, and nearly fall off as his stirrupless saddle offers little to grab onto.  But he recovers and yelling races off to catch up with some friends who got to work earlier than he did.  It seems sleeping late is a universal constant.

There is a mortar and pestle in operation.  Its turning some type of tough mushroom into flower.  Actually, there are several being used that way.

You visit the blacksmith, and he looks like he is actually muscled.  Still despite the leverage advantage of his long arms, you're pretty sure that if you were healthy you could beat him arm-wrestling.

He is interested in meeting you because he wants to look at your cool metal stuff.

Tilnak tells you that the fort does have a well, but its shallow, silted up.  The castle looks like its being renovated, but slowly.  When someone gets some spare time from their work, or as a punishment for a minor offense it gets a worker. Right now, it looks a bit rundown.

PT

"Greetings Master Smith, My name is Jesse Taylor. I'd love to show you some of my equipment, but certain tools are very dangerous. I do have a few things that you might find interesting though."

I show him my Army Surplus field shovel, and my hunting and skinning knives, explaining how the field shovel can convert from pick to shovel with a simple twist and the quailty of my knives.

"440 Stainless steel, hardened and tempered. There arent many blades that can compare to these with my people. I've seen a couple of examples of your native blades, and they are impressive. We stopped working with bronze centuries ago, but the craftmanship on the ones I have....aquired is beautiful. The flint knife I have is probaly my favorite piece. Simple but effective. Not as strong as bronze, iron or steel, but it has its own merits."

"Just a thought bud...if we can get the Counsil to agree to let me get your people into battle condition, hard work is required. And working on the fortifications might be a good way to start."

He plays with your shovel if you let him, and finds it utterly fascinating.  Eventually, you have to direct his attention to the next tool.

Your knife makes him cry.  He takes out one of his javelin spearpoints, and tests your blade against it.  Their soft steel peels back easily.

"I thought myself great for in my first coming, we had bronze weapons,and then we learned the secret of steel, perhaps a forty winters past, and now almost everyone has it, except for the poor and the backward.  You must, please, you must teach me how to make this steel.  Promise me that, and I will serve you faithfully for ten winters."

Tilnak replies to your thought.

"It will be hard. Not all are convinced of the threat, and even those that are, well, we are not a very organized people.  However, if you can keep convincing them as you have, and especially meet those after a transfer, for after we transfer our minds are freshest to new data.  It is then that we can truly break new ground in thinking with ease.  I think we can achieve these dreams I see flitting in your mind."


PT

"Mastersmith, for a person that has only had 40 years of experiance with working steel, your work is amazing. My people have worked with it for hundreds of years, thats why my blades are stronger. As to your offer of service, I have two problems....One, I'm not a smith myself, so I couldnt show you the methods. I've read a great deal about them, and will be more than happy to share what knowledge I have with you. My second objection is that I dont want or need servants, I would rather have friends and comrades. I will tell you everything I know about working steel out of friendship, not to incur any obligation on your part."

I beguin to explain to him how the Japanese sword makers folded the steel of their baldes, sometimes as much as 1000 times per blade. I tell him everything I have read about tempering and hardening steel...which takes quite a while. After I'm done, I take a break for a drink of water from my canteen. A sudden idea hits me, and I fish a coin out of my pocket, a quarter. I give it to the smith as a gesture of friendship.

I wonder how Murr is comming along? It seems that I'm attracting a lot of attention, and I'm curious about how the People think of me. You know your own people Tilnak, what do you think? Am I winning them over or making a fool of myself?
This message was last edited by the player at 04:35, Wed 09 Nov 2005.

You begin explaining, and then the Master Smith holds up his hand.

"This is important.  I will approach this with a fresh mind."  He bows, and walks out.

"I would say you are doing very well.  You notice none are harrassing you.  No doubt they are watching closely, but no hecklers have come by.  No one to chastise me for my sin.  It touches my deepest chords.  I thought I was well respected, after all they made me an ambassador, but still...

And not to take from your glory, for without you, I would have been banished to the Ancestors.  It is also true that you are hard for us to deal with.  So passionate, so furious...we sit and stare in wonder at what you will do next.  Its like you are an an Ancient Ancestor in the living flesh."

You do notice that they seem calm, and rational to a degree more than an equivalent group of humans.  A bit on the colorless side actually.

The Master Smith comes in with another vessel, and they both sit down facing each other.  Then they touch heads, and you feel the hair on your arms raise, and there is a sudden tang of ozone in the air.  And suddenly the vessel that was mindless raises itself up, and takes up the Master Smiths tools while ushering the former vessel back outside to a corral.

Then he turns to you, and drinks in the data.  You notice that the Master Smith is like a very bright student.  You only have to say something once, and he picks up on it, and often thinks through the implications of it before you can get to them.  Its like pouring water on dryish ground.

PT

"Alright Mastersmith, its my turn to ask a favor of you. I have a few pieces I need made, and they must fit perfectly with the pieces the carpenter is making for me."

I take out the plans for the metal parts of the crossbow and show them to him. Describing the way they must bend and relaese, and the way the draw string must be made out of braided metal.

"Do you think you can make these? They are very important to the end product, and if everything works out the way I think it will, you will be making a lot of these."

Something has occured to me Tilnak, I think we need to let someone with authority know about the Thanar pass. How exactly is the Chief positioned in the Counsil? And do you think he would keep this matter to himself until the trial?

"I think I can. Making them strong but flexible, and yet not apt to kink will be a challenge.  The shape is not too much of the problem.  The braided rope, that will be a new one to me, but not impossible.  Already I see how to do that. It will simply take time.  Lots of time."

He takes your notes, and walks out with them already lost in a haze of concentration as he heads over to his forge.

"The Chief is well-regarded.  He is strong, but rarely uses his powers.  He listens much.  But I think that he would tell others unless we gave him a good reason, such as the spy, to keep the information secret.  What do you hope to accomplish by telling him?"

PT

I let the Smith know that the parts are needed in four days or less, thank him and say goodbye. I wander out and keep my eyes open for Murr and/or the healer, I need to talk to both.

I need to establish the fact that I'm not against the People, just against this trial. I want to help your people against the Thanar, and keeping something like this secret isnt a good way to do that. If he is a good leader he will understand the need to keep this information quiet for the time being...besides, I'm a soldier. Soldiers are trained to report any useful information to those in command. I dont have any problem with working on my own until we get past the Counsil meeting, but at some point we are going to need the support of the chief and the rest of the Red River Village. I think bringing the pass and the knowledge of a traitor in the village to the chief is a good way to get started in that direction....it will be even better if Murr-at-kapp has found out who the traitor is.

As I walk past people, I make eye contact, and give each a respectful nod...not a bow, but something to show that I'm not a complete savage.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:50, Thu 10 Nov 2005.

You walk up to the largest stone building, and enter it. Inside stone columns and wooden joists hold up the low smoke-stained ceiling for the great expanse.  A few reed and moss torches light the dimness.

The People murmur in surprise at seeing you here.  But they part in front of you, until you are walking up to a small stone seat with a wooden back, and a cushion surrouned by other lower chairs.

The Chief and his council, and any who need to talk to him are sitting there.  Plus there are a few others scattered about the room working on preparing food, or just hanging out.  All listen closely as you come up to the Chief.

"Well, stranger and vessel of Tilnak, and Tilnak, I had not thought to see you for a few more days. I hear interesting reports of your activity, and of your illnesses. What say you before the elders and the Chief of the Red River Village?"

His voice is not so much condemnatory as guarded, judicial, and overlain with ritual.

"He is not sure what to do with us. Jesse'thrumTaylor, this is good."

PT

"Greetings Chief of the Red River Village. My name is Jesse Taylor and I have things I need to discuss with you in private. The matter is sensitive and for your ears only at this point."

He pauses and then waves his hand in a vague "Z" formation which you've learned is one way to say "yes".

He leads you out of the village, and up on a nearby hill overlooking the village.

"A place I come to contemplate decisions.  Helps to give me the proper perspective, at times."

PT

I take out the Thanar pass, but dont hand it over to him just yet. Sitting down crosslegged, I orginize my thoughts before speaking.

"On our way to the Red River Village, Tilnak and I ran into a group of raiders. At first I thought they were just thieves, but later I discovered a couple of things that made me change my mind. Tilnak and I tried to activate a normally dormant part of my brain, and when we did so, I was able to read teh surface thoughts of everyone in the village. There was a lot of arguing, some silliness and general background noise...but there was something else as well."

I hand the pass over to the chief and wait until he has read it, then continue.

"One mind in the village was getting ready to send a message to the Thanar about my presence here. Personaly I dont care if they know I'm here, but the point is, you have a spy and a traitor in your village. As we speak, I have Murr-at-kapp searching out anyone that is making a sudden trip or acting out of the ordinary. I think we should keep the news of this pass quiet until we can identify the traitor, and deal with them."

I give him a moment to digest what I have told him before plowing on.

"Keeping this quiet will allow us to track the turn coat without his being aware that we know of his existance, but I felt it was only right to let the leader of the People know about this. You are responsible for their saftey, and this is information that you need to have."

I sit back and wait for his reaction.

He thinks for a while, and then turns to you, and sits down as well.

"Tell me, Jesse, this voice in your head, you heard it while you were ill, correct?  You and Tilnak were experimenting with your brain.  I'm not saying you are wrong, but it could easily have been a dream created by your brain.  I think we need to look into this further, but quietly. Very quietly. Do you agree? For if you are wrong, you destroy the bonds of trust, which are vital to a village.  And Ancestors protect us, if you are right, then we need to catch this monster, and throw him to the Ancestors for them to deal with.

But before I tell anyone else, I would like to see some more proof of this, I think.

As to the rest, you confirm what I have suspected.  We have too many bandits who frequent our lands.  Some should move off to easier pickings elsewhere.

As to the trial, I can see that you are a being of goodwill, and honor.  I would not be in fear.  We may not go the course you scribe out, but I doubt we will thrust you out either.  However, I would speak with Tilnak."

PT

"I completely agree that this needs further investigation. Hopefully Murr-at-kapp will have some information for us soon. The thoughts I heard might have been a hallucination, but I dont think so. The only way to know for sure is to experiment further...and I'm not quite ready for that. I need to be sure that Tilnak has recovered fully before I'd be willing to try again. I'd also want Sta-kim-verr and Murr-at-kapp there in case things go badly again."

I lean back and grin at the chief a little.

"As for my being a person of goodwill and honor...thats because I'm on your side. I sort of doubt the Thanar will see it the same way once we activley start fighting them. I have made some plans, but I need your approval and authority to carry some of them forward."

I outline my plans for training the People Marine style, and tell him my ideas about working on the fortress and well. Then I relax, and attempt to give control of my body over to Tilnak.

OK bud, your on. I know you moved my body when I was passed out, lets see if you can do the same while I'm awake. I'll try my hardest to give you full control so you can answer the chief's questions. Feel free to tell him any and everything you have learned about me. Hold nothing back, we have to establish a bond of trust with him, and total disclosure is the best way to do that....I hope.

Suddenly you find yourself pushed, and feeling a bit cramped, and your voice is saying things that you did not order.  Its not totally unpleasant, although its not really enjoyable either, and it is definitely odd.

The closest thing you've experienced to it is when a drill instructor was barking at you, and you were by rote answering every question with a yelled "Yes, drill sergeant!", but even that is a pale imitation of this experience of being out of control.

Tilnak describes the experiences you've had, and overall you hear the voice of someone with considerable experience of his own, but he is still very impressed with your skills.

"Chief, I would certainly have died at least twice over, possibly three times if not for Jesse.  He has a natural gift for lizards, is phenomenally tough both in mind and body.  And his ways of war, I have seen visions.  Its like being tossed into the Outer Dark without warning.  It will be terrifying to any who survive on the enemies  side.  But it will change teh world."

"Visions, Tilnak. That is one of the fears of what you have done. Even with honorable beings who eschew tortures of teh mind on each other, there are great dangers so the old tales say.  Two minds becoming one, and then both becoming mad."

"I understand those legends.  But there is something you don't realize. While I praise Jesse, his people also have weaknesses.  He cannot properly judge the fall of a javelin without a third eye.  And his strength of mind comes from his link to his body, so he at times is blinded by his body whereas we remain more clear-headed.  But lastly, there is a great amount of space in his brain.  Much hardly used.  If I had done this to a regular vessel, then I might surely have been consumed.  But this is a spacious place."

"So your judgment is?"

"As a Shepherd of long-standing, and a man trusted to be an Ambassador, and as a loyal tribeman of the Red River Village, and a worshipper of the Ancestors, i say make this stranger your war leader."

Tilnak subsides.  And the Chief has a very thoughtful look on his face.

PT

As Tilank releases control, I sit back and wait for the chief to speak.

I think this is going pretty well so far Tilnak. I'm not 100% sure about the War Leader thing, but if he grants it to us, I'll cope. The hard part will be getting your people into the proper mind frame...you just dont seem mean enough to be Marines. But after a couple of weeks of my version of basic training, I'm sure that will change.

The Chief rises, seems to listen to the wind, and then bows.

"I will discuss things with the Council.  Thank you for your wisdom and honesty, Tilnak and Jesse."  He walks away leaving you on the jumbled slate and boulder rocks of the small hill.

The next couple days pass quickly, and when you come to stand before the Council, it is without surprise, but with relief you hear that Tilnak is judged to have acted innocently, and to have caused no great harm.  And you are welcomed to the People as one of theirs.

Your crossbow is ready. You've been working successfully on gunpowder with some singed fingers, and a small fire as your chief accidents.  The Chief suggests that all who wish it may join your Marines.  He stops short of making you war leader, but he does make you Captain of your host which at this moment consists of Murr-at-kapp.

PT

Over the days I spend waiting for the trial, I beguin to teach Tilnak and Murr how to make black powder. I show them how to properly mix the charcoal, saltpeter and sulfur together, and I show them that stale urine acts as a better bonding agent than just water. (OOC: It adds additional oxygen to the mixture, so it burns hotter and faster. Nasty, but true.) I stress the fact that the mortar and pestle MUST be throughly washed and dried between grinding the three elements, or the results could be...explosive.

As my shoulder starts to heal, I ask Murr to teach me to use a sword. My hand to hand training and bayonette skills should help me a great deal with learning the long blade. In return, I show him everything I know about the crossbow. I am an expert with a rifle, so I have some idea what to expect with the low tech version, but I decide Murr, Tilnak and I can all learn together. Durning our practice sessions, I ask those watching (when and if there are people watching) if they would be intrested in joining my Marines.

When time permitts, I saddle up one of my lizards, and ride through the surrounding country side, getting a feel for the land I'm going to be responsible for defending. When he is able, I have Murr join me, but I let him know that his main priority is finding the spy in the village.

One time, you fall off hard on to the rocks as your lizard wheels after being startled which leaves you groaning about the inadequacies of their saddle which is hardly more than a stretched flat and then hardened in a curve piece of thick leather.

You get a couple recruits whom you start training.  You are out in an empty field having them practise, and you hear thudding.  Turning, you look down the valley which is a shaped, flattened bowl toward the mouth of the valley where you have never gone.

A half-dozen riders on lizards are coming.  Shrugging, you turn back to your work.  It will take them at least an hour to get to the village at their speed.

PT

I set my recruits to working on the well in the fortress, explaining that in order to be a good soldier one must sometimes preform unpleasant tasks...and its good excersize. When they set off, I go to the hut Tilnak and I live in and gather my rifle, bionoculars, and several packages of blackpowder that I prepared over the last few days. Once I have all of the gear, I make my way out of the village.

I set a leather wrapped package of blackpowder on the ground and pile small rocks (fist sized and smaller) around the front and sides. I make sure I will be able to see the back of the leather from the top of the tower in the fortress, and repeat the process wtih the other packages. When I finish, I walk to the fortress to see the progress my soon to be soldiers are making, and to ask Murr to join me atop the tower.

Once we are in position, I hand the bionoculars to Murr, and explain how to focus the lenses to him, then rest my rilfe on the battlements. I look through the scope and survey the approaching riders.

"So, Murr-at-kapp, who are they, and how many of them am I going to have to kill before they get the point that we are to be taken seriously?"

Ok Tilnak, help me spot all to the little surprises I've prepared for our 'visitors'. I wish I would have had more time to prepare, but there arent that many of them, and as soon as they come into range for you and Murr to identify them, I can beguin picking off the stragglers. We will let them get a small taste of exploding black powder and VERY hot rocks flying in their direction once they get in close.

"I am sorry Jesse, but they do not come arrayed for war.  This is an emmissary, and as such should be treated honorably.  Although I have little doubt they would be as fair, and I have no doubt that we will not like the message they give us."

PT

"Ok, I guess we let the chief deal with them then. But why dont you go ask him not to let them withing the wall Murr? Not killing them under a flag of truce is one thing, but there is no sense in letting them see our defences."

I would love to head down and listen in on their conversation, but I'm going to keep them in my sights in case of double cross...besides, the traitor felt that my arrival here was worth a message to them, so I dont thenk we should give them anymore information about me than is absolutely needed.

Murr nods and trots off at a speed that would be close to your sprint.  You can watch his actions through the binoculars.  You see him talk to the Chief, who pauses, nods, and gives some orders.

The arriving soldiers are carrying small handfuls of moss in their right hands, and they are affronted and shocked to find the gates closed to them.  You can see the Chief yelling from a stand behind the wall down to them, and them demanding to be let in.

You line up a shot, and half-disapointed see the leader of the soldiers accept the insult.

They all have steel swords, three javelins apiece, leather armour, and a circular shield painted with a red 'vessel' skull.  They look like moderately well-trained thugs to you.  They reek of arrogance even up to your post on the hill.

There is some arguing back and forth, and then the soldiers back up down the road a few hundred yards and make camp.

Murr comes back. He looks worried.

"The Chief wanted me to tell you first before he told the others. The Thanar are demanding you as a criminal.  They demand that we turn you over to them or 'you have been friends to us, but now you risk the wrath of the great Thanar Empire'."

PT

"Stay up here and keep an eye on them for now Murr. When I get down to the courtyard, I'll send up a couple of recruits to relieve you. But if those jokers make one wrong move, I want to know about it."

I make my way out of the tower, and grab the fiorst two recruits I see. I explain to them that they are to go to the top of the tower and watch the Thanar, if they see any suspicious activity, one is to stay and watch, the other is to run as fast as they can and find me. After issuing orders, I go and find the chief.

"It looks like we are going to have a bit of excitement. Its a joke the Thanar calling me a criminal when all I really did was kill a few thieves that were trying to rob me, but since they are here, we might as well make some use of them.

The way I see it, we have three options;
1) The People could turn me over to them. I dont really see that happening though, you have proven yourselves to be good and honorable friends, so I'm not really worried about being turned over to a party this small. If they come in force, and it looks like we will be over run, I'll turn myself over to them before I allow this village to be destroyed.
2) We can explain what happened that day in the pass, and see how they react. Since I'm pretty sure the thieves were Thanar agents, they wont be surprised, and will keep their demands the same as they are now.
3) I can wait until after dark and pay them a little visit. I was Recon in the Corp, not Black Ops, but I can still move quietly and with a good amount of stealth. There are only six of them, So I'm pretty sure I can handle the situation without much problem. When Tilank and I faced four raiders at the pass, they had the advantage of choosing the ground, they had the numbers, and iniative. I made it through that with only the wounds I recieved from being trampled by a lizard....which reminds me, I have some suggestions for improvements in you saddles. Anyway, If I choose the time of the attack, and am fully prepared, I know I can take all six of them. In short, we can show the Thanar that this old dog still has teeth!

I know the last course of action will bring the Thanar down on us, but they are most likely comming anyway, and if we force a confrontation before tehy are fully prepared, we have another advantage."

As I wait for the chief's decision, I notice Murr enter. I whisper a quick message to him.

"The traitor should be more in evidence now than ever before, find him and bring the curr to me now!"

The Chief and his council listen to you and nod.  Then the Chief motions you to come around back of the lodge just by himself and you.

He chews his fingers, and pulls at hairs on his hands fretfully.

"Warrior, I have to wonder if we can defeat these Thanar.  If somehow we can assuage their anger against us.  But I see no way.  They are like a plague on the land.  I say this. I will tell them that you have left when you saw them coming, and they will then leave.  This will buy us some time.  And if we capture the traitor, then the enemy will not know of your arrival until new spies come and see you.

To attack them at night in such a way is forbidden by our codes of honor although you tempt me for truly the Thanar do not understand honor or so I have heard."

Later, Murr comes back and reports.
"Sword-brother. I saw a signal being given over the walls, and hurried to see who had done it. By the time I arrived, there were five People in the area, and all claim to be innocent, and to not know who is the criminal."

PT

I take Murr to the chief and have him repeat what he told me. Then I start pacing as I think. I stop to talk, but start pacing again almost as soon as I beguin to speak.

"Well, the traitor is among those five. I would suggest keeping them all under guard until the Thanar leave. Let them all know that there is a traitor among them, and the innocent will be released once the enemy is gone. Although, since the village isnt that big, I would think that between the chieg, Murr-at-kapp and Tilnak, the guilty one would be fairly easy to spot. Have teh blacksmith make a few pairs of shackles, and have the healer gather herbs to drug all of the five until the Thanar have left. We can deal with them when the enemy isnt just outside the walls."

Its done as you suggest.  Murr comes back later.

"I don't know what to think. There is one I would never think to be a traitor.  Another who is less clear, but upon prodding one of the others remembered that he saw the first at the time, and so it can't be him.  And I have two more that I have no idea of."

PT

"We never expect someone we trust to betray us Murr, thats what makes it such a rotten thing to do. There was once a very trusted general...er, war leader of my tribe that betrayed us. It was back when we were just establishing ourselves."

I briefly tell him the story of Benedict Arnold, skipping over details that wouldnt be understoood without hours of explianation.

"After the healer puts them to sleep we can forget about them until after the Thanar leave. In the mean time, let get back to the tower, I want to be ready in case they try something."

You keep watch, and toward night you see two of the soldiers slip off.  Figuring that they are up to no good, you drift on over their way after charcoaling your face.  You follow them around the town, as they sneak, and you realize they are carrying something, a bag full of something that is soft, but unmoving.

They come up to the main creek that services the village, and prepare to dump the bag into the creek.

PT

Using every skill I ever learned in the Corp, I circle around the two soldiers, draw my knife and a javelin, and get as close as I can to them. I take a deep breath, and make my move. I throw teh javelin at teh further one, and attack the closer with my knife, trying to keep it as quiet as possible.

Your first javelin is slightly off and smacks into the arm of the first.  Its followed by Murr's strike who you had taken along with you, and his shot goes right through the opponent's heart.  Before the second can more than turn in surprise, you are on him, and have cut his throat.

He tried to fend you off, but he simply did not have the strength with the brutality of your rush, and your superior leverage of position.

Murr searches them, and puts two small stones near their heads.  A faint smell of ozone is in the air, and you see some dust stir near their heads.

"Journey safely back to the Ancestors, brave warriors. Your fight is over."  He says this very softly, and then retrieves both of your javelins from the body of the first.

PT

I grab the corpse of one of the Thanar and throw it over my shoulder, steadying it with my right arm, then pick up the bag they were carrying with my other hand. I instruct Murr to bring the other, and head for the fortress. Once we are inside the gates, I have a couple of recruits go to the site of the attack, and brush out any signs of a struggle. Then I dispatch another recruit to go bring the chief.

While the chief is on his way, I search the bodies and take all of their weapons and possesions before turning my attention to the bag they were carrying. When the chief arrives I take a moment to tell him about what happened.

"Greetings Chief. Tonight I was watching the Thanar soldiers for signs of treachery, and not unexpectadly, they delivered. About an hour ago, these two snuck to the mouth of the creek that runs through the village with this bag."

I point to the dead soldiers and the bag they hadf carried until the moment of their deaths.

"Its common practice to poision the water supply of an enemy before laying siege to their position. I couldnt let that happen, so I acted. Murr-at-kapp and I were able to take the soldiers down before they could dump whatever is in that bag into our water supply. I know you wanted to avoid a conflict if at all possible, but considering the circumstances, it was better to act than to do nothing."

I walk over to the bag, and slice open the bindings, opening it for everyone to see.

They have a thickly tied leather bag full of carrion and maggots.  Everyone jumps back as the large five inch long worms start heading out for more sustenance.

For weapons, they had a javelin of good quality, a steel sword, a leather shield, leather armor of good quality, and nice boots.

Money totals two armbands made of silver.  Variously nicked upon.

The Chief is greatly angered, and considering sending out his forces at first light to kill the remaining four.

PT

I order two of my recruits to call all of the others in and as many of the other villagers that can quickly be assembled. As we wait I turn to Murr.

"Sword Brother, the armor is yours. You have more than earned it and your sword. As of now you are Second in Command of our little group of Marines. You will have more responsibilities, and the work will seem endless, but you can always take comfort on the fact that you are protecting your people...and if anything goes majorly wrong, I as Captain will carry the burden of blame."

Turning to the chief I beguin to speak in a soft but angry voice. My anger is not directed at him, and I try my best to convey that fact.

"Why dont you let me and my Marines deal with the scum? The training is comming along quickly, but I need to test them in battle. They need a victory to bolster their confidence, and I might get more recruits after we wipe them out...well, almost wipe them out. I want to send the Thanar a message, one that an enemy of my people used in a war in our past. They were called the Viet Cong, and they were fierce warriors. They knew more about ambush, sabatoge and the psychological warfare than you or I will ever learn. I'm not quite ready to go to the lengths Charlie did, but I think its time for another object lesson, so we will take one prisioner. Maybe this one will sink in."

As my recruits file in with the villagers they could find on short notice, I go into Drill Sergent mode. Head high, shoulders back, my voice in a commanding tone I start to speak.

"People of the Red River Village, tonight we have defeated a plot to weaken the village and harm its people." I walk to the dead Thanar and savagely kick one of the bodies, "These honorless, lizard loving, pieces of trash tried to poision our water supply, but they were shown the error of their ways. For them the lesson was fatal, as it will be for all but one of the Thanar camped outside the walls. At first light, my Marines and I will go and remove this insult to the People and make certain they never draw another breath of our air. There is war comming my friends, and it will be brutal and bloody. You must harden your hearts to the pain we will inflict on our enemies. You must prepare yourselves and the village for the battles that will soon come. You must show the Thanar that the People are too fierce of an enemy to even consider fighting. If you do not, this village and everyone in it will surely die.

Those of you that have the strength and courage to commit your very lives to this struggle are welcome in the Marines, and should speak with Murr-at-kapp. He is my Sword Brother and Second in Command, he will assign you your tasks. There is much to be done before we are fully ready to teach the Thanar the ultimate lesson. The fortress must be strengthened, the well must be cleared of silt, provisions must be laid in store, vessels must be corraled within the walls of the fortress, the fires and forge of the blacksmith must burn and ring day and night, churning out weapons and armor. There is much work to be done, but its not an impossible task. The people are strong and fierce, and we will overcome!"

Hoping my little politacal speech fired them up enough to tackle the tasks that needed doing, I turn to the chief and quietly advise him to urge the People to work with us to ensure the saftey of all.

Tilnak, I have a task for you as well. I want you to search through my memories and learn everything I have ever learned about combat. All of my training and battle experiance are your library, and you must learn all you can in as short of a time as you can. If I fall in battle, there has to be someone with this information. I believe its the key to defeating the Thanar, so its up to you bud. Also, once we have dealt with the remaining soldiers in the morning, I want to try accessing those parts of my brain that are inactive. We need every edge we can get right now.

Murr's fur all stands on end, and he stands to his full height which makes him tower even further over you.

"Yes, sir."  He then pelts off to go get his sword.

The Chief thinks, and then summons his council, and whispers with them.  Then he comes back to you.

"Jesse, we have our way of war, but we will watch your way, and thus make a judgement as to which is wisest.  Does this seem well to you?"

That night you get a dozen recruits who want to join up with you.

And Tilnak agrees.

"For we make war on a dreadful enemy of great reach and depth.  Their littlest finger is extended toward us now, but soon we will get their attention in full."

PT

I agree with the chief, and go to my hut to prepare for the comming attack. I make as many grenades as possible, using leather bags packed tightly with black powder and bits of metal, using short pieces of oil soaked twine as fuses. I give Murr the crossbow to use durning the attack, and keep my rifle and pistol for myself.

About 2 hours before dawn, I split my recruits into four groups, and order them out of the village on the oppisite side from the Thanar. We all circle around, and set up at the four points of the compass. I lead the northern group, Murr takes the southern, and two of my first recruits take the east and west. I make sure that everyone is clear about leaving one alive for a prisioner, and not harming their lizards if at all possible. I tell them that the signal for the attack will be the first shot from my rifle, once they hear that, they are to kill two of the remaining Thanar, and capture the other.

As dawn breaks, I scan the enemy camp and sight in on the first Thanar I see. As soon as I have a clear shot, I take it.

As you sneak up on the camp you see that two guards are awake, with their weapons in their hands, and that they are standing behind picketted lizards.  The six lizards form a circle around the campfire, and a serviceable impromptu fort.

You cannot see the other two from your position.

If you use your grenades, its going to be hard to be discriminate and avoid injuring one, and killing lizards.

Any plan changes (and keep in mind that the other groups are out there, and you can't communicate with them.)

Tilnak has you stop around seventy feet away.

"Much closer, and their Mindsight will see an occupied vessel even in the night.  Perhaps especially in the night.  Yes, I think so.  More visible by a small bit in the night."

And then you see the two guards crouch down, yelling something.  They are not visible except for a quick peek here and there.

PT

Seventy yards is still an easy shot for me. I settle in and wait for one of the guards to pop their heads up for long enough for me to get a shot.

The other two have woken up by the first two.  You wait for the shot hoping that none of your inexperienced troop decide to rush them before the shot goes off.

Two minutes pass, and then BLAM!!

One down, and your troops rush them cheering a battle cry.  The fight is short and vicious.  You have one badly wounded who transfers to another vessel, and then mercy kills his former vessel which begins keening in pain.  You took out another with a shot, and then had to refrain as the combat got too close together.

The enemy injured one of yours with a spear toss, and another with a sword strike as the attacker clambered over a lizard.

You have one injured prisoner.

You did not use grenades in the attack.

PT

My first priority is to my wounded. I have one of my first recruits see that they are taken to the healer for treatment or transfer to new vessels. I assign Murr to prisoner detail, instructing him to bind the Thanar, and only give him enough medical treatment to keep him alive, then I have the others gather all of the enemies gear. Tents, lizards, and everything else they had brought with them. I throw the dead bodies onto the backs of their lizards and then lead my men back into the fortress, congradulating them on our first victory, assuring them that its the first of many in the war to come.


OOC: Sorry for the short post, I'm running a bit late for work.

You get back to the fortress with your group, and your prisoner laughs.

"This is pathetic. You and yours would not stand a day against the might of the Thanar. Not even a morning.  But now, with this treachery, you have assured final death to all of you.  You will be captured, and driven far from the Flux and your spirits will never make it back to the Ancestors, and will drift apart in the cold until final death comes, and this will be when my tribe comes to slaughter you all, and turn this village into a corral for lizards."

He spits at you.

PT

I wipe the spit from my face, and backhand him hard across his. I wouldnt use my full strength against any of the People, but I dont feel any need to hold back with the Thanar.

I ask Murr to find the owner of the oldest, most broken down lizard in the village, and trade one of the captured beasts for the worn out one. I wouldnt want to take something for nothing, and I get to improve someones livestock in the mean time. Using one of the steel swords we took off of the dead enemies, I cut the heads off of the dead Thanar and tie each to one of their shields. A severed vessel head might not mean much to them, but when its attached to one of their symbols....I think they will get the point.

I order the prisioner stripped of all his armor and possesions, then tied to the saddle of the old lizard, I also tie the shields with the severed heads to the saddle. Before I send him on his way I make a couple of small cuts on his feet. Not enough to cause him to bleed to death, but enough to attract any predators that might be lurking about. As I lead the Thanar out of the village walls, I give him a warning.

"I sincerely hope you are enough of a rider to guide this old lizard with your knees, if not you will probally die soon. Your death wont cause me any grief, but it means that I'll have to hunt down and kill another party of Thanar to send my message to Va-lilk-domin-'crummmm. As soon as you return to your people, tell them everything that happened here, also tell them that I will personally kill anyone that threatens the saftey of the Red River Village. My weapons make yours look like toys, and I have killed more people than you have even met. Another couple of hundred Thanar wouldnt bother me in the slightest...it might even be fun and profitable. Who knows what kind of rewards I will recieve for exterminating the Thanar like the vermin they truely are?"

I give the lizard he is on a slap on the rump to set it on its way and head back into the fortress. Once I see Murr, I send him to the blacksmith to try to convince the man to move his forge inside the fortress in case the village walls are breached in an attack.

Its not the start I would have prefered...a couple more months to prepare for an attack would have been nice, but I think we will get by. Now, lets settle down by the fire, call Murr, the healer and the chief, and start to see what new areas of my brain you can activate Tilank.


OOC: Whats the inventory on the spoils I took from the rest of the Thanar party?

Once you are settled by the fire, a recruit comes in with a list of the possessions.  Each had a fine riding lizard, a steel sword, a saddle, four javelins, a leather shield, armour (although one's armour was destroyed in the fight), a pair of saddlebags filled with trail foods, and a knife of flint, and a blanket, and small black stones that look like they are shaped as statues of shields.  There is also one axe, and a map and two tinderboxes.

Later, Tilnak begins with his preparations as the others arrive.  Murr says the blacksmith wants to talk to you about it.

Then Tilnak presses something in your head...and you float off the ground, and start to spin like a top while laughing almost uncontrollably, and the speed keeps rising...you can feel significant g-forces, and your vision is starting to get a little gray around the edges, and your hand plows right through one of the rafter supports....

OOC: And yes thats a botch again...yeah!

Tilnak, slow it down. Last time was a disaster, lets not repeat it. Start slowly, then if there is positive progress, proceed.

I examine my hand for any damage from the rafter support, hoping that with an up coming battle there isnt any.

Ok, lets try that again, but slowly this time.

You feel Tilnak reach out and touch something, and a huge overpressure fills your mind.  And then the walls of the hut and the roof explode outward into dust.  You're spinning in mid-air now, and your visitors are cowering in abject terror.

And the gray has spread...

PT
OOC: Yes thats another botch but only a one effect one.  Fixing this before it kills you will be harder than learning to do it right.

HOLY CRAP!!!!!!

I decide to treat this like a grey out durning a H.A.L.O. (High Alttitude, Low Opening) jump. I concentrate on my breathing, and focus my mind on my center of balance. Curling into a tight ball I will myself to stop spinning. I even adopt my pain suppression mantra into it.

God, Corp, Country...Stop spinning. God, Corp, Country...Stop spinning. (ect).

Its hard to keep focusing, and for seconds at a time the world goes away, but you keep on plugging at it, and its with a feeling of shock that you realize you are on the ground, and not spinning.

You lean over, and throw up breakfast, and then continue to dry heave for a couple minutes.  You feel gentle hands checking out pressure, and other signs.

"He seems to be okay.  He trembles but its exhaustion."

===========================================================================

The Chief waits until you are sitting upright.

"Next experiment is done outside the village. Agree?"  Its not really a request you can tell even though the Chief is trying to be gentle.

PT
OOC: Abort Self-focused and self-continued (i.e. if you create an independent force this won't help) Telekinetic Botch 1@1 skill is added to your skills.

I agree with the chief, and make a weak joke about Tilnak's hut being too small for both of us anyway. I ask Murr to help me to the blacksmith, when he tells me that I need rest, I tell him that the Thanar arent resting and wont rest until we are all dead.

Ok bud, I think we should stop experimenting until after we have taken out the Thanar. I hope you like sleeping in the fortress, because thats our new home for a while.

As we move through the village, I ask Murr how the work is comming on the preperations for the upcomming war.

The blacksmith points out when you get to him that you want him doing work, and if he is moving his forge, he's not doing work.

"We've got a small group of recruits, five total that went through that fight. And we've got fifteen brand new recruits.  Plus a bunch more that are wavering.  Some of them are not sure how many people you'll need.  Others wonder how the village is going to support everyone if so many people spend their time learning to fight."  Murr says in his report after you leave the blacksmith's.

PT
OOC: And I was enjoying your botches...

"I have an idea Mastersmith, wouldnt your move be a lot faster and easier if you had about 20 people helping? I've been attempting to work on my recruits strength training, and moving heavy pieces of equipment around, and setting them back up to your specifications would certainly be a good workout. As a matter of fact, once you are all set up within the fortress, I can make working in your forge part of their daily training. I realize that the work you do is highly specialized and not for amatures, but having some extra people about to pump bellows, and do your grunt work will free you up to concentrate on the work only you can do."

I turn to Murr and outline a basic plan of training and orginization.

"Make our original five acting Corprals, and have them supervise three recruits each. I'll want an hour of physical training starting at an hour before dawn, a meal, then two hours of combat training. Give them half an hour break, then set them into a work rotation. I'll want crews with the smith, working on the well, stocking and re-enforcing the fortress. But our first priority is relocating the forge inside the walls of the fortress. Once everything is set up to the Mastersmith's satisfaction, start up the routine. Give them their meal and rest breaks when you think they need them, but work the men hard. We dont have much time to get them into shape.

I'll talk to the chief a bit later and see if he cant convince some of those that are wavering into joining us. You know what they say about the man that sits on the fence, dont you? He is at risk of getting splinters in his butt."


OOC: I'm glad someone was enjoying those botches. Dont worry, once I have things a bit more set up, I'll give it another try...but I'd sorta like a crack at the Thanar before I get versed out.     :P

The Chief assures his people, and suddenly you have an additional thirty people.  This leaves about thirty more in the village that haven't signed up.  Some are such as the Master Smith, and the Chief.  Others seem to think this is foolishness.  One with several friends laughs at your methods of combat saying his methods are better.  And of course some are combat unfit for various reasons.  And two are pacifists.

The forge is moved, and you find two new things about the People. One, they take to your discipline quite well, and cooperate beautifully.  Two, they will on occasion deliberately push themselves so hard as to require another body change.  You learn to not say "Give a hundred ten percent!" Because they will do just that, and then have to go shift to another body.

A week passes, and your system is in shape.

One difficulty.  It is tradition to put a small stone in the shape of a circle near a dying People who is an enemy.  Its considered a commandment of the Ancestors.

PT

Now that I have a bit more sizable force, I get a little more ambitious in my training. I beguin to personaly spend two hours a day teaching the hand to hand combat I learned in basic training and the more lethal 'dirty tricks' I picked up in Recon school. I also make sure Murr and I have at least two hours to produce as much black powder as possible. With the blacksmith hammering out javilens and crossbow parts I make sure the weapons are being put to good use, and spend a few minutes with the smith everyday, seeing if he is making any progress with the ideas of sword making I gave him.

In what I consider an especially clever moment, I make a suggestion about the circle of stones,

"Why not make a larger circle, one that surrounds the entire valley? Any Thanar that engauge us are going to die anyway, so we might as well cover them all at once."

While I'm spilling over with brilliant ideas, I remeber something from my childhood while trying to figure out a way to deliver grenades further than I or the People can throw. I remeber the horses mounted on springs that would let a kid sway back and forth, building up momentum. When I was 4 I lost two teeth getting pitched off of one of those, so I know for a fact that the spring will launch a small to meduim grenade much further that one of the horses launched a tiny Jesse.


OOC: Was that last bit clear enough? Its fairly early, and I have had three cups of coffee yet.

Their basic combat techniques as it stands is to ride up with lizards, dismount, walk forward until they find a small hill, draw up a rough line, and put up a shield.  Wait. Taunt each other.  One side advances, and both sides let fly with javelins.  Usually only one flight of javelins gets tossed.  A rough meeting of two short lines occurs, until one breaks, and then they often retreat without much harm, unless its a serious fight, and then they may get javellined in the back, and then run down.

In other words, Viking barbarian land tactics might be a step up for these fellows.  And they are essentially dragoons, that is mounted infantry.

Are you teaching them better one on one fighting, or small squad tactics?

The smith has been working hard on your sword idea as he finds it personally fascinating.

Your idea gets talked about, and they send a runner to a nearby village to ask advice from their Talker to Ancestors.

"Jesse, I've looked through your mind. Much I see is bizzarre, and I don't know how to make it help us.  Other things make sense..."  Tilnak shows you a vision of a phalanx.  "But other things I do not understand at all.  You have warriors, not-warriors, small not warriors, and really small not-warriors."  It shows you pictures to accompany these.  The first is a friend of yours from the Army. The second is a male cousin who is an artist.  The third is a girl friend.  The fourth is one of your youngest nephews.

PT

My people's social and gender structure might be a little complex for the moment bud, why dont we tackle it when we have a bit more free time...like the week it will take me to explain everything in detail. As for the phalanx, it was a good formation in its time, but modern tactics and methods would chew one apart. You have seen what a grenade can do from looking through my memories, right? Just imagine what would happen if someone threw a grenade into the middle of a phalanx. It would be a much quicker way to win this war if the Thanar adopted them, but I dont really see that happening. They will probally just grunt, scratch and pick fleas off of one another while we use proper tactics to massacre them.


I go and teach a one on one session, then about an hour later a squad vs. squad simulation. Thinking about the way they normaly fight, I decide to advance their saddle making by about a century or two. I swing by the blacksmith's forge, and ask him to make 4 'D' shaped pieces for me, two just a bit larger than my booted foot, and two a bit larger than Murr's foot. While he is bending the metal, I describe the spring to him, letting him know that if we make the coils long enough, we can set up a base, and screw them lower as the enemy advances, shortening the range of the grenade throwers.

Once I have the D rings, I send one of the recruits to fetch me twelve strips of leather, three inches wide, and six feet in length. I tell him to bring them to my room in the fortress and go find Murr. Once I find him, I instruct him to grab one of the saddles that we got from the Thanar, and I grab one that I got from the bandits. After we have saddles in hand, I lead him back to my room to start working with the leather strips. I take six and hand him six, then show him a very basic braid to tie the pieces together. I show him to attach three of the pieces to the saddle where his legs would usually hang, then start braiding. While we work I start to talk over some battle plans with him.

"I once told you I was going to show the People a new way to make war. A more effective and effecient way to kill your enemies, while keeping your own losses low. The way I see it, your current way of fighting is as mounted infantry. You ride up, dismount and go to fighting. No offence intended Sword Brother, but thats a stupid waste of a valuable resource, namely your mounts. If we wait for the Thanar to dismount, we can charge faster while still on our lizards, throw a couple of javelins, then attack with swords from a higher position using the speed and momentum of our mounts to aid in our blows."

As my braid gets a little shorter that leg length, I attach the first D ring and tie it off. I let Murr know to do the same when his braid is at its proper length, then we start on the other side of the saddles.

"There is also the harry tactic. You charge an enemy while mounted, and just before you engage your force splits into two groups. You then circle the enemy, attacking with javelins and swords, slicing into their outer soldiers and keeping them confused and off balance. If they adjust to your tactic, you regroup and ride off; waiting to attack again when they arent expecting it. Of course we are going to be waging a primarily defensive battle here, but a wise man of my people once said 'The best defence is a good offence'. I'm thinking that we should garrision a small detachment of mounted soldiers outside of the village to mount sneak attacks and make life miserable for the Thanar while they are laying seige on the village."

As we complete our saddles, I double check all of the pieces making sure that they are secure before grabbing a double handfull of javelins and leading Murr to the stables. After we saddle a couple of lizards I show him how to use the stirrups to mount. We ride out into the open area just under the tower and I give him his instructions.

"Ok soldier, kick your feet out of your stirrups and ride back about thirty yards. Then gallop forward and throw a javelin at one of the targets we use for the crossbows. After you have finished, put your feet back into the stirrups and repeat the exersize, except when you are about to throw your javelin, stand up in the stirrups and throw with your whole body weight. After you are done, we will examine the two throws."


OOC: Sorry, I had a lot to get out all at once.   :P

"Gender, what is gender?" Tilnak says.

Murr gathers what you mean by a spring since he seen curlicues of brass vibrate after being touched.  Although it is hard for him.  Its not easy for the smith either.  And you realize as you struggle to explain this that the spring is probably the most advanced piece of technology that these people will have.  Still you and they manage to grasp the idea.

Murr throws as hard as it is safe to do so, which despite the extra height is shorter than a throw from on foot.  Because if he threw at maximum force, he would toss himself out of the saddle.

He looks at you as if to say, I told you so.  That they have good reasons for being mounted infantry...

Then he comes back, and tries it with the javelin.  It flies, even further than you expect,and bounces off the fort wall near the top of the outer wall.  Murr is staring at it in utter shock, and then he starts racing around in a circle on his lizard and ki-yi-yi-ing in utter glee.

Everyone that is looking just stares with their mouths hanging open.  And you realize that one of them might be the traitor who has not been found yet.

"You just changed the world, Jesse'thrumTaylor." Tilnak says soberly.

PT
OOC: Your corporals are Snarr-Vu-Tak'Thrumm, Hov-ik-ra'mmmmmm, Ta-Meved-Ru'dhummm, Higgs-Vik-Sna'Thrumm, and Boc-Iv-Na'sommmm.

PT

Tilnak, to use a popular saying among my people...You aint seen nothing yet.

As soon as Murr clams down a bit I call him over and whisper to him that we need to speak in private. I pull him aside and ask him if there is an oath to the Ancestors that would bind even a Thanar, something so absolutely set in stone that no one on this world could even consider betraying it. If there is I tell him to gather the Corprals and meet me my room in the tower in one hour.


"Did I not tell you that we would defeat the Thanar?!"

I ask my troops. I work my voice up loud enough that it can be heard outside of the fortress. Its time for another speech....I used to laugh at officers for doing things like this, but I'm quickly understanding the need to keep people inspired.

"I was born....I was born in a diffrent place, among diffrent people. The throw you just saw was amazing, but compared to the weapons my native tribe have, a javelin is but a toy. We...no, they; for I now consider myself of the People, a member of the Tribe of the Red River Village. They have weapons that can burn rocks and set fire to the sky. Weapons so terrible that they are afraid to use them for fear of destroying the world they live on. But even with all of the weapons they have, I would still rather face the Thanar with the People at my side! I have seen honor and strength of will among you that is undreamed of with my people. I have experianced generosity that is unrivaled. I was born with others, but I was meant to live with the People. And I will teach you everything I can to defeat ANY enemy that threatens us. The Chief and healer have seen what my mind is capable of when it is unleashed, I dont have  full control of it yet, but even if it kills me....brings me the final death, I will use everything I have to defeat the Thanar.

Marines, learn your warcraft well, for when the battle starts, you will be your brother's protector.

Farmers, tend your crops well and build the stockpile within the fortress, for when the Thanar come you will be your brother's provider.

Smith, hammer your metal with all your heart, for when the dogs of war come to the gate of the village, you will be your brother's armoror(sp).

Healer, gather your herbs and medicines, for when the battle beguins you will be your brother's relief.

Shepards, tend your vessels well and make them strong, for when they need them you will be your brother's savior.

Chief and counsil, hone your wisdom and knowledge, for you are your brother's keeper."


I step down without waiting for applause or jeers. I simply move to meet with my Second and Corprals.

Huge cheers erupt from the recruits, and extend to those watching even from the outside.  Your leaders wait in quietness.

Later the chief comes to you, and hands you, in private, a short sword in an age-blackened sheathe.

"This is yours for as long as you live. It has been many cycles of years since we have had a war leader, but with the grace and wisdom you have shown I fear not to give it to you.  I only fear to have the world in which such must be given.  Now you stand second to me in the village, and when in the field you are in charge.  You are now one of the council as well.  I feel that the Ancestors have sent you to us for such a time as this. May the Ancestors have mercy on us, and should we fall, let us pray that we may meet them in the fields of the Flux."

The handle is warm and smooth in your hand, and not made of brass.  But it feels like the weight of the world pulling you down to the center of this world with the responsibility for these lives in your hands.

PT

"Chief, you are the leader of us all. I will direct the battles, but thats as far as it goes. I will vote with you in the counsil because I respect your wisdom...and I know much less about the statecraft then you do. We both are servents of the People."

I wait until I'm with Murr to draw and examine the sword, and I ask him of its properties and history,


OOC: Sorry about the short post, its late and I'm buzzed.

"Its most ancient. From a time so far in the past that what is my memory and what is legend and myth is indistinct.  It is said that it was found by the first of the People to wander the land in vessels, and that it has been much traded and even stolen since then. Its said that no one Person could defeat the holder of this blade, but that at least five must join in sacred oath to do so, and even then it is not certain. It is magic, the Power of the Ancestors made physical, or so some say."

You draw the short blade, and it looks more like smoke than metal, most of the time.  Its such that you have a hard time focusing on the blade with your eyes, and in fact doing so gives you a headache. At times it looks like a blade if you're not looking at it too closely, at other times it looks like smoke.  It feels off in your hand, not properly balanced, and a test of its blade has it sheer through a scrap piece of leather with ease.

PT

"Well then, I guess I had better step up my sword practice to honor this blade. If its got some kind of mystical abilities, maybe we should start with me facing 5 at once, then work our way up to more."

I gather Snarr-Vu-Tak, Hov-ik-ra, Ta-Meved-Ru, Higgs-Vik-Sna and  Boc-Iv-Na and present them and Tilnak with the steel swords that were taken off of the Thanar.

"You are the leaders of this little army, and thats no small chore. I expect the five of you to work at least as hard as Murr-at-kapp and I do...but dont push yourselves to the point you have to transfer to a new vessel. That is counter productive to your training. You are each responsible for a group of nine recruits each, and in time you will be promoted to the rank of sargent. I want each of you to keep a close eye on your charges, look for those that might make good corprals once you are sargents. Also keep your eyes open for any possible spys."

I walk out to the practice yard and start going through the sword stances and movements I have been taught, fully intending on keeping at it until I fall over from exhaustion.

You practise for hours.  It doesn't take you long to realize the sword is not designed for a human hand.  And after a while, you decide its not made for the hand of a vessel either.  Experimenting with it a bit, you think it would work best if you had two thumbs, and two main fingers.

But, it chops through leather with ease, and is literally as light as air, and its a powerful status symbol.

You practise until your muscles ache, and then past that.  Tilnak asks if you want him to relieve the strain, and you say no.  Otherwise, you could hurt yourself out here.

Finally, sopping wet, you make your way back to the fortress where a couple buckets are warming by the fire for you.  Someone left them, and its with deep gratitude that you have a bucket bath/shower with hot water.

You check on things, and they seem to be going well.  The People seem to be more easily led, or perhaps just more logical than Humans.  Also, they have centuries of interacting with each other so they are good at it.

Your plans are proceeding...

PT

After I wash myself I put on a clean pair of clothes. Even though my body was tired, my brain was still racing. I headed down to the main hall of the tower and found one of my corprals, I instructed him to set the recruits to making stirrups for all of the saddles in the village and tehn to gather the other corprals and Murr and meet me in my room. Before I head back up, I gather enough food for all seven of us to share a meal together, and a large skin of water.

Once everyone was assmebled I outlined a plan to send out eight advance scouts to watch for the Thanar. One to the north, north east, north west, south, south east, south west, east and west. I want them to take 5 days of food and water with them so that they  can ride out for one full day, camp and watch for three, and ride back in. I work the schedule so that after a scout has spent his three days on watch, the day he leaves to return to the village, his replacement arrives. I also set up a roving patrol that makes day trips to the surrounding countryside, watching for bandits and other dangers.

With all of this set up, I sit back and wait for questions.

The chief question is that this is a lot of resources.  Its asked in several ways, but the problem boils down to is that you have a village with Bronze Age technology, and while they are wealthy enough for that...having a standing army doing patrols is going to be a significant drain on lizards, vesselpower, and food resources.

In order to introduce total war to the bronze age, you're going to need a better industrial base...

PT

"Prehaps it would be a good idea to band several villages together. Tilnak told me he was on a journey to find allies against the Thanar, and I think that with the advances we have already made, we can convince people much better. I think that in the morning I'll take one squad and set out for the closest village to our location, and if we can convince them, I'll make a circut and try to form an alliance among the People. You mentioned that there was a close by village that had someone that speaks to the Ancestors, right? That sounds like a logical place to start. I'll take one squad...Higgs-Vik-Sna's I think, and leave after morning drill."

You set off down the valley following the creek as it becomes a very minor river which will lead you to the Bright Village.

Your troop is trying very hard, but this whole movement across land thing, while acting military is something they are completely hornswoggled at. Higgs-Vik-Sna is gritting his teeth, and giving increasingly frantic orders to keep in formation.

Part of the problem is that the lizards have their own notion of formation, about three feet apart.

PT

"Relax Corpral, we arent on a parade ground so looking good isnt an issue at the moment. Just make sure the troops are somewhat evenly spaced, in a colum of two and alert for the Thanar or bandits. This is more of a diplomatic mission than a war party, so we can forget about the pomp and ceremony until we are in sight of the Bright Village."

That night you camp out, setting watch, and other than a slight disturbance about the middle of the second watch which could have been a watcher, or could have been a small lizard, there is no problem.

The next day, you rise, and eat, and get ready. About noon, you come around a coner of the valley which has been steadily widening, and see below you another village.  Its perhaps fifty percent larger than yours, and it has three large buildings rather than just two.

Beyond it, perhaps five miles is a wall of flashing, arcing, white that stretches across the valley, and thinner, but still present upon the mountain ridges.  The wall of light is composed of thin strands, most densely laid together, and you see that it never really ends as it goes up although it gets thinner and thinner as it ascends to become one of the aurora borealis in the sky, and perhaps beyond the sky.

All your troopers get off their lizards, and bow down to the ground.

"Great Ancestors, bless us of the Red River Village, allow us back into your presence..."

You're looking at the Flux which to them is Heaven.

PT

I sit back on my lizard for a minute in awe, just staring at the light show, then I dismount, but dont drop to my knees.

"Wow....thats easily the most impressive thing I have ever seen. Is it always like that?"

Natural beauty has always taken my breath away, its one of the reasons I started my survival school in the Pacific Northwest. Even when I was in a war torn third world country, I could alway take a few minutes to appreciate natural wonders, but nothing EVER quite as impressive as this. I dont mind waiting while the People finish their religious duties, I just sit back and let them take their time, enjoying the view.

Your corporal replies.

"Sir, sometimes its more active, but yes, pretty much its like this all the time.  The Flux is where the Ancestors live, and where we go if we flee from final death."

"The last cold journey is what you saved me from, Jesse. I would have tried to reach the Flux and failed, and just drifted apart on the breeze."  You hear Tilnak say.

"I have vague memories of living in there.  Hard to understand them. Sir." One of your recruits volunteers.

PT

"Well lads, lets gather some moss, so they know our intentions arent hostile, and ride on down. We cam all this way to talk to the counsil of The Bright Village, so lets not keep them waiting."

As we gather moss for our ride down, I ask Tilnak to let me know what to expect.

"Once they see we are not Thanar, they should be quite friendly, although a bit worried since we come as an obvious war party.  They may have heard of what happened to the Thanar who came to us, they may have heard lies.

They will greet us at the gate if they are nervous, and inside if they are not. We will talk a bit, and then we will be invited to private council, and then dinner. After that I am not sure which way it will go."

You ride down with the moss clearly in your hands, and several riders come out with weapons ready, but when they see the moss, they sheathe their weapons, and escort you up to the gate.

The Chief of this village greets you from a post on top of the gate.  He is attended by several others.

"Red River Village Warriors. I wish I could greet you as in times past. However, we hear disturbing news. News of treacherous behavior, of the slaying of emmissaries which is forbidden!"  He slams a mallet down on top of the gate wall to emphasize this point. "What say you?"

PT

In a voice loud enough for all near us to hear, but not quite a holler, I let the chief know what really happened.

"Greetings chief of The Bright Village. I can understand why you cannot greet us as in times past....even though I wasnt here in times past." Small chuckle "There was indeed treachery when the Thanar sent soldiers to the Red River Village, but it was not on our part. When our chief, knowing the Thanar to be honorless, lizard loving scum refused to allow them entrance to the village, they set up camp not far away. During the night they tried to poision our water supply with rotting carrion, not particualry fond of the taste or affects of such, we stopped them and taught five of the six the Ultimate Lesson. We sent the sixth back to the Thanar to let them know we dissaprove of such actions."

Stepping off of my lizard, I unbuckle my sword belt and hang it from my saddle then motion the rest of my troops to do the same. I step away from the lizard, holding it only by the reins to let them know I'm not going to try anything.

"There is more to the story, and as to why we are here, but I'll give you a few moments to confer with your counsil to decide if you want to hear it, or if you would like us to leave."

"Why do you say you were not here, Tilnak?  You were here but five months ago pleading for aid against the Thanar.  Now you claim to not have been here.?"

The Chief says.

"He's right. I was here. Look at this close range, we can recognize each other by our mind glows.  By the colors in our aura as some would say.  And since your aura is exceedingly dim, and mine is, well, normal.  He thinks he is talking to me."

PT

"Perhaps we could speak privately, I'll ask my troops to ride back a bit if you would be willing to step out. This is another sensitive matter that I would prefer to discuss with you and your counsil before it becomes common knowledge."


Will the chief of The Bright Village accept the ruling of the Red River Valley chief? Either way, we have to be honest. Tell him everything you told our chief, and we will see how things work out.

The Chief confers with several of his advisors at a time. Some are arguing one way, and some the other.

Eventually, he and one other, an oddly dressed vessel come out.

"Ancestor Speaker is with him." Tilnak says.

The two of them come up to you, and the Chief apologizes gruffly for taking two.

"Tilnak, what madness is this? Have you become unsane, and wish to breathe of the Ancestor's fire in hopes of recovering your sanity?"

PT

"This is very, very important...use all of your senses and try and search this vessel for another personality. Ancestor Speaker, is there anyway you can verify Tilnak's sanity?"

I relax and mentaly sink down into my body, letting Tilnak take over.

Ok bud, your on. Do this just like you did with our chief, total honesty. I just hope this works out as well.

"The only way to determine sanity is from action and talking to a person. Do your people have a better way?" Tilnak asks you.

Tilnak begins to speak, and he is not even half-finished before the Chief begins to interrupt him.

"Tilnak, friend of my people, you are obviously mad. We will take good care of you, and bring you to the Healing House."

Tilnak stops, upset, and then he speaks to you.

"My friend, they are going to hold us, 'for our own good', however, I sense that the Ancestor Speaker is puzzled by something.  Perhaps later..."  He gives a mental shrug.

PT

"I'm sorry chief, thats something I cannot and will not allow. There are two seperate personalities within me, and we have already gone through one trial to determine that no laws have been broken by this act. If we were in peaceful times, I would sit around and talk with you all day about the sanity of Tilank and myself, but since we arent another decision must be made. Send a rider to the Red River Village to confirm what I have told you is true, and my men and I will make a camp outside of your walls. I would however like to talk to Ancestor Speaker, he seems to have something he wants to say or ask."

I dont move away, but I prepare myself for a conflict if one starts.

"He's babbling. Capture him."  The Chief says loudly.  The two put down their weapons behind them, and then start to approach you from both sides.

Meanwhile the gate behind them starts to open as reinforcements await.  Your men are shouting something that sounds like "Treachery???" as if they were uncertain.

"We won't hurt you, Tilnak. We just need you to come with us."

PT

I drop the reins to my lizard and slap its rump to get it running toward my men, then turn to face the chief and the Ancestor Speaker.

"Mad am I? Lets just see, shall we? You chief, have broken the truce and thrown away the honor of The Bright Village. I smell the stench of the Thanar on you, and I have vowed to kill any and all Thanar I see."

Tilnak, remeber that part of my brain that destroyed your hut and launched us into the air? Activate it to its fullest! Crank it up as far as you can!

"I don't know how to do that, but I will try to repeat the effect."  You feel a slight odd angle to your thoughts, and realize you should be able to repeat this.  And then under Tilnak's will, you see a rock about the size of a baseball lift off the ground, and slowly float into your hand.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I can do the flying thing here. Not sure. But I can do the simpler functions, under control, although there seems to be segments of this section which I don't influence.  And when I try nothing seems to happen."  Tilnak says.

Your people are still getting closer since they did not see your demonstration, but the Bright Village people are staring at you, frozen in place, with their mouths hanging open.

PT

"That got your attention, didnt it? Unless you want the next thing that floats into my hand to be your heart, you will show some respect and dispence with all this arrest nonsense. The Ancestor Speaker seemed to want to say something, and now that the rest of you seem to be speachless, I think we should give him the chance."

As my troops arrive I turn to them and with my back to the Bright People I make small calming motions, trying to let them know that violence isnt going to break out just yet. I walk over to my lizard and place the rock inside one of my saddle bags, keeping it as a trophy, then grab my sword belt and put it on. I gesture to the hilt, but dont draw the blade.

"Since it seems that parley means nothing to your chief, I think it best if I remain armed. Do any of you recognize this weapon? Its said that this sword is the  Power of the Ancestors made physical. I dont know how much truth there is in that, but I promise that the first man that tries to take me prisioner will be able to ask the Ancestors....in person."

That didnt go quite as I expected, but maybe its better this way. If I can establish a conversation with the Ancestor Speaker, maybe we can salvage these talks after all. And it feels like I can pick up rocks and such with the power of my brain unaided, so some good came out of this attempt. What kind of influence does the Ancestor Speaker have over the Bright People? This close to that shimmering wall, you would think it would be considerable.



OOC: Is that a new skill, or just new way to botch? So much for fortune favoring the bold.  :P
This message was last edited by the player at 23:23, Thu 01 Dec 2005.

Your group comes up to within ten feet of you making an impressive martial display, and then they wait.

You turn, make your speech, and the Ancestor Speaker looks carefully at you.  He mutters in the Chief's ear, who shrugs angrily.

"I say that there is something strange about you. I do not know what it is, but I wouldst desire to study it more, and to converse with the Ancestors the both of us.  But I also say that we have acted with honor, and with good intentions toward our friend Tilnak.  None should question the honor of the Bright Village People.

My chief has given me leave to go with you, and to take you with your troop to the Flux.  He says even if you are mad, if you draw no blood, we will let you free for the love the Red River Village holds for you.  If you are not mad, then you are strangeness, and no law formed for other situations binds us.  If you are mad, then we have no duty to you other than kindness."

Tilnak replies  to you "The Ancestor Speaker is revered for his wisdom and knowledge, but he is not one with authority, unless he speaks with the Voice of the Ancestors, and then he overrides all other demands.  He is probably the smartest People you have ever met.  He is probably aware of the weak spots in his arguement, but he is, a bit proud."

Indeed, you get the impression of dealing with a smart lawyer as you listen to the Ancestor Speaker.

PT

"We are honored to be guided to the Flux by you, and to set your mind at ease, please choose an honor guard numbering the same as my troops. I am not mad, but its only sensible to take precautions. My men and I will ride back a couple of hundred yards while you prepare your guard and your mounts. Although this meeting started horribly, it is my hope that we can salvage it."

I mount up, and lead my men back to a spot a few hundred yards away, but still in plain sight of the Bright Village.

I speak in a low voice to Higgs-Vik-Sna, making sure that he is the only one that can hear me.

"The chief of this village was a little too quick to condem me as a madman, he didnt even give Tilnak the chance to explain the situation. I have the feeling that Ancestor Speaker is an honorable man, but I want you to keep an eye on the troops he brings. Dont make any agressive moves, but be vigilant."

"Yes, sir, we can do that."  Higgs-Vik-Sna says with a military snap to his voice.

A group comes out, and joins yours, along with the Ancestor Speaker.

"Follow me to the Flux. Remember as you get closer to the Flux, your thoughts may be disturbed, so be wary to keep yourself centered and focused."

The group of disparate elements rides down the valley a bit further until the light towers over you, and brightens the land all about your feet, and makes a shadow behind you that stretches several hundred feet.

"Now we proceed on foot. If any are weak of mind, or unsure, this is the place for you to halt with the animals. None will think you coward as you face the Ancestors and their emanations, and such is not lightly done. If there is anything else to say, then say it now."

You are perhaps two hundred feet from the edge of the solid light field, and you can smell ozone in the air.

PT

I dismount and walk next to Ancestor Speaker, speaking in a quiet voice, but not whispering.

"How exactly do you communicate with the ancestors, and how will it help this situation. Please forgive my ignorance, but ever since I've been on this world I've been occupied with fighting the Thanar. At first I was un-nerved by TIlnak sharing my body, but since we have gotten to know one another, I see him as a brother. Would you like to hear him explain what lead to all of this, and what has happened since? I'm sure he could communiacte the points of importance to you better than I could, I'm a soldier, and my thoughts tend to lie in military directions."

The Speaker nods, and you do the shift, and Tilnak starts speaking. The Speaker halts him, and you're worried about a repetition of the last time you told this tale.  He asks you to reassert control, and you do. Then he asks you to flip back.

"A-ha! That is what I was seeing. Tilnak your brain is subdominant to the vessel brain.  Its a rare affliction, but easily fixed..."  He pauses. "Of course, this is a strange vessel, and the dominant vessel half speaks...so..."  He pauses, looking for weak points in his chain of logic.

"Hmm. Please continue with your story."

Tilnak tells the story, and the Speaker listens closely, as do the others in his troop who are trying not to be too obvious about eavesdropping.

"I would like more proof of your story if possible, although I see why the Red River chief accepted you. What I am going to do now is approach the wall closely, keeping my mind very strong, but open at the same time, and we and the Ancestors will speak. They have much wisdom having seen many, many things, and having memories that go back to the time of legends.  They offer wise counsel to those who can hear."

PT

"Tilnak's mind isnt dominant because the body is mine. I'm more than willing to share and shelter him until he is ready to transfer to a new vessel and has learned everything I know about warfare, but when it comes right down to it, he is a guest. My brain has room for us both and it has some surprises that should keep people wondering what I'll do next...as you might have noticed when I summoned that stone to my hand outside the gates of the Bright Village."

I follow Ancestor Speaker to the edge of the curtain and sit crosslegged on the ground facing it. I open my mind and prepare for communiaction in much the same way I do when Tilnak is accessing the unused parts of my brain.

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear and allow it to pass over me and through me. When the fear has passed, there will be nothing. Only I will remain."


OOC: Sorry, couldnt resist that last bit.    :P

You sit down about thirty feet from the indistinct boundary, a boundary which seems to recede from you as you approach.  To the crowd waiting back up the hill a bit, it might seem like you were already in the Flux.

Weird thoughts and strange languages wash through your head.  It doesn't bother you other than freaking you out a little bit, but you can tell Tilnak is struggling.  Sometimes, he almost seems to drift free from your brain, and then re-attach himself with a vengeance.

Then suddenly an Awareness impinges itself on your mind.  All you can see is light, and hear is a roaring noise like you are under a waterfall, but still words form in your mind, and are heard clearly.

"An alien. Incredible." Tilnak is cringing in the base of your brain, and you feel like the day in boot camp when a general came by to inspect the troops.  He stopped in front of you, and just looked you up and down with a fiercely cold eye before moving on while you sweated large raindrops.  The personality is superhuman in its clarity and power.

PT

"Yeah, I guess I am the alien here. But with the things I've seen I kind of rank that as almost mundane. I know this has to be a silly question, but do you have any idea how I got here? I havent been able to figure that out, and I've been a bit distracted trying to bring these people out of the dark ages in matters of warfare. Since your the ruling god or whatever, I guess you know all about the Thanar and what they are doing, what are your feelings on this matter?"

Calm down bud and stay with me. Your needed by your people and this is just a test of your character. I have complete faith that you will sail right through it.

You feel intrusive spike like questions probe into your brain faster than you can say "Hey!" as each of your words is analyzed for its meaning to you, and its connotations, and its sincerity.

"I see, deep awe is not in your nature.  Perhaps you are right. Compared to your concepts of a 'God', I am not such. I do not know everything, nor do I think I created this world.  And I'm pretty sure I'm not immortal because I can be killed. Nor, am I singular. There are many of us, the Great Ones, in the Flux. I think that we are in some sense, the boiled down condensate version of a Person.  I am Shepherd.  Hmm. 'Iconic' is a good word I find in your brain. Also 'Archetype'.  Perhaps 'Angel' although although we speculate about the Makers, we don't know much about them. Even that sword at your waist is a mystery to us.

But when a Person dies, if he may, he comes to the Flux, and lives here as one of the lessers until he may find another vessel to wander through and join himself to it. So in a way this is 'Heaven'.  But we don't know what happens to a Person who disincorporates too far from the Flux. Perhaps they go to your 'Heaven'.

As to the Thanar, there are dark forces, nightmares of olden days being reborn, and I do not approve. But I must be cautious in my words for I do not wish to start a war in Heaven.

As to you, I confess that you are your arrival are a mystery.  I will seek counsel with some of the Memories and see if they can recall something like you in the past four thousand cycles of the sun we have clear memories of.  But that will take some time. Come back in a week or so."

PT

"Wow, so your kind of like Jung's theory of Collective Consciouness? The whole of the individuals condenced into a single voice? *small chuckle* And you think I'm incredible?

I'm having a bit of problems with the chief of the Bright Village, is there some sort of token or mark you can give me that will either convince or force him to accept me and my troops until we speak again? And could you possibly reassure Tilnak that you arent going to gobble him up while we talk?"

I turn to the Ancestor Speaker to try and tell if he is listening in on the conversation I'm having.

"I'll see you soon Shepherd, be well until we next meet."


OOC: I missed that it named itself Shepherd, so ignore the request to call it Jung.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:45, Sat 03 Dec 2005.

"I know several hundreds of my kind, and have for thousands of years. I know precisely one alien from another planet.  Since it is my framework we are judging, why I am perfectly normal. You are the one that is incredible."  He laughs.

"I am protecting Tilnak as we speak. However, while he holds me in great awe.  It is also the Flux he fears.  It is such that it naturally unmoors a Person from his vessel.  If he were to walk forward fifty more feet, he would be unmoored of a certainty."

He's not listening until the end he receives a message.  You both walk out of the edge of the Flux.

He looks at you.

"You have the sign of the Shepherd's Crook in your mindglow.  The Ancestors have marked you as their emmissary."  He bows to you.

PT

"That should calm your chief a bit then. If not, I'll know that his is allied with the Thanar and not just paranoid. Why dont we ride back to the village and see if he changes his tune at all?"

I walk back to my lizard, mount up and signal my troops to prepare to ride. I take a quick assesment of the Bright Village soldiers, paying special attention to their weapons, armor and saddles.

"Unless you have more questions, Ancestor Speaker, I suggest we make for your village. My men have had a hard ride, and I want to get Tilnak as far from the Flux as possible."

Feeling a little better now bud? Our chief and Murr are going to be surprised when they see this Shepherd's Crook.

You arrive back at the village, and the chief begrudgingly lets you in after the Ancestor Speaker tells all of the good news, and insists he was not fooled by some flim-flammery.

The people in the village seemed awed,but not overawed.  Your troops are more surprised than they are at your becoming an Emmissary.

They give you and yours three empty huts which are kept for visitors to the Flux.  There's two other visitor groups, both smaller than yours, in the Visitor Huts, as well.

They give you the freedom of the village except for the council house, and tell you when dinner will be served.

PT

After I see my troops settled in and warn them to keep their eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary, I take Higgs-Vik-Sna aside.

"I'm going to find the blacksmith and see if I can persuade him to work on some armor for me. Our smith is busy with crossbows, springs and trying out the new sword making ideas, so its worth my checking it out. I also want to get a practice sword so I can continue my training....speaking of that, go find this villages War Leader, or head of security or even the chief and find out where we might practice without causing an uproar. I'll want everyone to participate in the sword practice, and I think I need to start working with more than one person at a time, so make sure all the troops are ready to work."

I leave our huts and ask Tilnak if he knows the location of the smith in the Bright Village, if not I ask one of the locals.

"Most villages don't have War Leaders.  Its only in extreme times that we have such a post.  I will talk to the Guider of Visitors, I believe.  They have one since they have so many visitors."  Higgs-Vik-Sna says, and then hurries off to get the jobs accomplished.

It takes a little walking, as you check one smoke trail in the sky which turns out to be a roasting lizard, and the second trail is the blacksmith who is interested to see you, and is not greatly occupied with work.

PT

"Greetings Mastersmith, I have a couple of matters to speak to you about, a few items I would like to have made. The first is so simple it is probally apprentice work, I need a practice sword about the same length and weight as the sword I will carry into battle. It doesnt need to be fancy to well made since all I will be doing is using it to hone my skills with a sword. A dull balde and a blunted point would be just perfect, but the hilt might be a bit challanging."

I show him the strange hilt of my sword for measurements.

"The second matter involves armor. All of the armor I've seen among the People and the Thanar has been leather. While leather is easy to work with, it doesnt provide much protection against a blade of javelin point. I have a couple of designs that would be lighter than solid metal armor, and give the wearer much more protection than simply leather. One design involves interlocking steel rings, many, many, many of them. But you can put them together in a way that lets out make any shape you wish. The other is overlapping smaller pieces, like the scales on a lizard. Both will provide decent protection and the new designs will put you on the cutting edge of armor design. They are usually fitted onto a leather shirt and trousers with rivets."

I stand back and see how he reacts to a new development in his trade.

He measures you for your arms, and thinks about it for a while.

"You do realize this hand grip is not the best hand grip for your current vessel? I cannot make a sword of the weight of the Sword of Smoke.  Whatever they used, I do not know.  But it was not steel."

The Sword is very light, a few ounces.

"I can see what you mean, but making rings is a lot of work.  You have to make wire which is hard, and then then bend it which is not so bad, and fuse them together which is a challenge too. Scale like a lizards might be easier to fashion.  Rivets, hmmh, I would have used hooks, but I can see the point of rivets."

He starts putting on some pieces of scrap metal and heating them up, and invites you to join him in the making of a few scales.

PT
OOC: I think making wire was quite challenging at a post-Bronze Age tech, and that no one has made steel wire yet.  And the Sword is pretty obviously 'unusual'.  Its either magic or supertech.  You don't know of anything from Modern America that could have produced it, I would think.

I gladly join the smith in working metal but its soon apperant that I am a rank amature at the very best. Still, its nice to work with my hands and see something that I helped to make come out of my efforts. After a while I step back and thank the Smith for letting me participate it the beguining stages of my Scale Mail Armor. I let him know that a heavier sword is actually better for practice, because if I get used to swinging its weight the Sword of Smoke will seem like a feather in my hands.

After bidding the smith farewell, I go and try to find Higgs so we can get in some sword practice before its time for the meal.


OOC: I sorta figured that Ring or Chain Mail would be a little too difficult, but I had to put the idea in the Smiths head. And I thought that when Jesse recived the Sword of Smoke that it was very heavy in his hand? I'm guessing that was the weight of responsibility that comes with carrying the sword?
This message was last edited by the player at 20:13, Tue 06 Dec 2005.

You practise with Higgs, but it quickly becomes apparent that you need another sword since in the first three minutes you put two notches in his blade.  And he complains that he can't hardly look at your blade to block it.

You continue on with another of your trooper's swords which is again a bit off for you as they have different hands, but you and Higgs manage to get in a good work out.  You can feel your skills improving as you practise most days.

Then he asks you...

"Do you think I ought to do a demonstration of javelin and riding with the new stirrups, or should I keep that a secret?"

PT

"Lets keep that to yourselves until we see what the mood of this place is toward us, and until after I speak with Shepherd again. We could use these people as allies, but if there is any involvement with the Thanar, we dont want to tip our hand. Instead, why dont you talk to the warriors here and see if anything out of the ordinary has been going on in hte last few months."

After Higgs sets off, I practice sword forms solo with the Sword of Smoke until just before meal time. I intend to eat with my troops unless Ancestor Speaker or the counsil wishes me to dine with them.

You eat with your troops that day, and the next.  And gradually you see that the chief of the Bright Village is not a Thanarian, but is instead trying to be neutral.

Indeed, you are walking up to your sword practise with Higgs the next day, and around a hut walks four Thanarian troopers.

"Deadman. We are going to feed your guts to the rats."  Actually the word 'rats' he says conjures more of an image of a small lizardoid scavenger of startling speed and voraciousness, but also weighing about a pound full grown.

"If we are nice, we kill you first."  Another says and laughs.

PT

I lay one hand on my swod hilt and my entire body tenses up. I remeber what the chief said about not shedding blood so instead of drawing my sword and killing the four I decide to taunt them a little.

"Its been tried. Many times, by many people much better than you. I take it Va-lilk-domin-'crummmm recieved my message? Thats good, I didnt really want to bother tracking down and killing more of you lizard loving, dung piles to send the  same message over and over. Although...I may get bored and start hunting you for sport. If I can gather enough of you into one place I might even work up a sweat killing you all. I doubt it though, your all weak, soft and about as dangerous as a vessel with no mind. Run away little Thanarian and you might even live a couple of days longer, or you can stay and fight. At least your soul wont have far to travel to the Flux if you do."

I spit on the ground at his feet then glare coldly at him, almost daring him to make a move.

One grabs and half-draws his sword, but the leader puts an arm on his sword forearm.

"Peace. We are at peace, remember. Gor-din-far-'surmm. Remember. We 'respect the neutrality of the village' because we 'seek only peaceful expansion'."  He turns and smiles at you.

"You will not trick us so easy.  But I would be real careful when you ride back home. Sometimes that road is very hazardous.  Bandits you know."

The others chuckle.

"We relayed your message. Soon we will deal with your little village. Soon, it will be a corral for lizards, and your council building's foundations will be a pond for lizards to bathe in. A week from now, a month from now. It matters little. Deadman."  He stares coldly at you with a malicious cruelty.  "My name is Sor-zi-nast'lummmm, Captain of Ten, I pray I will be there when we capture you. And no, we are not afraid of the Shepherd.  He and all his like will bow to the Thanar as all will."

PT

"Bandits? I hope they are better trained than the last ones I encountered and killed, if not we wont even have to slow our mounts while we take them down."

I laugh in his face then turn to Higgs and say;

"Remeber the names Gor-din-far-'surmm and Sor-zi-nast'lummmm. We will carve them on a gravestone with the epitaph 'Lizard raping, carrion eating cowards. But at least they talked like warriors even if they fought like sissies'. Do you notice the concern and attention they put on lizards? Could I have been correct when I intimated that they had sexual realtions with them? Oh well, I guess we will have to save lizards everywhere from being molested by the Thanar."

Eight of the locals come rushing around the corner about this time, and with relief observe that no one is dead.

They separate your two groups, and pointedly advise you to avoid the Thanar while at the same time you can hear them apologizing to the Thanar for the 'inconvenience, but you know, thats what being neutral means...it means neutral.'

PT

I take my troops and we go to our sword practice. When we are done I go to the blacksmith to check on the progress of my armor. While I'm there I ask him if he has decided on a price yet.

He shrugs.

"I don't really know yet, my friend."  He says the last bit with a keen look at you to make sure you catch it. "Its going to be expensive even if I cut you the best deal I can afford.  That is a lot of work, and much of it is stuff that I am not sure of.  Plus its a goodly weight of metal, and not just any metal, but steel. Are you sure you don't want to do copper?  Perhaps five full-grown, and broke lizard beasts would cover it for the steel.  Three for the copper."

PT
OOC: I'm not sure how much it should be, but its going to be a lot, I would think.  I'd be glad for insight on this issue.

With a grin I start to make my pitch....

"I agree that the armor would be worth five broken and trained lizards if you were the inventor of this new armor type. But considering that I have shown you a new design that will undoubtedly make you a very wealthy smith...well, I told you about two, we just decided to go with this one. Another thing to consider Mastersmith, If I can give you two entirely new ideas about armor is a single meeting, what other innovations do I have within me? I have weapon designs, tool designs, ideas to increase the efficancy of your forge... I would be willing to share some of these with you if we can come to a reasonable price for my armor."

He scratches his face.

"Hmm, that is a good point. Let us say, I was thinking you were wanting many of these. And I was trying for the price for many of them.  For you alone, and for say two more good ideas, I would give the armor to you for one broken-in lizard."

He leans back, and pours out some of the local milk beer for you and him as he settles himself for some serious bargainning.

PT

"You were correct in thinking I will want many of these... in the future. Every warrior that sees how effective this new armor is will want a set for themself. Not just every warrior in the Red River Village, or the Bright Village, but every warrior everywhere. This one design alone could make you the second most famous smith the People have ever known. And most likely the wealthiest. But in order for everyone to see how effective the armor is, you will need someone to demonstrate it on a large scale. My troops and I would be more than willing to do so for you, risking life and limb, for no more than the armor itself. And being a generous man I will throw in one new idea that will bring even more wealth to you and your entire village if you market it correctly."

I sit back and enjoy the milk beer and grin. This is just another type of battle and I'm finding that I enjoy it a great deal.

"You build a shining bridge to the future with your words, and I can see the country you describe, but for one problem, there are not enough stones to build the bridge."

He gets up, and leads you into the back of his forge.  There on the floor in stone fences about six inches high are piles of metals and charcoal, and even a little coal.  Wood javelin pieces with and without the heads are on the walls hung across long pegs.

"This is my storage area. Notice the smallest pile is iron. It is hard to work with. The mines that produce it are few.  I have enough iron, if I were to work only on your armours to make perhaps two armours. If I give them to you for the idea you gave me, and for future ideas, I will starve in the present.  Not all of my village has the wealth to build armour for all of the soldiers you will need.  And mind you, I am one of the richer men in my village."

He shrugs.

"If you can unriddle this, then you will truly deserve the Shepherd's Crook."

PT

"Perhaps you are right Mastersmith. I would dearly love to have all of my troops outfitted, but not at the cost of the man doing the work. What would you say to the first suit you have already started for me, and one of bronze for an idea that would allow you to purchase much more iron and make a tidy profit? As a matter of fact I can give you the plans for a device that wouldnt be worth much here, but would be of enourmous value to those you purchase wood from. Its simple, easy to make and wouldnt require much metal at all. With it you could bargin for lower prices on the wood and charcoal that you and your village need, turning some of the profit toward the purchase of more iron."

I lean back and think for a moment and a slow smile spreads across my face.

"I can even travel to the Flux and ask Shepherd if there are any deposits of iron that are close by and are not known to your miners."

How am I doing Tilnak? I want to help this smith and gain favor in this village, but I dont want to sell out our smith by giving this one too many ideas.

He clasps your hand in his, and smiles.

"Yes, we will do that."

You take your leave of him, and Tilnak replies.

"I think it is okay. Both of these smiths like you a lot.  Plus both are convinced that you are key to their personal survival. And you did not promise exclusivity on the wood-working device."

You make your way out of the village, and back down to the Flux with one of your troopers as a guard.

Once there, you meet with Shepherd again.

"There is much iron, but much of it is in the trails in the ground, the trails that bring back the dead to the Flux."

PT

"Thank you Shepherd, I think I'm beguining to understand a little more. Everytime I've been in the presense of a person changing vessels, I've felt a tremdous amount of ozone in the air, and the Flux seems to be composed of harnessed electricity. In my human brian all activity is electrical, I'm beguining to think that the People transfer from vessel to vessel and to the Flux by very similar means. The iron in the ground acts as a conductor for the souls of the People doesnt it? If we were to mine too much, or in the wrong place, it would create blocks that would interfer with their souls returning here, wouldnt it? If thats the case we cannot risk causing damage to that natural mechinism. Are there undiscovered deposits that arent in a direct path of conductivity?"

I sit on the ground and think about the situation a little more.

"I have had an encounter with Thanarians in the Bright Village that has convinced me even more that they are detirmined to conquer all that they can through the bloodiest means possible, becoming dictators in this land. I have spent my entire adult life fighting against such people. I need a way to combat them that wont hurt the People. My brain is a complex structure and much of it is untapped. Tilank and I have started to unlock some of its potential."

I concentrate on a small stone nearby, and focus on it, trying to levitate it to my hand. (Assuming this works, I go on with my conversation.)

"Is there anything you can do to help with opening up the unused areas without either killing me or causing harm to Tilnak? While you are taking a look, glance through the memories of the recent encounter I had with the Thanar, they seem to hold no fear or awe of you at all."

You feel some stabs in your mind.

"Mmm. Electricity. A very difficult way of looking at things. Perhaps. I have to say, my mind hurts.  To you, I'm afraid how we Ancestors see the world must seem terribly primitive.  I do know we are associated with lightning somehow.

Yes, there are a number of spots near here. Hmm. Five to be exact.  And I will ask around, but I'm sure there's some near the Red River Village. In fact, I think I recall that being a very dense area for that. The metals staining the river sometimes after spring floods. Hence the name.

You are right about the Thanarians, I feel. Others disagree with me.

If Tilnak were to leave your body, which he is ready to do, then he would be in no danger. However, while I a more powerful than he is, he is also a resident. And unlike your people, my people have no legends of such abilities. I think because our vessels totally lack the ability to do such.

I will certainly relay the Thanarians words to some friends of mine. And perhaps, perhaps, I may have a chance to teach them respect..."

You can tell he is thinking on something.

PT

"No Shepherd, I dont see the People as primitive. You can do some things that amaze me. My people are more techonoglicaly advance, but I think I can explain the reason for that. When our bodies die, that it, we are gone for the world. So we are driven to make our marks in the world. Either by invention, discovery, exploration or other means. But those advances can come at a price. While it true I'm trying to bring some of our advances to your world, I'd like to limit it to areas of defeating the Thanar, and some creature comforts. Take another look into my mind and you will see that our so called advanced society also has some truely terrible downfalls. Our wars, pollution and and general destruction of our planet are things I would rather not see here.


If You could give me the locations of two of those five undiscovered deposits around the Bright Village and all of those around the Red River Valley that wont harm the natural conductor for your peoples souls, I can do a lot towards manufacturing equipment to battle the Thanar.


Perhaps once Tilnak has learned what he needs from me and has entered another vessel, I can come back here and we can discover a way for the two of us to communicate over long distances."


I sit back and listen, curious to see what kind of nasty surprises a vast intelligence like Shepherd can come up with for the Thanar.

He gives you the locations he knows.  That comes to two near Bright and four near Red River Village.

"I'm sure there is more near Red, but its been a couple thousand years since I looked into that."

He pauses, and you sense his mind working, occasionally touching and delving into yours.

"My chief limitation is that I am bound to the Flux. And my second one is that there are other Archetypes who don't want to join your war, or favor the other side. They would be very angry if I told certain things.  However, they would have a hard time forbidding things you request, partially because helping out the embodied is what we do, and partially because you being alien are so hard to predict.

Your chief limitation is that this world does not have the wealth to build the armies I see in your mind.  Even the more primitive armies we could not.   We could manage a Greek phalanx, but a poor one for wood is in short supply.  Or we could manage knights in shining armor.  You have already started that snowball rolling to use one of your interesting images.  How my people will love snowball fights.  Anyways, your second limitation is that you don't immortality.  You need to guard your life.

I hate to say this, but the Bright Village is your greatest threat right now. They seek to create a League of Neutrals. The chief is a good man for a time of peace, but he cannot see that somethings are not susceptible to being more understanding.  You seek to create a League of Defiance. Only one of you can succeed."

PT

Frowning a little I start back to the village after thanking Shepherd and assuring him that I will return for visits when I am able to. I tell Higgs that we are leaving after the blacksmith is finished with the armor, and he needs to have the men ready at a moments notice. Before I leave for the smithy I gather writing materials and draw up a basic two man lumber jack's saw, detailing the teeth of it as best as I can rember.

I make my way to the blacksmith to check on the progress of the two suits of Scale mail and try to think of ways to convince him to relocate to the Red River Village.

The smith tells you he should be done in a week or two.  He shakes his head at the thought of leaving, although he is very interested in your saw design.

"I've lived her a hundred summers, and I have a good business, and the people here need me.  Should I go an impose on my friend in Red River?  No, no, I think not."

Later, you are walking down a pathway between huts toward the Visitor's Area, when Higgs spins to draw his sword, and someone plows into your back.  A knife goes past your ear, and into the soil as you crash to your stomach.

A whisper in your ear from your assailant.

"Don't kill me, please."

PT

Grabbing the person by his chest hair and slamming them into the closest wall I see, I bare my teeth in a savage grin.

"You attacked me from behind, explain why I shouldnt kill you. You might want to make it fast though, I havent had the chance to see what the Sword of Shadows will do to someone, and I'm very curious."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:22, Mon 12 Dec 2005.

You notice that he is dressed differently from the locals. He must be one of the Visitors, and indeed you are near the visitors' area.

There are some people nearby.

He takes his razor sharp blade, and in a crude downward stabbing motion goes at your left arm, but still he misses.

"I kill you!" He screams.

PT

I slam him againt the wall again and again, then slam a punch into his stomach. As he crumples to the ground (assuming he does), take his blade away and tuck it into my belt. then order Higgs to drag him into our hut.

"First you beg me not to kill you, then you try to kill me again. Who exactly are you, and why where you trying to kill me? If I dont get some answers soon, I'm going to drag you so far into the middle of the Flux you will never find your way out."

Dont worry Tilnak, its a bluff. I wont enter any further into the Flux than needed to communicate with Shepherd, but he doesnt know that.

"Just do it then." He weeps and to your surprise you think he's sincere.

"We'll take him." A couple Thanarian say. "This Dig River person is in our Protectorate.  He has assaulted you, and will be punished harshly for this crime."

The two Thanarians are reaching for him, and would be closer, but Higgs has his blade out, and is keeping them at a distance as he stands at your back.

"There's something weird going on." Tilnak says.

PT

"I think not. I've seen Thanar justice before, and I think I'll handle this myself, besides, if you monkeys start doing me favors I might lose the urge to butcher the lot of you, and we cant have that, now can we?"

I agree my friend, once we get him into private I can question him fully.

"Higgs, take the prisioner to our hut for interrogation. Make sure no one but our people have access to him."

I turn to glare at the Thanar, daring them to countermand my orders.

Higgs backs up, his sword still out, and grabs the assasin by the ear, and yanks him to his feet.  It looks and sounds like it hurt.

The other two approach closer, and then spread so you have a hard time keeping them both in your sight at the same time.  Their hands are on their sword belts near their swords.

"Give him back to us.  He will be harshly punished. We promise. He feet will be tied to a rock, and his hands will be holding a rock at a river's edge." One Thanar laughs. "Eventually the river wins. It always does."

You can hear running feet. A number of them.

PT

"Not gonna happen. His attack was against me, so its my right to decide his fate. You dont really want to push the issue, aside from the prohabition on bloodshed here, I could easily kill the both of you, and all the other Thanar here by myself."

I back up to the wall I had been banging the might be assassin agianst and let my right hand settle on the hilt of the Sword of Smoke.

If the Thanar want him so badly, thats just one more reason to keep him from them. Besides, those attacks seemed staged to me. Too clumsy....

Whatever they might say is aborted as a loose mob of a dozen Bright Villagers comes pounding around the corner.

A militant figure, who you think is on the Council, hollers for everyone to stand down, and the orders his own people to draw their weapons...if there is any resistance.

He then looks at you.

"You again. Can't you seem to stop making trouble?"

PT

"I guess not. I have this silly instinct to react to agression with argession. Maybe if your other guests were a little better behaved, I wouldnt be in the spotlight quite so much."

I spit at the feet of the Thanarians and head for our hut, eager to question this new potential ally.

You head for the hut, and about two huts over, in between several others you see what looks almost comical.

The assassin is in the mud, on his back, thwailing away wildly, occasionally connecting with Higgs in the face, but doing no serious damage, and trying to push backwards, and escape.  Higgs has one hand on the other's chest, and is occasionally yelling.

"Stop it, you dimwit!" And then punching the other with a not full force, but still serious punch.

"YOU have to let me go, please."  The assasin begs.

PT

I chuckle quietly, then assist Higgs in getting our reluctant, mud spattered assassin into our hut.

"Alright then....your attempts to kill me were so patheticaly inept, that I have to assume they werent in ernest. The Thanarians mentioned something about Dig River Village being under their control, so I have the feeling this has a lot to do with that. Tell me what is really going on and we might be able to work out something that benifits both your people and those of the Red River Village. Make no mistake, we are both enemies of the Thanar, and sometimes the enemy of my enemy is my ally."


Tilnak, what can you tell me about the Dig River Village and its people?

"Later." He says, and sprints away, escaping unless you stop him.

Higgs looks at you with disgust.

"The Dig River people. Its a very fertile valley, near where the Thanar live.  The Dig, well, they are not accounted to be brave.  But then neither do they, like the Yar Vale people do, tell you great stories of their bravery,a nd then run at the first sign of battle. Instead they tell you how bad they are at war, and yet at the great Battle at the end of the Dark Times, the Dig stood with the rest, although to be fair, they had two very tough units on either side of them to help prop them up.

Hmm, they are also considered to be quite religious. A very pious people much given to pilgrimages to the Flux."

Tilnak says.

"I did not visit them in my ambassadorship for I felt they were firmly under the Thanar's hold."

PT

I do decide to stop him. As he attempts to run away, I grab him by the nape of his neck, and the seat of his pants(you said he was dressed diffrently, so I'm assuming that includes pants) and carry him into our hut. I deposit him in the middle of the floor and give orders that all exits be blocked. Taking the manner of an Irish sergent I had in my first tour of duty, I  beguin to speak to the 'prisioner'.

"Listen up boyo, I've saved you from a horrible death at the hands of the Thanarians, I've held my wrath when you showed me hostility, and I'm running out of nerves for you to trod upon. If there is something so desprate that you are willing to risk fighting my corpral, and being captured by the Thanar, you had best be telling us about it now."

Your comming along very nicely Tilnak. I'd like to attribute some of that to my memories that you are studying, but I can tell a lot of it is from yourself. As far as them not being great warriors, you dont have to swing a blade to contribute to the war effort. We need people to work the fields and mines, to repair and strengthen to fortress, to assist the smith and healer. If we can get them out from under the thumb of the Thanar, I think we can give them a place in our fight that will allow them to be of great help and not offend their pride. I'll have to speak to our chief and counsil to get the details approved, but I'm already working on an idea. About how many of the Dig River People are there?

"I'm not sure, but the Dig River Valley is very populous. There are villages that are within sight of each other."  Tilnak says.

"Throw me in the Flux, or let me be captured by the Thanar, but I cannot stay here. There is no time. Please, Chosen One of the Shepherd, let me go. You have to let me go. I cannot be with you in private."

The assassin is on his knees pleading.

"Ummm." Tilnak says drawing a blank.  The assasin looks at your blade, and you can see an idea flash across his face. He can run himself through on your sword.

PT

With a look of utter disgust, I wave Higgs away from the door, allowing the Dig villager to make his escape. After he goes I decide its time for more sword practice, I think I'm becoming a decent fighter with one, but after our practice session, I ask Higgs for a completely objective opinion of my skills, stressing what I have mastered and what I still need to work on. I plan to spend the remaining time until the two suits of armor are complete training as much as possible and trying to stay out of trouble. I decide to wait until I pick up the armor to tell the smith about the two sites that can be mined, saving it for a parting gift.

As I sit alone after practice, I realize that I might not survive the comming war and I know that generals that lead from the front lines have a high casualty rate. I want to help the people as much as I can, so I gather writing materials and start writing down ideas for the chief and counsil of the Red River Village.

1) Irrigation trenches, and a lizard powered water delivery system. I include diagrams on how to dig the trenches so that the water reaches the plants, but isnt so close that it drowns them. And a drawing of a lizard harnessed to a wheel, geared to a leather belt with leather buckets to feed the irrigation system.

2) Forrestry plans. I detail a plan to purchase saplings when wood is bought for the village, and a grove layout that doesnt put the trees too close together when they start to reach their useful growth. I add that every year there will be more saplings found under the existing trees from falling seeds, and that they should be removed and replanted some distance from the parent tree to allow the root systems to be healthy. Once the trees are mature enough to harvest for lumber, I stress that everyone taken MUST be replaced by no less than two saplings.

3) A diagram for a water powered saw mill. Using a water wheel for power, geared to a large saw blade (which I also include drawings of), and controled by leather belts.



After I have finished these drawings and descriptions, I have Tilnak and Higgs read over and memorize them, so even if my notes are destroyed, the ideas will still be there for future use. I know that the Taylor Forrest, as I laughingly call it wont be a reality in my lifetime, but every man needs to leave a postive legacy.

Higgs speaks candidly.

"You are steadily increasing in skill. You approach the skill of professional soldiers, although a Swordmaster would of course defeat you.  The fact that you are stronger and tougher than most of us, this helps greatly. And your sword, although hard to grasp, is a definite advantage."

1@8 Swordsmanship. 2@1 is a beginning pro soldier.

"I am a little more skillful, but I doubt that in a real fight I could take you. In fact, I doubt that two of me could take you. You fight with such fury."

================================================================================

There are more provocations, but you bite your tongue, and press on.

  The 'assassin' is sentenced to die, and is brought to the river to be executed.  Its not pleasant, and it serves the Thanar's goals of making them seem just, and at the same time making them see terrifying.

You become aware there is a group of friends in the Bright Village, of which the smith is one, who feel a need for new leadership in the Bright Village.

Your armor is done, and as you are about to leave, the Ancestor Speaker comes to you.

"I wish to go with you, and converse with the Flux one more time."

PT

"I would be honored Ancestor Speaker. I have one little errand to run before we leave for the Flux, and that should give you plenty of time to gather mounts and an escort. I know that you realize I'm no threat to you, but we must show that I am more than willing to adhere to rules set for me by host villages."

I make my way to the smith and tell him where he can find the two iron deposits that Shepherd has shown me, and wish him luck in replacing the chief. I tell him that if the new leader is inclined toward an alliance with the Red River Village, I will do everything in my power to make it happen, and if the situation goes bad and he and his confederates need a place to call home, I will put them up in the fortress in the Red River Village.

I go back to where I left the Ancestor Speaker and mount up, waiting for him to lead the way to the Flux. I fully intend to tell Shepherd about the plans I have drawn up, and also about the faction that wishes to change leadership in the Bright Village.

The smith nods thoughtfully.

"I've tried to talk to the chief, but he doesn't want to listen.  He only knows the truth. And the truth is that the Thanar are not our enemies, to listen to him."

He shakes his head.

"I wish I could live in his world where fighting was just a lack of good talking by honest people."

Later...

You arrive at the Flux and the Shepherd is there.

"I have someone who wants to meet you."

There is a pause, and a much weaker personality speaks.

"I'm sorry for trying to stab you with the knife."

PT

"I thought I might run into you here, you should have let me know that this was your destination, I could have made it much less painful. What do you have to tell me that might help both of our villages?"

As I wait, I send Shepherd the information about the improvements I want to make, but I ask him to keep them from all but the Red River Village for one hundred years. Then to share all but hte saw mill with everyone.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:39, Tue 13 Dec 2005.

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't plan on ending up here.  But I could not have the Thanarians think I was conspiring with you, my lord.  They would have killed my whole village.  I wanted to be tossed out of the village, and have you meet me there, but...well, it didn't work.  At least, they still believe I was actually trying to assasinate you.  The people of my village, I am confident they would support you, and once you have one village, perhaps you can have the whole valley up in flames.

We, in the Dig Valley, we provide much of the food for the Thanarian Empire. But they treat us as slaves.  They hardly let us out of their sight. Yet, they treat us to horrors.

I have seen with my own eyes People that were thrown in, questioned, and when found to be not of the proper mind, thrown back into the Flux.  Worse, I have seen the deliberate joining of two minds for the sake of brighter fires.

I want your help for my people. You are the Chosen of the Shepherd."

Tilnak shudders.

"What he describes is unthinkable. The addition of one mind to another is forbidden, but to do so deliberately, and with intent to force the minds into a quick merge is ...murder. Such a mind cannot long survive, perhaps a few months.  It is said that such 'People' may be brilliant beyond knowledge, or fight like demons, but they are all incurably insane."

PT

I start to tremble with rage as secnes of Bosnia,Croatia,Columbia and other countries that commited horrible atrocities flash through my mind. I was always a soldier and never enjoyed the killing, but there were times and places that I felt justified in using every lethal weapon the Marines made available to me. Crimes against humanity were among those situations.

"We must stop this. Shepherd, I want you to bring this to all the Archetypes and see how they feel about the Thanar now. I might not be able to bring soldiers from the Red River Village with me on this. I will be doing things to the Thanar that defy description."

I sit back and try to master my rage while waiting on suggestions from the others.

"I will tell those, but while it will sway many, it will not turn the mass. A fear that dares not name itself lives in the Flux.  They claim to seek justice, and they claim to be amused by the Thanar's childish ambitions, and those behind them, but in truth they live in fear, but are too proud, too lazy to say this.  Because if they said it, that would require them to do something.

However, yes, I think I can sway perhaps twenty more to my side with this.

But sad as it may be, were you to destroy the Thanar, then most of the hundreds would flock to my side, and claim to have always been my supporters."

The Shepherd's voice is surprisingly bitter.  Being in his presence is like bathing in oil of wormwood.  Your stomach turns, and despair fills the air like a thick cloud.

"It is a bitter thing for a 'god' to acknowledge.  But unless I want to start a war in the Flux, I am considered by the 'sensible' to be a nut."

Rage percolates through your veins, a rage with an intensity so sere, hot arid, a killing wind.  It is not of your own making, but it blends with yours easily.  And you see that the Shepherd could easily just 'glare' you to death.

"I would rather die the Final Death than kneel to the Thanar. I swear this by the Flux."  The Shepherd speaks the oath with calm intensity.  His emotions switching yet again.

PT

Tilnak, are you ready to transfer to another vessel? If you are I will ask the smith for the finest one that the Bright Village has to offer and come back here and have the Dig Villager join me. I need someone that knows exactlly how things lay in the area I'm going and I need you with the knowledge that you have learned from me to supervise the war preperations in the Red River Village. Between you and Murr, I think things will be under control there.

I run my idea past Shepherd and the Villager.

"What is your name anyway?"

They like the idea. However, Tilnak points out that it is somewhat dangerous for the Villager, whose name is Zi-Lat-Im-'surrmmmm.

"He has recently transferred.  But he seems willing to risk his life, and the Shepherd will help.  I would 'go for it'.  I admit I will miss you my friend.  But, I will also be glad to be able to eat my food again, and scratch my nose when I want to."

You head back to the village, and a lustrous, bright-eyed vessel is presented to Tilnak who examines him for several long minutes.

"This is very fine. Very fine. Indeed. Thank you."  He says, taking control of your voice.  Then you and him wait some hours alone, meditating as he prepares himself.

The vessel is brought in, and you kneel before it, and it kneels before you.  Both your foreheads almost touch.  A scent of ozone fills your nostrils, a brilliant light seems to shine from every object in the room, and you feel as if your brains were running down your nose.  Its startling, and you fight to repress a sneeze.  Its not wholly successful.

A dozen different sense sensations flare at once..you smell strawberries, hear a Gregorian chant, taste chocolate...

And then their is a pop, in your head, and its done.

You have a headache. Tilnak mutters to himself for a bit.

"I am okay, I believe, but I have a bit of transition sickness. Mild."  He says gingerly.

"Indeed." The Ancestor Speaker says. "Your aura is disturbed, and wrinkled. You will need a week or two of rest and meditation.  But I see no gaps. And your central flame burns brightly."

PT

"Another week or two in this place....No offence Ancestor Speaker, but I was looking to putting your village behind me. Please stay here with Tilnak, I have some buisness to attend to in the Flux. And Tilnak, that vessel looks good on ya, I'll be back as soon as I am able."

I ride out to the Flux, leave my lizard with one of my troops and make my way into the shimmering field.

"It looks like we have at least another week or two before we can set our plan in motion. Take that week to gain strength Zi-Lat-Im, I will spend it in sword practice. Shepherd, since Tilnak is no longer with me, can you do anything to study my brain structure and puzzle out any of those gifts we spoke of earlier? There are two in particular that I would like to access and gain mastery over, telepathy; the ability to read and transmit thought, and pyrokensis; the ability to start and control fires with the mind. I can dedicate a third of my time here learning those, another third in sword practice and the final third in rest."

Two days later as you sit with the Shepherd, he touches your brain after a great deal of study which involves you sitting still for hours at a time.

And suddenly you can 'hear' the thoughts of your guard.

*This is so boring. I mean yeah, its the Flux, but still...*

You chuckle, and turn your gaze on another of the entourage.  The new connection is weaker, but...

*Oh great. The Boss is looking at me. Got to look military. Shoulders back. Yeah, don't be too obvious....*

And another...

*Aagh, that mushroom is stuck in my teeth.*

"Well it seems it succeeded, Jesse. I'm impressed with the capabilities of your vess..err body."  The Shepherd says.

PT
OOC: Read Surface Thoughts 1@2.

"This seems to work out much better with you. If you look into my memories you will see some of the blunders Tilnak and I made. I still owe him a house for one of those. Are you ready to try fire?"

I cant stop grinning. As soon as I set myself on a mission of justice, things start to fall into place, like they are suspose to.

I concentrate on the trooper and try to send my thoughts to him.

At ease trooper. I know this is a dull duty, so there is no need to stand at attention while I'm sitting on the ground.

The Shepherd is more inclined to wait until the next day.  So on the following day, you are back out there, trying to learn pyro.  He messes around inside your brain for a bit, but nothing.

On your last day, he does something, and then hisses in disapointment.

"I'm sorry, this nodule should be pyrokinetic, I think.  But I can't seem to get any response from it.  It just sits there, humming to itself, not doing anything in particular."

Unless you are willing to wait another day, this is the last time...


PT

I decide to go ahead and wait one more day. Tilank and Zi-Lat-Im could both probally use the extra bit of rest, and to be honest so could I. I feel a bit tired from all of the sword practice and mental excersizes, but stronger at the same time. I let my troops know that as soon as Shepherd and I try our experiment one last time, we will all be leaving. I want them to make ready, but very quietly so we dont let the whole village know about it. While I am in the village I try a little experiment of my own, I try sending my thoughts to Shepherd from outside of the Flux.

I dont know if you are able to hear this Shepherd, but if so let me know about it the first thing tomorrow.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:28, Thu 15 Dec 2005.

You did manage to send your thoughts to the guard.  It did not startle him as much as a human would have been, but still it shocked him.

The next day, the Shepherd denies hearing you, but suggests that in some important respects he is different than an en-vesselled People.

"You may find talking to your own people different than what you have done so already."

He pokes around in your brain, and finally admits that he thinks it should work, and can't see why it doesn't.  Pyrokinesis evades you.

Then the troops come out to meet you, and you all just keep on riding away from town.

PT

Before we ride away I take out my digital camera and snap a couple of quick pictures of the Flux. I know its silly, but something as impressive as teh shimmering wall makes me react out of habit.

I order two men to ride in a scout position, but within hollering distance. The Thanar have already threatened to block and attack us with bandits, so I want everyone on high alert. I also let them know that watchfulness is more important than formation.

"Higgs, I want you to drop back just out of sight and keep watch on our rear. Set off one of the flash grenades if you see that we are being followed, then ride like your life depends on it...because it probaly does."

Are you getting used to 'riding' with me yet Zi-Lat-Im? It was strange for Tilnak when we first started, but I think you will get used to it soon. I'll try to keep us in the light as much as possible so you can continue to gain strength.

Your men take their positions, and are admirably alert.  Nothing like the stone-cold feeling of certainty that there will be an ambush to make a fellow stay awake...

"Its different. I was a farmer, a slave really, then a pilgrim, then dead,in the Flux, and now I'm living inside an alien. I've given up trying to guess what will happen next."  He lapses into silence.

You go that whole day, looking for trouble, but nothing shows itself.  As the light fades, the men begin to prepare for camp...

PT

I orgingze a watch,two me awkae  at all time for 2 hour shifts. Thr only exception is Tilnak, I want him to get as much rest as he possibly can.


Those roles are in your past my friend. Perhaps one day you can go back to being a farmer, but you will never be a slave again. For now, you are studying to be a soldier. I want you to look through my memories and study them. Learn what you can about warfare from mebecause the fight agaisnt the Thanar will be a long, bloody one. But its a fight we can win.

Your visitor 'nods' agreement, and you begin to feel faint prickles in your thoughts, and occasionally see a flash of a military exercise, a war game, a text on efficient destruction.

The night passes, you share breakfast with the others, and you all head up the valley.  An hour later, a scout comes riding back to you from out of the sun.

"War Leader. About two hunded lizard lengths ahead is a quick fortification across the road.  I counted five spears held in the air above the wall.  It is not a good place for us. It is on a slope, and to the right and the left are small caves.  Plus there are many small rocks on the path. Bad footing.  I think they saw me."

And suddenly in your head, you can 'see' the section of road, minus the fort.  Then a fort appears as it was described.

"I used to travel a lot, I remember this road well."  Your visitor says.

PT

"If they want to force a confrontation, we shouldnt disappoint them...too much. We will give them a fight, but not on the ground they have prepared, and not with the sun in our eyes. The last group of bandits I encountered tried a similar tactic, and it didnt work for them either."

I order the troops to ready their javelins and greanades, letting them know that I want them used before things go to sword combat. Then I load and chamber a round into my rifle. I make sure I have extra ammo for it and my pistol within easy reach and start to belly crawl into the pass, halting when I see their fort. I look though my scope for an easy target and if I see one, I take the shot.

You lo-crawl up there, and plant your rifle next to a large boulder about fifteen feet off the main path, and wait.  A minute, five minutes, and about the ninth minute, a People stands up to scout.

The barrier across the path is five feet high, twenty feet wide, and has four foot deep side walls which makes it a formidable three-sided fort.  Someone went to a lot of effort to get your head for a trophy.

To your right and left, you can see three and four small caves in the narrow and shallow valley walls.

Boom!

Your shot takes the stander's head off.

About a minute later, another People sticks its head out the side...

PT

I take the second shot and if time allows I reload my rifle and keep taking shots as tehy appear. If not, I ready my pistol and the grenades I brought with me. If I cant sit back and snipe them off, I intend to wait for their rush and take one or two with my pistol, throw a couple of grenades, and then retreat to my men, firing back at the Thanar every ten feet.

You take another shot, something odd about its movement, and then you realize that a couple flankers from the caves on each side of you have slipped out, and are moving behind medium yet hard cover, large stones to circle behind you.

They are not all that good at hiding, and neither are they that good at finding cover.  But they are starting to get the idea as you teach them about a new weapon.

PT

I pull out my USMC zippo and light a grenade, then toss it at the nearest flanker and shift my sights on the other one. I reach out with my mind in two seperate excersizes. The first is to try and scan for thoughts behing the wall, the second is to send the information I have already gathered about the situation to Higgs, and tell him to wait unitl he sees me running back toward them to beguin any kind of attack.

Your rather large grenade goes flying, and lands about five feet from your target. The flanker leaps back from it, not like he's diving for cover, more like he's jumping back from a rattlesnake, but it helps.  The blast picks him up, and cartwheels him over another rock.

He's injured, but how badly is another question. If he's tough, you think he's still a threat. If he's a wimp, he's going to lay low.

You reach out, and 'hear'...

*Need to send out another empty vessel for that magician to kill.  How is he doing it? The previous one said he killed at a distance, but we didn't believe him. I guess we were wrong.*

And then it degenerates into visions of various tortures they could inflict on you.  The most interesting part is that it allows you to see how you look to the People. This one sees you as some sort of almost undead dwarf with huge muscles and with a very creepy only two eyes.

You send your message, and recieve a reply.

"Aye War Leader. We're ready. Actually, we're getting impatient. They hear the noise, and they want to go adn charge."

PT

All good things to those who wait, Higgs. I'm going to fall back to your position and see if they really want to force a confrontation. If they do, they will come boiling out after me, if not they will sit tight and give me time to work up another idea.

I send out to the Thanar behind the wall once more to try and get some idea of their numbers, then make an intentionally loud and clumsy retreat down the canyon. I remeber Tilnak laughing at the idea of rock climbing, so if they dont come after me, and decide to wait and see how I will play things, I start thinking of a new angle of attack...one that will have them crapping their pants. I scan the walls of the canyon the whole time I'm making my way back to Higgs and Tilank, but I put get so absorbed in it that I forget to watch the enemies behind me.

You don't catch anything from the brain you contact on that subject since he's not thinking about that right now.

As you start to retreat the other one leaps to his feet, and throws.  You stroke your trigger, and the Thanar falls on his back. Dead.  His javelin falls to your right,and downslope about fifteen feet.

YOur visitor agrees that the notion of rock-climbing is just silly.

You make it back to Higgs and Tilnak and the rest.  You wait a few minutes but they don't come storming down hill at you.

PT

Rock climbing is far from silly Zi. In a situation like this, its an advantage. If I were to climb the canyon wall and make my way to a sheltered position, I could throw down grenades and javelins while the troopers attack head on. Its not an ideal cross fire, but its good enough. Besides, I didnt really care for that Thanar's perception of me....I'm not a dwarf and while I'm in good shape I'm not overly muscled for one of my race.


I run my idea past Higgs and Tilnak and see if they have anything that might add to it. Possibly even one of the People taking my place on the raock wall, because they are all better with a javelin than I am.

They are more than willing to let you go ahead and do it.  You're not sure why, but they seem to be a little afraid of it.  So you shrug, and clamber up the rock wall even as your visitor cringes inside your head.

Later on top, your visitor shares his first impression of you from his memory.  To the thin, very tall People with their 'mindsight' you do look strange, eerie, and short.  But the Thanar is pretty obviously letting his dislike of you to color his impressions of you.

You slip on down the rocks above the canyon, its lonely, and quiet up here, except for the wind, and get up behind the wall.

You can see a commander, your old buddy, a bunch of lizards, about eight unoccupied vessels tied to the ground, and seven more People.

Your visitor tells you that even if you crouch down behind a rock, the People down there could see you from the glow of mind. Hopefully, they won't look up this way.

PT

I relay enemy numbers and positions to Higgs and have him prepare to attack. I let him know that I want crossbows used first because of their range, then javelins and finally grenades before switching to swords. I stress the fact that I dont want the lizards and unoccupied vessels hurt if its at all possible to avoid it. I also let him know that survivors among the enemy arent a concern to me since I have already sent a message to the leadership of the Thanarians. I wait for my troops to get into position then sight in on the enemy commander. I touch his mind and whisper:

You WILL fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that will obleritate you completely. Your fear will consume you and fear will be all that is left.

"Dwarf, huh?"

I grin a savage smile and pull the trigger...

Your first effort seems to do nothing, and so you try again. (aka--almost a botch...it would have been back when you were just starting, but now you've learned more, and botching is harder to do. But its still a failure.)

The second time you try, and your target leaps and spins about.  Your bullet takes him in the chest though.  A head shot would have been too chancy.

Another shot, and your people come charging around the corner of the canyon.  Your shot fells another.  Three, then five javelins land amidst your group, and you think one guy goes down.

You fire again, and take one more, and then they are scrambling to be in front of the fortification rather than behind it.  Still, one does not keep his head down enough, and you reap him.

Your group has slowed down as they have to deal with the scouts or risk the scouts encircling them.  You can see Higgs ordering two shieldsmen to advance, and another spearman in back as the killer against two others.  The Thanarians retreat running back to join the ones at the fortification.  They seem to be out of javelins.

PT

I start lighting and tossing down grenades and once I'm out of them I break out the javelins. I keep up my attack until I am out of both, then sit back and direct my troops from my vantage point. I keep my rifle loaded and ready incase there are any easy targets, but I want a victory for my men, to boost their morale even higher. I keep an eye on the two caves to the sides and warn my men about any more attacks comming from them. Just to be mean, I practice my mantra of fear on the Thanarian soldier to keep them rattled and off balance.

After that, they keep their heads down, and you end up not using your javelins.  But you do use your grenades.

Your men charge through on their lizards, and the charge is ragged, and it breaks into two elements with an empty space in the middle, and the Thanar never leave the comfort of their fortification wall which makes it so charging them doesn't completely work.

However, the correlation of forces is just too strong.

At the end, you have two dead of your six, and they have thirteen dead, despite their heavier armor.

You come down, and the injured transfer themselves to new vessels, and ceremonies are held for all the dead, and then the bodies are laid to the side of the road in neat rows with a small scattering of rocks tossed on them that does not really cover them.  In the distance, you can see small scavengers waiting patiently.

Higgs speaks.  First he apologizes for the mixup, one of his men heard the wrong command, and sped up.  And then he asks what you would think to having longer spears.

"It would mean we could stand off and jab them if they hide against a wall, even if we can't charge through them."

The goods and wealth of the Thanar are gathered.

PT

OOC: Six soldiers? I thought I had broken the 50 up into 5 groups of ten, each under the command of one of my corprals, and Tilnak would have made it eleven.




""Longer spears, huh? If you get too much longer they would be lances. Lances makes me think of heavier armor for troopers and mounts...basically heavy cavlery. There are advantages and disadvantages to heavy cavlery. First, its cahrges are more orginized and usually much more pwoerful due to the longer lances and teh weight of the armor. Second, the plate armor protects the wearers much better, so fewer losses are taken in battle. Third, a charge of heavy cav on infantry puts a certain amount of fear into the enemy. But as I said there are disadvantages as well. First, with wood being as scarce as it is, an abundance of lances would be very expensive. Adding to that, a lance usually breaks off in your enemy, so its only good for one charge, increasing the cost all the more. Second, there is the problem of heavy armor. I stress the word heavy. Plate mail is quite possibly the hardest armor to fight in due to its weight and bulk. It restricts movment and slows the wearer down, making him vunerable. Third, plate mailis very expensive to make. Outfitting troopers and mounts would put the Red River Village in a situation that it had to sacrifice so much just to pay the cost of the gear, that other important things would have to be given up. A good commander can put together a defence against a charge by heavy cav that can utterly defeat it, and cost not only lives of troopers, but mounts as well.

I personaly think light cav is better equiped to deal with most of the threats that we will encounter. It retains mobility, speed and isnt locked into set formations of attack, so it can remain fluid and unpredictable to our enemies. We might look into getting some lances in case we run into a situation like this one, but I have a few other ideas that might work just as well if not better.

Now if it takes us the same amount of time to get back to the Red River Village as it took us to get to the Bright Village, we can sit back and discuss this matter further in the comfort of our own fortress."

I order all of the equipment and valuables that we took from the dead Thanar to be packed onto the mounts we have taken from them, and I ask Tilank what the best way to move the vessels back to the village would be. I want to be moving and back at the Red River Village as soon as possible.

Okay, eight troopers come back with you. Sorry.

"But maybe we would want a heavy group and a bigger light group.  Have teh heavies ride up front, like in this battle, and take the javelin shots, and then the lights swarm out around them at the end, and..."  Higgs pauses, and shrugs.  "Yeah, lets talk about it back home."

The Thanar had double-plated leather chest pieces, leg armour, and nice shields.  They all had steel swords.  They had supplies needed for a long trip, a couple levers, about thirty javelins, seventeen lizards, and eight vessels.  They also had some silver coinage imprinted with a dagger on one side, and a crwon on the other side.

It takes some time which you use profitably to improve your troopers training, but you eventually get back home.  Things there continue on, although everyone is very excited for Tilnak, and the Shepherd's Crook of yours, and they make jokes about you having another visitor.

Later that evening at the welcome back feast, they hand you a necklace of green beads.  It turns out hanging green beads in your doorway is a sign for letting rooms out to rent....

PT

With a grin and a low chuckle, I wear the green beaded necklace and mutter "Buncha jokers...". I eagerly look over the improvements to the fortress the next day and check the progress of training and black powder supplies. After I'm satisfied that everything is moving along according to plan, I head for the blacksmith.

"Greetings Mastersmith, how goes the sword making experiments? If you have a moment, I have a couple more ideas for you that will be much easier and could bring you and the village a decent amount of profits."

I draw up smaller hand saws, not the larger lumber jack saws that I gave to the smith of teh Bright Village, but ones that can be used to trim off limbs and prepare the cut trees for sale. I show him designs for splitting wedges and explain to the smith how they are driven into whole tree trunks at intervals to split them and make it easier to use them for building materials. Then I show him the design that I'm intrested in this morning. Two single edged cutting surfaces facing each other, joined by a pin in the center of them with loop handles on one end....Scissors. I really need  a shave, and it will be much  less painful to scrape my face with a razor sharp blade if I can cut the excess hair off with a pair of Scissors first.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:40, Tue 20 Dec 2005.

The smith shows you a sword. It looks good, and it seems to be layered, although not as many times as you'd like, but then he bangs it down on the anvil. It shatters into five pieces.

"Slow." He says.

He is interested in the wedges although he points out that they use up a powerful amount of steel.  He wonders if you could use bronze instead.

For the scissors, he smiles, and grabs some bronze, and within about an hour, he has a pair of scissors for you.  They work tolerably well as they swing back and forth, although they need to be sharpened.

He gets out a wheel, and begins to sharpen them.  After a bit, he has you test them.  They work, not great, but not too bad either.

"Now that is something I can do easy."

PT

"I think bronze might be too soft a metal for repeatedly splitting trees, but I think I have a solution to the shortage of steel. While I was talking to Shepherd I didnt forget about you my friend."

I draw a map of the village, then circle the spots that Shepherd showed me the iron deposits. Then I make my excuses and go back to my room to heat water and shave. On the way there I ask one of my troopers if he can go set up a meeting with the chief and counsil. I have to tell them the things Shepherd and Zi told me about what is going on in Dig Village.

The smith gathers a few friends, and goes to check on your sites.

The Chief and council are eager to have a report.  And by the time, the smith comes back, bouncing with energy to announce these great finds, the Chief is standing with you about to escort you into the Council Hall.

The smith pauses.

"Chief, I beg you to remember that we have not caught the traitor yet. So, I think it would be wise to  have a closed session."

The Chief turns to you willing it seems to defer to you on this matter.

PT

"I disagree, this isnt a stragety session we are going to tell not only the chief and counsil what Sherherd and Zi have told me, but I want to tell the entire village as well. I want the Thanar to know that I know about what they are doing. I want the entire world to know what they are doing, that way we might band all of the villages together and wipe them from the face of this world. Its our moral duty to stop them from doing the things that they are, and I want everyone to know that I will stop at nothing to punish them for thier actions."

I step back a little to see how the chief and smith react to my response and give them time to gather the villagers if they agree with my decision.

They nod, and the Chief seems relieved since secrecy goes against their ways.
It takes about ten minutes since everyone is eager to hear the story.  You are led in, a few religious rituals are observed, and you are offered the chance to swear by your place in the village (since they know you are not a Flux worshipper like them, and can't swear by the Flux... not that that bothers them..they don't really expect you'll go to their Heaven anyways.)

And then the Chief sits down at his ceremonial chair, and motions for a beat of the drums. A thunder of drums,and conversation falls silent as the large circular room is now filled with waiting People.

PT

I beguin by telling them about my first visits with Shepherd, then about my difficulites with the Thanar in the Bright Village. I tell them about my first meeting with Zi, then I'm silent for a moment.

I start to tremble with anger, my hands curling into fists and my voice dropping to a low growl as I tell them about how the THanarians are forcing two minds into one vessel. I go over everything Shepherd told me, then I'm silent for a moment.

Zi, I need you to take control and give these people a first hand account of whats happened. I'm sure they will have questions that only you can answer. Doing things like this is the first step to freeing your village of the Thanar.

Your speech stirs them, and then horror sits on their faces as you tell them of the crimes of the Thanar.  And then Zi begins to speak.

His voice is flat, uninflected, and you can feel him hiding.

"I have seen things, but I will not show you my true face for I fear for my home if I do. Thus you may choose not to believe me, but I swear this to be true..."

And he goes on to detail in very great detail,and for nearly an hour all the atrocities he has seen the Thanar do.  There are a number that are new to you.

By the end a good part are boiling with rage, and another part is skeptical thinking him a liar, and a small part have left the council hall because what they were hearing was too horrific for them to stand.

PT

"This is just the beguining of what the Thanar will do if left unchecked. I have done a great deal to help strengthen the defences of the Red River Village, trying to prevent atrocities like the ones you have just been told of from every happening here. But I cant just sit by and hope the Thanar will be content with the Dig Village, the thought of what they are doing to the villagers there makes my blood boil. I wont go into detail about any plans I have or might have, but I have vowed to stomp out the Thanarian menace, and I intend to do just that. I will be in the village for a while, but soon enough I will leave and bring down my wrath, and Shepherd's wrath upon our enemies.

I think we have heard enough disturbing news for one night my friends. Go to your home and think about what might happen if the Thanar decide that the Red River Village is next on their list of places to subjigate(sp)."

I wind my little speech down and step back, dropping to my haunches with the chief and the counsil to hear their thoughts on the matter.


You did well Zi, I'm proud of you. And I vow that we will stop the Thanar if its the last thing I ever do.

The chief and the council discuss things.  There is a split in the council.

One side argues that the Red River Village should flee, pack up in the night, and go far away, and the other side wants to make a vow to the Ancestors to utterly destroy the Thanar, to purge them from the world, and to stand against their entrance into the Flux.  This is a vow that has not been uttered in this world since the Dark Times when the Ridthan were shattered and massacred in the high mountains far from the Flux for their great evil nearly a thousand cycle ago, your visitor explains to you.

PT

To the ones that want to run away I say:

"Hiding from the Thanar wont make them go away. Good men cannot stand idle whaile evil goes unchecked. If they do, they become part of the problem themselves. There is no place in the world of moral men for apathy or cowardice. If you want to go, then run away. I'll still try to protect you, but the Red River Village gets my attention first. I'm sure there are plenty of rocks out there for you to crawl under, so go hide. Maybe the Thanar wont find you, maybe they will. But if you run, I wont ever have any respect for any of you  again."

To the ones that favor fighting I ask:

"Bar them from entering the Flux? How is that possible? I need to know because I plan on killing a lot of Thanarians soon, and keeping them from comming back at me in new vessels would be a handy piece of information."

OOC: Which way did the chief lean? I would bet towards fighting, but just to be clear...

"There are few of us that remember this, for it was a thousand cycles ago, but the tribe of the Ridthan, a dark folk, filled with wickedness were shattered in a great battle, and they were captured.  Then the prisoners were taken up high into the mountains, very far from the Flux, and killed. And no circles were laid at their heads at their deaths, nor prayers uttered for their being."

The Chief leans toward fighting.  That night, ten of the village, with one councilman, pack their supplies, and leave the next day.  The others begin to gather to swear their oath of destruction.

Higgs comes to you.

"War Leader. Troubling news. Of the ones we suspected, one is dead. His vessel...it is very wrong. It did not die peacefully.  I have never seen anything like it."

PT

I find out where the vessel is, and send Higgs to get Murr, Tilnak and the chief and bring them there. I examine the body as well as I can without touching it. The rational part of me knows that there isnt any way these people have anything near biological warfare, but I'm used to taking precautions and the habit stick with me.

Before the others arrive, I ask Zi what he thinks happened, and I ask the others the same when they show up.

You stride over the padded earth to the hut, and take look inside.  Your guts seem to turn over, to freeze in horror, and you feel unfamiliar sensations ripple through your mind.

The body is twisted, neck broken, eyeballs almost popped out, and black marks make a crown of burn lines around his head.

"Get out, flee!" Zi- says with frantic fear in his voice, and you realize some of the emotions you felt were his.

PT

I step outside to calm Zi, and wait for the others to arrive. While I'm waiting, I question Zi a little further.

OK Zi, you seemed to recognize the way that person was killed. I need to know whats going on if I'm going to be able to come up with a defence. Just calm down and tell me whats going on.

You turn to leave, thud, your sword is ripped from your waist, thwoom, a foot collides with your stomach, and flings you out of the hut and onto your back. Gasping for breath you roll over on your back, and to your feet as you see a Person come out of the hut.

The being wobbles between twitching all over, and a movement that is sudden, raw, and so precise as to be inevitably perfect, and yet it gibbers, bites its lip until its raw and bleeding.

It babbles of the glory of the Thanar who will rule the whole world, and in betweenst that, in another voice, it begs you to forgive it, it was a fool, it didn't know the Thanar, kill it please.

Meanwhile, your visitor is shrieking in your head...Flee, flee, flee.

You're still breathing hard, almost gasping, and you think it missed your ribs being unfamiliar with human physiology, or it just wants to play with you.....

PT