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An
Ubar's Perspective
By: Trenton De'Shea
Administrator/Ubar of Lydius
Tal & Welcome to a Warrior's Thoughts
From the quiet motion of stillness to the motion of
constant and vigilant revision of one's
understanding of the world around us we all take our
perceptions and make our choices. ~Trenton De'Shea
A
Warrior must be prepared to give all to maintain his
honor.
Without honor there is nothing.
Magicians of Gor, pg. 478
Alliance
A formal
agreement establishing an
association or alliance between
cities or other groups to achieve a
particular aim.
But what is
an alliance within?
A grand strategy
that unites and unifies all within
its circle, yet it is far more. In
any city, as the need for and size
of the military grows, the expansion
of a grand strategy to encompass the
management of the resources of the
city emerges. To prevent
invaders, a great consideration is
given to diplomacy and the use of
the military to achieve political
goals; both through warfare if need
be and also as a deterrent. The
contribution of military force
is largely an operational strategy -
the planning and control of large
military prides. Lydius's grand
strategy incorporates diplomacy
through which Lydius forges
alliances.
In order for any
military to succeed, its leader must
have faith in his men. Military
cannot succeed if they are not
empowered. Trusting your warriors
with the jobs you have assigned them
is key to any victory, nor does this
mean strictly in warfare. United we
succeed, divided anything will
fail. Respect is earned, as is
trust...as each goes both ways, you
must give it to receive it. Such is
the Brotherhood of Lydius, as we
stand strong in our ideals and bonds
of Honor.
Our city nae
seeks war, yet we have a vast war
fleet. Being one of the four free
ports of Gor, we are a thriving
trade mecca, attracting a vast
diversity in our imports, and our
visitors. Our merchant vessels are
accompanied by heavy rams, as I
leave nothing to chance.
Our defenses are
such that citizens and visitors
alike are safe within our city and
surrounding lands. By land, air,
river, forest or thassa the City of Lydius's defenses are unsurpassed. From the
huge stone wall that surrounds the
city, the massive stone guard towers
that rise high above providing a
panoramic view armed with arches day
and night, the tarn
wires strategically placed, the City
Guard, City Watch, all expertly
trained; Tarnsmen Patrols,
Tharlarion Patrols, Kaiila Patrols,
their watches extend from the thassa
all along the Laurius River and into
the Northern Forest past the Sleen
Pens, the Lydius fleet patrolling
the harbor and the river, all lands
surrounding the entry to the
Meadowlands, the City of
Lydius is
secure and her defense forces nae
penetrable.
Every plan is to
be considered, every expedient tried
and every method taken before
matters are brought to the last
extremity of war. Good Captains
decline general engagements where
other methods save the lives of
their Brothers. Strategy and finesse
are deployed to destroy the enemy as
much as possible... without exposing
our own forces. However, there
would be little reluctance to become
engaged in direct military
engagement, prosecuting offensive
operations against any adversaries.
Our Admiral and
Captains the finest of Gorean
warriors; as we welcome all to our
beautiful shores and the safety and
peace of Lydius.
Until we
meet again as in all things take what
you like, leave what you don't....
I wish you
all well,
 |
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The Warriors of Lydius stand strong in their
ideals and bonds of Honor. |
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A Healing to lead
to death.....
'The red head witch',
aye, that was what Seth had called me....I was
leaning over him, my face very close to his. I was
speaking to him, my words quiet, the sound of them
soft, but I knew he didn't understand. I wondered
vaguely if he even knew what I wanted of him, but
then I didn't care. I sought death. He sought
death. He'd failed, not only himself but his father
and mother. I watched as he eased out his breath
and welcomed it, before he was drawn quickly inward
once more again, and I knew he could see me no more.
I backed away
from the bed. The man was deeply unconscious,
which was just as well. I watched Kane lean
over him, brace one hand on the post of the box
bed, clutch his fingers around the ivory handle
and pull the dagger from his flesh. He did it
quickly and cleanly. Blood gushed out in its
wake, red and thick, too much blood, flowing
under his arm, snaking down through the hair
covering his chest. Quickly I pressed clean
woolen rep cloths against the wound. Kane wiped
my dagger on his tunic, before handing it back
to me, where I then slid it back in its sheath
that I kept hidden. He grunted and moved me
aside.
"I have more
strength" he said and sat down beside Seth,
bearing down on the wound. I, instead bathed
the filth from his face. "Why do you wish him
to live?" Kane's words broke my thought trail.
"Because I want
to kill him slowly and with great pleasure." I
said this quietly yet firmly before turning
silent, drying his face now, pale and drawn in
the dim rush of light. "'Tis best to let him
die, M'Lady" Kane urged me again.
"Nay, there are
strong feelings here, hatred that runs very deep
and I must know the why of it." I had to know
the whole truth.
"Ask his two men
once they are conscious again." Kane was
insistent.
"Aye, I will, but
I doubt they'll tell us. No, I must speak with
Seth and only he, for he is their leader and he
is the one who seeks revenge."
Kane knew as well
as I, that Seth wouldn't speak until he saw
Tyler and even then, perhaps he wouldn't, for he
had failed in his vengence. He would die
because of it and his reasons and beliefs with
him. Kane pressed more firmly on the wound,
frowning at the seeping blood from beneath the
thick wad of rep cloths I had placed there.
"There is more hatred here that chills the
soul." I remember Kane muttering.
"He is a very
strong man" I said. "But in reality, he isn't.
He is just a man and he"..my words trailed off
as it was hard to express what I felt.
"Aye, he is just
a man, M'Lady and he is a strong warrior. I
hope you allow him to die like a warrior."
Those words were all he would say.
I doubted I would
ever consent to forgo my pleasure in his death,
for Seth's pain and the pain he had brought
others would bring me a good deal of pleasure.
When I watched him fighting in the House, his
sword had gleamed as brightly as the silver arm
bands that now encircled each of his upper
arms. Aye, he had looked like a demon while he
fought, but not an old one though, for he was
large, his body lean, his legs thick with
muscle. He now wore only a fur to cover his
naked body from me and thick leather shoes that
cross-strapped to his knees which were laden
down with shackles as well.
"I will send two
of Tyler's girls to strip him down and bathe the
blood from the rest of his body." I told Kane as
I rose.
"I will keep the
pressure on the wound. The blood is slowing
already." Kane at a loss for words, I realized.
Or, because he didn't like what he knew would
happen?
I sent two of
Tyler's girls in to see to Seth. I had not been
honest with myself. Actually, the man was
magnificent, his face all hard lines and
shadowed planes, a beautiful face with arched
golden brows, a deep cleft in his chin. Let
them sigh over him and caress his body, the
lustful fools. I didn't care. I refused to
allow myself to care, for down that path lay
only sorrow and pain, for me as well as for him.
The hour grew
late and I saw that the two wounded men were
tended. None would die, thanks be to Odin.
Seth's two men were now bound and locked inside
the dungeon. Their wounds tended as well, slight
wounds really, but their heads ached
terribly. I told Preston, who was guarding the
two men, to keep a sharp eye on them, perhaps, I
told him, just perhaps, one of them would tell
Preston, how Seth's mind had worked towards the
end.
It neared
midnight. I couldn't sleep and rose and
stretched. Men were snoring on the benches that
lined the longhouse, each wrapped in his woolen
blanket or furs. Kane was standing, staring
into the orange sparking embers in the fire pit
in the center of the longhouse. His age seamed
face was set and hard, his pale gray eyes calm
as the core of a storm. His legs were bare,
warrior's legs, scarred from many battles and I
thought to leave him alone with his thoughts
when he said, "I was just thinking of Seth's
trickery. Conquest wasn't his only plan. He
brought only two men and one warship. He had no
plan to go anywhere but here because you, Daria
and Tyler were here and he wanted you."
"Aye, I admire
his mind and guile. He knew of the small rear
door all along. All his taunting, his curses,
and his insults, all was bluster and a sham. He
came with only two men." I already knew what
Seth wanted, and thought Kane had known as well.
"I admire him for
that, M'Lady. He is bold and he was taking a
grave risk. But his plan failed and now he will
die." Those words of Kane still ring in my head
as I write this. Aye, Seth will die but I do
not admire him or his plan. He will die when I
want him to and it won't be a warrior's death
for him....nay, not for Seth.
Continuing my vigil....
I spooned some porridge into a wooden bowl and handed
it to Kane."You have not eaten. It is tasty. Here is
some honey. Eat, Kane. Fret not." I watched him
fondly, this man who was as close to me as my own Uncle
had been. After his death, it was Tyler and Kane who
had stepped up to the plate to 'take care of me'. Tyler
had been my 'guardian' after Mikel's death and Kane,
well, Kane had been there and I turned to this man who
had always treated me gently yet matter-of-factly, and
had taught me how to use weapons because he knew nothing
else to teach me. Tyler hadn't minded and even approved
because I realized back then that it pleased him to know
that I could sew, cook, tend the Hall as its Mistress
and fight like a man, when needed.
Old Halak stopped beside me and patted my arm. He
wished me a good night. I nodded to him, thanking him,
for nothing really, but just because he was a good man
and had served me well. He had also fashioned a
protective shielding around the hole in the roof so no
rain poured into the longhouse. It was warm within, a
bluish smoke haze hanging in the air, but not so thick
that it was uncomfortable to breathe.
I watched Kane eat his porridge, slowly at first,
then with more appetite when he realized how hungry he
was. Just a few short hours ago, Seth had come here
with death on his mind, it seemed much longer than that
now. I had known then that Seth wouldn't believe
anything I said or did and as far as his trickery, aye,
I did admire that as much as Kane did. "Will he live?"
I asked of Kane.
"He is young and strong. If he doesn't succumb to
the fever, aye, I believe so. But you would know that
better than I."
I left him then and walked to Seth's dungeon where
the man lay. The man fascinated me. I couldn't seem to
stay long away from him, afraid he would somehow break
free. There was only one torch lit, giving off sluggish
light. The room was dim and warm. There were several
thick woolen furs covering him. His shoulder was bound
tightly with clean white reps. No blood was seeping
through the bandage. He was either asleep or
unconscious, I didn't know which.
I eased down to sit beside him on the box bed. I
laid my palm on his forehead,. He was hot as the coals
in the fire pit. I fetched a cloth, dampened it in a
bowl of cold water and began to stroke it over his face
and shoulders. Over and over again. He muttered
something but I couldn't understand him. I wondered if
he were going to awaken and , when he did, what he would
think, what he would do.
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