Plight of the Red Hand

Ranger sipped at his sweet wine, letting the bitter tinge of the alcohol roll over his tongue and slip down his throat. It had been a long, hard night, full of trivial disputes that were quickly growing irritating. The tavern was a wayside stop for travelers roving the countryside, making their way from Gisela to, or through, Underwood and further. It was the perfect place to stop and have a drink, as well as find a soul or two to join the Red Hand in its endeavors.

It was desperate times for the drow and the clan he belonged to, desperate times indeed. The once great Ithermoss had disappeared, all but abandoned his flock to the wilds of the world. With his vanishing act had come a time of hardship. The followers of the Red Hand had nearly diminished to nothing, leaving the few core members to attempt to rebuild without the prestige and reputation of the drake lord to command. Sorahn was leading the group, Ranger assisting where it was called for, and the ghoulish follower of N’jal, Lorenor, pulling more than his weight to assist everywhere.

More could hardly be asked of those at the heart of the Red Hand, for they had been stretched and battered in their attempts to revive and relive the times of old. It was time to seek new members, bring the flock of craftsmen and warriors back to where they belonged. However, even that was nothing easy. The Minstrels Perch was the only truly well known tavern that the Red Hand could openly retreat too. The Coronian Empire had closed its iron fist around the throat of the clan, attempting to remove them with a swift strike.

“It’s a damned shame that you have to go through all this,” the man, Gerald of the Corone Republic, said mournfully as he took a sip from his ale filled mug. He was part of the group that was fighting the tyranny of the Corone Empire. The Corone Republic and the Rangers were the pieces that created the opposition, created the civil war in defense of the common man. Ranger had taken a liking to their stands, to their tactics, and to the people that made up their ranks. “If we had known that the war would stretch outside of our own bickering we would have made a much harder effort to stop it. Luckily their reach doesn’t cover the entire island, and there are still safe havens like these for everyone.”

“We are blessed that the Thayne allow the struggle to remain,” the prophetic drow replied, taking another sip of his own wine and looking about the tavern. None of the denizens seemed to let their heads turn to the two; none looked through the ambiance of the auburn lights to listen in. It was a good sign, that the Empire did not have their ears there yet, but a bad one as well since none would take interest in the plight of the Red Hand. “If we are to stand against the Corone Empire though, we are going to need assistance, much more than we currently have. I understand the Rangers cannot be present, because their abilities and tactics are required elsewhere in the fight and the Republic cannot openly support a clan that once fought for the Bazaar, but it would be a blessing indeed if we could gain any support.”

“You know you have my support, though what little that means I understand…” the man sighed as he looked around; waiting for a report from the runners he had sent. They were but children, but the message they carried throughout the small wayside stop, both town and tavern, would hopefully draw the attention of the people to the clan’s needs. “I’ve done what I could, those kids I sent know when I’m serious and will try to find the best and brightest they can. But with traffic slowed on the roads for the night, it will be up to them to find those that have already stopped. Not entirely sure who’s really around, or up to the challenge of fighting the Empire on their doorsteps...”

“I understand, good friend, and I appreciate all you have done already. We shall have to leave it to the will of the Thayne to provide now…”

{{This is an IC recruitment for the Gol’Bron, formerly Red Hand. If you are interested in joining with your character, post away, as this is very much open. If you have any questions at all concerning joining, what you can do, how you can join in a different thread, or anything else, please direct them to my PM box or talk to me on AIM. Thank you!}}