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[h2]A Visit from a Farmer[/h2]
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[sub][i]Year 30AA, late Autumn, on a hilltop outside of Ha-Dûna...[/i][/sub]

There was a gentle, harmless breeze on the air coming from the northern sea, the horizon a palette of blue, yellow, red and green. The treeless hill atop which Boudicca sat gave an extraordinary good view of the surroundings, and she found herself moving up here with growing frequency. She had taken to planning the coming battles in isolation - the pestering [i]mórthéins[/i], lesser [i]théins[/i], hildargeach and other military folk - they were too busy arguing among themselves to see the big picture; the foreign chiefs and kings weren’t much better. Fights kept breaking out whenever the Doserung would open their mouths and say something much too honestly for the fragile Dûnan ego, and the Constabulary were almost too busy quelling riots against the strict enforcement of shared housing to shelter all the refugees from the countryside, to actually do their job policing the ministers. Finally, rumours had reached her that the mysterious disease that had broken out in the Temple of the Night had somehow escaped the facility of its quarantine, having been registered in the household of a Mother stationed at a waystation a distance down the Misanthir. She couldn’t wait any longer - at the first sign that the elements of the world were in her favour, she had to charge and destroy Jjonveyo’s force so she could refocus her attention on keeping Ha-Dûna from ripping apart at the seams again. 

She cursed under her breath. Nothing was going the way she had planned last year!

Out of seemingly nowhere she felt a tickle on her hand. Turning to look, the tail of a red fox was whisking back and forth as it sat next to her, dull brown eyes looking outward from the hill. The woman skipped to her feet and turned to regard the fox in disbelief.

“A wild fox? Approaching me?” Curiously, she held out her hand towards its snout. “... Might it be that even the animals of this world see Ha-Dûna as a place of peace and harmony?”

The fox sniffed her hand cautiously before violently sneezing all over it, a booger splattering her hand. Boudicca retracted her hand and grimaced at it, kneeling down to wipe it clean in the dry grass. “... Be thankful that I have children who have dirtied my hands with worse.” She squinted into the fox’s eyes. “... Is this some sort of sign? I cannot recall any farseers presenting this exact event… One did mention a coughing bull, but that’s a bit of a stretch, I suppose.”

The fox yawned wide, snapping its mouth shut - a voice echoing around it. "You prayed for me, Illyd Dyll, God of Weather and Agriculture."

For a moment too long, the woman stood as frozen. She then tossed herself to the ground and pleaded, “Great Lyd! Forgive my uncouth tongue - take it if you wish! Had I known I was in your divine presence, I would not have been so arrogant in my speech!”

"Ah, well -- oh well," The voice hummed, the fox snuggling back into the grass. It yawned again and closed its eyes. The voice turned to a soft breathing for an uncomfortable while before Illyd coughed. "So what's up?" 

Boudicca peeked up. “Uh… Pardon?”

"You prayed for my presence, it's not very often a human does that," Illyd answered, "So I figured I'd come see what you needed to tell me." 

“Oh.” Boudicca sat up and collected her legs in a cross, her arms following suit across her chest. “Well, if that’s the case, I feel like I should start from the beginning: My people are under attack from the east - the Chelevyaks are advancing on our homes and I reached out to ask humbly if you could give us aid in the matter. The manner of aid, if you wish to provide it, is of course up to yourself and your convenience - whatever be granted by your holy will, we will accept it wholeheartedly.” She bowed her torso.

The fox lifted its head, "I have a feeling I'm not the first god you asked for aid." 

Boudicca nodded concedingly. “Your guess is true, great one. I have asked everyone, and those who wished to gift us something that could aid us, did; others did not answer, and we understand that the will of the gods is not one and the same - lest they would not be many.” 

"What sort of aid are they giving you?" Illyd wondered, nose sniffing the air. 

“Oh, their gifts are many. Macsal’s lieutenant, the Lady-in-Waiting, offered me this collar.” She touched the inky belt around her neck. “... I confess I do not know its exact potential, but it has focused my mind since I received it. I feel clearer now - fastened on a purpose.” She then reached into a satchel hanging from her shoulder and retrieved a pearl that fit perfectly in her palm. “The mighty and generous Claroon gifted me this, a tool that taught me the tongue of the seafolk and the oceanborne.” She then pointed back down to Ha-Dûna. “Cadien offered us three banners with powers to enhance strength, stamina and accuracy, all necessary components of battle.” She then tapped at her temple. “Naya took upon herself the burdens of our tumult now, too, so we can sleep easier.” She paused. “... So some may sleep easier, anyway… Others have, have been finding it harder to rest. That’s not Naya’s fault, of course, but… Anyway, finally, Selesta has promised her support when battle is met.”

"That's all so generous of them," the fox stretched, "Why did they grant you these things?" 

“The gods are kind and generous,” Boudicca nodded. “We ask not why or why not - we are merely thankful that it happened.”

"Maybe you should ask why," Illyd suggested. Sitting up the fox looked around before continuing, "Gods are insidious creatures, usually without realization. It's the harmful by-product of their security in immortality - suddenly their opinions are law and their actions sancrosanct - consequences be damned... Literally. Have you heard this from a God before?" 

Boudicca blinked uncomfortably. “W-well… No, but… But we would rather not upset any gods. As you said, their opinions -are- law, after all. If they - if you - would ask us to do anything, we cannot say against it.”

"It's true, I could destroy your entire civilization and ensure that not a single generation exists beyond the second I do," Illyd mentioned idly, "All the gods could, and every mortal knows it, and they know that this is far from the worst we could do to you. Terrible things - a mortal once suggested at least death could be an escape, but no - not from us." The fox put a paw on Boudicca's knee, "Do you know why I, the God of Agriculture and Harvest, speak of such things to you?"

“N-no?” It was incredible the tremors that the fox’s paw sent through the giant warrior of a woman.

"Because I planted the seed of mortality myself, long long ago, and I aim to see my garden grow," The Fox smiled a toothy smile, "Free of biting insects and gnawed roots. In your war and in your pleas I smell the stink of invading rot. Gods slowly forcing their hands stronger and stronger on mortality, pushing them and pulling them into the cages of their own desires. Their many conflicting ideals ripping the mortal plane asunder." The fox looked away for a moment, "If you want my aid, I can aid by keeping the Gods away from your war, on both sides - so you and mortality can solve it to your own desires and ability. And after, I can keep them from meddling in whatever peace is born." 

Boudicca’s wide eyes hardened into a frown. “But… I asked them for help. Please, I do not wish to confuse - we are happy to be watched over by them, come what may. We have only grown as prosperous as we have because the gods have kept us in their plans, and I believe I speak for all my people when I say we feel safer with them than without them.”

"Well okay," Illyd put his second paw on her knee so as to lever himself high enough to look her in the eye, "Look to my gardens to see what it looks like in a world I offered, I'll always have my ears open."

She stared deeply into his eyes. “Your… Gardens?”

"There are corners of this world that don't know the pain your people have gone through, and even among your people there are pockets of paradise bent to the law made before the gods," Illyd nodded, "The harvest, the wild meadows, the deep groves misted in rain -- places I call home. They have been untouched by the other gods, and as such they are in a pure and pristine state without tugging conflictions projected upon them. Think on this: you have great tools of destruction gifted to you by the gods, but if your enemy is also gifted such things then all the gods have done is made a larger wound - and even if they don't - eventually something will match that power, and then either side will escalate and escalate. Ah the Gods," Illyd shook his head, "They don't go away. To give blessings is one thing, but to make ordenances of war - I question them."

As if to punctuate his point, there came a sudden explosion to the east. The mountains, so distant that they were not visible - only known thanks to one’s sense of place and direction - were in a flash overshadowed by a ball of flame, and the sky above seemed to blacken like soot. Boudicca rocketed to her feet and gasped. “By the gods, what-... What on Galbar is that?!”

"Oh dear," Illyd whispered, a sense of frustration in his voice. "I can feel the loss of an extravagant number of lives." He snarled, "with more to come." 

Boudicca’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “Was… Was that the work of a god? And, and was that aimed at the Chelevyak homelands?!” She descended to her knees and looked up at the sky. “... Is this what you meant, great Reiya?”

"You wouldn't call it great if it had struck here," Illyd stared at the horizon, "Then again I feel a lot of our talk would be different if you didn't, in serendipity, align with divine machinations. But who knows how long that'll last." 

“Hah! Triumph for--” Boudicca was knocked back by the sudden blast of air and sound. Tremors rocked her off balance and out of the corner of her floored eyes, she could see Ha-Dûna below filling with dust and smoke from fires. She blinked dizzily and tried to push herself to her elbows. “... By the gods, what force…”

Illyd Dyll stood unaffected, coat untainted by dust. He looked over at Boudicca, "Force is one word for it." Boudicca blinked up at him, coughing harshly as she forced herself to rise.

“I, I need to run home. Smoke from fires is rising from within the walls--” She coughed again and staggered a few steps forward before needing to stop to restabilise herself. 

"No they aren't," Illyd Dyll said, pointing his snout back at the city, the dust and smoke already being washed away by a seemingly gentle rain -- licks of fire already dying down. Boudicca blinked.

“As expected of divinity…” She finally recovered her balance and smeared some dust off her face. The clouds in the far east grew blacker by the second, and they were expanding with violent speed. Boudicca paid them only a glance and turned back to the fox. “A mere movement of your nose just saved several families, parents and children alike, from burning alive inside their homes. I state once more that we are eternally at the mercy and in service of the gods, for without them, how would we thrive as we do?”

Illyd blinked, "Consider this, I only just canceled the damage caused by another god." He looked out to the east, "And now I will cancel that - the clouds are mine."

Boudicca squinted. “... But hold on… The clouds may sour the weather for the advancing Chevelyaks… This could be an opportunity to turn the battle! Oh, please, great Lyd!” She descended to a knee and folded her hands. “I realise the insolence of my request, but all I ask is that I’m given a week. A week in such weather and the morale of the Chelevyaks will be shattered - no sun and only ashen rain for days! It’s a golden chance to end this war and bring peace to these lands once more!”

The fox whisked its tail past Boudicca's nose, the fuzzy hairs interrupting her request with a sneeze. Sitting up on her lap, Illyd studied the mortal. "Could have ended the war by letting you all burn as well, no?" 

The woman blinked. “W-well…”

"Could end your mortal war so many ways and not all are pleasant to you - but that's not my place, not now at least." The fox held its stare, "I will rejuvenate these lands as I always do with my blessings, regardless of who will feast of my harvest and dance in my rains, I'll guard the garden of mortality." He hopped off, a goofier tone tinting his voice. "But seriously thanks for all this, I don't talk to humans enough it seems - I'm always available by prayer."

“Oh.” Boudicca appeared somewhat deflated and remained kneeling. “But of course. Your will is ours, great one. We cannot thank you enough for your aid in growing our crops and feeding our soil. I hope our druids may reach out come sowing season and ask for your blessings so that we may feed ourselves for one more year, then.”

"Oh but of course, I already planned your winter and spring schedule," The Fox seemed suddenly excited by the topic. 

“O-oh, you have?”

"Yes!" The fox all but hopped in place, "Tell your farmers to plant rooty vegetables with tap roots in the late winter after haying, the snow will be mild enough - trust me - but your soil is starting to shelve from use and could use the roots to break it up for your true spring rotation like wheat and the like." 

“Oh! Yes, of course! When, when should we plant the peas, leeks and onions?” She seemed to move her hands in a writing manner as though scratching in notes on a fictive tablet.

"After the beets and deep roots," the fox was actually hopping now, "Make sure the ground is warm though!"

“Of course. I shall pass this on to the druids as soon as I return so they may write it down and start distributing seeds. Thank you for this, great one. I shall have a bull slain in your honour come the solstice.” She bowed her head in respect.

"Cook it with rosemary and give it to your farmers -- oo make it a potluck." Illyd was prancing around spouting ideas.

Boudicca’s lips flattened out, but she nodded politely all the same. “We shall make it a ‘potluck’, then,” she responded as though the meaning of the term was as clear as water. “Hopefully, the druids of the Temple of the Woods will have some sprigs left over from this year’s herb harvest.”

"They'll have double!" Illyd Dyll seemed determined, eyes focused on nothing in particular as he pranced around Boudicca in circles. It was unclear if he meant he would make sure they had double, if they already had double, or if he was just wish-listing. The warrior struggled to keep up.

“That-that’s awfully kind of you, great one! Thank you! W-we’ll need it for the coming winter, for sure, especially if the Chevelyaks…” She seemed to stop herself as though returning to such a subject would be taboo. “... When should we forage for mushrooms and berries, then?”

"Chevelyaks," The fox stopped prancing, "Do you think they would want to come to a potluck?" 

Boudicca frowned. “... We would rather not have them come for anything. They belong in their mountains and have no business trekking beyond them.”

Boudicca couldn't be sure, but she coulda sworn the fox rolled its eyes, "Have you ever talked to one?" 

“I’d rather not. First, they demand a senseless tribute from someone else with whom they have had no history; then they burn Ha-Leothe to the ground and ally themselves with the wicked Cenél - these actions speak loudly of the quality of this barbarian Jonwayo and his people.” She shook her head disapprovingly. “The fact that he keeps on marching west tells me all I need to know about him.”

Another whisk of the foxes tail, and another sneeze. "You're coming with me," Illyd said almost happily.. Boudicca pursed her lips.

“Where to, great one?”

The fox shimmered away and from the sky, a great fluffy cloud came zipping down to the hill. Sitting on top was a young man wrapped in white robes, brandishing a goofy smile. He patted next to him, big brown eyes sparkling, "We are going to go meet Jjonveyo together."  Boudicca looked like she was about to suffer a heart attack.

“The enemy himself?! What if he seizes the opportunity and stabs me down the moment he sees me? Then who will lead our defenses against him?”

Illyd pinched his chin in what looked like deep thought, "Oh I got it!" He wiggled his fingers and a steaming apple pie formed in the palm of his hand. The earthy yet sweet aroma wafted from it as Illyd quickly explained, "Just hold this pie, nobody stabs anyone offering a pie." 

She eyed the pie skeptically, but took it nonetheless, switching grips every now and then to not burn her hands. “I, uhm… I don’t think a pie will dissuade him from murdering me. It, it might confuse him, though! You are wise, great one.” She smiled politely.

Illyd nodded and smiled, "Glad you agree! Climb aboard, we have a secret surprise encounter to... Encounter." Boudicca cast a quick glance down the hill to Ha-Dûna.

“I hope we’ll be back by sundown,” she mumbled and climbed aboard. Illyd seemed to snicker before with a bang of thunder - the cloud jetted off into the dusty sky. 

[hider=This happened.]
Boudy hanging out on a rock, spying out east. Suddenly Illyd the Fox comes over and asks her what’s up. Boudy asks why he here and Illyd says she summoned him. She explains that she needs help against Jonny V and Illyd’s like “the gods shouldn’t get involved with mortal affairs.” Boudy says they happy that they are and then Solus blows up, creating lotsa light and then a shockwave. Illyd’s there to ensure the shockwave doesn’t hurt HD too much, but then says the gods did that. Boudy doesn’t care and celebrates the torture this’ll cause Jonny V and the Celeviaks. Illyd asks if she’s actually ever met Jonny and Boudy says no. Therefore, Illyd takes her on a flight over. TBC
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[hider=Empee]
Illyd: 5/5 
Didn’t spend nuttin.
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