The initial meeting between Igor Foote and some other nobles from Perdan in Perdan Mines. There was tension between the two sides, Sydgard and Perdan, which could only be resolved in one of two ways: battle or concession.
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Clop-clop-clop ...huff huff huff... clop-clop-clop
The sounds of Igor and his 79 infantrymen made their way done the dusty dirt road in Dimwood, heading towards Perdan Mines. With the great gift of coconuts from Eros Harte, they all rode their pretend horses only occasionally stopping for Igor to catch his breath. No sounds emanated from the forest just to the west of the road. Only the sound of coconuts and heavy breathing with the occasional giggle could be heard during the still of this moonless night.
Clop-clop-clop hehehehe clop-clop-clop ...huff huff huff... clop-clop-clop
---
Igor and his men clopped through the desolate westernmost part of Perdan Mines. Fresh sea breeze gently brushed against the naked soldiers skin, fading as the convoy moved further and further from the coast. Breaking the horizon, the sun began drying the morning dew. Occasional marble columns and fragmented statues were passed by. The origins of these historical ruins were unknown to even the most educated scholar. These fragments of the past came from a time even older than Perdan itself. Bringing the convoy to a halt, Igor pretended to dismount a horse and sat down at the side of the road. Igor didn't even notice the wet grass gracing his sweaty and bare hindquarters. The long trip to the Perdanese camps at the center of the mines would take most of the morning. Without any letter to the Perdanese of his intention, Igor's arrival was sure to surprise a few.
---
Igor did not have to wait long. The region was apparently teeming with Perdanese troops and very soon his company was spotted by local scouts. At noon he heard hooves approaching from over the hill. A large contingent of men clad in shining steel was approaching the travellers.
In front of them rode an average looking man in his middling years bearing a crown of gold on his head. He was clad in excellently forged blued armor sporting a roaring lion head on its chestpiece. Although he did not look particularly big and powerful, he did have an air of veteran warrior about him and his eyes were intent and focused akin to a preying falcon. This had to be Kay, the king of Perdan himself.
His train consisted mostly of foot soldiers but at his side rode several other noble warriors of Perdan. Black Lion banners were flanked by sigils of Perdanese lords and knights: wild cats, wolves, horses, green mountains, magical beasts, but mostly birds of prey of all types.
Kay scanned the men camping on this side of a hill. He knew immediately they were Sydgardian reavers. But who led the company? He noticed crescent moon symbols. Was that Eros? No, he remember Eros' face very well. This must be one of his close retainers.
Kay raised his hand, prompting his men to stop, and rode toward the strangers' leader now only accompanied by his noble companions. The group of riders approached close enough for a calm conversation and stopped, looking down on Igor. It appeared like the king was not going to be the first to speak, he expected some introductions and explanations first.
---
Riding alongside her charge she looks curious as they follow the king to the strange company and the naked man. Her pale cheeks take on a reddish hue as she quickly looks away and turns towards the woman in the white cloak she rides protective next to. She raises one eyebrow and looks questioningly at the Imperatrix.
---
Multiple banners pointed up towards the morning sun as they rose above the horizon. With blinding rays of light, the Sydgardian horde couldn't make out who were approaching them. Igor yelled out for the convoy to halt as the banners came closer. Slowly the Perdanese emblem became decipherable. Still Igor was at unease. These were allies and they should know about certain customs in Sydgard.
Separating from the pack of soldiers, a small band of nobles rode in closer to Igor and his men. The horse hooves tightly packed the dirt road as the air stiffened. Unnoticed by Igor was a golden crown glistening upon the head of the noble at the center of the Perdanese envoy.
"Hoof Hoof," Igor yelled as the allies drew in close, "Igor Men, shield wall!"
Hastily all seventy-nine naked axe men formed a wall of shields behind Igor. The naked Sydgardian noble stepped back a couple paces, drawing in close to the shields. Igor's russet eyes burned with fury, embolden by the presence of his axemen.
The Perdanese came to a halt and Igor began pacing back and forth. A young dame blushed as she looked away from the Sydgardians. Igor didn't pay attention her, his focus was on a much more serious matter.
"Hoof hoof bad. Igor hate hoof hoof. Igor kill hoof hoof!" He roared and pulled out his Ancient Hammer of the Mother which was strung across his back. "Hoof hoof go! Igor hate hoof hoof. Igor Men kill hoof hoof!"
Igor's soldiers began banging their axes on their shields and chanting, "hoof hoof go, hoof hoof die!"
Tightening his grip on the robust war hammer, Igor prepared for a potential fight.
"Hoof hoof bad. Igor hate hoof hoof. Igor kill hoof hoof," Igor, seemingly stuck in a loop, repeated himself amidst the soldier chants, "hoof hoof go! Igor hate hoof hoof. Igor Men kill hoof hoof!"
---
The Perdanese ranks quickly stopped at the imposing shield wall in front of them. The horses neighed and stomped the ground nervously. Foot soldiers, confused, scurried for their weapons as the naked man shouted nigh incoherently, his accent thick and his words simple.
Alyssa grimaced at the naked man leading the force before her army, his appearance and nudity somewhat disturbing. In the ramblings of the mad soldier, she recognized a few words.
"Igor hate Hoof Hoof!"
The name was familiar and the meter of his speech was indicative. Alyssa considered the man for a moment while Lady Dustiria looked at her and the King attempted to regroup the army. Then it clicked.
Quickly Aly dismounted, The clank of her sabatons on the cobblestone road drowned out by the bustle of the startled army. Saying nothing she stepped towards the shield wall and the large naked man who led them. Graham reached over to grab Starlight's reins and calm her.
Alyssa stepped up towards the naked men before her. Half out of an attempt at modesty, and half out of the man's form somewhat disturbing her, Alyssa averted her gaze as she called to the man.
"Thegn of Sydgard. The armies of Perdan are not your enemies. I shall order the horses to give you a wide berth, if it will prevent bloodshed. But if you draw upon our King on our honour we shall defend him to the last. What say you Thegn of South?"
---
A breeze starting rolling through the plains, shifting the banners held by the occasional soldier in Igor's retinue. Every other banner bore the emblem of Sydgard with the others baring the Raven. The Raven was seen as the bird of blood, corpses and battle in Sydgard which made it a common icon on the battlefield. A young dame had dismounted her horse and came in closer to Igor. The Thegn of Sydgard held up a hand, bringing the chanting soldiers to complete silence.
"Thegn of Sydgard," the unknown lady spoke without looking at Igor, "the armies of Perdan are not your enemies. I shall order the horses to give you a wide berth, if it will prevent bloodshed. But if you draw upon our King on our honour we shall defend him to the last. What say you Thegn of South?"
Igor stopped his pacing and looked at the dame while trying to avoid looking at those frightful steeds. Tilting his head slightly he studied her the best he could. There was some bravery in approaching the shield wall but yet she averted her gaze. Igor grunted in dissatisfaction and thought about her words. The mere imagining of the horses giving a bloody birth to a foal caused his skin to crawl. Shaking off the nightmarish day dream, Igor's grip on his hammer slightly loosened.
"Hoof hoof go," Igor's responded with a husky voice, "or Igor kill hoof hoof. Igor no like hoof hoof. No lady hoof hoof, no king hoof hoof. All hoof hoof bad. Igor only like fake hoof hoof. "
---
Alyssa glanced towards the Thegn to meet his eyes, her chin tilted upwards, settling just above his gaze in order to avoid the unpleasant sight of his nudity in her periphery. With one hand on her blade, and the other behind her back in a dignified stance she called to the army behind her.
"Steer the horses off the road." She commanded. "Allow our allies to pass unimpeded."
A beat passed while the soldiers looked at each other, finally having recovered from the initial confusion. Without looking away from the Thegn, she heard a voice from behind, unsure of whose it was echo her orders. "You heard the Imperatrix, move your arses!"
Suddenly the army began to come to life. Slowly the men led their horse towards the side of the road, captains directing the horses and carts far back off the roadside. As the army began to shift, Alyssa held her gaze just above Igor's eyes, her posture unmoving. After several minutes, the Perdanese army had moved off the road, not a horse remained in the way.
Alyssa granted a brief respectful bow to the Sydgardians, turning her head to the side as she did so to avert her gaze from Igor's nudity.
Returning to attention she spoke once more. "Welcome to Perdan, Thegn of Sydgard."
---
Igor and the Sydgardians stood still, not reacting to the Perdanese commander's bow.
"Welcome to Perdan," she said, "Thegn of Sydgard."
Igor was still puffed up from the potential battle, a scowl still resting upon his face. "Purr Dan many hoof hoof," he said raucously, "Igor no like hoof hoof."
Turning back towards the Sydgardian soldiers, Igor gave the order to stand down. With great disappointment the tense men begrudgingly broke the shield wall and put away their weapons. As the southern soldiers went back to a traveling column, Igor turned back towards the fair-haired dame.
"Igor," he placed a hand on his chest to gesture that he was referring to himself. "What lady name?" Igor asked inattentively as his gaze occasionally drifted towards the distance horses.
---
She watched nervous as Alyssa went fourth to the naked man. Not happy she follows the orders and takes her Calvary off. Warily she watches before dismounting and going to her usual spot behind and to left of the Imperatrix. She nods her head in greeting and stands ready eyes on Igor's eyes.
---
Isana's attention was pulled from the crackling of the lunch fire on the beach to a hubbub some distance away. By the colours they wore it was the Imperatrix's forces, and they were... she squinted hard for a few moments, then looked to her captain for confirmation.
"Heinz, have a look here. What do you suppose is going on? It looks like that shield unit is in the nude!" As he stepped over to her she continued, "On a windy day like today, can you imagine! The Imperatrix is addressing them, perhaps enforcing proper order..." she gestured with her chin to the horses and troops up on the rise in the distance.
Black-haired Heinz straightened up to peer in her pointed direction. The salt wind kicked up off the bay again as they watched, green-and-white tabards twisting about their legs. Heinz pursed his lips a moment then replied, "Ah, no, Milady, I think that's the Thegn and his troops from afar. It's not uncommon to see them, er, ungarbed, in this way."
Isana turned incredulous wide eyes to him, "You're not joking? Hah!" She broke into a brief chuckle before muffling the sound into one fist, merriment apparent on her features. "Ha, oh my. That was something we'd see sometimes in the wildlands of Beluaterra, but I wasn't expecting such a practice to still thrive on such a long-settled continent as this one. Interesting. More to learn I suppose. They certainly look formidable."
Heinz gave a one-shoulder shrug as he turned back to poke at the low lunch fire. "One would have to be. Their shield wall formation has also been lauded in song. The potatoes are ready, Milady; let's eat!"
---
"Alyssa Kingsley, Lady of White Lodge, Imperatrix of Perdan, as it... please the Thegn..." She trailed off, head still turned to the side. "I must return to my army. We will see you in Brive..." Alyssa finished marching quickly off back to her Starlight and the Perdan army, and far away from the uncomfortably shaped brute in front of her.
As she mounted her mare after returning to the army, she caught a glimpse of the backside of the Sydgardian column, as they continued their march. Alyssa grimaced uncomfortably at the sight.
---
The Imperatrix left the Sydgardians behind, for now, and Igor tried to commit the name and face to memory. "A..Aly...Alys..sa," he muttered a few times before signalling the soldiers to begin their march. Every other soldier gathered up their coconuts, gifts from the Jarl, and began trotting along on their "fake hoof hoof" towards Brive. clop-clop clop-clop
