Chronicles of Espiria Season 1
Episode 3 – Return of the Paragon
Written by The Dude
The Scorched Expanse. This barren wasteland of sand and death that lies due west of the Lightbearer territories was once part of their empire. This ownership of the land ended, however, when it was occupied by a race of beast men who called themselves Maulers. Forged in the fires of this inhospitable landscape, their highest law was survival at any cost, and anyone among them who sought peace was not long for this world. The Maulers and Lightbearers had been at intermittent war for centuries; sometimes over land, other times over resources, and sometimes just to satisfy a centuries-old grudge between the two races.
The Mauler tribes were usually fiercely independent, but they did recognize two among themselves as their supreme leaders and mediators. One was the Grand Chieftain, Skriath of the Falcon tribe, who had proved his wisdom and intelligence by uniting the many Mauler tribes during a time of intense civil war. The other was the Paragon, Brutus of the Lion tribe, recognized throughout the Scorched Expanse as the mightiest warrior the Maulers had ever produced. The Grand Chieftain and the Paragon alone had the authority to command the other Mauler tribes in times of war, or to mediate decisions in times of dispute.
Most of the time, these two leaders resided in a place known as the Steelthorn Peaks, a small collection of granite mountains so treacherous to climb that only the Paragon and his carefully selected Blood Guard could ascend them. On this day, Skriath glided from his place at the peak of the most treacherous mountain, known as the Chieftain's Peak, to the edge of a small village at the base, erected as a base from which the Grand Chieftain and the Paragon can disseminate their will to the other Mauler tribes. Brutus had just returned with his raiding party, and Skriath was curious to see how he had fared. From the size of the burdens carried by the troops, he presumed that they fared well.
"I see that your raid was success." Skriath said to Brutus. "Congratulations, my Paragon."
"It was...acceptable." Brutus responded with a snarl.
Skriath looked over the cargo again. "You are dissatisfied with your prize? I estimate that the supplies you've brought back..."
"Are a fraction of what I wanted!" Brutus roared as he turned and punched a nearby stone, shattering it in a single blow.
Skriath observed the reaction of the warriors in the raiding party and guessed that they had already been informed of Brutus' dissatisfaction. He acted quickly to calm Brutus before he could hurt anyone.
"Khasos, have the supplies taken to the tent." Skriath ordered. "We will catalog them later."
Khasos was happy to comply; anything to avoid Brutus' wrath. Skriath then turned to Brutus.
"Come to the planning tent. You can tell me what troubles you there."
Brutus followed Skriath to the planning tent, where Brutus would lay out his battle plans for the Mauler commanders that he was going to lead, and they took their seats on opposite sides of a large, round table. A young Durri entered the tent to see if Brutus or Skriath needed anything.
"Dral, fetch us some tea."
Dral ran from the tent, leaving Brutus and Skriath alone. Brutus took a deep breath and began to summarize the raid.
"It all started well enough. We entered Lightbearer territory to the south, near the Bantus border, where the humans tend to avoid, and caught the first Lightbearer garrison by surprise; they fell nearly without a fight. As we marched further north, however, everyone became sluggish. The next battle with the humans was fought to a standstill; we were forced to retreat with what supplies we could carry."
"Could your men be ill?" Skriath offered. "You did pass by Bantus; any breeze from that land could bring all sorts of unpleasant..."
"They let their Bloody Will slip!" Brutus shouted, then regained his composure as he remembered who he spoke to. "The will to survive, our Bloody Will, is meant to drive us to impossible feats, but my men grew arrogant after an easy victory and let their drive slip! You are right, Grand Chieftain; our raid was productive, but we could have taken so much more!"
"I understand you disappointment, my Paragon." Skriath said when Brutus had finished. "But as you say, you and your men have done well. If there is any weakness in your men, you find it and root it out before your next raid, as you always have done."
At that moment, Dral returned with a tray holding two teacups and a steaming pot of tea. She placed it on the table and quickly backed out of the tent.
"In the meantime," Skriath continued without missing a beat, "rest and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Particularly this Lightbearer tea; say what you will of the humans, but their tea is exquisite."
Skriath poured a cup for himself and Brutus, then downed his cup in a single gulp. Brutus drank more slowly, mulling over both his disappointing raid and Skriath's wisdom.
"Once we finish this pot," Skriath continued as he refilled his cup, "we will catalog the supplies you've brought us and decide how they will be partitioned among the tribes. And do not forget the Sphinx; they are still struggling to recover from the treachery of Queen Safiya."
"They did help plan the raid." Brutus responded. "A pittance for their help would be in order."
Skriath smiled as if in celebration of a clever chess move. "Ah, there's that bit of heart I've been looking for."
They soon finished their tea and left the tent, nearly tripping over Dral just on the other side of the curtain.
"Dral, what are you..."
Skriath noticed the look of fear on Dral's face. Following her gaze, Skriath and Brutus were horrified to see most of Brutus' raiding party sprawled out on the ground, moaning in pain and exhaustion. Brutus ran to the group and knelt next to one of the warriors.
"Arkaidos, can you hear me? What's wrong?!"
Arkaidos could only respond with a pained moan, the same as the others. Brutus quickly noticed that Khasos was unaffected.
"Khasos, fetch the shaman, now!"