Tales of the Exalted

The armies have been mustered outside the walls of Terenuthis, the golden capital of Khal Shono's Shining Horde. Mercenary companies, Temujin warbands, and auxiliary from all over the Khal of Khal's Empire have marshaled here, all hoping to be given the glorious opportunity of taking the walled city of Shu Han.
A sea of tents surrounded by palisade and trenches, thousands of men and animals milling about with little to do but feast and drink.

Rebekah whistled in surprise as they entered the war camp. Leaving the ship was painful, but this sight was worth it. There were groups from everywhere, dozens of other mercenary groups milling about like it was a huge convention.

She ushered the men who came with her to set their own camp up where there was space as she started looking around. Most of the men either looked past her or stared as she went in search of the Charters to make sure her men would get their chance at glory.

The current count of soldiers in the camp is said to be nearly eight thousand, and these are just the mercenary companies and auxiliary troops who answered their Khal's call. The nearby Temujin camp is said to have another four thousand men and horses from the lesser tribes. Terenuthis boasted two thousand within it's walls, including the Khal's own Death Guard, a formation formed of the Dragon Blooded sons of the Temujin, as well as those of conquered Kingdoms who have proven they can ride and fire a bow.
It was the largest congregation of troops seen in the region in the last five years. The camp followers numbered over ten thousand alone. Enough food and drink to feed a nation was stockpiled and given out as a show of the Khal's wealth. He could feed such a host for weeks if need be, while their enemy would soon be under siege.

Within the camp, those who ask will be directed to the tent of the Nahuatl Warlord Awilix. Her camp was surrounded by spears stuck in the ground. Many of the spears had heads in various states of decay. Within her warriors, and more than a few from other camps, sat around a large stone table. The table was covered in food, ale and blood as men competed in arm wrestling matches and feasted.
At the head of the table, the warlord herself could be found, leaning back against her battle cat Suku and shouting encouragements.

Mercy jingled the coin in her pocket. The dice had been good to her and it was a bit heftier than it was a few hours ago. The losers had begged off a chance to win back their losses, but had directed her to another camp nearby. Apparently the Nahuatl camp was getting known as a place for sport, and she was bored bored bored now that her tasks for the day were done.

The stale smell of ale and sweat greeted her nostrils as she entered the tent. She settled down to a came of cards and lost most of her winning in the first few hands. Bah, it was a dumb game anyway, and she bet the dealer was cheating as well.
A roar went up as someone slammed into a nearby table from a wrestling match. Mercy pushed her way forward and joined the throng around the fighters. They were big fellows, but relied almost exclusively on their strength trading blow for blow. She could do this she thought, then one of the brutes landed a great haymaker right to the ear of his opponent and he went down hard. The cheers were deafening and what she took for bookies were egging on the crowd to have a new challenger.
She had to do this, and stepped into the ring. Stripping off her tabard and belt.

Mercy sipped the hoppy beer and it burned and stung her swollen lip and she tasted her blood mixing with the beer in her mouth. She kept on twisting her wrist trying to work out the pain- it might be sprained she thought. The bitterness of the beer was a nice complement to the sweetness of victory. She jingled the coin in her pocket, the odds were against her, they always were, and her pocket was a bit heftier than it was a short time ago.

Awilix was drunk and stuffed on roasted boar. It had been her idea to break open the ale in the camp, knowing the Khal and his sycophants would spend long hours arguing over who served in the vanguard and who would be held in reserve.
She didn't care. Her men would be going, ordered to or not. She didn't bring two thousand warriors so far from their home not to return with sacrifices and slaves. Even if they had to run most of the way to keep up with the horse nomads.
She curled a hand over Suku, who was busy tearing into a hunk of meat, as she watched the men fight. She was wondering which of them she should bring to her bed later as a girl stepped into the circle.
That got her attention.

After the fight Awilix snatched one of her men by the arm.
"Bring her to me, and fetch us both another cup of ale." she told the man.

Rowdy and rambunctious, this war camp was everything she was promised and more. Rebekah made her way to a great stone table where the stench of dried blood permeated the air under the musk of sweat. Her hand twitched at the grip of one of her wands as she was pulled aside just in time for a man to crash into the ground in front of her. A hulk of a man stood as her 'rescuer,' meaty palm held firmly on her shoulder as she stared him down with ice in her veins. He pulled her into his barrel chest with a wink. "I think you owe me a thank you lassie."

A stiff object jabbed against his thigh as the landed against him. As he looked down in disgust over finding a man in the crowd, he froze. Rebekah's grin could have frightened death itself as her firewand rested poised over the man's Valor.

"Thank you." She purred. The blood drained from the warrior's face as she walked off, reholstering her pride and walking with confidence through the ring towards the native woman at the dias, who was stroking a predatory feline at her side. Rebekah froze for a moment as the warlord's gaze fell on a girl that walked out of the wrestling ring, and watched as a servant grabbed up the youth. She would have to wait as patiently as she could.

The cart swayed, bumped and rattled along the dry dirt road. Summer in the far East was far too humid but the sun felt immensely good warming her skin as she lounged on the sacks of grain. Jillian needed new ground to cover to unearth more secrets and this trader was taking her on a meandering path towards the sprawling war camp on the edge of the river. She knew all too well who it belonged to and that the grain that was making her bed was to feed those thousands of hungry stomachs.

War meant a lot of things, but to her it meant spoils. Usurpt kingdoms might have secreted artifacts unearthed in their treasuries when the Khal rode through with his army, items that might just disappear in all the chaos. Her last bit she'd pilfered from a Dragon's tomb had pleased those at the Seneschals of the Sun Kings, saving the best items for those long lost mates of theirs that would probably ever return. She didn't care, it gave her purpose and kept her mentor off her back from nagging her about carving out her own piece of creation to add to the Many Rivers.

The noise from the camp grew louder, soon she was peaking over the edge and looking at the masses of armed men sharpening their teeth for the upcoming battle. When the merchant finally called his oxen to a halt, Jillian hopped over the side of the cart and shouldered her pack.

It was too easy to get lost in the crowd which was fine by her and she turned her course towards the sound of a crowd roaring with laughter. She got there just in time to see a rather young girl being escorted up to a woman lounging against a large cat, a sight that made her hair stand on end. The woman wasn't even making an attempt to hide her moon silver tattoos, and Jill wondered if she was friendly to others of her kind. For the moment, she decided to hang back and see what she would do with the young girl.

Gaheris made his way to the Nahuatl camp to see if Awilix was actually doing the job she'd told him she would. From the raucous he could hear from even as far away as he was, he doubted it.
As he got there he saw an exchange by a foreign woman, armored up to her fire-colored head. A big Nahuatl man, Yaretzi if his eyes did not deceive him, made a rather drunken advance on her, and then the woman managed to frighten the man away with...
Fire Wands. That was interesting to say the least. Gaheris watched the woman's seeming irritantce at a young girl being brought up to Awilix. So the woman was one of the company captains. He grinned and made his way up beside her.
"I have seen that look in Awilix's eye. She intends to bed that woman. You could be waiting here a long time." he said to her, watching the girl make her way towards the Warlord.

Rebekah would have been seething had this whole thing been already bought for her. This...orgy was going to be trouble. A man spoke at her side conversationally. She didn't bother to face him, but took the ignition paper out of the triggerlock of her weapon as she put it away.

"Confident the same won't happen to you? Why would a different approach have different results in a place like this?" She motioned in the direction of the retreating behemoth. She just wanted out of her armor. She didn't need some fight happy man to help her with that tonight. She already had plans.

"Is there someone else I would even bother giving my numbers and specialties to then?"

Gaheris chuckled at her words.
"You are far too pale for me, I'd sooner lie a Dynast." he said. "It's your weapon's that caught my eye, not your young boy's figure." traded her insult with one of his own.
"Besides, I learned from my father to be careful where I spill my seed. I somehow doubt that mercenaries make good wives to come home to." while he doubted she knew who he was, the joke was worth making.
"I am however, the man in charge of this camp, so perhaps I'll take your numbers and specialties if you'd come down to the range with me." he shrugged.

She ignored his slight on her figure. She had plenty enough to be proud of, and she fought better than those overly-endowed waitresses. "A wife, maybe, but my husband will fight at my side or draw a bath on my return."

When he mentioned that he led the place, she finally turned to give him a critical look. "Lead the way then. My men are ready for a day of nothing after that ship passage, and the sooner I have word back to them, the easier my job will be. Rebekah Stalling, siege engineer. You are?"

Gaheris decided he like the woman. He motioned for her to follow him and began to lead her to a nearby practice range. The Temujin were masters of the horse and bow, but his father was smart enough to include lesser people's arrows to his armies.
"Siege engineer? Well, you'll have your work cut out for you Rebekah." her name was harsh and he said it awkwardly. "Shu Han has the mightiest walls this side of Lookshy." he said.
"And I am Gaheris, Bastard in more ways than one." he said with a light hearted laugh. He picked up a bow and quiver from the rack and let loose a handful of arrows. They all found decent marks, and then he gestured she should take a turn. He wanted to see the weapons in action.

Jill eyeballed the armored woman as she passed by escorted by one of the barbarian lords. There was none mistaking the fire wands hanging by her sides. Now those were items she'd like to her hand paws on. There was no telling if they were artifacts or nothe but those kinds of weapons weren't common so far away from the south.

For a moment she chewed on her lips, debating on following the red haired woman to see if she could get a closer look. There was the problem of the other Lunar, not announcing herself could stir up more trouble than it was worth. Then again, she seemed awfully busy with that little beat up girl so there was no harm coming back later when she wasn't predisposed.

Grinning she kept up her illusion that helped her blend into the crowd and began to trail the pair towards the archery range.

Rebekah smiled to herself as he fumbled over her name. "My unit of sappers are more than capable in helping. whether you have the greater tools of war or need something a little more...intimate, going forward..."

In one fluid motion, she drew a wand and leveled it down range. With a practiced snap, a crimson gout of fire poured from the muzzle and arced across the scene. The heat blasted back towards them as the entire target was engulfed, burning bright. "If it's easier for you, call me Ruby."

A fresh up of ale was pressed into Mercy’s hand and who was she to refuse? “Always accept a cup offered, for it might be your last, if not in life, than at least perhaps for a while” one of her fellow squires was fond of saying. She raised the cup to her new found benefactor only to find herself being guided by the arm up and in front of a woman who… who radiated power. Mercy felt her fat lip pronouncedly as she gazed upon the other woman. She obviously was in charge here. Mercy wiped some of the blood she was still certain was on her face away with her sleeve, being only really successful of diluting it with the grime and sweat that was on her face. Remembering herself, she bowed-ish somewhat off balance because she couldn’t really place where this lady was from, or what her station meant- but she was certain it was above her own.

Awilix rose as the girl came forwards and bowed. The way the Warlord moved suggested she was dangerous, but was also sensual.
"Tell me little cub, are all the women of An-Tir so fierce?" she purred. "You bested one of my strongest men, and better lovers." a devilish grin played across her features. "Do you fuck as well as you fight?" she asked. "And what do I call you?" she knew her questions were out of order and off-putting. They were more fun that way.
Suku yawned loudly behind her before rising and padding his way to her side, nuzzling her hand. Awilix patted the large cat behind his ears as she looked over the girl before her.

Gaheris watched in amazement at the destruction the woman unleashed. He'd heard of the weapons before, but never believed the stories. Now... he grinned at her, clearly please at the damage done.
"Well, Ruby, you've earned whatever rest you need. Seek me out later, I have many questions about your company before I bring word to my father." he said. He stood and watched the target burn as men came with buckets of water to put it out.

"Well then Gaheris, I look forward to spending some time together. In the meantime, I'll keep myself entertained, and take the reins off of my soldiers." A crowd was starting to form as they spoke. A spectacle like that would have everyone running for a better view in minutes. Perfect time to walk away.

"If you need demonstrations for the larger scale equipment, we might want an open area and some old stone. maybe an archway with a door if you want a little bit of fun." With a wink and a turn, the wand slipped back into it's holster and Rebekah started off, nearly walking straight into a knot of onlookers who were pushing to see what had happened.

The lady in front of her made Mercy uncomfortable. She was lithe, sensual, confident, and pretty, everything Mercy felt she wasn’t. She looked at her feet
My brothers and sisters call me Mercy M’Lady. Then she recalled the lessons Donovan had been drilling into her, she needed to be always bold, not just on the field if she was to earn her spurs. Mentally throwing her shoulders back she looked up at Awilix and stared her right in the eyes.
My apologies to you if his bedroom skills match his fighting skills. He sure hits like an ox, but his stamina was lacking. The warrior women of An-Tir are fierce, Aye. Some may ‘ean be fiercer than me. Never heard no gent complain about ‘em or me in the bedchamber neither. she shrugged, and had to break eye contact with the lady now that she had said her piece. Ok, that last one was almost a lie. She’d kissed a boy before, but never gotten to lay with him, more the shame. She needed to shift the attention away from her.
Ifn you pardon me M’Lady, what’s yer Cat’s name?

Jill watched intensely as the weapons blew up the targets. It was pretty darned impressive. She wondered if the woman was a Dragon Blood of some sort, that would make stealing from her rather risky and possibly not worth it if the weapons were mundane, not that she could call a piece of first age technology mundane.There were also other prizes to be had during this war that was for sure, ones that weren't claimed as of yet and easier targets to pinch. Settling on the idea that she just wanted to look at them for the moment she started coming up with a plan.

As the woman turned to leave through the small crowd, Jill took an rather intentional step right in front of her thank the full force of the larger woman's strength. "Oops, sorry about that," she said as she 'caught' her footing. It would break her charm but that was fine with her. What was another woman in a vast sea of barbaric men?