Arc 723, 26th of Cylus
The beacon was very tall.
From such a height, Crispin could see far out across the Hollow Sea. On a clear trial, he could identify many of Scalvoris' most notable landmarks. To the east lay the frozen island of Ishallr. From there, as he turned his gaze to the right, he could see the Scalvoris Mountains, the town that shared its name with the structure he now watched from, and Immortals' Tongue. And, he would swear, that if he squinted, he could even make out the smoke from the chimneys of Scalvoris Town's hearths.
When the sun sank beneath the horizon, however, those places first became mere outlines, before disappearing from view altogether. That was when Crispin - and others who shared his responsibility - relied on the light that the beacon shone. It stretched out across the water, inviting travellers to the safety of Hopetoun.
But it was more than a literal beacon of hope to the wet and weary. It also served as a lookout, protecting the very settlement that it invited others to visit.
And on this night, a mere handful of bits before midnight, it shone its haze upon something in the water. It took a few trills for Crispin to notice the silhouettes of three large ships, and he had to take a closer look, but when the light shone past the area again, they were impossible to miss.
He moved quickly, then, and was soon shining a second light. This one was much smaller, and it wasn't shone out to sea. Instead, it went directly to the gates of Hopetoun. He flashed it, passing on a message to the sentries keeping watch on the palisade. Despite visitors - and potential invaders - having to navigate their way through a collection of foothills before they could reach the settlement, Crispin was high enough to see beyond them.
That's was how tall the beacon was.
Ulric was panting when he knocked on the door. This wasn't the first time he'd found himself waking Hopetoun's leader in the middle of the night, and he rather hoped it wouldn't become a habit.
"Ulric," came Darius' reply as he opened the door. "We need to stop meeting like this."
As the guard caught his breath, Darius looked past him and to the houses and streets beyond.
"No snow tonight," he observed.
"No, milord," Ulric finally spoke, his composure apparently regained. "The beacon sent us a message. Pirates on the horizon."
Ulric passed on the information Crispin had sent their way, and Darius wasted no time in responding.
"Fetch Ms Angelus immediately," he instructed the guard. "Tell her to meet us on the palisade. Then wake the emergency council, and send them our way, and then head to the barracks - but tell them to keep quiet until I've assessed the situation."
Ulric nodded, then ran off into the night. Darius ducked back into the house, where he found Astra had stirred and was getting dressed.
"Pirates," he explained matter-of-factly as he grabbed his sword belt and pulled on his boots. "I just knew this would happen."
The dangers of the Hollow Sea - and what he believed to be an increase in piracy - was an issue he had raised in the past. But Astra made it clear that there was no point in feeling annoyed by the lack of urgency shown by certain politicians.
"Focus," came the reply, and the half-biqaj was soon getting dressed herself. "Take your frustration out on the pirates."
Darius nodded. The seafaring brunette had proven to be his harbour in the tempest, and he knew there would be plenty of time for arguments later - assuming they dealt to the pirates first.
"We have to warn Vega."
When the Hopetounians visited Seetsong, the two settlement leaders agreed to alert each other if they saw trouble along the coast, in case it spread from one settlement to the other.
He rummaged through his paperwork, looking for the echo scroll that matched Vega's. But before he could find it, another parchment that caught his attention.
It was the scroll he had received during an event now known as the Forging. It was supposed to be used for Joy, but he could see there was a message on it.
Darius cursed as he read Vega's missive.
"There are pirates near Sweetsong, too," he told Astra. "That can't be a coincidence. I wouldn't be surprised if they're in other places, too. At least Kura has been notified, so the Elements will soon be on their way."
Kura possessed a scroll from the Forging, as did an Air Element named Eckman.
"We have to warn Faldrass, too."
Darius nodded again, and called on Katara, who made her presence known upon his shoulder. The diri nuzzled her beak against Darius' cheek, and her ward spoke calmly and quietly.
"Katara, someone wants to harm Faldrass, and we need to stop them."
Darius' explanation was met by the hawk cocking her head in curiosity.
"They want to hurt Sweetwine, too. I need you to tell the Faldrass Induk that we are being attacked. And Faldrass needs to contact the other Induks, so they can defend themselves."
The Forging had spoken of the need for balance. Could the others also be under attack?
"And Ledas," Darius spoke, turning to the ice tiger who revealed himself at the mention of his name. "Are you able to speak to Ishallr?"
"I am of Ishallr," came the reply.
"I need both of you to do what you can," Darius breathed calmly. "Raise the alarm, and if you must leave here, then return as soon as you can, unless the Induk instructs you to stay with them."
Ledas nodded, then vanished from sight. Katara took flight with a squawk, appearing to fly through the roof of the building in her rush to leave.
Darius looked at Astra, then hurriedly wrote a reply to Vega.
His handwriting was not as neat as it normally would be. Expediency dictated that legibility must triumph over beauty. He looked over the words, reading his reply back to himself, then took a deep breath and nodded.
"Let's go."
Darius and Astra hurried through the dark streets to the palisade. The echo scroll that had received Vega's message was with them, as was Astra's bow, slung over her shoulder. They climbed the steps to the top of the charwood wall and hurried to the gate. The light from the beacon was clearly visible, as it reiterated its message, and there were other guards who were able to point out the silhouettes of three ships.
"They're large," Astra observed. "They could hold two hundred sailors. Maybe more."
"An invasion force?" Darius wondered aloud.
Initially, the idea of attacking Hopetoun seemed strange. But it actually made a lot of sense. At the southern tip of Faldrass, the settlement was strategically important for the security of Scalvoris, and the beacon served as an early warning system. If they were attacking Sweetsong and Hopetoun, who knew where else was being targeted.
Three bleary-eyed councillors - two men and one woman - arrived, having been woken by Ulric. Darius pointed to the ships beyond. The shock of seeing such an imposing fleet was enough to shake away any tiredness their bodies.
Darius took his spyglass from his pocket and lifted it to one eye. He looked first at the decks, in the hopes of seeing how many people he could see. Of course, there would be sailors below deck, but he wagered that curiosity might lure many of them to look towards the shoreline. He described what he saw to the others present, and then he studied the hulls.
"Black wood," he added. "Seems like they don't want to be seen. Let's use that to our advantage and not play our hand too early."
Ambush the ambushers.
Darius turned to one of the nearby guards: "Instruct those at the beacon to keep shining the light as they normally would. I don't want these pirates to know that we are aware of their presence."
He turned back to study the ships, and cursed when he made out the image on the sails.
"Chrien," he spat the word, and he heard Astra inhale sharply.
"Chrien attacked us once, on the Libertalia," she spoke quietly to the councillors, giving them a basic summary of what had happened.
Gritting his teeth at the situation, Darius turned to address the councillors. He made sure his voice was calm, and tried to make his instructions clear.
"Ms Angelus should be joining us shortly. The garrison is being woken as we speak, and they have been trained in how to defend the settlement. We need to summon the Green Knights to help us do precisely that. We need to wake the settlers - anyone who is willing to fight to defend their homes is welcome to - but we want people to remain calm. The less the pirates know of our preparations, the better. Also fetch the rangers - we'll need them to aid those who are unable to fight."
Darius sent a glance in Astra's direction.
"And we'll need to keep Vega informed. The scroll she is using can convey our information to Kura and the others."
The others nodded, and the councillors moved away to fulfill the tasks they had been given.
Darius stared back out at the three ships, sitting in the water, and muttered under his breath: "Immortals help us."
From such a height, Crispin could see far out across the Hollow Sea. On a clear trial, he could identify many of Scalvoris' most notable landmarks. To the east lay the frozen island of Ishallr. From there, as he turned his gaze to the right, he could see the Scalvoris Mountains, the town that shared its name with the structure he now watched from, and Immortals' Tongue. And, he would swear, that if he squinted, he could even make out the smoke from the chimneys of Scalvoris Town's hearths.
When the sun sank beneath the horizon, however, those places first became mere outlines, before disappearing from view altogether. That was when Crispin - and others who shared his responsibility - relied on the light that the beacon shone. It stretched out across the water, inviting travellers to the safety of Hopetoun.
But it was more than a literal beacon of hope to the wet and weary. It also served as a lookout, protecting the very settlement that it invited others to visit.
And on this night, a mere handful of bits before midnight, it shone its haze upon something in the water. It took a few trills for Crispin to notice the silhouettes of three large ships, and he had to take a closer look, but when the light shone past the area again, they were impossible to miss.
He moved quickly, then, and was soon shining a second light. This one was much smaller, and it wasn't shone out to sea. Instead, it went directly to the gates of Hopetoun. He flashed it, passing on a message to the sentries keeping watch on the palisade. Despite visitors - and potential invaders - having to navigate their way through a collection of foothills before they could reach the settlement, Crispin was high enough to see beyond them.
That's was how tall the beacon was.
Ulric was panting when he knocked on the door. This wasn't the first time he'd found himself waking Hopetoun's leader in the middle of the night, and he rather hoped it wouldn't become a habit.
"Ulric," came Darius' reply as he opened the door. "We need to stop meeting like this."
As the guard caught his breath, Darius looked past him and to the houses and streets beyond.
"No snow tonight," he observed.
"No, milord," Ulric finally spoke, his composure apparently regained. "The beacon sent us a message. Pirates on the horizon."
Ulric passed on the information Crispin had sent their way, and Darius wasted no time in responding.
"Fetch Ms Angelus immediately," he instructed the guard. "Tell her to meet us on the palisade. Then wake the emergency council, and send them our way, and then head to the barracks - but tell them to keep quiet until I've assessed the situation."
Ulric nodded, then ran off into the night. Darius ducked back into the house, where he found Astra had stirred and was getting dressed.
"Pirates," he explained matter-of-factly as he grabbed his sword belt and pulled on his boots. "I just knew this would happen."
The dangers of the Hollow Sea - and what he believed to be an increase in piracy - was an issue he had raised in the past. But Astra made it clear that there was no point in feeling annoyed by the lack of urgency shown by certain politicians.
"Focus," came the reply, and the half-biqaj was soon getting dressed herself. "Take your frustration out on the pirates."
Darius nodded. The seafaring brunette had proven to be his harbour in the tempest, and he knew there would be plenty of time for arguments later - assuming they dealt to the pirates first.
"We have to warn Vega."
When the Hopetounians visited Seetsong, the two settlement leaders agreed to alert each other if they saw trouble along the coast, in case it spread from one settlement to the other.
He rummaged through his paperwork, looking for the echo scroll that matched Vega's. But before he could find it, another parchment that caught his attention.
It was the scroll he had received during an event now known as the Forging. It was supposed to be used for Joy, but he could see there was a message on it.
Darius cursed as he read Vega's missive.
"There are pirates near Sweetsong, too," he told Astra. "That can't be a coincidence. I wouldn't be surprised if they're in other places, too. At least Kura has been notified, so the Elements will soon be on their way."
Kura possessed a scroll from the Forging, as did an Air Element named Eckman.
"We have to warn Faldrass, too."
Darius nodded again, and called on Katara, who made her presence known upon his shoulder. The diri nuzzled her beak against Darius' cheek, and her ward spoke calmly and quietly.
"Katara, someone wants to harm Faldrass, and we need to stop them."
Darius' explanation was met by the hawk cocking her head in curiosity.
"They want to hurt Sweetwine, too. I need you to tell the Faldrass Induk that we are being attacked. And Faldrass needs to contact the other Induks, so they can defend themselves."
The Forging had spoken of the need for balance. Could the others also be under attack?
"And Ledas," Darius spoke, turning to the ice tiger who revealed himself at the mention of his name. "Are you able to speak to Ishallr?"
"I am of Ishallr," came the reply.
"I need both of you to do what you can," Darius breathed calmly. "Raise the alarm, and if you must leave here, then return as soon as you can, unless the Induk instructs you to stay with them."
Ledas nodded, then vanished from sight. Katara took flight with a squawk, appearing to fly through the roof of the building in her rush to leave.
Darius looked at Astra, then hurriedly wrote a reply to Vega.
Vega,
Pirates sighted off the coast of Hopetoun. Suggest they may be in other places also. Spread the word. Hopefully Kura can rally the troops. Keep us updated. Will endeavour to do likewise.
Yours,
Darius.
Pirates sighted off the coast of Hopetoun. Suggest they may be in other places also. Spread the word. Hopefully Kura can rally the troops. Keep us updated. Will endeavour to do likewise.
Yours,
Darius.
His handwriting was not as neat as it normally would be. Expediency dictated that legibility must triumph over beauty. He looked over the words, reading his reply back to himself, then took a deep breath and nodded.
"Let's go."
Darius and Astra hurried through the dark streets to the palisade. The echo scroll that had received Vega's message was with them, as was Astra's bow, slung over her shoulder. They climbed the steps to the top of the charwood wall and hurried to the gate. The light from the beacon was clearly visible, as it reiterated its message, and there were other guards who were able to point out the silhouettes of three ships.
"They're large," Astra observed. "They could hold two hundred sailors. Maybe more."
"An invasion force?" Darius wondered aloud.
Initially, the idea of attacking Hopetoun seemed strange. But it actually made a lot of sense. At the southern tip of Faldrass, the settlement was strategically important for the security of Scalvoris, and the beacon served as an early warning system. If they were attacking Sweetsong and Hopetoun, who knew where else was being targeted.
Three bleary-eyed councillors - two men and one woman - arrived, having been woken by Ulric. Darius pointed to the ships beyond. The shock of seeing such an imposing fleet was enough to shake away any tiredness their bodies.
Darius took his spyglass from his pocket and lifted it to one eye. He looked first at the decks, in the hopes of seeing how many people he could see. Of course, there would be sailors below deck, but he wagered that curiosity might lure many of them to look towards the shoreline. He described what he saw to the others present, and then he studied the hulls.
"Black wood," he added. "Seems like they don't want to be seen. Let's use that to our advantage and not play our hand too early."
Ambush the ambushers.
Darius turned to one of the nearby guards: "Instruct those at the beacon to keep shining the light as they normally would. I don't want these pirates to know that we are aware of their presence."
He turned back to study the ships, and cursed when he made out the image on the sails.
"Chrien," he spat the word, and he heard Astra inhale sharply.
"Chrien attacked us once, on the Libertalia," she spoke quietly to the councillors, giving them a basic summary of what had happened.
Gritting his teeth at the situation, Darius turned to address the councillors. He made sure his voice was calm, and tried to make his instructions clear.
"Ms Angelus should be joining us shortly. The garrison is being woken as we speak, and they have been trained in how to defend the settlement. We need to summon the Green Knights to help us do precisely that. We need to wake the settlers - anyone who is willing to fight to defend their homes is welcome to - but we want people to remain calm. The less the pirates know of our preparations, the better. Also fetch the rangers - we'll need them to aid those who are unable to fight."
Darius sent a glance in Astra's direction.
"And we'll need to keep Vega informed. The scroll she is using can convey our information to Kura and the others."
The others nodded, and the councillors moved away to fulfill the tasks they had been given.
Darius stared back out at the three ships, sitting in the water, and muttered under his breath: "Immortals help us."
Thanks! 