Closed the Forivec Coup, iv: a slaughter.

[Caelum]

Timestamp: 90 Fall 514 AV If ever there was a man in need of killing, it was Haev Provedan. It was said around Riverfall that even Rhysol didn't much care for the slaver, and Haev himself had never disagreed. Born and raised in the winter of his mother's caring, it took until he was a young man for him to understand the concept of compassion. None of the neighborhood boys found him to be normal and if the girls preferred his wit they were still scared off by his lack of warmth. By the time Haev met the girl who could change him, it was too late and little Olivia with her clever smiles managed instead to charm the last shred of hope right out of him. He shouldn't have let her talk to him and he ought to have split her tongue with a hunting knife for daring it; but Olivia the slave knew magic that Haev the slaver longed for. It was more than enough to fool him, and it turned out to be plenty enough to destroy him as well. Nearly two decades later, Haev's heart still beat with longing. Only his longing was no longer for Olivia's perfect lips; it was for her throat. The only spark of genuine heat left in him was for vengeance. Everything else that came through his life ran cold. His wants lined up like crows on tree branch to swoop into his keeping with rigid uniformity. He required gold and stability to fund a dead hunt for a long lost slave, so he settled in to the exhausted Forivec mines about half a bell's ride outside of Riverfall. There was no other race quite like the Akalak when it came to the treatment of slaves. They were the only people Haev had ever known to largely be ashamed of the practice, so ashamed in fact that half of his contract was designed to keep the other half quiet. The Akalak paid Haev to supply them, but also to keep their secrets. If rats chewed on the feet of battered little girls he left to die in the darkness, what did Haev care? He had but one reason to go on, and that was revenge. The problem was that someone else cared where Haev did not. They cared very much about at least one little girl and her rat chewed feet. So much, in fact, that almost a year to the day exactly since he'd carried Elise out of the dark, Caelum still carried a seed of Haev's revenge inside of him. It had been planted over the butchered corpse of yet another lost girl, deep in the pits of Rattling Chains, and kept safe in the soil of Nikali's servant. Where in the rising winds of one strange autumn, it had blossomed; and now as the season began to die, it bore fruit. * * * Wind blustered against the eaves of the stables at the Sanctuary. It carried cold promises through the yard and the scent of salt too. Caelum ducked out of the healing clinic with a wooden crate in his arms, filled to the brim with various supplies. Morning light sparked off the curve of his horns and illuminated the slow shifting colors of the ethaefal as he crossed to the wagon parked in front of the stables. Fall had turned his horns to blood and gold and scattered embers through his hair to render it a deep auburn. But now that winter was on the horizon hints of green and celadon had begun to steal the red from his horns while his hair brightened into a golden brown. Unlike the trees, the brilliance of his foliage only faded at night. He was dressed in sleek, black leathers that upon close inspection were revealed to be armor. Tall boots creaked and he had folded a thick, dark cloak over the wagon seat to be donned after he had finished loading the wagon and armed himself. The crate he carried was slid into the wagon bed to join a bevy of others equally as full. He liked being prepared. "You're sure you want to do this, Caelum?" Elise eyed the supplies in the wagon for a long while. Eventually, she lifted indigo eyes to Caelum's face and clasped her hands behind her back. Slight and elegant, a year's worth of good food, honest work, and genuine care had transformed the slave. She would be a former slave if Caelum didn't know that she wanted to keep the undignified "title". Her reasons were simple -- so long as she was Caelum's slave, she belonged to someone, and somewhere. It didn't matter that she had long since figured out Caelum would take care of her regardless of whether she was his slave, his employee, or just his friend. What mattered was that the title made her feel secure. So she kept it, and she kept him. "Yes." Caelum looked at her. Golden eyes were grim. "The others will be here soon, and we'll arm up, discuss our strategy, and be off." "You could be starting a war." Elise did not grimace. Despite her fragile appearance, this was a girl who had survived Haev Provedan. Caelum cast her a wildly magnetic grin. "Then may Myri favor me, darlin'. I've already talked to all the other gods. What's one more?" Loose tongued and cheerful, vicious and bold, the season had wrought changes on Caelum that would either hurt or help them now.

[Kavala]

He hadn’t asked. Caelum never would. To someone who knew him as only a close friend could, the intent was written all over his face. Caelum was not a revealing soul. But in his stance, his breath, and even in the way he slightly tilted his horns to keep them bathed in Syna’s light, Kavala knew.

It was obvious to Kavala that Caelum was about to do something dangerous or stupid. And if they were very very unlucky, whatever Caelum was about to could be labeled both.

So when he started planning, muttering to himself and gathering supplies, Kavala watched closely. He brooded. He stared at walls. He paced alone. And, worst of all, he went for long rides out on The Sea of Grass. Sometimes she saw Larik take flight, following him discretely. It wasn’t because Caelum couldn’t handle himself. Kavala knew he could. But it was more about Larik taking his job as the eyes and ears of The Sanctuary seriously. If Caelum needed space, they gave it to him. But they also had his back if he needed it. It was when his pensive contemplative look turned to determination and decisiveness, she knew it was time. At that point the family went on alert.

Sometimes the Eth forgot he even had a family. Wanted or not, the whole of The Sanctuary had embraced the man… all of him, flaws included. And one didn’t leave family standing alone. Cadra cooked him all his favorite comfort foods while Aweston danced around keeping out of his way while at the same time being there at convenient times to lend Caelum a hand.

So when Caelum gave all the signs of it being time, Kavala cleared her schedule, arranged for one of the other Sanctuary healers to see her clients or take over her classes, and changed her clothing.

The Konti normally wore work clothes. The sturdy lightweight cotton left her free to get down and dirty around the facility, whether she was tending animals or performing surgery. But when Caelum hitched up the wagon with the seme mares and began to load it, Kavala took a quick bath and pulled on her leathers.

Blackened red was her color of choice. The leather was a shockingly deep oxblood color against her tanned Konti skin. It made her translucent white hair seem even paler but wrapped around her body, it made the Konti feel like she was climbing into another skin, becoming someone different… deadly even. The skin-tight material hugged her body, protecting it, thickened in places it needed to be so it served as armor without getting into her way or adding unnecessary weight. Next came tall riding boots that came up and covered her knees and lower thighs. The backs were armored to prevent hamstringing in battle. Her long hair was drawn up in a high pony and braided tightly against her scalp so any potential enemies had nothing to grab on to and manipulate her with unless they were gloveless and lucky.

A weapons harness came next, deep ebony and strapped over her chest. It was lined with throwing daggers and had a holster for her crossbow and bolts at the back. Her warhorse would have extra bolts as well. Her bolo and her blowgun was in her beltpouch along with the tamo’s hanging on her belt. Last a double bladed longsword was tightly gripped in her hand as she headed out to the stallion barn.

The Konti had her choice of horses. If she wanted speed there were striders, but with the wagon being hitched in the courtyard, Kavala knew that was not necessary. Instead, she pulled the bar cutting off the dappled grey warhorse and gently studied him. Ghost snorted, pawed at the straw of his box stall, and came directly to her. She exchanged breath with him, borrowing his eyes for a moment to stare at herself lingering at the entrance to his stall. She felt his well-rested conviction and the beginnings of excitement because he knew what leather and weapons meant.

Kavala nodded, knowing there was really no other better choice, and took down his yvas. She kissed at him lightly and the enormous well-muscled warhorse followed her like a lap dog out into the courtyard. Once there, she turned to him, slung his yvas and bags on, and picked up each of his great hooves. Then she returned to the barn and got his barding, the great leather armor that would protect him in war, and began strapping it on.

She was careful with her preparations. He took the supplies they’d need to survive on The Sea of Grass alone or with the group, and then she strapped her double bladed longsword onto his flank. When she was ready, Kavala told him to stand, and quietly went to help Caelum load the wagon. She exchanged looks with Elise, silently promising the young woman she would take care of their friend. And then, when all was ready and everyone had gathered, Kavala turned to Caelum.

“Well, what have you decided? Obviously, today is the day, but just who exactly are we hunting? Before we ride out of this courtyard, I want a firm goal and a cursed plan.” Kavala asked, her hand absently checking and rechecking the weapons on her weapons harness. She slipped one of the throwing daggers out of its sheath and into the top of her boot, adjusting it and readjusting it, waiting for Caelum to share his plans.

[Sarshassilivoss]

A very vocal part of a mind that preferred the depths of the sea, questioned every step the young Dhani male took that morning. Both the Dhani and Charoda had words for 'Sanctuary.' For Charodae it was a place filled with their songs, a peaceful and safe place where one was surrounded by fish and family. For Voss, it was being surrounded by his denmates speeding through dark waters towards prey. He was upon solid land now, and still nowhere used to it, but something about this day spoke of the Great Hunts he had dreamed of as a snakeling, and adventures imagined watching his parents swim away from him in Charbosi.

He had spent an uncomfortable night in a 'bed' that had a lot to learn from kelp beds, leaving him longing for the gentle rocking of a kelp hammock. Needless to say he woke with a headache, a strange sensation in his neck as if he had twisted it all the way around itself, and the feeling that he had not slept at all.

After a breakfast of fish, which he was getting better at swallowing whole in human form, Voss found himself enough water to bathe and dressed in armor he had never had cause to use until today, due to his utter lack of attention to his human form.

Voss appeared as any male human might, a few shades darker, a smidge less hair, a tad taller, but when he strode into the yard wearing a medium scale armor fashioned from large shells, tough fish bones, and platelets, he might as well have emerged directly from the Sea. The shells overlapped to form a kilt over his legs, clicking pleasantly as he strode to the forming group of people, rolling his shoulders to get used to the new weight and limiting movement of his never before used armor. His Trident was at his hip, fastened with a bit of seaweed, a helm under his arm fashioned from a large fish skull and accented with the inlay of mussels, giving it a glint when he tilted it one way or another.

There were many reasons why Voss stood their in the Sanctuary courtyard. He knew the Voss from before...the one that had lived his whole life beneath the sea, barely even touching land would probably not have stood before the saddled warhorses, who seemed to have the same level of distaste for the aquatic Dhani that he held for them. The thought of riding a horse...again, was almost enough to turn him away from this whole endeavor. But the world needed to be seen, every part of it held the stories the Dhani craved, and this? This would lead him somewhere he had never...ever been. He knew that in being here he was trusted, at least an iota, and he planned to make good upon that small bit of trust and open it up into something larger.

Apart from that, Voss had very....very little idea of what was about to transpire, and somehow that made it all the more exciting. He did not speak, only stood, he was the stranger, the interloper here, and he would do as he was told.

[Aoren]

One thing that Aoren had learned about himself over the years was that he was slow to consider anyone an ally or a friend. Acquaintances he had many. Aoren met people in passing practically every day but few among them did he consider a true and wholesome friend.

Caelum, was one of those few people.

And the Ethaefal was planning something. What? He had no idea. More than once he had been tempted to roam the healer’s Chavi but that felt like a violation of trust on a personal level. Aoren wasn’t going to cross that line if he could help it. There were times when the visions came of their own accord, glimpses of days gone by. It was for that very reason that Aoren had gotten to know the physician so well. Aoren had Seen his past life. Kasb’el. He had relayed events, stories, happiness and tragedies to Caelum helping him to rediscover exactly who he was those years ago in Stormhold Citadel.

While Aoren couldn’t say he knew Caelum inside and out he was certainly familiar enough with the man to know when he was brooding over something. His very first night staying in Riverfall Aoren had glimpsed the Ethaefal tending to what had appeared to be battle gear. Troubled by what that implied Aoren had readied himself. He’d moved swiftly, it wasn’t as if he’d had much time to prepare but he’d be damned if he let the Ethaefal throw himself into a sticky situation without any form of support. Aoren had no idea what kind of connections Caelum possessed in Riverfall but he was certain of one thing that if Caelum had no one else, he would be there to lend a hand.

Aoren adjusted one of the straps wrapped around his left bicep. He was still getting used to the feel of armor. It was not something he had ever envisioned himself needing. The dirt of the road felt odd beneath the soles of his new boots. Quite frankly, all of his present apparel felt odd. The Drykas man was dressed in form fitting black leathers purchased just a few days prior. The shoulder guards, chest cover, arm bindings, gauntlets and leg guards were unmistakable as armor. While the whole of his body was not covered the vital areas were.

The ensemble gave rise to a swift but lethal appearance especially with the weapon harness crossing diagonally over Aoren’s chest. On it hung three plain daggers that while he was unfamiliar with might prove useful if his hunch was correct. He hoped it wasn’t. He would rather show up to his destination looking like a fool than to find confirmation of what that glimpse a few days ago had spurred. Finishing the adjustment so that the strap was situated more comfortably in place, Aoren hefted the iron staff he carried over his shoulders. Another recent addition to his armory, the weight was something Aoren would have to get used to. Essentially a quarterstaff made of iron Aoren had gotten the feeling that a scenario requiring armor would hardly be a suitable place for a wooden one. He wished he’d had time to practice with it. That would have to wait.

Ahead of him the high stone walls of the Sanctuary rose up like ominous sentinels. The imposing structure looked more like a fortress than an animal center and healing clinic. He could see exactly why the compound had been named “sanctuary”. Since his arrival he’d heard of the place. Run by a Konti woman who even Caelum had spoken highly of it was one of the more prominent structures in the city. It was not long after passing through the main entrance that Aoren caught sight of a gathering. Among them were Caelum, a blonde haired woman he could only assume was the highly regarded Kavala, and a dark skinned young man standing off to the side.

Aoren made his presence known not through any loud exclamation. He did not parade into the courtyard brimming with cockiness or fanfare. Quite the opposite. He moved as silently as he could the only herald of his arrival being the creak of the leather on his body until he came to a stop ten or so feet away from the group. Tipping the iron staff over one shoulder he grasped it firmly with one hand before letting it slide through his palm until the butt of the staff touched the ground. The slight bounce gave a metallic ding before Aoren gripped it tightly to prevent it from falling away. Leaning the staff against his shoulder he crossed his arms over his chest feeling a little hindered by the armor. It would take some getting used to. He managed to catch the tail end of what the woman said.

“I would have to agree with the lady.” Resting cobalt blue eyes upon Caelum, Aoren simply waited. His resolute stance, the firm set of his jaw those were all signs saying exactly one thing...

“Start talking. I’m not going anywhere.”

[Kavala]

Kavala seemed surprised that Voss was there, but gave him a half smile of greeting as he walked up. Sometimes there was no questioning why things happened as they did. If he was there, he was meant to be there, and that was that.

Once Ghost was ready, Kavala surveyed the courtyard and noted the newcomers. Dressed in leather like the rest of them, Aoren looked Drykas but was not mounted. Voss was not either, though Kavala was not surprised. Something told her the Dhani was more likely not to want this day of all days to be his first on horseback. Kavala swung her eyes towards Caelum, her gaze thoughtful and calculating. Then she quietly asked the warhorse to stand for her and disappeared back into the barns.

She was gone at length and when she returned two more massive horses followed her. One was the color of the summer sky at dawn, golden and glittery with a white mane and tail that she'd neatly braided up and out of the way. His massive flanks, chest, and rump were dappled with bursts of white snowflake that gave his palomino coloring an unusual flare. He stamped his foot impatiently, paused at his brother's side to touch noses with the grey stallion, and then walked with his companion following the Konti.

The second horse was not quite as massive as the first, but deep black in color with a faint strip of paler silver up his legs and down his topline. His mane was peppered with the same quicksilver streaks. He was obviously a mixed blooded animal who had something of the look of a strider about him though his size told the group he was not anywhere near full blooded.

Kavala paused by Caelum and nodded to the black. She laid her hand on the young animal's neck and the stallion stood still suddenly, listening. "He's young... barely five. But hes nightwalker and strider and all warrior. He'll need a very good rider to stay on him because he hasn't managed to not loose himself a rider in a fight yet... not like the older boys have. But he'll double your body count single highhandedly if you'll let him. He's got a bit of bloodthirst in him, but if you point him at what you want dead and hang on, he'll see it through the best he can." Kavala said to Caelum, certain he was well aware of the young stallions capabilities. She also didn't gift Caelum with the warhorse's name. The Eth was more than familiar with her barns and though he hadn't ridden the warhorse before, he certainly knew Tigath's name. The horse blew his breath and gently nipped at one of Caelum's horns before he quieted and waited for what would happen next.

Then Kavala turned back to Aoren. The palomino stallion followed her like a puppy. He wore no headgear like the other two and was only outfitted in a heavy duty yvas and blanket with a bit of barding across his flanks rump and chest. All three warhorses had their ankles and forelegs as well as their hind legs wrapped in thick boiled leather armor boots to keep them from getting hamstrung in battle.

"This is Silk." She started out, introducing Aoren to the stallion. Then she reached out and took his hand, placing it on the horses' neck. "He will take care of you in battle, minding your seat so you are free to mind your weapon and whatever needs killing around you. He is well seasoned and knows what to do. Don't give him too much direction. Once he gets a feel for a battle, he's going to do things his way. And hes very very good at getting his way which usually ends up in those you want on the ground bleeding doing so." Kavala said simply, then stepped back. The huge horse arched his neck and blew his breath out in Aoren's face, nibbling at the leather encased shoulder of the man. He pawed the ground impatiently, and looked around to see what the hold up was.

Kavala swung up on Ghost and waited quietly as kelvics and the Sea Iyvass joined each other in the wagon with the supplies.

[Caelum]

The scent of snow sharpened in the courtyard. It had not yet begun to fall, but the crystalline quality of the air promised that it would. Last year's first snowfall had brought a hunt to the Sanctuary of an entirely different kind. Kavala had vanished in the night, hugely pregnant, making three lives lost. It had taken an unrelenting determination and a great deal of intelligent creativity to both locate her and ultimately save her and her children. Those were not days Caelum was interested in repeating, though he was enormously grateful to all of the gods who had aided him in making it end well. This memory melted in his mind and Caelum rocked back on his heels to watch the others approach, turning his attention from Elise with a slow fade of that wild grin. It slid into something more sober as he took in Kavala, Voss, and Aoren, each arrival setting up space for the next. To the last, they were dressed for battle, and realizing this kicked his heart up into a hard beating, loud enough that it thrummed in his ears. A season ago it would have beat with alarm, but this morning with Morwen's breath ruffling over them from a fast approaching future, he knew his heart was mimicking the boom of war drums. They had followed him out of dreams. There was more than one of his lives from which he could extract greater knowledge of battle tactics and martial strategy. Yosef, from the tents of Gowan, of the sons of Basalom, had danced with Dira on the sands of Ekytol and when he’d died Syna had lovingly bleached his bones to shining. There was a woman backlit by flames who had the fiercest smile he had ever seen, a peek into a life as of yet unmapped, but the clash and cry of battle rang all around her. They were merely a beginning, but two of many lives. In truth it was the man who walked in his skin by night, whose long dead face he wore in memory of the Valterrian, whose life offered up the best lessons on war. Kasb’el Sunsinger might have been born a healer, but his world and his gods had shaped his life around him into that of a warrior. Kasb’el’s life was returned to Caelum in the dying days of Denval, when the lost magic of static had laid siege upon the ancient Suvan outpost. It surfaced from the soil of his soul’s memory fully intact, like an insect trapped in amber and preserved for all time. The Drykas ankal had fought many battles, both in Nysel's shadow wars against the Ruv’na and in those waged between empires. The grasslands had absorbed the blood of many of his enemies long before it has seen him lead an army north on a mission for Syna. Of course, memory was flawed. Even dreamwalking was imperfect as everything was learned from the point of view of the chavi he was studying, be it his own or someone elses. Objectivity and the full scale picture, while not impossible, could still prove difficult to obtain. Therefore while all of the theory involved in Kasb’el’s horde of knowledge was available to the ethaefal he had become, it was not necessarily available for practical application. Nevertheless, the ethaefal strove hard to make good use of it here. "We're going to kill Haev Provedan." Their answer was given as fact. Caelum was utterly certain as to his task and his stubbornness in this was at least a match for Kavala and Aoren's respectively. Voss received a side-winding smile, one that had a good bit of teeth in it to promise an adventure the newest of his friends here would enjoy. The thrill of the hunt was not a thing Caelum typically enjoyed. He was not the blood thirsty sort. Indeed, he was the opposite. He sought peace in near all things and was driven to attempt healing not just bodies, but hearts, minds, and souls as well. His blood thirst today was not just unusual; it was also not solely the product of the strange ailment that seemed to have swept their city this season. It was him. It had always been in him. That was the greatest secret of the goddess of desire, and her servant had learned it at her feet, and the feet of the world. The revenge Provedan himself so desperately wanted had been glimpsed by Caelum, and then he had mirrored it. The reflection had been caught in an echo inside of him since, festering, waiting. Not just incapable of ignoring it, but not wanting to, Caelum had nursed that seed of vengeance season after season, stalking those souls who orbited around Provedan and sussing out their secrets, securing their aid in sabotage. That was Nikali's secret, and his. She and her servants did not just see needs and desires, they embodied them. Given enough time and circumstance, they could contain all the wants in the world. They were not unlike divine wishing wells, and the more they learned, the more power they obtained, they more of those wishes came within their ability to make true. "Provedan -- " Caelum went on to explain. Of course, Kavala knew very well who Haev Provedan was and she also was intimate with the story of him and his interactions with Caelum and Else, and even Larik and Cadra who had recently joined the group gathered in the courtyard. Voss and Aoren, however, needed to be armed with more information. As Caelum talked he lifted a thick leather weapons belt from the back of the wagon to snake low about his hips. "-- Is the owner of Rattling Chains, the slaving business that supplies Riverfall. He's shrewd, cold, deadly, and human. He also so happens to be in need of killing." Golden eyes dimmed. "He's personally responsible for horrors wrought on Larik, Cadra, and Elise, and I'm done with biding where he is concerned. I don't seek to abolish slavery here. Not now. Not today." It was plainly evident that he would very much like to. "But I want him, and his way of doing business, done. Gone. Over. And in the space he'll leave, there will be room for something better." A bastard longsword was lifted and sheathed in its scabbard, sagging the weapons belt down on one side. It had come from a very specific place, and person, to serve just exactly the purpose he sought to put it to today. Daggers followed, long and worn but very well kept. They also went into the belt, and more knives were slid into sheaths strapped to his forearms over the spidersilk of his night leather armor. Still more knives ended up in his boots and he unraveled from that crouch to lift a quiver full of arrows and sling it along with the bone-carved shortbow over his shoulder. It the lighter bow would serve him well on horseback. He paused to greet Tigrath, smiling despite himself at the sight of the beautiful war horse. The nightwalker-strider combo was a personal favorite of Caelum's and he rubbed his hands lightly over the stallion's nose and up his cheeks, letting the horse nuzzle into his hair and nip at his horns, whuffling warm breath against him. "What do you say, Tigrath?" He murmured, soft and private to the beast. The Pavi came to him naturally, more naturally than the common language with which he addressed the others. Pavi, of course, was the language for all horses in his mind. "Will you fight with me then? I would be most grateful." A chuckle warmed off of him when Tigrath stamped his feet with impatient agreement. While the others finished their preparations, he beckoned them close with a wave of a long fingered hand. He gave a pat to Tigrath's neck and then dropped into a corbie's crouch, a sky creature in the dust. He used the edge of a knife, flipped from a sheath, to draw in the dirt. First he sketched the road that led off the Kabrin in the Sea of Grass, passing the barren tree that held the bloodied shackles of all Provedan's conquests, and lined that road to the exhausted Forivec Mines that currently housed Rattling Chains. Thicker lines stood from the trenches that stretched out in front of the mine's entrance and still more pictures told of the tents that created the encampment of the slavers themselves. The map he drew was not bad, all things considered. It was clear that Caelum not only had some skill in drawing, but in actual cartography. This might have been rough, but it could have been a great deal worse. "Rattling Chains is about a bell into the Sea of Grass at the pace we're going to set," he explained. "It's housed in the abandoned gem mine and set down this short road from the primary Kabrin. The slavers have laid trenches in front of it and there is a narrow path through them to the mouth of the mine. A steep, metal stair case leads down and below, well, it's cavernous and twisting and deep. There are multiple pockets off the main shaft, but Provedan's only really occupied the front one hundred or so yards. At least insofar as I know. They hold the slaves as well as supplies." He looked up at the lot of them. "We're going to have the element of surprise. He has ways to detect the approach of a party, but I've been promised that it won't work for him today." The method Haev used was the magic of webbing, as so housed in the ability of his second in command, the exiled drkyas sorceress Caracatas. "He was scheduled to return with the bulk of his soldier-types from a raiding trip last night, so they should be tired, worn down. His second, Caracatas, should defect from him. I don't know that she'll fight with us, but I am relatively certain that she won't fight against us. The same goes for his fourth, Decath Rhodes, a dark skinned, blue eyed main who's deadly with a broadsword, and Meddon Flint, a silver haired numbers man who's better with his hands than with steel." Rising back up to his feet, he hooked his fingers into the loop of Tigrath's yvas. Dawn light sparked off of his horns the color of blood. "This is not going to be easy. These are fighters, and they don't know honor. They're bound to have a few tricks up their sleeves. I'm not asking you to come with me." He hesitated, and then offered them that dangerous chase of a smile. "But if you do, I promise it'll be worth every blow." His piece said, Caelum mounted Tigrath in a fluid, graceful motion and settled into the components of the yvas naturally. As they set out through the Sanctuary gate, he said simply, "Talk to me," to invite questions, suggestions, and ideas from the group.

[Sarshassilivoss]

A smile or two was enough to make Voss realize he was welcome on this hunt. He stood patiently, back erect, watching the proceedings with dark eyes, quietly taking in the other man that joined their group. When Kavala disappeared to re-emerge with two horses, the Iyvess did a quick head count, and sighed with audible relief, it was clear he would not be forced to ride today, and by the looks of the dark smaller horse, stamping and snorting as if they were already on the cusp of battle, he wouldn't be able to even if he tried.

The name Haev Provedan meant little to the Dhani, but it was clear by the amassing group that it was one wrought with enough hatred to start this hunt. Caelum did not take long, however, in setting about an explanation, and Voss took a step in to listen.

Slavery. It was a foreign word to the Iyvess, not because he did not know the practice, but because the idea of it had always been so distant from his life. Charoda would not keep slaves in their wildest dreams, and the Saltwater Iyvess had no use for them, why keep something to do work that you should be strong enough to do yourself? Oh there were stories told of the decadent land dwelling Dhani in Zinrah, how they would get weak skinned humans to do their work, and capture and torture the Myrians, for which the Saltwater Iyvess had more than a little respect for, but this only solidified the Iyvess's views of the Dhani they left behind...their race was the better for the shunning of such weak practices, this Voss was sure of.

So Voss did not know this Provedan, nor the torment he had wreaked upon these people Caelum mentioned, but if he was one half as sinister as a Zinrah Constrictor...well Voss could see where his fervor came from.

Another light tinkle of shells appeared when Voss bent on one knee to survey Caelum's plan, drawn in the dirt. He watched, nodded, and rose with the group, most of whom were gracefully mounting on their steeds. A few long strides took him to the wagon, taking a seat, if it was available, next to the driver on the front bench.

Though silent through the whole endeavor, Voss's mouth opened as per Caelum's request, many thoughts weaving through his brain. "If thosse you ssay will not harm uss, how many left to fight? Doess thiss man have any skillss himsself? I think ssuch man hass many enemiesss, but to be alive sstill..." Voss let his statement trail then, these people knowing their opponent better than he. Perhaps his only power was the slaves at his command, and if this was the case he would suffer all the more.

[Aoren]

When Kavala disappeared then reappeared bearing two horses Aoren was impressed to say the least. With fascination he admired the great stallion that followed her. He made no show of resistance or hesitation as she pressed his hand to the strong neck of the horse. Indeed there was an eagerness to his observation of the palomino.

“Silk.” He glanced at Kavala listening even as he became enraptured by the warhorse in front of him. A nod was all the reply she received from him. There was a simplicity in being in the company of a horse. A part of Aoren felt at home with the beast. It was something that he could only attribute to his Drykas heritage. A fond smile touched Aoren’s lips as Silk nibbled at his shoulder.

Leaning forward Aoren met the gaze of the great beast before gently pressing his forehead to the horse’s muzzle in greeting. He earned a huff and a nudge for his efforts. The display elicited a chuckle from Aoren. He was going to like Silk. He could tell already. Caelum’s matter-of-fact statement is what drew Aoren’s attention. He moved closer coming to stand just a foot or so away as the Ethaefal explained the downfall of their intended target.

“A man doomed to walk into the arms of Dira.” The thought crossed Aoren’s mind unbidden but could he be blamed for thinking it? Caelum had always struck Aoren as a man who was quite capable. That way of life tended to give rise to the fact that he only kept the company of capable people. While Aoren wasn’t a hardened warrior who had seen battles beyond counting, he wasn’t unfamiliar with conflict. Silently he listened to the plan that Caelum’s rattled off. He couldn’t see any immediate holes in the plan as he wasn’t exactly a tactician. When the time came to mount up Aoren did so.

He had some familiarity with mounting and riding a horse. Just enough not to make a fool of himself and to keep his balance. With the iron staff gripped in one hand he got his bearings atop Silk’s back, feeling the beast shift beneath him. As they filed out of the Sanctuary he prompted the horse to follow the train of riders and the wagon. Just as Kavala said, the stallion needed little prompting from him. Still, perhaps from his own unfamiliarity Aoren kept a hand braced at the base of Silk’s neck to steady himself.

“You can’t possibly think I’m going to let you ride into the mouth of the Void by yourself, can you?” Aoren blinked at Caelum as if he’d grown a second head before a wide grin broke out on his face.

“Should have brought a holster for my staff.” It was an oversight on his part he wouldn’t miss in the future. When Caelum prompted the group to talk to him Aoren had a question in his head. He allowed the other man, a man who was Dhani if the hiss that crawled out of his mouth was any indication, to speak first.

“I agree. We should know the rough number of who we are going up against, would put things into perspective. Also, do you know if the mines have been laced with any traps? They can’t have been housing so many slaves, made so many enemies, and survived for so long without any sort of contingency plans.” It seemed an obvious thought to Aoren. If he were going to guard himself against enemies by building a stronghold in an abandoned mine he would make the idea of storming it a bad one in the minds of his opponents. Living in Syliras for so long, he knew that the Knights had several lines of defense to protect the citadel. He didn’t know exactly what those were but the Order relied on more than just brute strength and high stone walls for protection.

[Kavala]

Caelum's intel made Kavala smile. She shifted on her warhorse and leaned back a moment, drawing a leg up and propping a boot on her horse's neck. She leaned forward, warping her arms around her upraised leg and rested her chin on her knee. It made her look like a child, for all that she was dressed in deep blood red leathers. Her countenance was thoughtful as she furrowed her brow and studied the map Caelum sketched in dirt. She wasn't sure she liked his use of her cobbles and the fact there was dust in the courtyard thick enough to draw in caused her immediate displeasure. Resisting the urge to go get a broom and take care of that situation immediately, the Konti attempted to focus on what Caelum was saying.

With her still dangling leg, she toed Ghost over for a better aerial angle of the rudimentary map he was making. Parking the warhorse in a free spot, the Konti looked thoughtful and listened to what everyone else had to say. She didn't interrupt, but she did seem to locate what everyone was suggesting.

"I go out there every ten to twenty days to treat his slaves for no charge. I have for years." She said thoughtfully. "Because I do this, my stock doesn't vanish to feed his men. And his men leave my workers alone. They do not vanish like others around here have a tendency to do. His caves aren't trapped. If they were, I doubt he'd let me wander as freely as he has. The reality is Haev uses intimidation and supplies a demand so no one bothers messing with him. He's first and foremost too far out of most people's way. And secondly, he doesn't deal in... "

Kavala paused, not sure how to put into words what she was trying to convey.

"His goods aren't first rate. They are the cast off and culls of their world. He has no market for laborers here save for the mines which take most of the younger people. His primary stock is..."

Again she had trouble using the word slave. Her brother had come from Haev's caverns. So too had her beloved niece and nephew. They were all three half dead when she rescued them. Though truth be told it was less than a rescue and more of a walking out with them and Haev letting her have them because he knew that would cause her to come back and treat his goods again.

"... usually ill or broken of spirit. They are a miserable lot with no fight left in any of them. The boys go to the mines, though the Akalak will not talk about it, and the little girls go to various places throughout Riverfall until they are old enough to bear children. The Akalak's don't keep slaves openly, but those little girls wrack up enough debt they go into the Nakivak program and usually die giving birth to their first sons if they make it to the age where a talvas will take them. The adult women of child bearing age sell faster and are given a few months to get back to health, turned into Nakivaks, and then have one more year of life before they too usually loose their lives as humans. Konti and some of the other races fair better." Kavala said without emotion. She'd lived with the system so long, Caelum too, that she wasn't certain why her Eth friend had finally decided this was the season Haev had to die.

Sure, he'd needed killing for a long while now. But someone else would take over his business. Kill one predator and another moved in and took over the business to fill the vaccume. And while she didn't particularly care for Haev, she knew him and that he provided what the Akalak considered a nasty necessary evil.

"It's been more than ten days since I visited. I wonder if I should go ahead, make my usual rounds, and get a head count. He'd think nothing if I showed up to do this. And if I took a keg of the honeymead we made with the spoils of this years honey harvest, it might soften them even further. It's not dangerous to me, but I'd have to take another horse... a strider to ride ahead on, because I always value fast get-aways from that place over brute strength. I've never ridden a warhorse to Haev's. Armor? Yes. Always. I blend in with his men that way." Kavala suggested, then continued.

"You'd have to wait outside his view, one or two undulations of the land away from the entrance, and wait for my return. We can get a good headcount, perhaps soften the men, and then I'd suggest attacking at sundown. They are tired, sleepy, and will have their wounds doctored and thus lulled into a sense of security." Kavala offered out the plan, certain the strategy would work but not worried if Caelum had a different plan. He was soliciting advice and opinions. But ultimately it was his decision to attack and it would be his plan they followed.

When Kavala was done speaking, Ghost stamped his giant hoof and shook out his mane, then snorted long and hard down near Caelum's map. The Konti laughed still relaxed on the great stallion's back as the horse filled her mind briefly with his imagined plot.

"He has other ideas. He thinks we should charge in, scatter them like a puny night lion pride, and once they are scattered and weak, steal their lives with our hooves and teeth." Kavala reported on behalf of the dappled grey warrior. The horse next to Aoren had the good graces to look downright amused rather than react like Caelum's young black warhorse did. Tigrath started digging a trench in the ground slightly behind Caelum, letting everyone know that waiting wasn't his forte. Kavala looked sharply over at the youngster and snapped the word 'stand' at him in Pavi. The horse snorted, but stopped pawing, and looked slightly rebellious at the Konti. He reminded her of a sulky child angry at being publicly chastised. Silk looked even more amused while Ghost offered no comment other than a snort to clear his nose of the dirt Tigrath kicked up

[Caelum]

Caelum listened to everyone's opinion. It may have seemed normal to those who knew him, but that only meant that for this season it was not. Reckless bouts of irritation and a certain carelessness with all of his secrets had followed him around since summer had fled the land. He had lost and regained his focus countless times over the fall and skipped from subject to subject like a thrown stone, incapable of settling. The seed of Provedan's revenge had rooted too hardily inside of him, creeping through the links of Nikali's chain until he was left with little choice but to uproot it toward his own ends. He just wasn't always sure he knew what those were any more. Doubt, too, had made a home of him this season. The urge to dismiss Kavala's suggestion was suppressed. The only reason he wanted to was because that fool hardy hunger was fueling him, and telling him lies of how he had already waited too late. What, after all, was too long for a man that never aged? He struggled it down and turned to Tigrath, but he failed to lay a hand on him. Though the Drykas in him wanted to sooth the eager beast, the servant in him knew better than to risk being swayed by the wants of a war horse. Finally, he did something familiar and pivoted about on a heel to pace. He passed the wagon and felt the weight of Elise's dark eyes on him from where she sat net to Voss, driving reins resting loosely in her hands.The girl was pitched comfortably forward, elbows to the thighs of her trousers, and she looked at once comfortable and determined. "The time you went to Rattling Chains, the black practically ate you," Elise remarked. It was quiet, but pointed. After all, she would know. The last time Caelum had been to the slavers pit had been the time he had scooped her up out of that same black and carried her out with him. At the time she'd had no notion of Nikali and barely even one of the ethaefal, but a great deal had changed in the past year. The goddess of slaves and desire had helped save Elise as much as she had almost swallowed Caelum whole. Of course, Elise understood enough to know the goddess had saved the healer before. As Caelum swung back around in his pacing, he came face to face with Aoren's wide grin. It stopped him, stilling him where he stood and he slumped for a moment, eyes lowering. His face softened and he exhaled as something settled back into the right place in his chest. He nodded a little. "That's a good idea," he determined at last, eyes lifting to Kavala. "That intelligence will be invaluable. We can set in just out of sight and I'll watch your back from dreaming." He raised an eyebrow a little bit, as if asking what she thought of that; but it sat ill with him for Kavala to go there on her own. He knew well enough how capable she was, but sometimes knowledge like that didn't matter a whole lot. Caelum knew that well enough. "Do you think you could take one of us with you?"