This is like a voice recording of the people on the scene. It is poor style but I hope you can follow the story.
They were deep in Roakfel territory. But this was not a decisive invasion, but part reconnaisance and part recovery. The shamans had visons of three mountains that collectively beared a gift to defeat the Roakfel, but those mountains were in enemy territory. A combination of politics, tradition and other pragmatic considerations made the expedition necessary, but not involving an overwhelming force.
Two mountain lay behind them. They had defeated waves of enemies, secured the target, and mined samples. They had the black and yellow, now they just needed the white one. However, the cost had been great. They had lost half their numbers and now the Roakfel had amassed a defensive force in their path to the third mountain.
The war party was larger than most with seven sisters. They contemplated the coming battle out loud while their warleader got his instructions.
“This is madness as it was from the beginning.”
”And yet you came.”
“The madness of men; The madness of powerful men.”
“And they followed the women, the powerful women.”
“Madness.”
“There is one more mountain.”
“One mountain, not a lot of warriors.”
“And we are them.”
“We are too far from the sea, and we have too far to go. Well, not so far, but a long way back.”
“Not so far, but a lot of terrain and enemies.”
“And that is the nature of battle: distance, terrain, enemies.”
“I’m not sure about this battle.”
“As always: the powerful women lead the powerful men. . .into madness. And we are the warriors, who follow them.”
“More madness?”
“Of course!”
“Sister, I hope you are wrong.”
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The battle for the third mountain was a Pyrric victory.
“Stop your weeping!”
“But we have lost our warleader!”
“We bury him here, on the mountain. Do you have the samples?”
“Yes, Sister.”
“Then we bury him here and return to the sea, with the samples.”
“But we have lost our warleader!”
“I AM THE WARLEADER! Does anyone dispute the tradition? Does anyone stand-and-face?”
.
“I thought not. We bury him here. We return to the sea. We give the old witches their samples. If they are right, then victory is ours.”
“You were told?”
“I was told enough. We return with the sample and victory is ours. Sisters, we will be known as the Ni’al’ Niekee (bringers of victory) and we shall have our choice of a new warleader rather than being sold off. . “
“That’s harsh. . “
”But true, my Sisters. . .and our children will be known as the Niekee.”
“Warleader, the main force has been obliterated and the remaining elements scattered. We are alone with a three day journey to the sea. Between us and the refuge of the sea are a dozen tribes, some of which are aligned with the Roakfel, some of which have their own desires, and some of which have been mad since the cataclysm. “
“But why shouldn’t we prevail?”
.
“Then we have a three day journey that we will complete, because we are warriors; we are the Niekee, my Sisters.”