IC Scene - The tent of inspirational incense

To keep the position of the sun in his favor, Zulkar mirrors Rayvs' movement and spots him advancing slowly. Realizing he might get in trouble he increases his movement speed and allows Rayvs to come almost within reach of his long Jatu sabre.

He planned it out perfectly and when he suddenly made his move the sun was behind him and would blind Rayvs if he moved Dusk to parry. The Jatu sabre swung from Zulkar's forehand to his opponent's right.

When Zulkar suddenly began to swing, Rayvs, noticing the sun still behind his blade, rushed forward with his body, blocking the momentum with his armor, and slamming into Zulkar. Instead of parrying, he turned Dusk at an angle, hoping to deflect the blade.

Rayvs was fast, but Zulkar wasn't about to be fall for a tactic like that. He stepped aside and his sabre cut into Rayvs' armor with ease.

Although he had the momentum, Zulkar stepped back with the intent of repeating the same circling tactic from before and allowed his opponent to recover his stance.

Ignoring his injury, Rayvs turned around and advanced. He wasn't going to allow Zulkar to continue his sun tactic, ensuring the sun stayed behind him. As he got closer to Zulkar, Rayvs began to chant in a strange language, and slashed down with Dusk.

Zulkar frowned upon hearing the chanting and was a little confused as to why his opponent had started singing, when he's losing. Subsequently, he easily parried the downward slash and again turned to Rayvs' left, but just when he was about to deliver a second cut, he was caught off guard by the sun that blinded him enough for his counter attack to fail.

With both attacks having done no good in bringing this duel to an end, Zulkar again took position with the sun at his back.

Rayvs sidestepped quickly after the counter attack from Zulkar, putting Zulkar in front of the sun once again. He slashed down to the left, but halfway through, changed to a downwards right slash.

Although the sidestep didn't work exactly like planned, both men now had the sun coming from the side and it was unable to blind either one of them.

Zulkar was a talented young man, but inexperienced when it came to actual fighting and he fell for Rayvs' feint. When Dusk cut through his armor he had his sabre at the wrong side of his body and the sudden jolt of pain had him slashing wildly at his opponent, blood was seeping from the cut in his armor.

Rayvs, attempting to capitalize on Zulkar's sudden panic and subsequent slash, waited until one of the slashes went down then aimed for Zulkar's sword arm in a downwards slash, keeping Zulkar's body in the trajectory of the slash in case he missed, sidestepping once again, attempting to keep his good position.

The chanting began anew, with a darker tone.

Forgetting to defend, Rayvs was cut in his left shoulder by Zulkar's long sabre and backed away. The youngster pressed his armor tightly against the cut in his side and seemed more occupied to stop the bleeding than defeating his opponent.

Rayvs licked the blade and pressed his attack, seemingly content at letting Zulkar bleed out on the sands.


He did the same thing as he did last time, except he feinted again to the right and slashed down to the left.

Zulkar didn't fall for the same trick twice, but due to his wound and the hysteria he felt, his parry was too weak and he couldn't stop Dusk cutting down into his torso. A painful wail from the young Jatu brought the gathered crowd to utter silence.

Rayvs stood over him, he hadn't come away unscathed and even if the Radiant Cross was on time to treat his wounds, his left shoulder would be useless for a week at least.

That was enough, the consumption of foes blood, that infernal unholy chating..... it was far past the time he should have stepped forwards, may the gods forgive him for his inaction. The Eventide had a bad enough reputation from his Order, let alone what Morek had seen this same "knight" do in the back alleys of Windholm. Morek stepped forwards out of the ring of spectating Jatu. His eyes narrowed under his helmet and his hand tightened on the morningstar's grip on his belt beneath the sand cloak he was wearing over his armor.

"Step back Eventide. This fight is over."

It was all he could do to not denounce the haggard looking Eventide as a heretic at the same time. Gods knew he likely was.

Rayvs stepped on Zulkar's hand and kicked the sword away, about to finish him when he heard Morek's words. Turning, he positioned himself behind the fallen, heaving body of Zulkar, eyes glaring at Morek.

"Isn't this what you wanted, Cross Knight?"

Rayvs's sword began to rise, in preparation to drive the point through Zulkar's heart.

"What is his life to you? He challenged me to a duel to the death. One of us would have died either way. Somehow, I feel you would not have stepped in if I was the one laying here, dying. Are you going to dishonor his choice, his sacrifice, his entire way of life, just so he can live a few moments longer?"

"You're correct. I would not be stepping forwards if positions were reversed, as your life has no value heretic."

There. It was out. The Dawn was right about these maniacs after all. Morek's morningstar and shield were now ready in hand as he took a few paces forward, his shield held out in front in an aggressive posture. He tried to position himself at a distance that if Ravys stabbed down to kill the young man he would find it hard to bring his sword up in time to stop the Radiant Crosses blow.

"There is no dishonor in a hard fought defeat. What dishonor there is would be mine letting someone as twisted as you take his life if I stood by and watched. He is young and in youth we all make mistakes. I'm going to ensure he lives to understand it was one."

Rayvs smiled.

"And again, you Cross show that you know nothing about both heretics and the people you purport to 'save'. There is dishonor in losing a duel. There is even more dishonor if you were the challenger. You are the epitome of dishonor, Cross. I have done more to fight against heretics and their kin in nine years than you have in your entire life. And you accuse me of being a heretic? Me? Bah. Your young ward here is bleeding out. There is nothing you can do to stop that, no medicine, no prayer which can save his life. Take his dying breath."

Rayvs backed up and walked towards his horse, leaving Dusk unsheathed as he saddled up.

As Ravys backed up Morek advanced until he was standing over the prone Zulkar. He went down onto a knee, laying his weapon on the ground beside the man and put his hands and training to work. If the young man was going to die then Morek would make god of Death work for his soul. The fingers of his gloves were soon stained with blood as the healing knowledge of the Radiant Cross was pitted against the bladework of the Eventide.

"Make your peace with whatever the jatu worship boy. I won't let them take you without a fight but I cannot guarantee anything."

As he worked Morek was asking his own gods for their help; that he was in time to save this impetuous but brave Jatu. It didn't matter to him that he might end up killing his fellow Jatu later if dealings went sour, all that mattered now was his oath to the Order and his personal one to the gods, made what seemed like so very long ago not.

Zulkar surviving would be good for knights, but Methodius knew better than to get in the way of a duel between two men. He waited patiently for the fight to end and approached Ravys as he ended his talk with the Radiant Cross.

"That was a good fight"

He momentarily glanced at Jukar, put his hand on his swords pommel and he continued in a lower tone

"If he is honorable we might finally get a proper talk, but keep your sword hand ready in case he is more of a family man..."

Rayvs spat to the side. He said in a low voice, only to Methodius

"Jukar's time is limited, and that Cross ruined the closest chance I had to tear this horde apart from the inside out. Without a heir, the Jatu would have dispersed. Jukar dying and his unsteady second son would just leave them with no leader. It would've been perfect, and would have left me the sole villain of the whole thing."

Rayvs shook his head.

"I'm done with attempting to disperse the horde."

Smiling he murmured to Methodius before he rode away, in a voice only they could hear,

"Of course, that is what I would say if I was an honorable Pendorian knight."

Methodius nodded to ravys as he left, he then approached the Radiant Cross at work with Zulkars wounds.

"How bad does it look?"

Zulkar was still alive and it seemed that the Gods had plans for him in the future as the young man was unwilling to draw his final breath. He lay there on the sand, his armor cut open and blood slowly dripping into the dusty desert sand, but Morek noticed that the cuts weren't that deep and if he could manage to stop the bleeding the youth may just survive.

In the meantine Rayvs the Black Raider had given his horse the spurs and was putting quite the distance between him and the other knights, but he wasn't going back to Torbah, he was riding further into the horde's camp.

The Jatu stood silent, waiting for a sign from the solemn faced Jukar. "What's that knight doing!? He'll dishonor us!" one of his battle riders argued.

"Not if he saves Zulkar's life on his own accord. We won't ask him to save my son, nor will my son plead for his own life." the aged warlord replied.

"But he's dishonored! He lost the duel! By Indar he should not be allowed to remain a Jatu."

At this, Jukar's eyes flashed. "We are Jatu, he'll be allowed to win back his honor just like Warlord Shiruzah did so many years ago." he said and the Pendorian knights that stood idle, especially those that had questioned him, caught his attention. "Escort those knights back across the bridges."

The Jatu honor guard raised their spears and rode the knights down surrounded the knights, excluding Morek, and escorted them back to their horses and to their men at the other side of the river.

[ooc: At this moment, the thread is close for all except Arcanum. The rest can continue to write in the 'Fortified Edge' topic and wait until words comes out of where Rayvs has gone off to.]

Morek had Zulkar help himself, taking the young mans hand and clamping it over the wound on his arm with a stern instruction to apply pressure to the cut.

After that he pulled some of the more basic tools of the trade from his belt, a few plants that he knew helped stem bleeding from the herb gardens at the Radiants fortress near ethos. Crushing the leaves into pieces to release the desired components from inside the leaves he pressed the crushed plant matter against the wound before suturing the cut shut with coarse thread and a needle. As he did he muttered to himself.

"First that Dragon Knight at Windholm, now a Jatu Rider. Next thing you know I'll be saving a snake priestess."

After the first wound was sewn shut as best he knew how, he moved onto the cut on his arm, repeating the process.

As the Jatu riders escorted the other knights back across the river, Morek was approached by Jukar. He had covered almost his entire face with a turban and looked down onto his son.

"Sir knight, you will take my son and our women and children with you to where you came from." he said and turned his head towards the horde's main encampement. "your black raider rode hard into the camp, no doubt to tell tall tales. I fear for the survival of the Jatu as it seems I've cursed them with my actions. Jatu tradition forbids me to run, but that doesn't count for our wives and children too young to ride a horse and hold a lance. Zulkar will know how to lead them."

Morek listened to what the man had to say before replying, his words thoughtful. He rose from his knees besides the patched up Zulkar and turned to face the old man.

"I can no more run from this than you can Warlord. I can see that they are taken safely to Ethos, but not personally. At least not yet; my oath and responsibility to my Order and Ethos does not allow it. Unless this ends here an now they'll survive for a little longer only to die when this gathering heads East after spilling from the Steppes."

He sighed and looked at his hands, the gloves stained with blood from saving a life.

"The man who has the ear of your Lady is the keystone. But perhaps she can be made to see reason."

"I've been in Ethos once, a long time ago. My kin would like to see its gardens and hear its songs, I've spoiled them with stories about that city. Get them to safety, Sir Morek, for I fear that soon there will be no more horde." Jukar spoke with an absent mind.

"I'll send them across the rivers when darkness falls, and if on the morrow the sand is not red of blood I'll get you a meeting with the mistress. I owe you that, for making sure the Jatu survive in their children."

"They'll make it across and to Ethos. Some of the Radiant retainers will make it so."

He nodded to the old man before turning and waving at his Barclayans a distance away. The one who had been holding the reins to his courser approached and transfered the horse back into his possession. Morek mounted up and glanced down.

"Try no to get yourself killed Jukar. You're no so old yet to miss seeing more grandchildren after this situation is dealt with."

(Since psychozoa and DrSane are no shows can we just have some of their men shepherd the ladies and kids?)