- Thu Feb 11, 2021 4:24 pm
#7580
Needle writing for T&N News, urgently reporting for the town’s knowledge on morning after Risenholm made first contact with another sapient, non-Scar-born civilization. While diplomacy with said civilization was attempted in good faith by the Risen, even in the face of a large, imposing armed force, bloodshed proved inevitable in what turned into the First Battle of Greywater Lake. The Risen were victorious after extremely grueling fighting on both sides, giving Risenholm much needed leverage in the face of hostile contact with another sapient society. It is currently suspected that contact was made following a raid on the Ceaseless City that resulted in hostile constructs being launched into the Greywater.
Yesterday morning, a Reeve patrol encountered a very large group of the creatures known commonly from Scars as bullywugs - large, man-sized frogs. By all indications, the bullywug army had emerged from Greywater Lake, and began to assemble in good order on the shores, clearly preparing to move. The Reeve patrol withdrew promptly and, led by Captain Vollan, returned with haste to Risenholm to relay the finding. Risenholm’s council assembled, represented by Isabella Fordren for the Millers, Markus Grillsson for the Dredgers, and the rare-presence of Captain Vollan for the Reeves - the council was headed by Elder Vollan. The meeting was brisk and urgent, considering the impending threat, and it was ultimately decided by all that an armed force of skilled Scar-hunters sally out to meet with the bullywug army, which was suspected at the time to seek terms. The Surger-Scholar Nergüi was decided by acclaim to speak for Risenholm during what would prove to be a tense stand-off.
The Risen force made good time to the Greywater, and soon enough encountered the bullywug host - reporting for myself, I can confirm that I’ve only seen such a large, hostile force in the realm of Scars, and to see one full of completely sentient, non-Scar-born creatures, was both humbling and faintly gratifying, even if it was likely to end in bloodshed. For what it’s worth, it means we’re not truly alone in this world, that civilization in some manner continues on despite all of the hardships that Scars force upon us. I wish we could have come together in that common sentiment, but it wasn’t to be.
Negotiations, such as the bullywugs were willing to entertain, began in earnest, led by the estimable Nergüi, who skillfully orated Risenholm’s position and patiently entertained the excessive pomp and circumstance that the bullywugs demanded. To those who lack perspective of the Scar-born bullywugs, these creatures clearly emulate a complex and intricate feudal style of civilization, with lords, knights, ladies and possibly countless other noble titles bestowed to highly-ranking members, who proceed to lord over the lowborn bullywugs. These were no different, and it’s highly likely we’re dealing with the same society a lot of us have already seen only in Scars.
To offer a quick and dirty list of their ‘requests’, the bullywugs demanded the following - that Risen be barred from approaching the Greywater Lake entirely, including the immediate lands around it. That Risen be barred from entering the Ceaseless City, and entering the Scarred Tower on the lake. That Risen bring a tribute of food and other offerings to the Greywater every month. And, finally, that the Risen find a method of removing the ‘magic’ that prevents us from being eaten by them. In other words, they wanted us to remove our Well-granted immortality.
If this makes you mad, good.
Nergüi countered their offer by some quick-thinking negotiating, arguing that the Risen provide a useful service to both kith and bullywug alike, in the form of quelling Scars. Notably, the bullywug envoy was receptive to this, but was also notably insistent that we find a way to get rid of the whole immortality thing so we could get snacked on if they so choose to snack. We surmised that they weren’t taking our words seriously, and so we offered to demonstrate our immortality, hoping that once they realized that fighting us would be an ultimately losing battle, that they’d negotiate a bit more fairly.
It wasn’t a decision, speaking those words, made lightly. Plenty of Risen know the trauma of dying very well, myself included, but it was decided that a single death to prove a point might prevent a whole lot more of them. The bullywugs, however, seemed to suspect that this was some kind of trick, and declined to see. They’ll figure it out sooner or later.
From there, the bullywug nobility retreated into lake, ostensibly to convey to their Duchess - their leader, apparently, who controls a variety of duchies beneath the Greywater - what we had said. Despite the prospect of further negotiations floundering due to their unreasonable demands, most of us were relieved at the reprieve and chance to regroup and rethink back in Risenholm. But those hopes were premature; as soon as their commanders quit the field, the bullywug army sounded their horns and declared their intent to lay siege to Risenholm regardless, doubtless to force more advantageous terms on us. Obviously, we didn’t take kindly to this, and stood in their way.
The ensuing battle was of a sort I’d up until then only experienced within Scars - it was a massive, horrendous and deadly melee. Enemies were thick on the field, and though the smaller Risen force had much more skilled and powerful warriors, the sheer weight of the bullywug army was a hellish thing. To say nothing of their own powerful warriors, hulking battle-toad mounts, wielders of Power that pelted us with withering magics. It was a battle unlike any other I’d been in. Many Risen fell on the field, brought to death’s edge, only to be rescued by their fellow Risen in the chaos of the battle. But the number of bullywugs that fell was nothing short of catastrophic, perhaps, for any other civilization. Something tells me these bullywugs are used to it.
It’s telling that, close to the end of the battle, we were very nearly overwhelmed, forced to retreat for a precious few moments that could have turned into a full rout. But we rallied and sallied back, putting a decisive end to the fighting as the bullywug survivors slunk back into the lake, leaving a field filled with very real corpses.
We quit the field and returned to Risenholm to report on what had happened, and I’ll spare you most of the details that came out of that second meeting in the Elder’s home. Our first contact with another civilization had gone, perhaps predictably, horribly wrong, and so there was a lot of blame-flung about, particularly on the Dredgers and our recent escapade in the Ceaseless City that saw us steal a boat. Some of you may have seen it up river. Like I wrote earlier, constructs were launched after us, some falling into the lake after they’d missed their marks. I’m big enough to own up to some of that blame.
But these creatures, judging by all appearances, would have never been content to stay where they were like that. They’d have attacked us eventually, run afoul of Risen in some manner. Their society only knows how to exploit and take, and they quite literally view us only as food. So don’t expect an abundance of apologies from the Dredgers - we did what we did to help Risenholm continue to expand, to continue giving us a fighting chance in this hostile world. Lay blame if you like, but it won’t change reality, and it wouldn’t have changed this reckoning from coming.
On a more positive note, I think prospects are good for the future - Risenholm proved its ability on the field and in negotiations with the bullywugs. If these creatures respect only strength, as I suspect they do, these are things that will give us an edge in future negotiations. We’re not unreasonable - we don’t have any desire to chase them to their lake homes and kill them in whatever abodes they live in. Any society that has survived has to be treated as a potential ally in the future, or at the very least a people we can co-exist with at some point. If future talks with them go better, we might even be able to have peace, or even trade - as equals, not as tributes to those who view us as little more than food.
This encounter has changed things for Risenholm, and I can only fucking pray it changes things for them, too. But if it doesn’t, they’ll find us to be a terrible, terrible foe. Risenholm bends for no one.
- Needle
True and Neutral News
Yesterday morning, a Reeve patrol encountered a very large group of the creatures known commonly from Scars as bullywugs - large, man-sized frogs. By all indications, the bullywug army had emerged from Greywater Lake, and began to assemble in good order on the shores, clearly preparing to move. The Reeve patrol withdrew promptly and, led by Captain Vollan, returned with haste to Risenholm to relay the finding. Risenholm’s council assembled, represented by Isabella Fordren for the Millers, Markus Grillsson for the Dredgers, and the rare-presence of Captain Vollan for the Reeves - the council was headed by Elder Vollan. The meeting was brisk and urgent, considering the impending threat, and it was ultimately decided by all that an armed force of skilled Scar-hunters sally out to meet with the bullywug army, which was suspected at the time to seek terms. The Surger-Scholar Nergüi was decided by acclaim to speak for Risenholm during what would prove to be a tense stand-off.
The Risen force made good time to the Greywater, and soon enough encountered the bullywug host - reporting for myself, I can confirm that I’ve only seen such a large, hostile force in the realm of Scars, and to see one full of completely sentient, non-Scar-born creatures, was both humbling and faintly gratifying, even if it was likely to end in bloodshed. For what it’s worth, it means we’re not truly alone in this world, that civilization in some manner continues on despite all of the hardships that Scars force upon us. I wish we could have come together in that common sentiment, but it wasn’t to be.
Negotiations, such as the bullywugs were willing to entertain, began in earnest, led by the estimable Nergüi, who skillfully orated Risenholm’s position and patiently entertained the excessive pomp and circumstance that the bullywugs demanded. To those who lack perspective of the Scar-born bullywugs, these creatures clearly emulate a complex and intricate feudal style of civilization, with lords, knights, ladies and possibly countless other noble titles bestowed to highly-ranking members, who proceed to lord over the lowborn bullywugs. These were no different, and it’s highly likely we’re dealing with the same society a lot of us have already seen only in Scars.
To offer a quick and dirty list of their ‘requests’, the bullywugs demanded the following - that Risen be barred from approaching the Greywater Lake entirely, including the immediate lands around it. That Risen be barred from entering the Ceaseless City, and entering the Scarred Tower on the lake. That Risen bring a tribute of food and other offerings to the Greywater every month. And, finally, that the Risen find a method of removing the ‘magic’ that prevents us from being eaten by them. In other words, they wanted us to remove our Well-granted immortality.
If this makes you mad, good.
Nergüi countered their offer by some quick-thinking negotiating, arguing that the Risen provide a useful service to both kith and bullywug alike, in the form of quelling Scars. Notably, the bullywug envoy was receptive to this, but was also notably insistent that we find a way to get rid of the whole immortality thing so we could get snacked on if they so choose to snack. We surmised that they weren’t taking our words seriously, and so we offered to demonstrate our immortality, hoping that once they realized that fighting us would be an ultimately losing battle, that they’d negotiate a bit more fairly.
It wasn’t a decision, speaking those words, made lightly. Plenty of Risen know the trauma of dying very well, myself included, but it was decided that a single death to prove a point might prevent a whole lot more of them. The bullywugs, however, seemed to suspect that this was some kind of trick, and declined to see. They’ll figure it out sooner or later.
From there, the bullywug nobility retreated into lake, ostensibly to convey to their Duchess - their leader, apparently, who controls a variety of duchies beneath the Greywater - what we had said. Despite the prospect of further negotiations floundering due to their unreasonable demands, most of us were relieved at the reprieve and chance to regroup and rethink back in Risenholm. But those hopes were premature; as soon as their commanders quit the field, the bullywug army sounded their horns and declared their intent to lay siege to Risenholm regardless, doubtless to force more advantageous terms on us. Obviously, we didn’t take kindly to this, and stood in their way.
The ensuing battle was of a sort I’d up until then only experienced within Scars - it was a massive, horrendous and deadly melee. Enemies were thick on the field, and though the smaller Risen force had much more skilled and powerful warriors, the sheer weight of the bullywug army was a hellish thing. To say nothing of their own powerful warriors, hulking battle-toad mounts, wielders of Power that pelted us with withering magics. It was a battle unlike any other I’d been in. Many Risen fell on the field, brought to death’s edge, only to be rescued by their fellow Risen in the chaos of the battle. But the number of bullywugs that fell was nothing short of catastrophic, perhaps, for any other civilization. Something tells me these bullywugs are used to it.
It’s telling that, close to the end of the battle, we were very nearly overwhelmed, forced to retreat for a precious few moments that could have turned into a full rout. But we rallied and sallied back, putting a decisive end to the fighting as the bullywug survivors slunk back into the lake, leaving a field filled with very real corpses.
We quit the field and returned to Risenholm to report on what had happened, and I’ll spare you most of the details that came out of that second meeting in the Elder’s home. Our first contact with another civilization had gone, perhaps predictably, horribly wrong, and so there was a lot of blame-flung about, particularly on the Dredgers and our recent escapade in the Ceaseless City that saw us steal a boat. Some of you may have seen it up river. Like I wrote earlier, constructs were launched after us, some falling into the lake after they’d missed their marks. I’m big enough to own up to some of that blame.
But these creatures, judging by all appearances, would have never been content to stay where they were like that. They’d have attacked us eventually, run afoul of Risen in some manner. Their society only knows how to exploit and take, and they quite literally view us only as food. So don’t expect an abundance of apologies from the Dredgers - we did what we did to help Risenholm continue to expand, to continue giving us a fighting chance in this hostile world. Lay blame if you like, but it won’t change reality, and it wouldn’t have changed this reckoning from coming.
On a more positive note, I think prospects are good for the future - Risenholm proved its ability on the field and in negotiations with the bullywugs. If these creatures respect only strength, as I suspect they do, these are things that will give us an edge in future negotiations. We’re not unreasonable - we don’t have any desire to chase them to their lake homes and kill them in whatever abodes they live in. Any society that has survived has to be treated as a potential ally in the future, or at the very least a people we can co-exist with at some point. If future talks with them go better, we might even be able to have peace, or even trade - as equals, not as tributes to those who view us as little more than food.
This encounter has changed things for Risenholm, and I can only fucking pray it changes things for them, too. But if it doesn’t, they’ll find us to be a terrible, terrible foe. Risenholm bends for no one.
- Needle
True and Neutral News