RARMON, PYTHARON TO ORRILA, MILAVE

JANUAE

I follow Selm’s suggestion and make my way to the market in Rarmon. I take it upon myself to ask about travel to Orrila but I am all too often ignored outright. To hear Selm tell it, these traders have great stashes of numenera they are intent on smuggling out of the Pytharon Empire, but it seems these are pretty run-of-the-mill traders with mostly food supplies, crafted items, and some ores, not much in the way of exotics, not even the occasional oddity.

I do happen to pass a merchant hurriedly loading up a wagon hitched to an aneen. The wagon is heaped with unthreshed grains, but as I pass it I can sense numenera. A thought strikes me and I engage the merchant.

JANUAE

Greetings to you. I’m looking to seek passage to Orrila. Would you possibly be heading that way?

NENTANI

I am, but I can’t take on a passenger, sorry.

JANUAE

Is that terlwheat you’re transporting?

NENTANI

Yes. I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to visit. Please leave me to load my wagon-

JANUAE

Is there enough of the grain to conceal the numenera you have hidden beneath it?

NENTANI

(after a pause)

I don’t know what you’re talking about. I trade in terlwheat.

JANUAE

Look, don’t worry, I’m not going to report you. I’m a nano and I can sense the numenera you’re hiding under that grain.

NENTANI

But you’ll report me if I don’t offer you a ride to Orrila.

JANUAE

No, I don’t operate on blackmail, more on mutual benefit. I’ll make you an offer. See, as a nano and a former Aeon Priest I can likely identify the function of your numenera. I know you know it’s numenera but you likely don’t know what it does, do you? I’ll tell you this much, if you could tell a potential buyer what it does, or what its effects are, you would certainly fetch a higher price for it, wouldn’t you?

(pause)

Just let me know if you’ll accept my proposal in exchange for a ride. Otherwise I’m sure I can find another trader who will be interested in my offer.

NENTANI

(after a couple beats)

Okay. That’s fair. Name’s Nentani.

JANUAE

Januae.

NENTANI

Alright. Once we cross the border into Milave I’ll have you tell me what I’ve got and what it does. Once you do that and I’m confident you know your stuff, I’ll take you the rest of the way to Orrila. Otherwise I leave you at the border. Understood.

JANUAE

Completely.

NENTANI

Alright then. Help me load the rest of the terlwheat and we can get going that much sooner.

NARRATION

JANUAE

It takes close to a week for us to reach the border that separates Milave from the Pytharon Empire. There are modest defense stations along the border, due to a persistent paranoia based on the belief that the Empress eventually plans to reclaim Milave. From what I learned after speaking with Iijeo this paranoia is not entirely unfounded.

As she sets up camp, Nentani has me examine the various numenera items she’s smuggled into Milave. It takes quite a bit of studying for me to determine the effects or potential uses of the various items, but after a few hours I believe I have an understanding of them. There are a couple dozen orbs that when rolled cut swaths into the ground, potentially beneficial for plowing fields. With the prevalence of farms I’ve seen thus far these could prove to be her come-up. She is also carrying a handful of large egg-shaped items that seem to contain a substance that can harden light, though I can’t be completely certain. There is also a rolled up sheet of film a couple meters square that when unrolled instantly collects moisture from the air and begins to thicken, which I roll back up quickly to halt its effect. That could add substantial weight to our load if left spread open. I also discover several fist sized seeds that I believe can be planted and grown into stone columns. The last item I find is a tiny metallic figurine as tall as my thumb. The figurine depicted one form of creature, then changed to another whenever I faced a different direction. None of the creatures it depicts are any I recognize. An oddity, having no more value than a mere curiosity. Seeing no market value in it, Nentani let me keep that one. She is grateful and pleased with my assessments, confident the various cyphers and artifacts will fetch a tidy sum. Satisfied, she agrees to carry me the rest of the way to Orrila.

After another five days travel Nentani decides to have us stay at a friend’s place rather than camp as we had been doing. The friend is a farmer of a large crop of ghianche? Ganch is what the locals call it, easier to pronounce. The field extends for acres upon acres, with large automatons that appear to aid in the harvest.

As the sun approaches wane we reach an open structure, just a supported roof with no sides, where the laborers seem to be settling down after a day’s work in the fields. We park the wagon and Nentani introduces me to a middle aged man named Dustik.

DUSTIK

Pleased to meet you, Januae. Where you headed?

JANUAE

Orrila. My hope is to meet with the Archbishop there to speak with her about the intentions of the Papacy. She needs to know about the Pope’s intention of inciting war as a means of propaganda.

DUSTIK

Well good luck with that. Slemtar’s hands are tied up with trying to keep this land together. The various leaders of Milave are too embroiled in infighting and petty squabbling over land rights and poorly established trade agreements.

NENTANI

She seems to be doing a fine job of it, if you ask me. She managed to actually get what’s-his-name from the Gar province and Llalan from the Essent clan to talk.

DUSTIK

Please. That’s nothing. She is just a diplomat in Archbishop’s robes. If you ask me Tarvesh is the only thing keeping Milave united. If it weren’t for him Challadien would have had her army in here already and it would have been every faction for itself while this land gets absorbed back into Pytharon.

NENTANI

You only say that because Tarvesh is your nephew. You know my feelings on him already, Dustik. He’s a warlord who I’m betting is getting help from the Order. Slemtar is using him to unite the leaders to keep this land from fracturing.

DUSTIK

You give her too much credit, Nentani.

JANUAE

Nevertheless, it is still my goal to speak with the Archbishop about the Amber Pope’s nefarious plans. Milave politics don’t concern me.

NENTANI

Well it concerns us!

DUSTIK

Relax, Nentani. Don’t be so defensive. This man has an agenda that’s his own, he’s not from here. Here, take in some of the ganch.

NENTANI

Now that’s a good suggestion.

Sound of the herbs burning in a pipe

NENTANI

Januae. Try this.

JANUAE

What is it?

NENTANI

It’s ganch. This is what Dustik grows here. Take it in. It will help you relax. From what I’ve come to know of you it will do you some good.

JANUAE

I take the pipe and inhale the smoke from the burning herbs. It’s somewhat tingly as it moves into my lungs, but not harsh. Within moments I find myself beginning to go into a bit of a relaxed state, my normally racing mind settles into a calmness, a stillness, as I forget my goals and motivations and simply allow myself to enjoy the sound of the breeze rustling the leaves of the crops and the sight of the sun beginning to slip below the fields along the horizon.

The conversation drifts to more banal topics such as food and family and weather. As we lounge and laugh I watch a slight glow rise from the fields a short distance away.

JANUAE

Oh, that’s rather lovely. What is that?

DUSTIK

(after a pause)

Oh crail. We need to get out of here!

JANUAE

What is it?

NENTANI

Stratharian War Moths! We need to find cover! Let’s go!

DUSTIK

There’s no cover out here! The cuthouses are a few kilometers from here!

NENTANI

Come! Hide under my wagon!

DUSTIK

There’s seven of us here! We won’t all fit!

NENTANI

It’s better than nothing! Let’s go!

JANUAE

The glow in the fields fast approaches our direction. We sprint to the clearing where the wagon is parked a few dozen meters away. It is not long before the flying creatures close the distance. Though these giant moths have a wingspan easily a couple of meters wide, they could have easily slipped under the roof of the structure we just escaped.

Dustik, Nentani and a couple others reach the wagon and slip underneath. I reach it but too late to fit alongside the others. I watch the moths surround the two field hands behind me and unfurl their wings to their fullest width as a cone of brilliant light emits from them, targeting the workers. The light strikes them and I see it begin to wither their flesh, like a plant drying up in the sun but at an accelerated rate. I dash around the wagon to the opposite side, shielding myself from the cones of light, then I pull myself up the side and onto the pile of terlwheat and begin burrowing down into it, hoping it provides enough shelter.

I can hear one of the two workers attempting to pull himself up into the wagon, following my lead. I grab his hand and try to pull him in with me, while I can hear the other one screaming in pain on the ground nearby. The moths are striking with their mandibles and I get a glimpse of the light beginning to build up on the surface of the wings. It seems they need several seconds to regenerate the light beam, buying us a slight bit of time.

With uncharacteristic calmness amidst this assault I finish pulling the field hand into the wagon and proceed to cover them with the shocks of grain. A flash of insight comes into my mind unfettered by fear-driven impulse and I feel around the bottom of the wagon for the egg shaped numenera devices, remembering their ability to harden light. I grab one and hold the seam between my fingertips, waiting for the right moment. As soon as I see the light begin to flare from the wings of several of the moths I pull the device apart and an aerosol spray bursts from the egg into a cloud above the wagon. The cones of light erupting from beneath the wings of the Stratharian War Moths harden and become solid as they strike the cloud, pulling the moths down to the ground with its weight. I reach down and find the next egg and time my attack again as the next group approaches. With each cloud burst the light hardens on the wings and the moths drop, until all the moths are rendered flightless on the ground. I yell an all clear and the others cautiously emerge from beneath the wagon. They gaze upon the moths’ wriggling bodies with bewilderment until Dustik regains his composure, produces a short knife from his pocket and finishes off each of the moths. We wearily wander back to the covered area and take in some more ganch to soothe our nerves.

DUSTIK

Thank you so much, Januae. That was absolutely brilliant thinking under fire.

JANUAE

I’m glad I could help. Though I’ve quite surprised myself, I must admit.

NENTANI

He had identified all my numenera for me and knew what to do with it. I’m not sure we would have survived that attack had he not been here.

DUSTIK

Listen, I know you’re on your way to see the Archbishop, but perhaps I could introduce you to my nephew, Tarvesh? He could prove to be helpful in your quest.

JANUAE

I may actually consider that, thank you.

NENTANI

If you decide to go see him, Januae, understand I can’t wait here for you. As much as I appreciate what you did here, I do have a timetable to adhere to.

DUSTIK

I can get you transport to Orrila when we return from seeing Tarvesh. We’ll leave in the morning. And if there’s anything else at all I can do to repay you, just ask. I’m in your debt.

JANUAE

Well… perhaps you could spare a bit of that ganch?