EliteCommander

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet of Arcaeda

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“I never said you were right or wrong. I also never said the S’tor were right or wrong.” Kareet said, glancing up for just a moment from the notes she was jotting down. “What I am saying, is that you seem to be living proof of the Archmagister’s philosophy. You are everything she wants us to become. Perhaps a bit more…enthused about warfare than she is, but the fact that you have found such strength through challenge is encouraging.”

Even Kareet picked up on the fact that Vigdis wanted to move on from the topic, which in itself was interesting to note. The way she described her own people, they were a warrior race much like the S’tor. Yet, she was strangely defensive about that description. If there was one difference she could note between the two, it was that the S’tor took much more pride in their ways.

“Of course, of course. I just have one piece of advice. Be careful who you tell those sorts of things to. Not everyone on Kanth-Aremek is as accepting of certain realities as we are. If the Mythadians were to get the impression that a more advanced version of the S’tor had appeared on their border, they may react poorly. If they were to start seeing you as a threat, rather than an opportunity, then you could be left with no choice but to take sides.” Kareet suggested, speaking softly. Strictly speaking, it could benefit her if the Humans were to give the wrong sort of impression to Silbermine, as it would leave them with no choice but to ally with the Ascendancy. However, a war could also end up damaging or destroying the Jotunheim, which would be an unacceptable loss of potential knowledge to her.

Once she got through the notes, Kareet briefly put down her pen. “Since you are the one in front of me at the moment, it would probably be wise to ask about that which you are most knowledgeable. Anatomy will probably be the second chapter, but I think I can ask Kerchack about that, if he is allowed to study you. If I may, I would suggest that you try to convince your Captain to allow it. I do not know the capabilities of your medicine, but Life magic can heal nearly any injury, short of the death of the brain. Any broken or lost limbs, any injuries no matter how severe, from the crash or before. Any member of your crew, as long as they are still alive, can be made whole again.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet of Arcaeda

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Vigdis may have expected Kareet to understand the reasons for warfare that she gave, but Kareet showed genuine confusion for a moment. She blinked, staring straight ahead at her before jotting down a few notes. “You…say these things as if they are inherent and obvious truths. That killing over these things is normal, but that is not the case for us. I can think of times in history that tribes or other groups have conflicted over such things, but very rarely to the death. There are always exceptions, but in history in general, Tekeri do not war with Tekeri. Glen not with Glen. And Iriad certainly do not kill one another. Even now, as nations have become more connected with members of different species giving allegiance to one another, it is a well-known problem among armies that we have difficulty striking a killing blow against our own kind. It takes considerable training and…teaching to be rid of such limits. Only S’tor are known to have such ease in killing one another. I think I am right; you are quite like them.”

Kareet had a hard time wrapping her head around the scale of the examples Vigdis used. Seventy million deaths in a war was a nigh incomprehensible figure of her. She was not even certain that there were that many people on this entire continent. If that many deaths was not enough to destroy their whole civilization, then what did that say about the sheer scale of their society? For a brief moment, there was a pang of fear in her heart. What kind of power was it, exactly, that lurked on the other side of that hole in the sky the Jotunheim had fell through?

Nevertheless, there was nothing that broke Kareet’s impersonal calm. “And you say it was conflict that brought you such strength? Your challenges against one another inspired you to invent and improve to where you are now?” She sat up straight and gave a slight laugh. “The Archmagister will like you…as will the S’tor.”

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General Kvarr

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For the moment, General Kvarr did not bring a large force too close to the crash site. After making contact with Nellara’s soldiers, there was a brief exchange of a few messages to confirm the situation. From there, Kvarr himself was joined by an escort into Nellara’s camp. He insisted upon meeting with their commander right away, and so was taken straight to the Castigator’s tent. He left his escort to stand guard outside and entered the command tent alone.

As he had flown in from Arcaeda with the assistance of Life mages, Kvarr was not wearing his usual armor that would have bore the insignia of his station. Rather, he was simply wearing the plate armor of a normal officer. It did not seem to fit him perfectly, but it was serviceable enough. Regardless, he was unmistakable the moment he removed his helmet. He had been a major figure in the Ascendancy for centuries, and his visage was one that could be found on a few statues in Arcaeda, and beyond. Even still, he held out an aluminum medallion with the Archmagister’s seal for her to inspect: a formality to help confirm his identity. Aside from that, he had little desire to stand on ceremony. “Before anything else, Castigator Nellara, are there any imminent dangers that require my attention, or do we have time to discuss the situation in detail?”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareeth of Arcaeda

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“The Kolodon Empire.” Kareet answered, still not raising her gaze up from her notes. Their writing had not yet been translated, so Vigdis would not be able to make sense of what she saw. Aesthetically, the language she was writing in appeared to be made up mostly of short, straight lines of varying lengths in different arrangements. They were almost like claw marks, in appearance.

Kareet elaborated without delay. “The Driisu Houses were quite stubborn. None of them capitulated to Kolodon, and they all fought until they were destroyed. All but one. House Nabarask was also stubborn, but in a different way. Rather than live under Kolodon, they fled to a land harsh enough to shield them. The northeastern edge of the Tekairr mountain range was inhospitable, or so we thought. There were no Tekeri tribes who called it home, not when there was much more favorable land just to the south. But they managed to survive there through the Kolodon Empire’s reign. I believe there were some substantial cave systems that allowed them to establish villages that could at least survive. And after magic was discovered, it gave them the power to expand. They fared well, all things considered. There were others who did not prove so resilient. The Kriliterans, for instance, were wiped out entirely. They came from the northern part of Kanth-Aremek, same as the S’tor, so they were among the first to face Kolodon’s conquest.”

Eventually, Kareet finished her basic sketch of the Human form. “Hmm, going to need more detail when I get to the anatomy chapter.” She muttered, though quickly shifted her attention back to Vigdis. “I believe I am starting to get a picture of what you are. The only intelligent species on your world…at first I thought that would make your world especially peaceful, but you are clearly no strangers to warfare. A few of you have mentioned it frequently in our conversations, and your Captain Zey certainly made sure to make a strong statement. Out of Kanth-Aremek’s people, my first impression is that you have the most cultural similarities to the S’tor. I would be interested to compare the cultural values of the two.” Despite her words, Kareet did not have anything approaching an accusatory tone. Indeed, her description of the Kolodon Empire’s conquests had been quite impersonal as well. “What role does warfare play on your world? Do you venerate your warriors in any particular ways?”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet of Arcaeda

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“Only Tekeri prefer the night, that I know of. The Driisu live underground, but I do not think that is by choice.” Kareet answered. She had, of course, been jotting down her notes on every word that Vigdis spoke, regardless of whether or not she understood their meaning in the moment. Some of the words she spoke either had not been translated, or did not have a readily comparable meaning to them, but she felt she understood most of what she intended.

As soon as Vigdis placed it down, Kareet leaned over and took a look at the tablet. The image it showed was good enough for a basic sketch for the first page. She could always get more detail for later chapters, if needed. From watching her so far, it was apparent that Kareet had a quick, steady hand, that could both write and draw with haste. It did not seem like she even needed to fully focus while making her sketch. “So it is true that you are naturally mostly hairless, then? Fascinating. No fur, no feathers, no scales; does that not make you more vulnerable? Is your skin tougher than it looks?” She considered the description thusfar. ‘Mammal’. That was not a word that translated, but the way she described it felt familiar. It fit roughly in to the way some of their own scholars organized creatures. “You are like Glen, then? You have…some hair, and they birth their calves live, and nurse them just the same.”

The last point that Kareet’s mind settled on was the one that seemed the strangest to her. “Though, the Glen don’t eat meat. You said your people exhausted your prey to death? How is that even possible? How long can your species run?”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet of Arcaeda

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Kareet was cautiously optimistic when Vigdis arrived. She was the first of the Humans they had met, and from their brief times interacting, she seemed to have the right sort of knowledge to give Kareet what she wanted. They just had to be able to get through a conversation without being interrupted. Inwardly, she was hoping she would not end up seeing Silbermine come up over the hill at any point. Neither Silbermine’s camp nor Nellara’s was in sight of this little encampment, so they would have to come here rather intentionally to disturb them.

With a flick of her wrist, Kareet magnetized her pen into her hand, then opened her notebook to a blank page. “Thank you for joining me. I am glad to finally be away from all of the political nonsense to actually do something productive. For writing an encyclopedia, I would say the best place to start would be on the first page. I want the reader to have a comprehensive overview of Humans, so the most important question to answer first is a simple one: ‘what is a Human?’ I would describe you, your species’ major traits, and give a good few sketches of normal examples of your species. For example, I would describe the Tekeri as a people hailing from the Tekairr mountain range in southeastern Kanth-Aremek. Our traits relate us most closely to the birds of our world, between our feathers, beaks, egg-laying, and light bodies. We are naturally hunters, preferring, and requiring, meat in our diet. We can eat vegetables, fruits, grains, and such, but cannot rely on them solely. We naturally prefer to be awake at night, and sleep through the day. It is usually only if our work requires it that we will change that, like I have now. So, how would you describe a Human?”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Despite the incident with the local hunters, there was not much discussion, or confrontation, for the rest of the day between the Humans and the natives outside. Mallory had recalled everyone back into the ship, and there was plenty for them to discuss and decide upon. Deliberations with the officers and on-board experts lasted for much of the rest of the day.

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Overall, there was the feeling that tensions between the Ascendancy and Mythadian camps were coming to a head, though among the Human crew, there was still a desire to try to avoid a war breaking out on their proverbial doorstep. There had been multiple offers from both sides, and at least for the moment, Zey had not decided to take sides. Provided nothing happened to force their hand, they would likely accept Silbermine’s offer to negotiate terms in Keraknúr, just like they would accept an equivalent offer to negotiate with the Ascendancy.

After what had happened between Nellara and Silbermine in the Ascendancy camp, Zey had ordered the creation of a sort of reception area right outside the ship, near the cargo bay. The idea of neutral territory could conceivably reduce the odds of conflict, though there were no guarantees. At the very least, having some “formal” area to meet with the natives on their own terms was something that could be useful. For now, they had only had time to set up a glorified campsite. They brought out a few spare chairs from inside, and a few empty crates for the larger aliens, and arranged them in a somewhat organized fashion. Over time, they could likely set up proper tents to create a more respectable encampment, but for now, anything they set up would probably just end up combusting.

On her part, Kareet cared little for how presentable the Humans made their camp. Her own goals were far more pressing to her. She had been told that the Humans’ Captain had asked for someone in her crew to come to her to take her up on her offer. As such, she was up early, sitting on one of the crates in the encampment as she waited patiently for her volunteer to arrive. Others had made similar offers to her the previous day, like Kerchack, J’eon, and Shirik, and they too would find someone to meet with if they decided to make good on them.

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From the Ascendancy’s side of the border, Nellara’s perimeter guard would be the ones to make contact with the Tekeri scouts from the allied force coming in from the southeast. For now, it was a smaller, advanced force that had reached them from ahead of the bulk of the forces from Lenkik. It was certainly good news that their reinforcements were starting to reach them, but the first words that the soldier who came running, out of breath, into Nellara’s tent had to say would certainly come as a shock by any measure.

“Castigator, it’s…General Kvarr…almost here.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

@Benzaiten

It is still possible to join. Given the context of where we are at, it wouldn't be difficult for new characters to become involved. There is a short and somewhat recent summary of events at the beginning of the IC, though we can answer questions. The Discord linked in the OOC is active.

We do use Inkarnate for the maps, yeah.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Again, Ahnasha hesitated for a short while in her answer. “I…doubt it’s anything to worry about, really. She warned me against working with Hal-Neesa. It could actually just be overprotectiveness; Meesei has always looked out for us.”

With a sigh, Ahnasha laid her head back on her pillow. “I don’t think Neesa is a threat, though. She’s always kept her word with every deal she’s made with us. That has been a constant. I’ve already learned a lot from her, and I still think there is plenty I could learn. Surely that’s worth the effort?”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Wodan

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Once Zey had moved on, Wodan assumed control of the droid addressing the newly-arrived Tekeri. From what they had learned so far, the Tekeri were associated with the nation known as the Ascendancy. Yet, this one was identifying herself as working with Mythadia, seeking Silbermine. They had already observed that the Ascendancy had multiple intelligent species as citizens, and it seemed that the same was true of Mythadia. There seemed to be enough data at this point to suggest it would be wise to avoid making too strict of assumptions for allegiance based on the species of any particular native.

The droid took one hand off of its weapon and pointed farther down the hill. “Silbermine has made camp farther down the hill. That is where you will currently find the majority of his retinue. Silbermine himself was last seen approaching the camp of Castigator Nellara, in that direction.” Wodan answered, pointing towards the Ascendancy’s camp as well.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet of Arcaeda

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Kareet had to do her best to maintain her patience. The back-and-forth of insults and threats between Silbermine and Nellara seemed like it was becoming even less and less productive as time went on. She may not have wanted Mythadia to gain too much influence over the Humans, but the arguments were preventing her from getting anything else done. All she could think about was the time they had wasted that she could be using to do something more important.

Silbermine wanted the Humans to assist him in the Running, and honestly, Kareet did not care if they did. Certainly he wouldn’t need all of them, and if they agreed, then it would likely get Silbermine out of their feathers enough for Kareet to actually get to work. Ironically, if he took them on as foreign champions, that would strengthen their position as being independent. Or at least, not under the dominion of Mythadia. It seemed strange to think so, but having the Humans help Silbermine with what he asked could actually serve the Ascendancy’s needs here.

Kareet perked up upon the arrival of the Humans’ leader. It seemed Zey had decided to join in the political posturing, from how she spoke. Kareet could not help but to feel a bit disappointed in that, but there was opportunity for her in what she asked. According to Zey, the Humans needed things from them, and there was at least one thing that Kareet could actually contribute to, and she could do so without needing anyone else’s permission. “If you agree to help me write my encyclopedia on your people, then I will give you all the lightning I can. I don’t need any other payment.” Kareet answered, holding up one hand as a few sparks of electricity arced between her fingers.