Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 1759354" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realmd #283a] A Quiet Conversation[/PLAIN]Earlier that evening, before the first watch..."I would speak with you, greenskin," Grisham muttered quietly when he walked passed. He made no eye contact with Feln, but instead cast his eyes covertly over his shoulder to where the others were setting up camp. Loudly, he added, "Come, let us gather fire wood!"Reluctantly, Feln followed the man into the woods where they mechanically went about the business of picking up fallen branches. Most of the wood was wet, however and would burn poorly, if it burned at all."At my birth I was sworn to the wolf totem," Grisham said as they worked. "I have followed the lessons of the wolf throughout my life and he has taught me many things.""Hmmm," Feln intoned by way of answer, unsure what the barbarian was going on about."One of the wolf's lessons is that the pack can only be strong with a strong alpha to lead it," Grisham went on. He stood and looked intensely at Feln, adding, "Our current pack suffers with the weakness of its alpha.""What are you talking about?" Feln asked."The wood baby. Ledare," Grisham said. "She is an ineffective leader. We need a pack leader who gets into the thick of the fight and leads by example, not someone who hides at the back until the fighting is over." The barbarian spat on the ground for emphasis."It is not for me to choose and it is certainly not for me to lead, Grisham," Feln told the man, calmly. "My allegiance is not to Ledare anyway... It is to this group.""Then you should be wary of following her commands," Grisham said. "I, too, think of the group when I say that she is unfit to command. Someone who is unafraid to bare their blade needs to challenge her for control." Feln shook his head."It will not be me," Feln said. "But I will listen to whomever makes suggestions.""The wood baby doesn't do even that," Grisham replied sullenly."I do feel that Ledare is the best to represent us to strangers however," Feln added. "She has skill with words and the authority of her office. And besides, in battle we do not wait for a leader; we act." The barbarian considered this and nodded his head ruefully."That sort of unplanned approach will serve us only so long," Grisham muttered and started back toward camp with his armload of damp wood.Karak and Grisham took the third shift on watch, and the night was wearing on into its blackest hours. The two warriors sat on a log some distance from the camp fire that warmed the others. The night was eerily quiet apart from the hiss and pop of the fire and the sounds of their sleeping companions. Grisham cast a look over at them arrayed on the far side of the fire in a rough semi-circle before he spoke to Karak."I have been talking to some of the others," Grisham began in hushed tones. "About something that has been troubling me.""Aye?" the dwarf replied. "What is it be weighin' on ye?""The wood baby. Ledare," the man replied. "I worry that she is ill-suited to lead us.""Do nae worry on tha'," Karak replied. "She be a fine choice ta lead.""I disagree. And I think some of the others share my feelings," Grisham countered. "She has yet to draw her sword. Not against those things that attacked me and the greenskin up above. Nor against this wind demon, neither. It damned near killed us all and she cowered out of reach the whole time.""Now jus' hold on," Karak grumbled. "A warrior of the front she may nae be. Dealing death with axe and sword like you and I, she may nae do. But I tell you this, tracker: a leader with an eye for the truth and justice she be. A leader with a cool head under battle I have seen her be. A leader with the mind and quick wit to see the whole puzzle rather than just the pieces afore her, she be.""Every pack needs a strong alpha who leads by example," Grisham countered. "Not one who weilds words more keenly than her blade." The dwarf sighed in response and tugged thoughfully at his beard for a few moments before answering further."In my clan, my clan leader and king surely do lead from the front with axe and shield," Karak explained. "But she be not a dwarf and I nae hold her to the same standards. I know she cares for those under her charge. I have seen her grieve for the loss of her comrades.""I fear that she will have more fallen comrades to grieve if we blindly follow the commands of one such as she," Grisham spat into the darkness. "She's no leader.""Yeah, she be a leader, and just a fine one, too," the dwarf argued. "She can leave the fighting to me in the fore. That be fine with me, because I know she always be looking out for my back. You, Grisham, I do nae know you. You seem able with axe and sword, but you're a touchy fellow. One minute bellowing about like a boar the next docile as a new born babe.""I am a man of passions," Grisham explained, clearly off-balanced by this turn of the oncersation. "Amongst the Forest People my ways are common.""Fair enough. But ye nae be amongst the Forest People now, eh. Ye be here. And you are here because we let you be here," Karak said plainly, assembling his argument with the orderly, unhurried nature of a dwarven engineer. "You are able to track the one we need to follow right now, so your skills are useful.""That is the extent of our association, then?" the barbarian grumbled. "I am a mercenary, not a brother-in-arms?""Do nae mistake my meaning, ranger, every good axe arm is needed now," the dwarf explained. "But your concern for the leadership of a group that does not belong to you is misplaced concern in my mind. I say you figure on keeping up with the trackin' and fightin' and we will get along fine. As for looking for my help to misplace Ledare as our leader, you will nae find it with me. In fact wild one, you would have to go through me first.""Is that a threat, hairface?" the barbarian asked and Karak could sense the man's body readying to leap into action should Karak make any aggessive moves."Nae, lad," the dwarf chuckled softly. "But there ye go again, misplacin' my meaning. I just want you ta know where I stand. Yeah?"Grisham nodded and his body relaxed."Yeah," Karak nodded slapping the man on the back. "Now let's ye an' me get ta watchin'. I would nae want one o' them big spiders to come a walkin' in here an' catch us yappin' like a pair o' halflings!"</blockquote>

Verification