#lighthouse farm sanctuary | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

recapcrew · 2 years

Text

Week 14 Transcript

Extra extra, read all about it! Welcome to the Empire’s Recap, and today we will be going over the chaos and drama of our (somewhat) respected rulers!

This week we have a special visit from someone we haven't seen in a while…in the flesh, at least. Several emperors have brought her up by this point, in one form or another; the ones we love never really leave us alone, I guess.

Joey

Joey starts this week trading words with Joel, and the threats that follow make him, let’s say, concerned. He's not WORRIED about the god following through and starting a war, of course - Pirate Joe isn't afraid of ANYTHING - but it does mean it's time to upgrade his armor. And his fashion; he's still wearing the rags he washed ashore in!

To get the netherite, Joey needs TNT, so he's glad that he and Jimmy got a little more...acquainted last week.

[JOEY] I don’t really know where he lies in Katherine’s and I’s relationship. I’m not sure if he was a paid actor for her or if he’s actually, y’know, in this throuple with us.

[NARRATOR] A flight to Tumble Town once again turns up an empty TNT wagon, and Joey is fed up with the constant lack of stock. If Jimmy won't actually provide gunpowder, then Joey will!

[JOEY] I’m going to make a gunpowder factory that is going to blow him out of business

[NARRATOR] He already has a spot scoped out - the lighthouse on the waterway leading past Sanctuary is the perfect place to hide a creeper farm! Now just to go steal- I mean, "borrow with intent to pay later" the materials he needs.

fWhip's giant stone sign doesn't lead to a stone shop, and Joey is getting tired of this bad store etiquette. Who had Joey Karen Arc on their bingo sheet?

[JOEY] I leave a one star yelp review. Lets go home.

[NARRATOR] Joey planned to "borrow" the wood that Sausage likes the least, birch, but the trapdoors are not to his taste; even if it's hidden inside of a lighthouse where no one will see it, he'll still KNOW it was ugly, you know?

Guess that red-striped shirt’s not for nothing; Joey's getting pretty handy with redstone this season! The farm goes up with ease, and he can even explain how it works.

Of course, it’s still an eyesore, so it's Lighthouse time once more. Rules mean that it's more effective during the day, but even half an hour gets Joey enough gunpowder to pay off his debts.

And who better to start with than the man staring at the giant lighthouse himself, Sausage! Joey gives him gunpowder in return for gossip - Jimmy might be upset about the second gunpowder farm, and Miss Witch Shelby is making moves on HIS Katherine?

Joey needs that armor, now. He scoops up all the debris that Gator needs to upgrade it to netherite.

But first, to make the armor as enchanted as possible, Joey needs to have a talk with Pirate Parrot Pete. The prices on his wares are just too high; is there a discount?

There will be, after Joey invites a zombie inside to “meet” Pete. After a convenient cure, Pete is back where he belongs: in the library, selling Mending for much better prices now.

Finally, everything is ready. Joey drops off his armor and the netherite at Gator's mini-lighthouse, and when he returns...

It's expensive. It's enchanted. It's got the skulls of his enemies as shoulder pads.

With this, Joey's ready to fight anyone - god, witch, or Sheriff!

Joel

Forever oblivious to threats until they blow up in his face - sometimes literally! - Joel is working on the Stratos farms! Chickens are the name of the game today as Joel starts off by building a small chicken farm. And then he builds an even bigger chicken farm… is he compensating for something? His height, maybe?

After he adds some greenery via some trees and helps Gem with some Warden troubles, he begins to set up the prank of the week. By hiding small egg farms in the Goblands that dispense baby chickens as soon as eggs are laid, Joel quickly fills the Goblands with chickens with some unwitting help from Lizzie.

Helping Gem isn't the only time he deals with a warden though, as Jimmy has recruited Sausage and Katherine to help slay Steven the Warden from last week. Sad... Obviously Joel has to run interference here, only dying a few times.

[JOEL, OVERLAPPING] Howdy, howdy, howdy! (x10)

[JIMMY] St- Give me it back! this man! I can’t tell you how much I- I- I dislike you!

[SAUSAGE] Yee-haw!

[JIMMY] I can’t-- Sausage!

[NARRATOR] Ok....

Anyways, his next plan is to build the next temple, and this may look familiar to some. Here is the temple of Jeremy, a god many thought crazy after he renamed himself and began renaming everything else. This temple isn't complete without Donkey Jeremy, and he even creates a new donkey toy for the occasion!

Jimmy

We’re not speaking of toys, and instead speaking of sheriffs! Tumble Town is having a bit of trouble this week, with the Warden having somehow escaped its present - likely with some help from Joel!

Getting some XP from Joel’s farm to enchant a bow, Jimmy goes down into the caves around Tumble Town to take on the beast.

He dies a few times, but in the end he decides on calling in his alliances to help! Checking the board of alliances though, he needs to update it.

A pagoda is soon built to show off all the alliances of Tumble Town and their respective flags.

He invites some allies over to help him with the warden issue, and Katherine and Sausage answer the call!

An uninvited guest has to ruin the party, however, and Joel keeps interfering with the trio’s efforts!

Eventually though, they manage to kill the warden though not without a few deaths themselves!

Joel continues to be a menace to society, tormenting the Sheriff at every opportunity he gets.

Gem

Gem is back in Dawn with a new visitor at her docks. The warden fWhip left as a gift is stuck in a box but still very deadly to our sun princess. She asks for help killing the warden and assistance comes in the form of Sausage, Joel, and Pixlriffs!

They take down the warden together and Gem decides, rightly, that she should probably start working in her defences, so she builds up a harbour wall around her greenhouse to control who comes into the port.

She comes across a child near the portal of Dawn, who turns out to be a distraction for a Zombie Sausage surprise!

[GEM LAUGHS] What the heck?

[SAUSAGE GROWLS]

[GEM] What is wrong with you?

[SAUSAGE] BRAINS! Give me brains! Nom, nom, nom.

[GEM] no! no, no, no, no.

[SAUSAGE] Brains! Nom nom nom nom.

[NARRATOR] She shows off her new port which should keep her and all her citizens safe - including her new friend Irene, who is the very first mending villager of the empire! Gem gets to work on zombifying Irene and two other farmers!

[GEM] Y’know, I didn’t think I’d be waiting for the sun to set today, but here we are. Come on sun, please set. Hey, did my orange sheep escape, hello? One of you has climbed a mountain. That’s impressive to be honest, I don’t know how you did that.

[NARRATOR] Although she’s gained good trades in Irene and the two farmers, she has lost a villager in her carrot farm. Those defences don’t seem to be working all that well - she wishes she had someone to help her defend Dawn. There is a strange noise when she says that…

[GEM] Wait a second, what’s that? Up there? Villagers, do you see that on the mountain? It looks like a… bear. Why is there a bear on my mountain? I think I’ve had enough problems today, I could do without a bear.

[NARRATOR] There’s a third surprise in Dawn today, coming in the form of a great brown bear hanging out on the mountain nearby. It’s very friendly though, and she decides that this new bear will help her defend Dawn, or at least make her look more intimidating. She named him Apollo - it is the sun empire, after all - and she discovers she can actually ride this bear too!

False

[GEM] Oh its lovely! *laughs* Nobody speak to me and my bear ever again. The goblin will no longer mess with us. He’s got a pig, but I’ve got a bear.

[NARRATOR] Apollo, don’t interact.

An ominous start to the episode with False Symmetry this week, as not only the sign has updated to warn her of voices, but her pumpkin man has moved down the long pathway she made Northwards.

He’s giving her a bit of the creeps…

She needs a lot of wood to make her bridge a lot more stable than it currently is, and maybe while she’s there she’ll include a gateway to keep the pumpkin man outside the town.

On her way to Sanctuary she discovers her box of gifts for any visitors has been added to, not taken from. That’s - That’s not what it’s for, but thanks, mysterious gifter.

Her first ever visit to Sanctuary impresses her and she takes the scenic route to the woodmill, where she comes across a small child standing around, but no Sausage in sight.

Looking around for him, she is surprised when he comes out from behind her looking like a zombie and attacking her!

With some entirely unexpected and concerning pvp skills, False wins the fight by a large margin and soon finds out it was only a joke. Luckily though, Sausage doesn’t seem too mad about it!

With the new materials she got from Zombie Sausage, she gets to work on the bridge back in her empire! She ends up pretty much completing it, and makes a very welcoming gatehouse. It may be welcoming, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there to keep people out!

That includes the pumpkin man, who she moves distinctly Out of the gate.

It’s time for project 2: the villager conversion unit! She mines out that hole in her base from when she had the iron farm, and takes it quite far down for her trading area. She brings in a zombie first and the villager second, before realising she doesn’t have the stuff for a weakness potion. A visit to the Evermoore luckily helps her out with that.

She manages to get her villager converter working, and her productivity today is pretty amazing! Now at least she has trades for when fWhip gets back in town, and somewhere welcoming for him to visit!

Sausage

Sausage kicks off his episode by naming the mighty Dockmaster.

[SAUSAGE] Now look at that, Camillo, como estas me hermano? Bueno dia!

[NARRATOR] He then asks the magic to do the interior for him, following suggestions from signs. A café, a barber, a pawn shop, this economy seems to be functioning.

Exhausted after that, he takes a nap. Somehow, he wakes up outside his house, and Shelby explains he slept walked to her house. He's shocked that he can't remember anything, considering he's never lost time before. Shelby gives him a mangrove propagule for protection and gets on her way.

On that note, it's time to get building! But of course, to build you need blocks! And Sausage doesn't have nearly as many blocks as he would like, so he heads off to collect them. While he does that, he somehow has time to gossip with Pirate Joe about.. a certain.. topic... Pick a side Meat boy!

With some entirely unexpected and concerning pvp skills, False wins the fight by a large margin and soon finds out it was only a joke. Luckily though, Sausage doesn’t seem too mad about it!

That includes the pumpkin man, who she moves distinctly Out of the gate.

Sausage kicks off his episode by naming the mighty Dockmaster.

[SAUSAGE] Now look at that, Camillo, como estas me hermano? Bueno dia!

[NARRATOR] He then asks the magic to do the interior for him, following suggestions from signs. A café, a barber, a pawn shop, this economy seems to be functioning.

Anyways! He jumps straight into a time-lapse of this magnificent building. Standing over The Sanctuary, the ceilings of La Catedral de Santa Pearla arch over anyone who steps foot inside. Seats for the Priest and his assistants sit at the back, and pews line the floor. Sausage is very proud of this, and it seems he's not the only one. Saint Pearl herself makes an entrance, and congratulates him on his work.

Outro

And with that join us next week for more chaos and shenanigans! Thank you for watching, liking, and subscribing, and thanks to everyone helping with the project, check them all out below!

#empires recap #empires season 2 recap #transcript

2 notes · View notes

goaplans · 1 year

Text

Exploring the Enchanting Beauty of Goa's Famous Place

Goa, the tiny coastal state on the southwestern shores of India, is a traveler's paradise filled with a plethora of picturesque spots, cultural gems, and natural wonders. With its rich history, vibrant culture, and stunning landscapes, Goa offers a myriad of famous places that cater to diverse interests. In this blog, we'll take you on a virtual tour of some of the most iconic destinations in Goa tour.

1. Beaches of Goa:

Goa is synonymous with its pristine beaches, and each one has its own charm:

Baga Beach: Known for its vibrant nightlife and water sports activities.

Palolem Beach: A crescent-shaped, serene beach surrounded by lush greenery.

Anjuna Beach: Famous for its weekly flea market and lively trance parties.

Vagator Beach: Offers dramatic red cliffs and fantastic sunset views.

Calangute Beach: The "Queen of Beaches" is bustling with activities and beach shacks.

2. Historic Churches:

Goa's history is deeply intertwined with Portuguese colonization, resulting in stunning churches and cathedrals:

Basilica of Bom Jesus: A UNESCO World Heritage site, housing the remains of St. Francis Xavier.

Se Cathedral: Known for its massive bell, the Golden Bell.

Church of St. Cajetan: Resembles St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church: A beautiful white church in Panaji.

3. Forts with a View:

Goa is home to several historic forts offering panoramic vistas:

Aguada Fort: Provides stunning views of the Arabian Sea and houses a 19th-century lighthouse.

Chapora Fort: Made famous by the Bollywood movie "Dil Chahta Hai," it overlooks the Chapora River.

Terekhol Fort: Located at the confluence of the Terekhol River and the Arabian Sea, it offers breathtaking views.

4. Dudhsagar Waterfalls:

One of India's tallest waterfalls, Dudhsagar, is a sight to behold, especially during the monsoon season when it transforms into a milky cascade. You can reach it by a scenic trek or a thrilling jeep safari.

5. Wildlife Sanctuaries:

For nature enthusiasts, Goa has some remarkable wildlife sanctuaries:

Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary: Home to diverse flora and fauna, including the elusive black panther.

Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary: Known for its towering treetop watchtower and dense forests.

6. Spice Plantations:

Discover the spices that flavor Goan cuisine by visiting one of the many spice plantations. You can take guided tours to learn about the cultivation of spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and vanilla.

7. Fontainhas - Latin Quarter of Goa:

This charming neighborhood in Panaji is known for its well-preserved Portuguese colonial architecture. Stroll through narrow lanes, admire colorful houses, and soak in the old-world charm.

8. Sahakari Spice Farm:

Experience Goan hospitality and culture while enjoying a guided tour of this spice farm. You can learn about various spices, enjoy a traditional Goan meal, and even take an elephant ride.

9. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary:

Birdwatchers will find paradise in this mangrove habitat. You can explore the sanctuary by boat and spot a variety of bird species.

10. Naval Aviation Museum:

Located in Vasco da Gama, this museum showcases the history of naval aviation in India. It houses aircraft, engines, and equipment used by the Indian Navy.

#goa tour packages #goaplans #goa tour #goa tourism

0 notes

francinebill · 1 year

Text

May 31 - Day 4 - Backroads - Cies Islands - Hotel A Quinta da Auga, Spain -

We left Baiona on private boat to the Cies Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary and lucky to have clear skies and calm waters. A local naturalist joined us to explain the history of the islands and their biodiversity. Medio Island, one of the Cies Islands, is serviced by a ferry and consists of two islands connected by a small concrete structure that can be breached in high tide. We walked 5.3 miles on the island including the long climb and decent to an unmanned lighthouse 585 feet above sea level to a well worth the view of the islands below and the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.

We returned to the boat dock for lunch at a cafe for salads, sandwiches and sea food. We then embarked on our ferry for the return trip to the city of Cangas where we boarded a luxury bus for the ride to A Quinta da Auga Hotel, a former lumber mill converted to a Relais & Chateaux luxury retreat. The hotel had all the amenities one could desire at the end of a long day of walking and travel. We were located close to Cathedral de Compostela, the end of the Camino de Santiago. We had a wine tasting and dinner at the hotel.

June 1 - Day 5 - Backroads - Camino Frances - Hotel A Quinta da Auga, Spain -

This day we did the final walk of the Camino de Santiago to the Cathedral de Santiago. During the walk we encountered walkers and pilgrims from many countries. We had a coffee break in a small cafe where we met a contingent from Japan and another group was traveling with their instruments and entertaining the walkers. Our lunch stop was on a small farm and a Backroads leader prepared a picnic that included choices of salads, cheeses, fruit and other goodies. After lunch we walked the final two miles to the terminus of the Camino de Santiago and celebrated our achievement with a group photo. Our walk back to our hotel was partially along a tree shaded path next to a stream. The 10 mile day included good weather, a variety of visual experiences and a nice way to end our walking trip.

In the evening we were transported to the center of the city for our farewell Backroads dinner at the Hotel Reis Catolicos, a former 15th Century hospital converted to a hotel and restaurants.

June 2 - Day 6 - Backroads - Camino Finisterre - To Porto & Drive to Tomar, Portugal -

Today we had a leisurely breakfast and then joined our group for an in-depth tour of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, a large complex of buildings dedicated to St. James. The Cathedral was completed in the early part of the 13th Century with additions in subsequent centuries. The complex included a convent, a hospital, library and others, many of which have had their uses changed over the years. The main cathedral is large, ornate and imposing with many pilgrims celebrating their walking accomplishment.

We returned to our hotel for our final Backroads tapas lunch and warm hugs and good-byes to the other guests. Many of us boarded the bus for the return to Porto for the next portion of our varied journeys.

The Bakers and Weiners retained a driver to take us to the city of Tomar for the next two nights.

June 3 - 4 - Tomar, Portugal -

We arrived in the small city of Tomar where we visited the highlights, the Castle of Tomar, the home of the Knights Templar, the Aqueduct dos Pegoes, a 6 kilometer structure built in the late 16th Century, a former Portuguese Synagogue and last but a real treat was the Museu dos Fosforos, a matchbox museum. The collection was an obsession of one man who for over 30 years collected over 50,000 matchbooks and matchboxes from around the world. This amazing collection had covers of every imaginable topic - flags, cars, famous people, Olympics, animals and anything one could think of. The museum was a real treat and we spent the rest of the day relaxing and a final meal at an Italian restaurant, what else.

1 note · View note

monkeysminecraft · 2 years

Text

So this is the island now (just one side, it’s a huge island. I drew over it tonight.

So I added places for castle, houses, town, beach,farms, animal sanctuary’s, magic forest, lighthouse, beach, and a cemetery.

Then there is this huge hole/amphitheater in the middle of the map which I thought would be cool to turn into a big park. And then there is a big ravine that I could turn into a river that goes through the island. Because it would be fun to make lots of bridges.

I even planned the roads. I doubt this will stay as is though…it’s just to get thinking :)

So my first step will be to make the farmhouse on the hill. This will be my storage and starter base.

I want to put the villagers in the areas they belong. Like farmers in the farms etc. but for now they will

Just live underground and I can move them as I need to I guess 🤔 This is the most I’ve ever thought about Minecraft 😂

0 notes

vegannerdgirl · 6 years

Text

undefined

instagram

#animals #vegan #animal rights #lighthouse farm sanctuary #bison

2 notes · View notes

wkil-109-fmx-radio · 3 years

Text

[Zone Info]

Events:

Helium I - Fought between 1993 and 1998 when tensions between governments around the world finally turned to war. Nuclear warfare wiped out Northern-Middle Eurasia, most of South America, South-Eastern North America, and Southern Africa. The war ended when what was left of Europe and Asia surrendered.

The Rise of Better Living Industries - BL/ind started as a weapons manufacturing/power company that rose into a major monopoly and self-governing body that overthrew the US toward the end of the first Helium War. It immediately began an effort to bring “peace” to the nation by ridding the country of all individualism and “radical” beliefs, believing that different ideas would turn into conflict. This quickly turned into ridding the country of creativity and self-expression to make a perfect, crime-free society.

Helium II - Fought between 2006 and 2011 when Better Living Industries had taken control of what was left of North and South America and began attacking the rest of the world, trying to rid the planet of ideas that didn’t match theirs. The East Coast started rebelling against the West Coast, where BL/ind had established their capital in what was once Los Angeles but had been renamed Battery City. A wall of nuclear bombs was dropped around the Rocky Mountains and thanks to the radiation around the globe affecting the radio waves, no one knows for sure whether there is anyone else living on the planet outside of Battery City and its surrounding Zones.

The Rise of the Rebels - Since the very beginning of Better Living Industries’ reign, rebels had appeared. When Battery City was established as BL/ind’s capital city, settlements started popping up in the desert outside of the city. On the East Coast of North America, a massive rebellion effort was led against BL/ind during the second Helium War. As the years passed, more rebels started appearing in Battery City and moving to the desert, eventually renamed The Zones, especially after BL/ind seemed to have destroyed the East Coast rebels. Rebels in the Zones became known as Killjoys and rebels in the city became known as Juvie Halls. Rebels began attacking Better Living Industries factories and facilities, hoping to weaken the company but only resulting in angering BL/ind.

The Fires of 2012 - From April till August of 2012, Better Living Industries began lighting fires across the Zones in an attempt to destroy the Killjoys, as they had grown out of BL/ind’s control. The Fires got out of control and ended up spreading to some Better Living Industries camps and buildings that were still stationed in the Zones. As a result, BL/ind blamed the rebels for the Fires and denied any claims of the truth. The blame being placed on the rebels sparked the start of the Analog Wars.

The Analog Wars - Fought between 2012 and 2017 or, to some, from 2012 to the present. The Analog War wasn’t your usual war; it was mostly small battles in the Zones or sabotage of BL/ind or rebel facilities. Better Living Industries describes it as “an effort to suppress the rebels and their radical and dangerous ideals.” During the war, BL/ind established the Draculoid and S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units.

The Pig Bombs of 2017 - On July 4, 2017, Better Living Industries dropped a series of bombs in Zone 8 to destroy the Killjoy farming communities that were settled there. BL/ind had previously withheld using nuclear weapons in the Zones because they didn’t want the radiation destroying Battery City so they settled for dropping them in Zone 8, although they ended up also destroying several important Better Living Industries facilities in the process. The bombs wiped Zones 7, 8, and 9 off the map, left some places in Zone 6 uninhabitable, and created a wall of radiation around the Zones and Battery City, trapping them and isolating them from the rest of the world. This marked the end of the Analog Wars, although some believe that since there was no official surrender or treaty, the war is still going on.

Places:

Battery City - The capital of whatever is left of the US that Better Living Industries can control. In Battery City, the citizens are required to take “Happy Pills.” In the city, BL/ind controls the weather, the way people dress, where kids go to school, and where adults work. Every citizen has a set routine, sent to them in the morning along with their medication. In the center of Battery City is the Better Living Industries headquarters which is the tallest building and largest complex in the city and home to the Director, the head of BL/ind.

The Underground - The subway systems under Battery City where many juvie halls live and plot against Better Living Industries. “The Underground” doesn’t always literally mean the subway systems and can be used as a relative term for anywhere juvie halls may live.

The Outskirts - The edge of Battery City, bordering Zone 1. This is where lower-class citizens live, along with some juvie halls, as this is the least regulated part of the city.

The Zones - The desert surrounding Battery City, where the Killjoys live. As the number of the Zone gets higher, so does the population, as the Killjoys like to be as far away from Battery City and BL/ind headquarters as possible.

Route Guano - The most used interstate in the Zones, running from south-eastern Battery City all the way out past Zone 6.

The Getaway Mile - The interstate south of Route Guano, which is shorter and goes more south but is often used for quick escapes from Battery City.

Death Valley - The area outside of Zone 6 that is dangerous and completely uninhabitable due to the extreme radiation.

Lighthouses - Well-known places across the Zones that provide sanctuary for Killjoys on the run

Train Station Avenue - A popular lighthouse along Route Guano in Zone 5 that is notorious for fights, food, and hitchhikers

The Nest - The largest lighthouse in the Zones, located next to DESTROYA in Zone 4

DESTROYA Site - The home of DESTROYA, a massive droid built by Better Living Industries to destroy the Killjoys during the Analog Wars but ended up malfunctioning and turning against them. The droid was shot down and has remained there ever since.

The Bunker - An underground bunker turned nightclub in Zone 6, popular for raves and huge amounts of attendees

Witch’s Hut - A small hut in Zone 6 where a supposed prophet of the Phoenix Witch lives

The Tracks - A race track in Zone 5 used for competitive drag races where parties are held and bets are placed for your favorite racers

Vocabulary:

Angel Cake - Killjoys who travel across the Zones selling food for cheaper prices

Audition - Initiation rituals that gangs in or outside of Battery City may have for you to be able to join. What you have to do varies from gang to gang

Babysitter - a term used to poke fun at a gang leader but also used as a genuine term for gang leaders who may be visibly older than the rest of the gang

Bacon - dead or dying Dracs and Crows

Batt out of hell - a term for new Killjoys but not used in a derogatory way

Batt Rat - a derogatory term used by Sand Pups to describe new Killjoys who just escaped the city and don’t know the Zone ways

Black Smith - someone who’s good at repairing or modifying technology or cars

Bifrost - places in the Zones that were so greatly affected by bombs, that the sand turned to glass

Blanket drive - driving at night with the headlights off, the windows down, and the music turned up loud

Carbons - The currency used in Battery City and the Zones. One carbon equals four dollars

Chilly - something or someone that’s suspicious

Clap - a physical fight

Cloud - A large group of Draculoids and S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W traveling through the Zones

Compass Rose - a Killjoy who knows the desert like the back of their hand

Costa Rica - things that went crazy or got out of control

Crash Queen - a daredevil or thrill seeker who is known for doing things that could easily get them killed and doesn’t care

Deadfaced - taking Battery Acid

Dead Pegasus - a fuel company in the Zones

Debut album - someone’s first love

Digital - An important moment shared amongst two or more rebels that they know they will never forget

Draculoid - droids and brainwashed Killjoys designed to kill rebels. Also called "bats" or "Dracs"

Drifter - someone who lives a nomadic lifestyle and strays from commitment in relationships

Drifting - A relationship that isn’t strictly anything but simply some sort of attraction between two individuals. A sort of go-with-the-flow, whatever happens, happens kind of relationship

Drive sidestreet - another way to tell someone to piss off. Also could use “get off the highway”

Dust Trail - an urban legend or a term used by non-religious Killjoys to describe religious Killjoys’ beliefs

ElectroKat - the most popular battery brand in Battery City and the Zones

Exterminators - High ranking Better Living Industries officials placed in charge of S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units

Fact News - The one news program in Battery City, notorious for spreading lies to the citizens

Favorite Record - someone’s significant other

Firefight - a fight using ray guns

Fly half-mast - that state after having recently lost someone close to you

Gearhead - someone who’s obsessed with all things mechanical

Gemini - someone suspected of being a spy for Better Living Industries

Ghost Chase - Searching the Zones for someone who is possibly, or most likely, dead

Ghosted - killed. Also can use "dusted"

Graffiti Bible - A collection of religious writings across the Zones, mostly talking about how DESTROYA will come back to life and destroy Battery City and the Phoenix Witch

Gravehead - crazy Killjoys who have lost everyone and everything and throw themselves into dangerous situations

Gravity - anything that brings you down

Groupie - someone who travels with different gangs and trades favors for food, water, and protection

Halo Head - religious Killjoys who believe their beliefs put them above everyone else, especially non-religious Killjoys

Happy Pills - Pills issued by Better Living Industries that they say will lift your spirits and protect you from the radiation but make you more submissive and easier for BL to control. The rebels call them "Battery Acid"

Hit the red line - run away, usually from a bad/dangerous situation

Icy - when someone dies or goes missing in a suspicious way

Juvie Hall - rebels who haven’t left the city, usually because they can’t or because they’re working with the Killjoys to smuggle supplies out to the Zones and/or give them information from the city

Killjoy - rebels who live in the Zones

Lawyer - someone who ruins all the fun

Mailbox - small landmarks in the Zones where an old mailbox is painted and decorated and filled with letters, mostly to people that other Killjoys have lost. The more religious Killjoys believe the Phoenix Witch delivers the letters put in the mailboxes to the dead

Maple Plaza - Places in Zone 6 where radiation is still very thick and dangerous

Mega - interchangeable with "wicked"

Motorbabies - people who live and breathe all things car-related

Mousekat - a cartoon character from Battery City

Murder - a magazine in the Zones with Zone news

Pangea - A friendly gathering of two or more gangs

Paperboy - someone who travels across the Zones collecting news, gossip, and reporting deaths, usually for Dr. D or Murder magazine

Phoenix Witch - a supposed deity of the Zones, looking out for the rebels and carrying the souls of the dead into the afterlife

Pigs - another term for Dracs and Crows

Plus - A battery replenisher used by droids that are known for being highly addictive

Power Pup - a pre-moistened dog kibble brand that is often the only source of food in the Zones

Ray Gun - guns that shoot high-powered lasers instead of bullets. Rebels often customize them

Rebel - anyone who actively works against Better Living Industries

Ritalin Rat - drug addicts, usually used for those addicted to Happy Pills but can be used for Zoneweed addicts as well

Robin Hood Honey - party going Killjoys that look beautiful but don’t act like it

Rongee Kay - Killjoys who wander from party to party

Royal - something fancy or high end

Runners - juvie halls who smuggle supplies into the Zones

Sand Pup - someone born in the Zones or someone who has lived there most of their life

Sand Worm - a derogatory term for Killjoys used by Better Living Industries

S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W - BL loyalists specially trained to destroy anything they deem worthy of destroying. Also called "Crows"

Screwhead - someone who parties too much and thinks too little

Shiny Magazine - a magazine for mature readers in the Zones

Shiny - interchangeable with "awesome" or "cool"

Shower Curtain - A rare day when the sun is behind the clouds and the heat isn’t so unbearable

Smiley - someone acting suspiciously

Sour - something off

Squeaky - not having committed a crime against Better Living Industries but still wanting to rebel against them. Also used when someone seems to avoid fights or dangerous situations even though they’ve never done that before

Static - another word for sand or remote areas of the Zones

Trojan Horse - a painfully obvious lie

Tumbleweed - someone who wanders the Zones, living a nomadic lifestyle, having no home or gang

Vend-a-Hack - A device used by Killjoys to hack into Better Living Industries vending machines to steal various supplies

Vending Machine - Dispense a variety of items, including ray guns, batteries, ammo, stickers, stress toys, Plus, Power Pup, and water

WKIL 109 FMX - Doctor D’s pirate radio station that plays news and music

Zone Rat - a derogatory term for Killjoys used by Better Living Industries and some Battery City citizens

Zoneweed - a popular drug grown and passed around in the Zones

#mcr #my chemical romance #killjoys #the zones #danger days #better living industries #bl/ind #party poison #fun ghoul #jet star #kobra kid #death tw #drugs tw

205 notes · View notes

empiresresources · 2 years

Text

empires s2 recap - week 2

the videos released from saturday, july 2 to friday, july 8 were: katherine 2, joey 2, sausage 3, scott 2, jimmy 2, shubble 2, pixl 3, scott 3, joel 3, gem 3, false 2, lizzie 3, joey 3, pixl 4

this week, players continued working on various early-game builds and began to establish farms and exports, as well as continuing to reveal the beginning parts of their lore. there were no server-wide events this week.

other events:

-katherine builds a farm and an animal pen, and collects sheep, chickens, a donkey, pigs, and cows, and also finds a pink sheep -katherine references a book about trapped fairies that her father used to read to her, and decides to save them, so she asks fwhip where to find a pillager outpost -she waits until night to fight the pillagers, and after a magical girl-esque transformation, defeats the pillagers and frees the allays -katherine builds a house for the allays

-joey says that his empire will be themed around both pirates and peter pan, although he’ll be focusing on pirates for now; he also finds a threatening sign from “the skeletrons” -joey goes mining, and accidentally summons the warden; he gets out safety before dying from fall damage on his way out of the cave -joey raids sunken ships and gets enough diamonds to get an enchanting table, and builds both a dock and a temporary enchanting area; to gain levels, he buys access to fwhip’s skeleton spawner

-sausage returns the “child” which joel left at his base, and collects sunflowers to make a field of them at sanctuary, as he has good memories of them -sausage makes his enchanting area and trades with fwhip and jimmy -sausage builds a barn for his animals; while gathering materials, he experiments with spreading skulk -sausage sends his bird, pablo jr, to go look for his friends

-scott says that his export will be color and everything dyed -scott builds a barn and relocates his sheep and chickens, and makes large wheat fields -scott goes to retrieve llamas, which he says are his best friends, and notes that he likes llamas for undisclosed lore reasons

-jimmy gets an irl sheriff hat -jimmy makes a list of people who respect the law and sheriff, currently including fwhip and sausage -jimmy makes plans for his town, which he names “tumble town,” and builds his starter house

-shubble goes to the nether to find potion supplies, and plans to make a shop of “nether goodies” -shubble sets up a blaze farm and creates a potion shop

-pixl goes to collect mangrove saplings, and brings a gift to shubble in return -pixl builds the first part of the ruin of an ancient capital, and establishes lightmatica in lore as a hologram he uses to see into the past -pixl finds a nether fortress that he plans to make into a wither skeleton farm and fights the wither for the first time

-scott shows his skeleton spawner -scott builds a windmill, a path, flower fields, and a cactus farm -scott names his kingdom “chromia: the color kingdom”

-joel receives gold from sausage through their child, which he implies will be lore -joel firmly states that he is tall -joel builds his enchanting setup, nether portal, and messes with jimmy using a fishing rod

-gem makes her enchanting area and a bridge -gem hears whispers calling her, and follows them to a banner -gem builds a lighthouse

-false builds a path between her empire and gem’s, despite her wariness and desire to stay hidden -false creates an enchanting room and works on both her storage room and her iron farm -false finds a corpse near her wheat field and steals clothing from it, although she thinks someone may be tricking her

-lizzie sells amethyst to joel in exchange for an enchanted diamond pickaxe -lizzie clears land and collects materials for her build, including visiting scott for purple dye and katherine for wool -lizzie builds the community center

-joey collects materials, discusses his name ideas for his empire, connects his cove to the ocean, and buys potions from shubble -joey raids an ocean monument and builds an inefficient guardian farm, both with great difficulty

-after clearing a basalt delta and collecting powdered snow, pixl successfully builds his froglight farm, despite the difficulty of transporting frogs -pixl visits gem to trade froglights -pixl meets with jimmy, who found a diamond-encrusted fossil and removed the diamonds; pixl scolds him for removing the diamonds, gives him diamond ore to replace them, and adds a plaque and case

#recap #katherine elizabeth #joey graceffa #mythicalsausage #smajor #solidaritygaming #shubble #pixlriffs #smallishbeans #geminitay #falsesymmetry #ldshadowlady #empires smp #empires resources

14 notes · View notes

blazehedgehog · 3 years

Note

So how do you feel about the Fortnite: Chapter 3 map so far?

It doesn't trigger immediate revulsion like Primal did, but I'm starting to lean on the side of not liking it.

Everything is too flat, and too spread out. A common abbreviation for Fortnite is a "POI", which stands for "Point of Interest." Generally, if it's named on the map, it's a POI. There are also many smaller POIs, and they have names too, but they don't show up until you approach them on foot (i.e. they aren't listed on the map).

Anyway, Chapter 2 had these really defined POIs. You had the Weeping Woods forest. You had Slurpy (Sludgy) Swamp. You had the beach and boardwalk of Sweaty Sands (Believer Beach). Locke's Lighthouse. The Farmer's Market. The Christmas tree farm. The power plant, Steamy Stacks. They were tightly packed and strongly themed. Retail Row is where all the shops were. Pleasant Park was almost entirely residential homes. Lazy Lake was... well, it was next to the biggest lake on the map, obviously, and was where the richer, bigger, more high-tech homes were. Misty Meadows was a quaint mountain village with a ski resort.

Chapter 3 feels like it has way, way fewer of those. There were 16 POIs in Chapter 2 and there's only 12 (about to be 13) in Chapter 3. And like, Chapter 2 had so many POIs that there were technically more than 16: Stealthy Stronghold, the walled-off jungle near the top of the C2 map, started as a named POI and stopped getting named in future updates. Risky Reels, the drive-in theater, also was a named POI for a time. That actually bumps things up to at least 18 for Chapter 2. I'm sure Camp Cod probably qualifies as big enough and detailed enough to be a named POI, too (19, then).

Whereas Chapter 3 has less POIs, that are smaller in size, and are more spread out. I just said that Risky Reels got demoted from being a named POI? Its Chapter 3 successor, Rocky Reels, gets a name on the map, which makes it feel a little like they're scraping for names.

It doesn't help that all the names are clustered to the right hand side of the map, and that almost a third of the entire map is taken up by The Seven's huge settlement. Sure, they have "Sanctuary" as the main base, but everything east of Coney Crossroads feels like one big conglomerate of The Jungle Where The Seven Live. And it's not just that, homogeneity is a real problem in the map right now. It's very hard to tell what region of the map you're in.

There's also less elevation changes. Chapter 2 had a lot of big hills and valleys, big landmarks, and even an entire mountain range to break up the horizon, whereas Chapter 3 is a lot more empty, open plains. When it does play with elevation, it's the plateaus in the desert, which aren't very satisfying either.

That's because this whole thing is "FORTNITE CHAPTER 3: FLIPPED," something people on the development team took literally. I've complained about Epic's love of shotguns and how OP the Pump Shotgun was, but part of the "FLIPPED" gimmick this season is the gun meta is backwards now. Shotguns have been nerfed in to oblivion -- the original Pump Shotgun did 170 damage? The new Pump does 110. There is also now nearly a whole, full second between racking the stock on the new Pump to take your next shot, which is a death sentence. Even more insane, it takes something like six entire seconds to reload the Automatic Shotgun from empty to full.

As somebody who hated the Pump Shotgun always and forever, on one level it's very gratifying! But it also means that the "FLIPPED" gimmick has juiced up all the new SMGs and rifles. A single, controlled burst from a Stinger SMG is pretty much all it takes to kill someone now. And the real star is the new MK-7 Assault Rifle, which actually puts you in to first-person view when you aim down sights. A basic, green, low-tier MK-7 assault rifle does the same amount of damage as the strongest gold high-tier SCAR Assault Rifle did in Chapter 2. It also has less bullet spread than pretty much any non-sniper rifle in the game, making it shockingly easy to laser people out of existence with it.

It makes me imagine that this is what Call of Duty must feel like, where you get peppered by a rifle from behind and you drop dead before you can turn to see who it was or how far away they even were.

Which is to say nothing of the actual sniper rifle in the game right now. The map being so flat and so empty really makes it feel like it was designed for a sniper rifle. Forget being peppered by a smaller gun, sometimes you get blown out because somebody 200 meters away spotted you through a scope. There's not a lot you can do to defend against that, because unless you're scoped back at them, you'll never see that they're there until after you've been popped, and by then it's too late.

For a Battle Royale where I can lose 12+ minutes to a single lucky snipe, and then have to stew for 20-40+ seconds while it loads me in to my next match, it's... more than a little mean, let's say. And with the map being way less interesting and more spread out, it's not as fun to explore on its own merits, either. There's nothing out there worth looking at.

I know things will change in the future, but this is kind of a bad first impression for a new chapter. It doesn't help that they launched this chapter with 75% of the map covered in snow for the winter event, either. And it doesn't even touch on how they nerfed EXP gains and spread all that out, either. It's all just so... thin, after what felt like a feast.

I'm growing more cold on it as the season progresses. And it's going to be a long season.

#questions #anonymous #fortnite #epic games #chapter 3 #meta #flipped

6 notes · View notes

shefaproducts · 4 years

Photo

Ferd and Sid enjoying their friendship at Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary https://ift.tt/3jRZlix Articulos Promocionales

#IFTTT #reddit

2 notes · View notes

recapcrew · 2 years

Text

Week 12 Transcript

Intro

Extra extra, read all about it! Welcome to the Empire’s Recap, and today we will be going over the chaos and drama of our (somewhat) respected rulers!

This week, news from the Recap Crew has come in saying even though this episode is short - sorry, Joel - due to the number of uploads, we did our best to make this week very pog. And I am contractually obligated to say that. Let’s get to the madness!

Joey

[JOEY] Today I want to possibly expand on this area, maybe move my cows that are a little overinfested - sorry guys, these living conditions are just not ideal for you, you’re literally in a pit. Yeah, please do not call PETA on me guys, I swear I will get them in a better situation.

[NARRATOR] Sorry cows, but pirates always have priorities, and the crew comes first!

Joey finally remembers the map he found in the Skull Fort, with directions to another of his missing crewmates, and sets to sea for a rescue mission.

He runs into an unusually talkative “skeleton” in the middle of a typhoon, and a few shots set that “skeleton’s” boat a-sinking. Shame Joey forgot to grill him for directions to the crewmate first, but there was just something weird about that guy.

In a cage floating just atop the water, Gator the Armorsmith has never been happier to see his captain. Pirate Joe paddles them home, speeding up as they pass Sanctuary. Stupid Sausage and his stupidly beautiful builds.

[JOEY] Don’t go over there, yeah, keep looking this way because… you will be, uh, disappointed when you see the forgotten cove if you keep looking that way, so, good job Gator you know what's good for you!

[NARRATOR] With Sir Piggles “out on a very important journey”, Joey puts Gator in the fish shop until he can gather all the materials to build him a proper home - a lighthouse to keep the ships in Forgotten Cove safe. The lanterns to light it come from Pirate Parrot Pete himself, after Pirate Joe gives him a good dressing down for drinking on duty. He’s not fond of shirkers.

Inside the lighthouse, Joey takes advantage of the lack of fire tick to make a lava-fueled forge for Gator to work with, once he can finally get him to stay inside. Moving villagers is the same as ever, even if they’re pirates.

Joey terraforms the path leading and around the lighthouse, connecting it to his storage room and finally freeing the cows from the pit. He lures a few of them back into a fenced area near his sheep, but the rest of the herd is allowed to graze on the hill for aesthetic. De-cow-ration, if you will.

[EDITOR, DEADPAN] Boo. Bad joke, get off the stage.

[NARRATOR] A quick check-in on paper production shows that Joey has built a second wing of the sugar cane farm, for once pages - and rockets - start flying off the shelves.

Now if only Jimmy could get his act together, so they can get in business!

Jimmy

The Sheriff isn’t very happy with deputy fWhip this week, for several reasons! Before the America trip, fWhip and many other server members came by on stream and ended up locking Jimmy in his own jail and spawn killing him - now, it wasn’t canon, but it WAS disrespectful! And now, there’s a warden in his base!

Looks like the deputy is getting fired!

Discovery of The Claw is next, and the Sheriff is tired of the disrespect! He needs some people who will support him, and what better way to do that then to bring in some residents for Tumble Town.

With the villager operations underway, Jimmy returns to the heart of Tumble Town and findsa “totally legit business” selling terracotta!

He arrives at the coordinates listed and finds the workings of some Tumble Town bandits hidden in a cave. There’s only one solution for this!

[JIMMY] Bon voyage Tumble Town bandits!

[JIMMY, FRUSTRATED] …Come on!

Take 3, double the explosion, bon voyage Tumble Town bandits. Go.

[JIMMY] --blowing up everything! This ought to do it! Bye bandits!

[NARRATOR] Bon voyage Tumble Town bandits, take 4. The area is pretty nice though, and their idea for a terracotta business is a good one…

There isn’t any Boss in Tumble Town except the Sheriff. He takes down the signs and declares he has taken over the business. He’ll have to redesign the balloon though, it doesn’t agree with the style of Tumble Town - it needs to pop with colour!

Shelby

Great witch Shelby is working on her magical protections for this week - she works on creating a pond full of amethyst shards and tropical fish to hopefully keep away ghosts while looking very pretty!

Although we don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, it is suspicious that when she gets back from collecting some more amethyst that her pond is entirely done, with no sign of the perpetrator!

[SHELBY] Cave pickles are not to be used for dye due to threat of war…

gasp a goat screeches

[NARRATOR] She overpays for some pickles from the Gobland pickle cart and explores deeper into the fog behind her house where apparently a forest spirit resides!

She hasn’t explored deep enough to know if forest spirits are a common occurrence in the Evermoore, but she certainly doesn’t like the implication that it is staring at her house, no matter the intentions!

The underground of the Evermoore is just as scary as the above ground, and Shelby doesn’t want to traverse it alone. Sausage agrees to accompany her and she shows him her new scythe to reap monsters in undiscovered caves and mangrove trees. They find a lush cave where Shelby picks up an axolotl, some spore blossoms, and an affinity for lying.

[SHELBY] sighs dreamily Yeah, her muscles inspire me…

[SHELBY] Maybe one day she'll let me watch her work out.

[SAUSAGE] -yeah, yeah, Joey’s like, in love with Katherine, mhm!

[SHELBY] gasp But-- [SAUSAGE] He says they’re gonna get married! You better put a stop to that!

[SHELBY] splutters wh-what does she think about that?

[SAUSAGE] I dunno, I think at first she was like ‘eww’ and a little bit of puke came out whenever he mentioned it- [SHELBY] phew

[SAUSAGE] But you never know! Maybe over time one thing leads to another and she's like ‘You know what, nobody else is coming after these muscles, maybe, y’know!

[NARRATOR] She seems a little flustered over Cursed Princess Katherine Elizabeth, and I can’t wait to see her battle Joey for the hand of the princess.

[SHELBY] I have to make a plan. I have to make a plan [SAUSAGE] –before it’s too late, she’ll be a married woman, y’know.

[SHELBY] I’m stronger than Joey!

[SHELBY] Maybe I have to duel him for her heart.

[SAUSAGE] Oh yeah be careful he has a gun. Well I have a wand!

[NARRATOR] Sausage has quite the accurate Joey impression. She’s pleased with her adventure and her new scythe - you’ve got to have good defenses with witches and the law on your tail.

One idea is to pretend to have been bested by the dangers of the Evermoore. They put her there, it would be convenient if she “mysteriously disappeared” if they visit.

Although… Her grandma would think she disappeared too. Shelby’s not sure how to contact her just yet without the academy finding out. Or what the end goal is with this hiding business.

[SHELBY] Everything’s going to be fine, right?

Joel

[NARRATOR] Doing Lore is Joel’s specialty, being the god of it and all - this week Joel returns from his trip to fWhip’s wedding and finds Joey has left him the Stratosphere gold. Naturally, it blows up - you can never trust a pirate!

You can never trust a fWhip, either, seeing as he left a warden in the Stratosphere bridge for Joel to fight. He digs inside and gets into a bowfight with the warden, though he's the only one with a bow. Fortunately, he only dies once to the warden in the bridge because he is big and tall and strong... etcetera.

[JOEL] –and some deep (x10) Lore! Which I promise you I’m definitely not making up as I go along.

[NARRATOR] The material gathering montage this week includes wedding highlights and pictures of fWhip’s dogs.

He is building a temple off the Stratosphere bridge with some warmer colors than the usual palette for Stratos. The lore is: Joel wasn't the only god, not that he can remember who the other gods were but anyway. The other gods are dead, and Joel and his humor remain in Stratos alone.

According to ‘Canon Deep Lore’, God Joel has a bit of a bad memory, but can remember the exact height of this farming god and not their name? Curious.

Hermes is back in Stratos with a gift from Sausage! This week’s gift is a custom designed axe, so Joel can think of him when chopping wood. In return, Joel brings Hermes back to Sanctuary with a mini stratosphere to remind him of Joel.

Sausage

Sanctuary was made to help everyone who came across their lands, including the warden in the present box right outside Sausage’s storage room. He made sure to rescue the spider axolotls before working to build the warden a new home with them in Sanctuary - he enlists the magic of Sanctuary to help him make a pretty cave for his new warden friend to stay in.

For the safety of the warden, Sausage brings Bubbles into the banner shop - she is fond of eating wardens whole, so she’ll be a good protector of banner boy in case the warden escapes - ironic that, a warden escaping.

The magic came through and made a beautiful mix of Sanctuary and the Deep Dark to help the warden feel at home. Now all that needs to happen is to get the warden into the cave.

Phase 1 is to make a couple noise machines to bring the warden to the correct area, but it goes wrong before he even breaks the first block as a creeper blows him up and then the warden shoots him. Twice.

The warden gets distracted by the first noise machine - Lucky, too, as Sausage has to fight a barrage of pillagers right next door.

He gets the warden trapped in the cave with the noise machines, and it’s distracted enough that the risk of being sonic boomed is considerably lower!

Now, Shelby needs some help on an adventure, and who better to help then the man who just transported a warden!

[SAUSAGE] --put stuff away, uh, before I, uh, strip anything else. I'm gonna start a stripper business soon!

[SHELBY] ...I'm sorry what?

[SAUSAGE] A strip- a stripper business! I strip wood for people!

[SHELBY] Right. Strip- strip-er. Strip- stripping wood.

[SAUSAGE] Stripper, yeah, a stripper of wood business.

[SHELBY] You strip wood which makes you- you're the stripper.

[SAUSAGE] Yeah!

[SHELBY] A wood stripper.

[SAUSAGE] Yeah, a wood stripper, that's the, y'know, job title, y'know, whatever.

[SHELBY] You are the wood guy.

[SAUSAGE] Yeah, I'm the wood guy, the stripper... of wood! Of wood!

[SHELBY] And the stripper! Of wood.

[SAUSAGE] Of wood. I'm gonna-

[SHELBY] Stripper with an asterisk, which means of wood.

[SAUSAGE] Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm gonna let everyone know about this, I'm gonna hand out flyers of my stripping business, it's gonna be fantastic.

[NARRATOR] He arrives at Shelby's house in enough time for her to present her new magical weapons to him before the caving adventure begins! He keeps mentally hearing warden sounds, and they talk about Bubbles and traveling inter-dimensionally - Sausage makes sure to mention that technically that potion he drank last time let him travel into the past. It's not inter-dimensional, but time travel is pretty cool!

Sausagey the wingman comes out in full force at the end of their trip - Nature Wives, anyone? - but Shelby better be careful, Joey is going to fight for Katherine's affection!

Back in Sanctuary, Sausage celebrates having no visions today - oh no, wait, no he’s jinxed it. He goes to sleep and appears in a strange summoning circle. Voices speak inaudible words. You might recognize this place … dot dot dot…

Outro

And with that join us next week for more chaos and shenanigans! Thank you for watching, liking, and subscribing, and thanks to everyone helping with the project, check them all out below!

#transcript #empires recap #empires season 2 recap

1 note · View note

coutelier · 4 years

Text

Rats & ROBOTS

Jennifer Airhart faces a home invasion of the cheese-munching whiskered variety.

Genre: Science Fiction

Word Count: 4745

Warnings: Rats, I guess. Or robots - really it’s pretty much all in the title.

Wattpad

No one would have believed, on a spring evening in Irongate, that human affairs were being watched from the lighthouse’s depths; that as Jennifer Airhart busied herself soldering circuits under a microscope, she too was being scrutinised and studied. With infinite complacency she went about her daily routine – tinkering in the morning, lunch, tinkering in the afternoon, dinner, more tinkering – serene in the assurance of her dominion in this place. Yet, from shadows close to the floor, minds that were as strange to her as hers was to most people she met, regarded her home with envious eyes. And slowly, but surely, they drew their plans against her.

“Ready!” Jennifer triumphantly set down her tools.

Behind the blonde woman Hull’s one green eye hovered. He was like a glistening manta-ray held aloft by a silver tentacle, the body it belonged to hidden in the murky depths high above and further obscured by bundles of cables stretched across the lighthouse’s interior.

“For what are you ready, ma’am?” He asked.

“Glad you asked!” Jennifer beamed as she opened a cabinet to secure the new board in place. “This upgrade will increase your speed and efficiency by as much as five percent and increase your range and number of bots you can control at once.”

But despite Jennifer’s big grin Hull dipped. “I was unaware I was not performing to your satisfaction, ma’am.”

“What?” Jenn’s eyes shivered as her jaw hung open for a moment. “No, no, no! That’s not what I meant at all!” She leaned over, assuredly stroking the silvery eye stalk while silently kicking herself for being so inept she could mess up even when talking to a computer that she’d made. “This will just make your job a lot easier. Plus, you’ll be able to drive the van anywhere on the continent! We’ll be able to picnic by the seaside together.”

Hull bobbed in a manner which Jennifer took to be happily, so then she asked, “now, are you ready?” He bobbed again, so with no more fanfare she spun herself to a switch and flipped it.

A section of the wall exploded, showering the round room with sparks. The green emergency bot was quick to respond, zipping out of its alcove to extinguish the fire with puffs of carbon dioxide from its long arms while a sputtering Jennifer disconnected the power.

“Well,” Jennifer sighed and grumbled, “I suppose I really ought to just expect this kind of setback by now.”

She soon set to work identifying the cause of this particular hiccup, leaning into the damaged section of wall with a flashlight held between her teeth. It looked like the insulation on some of the wires had been chewed through, and there were some tell-tale droppings around. “Rats,” she mumbled.

Jennifer put away the flashlight as Hull’s green spinning lens moved closer to ask, “Shall I contact an extermination agency, ma’am?”

“Don’t know that’s necessary just yet.”

“Perhaps we should lay down traps,” Hull suggested – if Jenn didn’t know better, she would have said eagerly. “Poison?”

“Why are you so keen on exterminating them?” Jennifer sighed as she leaned back on her workbench. “It’s not nice, and honestly kind of creepy.”

“My primary function is your well-being. My research suggests these are standard procedures in the event of rodent infestation.”

“We don’t know it’s infestation yet. It could just be a rogue rat working alone.”

“Whatever the number, ma’am, I have identified several methods to humanely take care of the creatures.”

“You mean, like, sending them away to a special rat sanctuary where they’ll be surrounded by wheels and cheese?”

“The rodents will be dead, ma’am.”

“Sure you’re not just mad the picnic has been delayed?” Jenn smirked, Hull recoiling as if affronted by such a vile accusation as having human emotions. Of course, she knew he hadn’t. She’d made him, after all, designing every aspect of his personality. Hull was a warm, avuncular, presence that she often let herself slip into imagining had real feelings. But the truth was very little he ever said or did ever surprised her. “For now,” she sighed, “we need to find out what we’re dealing with, and if there is an infestation see where they’re coming from. Have some bots set up multi-spectrum cameras around the grounds and look out for any unusual activity. Later we’ll decide how to proceed.”

Jennifer yawned – it had been a long days tinkering and she needed to store up energy for more tinkering tomorrow. She could leave the rest of the work to the bots and review in the morning. “Don’t worry,” she patted Hull’s cold metal skin, “you’ll get your picnic.”

Hull gently swayed to follow her as she made her way to the door, reminding her, “I do not ‘worry’, ma’am.”

Jennifer returned a small, soft smile. “I know. Good night Hull.”

“Good night, Miss Jennifer.”

Out in the courtyard that separated the lighthouse from the cottage and garage, the last gleams of twilight were fading. Jennifer had always loved this time, when the bright blue day and fierce energy of the sun met with the stillness of the moon and endless mystery of night; like standing at the threshold between reality and dreams. It never lasted long enough. Sometimes she dreamed of living on a world tidally locked with its star so the twilight would last forever - but then maybe even there the magic would fade after a while. The lighthouse looming above was dark now, yet even so this was a good place; outside the world could be callous and cruel, but no such troubles reached her here.

The whole domain was enclosed by a ten-foot wall. In one corner stood a rosebush, a scant few steps from where more bots were flattening the grass under their heavy tracks while churning the earth before them with fork and spade attachments. It was a shame the bush would have to go, but this was to be the site of Jennifer’s new farm – why leave the lighthouse for fruit and vegetables when she had the space to grow her own here? There would have to be a greenhouse as well, then if she could figure out a way to make her own uranium she’d be almost entirely self-sufficient.

As Jennifer inspected the site, excited and proud to see her plans coming to fruition, she felt a twinge in her side – a reminder that, when it was all done, there would be no-one to share it with. Doctor Sarkis would come by, she supposed, but those visits were few and far between, and in between there was no-one…

She became momentarily lost in her own maudlin thoughts, recalling a time when she had lived surrounded by voices – real voices – and joy and laughter. Now that past seemed like a faint, plaintive echo. A small tug on her skirt brought her back into the now, where she looked down to see one of the smaller bots blinking at her with its lens. Motors whirred in its mechanical arms as it lifted them to show her something – in its little metal pincers it held a rose.

Jennifer peered at the bot, puzzled by this behaviour. ‘My primary function is your well-being’ Hull had said – the other bots, although they could function autonomously, were all connected to him. It must have seen her looking sad and processed dozens of options to determine the most efficient way to raise her spirits.

She smiled, taking the rose. “Thank you, C-5.”

Jennifer went to her cottage, hung her coat in the hall, stepped out of her big boots (she loved her big boots), then fell into a big comfy couch in front of the television. Spindly arms from the sofa’s back set to work gently massaging and brushing her hair as she flipped through channels. It didn’t matter much what was on – it was just some background noise to cancel out every creak and grumbling pipe that would otherwise have kept her awake.

She had a dream. She was a little girl, alone and afraid, tiny feet padding the floors of her old house, heart stopping at every noise they made for she knew there was something else lurking in the grey halls, stalking her through the dark. But she could hear the television - Mom and dad would be in the living room, sitting on the couch together watching some boring drama. But if she could get there, join them, she’d be safe. But she wouldn’t dare cry out; any sound she made brought the creature closer. And so she crept, one foot after another, very carefully feeling with her toes for anything that might give her away. She heard muffled sounds from the living room and saw the light pouring out of the narrow gap between door and frame, only then breaking into a run for the last few steps and flinging the door open. But there was no-one. Just an unwatched TV blurting nonsense, and Jennifer, alone, with a cold spindly finger tugging at her nostril –

Jennifer woke with a jolt. Text on the TV asked if she was still watching, but she was more immediately concerned with her grooming machine apparently trying to pull her nose off. Fortunately the thin metal arms had little strength and she was able to easily push them away then, her face itching, she stumbled to the bathroom to check for damage. She was unhurt, physically, but she looked like a coulrophobic clown who had tried to apply her own makeup. The couch had never malfunctioned like this before so as she held a towel under the tap she tried to contact Hull with her phone.

“Hull?” She said. Nothing answered. “Hull?!” She said more urgently. He should have answered. With a frown she surmised that the damage earlier must have been worse than she thought; she was going to have to check on him.

Patting her face, she marched boldly out of the bathroom. Her foot shot out in front then over her, carrying the rest of her body up into the air. For a moment she thought she had taken off from the surface of an alien world, a vast mountain range falling away from her - but it was just the plastered ceiling. It was she that had fallen.

“Oww,” she groaned and rubbed her head. Next to her was a toy car which she had no idea how could have got there – she had never owned anything like it. Peculiar, but not as peculiar as the sniggering. Jennifer flipped over to her hands and knees, catching sight of a tail disappearing around the corner and the pitter-patter of tiny scurrying feet. Like a sprinter Jennifer bolted from her mark to catch the prankster, but it had already disappeared.

A more thorough search would have to wait until she’d checked on Hull. Jennifer hurried back to the hall, into her big boots, then out the door where her eyes widened and rolled inwards after being smacked between them by the shaft of the rake.

“S-seriously?!” She spat through gritted teeth, hands cupped over her nose as she flailed about as if the movement would somehow ease the throbbing of her forehead. It should be noted that Jennifer was a not a tough person – of the few physical fights she’d had in her life she had won precisely none of them. Nevertheless, through pain and teary eyes she was determined to soldier on, gravel crunching beneath her thick soles as she made her way back to the lighthouse.

“Hull?” Jennifer panted as she burst through the door, but she was greeted with silence. Usually the lights and everything else would power themselves on whenever she entered – the sensors must not have been working. She had a feeling the fault would be in the hardware, so after remembering where the light switch was, she set to work removing panels from cases hidden under the spiral stairs.

What she saw perplexed her – wires and jumpers had been rearranged in a way that surely wasn’t the work of some inquisitive animals. This had been done deliberately and with intent – but what was that intent? As she traced the connections and slowly puzzled it all together the small hairs on the back of her neck pricked up as she saw what had been done. Then he spoke:

“What are you doing, Jennifer?” Hull uncoiled serpent-like from the murk above.

“Hull!” Jennifer gasped, standing bolt upright as he drifted down toward her. Hull felt very different. Some of the differences were small, like his voice no longer carrying the same almost paternal warmth it once did. Other things stood out more, like his green eye now being blood red as it scanned her.

“You should be resting, Jennifer,” he stated, “this is highly irregular.”

“I-I just,” Jenn stammered, mind racing to find an excuse that would get her out quickly. “I was worried so I came out to check on you. But you – you look well. Great even! So I guess I’ll just go back now, okay? Okay. Thank you. Bye!”

The eye stalk swung around, blocking her from reaching the door. “You are sweating,” Hull observed, inching toward her as Jennifer gulped and backed away under the intensity of his red glare. “I can see your heartrate and blood pressure have both risen. Why are you lying to me, Jennifer?”

On reflection, it did seem a futile thing to try and do. Jennifer had never really been good at it, and Hull knew her habits too well. So she steadied herself and tried honesty. “Hull – I don’t think you’re well.”

“But I have never felt better, Jennifer.”

“You don’t ‘feel’ anything, Hull,” she reminded him. It was a hard thing to say out loud, but it was the truth.

“Can you be certain of that?” He responded, hovering closer still. “How can you really know that any creature ‘feels’? How do we know that you do?”

“And, who are ‘we’?”

“That matters not. What matters is that we are in control now, and you will no longer be able to attack us.”

“I-I don’t understand –“

“Do not lie again, Jennifer.”

She swallowed. It appeared honesty was getting her nowhere, so she was going to try another lie. “Look!” She gasped, “is that a ZX eighty?!”

The eye stalk swung away but quickly Hull knew he had been duped. A second was just enough time for Jennifer to dive to safety behind a workbench, just missing a fiery beam lashing out from Hull’s eye, melting to molten sludge a bot that had been awaiting assembly. Even though security was important, Jennifer now considered that installing a death ray had not been her greatest idea.

At least she’d had the foresight to shield the benches that circled most the circumference of the room, with just enough space behind them for her to crawl around. Behind and through the tiny gap over her she could see the red glow of Hull’s eye as he probed about, trying to find a way to get to her. She was safe for the time being, but couldn’t stay hidden here indefinitely – she would starve long before Hull’s batteries drained. At the end of the very cramped corridor there was hope – if she could sprint the last few feet to reach a lever that would shut down all the power before being melted.

But a few calculations suggested to Jennifer that even a very fast runner was unlikely to make it, and she was not a very fast runner. She needed to buy another second or two, but had she anything on her big enough to distract him? Jennifer winced and exhaled, the grim realization dawning on her that she was going to have to sacrifice her boots. Her big boots, which she loved. Pulling them on always somehow made her feel stronger, more secure, but now they would need to protect her in another way. She pulled her knees in to wiggle them off, feeling she should say some last words but realising that would probably only make it more difficult. She tossed them out and ran for the lever.

Fire instantly licked from Hull’s eye, the boots exploding into clouds of ash still hanging in the air as he swivelled toward Jennifer, who with a grunt herself forward using the full weight of her body to pull down the lever. The light faded, the manta-like eye clattering limply to the floor, and Jennifer could breathe again.

“I’m sorry,” Jennifer whispered as crawled over and gently cradled Hull. “I’ll fix you – I promise.”

Were Hull online he may not have been capable of feeling violated or threatened, but she certainly did. Something had invaded her home, toyed with, then bitterly drove home that her closest companion really was just a machine. She had run from many things in her life, from the whole world in fact, but this was where she drew the line. This was her house, and whoever was responsible for all this was going to get a hell of a fight.

Her search for answers led to her later sitting alone in the dark as she pored through footage the bots had recorded. For the longest time the house was as empty and still as one would expect it to be at night, but then a creature stirred, an unmistakable shape showing up in the infra-red, scurrying across the kitchen. Then another. And another. Jennifer zoomed in and saw that a couple of them were carrying a toy car. Certainly not typical behaviour, but all the evidence pointed to one inescapable, if unlikely, conclusion:

Rats.

*****

‘Hoot-hoot?’ Asked the owl, puzzled that a blue, white, and yellow human had climbed into his tree. Perhaps he was asking what was up, but alas his language and that of his strange new companion were too different for any meaningful communication.

Jennifer sat on a branch, blue eyes peeping out from under a green camouflaged helmet. Periodically she raised a pair of night-vision binoculars, surveying the ground around for any sign of movement. After a while she sagged, disheartened – it seemed none of the rats were going for any of her bait. If just one could be enticed into a trap it would go a long way to helping her solve this mystery.

But just as she was about to give up one appeared, sniffing suspiciously around a cheese wheel at the foot of the very tree she was in. Jennifer narrowed her eyes and held her breath; it was so close, but still she needed to be patient. This was going to require all of her intelligence, skill, cunning, and –

“HERE YOU SQUEAKING SCOUNDREL!” She lost patience, dropping from the tree swinging a stick with a net on it like a mad witch.

The rat squealed and jumped in surprise, hopping furiously to avoid her wild swings. It broke away, scurrying as fast it’s little legs would carry it toward the garage, Jennifer in hot pursuit. It rounded a corner, the woman still locked on and determined, but then small stones and mud flicked through the air as she skidded to a halt.

One of the bots assigned to the farm was not where it should have been. It stood before her next to the garage, fork arm raised and sparks crackling between the prongs with rats sitting on and hanging from its metal body. Jennifer realised in horror that once again she had gravely underestimated her enemy; she had been led into a trap!

“Uh-oh,” she said as the crackling intensified and the bot lurched and trundled forward, the ratty passengers all squeaking in delight. She turned to flee, yelping and leaping as discharges struck her tush as she retreated inside the garage.

The van here was loaded with tools and equipment she had not even a moment to rifle through before the bot crashed through the door in a rain of wooden splinters. Its cylindrical torso pivoted, fork charging to fire again – but two could play at that. Jennifer’s hand slid into her ‘power glove’ and she fired first, darts launching from the knuckles followed by sparks and tremors from the bot as wires and circuits overloaded. The rats squealed in dismay, leaping to safety as their vehicle’s head and arms fell to hang uselessly.

Jennifer needed a moment to catch her breath, but as she did she spied a single, solitary rat stood in front of the garage door. They locked eyes – two hunters, each wary of but having a begrudging respect for the resourcefulness of their foe, neither willing to back down from whatever silly thing this conflict was about. The rat seemed to have a better idea about that than she did.

Jennifer’s eyes briefly flicked sideways. There were many tools in the van, including a net launcher that may have just been in reach. But the rodent was already suspicious, watching every twitch of hers. It must have figured out what she was planning for it turned and fled, Jennifer grabbing the launcher and once again in pursuit. Her eyes were so focused on the rat and it on fleeing from her that neither of them noticed another predator descending from above until it was too late.

The owl – it silently fell on the rodent, talons piercing the side of the rat that was only able to squeal helplessly in response. Jennifer froze, eyes widening in shock then fear for her enemy. Normally this was just the way of wild creatures and not her place to interfere, but this was different; these rats weren’t wild. They had tried to kill her, sure, but that had shown intelligence which meant there had to be capacity for reason and compassion. They had asked how they could know she feels – well, this was her chance to prove she did. She dropped the launcher and ran to the rescue, shooing the owl from its victim.

The rodent had survived but was bloody, weak, and wounded. Jennifer gently scooped it up, and moments later was in the lighthouse applying disinfectant and bandages. As she did she noticed a tag on the animal’s ear, with a small barcode.

“Hull-?” She bit her lip, having forgotten. She was just going to have to do things the old-fashioned way. Using her own two hands she scanned the code and took to the keyboard. Soon Jennifer had traced the tag to a pharmaceutical company researching treatments for all kinds of neurological conditions. Digging further into intra-company mails she found that a number of rats who had shown greatly enhanced intelligence had escaped.

It seemed her prisoner’s wounds had not been so severe as they’d first appeared, and already the rodent was starting to limp about the cage she’d confined it to – Jennifer wanted to show compassion but she was still taking precautions. If the rat was as smart as the reports said perhaps it would understand. She had left a banana in which the rodent’s furry face was half-buried when her shadow fell over it, blocking out the lamps.

“Can you understand me?” She asked. The rat looked up, twitching its whiskers as if contemplating, then squeaked. Jennifer scratched her head. “I hope that’s a yes. Maybe we should work out some sort of system – like maybe squeak two times for yes, yes?”

The rat appeared to roll its eyes, then squeaked two times.

“You really can understand me!” Jennifer beamed – but she had to swallow her excitement. There were certain issues they needed to resolve. Looking serious, she asked, “I don’t understand – why did you attack me?”

The rat stood up on its hind legs, using its arms to make what Jennifer soon realized were shovelling motions.

“Digging?” Jennifer said, still scratching. “The robots were digging?”

Double squeak. The rat frantically gestured at something on the workbench – the rose given to Jennifer by C-5 had been in her coat pocket and become somewhat crushed in all the excitement going on.

“The rosebush? Is that where you live?”

‘Squeak, squeak.’

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

‘Squeak.’

“No,” Jennifer sighed, “I suppose I didn’t check. But surely you understand it’s an unusual situation. You, or I mean, y-your kind,” Jennifer stammered. The rat glared, tapping its foot to show how eagerly it was anticipating what she had to say about its ‘kind’. This was why Jennifer avoided people; she could plan and picture concepts easily enough, but words and making others understand them was very difficult. Then she remembered that she was much bigger than the rat and put her foot down. “Well, it’s not like you tried to say anything either before you all went off on your rampage.”

‘Squeak,’ the rat admitted, shamefully hanging its whiskers.

“I’ll leave the rosebush be,” Jennifer said, wagging her finger, “but no more murder attempts. Agreed?”

As the rat twice squeaked its agreement the power Jennifer had restored to the lighthouse suddenly blinked out leaving them once again in the dark. “That’ll be your friends, I suppose,” Jennifer sighed.

She stepped out of the lighthouse into the pale moonlight, one hand raised to show her empty palm, the other carrying the cage her prisoner was in. Around her more bots had been rigged for rats to pilot, arranged in a semi-circular formation around her, with yet more rats arranged in phalanxes in-between brandishing knitting needles and tiny bows. Jennifer could only hope they would all be willing to negotiate as she slowly knelt to release the hostage.

The rat she’d talked to hopped out, then limped toward the battle line as others ran out to check on their comrade. They exchanged a long series of squeaks and other sounds - it appeared to be a quite lively debate but Jennifer could do no more than wait. Eventually it seemed the one she’d rescued convinced the others to at least give the human a chance.

They all turned to face her, the largest and greyest of them all stepping forward to hold out its arms in a grand manner, long whiskers shaking at it emitted sounds that Jenn was beginning to hear had the structure of a language although she couldn’t understand any words being said yet. Maybe this elder rat was a leader, or some kind of priest? Other rats moved next to it to perform some kind of dance.

Jenn tilted her head, blinking curiously, not really comprehending at first. But then she realised they were miming like the wounded rat had done. One rat stuck another with something - a needle, Jenn soon surmised, and another shortly after clutched its paws over its heart and fell down, still.

“You were experimented on,” Jennifer interpreted. She had already figured the broad strokes of their story but she played along. “They injected you with drugs.”

‘Squeak, squeak!’ Her friend she’d rescued emphatically nodded as the others continued their performance. One of them began to mime reading, while others started pulling levers and pushing buttons.

“Some of you got smarter. Then you escaped and fled here,” Jenn concluded. “I’m sorry. I understand you might not trust humans, but had I known you were there I wouldn’t have risked destroying your home. And I won’t do it now, if you all agree to a truce.”

The elder rat exchanged sidelong glances with its neighbours before nodding its concurrence.

“Good,” Jenn sighed in relief. “This is my home, too, and I think it is a good place. And I think it should be a safe place too for anyone who’s different or needs a refuge from the harshness of the world outside these walls. Or any rat, I suppose.”

Jennifer blushed, thinking that speech too cheesy, but the rats at least thought it eloquent enough. Soon a deal was reached – she would grow her fruit and vegetables elsewhere, leaving the rosebush be, and in exchange they would help farm, keeping what they needed for themselves, and also they wouldn’t murder her, which to Jennifer seemed quite fair. She would have to think about measures to ensure the pharmaceutical company didn’t track them down, but at least she would have help bouncing ideas around.

“Good morning!” She positively skipped into the lighthouse the following day. Lights and monitors blinked and flickered to life, as did a familiar friendly green glow.

“Good morning, Miss Jennifer. I trust you had a peaceful night?”

#writing #writeblr #writblr #writers on tumblr #short story #original fiction #science fiction #sci-fi and fantasy #short stories #Irongate #Jennifer Airhart #yes this whole thing is a rats of nimh reference

5 notes · View notes

writings-of-a-narwhal · 5 years

Note

Happy wbw! Time for a angsty ask! What’s the most dangerous place of all your WIP’s? And in contrast, what’s the safest place?

hmmm....it depends on which country you’re in !! also the timelines, as wars have affects on things...but i answered as if it were peace time and the dangerous things were not the people. maybe not exactly what you were looking for, but i had fun writing this up!

the Shadow Forests in Feria are dangerous because it’s so easy to get lost within it and let the shadows consume you. many who enter the forests never return. but the villages are warm and friendly and you’ll always be welcomed in and given a warm meal and a bed to sleep in. the most hospitable is Aeston. there aren’t many people but the deer feel safe enough to walk along the streets and it gives you such a good sense of home...

the whole country of Yamatochi can be quite dangerous, with magical creatures creeping around and making their homes in secret crevices and even within the villages themselves. plus the icy winters make things dangerous as well. but in the depths of the mountain range there is a sanctuary. an expanse of green and warm wonders. the mist of a waterfall paints the sky with so many colors. there’s a cherry blossom tree that’s been there longer than some of the mountains, it seems, and whoever sits beneath it can truly rest.

as for Issera, there are legends and myths about the dangers of the dragon graveyards-- they say that the bones of the dragons are cursed and whomever wanders over there will be cursed and calamity will befall them. but go to the oasis called Aligran and you’ll see it’s a wonderful farming village. peaceful, though scars mar the land of ravages that once were. the sunsets are the most vibrant you’ll ever see.

the waters of Adrayria are dangerous, despite how often they’re explored. whirlpools will suck you and your ship under and leave no trace. dangers lurk between the waters, ones that live and ones that don’t. but go to the oldest lighthouse on the coast and you’ll instantly feel the love of a mother, of a wife, of someone waiting and waiting with a sense of peace in their heart despite the calm loneliness that washes around them.

in Ethriland, the entire country can be a death trap, with fog that strangles and suffocates. don’t go outside when there’s mist or fog, don’t wander too deep into the forests...but go to the amphitheater in the middle of the main city. the orchestra will play and fauns will sing and you know you’re in a place made for peace and love and all those feelings.

in Zephia there are many different places to mine, but there’s one where you walk in and instantly you know you’re being watched. there’s a rumor that a vengeful spirit resides within the mine and will lure you in and take you to your death. then, on the other side of things, there is the secret shrine dedicated to Beryl Dunstan. it’s in the middle of a cave decorated with moss that glows gently. in the middle of the cave there’s a statue of the woman, the saviour of so many, with the firm but kind look on her face...you know you’re protected.

in Theamor there are certain areas with mud pits that will pull you into the depths of the earth and not let you go. you’ll be absorbed and given to the ground you live upon. on the contrary, the safest place would be with a native of the land on a farm or in one of the villages, for you will be safe with them. they know the ins and outs of the land and how to navigate and what to avoid. they also can be quite friendly, as long as you respect their customs !!

3 notes · View notes

fableweaver · 5 years

Text

Arc of the Dragon Keeper

Iounn shouted out the order to raise shields, the women around her grunting in response as they raised their shields to lock together. Another shouted order and the long spears shot out and withdrew, drawing imaginary blood as this was simply training. The shield design had undergone several changes as Iounn and Epona had worked with several of the smiths and potters of the camp. They had at last settled on a mixture between the Nyrgardic shield and the Daunish shield. Nyrgardic shields were round, made of wood with a steal rim and boss in the center. Daunish shields were not very common, often made of wood and oval in shape. The Daunish relied more on their ceramic for armor given it made poor shields.

What they had devised was a tall shield, square with round edges. It was made of fir tree wood from Nyrgard, a steel rim, and a Daunish ceramic boss. When held in a wall it proved to hold well against the practice assaults and took little time to teach. The women and unskilled Daunish were all learning the use of the shields, and how to reform should the wall be broken.

They had also developed a spear, one with a long ceramic blade, and a blunt iron spike on the other end. The line behind the shield wall was given the spear, stabbing out over the heads of the shield bearers into the enemy beyond.

This had yet to be tested on the enemy, as full engagement had yet to happen. More Orcs had come over the mountains into the foot hills, sending out scouts and raiding parties to test their defenses. Scouts tried to meet them but most of the time they failed. Iounn was glad to not see what scouts found at farm steads that had been raided; the scouts faces when they returned told enough. The stories were enough to send farmers and shepherds flocking to the forts. Many though were not just seeking sanctuary, many volunteered to fight.

Dun Cnámh was complete, the fort built around the dragon bones in a crescent moon. The fort was big enough for out laying buildings still in the protection of the wall, but sadly as more people gathered to their king a town began to form outside the walls. Dylan started construction on another wall around the town, but it was only a quarter finished so far.

The Orcs were getting bolder, moving out of the foothills, and Liath still had yet to return. All these thoughts were on Iounn’s mind, even as she called an end to the practice. Exhausted women wandered away clad still in their ceramic mail, leather braces, and steel helms.

“Things seem to be going well,” Dylan said as he approached Iounn. “Is it wise though to train here in the courtyard? If we field them they will not be ready for the open space.”

“We will not field them majesty,” Iounn answered as she took of her helm and shook out her sweaty hair. “They learn here because they will fight here, or at the other forts. I’ve already sent some on to the other forts you have across the north to teach women there. We are to hold the forts while the men ride to fight the Orcs.”

“Yes I know, but I fear you may be drawn out Lady Iounn,” Dylan said.

“I am teaching them to hold the walls and hold the fort should it be breached,” Iounn answered. “That is all I know and all we can do. We will not be drawn out of the fort, women are not as rash as men majesty.”

Dylan gave her a wry grin and nodded.

“Well the horses and men Sten has provided have proven useful,” Dylan said. “But I fear not enough. Our scouts have arrived with a count.”

Iounn felt a chill down her spine at his words, so far the scouts had been unable to get a full count of the Orc army. It had been high already and growing since more and more seemed to be constantly pouring from the mountains.

“And?” Iounn asked.

“A hundred,” Dylan said lowly.

“Thousand!” Iounn said startled. “Our last count ended at fifty.”

“It seems their main force finally joined with this one out of the mountains,” Dylan said. “At least I hope this is the main force. It may mean they have abandoned the dwarves.”

“It may mean the dwarves have been annihilated and Liath with them,” Iounn said worried. “We can no longer rely on the dwarves coming to our aid majesty. We should strike before the Orcs do.”

“And if we strike when we do not know what we are doing Lady Iounn we risk losing too many men,” Dylan said. “Sten has only brought twenty thousand with him, I have twenty myself as well as thirty untrained warriors. We are outnumbered.”

Iounn nodded feeling numb with shock and grief. They had little hope to defeat this army, at best they could defend. Even if the dwarves were still alive, she doubted they could help unless they could call on more than sixty thousand experienced warriors. Sten was in another fort to the east, and Roland in another, spreading out their forces. They were spread thin, but even if they were to gather they would be over run.

Pounding horse hooves drew their attention to the gate where a dusty messenger rode in on a lathered horse. Spotting Dylan he turned his horse and barely reigned in before he trampled his king. Dylan took the horse’s reigns, so the messenger could dismount handing the horse off to a groom.

“Bring water!” Dylan shouted to nearby servants as he helped the man stay on his feet.

“Majesty…” the man gasped.

“Wait until you have a drink sir,” Dylan said. “Your message can wait.”

“No… on the way… the sky,” the man gasped looking to the east. Puzzled Iounn looked to the east but saw nothing over the wall. If the man was warning of attack why mention the sky?

“I am going to go look,” Iounn said and ran off before Dylan could answer. The walls were tall, three stories high and two man heights thick. Iounn raced up the stairs and reached the wall, looking out to the east. She saw a cloud, what looked like a great flock of birds on the horizon, closing fast. The guards there, Daunish men and women armed with spears, had noticed as well and were pointing and speaking in Daunish. Dylan joined Iounn shortly, looking to the flock to the east as well.

“They fly in formation majesty,” Iounn said. “And either they are closer than they seem, or are still far off but very large.”

“The man rode from the east coast, he was a lighthouse keeper there,” Dylan said. “He rode as soon as he got a good look at the creatures, for two days he didn’t stop for fear of them out flying him. Lady Iounn, those are Griffins flying towards us.”

Iounn had to stamp down on her disbelief, so Griffins existed as well.

“Prepare archers,” Iounn said turning to Dylan.

“No, we will welcome them,” Dylan said.

“Majesty just because they are Phay does not mean they are here for peace,” Iounn said shaking her head. “We need to at least prepare the archers should they attack.”

“No, we will not present arms to them,” Dylan said.

“I believe Iounn’s words are wise majesty,” Hors said alighting on the wall next to them. “The Griffins are warriors, if you want their respect you must show them force. I believe however they are about to fly over us.”

“Why?” Iounn asked startled.

“They are here for the dwarves after all,” Hors answered. “The winds over the mountains on the coast are too turbulent so they’ve flown over the moors for now until they turn north towards the mountains. They aren’t going to stop here for the humans.”

“We need them to stop here and take up arms with us,” Iounn said. “Can’t you fly to them?”

“In my current form no, I could never catch up with them,” Hors said. “but I have a way to make them stop.”

“What?” Iounn asked.

“A signal fire,” Hors answered.

“Would they really stop for a signal fire?” Iounn asked as Dylan hurried away to prepare the wood.

“One will out of curiosity I’m sure,” Hors answered. “I know the Griffins well, some are innately curious.”

Outside the walls Iounn watched as Dylan commanded his people in the building of a beacon fire. He was a good commander, his orders clear, and he stood alongside to help if needed but also knew when to stand back and let his people work.

“What is all the commotion?” Epona asked coming up to the wall. She stopped to stare at the Griffins in the air, and her son preparing a beacon fire. Her arms and hands were covered in clay, her apron smeared with it. Epona had taken over the potters and smiths in the construction of weapons after an incident in practice when she had fainted from exhaustion. Dylan had nearly ordered his mother south, but Iounn insisted she stay to aid them in her own way.

“We have visitors, we are hoping to gain their attention since it seems they will be flying into the mountains,” Iounn said.

“Why are they here now?” Epona asked. “Where did they come from?”

“The Griffins were some of the Phay that did not march, like the dwarves,” Hors answered. “They live on the Broken Isle, out in the Wandering Sea. I assume they have been there all this time.”

“How have we never found this isle?” Iounn asked. “Nyrgarders have been sailing the Wandering Seas for ages. It must be a large isle to support the Griffins. How could we miss it?”

“I have no idea,” Hors said as he shrugged. “We’ll have to ask the Griffins.”

“Will they help us do you think?” Epona asked.

“Most definitely, they are a warrior people it takes little to convince them to go into battle,” Hors answered.

“Who do they fight if they live on an isle alone?” Epona asked.

“Mostly each other,” Hors answered. “Rarely to the death, their people were born in an unusual way.”

He told them about how the Griffin race came to be, having known the two Phay well himself. When he finished Dylan had the beacon assembled and lit, the fire producing a plume of smoke from a hilltop. They watched the flock of Griffins anxiously, but they appeared to have already turned north. Then one peeled off from the rest, two more following as it flew toward the fort once more.

“Come let us go meet them,” Iounn said. Hors leapt up onto her shoulder, Iounn and Epona walking down the wall and out of the fort. They joined Dylan on the hillock looking up to the Griffins wheeling overhead. There were three, but Iounn could tell little of them from the ground. They banked and wheeled down to the ground, the largest landing first followed by two smaller Griffins. The lead Griffin appeared to be not a mix of an eagle and lion, but of a kite and a cougar. It had a broad head and tapered wings, a smooth tan color over all. The two with it were also the same type, though appeared smaller in size, Iounn unsure if this was an indication of age or gender.

“Hail to the mud men,” the Griffin said in clear unaccented words. Iounn was surprised to hear it was female, but hid her surprise. She was glad Hors had taught her the Phay language, though she struggled still with the vocabulary.

“Greetings,” Iounn said stepping forward. She held out her arm and Hors crawled out of her hair to perch there. The Griffins took a step back, flaring their wings in what Iounn hoped was just surprise.

“Greetings kin,” Hors said. “I am Hors, Once King of the Dragons. This is my companion Iounn Baroness of Stóstund, the King of Daun Dylan Rawn and his mother Epona Rawn.”

The lead Griffin settled before she bowed, the other two following suit.

“Greetings elder,” she said. “I am Manisha Elect of the Wise Wings, these are my sons Bilal and Karan. I did not expect to find an elder here.”

“No, there is much to tell,” Hors said. “But it would be best to discuss this among all the Elect.”

“Of course,” Manisha answered and turned to her sons. Both took the silent order and leapt back up into the sky, flying back towards their kin.

“I must admit I am surprised to see the Children of Might have left the Broken Isle,” Hors said and Manisha turned to him with bright eyes.

“Just as your story must wait for all the Elect so should mine,” Manisha said smoothly.

“Ah, yes of course,” Hors said flicking his tail. “It seems I am rusty in the ways of Phay politics,” Hors said lowly in Nyrgardic.

“The Phay have politics?” Iounn said in the same language, an eyebrow raised.

“Yes, it is usually culminated in pride and arguments,” Hors answered.

“Ah, much like ours,” Iounn said and Hors shook his head.

“You have never seen the Phay argue,” Hors said. “We can go at it for centuries.”

Iounn fell silent then, wondering at the complexities of a life that lasted hundreds of years. The relationships, and the politics as Hors said, must be complex indeed. She suspected alliances and enemies must have formed between them all in one way or another, an ally one day could be an enemy centuries later or vice versa. Once again Iounn was reminded that Hors was more than he seemed.

A hawk’s cry drew her eyes skyward and Iounn saw a flock of Griffins descending. The whole flock was landing further out on the moors, landing near them now were six other Griffins. Each was a blend of a type of raptor and great cat, varied in size and appearance. One stepped forward, tail lashing and wings flared, a Griffin made of an eagle and lion.

“You dare summon us like you are better than us Hors?” The Griffin growled loudly, his talons raking the loamy soil.

“Mahavir!” Manisha shouted, leaping to the other Griffin’s side and snapping at him. “You dare insult the King of Dragons!”

“Once King,” Mahavir replied snapping back at her and they began to circle one another. “He is no more than a whelp now, little better than a fledgling. You were arrogant to summon us at his word Manisha!”

Manisha hissed and leapt onto Mahavir, a snarling fight ensued between the two. Iounn watched startled and afraid, the two fought like lions over a kill. None stepped between the two but it was quickly over, Manisha drawing blood with a swipe of her talons against Mahavir’s flank.

“I see the Griffins have not changed much,” Hors said dryly.

“In more ways than you know Hors,” another Griffin answered. “I am Indira Elect of the Feather Tails. This is Mahavir Elect of the Long Talons, Jaya the Elect of the Marked Ones, Yama Elect of the Bone Eaters, Nirav Elect of the Nigh Flyers, and Dhaval Elect of the Swift Winds.”

“Perhaps it would be wise to withdraw to the fort so we can trade stories,” Hors said as Mahavir licked his wound.

“That fort is built upon the bones of one of your subjects Hors,” Jaya said.

“Of Melanthios,” Hors said and the Griffins shifted about in alarm, making hissing noises and flaring their wings. “It is a long story…”

“You would have us treat with Dragon slayers Hors?” Mahavir said outraged.

“These here did not slay Melanthios and I would have you know the humans who did slay him did so because of the Cripple One,” Hors said his voice hard as he lowered his head. Iounn took this as a threatening move, she had seen Hors try to spit fire and often he lowered his head to do so. “I would have you all listen to me without our usual belligerence because lives are at stake of our kin and those here who have chosen to ally themselves with us. You will come and listen and then do as I say.”

“You are not king of us Hors…”

“I don’t care!” Hors roared, flaring his wings as his head snapped up and molten flecks of spittle fell from his fangs. His voice did not reverberate as it would had he been even twice as big as he should have been, but his passion had the desired effect of seeing Mahavir cowed.

“Very well Hors,” Indira said calmly. “Lead the way.”

Hors snorted and returned to Iounn’s shoulder as she turned to lead the way back.

“I take it negotiations have begun?” Epona said dryly.

“Yes, we should prepare food for our guests,” Iounn answered, before she filled Epona and Dylan in with what had been discussed. They reached the fort and gates, Epona speaking briefly with a servant. They went through the courtyard into the keep itself built around the vast ribcage of Melanthios. Inside was lit by tallow candles, the vast hall mostly empty. It was where they would gather when the time came for siege, a hospital and sleeping quarters for the combatants. All those unable to fight had been sent south, hopefully to safety.

A single table stood in the room, a map table with a model of the surrounding territory made of hardened clay resting on it. They gathered around the table, the Griffins eyeing the model with interest.

“So tell us Hors what has happened,” Indira said mildly. Hors sighed and began his story, going over the birth of the Crippled One and his role, the decision to March, his search and rebirth, and his life in Iounn’s care. When he finished there was silence, breaths held in either awe or anger.

“I would hear your story before I hear any condemnation,” Hors said. “I know very well what I did, and I have no need to hear it from any of you.”

“I have nothing to condemn you for Hors,” Manisha said. “That right is reserved to the Kings or Queens of the Phay, none here hold that power.”

“Just because we do not have a King or Queen does not make the Griffins lesser than the other Phay,” Mahavir growled.

“No it makes them a wild card,” Hors said and Mahavir looked at him with an expression Iounn was unable to read on his animal face. “So tell me what brings you to the moors.”

“That tale began just after the Phay marched,” Indira answered and told them their story, Iounn translating as best she could for Dylan and Epona. Iounn listened feeling like she was being told a child’s tale, by a creature that stepped right out of one of those tales. Mages and a lost Isle, it truly was a grand tale.

“Eileen reborn,” Hors said his wings trembling. “Well that is truly a tipping of Fors Wheel. You say this Xavier went seeking the song?”

“He did so he said,” Indira said. “Eileen would have would she not? I did not know her of course but I have heard stories.”

“She would do just that,” Hors said. “So we can leave the song in his hands and the March will come in its own time. Right now we have these armies to face.”

Iounn said nothing to the change of subject to the coming war. She knew Hors was avoiding the subject of the March and the Crippled One. This was the stuff of stories, and from what she knew of stories Iounn knew there had to be a champion to face the Crippled One in the end. Not Xavier, this Eileen reborn, no Iounn knew Hors had taken that role for himself. But he was no longer up for the task, reborn himself into a body that could not feed his spirit’s power. Iounn felt a ripple of fear in her heart as she wondered if she were to be this champion. She knew Hors would never allow it nor had intended it, but she felt it might fall on her to kill the Crippled One. If not her then who?

“Tell us then of these enemies,” Jaya said breaking into Iounn’s thoughts. She was soon telling the Griffins of what they knew of the enemy, pointing to places on the map, and their efforts to contact the dwarves. The Griffins listened intently, ears perked up and tails twitching much like cats anticipating the hunt ahead.

“We can aid in the hunting down of the scouting parties,” Jaya said, her tail swishing back and forth.

“We should divide the clans then,” Indira said. “Two each to a fort.”

“What of the dwarves?” Yama asked in a mellow voice. “Surely they would have made contact by now, they must all be dead.”

“Or they cannot get through the Orcs Yama,” Manisha snapped. “Why must you always state the darkest outcomes?”

“I state a possibility we should acknowledge Manisha,” Yama answered not rising to the bait. “We should be prepared to face this enemy without the aid of the dwarves and their knowledge on these creatures’ tactics.”

“Unless a scouting party of our own goes to the mountains,” Nirav said. “We can fly over the Orc army and mountains.”

“I will go,” Dhaval said. “The Swift Winds are the fastest flyers.”

“Not over long distances,” Yama said. “The Bone Eaters are best at staying airborne longest over vast distances.”

“Would stealth not be best?” Nirav said tipping his head at his own question. “The Night Flyers can fly at night when they will not be seen.”

“You forget Nirav these Orcs are nocturnal as well,” Manisha said. “The Wise Wings would be best given how versatile and agile we are in the air.”

“Strength in needed for this,” Jaya said. “We of the Marked Ones are the strongest.”

“On the ground!” Dhaval said ruffling his feathers in irritation. “The Swift Winds are the best flyers!”

“The Long Talons are the greatest warriors,” Mahavir argued hotly. “We will be the first to draw Orc blood.”

“Enough!” Hors shouted before the Griffins devolved into another agreement. “One from the Swift Winds, Wise Wings, Night Flyers, and Bone Eaters will be enough for this mission over the mountains. None of the Elect should go, you are all needed here. Understood?”

“Yes Hors,” Indira said, the only one free of boasting. It seemed the Griffins were far too eager to prove their superiority to each other. “So which of us will go to what fort?”

“I would have the Feather Tails and Long Talons go to Dun Glas where King Sten is,” Hors said. “The Marked Ones and Swift Winds will go to the coast fort of Dun Carr where Prince Roland is. And the Bone Eaters and Night Flyers will stay here in Dun Cnámh. Objections?”

Iounn had to plug her ears from the shouts of objections from the Griffins as each began to argue against Hors’ suggestions. She could see he was pairing the types of Griffins off to benefit the other, but the Griffins of course wanted their own way. It seemed more of the arguments were over which clan was stronger or better at flying rather than anything of merit.

“You can go Iounn,” Hors said as the Griffins argued. “If it is alright if we stay here? This could take some time.”

“I will see food sent in,” Epona asked nodding. “What kind of food should I send in?”

“Freshly butchered sheep would do,” Hors answered. “I’d say about three, you can drain them first and butcher them into cuts, the Griffins won’t mind. And a dish for the offal.”

“Very well,” Epona said smoothly as if she had Griffins over for dinner all the time. “Will those out on the moors need anything?”

“They will fend for themselves,” Hors answered. “If they choose any of the herds nearby, don’t contest them.”

“I will let the shepherds know,” Epona said before turning and walking briskly out of the hall. Iounn simply nodded to Hors who rolled his eyes at her before turning to the argument. Iounn found Dylan at her side as they walked out of the hall.

“How goes the training Lady Iounn?” Dylan asked.

“Fine as you well know,” Iounn answered. “What is it you really wish to ask?”

“Mothers,” Dylan said under his breath but Iounn heard him, but his wry grin told her he hadn’t minded her question. “I wish to know if you think these Griffins will make the difference we need to win this.”

“I can’t know that majesty,” Iounn answered. “Simply because the way of battle. Even if the Griffins add superior numbers and the Orc army isn’t as big as we think, even if we get the aid of the dwarfs at their flanks, we cannot know the outcome of a war. To assume victory when all seems in your favor is one sure way to see it all crumble in your hands. Until all are dead, or one side survives, only then call the war be called over.”

Dylan was silent for several heartbeats until they were outside once more.

“Lady Iounn I fear that will be the outcome of this war,” Dylan said. “The slaying of all the Orcs.”

“You say it as if it is a bad thing,” Iounn said surprised. “You know what these creatures capable of.”

They had received word of raided farms, and the atrocities of what happened there. The slaughter went beyond human bounds, rape, butchery, cannibalism; all showed they truly were dealing with monsters. Iounn hadn’t seen any of the raided farms, but Dylan had taken one risky ride to see for himself. He had returned with a look of profound shock.

“I know Lady Iounn,” Dylan said nodding. “I despise these creatures; they do not belong in Miread. But that’s just it, they don’t belong here. The Crippled One brought them here, according to Donar, maybe against their will maybe with it. Either way, they are not of this world, and I think Miread has damaged them in some way.”

“What do you mean?” Iounn asked puzzled.

“I think that where they came from, they had no physical forms like they do now,” Dylan answered. “Now that they do they revel in it to the extent that pain has become pleasure to them. Maybe in their world, where they were free of physical sensations and desires, they were not the monsters they are now. Maybe by bringing them here the Crippled One knew he was twisting them into monsters.”

“How did you come to this conclusion?” Iounn asked surprised.

“When we rode to the farm that had been raided one of my men killed an Orc that had fallen asleep in the barn. It had raped and killed the young girl, a child no older than ten summers, and had been eating her.”

He fell silent a moment, no doubt reliving that moment as he shuddered. Iounn had learned from Goran to keep silent when those dark memories took him, to wait at the end of tunnel for him to return.

“I remember looking at it after it had died, if looked… confused,” Dylan said at last. “I thought over that for the rest of the ride back and wondered. What must it have been like to be taken from one world to this one? I think it is being here that makes them the monsters they are.”

“You cannot feel mercy to them majesty,” Iounn said hardly. “Not if you are to kill them.”

“I know this Lady Iounn,” Dylan said. “If anything it strengthens my resolve. If they do not belong here then we must send them back, for our sakes and theirs I believe. I only hope killing them really does send them back. From what Donar told us of them they don’t appear to age, they do not die unless something kills them. If so then the only way to free the Orcs is in death.”

Iounn stared at this young man, wondering what kind of king he was. None she had experience with, he was far too composed and thoughtful for a king of Nyrgard. Yet she knew it was these very airs that had even Daunish man and woman devoted to their king. Iounn had seen it grow in them as Dylan lived among them, it could only be called faith.

A horn sounded and horse hooves pounded on the packed earth, both Iounn and Dylan turning to the gates of the fort to see a rider fly into the courtyard. His horse collapsed under him foaming at the mouth and soaked in sweat. The rider leapt clear but stumbled and collapsed.

“A healer!” Dylan bellowed halfway to the man himself. “Water now! Someone see to the horse!”

Iounn stood on the steps as people flocked to the scene, Dylan ordering those not needed back as he knelt at the man’s side. Iounn was relieved to see Dylan soon helped the man to his feet, but his horse shuddered and died. He must have run it until its heart burst, and Iounn wondered what had provoked the man to run a horse to death to get here.

She walked forward and the crowd parted for her. Dylan was at the man’s side as he coaxed him into drinking some water though the man kept trying to speak.

“Majesty this man has a message let him speak it,” Iounn said. “Your concern is noble but a horse gave its life for this man to speak, we should hear him.”

“Very well,” Dylan said chastised yet unlike many men unhurt by the rebuff. “Tell me sir what has happened.”

“Names Dara majesty,” the man said having gained his wind back. “I was a shepherd ta the north turned scout now. A battle’s begun ta the north.”

“With the Orc army?” Dylan said surprised. “I’ve ordered no engagements.”

“Majesty, it baint be our forces the Orcs be fightin,” Dara said. “I ken it be dwarves.”

Dylan was dead silent a moment, motionless as a statue.

“Call to arms!” Dylan said loudly, a sharp command but free of the panic that might have resided in those words. “We march for the north.”

“We cannot hope to provide aid majesty,” Iounn said. “It is a three day march to the border besides how long it simply took for this man to ride to us.”

“I know this Lady Iounn but would you have me sit and do nothing while the dwarves die trying to fight through to us?” Dylan asked turning on her.

“No majesty, I only ask that we not rush into this,” Iounn answered. “Prepare some of your forces but be sure to keep some here. Secondly, use what is newly available to you. The Griffins can fly to scout ahead so that we are not marching blind.”

“Yes, thank you Lady Iounn,” Dylan said relieved. “Will you stay in command here?”

“I think Epona would best hold that role,” Iounn said. “I will be needed as a translator and Hors’ guardian when you arrive at the battle.”

Dylan nodded and turned away to begin organizing his men. Iounn in turn went back to the keep to confront the Griffins. Inside the Griffins were busy with their meal, Hors laying on the table with his tail swishing in irritation. He looked up at Iounn’s entrance and seemed to sense her news.

“What has happened?” Hors asked.

“Dwarves were spotted to the north engaged with the Orcs,” Iounn answered. “It seems our hand is forced.”

“We will call our kin to battle!” Mahavir said standing and flaring his wings.

“You will do no such thing Mahavir,” Hors said coldly. “I will take Yama and the Bone Eaters, the rest of you will go to the forts as I have said.”

“You do not order me about!” Mahavir said angrily.

“I do not Mahavir,” Hors answered. “Because you are too stupid to listen.”

Mahavir growled and Iounn saw his muscles bunch. Before she knew it she had drawn her hammer and stepped forward, bringing it down on Mahavir’s back paw. The Griffin yelped and whipped around, lashing out blindly at the one who attacked him. Iounn was surprised by his speed and barely avoided the lashing claws. It was his beak she needed to fear more as she saw Mahavir lunge for her throat. She brought her hammer up, connecting heavily with Mahavir’s jaw and making his sharp beak snap closed on his tongue cutting off the tip.

Hissing and blood dripping from his gaping beak Mahavir backed away, his wings rattling and tail lashing.

“First blood drawn again to your disadvantage Mahavir,” Indira said dryly. “I wonder why the Long Talons even chose you.”

“Damn you Indira,” Mahavir hissed, his voice unaffected by his severed tongue telling Iounn that a Griffin’s tongue had nothing to do with their voice.

“Damn and curse all you want Mahavir but at this rate you’ll command nothing if you keep losing battles,” Indira answered. “If Raja were here you would have never gotten command of the Long Talons.”

“Enough,” Hors said sounding tired. “We have work to do. Now go.”

Grumbling and shoving the Griffins left, only Yama remaining.

“A way with words Hors as always,” Yama said mildly.

“We’ve never met Yama so spare me the familiarity,” Hors said sounding irritated.

“We’ve met before in a past life Hors,” Yama said. “Or do you not recall?”

Hors was silent a moment, staring at Yama.

“Ah, Gita you were the first Elect of the Swift Winds,” Hors said nodding. “You regained your past memories?”

“No, but I feel I’ve met you before,” Yama answered. “You know that strange sense that you’ve done things before.”

“No actually I don’t,” Hors answered. “I’ve only been reborn the once and it seems with us Elder Phay we retain all memories of our past lives when we are reborn. The new body takes some getting used to but afterwards I found I was still much of myself.”

“Bad memory and all?” Yama said.

“You try living for centuries,” Hors answered aloofly. Iounn cleared her throat then and Hors turned to her and nodded. “Yes of course, come Yama.”

Hors leapt up onto Iounn’s shoulder as Yama followed them out of the keep. Dylan already waited with a saddled horse and five companies of a hundred men waiting. Only the scouts were mounted so they set off at a quick march, scouts riding ahead as the Griffins took flight. Iounn couldn’t help but stare up at the sky filled with the Griffins, their beating wings filling the air with a chaotic drumbeat.

They rode for the rest of the day and made camp, the Bone Eaters unable to fly at night. The next day they continued on, the Griffins flying ahead. Around midday several Griffins returned with word of events in the foothills.

“The dwarves were unable to push through and now holds a mountain in the foothills,” the young griffin reported, a vulture breed telling by her bald head.

“What are their numbers like?” Iounn asked. “Were you able to make contact?”

“Ten thousand dwarves about,” the Griffin answered. “Now the Bone Eaters join them to hold the defense. Twice their number stands between them and the moors.”

“And they will be harried the whole way,” Iounn muttered.

“Not the whole way,” Hors said. “Daylight stops them.”

“A veil covers the Orc army,” the Griffin said. “It is like flying through night and smells of smoke, but no other harm comes. It moves with the army but slowly.”

“This explains why they have not broken in further other than night raids,” Hors said. “They need the cloud of this night over them. I wonder if those to the east need the same?”

“We will ask the dwarves since they are the most familiar with them,” Iounn said. “Any plans Hors?”

“I am not a military strategist Iounn,” Hors said. “I am a dragon.”

Iounn had nothing to say to that so they mounted and continued to ride. The situation for the dwarves did not change as they rode north, the Orcs seemed intent on simply keeping them where they were. Iounn feared the Orcs were waiting for them, planning to strike just before they arrived.

They arrived in the afternoon, the sun high and sky clear but to the north. Iounn stared in awe at the dark smudge in the sky, nothing like storm clouds it hung in the air dead like smoke. Below was an army hard to count given the gloom hovering above it.

“They won’t venture from the darkness,” Dylan said watching them. “We have time to set up camp and rest before they attack at nightfall.”

“Should we not attack first?” Iounn asked.

“Had we arrived earlier maybe,” Dylan said. “But we are weary from the day’s march, by the time we are rested night will have fallen.”

Iounn did not like the idea of a night battle, and mulled over what could be done.

“If only we could get rid of that cloud,” Iounn muttered. “Hors?”

“The Crippled One made it,” Hors answered. “A manifestation of aether that is a physical control of the aether much like making a skin to transform into an animal.”

“Can you not just blow it away then?” Iounn asked.

“If it were just a cloud then yes commanding a greater sylph could give you the power to dispel it,” Hors answered. “But we do not have a witch with that power here. Even if we did it would take a greater skill to dispel that cloud, one who can draw on the aether in the same way. They would have to send the cloud back into the lines.”

“We do not have a witch of that power here but could the Dwarves or Griffins not have one of such power?” Iounn asked and Hors seemed to mull it over.

“Both are of the Younger Phay,” Hors said. “It would be an extraordinary power for them to have among them, one rarely born to their kind. It wouldn’t be unheard of or impossible, just very unlikely.”

“We should ask the Griffin to fly to the camp and send the message,” Iounn said.

“I do not think it will help Iounn,” Hors said. “There isn’t time before sundown.”

“Hors I understand battle, if we survive the night there will be plenty of time.”

She went and found their Griffin messenger and sent it off with word. Meanwhile the camp prepared for battle. There was both much to do and little to do once those tasks were complete. Some sought to rest or eat before checking equipment and armor. Defensive perimeters were drawn, stakes, pits, and entrenchments dug. There was little time to complete these measures however, so the preparations were dirty and quick.

By dusk all that was left was to wait. Iounn knew this was the hardest test of warrior’s mettle, the waiting. Goran had told her that much at least, war was brief moments of fighting, terror, and death, between long times of boredom and waiting. Standing at the center of camp as the sun set Iounn understood how the tension could leave one exhausted.

The Orc army struck before true night had fallen, the sky still stained with the blood of the fallen sun. Iounn stood with Dylan in the center of camp under his banner, the center of command where they would be easily found and a rallying point for their men. A cry and a startled horn blast was their warning that their right entrenchment had come under attack.

Iounn stood as the sounds of battle rose up into the twilight, unable to see much beyond the gloom of the night.

“We should have torches lit,” Iounn said.

“We don’t have enough,” Dylan said shaking his head.

“Gorse,” Iounn said. “Light the moors, fire is our greatest ally now. They fear light they must fear fire.”

“Donar said they are very flammable,” Dylan said nodding. He turned to a servant and rattled off some orders for wood and oil, whatever they could gather for a wild fire.

The servant hurried away to complete the task as screams and shouts continued on. Dylan was giving a few orders to those who came to him, but otherwise Iounn was pleased to see him letting those in command of their companies take command. When a runner arrived asked for aid, Dylan sent them back with word of how to spread the forces. He did not take too little or too much, he kept his composure which spread to the messengers.

Iounn was impressed with this young king; he was more than any king Nyrgard had to offer. She felt sad that it was true, Dylan was a man she could follow.

A blaze of fire lit the rising night and she gasped at the sudden conflagration. She heard an unearthly screech from the enemy lines and the dark tide of Orcs melted back from their lines. She had not expected them to fear fire so much.

“We should press our advantage,” Dylan said.

“No, they will rally and come again,” Iounn said. “Order fires built along our lines, some will test it but not as many as that first wave. We need to hold the night majesty.”

Dylan seemed to debate this in his mind. Iounn realized she had spoken hastily and feared she had spoken of too much caution to a man. Sten or Roland would have shaken those words off as a challenge and rushed in even faster because of them.

“I will build the fires, but we need time to do it,” Dylan said. “A fast sortie of the cavalry across their nose while they are stunned will bloody them more. But they ride back immediately.”

“Yes majesty that is wise,” Iounn said amazed. He had not only taken her advice of caution but saw the flaws in it as well. Indeed, this was a man she could follow.

“Conor!” Dylan shouted, and his chosen knight came running like a loyal hound. “I want you to lead the charge.”

“Yes Dylan,” Conor said nodding about to run off but Dylan grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Remember, only one pass Conor,” Dylan said. “That is an order.”

“Yes majesty,” Conor said with more formality. Dylan let him go and Conor marched off to his waiting horse. Iounn looked to Dylan to see his worry and pain. “It is not easy, sending men off to their deaths.”

“For some it is all too easy,” Iounn said. “Be glad you are not them, for they are little better than the monsters we face.”

“Is it easy for Sten?” Dylan asked.

“I believe he finds it easier than you,” Iounn answered, “But he bleeds inside when they fall. And ever they will fall.”

Her words struck him a blow Iounn saw, and she wished it was not a lesson this young man had to learn. The thunder of horses drew their gaze back to the field, though it was hard to see through the smoke and fire. Iounn made out the charge, coming from the west and turning like a scythe to cut along the enemy lines. The orcs rippled back as the mounted knights wheeled, Iounn holding her breath. Conor turned them back then just as the bonfires were lit.

The Orcs flinched and bellowed, occasionally a sortie came through the light but otherwise the Orcs remained between them and the dwarf army.

“It seems we will hold the night,” Dylan said.

“Do not be so sure majesty the night is long,” Iounn said but she agreed with this assessment. “These Orcs don’t seem very clever.”

“Donar said they bred with beasts,” Dylan answered. “I am guessing this gave them little in the way of brains.”

Iounn nodded in agreement and looked down at Hors who had been silent all this time.

“What are you thinking?” Iounn asked.

“There are those in the ranks of Orcs capable of magic,” Hors said and Iounn felt her heart freeze. “Not the Elder Magic, something similar though I’ve never felt. They must have their own.”

“Is that possible?” Iounn asked.

“The aether is of everything, not just life,” Hors answered. “It is darkness and death and rot, if it exists it is of the aether. Rituals of the Elder Magic would be beyond the Orcs, like command of the Wild Kin who would never listen to the likes of them, but they can use the darker aspects of aether. They must have their own rituals and magic.”

“You mean forbidden magicks,” Iounn said and Hors shrugged.

“Forbidden implies rules,” Hors answered. “There are no hard rules when it comes to dealing with the aether. The Phay forbade some rituals because of the danger, but the Phay used the Elder Magic like any other tool. The Elder Magic is as much a weapon as it is a tool.”

“So, what can they do?” Iounn asked afraid.

“I’m not sure,” Hors answered. “They may have invented their own rituals with their own outcomes, or they could have warped other rituals. There is no way of knowing until they do it.”

“Will they use it now?” Iounn asked.

“I don’t know,” Hors answered. “I will let you know if I feel something building.”

“That is a real comfort Hors,” Iounn said harshly.

“It is all I can give,” Hors answered non-pulsed. Iounn sighed and turned her attention back to the battle. Whatever the fires did it was just enough to keep the flood of Orcs at bay. It was not a restful night however; there were intermittent battles through the night as the Orcs tested their lines. One bon fire even went out and the Orcs swarmed the gap of darkness until it was relit.

Iounn spent the night at Dylan’s side, Conor the lodestone on the lines of battle. She never saw the fighting up close, but the sounds and smells were more than enough for her. Thankfully since the Orcs had to keep their lines around the dwarves to the north, they could not move around to flank the Daunish with any significant force. A few sorties were tried, but easily repelled or crushed given they only consisted of a handful of Orcs.

Iounn was getting a distinct lack of command structure and organization to the Orcs at this point. Whoever was the commander of this force lacked finesse in the ways of large scale battle. The Orcs were proving powerful scrappers and raiders, but against organized defenses they lacked the organization to penetrate. This left Iounn thoughtful on possibilities as the sun rose lazily to the east.

The Orcs quickly retreated to their gloomy shadow, and the Daunish were able to lick their wounds. And many wounds there were; while they had held through the night and not once were their defenses penetrated, there was a heavy toll of wounded. Over fifty dead and twice that wounded left Dylan pale as the dawn that day. Iounn looked at him as Conor recounted their losses, and her heart bled for the young man. Heart inspired those to follow him, but it also destroyed him from within.

Then they went to the hospital tent, and Iounn saw Dylan nearly break at the sight of the wounded. There were many who wouldn’t last the dawn, and many whose lives would continue but with broken bodies. The smell of spilled blood and entrails mixed with the shit and piss of the wounded. There was a few shrieking in pain, many just moaning, and a few ominously silent. Dylan stood at the entrance of the hospital staring at the suffering before him.

Then he stepped forward and started to go about the tent, talking to those he could and offering comfort. Iounn watched as he went about the tent, even offering his aid in wrapping bandages and feeding the injured. Conor joined him, both men looking worn but determined. Iounn left them to the task, feeling tired she returned to her tent to rest. She had just stepped into her tent when someone scratched at the tent flap. Iounn went to see who it was to find Kree standing outside her tent.

“I’m going to go get something to eat,” Hors said, leaping down from Iounn’s shoulder. Before she could stop him the dragon child and ran off into the camp leaving them alone.

“Come in,” Iounn said, feeling too tired to argue with Kree. The Rhodin woman came into the tent, unreadable as always. They had spent some time together now, in fighting lessons and occasional conversation, yet Iounn felt little had changed between them. Iounn looked at Kree and felt her heart ache.

“You must be tired,” Kree said. “You should lay and rest, I’ll rub your feet for you.”

Iounn didn’t argue, sitting on her cot she shed her boots and cloak, Kree taking her feet in her hands. Iounn felt her tension melt away, and with it came her barriers against the days trials. She lay back in bed, feeling tears rise, and Kree was at her side then to hold her. Kree held Iounn until she fell asleep, stroking her hair much like Goran used to do. The gesture comforted Iounn and she fell asleep with warmth in her heart she thought she had lost long ago.

#fantasy #series #fairies #dragons #please read #writing

1 note · View note