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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 4863863" data-attributes="member: 9546">THE BATTLE OF FLAMEFORDAkram advised the tshamek and Raelak that, if they truly intended to seek out the Sklar-Quah, they should start with one of the tribe’s oldest encampments, a place called Flameford.  He explained that the clan there was steeped in Sklar-Quah tradition, and thus much more likely to honor and respect what the outsiders had accomplished.  The Truthspeaker being what he was, the companions took his advice as a matter of course.The journey was arduous, yet uneventful, and not long after Akram told them that they had crossed into Sklar-Quah lands, the company was intercepted by a contingent of burn riders, Shoanti braves who had trained their mounts to survive and not balk under even the most extreme of environments…the wildfires of the Cinderlands.  Akram quickly stepped forward and identified himself.  With Trinia and Raelak translating for the K.I.A., Akram explained to the Sklar-Quah that those he escorted sought to divest themselves of their tshamek status.  At that, the burn riders hooted with laughter, but when Akram then told them that the tshamek had succeeded in recreating the Legend of Skurak not once, but twice, they grew serious.  They swiftly agreed to escort the Truthspeaker and his charges to Flameford.Flameford occupied an extremely defensible position nestled in the middle of a field of razor-sharp slashrock at the edge of a high cliff.  The campsite consisted of some seventeen yurts, two larger tents, and a stable for the tribe’s horses.  The burn riders threaded a convoluted path through the slashrock, following no trail that the companions could discern.  By the time they had reached the huge bonfire at the center of the camp, the entire camp had gathered to watch them.  Prominent among the Shoanti was none-other than the towering form of Krojun Eats-What-He-Kills.“What is it with this guy?”  O’Reginald exclaimed.  “Can he just teleport anywhere we happen to be?”“This is his home tribe,” Akram explained.  “His uncle, Ready-Klar, is chief.”“Wonderful,” the sorcerer groaned.  “We don’t stand a chance.”When they reached the bonfire, Akram bowed low before it.  Then, to the confusion of the companions, he began addressing the flames.  He started by formally requesting that the Sklar-Quah accept those he presented with full entitlement to walk the Cinderlands.  He then launched into a long, meandering story of the never-ending relationship between the sun and the moon that Raelak explained was called the Ritual of the Cycles.  When this was complete, Akram boldly announced that he was a Truthspeaker and demanded that any who challenged his standing should speak.  A lengthy period of uncomfortable silence hung in the air.  Katarina’s eyes cut to Krojun, and she could tell that the big warrior was thinking long and hard as to whether to have his say or not.  Ultimately, he remained silent, and then, surprisingly, the bonfire flared once.  Akram seemed to take this as some sort of approval, and then launched into a tale of the recent deeds of the K.I.A., tying them to the legend of Skurak, including the details of not only Ratbone, but Herc as well cutting his way free of Cindermaw’s gullet.  At that, Krojun and a few others laughed out loud in disbelief, but when the fire flared again, they went quickly silent.  Suddenly, the fire died completely and a burly, elderly Shoanti man stepped from it…the Sun Shaman.  Silently, he turned and entered one of the larger tents.  Across the clearing, Krojun crossed his arms and stared menacingly at Herc.“What now?”  Ratbone asked the Truthspeaker quietly.“Now, we wait,” Akram answered.  “The Sun Shaman will confer with the chief to discuss the implications of what you seek.  I must tell you, however, that if he rejects your petition and decides that you are still tshamek, then we, myself included, will be disemboweled for trespassing on Sklar-Quah land…”_____________________________________________________An hour passed before the Sun Shaman reemerged.  His words were curt and to-the-point.“Step forward, outsiders, and speak your name before the tribe.”Obediently, each of the companions did, including, to the surprise of all, Raelak.  The Sun Shaman repeated their names as they spoke.“Henceforth,” he intoned when the recitation was complete, “you are tshamek no more.”Akram breathed an audible sigh of relief, while at the same time many of the Shoanti, Krojun included, visibly struggled to contain their fury, yet none openly dared to reject the Sun Shaman’s proclamation.  The gathering began to break up, and Chief Ready-Klar designated one of the yurts that the companions might use as their own.“Wait,” Ratbone said, as he turned to Akram, “what of our request to join the tribe?  What of the information we seek?”The Truthspeaker merely shrugged.  Frustrated, Ratbone started after the Sun Shaman.  He recognized that the Shoanti and he shared a common bond…they were both druids.  In the ancient language of the sect, he called to the older man.“Sun Shaman,” he said, bowing in respect, “what can you tell us of Midnight’s Teeth?”Slowly, the Sun Shaman turned and regarded the half-orc.“Nothing,” he answered in the druid tongue.  “You are no longer tshamek, but neither are you Sklar-Quah, and the deep history of our tribe is not for others to know.”“Then how may we become Sklar-Quah?”  Ratbone asked, drawing himself up.  The Sun Shaman quirked his mouth in amusement.  Patiently, he replied.“If this is truly your wish, then you must undertake the Trial of the Totem.  If you succeed, then you will be acknowledged as honorary members of the Sklar-Quah.”“What must we do?”  Ratbone asked.“Meet me at dawn,” the Sun Shaman replied, then he turned to the rest of the tribe and spoke to them in Shoanti.  “The former tshamek have asked for the Trial of the Totem!  Their request shall be granted at dawn!”Krojun could take no more.  He shouted in protest, and then stormed off with several burn riders.  Akram chuckled and shook his head.  “You people truly know how to make an impression,” he said.  “ I wish you luck in your endeavors.  My tribe’s traditions preclude me from sharing a sunrise with the Sklar-Quah, and so I shall depart before dawn.  Ahalak has graciously volunteered to accompany me.  Allow me to give you one final piece of advice before I go:  Krojun is an important member of this tribe.  Anything you can do to win his respect can only help you.”________________________________________________________Early the following morning, about an hour before dawn, the companions were awakened by the Sun Shaman.  Then, along with a trio of thundercallers, he escorted them out through the slashrock in silence, and took them east across the Cinderlands on a twenty-minute trek to a small mesa.  A single ledge wound up to the westernmost flat-topped area of the mesa, a plateau that sat about thirty feet above the surrounding plain.  A second ledge led up higher to another plateau, about ten feet higher in elevation.  In a square stone pod at the base of the mesa were several fired-clay pylons decorated with numerous Shoanti sigils.  “This is Bolt Rock,” the Sun Shaman intoned, “a place of spiritual significance to my people.  These,” he indicated the pylons, “are sun totems.  Throughout the trial, each of you will be represented by a totem.  Each of you shall select your own totem and then, as a group, you must carry the totems to the first plateau, where you must then balance them in the depressions you find there.  Each of you must keep your totem upright until dawn tomorrow.  At that point, you must move all of the totems to the highest plateau and keep them upright once more for an additional day.  When the sun rises on the second day, any totem still standing shall grant its bearer the status of Sklar-Quah.  You must provide your own food and water, or do without.  You may use magic, or any other means at your disposal to aid you in keeping the totems upright, as long as they are not changed or damaged, nor the structure of Bolt Rock itself.”With that explanation, the Sun Shaman transformed into a large raven and took wing back towards Flameford.The next several minutes were spent with most of the group arguing about the best way to move each of the several-hundred pound totems up to the first plateau.  Ratbone ended the debate when he transformed into his burly, ape-like form and shouldered two of the totems simultaneously.  He carried them effortlessly up the trail, and then returned for the rest.  Once all the totems were moved, the stronger members of the group assisted the others in raising their pylons and settling them into shallow depressions hollowed out in the stone.  So balanced, the seven companions began the endurance challenge…The sun in the Cinderlands was warm from the time it rose.  Barely an hour after dawn, it was already roasting.  The group had not thought to bring food, but Michael was able to use his magic to create water periodically and passed it round to the others.  Still, the heat, wind and general lassitude took its toll.  At one point, Kat’s sweat soaked hands lost their grip and her totem began to tilt precariously.  Ratbone, still in his predator form, reached out one massive paw to catch it and set it right again until the beguiler could regain her grip.  The day passed, and then came the chill of night.  Once the sun was down, the totems began to shine with a phosphorescent glow, adding an eerie quality to the quiet, wind-blown dark.  By dawn the next day, exhaustion threatened to overwhelm them all.  Once more, Michael stepped in, weaving his prayers to remove their fatigue and rejuvenate them for the remainder of the trial.  As the sun rose, Ratbone again moved the totems to the higher plateau, and the companions settled in for another day of slow torture.At midday, as the sun overhead raised the temperature of the mesa to something approximating that of an active volcano, a silhouette appeared at the edge of the plateau, rippling out of the heat waves like a mirage.  As it drew nearer, it gained definition until it was obvious that it was a man…a big man.  Krojun stopped in the midst of the open flat, then folded his arms and stared silently at the struggling companions.  Ratbone cut his eyes at O’Reginald, daring the sorcerer to speak.  Akram had told them to seek the warleader’s respect, and the druid was determined not to pick a fight.  After several minutes of silence, Krojun spoke a few brief words, then turned and left the plateau.“What did he say?”  Ratbone asked Raelak.The Lyrune-Quah smiled and shook his head.“He said that you are lucky to have one another as nalharest…brothers and sisters.  He actually paid you a compliment!”_____________________________________________________Thirty-six hours had passed atop Bolt Rock, and the sun was setting on the second day.  It was then that the company first felt the ground rumble, and saw the dorsal fins break the ground in the distance, like great sharks circling.  “Land sharks,” Raelak moaned.“Bulettes,” Katarina clarified.  “Fierce predators.  They’re hunting in a pack.  They must have sensed easy prey.  They’ll be here any minute!”“I don’t think they’ll find their prey quite so ‘easy’ this day,” Ratbone muttered.  He braced his totem with one hand and uttered the words to a spell, causing two more arms to sprout from his torso.“Herc,” Raelak called, “can you take my totem?  I need to reach my bow.”“If I’m holding both totems, how can I fight?” the mercenary asked.“If I am any sort of archer, you won’t have to,” the ranger smiled.The landsharks erupted from the earth at the base of the mesa, huge, four-legged, armored beasts that looked like horribly mutated armadillos crossed with rhinoceri.  Several of them leaped onto the lower plateau, while others began crawling up the sheer walls of the mesa itself.  Fortunately, the path to the upper level was too narrow, and the beasts could only come single-file.  Ratbone was there to meet them.  With three claws free, as well as his fearsome jaws and wicked horns, the druid made quick work of the first creature.  While the others raged below, O’Reginald took one hand from his totem and quickly loosed a spell, a dizzying explosion of fire mixed with electricity.  Two more of the beasts were incinerated in the blast.  Meanwhile, Raelak took careful aim from the edge of the plateau and began raining glowing arrows down upon the monsters climbing up from below.  Not a single bulette made it to the top under the deadly barrage.  It didn’t take long for the combined efforts of the druid, ranger and sorcerer to repel the assault, and for the last of the brutes to take flight back into the trackless Cinderlands._____________________________________________________In the pre-dawn hours of the third dawn, the Sun Shaman lead the entire tribe from Flameford up to Bolt Rock.  As the sun rose, a chorus of cheers roared across the mesa, welcoming seven new brothers and sisters into the tribe.  The Sun Shaman held up his hands for silence, then personally welcomed each of the companions into the Sklar-Quah.  He then suggested that the new tribesmembers return to the camp and recover from their ordeal.  As the tribe began making its way back to Flameford, the Sun Shaman walked next to Ratbone.“It is almost time for me to speak with you of the information that you seek about Midnight’s Teeth, and the great evil the Shoanti once guarded long ago, but first I must seek the wisdom of my ancestors.  I will travel to the Kallow Mounds this day, and Chief Ready-Klar shall accompany me.  Krojun Eats-What-He-Kills shall command the tribe in our absence.  We will return by sunset tomorrow.  I suggest you rest and enjoy the hospitality of your new family.”_________________________________________________________O’Reginald, Kat, Michael and Trinia retired to their tent when they returned to the village.  Ratbone and Herc, and Raelak, however, sought out Krojun.  Throughout the rest of the afternoon, the four warriors discussed the art of war and battle, spiritual matters, culture and the nature of family.  By sunset, they were laughing like old friends and sharing a flask of strong Shoanti ale.  As the sun sank below the edge of the western cliff, no one saw the shadowy, winged shapes approaching out of the rose-colored glare.  In fact, it was not until the stone-hued gargoyles began dropping their passengers, red-armored, insect-masked assassins, into the midst of the village that the screams and cries of danger began.The sleeping members of the K.I.A. were among the last to become aware of the assault, but it was a rude awakening that finally alerted them.  The tent was completely torn asunder as a covey of gargoyles surrounded it and began tearing at the prone prey within.  O’Reginald was the first to come to his senses, acting solely on instinct.  Rolling from side to side to avoid the blows of the creatures, he spread his fingers and spoke a word.  Behind the gargoyles, a mushroom cloud of fire erupted, engulfing at least half-a-dozen of them.  As he paused to catch his breath, however, he an equal number soared in for a landing.Across the camp, Ratbone morphed his body into his deadly, predator form, then took off at a lope towards the tent on the far side.  Raelak and Herc ran in his wake, ignoring the dozen or more small skirmishes between Sklar-Quah, Red Mantis and gargoyles going on around them.  Meanwhile, Krojun roared a battle-challenge, hefted his earthbreaker and his klar, and waded into the midst of the attack.The gargoyles, having seen O’Reginald’s power, concentrated their attacks on him.  Kat saw that the sorcerer would not last long against those odds.  Thinking quickly, she wove an enchantment about the creatures, causing their relatively unimaginative minds to momentarily perceive their brethren as sworn enemies.  They turned on one-another with the savagery of a pack of wild dogs, but such was their rage, that they attacked anything that moved nearby as well, including Kat and O’Reginald.  Herc was almost to the tent when he saw the three Red Mantis assassins step out of the shadows.  One darted towards his outnumbered companions, while two quickly moved to flank him.  The mercenary whirled and parried, hammering one of the killers with his shield, all the while trying to keep an eye on the third and to shout out a warning.  Suddenly, an arrow of pure light streaked out of nowhere and took the third assassin in the leg, causing him to stumble just as he raised his sword above Katarina.  At that point, six-hundred pounds of feral druid came crashing out of the tents.  Ratbone seized one of the Red Mantis by the throat and snapped his neck with a casual twist of his wrist.  O’Reginald took the opportunity to link hands with Kat, Trinia and Michael and instantly transport all of them out of the midst of the kill-zone, reappearing a dozen feet away.  The sorcerer then shaped a cone of white-hot fire to immolate the remaining gargoyles.  Ratbone roared and turned towards the other two assassins.  He ripped one to pieces in a matter of seconds, while Herc quickly disemboweled the last of them.At that moment, one of the Sklar-Quah thundercallers came rushing from between the burning yurts, shouting hysterically.“What’s he saying?”  Kat asked, turning to Raelak.“He says that Krojun’s in trouble,” the ranger said grimly.As a group, the companions began moving quickly through the encampment.  The Sklar-Quah were holding their own against the invaders, but they had already suffered many losses.  In the center of the camp, however, Krojun Eats-What-He-Kills stood alone, facing off against a lone attacker.  The man was dressed in the clothes of a tshamek tracker, though the gleam of fine mithral could be seen beneath his shirt.  His hair hung to his shoulders, lank and gray, and a broad-brimmed, floppy hat shadowed his eyes. A lithe, firepelt cougar crouched at his feet, its hackles raised, and its teeth bared.  In his hands he held a strange-looking crossbow, with a box-like cartridge fitted into the top.  As the companions stepped into the clearing, the man took aim and fired his weapon.  The bolt shrieked like a living thing as it streaked towards Krojun and impaled itself squarely in his chest.  The fletchings on the bolt were blood-red.“The Cinderlander…,” Raelak whispered.  Then, before any of them could react, six Red Mantis assassins stepped from among the yurts and quickly surrounded Krojun.  The barbarian roared his defiance, but when the killers struck in unison, swarming over him like the insects they were named for, Krojun went down.    Katarina acted first.  She flung her hands out, and a billowing cloud of thick fog enveloped the assassins as they raised their blades to deliver the killing blows.  She nodded in satisfaction, knowing that their opponents were trapped, imprisoned inside the solid fog.  A moment later, however, her eyes went wide in disbelief as the Cinderlander raised his own hand, and a powerful blast of wind ripped the fog cloud to shreds.  Raelak cursed, drew back his bow and released.  The arrow of light flew in an eye-blink, burning like sunlight as it sank into the leg of the Cinderlander.  A moment later, a sonic blast like a thunder-clap flew from Kat’s palm and struck the man.  He reeled backwards for an instant, then deliberately raised his crossbow again.“You shouldn’t’ve interfered, missy,” he snarled.  “Neverfear!  Kill!”At his command, the cougar launched itself across the clearing at Kat, leaping into the air and landing heavily atop her, sinking its fangs deep into her shoulder.  At the same time, the Cinderlander fired two more of his screaming bolts at Raelak.In the confusion, the Red Mantis assassins dispersed, moving like shadows until they were among the remaining companions.  A pair of them quickly flanked O’Reginald, slashing at him with their wicked sawtooth sabers.  “Herc!”  the sorcerer called, extending a hand towards the mercenary.  In a flash of light, both of them vanished, reappearing a moment later, their positions transposed.  Herc smiled viciously at the two assassins he’d suddenly appeared  between, and then slammed his shield into the face of one of them, snapping the man’s neck.  Not a dozen paces away, Ratbone seized two more who tried to pull the same flanking maneuver on him.  He smashed their skulls together and dropped both of their limp bodies to the ground.Raelak hissed in agony as the bolts struck home, burning like fire.  Clenching his teeth, he drew and released three times in rapid succession.  The Cinderlander spun as the arrows hit, and he stumbled to one knee, yet raw fury filled his eyes as he shouldered his crossbow and fired the last bolt in his cartridge.  His aim was true, and the missile took Raelak in the notch below his neck.  The ranger gasped for air, and clutched feebly at the wooden shaft, but could not pull it free before he collapsed heavily to his side, his eyes closed, his breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps.Herc spun his blade in a dazzling display and then gutted the second assassin that faced him, then whirled and crushed the windpipe of a third that rushed towards him with his shield.  Ratbone silenced the last in his own, unique way, and then the monstrous druid stalked across the battlefield towards the Cinderlander.  The man was still on one knee, fumbling to load a new cartridge into his crossbow.“I got no quarrel with you,” he said as he looked up at the shaggy behemoth that towered above him.  “I only got a debt t’settle with the Shoanti.  Stay outta my way, and nobody else has ta get hurt.”The cartridge clicked home, and he raised the crossbow, but one swipe from Ratbone’s massive paw made sure he’d never fire it again.Michael rushed to Raelak’s side and knelt next to him.  He yanked the bolt free from the ranger’s neck, then passed his hands over the wound.  Warm light flowed from the priest into Raelak, and his breathing eased as his eyes fluttered open.  Still terribly weak, the Lyrune-Quah warrior lurched to his feet.  As he did so, he saw the body of the Cinderlander laying at Ratbone’s feet, and he breathed a sigh of relief.  Suddenly, a low growl and a flash of motion drew his attention to his right.  He turned just in time to see the firepelt cougar leaping towards him.  That was the last thing he saw before everything went black for the second time.“Listen to me, people of the Sklar-Quah!”  A clear, female voice abruptly rang out across the camp.  As it did so, the remaining gargoyles and Red Mantis ceased their attacks.  All eyes turned towards the source of the voice, a beautiful, pale-skinned woman with long, auburn hair that cascaded below her shoulders and seductively covered one eye.  She wore stylized leather armor, and bore a bared sawtooth sword in one hand.  Held in the crook of her other arm was a Red Mantis mask.“I am Cinnabar,” she said, “and you are harboring enemies of the Red Mantis.  Give us the tshamek, as they mean nothing to you, and we will cease all hostilities and leave you in peace.”A perfect silence fell over the village as the woman’s words echoed in the waning sunset.</blockquote>

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