Moonday Morning, Fireseek 10, 591 Common Year
When Rain is awakened for her watch shift, she awakens Newt as well in an even, neutral voice, “Newt, wake up. Time for our watch shift. Besides, whatever you may think I was trying to do last night, you and I are still tied together for the time being. I’ll meet you on deck.” Without giving Newt time to say anything, Rain heads topside.
Newt gets up quickly and dons her leather armor and heads after Rain.
In the quiet of the morning Newt approaches Rain and says, awkwardly, “Rain… I’m sorry. I overreacted last night.”
Rain returns a warm smile and says, “Don’t worry about it Newt, I know how it feels to give up a secret before you feel safe doing so. Keep what you need to yourself, but don’t be afraid to trust us.”
The awkward quietness of the morning drags on a while until Newt asks quietly (so as not to disturb any of those lucky enough to be asleep still), “So, this ‘watch’ thing? How does it work? Just keep your eyes and ears open?”
“Yah, that is pretty much it. Keep your eyes open and stay alert. Keep talk to an absolute minimum and when you have a chance try to pick up some of those ranger signals Indranil uses. For now, go ahead and stay around here with me.”
With that, Rain sobers a bit and begins to scan what she sees around her.
Newt also turns her attention to scanning the darkness, keeping talk to a minimum (none) as instructed.
Gar’s awakens around dawn. He goes up top and sits by the bow for his morning meditation upon the five elements. After his meditation, he practices his tumbling exercises up and down the full length of the boat. Afterwards Gar seeks out Indranil.
“Milord, may I have a word with you? After the events of the last few days, I would like to check to see if there is any more undetected evil on board, both amongst our comrades and the booty. I’m tired of surprises like that. Will you accompany me?
“Father Gar, is your spell a passive or active one?” Indranil asks. “Is coercion involved in any way? I am not going to allow any searching of people, possessions and their private quarters without due cause and or their permission simply to satisfy curiosity.”
“It is a passive spell, Sir Indranil,” replies Gar. “All I need to do is wander around maintaining a meditative state and look at everyone’s aura. I don’t need your permission to see what may be seen. I simply thought you would be curious about the results. It will also tell us if there is evil magic in any of the booty we have found. Don’t you think it is better to know that now, before we are out in the field? Full permission and due cause are fine requirements for any possible follow up actions. Shall we proceed?”
“Why Father Gar, unless you plan to sleep, eat, march, and fight with the lizard people and then walk back to Westkeep you are operating under a great misapprehension if you think you do not need my permission. And, may I remind you that you just asked for my help to keep distractions away from you. As commander of this war party, I am responsible for the good order and discipline of this mission and those under my command. I will not tolerate anything, any action or any person that I believe erodes or deteriorates that good order because that could jeopardize all our safety and effectiveness. I believe having them subject to some sort of magical scrying to determine their hidden intentions with nothing more to go on than your own ‘curiosity’ is a grievous violation of their rights as a free people and will anger them as well as spread seeds of distrust. Aramek has already magically viewed the booty and found nothing of evil, so there is no need for you to do it again. Several of our party suspected something amiss with Noch and Ailill which ultimately proved to be true. No one – so far – has voiced any concerns about anyone else in this party or the captain’s crew. In fact when I voiced concern at the beginning of this journey I was told that the Prince himself had vouchsafed the captain.
“Father Gar, you try my patience at almost every turn and I grow weary of your antics directed to provoke me and create drama around you. You came along on the diplomatic portion of this expedition as the ambassador of the Great Druidess. The diplomatic portion of the mission is over. I am under no obligation to suffer your presence as a member of our war party. You have three choices: 1) you may choose to join the lizard people, 2) You may return to Westkeep with Sir Ragnbjorn or 3) you remain with us if you agree to follow orders and not provoke people.
“This conversation is highly unfortunate in that you have forced me to be so direct with you. I had hoped that you would voluntarily be a positive member of the party and valuable ally in our quest. But saying you do not need my permission to do something which I believe will compromise the good order and discipline of this mission forces my hand.
“There are several things I had wanted your help with of which I planned to speak with you about this morning. But I leave the final decision up to you. If you remain with us then I expect to respect the orders of the officers of this war party.”
Gar blinks but is otherwise impassive. He responds evenly, “You are the undisputed chief of human military operations, milord, for this one expedition. In this I will agree and follow your orders. Sir Fingol is in charge of all negotiations with the lizardfolk. If I am under anyone’s orders, it is he, milord, not you.”
Gar pauses, purses his lips with his right forefinger. “Even the His Highness the Prince did not consider me under his orders. How dare you, a petty squadron leader on his first gig.” Gar turns on his heels and walks out to find Ragnbjorn on the bow.
Indranil sighs and shakes his head. He gets up to go find Fingol and Lorindel on the stern to advise them of this disturbing turn of events.
Rain, seeing the dispute and then noting that Gar is heading over to speak with Ragnbjorn says very quietly, “Uh Newt… I’ll be right back.” Rain gets herself into a position in the deckhouse where she can overhear Gar and Ragnbjorn without being observed.
As soon as Rain walks away, Xalakae casually moves to the other end of the deckhouse where she can overhear Indranil’s conversation on the stern with Fingol and Lorindel as he tells them about his troubling conversation with Gar. As s/he does this s/he worries a bit about the group. Newt blew up at Rain last night, and now Father Gar and Indranil are arguing. This can’t bode well. How will they all get along?
Xalakae realizes that Indranil’s objections to scrying very much apply to hiers attempts to read their minds. Uh oh. It’s not surprising that he feels that way, but I’d better be extra careful now that Gar is going around making people extra-sensitive to such things. Nevertheless, s/he continues eavesdropping.
Indranil concludes, “I wanted you two to know of this conversation as it deeply troubles me. I agree Father Gar can be of great value but his unusual sensibilities concern me and I do not fully trust his intentions. I ask you to please exercise care when dealing with him.”
“That Gar is an odd one indeed, but do you think he would actively work against us? Against the crown?” questions Lorindel.
“I think Father Gar will do whatever is in his interests at any given time. As long as those align with ours then we will be fine. But that is why I ask you both to be cautious as there may be a time when those two things are at odds and I would not want us surprised. I simply do not think we can take Father Gar for granted. He will always be a wild card.”
“Still though, brother, perhaps his desire to detect evil was warranted,” adds Lorindel. “First Noch, then the duel with Ragnbjorn… Might it be a necessary precaution? I guess the risk is if we could trust his words once he’s completed the spell. I will do as you say. I will maintain my guard with the Father,” Lorindel concludes.
Fingol responds, “Sir Indranil, I think you were wise in this. It is a temptation to overreact to the events of the past days. But our company is still owed respect. And I think Father Gar is vulnerable to the temptations of evil. I neglected to include something in my report of the confrontation with Ailil. When my father accused Ailil of conspiracy to commit murder, Father Gar cut Ailil with a dagger to coerce a confession from him. Further, Father Gar ate the dishes the lizardfolk prepared despite the concern that they contained human flesh. Furthermore he played with and made jokes about Ailil’s severed hand. I am certain you heard rumor of all this, I try to avoid repeating stories which might become rumor or malign a peer. However, I feel the need to emphasize it here to illustrate how extreme his behavior has become.”
Fingol drops his head a bit, “Sometimes Father Gar can be so entertaining that I forget his darker impulses. I share your concerns though. Indeed it is partly why I want to travel with the Chief. I think Father Gar is swayed by the lizardfolk, and tries to ‘outdo’ their primitivism.”
“I have no desire to be a king, prince, or petty potentate,” says Indranil, “That is one reason I so love the Ranger Corps. Rangers are more a brethren of equals than a regular army company. But at the same time, we must function with trust and strong morale as a single unit. This mission is no mere search and destroy mission; it is fraught with nuances and hidden complications of the diplomatic mission and the political intrigues of the Scarlet Brotherhood as well as the risks of attacking the Deathwalker temple and travelling through the Hool. We will need every bit of wit, skill, and blessing from our patrons to survive. I do not want to have everyone looking over their shoulders at each other suspecting a traitor in our midst. I heard about a country once wherein the king required a special officer in each unit whose only function was assessing and testing the troop’s loyalty. That country collapsed under the weight of inefficiency, corruption, and mistrust.
“The other conversation I had with Father Gar yesterday evening I wanted to tell you both about which bothered me was Father Gar advising me that each evening when he returned from travelling with Chief Rahk he would relay ‘any information’ he thought I would like to or need to know. When I asked him if he planned to do the same ‘service’ for Chief Rahk he replied enigmatically that he would do ‘whatever I wished.’ I told him: ‘my wish is to see us successfully complete our mission and everyone back in Westkeep safe. If he being the war party’s bumble bee assists that then I support it. I asked him to exercise ‘good’ judgment and discretion when sharing information that might incite ill will or jeopardize unit morale.’ I must say I get worried about Father Gar selectively choosing what to relay and what not to; he has proven to delight in stirring things up for the drama of it and when lives are at stake I care not for the excitement. I can easily see distracting misunderstandings forming between our two peoples at the most inopportune times and I am very glad to know that you Sir Fingol will be travelling with Chief Rahk as well.
“Well that is about it. I thank you for your support and pray I am not being needlessly neurotic and anxious about things and becoming a micromanager of our party.”
Fingol says, “Sir Indranil, I don’t see you becoming a micromanager or a tyrant. You are expressing your concerns about one member of our party. I share those concerns. Bear in mind, that although I will be traveling with Chief Rahk and thus Father Gar, I will not always be in earshot of them. Father Gar may find ways to stir up trouble with or without my presence. He has certainly had more practice creating trouble, than I have had in quelling it,” warns Fingol.
At the other end of the boat, Gar, finding Ragnbjorn, blurts out, “Sir Indranil thinks he is a little Tavish II [ed. infamous expansionist king of Keoland]. I don’t know if I can work with him anymore. Only if I must; only if he lets me.” The right side of Gar’s mouth snarls. “He’s has serious control issues.”
Sir Ragnbjorn fixes Gar with a steely gaze and frowns. He doesn’t seem at all fazed by Gar’s tantrum. After a maddening pause he says in an even and deliberate tone, “Father Gar, you must understand that Sir Indranil, Sir Fingol, and I are all members of the King’s Rangers. Even Sir Lorindel is a member of the King’s Scout Corps, a closely connected unit. We are all elite soldiers in the service of His Majesty. Up until now, they have had little experience working with those who are not part of a chain of command, even Fingol who is much more of a loner than the others. You must be patient with them. In turn, I will speak to Sir Indranil. He should remember that you are not part of any military chain of command. I would remind you however, that all citizens of Keoland and the Hool Marshes Protectorate owe fealty to the Prince and ultimately to the King, even the Flan tribes. Even the Great Druidess respects the authority of the King, or at least knows not to challenge it, just as he in turn respects her sphere of authority. Now it seems to me that we all have our place and our spheres of authority. We all owe reverence to our parents, respect to our teachers, and loyalty to our sovereigns. If not for that we could scarcely call ourselves civilized beings. So please, Father Gar, find a way so that you and Sir Indranil can work together in your appropriate spheres without undermining each other and with proper respect as the situation calls for.”
Bowing deeply at the waist to Sir Ragnbjorn, Gar begins, “Thank you, but respect works two ways, milord. I have no problem giving fealty to our great Prince and King, even though the Prince never asked for such, nor did he ever demand my loyalty, as His Highness the half-elf has done. The half-elf has gone too far. The Prince has my loyalty, unreservedly; he is a great man. Little Tavish the half-elf does not. I will put him in his place, if you do not. He needs to learn to respect for those whom he cannot command or he will become a toasty elf.
“Milord, I fear that if you go back to Westkeep, things will get ugly here. Only you or perhaps your honorable son has thus far earned the universal respect of the crew. Indranil seizes respect by force and coercion. I will not serve corrupt power, even in the name of our most honorable King Skotti, even at the risk of my own life.”
Finished, Gar moves into a parade rest position, hands clasped loosely behind his back, seemingly relaxed but waiting for Sir Ragnbjorn’s response.
Ragnbjorn’s eyebrow twitches and his hand clenches, and Gar sees that if he were in fact a subordinate Ragnbjorn would have struck him. Nevertheless Ragnbjorn responds with icy control, “Father Gar, you have just made a threat against Sir Indranil, who is one of the finest and most professional of the Rangers I have had the honor to work with. Not only that but you have impugned his honor and accused him of being corrupt. You are treading on very thin ice with me. If you persist in threatening and slandering my men then I will call you out for a duel upon the field of honor. You at least have the proper rank. Oh, and if the Prince never asked for your loyalty or fealty it is because he did not think he had to and was being courteous. You presume far too much.
“I understand that you are a priest of Obad-Hai, that you learn from nature and preserve its rhythms. You seem them to have forgotten that army ants are a part of nature and they preserve a strict order, as do other insects. Even the geese know to follow the leader of their flock in formation. These are traits they use to survive and work together. Perhaps you should go to the riverbank and sit for awhile contemplating these things? Or if not…” Ragnbjorn’s hand moves to his sword.
Gar bows deeply to the waist, “As you wish, milord.” He departs without a further word. He heads ashore to find an ant hill to contemplate.
After this, Rain, who had been eavesdropping on Gar and Ragnbjorn, slinks down to the hold to catch a few hours more sleep. Note to self, don’t ever stand between Gar and Indranil, she thinks, and then drifts off for a quick nap.
While on the bank, contemplating ants and geese, Gar’s mind wanders. He watches as the ants march in a straight line to bring food to their queen. Looking up, Gar fingers Obad-Hai and casts his spell to detect evil while directing his attention to the Javan Queen and all aboard the boat. Fortunately, the only evil he senses is the faint emanation from Ailil. “Good,” he grunts, and goes back to contemplating the orderly nature of ants. Just for the fun of it, he takes a stick and briefly disturbs the nest and then steps back quickly as he watches them restore order out of chaos. Looking back at the boat as his mind wanders, a smile finally returns to his face.