Spoiler
Vorn stepped into the office's antechamber with a sense of irritation and a deep, bitter disappointment. His previous assignment for the Council of Chieftains had been nearly half a year ago, and he had allowed himself to hope that they had forgotten about him and sank into the comfort of a daily routine - a life of his own, not one spent in servitude. The message he had received early that morning had sent him into a dark rage, furious with himself and with them. He hadn't acted on his emotions, much as he had wanted to. Instead, he had packed all of his belongings into a shabby sack and tidied his apartment in the slums before locking it up tightly, for all the good that would do. Regardless of his calm appearance, the guard at the door to the office eyed him as though his thoughts were laid open to the world before knocking on the door and announcing Vorn.
He was ushered through with unusual haste, piquing his curiosity despite his anger. While he had dealings with the Council, he was not an important man, and they treated him accordingly - waiting an hour or more to accept his mission was not an uncommon occurrence. Chieftain Varulf sat behind a desk to receive him, softening the blow of an assignment after so long by just a touch. They were not on friendly terms by any means, but Varulf at least treated him like a human and not a tool, an animal to follow orders. As he stood stiffly by the door, listening to the quill scratch across the parchment that would certainly be his order, he noted the quiet stress the chieftain carried. The warrior appeared at ease, unbothered, but there were faint lines of stress on his forehead and around his eyes and mouth, his fingertips nearly white with the pressure he squeezed the quill with.
"I have a mission for you, Vorn." Varulf's voice finally broke the silence - brisk, authoritative, and lined with more of that quiet stress.
"I am ever at your service, sir."
The chieftain finally glanced up at him, noting the lack of mockery that Vorn usually employed when he interacted with the Council. He set the quill down after a heartbeat, still meeting Vorn's eyes, as if searching for something within them.
"There is a settlement to the southeast, built into the very mountain range that borders the highlands. We've heard rumors of them for years, but dismissed them mostly as fantasy - the merchants always claim to have found some new treasure or ancient civilization, and we could find no proof until now. One of our scouts in the area was being pursued by the Purge, and thought he could travel to higher ground and find a place to rest until it was safe to travel again. He did end up finding safety, and brought a truly fantastic tale back to us. If I didn't trust him implicitly, I would have dismissed him the moment he started spinning the tale." Varulf paused in his monologue to unfurl a map.
"So the Council wants me to investigate this...settlement?"
Varulf inhaled deeply through his nose. "By my scout's reports, it is an entire city practically impregnable to attack. They repulsed the Purge with ease. New Asagarth is willing to offer them a position to join the alliance, if they are willing. If they're not... Ladagara suggested we march the alliance together to besiege them until surrender or destruction."
Vorn simply blinked as he digested the statement. "There is more to this, then. If this was just some city, no matter how cleverly built, Ladagara would either propose trade with them - not a position within the alliance - or destroy them herself, only involving our city, our people. The alliance has never united in such a way."
Varulf dipped his chin in acknowledgment. "The city is built upon not only the Boundary Spillway, which would be a concerning factor itself, but it is also built above - and guards - a previously undiscovered pass from the north to the south."
Vorn stared at the chieftain. "Tyros's Passage is the only safe path from the north to the south. Other than scaling a mountain."
" 'Safe' is not the term I would use, but my scout swears upon his life and his honor that there is another. And this city in the mountains has access to it and to the river that feeds the lands to the south. We need to know more, and quickly."
He was ushered through with unusual haste, piquing his curiosity despite his anger. While he had dealings with the Council, he was not an important man, and they treated him accordingly - waiting an hour or more to accept his mission was not an uncommon occurrence. Chieftain Varulf sat behind a desk to receive him, softening the blow of an assignment after so long by just a touch. They were not on friendly terms by any means, but Varulf at least treated him like a human and not a tool, an animal to follow orders. As he stood stiffly by the door, listening to the quill scratch across the parchment that would certainly be his order, he noted the quiet stress the chieftain carried. The warrior appeared at ease, unbothered, but there were faint lines of stress on his forehead and around his eyes and mouth, his fingertips nearly white with the pressure he squeezed the quill with.
"I have a mission for you, Vorn." Varulf's voice finally broke the silence - brisk, authoritative, and lined with more of that quiet stress.
"I am ever at your service, sir."
The chieftain finally glanced up at him, noting the lack of mockery that Vorn usually employed when he interacted with the Council. He set the quill down after a heartbeat, still meeting Vorn's eyes, as if searching for something within them.
"There is a settlement to the southeast, built into the very mountain range that borders the highlands. We've heard rumors of them for years, but dismissed them mostly as fantasy - the merchants always claim to have found some new treasure or ancient civilization, and we could find no proof until now. One of our scouts in the area was being pursued by the Purge, and thought he could travel to higher ground and find a place to rest until it was safe to travel again. He did end up finding safety, and brought a truly fantastic tale back to us. If I didn't trust him implicitly, I would have dismissed him the moment he started spinning the tale." Varulf paused in his monologue to unfurl a map.
"So the Council wants me to investigate this...settlement?"
Varulf inhaled deeply through his nose. "By my scout's reports, it is an entire city practically impregnable to attack. They repulsed the Purge with ease. New Asagarth is willing to offer them a position to join the alliance, if they are willing. If they're not... Ladagara suggested we march the alliance together to besiege them until surrender or destruction."
Vorn simply blinked as he digested the statement. "There is more to this, then. If this was just some city, no matter how cleverly built, Ladagara would either propose trade with them - not a position within the alliance - or destroy them herself, only involving our city, our people. The alliance has never united in such a way."
Varulf dipped his chin in acknowledgment. "The city is built upon not only the Boundary Spillway, which would be a concerning factor itself, but it is also built above - and guards - a previously undiscovered pass from the north to the south."
Vorn stared at the chieftain. "Tyros's Passage is the only safe path from the north to the south. Other than scaling a mountain."
" 'Safe' is not the term I would use, but my scout swears upon his life and his honor that there is another. And this city in the mountains has access to it and to the river that feeds the lands to the south. We need to know more, and quickly."
NOTES
This little story is loosely based upon a video game. I started thinking of it to prevent myself from losing my mind while I build the mysterious city in question. I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to continue this or not, but that's probably going to depend on how insane I go. Here are some notes that hopefully make a little more sense of things. Please note that I am taking some very creative license with the game here.
-The alliance mentioned was formed between the largest cities. New Asagarth is one of these cities. You may see others in the future.
-Ladagara, daughter of Ymir, is the patron saint of New Asagarth. The Council of Chieftains (nine members in total) serve her and the city.
-The Purge is a terrifying occurrence in which armies of men or animals who have gone mad (for a currently unknown reason) attack cities, settlements, and travelers.
