On a morning that everyone is preparing for the day Red approaches Rask. Rask is DOING SOME SORT OF MORNING EXERCISE. Everyone else is around.
“Morning Rask! For some reason I find my missing home today. I haven’t built anything in a while. Makes me miss the old shop in Aigier. Make me miss the grand city.
This got me thinking that maybe knowing more about Raiden might warm my spirits. My parents never really taught me too much about Raiden. I am curious about any stories about Raiden you might know?”
“Stories… Let Raiden be Praised. I have mostly been singing and praying with Ca’armine…
“He held Middlebar of course, both as a leader and a warrior. He was a skilled swordsman and fought with a variety of swords, he most often used a shield and sword, long or bastard, sometime a buckler and greatsword or even two swords.
“Middlebar itself is only one tale of his leadership, prowess and cunning. His exploits were often used as examples of how to conduct the best operation possible under the most challenging circumstances.”
“Before Raiden was the grizzled war leader that held Middlebar Pass, he led a team, then multiple teams, then the effort itself, to free Aegir from the non-human occupation.
“As a Captain he was known for his fierce attacks, a variety frontal assaults and feints have names that reference Raiden and specific battles.
“He is also lauded for fiercely protecting his supply chain, and for ‘foraging on the enemy,’ not burning their crops and destroying the mills, but rather harvesting and controlling them. His harvests were known to be harsh but fair. The enemy civilians did not starve because of Raiden, their own petty greed might lead to that, but not Raiden’s harvests.
He is heralded as the example of how to best deploy your sappers and engineers, your archers, your cavalry, and your infantry.”
Rask pauses, smiles. “Raiden protect us all.”
“Is the are particular aspect of Raiden you’d like me to try to recall a story of? I am not much of a storyteller, but I will try…”
“The aspect I am most interested in is protection. The shield of Raiden. I am looking for something to latch onto in tough times, when ones need to hold on through the difficult times. I am seeking a mantra, a chant, that could be use to help hold steady, to bring strength and grit forward.”
Rask thinks for a brief moment and then smiles widely.
“Protection is Raiden’s main… thing? He’s the Protector of Aegir after all.”
“The greatest feat of protection was him holding MiddleBar pass against the horde, countless champions of the orcs and goblins and gnolls, even ogres, fell to his blade there. His own prowess won the day, but his focus on protection too. He protected his flanks and the flanks of that protection. He knew how to use his wizards, remember the Cycle of Neef? Ingvar that founded Faeljsby? Anyhow, Raiden was already well known for his role as a protector, He is the Shield of Humanity after all, raised up by Anashar to protect the order of creation itself.”
“Even in his youth, Raiden made a name for himself as a protector, at least as far as all our trainers and CO’s were concerned. He always kept the best watches, paid attention to the horses and the dogs and birds, but never getting too focused on one animal or sound, scanning the near, middle and far distances, thinking about where you would hide if you were trying to sneak up on your own camp. That kind of thing, Raiden taught us that. He did it when he was young and fighting the early wars to free Aegir from the infestation of goblins and kossen and the like that had taken over since the Betrayal. When he started leading warbands, he taught his soldiers to do it. Protect your flank, protect your supply lines, protect all humans. That’s Raiden.”
“As far as a chant or a mantra? Ca’armine and I have been singing some hymns, and some the prayers are a bit like chants… we had marching songs too…”
“I would advise you work with Ca’armine to craft a mantra to Raiden that brings strength, resolve an protection to you. There is a darkness that threatens you Rask. Your past, your future are being tested right now. Your path forward is… uncertain. I hope that Raiden will give you strength to make the righteous choice.
Now I am starting to sounds like a priest….”