Editing Tarred and Feathered
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
| Latest revision | Your text | ||
| Line 37: | Line 37: | ||
{{TErow| 9 | [[Couatl]]s | [[Tlamac Hundred Thoughts]] spake:<p>Back in those days, warriors knew honor. We could have stayed in our caves, protected by their walls. Still, chieftain [[Pichi Red Cloud]] brought his army out of the ground and began to prepare for battle. Our warriors were strong and skillful with sword and club... but [[Tepotl]] had the bows. One of his eye sockets was empty—it was said that he got his eye torn out by a claw of a great feathered serpent. No one had ever survived a meeting with this creature, the strongest and most dangerous being of our legends—the [[Couatl]]. It made no difference whether [[Tepotl]] had indeed fought one or had simply made up a tall tale to inspire awe in others. His other eye saw well, too well. Not only had he mastered this insidious weapon himself, but he had also trained several hundred warriors in shooting bows. Their bows were weak and they were poor shots, but they still took out half of our best warriors even before they reached their ranks.<p>Each of our men fought as if he were possessed by the spirit of [[Quetzal]] himself, but it was not nearly enough. They fell, and a dozen enemies pounced upon each one who did, tearing our tribe’s best limb from limb, devouring their hearts, defiling and pillaging their bodies. The battle was not yet over, yet already the strife had begun among them, and here and there on the blood-soaked field skirmishes and squabbles were flaring up. But the [[Hundred Crawlers]], [[Tepotl]]’s bodyguards, all mighty giants, each of whom had cut out an eye to look like his leader, kept coming at the remnants of our army. Before long, they were bound to break into our caves and put an end to the [[Stone Children]]. And then my ancestor, the great shaman [[Hoatzin Rock Mind]], did what he had been preparing for all his life. He plunged a knife into his chest, chanted a spell, and turned his mind to the [[Great Serpent]]. His son, [[Xochi]], yet to earn himself a proper shaman’s name back then, pulled the blade out of his father's body, and the gushing blood sparkled red rainbow in the rays of the setting sun. From the heavens came a many-voiced roar. The [[Couatl]]s accepted [[Hoatzin]]'s sacrifice and fell upon our enemies.<p>[[Bloodied Feathers]]. That was the name the remnants of my tribe took after that battle. The [[Feathered Serpent]]s bathed in the blood of the [[Crawlers]] and their allies, and my kin dedicated the future of the tribe to their saviors. There were too few survivors in [[Tepotl]]'s army to continue living as separate tribes. They have been called the [[Nightcrawlers]] ever since, and their whole life is tracking and hunting us and our living gods.</p>}} | {{TErow| 9 | [[Couatl]]s | [[Tlamac Hundred Thoughts]] spake:<p>Back in those days, warriors knew honor. We could have stayed in our caves, protected by their walls. Still, chieftain [[Pichi Red Cloud]] brought his army out of the ground and began to prepare for battle. Our warriors were strong and skillful with sword and club... but [[Tepotl]] had the bows. One of his eye sockets was empty—it was said that he got his eye torn out by a claw of a great feathered serpent. No one had ever survived a meeting with this creature, the strongest and most dangerous being of our legends—the [[Couatl]]. It made no difference whether [[Tepotl]] had indeed fought one or had simply made up a tall tale to inspire awe in others. His other eye saw well, too well. Not only had he mastered this insidious weapon himself, but he had also trained several hundred warriors in shooting bows. Their bows were weak and they were poor shots, but they still took out half of our best warriors even before they reached their ranks.<p>Each of our men fought as if he were possessed by the spirit of [[Quetzal]] himself, but it was not nearly enough. They fell, and a dozen enemies pounced upon each one who did, tearing our tribe’s best limb from limb, devouring their hearts, defiling and pillaging their bodies. The battle was not yet over, yet already the strife had begun among them, and here and there on the blood-soaked field skirmishes and squabbles were flaring up. But the [[Hundred Crawlers]], [[Tepotl]]’s bodyguards, all mighty giants, each of whom had cut out an eye to look like his leader, kept coming at the remnants of our army. Before long, they were bound to break into our caves and put an end to the [[Stone Children]]. And then my ancestor, the great shaman [[Hoatzin Rock Mind]], did what he had been preparing for all his life. He plunged a knife into his chest, chanted a spell, and turned his mind to the [[Great Serpent]]. His son, [[Xochi]], yet to earn himself a proper shaman’s name back then, pulled the blade out of his father's body, and the gushing blood sparkled red rainbow in the rays of the setting sun. From the heavens came a many-voiced roar. The [[Couatl]]s accepted [[Hoatzin]]'s sacrifice and fell upon our enemies.<p>[[Bloodied Feathers]]. That was the name the remnants of my tribe took after that battle. The [[Feathered Serpent]]s bathed in the blood of the [[Crawlers]] and their allies, and my kin dedicated the future of the tribe to their saviors. There were too few survivors in [[Tepotl]]'s army to continue living as separate tribes. They have been called the [[Nightcrawlers]] ever since, and their whole life is tracking and hunting us and our living gods.</p>}} | ||
{{TErow| 14 | Pirates and Slavers | [[Tlamac Hundred Thoughts]] spake:<p>A hundred great turns of the firmament ago, we believed that our islands were the whole world and we, the [[Bloodied Feathers]], were its rulers. Since then, we have learned many things that have shattered our ideas as to the order of the universe... In olden times, we shied away from the [[Bitter Waters]], as they burned our skin, and only when dire need could make us board our chiseled boats and travel between the islands. After the feathered gods came into our lives, we could ask them to carry us across the waters, and we were no longer afraid to travel the islands. However, we never saw any other land than our own, even if we flew up into the sky, hugging the neck of a [[Couatl]].<p>Even long after we left the [[Halls of Blood]], we never suspected that there were other sentient beings beyond the [[Bitter Waters]], though our legends had it that there was another land somewhere, inhabited by those like us, and that the kin of our gods dwelt there as well. We remained ignorant until an enormous boat came to our shores, one like we had never seen before. Strange, bare trees grew straight out of it, and huge, tattered cloths hung from its branches.<p>We watched the beings who had gotten off the big boat. Their stay at the islands was not long; they cut down a few trees, trimmed them, fitted them to holes in the sides of their vessel, and went away. I spent several weeks thinking about what I had seen and trying to explain the event to my tribesmen, but that was not enough time to form an opinion about the creatures I had seen. One day, several boats like the first one appeared at sea; three of them carried black cloths, and two others, dirty and sluggish, looked somewhat different. They were propelled by long oars. That day, I realized that there was no peace outside our land. Of course, it would be ridiculous to hope for that; sentient beings always have scores to settle with each other, and the more of them living nearby, the stronger the desire to go for it. Several dozen bound men were brought to shore from the oar-boats. Others, like those who had come here the first time, made pens of logs, and the prisoners were placed there, driven on with blows and kicks. After a few days, other boats came and took them away, and ever since then, the ships would keep coming and going, and there was never a shortage of live goods in the pens.<p>In the old days of the [[Bloodied Feathers]], we would never have tolerated such neighbors. Our customs abhor imprisonment; we either kill a defeated enemy at once or release him if honor or higher considerations demand it. What we saw was repugnant to our whole being... but now we were weak and had to think of our future. To make new enemies whose strength and powers we had no idea of would be unacceptable. The eternal war with the [[Crawlers]] alone was straining enough... The uninvited guests never tried to get deep into our land, and we simply decided that we would avoid them. It was only much later that we learned that our enemies, much less scrupulous about their ties, had entered into dealings with the strangers.<p>A few years ago, I first saw creatures like you, little woman, among the slaves who were brought here on ships. Before I met you, I thought they were cubs; but now I realize that the slave traders had never brought any children here. Apparently, they can't survive the journey across the [[Bitter Waters]]. There are a few like you languishing in the slave pens even now...</p>}} | {{TErow| 14 | Pirates and Slavers | [[Tlamac Hundred Thoughts]] spake:<p>A hundred great turns of the firmament ago, we believed that our islands were the whole world and we, the [[Bloodied Feathers]], were its rulers. Since then, we have learned many things that have shattered our ideas as to the order of the universe... In olden times, we shied away from the [[Bitter Waters]], as they burned our skin, and only when dire need could make us board our chiseled boats and travel between the islands. After the feathered gods came into our lives, we could ask them to carry us across the waters, and we were no longer afraid to travel the islands. However, we never saw any other land than our own, even if we flew up into the sky, hugging the neck of a [[Couatl]].<p>Even long after we left the [[Halls of Blood]], we never suspected that there were other sentient beings beyond the [[Bitter Waters]], though our legends had it that there was another land somewhere, inhabited by those like us, and that the kin of our gods dwelt there as well. We remained ignorant until an enormous boat came to our shores, one like we had never seen before. Strange, bare trees grew straight out of it, and huge, tattered cloths hung from its branches.<p>We watched the beings who had gotten off the big boat. Their stay at the islands was not long; they cut down a few trees, trimmed them, fitted them to holes in the sides of their vessel, and went away. I spent several weeks thinking about what I had seen and trying to explain the event to my tribesmen, but that was not enough time to form an opinion about the creatures I had seen. One day, several boats like the first one appeared at sea; three of them carried black cloths, and two others, dirty and sluggish, looked somewhat different. They were propelled by long oars. That day, I realized that there was no peace outside our land. Of course, it would be ridiculous to hope for that; sentient beings always have scores to settle with each other, and the more of them living nearby, the stronger the desire to go for it. Several dozen bound men were brought to shore from the oar-boats. Others, like those who had come here the first time, made pens of logs, and the prisoners were placed there, driven on with blows and kicks. After a few days, other boats came and took them away, and ever since then, the ships would keep coming and going, and there was never a shortage of live goods in the pens.<p>In the old days of the [[Bloodied Feathers]], we would never have tolerated such neighbors. Our customs abhor imprisonment; we either kill a defeated enemy at once or release him if honor or higher considerations demand it. What we saw was repugnant to our whole being... but now we were weak and had to think of our future. To make new enemies whose strength and powers we had no idea of would be unacceptable. The eternal war with the [[Crawlers]] alone was straining enough... The uninvited guests never tried to get deep into our land, and we simply decided that we would avoid them. It was only much later that we learned that our enemies, much less scrupulous about their ties, had entered into dealings with the strangers.<p>A few years ago, I first saw creatures like you, little woman, among the slaves who were brought here on ships. Before I met you, I thought they were cubs; but now I realize that the slave traders had never brought any children here. Apparently, they can't survive the journey across the [[Bitter Waters]]. There are a few like you languishing in the slave pens even now...</p>}} | ||
{{TErow| 19 | [[Crimson Couatl]]s | [[Tlamac Hundred Thoughts]] spake:<p>The great serpents deigned to us and accepted us as their junior kin. Over time we learned more about how our saviors lived; they even allowed our shamans into the secluded valleys where they made their nests. To our great surprise, the synergy of the [[ | {{TErow| 19 | [[Crimson Couatl]]s | [[Tlamac Hundred Thoughts]] spake:<p>The great serpents deigned to us and accepted us as their junior kin. Over time we learned more about how our saviors lived; they even allowed our shamans into the secluded valleys where they made their nests. To our great surprise, the synergy of the [[Creepers]]’ hot blood and [[Hoatzin]]’s magic gave the feathers of the [[Couatl]]s who fought in that battle a permanent crimson hue. No one ever thought it was possible to change a god. No one could’ve imagined that a god could be made stronger—and not by prayer or sacrifice... The crimson-colored [[Couatl]]s became different. They no longer waited for offerings, perched upon their nests with an aura of blessing about them; they went out to hunt for the hearts of our enemies. Unstoppable they were, their feathers throwing back arrows and swords, and their fangs and claws bringing death.<p>Blood, sorcery and heat. [[Xochi]] the shaman realized that what had happened on the battlefield could be reproduced. He spent his life trying to penetrate the mystery of this transformation. As he was dying, he gave his son an egg, over which he had been casting spells for years in a deep cave, smoky from the fires and stinking of rotten blood and cinders. The minute his spirit departed to meet [[Quetzal]], a clatter was heard from within the egg. A new [[Crimson Couatl]] was about to see this world.<p>Three more generations passed. The [[Bloodied Feathers]] had left the caves where our tribe had survived everything—hunger, frost, raids of countless enemies, disease... We moved to a new underground city, next to a fire-breathing mountain. Its vast halls were roomy enough for the feathered serpents and hot enough to turn tending to the eggs with the [[Crimson Couatl]]s into a challenge that even a shaman's apprentice could tackle. With such even, constant heat, all he had to do was turn them over from time to time, pour blood brewed with sorcerous herbs, and feed them his energy through long-learned incantations, the very ones that [[Xochi Serpent Brother]] had created. We ruled over two-thirds of the islands, continued to push the [[Crawlers]] back and never suspected that fate was about to turn its underside towards us....</p>}} | ||
{{TErow| 20 | [[Tlamac]]'s Story | [[Tlamac Hundred Thoughts]] spake:<p>We could no longer live where our gods were absent; each of the Bloodied Feathers needed to pray at least once a day, clinging to the body of a [[Couatl]], or lose strength. [[Lizardmen]] do not take well to intense, dry heat, but the grace of the great serpents was enough for ourselves to feel healthy. What was worse, our wives began laying more and more barren clutches... and even the scarce fertile eggs bore very few females. In just three generations after we moved to the [[Halls of Blood]], our tribe had halved in number.<p>Chief [[Titipan Two-Tailed]] did what he had to do. He brought a curse upon himself, but he saved his tribe from degeneration. His band stormed the shaman's halls, slaughtered all who got in the way, and destroyed all the eggs, and then [[Titipan]] led the tribe out of the hot caves and back into the stone tunnels beneath the [[Blue Claw]]. In the days that followed, many died, unable to endure being separated from their lost gods. Among them was [[Chief Titipan]] himself; in his dying hours, he wept and begged the [[Great Serpent]] for forgiveness and mercy. [[Quetzal]] heeded his plea: those who survived were able to live on with the connection to the [[Couatl]]s severed, without their blessings... but also without having to sacrifice their future for the sake of the present.<p>[[Titipan]]'s bodyguards outsmarted not only the shamans but also the [[Couatl]]s themselves. They had only love and reverence in their souls, so the great serpents failed to sense danger when the warriors, who were hugging their necks and whispering the sacred words of worship, suddenly drew their long knives and slaughtered their gods in an instant—adults, young ones, new hatchlings, and the decrepit ones who no longer left their nests... No one who had raised his hand against a god survived even an hour afterwards; grief killed each one. There was only one tiny hall they had not found; no one knew of it except the direct descendants of [[Hoatzin]] and [[Xochi]]. In this hall, in a light shoulder basket, there lay a few eggs; [[Serpent Brother]] had willed his children to keep them here, no matter what happened or what hardships fell upon the tribe. A young shaman's apprentice, clutching a wound in his side, entered the hall, put the basket on his back with a hiss, and slipped into a secret passage, collapsing it behind him. It was a hundred great turns back. That apprentice's name was [[Tlamac]]. He stands before you today.</p>}} | {{TErow| 20 | [[Tlamac]]'s Story | [[Tlamac Hundred Thoughts]] spake:<p>We could no longer live where our gods were absent; each of the Bloodied Feathers needed to pray at least once a day, clinging to the body of a [[Couatl]], or lose strength. [[Lizardmen]] do not take well to intense, dry heat, but the grace of the great serpents was enough for ourselves to feel healthy. What was worse, our wives began laying more and more barren clutches... and even the scarce fertile eggs bore very few females. In just three generations after we moved to the [[Halls of Blood]], our tribe had halved in number.<p>Chief [[Titipan Two-Tailed]] did what he had to do. He brought a curse upon himself, but he saved his tribe from degeneration. His band stormed the shaman's halls, slaughtered all who got in the way, and destroyed all the eggs, and then [[Titipan]] led the tribe out of the hot caves and back into the stone tunnels beneath the [[Blue Claw]]. In the days that followed, many died, unable to endure being separated from their lost gods. Among them was [[Chief Titipan]] himself; in his dying hours, he wept and begged the [[Great Serpent]] for forgiveness and mercy. [[Quetzal]] heeded his plea: those who survived were able to live on with the connection to the [[Couatl]]s severed, without their blessings... but also without having to sacrifice their future for the sake of the present.<p>[[Titipan]]'s bodyguards outsmarted not only the shamans but also the [[Couatl]]s themselves. They had only love and reverence in their souls, so the great serpents failed to sense danger when the warriors, who were hugging their necks and whispering the sacred words of worship, suddenly drew their long knives and slaughtered their gods in an instant—adults, young ones, new hatchlings, and the decrepit ones who no longer left their nests... No one who had raised his hand against a god survived even an hour afterwards; grief killed each one. There was only one tiny hall they had not found; no one knew of it except the direct descendants of [[Hoatzin]] and [[Xochi]]. In this hall, in a light shoulder basket, there lay a few eggs; [[Serpent Brother]] had willed his children to keep them here, no matter what happened or what hardships fell upon the tribe. A young shaman's apprentice, clutching a wound in his side, entered the hall, put the basket on his back with a hiss, and slipped into a secret passage, collapsing it behind him. It was a hundred great turns back. That apprentice's name was [[Tlamac]]. He stands before you today.</p>}} | ||
{{TErow| 25 | [[Halfling]] | {{h|Henrietta|0=}}: We were walking along the path that [[Tlamac]]'s friends had pointed out to us as a relatively safe one, even for those who had not spent their entire lived in the jungle. We could relax a little here; trying to stay on top of every rustle and shadow was profoundly wearisome, after all. I, however, could not afford such a luxury, as the commander must always be on the lookout. I had begun getting the hang of these woods, and many things previously hidden from me were no longer escaping my attention—but this time, I would have stomped by, never learning the most important thing in my life... if it hadn't been for [[Wynona]]. The [[dark elf]]'s ear twitched, and the next instant she was leaping into the bushes with a dagger drawn. After a few seconds of tussle, she dragged out... a [[halfling]]. He was gray-haired, emaciated, and clad in some rags. I examined his body and hands first, trying to decide if he could pose any danger, and only then did I look at his face. It was like another strike of lightning from [[Frederick]]'s dynamo. A blast from the past. A memory I thought erased.<p>“Unc… [[Uncle Kett]]...?”<p>'''[[Kett]]: '''“I used to go by that too... [[Moonchild]]?!”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “[[Kett]]! It's me. Me! [[Henrietta]]! What moon child? Have you forgotten me?”<p>'''[[Kett]]: '''“How could one forget you? That's just what I'm saying. Never thought it'd be you who I’d see before croaking. Just hoped to tell someone. We're fighting. Not all of us have become [[demon]] meat yet. There's a war going on.”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “What war? The [[devil]]s are upon someone again? I heard they had gotten served in [[Erathia]]. And who's ‘we’?!”<p>'''[[Kett]]: '''“We... the ones who stayed behind when you left. Some call us guerrillas, others like ‘cave rats’ more... heh, heh, damn right, we do bite. And when we do, it stings. And you… ohhhh.”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “[[Uncle Kett]]! What's wrong? [[Wynona]]! He's barely breathing!”<p>{{h|Wynona|0=}}: “Look here, [[Henrietta]]. This wound... and this one... If there was any time at all, I could try to drain the infection out of them and reconnect the vessels. I'm sorry, but it's too late now. He's dying. Here’s all I can do...”<p>[[Wynona]] gave the dying man a whiff of some elixir, and his eyes opened. Gasping, the [[halfling]] mumbled:<p>'''[[Kett]]: '''“Listen to me, [[Henrietta]]... [[Erathia]] and [[AvLee]] have invaded [[Eeofol]] and are fighting the [[devil]]s. We wanted to help, so we gathered everyone who could hold a weapon from all our hideouts. Our squad attacked a coastal town of the [[Kreegan]]s—we snuck in there through an undercroft, and then we got betrayed. [[Olema]], the cursed half-breed... sent those who survived the battle to [[Kreelah]], for [[Lucifer]]’s pleasure, but the ship got sunk by [[pirate]]s... I made it out alone...”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: [[Kett]] started wheezing horribly and rolling his eyes back. I grabbed his head and gave him a shake:<p>"[[Uncle Kett]]! Unc… Please, breathe, don't go... Your squad? Were there others? And all of them died?”<p>'''[[Kett]]: '''“Ahhh… [[Moonchild]]... How good to have seen you... Please forgive. I beg you for everyone who... Your... your mother's name was [[Auna]]. Ask [[Tavin]] about her…”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “[[Tavin]]? [[Tavin]]'s alive?! [[Kett]]! [[Kett]]!”<p>{{h|Wynona|0=}}: “He's gone, my friend. Let him rest. He earned it”.<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: I sat on the ground with the old man's head in my lap, swallowing bitter tears. There were no words.<p>{{h|Wynona|0=}}: “I think I know where we're going when we get off these islands.”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “[[Wynona]], I–”<p>{{h|Wynona|0=}}: “You know it full well yourself. I've only known you a short time, but I've learned a lot about you. Your heart is where you were born. [[Eeofol]] has lived in your soul all these years. I don't know that place, but it must be beautiful. To bring freedom to your land—what a goal for a true warrior!”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “Do you think I'm a warrior too?”<p>{{h|Wynona|0=}}: “‘Too’? You mean there are others who say so? Well, then it's time to accept your calling.”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “I need to think about it. Maybe [[Tlamac]] can help me understand myself…”</p>}} | {{TErow| 25 | [[Halfling]] | {{h|Henrietta|0=}}: We were walking along the path that [[Tlamac]]'s friends had pointed out to us as a relatively safe one, even for those who had not spent their entire lived in the jungle. We could relax a little here; trying to stay on top of every rustle and shadow was profoundly wearisome, after all. I, however, could not afford such a luxury, as the commander must always be on the lookout. I had begun getting the hang of these woods, and many things previously hidden from me were no longer escaping my attention—but this time, I would have stomped by, never learning the most important thing in my life... if it hadn't been for [[Wynona]]. The [[dark elf]]'s ear twitched, and the next instant she was leaping into the bushes with a dagger drawn. After a few seconds of tussle, she dragged out... a [[halfling]]. He was gray-haired, emaciated, and clad in some rags. I examined his body and hands first, trying to decide if he could pose any danger, and only then did I look at his face. It was like another strike of lightning from [[Frederick]]'s dynamo. A blast from the past. A memory I thought erased.<p>“Unc… [[Uncle Kett]]...?”<p>'''[[Kett]]: '''“I used to go by that too... [[Moonchild]]?!”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “[[Kett]]! It's me. Me! [[Henrietta]]! What moon child? Have you forgotten me?”<p>'''[[Kett]]: '''“How could one forget you? That's just what I'm saying. Never thought it'd be you who I’d see before croaking. Just hoped to tell someone. We're fighting. Not all of us have become [[demon]] meat yet. There's a war going on.”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “What war? The [[devil]]s are upon someone again? I heard they had gotten served in [[Erathia]]. And who's ‘we’?!”<p>'''[[Kett]]: '''“We... the ones who stayed behind when you left. Some call us guerrillas, others like ‘cave rats’ more... heh, heh, damn right, we do bite. And when we do, it stings. And you… ohhhh.”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “[[Uncle Kett]]! What's wrong? [[Wynona]]! He's barely breathing!”<p>{{h|Wynona|0=}}: “Look here, [[Henrietta]]. This wound... and this one... If there was any time at all, I could try to drain the infection out of them and reconnect the vessels. I'm sorry, but it's too late now. He's dying. Here’s all I can do...”<p>[[Wynona]] gave the dying man a whiff of some elixir, and his eyes opened. Gasping, the [[halfling]] mumbled:<p>'''[[Kett]]: '''“Listen to me, [[Henrietta]]... [[Erathia]] and [[AvLee]] have invaded [[Eeofol]] and are fighting the [[devil]]s. We wanted to help, so we gathered everyone who could hold a weapon from all our hideouts. Our squad attacked a coastal town of the [[Kreegan]]s—we snuck in there through an undercroft, and then we got betrayed. [[Olema]], the cursed half-breed... sent those who survived the battle to [[Kreelah]], for [[Lucifer]]’s pleasure, but the ship got sunk by [[pirate]]s... I made it out alone...”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: [[Kett]] started wheezing horribly and rolling his eyes back. I grabbed his head and gave him a shake:<p>"[[Uncle Kett]]! Unc… Please, breathe, don't go... Your squad? Were there others? And all of them died?”<p>'''[[Kett]]: '''“Ahhh… [[Moonchild]]... How good to have seen you... Please forgive. I beg you for everyone who... Your... your mother's name was [[Auna]]. Ask [[Tavin]] about her…”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “[[Tavin]]? [[Tavin]]'s alive?! [[Kett]]! [[Kett]]!”<p>{{h|Wynona|0=}}: “He's gone, my friend. Let him rest. He earned it”.<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: I sat on the ground with the old man's head in my lap, swallowing bitter tears. There were no words.<p>{{h|Wynona|0=}}: “I think I know where we're going when we get off these islands.”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “[[Wynona]], I–”<p>{{h|Wynona|0=}}: “You know it full well yourself. I've only known you a short time, but I've learned a lot about you. Your heart is where you were born. [[Eeofol]] has lived in your soul all these years. I don't know that place, but it must be beautiful. To bring freedom to your land—what a goal for a true warrior!”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “Do you think I'm a warrior too?”<p>{{h|Wynona|0=}}: “‘Too’? You mean there are others who say so? Well, then it's time to accept your calling.”<p>{{h|Henrietta|0=}}: “I need to think about it. Maybe [[Tlamac]] can help me understand myself…”</p>}} | ||
{{TErow| 32 | [[Pactal]]'s Lair | [[Tlamac Hundred Thoughts]] spake:<p>[[Pactal Child Eater]] is a great leader. Surprised to hear me talk of him so, aren’t you? I am simply way too old to let hatred cloud my judgment. He is strong and flexible, as hard and sharp as a bloodsucker frog's tooth, but his mind is malleable and receptive to anything that might benefit his tribe. Your airboats were attacked by his [[wyvern]]s—I don't know where [[Pactal]] found them, and he certainly doesn't worship them like we worshiped the [[Couatl]]s... but somehow he's managed to levy such powerful creatures, unheard of in our lands, into his service, and not just them. He was able to make fighters out of the dogheads, who we always thought of as vermin unworthy of even a kick—an angry shout was enough to make them scuttle into the bushes. His warriors sail between the islands in ships, fight in formation, wield weapons and use implements I have never even heard of, and he himself suddenly pops up here and there, and never sleeps in the same field camp two nights in a row. As if he were able to see his enemies' plans two steps ahead. I know something about him, however...<p>[[Pactal]] wants to claim all of the islands—if not for himself, then for his son. A few years ago, he stole the clutch laid by the fifth wife of the [[Bloodied Feathers]]’ old chieftain, but contrary to his custom, he left some of the eggs uneaten. He is raising one of the girls, intending to marry her; children by her will be his key to unlimited power over all the [[lizardmen]] of our islands. And I am not convinced that it would be a bad future for my kin...<p>Anyway, if you are to snatch the [[Hollow Eye]] from [[Pactal]], you will have to find the place where the [[Child Eater]] is keeping his future wife. Surely that's where he spends all his time between his campaigns. Old [[Tlamac]] has friends among the unseen spirits of the woods and marshes. Listen to what they told me…<p>Only the select few [[Pactal]] has no doubts about can enter his lair. Those are the commanders of his guard, and there is also one pirate captain, the one who sold him the [[Hollow Eye]], who enjoys such trust. Fortunately for you, the [[lizardmen]] have a very poor memory for human faces... They recognize the captain by his armor, shield, trident, and crown, all intricate artifacts of great power. I think you could try to find similar ones. If one of your warriors appears before the guards wearing them, they will take him for the captain and allow him to enter. They will demand that the artifacts be handed over to them for safekeeping, but at that point, that will no longer matter.</p>}} | {{TErow| 32 | [[Pactal]]'s Lair | [[Tlamac Hundred Thoughts]] spake:<p>[[Pactal Child Eater]] is a great leader. Surprised to hear me talk of him so, aren’t you? I am simply way too old to let hatred cloud my judgment. He is strong and flexible, as hard and sharp as a bloodsucker frog's tooth, but his mind is malleable and receptive to anything that might benefit his tribe. Your airboats were attacked by his [[wyvern]]s—I don't know where [[Pactal]] found them, and he certainly doesn't worship them like we worshiped the [[Couatl]]s... but somehow he's managed to levy such powerful creatures, unheard of in our lands, into his service, and not just them. He was able to make fighters out of the dogheads, who we always thought of as vermin unworthy of even a kick—an angry shout was enough to make them scuttle into the bushes. His warriors sail between the islands in ships, fight in formation, wield weapons and use implements I have never even heard of, and he himself suddenly pops up here and there, and never sleeps in the same field camp two nights in a row. As if he were able to see his enemies' plans two steps ahead. I know something about him, however...<p>[[Pactal]] wants to claim all of the islands—if not for himself, then for his son. A few years ago, he stole the clutch laid by the fifth wife of the [[Bloodied Feathers]]’ old chieftain, but contrary to his custom, he left some of the eggs uneaten. He is raising one of the girls, intending to marry her; children by her will be his key to unlimited power over all the [[lizardmen]] of our islands. And I am not convinced that it would be a bad future for my kin...<p>Anyway, if you are to snatch the [[Hollow Eye]] from [[Pactal]], you will have to find the place where the [[Child Eater]] is keeping his future wife. Surely that's where he spends all his time between his campaigns. Old [[Tlamac]] has friends among the unseen spirits of the woods and marshes. Listen to what they told me…<p>Only the select few [[Pactal]] has no doubts about can enter his lair. Those are the commanders of his guard, and there is also one pirate captain, the one who sold him the [[Hollow Eye]], who enjoys such trust. Fortunately for you, the [[lizardmen]] have a very poor memory for human faces... They recognize the captain by his armor, shield, trident, and crown, all intricate artifacts of great power. I think you could try to find similar ones. If one of your warriors appears before the guards wearing them, they will take him for the captain and allow him to enter. They will demand that the artifacts be handed over to them for safekeeping, but at that point, that will no longer matter.</p>}} | ||
|} | |} | ||
| Line 72: | Line 53: | ||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:center;" | 102, 42, 0 | | style="text-align:center;" | 102, 42, 0 | ||
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | Hello, guest. You remember me: I am [[Tlamac Hundred Thoughts]]. The one who was to become the next great shaman of the bellipotent [[Bloodied Feathers]], but ended up living a long, sad life without home, family, purpose, or caring for those he swore to serve. I have no descendants or apprentices—only a few helpers, those who feel the emptiness in their souls and sneak away from the tribe once in a while to be here and see our lost gods.<p>I don't want to die before passing on the sacred bond with the feathered serpents to one willing to accept their friendship and exchange a part of his soul with them, even if to him, they will not be living deities. The ritual that my ancestor performed to bond the souls of our tribe and the feathered serpents requires a great concentration of pain, sorrow, and hatred. I fear that not even the emanations let out by each and every victim of a great battle would suffice today, nor would you yourself want it at such a cost... But I know of an object that holds an endless sea of such feelings, accumulated over many and many great turns.<p>The leader of the hostile [[Nightcrawlers]] tribe, [[Pactal Child Eater]], is a descendant of [[Tepotl Hollow Eye]], the warlord who led all the tribes of the islands to battle against us and who witnessed the gods answer the call and save our tribe from ruin. Only one out in twenty warriors under [[Tepotl]] survived that carnage, and [[Tepotl|Hollow Eye]] absorbed the languor of each who died then into his soul. When on his deathbed himself, he poured that black ocean into his great battle bow and handed it to his son. Each of his descendants would do the same, but while still in the prime of his life, imbuing his weapon of choice with the destructive power, and personally finish off his wounded warriors to add to it. [[Pactal]] inherited the [[Great Woe of the Crawlers]] through the [[Fang of the Last Scream]], the battleclaw that belonged to his grandfather; he was loath to wait his turn to take the chief's seat for another few dozen turns, so he killed his father and uncles by siccing a herd of frenzied gorgons on them during a hunt. He poured the black power from the battleclaw into an amazing artifact—the [[Spyglass]]. He got it from a pirate captain for a whole barrel of priceless bile extracted from rare ruby snakes, and named it the [[Hollow Eye]] after his ancestor. They say he's been able to see the hidden and scry through the ground ever since; there is no other way to explain why his cutthroats have been able to find and ravage caves with clutches and young [[ | | style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | Hello, guest. You remember me: I am [[Tlamac Hundred Thoughts]]. The one who was to become the next great shaman of the bellipotent [[Bloodied Feathers]], but ended up living a long, sad life without home, family, purpose, or caring for those he swore to serve. I have no descendants or apprentices—only a few helpers, those who feel the emptiness in their souls and sneak away from the tribe once in a while to be here and see our lost gods.<p>I don't want to die before passing on the sacred bond with the feathered serpents to one willing to accept their friendship and exchange a part of his soul with them, even if to him, they will not be living deities. The ritual that my ancestor performed to bond the souls of our tribe and the feathered serpents requires a great concentration of pain, sorrow, and hatred. I fear that not even the emanations let out by each and every victim of a great battle would suffice today, nor would you yourself want it at such a cost... But I know of an object that holds an endless sea of such feelings, accumulated over many and many great turns.<p>The leader of the hostile [[Nightcrawlers]] tribe, [[Pactal Child Eater]], is a descendant of [[Tepotl Hollow Eye]], the warlord who led all the tribes of the islands to battle against us and who witnessed the gods answer the call and save our tribe from ruin. Only one out in twenty warriors under [[Tepotl]] survived that carnage, and [[Tepotl|Hollow Eye]] absorbed the languor of each who died then into his soul. When on his deathbed himself, he poured that black ocean into his great battle bow and handed it to his son. Each of his descendants would do the same, but while still in the prime of his life, imbuing his weapon of choice with the destructive power, and personally finish off his wounded warriors to add to it. [[Pactal]] inherited the [[Great Woe of the Crawlers]] through the [[Fang of the Last Scream]], the battleclaw that belonged to his grandfather; he was loath to wait his turn to take the chief's seat for another few dozen turns, so he killed his father and uncles by siccing a herd of frenzied gorgons on them during a hunt. He poured the black power from the battleclaw into an amazing artifact—the [[Spyglass]]. He got it from a pirate captain for a whole barrel of priceless bile extracted from rare ruby snakes, and named it the [[Hollow Eye]] after his ancestor. They say he's been able to see the hidden and scry through the ground ever since; there is no other way to explain why his cutthroats have been able to find and ravage caves with clutches and young [[Blood Feathers]] time after time without fail. Every time that happens, [[Pactal]] appears there himself, sucks out the eggs and devours the young lizardfolk. I suppose you see how proud he is of his sobriquet.<p>I feel strength and sincerity in you; the [[Couatl]]s will surely be delighted to have new friends in you and your companions. Moreover, I will also be able to impart on you the most precious secret I've kept all my life. You will not only become equal to our feathered gods... you will also become able to create them yourself. I will teach you how to spawn the great [[Crimson Couatl]]. They have been absent from the world for far too long, and I want to worship the embodiment of my tribe's former greatness once again before I die. Step into my hut. I have much to show you and explain.</center></p> | ||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:center;" | 3, 42, 1 | | style="text-align:center;" | 3, 42, 1 | ||
| Line 109: | Line 90: | ||
{{TEheader}} | {{TEheader}} | ||
{{TErow| 15 | loc={{pink}} {{town|Cove}} (15, 101, 0)|Pink AI - Castle|effect=[[Fortifications|Castle]]}} | {{TErow| 15 | loc={{pink}} {{town|Cove}} (15, 101, 0)|Pink AI - Castle|effect=[[Fortifications|Castle]]}} | ||
{{TErow| 15 | loc={{pink}} {{town|Cove}} (15, 101, 0)|Pink AI - bonus | freq = 7 | effect=+25000 {{Gold}} [[Gold]], 2 {{Cn|Nix Warrior}}s, | {{TErow| 15 | loc={{pink}} {{town|Cove}} (15, 101, 0)|Pink AI - bonus | freq = 7 | effect=+25000 {{Gold}} [[Gold]], 2 {{Cn|Nix Warrior}}s, 2 {{Cn|Sorceress|name=Sorceresses}}, 9 {{Cn|Sea Dog}}s</center>}} | ||
{{TErow| 72 | loc={{blue}} {{town|Fortress}} (49, 21, 0)|Blue AI - 332 - Shipyard|effect=[[Shipyard]]}} | {{TErow| 72 | loc={{blue}} {{town|Fortress}} (49, 21, 0)|Blue AI - 332 - Shipyard|effect=[[Shipyard]]}} | ||
{{TErow| 113 | loc={{blue}} {{town|Fortress}} (29, 66, 0)|Blue AI - 511 - Tavern|effect=[[Tavern]]}} | {{TErow| 113 | loc={{blue}} {{town|Fortress}} (29, 66, 0)|Blue AI - 511 - Tavern|effect=[[Tavern]]}} | ||
| Line 118: | Line 99: | ||
{{hero row|79, 40, 0|green|Henrietta|Mercenary}} | {{hero row|79, 40, 0|green|Henrietta|Mercenary}} | ||
{{hero row|82, 39, 0|green|Wynona|Mercenary}} | {{hero row|82, 39, 0|green|Wynona|Mercenary}} | ||
{{hero row|4, 6, 0|blue|Shaabar|Beastmaster|image=Wystan}} | {{hero row|4, 6, 0|blue|Shaabar|Beastmaster|image=Wystan}} | ||
{{hero row|4, 36, 0|blue|Xolo|Witch|image=Merist (HotA)}} | {{hero row|4, 36, 0|blue|Xolo|Witch|image=Merist (HotA)}} | ||
| Line 139: | Line 119: | ||
{{hero row|104, 104, 0|pink|Renglie|Captain|image=Leena}} | {{hero row|104, 104, 0|pink|Renglie|Captain|image=Leena}} | ||
{{hero row|47, 105, 1|pink|Dagdaro|Warlock|image=Alamar (HotA)}} | {{hero row|47, 105, 1|pink|Dagdaro|Warlock|image=Alamar (HotA)}} | ||
{{hero row|33, 6, 1|{{encamped}}|Ha'Ora|Witch|image=Voy}} | |||
| | |||
|} | |} | ||