• Closed • Old McFaith She Had A Farm

[Basilisk]

Karem smiled at Greyhide and Nir'wei, having caught the bit of banter between the too. Somehow, she figured that the two of them had a more even relationship than either would like to admit. "Play nice, you two." she said, her tone amused. After a moment, she shook her head, like she was trying to clear it. "It has been...centuries since I used that much power in so short a span. I had nearly forgotten how it felt." she said, her voice some strain, as if she had just been exercising. In truth, most of that power had been directed at Greyhide, changing his being to match what he was now. "Greyhide, you will find you know posses all the instincts and inherent knowledge that a wolf should. I would take some time to familiarize yourself with them." she said, before smiling. "My forest is a safe place to practice, should you desire such."

After a moment, she sat down and leaned against the great wolf, who had layed down along with her. The Immortal took a deep breath, then looked at Faith and Nir'wei. "You two, this business of freeing slaves. Have you a plan for how you intend to go about it yet?" she asked, her tone concerned. "I would rather not empower two people only to see their lives lost due to poor planning." she said, a bit of dry wit in her voice suggesting she had seen some monumentally stupid plans in her time. As she spoke, a couple of the wolves gathered around the pair, one golden-tawny wolf quite clearly begging for Faith's attention. Nir'wei was left alone if Greyhide was with him, otherwise, he kept getting sniffed and licked by the other wolves, a sort of greeting.

[Nir'wei]

Greyhide immediately turned back to the Immortal and put on a surprisingly convincing puppy-dog face with wide, watery eyes. "But muuuuuum!" he whined. Nir'wei struggled not to gawk and laugh at the same time; damn, he really did have a cheek streak running through him! Before he had a chance to rebuke the wolf, or apologise to the Immortal for such behaviour, the wolf turned tail and bounded straight through the trees behind them both, out of sight amongst the great wood of Karem's realm. Sheepishly, Nir'wei rubbed the back of his head with one palm. Gods, he hoped the Immortal didn't already regret giving him the power to speak; it seemed like a whole arc of backed-up cheeky remarks were going to be spewing their way out over the coming seasons, unless Nir'wei found a way to stick a cork in his mouth.

Following Karem's example, he sat down on the grass and let the small cluster of her pack surround him, licking and sniffing where they pleased, while he returned the gesture with stroking and petting. One in particular he grabbed at the neck and scratched thoroughly behind the ears and down along the side of its neck, where its fluff lay thickest - pulling just a little from his experience to find the best sweet-spots for rewards, and immediately lavishing the wolf with attention. Every one of them was in great condition, but then again, he didn't know why that should even surprise him. "Freeing slaves..." That dragged him rather swiftly back to the present. "That's more Faith than me. She's the one with the grand plans, I'm just here to look pretty."

He waited for Faith to speak her piece before he chimed in at the end, frowning faintly and with eyes slipping between Karem and Faith uncertainly. "I know we've talked about it a lot, but... I'm still worried about this plan." He sighed softly and stroked over the nearest wolf's ears. "You said so yourself, Karem. Those who stake their livelihoods on this trade are not going to give it up easily. I bet a lot of them don't even believe they're doing anything wrong, and they're going to see you as the bad people, come to take away everything they own and destroy their businesses, some of which have been running for generations. You'll destroy their way of life, and they won't go down quietly. They'll kick and bite and... worse." He shook his head sadly.

"Which is why I think... I think I should start teaching some of those on the Farms to protect themselves and begin creating some security. Starting in Scalvoris. They're already great havens, giving slaves a job and steady income, a roof over their heads and an education to boot. They've got everything they need except for... well, a way to protect themselves. Even if it's not coming from the Farm itself, I think it'd be silly not to at least consider the idea of getting some external help to make sure that they're all protected in case your outlawing starts to spark angry mobs or worse. The least they can do is stop people from getting hurt on the off-chance it does devolve into that, and that's a chance that we have to consider." He did have more to say, but at that point he decided to hold his tongue and look for reactions more than anything.

[Faith Augustin]

The golden-tawny wolf had no need to beg for her attention, Faith was more than happy to provide it. She had discovered a love of animals which she didn't know she possessed, although she drew the line at Tristan's cat still. Kneeling on the ground, her hands moved to give the attention and fuss which the wolf wanted and she spoke to the beautiful creature in a low and respectful voice. Then, once they had dealt with the business of the wolves and Nir'wei's marking by the Immortal of the Hunt, Karem asked them both a question. It was not an unexpected one and Faith was quiet for a moment, as Nir'wei answered.

Listening to her friend, her face broke into a grin when he said that he was here solely to look pretty. He raised his concerns, then, and Faith knew them already but she was glad to hear them. Here in this sacred place they could talk freely and she was more than grateful for the chance to talk it though. When Nir'wei had finished, though, she nodded. "I think that teaching them self defence is an excellent idea, whatever we decide here. It is only a good thing." The earnest young woman continued to fuss and scratch the wolf as she spoke, her passion shining through.

"I was a slave a long time and it taught me a lot of things. One of the things it taught me, maybe the most important one," she said, softly, "was the importance of planning. Ensuring that what needed doing was done with minimum disruption." It was true, the logistics of keeping her owners happy was something she had learned from. "I believe that we can do this without bloodshed. Without the need to conflict at all. Take the restaurant, for example. If I had set up the farm first, a place where we take the poorest of Scalvoris, the homeless and the needy and we provide them with a free place to live, teach them and feed them, then there would have been those who argued. Those who profit from there being poverty. But no one has said a word, in fact it has received nothing but acclaim. Why?"

Faith shrugged slightly, scratching the wolf absently. "Before I washed the dishes, I made sure that Master had his wine and was comfortable. Always." It had been a long time, she realised, since she'd called anyone "Master" as a name. It didn't sit well with her that it came from her mouth now, but there it was. "Before I started picking people up from the streets and giving them a better deal, I opened an expensive restaurant. I catered to the wealthy who get to eat there and have the best food they've ever eaten. Then, they're invested. Because they've paid money for it. Some of the slavers have come to the restaurant and they would have picked those trainees up on the street, if they hadn't come to us. It's about how you sell it."

Faith breathed in and looked down at her hands. "Some of them have been branding babies for generations and I need to live long enough to make that stop. So, my plan is to make Cally's as big as it can be on Scalvoris. I've been offered the position of Officer for Welfare on the Scalvoris Council. A position I've accepted in a voluntary non-waged capacity. I'm going to bring in changes that offer free medical care for slaves. But I'll offer it to the slavers, so that they will feel like they are getting something. Then food and training. Healthy slaves with skills are worth more. When the law change happens, and it will happen, I will have a package which will recompense the slavers and a new job for the slavers."

She was quiet for a long moment and then she lifted her head to look at the two of them. Her expression told the truth of what she said. "I want to start a revolution, but that won't work. It's been tried. So, I plan on making it more economically viable to be a former slave owner than a current one. Their jobs will change. From slave owners to employee brokers. Then, when I've made it work in Scalvoris, I'll move to Rynmere and do it there. Then the next place and the one after." She shrugged slightly, looking at the two of them. "Freedom. Everyone involved should have it. The slaves, the slavers. I can do it. I have to, it's what's right and it's what needed." Looking down at the wolf, she gave another scratch and grinned, "you believe me, don't you? Freedom by stealth. I'll make them invested in it, part of it and by the time the change comes, it'll be inevitable."

With a slight sigh, Faith briefly leaned her head against the beautiful creature and her expression was melancholy, "and I'll live with the guilt of not starting a revolution, not acting quickly and I'll blame myself for each and every branding and whipping on the way."

[Basilisk]

Karem raised an eyebrow at Greyhide's sass, but the slight grin showed she wasn't as annoyed by it as one might have expected. When he bounded off, however, she shook her head and sighed. "So many wolves, so much sass. I swear, there is no more sarcastic animal in existence." she said, before pausing. "Except maybe cats." she mused, before falling silent to listen to the two explain their plans for freeing the slaves of Idalos.

She didn't speak at all as the two laid out there plans, but at Faith's admission that she'd feel guilty for not starting a global revolution, she gave a quiet laugh while the tawny wolf nuzzled up against Faith. "You remind a lot of a close friend of mine. She witnessed the end of the world, as she saw it, three different times. Once due to deceit, once due to reasons none can yet comprehend, and once due to the pride, selfishness, and arrogance of many of the Immortals. Now she does whatever she believes is necessary to ensure it never happens again, because she believes she could have stopped at least the third time." she said, shaking her head. "I wonder what you may feel driven to do in the future, doctor, if you do not learn not to accept guilt for things you cannot change."

Then she leaned back in thought for a moment. "Bloodshed on a massive scale over slavery is inevitable. It is not just individuals or families you will have to contend with. There are entire cities who make millions of nel a day off of the misery of others. They will not be inclined to upset their entire economy for the sake of what they view as merchandise." she said, before pausing. "On a smaller scale, you are right, Nir'wei. Many who partake of the slave trade, whether as sellers or buyers, believe they do nothing wrong. They are good people, no more malicious than either of you." Karem paused a moment, then let out a low, feral growl. "But not all. Some partake of the slave trade because they are cruel, because they specifically enjoy hurting other people, whether mentally, physically, or emotionally. This change, no matter how you try to soften it, will not come without bloodshed."

"Your plan, as it stands, is a good one. But it needs more. You have a rough idea of what the possible reactions will be, and some ideas on how to react. But to truly pull this off, you'll need to be able to answer concerns and worries that come up before they come up. Predicting the future is difficult, but there are some with the ability to do so, after a fashion. To read probability and know how to plan for both the best and worst in advance, and what the best and worst are. For something like this, you will likely want the support of someone who once dealt in the slave trade as well. That will be trickier, but some of the morally more upstanding might be of aid to you." she said, her voice thoughtful.

[Nir'wei]

It felt good to air everything out - to know that not only Faith stood by him, but Karem as well, in a fashion. Of course, perhaps what he had planned as 'self defence' would be different to what Faith thought he meant. He wasn't a fighter - he never really had been, with weapons or fists or bows or otherwise - but this would take a lot of it. "It'll be difficult and dangerous. It'll require influence in major cities across the world, sympathetic government officials with experience in their court systems, not just a general understanding of the law but arcs of influence and connections that come from it. All of it will have to happen one city at a time, with preventative measures taken to stop a slavery resurgence once we move to the next city. Gather enough slaves in the cities and we can form a small group acting as representatives of our group that'll watch over everything happening in that city, act accordingly to any problems that come up." He paused, suddenly realising all the things he was saying, and sheepishly pulled his hand back from the large wolf he'd been stroking to rub at the back of his own head. "Sorry. Got me all carried away."

"It's true. We'll never get through something this big just... rolling with the punches as they come." He didn't know anyone in the slavery industry, but he was sure they'd end up finding one soon, whether they wanted to or not. "Either way, we'll take this slowly and carefully. Every city will have spots of land owned by one of us. It'll have farms, it'll have houses, it'll have protection. For all intensive purposes, we'll be making little pockets of sanctuary all over Idalos. If things ever start turning south, we'll have them to fall back on, first and foremost. Little outposts of our own design." Well, a far cry from an outpost, really. More of a small business and its resources. But it was more than they had right now, and more than most could boast of. "When bloodshed comes, when... when riots and god-knows-what-else rise, nobody will be facing it empty-handed."

He said when, because Karem was right - there would be bloodshed, no matter what. "We won't allow ourselves to become targets either, right Faith?" He looked at her pointedly. "Cut off the head and the snake will die, that's the old saying." A true saying. Faith was the one behind all of this, the mastermind of the global plan. If someone decided to try and get rid of her quietly and secretly by paying the right money to the right hands, well, that would just have to be another obstacle to overcome. "We'll keep things tight. All of us will." He nodded to himself, then again to Karem. "I mean, hey. We got the rest of our lives for it, after all. As long as the boulder starts rolling, all we need to do is build up enough momentum to keep it going even when we step away... and if some people get crushed underneath, well. Unfortunately, it's an inevitability." He didn't like facing those facts, but they were facts.

[Faith Augustin]

What she might do in the future if she did not learn to not accept guilt if she could not do anything about it? Faith smiled and shrugged slightly. "I don't know. But if having it motivates me and gives me the drive to do more good than if I did not feel that guilt?" The wolf she leaned against was beautiful and she took comfort from it. "Then it's worth the price." Both Karem and Nir'wei insisted that there was no way that she could do this without bloodshed, and Faith kept her counsel there. All her life people had told her that she could not, that she must not, that she would not. And yet, she had. That both Karem and Nir'wei believed what they were saying and felt that they were giving absolutely the best advice she did not doubt. But, if she was going to do this, she had to do it the way that she could, the way that she saw. Whilst keeping in mind that they were probably right.

It was a good idea to get someone involved in the slave trade as part of their cause, although Faith knew no one. Other than Tristan, who had owned her, but he was about as much part of the slave trade as he was a washerwoman. It was a good idea and she held on to it, something to consider later, she thought. As for seeing the future? Well, Faith understood that this was useful but also, potentially, dangerous. Prophecy and stuff like that was all sorts of messed up and she had no wish to tie herself in knots. Yet, again, it was something worth considering and Faith began that process of mulling it over.

When Nir'wei spoke, though, Faith turned and looked at him and her eyes were shining with delight. "You're right. That's exactly how I see it, too, please don't apologise. This is what we planned together an arc ago, Nir'wei. Now, we can begin." Because he was no longer terminally ill and he had the health, the strength and energy to do it. She nodded at his vision. "Yes. Slowly, carefully. You said it yourself. It's a village, it's a community. Each time, we build villages like this where slavery doesn't happen. With the ability to defend, to be self-sufficient in every way." She didn't like the idea of fighting, but she'd do it if needs be and that was a good point Nir'wei made. Teaching the community to defend themselves would be more than beneficial, it would be vital.

His question to her, though, of not making themselves targets? Faith nodded her head. "Right. We've got too much to live for to be foolish about this. Plus, our deaths would serve nothing and no one in this regard. So we do this slow and smart. Scalvoris first. Small pockets across the world which grow larger and larger as time goes on." She lifted her chin and her grin was genuine. "We can do it together. Smart, we can do it smart. We won't be a snake, with a head." She motioned to Karem and spoke honestly, "We'll be a pack. A force." To Karem she said, most honestly, "You've given us a lot to think about. I can't tell you how thankful I am to you, but I am. If there is ever anything that I can do in return.." What such a powerful being as an Immortal could ever want of a short and scrawny mortal, Faith didn't know. But there it was, the offer was genuine. She kept scratching and fussing the wolf as she considered the words of the two beings there with her.

[Basilisk]

Karem nodded at Faith and Nir'wei as they said they would forge ahead regardless of the potential dangers. "I'm glad to hear you're both still determined. Speaking of snakes, however, for defending the slaves you freed, there are few better options than seeking out those who bare the Shield of Taithir. As a rule, they tend to be overprotective, if largely unable to conduct anything aggressive." she said, before her look turned distant for a moment. After the moment passed, she sighed and stood up, Greyhide returning as she did so. "I have matters I must attend to. Faith, Nir'wei, Grehide, I wish you all well." she said. The wolf Faith had been snuggling with gave her a final lick, and then the two Mortals and Greyhide were back in Nir'wei's camp, with no sign of the Immortal of the Hunt.

REVIEW

Nir'wei

Story: 5/5
Structure: 5/5
Collab: 5/5

Business Management: Discussing plans for a Franchise
Politics: Planning to peacefully free slaves
Socialization: Getting to know your Velduris Wolf
Tactics: Planning a peaceful revolution
Tactics: Plans to defend freed slaves

Favored Velduris
Pack Bond The Favored is granted an omega wolf familiar, a constant companion. The wolf is significantly more intelligent than regular wolves and is somewhat bigger. In addition, this spirit can communicate not only with it's companion, but with other wolves of its pack. Karem can, at any time, contact any of the wolves her blessing grants, but they can only contact her if she chooses to listen. If the wolf is too heavily drained or badly injured it will revert to a spirit form until it is either rested or healed. The wolf can also choose to revert to spirit form at will, though they generally only do so in crowded cities and such. The blessed can still communicate with their wolf in spirit form. The wolf can tell when someone else has been blessed by Karem, and will always be able to find others who bear Velduris.
Sense of Prey A skill that allows the blessed to tell where a prey animal may be found nearby, allowing the wielder to always be able to find food at need. They can also tell whether people around them have weak combat skills or are easily intimidated.
Velduris Skills I The blessing of Velduris enhances the bearer's survival, hunting, and animal skills, raising any one of the following skills by three points: Animal Husbandry, Animal Training, Fieldcraft, Ranged Combat, Thrown Combat, or Trap Making. Any skill points granted by this Mark can break the 100 point cap on skills.

Faith

Story: 5/5
Structure: 5/5
Collab: 5/5

Business Management: Discussing plans for a Franchise
Politics: Planning to peacefully free slaves
Socialization: Playing with a Velduris Wolf
Tactics: Planning a peaceful revolution
Tactics: Plans to defend freed slaves