Ch. 9
Return of the Spearmarshal
Though the path had been largely cleared of hostile creatures, the return journey was no less grueling for the small band of three humans and their crocodile companion. Three days after the death of General Kahyet, Rakiv and her team slogged out of the murky depths of Lahtenda Bog. Sloshing onto the firm ground of Blacktide Den, Butter immediately wriggled out of his harness and refused to carry the demon corpse another inch. Rakiv chuckled as Kydar too plopped down on the ground and pulled off his ruined boots, examining them before simply tossing them into the bog.
"Traveling with you is costing me too many sets of clothes," the scribe grumbled, inspecting his mud-soaked tunic.
"You should wear sturdier stuff," Rakiv responded with a chuckle, brushing dirt from her leopard skin, "Like Jin and me."
"I could do with a bath," Jin admitted, unbuckling her pack and dropping it to the ground with a sigh.
"Couldn't we all," Rakiv nodded, and nudged the elementalist with her boot, "C'mon you lazy bones, it's only a little further to the tents."
Kydar responded with a groan, which Butter matched by hissing and rolling onto his back. Jin chuckled and hefted her pack over her shoulder, turning to head for the tents.
"Well," the Zaishen arched a brow, "It seems we've a bit of a welcome coming to us."
Rakiv turned around, just in time to catch the flying form of Alendra Soleer. The excitable paragon gave a squeal as she squeezed the ranger and hugged her tight in a grip that left Rakiv fighting to breathe.
"Your baaaack!" she cried happily, "I was so worried!"
"Welcome back everyone," Tahlkora smiled brightly as she approached.
"Mission… successful?" Anorah asked calmly as she joined the group.
Rakiv struggled and squirmed, finally breaking free of Alendra's embrace and gasping for air as she held the paragon away at arm's length. The Sunspear giggled sheepishly but bounced up and down with elation that her friends had survived the ordeal.
"Yes, mission accomplished," Rakiv answered the dervish, "We found the meeting place, and General Kahyet."
"So it was her all along!" Tahlkora fumed, "She's got a lot to answer for!"
"Oh she's answering alright," Kydar chuckled, grunting as he got to his feet, "She's answering to Grenth right now."
The report was met with stunned stares and silence.
"She's… dead?" Alendra gasped.
"Had to kill her," Rakiv shrugged, "She was summoning demons. Those demons," she pointed to the netted body.
The party gathered around the curious corpse, staring at it and examining it as much as they could without touching. Though it was clearly dead, no one wished to venture too near the creature.
"Jerek is gonna be maaaad…" Tahlkora muttered.
"But this basically proves what you said, right?" Alendra asked.
"It should," Rakiv nodded, "We've got a full fledged demon and the General's signet ring to connect her to the crime."
"So… we report back to Jerek?" Tahlkora asked.
"Bring this with us and show him," Rakiv put her hands on her hips thoughtfully, "He shouldn't have any reason to refuse us."
"Commander Maelstrom!" a shout came from across the camp.
The group turned to see the blue-clad figure of Acolyte Sousuke sprinting across the camp towards them. He scuffled to a stop and dropped to one knee, planting his fist against the ground.
"Why do you guys feel the need to do that?" the ranger groaned.
"Commander Maelstrom," Sousuke looked up, "It is good you have returned. There is a man here looking for you."
"If he wants to duel me it'll have to wait," Rakiv sighed.
"No, no," Sousuke shook his head, "He says he wants to make a deal with you."
"A deal?" she arched an eyebrow, "This guy give you his name?"
"He said his name was Ironfist," Sousuke reported.
Kydar and Rakiv glanced to one another. The third and only surviving commander of the corsair fleets had come to Blacktide to deal with them? Kydar grinned and Rakiv nodded in response. This was working out better than either of them had hoped.
"Alright, where is he?" the ranger asked.
"Please, follow me," Sousuke said, rising to his feet.
The Sunspear party followed the Zaishen acolyte across the Den, through the gullies and hills to the other side of the camp. As they arrived a well dressed corsair came into view. A long, beautifully crafted cutlass hung at his side and he carried a gilded tower shield on his left arm. As the party approached the corsair commander turned to face them, tipping his head and touching his turban in greeting.
"Well, well. It seems the most infamous Sunspear agent has deigned to speak with me," he said, in surprisingly sophisticated speech for a corsair, "It is an honor to finally meet you Commander Maelstrom."
"Ranger!" Rakiv finally cried, "Just Ranger Maelstrom!"
"Deepest apologies, Ranger Maelstrom," the commander amended.
"Thank you," Rakiv shook her head and sighed, "Look let's make this short. I know who you are, and I know what you've done. So what do you want?"
"A businesswoman," he responded, smiling amicably, "I like that. Well since we're getting to the point, what I want really isn't all that much. I've seen what's happened to the corsair fleets ever since you arrived on this island. And I heard what happened to Werishakul and his crew. I can honestly say that is not how I want to make my way to the Underworld."
"The point, Commander?" Rakiv grumbled impatiently.
"Yes, yes of course," Ironfist chuckled as he folded his burly arms, "The point is that I want two things. My life, first and foremost. The second is amnesty, a full pardon from the council and safe haven on the island of Istan."
There was a long and tenuous pause. Rakiv rubbed her chin, considering the terms while the others shared curious glances. Finally the young Castellan could contain herself no longer.
"You can't be serious!" Alendra exclaimed, her brow furrowing with wrath, "You want a full pardon! After all you've done! After all the people you've killed?"
"I've done some terrible things in my life miss," the corsair commander nodded, "Things that'd make your blood run cold. And I can understand you holding a grudge…"
"A grudge!?" Alendra fairly shrieked, hand flying to her javelin quiver.
It was only Rakiv's swift reflexes that saved the pirate's life, her gloved hand lashing out to catch the Sunspear's wrist.
"Before we decide whether or not to just kill you where you stand," the ranger responded evenly, "You'd better have something damn good to offer in return."
"I offer this," he said, holding out a heavy sack of coins that jingled lightly as he offered it.
"A bribe?" Kydar scoffed.
"No, evidence," Ironfist corrected, "I hear from Captain Mindhebeh that you are building a case against General Kahyet, and by extension Warmarshal Varesh. This is Kournan silver, one of the many payments we received from Kahyet herself. Within you will find a letter of marque, as well as authorization of the payment to be made to corsair commanders from the Warmarshal's own coffers."
Rakiv blinked, reaching out to take the sack from him. It was heavy… very heavy. This had apparently been a very expensive venture. The Warmarshal had put a lot into this.
"That is in return for my life," Ironfist continued, "In return for amnesty, I am willing to personally testify to these facts, and I can give you the exact dates and locations where Kahyet called us together and paid us to attack the island. I had documents detailing our orders as given by the Warmarshal, but they were destroyed when your forces burned our ships in the Reach."
Rakiv grimaced. It was a good offer, and Ironfist's testimony would certainly make their case ironclad. But the pirate was obviously desperate, and the ranger felt there was yet more to be squeezed from him.
"I'd say this is worth your life and a light sentence," Rakiv said, "But I don't know if it'll keep you off of Suhl's prison ships…"
Ironfist swore under his breath. The ranger was milking him now and he knew it, but there was little he could do other than divulge more information.
"There are still a few corsair camps on the island," Ironfist admitted, "I know where most of them are and I can give you the locations."
"Hmph. Coward," Rakiv smirked triumphantly.
"Heh. Pirate," Ironfist corrected.
"You're not actually considering this are you!?" Alendra turned to Rakiv, yanking her wrist free from the ranger's grasp.
"Would you rather kill him and lose all that information?" Rakiv turned her head to the Castellan, "Or would you rather he make our case and we bring down the one who started all this? Without this kind of direction, the corsairs would have never cooperated well enough with one another to pull this off. We've spent the last two months bailing water out of the boat, when we should have focused on plugging the leak. This is our plug. We kill him, we lose it!"
Alendra tightened her jaw, staring unhappily at the ranger. She was right of course, but the Sunspear couldn't help remembering all the poor villagers who had died because of these corsairs. The Sunspears had lost many good men too, and though she could not abide cruelty or brutality, it was hard to allow such a wicked man to live.
"So which do we choose Alendra?" Rakiv asked more softly, "Justice? Or Vengeance?"
The paragon lowered her head, and slowly relaxed with a sigh of resignation.
"If we bring in the Warmarshal," she said quietly, "We can have both…"
Rakiv nodded with satisfaction and turned to Ironfist to offer him a hand.
"We accept your terms," Rakiv said, "And if you know anything about me, then you know that if you cross me then there is no where you can run or hide from me."
"Please, Ranger Maelstrom," Ironfist shook her hand, "A corsair I may be. A fool I am not."
"Good," she nodded, then turned back to her troupe, "Alright, everyone, listen up. Anorah, Tahlkora, go get that demon's body. Sousuke, arrange for our travel with the Xunlai agent. Jin and Alendra, keep an eye on our guest. Go."
The party broke up, moving out to complete their tasks as ordered. Kydar looked around and then raised his hand.
"What about me?" he asked.
"Come with me," she ordered, "You're going to help me write up the report for our acting Spearmarshal."
"I don't think there's any way to write it so that he'll like it," Kydar advised.
"Probably not," Rakiv sighed as she headed for the tents, "Probably not."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You wanted to see me, acting Spearmarshal?" Rakiv asked as she waltzed into Jerek's office.
The ranger plopped down in the seat in front of the Spearmarshal, propping her mud covered boots up on the wood surface of his desk. Jerek spun in his chair, his dark features actually managing to turn a shade of wrathful purple.
"Maelstrom!" he shouted, "What the hell have you… good gods you reek!" he exclaimed, clamping a hand over his nose.
"Smell of the wild," the woman shrugged, "You should get out more."
"Maelstrom what the hell have you done!?" he demanded angrily, slamming a fist into his desk.
"Well, I got rid of the corsairs in the Keys," Rakiv recounted, staring up at the ceiling and ticking off the points on her fingertips, "Did some good recon in the western jungles, brought in a notorious pirate…"
"And killed a Kournan General!!" Jerek roared.
"Damn," Rakiv leaned over to peer at the report on Jerek's desk, "I thought I told Kydar to leave that part out."
"Ranger, do you have any idea what this means!?" he cried at the top of his lungs, "This is war! I don't give a damn what she said or who she was with!! A Kournan General was killed on Istani soil! By one of our own agents!!"
"She was summoning demons into the Sunspear crypts," Rakiv shrugged, picking up the signet ring they had given him and rolling it between her fingers, "I figured that was grounds for immediate execution."
"If it weren't for this ring you'd have no proof she was even there!" Jerek snapped, snatching it from her, "The Kournans left last week when I deployed you with that loudmouthed teenager. I can only hope the Warmarshal will waive responsibility for the General's actions since it seems she was acting alone."
"The hell she was!" Rakiv responded, leaping to her feet, "We have Kournan coins and letters of marque with the Warmarshal's seal! And we have a witness that will testify that they were paid at Varesh's orders! There's no way she can disavow this!"
"If she doesn't we've got a war on our hands!" Jerek growled, "But it doesn't matter. Elder Suhl has announced there is a tribunal to be held over this in a week. General Morgahn himself is already on his way back here to represent the Warmarshal."
"Good, then he'll answer for her crimes," Rakiv replied.
"I swear to Dwanya," the acting Spearmarshal snorted, "I send you out for one week… one week! And you manage to bring us to the brink of another war!"
He paused for a moment and then stepped back, holding up his hands.
"But you know what? You're Kormir's problem," he said, "She brought you into this, and if this goes to war, it's on her head and not mine."
"Whatever makes you feel better," Rakiv smiled sweetly.
"As for you and your little band of miscreants," Jerek snarled, "You're all confined to the city until the tribunal. Perhaps that will keep you from causing more trouble."
"Least I don't have to run your errands anymore," Rakiv snorted, "Are we done?"
"Get out!" he snapped.
The ranger turned without another word, kicking his door open and leaving a nice muddy smudge on the wood. The doors closed behind her with a slam as she stepped into the busy halls of the Consulate. She shook her head with a groan of disgust, it was no wonder that man hadn't been selected for Spearmarshal. As she strode away the small figure of a city messenger went dashing by and she reached out and caught his arm.
"Oh, hello again," she smiled at the messenger boy.
"Oh! Miss Maelstrom!" he responded and then looked her over, "Were you playing in the mud?"
"Just got back from a messy assignment," she laughed, digging into her coin purse, "Listen kid I need you to deliver a message for me."
"To who?" he asked, offering her one of his blank scrolls and a charcoal.
"These names," she said, writing them down and rolling up the scroll as she handed it back to him, "Just tell them to meet me in my chambers in an hour."
"Yes ma'am!" he saluted.
"Go on now," she smiled, handing him the money.
The messenger boy eagerly zipped away, his oversized bag bouncing behind him as he went. Rakiv chuckled and shook her head as she headed for her room. It was about time for a nice long bath.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An hour later, Rakiv's regulars lounged about her sitting room. Alendra sat in a chair at end of the table, wearing a white skirt and matching tank top. Her fingers interlaced over her lap and she crossed one caramel colored leg over the other as she glanced about the room curiously. Anorah sat on the floor at the table, clean dervish robes splayed out wide from her hips though her hood still covered her head. Kydar relaxed on couch, a red Istani vest draped unbuttoned over his shoulders and a pair of loose white pants covering his legs. Tahlkora wore a green wrap dress of Vabbian design, sitting next to Kydar and fidgeting as she waited for Rakiv to join them.
A knock came at the door and the knob turned as the final member of their team stepped in. A very embarrassed looking Anicara slipped in through the door, wearing a short gown of ice cold blue. With a small wave to everyone she walked in and sat down on the other side of Kydar and folded her hands over her lap. No one said anything, waiting patiently as Butter waddled out of the back room to flop down on the floor beneath the table.
"Oh good, you're all here," Rakiv called, striding out of the bathroom.
The ranger wrapped a towel around her scarlet locks, dressed in a deep maroon tank top and brown shorts. She sat at the head of the table, crossing cream colored legs and leaning back with a sigh as she surveyed her troops.
"So I guess you're all wondering why I've called you here," she addressed them, "As I'm sure you've heard, we're stuck in the city for about a week. So I thought this would be a good time to get to know each other. We work well together, and we get the job done… but I have to agree with Kydar that we don't know each other well, which isn't working out too well for the team. So… I guess we'll go around and tell everyone a little bit about ourselves. You don't have to give your life story or anything, just a little something more than we already know. Good idea?"
There was a general murmur of acknowledgement and all heads nodded. The ranger responded with a nod of her own and a smile.
"Good," she said, "I'll go first. As you all know, my name is Rakiv Maelstrom. I'm an orphan so I really have no idea where I was born, but my best guess is it was right here in Istan. Figure my parents must have been Tyrian or something," she chuckled, running fingers through her red hair as she unwrapped it and let the clinging strands roll down over her shoulders, "Anyway, I was trained in Kourna, got to be pretty good at what I did and decided to try my hand in the Battle Isles… which worked out pretty well I suppose. I've known Kormir since we were young and she's always been my best friend. She needed help so… here I am."
More nods came from the party as they listened to her brief story. Kydar arched a critical eyebrow at the ranger but said nothing as Rakiv turned her attention to Alendra.
"Your turn," she smiled.
"Right," Alendra nodded, waving a hand at the group, "Hi, Alendra Soleer. Uhm, I was born here in Kamadan, my parents are fish merchants at the port. They run Chahbek Fisheries south of here."
Kydar gave a low whistle, recognizing the name as one of the largest fishing fleets at the Kamadan port.
"Yeah," Alendra chuckled sheepishly, "They do pretty well. I grew up in the city with my two brothers, one older and one younger. Growing up we were always expected to marry well and take over our parts of the family business. It was a good life but… I don't know, I guess I wanted to do more with my life. After dad lost several of his ships to corsair attacks, I decided that I wanted to help people, fight all the bad people in the world who want to take advantage of us peaceful ones. I started out with a short stint in the Shore Watch and was pretty quickly recruited by the Sunspears. I showed promise I suppose and pretty soon I was working directly under General Dunkoro during the defense of Kourna's shores. Dunkoro put my name up for promotion after that and Kormir decided to recruit me to her personal detail and I became one of her top tacticians. At nineteen I'm one of the youngest people to ever reach the rank of Castellan."
She paused and laughed, smiling at Rakiv.
"Nothing so interesting as being a Battle Isle legend, but it's pretty good for a spoiled rich girl," she chuckled.
Smiles and small laughs were had all around as focus turned to Anorah who had sat quietly on the floor. The dervish lifted golden eyes to the group and hesitated before giving a small sigh.
"My name is Anorah Basilisk," she said quietly, forcing the party members to strain to catch her words, "And I was once a member of the guild, Vow of Zeal."
"Vow of Zeal?" Alendra blinked, "The assassin's guild?"
"They took over training many dervishes after Mahkai Ossa appropriated the Gandara Temple for private use in 1238," Kydar explained.
"Oooh…" Alendra nodded and then blushed, "Oh, sorry for interrupting."
Anorah simply shook her head lightly and continued.
"I am a sinner," she said calmly, "And my life has been one of wanton bloodshed. I dedicated my existence to the service of Balthazar that my… abilities, might serve a holier purpose. I seek to atone for my sins and purge the evil within me."
A somewhat startled silence filled the room as all eyes stared at the dervish. Anorah lifted her gaze to the group, giving a small nod of her head before turning to look at Tahlkora.
"Oh, right my turn," the girl smiled a little nervously, "Uh… hi, I'm Tahlkora and I'm just a healer from Vabbi."
"I thought I detected a Vabbian accent," Kydar chuckled to the teenager.
"Are you from Vabbi too?" she asked.
"Mhm," he nodded, "What area are you from?"
"Uhm, I'm from the north," she said, "Somewhere near Mihanu Township."
"Oooh, you live on Prince Mehtu's lands," he nodded, "I'm a highlander, from the estates just south of the Bazzar."
"Think you guys could explain this for people who have never been to Vabbi?" Rakiv chuckled.
"Oh, sorry," Tahlkora blushed, "Uhm, I'm basically just a villager. Nothing special really. I learned my healing magic from the monks at the nearby temple, uh the Sebelkeh Basillica over the Mirror of Lyss. I had heard that Kourna was doing strange things with dams along the Elon and went to investigate it. I found a lot more than I bargained for. General Kahyet was doing all sorts of suspicious things in Kourna so I ended up following her to Istan. Found out a lot more here than I expected too. Now… I just don't know what to think anymore," she concluded with a sigh.
The attention turned to Kydar, who leaned back and gave a long sigh before he began.
"I'll try to keep this short," he chuckled, earning a small laugh from the group, "But as you know I'm Kydar Raelesin, I'm from Vabbi too. I kinda grew up there, spent a lot of time traveling for awhile before my dad moved us back to the Forum Highlands. I spent a lot of time learning my father's trade and studying at the temple. I have one younger sister and when she was about… eh, ten I think she went off to study at the Shing Jea Monastery in Cantha. About the same time I decided to enroll at the Academy to sharpen my magic skills and hopefully become a Historical Recorder someday."
He nodded in conclusion as the party turned their collective gaze to Anicara, who shifted nervously under the attention.
"I uh…" she began slowly, looking down at her hands, "I kinda feel like I've got a lot to explain," she said and then looked up, "But I wanna thank everyone for being so nice to me… I know I kinda freaked you out."
"I wasn't freaked out," Alendra shook her head.
"I was," Kydar chuckled.
Tahlkora playfully elbowed the elementalist as the other girls chuckled, and even Anicara gave a small laugh.
"Well… I suppose I should start with a confession," she said, taking a deep and slow breath, "I… lied to you Kydar and I've been lying to everyone. The story I told you wasn't true Kydar and… I've been lying to the Order about my age. I'm not nineteen, I'm fifteen."
All eyes widened in great surprise. Tall, slender and obviously well-endowed, the icy elementalist looked much closer to twenty than fifteen.
"Wait, you're younger than me?" Tahlkora exclaimed.
"How did… I mean… you're so tall!" Alendra blinked.
"Wow, good job," Kydar said, looking her over.
Rakiv's towel flew across the room to smack the elementalist in the face as the ranger shook her head.
"Go on Anicara," Rakiv chuckled.
"Well…" she said with a small sigh, "I was born in Kourna, but my mother was from Cantha. She was a slave, in service to a rich Canthan merchant. When she arrived here she discovered that she was pregnant, but couldn't let her master know because she was afraid he would kill me. One of the other slaves helped her run away to a small village in Arkjok Ward where she gave birth to me. I was left in the care of a Kournan woman and my mother returned to her master, so I grew up in Elona. I don't really know when or how it happened… but my skills with magic awakened pretty early. Every year I would help the farmers with their crops by directing water from the Elon through their fields. I started studying magic as best I could, but there weren't any elementalists around so I was pretty much on my own in that respect. Everything I know is stuff I've just kind of… picked up."
She paused, brushing her bangs back behind one ear and looking around. The party listened to her with rapt attention, and she fidgeted slightly before continuing.
"A-Anyway…" she continued, "I was… happy I guess, for a long time. But about five years ago, the first corsair raids began in Kourna. It was always the same, hit and run stuff. Lots of towns were burned and the Kournan military couldn't catch all the ships so… some villages suffered. Mine was one of those villages."
"If Kourna had called us in sooner," Alendra murmured softly, "We could have helped…"
"Were you even in the Sunspear's then?" Kydar asked Alendra.
"No," the paragon admitted, "I was still too young even for Shore Watch then."
"It probably wouldn't have mattered," Anicara shook her head miserably, "But anyway… one day one a ship came to my village, a ship with black sails. The corsairs made landfall and…. and attacked everyone. Most of the young ones were kidnapped, including me. The pirates stole what they could, set fire to the village and sailed away."
She stopped, licking dry lips as she took another deep breath to maintain her composure.
"The captain of the ship… was the commander in the Keys," she explained, brow furrowing slightly as she kept her eyes locked on her hands as they fidgeted in her lap, "Captain Werishakul. A cruel… evil man. He sailed us around to different ports, selling most of the children but never me. He kept me… I was held on his ship for about two years… and over that time… he… did things to me…"
She looked up to see the deeply sympathetic gazes of her comrades. Everyone knew what happened to pretty girls when corsairs got their hands on them. Tahlkora reached across Kydar to place a hand on Anicara's, at which the young elementalist gave a small laugh and shook her head.
"No, no," she responded, "Nothing like that. Strangely… he never touched me," she paused, a bitter look of pain crossing her features, "No… he was too sick for that."
For several minutes no one could bring themselves to ask the question that hung in the air. Alendra leaned forward, opening her mouth to speak before Anicara raised a hand softly.
"They… tortured me," she said slowly, "Werishakul enjoyed his curses… They kept me locked in the cages below decks… and he'd come down sometimes just to hurt me. He cast all sorts of things on me… things that made me sick for days… things that made me hurt all over… things that made me wish he'd just kill me."
She paused to take a slow shuddering breath, closing her eyes against the memory.
"It wasn't just him," she said, "His first mate… a very tall man, would come down as well. But he always came down at night. He never touched me either… he'd just… sit there, outside my cell… staring at me. It was unnerving at first… but then the dreams started."
She raised her hands to her head, shaking softly as her voice hitched in her throat. Tahlkora squeezed her hand lightly as Kydar placed a comforting arm over her shoulders. The young mage smiled weakly before she managed to continue.
"He made me dream… horrible things," she said, voice nearly cracking, "I'd try to stay up… try to stay awake. But he'd just wait until I couldn't anymore… until I just passed out… and then he'd make me dream. It was different sometimes… but it was always terrible, always horrible. And no matter what… the Tall One was always there… staring at me… and forcing nightmares into my head."
Small droplets fell to her lap as she leaned into her teammates, Tahlkora shifting to kneel in front of the girl and take both hands in hers. Kydar patted her shoulder gently as the others looked on, even Anorah's shadowed face bearing a tinge of sympathy.
"I don't know when I lost track of time," she said through a small sob, "But it was always the same every day. Curses every day, and nightmares every night. I… I think I started to lose myself."
She stopped to swallow, wiping tears from her cheeks and giving a small sniffle.
"And then one day, the hull sprung a leak," she said, "Not a big one… but enough that a steady trickle of water started to fill the brig. The captain wanted it fixed when we got to the next port… and I knew I didn't have much time. So one evening, before the Tall One came… I hexed my cell guard with one of the captain's favorite curses and used the water to freeze my lock and break it. I was able to set fire to their lantern oil supply and made it on deck before one of the crewmen saw me and caught me. The captain was going to hurt me… and then cabins burst into flames. I don't… I don't know exactly what happened, there was fire and smoke everywhere. I must have jumped off the ship just as the flames hit their firebarrels… cause when I hit the water the ship exploded. I was too weak to really swim… I expected to die out there."
She gave a slow sigh, relaxing somewhat as she wiped her face once more.
" The next thing I remember is someone pulling me out of the surf and carrying me ashore," she nodded, "He was a merchant of some kind… Musagi… Jatoro Musagi. A Canthan like me. He brought me to his camp, which was basically the ruins of his ship that had run aground in the Keys. He said he was keeping watch over his shipment until he could get help to move it. He had plenty of supplies though, and he looked after me for several weeks while I recovered. When I was well, I thanked him for everything he had done and decided to set out on my own. Not really knowing where I was going I ended up in Kamadan looking for work. At the time the Sunspear's were recruiting since they needed more troops to send to Kourna's aid… so nobody looked twice when I told them I was seventeen…"
She paused in thought and then gave a small chuckle.
"Well, one recruiter did," she said, "But I told him that I'd only recently escaped from corsairs who had been starving me, and that I was looking for payback. That was about all he needed to hear to sign up a twelve-year-old kid for training."
Alendra mumbled something under her breath about greedy recruiters, which everyone ignored as Anicara continued.
"So I went through basic training," she nodded, "I did pretty well too. I… I hate the open sea but, it was the only choice I really had. I ended up meeting Kormir herself when corsairs sunk several of our ships near the Barbarous coast and the Spearmarshal was commanding our final two vessels. We were pretty well outnumbered, so she decided on an assassination job. Use our ships to distract the corsairs while someone snuck ashore and killed the commanders. I volunteered immediately," she paused and chuckled, "Honestly, I just wanted to get good solid dirt back under my feet. But I did the job… almost got killed, but I did it and I made it back to our ships. After that Kormir started calling me up for all sorts of jobs, and she honored my request to not be assigned to anything that would make me go on a ship. I became one of her personal agents and she promoted me to Commander Second Class, since I had to have an officer's title to serve under her. That's… pretty much it."
There were slow nods all around, until Anorah spoke up.
"He was not on the beach," the dervish stated.
"Who wasn't?" Tahlkora asked.
"The Tall One," she said.
"How do you know?" Alendra tilted her head curiously.
"Heh," Anicara gave a wry chuckle, "I think you'd have noticed if I'd run into him too…"
"Do you know where he is?" Anorah asked softly.
"I don't…" Anicara admitted, "Honestly? Part of me hopes I never see him again… but part of me wants to find him too… I just… hope I'm stronger then."
"You will be," Rakiv spoke up for the first time in awhile.
All eyes turned to the ranger as she rose to her feet, throwing her hair back over her shoulder and placing her hands on her hips.
"So here's the deal," Rakiv said, "I usually work alone."
A croak came from Butter beneath the table.
"Correction," Rakiv restated, "Me and Butter usually work alone. So far you guys have been pretty good partners, but we're going to have to do better. I get the feeling that this is gonna get worse before it gets better, and so far it looks like all of you are in this for the long haul."
She paused to wait for objections. There were none.
"So we're a team now," she said, "And from this moment on we've got to act like one. We all need to know what the other's can handle, how best to use each others strengths and how to cover our weaknesses. If for any reason you have misgivings about a particular assignment, say so immediately. Once we're in the field and orders are flying, we have to work quickly and flawlessly. We look out for each other and we take care of each other… both out there and at home base. No more of this 'working near' each other stuff. From now on we work together, got it?"
"Yes ma'am," the reply came back from all assembled.
"Good," Rakiv smiled crookedly, "Now, let's see what kind of mischief we can get into in this city."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Despite the ranger's inglorious ambition, the next several days were spent fairly productively. Kydar and Rakiv spent much of their time putting together their case for the coming tribunal. Anicara buried herself in the archives, studying enchantments as much as she could and was soon joined by Tahlkora who wanted to research Istani healing spells. Anorah spent her days in prayer and meditation, a regimen that Alendra tried for awhile before growing bored and dragging the silent dervish with her to the Kamadan marketplaces. As the week came to a close and the tribunal loomed over them, Kydar threw down his pen one late night and ground his palms against his eyes.
"I've gone over it and I've gone over it," the elementalist groaned, "It's a good case… but there's just so many holes we can't fill. I hear Morgahn is a master debater. This is never going to work."
"It'll work," Rakiv said from where she lay on the couch behind him, "It'll work even better if Kormir gets here in time. She can argue anyone under a table once she's worked up."
"It just doesn't make sense though," Kydar responded, swiveling in his chair, "Why would the Warmarshal do this? That's what it comes down to really. We've got coins and we've got documents and we've got corpses and rings… but we have no motive! This doesn't make any sense! She has nothing to gain from this!"
Rakiv said nothing, mulling his arguments over in her head. He had a point… and unfortunately it was a good one.
"I mean," he continued, "If she had sent in Kournan soldiers with the corsairs she might have actually taken the island. The Sunspears didn't have the manpower to fight back a full-scale invasion after that. If she was after our gold, or our trade or… something ya know? But instead she sends her lackeys to sneak into old ruins and steal the instruction manual to bringing back some ancient Boogeyman!"
"He's not a Boogeyman," Rakiv corrected quietly.
"Abaddon! Whatever!" he threw his hands up as he rose to pace back and forth in front of the fire place, "And what sucks, what really sucks is the trump card this leaves her. Even if we can prove everything we've said, all she has to do is disavow Kahyet's actions entirely. The silver, the pirates, the demons, the city… all of it could have been Kahyet alone. Even the seal on those letters could have been pretty easily forged!"
Having thoroughly worked himself into a frenzy of frustration and despair, the scribe plopped down on the opposite end of Rakiv's couch, throwing his head back and giving a long sigh. Rakiv chuckled lightly from her end and turned her gaze to stare into the fire.
"We've got what we've got," Rakiv said, "And we'll take it before the council tomorrow."
"How can you be so calm?" Kydar asked with a sigh, "This is weeks of work here… weeks of blood, sweat and tears… literally! Tears! How can you just… sit there?"
Rakiv looked up at him from her lounged position and arched a brow.
"Sorry, lay there," he corrected.
"Hmhm," the ranger chuckled as she stared back into the fire, "Because I know Varesh. She's crafty, elusive and clever… but there's always one way she hangs herself. One fatal flaw she overlooks. I don't know why… but it's always been that way."
Kydar grimaced and gave a shrug, deciding the answer would have to suffice. Then he tilted his head and looked back at the ranger.
"Say," he wondered aloud, "How do you know the Marshals so well?"
The ranger hesitated, opening her mouth to answer when the heavy gong of the bell marked the hour. Rakiv looked up at Kydar, whose hazel gaze held hers for a moment. It was a stare that was beginning to unnerve her. The gaze held no magic, it never did. Yet still it seemed as though he was reading her very thoughts through simple sight alone. She turned away and waved a hand at him dismissively.
"Get some sleep Scribe Raelesin," she ordered, "We've got a court date tomorrow."
Kydar arched an eyebrow at her, but rose from the couch as bidden. He clapped a fist to his chest in an Istani salute, bowing lightly and smirking down at her.
"Yes, Commander," he grinned.
The elementalist beat a hasty retreat as the ranger flung pillows at him, sending bits of goose down everywhere. Kydar made his escape through the door, shutting it behind him just as a couch cushion smacked against the wood. Rakiv gave a long, exasperated groan as she plopped back onto her cushions. Things were so much easier in the wild. Out there it was simple, hunter and hunted, kill or be killed. Here everything had to be documented and proven and there were teammates. The gentle hiss of the crocodile drifted up to her as Butter poked his snout up on the couch. Rakiv let a hand drift over her companion's scales, petting him lightly as the crocodile snuffled at her.
"You think we got a chance Butter?" she asked.
The crocodile said nothing but looked at her a bit mournfully.
"Yeah," she nodded, "If Kormir was here we'd be alright."
The crocodile's spines rattled a little on his back as he lay his head down and gave a small tired snort.
"Me too buddy," she said, violet eyes slowly drifting closed, "Me too…"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning came with Rakiv wishing she had something better to wear. For some reason it was always the same thing. Tough thick hides, laced into garments that were easily warm in winter yet cool in summer. The cut was of Istani design, so aside from pale skin and red hair she fit right in with her fellow islanders. They were easy to move in, and offered protection without encumbering her with heavy armor plates. They were, in all meanings of the word, practical.
At the moment practical was not what the ranger wanted. Clean or not, garb was meant to withstand the rigors of the wild, not impress a court room of dignitaries. But it was all she had and there was no point bemoaning the matter further. After deciding that her hair was best left bound back by her circlet as always, she turned to the large stone tub in which her crocodile friend lurked beneath the water.
"C'mon Butter," she said, briefly crouching to splash the water with her fingertips to get his attention, "Let's get going."
The reptile surfaced and crawled out of the tub, giving himself a shake to fling excess water from his clean scales. He gave a snuffle and waddled out of the bathroom as Rakiv gave herself one last look in the mirror. It would be nice if just every once in a while she could actually look pretty. With a resigned sigh the ranger turned away and closed the door behind her. The usual 'tough-as-nails' look would have to do for today.
The duo left the Spearmarshal's chambers and made their way through the halls of the Consulate, which were oddly empty for once. Upon entering the Council Hall it became clear why the Consulate was so quiet. Everyone was here. A Kournan General had been killed on Istani soil, the Warmarshal had been accused of treachery, and General Morgahn had come to debate the case with Kahyet's killer. The dogs of war were barking, and this council meeting would decide if they were to be loosed or remain chained.
Rakiv made her way down to the front, where her team of six sat talking to the other officers. Koss, Dunkoro and the other two Zaishen Acolytes stood in conversation with her squad, along with Melonni, who looked up first to greet the approaching ranger.
"Ranger Maelstrom," the Kournan dervish saluted, "I would like to testify during these proceedings. I have seen much of what the Warmarshal has done in Kourna and I think it can help your case."
"Sure," Rakiv nodded, "And thanks. We need all the help we can get."
"I'd like to testify too," Koss spoke up, "I can corroborate Ironfist's testimony with the information I've gathered from my contacts."
"Allow me to speak as well," Dunkoro requested, "I hear that General Morgahn has been questioning the demonic event's we've suffered recently."
"Sounds good to me," Rakiv nodded to them, "I'll send you guys up as our first witnesses. The council knows you so that might put them in a listening mood. Melonni you'll go next and we'll play it by ear from there."
"Thank you Ranger Maelstrom," Melonni gave a tip of her head.
The males responded in kind and turned to their seats on the other side of the floor. The ranger made her way to the front and sat down next to Kydar, who held up the scroll he had been reviewing.
"Alright," he said, "Elder Suhl has banned me from speaking at this hearing. He think's we'll be here forever if I do," the scribe snorted.
Rakiv snickered and leaned in to peer at the scroll.
"So this is our case?" she asked.
"Yup," he nodded, "We're going to focus on the corsair involvement, since we have the most concrete evidence for that. I'm trying to avoid the subject of Fahranur, but I doubt the general will give you that luxury."
"What do we do for that?" she asked.
"The demon body," Kydar responded, "And Kahyet's ring. Unfortunately it's all we've got, but it's enough to build a reasonable argument that she summoned demons. Every other body like that vaporized, so there's really only one place we could have gotten it."
Rakiv nodded. It was a bit of a stretch, since they reasonably could have gotten the body anywhere. But there weren't many demons just running around Istan, so there was little evidence that the general hadn't summoned them.
"Can we use Jin as a witness on that?" Rakiv asked.
"She's Zaishen and not Sunspear," Kydar said, "The Council may be a little hesitant to hear her, but if they do then it'd make sense that she's telling the truth since we couldn't really order her to lie."
"She is under our command though, so…" Rakiv began.
"Zaishen do not lie," Anorah spoke from the other side of Kydar.
Both the ranger and the elementalist looked over at her in surprise, unaware that she had been listening. Kydar shrugged and turned back to Rakiv.
"There you have it," Kydar said, "They don't lie."
"Guess it'll have to do," Rakiv sighed, "Let's hope this works."
The heavy pounding of a gavel brought the general roar of the chamber to silence as the Council members made their way in to the great stone table. Taking their seats the old ones looked out on the crowd as Suhl pounded his gavel again.
"Let it be marked that on the 66h day of Phoenix in the year 1275 of the Dynastic Reckoning, this High Council of the province of Istan was called to order," Suhl announced, pounding his gavel yet again.
Rakiv balked a little at the date. Ph. 66… a full month since Kormir had left for aid. The ranger couldn't help but be a little bit worried.
"This court will now hear the case of Ranger Rakiv Maelstrom vs. Varesh Ossa, Warmarshal of Kourna," the oldest of the elders stated, "Will the prosecution please rise?"
"That's us," Kydar whispered as they stood.
"Why don't they cut the crap and let us yell at each other already?" the ranger grumbled as she rose as well, drawing a chuckle from the elementalist.
"Thank you," Suhl nodded, motioning for them to be seated once more, "And representing the accused is General Morgahn of 2nd Kournan Legion. He will be defending the Warmarshal during these proceedings."
Morgahn rose from his chair, making a quick bow to the chamber before sitting once more.
"As it is understood by this court," Suhl continued, "Ranger Maelstrom's command has accused the Warmarshal of conspiring with corsairs, of provoking an attack on the people of Istan, and of invoking dark forces on the island of Istan. Does the prosecution agree with these charges as stated by the court?"
"Uh, we do," Rakiv called out.
"Very well," Suhl replied, "We will begin by hearing the testimonies of the prosecution's witnesses. Is the defense ready to begin?"
"I am," Morgahn responded evenly.
"Very well," Suhl nodded, "Prosecution, your first witness?"
Rakiv leaned into Kydar, who whispered quickly in her ear and she nodded in agreement.
"Your honor," she said, rising to her feet, "I would like to summon Commander Koss to the floor."
The burly Sunspear warrior strode to the center of the floor, clapping a fist to his chest in salute to the Council. Suhl gestured to the man to begin and Koss nodded as he stood at attention.
"Council members, I have spent the last sixty days in combat with corsair's," Koss said, "And I have been informed by my… erm… connections, that the pirates were being paid off by Kournan's to attack Istan. I have also been informed that Kournan soldiers were seen involved in dark rituals involving demons, shortly before the attack on Kamadan."
The warrior completed his testimony and gave a bow to the council. Rakiv raised her eyebrows and then glanced to her team. Was that really all the warrior had to offer? Morgahn seemed equally unimpressed and turned toward the Council.
"Your honor," the general sighed, "Must we really be subject to the .word of brigands and corsairs?" he asked, gesturing to Koss.
"Hey!" the warrior retorted, "I am not a corsair! I don't even look like one!"
"All witnesses have been approved by this Council, General Morgahn," Suhl replied, "And therefore their testimonies must be answered."
"I see," Morgahn nodded, as he rose to address the Sunspear, "Well then Commander Koss, I can tell you that your information is incorrect. Firstly, your connections are corsairs, who were obviously too cowardly to come and stand before this court to testify themselves. Secondly, you have no evidence of demonic activity in Istan, save for some general unrest in your markets and claims that demons attacked the city. I'm afraid you'll need more than the witness of a few beggars and thieves to accuse my soldiers of engaging in 'dark rituals'."
"Prosecution, your next witness?" Suhl asked.
"I call…" Rakiv began, and then paused.
Morgahn was obviously in no listening mood. If he could mock them he would, and she had no doubt he would find something ridiculous in Melonni's testimony. Dunkoro held credibility, but harder evidence was what they needed at the moment.
"Where's our evidence?" she whispered to Kydar.
"Money, letters n' the ring are here," the elementalist said, holding up a box containing the items, "The body's outside, ready to be dragged in on your command."
"Good," she nodded, and rose to her feet, "Your honor I call Commander Ironfist to the floor."
A small gasp came from the crowd as the corsair commander rose from his seat and unwrapped his face, striding down the steps towards the floor. Suhl banged his gavel for order and the assembly quieted once more.
"Good to see you Suhl," Ironfist smirked cockily, "Especially since I'm not in chains this time."
"Council approved, I assume?" Morgahn asked dryly.
"General I will thank you to respect this court and its witnesses," Suhl snapped.
"Of course Councilman," the general bowed his head slightly, "Of course."
"Make this good corsair," Suhl pointed his gavel at Ironfist.
"Oh it is good," Ironfist nodded, "See, we've been having dealings with Kourna for quite some time. In fact the last several times I made bail, it was the Warmarshal paying for my release. She keeps quite a few of us in her pocket, and even withdrew her troops from the Barbarous Coast to allow us a port of call."
"Objection," Morgahn snorted.
"My last few raids on your villages were Kourna funded," Ironfist continued, ignoring the general, "She's kept us well armed, well supplied… it's done wonders for crew morale having such a generous sponsor. She even sends us women from time to time," the commander grinned wickedly.
"Objection!" Morgahn exclaimed.
"On what grounds?" Suhl demanded.
"Your honor the Warmarshal is a woman of honor, distinction and pride!" Morgahn snapped, "She defends Kourna with the utmost devotion, and would not spare even a single pirate from the noose! I myself have signed many orders sending troops into the Barbarous Coast to remove these villainous miscreants!"
"If you were so great a general as you claim," Ironfist chuckled, "I'd think you'd only need one order to get that job done."
"Blackhearted coward!" Morgahn roared.
"Pampered lapdog," Ironfist returned with a smirk.
"Order!!" Suhl slammed his gavel down, "General contain yourself! Ironfist remember where you are, and that your deal stands only so long as you behave accordingly!"
"Of course your honor," Ironfist bowed low, "To continue my testimony, I was called to a meeting on the Barbarous shore on the 78th day of Zephyr. I, along with Commander Bahreht of the Marauder Fleet and Commander Werishakul of the Black Sail Flotilla met that day with General Kahyet of the 1st Kournan Legion. The general paid us very handsomely to participate in a coordinated effort against Istan. Our orders were clear, and our fleets were given specific positions and dates of attack. I had all of the correspondences between the General and myself, but they were destroyed by the Sunspears in Zehlon Reach. Naturally these proceedings were very secretive, and only the other commanders and myself knew the exact identity of our benefactor. All other items of evidence I have turned over to Ranger Maelstrom."
"I see," Morgahn nodded icily as he rose to make his reply, "Tell me 'Commander', are you not standing here today because of an Istani bribe?"
"Of course," Ironfist chuckled, "I like to think of myself as a businessman."
"Hmph, indeed," Morgahn grunted, "So would you agree that you have been brought here by this bribe, to corroborate attacks against the Warmarshal?"
"Oh screw this!" Rakiv exploded as she rose from her seat.
"Prosecutor I did not…" Suhl began.
"General Kahyet nearly brought destruction to this island!" Rakiv fumed, shoving Ironfist out of her way, "If she hadn't awakened what she did in Fahranur, we wouldn't have lost so many men to that thing, nor would we have had undead roaming our countryside for a week!"
"Fahranur was the fault of your Spearmarshal, and her fault alone," Morgahn responded calmly, "She was warned against opening those ruins, and the western jungles of Istan have been left untouched for centuries for a reason. As for your undead, it seems to me there's some errant necromancer stalking your shores. You might want to track him down."
"Oh?" Rakiv asked, "Then how do you explain this!?"
The ranger flung a finger towards the doors, which were pushed open as a pair of Sunspears flung a heavy burden down the steps. The body of the Grasp of Chaos tumbled down, hitting the center floor and sliding to a stop.
"This is beyond necromancy," Rakiv said, pointing at it, "Beyond what was opened at the First City. This is evil."
The ranger swung her hand, flinging a shining object across the floor. Morgahn caught it quickly and held it up to the light, examining the signet ring that had belonged to General Kahyet.
"This… thing was summoned by the General herself at the Sunspear crypts," Rakiv continued, her voice even despite the frustration and disgust that boiled within her, "Where she admitted to paying off corsairs to attack us and distract us while she infiltrated Fahranur. The Kournan soldiers Koss reported on were acting under her command, and caused the death of many Istani civilians."
The ranger went on unchecked, her sheer presence and wrath quelling objections both from the Council and the General. She whipped a hand back to Kydar, who handed her the sack of money, the cryptic map and the letters of marque.
"This was their meeting place," she said, flipping the map over to display the back side of it, "And it bears the general's mark and seal. This was where she summoned the last of the corsairs to be slaughtered, an attempt to cover her tracks and tie up her loose ends. But it all started with this!"
Rakiv flung the money bag, causing it to burst open at Morgahn's feet as it struck the stone floor. With a song of metal the silver coins rolled everywhere, each one bearing a stamped imprint of Varesh's profile.
"Kournan coins, payment to the corsair fleets to attack our people," Rakiv snarled, "Authorized by these, letters of marque which employ these pirates as privateers in the Warmarshal's service. They all bear the seal of the Warmarshal and General Kahyet!"
Morgahn folded his arms impassively, watching the ranger as she stormed up to him, scattering coins with her approach. She held the letters up, showing him the wax seals on the documents as she glared daggers into him.
"Warmarshal Varesh has been instigating deliberate attacks on the island of Istan and the Order of the Sunspears," Rakiv concluded, "This is an act of war!"
A hush fell over the council chamber. The ranger had actually said it, invoked the dreaded word that all had been avoiding. Morgahn himself however, seemed unaffected, almost amused as he dug into his breast pocket and withdrew a ring of his own.
"Were it not for the fact that General Kahyet remained on Istan when the rest of the Warmarshal's entourage had already departed for Kourna," Morgahn said, "This would indeed be an act of war. A ranking general of the Kournan army, dead on Istani soil and slain by an agent of the Sunspears? An act of war indeed."
Kydar groaned and buried his face in his hands. Here it came, the general's final play that would render their entire case null and void. He held up his right hand, displaying the signet ring he bore and brought forth the other ring he held in his left.
"But as she remained on the island, contrary to the Warmarshal's orders," Morgahn said, "We can only assume she was acting alone. Each of Varesh's three generals bears two signets. Our own, and the Warmarshal's. We are each authorized to act with her permission, as well as to sign and seal documents with her authority. The caveat is that should we abuse this privilege; the Warmarshal will strip us of our rank and title and deliver us to whomever we have committed crimes against."
The letters crumpled in Rakiv's grip as the ranger's fist tightened. Kydar had warned her that this would happen, and now the general smugly proceeded exactly as predicted.
"This being the case," Morgahn stated, "It seems that you have no case against the Warmarshal, and only against General Kahyet. We will investigate these matters ourselves, attempt to recover Kahyet's ship and question her crew. If our investigation corroborates your charges, we will posthumously strip her of her rank and title. As it seems you have already carried out her inevitable sentence, I see no further progress to be made on the matter. We will, of course, expect a full apology be made to the Warmarshal for the insults that she has suffered here today."
The general pocketed the ring and turned away from the ranger, who was nearly trembling with rage. There was no doubt in her mind, she could kill the man where he stood before anyone in the court room could stop her. One Kournan general had fallen at her hands, what difference would another make?
"Nothing further your honor," Morgahn bowed, returning to his seat.
"Very well," Suhl sighed, "In light of these events, this court has no choice but to commend Ranger Maelstrom's command in the matters regarding the alleged treason of General Kahyet. This court hereby orders that the Ranger issue a full apology to the Warmarshal for all insults sustained."
Rakiv looked up incredulously. They planned to treat her like a child now. This couldn't be how this ended… not after everything that had happened.
"General Morgahn, you are dismissed and may…" Suhl began.
"Not So Fast!!" a shout came from the top of the chamber stairs.
All eyes turned to the open doors as the speaker strode in. Bristling with rage, gleaming in her polished white armor and bearing both spear and shield, Kormir entered the courtroom. The Spearmarshal leveled her spear at the Council desk, eyes burning furiously.
"What is the meaning of this!?" she shouted, her voice filling the room, "You dare bring my officers forward like this? You dare impugn their honor and dub them liars before this assembly!?"
"Spearmarshal!" Suhl exclaimed, "We had not heard you had returned. Had we known we would have postponed these proceedings until…"
"Spearmarshal Kormir!" Morgahn cried at the same time, "Your officers have made wild and baseless accusations against the Warmarshal! I demand that…"
"Enough!" Kormir silenced them, "The island of Istan remains in a state of emergency, and so long as I am protector of these lands you will heed me!"
No one dared to argue. Rakiv turned and smiled up at her friend, who was still far too enraged to give more than a pause for objections from those before her.
"Hear now the words of the Spearmarshal!" Kormir called, raising her spear high, "Warmarshal Varesh is a traitor to Istan and to all of Elona!"
The short form of Tahlkora snuck from behind Kormir and quickly made its way down the stairs, placing several documents on the Council desk for them to see. Kormir continued and as she did, more Sunspears filed in, bearing various other articles and objects.
"Before you are warrants and correspondences, bearing Varesh's seal and personal signature," Kormir announced, "They authorize General Kahyet to employ Kournan privateers to attack peaceful villages on the island of Istan. The letters are written in the Warmarshal's own hand!"
Morgahn leaned towards the desk, attempting to peer at the letters. Rakiv turned to look at him, and a slow smirk spread across his face as he watched the processional of objects begin to mount on the chamber floor. A moment ago he had won this case, and now it was falling apart before his very eyes.
"I have traveled far and wide, seeking allies that might help us against the demons that plague us!" Kormir called, "And as I returned to my island home I beheld a ship that flew no flag, anchored near the seawall that protects our western reaches. Believing it to be corsairs we boarded it only to find Kournan soldiers awaiting us. It proved to be General Kahyet's ship, and on it we discovered many grave things!"
Still more evidence poured in. Great cauldrons with occultist markings, cages that contained strange and savage looking creatures. Scrolls, letters, documents… all were brought forth and laid on the council floor. Each item itself bore evidence of use in dark rituals, all bearing marks of ancient dark magic and even stranger designs that few could recognize. Kormir strode down the steps, handing her weapons to her shield bearer and holding out a hand to Tahlkora who gave her a scroll.
"But perhaps gravest of all is this," Kormir continued, unfurling the scroll and revealing strange glyphs upon it that burned with an unnatural purple light, "Look upon it well, all of you! For it bears the words of evil, the symbols of darkness! It is a copy of the Apocrypha, written in the general's own hand! And it contains exactly those instructions for bringing forth Nightfall!"
Morgahn made to rise and object, but Kormir's voice overpowered his attempts to speak.
"Let it be known!" Kormir shouted, "The Warmarshal has committed treason against the provinces of Elona! She has caused the death and sufferings of many and must be made to stand trial for her crimes! She will come forth and answer for what she has done, or we will come for her!"
"Spearmarshal!" Morgahn exclaimed, "Do you have any idea what you're saying!?"
"Will the Warmarshal answer these charges?" Kormir demanded, pointing a finger at him as she approached, mounting the dais with a single stride, "Will she stand before the protectors of Elona for these evils she has committed!?"
"She will not!" Morgahn snapped, "It's absurd! It's an insult! Choose your words carefully Spearmarshal! You would throw all of Elona into conflict for such foolish…" the general tried to continue but words began to fail him as Kormir's eyes burned into his.
"Then run back general," she snarled lowly, "Run back to your Warmarshal. Depart these shores immediately and tell her to prepare whatever evil forces she has aligned herself with. For the Sunspears will not suffer darkness to stain our lands! Come daybreak and the rising of the Golden Sun… we are at war!"
"Spearmarshal!" the council exclaimed, though Kormir silenced them with a hand.
"I will return," Morgahn swallowed, glaring back at Kormir, "And I will tell the Warmarshal of this outrage. Beware Kormir, the forces of Kourna are strong! You will not win a war against us."
"Hmph," Kormir said, "Then let the gods judge between us, that righteousness may prevail!"
The general made a hasty, yet dignified retreat as the Council muttered among themselves. With the state of emergency still in effect, the Spearmarshal retained her executive powers and there was little they could do to stop her. Kormir turned and stepped from the dais, placing a hand on Rakiv's shoulder and smiling.
"You have done well in my absence old friend," the Spearmarshal smiled, "I apologize for being late."
"Hey," Rakiv chuckled, putting her hand on Kormir's other shoulder and giving it a light squeeze, "Better late than never. I just hope you brought another army with you."
"Do not worry," Kormir smiled, "We will be well prepared for what lies ahead."
The ranger half turned her head, listening to the uproar of the crowd. Delegates and dignitaries argued back and forth, many calling down to the floor in their fervor. Rakiv chuckled and glanced at Kormir.
"Sounds like it's time for one of your famous speeches," Rakiv smirked.
"Indeed," Kormir nodded with a smile of her own, "Let's see what I come up with this time."
Both women released each other and Kormir stepped forward, raising her hands for silence. The roar of the crowd slowly lulled and finally silence was established. The Spearmarshal waited for a moment, ensuring that all eyes were on her before she took a deep breath and began.
"People of Istan," she elocuted clearly, "Hear me. You have suffered much these last several months. Through corsairs and pirates we have struggled to defend ourselves against the plots of the wicked and the machinations of evil men. Beset on all sides by those who would see us brought down, we have remained strong. A great and golden light amidst the darkness."
She paused for breath and then quickly continued.
"We stand now at the precipice… on the brink of war," she said, "And I mince no words when I say that this is a darkness like we have never faced before. We have seen it in our own cities, with our own eyes. Evil crawls forth to smite these lands, and it will find that we are more than ready to face it. This is a conflict that it has begun… but I say to you it is a war that we will finish!"
From somewhere in the courtroom a horn started up, giving a low but a strong and clear note. Rakiv shook her head. It was exactly what Kormir had always wanted, inspirational music to go with her inspirational speeches.
"As the night falls over the land, we will bring the brightness of day!" Kormir called forth, "Let our shields shake and our spears ring! Let us go forth with honor and for glory! Let us be the light that shatters the coming darkness! We will fight for our home, we will fight for our people. And we will fight for Elona!"
A cheer went up from the gathered masses and Rakiv couldn't help but chuckle. Despite her own cynicism, she couldn't help but feel a little pumped herself.
"Do not be deceived Sunspears," Kormir said, the horn rising higher and stronger as she pointed out to the crowd, "We journey beyond the edges of the map. To the dark places where true evil sleeps. We go to cast down horrors and to vanquish demons. But in the darkness of combat may your spear be swift! When the demons surround you may your shield be strong! And though you face terrors of Torment itself, remember our creed!"
The Spearmarshal punched a fist to the sky, though Rakiv couldn't help but note it was actually the ceiling as they were standing in an enclosed room.
"You Never! Fight! Alone!!" she shouted.
The crowd went wild, cheers and shouts of "Arra! Arra!" resounding through the halls of the Consulate. Kormir smiled as she lowered her arm and nodded with satisfaction. Rakiv motioned for her squad to assemble and the group converged on the chamber floor as Kormir turned to face the ranger.
"Come with me old friend," Kormir said, "There is much to do, and we have many things to discuss."