Mokranshi wrote:Keprain wrote:Gregal stared at the Mokranshi as if he had asked a dumb question, then laughed; causing everyone around him to laugh as well.
"Mr. Friend from the North... All we want is freedom. A chance to choose our own destinies, a chance to build a society of equals." he paused for a few moments, "What we want, is a Republic. We don't wish to harm anyone doing this, but we tried it the diplomatic route and it failed. Now, our "rebellion" as they call it, is growing every day." He smiled, "We wish to give everyone the rights to choose every part of their lives." He sat down on a rock nearby to stretch and relax, "our leader, whom you obviously don't know... they were the one that sparked this whole rebellion. A great speaker and fighter. Without them, we'd have lost before. But now, thanks to their efforts, each cell works independently, and nobody can really tell where the boss is. So, truth be told; I can't make any promises to the Mokranshi except for the one that every cell agrees on; you help us gain our freedom, and your people are welcome to join us. We want equality for all, and if that means that some of your people wish to move here, or some of our people wish to join yours; that's their choice. Their freedom to do so." He jumped back up and pointed towards his brothers and sisters in arms. "Isn't that right?" They all cheered in support.
He next pointed towards the guard that was carrying the gear of the Mokranshi, "As promised, your tools are yours." He gestured to have them returned and have their false bindings removed "Apologies for the poor accommodations around here, and the fact we had to treat you as prisoners." He smiled, "Whether or not you truly wish to help us, we'll take whatever chances exist. Who knows? Perhaps if you help enough, the boss will want to speak with you all directly, and then something even bigger can come of this! So what do you say?" He put out his hand for a handshake, "Help us out, and we can promise you that we won't stop anyone from joining your people, or your people joining us."
It seemed that his words were truly genuine. The people here believed that everyone would be able to live their lives as they see fit, and thus none harboured any ill will towards those that may wish to leave and join another nation, race, culture, religion, or anything. But they did all have one pressing thought on their minds, what exactly the Mokranshi wanted, and if they were genuine in wanting to help; or if they solely wanted new people to convert.
Itashir gave an inquisitive look. He looked down at Gregal's hand before moving to shake it. As he did, he said, 'Thank you for trusting us so, Gregal. You will not regret it. Tell you what, to prove our commitment to the rebel cause, perhaps we can help now?' As he let go of the rebel lieutenant's hand, Itashir continued, 'Understand that sooner or later, we will have to send a message back to Mokranshi in order to inform the blessed Farseer of our progress. I understand if you're still somewhat paranoid about our loyalties. To prove our own commitment, before sending a message back to our land, allow us to aid your cause right here. We all have talents that would be of great use.'
'As a Messenger of Mulcarn, I have been trained not only to convert, but to heal and to teach. If you have any injured or a hospice of any kind, I may be able to assist. If you're looking for something a little more useful in active duty, perhaps I can teach some of your scouts and couriers the Mokrani runes? Our native language is not a widely spoken one, let alone a widely written one. If some of your men need to send written messages to one another, I could teach them our runes and the mage-lords would not be able to read them, should their messages be intercepted. This may take some time to learn, though.'
Itashir gestured to his companions, who were staying close together and keeping their distance from the many rebels throughout the outpost. 'My associates may also be of some service.' The pointed to the tall, short-haired, blue woman. 'This over here is Ahiki. I'd introduce you two, but I'm afraid my associates are not fond of non-Winterborn. They'll help, I assure you, but they may be somewhat...brusque in their demeanor. Anyhow, Ahiki is a master of subterfuge. Back in Mokranshi, she was best known for information gathering and became an expert at locating the whereabouts of...wayward tribes. She located no less than three in her time in our homeland And that's no small feat, might I say. The Lost Mokrani are few in number and masters of hiding themselves in the tundra. She would be of great service to your spies. Just as well, she is also a talented cryomancer. She may be able to teach ice magic to your mages, should you have any in any nearby camps or outposts. Believe me, ice and cold are formidable obstacles for anyone not adapted to them.'
Finally, Itashir looked to the last of the trio, a rather young, sheer white-skinned woman with a fiery gaze. 'Then there is Penanpe. Do not let her age fool you. She has been with many Messengers and traveled in missions across Gwalethia since practically she could recite the Praises. She's a skilled scout and incredibly agile. While I understand that the Kepraini are raised in these mountains and know them better than any outsider, perhaps Penanpe could aid your efforts in counteracting Tyrandian efforts to suppress the rebellion? She could seek out their supply lines or cut off choke points. She even knows a bit of magic, though not to the degree of Ahiki. I should also warn you that neither of them speak Kepraini nor Tyrandian, but I can translate for them.'
'We have much to offer you, good Gregal.' Itashir offered a polite bow before gesturing to the vial the rebel had stored away. 'And more, should you or anyone desire it. We are here to assist your righteous cause.'
Gregal smiled, "We'd be fools to refuse any aid you would be willing to help. You see, we're fairly isolated here; our resources are decent, as we were the main farmers and miners for Tyrandia... but there are slight issues. Whilst we can transport them between the camps, the Tyrandians are always hunting us down, as convoys can't just go through the caves like our fighters can; they'd lose most of their goods trying to climb the mountains, or scaling walls... which means they need to use routes that the Tyrandians already know. Is there anything you can do to help them travel on these routes? Or can you use your magic to somehow create a new route?" He asked, before continuing, "As for training our Magoi... most of the ones who sided with us are, for the lack of a better word; novices. They may not be up to your standards in terms of magic, but if you wish to attempt to train them, I can lead you to another camp where they are located... they try to stay away from non Magoi, as they don't want to scare anyone." It seemed that those around him had mixed feelings upon hearing of their allied Magoi. Overall, nobody was wanting to get rid of them, but they were also concerned that they may be spies, as they're fighting against their own rights.
Gregal took a deep breath, deciding to continue to break the tension in the air, "Finally, we've got to find somewhere for your people to be able to stay. I doubt you would be comfortable in our camps, as we tend to keep them heated. There are caves a bit away from here; not so far that we can't reach you for communication, but not so close that you'd be running into the civilians. We can guide you there, and you can use it as your own little home while here... hell, you can even turn it into a temple if you want, as long as you don't force anyone to go there!" He laughed at that, half making a joke, half serious, "But there's one issue... that cave also leads to the outside of the Kepraini Moutain range. I know you don't know the tunnels and caverns that well, so we'd show you around, but there's also the chance that if you were to do anything flashy, they may notice. If that's not fine, I can ask around to find you somewhere else?" He stood there, waiting for a response.