Suadurix Family/Cooidjaghtoilaght
Lady Cooidjaghtoilaght
Lady Cooidjaghtoilaght, sailing for days, searching the sky's for a sign of her mothers island. Hoping a black bird would fly towards her boat. Knowing her father would never fail her. It had been over a decade ago, that her parents vanished, along with the guards send to protect them. She remembers her mothers face, and those last words she spoke to her.
The duke had been good for them trough all these years. It was with a heavy heart she left him. Even harder was parting with her brothers. But splitting up made the search much more easier, and effective. She had sailed for the far east of the islands, where she struck land in Niel. She disembarked, and went in search for the people living in this land.
Her archers formed a Parameter around her. As a patrole they moved from the beach in search for life. On of her archers walking up front halted the group. He walked back to lady Cooidjaghtoilaght. “My lady, lord Vash, paladin primus of Sartania, count of Apasur.” A noblemen walked past her archer. He made a polite bow, and as a noble lord, he place a kiss upon her hand. “WELCOME to sartania Cooidjaghtoilaght its nice to meet you move to Niel our capital to refit cash bonds and recruit men.”
She needed a home while she made her search for Boght. “Noble lord, paladin primus, of this land Sartania; have you ever encountered a strange old lady, with ninetheen black birds around her? One black bird in particular, who she might had called Boght? The birds when death that change back in men? Eighteen soldiers, and one who is artisan and merchant called Boght. He is my father, and the old lady my mother. They where bewitched by my grandmother, an evil witch. Mother is a good witch, there would never be a reason to fear her, or me. She has no powers. The medalions she gave me and my two brothers hold all her powers.” A messenger later joined her, when she and her men where on the beach. “Lady Cooidjaghtoilaght? I have a letter for you.” The messenger handed her a letter baring the seal of lord Vash. The letter invited to the citty, and the realm. This letter has the seal of the ArchAngel family on it, and served as her credential papers. “Messenger boy? Where can I hire a scribe?” She asked the messenger. “In the fisher village down the dune road lives a girl, of your age, your ladyship; she knows how to read and write. She looks for work.” The messenger replied.
Afther having her things packed, and the boat secured in the dunes. Lady Cooidjaghtoilaght went to the fisher village. The girl was extatic. A job, as scribe, for a noble born lady? This was a dream come true. Happy, she accepted the possition.
“What is your name?” She asked of her scribe. But the name was spoken in the native language. A language all islanders spoke. But even with her knowledge of the language. She, like her brothers, rather pretended not to understand enough of the local language, That way, they all manage to turn peasants their true names, into a name their hearts warmed up on; a name in their mothers language. She pulled the prentend trick on her scribe and named her, Ben'seyr. Of they went to Niel citty.
They had spend most of their day in the fishers village, and even spended the night there. When they reached by dawn of the the next day the citty gates. They where greeted by majestic four stories high walls, and one powerfull gatehouse. Two powerful towers build in along side one huge gatehouse. The gate was open, and small. Small in comparisment, to the rather large seize of its structure around it. Large heavy doors, a wooden fence, and an iron gate, all to keep enemies out. This was a citty more secure then a bank vault.
As she tried to enter the city. A familliar face showed among the crowd comming trough the gates. It was paladin primus Vash. He orderd that all cittizens of the realm in Niel, are to join him in a weird region, of wich the name she couldnt pronounce. Yet!
She orderd her men to turn around, and join the army moving out. “Ben'seyr, girl? Go to the citty and find out what our troop settings are? I think you will find them in the Generals bullitin. When you find them, join me at the beach!”
While she waited by the boat on the beach, a horse back messenger boy arrived. He is a cavalry officer. He brings an offer from his lord Jorge count of Irneas, an offer for her to pledge an oath of fealty to him. In exchange she would receive a 1% of his regions taxes, as payment to her for her service to his region. A companied by her slodiers and the cavalry officer, she returned to the citty, where she met first with her scribe, and then with count Jorge.
Sir Jorge, she came upon in the council hall of Niel citty. A majestic hall, with beautyfull wood carvings, and magnificent windows, with coat of arms aranged into the windows with collourful glas. Such beauty, only the prosperous could afford. All chairs look like thrones, and on the center throne count Jorge is seated. If a noble lord is given such seats in a citty council? What majesty might she encounter when standing before the Pontificate throne? Lady Cooidjaghtoilaght kneels before sir Jorge, count of Irneas. “I will to, my utmost power, with life and worldly possessions, shield the holy Sartanian faith and gospel, and keep and defend the churches and their servants, at their freedom and estate, stand aginst wrongs, and strengthen peace and righteousness, and protect fatherless and motherless children, virgins, widows and poor people, and be safe and true to my pontifex, and my country, and rightly hold and exercise my knighthood. God to honour, after my best power, so help me God.”
Placing his swoard on her shoulders, tapping each shoulder twice; he invites her to rise, once again, and face her equals. A knight of the realm, she became. “My lord, with your leave I shall join our Paladin Primus, in the region whoes name I can't yet pronounce. Your servent, my lord.” By these words she bids her new lord farewell, and goes to her boat on shore. With her boat she sailed by the shore line to the region she is send of to. The region south along the shore. There she plans to come a shore, and join the army for battle. At sea she can patrole the sea passage for any enmy ship, or boat, that would try to drop troops behind our lines. The journey would take most of the morning. By noon they would arrive.
Her boat left the small bay of Niel, and headed for Mraulaxon. Going out of the bay was the easy part. But with heavy currents, and the wind comming from the wrong direction, they ended up dealyed, and forced to spend the night onboard. The voyage at sea did not go as well as she had hoped. The delay from yesterday had been only the prologue, to a much greater terror. A storm front had set up during the night and it was clearly moving south. Her boat violently swung across the waves. But strong as it was build, it would not sink. Fishers feared this weather, but only because of the dredded stairs of Mraulaxon! Warm currents from the south seas flowing between the islands, meet with cold water currents from the north. This made the bay of Niel a perfect hiding ground for ships, and for boats. But the cliffs called the stairs of Mraulaxon, these would now haunt her memories to. Her spirrit for adventure makes her able to deal with the fears, fear of death, while on discovery of this new world.
A fishers fleet of boats sailing from Niel got caught in the storm. Just like her boat did during this night. While sailing for open seas, she past a fishing boat in trouble. These old fishers their boat got struck by one wave to many, and consequently had taken more water on then their ships could handle. Passing the fishers she offers to lift them from the water. She and he men save the entire crew of the fishing boat. Greatfull the captain thanks her, “Mylady, I am for ever in your debt. You saved my crew and me from a career as fish food. How can we ever repay you?” She tells him her story, and asks if he ever knew of any myth, or legend about a women who could talk with birds, black birds in perticular. “Mylady, we know great many stories... Could you put us a shore in Mraulaxon?” The captain keeps evading her every attemp to learn more, as if he had a secret to keep.
By morning the storm calms down, and they reach the Mraulaxon flats. A place of sand banks and a large quick sand beach, full of cockles. Fishers in hard and soul, they went a shore and began loading up on cockles, to have at least something to pay the bills with.
While on the beach she receives her order that they are to move out, to yet an other place of wich she has no clue of how to pronounce its name. The captain of the fisher crew, did give her some to brighten her day with. “Mylady? We have such a story. Long ago, eleven years it must have been. An old lady in a boat, much like yours; got caught in one of these storms. We fishers found her surounded by nineteen ravens. One raven acted like he had comand over the nineteen others. They where fiercely loyal and devoted, to the old lady and their alfe bird. We had never seen such birds before. The priests saw it as an evil omen. You have to understand, Sartania is quite frightend about religious freedoms. Long ago a lord named Hireshmont tried to set up his own cult here. Resulting in a conflict between the old Gods followers, and the Qyrvagg god of war Hireshmont introduced. I fear your mother shipwrecked on Niels shore, at the worst possible time. When the old followers of Hireshmont where bannished, she vanished in these lands. They blamed her for everything. As she was no noble, the lord of the land could not protect her, against the peasantry. Im sorry, but thats the truth! The peasants are devoted followers of the new church. The church its strickness about religion, is what caused the peasantry to persecute inocent old ladies, for just about anything. Folk beleived she was a curse. When she came, the fish stayed away...” The fisher turned away with a guilty look on his face. Now she understould why he wanted to be putted on shore, as quick as possible. She understould that she might end up called 'the daughter of the old sea hag'. While the captain walked away for her, she shouted afther him. “Could'nt it just have been, that you guys overfished the bay?” No answer came.
As orderd she setted sail for that other region, with the difficult name.
Her boat left the flats, sailing for the bay at the border of Mraulaxon. She beached her boat on the beach in the bay. The storm caught up with them. Before the sea would get back as rough again as before. She used her head start to beach her boat, and drag it with her men into the dunes. From there she marched on. They would have still a seven hour journey ahead of them, before they reached the rally point. A border stone read, “Saex, 50 miles to Saex town. ...” She and her men crossed the border. They where silent. It became clear. This was realy happening. Their first battle. The kills... the battle... the dieng... the horror. They would try keep themselfs thinking of it, but it is impossible not to think of it. They would get into an actual battle. The fear was for real. Cavalry... during their training they heard of this type of unit. Their drill instructor used to say, “If they come, you'll know it! There is only one thing there is you can do! You see them comming! You run! Get behind the infantry! Give the infantry cover fire. Cause the charge, is allways fatal! You got a bow! They got speed, and eighter sword or lance! Your no match; dont freeze, run like hell!” They had not yet line up settings for when they came together on the field. They where nervous. But they kept their courage.
Around midnight they reach the gathering point. Here they spend the night. Paladin primus Vash gives the lines settings before everyone goes to bed. Lady Cooidjaghtoilaght, has her troops up early. They take up thier positions for the seige. Paladin primus Vash gives the signal for the archers to pen fire. Lady Cooidjaghtoilaght and her scribe Ben'seyr both take up a bow also. Twenty six shots where fired. The enemy hides behind its walls. One story high walls overloaded with troops. Twenty six arrows fire at them from lady Cooidjaghtoilaghts troop. The infantry moves under cover of the archers to the walls. Their second time they managed to fire thirty nine shots. The infantry reaches the walls. They suffer serious casualties. Suddenly it dawns on lady Cooidjaghtoilaght; she might not see her troops again afther this battle. Weird enough the cavalry charged against those walls. Lady Cooidjaghtoilaght and het unit keep preforming their duty, and fire a fourty two shots at the enemy hiding behind their wall. Cover fire does not help the infantry. Finaly the infantry makes it across the walls. But they face a huge numbre of enemy forces. To become able to provide suport fire, lady Cooidjaghtoilaght has her men advance to get a better firing position. The enemy has our troops overrun, it became impossible at this point for lady Cooidjaghtoilaght, to gave suport fire to her own realms troops. Her arrows might hit her own realm mates. She orders the troops to hold their fire. The army has lost all its infantry. The archers have no where to go, no infantry cover. She has her troops open fire again. They fire thirty eight shots off. Suddenly their worst nightmare shows up! The gates open and the cavalry rushes out. Followed by the infantry. The enemy whipes out knight Sharwyns archers. The slaughter shockes lady Cooidjaghtoilaghts archers. The sight of the cavalry and infantry strikes fear in them. They fire off fifty five shots, and take a hundred eighty six arrows hits. The cavalry charges, while they try to fight the infantry off. Lady Cooidjaghtoilaght retreats from the battle field. Her men all died. She writes a message to the lord of Saex, requesting permition to gather her soldiers corpses. She has the local undertaker hired for repatreating her soldiers corpses. This battle was a living nightmare.
Later the order is given to retreat back to Mraulaxon. She heads to the beach with Ben'seyr. There she sets sail across the bay with Ben'seyrs help. Silent moarning for the death of her men.
The sails raise in the mast, as local fishers heard of the the battle, and came to help her. She was found with Ben'seyr on the other side of shore. Lady Cooidjaghtoilaght was crieng in silence. Holding close one of the blankets of her soldiers. She remembers them been given to her as her guard by the duke. She remembers their children, their families. How was she going to tell their wifes their husbands had died in battle. They did stould their ground bravely. Even facing cavalry. She finds among their stuff a drawing of a kid between the things of her soldiers. She now starts to cry for real. The human side of war emergess. Her mother insticnts awake. She did not even know why this war was been waged. But yet they all went. She did not understand anything of it. The fishermen looked at her with compasion. The captain thaught for a moment, thenhe said. “They faught for your mom, and your dad. They faught because they knew they are here on east island. They faught because they are heroes send by your parents good friend the duke. They know where ever they are, the heart of Sartania most go on! For this is the land in wich they dwell, for as far as we know. You must never let go of this land, untill you found them. If you remember them, then no matter how near or how far they are, your heart will go on! So once more you must recruite a unit, and go on fighting for Sartania.” She looks at the captain with tears inher eyes and, “Your right... Set sail for open sea! We are going back to Niel!”
She turns around and looks back on the bay as they sail for the open seas, “You will allways be in my hearts. I will never forget you guys, and what you all left behind for me. Im sure mom wont forget you guys eighter. My heart will go on for you guys! You will be my spirrit guides.” As she said this she grasped her medalion. The medalion lid up. Suddenly as the sun rose, 24 shooting stars shot across the sky. The seagulls flew with them to sea, like a millitary guard from nature. Huge wales swum next their boat, and the dolphins infront. Like such they made their way home, home to Niel. “My lady? Spring has come to guide you home.”
