Zion: Light of the New Moon, Ch 2.1 Bannihar
Zion - Light of the New Moon Chapter 2.1
Bannihar The Serpent's Eye
Readers have elected to pit the Banniharian Caravan against the encounter with serpents.
"The cat bothers me." Lord Raes announced, scowling up at Alexander who rode at the back of Kayte's wagon.
"Why should he bother you?" Priestess Kayte Delier questioned calmly.
"He has all of his fur." Lord Raes pointed out.
"Exactly as he should." the priestess acknowledged.
"You healed him, and he didn't acknowledge your aid." the knight noted.
"He expressed that he was thankful." Kayte countered.
"The cat didn't say a single word of thanks." the dog challenged.
"Good manners doesn't require that someone needs to specifically SPEAK their thanks, Lord Raes. He nodded once he'd been healed, and he has chosen to ride with me. Isn't that enough?" Kayte questioned amiably.
"That is not being thankful, my Lady... it is called being a 'hanger-on'."
"Well I consider it a flattering form of thanks from someone who usually choses to spend his time alone." Kayte countered.
"I have been trained since birth to understand all aspects of social interaction, your Grace," the warrior noted, "Forgive the prideful boasting, but I would suspect that I am more familiar with the formal elements of manners than yourself."
Kayte rolled her eyes, "Just because I was not raised by the temple doesn't mean I don't know about manners, Lord Raes."
"This coming from a priestess who has bedded more men than a Doenian prosti--" the dog's smiling muzzle snapped shut audibly and his expression became as stoic as the guardian statues of the temple. Kayte glanced to him and he shied away from her gaze, "I apologize, Priestess." he noted immediately, ears lowering, "We were discussing manners and I appear to have forgotten mine. I merely meant to--"
Kayte nodded slowly, "I understand, Lord Raes, and I accept your apology." she reached down from her place on the wagon bench and patted him on the shoulder, "You didn't mean it as an offense."
"Thank you, Priestess." Lord Raes acknowledged with a nod, "I did not mean to imply--"
"No... obviously." Kayte laughed, "Implication would suggest a degree of subtlety."
"Again," Lord Raes lowered his head, ears blushing visibly from where they emerged from his helmet, "I apologize to the greatest possible extent."
Kayte smiled, "I accept it as an observation, Lord Raes. Only if your words didn't hold an element of truth would I consider them an insult."
The dog looked to her, "I know that the High Priest has concerns for you..."
Kayte sighed, "I know he does..." she lowered her head, "Goddess... I sometimes have concerns for myself too." she looked over to her guardian, "Not everyone can take a vow of celibacy as well as you, Lord Raes."
"I do not fault you, my lady." Lord Raes acknowledged, "Your dedication manifests in other ways. It is obvious why the High Priest elected you to carry the Divine Shield."
"Even if you have one as well?" the priestess pointed out.
Lord Raes smiled, "We each bring our own strengths to this journey, Priestess."
"I can accept that, Champion." Kayte smiled, "You have a way with words."
Lord Raes nodded respectfully and they traveled in silence for several minutes before the dog spoke up again, "So... if I may post an observation..."
"By all means." Kayte acknowledged.
"One reason I feel the High Priest may have chosen you for this task--" he left the comment to trail off.
"Is to give me a better understanding of the world the Goddess has created and the many ways the mortal creatures have damaged it." the priestess offered.
"Not precisely, your Grace..." Lord Raes noted.
"He knew that I would have what it takes to see the caravan to safety." Kayte explained.
"Though true, I believe he may have had other motives..." the dog pointed out.
"He figured there would be less men around that I might invite to my bed." she stated flatly.
"The idea had crossed my mind... but I was not going to say it." Lord Raes acknowledged.
"Of course not... manners dictate that you continue hinting until I did."
"Ah... so my Lady IS familiar with courtly courtesy." the dog grinned, and they shared a laugh.
"Despite the humor of it, Lord Raes, the idea had crossed my mind more than once." Kayte acknowledged after a pause.
"Do you truly believe the High Priest would have such a motive?" the armored dog asked, suddenly serious.
"No..." Kayte shook her head, "Otherwise he would have thought better of hiring a few select travelers."
Lord Raes' ears went up, "Do you..." he choked back his words as he rephrased, "There... are some here who carry your fancy?"
"Oh, don't worry, Champion... I'm not about to demand anything from you." Kayte patted him on the shoulder, "You are not precisely my type." Lord Raes' expression beneath his helm flickered between relief, confusion, and, for just a moment, indignation.
"Truly?" he inquired after a moment, "Very well... then I will lay an offer on the table-- you may take it or leave it as you will."
"Oh?" Kayte asked, bemused, "Let's hear this offer, Lord Raes."
The dog nodded, "Reveal to me these men and, if you question the soundness of your judgment I will help you limit your opportunities for indiscretion."
Kayte laughed at that before quickly countering, "What a nice way to ask for a chance to hear some gossip."
"Courtly manners, m'lady." the champion bowed, "Though the truth of my offer remains on the table."
"Do you REALLY wish to know that badly?" Kayte asked.
"I wish to serve you in whatever capacity, Priestess... knowing this information may help." the dog offered with a smirk.
"Two specifically..." Kayte giggled.
"Oh?" Raes inquired playfully, "And who would they be, pray tell?"
Kayte smirked, blushing just a little, "They would be--"
* * * * *
Roarg and Elias plodded along next to the worker's wagon. They were chatting idly, both quite comfortable with casual discussion, especially since they were both very familiar with the chosen topic.
"If you just slam the hammer down without placing the chisel right then you end up with a chunk of worthless stone." Roarg pointed out.
Elias nodded, "I wish the laborers understood the simple truth that getting it right the first time saved more work. They always say that it's faster to do it 'by eye', but then I have to go back and explain that doing it five or six times 'by eye' takes longer and wastes material."
"Sounds like you have a hard time dealing with your crew." the badger grinned.
The armadillo clasped both of his large paws to his head, "If it weren't for my foreman I'd probably have killed half of the crew... and likely myself... a few times over." The two shared a laugh.
"I'm surprised you have a crew." Roarg admitted, "Considering your skill with stone I always figured that you would have been more into doing things on your own."
"Well, 'One person is not a work crew.', Roarg... I thought every one of the Stoneclan practically lived by that creed." Elias proposed.
"You're not Stoneclan." the badger pointed out, "but yes, that is the creed. So you're saying you put up with a few dozen careless workers just so you can sign up as a building crew?" he flicked an ear mirthfully.
"Bah... hardly." Elias waved the thought away, "One armadillo can't be everywhere. Despite how useless seventy-point-two percent of them are, I--"
"That's a pretty exact number." the badger grinned.
"Thirty seven workers-- twenty six of them are hardly worth the pay." Elias countered.
"No wonder you're an engineer..." Roarg guffawed, "attention to every last detail."
Both glanced to the right as Sebastian landed with a casual and obviously deliberate 'thump' on the road beside Roarg. "So how are they going to survive without you?" he asked the armadillo.
Elias glanced the gryphon up and down before answering, "Despite them being HARDLY worth the pay, they ARE twice as good as the rest of the hacks out there pretending to be stone workers."
"Wow..." Sebastian noted, easing himself a little further away from Elias, "Your ego is edging me off the path... it's taking up the whole road!" Both Roarg and Elias glanced at the gryphon, "Alright..." he noted, hopping into the air, "Point taken."
"So, what ARE they going to do without you?" Roarg asked once Sebastian was back in the air.
"Joseph, my foreman... he should be able to keep them in line." Elias explained.
"Should?" Roarg smirked.
"He always had a soft touch." the armadillo shrugged, then smiled... just a little, "the expression on that old horse's face was priceless when he found out I was leaving."
"Do I detect a faint hint of sadism?" the badger inquired, glancing sidelong at Elias.
"Well, you don't know Joseph like I do, or you'd understand." the Geomancer explained.
"Oh?" Roarg inquired, "Try me."
"He's worked with me for over five years." Elias explained.
"And?" the badger pressed.
"And nothing... he's worked with me for five years. Half my crew says that makes him a certified masochist." The two shared another laugh... but it died down quickly when the caravan came to a halt. "Hmm..." Elias paused, "That's strange. We still have several hours of daylight and we already had a break."
Roarg let out a sharp whistle, and Sebastian, who had been circling overhead, dove down and landed silently. The badger looked to the gryphon and asked, "Did you see why the caravan stopped?"
* * * * * *
"Draconids." Iskiy explained to Elesin.
"Draconids?" she questioned, crossing her arms, looking skyward "I don't see any Draconids."
"Serpents... they don't fly." the wolf countered, motioning to the forest, "They ARE here." he acknowledged, "I would not have stopped the caravan otherwise." he remained where he was, wary and on the look-out.
Elesin snorted and continued looking around as well, "I think the antlers are putting too much weight on your brain." she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small crystal lense. Speaking several powerful words of arcane magic, the kangaroo held the lense up to her eye and paused, "Well... even with magic I can't see what y--" and she paused, short hair all over her body standing on end.
"What's wrong?" one of the wagon masters demanded, approaching the two.
"Serpents!" Elesin quickly exclaimed, stowing her lens, "There are Serpents nearby!"
"Serpents? Here?" the wagon master questioned, "We're barely two days from a Wayside. Are you sure?" he glanced to Iskiy, who nodded, "Alright... so... what then? Be ready to fight?"
"I'm always ready to fight." Elesin noted, then glanced to Iskiy, "What kind of Serpents?"
"Slithers." Isky explained without a moment's pause, "A dozen... maybe a dozen and a half."
The wagon master's face went pail, "Eigh--- eighteen?!?"
"Possibly two dozen." the wolf explained.
"Well then, boys..." Elesin noted, drawing her sword and laying the flat of the blade on her shoulder, "Let's go muster the troops!" she noted with a big grin, marching comically back toward the wagon train, "I'd love to get myself a nice pair of scaled leggings before nightfall."
"Are-- aren't Serpents able to be reasoned with?" the wagon master questioned Iskiy.
"Sometimes they're willing to talk." the wolf replied, idly rubbing one of his ears uncomfortably, "but often enough they might just act like it until you get close enough for them to have an easy meal..."
"Goddess preserve us..." the wagon master whispered, "Alright..." he noted, just a little more resolutely, "Then what's the plan?"
Iskiy shrugged, "I don't know." he said honestly, "I'm a scout, not a commander." and, with that, he went quickly back toward the priestess' wagon where a group was quickly forming.
* * * * * *
The Bannihar Caravan had time to rest at the Wayside, but they're on their way once again to Zion
The first part of Chapter 2 presents the group with an important tactical choice.
Contributing readers now get to choose the way the party will face this situation. Banniharian Contributing Readers each get 1 vote on how to proceed. Anyone may spend 1 Willpower to get a second vote (with a successful social roll, Target number of 20). The following options are available:
1) Spread out the guard among the caravan to meet the demands of the Slither attack.Contributing Reader characters will be involved in combat and may risk injury or death but will earn full Event Arc bonuses. SUCCESS.
Form up the guards around the central portion of the caravan to protect key personnel. Caravan guards will meet the Slither threat without risk to Contributing Reader characters. Story Seeds will be provided in full but only half of the Event Arc bonuses will be provided. SUCCESS
3) Attempt to negotiate with the Slithers. If successful, the group may manage to avoid combat but still receive full credit. If a failure, the group will automatically receive negative to combat that may result. SUCCESS
4) Accept volunteers to act as outriders on a suicide mission to hold off the Slithers. The Event Arc is considered failed. Full Story Seeds will be provided but the party will gain no bonuses and suffer from the failure of an Event Arc. No experience is awarded. FAILURE.
Contributing Readers, make sure you make your vote before midnight (pst) on Friday, June 24th.
Not enough reader votes were available to provide any character a bonus from last Story Arc... awwww... but at least Bannihar won a group award for the highes group votes. Yay!