Post
by Azazel » Thu Mar 12, 2009 7:21 am
The yutto turns towards you slowly and deliberately. Like almost all of his kind, he doesn't seem to be in a hurry. When he speaks, his voice is deep and thick with age.
Ruminating Strife: Is there anything I can do to help you?
Azazelkeep: Are you Ruminating Strife?
Ruminating Strife: Yes, that is correct, young one. You must be Azazelkeep. One of the Watchers told me you were coming to see me. You are looking for something to do, am I correct?
Azazelkeep: Yeah, something like that. What is it you do here?
Ruminating Strife: I study the conflict between the Hiisi and us yuttocra. This may come as a surprise to you, but there is a deep mistrust from their side, one whose origins we have never truly understood. Our attempts of negotiation have been unsuccessful. They refuse to communicate with us, and we are left in the dark as to why they hate our kind so much. The only response they offer is to attack us. Frankly, we just wish they would leave us alone.
Azazelkeep: I didn't think you had any natural enemies.
Ruminating Strife: We don't anywhere else than here in Penumbra. The Hiisi are the only ones. Your kind has been known to act aggressively against my kin, but we can hardly call humans a natural enemy.
Was that a smirk you saw glinting in the dark depths of the hood?
Ruminating Strife: If we could only understand why...
If it wasn't for our knowledge of spirit-tech and the Shadowlands, they would surely have killed all of my kind in Penumbra. Luckily, we are quite able to defend ourselves. Every six months or so, they come out from the Hollows to attack us. The time for a new attack is closing.
Azazelkeep: Why don't you just kick their butts?
Ruminating Strife: We are not an offensive kind. We will defend ourselves and we can hold our own during the fights but we do not hunt the Hiisi in pursuit of a peace, nor will we. We yuttocra believe there are better ways to solve strife and conflict. But...we study them ardently.
Tilting his head a little bit, he looks at you for a few seconds, studying you in a way that makes you feel like you were a test lab animal.
Ruminating Strife: Perhaps you could help us, Azazelkeep...
Azazelkeep: With what, exactly?
Ruminating Strife: Like I said, we are expecting a new attack any day now, and from what we have learned about the Hiisi, we believe we can predict exactly when based on different kinds of information we gather about them. If you would help me get this information, I would be highly thankful. I will not hide away the fact that the Hiisi may attack you, and viciously so. They are a highly aggressive kind, but you look to be able to handle yourself in a fight.
Azazelkeep: Ok, I'll help you.
Ruminating Strife: Thank you, young one. Here, take this data parser. It is able to analyze chemical data in the air close to the target. I would ask you to analyze one of their healers, one of their charmers and one of their warriors. I hope that the data will be sufficient. The Hiisi all stay inside the Hollows apart from the few times they leave to hunt. For us yuttocra, mostly. You can get into the Hollows through a door in the Pipe, east of here. Return to me when you are done. I'm very anxious to see the result.
The yutto turns towards you slowly and deliberately. Like almost all of his kind, he doesn't seem to be in a hurry. When he speaks, his voice is deep and thick with age.
Ruminating Strife: Is there anything I can do to help you?
Azazelkeep: I was able to get the chemical data, I think.
Ruminating Strife: Very good! May I have a look?
He takes one look at the tool, tapping at it a few times. You can see how his eyes shine more brightly under his hood and you have to wonder if this is a good or a bad sign...
Ruminating Strife: Oh dear...
Guess that answered it...
Ruminating Strife: This is not good. Not good at all!
Azazelkeep: What does it say?
Ruminating Strife: It indicates that they are preparing an attack. Their chemical excretion is full of adrenaline. This is most grievous, but I need to know for sure before I let my kin know. May I ask another favor, young one? It might bring you deeper into the Hollows, and will most certainly be more dangerous.
Azazelkeep: I'll try my best, at least.
Ruminating Strife: That is all anyone can ask of you. You are truly as brave as our studies of your kind have indicated.
What I need of you this time is proof. Proof that they are planning an attack. The adrenaline is a very strong indicator, but if they have a Hiisi Arbiter...
He falls silent for a short moment, seemingly deep in thought.
Ruminating Strife: Yes, that would indeed be a grievous thing. Please, young one. You must find out if the arbiter is there. He will most likely be in the center of the main corridors, overlooking the Runners. Bring me word of what you observe.
The yutto turns towards you slowly and deliberately. Like almost all of his kind, he doesn't seem to be in a hurry. When he speaks, his voice is deep and thick with age.
Ruminating Strife: Is there anything I can do to help you?
Azazelkeep: I saw the Arbiter!
Ruminating Strife: Oh dear...that's not good at all. They are closer to the time of charge than I thought. As I mentioned, the Arbiters are only brought fourth when the Hiisi are preparing an attack. They have an inexplicable ability to raise morale and fervor among their own. I will have to send off the warning to all the yuttocra in Penumbra. We need to prepare our defense.
It is such a shame. Even if the Hiisi are most fearsome warriors, we are able to strike them back every time with our use of technology, but we would rather not have to do so at all.
Azazelkeep: Isn't there anything you can do to stop the attack?
Ruminating Strife: Very little, young one. I will be needed in the defense. I hope to bring the warning early, so the loss of life is minimal, both yuttocra and Hiisi.
Unless...
Azazelkeep: Unless what?
Ruminating Strife: Unless you could help me..us..by stopping the force of the Hiisi before they attack. They have a war chief called Tapiolainen. He is one of the more intelligent Hiisi. Perhaps you could talk some sense into him?
The yutto sounds so hopeful that you don't have the heart to tell him that the Hiisi probably won't lay down their arms peacefully.
Azazelkeep: Sure. I'm not afraid. I'll try.
Ruminating Strife: Thank you, young one. I will reward you aplenty when you come back with news of your parley with Tapiolainen. Be safe in there.
And careful!
Oh, and you probably shouldn't tell him that I sent you...that may stop him from negotiating peace with you.
The yutto turns towards you slowly and deliberately. Like almost all of his kind, he doesn't seem to be in a hurry. When he speaks, his voice is deep and thick with age.
Ruminating Strife: Is there anything I can do to help you?
Azazelkeep: I don't think the Hiisi will bother you for a while.
Ruminating Strife: So you managed to settle with them? You make me proud, young one. Please...accept this as thanks. I suppose I owe you an explanation too. I could tell you the basics of what we know of the Hiisi. That is, if you have time?
Azazelkeep: Yes please. I'm very interested in learning about them.
Ruminating Strife: Very well. I will tell you a little of what I know of them.
The Hiisi were, at one point, the main warrior group within the Redeemed. Fearless and brave, their finest trained and best equipped. Their forms, over time and with research, had become perfectly molded for battle, offering unparalleled strength and stamina. Unfortunately, as tends to be the case with such things, the best laid plans of the Redeemed eventually turned around to bite them on the rear.
Growing restless with the ever-increasing stalemate that the battle against the Unredeemed was reaching, the Hiisi began searching for a new outlet to war against. They found that target in the Yuttocra.
Azazelkeep: The yuttos?!
Ruminating Strife: Yes. I tell you now, young one, none were more surprised than us. Apparently, to the Hiisi, us yuttocra were a threat which had been ignored for far too long-. Precisely why they viewed us as a threat in the first place, no one has ever really known. We were completely unaware of the reasoning, and as of thus found ourselves at quite a loss when the first Hiisi raid hit one of our villages. Even now, so many thousands of years later, we still don't know how we have wronged them to deserve their attacks.
Azazelkeep: Didn't the Redeemed do anything about it?
Ruminating Strife: Well... The Redeemed leadership denounced the Hiisi action, despite not having feelings for us one way or another, and warned the Hiisi against attempting another raid. Shortly thereafter, following the deaths of about 30 more of my kind, the Hiisi found themselves completely ex-communicated from the Redeemed hierarchy.
However, as time has passed, even the Redeemed have lost track of why, exactly, the Hiisi have split away from their ranks. They know that they were excommunicated for a very good reason, and that it had something to do with us yuttocra, but what it was... no one quite seems to remember. We may know, but we are not the kind to go to the Redeemed to refresh their memory in hope of vengeance. They would be inconvenienced and would much prefer not to remember.
Mostly because there are much more important things to focus on, such as the destruction of the Unredeemed. They care little for the welfare or being of the Hiisi.
Azazelkeep: What about the Unredeemed?
Ruminating Strife: The Unredeemed look at the Hiisi as an amusement and with derision. They take an interest in the group, but only out of mirth and abject curiosity, most likely wondering if there is any way that they might be able to turn such blind devotion to their own ends. But any attempt to parley with the Hiisi has been met with extreme difficulty and the Unredeemed leadership decided it best simply not to bother in the long run.
We do not blame neither the Redeemed nor the Unredeemed. We are not their wards and it doesn't fall on them to protect us. Besides, we are quite able to defend ourselves, as I mentioned. We just want the Hiisi to...well...lay off.
He sighs and grows silent. After a while you realize the story is over.
Azazelkeep: I should get going, I guess.
Ruminating Strife: Yes, of course. You have your own agenda to keep up with and you helped me beyond what should be asked of a stranger. Your help meant I did not have to send the warning to my kin here in Penumbra, but perhaps you would give a message to another of my kin from me, as one last favor?
Azazelkeep: Why not...I've helped you this far, might as well go the distance.
Ruminating Strife: How kind of you. The message is to my close friend, One Whose Mind Is Riddled. You would find him at the small, frozen lakes up north. If you would be so kind as to tell him I had said "Once east, twice north and three times for west and south." He will understand what it means.
But please...do not let me keep you any longer. You probably want to be on your way. Travel safely, Azazelkeep.