Riding the Wings of Vengeance (Tuloth)

[Sairque]

OOCCould you change your timestamp in your thread to the 59th of Spring to reflect this thread and also the spring calendar? And it’s not a flashback since it’s in the current season. 60 Spring, 511 AV A hush hung over the mountain; the predawn quiet lulling creatures into tranquil complacency, setting nocturnal beasts to bed and peacefully teasing diurnal creatures from their slumber. The Inarta reacted differently. Some already worked their furnaces, other’s were just stumbling in for breakfast, some had already left the mountain, and still others snored blissfully on. Somewhere, the teams working on the exploded furnace were cleaning, investigating, and trying to salvage any possible parts. Still more patrolled the fishing holes to an attempt to figure out what or who had moved into the area and went after not only big white whales but boats. Sai had nothing to do with the furnace emergency, but had done her part for the fishing crisis. She’d been the one that recommended the patrol teams when asked, setting novice Endal to scour the area and attempting to offset the loss of rider food production and loss of fish. On a strict routine, the Eagles picked up the fishermen’s catch and transported it back to the settlement for processing. Even if they lost the fisherpeople, and the boats, they were still getting the food. The likelihood of being able to kill the predator was low, especially if there were multiple, but if the ships carried no food, perhaps the beasts would find no reward and leave the boats alone. Of course, it could be territorial. Today they faced another crisis. Someone had shot down an Eagle over the ocean the previous evening. Immediately, the riders closest, a couple lads out on a hunt, diverted to investigate. They’d found the ships but not the downed Eagle or rider. Imprudently, the ships unleashed their falcons and found themselves short several birds that had undoubtedly been their distraction, while the Eagles climbed to circled high out of reach of the harpoons. Later, on their way in, relieved by a lone scout taking night shift, they’d found the battered, if spirited, rider and saved him the trek in. Only at his insistence had he been informed of the plan to mount an attack at dawn and invited, and then taken in to the Infirmary to be tended to. Even though he was no longer an Endal, out of respect and compassion, he got treatedYou could do a short thread with Aidara to get all patched up, if you’d like to flesh out this experience some more for his wounds. So there the group gathered, a small force of nine Endal in Sai’s sparse office. The eight Avoran hunters waited outside, only Tuloth allowed in the room. In preparation for this meeting, Sai had checked out a map of the coast from the library. Overnight, the small vessels built more for speed than anything had rounded their peninsula and headed down toward Lhavit. They were running hard, so they either knew exactly what they had shot down, or belatedly realized that a person had belonged to the Eagle and therefore would bring retaliation. The boat’s estimated position marked by a little glass bead, Sai pointed to various river inlets that they could turn into for cover. As Tuloth entered, garnering sympathetic nods and shoulder clasps from all his peers, Sai straightened and fixed him with a gaze that barely concealed the cold flame burning for vengeance. Her coat was thrown over the back of her chair, but she was otherwise equipped to leave immediately. A thick long sleeved black shirt tightly hugged the lean planes of her torso, some trick of the seamstress making the garment appear to follow the same texture as an Eagle’s feathers. It was tucked neatly into a pair of matching bryda, which were tucked into her knee high winter riding boots. Blood red locks braided tightly back, no colorful scarves or beads adorned them today. Matching sontav strapped tightly to her forearms, she extended one hand to the man, drawing him up to her side. “Tuloth.” A somber nod. “I’d rather have not had to use such circumstances to work with you again,” the flightleader opened up the floor to him, they weren’t here for anything other than to mount their counterstrike. “We’ve got eyes on the ships, but what can you tell us of them?”

[Tuloth Kaervek]

Tuloth waited outside the office of the flight commander. He was numb from the inside out. The realization of being alone was a strain that he carried; rather, it was a void within him. The Avora standing on either side of him showed pity but did not speak to the former Endal. They kept a few feet of space and spoke in low whispers and sidelong glances. Tuloth shifted his weight from left to right. The plain black bryda he wore ruffled slightly around his ankles. He had lost his good boots but the people at the Infirmary had given him a pair of leather slippers. They were sufficient enough for keeping the dirt off of his feet. Tuloth rubbed his side. The gash had been covered by a tight wrap and some sort of salve that had a bitter smell. Tuloth was unsure of this meeting’s significance. He guessed from the number of bows present that some form of retaliation was on the horizon. This was a small comfort but a comfort nonetheless. The door to the office opened and Tuloth walked into the center of the room. The nods and pats of understanding were unwanted but expected and so Tuloth nodded to each man and woman in gratitude. His soft scuffling brought him before Sairque. She was a woman of fair importance in Wind Reach. The fact that she was spearheading this venture brought a bit more life into the broken man. Tuloth stared down at the glass bead which rested on the map strewn before him. His eyes flashed as Sairque spoke. The idea was growing rapidly in his core. The panic he had experienced during the ambush, the agony afterwards, and the hollow feeling inside all began to churn into a raw and acute hatred. When Sairque had finished he looked up and brought his icy blue gaze level with hers. Tuloth took a deep breath and drew in the fire from the flight leader. His tone was monotonous and foreboding as he spoke in low but clear words. “They are small, perhaps only twenty feet long and seven feet wide. The bastards have well trained falcons and are all at least a decent shot. I cannot imagine any sort of resistance to a direct assault.” He paused a moment and shut his eyes for a few seconds. The next few sentences were so soft they were nearly inaudible. “Surprise is their greatest weapon. I should’ve been paying more attention.” He reached up and touched the single feather woven into his hair. Tuloth did not linger on his sadness. He blinked the pain away and stared back to the map. His emotionless expression returned and he spoke clearly once more. “What is our plan? I wish to get underway as soon as possible.” Tuloth’s face, neck, and chest began to turn red as his anger grew. His shoulders rose and few more rapidly. His heart was beating faster with the anticipation.

[Sairque]

Tuloth’s information matched with that of the young Riders that had found the boats first, a comforting hint that perhaps they had little variety in their tactics. To his credit, the wingless man quietly bore the sympathy of his companions, gave a concise account, and turned his heated thoughts to the upcoming task. Sairque’s cold burning eyes met Tuloth’s, holding there and drawing him into her temperance. A blade hot from the coals could be easily bent into impotency. Let the blade cool into a tool sharp with purpose, and it would become something to be reckoned with. This group would cut cleanly and deeply, anything less would be unacceptable. “We’re going to do to them what they’ve done to you. What they’ve done to us,” her molten gaze swept the room, jaw clenching, fervor electrifying every cell in her body. “No one takes the wings from beneath our feet and the food from our mouths. Every man, woman and child’s life aboard those ships is forfeit.” She didn’t have to tell them that they owed everything in their lives to the Wind Eagles, or give them a pep talk. They were already wound so tight that she was surprised some of them hadn’t shot off to retaliate. The severity of the crime brought against them, the breach of their most sacred law churned in the forefront of all their minds, she knew without a doubt. “Ours, however, are not. I expect to return with all ten Eagles.” Not necessarily all their riders. “If any one of you disregards the plan and gets an Eagle shot, you’ll die with it. You’re here because of the specific Eagles you ride. Do you understand?” The flight leader asked, briefly meeting the eyes of every rider in the room. Some of them had grown to compliment the calmly calculating birds of death they rode, some were still young and inexperienced, but the real muscle behind the show would be their mounts. And no reward could be found in losing another Eagle while trying to dole out retribution to the first Eagle’s killers. “If any of you feel you can’t cut it, leave now.” No one moved, but suddenly her gaze swiveled to a tall, lanky man in his mid twenties. There was none of the dazed staring off into space, which often gave an Endal away as communicating with their Eagle, to signal that Sai had been speaking with Catabasis. The ease with which an Inarta could pick up on an Eagle’s signals varied, and the harder someone had to try the lower they generally stayed on the totem pole. Telepathy was a species trait of the birds, so the difficulty reflected on the Endal’s poor abilities. Tuloth’s relationship with his Eagle had been odd, the two apparently hadn’t communicated clearly but Catabasis was sure that Tuloth wasn’t telepathically impaired. The topic of conversation, however, was not Tuloth but the gangly fellow whose face flushed red in anger as she stared at him. Apparently it got worked out, because he dropped his gaze, nodding slightly, and she turned back to the map. “The sentence is death. The same death they seek to give us,” she reiterated, getting back to the plan. Sairque’s scarred right hand flicked the delicate bead off the desk; it shattered into countless glittering shards, the sound of glass impacting and skidding over stone floor deafening in the silent room. “We’re going to approach from land, cut across the peninsula here and give them no opportunities to take cover on shore or cut into a river. I want them out at sea,” Sai stressed, eyes meeting everyone in the room. “We’re going to take control of their ships, get Kael’s remains, and strand them in open water.” The slender woman’s voice dropped, cooling into sensual pleasure. What she wanted took a more complicated course of action than simply lighting the ships on fire, but just the thought of the murderer’s suffering and despair brought mouth watering satiety to the flight leader. They had to work it so that they did the most damage with the smallest personal risk. They would have to have patience, higher risk meant a bigger bang so they’d have to make due with a lot of little bangs. How to mitigate risk… “They’ve got long range harpoons, falcons; I assume archers and melee fighters as well.” Harpoons couldn’t do any damage if they couldn’t reach the target. Falcons could close that distance. Planning to kill the ill-purposed birds made her cringe. “We’re going to get nets to nullify the falcons. We’ll take care of those as first priority.” “We’ll have to pull back and take care of them if the sailors release them after the initial wave,” a man leaning against the wall postulated, drawing a nod from Sai and several others. “True, we can’t have them pulling at the Eagle’s feathers. No matter what we’re in the middle of doing, we’ll retreat to a safe distance and take care of them. If all else fails, we’ll throw our nets and let the birds hit the ocean.” The thought was still as distasteful. Sai tapped a finger against her lips thoughtfully. “We’ll discuss the rest on the way,” she told them, ending the meeting if there weren’t any pressing concerns that had to be taken care of in the mountain. “Get supplies to shoot flaming arrows, nets, and anything else you think you might need. I need to go check some things out. Get an archer and meet me in the air at daybreak.” OOCSorry about the abrupt end, it's been a hectic week. I just wanted to get things moving along and figured all the plans could be discussed in the air to break up the trip out there.

[Tuloth Kaervek]

Tuloth listened to the plan as it was laid before the group. His thoughts did not stray beyond the task at hand and his eyes did not wander from the woman detailing the specifics. Tuloth did not like the idea of netting the falcons. As much of a crime as it was to harm any bird, these fowl had just as much to do with Kael’s death as the venomous cretins who unleashed them. A small matter, however, Tuloth was already formulating various forms of torture to perform on these poachers. Tuloth could see himself standing on the ship and forcing the captain to watch as he peeled skin from the crewmen. He would then take the strips of flesh and quickly roast them over an open flame and then feed the chunks to the crews’ own falcons. Still, it might be entertaining to dangle the skinless beings into the water and see what manner of creatures would arise to feast upon the exposed muscle tissue. Tuloth could see himself stalking from one person to the next cutting off fingers and toes and then throwing them into a bucket and seeing if the unfortunate souls could find their own pieces. Finally, Tuloth watched as he used his bare hands to tear the heart of each person on the boat and show it to them one by one so that they could watch their own hearts slowly stop beating. His demented daydreams were interrupted by Sairque dismissing them all until morning. Tuloth gazed down at his hands and saw nothing out of the ordinary but was half expecting to see them covered in blood. The Endal filed out and acquired an Avora along the way for tomorrow’s mission. Tuloth remained until everyone had left giving the occasional nod out of respect. Once everyone except Sai and himself were gone, the Inarta turned to the officer and lowered his gaze to level with the shorter woman. He spoke quietly but his words carried a heavy tone. “I do not know quite how to thank you for granting me a chance to redeem a small piece of my honor. In truth, I feel as though you should drop me on the boat and let me gut the bastards.” He smiled at the thought and paused only long enough to draw a breath. “When this is all over, Commander, I will owe you more than I can ever repay. Do not forget that.” Tuloth turned to leave and as he was about to open the door, he paused. “I won’t.”

[Sairque]

Fingers curled into the rough stone of her desk, the coordinator brooded over the withdrawing Endal, brilliant yellow eyes like chips of ice, until only she and Tuloth remained. As she monitored the discussion between the Eagles, extrapolating much just from where she could feel Catabasis’ attention diverting and what his reactions and thoughts were, this battle would be greatly dictated by the Eagles. One in particular was calling for a messy blood bath and trying to rally the others behind him, and though she appreciated Catabasis’ tempering guidance to them, his need for vengeance brought the tiniest of cruel smiles to the corner of her lips. They were all in accord that apallor of death tainting the sailor’s visages would be the sweetest salve, and most of them, the exact reason she’d chosen these ones, had their anger in tight control. Sai’s narrowed eyes met the man’s, focus once more brought to bear on the immediate environment. The desire to make up for his mistake, a most grievous one, to return himself some semblance of honor earned a short, understanding nod. Had she been in his shoes, or should she ever find herself there, there would be not a soul to stop her from accomplishing complete annihilation of the murderers. And just like him, she would prefer to do it herself. Another nod, acknowledging the bond created between them, no need to comment on the pledge, and she let him leave the room. There was no doubt in her mind that he wouldn’t forget this night. Though any flight leader, and one definitely would have, could have taken this task, it had been Sairque. She’d seen the sadistic ecstasy that had flashed through his eyes at the thought of gutting the sailors, he understood. He would raise no altruistic objection based on morals or naiveté when she finally announced the details of the sailor’s sentence. If he ended up being dissatisfied with it, that would be a sign that there was something wrong with the man. Eyes blindly skimming over the office, Sai focused on the present, knowing the value of getting ahead of one’s self. Preparations. Important, but boring to read, Preparations : They needed a bearing first. With the careful, painfully slow and methodical motions of a novice, Sai placed the compass she’d fished from her pocket onto the map. By now, the first step came easily to mind, saving the waste of recalculations, and she rotated the dial to zero, aligned everything with the north pointing needle, and then rotated the map so that the cardinal key really did point in the correct directions. Spinning the compass around, the next step was finding the bearing to the little coal mark the glass bead had been sitting on. The length of the compass was just barely long enough to let the edge run along from the dot denoting Wind Reach to the char mark. Again, she adjusted the dial, this time so that the orienteering lines ran north-south and the orienteering arrow outlined the needle. Now the compass pointed directly…toward the opposite direction they wanted to go. Chewing on her inner lip, Sai flipped the compass around and fixed the mistake so that she wouldn’t have to hold the device backwards. Lining the dots up again, she swiveled the dial and caught the needle in the arrow again, checked that the orienteering lines still lined up and snapped the lid shut. Quickly, the map found itself rolled and stored in a waterproof map case, also supplied by the Enclave, her coat and bow snatched up, and the room vacated. As she wound through the wakening warrens toward the Endal archery range, it occurred to her that the bearing was a little superfluous. The night watch would be able to communicate its location to the raiding party, and together, the Eagles all knew that coast line all the way down the peninsula from fishing trips. Well, no harm in being prepared. Now for arrows and nets. Raiding the archery cache, Sai selected the best bunch of arrows she could find and paused with them tucked under her arm. No one that she knew had every needed to light an arrow on fire and shoot it at something. Where the idea came from she wasn’t sure. A book? A story? Necessity bringing the idea from some memory to the forefront of her mind? It was my idea, Catabasis cut in dryly, shifting his attention from his conversation with the other Eagles long enough to inform her. Poachers have been dealt with in this manner before. Lantern oil and thin cloths. Jervria is bringing light nets up from Thunder Bay now. Most have gathered in the Courtyard. Who has the jesses and falconry equipment? Sai asked as she summoned a drudge and requisitioned his bryda. The material was thin but sturdy, she assumed it would do well and headed toward her aerie. You are set on attempting to rehabilitate them? Yes, the flightleader responded, creating another sans-bryda drudge. This particular one had legs for miles, so she assumed there was enough material there. Besides, it might never come to this particular tactic. Pausing in the warren almost to her home, she stared in strained thought at a lantern on the wall. Where to acquire oil in tight containers. Where? Does anyone have oil? There was a pause as Catabasis did a quick inventory. No. Sai rolled her eyes and ran through one drudge right after another until she found one that had been on refill duty before. They, apparently, kept the resource in big waterskins, bulky and unsuited for the raiding party’s task. Leaving the drudge with orders to get together enough for every rider to have at least one personal skin with a pint, the Endal took her leave with arrows, bow, katinu, and map still in hand. The oil will be delivered to the Courtyard. Make sure everyone knows to get some and a net, she ordered, and though her Eagle heard, he didn’t turn his attention away from his conversation. Back in the aerie, strictly focused on the task at hand and not on the impending attack, she gathered camping and hunting equipment, pulled out Catabasis’ tack, and assembled everything in the pale light of the empty nesting chamber. Just as everything had been packed into the saddlebags, on cue, he flew into the room, blowing dust, straw, and leaves from the large branches composing his nest against the creamy skin of her face. His feathers quivered in anticipation, and his impatient squirming made putting the gear on difficult. As though his massive size wasn’t enough to impede her progress, he insisted on trying to help. That great maw attached to his face shoved her well out of arms reach as he tried to tighten a chest strap so she could clasp it. In a twitch, the bird rotating its inverted head around to try and find her, his hooked beak caught the emergency release, designed specifically for the Eagle to get himself out of his harness, and undid all the work they’d accomplished in twice the time as usual. Sighing, and regretting it because of his foul breath, Sai waited with hands on hips for him to ruefully settle down so she could fetch the tack from its new position as a limp pile on the floor. Much calmer this time around, they glided over the Courtyard just as the sun crested the horizon, the last of the arrivals. Behind the saddle waited all her camping gear, neatly packed away in bags, while her weapons and other necessary equipment sat snuggly within reach. The Dek had delivered the pint-sized applications of oil to the Courtyard where the riders could easily swoop down and pick it up. She double checked everything, secure in her seat while they rode a thermal from a lava vent. Catabasis lazily circled high over the Courtyard, a pitch black shadow against the strengthening blue of the sky, waiting for everyone to get the last of the equipment and join him. The wait wasn’t long, one of the more experienced riders passing a net and oil off to the flightleader by doing a roll over the top of Catabasis and dropping the items on her head, much to the displeasure of the Avora riding with him. Chuckles short and subdued by the mood and reason for their excursion, eyes on the handsome smirk on his face, she almost lost the little pouch and only kept the net because it was tangled half-unrolled on her head as Catabasis dipped to clear the area for the other Eagle to gain lift again. Another day, her panicked scrambling to pluck the pouch out of the air would have been comical and earned chuckles and good natured ribbing, but this time everyone took it for the mundane act it was and turned their attentions to forming a hunt link. The Eagles altered course and swept toward where their educated estimation placed the ships in two bell’s time. Two links, Sai directed and Catabasis relayed. Myself and Tuloth the only ones in both. No longer possible, Catabasis reminded and it took her a moment to figure out why. He didn’t have a bond with an Eagle anymore. The Eagles were the ones that linked, the group effort strengthening and drawing the bonded Endal in so that they could all speak to one another despite distance and the rush of the wind. Some had to really focus for their sentences to come out as comprehensible communications instead of the nebulous mass of everything going through their mind. Some, like Sai, had to really focus so they didn’t “shout” and clearly project everything right down to their emotions on their companions. Thankfully, Sai had lots of practice due to the empathic bond with her nosy sister in shutting down her projections. Where Tuloth fit into all of this, she would have to remember to ask him. Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t remember if they had ever linked when they’d been in the same hunting parties. Had he been able to do it or had that weird limited communication somehow affected it? Anyway, her face scrunched empathetically at the displeasure he undoubtedly felt at riding on someone else’s Eagle. Belatedly, she had Catabasis call back to Wind Reach, putting a fledgling idea into motion. All right, well then. With her first choice for second in command unable to communicate with the group, she glanced over the war party fanned out around her and tried to assess their strengths. Hmn. They could always switch the groups around, even break into smaller ones after they decided on a plan of action. Planning, that would be the first part. The man from earlier, the one that she’d had the stare down with would be in the planning party, he might be a problem and hopefully taking his ideas into concern right off the bat would mitigate it. Otherwise, two Eagles, nearly white with age, had been on many hunts and fought humans before. Another one, younger but more experienced with naval conflicts dealing with guarding Inartan fishing waters. Those four, they would be in the planning link. Even as she decided it, Catabasis reached out to those Eagles and Sai reeled from the abrupt and unexpected presence of eight other minds. Realizing that she’d still been mulling over the options, he was gentler with directing the other five to link to each other only. Sai waited for him to place her with them as well, and he belatedly informed her that it could wait until after planning. Tuloth deserved to have a say in all of this, not only as a valuable and knowledgeable resource, but because of the nature of their excursion. She should have insisted he ride with her. Petch.

[Tuloth Kaervek]

Tuloth left Sairque’s office and headed to the Aeries. It was a walk he normally enjoyed but this would be his first time returning since the demise of Kael. So many thoughts ran rampant through his mind that all focus was lost. Tuloth would’ve appeared dazed to those who passed him on the streets. He had so much to do but could not concentrate long enough to make a mental list. Rounding up the corner, Tuloth began the ascent to the nests of the Wind Eagles and their riders. He made his way along feeling sadness tugging at his soul. The former Endal could feel the stares of the giant birds as he passed. Their pity seemed to make the journey longer than it truly was. When Tuloth had reached the Aery he formally inhabited, a wave of memories crashed over him and nearly sent him to his knees. Though he knew he should enjoy the thoughts of his dear friend, Tuloth had much to do. He set about gathering up everything that was his and creating a pile that would be easy to carry. He set the tent given to him flat on the ground and began to load his stash of arrows in nice straight groups; game, hunting, and barbed. Tuloth then piled on the food rations he had stored. It was mostly some dried meat and stale chunks of bread. He then added his waterskin and toiletries. The Inarta folded the tent up around all of his possessions and was about to leave but stopped suddenly and set his things down. Tuloth walked to the nest where Kael used to lay his giant head and rested his hand upon it. Tuloth felt his lip quiver and pressure build behind his eyes. He closed his icy blue orbs to the world and said a silent final goodbye. When he had finished, Tuloth opened his eyes agin and turned to leave. Just as his hand was falling off of the nest, a voice called out in a loud and harsh whisper. Avenge me! Tuloth nearly fell over and looked around with wide eyes wondering where the words had come from. He saw no one. “Who said that?” The voice rang again. Who was always with you even when we were apart? “Kael?” Tuloth’s skin bleached of all color. This could not possibly be happening. He glanced around again and firmed his countenance. “If this is some kind of joke, I-“ It is no joke, my friend. I was taken from you before our time together had a chance to run its course. I am here, now, to show you the way. I will not abandon you. “This can’t be real..”, Tuloth whispered to himself. He turned his head and stared with ferocious intensity at one of the chiet’s passing by with a bucket of poultices. The woman seemed to regard him with strange curiosity. It is real, Tuloth. Only you can hear me... as it has always been. “You never spoke to me before. Why start now?” Tuloth was still looking at the chiet whose expression went wide-eyed and open-mouthed. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know what you mean.” The dainty woman back away slowly for a few feet and then turned to run. Tuloth, painfully, began to realize his situation. He moved about and gathered all of his belongings once more. He slung the bow over his left shoulder and hoisted the tent over the other. I will always be here to guide you, brother. * * * * * Tuloth had made his way clear through Wind Reach to the small bit of wilderness outside the gate. He moved several hundred yards off to the side and found a strange outcropping of rocks surrounded by tall grasses. He set his things down and went right to work. Through his time in the outdoors, Tuloth had learned a variety of useful things involving the art of building shelters. He walked about the area for nearly twenty chimes gathering sticks and reeds that would suit his purpose. Tuloth then went back and began to assemble the structure. The tent was designed to be a square box with enough room where a person could stand. Tuloth was ‘adjusting’ it to fit amongst the rocks as a long and low shelter. This would provide a place to sleep, store things, and could do so without attracting any attention. The amount of camouflage being applied was possibly overkill but there is no way anyone entering or leaving Wind Reach would ever know of the shelter’s existence. Satisfied with his work, Tuloth gathered up a few things like his bow, fishing gear, a set of saddlebags, and waterskin then headed back into the city. He had a small slip of paper proving ownership of a horse down at the stables. He had never once rode the beast but knew it would be better off in someone else’s charge. What are you up to? Kael’s voice rang inquisitively inside Tuloth’s skull. Tuloth responded out loud in a sharp tone. “I’m selling things that I will never use. What does it look like?” A group of young boys fumbled over words thinking that he was talking to them but Tuloth was walking at such a pace that they never had to respond because he had already passed them by. * * * * * Tuloth returned to his hideout late in the afternoon and set everything he had bought out on the large flat stone he used for a table. He had sold the horse, saddlebags, and fishing gear for a fair price. Tuloth bought a new set of boots, a belt and buckle, two daggers, some food, some cloth, and a rather interesting array of spices. He moved about on his hands and knees tucking things away in rather ingenious hiding places. The food was still wrapped from the vendors so he tossed it all into his rucksack. He then tied the sack up on one of the sticks that supported his shelter. Tuloth then took the two pieces of linen and folded then up into neat little squares. He then placed them up against the back wall with a rock on top of them. Tuloth sat down on the tarp and removed the slippers he had been wearing. He crawled into his bedroll and slept. Several hours later, Tuloth woke to the sound of Kael’s voice drumming his brain. Get up, Tuloth! The Wind Eagles are waking for your mission. Tuloth strapped on his new boots and grabbed the belt. He crawled out of his shelter and grabbed up his bow and a quiver of barbed arrows. Forgetting something? “Shut it!” Tuloth snapped in response to Kael’s voice. He then turned and went back into his ‘house’ to retrieve the twin daggers he had just purchased. Grumbling as he went, the Inarta made his way back into the city of Wind Reach. Tuloth sat where they were all told to meet. He took each arrow out and inspected it. He was always very meticulous on which arrows he selected. The poor sods at the range never liked when Tuloth came around because he would trash the stock room looking for the best arrows. My friend, I know you will honor me today. Kael’s voice was soft and soothing. Tuloth looked up at the sky as the first shades of color were starting to spread. “I hope so...” Tuloth was idly slipping into a soft depression when a huge gust of wind stirred him back to reality. He looked up as several Wind Eagles were beating their wings in preparation of landing. The former Endal slung on his katinu, donned his quiver, and rose to his feet. He double checked the security of his daggers and gripped his short bow. Tuloth bowed his head to the first one that landed. The rider leaned over with a sadistic grin. Tuloth could smell the bloodlust on the man. It stirred the urges inside. “Ride with me.” Tuloth nodded and climbed onto the back of the huge saddle. He had never ridden on the back of any eagle other than Kael. Tuloth felt a sweeping dizziness wash over him. He made one last check of his gear and then patted the Endal of the white bird signaling that he was ready. Tuloth held on as the elder Wind Eagle blasted into the sky. The rush and roar of the wind decimated the psyche of Tuloth. He should be enjoying the ride but knowing he can never again experience flight with Kael was ripping him apart. The sadness and emptiness grew and contorted. Rage and vengeance bubbled within his innards. Use it! Let the pain fuel your body. Avenge Me! Tuloth forced his eyes wide open allowing the sharp wind to rip the moisture from his eyes. He gripped the pommels of his daggers in his right hand and his bow with the left so hard that his knuckles popped and turned white. Tuloth clenched his jaw and his teeth so hard he was beginning to feel his teeth ache. Soon, very soon, he would get his chance. Tuloth would get his revenge.

[Sairque]

The morning chill had long found itself banished to the deep crags and gullies of the landscape by Syna’s brilliant presence when the group finally crested the last of the craggy outcroppings and broke free over the glittering blue of the ocean. The group, led by Catabasis’ steady wing strokes, banked sharply to follow the coast down to the point where the lone Rider waited after his night shift observation of the two ships. Syna dwindled behind sea, painting the distant clouds on the horizon ablaze with colors to match the Rider’s current temperaments. A front was approaching but the air blanketed the group heavily, not a hint of a breeze to bring the weather into shore. In the twilight hours, the five Eagles in the planning link, one of which Tuloth rode, swept over a bluff and lowered themselves to the ground with dust whipping wing strokes. The Rider they met took refuge under a wing of his tired grey mount until the grit had settled, deciding to simply close his eyes and turn his face away as the other five Eagles landed on the other side of him. The group dismounted and stretched, working out the saddle numb before gaggling up with the lookout. The other group set about preparing dinner. Sai made sure she was between Tuloth and the Endal he’d ridden with as the gaggle limbered up and spent a few moments bullshitting about their predicted feats of the evening. Tuloth reeked bloodlust and Sai discretely observed his behavior. There would be no controlling him, not like she could control the other Rider’s. In a worst case scenario, the physically imposing Catabasis could keep the Eagles in check, and the Eagles could keep their Rider’s in check. Tuloth was a wild card. She had to predict his behaviors and desires to put him in a situation where his unique temperament would be put to the best use. Something had snapped and he needed to be soothed. Having finished rebraiding the long, silken red locks to recapture the wind-whipped wisps tickling her face and neck, Sai straightened and glanced over the gathered men and women. They quieted at the renewed command presence, readying for the briefing from the lookout. He, using his unstrung bow like a walking stick to prop up his wearied body, took the hint and obliged. “No change in speed until the wind died down about two bells ago. They dropped anchor just outside the breaking waves at that time and came ashore to hunt. I landed here and observed them for the bell and a half they stayed. Once they took off again, I let you know I was here and they continued on further out to sea and down the coast,” he recited, clearly having been working through everything to deliver it in as concise a packet as possible. “They just rounded that outcropping there before you landed. Each boat has a crew of at least fifteen; if there were any more, they didn’t set foot on deck or shore.” Sai nodded and dismissed the man to set up his camp. Another Endal interjected before he got very far, her voice cutting through the rustling of feathers. “Did they see you?” “If they did they didn’t care that I was there,” he answered with a shrug before shuffling on. They’d discussed various tactics and ideas on the way over, but here was where they would solidify their plan. “We’re not attacking en masse until dawn,” she announced first, staring down those that opened their mouths to argue. They had closed the circle after the lookout’s departure and now many of the Avora started peeling off to divest the looming Eagles of their tack. “We have a few options for tonight,” she continued. Relaying this was more for Tuloth’s benefit than anything. “But the goal is for the ships to be hobbled by dawn. I want their equipment and supplies ruined. I could live with them being intact but pushed far out to sea, also,” she amended, as though it were everyday business to be planning a massacre. “A few of the ideas I like are four people infiltrating each ship to sabotage, suspending logs between Eagles to run into and break the masts, and spending the entire night taking turns lighting small fires on the ships. If anyone doesn’t have anything else to add to the list of options, let’s focus on those three.” All eyes, some moody or displeased but all open to new suggestions, turned to Tuloth; testament to how much arguing and planning they’d managed to get out of the way on the journey over.

[Phoenix]

Sairque

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Leadership	4
Organization	4
Tactics	3
Planning	5
Intimidation	1
Land Navigation	2
Observaton	4
Logic	5
Eagle Riding	3

Lores

• Averting many crises
• Vengeance
• Coordination swift retaliation

Tuloth

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	4
Planning	5
Rhetoric	5
Reasoning	3

Lores

• Survivor
• The emptiness of losing ones Eagle
• Intimidated by Sairque
• Crippled by Emotional Pain
• Haunted by memories of Kael

The Order of the Phoenix

This would have been an awesome thread, had it not been abandoned! A shame for sure.

I ended up giving Sairque more XP because she's active and Tuloth seems to be the one that dropped the thread. However, if Tuloth comes back, feel free to message me if you don't feel like what you received is fair.