[center] [h1][b][u]Evette[/u][/b][/h1] In [img]https://i.imgur.com/TiC9fEF.png[/img][/center] [hr] The Night Templars had commandeered their own house, serving as a sort of de-facto headquarters for their organization. Evette had begun searching for vampires, as she said she would, but unsurprisingly such a search went nowhere. It was already absurdly unlikely that one would be able to locate such a creature simply by looking around and asking questions, especially in one where she had already been told there were no clues to be had, but Cadien had sent her here for a reason. If not vampires, what then? At least the locals were cooperative. Instead of the hostile gate guards she had met, now they all seemed to be far more friendly. Though this ‘friendliness’ came off as patronizing and condescending, which was infuriating in its own right. The language barrier didn’t help either. [i]Cadien…[/i] she prayed. [i]Give me some sort of sign.[/i] [color=violet][i]Eh… alright.[/i][/color] She blinked in surprise. What? [color=violet][i]There are no vampires in the city. Not yet, anyway. The nearest troll and iskrill are both miles away. If you spread out into the countryside, and explore some neighbouring towns and villages, you might have more luck, but that’s not why you’re here.[/i][/color] [i]Then why?[/i] [color=violet][i]Because despite what the locals think, war is coming,[/i][/color] he told her, rather bluntly. [color=violet][i]Their neighbours gather strength, intending to exploit their weakness, or understandably worried that Ha-Duna will try to conquer them once again. Conflict isn’t inevitable, but knowing what I know, I don’t see how Ha-Duna gets out of this unscathed without fighting [b]somebody.[/b][/i][/color] [i]I don’t involve myself in the feuds of other humans,[i] Evette protested at once. [color=violet][i]There will be abominations to kill, I’m sure,[/i][/color=violet] Cadien said, as if placating a petulant child. [color=violet][i]But your duty goes beyond that. If Ha-Duna falls, another bastion of mankind fails. Desperation will ensue, and malignant gods will take notice, if they haven’t already. That must be prevented.[/i][/color] He wasn’t wrong. Vampires were typically more likely to appear under desperate circumstances. That was what she had said when she first arrived here. Though she had nothing but disdain for the idea of involving herself in local politics, if it could her usual prey from appearing in the future… [i]Very well,[/i] she sighed. [i]What do you want me to do?[/i] [color=violet][i]Warn them. Tell them: war is coming. Offer your aid, in my name.[/i][/color] [i]I can’t speak their language. It’ll be hard to convince them of that if I have to go through my usual interpreter.[/i] [color=violet][i]True enough. Languages are a troublesome thing, aren’t they? Really, who insisted on creating such arbitrary divides? Anyhow, I have a solution for that.[/i][/color] Suddenly, a golden amulet materialized around her neck, with an amulet set in the center. [color=violet][i]There. That should suffice. Languages shall no longer serve as a barrier.[/i][/color] [hr] The Night Templar headquarters, which in itself was a small guest house provided to them by one of the more affluent [i]théins[/i] in the locality, provided through connections kept by their trusty druid guide Kaer Cwenn, was located a little outside of the city centre, on the slopes leading down to the river and the sea. Wooden fences hinted that there were patches for crops hidden underneath the snow, and Highland sheep were grazing about on what little they could find in their pastures. Outside the guest house, there were two women and one man - one of the women looked to be in the late stages of pregnancy, while the other looked to carry post-pregnancy weight, and quite a lot of it, too. The man looked small in comparison to them, being only as muscular and fit as work on a farm on a subsistence diet could make you. The fat woman was stoking a fire, over which hung three small ceramic pots, suspended from woolen thread that valiantly stood against the heat of the licking flames beneath - if only barely. Evette stepped out of the house with two guards at her back. She looked at the trio outside their house, and approached them. “Where is the one called Boudicca?” She asked them, the amulet around her neck glowing and translating her words as she spoke. All three of them appeared shocked and didn’t quite seem to believe their ears. The small man carefully lifted his hand, but the fat woman was quicker. “You, you’ve been able to speak Dûnan all this time?” Evette shook her head. “I have received a blessing from Caden,” she answered, as though that explained everything. “Where is the one called Boudicca?” The three shifted between her and each other. “Come again?” said the pregnant lady. The man looked to be rubbing his hands nervously. She sighed. “Where can I find Boudicca?” she repeated the question. “No, what do you mean ‘blessing from Caden’?” the pregnant woman specified. “You got one just like that?” the skimpy man whimpered in awe. “These foreigners…” mumbled the fat one. Evette glared at the last one who spoke. “Where can I find her?” she asked, impatience rising in her voice. “Caden himself told me to seek her out. If you do not know, just say so.” “By the gods, Aifric said nothing about her being [i]helgen[/i]!” the pregnant woman said with a gasp. “A [i]helgen[/i]?!” shouted the small man in surprise. With one final glare, Evette walked past her and carried on down the road. [hr] Her hopeless hosts, guests of the host or whatever they had been had set her back a few minutes; luckily, however, a passing pair of [abbr=Druid apprentice.][i]trells[/i][/abbr] had been quick to explain to her where Boudicca could usually be found, though they, too, had been very surprised by Evette’s sudden grasp of Dûnan. She passed by a few more farmsteads and mealhouses, then past a glassworks and pottery shop, until she finally reached the palisaded city core, wherein the open market was buzzing as always, like a busy hive. Past the market, she eventually found her way to a large hut as described by the [i]trells[/i], situated beside a circle of megalith stone carvings in which centre was a tall, rectangular mirror. It gave off an eerie presence, as though Evette’s mind grew foggy in its proximity. Taking a few moments to stare at the peculiar object, Evette diverted her attention away from it and approached the hut to knock at the door frame. Steps approached the skin curtain door, which was pulled aside to reveal a recently shaven man. The ooze of pipeweed rolled out of the doorway like a flood and the man looked her up and down with somewhat groggy, yet quite curious, eyes. “Yes?” “I’m looking for Boudicca,” Evette said at once. He blinked. “Oh, yeah, you must be Evette, then. Figured you’d come over one of these days. Come in, come in. She’ll be back here any minute - she’s just over in the Circle offering her morning prayer.” Somewhat surprised by his lack of her reaction to her newfound grasp of the Dûnan language, Evette followed him in. The inside of the wooden hut was much roomier than even the farmstead she had stayed at: The longhouse measured about five by twenty metres, and was illuminated entirely by a large hearth in the centre, its smoke oozing upwards into a hole in the ceiling. This did not, however, stop smoke from gathering inside like a fog, only helped by the inescapable presence of pipe smokers. The walls were draped from corner to corner with animal skins, foreign and local carpets, and tapestries with sigils and symbols. The hay floor also had its fair share of carpets, particularly surrounding the hearth, where there also were benches and stools. As soon as Evette entered, she noticed many more faces turn to regard her, bushes of beards and hairless faces alike. Brows were everything from flattened in skepticism to raised in surprise, and some of the younger ones reached out to touch her wings. Evette stepped away from and frowned at that latter group. Then her eyes scanned the hall. Had she intruded on some sort of meeting or gathering? It was to say - the group showed the sort of silent faces one usually does when someone quite clearly has interrupted a conversation. Chewing jaws and inhales and exhales of smoke made up all the sound in the room, save for cooing children and fire crackling. “Looks like the foreigner’s back,” said one in a mocking tone suddenly, grinning to his comrades, none of whom grinned back. A hard fist hit him in the shoulder and spun around. “Hey, what was that for?!” A stern whisper made him immediately change his attitude, his expression looking at Evette suddenly with knowing discomfort. He cleared his throat and returned to his bowl of oatmeal quietly. “Sorry about him,” went the man who had greeted her at the door. “He’s not the sharpest axe on the rack, that one.” The man offered a sharp huff. “Anyway, have a seat. Would you like a drink or something to eat while you wait?” Evette shook her head, pointedly ignoring the man who had mocked her, then found a seat. She was no stranger to unusual treatment, and even before Cadien had gifted her the amulet she already had to endure the patronizing or arrogant tones of men and women she couldn’t understand. So long as nobody insulted her directly, she could let the slights side for now. There were more important things at stake. The silence endured for a little longer, before the door frame sounded the knock of heavy boots and the bear skin door curtain was shoved aside to reveal the shadow of a giant. Boudicca stepped inside, snow in her hair and all over the wolfskin on her shoulders and the plaid over her hide-clothed chest. Her kilt had been pulled down low over her exposed kneecaps, and her woolen socks had been pulled as high as could get. Still, she looked frozen to the bone. “Throw another ten logs on the fire! It’s freezing in here!” Instantly, the mood of the room shifted, jolly chuckles and giggles rumbling through the gathered folk like waves. “Here we go again,” came the musings of a fat, bearded man, who stood up and stomped over to the firewood rack, trailed by two younger lads. The giant of a woman stomped in her own way, parting the crowds around the fire as she took a seat on a bench, pulling off her cold torso clothing to invite in the warmth of the flames. “Ugh, that’s better…” “How’d the gods sound today, chief?” went a black-bearded man with a pipe in his mouth. “About the same as yesterday, I suppose, those who answered. I hope Caden appreciated the plans for our tournament as much as Selesta did. Gibbou didn’t sound too keen, but she’s been full of sorrow of late, from what I can tell.” “Only the gods know what terror must have befallen her to bring even a goddess like her into the deepest of melancholy,” mumbled Kaer Aethel, and all around the fire, people placed hands over their hearts and looked up to the ceiling in one-minded prayer. “Oh, by the way, my love,” Aethel continued right after, “you have a guest.” “It better not be those damned clennon fen separatists again…” “No, this one’s different.” Aethel pointed to Evette, who was so remarkably visible that Boudicca nearly jumped in surprise. “Wah! How did I not see you?! You’re that Southerner, aren’t you? Evette, right?” “I am,” she nodded, before rising to her feet and addressing the entire room. “I just spoke with Caden, who gave me the gift to speak any language. He told me that war is inevitable. Your city is at risk, and he sent me here to offer my aid.” Boudicca frowned, as did those around the fire. “War is inevitable, you say?” The warrioress shifted in her seat and looked up past her brow. “What makes him say that?” “Wouldn’t he have warned you, [i]sanndatr[/i]?” came a question. Boudicca shrugged. “Your neighbours fear you or despise you,” Evette said. “Even on the journey here, I saw villages preparing for war. Enemies are all around you, and chances are slim that you will be able to make peace with all of them.” “Oh, just what we needed - another test to our resolve,” spat one woman. “Peace -is- the only way to repent! If we take up the axe again, we will lose the support of Macsal, maybe even Reiya! So it has been said!” “No, she is saying what I have been saying all along - this peaceful approach is most naive and always has been! The Scawicks will not forgive and forget, and neither will the Rest!” “Shut up, Pan, you always resort to the same arguments over and over! The Rest is only afraid of us because we went to war in the first place and--” “We were starving! Any hunter must seek new grounds if the old goes barren!” The arguments escalated, and Boudicca sat hunkered over on the bench, groaning gutturally. She stood up and walked over to Evette, hooking her neck in her arm and gently pulling her further into the longhouse. “Now you’ve got them yapping… C’mon, let’s talk over here…” With a frown, Evette followed. While debates and insults raged in the background, Boudicca pulled over two small stools for them and set herself down in the dark corner of the house. She pulled her plaid over her torso again and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Ugh… I hate the cold… Alright, excuse the riot and all that. Ever since we lost Ha-Gaard to the Rest, people have been growing less and less keen on the idea of peace. I understand them to a degree - really, I do - but I was at least hoping this way was the right way… Now you are telling me that even great Caden predicts otherwise. What has he told you, exactly?” “He didn’t tell me much. Just that the neighbouring kingdoms are preparing for war. Some are afraid you’ll return to conquest, and others just want revenge for past offenses. He also said that some of the more malevolent gods might notice, and attempt to make the situation worse… if they haven’t already.” She added, recalling Cadien’s exact words. Boudicca bit her lip. “So, what… He’s saying to mobilise again? To strengthen control over our lands in preparation for the coming storm?” Evette hesitated. “All he instructed was to offer my aid.” Boudicca raised a skeptical brow at her. “Well, forgive my candor, but you’re one woman. Wings, you might have, but you cannot protect our borders alone. No…” She sighed. “... Hopefully the Songs and Sun can understand our need to protect ourselves.” She stood up and rolled her shoulders. “How many have you brought with you?” “Only a dozen,” Evette answered. “I was brought here under the assumption that I would be hunting vampires, not waging a war.” “Well, knowing wars, a vampire’s sure to show up somewhere. If not, there’ll be plenty of monsters on the fields to slay. The bards’ll love you, I’m sure - the Angel of Caden. Now, thank you for your warning. I have an afternoon to ruin.” With that, she skirted past Evette back to the furious debate. Many had grabbed each other by the neck of their shirts, and one pair had even started exchanging blows. Boudicca planted one boot, still soggy from the snowmelt, upon the bench and shouted, “HEY! Calm yourselves down before I knock your teeth down your throats!” “This wildman wants nothing but war, can’t you see, my love?!” Aethel yelled back and tried to wrest himself free from the blackhaired man’s tight grasp. “Oh, I’m a wildman, am I? Am I wild for just wanting to protect my home? My family?” [color=violet][i]Most creatures, wild and civilized alike, do feel inclined to protect their territory or their offspring,[/i][/color] a deep ethereal voice commented, one that Evette and Boudica would immediately recognize. [color=violet][i]The difference is how they go about it.[/i][/color] The people cowered and squealed briefly. There then was silence, Boudicca and Evette seeming largely unphased. The warrioress drew her sword, carefully stabbed the tip to the ground and took a knee. “Great Caden, your presence is a blessing to us all. What is your counsel in these troubling times?” [color=violet][i]My champion spoke true. War is coming, and I have sent her here to aid you. However, that does not mean you can simply wage another war of aggression. My council is this: make peace and allies wherever you can find them. Swallow your pride and apologize for your past offenses, if you must. Then, prepare to defend yourselves against those who cannot see reason. The other gods can hardly begrudge you that.[/i][/color] Boudicca nodded slowly. “Who have we yet to apologise to? Every village we have destroyed that still had its share of survivors, we have reimbursed to the point where our larders may only just carry us through the winter. By the grace of the Sun, the Forests, the Seas and the Stones, we will not want for nourishment, and we have made sure those whom we called our enemies in years part, will not either - as far as it has been possible. Our peace-making has been going steadily, but there are those who test our sovereignty - the Rest to the south inches ever northwards; the border villages rise up in rebellion; the Scawicks threaten to burn our countryside. Are these not valid reasons to retaliate?” [color=violet][i]The issue lies in how you retaliate,[/i][/color] Cadien said. [color=violet][i]In regards to Kirin’s Rest: You cannot let them seize your territory unimpeded. You cannot let a war with them drag on for too long. Nor can you utterly destroy them, because either they will invoke divine patrons of their own, or the tribes you have already made peace with will once more became wary of you.[/i][/color] He paused, to let that sink in. [color=violet][i]You must halt their advance, and bring them to a peace table.[/i][/color] [color=violet][i]As for Scawick, they are not wrong to despise you, nor are you wrong to defend yourselves against them. But they have rejected my warnings and my commands to stand down. They cannot see reason, and insist on causing more chaos, so their destruction may be necessary.[/i][/color] “Then, should they attack, will you sanction our right to stand up for ourselves? Even if other gods cannot see that we have no other choice?” [color=violet][i]Within reason. I’ll not tolerate the wanton slaughter of innocents, or any refusals to honour the terms of truces and surrenders. I expect you to conduct yourselves honourably. The people of Kirin’s Rest are my children too, just as much as you all are, no matter how much both of you refuse to believe it.[/i][/color] The others looked on as Boudicca bowed her head. “You have my word - I swear this oath to you as I have given my word to Selesta - that we shall slaughter no innocents and honour the terms of surrender at all times. Any of us who fail to comply with these conditions will themselves be punished in accordance with their crime. This, I swear.” She looked over her shoulder and motioned for everyone else to kneel. “This, we swear.” “This, we swear,” echoed the rest with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Then there was bright flash outside. [hr] Despite the clear skies, over a dozen lightning bolts had struck the battlements, each landing upon a different spot. They did no damage; not even leaving a scorch mark. What they did leave were weapons; large ballistae, mounted in place, with bundles of ammunition placed beside them. The guards on the walls panicked, and people below looked up and praised the gods for yet another gift to their beautiful city. Boudicca and the others stormed outside, gazing at the distant defense turrets in awe. The [i]sanndatr[/i] looked up at the heavens and cupped a hand over her heart. “How blessed are we to have such merciful masters.” She then turned to her court. “I see now that I have been wrong to assume all would just return to a state of peace after our change of mind - I genuinely believed it could be this way, but with the loss of Ha-Gaard in the south and the growing tensions in the east, we must now reassume control of our borders. Bring me the [i]Dlíbók[/i]!” Aethel hurried back into the longhouse and, after a brief pause, came back out with the wooden tome - a collection of thin planks kept together by rings of bronze. He opened it, got two of other courtiers to bring him a small table to use for a desk, and took a small bronze knife with a long shaft and a tiny blade from his hip satchel. “What should I add?” he asked calmly. “Make it known to all arbitrators of the Law - to all who seek to kick Ha-Dûna while it is still recovering - that we will not simply stand back and watch as the lands we bled to take and settle, are stolen away from us by craven opportunists. Let it be known to all of the Dûnlands that to make an attempt on our lands is to go to war against us; however, let everyone also know that we will offer all who seek to join the Dûnan family, a rightful place amongst us. All peoples on our lands shall from this day be granted the right to speak at legal gatherings, henceforth to be referred to as the [i]tingmoot[/i]. Every [i]théin[/i] shall ensure that these voices reach this very house in Ha-Dûna, so that all may be heard in our new multicultural hegemony. Any who obstruct these peoples from expressing their voices, shall themselves be put under the service of the Truth and Stars, so that they may be guided back to the truthful way.” “Including the Scawicks?” came a snide remark. Boudicca raised her brow at the speaker and nodded with determination. “Yes, even the Scawicks will be given amnesty despite their recent actions. As the gospel goes: ‘Children may scream and hit their mother in rage, but the mother loves them all the same. This is to be virtuous.’ We cannot win against our foes with blood, just as we cannot win if we shun it entirely. We can only win if our virtue and moral is just and correct.” “As the gospel goes: ‘The Truth is only true if its believers are of moral quality,’” Pan added to the sound of agreeing hums. “What about Shaeylila’s warning? Won’t this shift in direction invoke Macsal’s fury?” Aethel questioned. The hums grew silent again. Boudicca drew a slow breath. “We may only pray that he will understand - if he doesn’t…” Her words trailed off. “Let us pray the other gods may vouch for us should it come to that.” She then turned to regard Evette. “You said you had come to help us, correct?” Evette nodded. “That [i]is[/i] what I said.” “Good to have you. In light of these changes, I have an assignment for you - I’ve heard you are a specialist in hunting monsters. It is a quest pertaining to slaying a certain monster - one that was spotted soaring through the clouds in the east not two days ago. Interested?” She raised an eyebrow. “What sort of monster are you talking about?” “The shepherds who spotted it said they’d never seen anything like it. It was absolutely enormous, they said, with great wings black as night and scales like a salamander,” explained Aethel. “It landed by an old Mink burial ground and remained there briefly before flying off again. The locals were terrified.” “East, you said?” she frowned. “I don’t know if I will be able to catch it, but I can try.” “We’ll be counting on you,” Boudicca grunted respectfully. “We cannot have a monster like that roaming the skies above us if we are to strengthen the realm. Take whatever supplies you may need from the resthouses - tell whoever is in charge there that you have my blessing, in case they get uppity.” With a final nod, Evette turned away. [hr] [hider=Post Summary] Evette has been poking around for vampires, but found none. She prays to Cadien for guidance, only for him to reveal that there are no vampires in Ha-Duna. The real reason he sent her there was to aid Ha-Duna in its coming conflicts. He tells her to go look for Boudicca. He also gives her an amulet that allows her to speak any language. Anyway Evette finds Boudicca and tells her that war is coming and they need to prepare. Everyone’s unhappy to hear this. Then Cadien interjects and tell them that while war is unavoidable, they don’t need to go on the offensive - and that doing so may only make their position worse. So he ends up telling them to fight a defensive war to beat their enemies off and sue for peace. He then places a bunch of ballistae on the walls of Ha-Duna. Meanwhile, Evette is sent to go hunt down a dragon. [/hider] [hider=MP Summary] [u]Cadien[/u] [b]Beginning MP:[/b] 5 [b]Beginning DP:[/b] 5 -1MP to create the title “Translator I” - This amulet allows the wearer to ignore language barriers. They may speak and understand any other language. -1DP (enhanced by archery portfolio) to grant Ha-Duna wall-mounted ballistae. -1DP (enhanced by archery portfolio) to grant Ha-Duna steel bolts for the ballistae. -1DP (enhanced by archery portfolio) to bless Ha-Duna’s ballistae so they can’t miss. [b]Ending MP:[/b] 4 [b]Ending DP:[/b] 3 [/hider] [hider=Prestigios] Boudicca 17 + 5 = 22 [list] [*] 5 prestige - Make an amendment to the ideology known as [i]Dûnan Hegemonism[/i]: Peace at all costs is no longer the goal; rather, the goal is to ensure stability in the realm so that all groups who live on it may thrive together in a great, multicultural civilisation. [/list] Circle of the Long Stride 22 + 5 = 27 [u]Evette[/u] [b]Beginning:[/b] 15 +5 for 10k+ characters. [b]Ending:[/b] 20 [/hider]