Shova, 19th, 10,391
Alyx looked upon the village of Mountain’s End, growing alongside the lake bank. Her sister had chosen well.
She glanced back at her guards and servants, the retinue provided by her parents. She inspected their readiness and judged them prepared.
They all stood upon a sleek river ship captained by a zleenish orc called Jeffums. Alyx had inquired amongst the surviving nobility of Olisrosa and Kenneth of house Truemar told her of two captains, Elyria, and Jeffums. Captains who knew the proper waterways.
The river was flanked by thick ancient forest that created a green corridor of majestic nature. It was a different beauty compared to the rolling hills of the core of the empire where the Lamoras hailed from.
Her sister had extended their reach to this backwater and then promptly lost it. It was to be expected of one with tsunken blood. Alison was never meant to lead, it had been proscribed by the emperor. Yet she wrested control of this quaint village under Carralevine’s leadership, she would have never thought her sister capable of such things but the emperor’s death had brought out the worst in most people.
It didn’t really matter. Alison was dead and Alyx saw a chance to rectify a mistake of fate and lift herself to her rightful position.
The world had gifted her and her two remaining sisters with a quest,
You have been offered a quest: Retake the village of Mountain’s End I
Alison Lamora has fallen and her village, Mountain’s End, is now ruled by Amog. Find Mountain’s End amongst the Deathspire forest and retake the village from the bandit lord.
Rewards for Accepting: None
Rewards for Completion: Control of the lands of Mountain’s End and its riches
Voluntary Spiritual Energy
Relationship
Fame
Clout
Time Limit: None
Penalty for Failure: None
Do you Accept? Yes or No?
It had sparked a mournful discussion amongst the family. Her mother, Alaine, cried the most for her daughter.
Alyx and her sisters were shaken but sad? They hadn’t looked at Alison quite the same as they had different fathers, Alison's being an aelf of all things.
That had changed things, had placed a barrier between them all that mere sisterhood could not overcome.
Alyx was a noble.
Alison couldn’t be.
It was a wall that seemed impenetrable.
Soon after that notification they received another.
You have been offered a quest: Retake the village of Mountain’s End I
Amog has fallen and your family’s village, Mountain’s End, is now ruled by Six. Find Mountain’s End amongst the Deathspire forest and retake the village from the golem lord.
It had changed. Now instead of bandit lord Amog, Golem lord Six ruled there.
Her parents forbade her and her younger sister from even attempting the trek there.
It was ridiculous. As a level 17 Aylx was at a level of power one could consider as elite, but they still expressed trepidation at her ability to survive outside the estates. They trained her in the blade, they trained all their girls in the blade. They should know her skill!
Infuriating.
It took just over three months to convince her parents to allow her the attempt and even then they forced her to take a small segment of the house soldiers with her. And a few retainers.
The retainers she would have brought regardless but it was foolish for her to take the soldiers.
They were needed at home, back in the core, to protect their borders. The soldiers would contribute little here and would only serve to slow her down. They would only die should it come to a large scale conflict, which was something she would work to prevent.
She took them to appease her mother and father and left.
Travel out of the core was riddled with beggars and thieves, the odd group of a few bandits. Alyx handled them easily with her family’s soldiers at her side, it was good training for the eventual confrontation that the quest was leading to.
There were some detours and delays but after almost two months of travel they arrived.
Jeffums called out in a low rumbling voice. “Mountain’s End.”
The new people that were coming here crowded around trying to get a look inside the walls.
Jeffums brought them to a dock that sat just outside the eastern gate of the village palisade and let the travelers disembark.
A few small-time merchants were allowed to remain aboard and when questioned about it Jeffums told her they were, “verified members of the Gunnbjorn Trading Association.”
She was not and thus her and her entourage thanked the surprisingly competent orc and his crew before leaving the fine ship and truly observing the people of her village.
The people bustled about with purpose and drive. There were fewer humans here than she was comfortable with but other races had always been part of the Empire, this outpost should be no different.
There were strange constructs that floated about, stone pyramids the size of men with a large eye etched at their apex. They were a bit alien but only the newcomers paid them any mind.
Alyx recognized them for what they were, ley workers. She had seen these when her family visited Zleen, albeit in a different aesthetic sense as the Zleenish ley workers appeared as giant stone hands that jutted from the ground, sliding about and bringing things to and fro.
The other constructs were what amazed Alyx. Golems of earth lurched about carrying materials under the watchful gaze of villagers. The powerful creations working together with labour to build the village up further, outside the palisade.
Such creations were expensive to create and expensive to run, yet there were three in the hands of common carpenters and masons. The mana core expenditure hurt her heart to consider, these people were wealthy.
She looked to her mage and could see the gears turning in their head aswell. The robed woman looking about at the fantastical backwater with a calculating gleam.
They headed for the east gate and joined the line.
Normally, her status as a noble would entitle her to skip such lines but for information gathering reasons she wished to remain unobtrusive and forgettable.
“Name?” the greying human guard asked.
“Alyx.”
You have resisted an Analyze
She’d ranked up her Duelists Awareness perk enough for it to point her attention in the direction of the old man. She took no offense, it was part of a guard’s job to investigate the comings and goings, Analyze was a good tool for that.
She expected the guard to ask her to submit to the analyze but he just pursed his lips and nodded.
“Nice to meetcha. Why are you and yours here today?”
She pointed west. “We are just passing through. Be gone in a few days to the Kingdom of Harmony. We have business with Chieftain Krolgur.”
The guard lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “Ah, quite a ways west that is.. Stopping by is fine. There’s one inn in Mountain’s End but if you want to sleep somewhere magical I’d suggest trying to get a room in one of the trees near Blackmine. If you need anything, find Lady Root and she’ll get you set up.
Keep your weapons and wands sheathed, no killing, standard imperial laws basically.”
“Basically?” that implied they weren’t being followed properly or completely, not surprising on the frontier.
“The lord changes things here and there. Mostly about simple things though.”
“Not lady Root?”
“Nah, she gets people organized for the lord's plans. Kinda like his steward.” The guard pointed at three people in line behind their group and thumbed behind him, sending them in.
“Plans like what?”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“The newest I think is ah… what they call it. The anti littering bylaw. Cant just be tossing things on the ground anymore.” He spits. “Somehow that's OK but I can't piss or toss my broken crap where I want anymore.”
Altx felt a rush of envy. “What is the lord of this place called?”
“Lord Six we call im. E used to just be Six, never really talked about his proper title. Odd calling a man a number.”
“Yea. He sounds interesting.” Six was her target but looking at this town she wasn't sure if it was possible for her to remove him.
Guard shrugs. “Well, you seem alright and the line must flow. Thank you, my lady.”
She entered the village and began her reconnaissance, walking the town and looking for weakness. Instead she found wonder, the village was more than it seemed.
The people were happy and calm compared to the constant dread that existed in the core. The constant struggle for resources and safety. There was less competition out here and they were flourishing.
They had a small barracks and she saw soldiers wearing faded imperial fatigues training on the sands infront of the building. Deserters given a home most likely.
There was blasphemy everywhere. The worship of gods other than Kynairos. Kel, Baimoto, even Xymok had small temples going up.
Laughing children were corralled by minders who had classes underneath a gigantic awning. A school for village children was almost unheard of.
Then she entered the town square and saw it. The townhall was most enthralling. It stood near the edge of the lake, fishing boats wobbling on the waters.
A deep red log built structure with near black shingles, it almost shone glossy crimson. Someone had used a reagent in its construction and it must have been a good one to produce such a pronounced visual effect.
People loitered in the hard packed dirt square, bartering and arguing. Above them, reaching for the sky were two gorgeous trees that flanked the structure.
One of purple. One of crimson.
Her mage gasped, only to lean in a whisper. “That's a blood tree, such things are banned for their danger. This man is either stupid or powerful.”
Or perhaps ambitious? Alyx had wanted her bloodright more and more as its bounty was revealed. She wanted these trees too.
This Six was bold but risky.
Perhaps she could use his hubris and thirst for power. To create such a danger like the blood tree, to dole out the power of these golems and summons so freely. It showed a lack of noble foresight and responsibility. Something that would separate them in time.
Her party got rooms at the only inn, a place called Jebbedo’s. She was the third patron of the inn that was built on the side of one of the largest kitchens Alyx had ever seen. The other two were lesser merchants that told her of Gatbark Gunnbjorn, the local trade master, the only one worth doing business with as the Lord was too busy.
“Too busy?” Hunting or playing with the local women perhaps?
The merchants nodded. “The Lord Six has added much work to this little settlement. Such things and additions not usually seen in a mountain village. Why just the sewer is world class, not to mention the kitchen or the townhall. When it ranks up it will be interesting to see the Focus choices available to such a settlement. If these people make it that far.”
The wonders on display did indeed make them vulnerable, Alyx’s own avarice was evidence of that. All it took was one wandering monster to bring this all down.
Perhaps that was her.
Later on in the night Alyx had a chance to speak to the innkeeper himself, Jebbedo, a grizzled wiry halfling, his black hair peppered with salt.
She asked him about the short history of Mountain’s End.
He’d been a soldier of the empire and his adventures during the sundering led to his group asking Alison for acceptance and shelter into their more productive but martially weaker group.
Jebbedo had never met Carralevine and had only known Alison to be a relentless leader. They’d been waiting for the return of Lady Detair and her entourage but only Lord Six came down from the mountain. They had died and he had come to inform Alison of their passing.”
“And she believed him?”
Jebbedo chuckled. “It's easy to tell when the Lord is lying if he likes you.”
She remained dubious but allowed the halfling to continue his tale and when the halfling reached the part when Alison died, she could see genuine sadness on his face.
By now locals had filled the place up and one eavesdropper lifted her foaming mug. “To Alison!”
“To Alison!” the room chorused back, Jebbedo clapping the bar.
The people loved her and her memory.
“Yessir,” Jebbedo continued his tale, “Amog was terrible but the Lord came down from the mountain and led almost fifty of them away. We all thought he was dead, Amog and a small army of bandits behind him.
Then, he came down alone, tired but alive. He bellowed his terms at the palisade and made no negotiation but declared an ultimatum to the remaining bandits. Total surrender.”
“So he gambled with your lives?”
Jebbedo made a face and shrugged. “I’ve been sent into riskier situations. It wasn’t a gamble to him, just… what was going to happen.”
“That sounds chilling.”
“I think that’s why he works so hard to bring us to a good life.”
“Oh?”
“Guilt is a sign of a good heart.” The innkeeper said.
That was a verse of Kynairos prose, something not intended for nobles rather the common folk.
Prose for people like Alison.
She hadn’t the love of a true sister to Alison, half aelf and all, but she did love her in a lesser way. It had been hard to hear of how she passed, and how easily this Six could have prevented it.
It was the day after that she found him.
She had decided that talking was the only realistic course of action. She didn’t want to hurt her people or damage her town. She was outnumbered and her family wouldn’t be able to send any significant force this way in any meaningful amount of time.
Killing Six might allow her to gain control of the townhall but she didn’t know the capabilities of those here and she could lose it just as easily if they refused her authority and right of blood.
So she found the lord, a local kid bringing her and her party to him. He was before the townhall demonstrating a large six legged golem to a crowd of workers. It was made of stone and had two pendulous arms that hung from its front. Its body seemed to be an open vessel, deep and wide. The top of its head was shaped as seating, a place to ride it. It had a cat's face, impassive but very cute. Its sides, front, and back were painted with a band of highly visible orange and black checkers. Overall a strange thing.
The Lord was young, about her age so he had no right of experience. He wore simple armor but it was clearly enchanted. Oozing magic and slightly glowing with runic power. Reagents had shifted it here and there but what they were Alyx couldn’t tell. He was tall and well built, the beginnings of a scraggly beard coming in.
Six spoke to the small group of gathered villagers about his creation, he was training them. “This is for collection of the village’s waste. Your work consists of piloting one of these around and not fucking anyone or anything up. Now these are the operation procedures and safework practices I expect to see. My lovely lady Ravna made these,” he said, holding up strange vests layered with yellow stripes. “This is part of something called P.P.E. ok guys? Personal protective equipment and I wanna see you wearing it.”
A tiny scribe woman trailed behind him transcribing his words.
Alyx milled about and pretended to peruse the various vendors of that morning.
There was not really a bazaar or market but people had set up tents and carpets in the dirt square before the trees. Smoked meats, fresh vegetables, trinkets, and tools. One woman sold fabric made from local moss, dark green and wool-like.
Six continued his training. “Now you shouldn’t be out past 5 but if shit happens, and it does, before it gets dark you’ll wanna deploy this. Six reached into a compartment near the seating of the cat-golem thing and withdrew a wand. He activated it and an orb of light manifested above the armored man. “You can’t be driving without your Luminous Beacon on. Mmkay? Alright guys now this is how I want you to drive this thing.” The young lord hopped atop the large golem in a single bound, surprising Alyx with his mobility.
She bought a meat pie while Six drove the thing around showing his workers how to pick up the “trash cans” and empty them in the golem. He then supervised his drivers as they gained some practical experience, shouting his thoughts as they occurred.
“You said you used to drive carriages, man! What was that?”
“You gotta look behind you when you reverse! Do you wanna kill someone?”
“Nice wide turns and easy stops, good job, Bolo. We treat our tools nicely.”
It was mid day when he had judged them safe and competent enough to send his “garbage men and women,” off to continue their practice alone.
It was then she approached him, her retinue behind. But as soon as she stepped forward a figure appeared to block her way.
They were tall and covered in dark leathers, a dagger was in one hand and a glittering shortsword in the other. He wore gloves and a smooth white mask, one crack running the length of the porcelain facade. It obscured any identity from the man, any humanity. A cold voice emanated from the figure, imperious and biting. “And what business do you have with the lord?”
Her guards surged forward and the figure shot into a guarded stance.
She watched his movement and knew he was good but she was better.
She analyzed him.
Aclo Yudinzo
Tsunken Aelf
Level 15
Threat: Moderate
He was threat level Moderate while being under her at only level 15? That indicated an advantage or two in his favour. Something which disturbed her as her gear and training was top quality for a noble of houses stature and she was of a higher level.
Wait. Yudinzo?
Yudinzo was the usurper’s name and this man was a true tsunken aelf. Juthe-Wei Yudinzo was sitting in Zleen pretending to be emperor. Could this mean his family was on the frontier solidifying control already? Was their plan so complete?
She couldn’t be sure, but it made her mission all the more important.
“I mean to speak with Lord Six,” she spoke the truth.
“Why?”
“For he has something that belongs to me.”
The man in the porcelain mask scoffed and twirled his dagger lazily.
“I do, do I?” asked the young Lord, sauntering over. He only got so close before the masked man held up an arm and warded him no further. Six waved a dismissive hand but heeded the gesture.
Alyx gathered her courage as more people began to stare. This was all part of her plan, speaking in front of others was still stressful though. “Yes, for you should not be the ruler of Mountain’s End.”
The man looked confused for a moment, crossing his arms and cocking his head. “Who are you lady?”
Her herald stepped forward and proclaimed her true identity to the growing crowd. “May I introduce her lady Alyx Lamora, First of her cohort and Classed Noble of the Zleenish Empire.”
The crowd gasped at her name, the connection between her and Alison apparent immediately.
Six nodded and waved. “Hello, Alyx, I’m Six. What are yo-”
“No.” the porcelain masked man interrupted.
“No what?” Six asked.
“Elara, please introduce our lord.”
“No that not ne-”
Elara’s tiny voice sang out over her lord’s “MAY I INTRODUCE HIS LORDSHIP. SIX, MASTER ENCHANTER, SLAYER OF AMOG…” She bowed and gestured to the armored man. “CLASSED NOBLE LORD OF MOUNTAIN”S END.”
The crowd clapped, a few cheered. They were genuinely happy. She didn’t know if she could sway people so content, it was hard to manipulate their feelings to something useful.
Alyx tried to analyze the lord who stood there awkwardly but it failed. His lack of reaction seemed to indicate he didn’t have any perks related to skill detection but the failure of her skill was a threat indication in of itself.
Porcelain mask gestured for them to proceed, waving his dagger in a hurry up motion.
She went to start but Six broke in. “Lamora? What, you think Mountain’s End is yours because of some familial connection?”
“I do,” Alyx said imperiously, this man did not speak like a noble and it irritated her to be interrogated by one of his station. One so obviously common.
“What would you call that? Right of blood?”
Alyx was surprised that he actually got that and she accidentally let it show.
He smiled at her admission. “You know why I think I deserve to lead Mountain’s End?”
She shook her head. She didn’t really care as nothing was legitimate but she was curious.
“Right of conquest. I fought for this place, killed alot of people.”
This fool thought that meant anything when compared to imperial mandate? She didn’t care that he was a killer. “You had no right to conquer imperial lands, regardless if they were being held by a bandit.”
Six facepalmed and Alyx could feel his condescension. “The empire is dead and I’m getting tired of having to argue with a fucking ghost. I don’t recognize your zombie state. It's fucken dead. Dead.”
“So would you respect my claim if I conquered this place?” Alyx asked bluffing.
“You would bring devastation here?” Six asked, serious.
She deflected, pushing him in that way courted danger she felt. “These people are to be ruled by a Lamora, it was supposed to be a Lamora.”
“No. It was supposed to be Carralevine De’tair ruling here. Alison took the responsibility upon herself to lead and protect these people and it got her killed. Not you.” He was implacable.
“That is irrelevant as I'm sure the people would feel better with a true imperial leading them. Thank you for your time as regent but a Lamora has come to fix your strange choices like allowing people to worship freely.”
A woman called from the crowd. “We should vote to see who we want.
Six shouted. “Eh, shut the fuck up Kathy, by motherfucking Kynairos. Can’t you see I’m doing something here?” The man could control people well, it was actually somewhat admirable what he was doing.
She smirked. You would bring trouble by holding onto this place. Already it comes from within.
“I will never let go, I am already in the dirt of the land.” He spoke those words with fervor.
“And if it kills you?”
“So be it.”
She believed him. That left two more routes she could go.
“What about marriage? I could make your claim legitimate,” she asked. It would then be easy to kill him during his sleep or with poisons as his wife.
His eyes glazed over and he seemed to mutter a mantra. “No thank you, I have a girlfriend.”
Fuck.
So, it had come down to fighting all along. There was one last way she could undermine him, perhaps even kill him.
She shouted with theatre for all to hear. “Then I challenge you to a duel for leadership of this village. Duel me and I won’t go to war with you. I won’t bring my family’s armies to right this wrong. Duel me now and we can settle this.”
She could see Six consider. The machismo of the man’s simple brain would not be able to handle such a simple challenge, especially from such a feminine woman like Alyx.
“No.”
“No?” She didn’t understand.
“No.”
“Why?”
“There is nothing for me to gain from it.”
“Nothing? What about honor? What about pride? Face?”
“Immaterial and not important. I would not bet the village against my ego. That is duuuuumb.”
He didn’t take her bait and she hadn’t really expected him to, betting entire lands on a duel wasn’t unheard of but only with equal stakes. Still a part of her wished.
“Fine then duel me for pride, duel me to demonstrate your competence as a ruler, as a conqueror. I will show you and your people who you truly are.” She wouldn’t take this settlement today, but defeating and humiliating their leader would plant the seeds of doubt within its people. Doubt she would eventually leverage. “Duel me you coward.”
“Just to be clear, dueling with no stakes other than pride?” Six asked, curious.
“Yes.”
The lord looked to his porcelain wearing guard.
The masked man gave a non committal shrug but nodded.
Six clapped his hands together and gave her a chilling grin. “So be it. What are the rules? Let's do this.”