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[h2]The Reconquest 3 - Allies in Times of Darkness[/h2]
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[sub][i]Year 29AA, in the fortified fishing village of Scawick, situated on shore northeast of Ha-Dûna...[/i][/sub]

Boudicca slammed her fist into the peat wall, causing dirt to drizzle from the roof. Encircling her was a crowd of bitter men and women brandishing all sorts of improvised weaponry, and on the floor before her knelt two women, hair and face mucky and dusty from fighting on the ground. Their hands were tied and red - both with their own and with others’ blood. The two women stared at the floor with trembling eyes; their teeth ground together anxiously with tectonic might. The warrioress offered a low growl that made the two women flinch.

“... Why did you do it?”

“[i]Théin[/i] Boudicca, please, we--”

Boudicca hammered the thatch again. The crowd hissed down at the women. “Why?!”

“They talked down Kaer Wella! We couldn’t just stand there and--”

“We’re guests here, Gwynne! Guests! It takes every ounce of their good-heartedness not to butcher us all, do you understand? First the fights, and now…” She squeezed the bridge of her nose. “... A murder.”

“It wasn’t murder!” shouted the other one. Boudicca turned slowly, her wolfskin cloak adding predatory intent to her glare.

“Then what was it, Signe?”

“Justice!” she shouted. A quarter of the crowd shouted her down.

“JUSTICE?! Justice will come when your heads are spiked in the town square for all to see!” came a thundering voice. Bouddica stormed across the room to calm the rowdiest ones. 

“Yes, yes! They will be punished, we’ll see to it!”

“Yes, but two lives for one?” came a voice from the other side of the hall. Boudicca turned to see the braided head, olive skin and scarred face of one Hilda the Leoness, a [i]théin[/i] of Ha-Dûna like herself. The warrioress drew a deep breath - she had all sorts of respect for Hilda, but she couldn’t afford to let her pride compromise their goodwill with the Scawick - or whatever it was that they had. 

“They both took part in the murder. They must both be held accountable,” retorted the warrioress. Murmurs of agreement came from the Scawickan quarter of the room. The Leoness remained visibly unconvinced.

“Listen, Boody. It is true that these two have committed a serious crime against our friends, the Scawicks…” The Scawicks growled; Hilda smirked, “... But again, to take two lives to pay for one is simply not just - no matter what sort of undûnan behaviour is expressed.” The Scawicks grew rowdier once more, and Boudicca had to physically step in between them and the rest of the room to avoid a bloodbath. 

“What do you suggest we do, then, Hilda? Take their right hands as per the Dûnan law?”

“Just their hands?! They’re murderers!” the Scawicks roared.

“Now, now, let’s be rational about this. We’re in the middle of a war, and from what our scouts are telling us, more and more are joining this war as the days go by - and these new factions don’t necessarily have the best in mind for our people. Can we really afford to lose two of our best girls?”

“What?!” whispered Boudicca anxiously at her. Hilda didn’t look back, though; she was busy smirking at the seething Scawicks.

“By Taeg Eit, no! They are -not- walking free!”

“In case you haven’t noticed, Burud,” Hilda declared, “the Dûnans in this town outnumber the Scawicks by the double, almost.”

“Half of you are still suckling at your tits!” The most vocal of the Scawicks, a giant of a man with scars running  across his exposed chest like a labyrinth, stomped forth from the crowd to stand toe to toe with Hilda, who while standing shorter than him, radiated a presence that easily brought her up to equal height, if not taller.

“-True- Dûnans can hold a spear from the age of three, loose arrows at the age of five. What can Scawicks do? Tie knots?”

A fist like a brick thundered against Hilda’s jaw, staggering her backwards. Burud’s attack was swiftly repaid with a spike-like knee to the groin. The Scawicks screamed their warcry and the Dûnans did the same, but just as the fists started flying, Boudicca blew the horn from her hip and immediately deafened out the brawl. Every face turned to her.

“STOP THIS!” she demanded. “We’re getting nowhere if we kill each other in the process. This is supposed to be an alliance! We’re all Dûnan here, and--”

Burud spat, the orb of phlegm hitting Boudicca on the cheek. The warrioress took a second to realise what had just occurred and slowly brought a hand to her face. “Typical Dûnan piss,” thundered the giant. Boudicca eyed him in shocked disbelief. The rest of the Scawicks exited the peat hall. “By midday, you’ll have brought us at least one of their heads. If not, we’ll show you what [i]true Dûnans[/i] do to folk we hate.” With that, he, too, left the building. 

His words weren’t given time to linger for even a second. As soon as he finished speaking, the Dûnans in the building broke into a frenzy, cursing and shouting at Boudicca for justice against the dishonour done unto her by Burud. Boudicca couldn’t hide it, either - her face had contorted into a black, furious scowl, eyes aimed at the doorway Burud was diving through. A hand touched her shoulder and Boudicca turned to see Hilda smiling supportively at her. 

“There is nothing pettier than someone who spits in the face of someone as good-hearted as you, Boody.” Boudicca hissed and shrugged her hand off.

“This would not have happened if you hadn’t pissed him off!” At this, Hilda shrugged apathetically.

“[i]Scahicks[/i] are dumb as rocks - they’d be pissed off if we used big words.” She gently massaged her swollen cheek and licked at it from the inside. “Come on, you, too, knew this was inevitable. Dûnans, we… We’re just a little above these kinds of people. They know this, and it makes them jealous; so they act out. They would’ve known to keep their mouths shut if they hadn’t so… Conveniently… Been out fishing when we took this village all those years ago. Imagine that… A whole village - out fishing. Ain’t that something?”

Boudicca’s face turned to cold stone. “Yeah… It’s something.” Hilda raised a brow knowingly.

“Keep in mind who your friends are, sister. At least we have the proper breeding and culture to know to respect a woman’s honour.” She held up her palm. Boudicca eyed it briefly before clasping it with her own hand. Hilda smiled and pulled her in for a strong hug. When they separated again, Hilda looked at the seething crowd around them, then down at the two murderers and sighed. “How about you take a breather, hmm? You look exhausted. Go to your husband, see your daughter and your son. You’ve been working your damndest since we came here.”

Boudicca deflated a little. “Maybe… Maybe I should.”

Hilda smiled. “Do that. I’ll keep the gang under control. Don’t worry.”

“You will do that, right? Promise me.”

“Oh, yeah, I promise.”

[hr]

Boudicca sat atop a small stone on a hill, surveying the sloping highlands further inland from the Scawick shore. On her lap sat her son, Boudin, reaching for the small flakes of snow falling slowly down from the heavens above. The warrioress was deep in thought, barely noticing when the infant would pull playfully at her braids and clothing. Every inch of her was screaming for her to go back - to make sure Hilda wasn’t doing anything foolish. However, other parts of her explained that she herself wasn’t the only moderate among the Dûnans, and that someone surely would stop her if she got too enthusiastic. But still…

A strange note rang out. Then another, louder but calm and it went on and on until a glow emerged on a hill down from her. The glow grew into a tear upon the fabric of the sky, suspended just above rock and stone. From this tear came golden light and then it grew larger still until at least it stood at a height taller then several men.

When it grew no larger, it came. Before her own eyes emerged a giant figure from the portal, made of the same substance, sunlight. He walked further ahead and stood silently, overlooking the land. Then that head turned to her and though the giant had no eyes she could feel its gaze.

Then they followed, not as tall as the giant but no less imposing. Striking golden hair, still taller than their tallest man, most wearing armor, all carrying weapons, carrying supplies and they still came by the dozens but most surprising… They had wings and they sang songs in a language she did not know but a song was a song and theirs was beautiful.

Yet besides this beauty, the giant still held its gaze to her and it was fast approaching. Boudicca nearly dropped her son as she fell backwards off the rock. Nestling her child as safely as she could on her left arm, she used her right to draw her sword, pointing it threateningly at the giant and its entourage. 

“You stay back! Don’t come any closer, or by the gods, I swear you will be returned to whatever master you serve!”

The giant came closer still but did pause before her. It said nothing for several moments and then a voice akin to a roaring inferno boomed.

"The Sun Mother… Sends us… Are you… Friend or foe?" There was much weight to those words and now several of the winged beings had flown closer, hovering in the skies like vultures, hands upon hilts.

Boudicca’s stance faltered slightly; her blade lowered by a bare inch and her eyes hardened to study them some more. Then, as the initial shock of their appearance began to wear off, the blade sunk lower and lower. “The, the Sun Mother? Has Reiya sent her aid?” She fell to her knees, her child cooing giddily on her arm. “Forgive my actions, mighty one - I was caught off guard. I, like other Dûnans, are faithful servants of the Sun and all her creations.”

As the giant studied her, the winged beings relaxed as well when they saw her lower herself. The giant then spoke again. "Dûnan. Rise. Take us… To your people."

Boudicca rose slowly. “Y-yes! Of course! Follow me!” She sheathed the sword and hoisted her child onto her cloaked shoulder, making her way back towards the village by the water. It was a quick procession after the last of the winged beings had come through the portal. She could hardly count their number but it had to be in the hundreds. They came with a great many supplies as well and everything about them was somehow taller and larger. The giant lumbered at the front, with several golden winged beings. She felt fairly confident when in their presence but though they seemed curious about her, they did not at all seem surprised to see her. 

When they neared the village the giant spoke again. "Bring… Your people… To me."

“Understood.” She hurried into the village through the stone gates. Regardless of who she was supposed to bring back, though, the whole population eventually came running to witness the miracle that was the giant’s arrival. Boudicca managed to shepherd the Dûnans into a separate group from the Scawicks, and sparks flew between the groups. Like Burud had pointed out earlier, one half of the Dûnans was indeed made up of mostly children, from infant to middle teenagers. The rest was a much more diverse mix of all ages, though most were young adults. Still, the adult portion was as large on its own as the whole of Scawick’s population, and the locals seemed shamefully aware of it even as they glared threateningly at their guests. Boudicca took a deep breath and stepped forth, gesturing to her half of the populace. “Here they are - every Dûnan in town. What do you wish of us, great one?”

The giant stepped forward and clapped its hands once. New realization fell upon her and she knew she would be able to understand the beings… The Oraeliari. The giant clapped again and a beam of light touched the earth between the two groups. When it faded, a pile of sunlight weapons lay in a pile, gleaming bright. A third clap and a stone building erupted from the ground inside the villages walls. Another clap, but nothing of note changed before there eyes. Then the giant clapped again and another beam of light landed, this one closer to the Oraeliari. When it faded, a pile of red rocks was visible. The giants hands went down to his sides and there was silence at last. From the ranks of the Oraeliari, there with golden wings flew forth and landed in front of them. One stepped forth, wearing armor of bronze.

"Hello Humani. We are the Oraeliari, hailing from a land known as the Luminant. We have heard your plea and Solari has answered in the name of Oraeliara. I am Cardinal Tevuri, this is Cardinals Amara and Ponfiri. We have come to aid you in the name of Oraeliara, your Sun Mother. We hope to bring about a sort of, alliance between fellow worshippers. What say you?" He asked with a warm smile.

The Dûnans all fell to their knees and raised their hands in praise. Even the children were forced to join the adults as to show respect. Many tried to struggle free. The druids amongst them tried to shuffle their way closer, all while dipping even deeper in their gesture of worship than their peers. “I am Boudicca, good cardinal, [i]théin[/i] of Ha-Dûna. We wholeheartedly accept your aid, fellow servants of Reiya,” Boudicca thanked deeply. She drew her sword, balanced her son a little better on her shoulder and stabbed the point into the soil. “You have been good to us even though we did not ask - of course we will help you in turn with whatever you may wish, in good faith.”

“Now hold on just a damned minute!” came a furious roar from the opposite side of the gathered people. Boudicca and the Dûnans turned in angered surprise. The Cardinals turned their heads in unison to shouter but gave no reply.

The voice belonged to Burud, and the Scawicks had already lined up with weapons drawn. “What in condemnation is this? You, you’ve come to help -them-?! Even though we have been faithful to Reiya for just as long, you come in -their- hour of need?!”

“Be silent, Burud! You are disrespecting our allies!” warned Boudicca. Burud spat.

“Where were you two years past when these very same Dûnans burned our homes and butchered our neighbours?! Where were these weapons when we couldn’t defend ourselves from bandits in the gruesome winter thereafter?!” A young man, no older than eighteen, came running out the gate.

“The stone house! The stone house is filled to the brim with grain, with carrots and beets! Our winter is saved!” Burud’s face showed not a smidge of joy; in fact, like the other Scawicks, he only grew angrier. 

“Where was the food when these Dûnans took it in the war, forcing us to starve for the whole winter?! We are only as few as we are now because of -them-!”

“Burud, calm yourself!” shouted Boudicca, but the Dûnans, too, began reaching for their own weapons.

Tevuri's smile faded, replaced by a worn down frown. He sighed, "We were fighting a different war, your conflict unknown to us." The other Cardinals gave solemn nods. "Please, there is no need for violence. We come to help all Humani now, not just one faction or another. We do not know your pasts and we do not know your pains but if you wish to blame us for your struggles, you may. We will help you now, in any way we can, for this is what Oraeliara- Your Reiya, would want. Is it not?"

Burud pointed his axe at Tevuri, then back down at the Dûnans, who had begun pushing the children and their caretakers behind them. “I don’t give a damn what the will of Reiya is if all she wants is to support these fuckers. You won’t steal their blame from them with your honeyed words - they’ve beaten us, stepped on us and killed us, and we can’t even be given justice without some messenger claiming to be from the gods swooping in to give them yet another gift for their piety!”

“Well, we -are- the chosen people, Burud,” taunted Hilda as she stepped forward to extract a spear from the pile of sunlight weapons. “I see this as nothing but proof.”

“You filthy broad!” thundered the giant and charged at her.

Tevuri was faster. In an instant a fiery sword erupted from his hand and swung it at Burud's axe, casting it from his hands. He then grabbed the man by his shirt and pulled him in close.

"Do not speak ill of our Goddess again, Burud. I say this for your own sake, for her avatar listens even now." He released him but did not move. "You are angry, you want justice, I understand this but you are at war with an enemy who will use every advantage against you. More loss of life will not help you, but it will help them." He raised his voice. "But this wrong will be righted, one way or another! I swear upon the Goddess that we will see it so, by any means but it must not be now. When this conflict ends, you will have your justice, reparations will be made. But I beg you, please, you must wait."

Burud scoffed mockingly and stepped backwards to the other Scawicks. “So that’s it, then, hmm? We’re… Hostages, in our own homes, no less. The Dûnans have free reign to do as they please, and we have to wait with our justice.” The Scawicks were practically foaming at the mouth. “Oh, you bet we will have our justice, Cardinal.” He picked up his axe on the way and pointed it at Hilda. “We will not rest until we have our heads.”

Hilda rolled her eyes, and many Dûnans laughed. “You keep telling yourselves that. Great Tevuri, please - allow us to show you to a suitable area for you to rest. Have you brought your own tents and the like?” Meanwhile, the Scawicks retreated back into town with furious stomps.

Tevuri said nothing for a moment, deep in thought as he was. He whispered suddenly, "Even now you are unworthy of her gifts." Then he shouted, "Very well! You," He pointed at the Dûnans. "Gather your items, I have seen such a look before and there will be no peace between you and them. We are leaving. Burud!" He yelled after the man, "Take your village, keep the food and may the Goddess protect you." He then nodded at the other two Cardinals and they flew off. 

Boudicca and the others blinked. “Wait, are you leaving? Are we all leaving?” They suddenly got incredibly busy rushing to pack.

"We have not the time for infighting. But make no mistake, one day you will have to pay for your crimes. We all do, in the end." He said, watching them go. The Dûnans shrugged and hasted to gather as much of the supplies the town has just been blessed with as they could. They took all the sunforged weapons, as well, and pocketed what remained of the sun rocks left from the Oraeliari. The Scawicks didn’t dare to protest, as they feared the Dûnans’ new allies would retaliate on their behalf. Even Burud and his closest didn’t outright attack, but kept shouting curses and threats after them. After two hours or so, the Dûnans were ready to move, Boudicca and Hilda leading the travelling band.

The host of Oraeliari and Dûnans then marched off, leaving the village of Scawick behind. The giant was the last to leave, having watched it all unfold with an ever impassive gaze, before meandering after the group. 

[hr]

Days went by and they traveled southwest, deeper into the Highlands. Soluri guided them now, and both human and aiviri followed. They shared stories, shared food, and learned from one another. All the while, Tevuri and the Cardinals held private discussions, asking of Ha-Dûna from time to time. Perhaps they were shaken by what they saw, or perhaps it was something more, no one could really know for sure. They were there to put a stop to the false worshippers, human agendas and crimes would have to wait. Right?

Upon the seventh day of travel, the giant stopped upon a bluff overlooking more hills. It was there he raised his hands and brought his hands together like a clap of thunder. 

What rose from the ground before them was breathtaking.

A large castle with a great hall and many towers, seeped in the warm glow of yellow light. It towered over the land like a beacon for the lost. Around it a good ways erupted a stone wall, wide enough to allow people on top and with gap between, serving as the entrance. The Oraeliari seemed relieved all at once and broke out into cheers. The Dûnans weren’t far behind, collapsing to their knees in loud and pious praise. Even the children stood or knelt frozen in awe, even their wild imaginations not able to imagine something so magnificent. Quickly, the caretakers began shepherding the children inside to warm up, while the others hurried to dig pits in the ground where they could keep their supplies cold and safe. Boudicca stood surveying the work, resting her hand on the pommel of her sheathed weapon.

A beat of wings and Tevuri landed beside her. "There is no need to dig, Soluri has made the underground level of the this Holy Site large and expansive." He paused. "I do not know your history here or what your people have done, but we did not wish for that to happen. Your bad blood with your kinsmen will need to be dealt with one day."

Boudicca halted the work and looked up at the angel, crossing her arms over her chest. “Great Tevuri… We are so grateful for everything you have given us and are giving us - your aid and support in this conflict will be invaluable, and likely allow us to retake Ha-Dûna in a day. That said…” She gestured to the direction from whence they had come. “You said it yourself: You do not know our history here nor what we have done; our bad blood isn’t something so simple that it can be “dealt with”. I honestly thought it could, but our time in Scawick has only proven that whatever bridges we had between us and our neighbours have been reduced to cinders.”

Tevuri gave a slight nod. "We know the feeling all to well." He stood a little straighter, "Perhaps as the days go by, I can learn more. I find Humani fascinating. You are unlike those that share our home. But for now, tend to your people and in the coming days, we shall talk of war."

Boudicca nodded and tossed her chestnut hair out of her face. “I fear it may come quicker than we expect.”

 [Hider=Summary]
The dunans and scawicks tussle and boudicca calms it down. Boudicca takes her kid and go watches the land. Solus and Oraeliari come. Boudicca goes wow, and takes them back to the scawick place. Gifts are given but the scawicks think the Oraeliari are only helping the dunans which isn't true. Another fight almost happens and the Cardinals tell them to leave the Scawicks. They travel for like a week and Solus builds a castle. War is coming.
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[Hider=Mp]
Oraelia
5MP/5DP

-1MP Blessing of language for the human folks. Only the The Oraeliari language is understood and only those present before Solus are gifted. 
-1DP tech gift- sun forged weapons
-1MP tech gift- storage house
-1MP A blessing of food to last the winter and then some.
-1DP tech gift- Sun rocks to keep warm in the winter

-1MP Another blessing of FOOD

-1MP A stone wall with pathing

-3DP Holy Site. Caisteal Na Grèine 
Sundom III (Sunlight Port) - The warmth of the sun is evident in this design. The construction of this castle is made entirely of Sunstone, which emits warmth throughout. The Caisteal Na Grèine was created in a way to further use the Sunstones, by channeling the buildings latent solar energy into the central chamber at the peak of the castle. Once done, the Caisteal Na Grèine will illuminate the surrounding area, turning night to day. This allows for solar equipment to be recharged in mere seconds. Usually lasting for around three hours before the sunstones need to be recharged by a full day of sunlight. 
 
 (+2 Free Titles in Sunlight Port) Solar Forge II - The Caisteal Na Grèine also allows for those versed in sunlight forging to work faster. What normally might take days, can be done within 
Hours.

0/0 -.- 
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[Hider=Prestige]

Cardinals of Tranquility;
Start = 9
Post 10k+ = 5

= 14
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