WQ - Hair of the Dog | After the War - Hidden

Emerath had been a bit surprised that he was contacted by @Rodger Clemens, but not to the point of denying the man's request. Their friendship had been one born of battle, but Emerath was a bit glad for that. They had joined the game at around the same time, but knew that they could rely on each other in the heat of the moment, as they survived wolves, goblins, and even a giant angelic monster. If nothing else, Emerath was glad that Rodger had contacted him. It meant he didn't have to wonder about who was going to help him in the aftermath.

Emerath had been running around plenty since the war ended, fixing bridges, rebuilding Southwatch, and whatever else he could do. But nothing interested him quite as much as the Caenis themselves. He had enjoyed the battle with their leader, for as brief as he had been a part of it, and wouldn't be lying if he said he was sad at the state of affairs that befell the leader in Eastwatch. The memory was vivid in Emerath's mind as he remembered watching the woman tear the heart from the corpse. He shivered at the thought, as he tried not to retch again from the memory, before refocusing himself on his surroundings.

He stood outside of a prison cell that the guards had led him to, after being recommended by Cessia to try to get information on the Caenis. Rodger had agreed to meet him here, and so here he waited, looking at the wolf people who refused to acknowledge his existence. They were distant, but not aggressive. At least not anymore. They had given Cessia some information, including that they were basically pseudo slaves to the Lunatic Tribe. It made Emerath's heart ache a bit at the thought. They seemed noble, despite their violence. He hoped that they would be open to at least discussing things. But for now, they simply waited, staring at the walls of their cell.

As Emerath waited, he figured he should at least start the conversation, and he started with, "I'm Emerath. I know you would rather me just not be here. I know you probably don't want to talk to anyone. But I also figure you don't want to just rot away in these cells." Emerath certainly knew he wouldn't want to do that. Who would? That was no way to live a life. Especially because these people probably had families. "If you help me, I'm sure I can find a way to help you, yeah?" he offered, hoping that it would be a good starting olive branch.

"My friend should be showing up soon. He's a good guy too. I have no doubt he'll want to help. Maybe you can tell us what you want, and we can tell you what we can do to help you achieve your goals? Maybe see your family, or deliver a letter to them? Me and my friend are adventurers by trade. While we fought for Astorea, you can probably think of us more like mercenaries. Honestly, I'm more interested in the well being of everyone than I am simply about blindly serving this king. So if you need help. If your people need help, I want to do that."

It was really all he had until Rodger showed up. He hoped the man would mirror the sentiment. Emerath knew his goal was to find out information about the Caenis. But in order for him to do so, he would have to actually care. And if he could care about this kingdom and its people, he could care about the Caenis and their people as well.

 

Rodger made his way towards the prison with a frown marring his normally easygoing expression. He'd been busy these last couple of days. He wasn't like other people who were trying to help with the post-war effort. No instead Rodger had been practicing to hone his skills with both his bow and his magic, so that the next time fighting broke out he could be more useful.

That being said, he did go to help here and there. It was usually the NPCs he was assisting, he had a soft spot for these people who for all intents and purposes were the real citizens of this world, and the crew that assisted him in the battle were good people. That being said, word had gotten around that there were beast people called Caenis who were being held and that someone of authority, Rodger couldn't remember the name, was looking for those willing to communicate with them.

Normally Rodger would have just left it up to those who were invested in the lore of the game and kept it moving, but he'd heard rumors. Rumors that these Caenis were forced to fight against their will. That they were slaves. The hunter just couldn't let that go, he wanted to know more about them.

He figured that speaking with them would likely be the best way to get some information, but Rodger was no master of diplomacy or interrogation and his social skills were not the best. Still, he wanted to try an honest attempt at communication with them. He even invited Emerath to join him with the attempt, a friend who almost always seem to be neck deep with Rodger no matter the situation. Should the situation go sideways, there was no one else he'd rather have guarding his back.

He found Emerath speaking with the prisoners as he approached, "Sorry I'm late, you wouldn't believe the security around this place." Rodger offered his redheaded friend a smile and a pat on the shoulder before turning to face the Caenis. He wasn't sure if they were generally uninterested in them or held some sort of disdain, but they didn't even let their eyes linger on him for more than a moment before turning away.

"I'm not really sure what to say here. Usually, guests are welcomed with open arms but given how you came upon us I hope you can understand the precautions." He hoped they could tell he was sincere, but they didn't respond. "My name is Rodger, I'm a bit of a drifter, but when I heard of what was going on here, I knew that I had to be part of it," He smiled, "Even drug my friend, Emerath into it as well. I know you probably have some questions, or maybe you already spoke to some other folks but either way we're here to help bridge the gap so to speak. I know you probably won't trust me at just my words, but we're here to help."

Rodger paused as he tried to choose his words carefully, "I think that we could have a lot to learn from one another, if given the chance. There is more to us that being warriors and wardens, and I'm sure its the same for you guys as well. If we could open up about what life is like both here and from where it is you folks are from, then I believe we could more towards getting you guys out of this cage."

He hoped they were willing to cooperate.

 

Emerath was relieved by the fact that Rodger both showed up and mirrored his sentiment. He smiled at the man, and nodded to him at his approach, before he gave his end of the deal. The Caenis would glance, but gave little in the way of actual response. But what Rodger was saying gave Emerath an idea. The man had mentioned that words wouldn't do much, and his father had always raised him with one key thing in mind. Lead by example, and words are no more than air.

Emerath put his hands on the bars, and gave the Caenis a decision to make amidst their introductions. "He makes a great point. There's so much we'd like to learn about you and your people. So much you could probably teach us. But honestly, given what you've been through, you shouldn't just take our word for it. I mean that."

Emerath stepped back, and held his hand to his chest as he said, "I'd like to do something for you. I don't want you to blindly believe that we're some messiahs here to save you and your people. Because really, we're just two men, two adventurers. But I live for these sorts of quests. The ones to prove myself, and the ones to truly help people. You give me something to do, and I will do my damnedest to make it happen."

Emerath smiled at Rodger, to really bring the point home, "What do you say, buddy? Go on a quest with me to help the Caenis trust us? Help me prove our worth to them? I think it's only fair."

 

Rodger waited for a reply but was met with their silence. He tried to hide his dejection at being brushed off, but luckily Emerath had more to say. As he continued to listen to his friend, a smile broke out as he had an idea at what the redhead was getting at.

Rodger folded his hands behind his head, "Yeah, we're no destined heroes or fated servants. We're just two people who want to do their best to help resolve this situation peacefully and hopefully with an outcome that benefits both sides."

He let Emerath finish before answering, "Heck yeah! I'd be more than willing to prove our good intentions, and if it means going to tackle some kind of challenge then all the better." He paused for a bit before looking at the Caenis, "Just as long as it isn't something nefarious. We're here to help, but if we've gotta commit some kind of crime I get the feeling that it might make things much more complicated." The dread-head wasn't sure if he should have said that, but he figured it was best to set some boundaries.

"So what do you say, will you give us a chance to prove that we mean to help you?"

 

Emerath had almost given up hope entirely, when the prisoner finally spoke. It took all his willpower to remain civil in this moment. To not hoot and holler at the idea that he had managed to make headway with his diplomacy. Now wasn't the time. Later probably wouldn't be the time either. But this was still progress. He was happy for that much.

Instead, Emerath managed to remain fairly stoic, not letting more than a reserved smile cross his face as he nodded to the Caenis man. "I give my word to you, that once we free you from this cell, we will do all we can to aid your tribe. Not necessarily for Astorea, but for myself, as a person. Man to man. You and your people fought honorably. There is no honor in kicking your people when they're down, especially when at the mercy of this Lunatic tribe."

Emerath sighed, it sounded like a fine mess. And liberating the people most likely wouldn't be as easy as walking in and them just laying down their weapons in fear. But they had defeated Caenis during the war. They could defeat Caenis outside of it as well. They had their task, and they would need to talk to Cessia to get the prisoner freed. That would probably be simple enough if Emerath promised to keep him in line. It's not like they would get him to lead the way if he was rotting away in this cell.

"Okay, so here's how this is most likely going to have to work," Emerath admitted, as he considered Astorea's claim in this. "If you're going to lead us, I would like to have it be a scouting trip, with Rodger and me being escorted to the village by you, but to ensure that you don't just run away on us, you'll most likely still be in chains." As much as Emerath hated the idea of feeling like he was walking a dog on a leash, the mental image stained the honest message that Emerath was trying to portray, but he tried to shake it off.

"Once we have an idea of what we're up against, we can then get Astorea to send in troops to liberate your people." Emerath was hopeful that this could be a simple recon mission, but at the same time, this Caenis could lead them into a trap. So Emerath proposed one final detail, "If I'm being honest, if it's just Rodger and myself, despite being capable adventurers, we'd be walking into your home. We'd be just as much at your mercy as you would be ours. Though you wouldn't be contacting them to ambush us, that doesn't mean your people won't have something in place to take care of us if we step out of line, or to liberate you from us, negating any possibility of us actually offering assistance with freeing you."

Emerath leveled his eyes with the Caenis, "If I'm going to lay my life out on the line for your people like this, I need to know that you won't be walking us into a trap. You keep us safe, we get you reinforcements to liberate your people, and Astorea and the Blood Paw both profit." Emerath folded his arms across his chest, as his eyes bore into the Caenis' own, searching for an agreement.

 

Rodger's face split into a smile,'finally some progress'. That lasted about 20 seconds into the Caenis' speech, at which time it formed into a mask of contemplation at hearing this news. Liberating a tribe of people was already a tall order, but he was more worried about having to convince some lord or lady into sending troops to do it. Still, there was no way he was going to back down now. Those could be tomorrows problems.

"You've got my word as well. I'm hear to give aid to a people in trouble, and if possible, learn about a different way of life. The last thing I'd want is to bring more harm to you and your people."

He listened as Emerath broke down what would likely happen. A scouting trip with just the two of them into the wilderness. No reinforcements or troops, not yet. "That makes sense. Can't have too many soldiers from home, not while their still licking their wounds from the war." But two volunteers to not only find their village but scout out the situation as well? By all means.

Rodger lost himself in thought at the mission that lie ahead. He and the brawler had survived quite a few skirmishes together. Wolves, Goblins, men, weird floating demon women, none of them were able to claim that they bested the pair. It would be an act of kindness and generosity, a moral victory true. But this would also be another challenge, another chance to hone his skills. And it was only natural to the dread head that Emerath be by his side.

But first they had to make it to tomorrow,"He brings up a good point. Trust is a door that swings both ways to work. I would gladly lay my life on the line to help people in need, but not so that they can stab me in the back."