Evening of 83 Autumn 217
Somewhere off the main road, about 2 days journey south of Northgate
Astarael
After the capture of the Silverun Family caravan, Astarael, Vanja, Ethan, Lumotu and Roux find themselves gathered near the edge of the river, a wagon and a caravan parked nearby. Nearby are three Silverun guards, either unconscious or subdued, and out of earshot for the conversation taking place.
Astarael is angry, and it’s written all over her face.
“It’s not that I don’t understand your position. I am not so far removed from humanity that I don’t understand the value of a life. I did not want to hurt anyone tonight. In fact, despite the fact that I can create bolts of lightning, I didn’t wish to cause mental or physical trauma to these men beyond what was necessary to liberate the caravan from them. So I only used my abilities in ways intended to subdue. I don’t think an immediate axe to the chest says that we would rather leave them alive, do you?”
She glares at Vanja.
“We had a rare opportunity, and I’m afraid we won’t have one like it again. Let me better explain to you WHY it was so important to leave these men alive, well, and with an impression that those who have witchcraft are not all evil murderers, an impression you definitely reinforced tonight.”
“Fear is a tool that can be used to gain and maintain power. It’s what I wanted to do, to convince the men here that they were better off submitting to us. I wanted to make a show of force to convince them they had no chance of winning against us — and then make good on our promise to do them no harm if they did so, thereby demonstrating that we are not evil, and just wanted what they were protecting.
I don’t know what it was like for all of you growing up, but for the common folk of Moraeth, we have a healthy fear of the dark forces, and it’s a well held belief that the nobles of our land utilize it to maintain power. This same technique, fear of magic, is being utilized by the Painted Swans, by the Inquisition, every single day in Isendel. If they create a fear of it, tell the masses that those who use magic will kill them, corrupt the land, then the Swan’s job is made easier. Neighbors will turn in neighbors, friends, rather than risk being seen as corrupted and executed by the Swans themselves. Meanwhile, those in the highest power in this land seek out those with magic for a second purpose.
I was once much more naive— and I demonstrated my abilities in front of two young Painted Swan, one of whom I had become involved with the night before. I came across them beating a woman for information, and just could not walk by. So, I subdued both soldiers, and fled. But they tracked me down, and the one who knew me confirmed my identity. I then spent almost two years held in a prison in Galoring. They tortured me for what felt like months on end, until I could take no more, and confessed what I thought they wanted to hear — that I am a witch. After that, they began to experiment on me. It was clear that they wanted to determine the source of my power, which is a thing I don’t know myself. They also forced me to develop it, trained me in the use of a sword and dagger, and taught me to kill. I can only conclude they wished to use me as a tool of their own.”
Astarael has been speaking in an angry but low tone, so her voice would not carry, but now she speaks more softly.
“Ethan and I believe that his brother may have been subjected to a similar experience as mine. We also have reason to suspect that every inquisitor, and the highest officials, have powers of their own as well, making them incredibly dangerous.”
“There are not many of us, but we know that our enemy will do anything they can to eliminate those with any powers that can be used against them. So, all the more important that we begin to gather allies. Killing the innocent guards of a house that has offered support to us in the past is NOT a way to win anyone over. But these men know that those who attacked them used magic against them. It’s too late to change their minds of that. If we kill them, and eliminate any sign of magic amongst the bodies, maybe people will assume it was just some regular bandits who overwhelmed them. And there will be no witnesses to say otherwise.”
She pauses, and rubs her face with her hands in frustration.
“I am willing to listen to any other solutions you might have. I would be glad to find a reason to spare these innocent lives. But you must also accept that there may be consequences for your actions tonight that lead to an outcome you don’t like. This is the nature of any war. And I promise you, we are waging one. These men were not our enemies, but they may well need to become casualties, like their comrades we left nearby.
Regardless of what we chose to do, I hope that you will remember this night Vanja, and in the future, you will do your best to remember the plan and find other options before resorting to fighting with an axe. We all make mistakes, myself included. But you must learn from them, or continue to risk the lives of those around you.”
Vanja
Vanja glances at the wagon, where the three Silverrun guards are - still unconscious - then over at Astarael. She studies the other girl, keeping her own gaze level.
After a beat, Vanja looks away, gesturing to the woodland beyond, where she first threw her axe in the earlier battle.
“In the wood, my aim - my assignment as I understood it - was to get between the two caravans, and to prevent any men from this group from alerting the others. When I ran into the scout, in the dark, and both of us armed, it was an unexpected thing. I did what I thought to do.” She settles back, sitting on a stone at the edge of the river, her back to the water, “I think it would take a true strike from a thrown axe to kill a man - it isn’t so piercing as an arrow. But I may be wrong. I’ve fought. Practiced. But I’m no trained killer.”
“In that instant, when I threw my axe, I thought to follow the last direction we’d discussed - don’t let anyone escape.” She pauses, looking over the rest of the group, gesturing to her companions, palm up, “A cleverer person may have come up with another option in that split-second, some story or lie to tell, or some magic to cast that would have kept him from moving or from speaking, but that isn’t what happened, because it isn’t what I thought to do.” She shrugs, not dismissing the action, but done explaining it. “That isn’t a thing we can change, in any case.”
She nods to Ethan, “As to your plan - this whole idea that we can show witches as a thing not to be feared, because instead of killing we’ve only threatened and caused fear and stolen goods… well I believe your reasoning. That it makes sense to you.”
“Magic can do wonderful, good things. And I think that if our aim is to truly show witchcraft as something that shouldn’t be feared as a rule, but instead is something that - like any powerful skill- can be wielded for good or for bad, there are simpler ways to do that. We could use magic to frighten these men, to hurt…”
Vanja stops for a minute, and looks down at the snow between her boots, stained brown and gray from her footsteps. She swallows hard, and restarts her sentence.
“We could use magic to frighten these men, to hurt them or to kill them. We could also use magic now to show mercy in a different way. Bring them to the edge of the wood, once we’ve done whatever it is we’ll do with the wagon. Let them see me, disguised. Let me bring them back to consciousness. Heal their wounds. They’ll see a witch, but a different girl. Not one who…”
She swallows again, continues.
“They’ll see another witch, another Jorungun runemaker. Everyone here is already so suspicious of Jorungun magic, and all of it sourced from the River, it makes sense that it would look much the same as what they saw in battle. The same green magic from a different girl. From someone who found them injured and unconscious in the woods, and healed them.”
She looks back at the group, and clarifies her main points:
“I won’t let you kill these men. So let me disguise myself. Heal them. Show them the good magic can do. And I can send them on their way.”
Ethan
Ethan is staring into the fire, warming his hands by the tiny flame as he speaks.
“Vanja, that’s not how this works. You don’t get to decide what happens to these men. That’s what we’re all doing right now. And you won’t stop me from killing them, if that’s what we decide to do; just like I’m not going to kill them over everyone else’s objections. We’re in this together, so we make decisions together and suffer the consequences together.
“You didn’t do anything wrong when you ran into the scout. He was probably patrolling the area around the woods looking for exactly what he found. But when you saw him, I think you panicked because a single axe wasn’t going to stop that man from escaping. That’s not a criticism, it’s hard to know the right choice when you only have a moment to react. Your response didn’t work, but there’s no shame in that - I couldn’t have done any better. But you’ll know better for next time, because you’ll be thinking of how you can handle it before it happens.
“So I won’t criticize you for being seen or how you tried to handle it. You did what you did, as you said. But you need to climb down from that moral soapbox you’re standing on regarding our choices right now because I already had to put one of those men out of their misery after you turned him into broken abomination. When you twist and disfigured a man so badly that death is a mercy when the others around you managed to subdue their opponents, you don’t get to turn around and subtly lecture them on the importance and value of human life.
“You killed someone when we weren’t trying to; saving these men now isn’t going to fix that one way or the other.
“You too, Lumotu. I know you might not have intended it, but two men are dead because of your magic. You gotta be more careful with those spells. Tonight, it was armed guards. But imagine if we were trying to scare or subdue a group of civilians with that monster - that could have been tragic…”
“All that said, Vanja your idea is one worth considering. Let’s try to hear all our options and then we’ll all pick the one we think is best.”
Lumotu
“I know…” he says sullenly, tapping his staff on the ground as he listens.
“I thought Shasseth would listen to me when I said not to eat them… I’ll have to have a talk with him about that.
“But in terms of what to do now, I do have a suggestion… What if we were pursuing a giant eel through the forest and it happened to lead us into their camp? When they wake up, we could be ‘fighting’ Shasseth and they could escape with their lives.
“I might even be able to convince them that we were trying to protect the city from the eel, but I don’t think it would last long enough for them to make it back to town. Or even the next caravan.
“The men saw us using magic, they definitely thought we were witches, and that meant they were definitely going to bring us to the Inquisitor. Self defense explains why we had to kill the ones that tried to get away, but maybe we can put the emphasis on hunting monsters instead of people?”
Ethan
“One of the men left alive was the scout who first spotted Vanja sneaking through the woods - she greeted him with an axe to the chest.
“Also, even though I was wearing a mask, I’m pretty sure those men recognized me as the man who sold them a new wheel.
“Lastly, it’s going to be hard to convince them that we’re hunting monsters after we rob them of everything they were charged with transporting.”
“I think convincing them we aren’t thieves would be… very, very challenging.”
Vanja
Vanja nods to Lumotu, then glances at Ethan. He’s predicted what she was going to say herself, though she would have phrased it differently. Instead she agrees with him.
“Ethan’s right. It’s best that these three men don’t see any of us again, in any way. Whoever they encountered in the woods - witches, bandits, a giant eel, whatever they end up believing they saw - it’s best that they don’t see any of us again.”
“Shasseth might be able to help us in a different way though. We do need to…”
She hesitates.
“We need to get rid of the ones who are already dead. The one Sasseth bit, and the one I…killed.” She looks at Lumotu again, “Could your eel eat the bodies? Then that’s one less problem we have to deal with.”
“In terms of the three guardsmen still here, with us, I think my idea could work with some modification - have them brought back to consciousness by a ‘good’ witch - someone who they didn’t see in the woods, during combat.”
“I can use my cloak of disguise, even layer it with your cloak of invisibility, Ethan, if that can work. We can bring them to the road, where they’d be found by someone, maybe even be able to catch up to the other caravan. Heal them, have them see a different witch with that suspicious Jorungun magic, and then once I’m a ways away, vanish - either with Ethan’s cloak or one of you casting invisibility.”
“Heal them, then disappear,” she states.
Ethan
“That sounds lovely, but I don’t think that‘s how people work. If a pack of dogs kill three men from a tribe, from my experience, the tribesmen will hunt down and kill all the dogs around them to prevent further attacks, not hesitate and hold back wondering if this might be, “one of the good ones.”
“In other words, a single ‘random’ good witch is not going to leave these men with the impression that ‘witches can be good, too!’”
What about you? What do you think, Roux?”
Roux
Roux has been silent for some time. Still, but upright. Finally, he responds to Ethan. His words measured.
“Remember the year the locusts came to Aelorean’s Crossing? There were so many of them. They just swept in and ate… everything. You can’t blame them. Gotta eat to survive. Then, as quickly as they came, they were gone… Couldn’t have been more than a couple of days.”
Roux pauses.
“I was devastated when they left. Just a dumb kid. I didn’t understand what they’d done. So I asked my mom why they went away. You know what she said? ‘There’s nothing left for them here.’”
…
“They never did come back.”
…
“We’re not Swans. Hell, most Swans aren’t Swans. If we sweep through, doing what we gotta do to survive? When we’re done, there might not be a reason to left.”
Astarael
After she spoke, Astarael had moved to the side of the fire opposite the river. She turned, and put her back to the flames.
Her eyesight adjusted to the night, and she kept a close watch of the darkness around them, listening closely as her comrades debated the matter at hand.
After Roux speaks, she turns back towards the group.
“Ethan, you know I would prefer to keep this simple, and be done with it. If it were up to me alone, these men would just become casualties of our cause, they would disappear, and we could focus on the next task ahead- what to do with the items in the wagon.
“However, I am not alone. And our friends here think differently. Do I think that our captives are going to believe any of stories Vanja and Lumotu have suggested? No. But Roux also has a good point. We are not the Swans. We’re not here to take anything we can, with savagery. We have to be different. Better.
“We have to value life, and respect it when we can. We have to do better.
“I say we do a version of Vanja’s plan. Make sure they are all out cold. Pack ourselves up, ditch whatever we’re leaving, and move the rest of us far enough away, leaving the three guards near enough to the road. Vanja disguises herself, heals them and wakes at least one. Tells him that she saw what we did maybe, that she’s sorry, and that not all magic is evil. We make her invisible, and she leaves to meet us. The guards remain tied, so they can’t pursue us, but eventually someone will pass by, and hopefully rescue them. I fear any other option where they live will allow them to immediately track us.
“It’s not ideal, but out of the plans where they get to live, this is the best I can come up with.”
Astarael turns back towards the dark trees, keeping watch.
Lumotu
“That’s probably a safer plan than relying on Shasseth again… I don’t know what came over him…”
Ethan
“Ok… fine. If you all want to make things complicated, then we’ll take the dangerous road.
“Here’s the plan:
“Strip the hostages down to their undergarments. Check’em twice over to make sure they don’t have any hidden surprises. Vanja, you cut their tongues - nothin permanent. Just make it hard for them to talk for a little while. Then make sure they’re tied up and gagged good and tight. Then tie them to the back of the cart - they’re going for a nice long hike back to the city.
“Lumotu, you get rid of the two bodies that are left and try to obscure the campsite. Nothing fancy, just quick and dirty so anyone who stops here doesn’t immediately know something bad went down here.
“Roux, Vanja, and Astarael, suit up in their armor. Give yourselves some fake wounds to match the damage on their armor.
“We ride back in their wagon. Lumotu, you follow in the other cart. Transfer the horses from our cart to this one - they’re rested and they weren’t pulling a 2,000 lbs. worth of supplies.
“We ride straight back - no stops. We should arrive back at Northgate at night.
“When we get back to the city, Lumotu, you’ll tie up the cart and horses about half an hour outside the gates. Then sneak back in the city however you want.
“The rest of us roll through the front gates.
“Our story is we’re Silverun guards who were attacked by bandits. We’ll turn over those three as prisoners to be interrogated by the Swans.
“We then ride “back to Silverun House to swap out for new horses and more men. We’ll leave the bandit investigation to the Swans… after all they’re supposed to be protecting the city now.
“Instead of riding to the Silverun estate, we’ll store the cart where we can unload it’s good and then dispose of whatever is left.
“By the time they figure out the “bandits” are Silverun guards, we should be safe.
“Who has questions?”
Vanja
Vanja blinks a little, surprised by the complex plan Ethan seems to have come up with so quickly.
“That’s good,” she says. “At least they’ll be back in the city, and not left out to die of exposure.”
“Cutting their tongues though? Isn’t the gag enough? Or some silencing spell?”
Ethan
“We don’t want them spouting out eloquent denouncements of the fictional crimes they’re accused of as soon as their gags are removed. They’ll be exhausted and barely able to communicate - that gives us a bigger window to hide while the Swans figure out what really happened.”
Vanja
“Fine, but let’s at least leave them some of their clothes, or let them wrap in the blankets. Let them keep their boots too, if we’re forcing them to walk.”
“It will be faster,” Vanja adds, “and less likely that one will fall or injure himself and force us to stop.”
Lumotu
“Won’t they freeze out here in their underwear? We brought extra blankets for a reason!”
Ethan
“They are “bandits” who attacked us and killed some of our friends. They can get whatever is needed to ensure they don’t freeze to death and nothing more. We’re not being nice to these men - that plan died along with three of their colleagues.
Now we are creating a story that has to be as true as possible so that it will keep us safe and get us back through those gates without trouble.”
Astarael
“He’s right. We still have to get past the Painted Swans standing guard at the entrance to Northgate, and anyone else we pass along the road. Anything that could arouse suspicion will make this more dangerous for us. It has to look convincing.”
Vanja
“Barefoot in these temperatures will make them go numb, at the least,” says Vanja. “I’ve seen it happen in minutes. Treating frostbite and hypothermia in my village. In hours we’ll see toes going black when it’s this cold. And their bodies will try to stay warm by shutting down their arms and legs first. If they don’t have boots, blankets, they’ll fall, and slow us. If we want them to walk, they need that at the very least.”
Ethan
“I need them to know they’ll start to die immediately so that they don’t even consider trying to break free.
Vanja, you’re responsible for making sure they’re warm enough to keep walking, but too cold to feel like running away is an option.
If one of them does try to run, I’m going to kill them immediately. So if you want them to survive, you make sure they don’t have the energy or materials needed to attempt that.
You understand?”
Vanja
Vanja nods.
Ethan
“Ok then. If everyone understands, let’s get to work. If there are flaws in this, we have two straight days of travel to figure it out.”
Ethan looks as though he were having a debate inside his head that he didn’t particularly like the outcome for.
“…fuck it. Wait! Slight change of plans…”
“We’ll use the cover that’s been established for tonight. Close to morning we’ll divide things and take the carts in different directions.
One of you (who can always get back in the city without any issues) will come with me. We’ll take the prisoners, the Silverun cart and most of the supplies and hike it out towards the Bandit Camp. The cart will eventually get stuck, I’m sure, but that’s fine. We just need to get kind of close.
The rest of you will take the original cart back to Northgate. Bring any supplies you can carry, sneak back in the way you came through the sewers (or however you choose).
“We’ll only take as much of the supplies as we can carry by hand back through the broken grate. The lions share of these supplies will be left as an offering to the bandits. That should help cement our relationship, plus it ensures these materials won’t get back in Swan hands anytime soon. And if they’re better armed, they can make more trouble for our common enemies.
They’ll also hold the prisoners for a few days, then release them.”
“I think it makes sense if Lumotu comes with me. The rest of you can carry more supplies back after you abandon the cart near the city gate.”
**Vanja**
Vanja tilts her head, confused by the sudden change, and glances from Ethan to Lumotu.
“I’ll go with Ethan to the camp. I can wear my cloak til then, and separate off if needed. I should be there to keep a close eye on the…prisoners, and make sure they’re still healthy until we have to leave them.”
Ethan
“You can’t get back in the city as easy as the others and we’re not seeing the men back to the gates. They’re being left with the bandits to be released later.
The point is, those men will have no idea where we went - could be another camp in the woods. Could be the city. They don’t know because we didn’t escort them back into the city itself.”
“…but fine.”
“You can escort the men to the camp with me… if you have a good way to get yourself back in the city.”
“If necessary, Lumotu and be our third and then Roux and Astarael can take the other cart back.”
“Pick our what you can carry now. Everything not claimed will be turned over to the Red Bandanas.”
“Spin the prisoners around a bit after we blindfold them but before we start walking. Then again before we split apart, leave the road, and head towards the bandit camp. Make it harder for them to get their bearings.”
Vanja
Vanja laughs a little at the additional complication. “Whatever keeps them alive,” she says.
Bonus
Episode navigation
Back to: