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Rel's Faded Glory Campaign (Thank You Old One!)
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<blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 872" data-attributes="member: 99"><p><strong>Arrival in the Lands of the Coritani</strong></p><p></p><p>The party spent the night camping on the bank of the river having a fire and a hot meal for the first time in what seemed like forever. It was also a time for them to pat each other on the back a bit for handling themselves well under pressure. For the first time, Ilrath began to feel like part of the group instead of an outsider whom they were all very suspicious of.</p><p></p><p>During this time, Ilrath explained a bit about the inter-tribal politics they will encounter upon arriving in Rilaga, the village where Hrongar is holding his counsel of war. Part of this explanation involves the leadership and different "totem spirits" worshipped by each tribe.</p><p></p><p>The Brigantes have the bear as their totem. They have always some of the most powerful heroes and carry a great deal of respect. Their current leader, Urdrax, has seen some of his most mighty warriors fall before the might of the orcish horde. He is in agreement with Hrongar that the tribes should fight together and seek aid from the "Imperials". It is also noted that Urdrax has an affinity for dwarves. All the tales he has heard indicate that they are the mightiest of warriors and he knows that some of them dwell in Glynden. He is anxious to involve them in the fighting if at all possible.</p><p></p><p>The Nervii have the wolf as their totem. They live on the northern edge of the barbarian lands and have suffered most harshly from the horde. Their leader, Canjarl, has stayed behind with his warriors instead of coming to the counsel of war. His underchief, Wamic, is representing the tribe at the council being held. He was supportive of seeking aid from Glynden.</p><p></p><p>The Suevi have the mountain lion as their totem. Their chief, Relmar, is young and brash. He saw no need to involve the outlanders at all. He believes that the horde will fall apart on it's own if the tribes can just hold them off until spring. Ilrath has dim hopes that Relmar will be persuaded to make a pact not to raid across the Fodor anymore.</p><p></p><p>The Allmani have the hawk as their totem. Because they are the most nomadic of the tribes and the large lands they roam are nearest to the Blackpeak Mountains, they are well informed of the movements and size of the horde. They are represented at the council by Seshmarl, son of the chief. He has been trying to quickly organize the tribes and to involve the outlanders. Seshmarl and Relmar have nearly come to blows several times over the issue.</p><p></p><p>The Coritani have no totem. Their tattoos bear the sign for freedom (This is because their tribe was formed from a collection of random slaves, who escaped from the Empire during the civil war that started it on its downward slide. They worship their ancestors but respect the totem worship of the other tribes from which their ancestors descended). For the last generation, they have been the dominant tribe in the Western Wilds. They have more warriors than any of the other tribes (Ilrath fails to remind the party that this is principally due to spoils they have gained by raiding the various Imperial towns in the Northern Provinces since the withdrawal of the Legions).</p><p></p><p>The current situation has put the Coritani in an even stronger position of power as the other tribes attempt to sway them to help protect their lands. But Hrongar knows from his experience of raiding across the Fodor that fighting a defensive battle is far different from the raiding that the tribes are used to. He has only encountered one enemy that stood against him time after time: Glynden.</p><p></p><p>The next morning they begin to move inland and slightly northwards toward Rilaga. As they travel, they pass through a Coritani fishing village near the river. The village consists of just a few straw and mud huts. There are no men of fighting age in the village. A group of women and old men are patching the roof of one of the huts.</p><p></p><p>Ilrath goes over and speaks with this group of people and find out about current events. The rest of the party stands there observing how pathetic the village seems and, for the first time, note the fact that none of them actually speak the language of the barbarian tribes (Fodoran). It begins to dawn on them that this rather hampers their ability to open a dialogue with the tribes and will certainly make it tough to determine if a barbarian backstab is going on. They wallow uncomfortably in their idiocy while Ilrath speaks to the villagers.</p><p></p><p>He returns to the group and they resume their march toward Rilaga. As they go, he relates that all the warriors have been called to service to help hold off the orcs. The villagers have heard tales of the orcs attacking the Nervii in the north and that the Coritani and Brigantes have banded together. They have no information about the involvement of the other tribes.</p><p></p><p>They walk through the afternoon and are assured by Ilrath that if they press on just a bit after darkness they will reach Rilaga. Having become quite used to travelling at night, they do so.</p><p></p><p>They hear the camp long before they see it. There are sounds of drums and voices raised in songs of battle (not that the characters know they are songs of battle since they don't speak the language - dumbasses). The first arrive at a large tent-city at the edge of the village. It appears that the bulk of the Coritani warriors are gathered in Rilaga and that there are representatives from the other tribes as well.</p><p></p><p>They make their way toward the ale hall in the center of the village where Hrongar is no doubt holding council with the other chieftains. On their way they draw many stares from the various barbarian warriors gathered around the many cookfires scattered throughout the village. As they near the ale hall, which is the most impressive bit of Coritani architecture they've yet seen, Arc bounds away from Speaks side and runs toward the lanky form of one of the barbarians. This particular warrior has long dark hair worn in a braid and sports many tattoos and lots of silver jewelry in the form of bracelets, anklets and a large torc.</p><p></p><p>Arc crouched low and began to growl at this man while Speaks ran over to protect Arc or the warrior, whoever seemed to need it most. The warrior growled at Arc in return and the two of them circle each other, Arc with his hackles raised and the barbarian with the muscles in his shoulders bunching. They seem locked in some sort of primal stare and just as Speaks is about to break things up, Arc emits a short whimper and lurks back to his side.</p><p></p><p>The warrior turns to Speaks and asks in heavily accented Imperial if the wolf is his companion. Speaks replied that he was and demanded to know what that was all about. The barbarian told him that they were just sorting out whose territory they were in. Speaks gave him a curious stare at this comment but turned around and followed the others into the ale hall.</p><p></p><p>Inside the lodge it was smoky and dim with the light coming from several braziers set along the walls. Ilrath escorted the party to the back of the single room building where the head table was raised on a wooden platform above the rest of the room. At the table sat a collection of barbarians, young and old whom the party assumed must be the various tribal chieftains.</p><p></p><p>The first to greet them was the aging but still hearty Hrongar. He rose to his feet and clasped forearms with Ilrath, giving him a clap of greeting on the shoulder that could have knocked a lesser man off his feet. They spoke briefly in Fodoran before Hrongar greeted the rest of the party in heavily accented Imperial and invited them to sit at his table.</p><p></p><p>He introduced the others at the table who included all of the other tribal representatives except for Relmar. It also turned out that the barbarian who Arc had the confrontation with outside was none other than Wamic, representative of the Nervii who was just sitting down at the table.</p><p></p><p>Hrongar immediately began to ask the party about how his offer was received in Glynden and what sort of an army they were planning on bringing with them. The group hemed and hawed for a few moments before admitting that Glynden would be sending approximately 50 men to aid them and that it would be another two weeks before they arrived. In view of the couple of hundred barbarian warriors gathered at Rilaga, that seemed a pitifully small number. But Hrongar, ever the savvy leader, reminded the other chieftains that the important fact was that the folk of Glynden knew much about building defensive fortifications than the barbarians did.</p><p></p><p>He turned back to the party to ask if any of them were specifically trained in the creation of such defenses.</p><p></p><p>*party glances back and forth at each other for an uncomfortably long time*</p><p></p><p>"Um, actually, not so much."</p><p></p><p>Hrongar came close to losing his temper but restrained himself and asked what precisely was the purpose of the party's journey to his lands.</p><p></p><p>They replied that they were there to negotiate the treaty with the various tribal chieftains and to determine in what ways the folk of Glynden could aid the tribes in their struggle against the orcs. Hrongar was clearly disappointed but decided that the hour was growing late and many of the heads present were clouded by ale. The decision was made to gather back in the ale hall in the morning to talk about the war effort.</p><p></p><p><strong>NEXT: Diplomats or Just Dips?</strong> </p><p></p><p>(As I was reposting this section, I re-read parts of it. Ugh, I'm hopping from tense to tense like I'm changing partners at a square dance! Sorry for that. I think that in the next few posts I migrate permenantly to past tense where I intend to reside for the remainder of my Story Hour career.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rel, post: 872, member: 99"] [B]Arrival in the Lands of the Coritani[/B] The party spent the night camping on the bank of the river having a fire and a hot meal for the first time in what seemed like forever. It was also a time for them to pat each other on the back a bit for handling themselves well under pressure. For the first time, Ilrath began to feel like part of the group instead of an outsider whom they were all very suspicious of. During this time, Ilrath explained a bit about the inter-tribal politics they will encounter upon arriving in Rilaga, the village where Hrongar is holding his counsel of war. Part of this explanation involves the leadership and different "totem spirits" worshipped by each tribe. The Brigantes have the bear as their totem. They have always some of the most powerful heroes and carry a great deal of respect. Their current leader, Urdrax, has seen some of his most mighty warriors fall before the might of the orcish horde. He is in agreement with Hrongar that the tribes should fight together and seek aid from the "Imperials". It is also noted that Urdrax has an affinity for dwarves. All the tales he has heard indicate that they are the mightiest of warriors and he knows that some of them dwell in Glynden. He is anxious to involve them in the fighting if at all possible. The Nervii have the wolf as their totem. They live on the northern edge of the barbarian lands and have suffered most harshly from the horde. Their leader, Canjarl, has stayed behind with his warriors instead of coming to the counsel of war. His underchief, Wamic, is representing the tribe at the council being held. He was supportive of seeking aid from Glynden. The Suevi have the mountain lion as their totem. Their chief, Relmar, is young and brash. He saw no need to involve the outlanders at all. He believes that the horde will fall apart on it's own if the tribes can just hold them off until spring. Ilrath has dim hopes that Relmar will be persuaded to make a pact not to raid across the Fodor anymore. The Allmani have the hawk as their totem. Because they are the most nomadic of the tribes and the large lands they roam are nearest to the Blackpeak Mountains, they are well informed of the movements and size of the horde. They are represented at the council by Seshmarl, son of the chief. He has been trying to quickly organize the tribes and to involve the outlanders. Seshmarl and Relmar have nearly come to blows several times over the issue. The Coritani have no totem. Their tattoos bear the sign for freedom (This is because their tribe was formed from a collection of random slaves, who escaped from the Empire during the civil war that started it on its downward slide. They worship their ancestors but respect the totem worship of the other tribes from which their ancestors descended). For the last generation, they have been the dominant tribe in the Western Wilds. They have more warriors than any of the other tribes (Ilrath fails to remind the party that this is principally due to spoils they have gained by raiding the various Imperial towns in the Northern Provinces since the withdrawal of the Legions). The current situation has put the Coritani in an even stronger position of power as the other tribes attempt to sway them to help protect their lands. But Hrongar knows from his experience of raiding across the Fodor that fighting a defensive battle is far different from the raiding that the tribes are used to. He has only encountered one enemy that stood against him time after time: Glynden. The next morning they begin to move inland and slightly northwards toward Rilaga. As they travel, they pass through a Coritani fishing village near the river. The village consists of just a few straw and mud huts. There are no men of fighting age in the village. A group of women and old men are patching the roof of one of the huts. Ilrath goes over and speaks with this group of people and find out about current events. The rest of the party stands there observing how pathetic the village seems and, for the first time, note the fact that none of them actually speak the language of the barbarian tribes (Fodoran). It begins to dawn on them that this rather hampers their ability to open a dialogue with the tribes and will certainly make it tough to determine if a barbarian backstab is going on. They wallow uncomfortably in their idiocy while Ilrath speaks to the villagers. He returns to the group and they resume their march toward Rilaga. As they go, he relates that all the warriors have been called to service to help hold off the orcs. The villagers have heard tales of the orcs attacking the Nervii in the north and that the Coritani and Brigantes have banded together. They have no information about the involvement of the other tribes. They walk through the afternoon and are assured by Ilrath that if they press on just a bit after darkness they will reach Rilaga. Having become quite used to travelling at night, they do so. They hear the camp long before they see it. There are sounds of drums and voices raised in songs of battle (not that the characters know they are songs of battle since they don't speak the language - dumbasses). The first arrive at a large tent-city at the edge of the village. It appears that the bulk of the Coritani warriors are gathered in Rilaga and that there are representatives from the other tribes as well. They make their way toward the ale hall in the center of the village where Hrongar is no doubt holding council with the other chieftains. On their way they draw many stares from the various barbarian warriors gathered around the many cookfires scattered throughout the village. As they near the ale hall, which is the most impressive bit of Coritani architecture they've yet seen, Arc bounds away from Speaks side and runs toward the lanky form of one of the barbarians. This particular warrior has long dark hair worn in a braid and sports many tattoos and lots of silver jewelry in the form of bracelets, anklets and a large torc. Arc crouched low and began to growl at this man while Speaks ran over to protect Arc or the warrior, whoever seemed to need it most. The warrior growled at Arc in return and the two of them circle each other, Arc with his hackles raised and the barbarian with the muscles in his shoulders bunching. They seem locked in some sort of primal stare and just as Speaks is about to break things up, Arc emits a short whimper and lurks back to his side. The warrior turns to Speaks and asks in heavily accented Imperial if the wolf is his companion. Speaks replied that he was and demanded to know what that was all about. The barbarian told him that they were just sorting out whose territory they were in. Speaks gave him a curious stare at this comment but turned around and followed the others into the ale hall. Inside the lodge it was smoky and dim with the light coming from several braziers set along the walls. Ilrath escorted the party to the back of the single room building where the head table was raised on a wooden platform above the rest of the room. At the table sat a collection of barbarians, young and old whom the party assumed must be the various tribal chieftains. The first to greet them was the aging but still hearty Hrongar. He rose to his feet and clasped forearms with Ilrath, giving him a clap of greeting on the shoulder that could have knocked a lesser man off his feet. They spoke briefly in Fodoran before Hrongar greeted the rest of the party in heavily accented Imperial and invited them to sit at his table. He introduced the others at the table who included all of the other tribal representatives except for Relmar. It also turned out that the barbarian who Arc had the confrontation with outside was none other than Wamic, representative of the Nervii who was just sitting down at the table. Hrongar immediately began to ask the party about how his offer was received in Glynden and what sort of an army they were planning on bringing with them. The group hemed and hawed for a few moments before admitting that Glynden would be sending approximately 50 men to aid them and that it would be another two weeks before they arrived. In view of the couple of hundred barbarian warriors gathered at Rilaga, that seemed a pitifully small number. But Hrongar, ever the savvy leader, reminded the other chieftains that the important fact was that the folk of Glynden knew much about building defensive fortifications than the barbarians did. He turned back to the party to ask if any of them were specifically trained in the creation of such defenses. *party glances back and forth at each other for an uncomfortably long time* "Um, actually, not so much." Hrongar came close to losing his temper but restrained himself and asked what precisely was the purpose of the party's journey to his lands. They replied that they were there to negotiate the treaty with the various tribal chieftains and to determine in what ways the folk of Glynden could aid the tribes in their struggle against the orcs. Hrongar was clearly disappointed but decided that the hour was growing late and many of the heads present were clouded by ale. The decision was made to gather back in the ale hall in the morning to talk about the war effort. [B]NEXT: Diplomats or Just Dips?[/B] (As I was reposting this section, I re-read parts of it. Ugh, I'm hopping from tense to tense like I'm changing partners at a square dance! Sorry for that. I think that in the next few posts I migrate permenantly to past tense where I intend to reside for the remainder of my Story Hour career.) [/QUOTE]
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