Fate - First Reply Let the Good Times Roll

[Alistair Krixus]

"Business?"

A gentle smile split across Alistair's face as he reached back and patted the wagon behind him. Easily seen were dozens of barrels loaded to almost overflowing from the straining wagon pulled by two powerful mules.

"Selling some drinks for y'alls little party."

The burly guard looked over the wagon with a dower expression before it cracked revealing crooked and yellow teeth. A little party would be an understatement. The outpost city of Kholiya served as one of the few permanent settlements on the Aberessai Savannah. Ruled by Gerard LeRou, known for his harsh hand that controlled the people and the surrounding plains.

The only time LeRou was known to relax his strict standards was for the yearly celebration of Dooi Kotulo, a celebration that signaled the beginning of the wet season. A large party was thrown where LeRou spared no expense on bringing in booze and entertainment.

Alistair reached down and grabbed a wineskin and handed it to the guard. "One for yourself. Everyone deserves to celebrate."

"Trying to bribe me?" The guard questioned, but Al noticed the skin was taken anyway before the smile returned. "Smart, alright head on through."

Al chuckled as he urged his wagon onward before calling back to the guard. "Laissez les bons temps rouler!" The calling card of the celebration.

The town of Kholiya opened up before him, the festivities clearly having begun early as music and parting had already begun and it was still the early afternoon. Vendors hungrily looked at Alistair's wagon as it pulled in, everyone would be trying to replenish their stock for this event.

 

[Aeyliea]

"Work," she said curtly.

The man with the halberd standing guard at the gate eyed her up and down with deep suspicion. The Seer stood and withstood the glare and searching gaze in silence otherwise. She was acutely aware that there was always the possibility that her former crimes were still fresh enough in the minds of Vel Anir that her face might be recognized.

She had tried to explain this to her employer, who had scoffed at the notion. Apparently, the thought of having a murderer for a guard did not bother him (unsurprising). She had almost returned his money and left him without an escort on his trek across the wild lands of the Savannah. Probably would have if he hadn't added more silver to the already impressive commission for her services.

That worthy sat in the driver's seat of the odd carriage he resided in. Encased in leather and with a face permanently buried in shadow, that eyeless stare speared into the gate guard as mercilessly as it had on many an occasion into herself.

The problem was her kith and kin absolutely loathed Vel Anir and their attempts to expand into the Sea. She herself had once been one of the bloodthirsty raiders that had sacked and burned and slain any that dare trespass. Her kin were not exactly welcome here.

"She is with me," the sorcerer on the bench said, and flipped a coin down from where they sat. Traveler's voice today was androgynous and with a lilt of the northern reaches. The name was not Traveler's real name; that had never been offered in the months of employment. Just money to smooth any difficulties, many quite like the one in the air now. The coin was a heavy silver one, likely worth a month or more of wages. "Consider her on my leash," they added and then tittered to themselves. There was a streak of madness there.

Aeyliea wished she knew where her patron came by them. Among many other questions.

The mans face tightened, but he look to the left and right before nodding. "Right then, move along. No trouble now," he added in a warning tone to Aeyliea. She sniffed, and Traveler tittered again.

With a snap of the reins, the carriage - a cauldron-like construct of metal with a crooked stovepipe that billowed smoke - rolled forward and into the town and the celebration. Aeyliea looked back to the plains beyond the settlement, towards the towering clouds far to the north.

Home, denied to her.

Shaking her head so that the waist-length braid whipped like the tail of an angry cat, clicking and fluttering as it was with offerings the Seven, she stalked after the carriage. She had no idea what Traveler wanted here, but all she knew is she wanted a drink and to be away before trouble found her.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair set up his wagon near the corner of the center square. He could already begin to see others loitering around waiting for him to stop and set things up. A knock on the back of his wagon revealed his one worker who had been sleeping.

He may have planned to sell most of the supplies in bulk to other merchants, but he would make some quick coin offerings to sell to the regular festival goers.

"Set up the wagon. All bulk sales have to be approved by me...Try to be nice."

The employee, Hide, grunted before beginning to set up the still. The man operated closer to a guard than a merchant, but he could perform both roles admirably enough.

Alistair had chosen this corner of the square because it had been set up closest to some of the performers. The chorus of trumpets, drums, and guitars was rather loud, but Al liked the rhythm.

Al might have been a merchant, but he was not a salesperson, so he took a relaxed seat next to the stall in some of the shade. His blank grey eyes revealed him to be blind, or most likely blind, yet his vision still darted around looking over all the people enjoying their time here today.

From his chosen seat he could inconspicuously watch all the other traders that came through the town's gate from one direction and keep an eye out for anyone visiting or leaving from LeRou's mansion.

Aeyliea

 

[Aeyliea]

She walked alongside the conveyance in silence for a time. The crowds around her were a distraction, now; she was fairly certain there were few threats among the revelers that could pose a problem for Traveler. This was well, to her mind; she did not need to create any more attention than her presence was already causing.

"Why are we here?" She asked in a loud voice, but only loud enough for the masked and cloaked driver to be able to hear. The uneasy glances from those around at her attire - leather bracers, loincloth and wrap leaving enough of her bronze skin open to the air to be comfortable in the heat of the Sea - were traditional among hte No'rei.

LeRou might not have been known to her, but her kin were certainly known by him.

When Traveler did not answer, she cursed in her native tongue and tried again. "How long are we here?" The words were still thickly accented.

Traveler did not answer again. Aeyliea let loose a growl of frustration and clenched her fists. Well, fist; the left hand refused to cooperate. Worse, trying to flex it hurt, and her face blanched for a moment. The sharp pain quickly faded to a dull, fiery ache that ran all along the scarred limb.

"Go and amuse yourself," Traveler said suddenly. The sorcerer had stopped the conveyance in one of the places designated for parking such things out in front of a roadhouse, and then slipped forward onto the fiery-eyed horse that drew the thing. It was no ordinary beast, just like its master. "I have business to attend to," they said. Without any visible or audible command, the horse began to trot off toward the Lord LeRou's manor.

Leaving the uncomfortable No'rei alone in a sea of Anirian citizens.

Great. Many of those worthies despised her and her kind for more than the typical xenophobic tendencies of their nation. It was probably deserved, even if Aeyliea still felt as though the ancient hatred between her own and the world was still valid. Even if the ghost of one of the Seven said otherwise.

Shaking her head, she turned and searched the square. There were drinking holes dotted round it. She immediately decided that going into a bar or a tavern in this particular town might end - at best - with her being drubbed and thrown out. Given that she wouldn't accept such a thing without violence, the worst case scenario was far worse.

She'd already enjoyed Vel Anir's hospitality once. Her left arm burned with the memory, an unsubtle reminder of the price of staying alive.

Her eyes found, instead, a wagon where someone had setup a tapped barrel to serve some kind of swill to the local celebration directly.

She approached the single worker there. "How much to..," she began, and then had to think. The common language was not her strongest suit; the words were delivered with a cruel accent and slowly at that. "How much to drink whole barrel?" she finished far from certainly.

Even if she couldn't drain the entire thing, she could certainly do enough damage to one to make the dull ache go away.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair was minding his own business, discreetly taking notice of the figure riding off to talk to LeRou. That was the first, as it seemed not many wanted to bother the mayor of the town.

He was brought from his inspection by Hide, who called for him, "Uh, boss?"

Al let out a long drawn-out sigh, it had only been a few minutes and already the man was confused by his instructions. "She wants a whole barrel."

Alistair turned to fix his expression on the buyer. Thankfully, she did seem to have some magical capabilities so he could see her. Her aura was natural, just as easily mistaken for wind in the air or dust hanging around her. He had not had much experience with this since his injury, but his instincts told him this must be sorcery or some type of shamanism. It certainly was not the arcane aura trained at Academies.

"You...want a whole barrel for yourself?" A small smile slipped onto Al's face before holding up two fingers, "Two gold pieces for our cheapest stuff."

He planned on selling his finer wines to the merchants, or whatever type of person this town considered as well-off.

As he got a closer look at the face, he was able to see she was not Anirian or from the Empire, certainly not elven so...

"What brings one of the nomads to this side of civilization?"

Aeyliea

 

[Aeyliea]

Her face scrunched at the sum as she tried to figure how many of the coins she had equaled a single gold, let alone two. Her kindred did not deal in coin at all. Two years was not enough time for her to understand much of the monetary system the rest of the world seemed to use.

She opened the heavy purse at her hip and stared into it in blank incomprehension, then looked back at him. She shrugged.

"Want to... to make it stop hurting," she said haltingly. There was no need to explain what; the vicious scar that twisted around her left arm did not require any explanation other than how anyone could have survived the wound that caused it.

Alcohol did help to wash out the sometime unbearable pain in that limb. It also served to make her forget other uncomfortable truths she had been forced to face in the last two years. Sometimes it seemed like the only thing that the outside world had made that was worth a damn.

"Work for Traveler," she said in her clumsy way. "Where he go, I go."

Of course, she knew there was another side of that question. She did not want to have to answer the question beneath; that she was considered by some of her kin to be tainted by the touch of demons. Or, as she was uncomfortably starting to realize, that she knew something that was forbidden. Unspeakable truths that the other Seers would not open their mouths on if they even knew themselves.

She really wanted that drink. "How much silver?"

 

[Alistair Krixus]

While it might be surprising to some if he just told him he had magical sight, seeing wasn't exactly easy for Alistair. It was more like looking at a world filled with clouds and then looking at how the clouds were dispersed to figure out the shapes. That being said, he had to strain his vision to get a look at the scar on her arm that she was speaking of.

It certainly did look like a nasty scar and the part of him that had once been a soldier did empathize with her if only slightly. He would not be a good businessman if he fell for every sob story he heard, but...he was more annoyed when actual business people tried that.

"Never say I am not a kind person, Hide." He called to his employee, "We'll call it 15 silver, deal?"

He motioned for Hide to bring the barrel over and then turned back to the customer.

The Traveler must be the one she arrived with...the one that had gone to visit LaRou...interesting.

"And what does this Traveler's work entail?" Alistair asked innocently enough.

Aeyliea

 

[Aeyliea]

She was unsure if it was a good price, but she did not care. She opened the purse again and counted out the coins. All of them were heavy, and not a single one of them bore a familiar mark from any of the nations surrounding the Sea of Grass. In fact, the markings were strange, the language on the coins foreign.

She grimaced at the question. "Damn if know," she said. Her voice was tinged with the frustration that had kept her awake some nights. "Traveler, not say much. Not do much."

She straightened and looked him in his glassy eyes, noticing for the first time his apparent blindness. Or not blindness. She offered the coins, but her eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Maybe he knew something she didn't. Something had to make the trip into the death-trap worthwhile. The bliss of getting drunk wasn't really worth walking into Anirian territory. She had already been in one of their prisons once and had no desire to go back - nor would she. Not alive, anyway.

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Hide took the coins from Aeyliea, looking worriedly at Alistair as he saw the random and unknown markings on the coins themselves. He was about to speak up when Al just shook his head and motioned him away, signifying that he would accept the currency.

"Professional curiosity, your Traveler just went to make a visit with LaRou which is not the easiest meeting to set up. Either your boss must be important, or have some very specific skills to provide for the mayor."

Alistair had scheduled his own meeting with the man at a later time, but he had decided against speaking with him earlier in the day. He had more important things to do.

The young man reached behind the stall pulling out a wineskin for himself before looking over Aeylia, and then taking a sip of his own drink.

"It's not often that you see one of the nomads out this way. I doubt you are enjoying your time here, the people are not known for being friendly."

Aeyliea

 

[Aeyliea]

"Not know," she said sourly. And she didn't, either; Traveler was as opaque to her as they were to most everyone else that met them. Time had flown in service to them, but in all that time all she had ever seen the sorcerer do was watch this piece of ground or that, and then dance excitedly back into their rolling cauldron.

She stared at the barrel that she had definitely paid too much for, wondering how she would tap it while she idly rubbed at her aching arm. "With reason," she said in reply.

Most nomadic tribes on the Sea avoided her kin, too. Hers were especially violent, though. Once she would have been proud of the fact that they had soaked the dry dirt of the plains in the blood of the interlopers, innocent and guilty alike.

So much of her world had been turned upside down since then.

"No home," she said after a long moment. "Not wanted here. Not wanted in the Sea." She didn't have the words in common to explain it, either. Heresy was not really a concept associated with the No'rei. Those that questioned the Seven did not often live very long.

It made her feel very lonely at times. "Not long, people here start trouble." She pointed to herself. "Not welcome, cannot leave." She looked pointedly after Traveler, who had already vanished from sight.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

There was a long pause as Alistair worked to translate all that was being said to him. The sea had to just mean the plains right? Otherwise, this woman was far from her home, nearly in the center of the continent. From what he was understanding, she was not liked here but she was stuck with Traveler. This town had caused trouble, maybe?

Finally, Alistair just nodded his head in slight understanding.

"Well, that certainly does sound complicated. It was good that you got yourself a drink. Ignore my words if you will, but...the drink will be flowing soon. Hell, it already is. People don't make the wisest decisions while they are drunk...I just mean be careful of idiots." Al explained with a soft laugh.

Alistair suddenly looked away as he beckoned a small child over who was watching. As the child neared, Al reached behind the counter pulled out a bag of toys, and gifted one to the child before they ran off.

He quickly explained to the tribeswoman, "Sorry, it is customary to hand out gifts to children during the festival."

Aeyliea

 

[Aeyliea]

She cocked her head to one side as the child came and went without even casting more than a single glance in her direction, delighted with the free gift that the blind man in front of her had given. The concept of giving things away was mystifying to her.

"Customary?" She repeated slowly, face blank. After a moment, she shook her head. "Why do you give them away? To build bond of kin with them?"

Her childhood had been fraught. All of her friends had been through the same ordeal when she had been growing up. The Seven valued strength over everything else, and so nothing was ever given freely. Everything required some kind of challenge or fight, even among the children. And among them, the violence could be particularly brutal.

These people did not live like her kin did. "You are not like others," she said after a bit. He was almost friendly, even. It defied her experience of Vel Anir.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Her question made Alistair chuckle as he watched the child run off before he turned his eyes back on her, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Hmm, not really sure. It is just how it has been done, and who am I to mess with tradition? I suppose it is to reward children for surviving out here in such a difficult place."

Frankly, Alistair did not understand it too well. He had never been rewarded as a child for surviving, if anything he had been pushed into tougher and tougher situations to build him up.

"And, I don't think it matters much to you, but not all Anirians are soooo.... close-minded. I am just thankful to be a bit more well-traveled than the other people here." Alistair responded evenly.

He switched over to one of the languages of the Savannah tribes, "I've even had the privilege of meeting some of the nomadic tribes."

Aeyliea

 

[Aeyliea]

She did not understand the language he was using, but she recognized it as being that of one of the other denizens of the grasslands. The fact that he knew something other than common was surprising, and she couldn't keep it from her face.

<"None but the No'rei deal well with our kind,>" she said in her own native tongue. It flowed like water over stones, musical and sweet. Something had to be when considering her kin; violence, strife, and struggle were their lives from the cradle to the grave. <"Your people are right to be as they are with us.">

It felt wrong to say it, and she did not really believe it. Not yet, but she was beginning to see the world differently since being cast out by the rest of the Seven. They would not permit her to return to the land of her ancestors properly.

Or at least, that was what Lorien - the Mother - had said.

<"Reward survival when all they do is play,"> she said after a moment and shook her head. <"At his age, most have already spilled their first blood. Only honor is to the strong. Only the strong are Named,"> she said, still watching after the child as they darted into the crowd.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Aeyliea's own native language was not something Alistair was completely familiar with, but he was able to piece some bits together from his understanding of other languages. It took him a moment to decipher it all, but when he did, he smiled.

He slipped over the comments on his people's disposition towards her kind, what she said may be true if they did not act like this to nearly anyone they met not from Vel Anir.

"You sound like our Dreadlords. We have children like that, raised in war and bloodshed...We sacrifice their childhoods so that we do not have to sacrifice all childhoods."

That was a super romantic way of describing their system. All of the children in this town would be expected to serve their mandatory years of service just like everyone else, but that was usually saved till closer to adulthood.

"I don't disagree, but as someone who has seen war, I say let them enjoy their naive time for now. We adults can shoulder the burden for a time."

A group of children excitedly surrounded the boy to see what toy he had received.

"Oh no...let's go for a walk before I am surrounded." He said jokingly, I he stood up and grabbed his seeing eye cane.

Aeyliea

 

[Aeyliea]

She nodded, but quickly held a hand up. She quickly picked up the barrel (with some difficulty) and shuttled it over to the odd conveyance. She would have to tap it later and suffer with her thirst for now.

She hurried back and almost stopped mid-stride. Genuine interest in someone other than one of her kin or someone paying her was something new. She eyed everyone around her with suspicion, took every word that was spoken with distrust, and expected the worst out of everyone she considered an outsider.

Which was everyone. Only, as the weeks had worn to months and then to years, she had begun to question whether it was her that was the outsider. The pale dragon had made her question the history of her people, and now isolation was making her question herself.

<"No time for innocence,"> she said as she came up alongside him. She looked at the children and scowled; she had never been a fan of the young ones. <"The fighting never ends. The adults cannot always watch.">

She did not add that Vel Anir figured largely in the endless violence. Though, truth to tell, they fought everyone and even each other with nearly the same vigor.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair nodded along and watched as some of the children backed away hesitantly, as they drew closer, upon seeing Aeyliea's scowl. A sad expression washed over his face before he said.

"True, but for now, we can watch. They will learn, as all Anirians do. It is said that Vel Anir may not have mastered war, but we have mastered producing warriors."

Every citizen was expected to serve in the military, and those years were always fruitful if a little short. While the Dreadlords were the peak of Anirian arcane and martial ability, to look down on the guard and the knights would be the last mistake a person ever made. Sam had made sure Al understood that.

"If they are not ready when fate calls then...they only have themselves to blame." Alistair finished emotionlessly,

What else was there to say about it? Either they would live or they would die. Even with training, such fate largely depended on the individual.

"Although, with a smaller tribe like your own, I assume the training is more...consistent."

Aeyliea

 

[Aeyliea]

She almost said something about being a 'smaller' tribe but thought better of it. There may be a hundred thousand of them across the vastness of the plains, but she herself was uncertain. Not when an individual clan might only comprise a few thousand souls.

Stacked against the endless numbers of the city states, it was insignificant. Even though, the city states had still failed to eradicate or endanger her people despite their violent tendency towards the citizens of those states.

<"The world trains us. Life here is soft and easy. Life out in the Sea of Grass is violent and harsh. The land, it kills as surely as outsiders do. As members of other clans will.">

She turned to walk with the Dreadlord, not even knowing that he is such a thing. <"Our gods approve of it. Only the strong deserve to survive. It is the only way to reach the Sea of Stars and be reborn.">

She shook her head, braid swinging - feathers fluttering, stone beads and bone clicking. <"But we do not have celebrations like this,"> she added. <"Except maybe after a successful raid, or the raising of a new chief to the council.">

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair could only smirk at the last words Aeyliea spoke. The raising of a new chief or successful raid, how ironic. The tribe that Aeyliea was describing was far more similar to Vel Anir than they realized. Both had warrior societies, both fought for the promise of a greater reward from some higher power. For the tribes it was gods, for Vel Anir, it was the wealth of former nobles.

"Well, think of it like this then. This outpost may seem big, but it is largely self-isolated, nearly independent, and faces raids from the tribes nearly every two months, yet here they stand. They are celebrating survival, but also think of it as celebrating a successful, extended raid. That might make it easier."

While he knew the lands in the Sea of Grass as she called it were far more harsh than what Vel Anir had to contest with. Man was prone to kill whether in a brick-and-mortar society like Vel Anir, or the nomadic society of the plains.

"Life here might be seen as soft, but it is as equally as dangerous. The only difference is that the dangers are confusing often hiding rather than faced head-on. It is important to be aware of such a thing."

Aeyliea

 

[Aeyliea]

She nodded curtly. <"I am aware. I have been forced to live among the outsiders for two years now.">

She stood out like a sore thumb among the people here, that were primarily human. It was less extreme in Alliria or out on the road, where the myriad races of the realm rubbed elbows together. Vel Anir was less so; the scales on her shoulders and neck marked her out as not only No'rei, but also an outsider.

<"At least my kin are more honest. The 'civilized' lands cloak their ugly intentions behind pretty words. My kind are up front and direct: outsiders are just that, outsiders. Worthy of only blade and bow unless they can prove their worth to the Seven. The Wyrms only respect strength."> Which did not make them a member of the clans or tribes. One of their souls being planted in an outsider wasn't completely impossible, but it was virtually unheard of.

The laughter of children made gooseflesh rise on her un-scaled skin. <"I do not understand why you allow such lack of honor to persist..."> Because slaying children is so much more honorable than hiding in the shadows?

Something laughed in the back of her head, and it wasn't her. Unaware, her bronze skin flushed with embarrassment.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

A short chuckle escaped Alistair's mouth. The 'civilized' lands were not honest? He could not agree more. It would be so much simpler if everyone just said what they were actually thinking. Although, he might be out of the job as a merchant.

"Oh, well I'm not really the one that polices our honor. If you ever get a chance to speak with the royal line then maybe throw out the idea of child killing." He offered sarcastically.

Alistair followed her gaze to where the children were laughing and thought for a moment.

"Frankly, I think it has something to do with guilt. The adults feel bad about throwing those kids into the meat grinder when they get older. Might as well let them enjoy it now."

And if they got thrown into the meat grinder too early...those were usually called Dreadlords.

Aeyliea

 

[Aeyliea]

She didn't flinch at the comment. She knew she was guilty of similar crimes and could not defend herself well on the finer points of it.

<"If I were to speak to the royal line..,"> she began and then shook her head. <"Two years ago, I would have said that I would kill their entire family. Two years ago, I would never have been here alone and never in peace. Our children would have said the same, believed the same. Fought the same, if they were old enough to keep up.">

Two years ago it would have been a raiding party, and every single reveler here would have been fighting for their lives. It wouldn't be vomit and wine running in the dusty gutters, but blood and worse; not joyous laughter and off-key singing but the screams of the dying and the clash of steel.

<"I don't understand,"> she admitted slowly. <"I was certain two seasons ago. Now I am certain of nothing.>"

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"Well, I suppose I should be thankful that we did not meet two years ago." Al quipped trying to bring back some of the light-hearted tone to the conversation.

The truth was that the nomadic tribes would be making the worst possible decision if they raided the Anirian settlement in mass, at the moment. The Republic was still grounding itself from the revolution for several years. The Republic was at war with both the Falwood and the Cortosi, but being very cautious in the battle.

However, if some tragedy were to fall onto a settlement, it may very well unite the Republic and truly release the might of the Anirian war machine that has not been full utilized in years.

"Truly a shame is peoples can not get along more, but find their passions in the heat of war. I guess it is simply a matter of how much war is done."

While they spoke, Al had tried to lead them away from the town center which was also the center for the festival. Instead leading them to the much more tame part of town which also happened to be where the few select 'mansions' for the wealthier traders existed.

Aeyliea

 

[Aeyliea]

<"A war thousands of years long,"> she said by way of response. That, at least, she was certain of. None had conquered them in longer than any nation she knew of had stood and longer. Not truly conquered them, who could live on little water and food and whom illness was rare.

Maybe if they had ever stopped fighting themselves, the other nomads, and every settler and nation and empire that had set foot on their territory they might have become an empire themselves. Instead...

...endless war.

<"Why are we here?"> She had noted the change of scenery, the decrease in the number of people and the general increase in apparent wealth of the residents. If she had stood out among the revelers before, now it was impossible not to notice her. There was a note of defensiveness in the question too.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"A thousand years? No wonder you all are good at fighting." Alistair offered. He actually wasn't to surprised at the fact, that it was true. Vel Anir had managed to be at war with at least with someone in their entire history, but there was a stark difference between small wars and then bringing the full weight of the Anirian war machine down on someone.

As to the second question, Alistair looked around almost seeming surprised that he had wandered into this part of the city before laughing slightly.

"I was just looking for somewhere with less of a crowd. Most of the merchants and other wealthy people who reside here are back in the square trying to make quick coins. It's a good place to relax for a moment and some of the shops if they are still open will still serve us as long as you are with me."

He patted his own coin pouch.

"Money speaks all languages."

As he explained this, Al actually neared one such stall, manned by what looked to be a very young girl. Likely an apprentice, who had hoped to make some money on her day off by catching stragglers who were not at the festivities. It had worked for at least one.

Aeyliea