[i]Highland village of Cumae[/i] “You should have seen the thing. It was this big!” the herdsman spread his arms wide to demonstrate “with claws like scythes and skin red as blood” “Uh huh” his friend said, only glancing over at the supposed size of the creature for a moment before turning his gaze back to looking out for threats to their goats. “See the thing was menacing Nancy over there, buzzing around while the brave girl fended it off with her horns. Now she would have lasted a moment if I hadn't gotten there in time, coz if the darned thing had actually worked up the nerv to take a stab at her that goat’d be good as gone. But it was noisy see, wings droning on something fierce and the goats they were bleating up a storm.” “uh huh” “So i comes a running and I see this thing” “This giant wasp” “Yeah this giant wasp. And so I take my sling and-” the herdsman mimes both the action and swswsw sound of a sling being spun before tossing his imaginary rock out with a “thwunk! And it hits it square in its hideous giant eye! Bang it up real good so it runs off back to the forest squealing and crying to its momma!” “Uh huh. And it was a giant wasp?” “Yeah!” “You’re pulling my leg.” “Am not.” The two stood in silence for a moment before the herdsman’s friend said “Bet it was just a regular sized wasp” “No I’m telling you it was huuuge” “Keep telling yourself that buddy” “Bah. Fine. Don’t believe me but I swear I’m telling you the truth” the herdsman yelled before turning away in a huff. “Hay come on” he tried, but received no response, and so the two lapsed into silence for a few hours. “Artook. Hay. Artook” “Still mad that you don't believe me” Artook the herdsman replied, not even turning to look at his companion “Did. did the wasp uh. Did it look like a person?” “Now you're just making fun of me you-” Artook shouted before spinning to confront his friend, only to see the very worried look on his face as he pointed off towards the woods. There, walking towards them, was a creature out of a nightmare. Its skin was hard like armor and patterned with red and black stripes. It had two wings that buzzed slowly, lowering the strain on its rather spindly legs as it moved towards them with a bouncing gait. It had a large abdomen hanging behind it tipped with nasty looking stinger. It’s head was wreathed in white fur and hosted two large lime green eyes and two large antenna. The rest of its features were covered by a monstrous skull it was using as a helmet. It wore a backless tunic made out of the fur of some miss match fox owl creature, the head of which hung over one hip while a brace of long stone darts made from a trollish jawbone hung from the other. All of this told a story, but none was as simple as the one told by the large red wasp laying across its shoulder nursing it's swollen eye that squealed in anger when it caught sight of the culprit for its injury. “Fuck” The light buzzing coming from the insectile humanoid intensified to a death hum, lifting it off of the ground. Artook’s friend reached for his sling hesitantly, but the herdsman had a different idea shouting “Curse it no! Run for it!” before taking off at a pelt back towards the village. Artook’s pragmatic cowardice saved his own life and doomed his companion as a large stone dart struck the man, sinking deep into his flesh. Artook ‘s friend stumbled, and for a moment it looked like he too might be able to run, but his gait quickly slowed till he stumbled and hit the dirt. Artook kept running. The Vespain descended upon the corpse, turning it over letting it's feral sibling inspect the body. In the time it took for it to understand that this was the wrong creature, gather up it’s weapons and take flight to pursue Artook managed to get a fair headstart on his escape. Artook didn't look back as he found the road leading into his home village of Cumae, his calls for help and the deep droning hum of his pursuer’s wings drawing the attention, and then alarm, of the farmers working the fields lining the road. Within moments they too were in a panic, and word rapidly got back to the village where a bell started ringing, rousing the people to protect their homes. The sight of them rushing to and fro in the village, grabbing spears and stave sling to protect themselves and the appearance of village Servant from her home roused hope in the herds man’s heart, but he never made it to their side. The droning behind him intensified and then suddenly he was struck in the back by something heavy and hurled to the ground. Artook scrambled to try and get up, but a clawed hand gripped his shoulder and hauled him over onto his front, causing him to come face to face with the Vespain as it pinned him to the ground. He froze in fear as it barked something in an alien tongue at him, then spoke softly to the wasp. The horrible insect looked him over and then screeched, raising its claws to strike. Artook closed his eyes, expecting the end. Instead the air crackled with lightning. There was a wretched shriek that cut short as soon as it started and the weight was flung from him. Panting and sweating Artook opened his eyes as a hideous wailing erupted from the Vespain. He looked up and saw it knelt on the ground, cradling the charred remains of the wasp in her arms. “Artook get away from that thing!“ came a shout from Ayrandra the Servant, the dying sparks of her lighting spell dancing across her fingers, the runes of haste hovering around her feet crumbling now that she had come to a halt. Far behind her a number of villagers were running to catch up with her. Both Artook and the Vespian’s gazes where ripped away from the dead bug and to Ayrandra, the sight of her spurring both to action. Artook back away hurriedly as ordered while the Vespian lurched into the air. Still holding onto the corpse with one arm her other hand went to her side to grab and hurl a dart at the Servent. The woman chanted something in an arcane tongue and thrust a hand in the direction of the telegraphed attack, freezing the dart in the air before it could strike her. It hung there for a moment before it clattered to the ground and she began to cast a second spell, causing sparks of electricity began to ark across her fingers once more. Seeing this, and the incoming militia, Vespain took the only sensible course of action and fled as fast back to the woods as her wings could carry her. “What, what in the name of the gods was that thing?” Artook asked as he got shakily to his feet. “I don’t know,” Ayrandra admitted “But I’ll find out. Whatever the case, it’s gone now, and if it knows what's good for it” she flexed her hand, sparks flashing from finger to finger “It’ll never come back” [hr] That afternoon Artook buried his friend. That evening Ayrandra finally found another Servent who knew what a Vespian was. That night the village of Cumae was raised to the ground by a vengeful swarm. Crimson fliers blocked out the moon as they descended upon it. Its defenses were trampled beneath the four dozen legs of an eight meter long armored hive crawler. It’s fields were burned. Its people were butchered. Their carcasses and wealth were carried back to their hive by the victorious Vespain. Ayrandra died surrounded by a pile of charred crimson corpses. Artook ran and never looked back. [hider=summary] Artook the highlander villager gloats about scaring off a giant red wasp that was trying to eat the village's goats to a disbelieving friend. Then a Vespain shows up with that same wasp on her shoulder and she is not pleased that Artook threw a rock at her little sister who had wandered off into new territory. By her outfit it can be deduced that she comes from the Arbarent, the twisted woodlands east of the highlands, and that her kind have been fighting/killing trolls in there. Artook legs it while his friend is killed by one of the Vespian’s poisoned throwing dart. He runs to his village, is caught just before reaching it, but is saved by the town Savant Ayrandra who kills the wasp Artook originally hurt and scares the distraught Vespian away by being a badass. Artook buried his friend. Ayrandra eventually finds out what a Vespian is from a far away Servant. Ayrandra and the rest of the village are killed by a retaliatory invasion called by the lone Vespian. Artook escapes by running away again, carrying the news of the Arbarent hive’s existence and their very very vengeful disposition with him. Servents +3 prestige [/hider]