Tearlach (Act I)

Template:Tearlach nav The path was dark under skies which had not ceased raining for weeks, as Tearlach came to a fortress at the edge of the pass. Coming south through hills those not of his blood would call mountains, he knew instinctively he was nearing his goal. Demons and foul beasts had dogged his every step, becoming more frequent the closer he came to this place. The curse upon the land sprang from very near here... if not from this very stronghold. Ignoring the drizzling rain, he looked over the defenses. The fortress walls were high, as high as any his people built, strong beams woven around stout posts rammed deep into the earth. But if any demon thought these walls could keep a true son of Harrogath out, that demon needed to be taught a lesson.

Many a warrior would have entered the fortress by battering through the walls, but Tearlach was by nature a master tactician, and instantly realized the attempt would be futile. His prey would be gone before he got through, fleeing into the countryside like the cowards all demons truly are. Entering by stealth, taking the evil by surprise and slaying them down to the last, would feed the eagles well. If there were eagles to be found -- the southern lands might not be home to anything so magnificent. Silently laughing at his cunning, Tearlach tossed his pack aside and leapt onto the wall, pulling himself to the top with a few mighty heaves of his massive shoulders.

As he looked over the wall, he saw, not a pit of demons... but women! Small and delicate southern women, granted, but comely just the same. The whole fortress was full of women, with not a man to be seen! Shocked but intrigued, Tearlach muttered, "How can this be, with no defenders? Darkness should have overrun this place long ago."

"We do pretty well for ourselves, big guy."

Below him, two women stood with bows, arrows nocked and ready. "What are you doing on the wall, anyway?"

"Yeah," the other said. "The gate's open."

"I am a warrior of the slopes of Arreat! Never walk in the only gate; what seems a hall of welcome may become a trap of death. Those who do not heed the brazen bugle's call, but live by the strum of the lute, know not these things."

Both stared at him silently. They were intrigued; Tearlach had a sense for the ways and wiles of a woman's mind. "Right," one finally said. "Well, I guess you're not demonic, so why don't you come on in?"

Engagingly brazen, these southern lasses, inviting him in with them all alone out here. The women of Harrogath are never so... open. Do they treat all men this way, or was it just that long look they got up his kilt that fascinated them so? Clearly, they'd never seen a real man before. Tearlach climbed back and retrieved his gear; after a moment's thought, he hurled it over the wall, where it landed with a clang. Flexing his arms, he sped up the wall and over with a mighty leap, landing with a tremendous thud and a roar of triumph.

"Uh... hi," one of the women said. "What have you got in that pack? It looks heavy."

"It almost hit me on the head!" the other complained.

"The proper gear of war, honest steel and strong iron... not useless things made of wood and bits of string. Are there no warriors here to defend you? Or were they all slain by the beasts plaguing this land?"

"We are the Rogues! Our monastery has defended this pass for centuries."

Tearlach laughed! "Women do not make monks, and monks do not make warriors! You girls need not worry, I am here, and I will free this land from the grip of darkness. So I swear, upon the Light and spirits of my forefathers!"

"What is going on here?" another woman asked as she walked around a tent. And by the mountains, what a woman! Tall and beautifully pale, she had strong arms and a proud sneer on her lips; Tearlach was instantly reminded of home. Her hair, though, was not the black of moonless nights, but a fiery red, bright as the crimson rain of war. This exotic detail was both fascinating and a little frightening; he had always been told to stay away from foreign women. But what man could restrain himself in the presence of such a vision?

Drawing himself up to his most impressive height, Tearlach smiled. "I am Tearlach, son of Grignr, son of Gor. Know that this land is accursed by the grip of evil, and that I have sworn by the Light and the spirits of my forefathers to free it."

The red-haired woman gawked openly at Tearlach. Turning to the Rogues, she asked, "Ok, where did this come from?"

"He crawled over the wall."

"And almost hit me on the head with a knapsack!"

"You let him over the wall?" the red-haired woman asked imperiously.

"We spotted him coming in. He's kind of hard to miss. He wasn't a demon."

"We let him get to the top before we stopped him."

With a snort, Tearlach crossed his arms. "I assure you, beautiful one, these girls did not 'spot' me. I am a warrior born, and can slide through the forests like a --"

"We, 'warrior born,' are the Sisters of the Sightless Eye! If you knew us, you wouldn't even try to enter our camp by stealth."

"You think I crept in, then. Your fortress, though strong, must be guarded by something stronger than women with bows. You are very lucky I have come by, and am in such a generous mood." Tearlach smiled, to let her know he was ignoring her insinuation. For a long while, the red-haired woman didn't say anything. He was used to this; women were often shocked speechless by his sheer presence. "I hope," she finally said, "you don't think you can impress me by hitting my warriors over the head with your luggage."

"Your warriors? Where are your men, lass?"

"We. Are. The. Sisters. Of. The. Sightless. Eye! We have no men. We need no men. We have defended this pass ourselves for centuries, against dozens of invasions. You see us at our weakest, now. Some great evil has invaded our monastery, and turned our own dear sisters against us. Had that not happened, you would see our strength."

Ridiculous, of course... but in these strange lands, perhaps the men were too weak to keep their women from getting strange ideas. No matter what this gorgeous vixen might say, she needs a man, and needs him bad. However, knowing as he did the ways of women, Tearlach realized this was not the time to address this wench's needs. Though he spoke sweetly, words do not impress where action is needed.

"So, your... monastery has been taken from you. It will be a simple matter to take it back."

Smirking, the red-haired woman said, "You believe so?"

"Of course! What are a few demons? I have eaten worse for my breakfast."

"Considering that demon flesh is deadly poison, that's very impressive."

Tearlach had not known that. After a moment's confusion, he brandished his axe. "Then I will make them eat each other, and die of their own venom. Your monastery will be yours again soon, fair one. I go to conquer!" With a bold shout, he charged off... then stopped to look around.

"The gate's that way," one of the Rogues told him.

"I knew that! I was testing you again."

As Tearlach charged out the gate with a guttural roar, Kashya shook her head. "Gods, I wish we still had the monastery. I've never had to deal with so much riffraff."

"Should we have shot him when he came in?"

"No, he might take one or two of them with him. Look, if he comes back, whatever you do, do not be impressed with him."

"I don't think so, ma'am. He's kind of a jerk."

"Hey," the other Rogue said, "maybe if we do act impressed with him, he'll kill more demons and stuff?"

"WHAT!?" Kashya snarled. "You think you should just bat your eyelashes and smile for the big strong man to give us what we want? You are a Sister of the Sightless Eye! We do not rely on outsiders to give us anything! Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," the Rogue bowed her head.

"By the Light, what's become of us? Where is our resolve? We have stood independently for over 200 years. We will get through this, somehow."

"Yes, ma'am," they both replied.

"I do not know what happened in the monastery, but we are not going to give up."

"No, ma'am."

"The Goddess has blessed us, our sisterhood is strong. Remember that. Our strength is in each other, it always has been, it always will be."

"But..." one Rogue murmured, "our sisters turned against us..."

"I know," Kashya said, gritting her teeth. "I don't know how. But we can't let it break us. If we do, everything we've built will be lost. This is the greatest challenge our sisterhood has ever faced, but we will survive."

The two Rogues nodded. "Fine. Get back to your posts, and call out when someone tries to scale the walls. I hope he does try it again, and gets an arrow in his ass."

That made the Rogues laugh. "Easy target, in that skirt."

"Yeah. What's a guy doing running around in a dress, anyway?"