Out of the Frying pan...Part 1

Posted on 27 Sep 2013 @ 8:10pm by Commodore Da`nal of the House of Varal & Lieutenant Naja Jas

1,189 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: M10: Divine Intervention
Location: Vershani Encampment

[Vershani Encampment]

Campfires and oil pots lit the area as the rain continued to fall. The thundering of hooves roused the High Lord of the Tribes and as a rain soaked warrior entered his outer tent he was already belting his sword. "Pardon the disturbance my Lord but there has been a omen."

"What type of omen?"

"Three strangers fell from the sky, one of them bearing the crest of a priestess to the Goddess."

The statement stopped him in his tracks, it wasn't until the man had finished that he completed his task. "Take me to them."


[Hahranhah's Tent]

There had indeed been an omen, now it was lying on the floor of the tent of Cyrindar Hahranhah, High Lord of the Tribes of the Vershani.

The tent's owner was sat on one of his many chests of plundered treasure, a tankard of warmed ale in his hand, from which he supped as he considered what had happened this stormy night. The arrival of three unusually dressed strangers, who three herders had claimed fell from the sky in a bolt of lightening

The three were only semi-awake, drifting in and out of consciousness, one did indeed appear to be a priestess of the Goddess, but the other two.... they were very different.

His thoughts were interrupted by a commotion from the entrance to the tent. One of his bodyguards entered "The Council of Chieftains is here My Lord"

Hahranhah nodded, he was High Lord, a position he had taken by challenge and held by strength, the other Chieftains, who had not yet found the courage to challenge him, formed his council. The majority were good men and friends, they knew his leadership was strong, under him the Tribes had prospered and won many victories "Show them in"

"Braegor is here as well, My Lord, with his acolytes"

Hahranhah sighed, Braegor, Prophet of the Vershani why The Goddess would have ever chosen such one to represent her Hahranhah would never know. Braegor embodied everything a Varshani warrior would despise, he was physically weak, shrill, devious and spiteful.

The High Lord ruled the blades and might of the Tribes, they would fight and die for him but Braegor held their souls. There was an uneasy alliance between the two most powerful men of the Vershani. Mostly, Hahranhah suspected, because his own faith in the Goddess was strong, he worshiped at her feet alone and he had pointedly refused to kneel before Braegor during ceremonies.

"Very well, show them in also" he took another pull from his ale, it was going to be a long night.

Moments later he heard Breagor's shrill voice "Out of my way oaf!" The Prophet pushed his way through the entering Chieftains, "I have been told there was an omen! I should have been summoned immediately! The Goddess will be displeased I was made to wait!"

Braegor stalked into the tent but kept his eyes from Hahranhah. As soon as he saw the three strangers on the floor he rushed over and began inspecting them. A group of his acolytes and minor priests gathered around him, they prodded and poked at the unconscious figures, gabbling away in the priests-tongue.

Hahranhah remained where he was, the priests reminded him of carrion birds around a corpse. He nodded to some of the Chieftains who also looked at the bodies on the floor. A couple came over to speak with him, he gave them his opinion of the omen, that the strangers had been huddled under a tree in the storm and when lightening hit the tree they had been dazed.

A few moments later Braegor cried out "Djinns! There are Djinns! Unreal beings sent here to poison the faithful! They must be burned!"

There were a few murmurs from the Chieftains at this pronouncement and Braegor took up a position by the tent's fire pit, where he could make himself the center of attention. He poked at the embers with his staff 'They must be burned" he repeated.

"Unreal beings?" Hahranhah asked neutrally. He'd never seen a Djinn, and although the figures were strange, they seemed mortal enough to him.

"Yes! Evil Djinns, not made of flesh like us!" Braegor continued "They must be burned High Lord"

"If they are not made of flesh, why is that one bleeding?" Hahranhah asked, pointing as one of the figures sat up.

Pushing herself to her knees the Priestess look about before speaking and she immediately felt a fear like she had never known. "Where am I?"

"You are in the tent of the High Lord of the Tribes of the Vershani" Hahranhah told the woman, and gave a mock bow "That would be myself. And who or what are you"

"I am no Djinn; nor are these people. I am Blanra, 3rd Priestess to her holiness the High Priestess of the Goddess. Again where are we?"

Blanra's eyes widened at the name and tribal reference, "By the Goddess; how is that possib..."

There was a snort from Braegor "Blasphemy! There is no high priestess to the Goddess! I am Braegor, Prophet of the Goddess! You are an unreal being sent by evil spirits!"

She glared at the man. "There has ALWAYS been a High Priestess to the Goddess. Ever since the Goddess first guided our people into the light of understanding. "It wasn't until the Great Division that the "Prophets" denied the Priestesses."

Blanra looked from the tiny, hateful, and ignorant man and look to the leader of the Vershani. If what she suspected was true they were in the past; some time before the War of Judgment. She only hoped her memory of the histories was still as good as it had been as a student.

"Lord Hahranhah, you know I speak the truth as the Division was in the time of your father’s father. Many of the Vershani tribe followed the Priests as they saw men as strong and felt that strength above all determined leadership. But as I am sure you know...there are those in your own tents that believe there is more to a leader than mere strength of body."

"Ha! It's own words condemn the Djinn!" Braegor cried "How could this young girl know of the history of the tribes?! She is not one of us! She and the others should be burned!"

Hahranhah watched the exchange between the Braegor and the strange woman with interest. She did indeed speak the truth, in his great grandfather's time the Tribes had female priestesses. He too wondered how the girl knew these things.

Ignoring Braegor he spoke "You speak the truth of times past" he admitted "But how do you know these things?" he also began to wonder if she was indeed a messenger from the Goddess herself.

In the past, education, if it could be called that was limited to very few that would help her...but what of the star fleet officers. The Klingon was safe as both they and her people had cranial ridges, but what of the other?


TBC

 

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