Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 2106895" data-attributes="member: 15043">A new update!A Village in Need“Where do you travelers hail from?” the father of the deceased young man asked quietly, as the party drew near the welcoming lights and sounds of a small village preparing for the night.“We are from the north,” Nayu replied, somewhat guardedly.  No reason to tell him my ancestry, or what we carry...  As the small group passed beside the first of the village huts, Nayu looked around at the loose grouping of no more than ten or fifteen houses.  Such a small place...   “We have survived many dangers on our route south.”“Dangers such as?” the young girl asked, looking directly at Nayu.  Grief had, at least momentarily, been replaced by curiosity in her eyes.“Burning skeletons, a hellish lion, violent hill people, and an undead beast,” Felonca said matter of factly, before looking up in thought and tapping her chin.  “There was some other stuff in there too... oh yes!  A giant centipede as well!”  Nayu immediately shot his companion a death stare.  Why did you just blurt that out to them?  Why!?  The sorcerer half expected the girl, along with her parents, to laugh at what Felonca said, taking it as a jest.  Instead, all three stopped, staring wide eyed at the party.  A moment later, she suddenly darted from the group, directly towards a hut slightly larger than the others near what could be described as the village center.“You... you fought these things and were victorious?” the older man asked quietly, his mouth partly agape.“We stand before you, do we not?” Meiji rejoined, before adding, “Well, I didn’t fight the centipede, the skeletons, or the lion.  I only jumped in against the violent hill people, as well as that high ranking – ”  An elbow from Felonca silenced him before he could blurt out the fact the party had killed the son of the Prince of Shu.“Indeed, good sir.  We were fortunate, and heaven smiled upon us in each of those endeavors,” Nayu said quickly.  Dammit, Meiji!  Damn panthers all thinking alike, towards braggery!  “My companions make the combats seem more than they actually were...”Several worried calls interrupted Nayu’s explanation, as the young girl came out of the large hut, towing a man that was slightly better dressed than the villagers they had seen so far.  His loud protests at having his meditations and readings interrupted drew other eyes from the surrounding huts, and soon heads peered out, as others slipped closer to the small gaggle of people, their ears straining.“They fought many beasts, Master Prefect!” the girl announced, towing the confused young man to a spot just in front of Nayu and Felonca.  “Go ahead!  Ask them with your truthful knowledge!”“This girl says you have slain many powerful beasts,” the young Prefect growled in semi-annoyance.  “Does she speak the truth?  Be aware, I am adept at telling truth from a lie, or even a stretching of the facts,” he added with a glower.“Ah...um...” Nayu started, before Felonca cut him off.“Yes sir, it’s all true.”As she spoke, the Prefect extended his hand towards her, closing his eyes.  Nayu couldn’t see anything, but he could feel the small puff of magic coming from the Prefect’s hand and washing over his compatriot.  A second later, the young man’s eyes flashed open wide.  Very wide.“Heaven must have sent you!” he sputtered breathlessly, utterly in shock.  “That... that is the only explanation!  Our ancestors have sent you to save us!”“They have answered our prayers!  Finally, we have warriors who can stand the Wang Liang!” a man shouted, emerging from just inside his nearby hut.  “Warriors that can stop the rapine and destruction of these giants!”“I can fight!” a voice called, and to the party’s astonishment, the old father held up a stick almost menacingly in the air.  What shakiness and weakness his body showed was balanced by the fire and anger reflected in his eyes.  “I can fight alongside you!”“As can I!” More voices chimed in from the village men, some running back to their huts only to emerge with ancient bows only good for hunting rabbits, others finding walking sticks and ploughs.  Only two people emerged with what could be considered proper weapons; two longbows, and two woodcutter’s axes.What have we gotten ourselves into? Nayu thought, as the motley group assembled around them, ready as any army to take orders from their nominated commanders.  These villagers are no army!  There are only 20 here with any kind of implement... if the village of giants has sixty or seventy...“For many years,” the Prefect rushed close to Nayu and Felonca, grabbing their hands, “I have petitioned the Governor of Dai to send soldiers to drive these giants away, but he will not listen!  We do not have the strength to fight them off alone!”  His grip on their hands tightened, his eyes desperate.  “For years we have prayed dutifully to the ancestors, to Heaven and the Four Winds, that our plight would end, that our children would no longer be carried off, that our grain would no longer be stolen!”  As the Prefect continued his tale of the village’s struggle with the nearby giants, of how children would be taken from the woods and corrupted by vile magic, of how their grain every fall was taken from them, leaving them with barely enough to survive the winter, of the continual indifference of Xianfung and the Governor, Nayu found his blood beginning to boil.These people are forgotten!  They are misruled!  Their leaders care not for them!  How can they live when they are in constant fear, under constant harassment, under constant threat!  He found himself bristling as the Prefect described the sacrifice to the Wang Liang god of light which had consumed so many of the village young over the past twenty years, of how their bodies were left twisted, corrupted skeletons of ice, sucking heat from everything around.  The faces of the gathering villagers were replaced by the dead faces of Red Lotus.  The old man standing beside Nayu, shaking his stick angrily took on the look of Jiang the Butcher.  His wife, Madame Cixi.  And anger coursed through Nayu’s veins.Anger at the Governor of Dai.  Anger at the Empress Dowager.  Anger at the Imperial Councillor that had murdered his father.  Anger at the Military Governor that had burned his home.  Anger, blazing, thundering, rising to precipitous heights, as his hands unconsciously began to clench and unclench fists..  Enough is enough! his mind snapped.  No more!“Prefect!” he said, pulling his hand from the young man’s grip before clasping his hand together, and bowing.  “We would consider it our honor, and our duty, to assist your village!”  If your own leaders will not help you, perhaps we can!  As cheers arose from the gathered peasants, Nayu then turned to Felonca.  “I only ask that one, you do not risk yourselves in accompanying us, and that two, I be allowed this night to prepare!  Please, listen to my friend Felonca here, and her cousin the bard tell you of our previous adventures, to give you heart!”  He gave a huge, confident smile, even as he saw Felonca’s face look puzzled.“Nayu... what is going on?” she whispered as the villagers cheered again.For a second, the sorcerer thought about explaining his full plan to her.  Patience is the key, young Nayu... he heard Liu’s voice echo quietly in his mind.  No, telling Felonca could wait, at least a time when there’d be more time to explain.“I ask that you trust me in this.”  He looked about at the villagers, whom Meiji had already begun to gather near the prefect’s home, starting the tale of how the party had survived the gnome ambush, and sighed.  “Master Liu told me once that patience was a virtue, and that is the virtue I’m going to exercise.  I’m going to give the Wang Liang one last chance to leave in peace.”The rogue crossed her arms.  “And if they don’t?”“Then we’ll have to force them to go,” the sorcerer replied, his voice devoid of any emotion whatsoever.  The Will of Fate and Heaven will show itself to you in due time... Liu’s voice whispered quietly, and the sorcerer truly understood as he took in the villagers, cheering his statement or listening raptly as Meiji began to describe the party’s adventures.The Will of Heaven......my fate....my destiny....my choice.A few hours later, Nayu had secured from the only tradesman within the village a scroll of parchment, as well as the borrowed from the prefect the village seal.  On the parchment was written a simple demand;  Leave the village alone, or face the wrath of the sorcerer standing before them.  The message was them rolled and sealed, and Nayu tucked the parchment within his robes.When he returned from his small work, Nayu saw Felonca and Meiji jointly describing to the villagers the chaotic battle with the skeletons in the northern steppe, despite Meiji having never been there.  As Meiji took the story over and wove the yarn into another tale beautifully, Felonca quietly slipped over to Nayu.“Why did you not ask the villagers to come?”Nayu looked to make sure that the peasants were not close.  Now is a good time.“They would merely get in the way, and possibly get hurt,” the sorcerer said quietly.  “I don’t know if the Wang Liang will decide to leave under my threat... I somehow doubt they will.  Perhaps it can be the starting point to reducing the number of bodies force will leave behind, though.”“You’re probably right that the villagers would just get in the way,” Felonca nodded.  “Well, if we take out their war leaders, and their warriors, I doubt their women and children would pose problems...  We’d just tell them to move on, maybe closer to Xianfung so the Governor will have to handle them.”  There was a long pause, before she added, “Right Nayu?”The sorcerer didn’t reply, instead walking over to a small group of the village children.  As Felonca looked on, perplexed to his lack of a reply, his own eyes created a mask of mirth to cover the darker thoughts within his soul as he closed his eyes, and began to entertain them with small magic tricks, eliciting squeals and screams of delight.The Will of Heaven......their fate....their destiny....their choice.“Their village is some half day’s ride to the north and east of here,” the Prefect said quietly the next morning.  “Their frequent travails close to here have left a path through the forests to its location.”  He then leaned close, face betraying warning.  “Beware, however.  They have cut the trees for a good distance around their homes, to stop ambush.  Sneaking inside would be most difficult.”  For a second, there was silence again, before the Prefect looked up towards the mounted Nayu specifically.  “Are you sure you do not wish me to come with?  I have armor, a sword.”“No, Master Prefect,” Nayu replied, “you must stay with your village, and give them strength during the hours of unknown and doubt.”  The sorcerer then turned his steed around to face towards the north and east.  “We’ll return just after dusk.”The young man nodded, before giving a deep bow towards the party.  “The village of Uijima owes you four much.  It is my hope that Heaven and the ancestors repay you greatly for your deeds this day!”Felonca looked over towards Nayu yet again, and even three hours into their ride, she was amazed at the apparent change in her friend.  His demeanor had seemed to change, to grow more commanding, more confident, more sharp.  He rode with his back straighter, seeming older than his sparse years.Yet part of her still wondered at his actions the night before.  Why did he say nothing when I spoke of the women and children?  Perhaps he is secretly afraid that some of them might be accidentally hurt in combat.  Her mind tossed the idea around, before settling on it as the likely solution.  She never considered any other options...“So... what is our plan to get into this village again?” Meiji asked from behind her.“We ride directly into the village, to try to gain their trust,” Felonca replied verbatim what Nayu had described the last time Meiji had asked.  “Hopefully, that will start negotiations on a better tack, and perhaps no blood will have to be shed.”“Ah... I see the bluntness plan is still the only plan on the board,” the bard grumbled.  When Nayu and Felonca ignored him, he cantered up beside the two.  “I sincerely think a more discreet route would be best, considering our company has been clumsily following us for at least an hour.”“They’ll hang back,” Felonca replied.  There’s only a couple of the villagers, and I sincerely doubt they’ll follow us into the giant camp.  They’re probably curious and want to see what is going to happen.“I want to have to keep from killing,” Nayu added curtly.  Felonca could tell by the twist in his face that there was more to the thought than he said, and she thought back to the women and children.  He doesn’t want any of them to be accidentally hurt in the crossfire...As Nayu finished his sentence, Felonca’s sharp ears caught the distant snapping and cracking of something larger than twigs... entire boughs.  Both she and Meiji snapped their eyes towards the left, and soon both could make out an immense form crashing through the woods, parallel to the party.  Quickly, she pointed the shape out to Nayu, who to her alarm, called out to the creature.  It stopped, and stared.  Even from this great distance, Felonca could see the beast was humanoid, but there its comparison to humanity ceased.  Its form was close to nine or ten feet tall, squat, wide, and powerful, with an immense head as wide as its shoulders rising from a short, squat neck.  Its eyes were enormous, red pupils blazing forth.  Within its hands it clutched an immense lantang, the huge blades projecting from each end of the massive staff glinting in the noonday sunlight.“We mean you no harm!” Nayu added, “We merely wish to speak to your leader!  Your shaman!”“Nayu, what are you doing?” she hissed at him.  We are no where near the village!  What if that’s a decoy for an ambush?  What if?“Trust me, Felonca,” the sorcerer replied, as the immense giant thundered through the woods towards the party, confusion playing within its huge eyes.  Finally, it stopped twenty feet from the party, its lantang half ready, half down.“Who...you?” its deep, thunderous bass rumbled in confusion, struggling to form words in Common.  “Why... speak... shaman?”“We want to speak to your shaman,” Nayu replied, oozing confidence that Felonca could only envy.  Little did she know it took every ounce of his willpower to do so.  “We bear a message from the human village nearby.”“Little...people... message?” the warrior asked uncertainly, to which the party nodded emphatically.  This further confused the warrior.“Here is the message,” Nayu offered the parchment to the warrior as proof.  “We must deliver it in person to your shaman.  It bears greetings, and an offer from the village of ‘little people’ your shaman would wish to see.”The warrior took the note, flipped it about for a second in confusion, clearly deciding between attacking the trespassers here and now, or whether the shaman would truly want to see the note.  Finally, his eyes lit up, as his dim brain rattled out an idea.“I... take...you... shaman,” the warrior grunted and rumbled.  “He...know.  He...like...you... all...good.  He...no...like...you...dead...in...sacrifice...Life.”Peaceably the party followed the warrior as he led them towards the village.  Around an hour later the party emerged from the woods into a very large clearing, nearly a quarter mile wide.  In its middle sat eleven massive huts, easily twice as tall and wide as the huts of the human village the party had left behind.  In the center of the village sat an immense wood and straw structure, thrice as long and twice as tall as the other structures.  From a hole in its roof came bluish smoke, and the alien smell of beings in close proximity assaulted their noses.  As they rode into the midst of the village, all manners of Wang Liang, males, females, and children as tall as Nayu, all curiously gathered at this group of humans and hengeyokai that freely, almost confidently, entered their village.  Just from the looks given by the village warriors, Felonca could tell that if they had their way, some twelve lantangs would have already skewered her.After the party dismounted, the Wang Liang goaded them forward into the large, central building.  After a few moments of adjusting to its darkness, the party was able to make out four warriors, armed like their escort, arrayed along the walls.  On the opposite side from the party sat three huge Wang Liang males.  The figures on each side had braids in their long manes of hair, rough and crude tattoos covering their bodies.  The central figure had a similarly braided mane, save his greyish hair held numerous ringlets of silver, and from his belt hung many disturbingly human sized skulls.  To the rear of them rose a white statute of a female of the species, her arms crossed... a statue the party surmised to be the “Goddess of Life.”The party’s escort walked forward, and in a series of gutteral, growling noises, motioned between the party and the central figure, before producing the comparatively tiny note.  The shaman gave a growl, and the warrior gingerly, if clumsily, opened the note and set it within the shaman’s grasp.“Nayu...” Felonca whispered, trying her best to not quake at being surrounded by so many beings that were almost double her height and likely four times her weight, “...so... if he reads the note, and doesn’t like it, we fight out of this how?”The sorcerer turned to her, and for the first time, she read his eyes.  They were empty, devoid of fear, of hate, of any emotion whatsoever.  A blank slate, a depth of nothingness that she found almost frightening.“BUWAHAHAHAHAHA!” the shaman’s roar of laughter interrupted her questions, as Nayu’s fearful gave turned back towards the towering three beings to the party’s front.“Little people give me threat! HA!” the shaman tossed the note rudely towards Nayu, then motioned towards his belt of human skulls.  “I no scared little people!  We no scared little people! Foolish!  Now, I send foolish little people to doom!”To Felonca’s utter surprise, Nayu calmly stepped forward, clearing his throat as if some ruffian peasant had just made a rude remark, not that the leader of a clan of giants had just decreed the party was to be sacrificed to their ‘Goddess of Life.’“Perhaps... you misunderstood the request?” Nayu asked, his voice revealing no hint of mockery, pleading, or any emotion.  The shaman’s laughter stopped, and Felonca saw the confusion in the leader’s eyes... confusion that a human, after being condemned, walked forward so calmly, so coolly, as if the threat was a mere fly to be brushed away.“What you say?” the shaman snapped, understanding the calm in the sorcerer’s voice as a direct challenge.Nayu gave a small, fierce smile at the shaman’s statement, and stepped further forward.  The other shamans, and even the warriors present, all leaned forward, as if getting closer to the small, obstinate being might help them understand why he was challenging their leader, their shaman.What is he DOING? Felonca panicked, as she, along with the rest of the party, craned forward as well.“I said perhaps you misunderstood the request from the human village,” Nayu replied, his voice still calm and collected.“I see empty threat.  What you say message?” the shaman crossed his immense arms, as Felonca realized the battle Nayu was already waging... a battle on the shaman’s credibility.“I do not understand why one as yourself cannot understand my simple message,” Nayu replied, his voice suddenly turning acidic delivering the barb.  “Why cannot the leader of a tribe, obviously the most intelligent member of the tribe, understand a simple message?  Or is someone else the true leader here?” Nayu said questioningly.  The tactic worked, as the shaman rose out of his sitting position, fury in his eyes.“I TRUE LEADER!” the shaman roared.“Then you must understand my message,” Nayu replied.  To Felonca, his voice once again had assumed that unnatural, unnerving calm.  “It is rather simple,” he continued, “either you leave the human village alone now and forever, or you will face the consequences.”“What threat can small people make!” the shaman’s fury found itself channeled into false laughter, even as the eyes of the other warriors bored into their leader.  The Wang Liang’s eyes still burned with hate towards the upstart human.  “They make no threat that hurt us!”“If you do not leave the human village alone,” Nayu replied, in the same damningly calm tone, “I will be forced to destroy this entire village.  Everyone... man... woman... and child.”  Even as Felonca looked at Nayu in amazement at his statement, she saw the same blankness, the same depth of emptiness in his eyes that she noticed earlier.  And she shuddered... ...there was no doubt that he meant every word he uttered in that frighteningly calm, deadly voice.</blockquote>

Verification