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Dark Days in Sion - Act 3: Scene 3
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<blockquote data-quote="Hillsy7" data-source="post: 7342335" data-attributes="member: 6689191"><p><strong>Burrai Steelborn</strong></p><p></p><p>Burrai cleared his throat. It wasn’t a loud sound, but years of easy command dropped it in the perfect space to be heard, and gave it enough of an edge to draw attention. He looked up at everyone and folded his arms on the cask, and waited for them to look down. That had been another trick he’d learned from a dozen other dwarves - don’t make out you’re looking up; they are looking down.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #8B4513">“It was, what now, twenty five years ago? I had a group under my command, mostly green lads and an elf who’d had the hardest upbringing I’d ever heard of. And a dwarf named Grekk. We’d been hired to sabotage a small dam beneath this stonescursed half orc smuggler’s main warehouse: flood the ground floor, push out the gang hiding upstairs into the open, and the stolen goods float out into the river. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #8B4513">“Problem was, he had a pet - some half wyrm or Salamander, or something. No idea what is was. Anyway, we snuck up through fissure in the cavern underneath the warehouse, up over this large natural arch, and was halfway across when this guard lizard spotted us and started spitting fire at us. This woke the guards, who came down to a murder ledge they had to one side, and they started laying down crossbow fire on our flank. I got the boys hunkered down, behind a shield wall, but we were pinned.”</span> Burrai took another swig from the bottle.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #8B4513">“I’d no sooner got us locked down when Grekk simply dove over the side of the ledge. To this day I don’t know precisely how he managed to not just fall. Anyway, a minute or two later the brilliant idiot appeared above us, scaling the wall like a gekko with just a pair of daggers. He got over the ledge and unloaded his pockets - they were full of fist sized cragspiders that started biting and poisoning the humans on the ledge. This gave us the space to charge the Wyrm, and cut it down before it finally melted through our shields. We got past, and got ourselves set just in time for the second charge from behind us. Fortified, prepared and with them held on a bridge, instead of them hitting us in the rear, we met them head on."</span></p><p></p><p>He rubbed one finger under his nose, almost smiling to himself, the thick scar over his left eye twisting and scrunching together. <span style="color: #8B4513">“When Grekk came out to meet us, damn fool was covered in spider bites that’d have killed anyone not a dwarf, and was grinning like a loon even as his skin bruised and swelled.”</span> This time he made a point of cocking an eyebrow at Bill. <span style="color: #8B4513">“We’d have been dead if he’d followed my orders. We’d have been dead if he’d taken the time to explain his plan. We’d have been dead if I didn’t know Grekk had the kind of mind that thrived in these situations and rather than held ground, retreated.”</span></p><p></p><p>Burrai gave a shrug with one shoulder.<span style="color: #8B4513"> “Free agents can be the best or worst asset a commander can have - you just have to know they are going to do what they feel best, and then act according to how much faith you have in them to do it right.”</span> He turned back to Ersun. <span style="color: #8B4513">“That’s why I don’t particularly care what your excuses are, or your reasons. I don’t need to know them. You’ve already told me what I need to know - in the heat of it, you’ll do what you believe right by your judgement. I can work with that.”</span></p><p><span style="color: #8B4513"></span></p><p>He turned to the slight Aletia, propping one elbow on the cask top.<span style="color: #8B4513"> “And as for allegiances, I ask for none. What I need to know is simply motives and goals. Knowledge as to what a tool does is only as important as what the wielder will do with it; man may use a paring knife to peel potatoes, or slit a throat depending on his mind at that moment. You say right now your allegiance is to the Burlocks, that’s fine Lass. Just tell me where those goals intersect with ours - as far as I can see, quite a ways at the moment.”</span> He paused for a moment, letting the notion sit heavy in the air. <span style="color: #8B4513">“I know a little more of you now, you know a little more of me and the dangers this town and these...politics pose. What you need to ask yourself is how much you trust me to achieve your goals as well as mine. Think on that, and let me know when you’ve come to a conclusion.”</span> He ended with a smile, letting her know it wasn’t a loaded statement, just a simple request.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #8B4513">“And finally, Bill. Our goals seem to overlap most, and you’ve spoken strong words in defence of them. Good - one should unburden oneself, Lad. Especially in the company of comrades to be. However, “</span> Burrai stepped back and made a sweep of his arms, articulating the open space between them. <span style="color: #8B4513">“You’ve said your piece, and I’ve know many a skilled group fall into incompetence over words they kept behind their teeth. So, Ersun, Aletia, if you’ve got anything to say amongst us, let’s have it out here and now before we take another step.”</span></p><p></p><p>And with that, Burrai took another pace backwards, and waited to see if this group could weld themselves together or would spark and burn the whole thing down.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hillsy7, post: 7342335, member: 6689191"] [b]Burrai Steelborn[/b] Burrai cleared his throat. It wasn’t a loud sound, but years of easy command dropped it in the perfect space to be heard, and gave it enough of an edge to draw attention. He looked up at everyone and folded his arms on the cask, and waited for them to look down. That had been another trick he’d learned from a dozen other dwarves - don’t make out you’re looking up; they are looking down. [COLOR="#8B4513"]“It was, what now, twenty five years ago? I had a group under my command, mostly green lads and an elf who’d had the hardest upbringing I’d ever heard of. And a dwarf named Grekk. We’d been hired to sabotage a small dam beneath this stonescursed half orc smuggler’s main warehouse: flood the ground floor, push out the gang hiding upstairs into the open, and the stolen goods float out into the river. [/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]“Problem was, he had a pet - some half wyrm or Salamander, or something. No idea what is was. Anyway, we snuck up through fissure in the cavern underneath the warehouse, up over this large natural arch, and was halfway across when this guard lizard spotted us and started spitting fire at us. This woke the guards, who came down to a murder ledge they had to one side, and they started laying down crossbow fire on our flank. I got the boys hunkered down, behind a shield wall, but we were pinned.”[/COLOR] Burrai took another swig from the bottle. [COLOR="#8B4513"]“I’d no sooner got us locked down when Grekk simply dove over the side of the ledge. To this day I don’t know precisely how he managed to not just fall. Anyway, a minute or two later the brilliant idiot appeared above us, scaling the wall like a gekko with just a pair of daggers. He got over the ledge and unloaded his pockets - they were full of fist sized cragspiders that started biting and poisoning the humans on the ledge. This gave us the space to charge the Wyrm, and cut it down before it finally melted through our shields. We got past, and got ourselves set just in time for the second charge from behind us. Fortified, prepared and with them held on a bridge, instead of them hitting us in the rear, we met them head on."[/COLOR] He rubbed one finger under his nose, almost smiling to himself, the thick scar over his left eye twisting and scrunching together. [COLOR="#8B4513"]“When Grekk came out to meet us, damn fool was covered in spider bites that’d have killed anyone not a dwarf, and was grinning like a loon even as his skin bruised and swelled.”[/COLOR] This time he made a point of cocking an eyebrow at Bill. [COLOR="#8B4513"]“We’d have been dead if he’d followed my orders. We’d have been dead if he’d taken the time to explain his plan. We’d have been dead if I didn’t know Grekk had the kind of mind that thrived in these situations and rather than held ground, retreated.”[/COLOR] Burrai gave a shrug with one shoulder.[COLOR="#8B4513"] “Free agents can be the best or worst asset a commander can have - you just have to know they are going to do what they feel best, and then act according to how much faith you have in them to do it right.”[/COLOR] He turned back to Ersun. [COLOR="#8B4513"]“That’s why I don’t particularly care what your excuses are, or your reasons. I don’t need to know them. You’ve already told me what I need to know - in the heat of it, you’ll do what you believe right by your judgement. I can work with that.” [/COLOR] He turned to the slight Aletia, propping one elbow on the cask top.[COLOR="#8B4513"] “And as for allegiances, I ask for none. What I need to know is simply motives and goals. Knowledge as to what a tool does is only as important as what the wielder will do with it; man may use a paring knife to peel potatoes, or slit a throat depending on his mind at that moment. You say right now your allegiance is to the Burlocks, that’s fine Lass. Just tell me where those goals intersect with ours - as far as I can see, quite a ways at the moment.”[/COLOR] He paused for a moment, letting the notion sit heavy in the air. [COLOR="#8B4513"]“I know a little more of you now, you know a little more of me and the dangers this town and these...politics pose. What you need to ask yourself is how much you trust me to achieve your goals as well as mine. Think on that, and let me know when you’ve come to a conclusion.”[/COLOR] He ended with a smile, letting her know it wasn’t a loaded statement, just a simple request. [COLOR="#8B4513"]“And finally, Bill. Our goals seem to overlap most, and you’ve spoken strong words in defence of them. Good - one should unburden oneself, Lad. Especially in the company of comrades to be. However, “[/COLOR] Burrai stepped back and made a sweep of his arms, articulating the open space between them. [COLOR="#8B4513"]“You’ve said your piece, and I’ve know many a skilled group fall into incompetence over words they kept behind their teeth. So, Ersun, Aletia, if you’ve got anything to say amongst us, let’s have it out here and now before we take another step.”[/COLOR] And with that, Burrai took another pace backwards, and waited to see if this group could weld themselves together or would spark and burn the whole thing down. [/QUOTE]
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