Ch 24: Orion Village
Imported from SF2 with no description.
The path to the village took us through a short valley of stone, which, opened up into a field that was seemingly used as farmland for the kobolds, who used it to grow vegetation and fruit. The view was a spectacular one; green glades and sky, split by a blue streak of a river that three bridges spanned over, separating the walled village from the farmlands while grey stone peaks stood towards the horizon.
A pleasant and peaceful feeling spread amongst our bound minds, at least until a distant howl pulled us into alert temporarily, the pairs over protectiveness of me peaking once more. Despite the tense moment, the journey towards the village was almost a pleasant one, aside the lingering thought of our extraction pressing on my mind and the time sink of this sidetrack. As we walked, Kela talked to my mates about how the village operated, how they had plans of turning the village into a fort for the future, all the while I remained silent, pondering. Why didn't my Sire tell me about the Sentinels? How did he come to learn of them?
Remaining on the dirt path, Inferno walked up front with the two kobolds, their strides were shorter than ours, so we'd needed to slow our walking pace to a practical crawl. As usual, I was in the middle of the other pair, lost in thought but keeping my guard up. Calamity was in the rear talking over me to the others and despite my being lost in my own thoughts, I know if I'd turned my head I'd catch him gawking at my rump, his lack of focus sometimes concerned me.
Of the three bridges over the wide river, two of them were rope bridges, while the third was a more sturdy wooden structure leading to the village entrance. A wooden wall made from tree trunks with sharp pointed stakes stretched out either side of a gateway, connected with since abandoned watchtowers on either side of the entrance to the village. The gate itself, which had separated the village from external threats now lay in pieces and scattered over grassy ground. Our guides pointed out the river was home to crocodiles and alligators alike as we started crossing the bridge. Looking onwards we finally noticed the remnants of carnage spilling onto the village side of the bridge. The unpleasant sight of corpses, both Kobolds and Aventari lay against and hung over the railing with arrows or spears sticking out of their bodies. Kela warned us to be cautious when he noticed a section of the bridge was damaged. The bridge creaking and even swaying a little as I passed over, a part of me thinking it was going to buckle beneath me at any second. A pity we can’t fly, but that would certainly alert the Aventari we are here, if there are any, it seems strange to not post guards at the entrance.
After successfully crossing the bridge, the kobolds hesitantly welcomed us to the entrance to their home, Orion village, dismay and grief written over their features. It's almost as if the walk here had given them a moments reprieve of the unpleasant attack, only for them to be reminded of the grim fate of many of their fellow kobolds. Carefully gazing through the entrance for a moment, I check that there's no Aventari within the immediate vicinity, before walking over to the wall and slashing through some of the defensive stakes to make space for me to stand on my hind legs and overlook the wall itself into the village, using the height to get a better overview.
Orion Village was indeed small, a settlement surrounded by wooden walls, many of which had spanning ivy on the inside, making it look almost cosy. As we stood at the northern entrance to the village I could see wooden huts with straw roofs clustered together on either side of a central spanning muddy path, some bigger than others with the largest building being a collective hall which lay towards the eastern wall. The central path led to a more open looking stone plateau, a sort of town square more than likely knowing kobold architecture, likely adorned with a dragon design and a well in the centre. Beyond was another wall of tree trunks and what looked like an intact southern gateway. There seemed to be commotion around the stone plateau, unable to see properly with the buildings in the way, I could at least see some figures dancing around and fleeting about near the well.
“I was expecting a bigger settlement,” I whisper to Kela.
“Don’t be fooled by appearances my Dragon Lord. The main lodge, located to the east there, leads to a vast underground cave system, which we dwell in more commonly as we build more surface homes. The majority of the existing buildings are for farmer access. When the initial attack began, the majority of kobolds would have fled to the safe haven of the caves, after all, we are a farmer clan without an army, just a the few KGP who help protect us while we build the settlement and station proper.” Kela explained.
“The KGP?” Inferno questioned.
“He means the Kobold Guard Post, whose duties are to protect kobolds in small, secluded areas such as these.” I said to clarify.
As I continue to look over the wall, shifting a little to try and get a slightly better view and taking the time to listen, I make out that at least the majority of the A __ventari were located around the stone plateau, dancing around the villages water source with four circular cages holding kobolds, placed around the well. Some kind of ritual, perhaps? I noticed six of the Aventari's were indeed keeping a lookout but had left the rest of the village abandoned for this performance of some kind to a drumbeat a_ nd_ weird squawking noises. Sigh, why am I even here? I glance back at the mountain behind us, viewing the marble columns upon its peak. The Life Relic is literally there and here I am playing hero. My anxious feelings spread to my mates. Inferno grumbles at me on noticing that I am not paying attention to the current situation.
I annoyingly turn back to focus on the miscreants below, wailing into the night, like they were celebrating a victory or most likely their god. The lack of organisation irritated me, considering these Aventari were capable of overtaking this village, seizing the Great Gate, and possibly finding a way into the Totem Temple. Yet here they are with no discipline, no sentries, or guards on duty to keep the premises under their control. Perhaps they don’t care about keeping a hold on the village? My thoughts are soon interrupted.
“My Dominion, do you have a plan of action?” Calamity asks quietly. Both kobolds stared at me with hope and admirance. Fine, let's do this.
“Possibly, however I'm cautious of our bulky bodies destroying the village. Lesmis, Kela, you are going to have to sneak in, they have a blind spot to the southeast of the plateau. The majority of the village is empty, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to reach that location. Rescue the kobolds the best you can during the chaos.” I instruct. Both kobolds nod in understanding.
“What about us, my Tyrant?” Inferno enquired.
“ __These Aventari celebrate their 'god' with reckless abandon. I believe its time to give them new gods to celebrate, or rather...fear_.” I reply with a smirk. _