Words with the Wingless
Season of Earth Probably, Elsewhere
In face and stature the man Bron resembles more a man of the west than of the north, he does not have the palor nor the vivid colors of hair and eye that many of your people share, though it is hard to keep your gaze upon his face or meet his eye given that which he
lack. It is not that you had not seen Wingless before, painted onto pottery, set in mosaics, carved upon the freezes in the Plaza of the Hidden Moon. You can even seen then in recordings from before the Usurpation preserved in imperishable essence, but this was not paint, nor marble, nor illusion, but a man of flesh and blood before you, young and hale perhaps by the measure of his folk, but to you he seems lacking, at worst crippled, at best unfinished, as though some lazy sculptor had lain down his tools too soon. The instinct to look at his wings to see if he is restive, to judge by the state of their grooming how he had passed his time as a prisoner leaves you looking instead at the mirrored wall over his shoulder and meeting only your own gaze.
Yet you are not wholly unprepared for the hour, by the grace of Mela upon you never can you be
wholly unprepared for a first meeting, first of all the patterns of essence that you had learned to weave. So you do
not tip your left wing a little forward to mark that you speak with truthful heart as you would have done meeting a young trapper or warrior for the first time, instead you look him up from his boots to the top of his brown haired head as if you were looking to buy the furs he came in and snort questioningly. "So, you're Bron. I would have thought you would be taller for all the trouble you caused."
Some part of you is wondering furiously what height has to do with anything. Does this lot of barbarians have a height based social order? But you had learned to trust your instincts, on first meeting.
As Sage translates and the man seems to relax a touch and smiles. "Doesn't tale a tall man to shoot a bow high sky jarl. Just a sharp eye and a strong arm. Some men scoff at bows and call them a weakling's weapon, but you can't throw a bearded axe that car now can you?"
Talking to Bron: 63 + 10 (Diplomacy) + 20 (Charm) = 93 (2 Degrees of Success)
It is uniquely bizarre to talk to the man. On the one side he is as rough-hewn as a mountain's face, such that even Cunning Sage of Serendipity finds herself calling out his cheek and she is no great proponent of decorum, but on the other side of the coin it quickly becomes clear that the Skorlmlings maintain not even the most distant memory of the Old Realm or the Deliberative. To him you are a sorcerer, by which he means those who deal with the wyld which rankles... though not as much as.
"Sure and I thought you were all rashka come for my heart. I'm glad you are just beastmen."
Sage gives you an apologetic look for translating that.
Cultural Issues: 41 + 10 (Diplomacy) = 51 (Success)
"I shall say this once because you speak in ignorance!" you snap, your anima rising in cutting wings around you. "I am no creature of the Wyld, no servant nor creation of theirs. We were given wings by the will of the Sun's Chosen and Chosen of the Petitioner of Clouds Accordant to the Call of Battle are we who stand in this chamber with you!"
The barbarian flinches, though his gaze does not drop. Ignorant he might be but not a coward.
"You are the children of a god?" he asks after Sage had translated your words.
"We are the heirs, far-distant of the great dragon Mela," you try to simplify the explanation as much as you can
After a moment the man inclines his head and apologizes for disparaging your bloodline with seeming sincerity so you grant it and move on to more productive matters, like why he is here and the other fellow is not. Apparently 'Hrolf' is very pious and would not want to do anything that might be considered treason to the tribal god.
"Are there many who would see having dealings with us that way?" you ask. "How might they be overcome that they should meet then in strength but not as foes?"
"You broke the mountain, took mountain away, don't know how, don't want to know seid-lore, no offense meant. Ulf will never have peace with you while he has blood in his veins and the strength to carry an axe. Better to kill him between the willow rods than face him in battle with many warriors at his back."
Surely he can't mean... He does, of course he bloody does.
Why wouldn't a wyld-addled barbarian think a fight to the death is the only way to solve differences.
And yet you only have the word of one man, you do not think he is lying, but he could be mistaken. Barbarians or not is it wise to start your first meeting with someone by challenging their spirit-speaker to a duel to the death?
What do you do?
[] [MEETING] Challenge the shaman to show your power
[] [MEETING] Try to overawe the tribe with Charms and Sorcery such that they would not dare go to war against Sezekan
What sorcery do you possess for the occasion?
(Choose Four Spells)
Write in (List of Spells)
OOC: I have been struggling to find an online list with all the spells of the Emerald Circle and the above is the best I could do, but it is not all in there. Feel free to pick Emerald Circle Spells from any official Second Edition Source, but if you choose something not on there either include the description or the source and page number so I can copy the description over for people who are unfamiliar with the system.