Zion: Light of the New Moon Part 2, Ch 2.1 Bannihar
Zion - Light of the New Moon, Part 2 Chapter 2.1
Bannihar RIFT
Based on votes from the end of 1.5, Bannihar receives + Favor but, sadly there were not enough votes for any given character to provide the bonus experience. The modifiers to Bannihar for this chapter are currently + Willpower and - Delay if successful or ++ Delay and - Luck if a failure. These can still be modified.
Cliffholm was a one day rest stop. Having taken the opportunity to resupply the most urgent of their provisions, the party spent the night in safety, then stayed only long enough the following morning to load up their purchased goods. The group was on their way once again well before noon but not everyone was happy with the arrangement.
"Quickblade..." Lord Raes called ahead to the Wild Lander.
Jules responded by connecting a boot with a loose rock on the side of the Highway, "What?" the scout called back to the dog.
Lord Raes' armor clanked audibly as he hustled forward to join the Wild Lander ahead of the caravan, "You've been wearing that scowl for too long."
"Not that long." Jules responded.
"Ever since we arrived in Cliffholm." Raes pointed out.
Jules' initial reply was a loud, agitated clack of teeth from a shut muzzle, but, after another moment, the Wild Lander finally responded, "I don't think we should have left him."
"It's safest for him." Raes responded, "We did what we could and the rest is up to the healers of Cliffholm."
"The Goddess put him in our path for a reason." Jules answered neutrally, as if trying to provide conviction for the devout statement without real feeling behind it.
If the dog noticed the forced attempt at piety in Jules' voice, he didn't say anything about it. Instead, Raes reached over and clasped a gauntleted paw on the Wild Lander's shoulder, "This is about more than destiny, isn't it?"
Jules sighed and picked at a tooth with a claw, "Yea... it's about a promise I made."
"A promise?" the large dog inquired, raising an eyebrow, "To whom?"
The Wild Lander hesitated answering for a moment before speaking, "... a girl... back in Bannihar."
"Ah..." Lord Raes nodded knowingly, "So many of life's trials and tribulations can be traced back to the fairer sex." he offered a chuckle, "You got yourself into some trouble there, didn't you, Mr Quickblade?"
Jules chuckled; Raes obviously didn't know her secret, "Ah yes... the fairer sex." and the Wild Lander glanced sidelong at the champion, "Speaking from experience, I take it?"
Lord Raes shrugged casually, "No... but I've seen it often enough to know the trouble it brings."
"Oh do you now?" Jules inquired with a smirk, "Haven't had the chance to find trouble of your own?" the Wild Lander shot a glance at the dog before flicking an errant piece of food off of the claw that had freed it from between her teeth.
"I've taken a vow of celebacy." Lord Raes responded, looking to the scout, "My heart belongs to Tah'aveen."
Jules stopped all forward motion and raised an eyebrow and both ears, "You're joking..."
"I am not." Lord Raes responded, still walking.
"I didn't think people did that anymore." and the Wild Lander took several quick steps to catch up.
"It is not a requirement... it is a choice." the dog answered.
"But... why?" Jules demanded.
"It simplifies things." the Champion explained.
"Thing...s don't work right?" the Wild Lander questioned, motioning casually toward Raes' groin.
"No." the dog countered, "everything works... fine."
Cracking a devilish grin, Jules pushed the issue, "How do you know your sword's sharp if you never take it out of its sheath?"
"It works for what I need it for." Raes responded.
"So you mean to tell me," the Wild Lander pressed, "you haven't ever--"
"Correct." the dog acknowledged, his face as stoic as a granite statue.
"Ever?" Jules repeated.
"No." Raes confirmed.
The two walked along for a few seconds before the Wild Lander spoke up again, "So... this celibacy thing..."
"Yes?"
"...not even... by yourself?" Jules glanced toward the dog. Raes' expression finally broke... for just a moment. The inside of the big dog's ears reddened slightly and he cleared his throat. Jules' grin widened, "Okay... just wanted to make sure you were alive." When Raes didn't respond Jules issued a quick elbow jab to the champion's side, "Oh stop." Jules' grin widened even more, "You've been wearing that scowl for too long."
Lord Raes didn't miss the fact that the Wild Lander had used his own words against him.
Roarg was not one to spend his time in the wagon so nobody objected when he joined Iskiy in The Risen for the first leg of their trip out of Cliffholm. The badger sat cross-legged on the wooden floorboards, occasionally brushing a claw over one of the many patches of stone holding the timber together. He glanced over at Iskiy, who was laying on his side, eyes open. "Isn't this usually your nap time?" he asked with a faint hint of humor to his voice.
"Hm?" Iskiy stopped staring at the floor board in front of himself and looked up at the badger, "Oh... yea." he confirmed, "I mean yes... it is... usually." he flicked an ear.
"...and?" Roarg inquired, "Why aren't you busy sawing logs?"
"Sawing logs?" Iskiy raised his head, ears going vertical as they focused on the stone cutter.
"you know... snoring." Roarg rolled his eyes.
"Oh..." Iskiy sat up, "it's my muzzle." he offered, pointing to it with an index finger, "It's so large I don't snore."
The badger smirked and noted in a playfully-condescending tone, "I mean why aren't you sleeping, antlers-for-brains."
"Oh..." Iskiy noted, "heh..." he half-chuckled, smiling, "I just have a lot on my mind."
"Like your antlers." Roarg offered.
"Those too." Iskiy agreed, and twiddled his thumbs, "Um... Roarg?"
"Um... yea?" the badger offered, mimicking the wolf's tone.
"Let's say you knew something that other people didn't..." Iskiy began then paused, "I mean... not that you don't know stuff others don't... but..." he paused, cocking his head to the side, "What I mean is... if you knew... a secret or... something... if you knew what other people don't know about what's going on...." he scrunched his muzzle up.
"You need to work on your heart-to-hearts." Roarg interjected with a smirk, "Do you know something important the rest of us don't?"
Iskiy paused, taken aback, "How did you know?"
The badger chuckled, "Call it a hunch." and he leaned forward, "What's up, Iskiy?"
"It's just..." Iskiy took a deep breath, and blurted out his admission in a long, run-on sentence "I found out at the Wayside that a woman named Dana has been following us for awhile and that she thinks that the party is marked by the spirits and she wants to keep an eye on us because she thinks that whatever is going on is important to the world beyond just us going to Zion to find out what happened to the last delegation but she doesn't want to travel with us because she thinks her job is to observe and not interfere."
"Wow..." Roarg noted casually, "You managed all that on just one breath." the edge of his muzzle quirked up in a half-smirk.
"Oh... and she has antlers." Iskiy added, "Like mine." Roarg almost began to speak before the Wild Lander continued, "Oh... and she's a wolf." he barely paused for a second, "oh..." his ears reddened, "and she's real pretty."
"Is she now?" Roarg chuckled, rubbing the end of his muzzle in thought.
"Yea..." Iskiy acknowledged.
"Moon Pelted?" the badger asked.
"Oh yea... pure silver." the scout acknowledged.
"Fur halter? Loincloth?" Roarg offered. Iskiy nodded. The badger continued, "One eye blue and the other one green?"
The Wild Lander paused and raised a paw to his head, "Are you a Diviner?" he asked, "Can you read my mind?"
Roarg, barely able to contain a laugh, motioned past Iskiy. The antlered wolf turned about and looked out the wagon at the lithe, white-furred form darting into and out of the tree line, apparently having no trouble staying even with the group even as she moved across the rougher terrain to the side of the Highway. "Nice catch there, Iskiy." the badger mused.
"Catch?" Iskiy asked, ears focused back on Roarg though his eyes were plastered to the athletic wolf woman casually keeping pace with the group, "No... she's following us because of the spirit thing."
"For being such an optimist you really don't look at things in your favor, do you?" Roarg asked, chuckling.
"Huh?" the wolf inquired, actually pulling his eyes away from the white furred wolf to glance back at the badger, "What do you mean?"
"She just waved." Roarg stated.
"She did?!?" Iskiy rose up to his knees, peering back out into the forest, tail wagging.
"No, not really." the stone cutter admitted. The Wild Lander sighed in response, slumping back down to the ground as laid his muzzle on the lip of the wagon, gazing out into the forest.
"Hmm..." the badger smirked to himself, "Maybe he's the one who got caught."
* * * * * *
Welcome to Chapter 2, Post 1 for the Banniharian Caravan in this, Part 2 of Zion: Light of the New Moon.
We pick up the story one day later. The party took the opportunity to drop the survivor off and is on their way!
For post 1 of this chapter we are going to focus on Jules and Lord Raes, followed by Roarg and Iskiy.
Next week will involve discussions between Elias and Kayte along with Elesin and Sebastian (wow... scary thought there). Since this chapter is still developing, how about an opportunity to affect how this Event Arc will modify the party's statistics?:
1) We'll stick with whatever modifiers we earn through choices. 2) Give us + Danger but we want + Luck in return! 3) Up the Danger and give us extra Experience! 4) Favor is everything! We'll each give up 1 Willpower to gain EIGHT Favor for the group!
Contributing Readers have until Thursday, December 8th at midnight.