Colonizing the Dark Continent (For Weiss Ritter)

[Xatarias]

You depart after your quick conference. You notice a fevered air in the movements of both Telai and Milly as they traverse the scrublands and up the coast. They aren't so obvious as to shoot sidelong glares or verbally bait one another, but it is clear that neither is quite comfortable in the presence of the other. The silence is deafening.


Shenri at least seems happy. Headless of the monstrous load strapped to his back, the Hillfolk warrior all but stroll with his arms crossed behind his head, nostrils flared as they take in the fresh sea air. His placid state of mind turns over memories visible to your inner eye. You discover that the golden beastman always enjoyed the surface more than his darkness-loving relatives. It was that innate curiosity that led him to all sorts of misadventures, the most dire of which resulted in weeks spent in Agatha's tender care. Considering all he's been through, Shen'ri displays a remarkable strength of spirit in embracing the surface, its sunlit greenery and the vaste expanse of sapphire water that lapped at its edges.


One approaches


The Hillfolk twitches an ear and you innately know to look towards the dunes bordering the coast. A slight figure appears over a sandy rise in front of you. Claire calmly waits for you to cross the distance to her staring at you and your companions when you halt in front of her. The fey handmaiden is clearly equipped to travel, with a pack and canteen. She bears no visible weaponry, but then, you know she doesn't need any.


"What... Are you doing here?" Milly shows remarkable restraint in presenting the question without drawing a single firearm.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

The tension in the air between Telai and Milly quite naturally made its way into Nathaniel's body as the small expedition made its way towards the untamed wilds. The emotional crisis Milly had gone through seemed to be behind them now, but that didn't the fact that they seemed polar opposites in so many ways. Telai was a disciplined soldier, Milly a marauding buccaneer. The southern amazon was a tower of feminine muscle that could toss Hillfolk around like children, Milly's buxom and curvaceous form belied the eyes and experience of a master markswoman.They seemed worlds apart save for their shared connection to him...and perhaps the fact that they were both strong women who chose freedom over a life of comparative certainty. Milly hadn't been as open with him as Telai about where she hailed from, but she had made it abundantly clear that her captainhood wasn't driven completely by profit. Was that something he could work with to smooth things over? It wouldn't be easy. If Milly was reluctant to share that information with him there was no way she would be willing to have a friendly chat with Telai about it...or appreciate him betraying her trust by bringing it up.


Nathaniel exhaled a sigh not entirely born of exertion . On the bright side, Shen'ri's simple joy at being free to roam the surface was a welcome change from that tangle of mixed emotions. He was aware of the dangers of relying too heavily on the mental link to understand the golden Hillfolk, but it was hard not to curiously absorb every nugget of information it offered. These were concepts that would have been rather difficult to truly communicate with Shen'ri's rudimentary grasp of hand-signs, after all.


"Hm?" Nathaniel turned towards the dunes with a frown. One? It couldn't be a Forest Folk approaching them from the be-Claire.


His eyes swiftly scanned her equipment and glanced at Milly as she spoke. Whether her hesitation to draw a gun was born of pure self-control or simple wariness of what the maid could do even "unarmed" and weighed down he wasn't sure, but he was thankful.


"I made no secret of my plans to negotiate with the Forest Folk before things could escalate further to Miss Lentani. Is this-" Nathaniel gestured at her traveling gear. "Related or are you here by pure coincidence?"


The later seemed unlikely but not impossible. With Claire's true nature known to her most prominent potential rival, it wasn't as if it would hurt Cynthia to end the charade. The dangers of this continent were sufficient that deploying Claire to ensure a crucial mission's completion would have been logical, particularly if the Lentatni woman didn't want to risk her more vulnerable manpower out of fear for the Syndicate...or even what the Brightland expedition might become.

 

[Xatarias]

"My assigned mission is to infiltrate your party and gain your trust, using my-," She scrunches her brow like a child attempting to rehearse a poem or song, "Using my feminine charms if necessary. Details of any gains to your liquid assets or potential gains in manpower of your operation should be noted and recorded to memory for later review.


Clearly Cynthia overestimated Claire's abilities as a seductress... Either that, or this was a rare display of defiance. It's hard to consider all the options with Milly doubled over laughing. Telai merely raises her eyebrows at you. Somehow she manages to give you the impression that this is all your doing.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

If not for Claire's obvious effort at trying to recall Cynthia's instructions, Nathaniel would have suspected some strange attempt at a bluff or reverse-psychology to be at work. He stared for a moment to make sure this all wasn't some sort of joke or quasi-nightmare. His lips twitched upwards as Milly burst into outright laughter.


Nathaniel glanced at Telai to see how she was taking all this, only to offer up an expression and shrug of his shoulders that silently asked "What?" at her raised brows. Oh...right. He'd told Milly of Cynthia's...interrogation but not Telai. As if this couldn't get any more awkward...


The young Brightland frowned almost apologetically to his southerner lieutenant and turned back to Claire. "I suppose if we try to shoo you off, you intend to stalk us and find all that out through more...conventional spycraft?"


This development might not have been as bad as Telai or Milly were inclined to believe. At least, not from a pure business standpoint. The goal here really was to ensure peace, not come crawling to the scruffy warchief for a second attempt at an alliance against the Lentani, and the silks he hoped to gain were going to have to come through Newport, which Cynthia effectively occupied anyway.

 

[Xatarias]

"I intend to accompany you. Reconnaissance would be unfavorable in this environment and I would much prefer not having to follow at a distance through dense vegetation," She deadpans, unblinking, "Also I believe your compliance is assured given the amount of social leverage in my favor. If you become noncompliant with my mission objectives, I will simply sow dissatisfaction and jealously amongst your followers by referencing your personal life through innuendo and subtle wordplay."


Claire nods as if that settles the matter. Telai and Milly have all but frozen, incomprehension plastered on their faces.


The lithe assassin fixes her gaze behind you and strides over to Shen'ri. The two often-silent individuals engage in a staring contest for a few moments. The Hillfolk stiffens for a moment and you recognize that this is his first close encounter with a Gifted other than you since his imprisonment. Perhaps Claire senses your unique connection or-


"Puppy," Claire murmurs extending her hand up to your furry companion.


Shen'ri doesn't really know why the small female is scratching his ears, but he isn't exactly eager to question the happy circumstance he finds himself in, letting out a pleasurable rumbles as Claire's nimble fingers engage the soft fur on top of his head.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel stared at Claire for another lingering moment. His expression remained reserved while his mind rushed to recover from Claire's...eccentricities. Luck probably had nothing to do with it, but the Lentani maid was fortunate she was apparently a master of stealth given that otherwise she was about as subtle as a brick to the face...thrown by Telai...loudly shouting that she had thrown it.


"Right..." Nathaniel said, crossing his arms. His tone made it abundantly clear that particular threat held little sway over him. If only because Milly and Telai would have had to be blind and deaf to not guess at what she was alluding to anyway. "You can accompany us,"


The young man preemptively shot Milly and Telai a quick look over his shoulder to assure them that, yes, he was thinking with the correct head and would explain his reasoning the first chance he could get.


In short, though? It would be better to have Claire contented and with them than agitated as she stalked them through the forest, no doubt seeking some other way to coerce them into tolerating her presence. She wasn't likely to learn anything that would harm his expedition either, and her skills would be quite useful to have around once survival was a shared goal.


His casual mask cracked a bit as Claire suddenly approached Shen'ri. He remembered their first meeting, felt the Hillfolk's emotions regarding Agatha, and had experienced a small fraction of what it meant to be her prisoner personally...naturally, Nathaniel couldn't help but look completely shocked as she reduced the mighty native into a purring pet with a few deft scratches of her fingers.


"How did...? Nevermind..." Nathaniel shook his head and turned back towards his expedition's path. He spared a glance at Telai, half-tempted to make some witty remark about Ruan and his likely sensitive ears before common sense and basic courtesy quashed that terrible notion.

 

[Xatarias]

You hoist your pack and set forth. Telai quickly falls in behind you, but Milly hesitates for a moment before scrambling to catch up.


"Wait," She hisses, "We're actually letting her come along?"


"Don't tell me you're okay with this," She implores Telai once she has your assurances that this wasn't a decision you were going to reverse.


The amazon shrugs her impressive shoulders.


"If she represents a credible threat, then it's better for her to remain in sight... Besides, I trust the commander's judgment."


Milly mutters something under her breath that is no doubt contrary to Telai's statement, but she doesn't press the issue, falling behind you and the lieutenant to walk by herself. Occasionally you catch her casting suspicious looks Claire's way, entirely ineffective in riling the cool mannered psychic.


You soon reach the mouth of the river and start the trek inland. The trail is now familiar to you, and you periodically recognize landmarks along the way giving you a fairly accurate estimate of your progress. The hard part will be locating Hometree after you arrive at the sugar cane gardens where you first met Scruffy. Stumbling after the gliding tree dwellers didn't exactly give you time to time to draw a map.


"Sir. Up ahead."


Telai crouches behind a boulder, musket drawn. She points along the ribbon of water stretching before you, drawing your attention to a slumped figure some hundred yards away. You recognize the russet pelt and bushy tail as a Forestfolk adult. The creature is laying face down on the stream bank, motionless.


"I don't like this..."


Shen'ri sniffs the air and sends you a potent sense of impending dread. The musty scent of death on the air is one he recognizes well. Claire, sharing in the psychic experience, immediately bolts for the treeline and out of sight.


"H-hey, what the hel-," Milly whirls to face you, "Where's she going?"

 

[Weiss Ritter]

"She's coming whether we want her to or not. It's just a question of whether she lets us see her and how much she is willing to help us along the way," Nathaniel could only offer Milly a resigned shrug and an apologetic look. Thankfully, Telai agreed with his assessment, though he couldn't be sure that wouldn't have been the case if she had seen what Claire was truly capable of herself.


At the very least, it gave Milly someone other than Telai to shoot dirty looks at as the team advanced up the river and into the forest. The journey toward the sugar cane gardens was relatively swift and uneventful. No menacing bands of xenophobic squirrel warriors or enraged wildlife that could have given a full squad of soldiers a scramble for their money; just familiar landmarks and silence. Finding the Hometree from there would be a bit of a challenge, but it was one he was confident could be met.


Naturally, something was bound to happen to remind him that this was the Dark Continent and nothing was ever so simple.


Nathaniel's hand reflexively darted for his blade at Telai's warning, his eyes narrowing at the corpse. The wildlife might have been responsible, but then why leave the prey undevoured? A sapient murderer seemed more likely...which raised the question of the motive and whether or not the corpse was meant as bait.


"Probably to scout or get the drop on the perpetrator," Nathaniel spared Milly a glance as he readied his rifle. "If she wanted to do us harm, she's had multiple and much simpler opportunities before this,"


He crept forward, occupying a space next to Telai behind the boulder. First, he reached out with his mind, psychically scanning for any hostile mental presences laying in wait. There was at least one band of savage Hillfolk running around these woods who were likely still extraordinarily sensitive to such things.


If that failed to turn up anything, Nathaniel would have turned to Telai. "If we cover you-" He gestured to himself and Milly. "Can you scout it out?"

 

[Xatarias]

You extend your consciousness out into the surrounding woodlands. The landscape is vibrant with a thick density of life forms, but none bear the spark of sentience. Claire must be masking her presence because you can't seem to locate her either.


Telai slips outs of cover and briskly trots over to the prone Forestfolk, bayoneted musket at the ready. Nudging the creature gingerly with her foot, she grimaces, wrinkling her nose in disgust.


"It's-he's dead. Several hours ago. Whoever did this... They're not in their right mind. Nathanial, do you think-"


She looks at you with, maybe not fear, but apprehension. When you approach the corpse, it becomes clear what has her so disturbed.


The unfortunate squirrelmorph's spine had been snapped, but not before he was brutalized in a most horrific fashion. It is hard to keep your observation clinically detached as you survey the gruesome rends crisscrossing the Forestfolk male's body. Someone -some monster- practically flayed him and, judging from the shock-stricken look to his eyes, they did it while he was alive. Shen'ri whines, thinking the same thoughts that run through your own mind.


"Gods," Milly breaths, her expression tight and grim.


"We need to consider," Telai says slowly, "That this might not be an isolated occurrence. If such attacks have become widespread in the past few days... I don't think we can expect even a neutral welcome."

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Something in Nathaniel's gut twisted on a primal level at the carnage strewn before him. At first it was simple revulsion, but then everything it meant snapped together like some twisted jigsaw puzzle.


He was responsible for this, at least in part.


Agatha's Hillfolk had been his to euthanize while they were caged and fettered by her mental shackles. Doing so would have killed Shen'ri and his half dozen comrades as well, but..what if he'd been more careful? His powers were still new to him, but how difficult could it have been to take advantage of Agatha's work to force his way into their minds and determine which were safe to free and which were better off dead? But he even think to try that, did he? He just let the feelings of relief and blind compassion compel him to act without even thinking of the consequences...


Nathaniel's expression mirrored Milly's own and he nodded in agreement with Telai. The Warchief knew he was responsible for freeing Agatha's beasts and had little reason to not use that information to strengthen his position against the expedition. If...this had become commonplace, then even members of the Forest Folk council sympathetic to his kind probably wouldn't accept "but I saved the lives of six slightly less savage members of the race you view as barbarians with fists for brains" as an acceptable excuse...


"...Probably not, but we have to try," Nathaniel sighed and looked back at Telai. She may have merely been voicing what the others were thinking, but she was also the only other one who had seen and felt what an agent of the Syndicate was capable of firsthand. "We should at least confirm the political situation before writing them off entirely. Even if they want as little to do with us as possible, we may still be able to arrange something  in regards to the Syndicate and these renegade Hillfolk..."

 

[Xatarias]

Shen'ri whimpers again and you feel the anxious pain in his chest as he struggles with the plain evidence of his kinsmen's madness. Guilt at not having been able to help them in captivity, anger that they should do something so plainly evil, fear that they could endanger his new "tribe". This are the tangled ball of emotions the bulky dogman grapples with. When you look at him, he turns his gaze skyward, embarrassed that his compromised mental state is causing you discomfort. He thinks this is his fault!


"There are no hostiles in the immediate area, concealed or otherwise," Claire causes everyone to jump as she makes a sudden reappearance from the nearby brush. She strides over to the corpse and callously turns it over, jabbing her fingers into one of the many wounds. Milly wrenches.


"The corpse retains a certain amount of metabolic heat, and there is little trace of scavenging by insect and larger animals. I'd estimate the specimen was dispatches no more than two hours previously... The perpetrators must have moved at great speed to move beyond my sensory radius."


"We can't just expect to walk up to Hometree," Telai points out, hard-faced, "We need some means of establishing a parley... If we get close enough, do you think you could contact that female from before? What was her name?"


"Nathanial and I could simply hold their leadership hostage in order to secure conference," Claire states calmly, wiping her hands.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel's thoughts were interrupted by Shen'ri's own. At first he tried ignoring them as soon as he got the gist of what was running through the Hillfolk's head, but golden furred native's tangled knot of emotins remained pressed insistently against his consciousness. Finally, he was forced to give the Hillfolk a look to make it stop. His thoughts no longer risked getting entangled with Shen'ri's but...this was something they were going to have to work out. He couldn't lead if the apprehension of his followers did this to him every time something went wrong and...oh gods, the link wasn't two ways, was it?! When he spent time with Milly, did Shen'rei...?


He was letting his mind run rampant. Again. There were more immediate problems to deal with now, as Claire's reappearance drove home. Nathaniel's face twitched in a way that hinted at displeasure as the Lentani assassin examined the corpse with indifference that went beyond professional. In his case, it was more born out of seeing the many, many sadistic wounds gush than Calire's attitude. It wasn't exactly comforting, but it didn't take him off-guard for once and he might have been doing the exact same thing if he tried to bring his medical expertise to bear.


"Tch..." Nathaniel grunted under his breath and crossed his arms over his chest. Claire's analysis was...disconcerting. He knew the twisted Hillfolk were dangerous and likely still retained their intelligence from when they were still sane, but he didn't expect them to operate so well in the forest. Their powerful bodies, as far as he knew, had evolved within an underground cave system and seemed poorly adapted for moving through dense foliage both swiftly and silently...yet here they had not only murdered a Forest Folk in his own domain, but retreated with such efficiency neither Claire nor he could sense them.


"Laughingwind. And...I believe so." Nathaniel glanced to Telai as he pressed a hand to his forehead. "Right now our primary concern is that the Forest Folk may be shifting to a xenophobic or outright hostile mindset because of the false priestess's actions. I doubt that would accomplish anything beyond making them even more wary of us, unless they've already decided we have to die and we have absolutely no other choice."

 

[Xatarias]

The group is quick to resume travel after that. Telai takes point with her bladed musket while Shen'ri bounds up and down your column, forming a bristling perimeter. Hoping his keen sense of smell will pick up anything your own supernatural awareness might miss. Milly has holstered her pistol and swinging a blunderbuss from her back, under her arm. No doubt the larger weapon would be more effective in dealing with a pack of enraged Hillfolk. She casts a critical look at your own musket and during a brief respite, kneels to tighten the screw of its striker.


"The flint's a little loose... Keep this thing ready, Nat. Don't go messing around with that chemical nonsense," She looks up with a fierce expression, "You can bet whatever did that 'jumper back there isn't keen on taking prisoners."


You continue along the stream bed in good order, everyone vigilant and wary in their movements.


(Insight roll: 14)


You reach the sugar cane gardens. The serene tributary provides an excellent opportunity to refill canteens and reconvene. A few branches swaying against the wind alerts you to several unseen observers- no doubt Forestfolk commandos. They skirt well out of your psychic range whenever you make the attempt to reach out to them. The sheer density of life around you makes tracking their movements even more difficult.


"I can attempt a pursuit," Claire offers, watching as a shadowy figure darts off into the underbrush.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Seeing Telai ready her musket, Milly whip out weapon with the most stopping power in her arsenal, and Shen'ri serving as the vanguard who could probably match any of his savage counterparts one-on-one, Nathaniel was just about to swap to his drug-pellet discharging sidearm before Milly stopped him. He stopped for a moment and flashed her an appreciative smile when she adjusted the loose screw only to pause at her demand. He frowned in thought. Escalating things with the Forrest Folk with one stray bullet or itchy trigger finger was the last thing he wanted to do, but...perhaps Milly was right. Too much was at risk to just assume he would have the luxury of taking prisoners or changing his arms the moment something happened.


Almost reluctantly, Nathaniel tightened his grip on his bayoneted musket and nodded.


The tension in the air was almost palpable to the young Brightland even by the time his team reached the sugar cane garden. Every moving shadow and flutter of foliage was enough to draw his attention. It was tiring work that required ample discipline, but that was one trait he had in abundance and the mental effort paid off when he noted several branches swaying harder and in a different direction than those moved by simple wind. A psychic scan confirmed the presence of Forestfolk warriors even though they were too swift and cautious for him to even try to communicate or halt them.


Nathaniel visibly hesitated at Claire's offer.


"...No. They know this forest intimately and are well-adapted to it. If they view your pursuit as hostile, you and the rest of us could be in grave danger," He shook his head. "Help me keep our minds' reach as far as they can go. The warriors are avoiding my probing for now. If we can keep them at bay long enough for me to try and make contact within the Hometree, that should get us what we need safely."


His eyes scanned the forest approvingly. For the most part, the considerable cover it afforded the squirrel warriors was a terrific boon, but if they could keep them at long enough range, it might be converted into a double-edged sword. It would conceal the Forest Folk but make it next to impossible for them to pick out actual targets for their bows and darts...ideally, anyway!

 

[Xatarias]

"From what I cant remember," Telai says, rising from filling her water skin, "Their village is somewhere due south. I assume if we get close enough, you'll be able to... Do whatever it is you do."


"I call it his "woo woo" powers," Milly chimes in and the dusky Southerner lets out a rare and reluctant smile. Milly looks away, awkward at the moment of camaraderie and does her best to reassert standoffishness.


You delve into the forest. Ignorant of the footpaths you traversed the last time you were here, it becomes necessary to hack at the obstructing foliage. Each of the party takes a turn with a machete until it becomes clear that the easiest method of travel is simply following in Shen'ri's wake. The Hillfolk turns logs and rips apart saplings with almost contemptuous ease. Your progress is quick, if deafening.


"Do you feel it?" Claire tugs at your elbow, and you take a moment to stretch your mental probing out further than normal. In the southern forest beyond, you sense order among the chaos, sentient creatures occupying rows of dwellings up in the canopy. Their consciousnesses burn like a web of candlelight, the individual flames bobbing and scampering along the duller network of sleeping plants.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel wasn't sure whether to flinch or grin at Milly's affectionate name for the powers that seemed to unnerve her so. He tried to suppress the change in expression either way and turned to face the south.
Not that he didn't appreciate the reminder that Milly and Telai were indeed capable of interacting in a vaguely civil way on occasion.


Watching Shen'ri single-handily clear a path faster than the rest of their efforts put together was mildly awe-inspiring, but Nathaniel's lips still twitched downward in thought. Granted, the golden furred dogman wasn't trying to be particularly stealthy, but it was still difficult to imagine an entire band of Hillfolk reduced to bestial savagery making their way through the forest undetected. Then again, this continent had been nothing if not full of surprises, and the Forest Folk probably wouldn't be so wary of the Hillfolk if dealing with them even in their own forest was a trivial matter.


"Hm?" He paused and shot Claire a curious look before focusing his mind forward. The Hometree. It was enough to make Nathaniel stop in his tracks. So many minds...he'd expected this, of course, but actually experiencing it was another thing altogether.


"Alright, I'm going to try to...well...'woo woo' Laughingwind now," Nathaniel's lips twitched up in the faintest hint of a grin. He spoke as soon as the group arrived in a vaguely defensible position. "Claire? Can you use your abilities to keep any warriors at bay, or direct Milly and Telai's guns at them if they approach anyway? I'm going to have to sift through a lot of minds to find just one person, so this will probably take some time and concentration from me..."

 

[Xatarias]

The task is even more arduous than you first realized. Sifting through the hundreds- thousands of Forestfolk is tedious in the extreme. Not to mention, their minds are strange and alien in their structure. It's like being stuck underground with the Hillfolk all over again. How you could possibly hope to recognize laughing wind in all-


Wait! One of the lights flickers as you rake your consciousness across the sea of active minds. You focus on it and try to brush up against it, getting a sense of... Fear certainly, but maybe recognition. Tentatively, you try to project a greeting...


Laughingwind tears off in the direction opposite from you, vaulting meters of empty space to the next bungalow, determined to escape the strange presence encroaching on her consciousness. If you didn't act fast, she'd be well beyond your reach in moments.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel had spent so many years going through libraries that he thought he would be well-prepared for making his way through the Forest Folks' minds. How wrong he was! With a library he could at least make notes of interesting titles or even stop and skim a book for later if it caught his fancy. Here, he had to act with stealth and discretion above all. It wouldn't do to make the Forest Folk thing the second coming of Agatha was upon them...which meant keeping his inspection of each individual's mind as swift and superficial as possible.


Too grumpy...too old...too...wait, what was-Oh gods! Too busy...


Aha! There she was! Laughingwind-


She began to flee before he could even think to get another word in. Gods, that furry woman could move!


It's me! His voice, whatever the hand-gesture came closest to his name in the  Forest Folk dialects, Nathaniel tried projecting it into Laughingwind's mind before she could evade him entirely. If that didn't work...well, whether or not he could force he to stop depending on whether or not he was absolutely certain she had firm footing on solid ground by the time he tried. There was no way Nathaniel was going to risk the closest thing he had to a sure friend among the Forest Folk.

 

[Xatarias]

Laughingwind comes to a halt, clinging to the underside of a massive tree limb. You can feel her chitter nervously, unsure as to what is happening. She remains afraid, fighting her better judgment to do something, anything to get away from you. Curiousity it seems wins out, because you can feel her clumsily reaching for you.


One thought prevails above all others.


Skinwalker...

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel physically exhaled a sigh of relief when Laughingwind decided to heed him, if only barely. The first thought that sprang to mind may as well have been a slap across his face, though. Not a hard one, but it still stung enough for him to remain silent for a moment.


Nathaniel. His...tone, for lack of a better term, was gentle.


We came to talk to and so far this seems to be the only way for me to safely communicate with your people. You were the only one I could think of who might tolerate me like this. Can you pass along the message to your council?

 

[Xatarias]

Recognition flashes through the consciousness of the young squirrel woman. She recalls your late encounter in the forest and the revelation of your secret as a "skinwalker" of legend. It takes you several desperate assurances that your contacting Laughingwind wasn't the beginnings of some ritual to seize her body... Not that the process was dissimilar, but she didn't need to know that!


The village is choked with fear... Outsiders are trusted even less now. There is only talk of whether war will come by our hand or if we should wait With Brokenstream~


A wave of grief washes over the Treefolk and you in turn. Memories of stories while sitting in the grizzled old squirrel's lap. Watching as Laughingwind's mother stitched together the torn flesh of Brokenstream's parachute-like membranes... The pride of watching her grandfather rising to prominence despite injuries barring him from the warrior caste... And finally the memory of finding his corpse mutilated and hanging from a tree.


The people are listening to Thornpaw more and more now. I think they are going to elect him chief.


From the tone of her mental speech and the accompanying visualizations, you have no doubt Thornpaw is the militaristic squirrel leader you clashed with in the past.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel almost breathed a sigh of relief when he finally managed to convince Laughingwind that it was him and that she had nothing to be afraid of.


Almost, because the squirrel woman's fear gave way to something much, much worse once she stopped trying to flee from him. He'd only spoken with Brokenstream once, but the elder had been willing to deal peacefully with him despite the injuries Nathaniel's species had caused him and the pressure put on him by his more xenophobic followers. Agatha bringing up that he had a loving family was like a knife twisting in him and now...he was seeing what truly meant. Laughingwind's grief was infectious enough that it took her shaping her thoughts back into words to snap Nathaniel back.


I see.


Nathaniel needed a moment to gather his thoughts. He made no effort to conceal them from Laughingwind. Things were so much worse than he expected. Thornpaw-


He was getting ahead of himself. The highlights of his memories of Agatha were offered to Laughingwind. Her posing as a victim to lure he and Telai in, the use of her "skinwalker" powers to hold the towering southerner helpless as she took him prisoner, her plans to have him broken down into a murderous tool just like herself while the broken Hillfolk she kept as pets set off a race war between the Hill and Forest folk, and finally the strained but civil meeting with Thornpaw at the mouth of the cave before the blood around Nathaniel's pistol wound had even had a chance to dry.


All of that and Thornpaw's words at the time had convinced Nathaniel that the Forestfolk were truly divided on whether or not to wage war, and that for all his bluster the warchief would have enough sense to conserve his strength against a common enemy even if an actual alliance was off the table. Now though? He wasn't even sure he would have been able to speak with Laughingwind this long if he didn't have Claire running psychic interference against the party of Forestfolk warriors stalking them. Was it Thornpaw's doing? Was he ignoring...all of that out of spite and a misguided desire to protect his people, or did so much of the Forestfolk clan truly want the blood of any human they could find? The former he had a chance of dealing with. The latter...


I don't want to fight your people. The false priestess's organization...cabal...clan...tribe, they're still out there and there may be more like her. She wanted your people to waste their strength fighting the Hillfolk.I'm sure she would thrilled beyond the grave to have us killing each other as well.

 

[Xatarias]

Laughingwind hesitates, clearly not willing to simply take you at your word. Although she sees that your narrative makes a certain amount of sense, there have no doubt been plenty of alternatives presented to her, each just as plausible... Probably more so considering the fantastical nature of your story.


I do not want war...


She says it so simply, but you can feel a greater implication. Brushing minds with Laughingwind makes you realize how astute she truly is. She recognizes the fracturing of her people as the ultimate threat to her grandfather's legacy. In her mind, humans are the most immediate existential threat to her race... And war was the path that would lead to their destruction. Added to that-


Abruptly, you feel your consciousness pinched from the inner workings of her mind. You're still able to communicate with her, but the stream of consciousness is firmly closed off. Any attempt to regain access will lead to a deliberate rebuff from the young Forestfolk. Is Laughingwind?...


I will speak with you... With a few others present. The council won't meet until after dark, so we have some time.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel took a breath as Laughingwind hesitated. He needed to keep how outlandish it all sounded to those who hadn't lived through it as he had. His memories simply weren't the argument-ending trump card he wished he could rely on, whether it was out of ignorance of how his powers worked or such images could indeed be forged by sufficiently skilled psychic. It didn't make all this hesitation about confronting the most vile, unambiguously evil power he had ever encountered any easier to sit through. Nor did it bode well for him trying to explain it all to his family, or any other authorities in Avalon where the Syndicate had a much more vested interest in subtlety and deception.


Laughingwind's train of thought was logical and not in opposition to his, but it wasn't the most comforting experience he could have asked for. She feared this might divide her people after all. That was good in the sense that they may not have all been on a warpath as he feared. She believed war would destroy them one way or another. Also good. But...humans were still a threat in her mind. Whether it was purely because of what Agatha had done or Laughingwind was thinking ahead on what Newport or other settlements like it could become, it was enough to make him worried about the more long-term challenges facing them on the diplomatic front.


Nathaniel flinched as Laughingwind suddenly pressed him to the outskirts of her mind. The link was still there and normally he would have understood not wanting anyone, much less a potential foe, being privy to her thoughts, but it felt like being invited into someone's house only to be shoved right back out again.


...Alright. Where? I'd prefer somewhere that doesn't but either of us at a great disadvantage. I'm inclined to trust you, and perhaps your friends as well, but warriors have been following us for some time now and I imagine some of your people would value us as hostages at best and corpse-trophies at worst.

 

[Xatarias]

There is a long pause and you hold your breath as Laughingwind tries to discern your motives. The lopsidedness of your interaction, between that of a gifted and mundane, no doubt puts her on edge. While she managed to expel your consciousness from the center of her mind, there is an unmistakable taste of fear coloring your conversation... As well as a healthy dose of anger. The mischievous, curious native you met some weeks past seems to have died along with her grandfather.


You receive a mental picture. A small door tucked into the base of one of the large root systems radiating out from hometree... Agatha's old abode. Even on the periphery of the village, the assassin's home is still well within the net of sentries you have been detecting. Maybe it would be easier for Laughingwind to meet you farther from the fortified village... Then again, she might not want to be alone with you so far from reinforcements.


She sends you a mental estimate of time you translate to about fifteen minutes.


I will bring the others... Be careful. I won't make any excuses to the others if you are caught. Association with nofurs is dangerous these days and I won't risk my chances of saving this village from destruction.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel sat in uncomfortable silence while Laughingwind's mind scrutinized his. Her precise thoughts may not have been open for him to review, but the way she studied him now was a far cry from the wide-eyed young woman who had poked and prodded at him with wild yet friendly abandon. She was colder now. It felt like she saw him like an accountant would numbers on a ledger or scientist would a specimen beneath a magnifying glass. And her anger...he wasn't sure how much of it was truly directed at him, but it seemed that whatever friendship they might have had blossoming could be counted among the casualties Agatha had inflicted.


His mind recoiled at the image of Agatha's home. Memories of the cages, chains, and racks of torture equipment sprang unbidden before he suppressed them. There was almost nothing about meeting there that didn't make him uneasy. If Laughingwind new exactly where it was, had the Forest Folk been making exploratory trips there after he left? They weren't...they wouldn't try to salvage Agatha's tools for their own use...would they?


Ultimately, he agreed. If nothing else, that...place was probably one of the few landmarks both he and Laughingwind would recognize.


I understand. I'll try to lose the warriors following us, then, or at least keep them far enough away from us to not be an issue.


With that, Nathaniel would have severed the mental link unless Laughingwind had anything more to add. He would need to brief the others.

 

[Xatarias]

(Agatha had a little house at the base of one of the giant trees. That's what Laughingwind is referring to, not the creepy torture dungeon )


(Precision roll: 9)


You slink off through the forest, your followers following close behind. It soon becomes clear however, that your group is having a hard time avoiding the sentinels. Rustling branches overhead and flashing glimpses of furry pelts are telltale signs of observers watching your progress. Simply making your way directly to the meeting point wouldn't be good enough to lose them. Continuing on would no doubt lead them directly to Laughingwind and her cohort- that is if she doesn't bolt at first sign your unwanted stalkers.


"Shifty little buggers," Milly murmurs, "Maybe we should try splitting up?"


She casts a unabashed glance at the lumbering Shen'ri, who whines uncertainly.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

"Possibly...Claire? Shen'ri? Would you two be willing? The Gift may be the only thing keeping the Forest Folk warriors at bay, and the three of us will have the easiest time remaining in contact by far."


Nathaniel looked over the almost comically mis-matched pair with a reserved expression that belied his uncertainty. Shen'ri already made his feelings in this matter clear and Claire had her mission to observe all that happened and report back to Cynthia. Allegedly...he still wasn't entirely sure if the Lentani businesswoman had truly overestimated Claire's ability to infiltrate that much or if there was some larger game at work. Still, they'd linked minds and shared memories before. Perhaps that would be enough to satisfy her.

 

[Xatarias]

Shen'ri is not shy about voicing his trepidation, practically barraging you with mental anxiety. You suspect his eventual agreement stems not from acknowledgment of your own capabilities, but rather that of Telai whose physical prowess awes him. That and his peculiar affection for Claire. Those two have been as thick as thieves since departing Newport... Maybe the assassin constantly slipping Shen'ri generous hunks of jerky has something to do with it.


Claire is somewhat more stubborn.


"Your negotiating with a foreign party will have a significant impact on my mistress's operations," She states clerically, "I must insist on being present. I warn you, I have no qualms divulging your peculiar attraction to bondage and other deviant forms of role play."


Milly covers her mouth with a hand, trying not to giggle. Telai simple lets out a low whistle.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel tried not to frown too much at Shen'ri's...less than flattering assessments. What would it take to make the Hillfolk stop thinking of him as some sort of helpless...no-fur child who needed to be closely guarded at all times? Did the Gift mean nothing to him, or his, admittedly narrow, overpowering of Agatha? At least he Claire were getting along splendidly, though. If the maid was subtle enough to be duplicitous, he would have been wary of her trying to undermine the golden furred giant's loyalty to him. As it was, he was just relieved to see at least one member of his inner circle more than willing to tolerate Claire's presence.


At which point the Lentani assassin decided to test his ability to do the same.


"Nph...!" Nathaniel flinched and used every ounce of self-control he had to limit the change in his expression to a momentary twitch of his eye and lips. There was little he could do about the heat rising in his cheeks, though. Especially when Telai whistled. He tried very hard not to look at her.


"Too late," Nathaniel spoke through gritted teeth. "And before you try thinking of any more blackmail material, can I just share my memories of this meeting like before?"