Interlude 20060727
01.20.62 Founder's Reckoning
The moon pierces the canopy, casting beams like fingers, pointing out small details on the snowy forest floor. A swirl of fine powdered snow in an errant breeze sparkles like mica. A leaf, caught beneath a stone, flutters like a trapped animal. A purple blossom, trefoil and delicate, thrusts itself into the deadly cold air, already gathering a death shroud of frost. Nothing moves in the glade but the wind and the occassional rustle of small creatures settling deeper into winter slumber. Into this idyllic haven comes the hesitant crunch of hooves and the soft jingle of a metal buckle, quickly silenced. The moonlight momentarily illuminates the face of a slender man on horseback. He drops lightly to the ground, back into shadow, and waits.
From the opposite side of the clearing, a man appears just as silently as the wind. He is concealed almost completely in a long dark cloak, the glimmer of his eyes and a glint of silver and gold at his throat are the only indication that this is not just another shadow in the night.
The shadow speaks, "You and your friends promised me soldiers, Parthos. Men loyal to Kardia. Men who have not been corrupted by Richard's madness."
The scout replies, "We have one thousand men whose loyalty is unquestionable. By spring we can have another five times that number with loyalty only to gold. Not enough to take and hold the city, but enough to start your coup, if you can get us into the city."
A shift in the shadow's stance and a casual gesture seems to carry genuine dismay, but the voice remains steady and commanding. "Spring may be too far away. Kardia may be torn apart by then. I may no longer be in power. Your loyalties may shift. A lot can happen before spring."
The scout mounts smoothy, bringing is face back into moonlight. The man regards the cloaked shadow with undisguised disdain. "My loyalties were bought with the death of close friends. They will not change so easily. I don't trust you Hobson, but I trust Richard less. My friends and I will follow this through. We may end in Perdition for this, but we're taking Richard with us. Just be ready in the spring."
A hint of sarcasm enters the shadow's voice, "Very well. You have me at a... disadvantage. I will do as you dictate. Until Kardia is free, I am your servant."
"Until Kardia is free then. Farewell."