Talon
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2000
- Posts
- 808
(Closed for Cherubian.)
The sound of chirping songbirds amongst the dense trees of the Black Forest heralded the dawn of a new spring day, the sun rising over the snow capped peaks of Mount Karidin to the southeast. A light morning mist clung to the base of the mountain range, slowly dissipating as the rays of light crept out over the forest, banishing both the darkness and the chill left over from the previous night. Sounds of human activity echoed through the trees despite the early hour, and the acrid stench of burnt wood overpowered the fresh smell of spring renewal in the air. Such was the way of life for the peasants who called the village Hinderstap their home. In spite of the underlying appearance of a serene spring morning, disaster had struck the village by night for the third time in a fortnight. The raiders had once again come under the cover of darkness to burn and pillage, leaving several of their homes smoldering, a few of the womenfolk abducted and several of the towns makeshift militia members severly wounded or dead. The remaining villagers were left to take stock of the damage now that the sun had risen, bringing with it the promise of safety as the raiders had only ever struck during the darkest hours of the night. Men young and old rushed to put out the homes still left smoldering, women and girls taking stock of the loss to their food stores and patching up the wounded militiamen. They moved with an almost practiced speed, as if this were no strange occurance and everyone already knew their place and role. A hardy, simple people accustomed to hardship, the villagers of Hinderstap certainly knew how to endure.
Nestled in the shadow of Mount Karidin to the south and flanked by the thick woodlands of the Black Forest to the north, east and west, the small human settlement of Hinderstap marked the southernmost boundary of the Kingdom of Dyr. Situated roughly one hundred leagues to the south of the walled provincial capital city of Tarstrum, Hinderstap was a byproduct of attempted southern expansion during more prosperous and ambitious times. After years of heavy fighting with the monstrous tribes of the Southlands, dwindling coffers and waning support for the failing campaign in the noble circles of the capital cities forced the King's hand, ultimately ending the conflict in an uneasy armistice that exists to the present day. The human King refused to admit defeat and end with the war labeled a failure, and with no real organized enemy leadership on the part of the non-human tribes with which to negotiate, both sides essentially walked away from the war with no formal treaty ever signed. The collection of monstrous tribes, consisting mainly of Orcs and other goblinoids, were content to return to their piecemeal raiding of the human settlements and avoid large-scale conflict altogether. The King's armies withdrew to the capital cities to once more maintain peace in the prosperous inner circle of the realm, leaving the small settlements that had sprung up during the war on the outskirts of Dyr territory to fend for themselves. These settlements are still formally within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Dyr, and therefore owe fealty to the human King, but rarely encounter anyone bearing the royal seal apart from the King's Tax Collectors.
Since the end of the war and the withdrawal of the King's armies, villages such as Hinderstap have come to depend on the services of an unaffiliated sect of warriors, known colloquially as the "Hunters", for protection from the horrors of the wilds. Orcish raiding parties, wandering Ogres, bands of cutt-throat human marauders; the list of predators seeking to profit from the suffering of others is never in short supply. The Hunters are an unaffiliated group of mercenaries and bounty hunters, wandering the lawless southern countryside that Dyr has abandoned to the wilds in search of employment. A contract, as in the process through which a Hunter is hired and the terms and payment are agreed upon, is negotiated and carried out by the individual Hunter, with rates generally varying by the length and difficulty of the job. Stories circulate amongst tavern common rooms of Village Leaders foolish enough to attempt to withhold payment after the contract is fulfilled, and of the Hunter's sometimes violent method of extracting what's owed. Fanciful barroom tales aside, Hunters are not generally the charitable type and expect to be paid for services rendered, and any man capable of hunting an Orcish raid party should not lightly be crossed by the likes of a peasant farmer.
Hinderstap has been without the services of a Hunter since before winter, and although heavy snow has kept the hamlet relatively safe since then, the thawing warmth of spring has seen a yearly renewal of its raider troubles. Hinderstap is a small village of around thirty families, houses arranged to either side of the King's road that bisects the town. The road was constructed during the war as a supply route and runs north all the way to the capital city. A humble village on it's best day, Hinderstap outwardly showed the signs of the raider's torches on the walls and roofs of it's buildings, in the cries of it's families that mourned the loss of a young militiaman or fair daughter. Villagers went about their tasks with eyes cast at the ground, stubbornly repairing the damage yet fearing it useless against the silent promise of future destruction. The raiders would surely move on, but not before they'd had their fill of Hilderstap women. Any material goods worth taking had been gone the first night, and at this point, any further action was surely just a wicked game being played out for the fufillment of the raider's sadistic sexual appetites.
The sound of chirping songbirds amongst the dense trees of the Black Forest heralded the dawn of a new spring day, the sun rising over the snow capped peaks of Mount Karidin to the southeast. A light morning mist clung to the base of the mountain range, slowly dissipating as the rays of light crept out over the forest, banishing both the darkness and the chill left over from the previous night. Sounds of human activity echoed through the trees despite the early hour, and the acrid stench of burnt wood overpowered the fresh smell of spring renewal in the air. Such was the way of life for the peasants who called the village Hinderstap their home. In spite of the underlying appearance of a serene spring morning, disaster had struck the village by night for the third time in a fortnight. The raiders had once again come under the cover of darkness to burn and pillage, leaving several of their homes smoldering, a few of the womenfolk abducted and several of the towns makeshift militia members severly wounded or dead. The remaining villagers were left to take stock of the damage now that the sun had risen, bringing with it the promise of safety as the raiders had only ever struck during the darkest hours of the night. Men young and old rushed to put out the homes still left smoldering, women and girls taking stock of the loss to their food stores and patching up the wounded militiamen. They moved with an almost practiced speed, as if this were no strange occurance and everyone already knew their place and role. A hardy, simple people accustomed to hardship, the villagers of Hinderstap certainly knew how to endure.
Nestled in the shadow of Mount Karidin to the south and flanked by the thick woodlands of the Black Forest to the north, east and west, the small human settlement of Hinderstap marked the southernmost boundary of the Kingdom of Dyr. Situated roughly one hundred leagues to the south of the walled provincial capital city of Tarstrum, Hinderstap was a byproduct of attempted southern expansion during more prosperous and ambitious times. After years of heavy fighting with the monstrous tribes of the Southlands, dwindling coffers and waning support for the failing campaign in the noble circles of the capital cities forced the King's hand, ultimately ending the conflict in an uneasy armistice that exists to the present day. The human King refused to admit defeat and end with the war labeled a failure, and with no real organized enemy leadership on the part of the non-human tribes with which to negotiate, both sides essentially walked away from the war with no formal treaty ever signed. The collection of monstrous tribes, consisting mainly of Orcs and other goblinoids, were content to return to their piecemeal raiding of the human settlements and avoid large-scale conflict altogether. The King's armies withdrew to the capital cities to once more maintain peace in the prosperous inner circle of the realm, leaving the small settlements that had sprung up during the war on the outskirts of Dyr territory to fend for themselves. These settlements are still formally within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Dyr, and therefore owe fealty to the human King, but rarely encounter anyone bearing the royal seal apart from the King's Tax Collectors.
Since the end of the war and the withdrawal of the King's armies, villages such as Hinderstap have come to depend on the services of an unaffiliated sect of warriors, known colloquially as the "Hunters", for protection from the horrors of the wilds. Orcish raiding parties, wandering Ogres, bands of cutt-throat human marauders; the list of predators seeking to profit from the suffering of others is never in short supply. The Hunters are an unaffiliated group of mercenaries and bounty hunters, wandering the lawless southern countryside that Dyr has abandoned to the wilds in search of employment. A contract, as in the process through which a Hunter is hired and the terms and payment are agreed upon, is negotiated and carried out by the individual Hunter, with rates generally varying by the length and difficulty of the job. Stories circulate amongst tavern common rooms of Village Leaders foolish enough to attempt to withhold payment after the contract is fulfilled, and of the Hunter's sometimes violent method of extracting what's owed. Fanciful barroom tales aside, Hunters are not generally the charitable type and expect to be paid for services rendered, and any man capable of hunting an Orcish raid party should not lightly be crossed by the likes of a peasant farmer.
Hinderstap has been without the services of a Hunter since before winter, and although heavy snow has kept the hamlet relatively safe since then, the thawing warmth of spring has seen a yearly renewal of its raider troubles. Hinderstap is a small village of around thirty families, houses arranged to either side of the King's road that bisects the town. The road was constructed during the war as a supply route and runs north all the way to the capital city. A humble village on it's best day, Hinderstap outwardly showed the signs of the raider's torches on the walls and roofs of it's buildings, in the cries of it's families that mourned the loss of a young militiaman or fair daughter. Villagers went about their tasks with eyes cast at the ground, stubbornly repairing the damage yet fearing it useless against the silent promise of future destruction. The raiders would surely move on, but not before they'd had their fill of Hilderstap women. Any material goods worth taking had been gone the first night, and at this point, any further action was surely just a wicked game being played out for the fufillment of the raider's sadistic sexual appetites.