Lethe's Village Raid I

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

RP Type: Village Raid Quest
Raid on a minor NPC village up to x1.5 your army forces (#). Population addition = ½ of the village population (#).
Map Coordinates: K7B | Location: Vilis, Medius
Moderator: Ascension

The concrete jungle of K7B holds a slumlike urban landscaping three miles shy of the encroaching urban vegetative hybrid area and broken elevated outer highway system that exists to the west. Formerly Gothstone in a previous world, this area is referred to as Vilis by the people who inhabit the region and it is a land of broken sky scrapers, out of place and makeshift huts, tents, and paved streets. This would be the border of danger as any further east and into the city would put one within the generally off limits central area. This area would be considered the at the edge of safety from the region rumored to host the living dead and soul stealers and a land inflicted with darkness and demonic taints.

Odd metallic wheeled artifacts of varying size and color litter the terrain; large signs in an incomprehensible language hang on tattered brick and concrete buildings. Foreign were grasslands and meadows to this locale. The population in Vilis is mostly human where denizens live in the remains of apartment complexes, the remains of ancient shops and other structures. The natives would be dressed in worn city attire of the ancient time period, clothing that would be most abundantly found naturally in this area. As to that fact, most of the residents of this area would resemble bums by contemporary definitions.

With an average population of about 100 people per square mile, there would be approximately 250 people residing in the overall region of K7B. Day and night, people passively go on with their everyday lives in this area. As a place so near a danger zone, the residents would be the type to stick together as a regional as oppose to the separatist ideals of the clans of Rockland. Still, there would be no unifying organization other than ‘The Guild’ which in itself was more like an ideal among men rather than an actual a tangible thing.

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

The sun was nearing it's highest point as the day came to it's halfway point. It was bright and sunny, not a single cloud in the sky all the way foreseeable horizon, and the landscape was lambasted with a dry heat. A tall, heavily tattooed man squinted as he looked at the landscape ahead of him; the enormous ruined city they called Medius dominated the area. His amber eyes drifted from the farthest parts of the ruins he could see to what was closest to him, or rather, the area he was heading for. The central most territories were already claimed by their respective groups, but these outlying skirts of settlements didn't share the same luxury. And so, they were to be his target.

Target was such a dirty word, though. If at all possible he was going to keep the process free of bloodshed, but he'd run into more than his fair share of irrational people in these lands and he was going to come more than prepared. Accompanying the white haired general were ten soldiers, all dressed in identical attire that was meant to intimidate the holy bejezus out of those that gazed upon them. Not a soul could look upon their faces as they were covered with half masks carved in the image of the hyena. They were capable enough with their swords, that much was true, but sometimes their attire alone was enough to swing the favor of forces that may normally be opposition. This, of course, was the exact reason Lethe had equipped his men with such attire. All of his soldiers, in fact. Not only did he enjoy the presence that his soldiers would give off, but the intimation factor was definitely a plus when on patrol and in any situation that called for keeping the peace or imposing will. An all around good outfit, to be sure.

Wasting no time Lethe and his men traversed the broken roads towards one of the outer most settlements. As a child he'd once been told that if you left the forest and ventured too far out into the open, you'd be snatched up by a great eagle and taken away, never to be heard from again. Perhaps this was an appropriate analogy for what happened those that were unprepared for what the cities and wastelands held.

It wasn't long before the grass was gone and their feet hit nothing but concrete. The squad of men moved into the settlement with little regard for moving silently or trying to take anyone by surprise. This would go against the way Lethe wanted to enlist these people, after all. Even if he did serve under Iskra, he was anything but like Jack. If this were Jack he'd probably just send in his sloth demons to slaughter everyone in the area and carry off a select few. Lethe, on the other hand, found it much more civilized to simply offer the people citizenship within the Triumvirate's fledgeling empire. What he had to offer them would surely be much better than continuing to live here ... within these ruins and without true safety.

Truth be told Lethe had chosen this particular time of the day to come for the very reason of not wanting to draw a defensive response from them. He was coming mid day, under the sun, and not under the cover of night or a growing darkness. His men all had their weapons sheathed (as intimating as they'd still appear to normal people), and they simply slowly walked into the middle of a wide array of huts and tents. He'd probably have to give them some sort of show of power ... he didn't expect them to simply take his offer without an ample demonstration, but that was fine ... be it simple diplomacy or cutting down a defense force.

There were many, many people around. Yes, this would do nicely.

Turning to face the densest area of people, Lethe simply called out, "Who is in charge here?"

EXP: 762
PWC: 762
Other: +1 TEXP (July 26th, earned 250 exp)

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

RP Type: Village Raid Quest
Raid on a minor NPC village up to x1.5 your army forces (#). Population addition = ½ of the village population (#).
Map Coordinates: K7B | Location: Vilis, Medius
Moderator: Ascension

The height of the day would have the area brimming with activity. Men would be working, children would be playing and women would be preparing to be in their rightful domain of the kitchen as dinner time was soon approaching.

The scene that is observed by those in the vicinity is one of a male of questionable origins arriving on location with an entourage of men, dressed alike in a uniformed manner. Though there did not seem to be any outward aggressive actions by the group, it was an interesting sight to see, and the intimidating nature of the group would be noted by those who looked upon them. As they walked, questions about their identity would become to rise up in small side conversations. Since they seemed to be organized and with weapons, it was easily assumed that they could either be bandits or a party of intrepid adventurers. It wasn’t farfetched for a party of men to pass through this area just before venturing into the core district; the one way trip had been seen many times with few men making the trip back from the hollowed place.

The vocal query brings questioning gazes to the man who spoke it. As far as the question went of who they were, the fact that bandits didn’t generally approach and ask questions had the general consensus lean to the fact that they might be adventurers. It was unlike questions that were posed before by other groups such as ‘where can I find a merchant’ or ‘who has room to board for the night.’ With a question of his caliber, generally the person in charge would step forwards and say ‘I am,’ but in such an unaffiliated place consisting of small family sects working together, such a question was hard. It was a scenario where who one really felt qualified to give the answer, though the answer might not exist. As such, it would play out that no one would say anything and Lethe and his group of men would be given stares and gazes running a gambit of expressions. The large group would murmur among themselves as others would either continue to watch, or go on about what they were doing. For now, Lethe would not have his answer.

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

Truth be told there was quite a bit of disappointment for Lethe when he didn't receive and actual answer from the many people in the surrounding area. Where he had hoped to draw a vocal response (constructive, of course) he was instead met with blank stares and inquisitive expressions. That of course made this entire thing more complicated than he actually needed to be. If there had been someone in charge he simply could have met with that person and negotiated with him or her as to the relocation of these people. As it stood now there was a very large amount of people with no leader, and all of whom were either giving him dumbfounded stares or were completely ignoring him all together.

"Ah, so that's how it is ..." The general muttered softly to himself under his breath, his once hopeful expression melting into a disappointed one. He could just continue yelling out to everyone, but there was no guarantee he was going to grab everyone's attention that way and he wasn't about to waste his breath. He still wanted this to go down with as little (hopefully no) blood shed as possible, but perhaps a show of power would gather everyone's attention? Without looking back, Lethe raised his right and and swirled his hand in the air once. It was an breathless signal to his men, but he still uttered the command, "Blades out, men."

The sound of drawing steel screeched into the air, garnering the attention of those in the immediate vicinity. That still wasn't good enough.

The broad warrior scanned the surrounding area. Almost everyone was in this general vicinity, in what he could only suppose was some sort of market or business district. The easiest thing to do would be to find high ground, gather attention, and make his proposal from there. Unfortunately, there was no pre existing place that would separate him from the crowd. No pedestal or small plateau. The only thing he could think to do was to make one himself, and this would by extension be an adequate show of power. In fact he'd had his men draw their weapons for that very reason: intimidation factor and preparation for any unknown defense force's retaliation to what he was about to do.

His attention was drawn to a small structure in the middle of the makeshift village (if that's what you wanted to call it). It was very plainly abandoned, having already had half of itself ripped apart by some unseen force long ago, and as far as Lethe could tell it didn't hold much importance to these people. More importantly the rubble from it would provide and excellent vantage point to address these people. And so, using the same hand that was raise, Lethe directed an open palm in it's direction. The process he was calling on was slow at first, but the ground all around the building itself was freezing to sub zero temperatures, only visible as the ice from the frozen ground began to seep from the building's foundation. With a turn of his wrist and balling of his fingers, man sized spikes erupted from the ground in that area. The glacial lances tore through what was left of the already broken building, reducing it to a heap of rubble.

The commotion and disturbance caused by an imploding building (however small it may have been) would have surely drawn the attention of everyone around.

In a very nonchalant manner Lethe walked over to the rubble and ascended to the top, quite comfortable around the ice. His men formed a straight line in front of him, weapons drawn, there for simple defense at this point. To be sure, all eyes should be on him now. "Do I have everyone's attention now? Good. Before I begin I'll ask once more, is there anyone here that holds influence over the lot of you? Perhaps a village elder? A militia captain? Anything of that sort I should know about? If not, I have a proposition for all of you ... fine people."

EXP: 770
PWC: 770
Other: +1 TEXP (June 27th, earned 250exp)

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

RP Type: Village Raid Quest
Raid on a minor NPC village up to x1.5 your army forces (#). Population addition = ½ of the village population (#).
Map Coordinates: K7B | Location: Vilis, Medius
Moderator: Ascension

There is a uniform vocal noise that emits from the crowd as awareness is raised to the brandishing of bladed weapons by the uniformed group of men; people close immediately seek to distance themselves from the group of men, since armed men pulling out weapons all of a sudden wasn’t a good thing. Fathers would step in front of their families protectively and men who were generally working during the day would be forced to give the situation the attention it deserved. As adrenaline began to rile in the chests of the males who lived in this area, it is soon replaced with a different feeling as Lethe displays his ability to use his ice technique. Murmurings in the crowd including, ‘it’s a dark magic user!’ fill the air in disbelief that disappointment that this person would be above what was considered normal for humans. The reference to dark magic wouldn’t be specific to the dark package, but rather the user of magic offensively or to intimidate as oppose to help and assist. Though it was unnatural for humans, it wasn’t something that most humans did not know about as Kami mixed into the populace would be the only other ones capable of using magic, but perhaps only few would be able to attempt to use it to the extent that was demonstrated.

A man among men, Kami in decent, but one who had lived in this land for as long as he could remember, speaks up as he steps into the center of the clearing of people. A simple man in work clothing and leather boots with long flowing white hair, he inquires, “what type of proposition would a man such as yourself have, and why come here to cause a commotion between these people?”

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

So, someone was actually going to speak up. With an accepting gesture and a point, Lethe identified the man that had spoken up, "Simple: stability."

With a broad sweep of his arms, the village's guest speaker gestured towards the broken city around them, "Look around you! Truly look at the broken, crumbling shell of a place you call home. It's little more than a husk of what it once was, and yet you're forced to live within it's fading essence. Is that what you wish to always have? Or do you want more? For yourself or future generations?" Lethe spoke with a loud, authoritative voice, and pacing slowly back and forth along the rubble pile while maintaining eye contact with the gathered crowd.

"By most standards this world is still young. There are less than a single generation of memories between everyone in this world, while the world around is contains untold secrets and a hidden past. There is, relatively speaking, little to not established order. It's wild. Untamed. Unpredictable. Surely all of you, living here in such an area, know that better than most. This world is violent, and security is at a premium. For instance, if I wanted to I could have ordered my men to begin butchering the lot of you."

"Now, I'm sure you're asking yourselves ... who is this man and why is he telling us this? Simply put, I am one of three ... known as The Triumvirate. It may be new to many of you, but I can assure you that everyone shall hear of us soon. We are a fledgeling empire, and the three of us that lead are, without a doubt, three of the most powerful individuals this land has ever seen. I believe you saw a demonstration with these ruins I stand atop, hmm?"

Motioning towards his men, the re-sheathed their weapons. "I was sent here, quite simply, for people. How I go about acquiring those people is little concern to at least one of my brethren. In fact, I imagine now he his plundering some other area for slaves. But ... that is not what I want. I do not wish to have slaves. I do not want servants. I want citizens."

Lethe paused, allowing his words to sink in. He had said a lot after all, and for those paying attention he'd hoped he'd make some sort of an impact. In a place where there was almost no unity and sense of true community, he'd hope that something appealing to such a basic human need (community) would draw them. Folding his arms across his chest, he finished, "And that is what I offer you: citizenship. A chance to be more than just a simpleton of the wastelands. As you can see before me, we have well equipped and capable warriors. All of those living within Triumvirate lands will be under their protection, and you will not have to worry about your safety. Furthermore, our lands right now are within the forests, and they are fertile. You will have adequate food and water. In return, you will follow our laws and be productive members of society. I know not all of you will jump at this chance, I am no fool ... but those of you that choose to be, please step forward."

EXP: 634
PWC: 634
Other: +1 TEXP (July 28th, posted in 2 threads)

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

RP Type: Village Raid Quest
Raid on a minor NPC village up to x1.5 your army forces (#). Population addition = ½ of the village population (#).
Map Coordinates: K7B | Location: Vilis, Medius
Moderator: Ascension

A captive audience listens to Lethe’s words and the reception is half and half. There were some in the crowd who were looking for something better and equally there were others who felt that they enjoyed their current way of life living here in peace with their family that did not necessarily trust chasing a dream of some unknown organization who spoke of unprecedented ideas such as empires. The closest comparison point people had to what Lethe was trying to communicate was something like what Mare Maris had; an organization on a level beyond work or hobby that delved into people living together and accepting a certain manner of living within an established society.

The Kami who spoke before asks, “if we choose not to come, you will leave us in peace, correct?” His words would be a test of the caliber of man before then. Immediately after his words, a workman living on his own without a family and representing those who were more inclined to take risks, speaks out, “surely if he had come here, he has been to other places and had people join him. There is safety in numbers… they may continue with or without us.” The two men would represent the division in the crowd, but it seemed like the bulk of the decision would be based on Lethe’s answer to the Kami.

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

The reaction he received from the crowd was about what he expected. A portion of them seemed quite interested in the proposition he had while there was a much larger number of people that seemed to want to remain where they were. Some were in between but usually when people were on the fence about something they stayed with whatever was most familiar to them. Humans were funny like that; some people liked to consider themselves about lesser beasts, but humans themselves were quite animistic in that they were creatures of habit. It took a certain kind of person to response positively to change, and in truth this was the very kind of person he was looking for.

The man's question was a fair one, and one he supposed he needed to touch upon anyway. "That is correct, good sir. Those of you that do not wish to leave will be left alone, allowed to go about your lives as you have and can forget that we ever came here." Lethe explained, always ending such things with a stipulation. "However, be aware that in the future Medius will be in our cross hairs. We will come to this area and seek to claim it, and I can't imagine that the ... charming fellows controlling the central lands of this area will give it up so easily. There will be fighting, I'm sure, and this area may or may not be effected."

"And ... well, that's not a threat. Truthfully it's a ways off, and it's just simple information I believe all of you should be aware of while mulling over this decision."

EXP: 289
PWC: 289
Other: +1 TEXP (July 29th, earned 250 exp)

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

RP Type: Village Raid Quest
Raid on a minor NPC village up to x1.5 your army forces (#). Population addition = ½ of the village population (#).
Map Coordinates: K7B | Location: Vilis, Medius
Moderator: Ascension

Attention is on Lethe as he answers the question; the answer seems to sate the crowd. The Kami then turns and looks conflicted as if trying to make a decision for himself. Within the crowd, a few people began to shy away and walk off. A portion of the crowd, generally single men without families, teen orphans, or those most likely to go where they are promised something in return, step forwards as well and approach the pedestal that Lethe had created for himself. The questions would come in one by one such as “what is this place like” and “can you really promise us protection?” The occasional questions about freedom and opportunity would rise as well, but for the most part, they would be on board with what Lethe was offering. Seeing others approach Lethe, the Kami in question decides that he will stay his path, but he was insignificant in the long run. The purpose had been served and in his coming here, Lethe managed to gain himself a few new followers.

Quest Passed

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