Sortie
Location: Fernern VillageTime: Y1500 - 13th day of the Harvest Moon - Night
The white moon was high enough in the sky that horses could ride despite being night.
A group of twelve knights was travelling north along the main roads that connects Victoria with other large settlements. After two hour of riding, the knights left the road, turning west toward the village of Fernern. A small farming settlement.
The noise of the horses approaching fast could not be missed by the villagers.
Surely enough small fires could be seen by the knights. The dogs were the firsts to notice them, and their bark awoke the villagers. They came out of their huts armed with farming tools. Public order was bad, villager had to defends themselves against mercenaries. Numbers making up for their lack of training or proper weapons. It was deterrent enough most of the times.
The knights stopped in front of the mob. The leader of the knights come down from his horse. An old man, probably the village chief stepped forward.
"Why do Knights of Gloria came to us in the middle of the night?" (Village Chief)
"I'm Steffen, leader of this unit. We are here on orders from the High Priestess herself. Are all of the villagers here?" (Steffen)
"Why are you here, Knight?" (Village Chief)
"Careful, commoner. I'm the one making questions. Answer!" (Steffen)
The villagers readied their farming tools, the knights unsheathed their swords.
"Stand down! Knight, we do not wish for bloodshed. All the able bodied are here. The young and the old are inside their huts." (Village Chief)
"We are searching for newborn babies or pregnant women. Are there any in your village?" (Steffen)
The Village Chief consulted briefly with the younger men next to him.
"Leader of the Knight. I'm Hivern, son of the Village Chief, Herbern. A baby was born from my wife tonight. A fair skinned baby. Many think of it as a bad omen. What would you do with my child?" (Hivern)
Fernern was a village of Dark Skin humans. Dark Skin are mostly found in farming villages or employed as labour force. Dark Skin are physically stronger than Fair Skin but have little aptitude for magic. It's a rarity for a Fair Skin to be born of Dark Skin parents. Steffen had never witnessed it.
"Bring your child, along with all pregnant women and children younger than one year of age to your hut, Village Cheif. My knights will stand guard. Knights! Have Stella inform the temple and ask for further orders." (Steffen)
"Very well. We shall do as you say. Please, let us be. Nobody needs to die, tonight." (Herbern)
The village chief knew in his heart that his grandchild would be taken from him, but that child was a bad omen. She had been born only hours before, and a crysis already befell the village. Had the Knights of Gloria not come for her, the chief would have ended her life personally.
[Hiding our youths and mothers would only serve to make the Knights our enemy. I'm sure they are only after my grandchild. I'm sorry. You'll have to die for the village to survive.] (Herbern)
Herbern escorted Steffen to the chief's hut, where his grandchild was. Meanwhile, his son, Hivern was gathering the others. Three pregnant women and a one year old child. Outside the village, Stella, a Mage Knight came down from her horse. A faint green light could be seen around her by those adept to magic.
<Far Talk> (Stella)
As the Mage Knight of the unit, Stella was in charge of communications. She weaved <Far Talk>, a spell that link the minds of two people together. The spell was too complex for a Mage of her level, so she carried a medallion upon which the spell was engraved. By channeling magic through the artifact, the spell would activate.
"Headquarter. I'm Stella, Mage Knight from the Fourth Unit. I have an urgent report." (Stella)
"I was awaiting for your report, Mage Knight Stella. I'm the High Priestess. Speak." (High Priestess)
"Blessed One! ... Ah! Fernern is cooperating, and we are securing it as we speak. We have confirmed the presence of several pregnant women and a one year old child. The most significant news is a fair skin girl that was born tonight of dark skin parents." (Stella)
"The fair skin must be the one the Seer spoke of. The child has to be taken to the Temple. Alive and unharmed. Failure is not an option." (Head Priestess)
"As you will. Blessed One." (Stella)
"About that village... How many Dark Skin lives in Fernern?" (Head Priestess)
"There are about seventy of them in twenty huts, Blessed One." (Stella)
"Uhm... We can't let news of the birth of the fair skin to spread. You are adept in fire magic, are you not, Knight Stella? After withdrawal, you are to burn the village to the ground. The other knights are to chase and kill everybody that escapes." (Head Priestess)
"But... The villagers... They are cooperating!" (Stella)
"Will you go against the will of the Gloria, Mage Knight Stella?" (Head Priestess)
Stella knew well what awaited her had she refused to follow the order. Going against the will of God is a grave sin. She could only obey.
"I... It will be done, Blessed One." (Stella)
"I shall await for favourable news and the child to arrive. May Gloria's blessing be with you." (Head Priestess)
...
The village was quiet, basking in the moon light of the night. The villagers went inside by order of the Knights of Gloria. They were afraid, but confident that the situation had resolved. Many were already thinking about the work to be done in the fields, tomorrow. Little they knew that their fate was already sealed.
"I have the child, Stella. The villagers are inside their huts. They think we are preparing to leave, they are not expecting an assault. Now is the moment, before they realize our intent. Magic Knight Stella, I order you to burn Fernern to the ground, along with every soul that lives in it! For Gloria!" (Steffen)
With a heavy heart, Stella took out an artifact from her belt, an unimpressive wooden ring. She rose the ring in the air, closed her eyes, and started weaving magic. She carefully refined the magic power around her in thin threads, and directed the threads according the image that was forming in her mind. The image of Fernern burning.
It took about two minutes for the weaving to complete. A villager, untrained, but with some aptitude in magic was observing the Knights from an opening in his hut. He could see a faint red light around the female knight. He realised the danger too late.
<Cleansing Fire!> (Stella)
In an instant, strong magical flames erupted from the ground. They lasted only a few seconds, enough to lit the huts made of wood and dry mud along with every Dark Skin living inside the village. The flames reached high in the sky. The heat could be felt by the knights and the horses. The wooden ring turned to dust, ashes falling over Stella.
"It seems no one will attempt to escape. Well done, Magic Knight Stella. Your spell weaving was magnificent. We'll stay a while longer to confirm no Dark Skin survived. Then we will ride back to the Temple. The child has to be delivered to the High Priestess. Night shall be of no impediment." (Steffen)
[This is the will of Gloria. This is the will of Gloria. This is the will of Gloria. This...] (Stella)
Stella repeated the mantra in her head. Silent tears dripping from her eyes at the lives she took. This action was ordered by the head priestess of Gloria. It was the will of Gloria herself. What was wrong with her that she doubted her actions? Stella tried to bury her feelings.
Twelve knight were seen riding on the main road during the night. One of them holding a new born.