Fable - Ask Wolf and Deer

[Tarnakh]

Tarnakh was getting more adept at Common, though he was far from fluent. At the very least, he was speaking more fluidly, though his accent was atrocious enough even he recognized the fact. Fortunately, Naghoon accents sounded sufficiently terrifying in Common when angry which lent well to the current situation he had found himself in.

"Tuungra damn you! Vultures feed upon your bodies on the Taagh-Bhar! Road goes straight not... Not everywhere!" the Naghoon orc exclaimed with arms gesticulating wildly as around the open walled tent hired laborers did their best to turn open grassland into open grassland with a flat road cutting through. He'd seen the foreign road designs as a youth and got a better look at how to build them in Bhathairk. Not that he knew how to build them personally, mind, but now he knew who to hire to build them for his own people.

Or perhaps, who not to hire. Conflicting maps, or lack thereof, meant taking time to make or find maps to place roadways. Incompetent foremen meant half the time the road was built incorrectly and once in the wrong direction. Lazy quartermasters meant supplies arrived late at best or were completely lost at worst. In short, the road was going at a snail's pace and the normally patient Tarnakh was getting close to simply slaughtering the entire crew, mounting their heads on pikes, and using the display to encourage the next group he hired to do better. Thankfully for the road foremen flinching away around the table, the Naghoon Khagan managed to keep a lid on his temper, even if barely.

"Road must go from Bhathairk to Stone and across the Taagh-Bhar into Naghoon land and must be done before winter. Road cannot be built in Taagh-Bhar winter, but if this road go any slower... we get to Taagh-Bhar when Tarnakh's grandson take throne!"

Cynical Phoenix

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria had been informed of the alliance between the Naghoon and the Drow, and she had been updated on the efforts to create passages for messages, defense, and travel that would be set up across the region. Add to that the fact that she'd begun to slowly adjust to being on the surface, and she was an obvious choice for this particular expedition.

She had brought along a contingent of Drow with her and made her way to what she'd been informed was the "command tent." She heard shouting from inside and assumed that meant the operation was going poorly. Not a great start.

She stepped in and quickly saw the two men in charge. Seriously, why were men always in charge on the surface? Zathria was very slowly coming to terms with that, though she would never understand it and she certainly didn't approve. Nevertheless, she managed to once again keep her own biases in check and gave the tentative benefit of the doubt that it was based on competence, which she could certainly appreciate.

I'm Commander Zathria At'Arel, she said. It was obvious she was a Drow so there wasn't any need to add from what city she hailed from.

What's the situation? she asked, always one to jump right into business. It didn't always make her the best diplomat, but it certainly was good for getting the job done. The best way she could help was to pinpoint the issue they were facing. At least, that's how she saw it. Tarnakh

 

[Tarnakh]

Tarnakh ignored the foremen and turned to the newcomer as she spoke. Her appearance told him everything he needed to know and her rank carried the rest. He gave her a respectful nod before turning back to the two foremen. While his rank as Naghoon Khagan put him roughly equal to her queen, true warriors recognized each other before recognizing rank.

"Tarnakh building road like in Bhathairk," the Naghoon warrior rumbled, cooling his anger for the moment. "Connect Bhathairk to the Shig-Chuuguu... Magic Rock. Road from city to rock bring more trade, more... opp-or-tunity."

He glared at the two men before turning back to the Drow woman. The Khagan thought carefully to make sure he used the right Common words before continuing.

"Road then will go across Taagh-Bhar to the West. To other Shig-Chuuguu. Cross Byaskskah-Teskhis. Little Sea in south. Many Shig-Chuugui to connect for trade and armies. We do that next Spring after thaw. Taagh-Bhar winter too harsh to build."

Zathria At'Arel

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria stopped and listened to the man. He carried himself with a confidence she recognized well and he had a fire to him that told her she didn't want to be on his bad side either. A formidable ally, and certainly understandable why an alliance with he and his people was a good thing.

She was surprised that she had just found herself slightly respecting a male, and filed that away for something to think about at a later date.

She nodded at what Tarnakh said and pondered what she had seen on the road in.

We came across a caravan that had been laid to waste by bandits in one of the passes. Is this what's been slowing the progress? she asked. Enemy forces harrowing supply lines could wreak havoc in war. In peace, bandits could slow progress similarly and would need to be rooted out of their holes if such was the challenge that slowed them now.

 

[Tarnakh]

"Diirmchgui not help, but main problem is them," the Naghoon warrior practically spat at the pair of workmen at the table who had simply gone quiet, probably in the hopes that no one would kill them. "Need road straight, road goes in wrong direction. Road finally goes in right direction, road building goes slow. Need things for road, not enough supply or Diirmchgui take supply."

Tarnakh sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment. He missed the days where he could enjoy moving with the herds and seasons where the biggest problems for the year were what parts of the steppe to winter or which animals to cull and which to keep for the clan. If Ulgan had left him well enough alone, perhaps he'd still be a simple Khan enjoying the pastoral life, but unfortunately Tuungra had plans for him it seemed.

"Diirmchgui... Ban-dits are new problem," he said after a moment before jabbing a thumb in the direction of the ransacked convoy and, by extension, the horses in the same direction. "Caravan not first, but will be last. Naghoon know how to deal with Diirmchgui, know how to track. We kill ban-dit problem, then deal with road builders. Co-man-der coming? Go hunting?"

Zathria At'Arel

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria nodded along as the man spoke. She could see that the builders were causing issues, and that Tarnakh was less than thrilled about it. While Zathria was no civil engineer, she did know about hunting bandits. More than that, she had brought manpower with her. People who could learn to help build the roads if necessary.

Yes, I will, she said with a nod, agreeing with him to go hunting. That was something she was far more comfortable with.

A small team? No more than a squad for scouting and then more troops if there turns out to be more enemies, she suggested, pausing to see what he thought. She tried to remind herself that while she was used to leading troops recently, this was still technically his show and not hers.

Tarnakh

 

[Tarnakh]

Tarnakh shook his head after a moment.

“Too many, ban-dits hear. See dust, hear hoof beat through ground. Taagh-Bhar ban-dits smart. See us long time before we see them. Two warriors be much easier, sneak past. Take ban-dits before they see. We track, then hunt. You have bow?”

The orc Khan pulled his own bow from its scabbard and checked it over. A composite design, he’d crafted it himself from sinew, bone, and wood scavenged from the Steppes. It was a strong, recurve shape that he’d wielded for years and was the lighter of the two he owned. The other was of similar make, but slightly bigger with a heavier draw weight. Naghoon warriors usually possessed two bows, one for firing while standing with the smaller for use on horseback, but both were equally useful for hunting and fighting. The barbed and razor sharp arrows in the saddle quiver, however, were clearly meant for fighting.

“We find ambushed caravan, track ban-dits from there. Bring many heads back as proof.”

Zathria At'Arel