Bad Omens (AAR)

[Tyrfingr]

Chapter I: Introduction

The omens have been bad this year, really bad. When the snow started to fall, we were not prepared. The harvest had been poor for several years but we had managed, barely, but we were always alive to see the grass return. We are starving.

Our holymen claimed the gods demanded several slaves as sacrifice, but as we drowned our own slaves to please the gods, the starvation got worse. The farmers barely had the strength to reap their crops, the lumberjacks the strength to cut down trees, and the children the strength to eat. Needless to say, the old, weak and children died by the hundreds.

Stories began circulating, our allies were not faring as well either and it was depressing to listen to the bards from the west, how famine and plauge has swept across the lands, leaving several villages empty. Although I don't understand all the words of the bards, it was not just harvest that was poor. The political relations with our allies had started to fail, and there was talks of oncoming war. We share the same gods, but they have always been after the throne, the throne that is rightfully ours by divine right. I guess the hard times creates desperate men.

The snow stood half a spear when the cold grasp took my two sisters away. My older brother had passed away just before the snow, attacked by wild dogs when he was out hunting with the men of the village. Father could only carry his mauled body back to camp, our healers could do nothing to save him. Without their oldest son to help us in the hunt, as I'm still young, food became even scarse and my sisters died.

My mother and father were in a dreadful state, and the grief from the loss of both my older brother and younger sisters became too heavy for me...

...So I left home to wander the roads, to beg, to steal, to survive. I followed the roads southwest, through the lands of our so-called "friends" and they were sure not friendly anymore. As the snow started to melt, I found the roads leading south, to our largest city. There, I was going to find what I was meant for...

[Chirurgeon]

Hmmm...this sounds intriguing. Wonder what faction this is?

Oh yes and welcome to the forums!

The second wave of AARs is upon us after the release of EB 1.0

[johnhughthom]

Sounds like Arverni to me, it will go nicely with the Aedui one just started if it is.

[Leão magno]

Mistery! :) Great approach... why can not it be Sweboz???

[Wolfman]

If it is with the Sweboz that would be Bitter Sweet since I was writing a Sweboz AAR and it pretty much started out the same way.
P.S. Leao Are you planning on rejoining the PBM? If you are I can't wait!

[Tyrfingr]

Chapter II: Recruitment

I walked through the gates of our capital, but I was much confused. The tales had spoken of a great city, with houses made of silver and armies clasped in gold, and all there was to see was dirt. Dirt roads, dirty houses and dirty people. I wandered along the cramped streets and coming from a much smaller town, I began to regret my journey southwards.

I had nothing to eat, or coin to buy anything to eat or rent a room, so I had to sleep outside, in the alleys. The weather were not too bad, but it was still cold. For six days, I stayed in the alleys, stealing bread and coin from the market to survive. On the seventh day, everything was about to change.

As I was about to steal a loaf of bread, the guards caught me and had me arrested. The captain, a man about twice my age, stared at me with grim eyes. He explained that I ought to be hanged, as is the custom, but these were hard times and he gave me the option of enlisting in the army. Between death and the army, where you atleast were given food, the choice was obvious.

I was taken to the barracks and assigned to the Iaosatae. We crafted our own weapons, the sling, a small shield and a small knife. My company consisted of men of all ages, some were old with grey beards but most were about my age. Our officer reminded me of the captain of the city guard, but much more scarred, I guess he had seen alot of wars.

I was not too bad with the sling, as I had alot of practice from the countless hunts with my older brother. The officer noticed it when I managed to shoot a bird of a rooftop, and he asked me for my name.

- Taranix, of the Vocontii, I answered him.
- Named after the Thundergod are you? Well, little Thunderer, we will need your skills with the sling. War is coming...