Occupied by figuring out a way to tell everyone but Unafe about the sad state of the saurian she had glimpsed, Hinagiku is slow to react to the creature's approach. To make matters worst, her first reaction is to stealthily approach the beast, that is until Ehren-kun translates its desire for meat. Dashing forward in a low crouch, she uses her companions presence to avoid the beast catching sight of her until she reaches its side and attempts to land a single punch which she imbues with the serene power of her inner sea.
The gigantic saurian is far from subtle when it attacks. Hearing the bending and breaking (and screams?) of the trees as the therazinosaurus rushes forward, Lann draws his sword and shield, intent on wading into battle. Unfortunately, the dense foliage was not exactly ideal terrain to fight in, even for one with his training.
With the therazinosaurus so close, Ehren has to crane his neck to properly look at the creature. He grimaces when it tears into Unafe, helpless to prevent such a colossal attack. Instead, he can only retaliate, conjuring another acidic projectile and firing at the saurian's center of mass. The trees made aiming a chore, but it is hard to miss something so large and so close.
Despite the fact that the jungle was simultaneously within Ary's element and utterly outside of it, she remains quick to react, dipping between tree branches as if they simply weren't there - her training with Ser Ilivan still remaining worthwhile even now, maybe her visibility was limited, but the half-elven woman was completely unperturbed in terms of movement. The screeching of the tree that Ehren hit catches her attention for only a moment as she realizes the tree is just macabre, not a threat.
"Be careful! Guard Unafe and put it down quickly!" She calls as she reaches the thing's side, putting her full weight into the initial sword slash, swiping towards the thing's leg even as it stomps through the foliage.
Her weapons carry a golden sheen as Radiance arcs and Faith crashes towards the giant, plagued battlechicken.
Unafe punches the gargantuan saurian back so hard it sees stars, but it regains its senses long enough to jerk away from her grasp. Ary charges in at its blind-spot - just barely missing a vital artery, and eliciting a cry of pain from the therizinosaurus. It backs away readily after that - Ary's second swipe cleaves into a nearby tree, her second, foiled by a creeping vine that lunges out maliciously at her arm, while another sweeps in around Isilme's foot. This distracts the saurian from Hinagiku's swift approach, who arrives and promptly strikes its emaciated ribcage with a single, well-aimed fist. Ehren stands just a few feet behind of her, aiming his next blast of acid at its enormously long neck. It shrieks, shaking its head in confusion at the Two-Hearted's mightly blow, and then with its vicious, comically oversized claws it lunges out again at Unafe, nearly shredding her in two. The warrior kellid only barely survives by ducking and rolling into the underbrush.
Meanwhile, bringing up the rear, Variska nods miserably and trudges at Lann's heels.
Round 3!
The Heroes Are Up!
Xanderghul floats a few feet to the right. He continues to radiate cosmic healing energy, and the aura of energy overtakes Ary and Hinagiku. Confident now that he will be able to restore all of his allies to fighting condition should the need arise, Xander lets out a little breath.
He calls, "Unafe! Fall back before it kills you! Don't worry, we got this."
Valais, meanwhile, begins to radiate light. The light exerts a physical force against members of the animal kingdom. With a little luck, it would keep the creature from advancing towards her. If Unafe chose to retreat and take shelter behind her, it could keep the Demetae warrior safe as well. Of course, Valais simply hoped that the creature chose to attack Ary.
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"Mr. Xanderghul's words are wise." Hinagiku begins, striking the beast's leg."If you step away from the saurian, it will need to focus on us." she continues, grasping onto some of the saurian's feathers and lauching herself up to strike at its knee. "Once you have recovered you can take the place of one of us." she says, kicking her foe on her way to the ground. "That way, we fight as a team." Hinagiku ends while landing on the ground and punching the toes of the Therizinosaurus.
Ary jerks her shield free even as she brings Radiance arcing upwards and through the vines that had latched onto her. She continues the stroke towards the foul fowl while calling over her shoulder. "Not to belabor the point... but I can't really protect you in this environment, you need to survive this." As her weapons bite into the creature's flesh, she twists them, attempting to draw its attention to her rather than the Kellid warrior. Hopefully they would move out of jungle soon and into something more accomodating to the team's skillset. If not, then Ary knew to take some time to prepare alternate skills later at their first opportunity to rest.
Unafe gives a savage, saurian screech as the man-sized claws rip through her for a second time.
She wipes the blood from her eyes and throws everything she can into two rapid punches--aiming right for its face.
For a long instant she struggles through the fog of battle to make sense of the voices around her, urging her to retreat before--reluctantly--she falls back with a snarl.
Gazing upward, Ehren locks eyes with the tremendous saurian, attempting to weary its primal mind with thoughts too complex for it to comprehend. Unafe already managed to knock the beast senseless with one of her blows - they need to keep it off balance, lest it tear into the rest of them with its terrible claws.
Lann continues to trudge through the thick vegetation as quickly as he can, closing in on the saurian at a crawling pace.
Isilme drifts around the side of the creature and takes another swing at it, but the actively hostile foliage makes it impossible to get a good shot at it with her rapier.
Xanderghul's healing aura doesn't completely close Unafe's horrific wounds, but she is no longer gushing blood down her front. Reinvigorated, Unafe socks the saurian right in the jaw as it veers its long neck towards her, sending it reeling. The enormous creature is visibly exhausted at this point as it gasps for breath, its body not truly built for extended fighting. Ary keeps up the assault, however, slicing her blade upwards and twisting it, distracting it just long enough to create an opening for Hinagiku, who catapults up its body on its leg, then leaping downwards comes crashing into its knee, bringing the saurian crashing to the forest floor in a heap. Hinagiku follows up with a swift kick to the beast's head to knock it out cold. It starts to bleed out steadily from its many wounds.
Combat Ends!
Variska catches up just in time to see Hinagiku finish it off. She sighs, exasperatedly, catching up to Valais. She taps her on the shoulder once and sternly says, "You. Don't rush off like that without me. I won't be getting paid if you're dead."
She doesn't belabor the point, though, instead turning to the heroes. "Right. Well, I'm ready to go when you are."
Xanderghul continues to radiate healing energy. Though only Unafe is wounded, he is able to restore her to her previous state -- the state she was in just after the saurian's first strike. It takes half a minute before he is able to relax his new healing ability, and he does so with a brief sigh when he is finished. He checks over everyone to find that no one else was wounded and that the saurian had been killed.
Then, he suggests that the group continue on.
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Unafe knees down next to it. She cradles it's massive head on her lap, as best she can, saying. "Mae'n ddrwg gen i ichi gael eich llygru felly. Mae'n ddrwg gen i nad oeddwn i yma i'w rwystro. Boed i'ch ysbryd fod yn rhydd nawr, i fyw gyda'r hynafiaid."
Then, with a swift movement, she snaps it's neck.
After laying it's head gently on the forest floor, she stands and looks at her new companions.
Shaking her head, she says, "Well...you warned me to expect the worst. It seems you were right. Come on. We might as well get this over with."
"Might we?" asks Xander. "I mean, you're welcome for restoring you to working order, but do we really have to press on? Look around you."
"Ddim cyn i ni dueddu at rai o'r clwyfau hynny o'ch un chi," Ehren says to Unafe, approaching her with one of his healing wands drawn. He gently takes one of her wrists and presses the implement against her forearm. Pulses of healing energy flow through her body, stitching more of her wounds closed.
"If the Demetae still live on these lands, then one way or the other, they have learned to coexist with these beasts as they are now," he reasons, looking to the dead saurian with a frown. "I fear that the worst has yet to come. Nonetheless, I do not believe this changes our plan."
Hinagiku takes a moment to stare and the saurian. Despite looking sick, it was quite the impressive creature, and a sad one. After her moment of silence, Hinagiku stands up.
"This animal was more corrupted than I expected, it was tainted enough that imbuing my attacks with divine power affected it." she says, thinking the others needed to know the evil that resided in it.
Unafe sighs as Ehren's wand takes over where Xander's spell ended. "Thank you both. I feel a good bit better already. At least my body does."
She shakes her head as Hinagiku and the Archdruid share their thoughts. "At this point, I'm not sure whether or not I wish to find my people living together with these twisted mockeries of our saurian cousins. What would that even look like, when the Green is this far out of balance?"
She pauses for a long moment, looking stunned. "But clearly my wishes matter not to whatever demons are loose upon Sarkoris.
"Come! Please. While what we find will surely break my heart still further...it can't be worse than not knowing."
Ary rolls the shoulder that is attached to Faith, looking back to Unafe and nodding. Watching her heal steadily causes Ary to furrow her brow, looking to Xanderghul and lofting a brow. "New trick?"
She then turns her attention back to Unafe. "I didn't tell you to expect the worst." she says, shaking her head. "I foolishly believed that this area might yet be fine. And I'm still holding out hope that further in - and outwards from the center - things will be... better. Naive, yes... but one has to maintain some naivete or you run out of things to look forward to. So... don't give up hope. Your people will need that." she says, pausing, before looking to the trees, then the saurian, and awkwardly segues.
"Other than the fleshy bits... is this the general topography that you were used to, Unafe?"
Isilme is relieved to see the beast go down, and quickly sheaths her rapier. Hopefully they wouldn't encounter anything larger while they were here. She drifts over to speak with the others, alighting on the ground next to Ary.
"I believe we do have no choice but to press on, Xander. The Demetae are active and have attacked our scouting parties. They must be operating from somewhere around here. The fact that this place is so heavily tainted, however, does not bode well, Ary. Ehren is right to say we should expect the worst from here on in, though I hope it will not turn out that way, for Drezen's sake, for the Demetae's sake and for Unafe's as well."
Xanderghul grins widely and gestures expansively in response to Ary. "Godly influence," he says by way of explanation. "Although it's really just another expression of time magic, which I've been experimenting with a bit recently. I hope to make some breakthroughs soon. This newest spell allows me to turn creatures' condition back to that which it was when I began the spell."
He nods to Isilme. "I suppose I agree," he adds.
Valais, meanwhile, approaches Unafe. She shows the woman her sketch of the dinosaur. "When you have a moment, I'd love your input regarding the specific changes that the corruption wrought on this creature. I'd imagine the rotting feathers and the red eyes are among the changes, but I believe you said this creature is typically passive?"
With her notebook ready, she asks questions until Unafe dismisses her. Questions like, "what did this creature eat to get so big?" and "Where might we find a nest?" and "What was the family structure like for this creature?"
"It is really impressive Mr. Xanderghul." Hinagiku kindly and politely says, passing the wizard by as she moves toward Valais. Xanderghul truly had amazing powers, but it still concerned Hinagiku that he kept referring to his power as emanating from divine source, as if he was a god. She still pondered whether he believed it himself, or if it simply was one more way for him to boast about his skills.
Once she arrives by Unafe and Valais' side, Hinagiku presses a gentle hand on the scribe's shoulder and says: "I think Mrs. Unafe might answer your questions later. For now, it would be wiser for everyone to be looking out for dangers."
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"Other than the fleshy bits... is this the general topography that you were used to, Unafe?"
Unafe nods somberly. "Everything's wrong. That was a terrible corruption of that poor bladuraderyn, and the trees look just as twisted...but not so much that I can't navigate. We're less than an hour away from our village--I'd recon--at the speed we walk."
At Valais' question, Unafe pauses. Where to begin? How do I describe the beauty of a bladuraderyn to one who's only seen this monstrosity?
When Hinagiku comes to rescue her, she gives a weak, grateful smile. "Yes, maybe that's the best."
The heroes pick up the pace again, eager to return to some part of the forest that wasn't overtaken by so much undergrowth. It eventually opens up into a large, open area that was cleared out by axe long ago.
The imposingly tall Rimethirst mountains loom over a large ruin that encompasses nearly seven square miles. Only the broken husks of buildings remain, their innards empty and overgrown with vegetation.
The Demetae homeland was very large, of course, to accommodate the movement of enormous creatures.
Demetae architecture was often adorned with mithral filigree, in the form of ornately carved images of saurians, or art depicting the beautiful plant life that grew in the jungles surrounding their hidden home.
All of that has been stripped away - looted, long ago. They did it crudely, cutting it whole out of the wood and stone.
Unafe and Ehren walk out in front towards the only building that seems to have survived: a large, squat structure with a peaked roof. The building was clearly built with defense in mind. There are no windows, and only small vents for air flow and smoke exist near the roofline.
That building is the Hall of the Clan-Lieges: - a place where the various appointed leaders of the sub-clans that composed the Demetae would meet to help settle disputes and make decisions on behalf of the Demetae.
There was only one pre-requisite of being a Clan-Liege: the presence of a saurian companion. While the saurians and the Demetae lived peacefully, not all Demetae were equally gifted at communicating with their saurian neighbors. However, Clan-Lieges were expected to have bonded with at least one saurian, in order to be considered able to make decisions on the behalf of their clan.
A large mound of broken weapons and armor, body parts, and other refuse, lies in a heap to the east of the building, swarming with giant foul-looking rats and two diseased-looking scavenging pteranodons. The largest of the corpses is the immense body of a butchered brachiosaurus. Its corpse is partially rotting, creating a horrible stink. Even worse - there are a few stripped human corpses scattered amongst the remains.
The Demetae did not eat saurians, except for specific times in their oral histories, attributed to famines caused by pestilence or disease. The Demetae viewed them more like honored kin.
The pteranodons shriek, flop, and fly away as Unafe and Ehren approach. Cresting past the enormous corpse, they come to glimpse a make-shift kellid camp set up next to the remaining building. About five dozen kellids have camped here - presumably the Demetae. The strong and able bodied are monitoring several demonic saurians - a triceratops, a stegosaurus, and a spinosaurus - all thrashing angrily against their bonds. All three are weak, courtesy of enormously deep, gushing wounds. Their warriors are equipped with spears and bows, though more than a few of them are equipped with what appear to be crusader weaponry: shields, longswords with Iomedaen motifs, and the like.
The only saurians not chained down are a trio of riding raptors that stand just outside of the main door of the building - a pair of enormous, heavy looking, wooden doors. They appear battle-scarred, ripped upon with weapons and fearsome claws.
The way those raptors look around unsettles Unafe - they are more intelligent than usual - a sort of human-like intelligence.
The rest of the Demetae are those who are not able-bodied - the crippled, the elderly, and the very young. The heroes find the kellids here a depressed and hopeless people. The adults carry on their work with a tired, haunted expression, or stare back at the heroes warily. Even the children are silent and solemn. There is nothing carefree or light in this place. Many of them are obviously malnourished, thin and frail.
These people do not dress like Demetae - none of the clothing styles she associates with them are present. The Demetae generally carried mithral arms and armor, and these people do not possess any mithral. Additionally, they do not look like the Demetae.
Upon seeing the Archdruid they frown with recognition and whisper amongst themselves. "Rydych chi'n gweld y goron honno? Ai dyna'r Archesgob?" "Mae e mor ifanc ..." "Hmph! Mae'n debyg ei fod newydd ddwyn y goron honno o rywle ..."
"You see that crown? Is that the Archdruid?" "He's so young, though..." "Hmph! Probably just stole that crown from somewhere..."
Upon seeing Unafe, they show no obvious signs of recognition, save for the glimpses of the saurian ancestors that whirl around her form. They are highly agitated, occasionally murmuring or wailing out. They openly point at her and whisper among themselves. The kellids give the heroes a wide berth as they approach. They seem afraid, and mostly eye the heroes' various weapons.
These people have been eating and drinking in the Worldwound. Many of them carry obvious signs of Abyssal diseases and parasites.
It is not what Xanderghul expected to find, in the center of the valley. Still, it is close. This place lacked any majesty worth speaking of. Judging by the looks on the Kellids' faces, these people had lived hard lives.
It did not appear like a home here, either. Few humans would willingly live next to a corpse-pile, after all, and most of the homes were deserted. On the other hand, it appeared that raptors were guarding the door. Whatever the rest of the situation, it would seem that the connection between saurian and man was still there. The wounded saurians being restrained spoke of darker undertones, however.
Nothing here makes Xander feel safe. He remains on his guard, his staff in hand. Unafe had asked that she and Ehren be allowed to speak to the Demetae first, so instead, Xander circles around closer to the tribe members. Curious about what they seem to be doing with the saurians, he looks for blood-soaked axes or medical supplies -- whichever is more relevant to the situation.
Meanwhile, Valais sketches furiously, doing her best to get every detail down on paper.
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Isilme quickly notices two things--not including the horrid stench, of course--as they approach the kellids living in the squalor of the remnants of the town:
Firstly, they were clearly nervous about the approach of the heroes, something that didn't quite align with the idea that the clan would actively attack and wipe out crusader scouts. It suggested that, if they were responsible, it was likely out of desperation rather than being fiercely territorial.
Secondly, the inhabitants seemed to have no recognition of Unafe, despite the obvious saurian spirits swirling around her. They had noted the presence of the archdruid immediately, albeit with skepticism. If they shared a cultural history that included the worship of saurian spirits they should have at least reacted with awe or concern. The fact they hadn't meant that she had to consider it likely that Unafe would hold no sway here.
These two points taken together suggested that now was not the time to let their guard down. She notes quickly that Xander must've come to the same conclusion, and adjusts her position in the group, falling back so she can have a clearer view of the surrounds. There were obviously capable warriors, and the presence of the riding raptors guarding the entrance to the building suggested that what they saw outside was likely not the greatest threat present. If she had to hazard a guess, it was likely that the people outside were under the thumb of some self-proclaimed warlord or other leader using force to maintain control; in fact the situation wasn't too far from what she had warned Unafe to expect earlier.
If her hunch was right, it probable that those in charge here would react violently to the presence of those that might upset the balance of power within the village--although honestly it was hard to call what remained here a village.
Preparing for the inevitable, Isilme scans the surrounding area, looking for any signs of other warriors or hiding places from which they could strike were a fight to break out.
Xanderghul sees bloodied, broken weapons obviously strewn about near the saurians.
They don't seem to have much in the way of healing supplies, and many people look visibly ill.
There are a few kellid round-houses built using saurian hides and bones. Some additional people could be hiding in there, out of sight.
Isilme has keen senses, and doesn't hear anyone whispering or moving around inside those tents. She picks up on the faint sound of string music coming from within the stone hall.
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As they clear their way out of the jungle, Ary's stance widens once more, enabling her to move quickly to her ally's aid, glad to be out of the most dense parts of the jungle, having caught sight of the mountains only just before they were able to exit the foliage. Her face falls immediately at the sight of the city. It was... larger than expected, but in perhaps the same ruined state that Drezen had been in. It was a story that kept repeating itself all throughout the Worldwound; what wasn't infested with demons was left to rot and occasionally filled with some other unnecessary evil. She looks back up from the ground to scan over the city as she follows along, giving space to the pair of Kellids leading their group forward. She heaves a sigh, all the same.
As the group approaches the 'burial mound' that wasn't quite buried, Ary's eyes scan the pile and corpses. The kellids had clearly taken all that they could and left the rest to rot or be scavenged. She shakes her head pitiably, as she takes particular note of the humans left on the pile. Her eyes then scan the saurians both at the gate and chained up, before finally focusing on the people who look armed... and then moves her eyes to the weakest - the children and the elderly. The fact that there even were elderly told Ary an important story about these people; that they cared enough to keep them alive, so clearly they hadn't completely lost their way.
She quickly begins a headcount of those visible, before whispering into Isilme's spell. "I still have quite a few rations in one of our bags, I... don't think it's enough, but every little bit helps, yeah?"
Glancing through the bodies, Ary can tell that some of them are Crusaders, based on the scraps of tabards, while others appear to be kellids. They are all piled in a heap.
She notices one crusader cross - it stands out because it's made of shiny cold iron and holds a sharpened edge, like a knife - is strapped to a kellid warrior's back like a weapon. Ary knows it belongs to that scouting troop's captain - Captain Talasia Jacques. She can recall a memorable conversation with the Captain, who said her partner, Imogene, had commissioned it out of cold iron to serve "just in case - you'll always have one more weapon".
Imogene runs a bakery in Drezen that Ary frequents. Their specialty consists of fresh-baked bread rolls.
Xander casts his eyes about the camp, taking note of the bloodied weapons and the suspicious looks. He whispers back to Ary, "You still need to eat, Ary, and we're a week out of Drezen in the heart of demon territory. Let's talk to these people before we consider starving for them. We still don't know who we're dealing with."
Ehren sets his jaw, doing to best to maintain his composure as he takes in the morose, grisly scene. The people he sees here are not the proud, stubborn remnants of an ancient tradition, but a broken, destitute people, hanging on to their lives by a thin thread. He is at once reminded of the Kellids that were held in Drezen's slave pits before the city's reclamation, only somehow, even they seemed better off. Whether they knew it or not, these people are dying.
The druid gives Unafe a sidelong glance, unable to imagine what she must be feeling right now. He gives her a stiff nod of reassurance, a subtle reminder that he is still here for her. Looking back to the gathered crowd, he carefully considers his approach. That they recognize his crown is a promising sign, though it seems that he will have to convince him that he is what he appears to be. Hopefully, they would take his word for.
"Ehren o lwyth Ferron ydw i, Archesgob Sarkoris, olynydd Arglwydd yr Hydref," Ehren announces, taking several slow steps forward. "Rwyf wedi dod yma i chwilio am bobl Demetae, ar genhadaeth heddwch. Oes yna un yn eich plith sy'n siarad dros y cyfan?"
The Archdruid's proclamation is initially met with silence. Finally, one warrior stands forward, wielding a longsword. "Dau-ddwrn Marhevok yw Clan-Liege i'r Demetae, Archesgob," he says respectfully, stepping forwards and bowing his head. He is an older man, at least compared to the other warriors.
"Marhevok Two-Fists is Clan-Liege to the Demetae, Archdruid."
"Does that name ring a bell, Unafe?" Isilme whispers to their new companion. The situation still struck her as one of usurpation of the leadership, but if anyone would have information on this 'Marhevok', it was going to be the member of Demetae accompanying them.
Apart from asking her brief question, she simply studies the people and the fortified longhouse, waiting for more information with which to get a better picture of the situation.
"Does that name ring a bell, Unafe?"
The name is not familiar to Unafe. The name doesn't even sound Sarkorian.
'Marhevok' is an Iobarian name.
Valais frowns. "That name doesn't sound so familiar..." she mutters, scribing it (Marhevok Two-Fists) into her journal. "Ehren, would you mind asking what the deal is with the dying saurians?"
"I remember Variska mentioning that name once," responds Xander, "But nothing more than that."
Then he turns to the people gathered before him. Speaking in Hallit, he asks a question. "fyddai'n bosibl inni siarad â'r Marhevok hwn? Ydy e yn y tŷ hir?"
The soldier turns to Xanderghul and nods. "Ydy, mae Marhevok dau ddwrn yn lletya yn y tŷ hir gyda'i berthynas a'i briodferch."
He pauses for a moment and then says in a low voice. "Os gwelwch yn dda. Peidiwch â gofyn imi dorri ar draws Marhevok," he says, pleadingly.
"Yes, Marhevok Two-Fists lodges in the longhouse with his kin and bride-to-be."
"Please. Please do not ask me to interrupt Marhevok."
Xander cocks his head. "i berthynas? Ei rieni? Brodyr a chwiorydd?"
He reaches out for the warrior's shoulder, if the man permits. "Peidiwch â phoeni. Byddwn yn gwneud yr ymyrraeth ein hunain, ac yn dwyn y canlyniadau. A yw'r Clan-Liege yn cosbi'r rhai sy'n torri ar ei draws?"
"Na." The man keeps his voice low now and he shakes his head. "Ei gefndryd, dynion y Wintersun. Nid oes gan Marhevok frodyr a chwiorydd ... ddim mwy. Lladdodd nhw i gyd mewn ffit o gynddaredd."
"No. His cousins, the Wintersun clansmen. Marhevok has no siblings... not anymore. He killed them all in a fit of rage."
He shrugs off Xanderghul's hand. The kellids that had stopped to stare at the group Heroes are starting to disperse back to work. "Rwyf eisoes wedi dweud gormod. Rydych chi i gyd wedi gwneud camgymeriad wrth ddod yma. Fe ddylech chi fynd."
"I've already said too much. You've all made a mistake in coming here. You should all go."
"Beth bynnag yw Marhevok, nid... yw'n naturiol," he whispers to Xanderghul.
With that he turns and walks back to his station, monitoring the chains that keep down a raging demonic stegosaur's tail.
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Isilme listens to Xanderghul's interaction with the kellid who had stepped up briefly, but is distracted when she notices a sickly bird make the mistake of landing on a branch which promptly sprouts teeth and tears into it, showering the area beneath the branch in giblets and feathers. The grotesqueries of the Abyss never failed to horrify in new ways--Though she had to admit this was more mundane than flesh-pustules bursting from the ground disgorging sentient wasp swarms, or the time it had rained teeth.
Nevertheless, from what she had caught from being distracted, there was no doubt in her mind that things were likely to go poorly from here on in.
Ehren frowns when Xanderghul speaks up before Unafe can do so, but the Demetae do not respond with the fierce guardianship that they originally anticipated. He watches as the man walks off, seemingly content to leave them be.
"Wintersun?" he repeats quietly, recognizing the clan name. It was just a few days ago that he saw some of their tribal relics in Zlasta's shop. If it were not for the grim situation, he might have found amusement in the coincidence. Perhaps he should have spent the thousands of gold after all - the relics would have made fine peace offerings. Regardless, it is good to hear that the clan has apparently survived, though their present circumstances were perplexing. "They were driven out of Sarkoris during the time of the Second Crusade. How did they end up here with the Demetae?"
Unafe approaches the village in her transformed form, proudly displaying her connection to their sacred saurian cousins. Perhaps no one will believe it could be me, if they even still know my name here--but if the Ancestors have had their way, they will still recognize and respect the Two-Hearted.
Upon arrival, Unafe looks around, realizing that only one of their older roundhouses had survived. At least the Hall of the Clan-Lieges remains, she thinks, hoping that’s a good sign. Then she sees the butchered carcass of a sacred brachiosaurus, and shudders. My people have been brought to this? ARE these even my people?
As they draw near, she whispers through their joint message. ”I’m not even sure these are the Demetae. They dress wrong. Even their faces, their features are un-Demetae. Could so much have happened in the span of a mere century?”
In her mind, she had rehearsed a proud return--her tribemates running to see the return of a Two-Hearted warrior, feared long-dead. Now, seeing the neglect, the filth, the signs of clumsily pillaged mithral ornamentation, the signs of starvation...she found it hard to speak at all, over the pounding of her heart. She listened with apprehension as the Archdruid speaks with the older warrior.
Marhevok? That doesn’t even sound Sarkorian? What’s going-- Her rumination is cut short by Xander’s conversation with the warrior, and the warrior’s whispered reply.
Finally, she finds the nerve to step forward. As she does, she searches his eyes for any recognition or reaction to her half-saurian form.
”Pe byddech chi'n gefnder ... Demetae ydw i hefyd, er fy mod i wedi bod ar goll am gyfnod gwych. Rwy'n brentis dwy-galon Unafe, Old Aye, a dyma fy nghydymaith Sicrwydd. Cefais fy anafu a fy ngharcharu gan gythraul flynyddoedd lawer yn ôl, ond - gyda chymorth yr Archesgob, a'i ffrindiau - rwyf wedi dychwelyd i ymladd am anrhydedd ein cyndeidiau, ac amddiffyn fy mherthynas, yn ddynol ac yn sawriaidd. . Gweddïwch, beth yw eich enw? Rydych chi wedi byw flynyddoedd lawer. A allwch ddweud wrthyf beth sydd wedi digwydd tra cefais fy ngharcharu? Yn blentyn, a wnaethoch chi gwrdd - neu glywed straeon am - Old Aye? Neu Aife y Magpie? Neu Conall, mab Cuinn?"
Just like the others, Hinagiku is both saddened and struck by the state of the Demetae clan. The monk has to take three deep breath to centre her mind, leading her inner see to reflect her peaceful composure. She lets go of the sadness she feels for them and tries to let the meaning of the situation slowly sink in, building an understaning of it not coloured by her own outsider view, but in unision with the general attitude of the Kellid clan.
The situation becomes especially clear to Hinagiku when their interlocutor mentions how their clan-liege has slain his own in a fit of rage and the reticence he had about bother him.
"Would we endanger anyone in the clan by visiting your clan-liege without invitation?" she asks before the warrior goes back to his task.
"Maybe it would be wiser to wait for a good moment to meet clan-liege Marhevok." she then says, turning toward Ary.
"When Sarkoris fell, our people scattered in many directions," Ehren explains to Unafe in a whisper, not finding it strange that these people do not resemble the tribe she remembers. "Some much farther than others. It is not inconceivable for the Demetae to have mated with peoples outside of our own. For many clans, that has been the only way to survive. Much can change in just a few generations."
As Unafe addresses her people, Ehren looks closely at the diseased Demetae, at their brood of demonic saurians, at their dilapidated living conditions. Was it the leadership of this Marhevok that had led them into such squalor? What little they have been told of him did not exactly paint a flattering picture. Even the archdruid should not presume to tell a Clan-Liege how to run their clan, but there was some wisdom that Ehren would need to dispense to him.
"I do not believe that there will be a better opportunity than now," Ehren says to Hinagiku and the others in a hushed tone, shaking his head. "These people cannot continue to live on like this. Their food is tainted and they cannot hope to tame these demonic beasts."
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Ary had expected bravado and shows of strength from these Kellids, given what Unafe had shared with them. She had expected to find her scout's Crusader Crosses worn like badges of honor or pride, to them simply a fetish or jewelry, never knowing their true purpose... and had expected to explain to them what they meant and hope that they cared enough to hand them over - or to barter for them if push came to shove.
What she had not expected was... any of this. Warriors who barely had the weaponry to defend themselves, preying on the sick and dying amongst the dinosaurs to use as a food source... and likely having attacked the scouts not as some territorial display, but instead as a... a raid? An attempt at gaining their supplies for their own?
Ary could understand the concept of taking what you needed to survive - especially with so many mouths to feed. That did not, however, dissuade her from her feelings for her soldiers and the situation. Soft though she had intended her approach to be, the fact that she recognized the Crusader Cross as not only belonging to one of her captains, but to the wife of a friend (if only in passing) made her originally intended goal that much harder.
In that moment, Ary was focused keenly on the fact that they had something that did not belong to them and that had immense value to another. She noticed neither the exploding bird, nor whatever was happening with Xanderghul. She begins to cross the distance quickly and obviously - leaving the others plenty of time to intervene should they intend to, but even still her pace slows as she approaches, her eyes scanning the cold iron blade. She slows immensely, closes her eyes, and reminds herself to breathe. One deep inhale, followed by a slow exhale.
When she opens her eyes, she's reaching to the buckles that hold Faith in place, who obliges by shifting form slightly, enabling her to loosen the straps on her armor and gauntlet. As she does so, a tiny cross made from woven copper, no longer flat but instead made round by years of being pressed between the shield and her forearm. She holds it for a moment, turning it over in her hand, and then approaches the man with the weapon more slowly, leaving her shield loose for now.
Once she reaches him - or when she is approached or stopped by others, she pauses for a moment, looking for the proper way to explain things. Her original plan for the situation had gone awry rather quickly for a number of reasons, not least of which was how close she was to the situation. There was also another slightly problematic twist to the problem.
"Esgusodwch fi," she says easily and fluidly as she approaches him, holding the cross in both gauntleted hands. "Fy enw i yw Ary Bishop ac mae hynny'n perthyn - yn perthyn i ffrind." she continues, the latter half moving from conversational to studied speech. "Mae fy holl filwyr - rhyfelwyr - yn cario gemwaith fel 'na. Mae rhai wedi'u haddurno ag enwau neu leoedd, mae bron pob un yn unigryw i'w perchennog."
Ary pauses briefly for a moment, before launching into a speech that she'd rehearsed in her head, making minor adjustments as she continues. "Maent yn fodd i ddod â rhyfelwr mewn ysbryd os nad yn ei gorff. Nid arfau yw'r mwyafrif, ond roedd gwraig y milwr a gariodd hynny yn barnu ei bod yn angenrheidiol bod ganddi amddiffyniad bob amser." she pauses once more, briefly. "Nid wyf yn gwybod y sefyllfa a arweiniodd at eich cario, ond mae'n bwysig i mi a'm pobl fy mod yn dod â hi adref os wyf yn gallu. Byddaf yn cyfnewid amdano os bydd angen, er fy mod yn barod i aros am eiliad fwy amserol." she says, rolling her shoulder as she slides her own cross back beneath her shield and begins tightening the straps once more.
"Rydyn ni wedi dod i siarad am heddwch rhwng ein pobloedd. Ar ôl i ni orffen gyda hynny hoffwn gael y cyfle i drafod dychweliad y cofrodd. Meddyliwch am yr hyn yr ydych yn dymuno iddo ddychwelyd."
She pauses once more, briefly, looking the man over before turning her attention back to Ehren, and taking a few steps back to show deference to both him and Unafe once more. Another thought fluttered to Ary's mind, unbidden. Something to speak of at a less pressing time, perhaps. She looks to Hinagiku at her question, and instead simply tilts her head towards Ehren and Unafe once more.
Hinagiku does call out to Ary as she sees the commander purposely walk towards the Kellid. However, it seems that her gentle voice does not carry as much as usual as the young woman continues on her way. Hinagiku accompanies her, making sure she adopts a non-aggressive pose that she hope will soften the interaction.
When Ehren voices his concern, Hinagiku nods a few times before adding some more:
"I am mostly concerned about the people with clan-liege Marhevok, if he can fly into a rage and kill his sibblings, he might also get angry and dangerous if we bother him now. Maybe it would be better to wait in an hour or two."