After viewing the comet as it travelled in the cosmos and witnessing its majesty I spent the rest of my time before Ian’s return training my night vision by viewing the rest of the night sky. Upon his return, I asked corporal Ian Young if he felt up to scouting at night and for the most part, he had no reservations though he was of the belief that the others definitely needed practice doing so.
With that in mind and after receiving permission to do so from Captain Walker I ordered that everyone myself included be woken up four hours earlier than usual that morning so we could start the day while it was still dark and practice scouting at night. As you no doubt imagined it didn’t go down well with the men and that first morning we didn’t get as much done as I would have liked. However, by the third morning they had settled down and for the most part, stopped grumbling. It helped of course that they still got the same amount of sleep going to bed four hours earlier while it was still daylight.
By the seventh day which was the earliest time we were expecting the first group of Under-dwellers to show up they had got a good bit of practice scouting at night and had gotten to know the area reasonably well in the daylight as well. Also during that period of time, we managed to catch one of the locals poaching one night. Instead of turning him over to the reeve to face our employer's justice, we had him help us get to know the local area even better including one former and one current smuggler's route in and out of the lordship. Whether or not this would in the end help us carry out the contract remained to be seen.
When the first night we were expecting the under-dwellers to show up came and went without any sign of them we were not at all worried as it was only the earliest night they were expected. Still captain Walker ordered me to split my squad of scouts into two equal half squads so that we would be on the lookout for them twenty-four-seven or as close to it as we could manage. Young would command the first six-man half squad which would cover the second half of the daylight hours and the first half of the nighttime hours. I would command the other half Squad that covered the second half of the night and the first half of the daylight hours. This again caused grumbling amongst the men but it was just them letting off steam, well it was the case for my half anyway.
Class skill: Light Armour (Apprentice) => Light Armour (Journeyman)
+15% Armour bonus when equipped with light armour
+5% Stamina regeneration when equipped with light armour
It wasn’t until two days into this new patrol schedule that the first of the Under-dwellers were spotted by Private Henry Downes who was part of my second-half squad of scouts. They were expected, word of their passing along the pilgrimage route having already reached us from the neighbouring lordship long before first contact was made barely an hour before sunrise. In case you have never met an under-dweller before I feel it is my duty to describe one to you. They are I am told the least human-like of the eight tribal races though some feel that honour belongs to the Water Bourn tribes but I digress.
They are humanoids but this is where the comparison with humans begins to fray, for one thing, they are much taller than us and have only three fingers and a thumb. Their eyes are also much different than ours with vertical pupils, large thick leathery primary eyelids and even a third transparent one. Then there are their ears which are more like those of a bat, extending vertically well beyond their heads which are totally hairless and about half again as big as ours and their nose have only one multi-chambered nostril. It is also said that unlike ours when their teeth of which they have four more than ours fall out after childhood they can grow new ones. Their last feature of note is their legs which unlike the rest of their bodies are covered in fur and they have cloven hooves for legs.
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Anyway, Henry first spotted a lone quite elderly-looking male to his eyes at least an under-dweller who must have been sent ahead of the rest as a kind of sacrificial early warning system in case of trouble. Upon sighting him Henry immediately informed me and I attempt to make contact with him and thankfully he spoke Imperial. While he was a bit rusty we were able to communicate clearly with each other without much problem. Once the introductions were made he informed me of the size of the party following behind him and somehow signalled to them that all was well and they should proceed. It wasn’t as large a party as I was expecting, numbering only fifty individuals with a small cart pulled by a single draught animal somewhat akin to a large goat but I suppose they were being cautious and larger parties would follow in the coming days. He introduced himself to me as Senior Star Gazer Bix Byrsenian and from what I could tell he was the senior member of this advance party.
I sent a messenger ahead to inform captain Walker of their arrival while I and two other scouts escorted them to their temporary underground accommodation situated between the two fortlets. I left behind the remaining two members of my scouting party to continue scouting the area just encase somebody showed up to start trouble. Long before we arrived at our destination we were met by Captain Walker, sir Reginald Moore and a younger man whom I took to be his son Grayson whom I had not previously met.
“Good work Sergeant Ryder isn’t it, is this all of them?”, asked sir Reginald in belTarian the language commonly spoken in the western parts of the former empire.
“It is sir and I believe it is their advance party sir and the proceeding ones will be much larger. Though I didn’t think it proper to ask too many questions beyond a name and their intentions. Would you like me to introduce you to their leader or do you wish to do so yourself?”
“From what records remain from previous pilgrimages they speak imperial, is that still the case?”
“Though I can’t speak for the rest of them their leader certainly does and I should warn you that it is also possible that he or other members of his party might speak belTarian as well”
“Of course any idea what his equivalent position would be with us?”
“If you want I could just go ahead and ask him but from my limited understanding of the under-dwellers and the tribals in general with their more parochial society it’s hard to tell but he is at least at the level of the leader of one of the larger villages if not much higher. Though it is also possible that he is more of a high-ranking scholar or a religious leader even. ”
“No need to put yourself out on my behalf, just go ahead and introduce us.”
“Senior Star Gazer Bix Byrsenian I bid you welcome to Long Bank manor and may I make known to you sir Reginald Moore lord of this manor, his son and heir Grayson Moore and captain Travis Walker of the Ebony Hyenas Mercenary Company.”
“Thank you, sergeant, for your kind welcome and I bid those aforementioned welcome also but the night draws to a close and the sun will soon rise so before you escort us to your underground accommodation there is but time for one question. If you have any other pray visit me an hour or so before sunset when I will make myself available to answer them to the best of my ability. Though I will tell you that while neither I nor any other of this party speak the language you did so earlier the same cannot be said of all the other pilgrims.”
“Sir Reginald is there anything you would like to ask of him, if not I have one of my own.”, asked Captain Walker.
“I believe mine is likely the same as yours so go ahead, Captain.”
“Senior Star Gazer are you anticipating any problems this pilgrimage?”
“Straight to the point I like that and speaking only for my side of the equation, we are not though it is always possible that the Young do not feel as we do and for some misguided reasoning they will act out accordingly. However no rumblings of such actions have been uttered in our hearing since I was of such an age, many moons ago and even then we would not have dared act on them.”
“Thank you for your honesty and while I am sure you were a terror in your youth I pray you are right. Sergeant, please escort Senior Star Gazer Bix Byrsenian and his party to the entrance of the underground cavern and afterwards please come and speak with me and his lordship before you return to your scouting.”
“Senior Star Gazer I and the good captain will take you up on your offer of a visit with you before sunset, until then may your day be as peaceful as the night.”