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PargAddi

The PargAddi Annals - XI

"Success"

7/22-7/52 (Empty 1/2, Week 22, 1623)
Tonight was the Test of the Senvenren.

Lord Erinesh needed to perform his duty and satisfy a priestess of the river cult. From our interrogations through the week we knew that House Deshekelm had fixed all of the contests. This test had been fixed so that the river cult would supply some of their more hideous crones to the competing houses while Lord Deshekelm faced one of the youngest and sweetest. The contest began at Midnight. We decided to re-fix it.

In the morning would be the Test of Champions and I was very concerned that Deshekelm had brought Rekesh the Render in to be theirs. Nobody in the eleventh could stand against me in a fight and I couldn't stand against Rekesh. I spoke with Lord Erinesh and we decided to defeat Rekesh without combat.

Maloven and Abby went down to talk to the bargemen. Maloven offered them 3 lunars each - or about 3 weeks wages - to move the barges around so that Lord Erinesh would end up with the girl and Deshekelm would have the worst of the crones. Even Abby glowering at them didn't stop the weeders from pushing the price up to 5 lunars each before they agreed to do it.

Verakus made his way down to the docks and found a quite clump of shadows that he could hide in. He spent the 6 hours until the contest preparing a ritual cursing.

Abby caught up to me on the way out and asked for more cash from the warchest. "I'm bribed out", he said.

"What happened to the 20 you got from the poisoner?"

"Gone."

"And the 20 that I gave you last week?"

"Gone."

He was full of shit but I gave him another 10 lunars to work with anyway. "I want you two," nodding at Hagrid, "to find a Deshekelm trooper and confirm that Rekesh is their champion." Abby nodded and headed off to the inns that Deshekelm used.

6/22 (Full)
I accompanied Lord Erinesh along with 5 beaters holding torches aloft to the waterfront where the 3 barges awaited. Under Sedenya's full face, the 3 contestants gathered and then went aboard the barges. Lord Moolari stepped onto his barge and I saw Verakus unleash a curse of impotence on him. Lord Deshekelm stepped onto the second barge and Lord Erinesh strode onto the third. Verakus released a spell of joy onto the third barge.

Within the hour they were all back on land.

Lord Moolari came out a broken man with the laughter of the crone echoing in his ears.

Lord Deshekelm staggered out with a white face and trembling hands. He belted several of his attendants on his way but he had succeeded with the most disgusting, toothless, and rotted woman I've ever seen outside Darjiin.

Lord Erinesh came back with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. "I've got to try that more often," he said.

Abby met us at the inn - we were still moving Lord Erinesh every day - and confirmed that Rekesh had been in and out of the Deshekelm compound all week. The two of them had caroused with a group of troopers and gotten them drunk.

"Right," I said, "that's it then. We're going to do him like Khordavu did Eusibus." I gathered Lord Erinesh and headed for the Yelm temple.

At the temple I remained outside - all of that light and goodness makes me queasy - while Lord Erinesh went in to get the regalia. He spent 5 hours praying and performing rituals to prove his purity and right to the gear. Then, as dawn broke, he strode up to a priest and demanded that they give him the regalia, "for I am Yelm's chosen in this place and it is mine by right."

Now we had discussed this and he was supposed to placate the temple spirits and make off with the regalia - we hadn't discussed him taking on the temple hierarchy. I was a little surprised when the priests looked at him for a second and then agreed. And then they actually dressed him in the regalia and blessed him.

In the morning Sedenya stared down upon the final test, that of the Champions.

Lord Erinesh stepped onto the square clad in the regalia of Yelm.

Rekesh stormed onto the temple square full of the emanence of Shargash. His mace was aflame with the Purifier's kiss and black demons hung behind each shoulder. His threws were swollen with Shargash's might and the crowd stepped back before his power. He raced at Lord Erinesh with his mace raised.

Lord Erinesh stood his ground and made no move. Rekesh stopped before him and said," You raise no weapon against me. Why?"

Lord Erinesh replied, "I need no weapon against you for you are my servant."

Rekesh asked him, "Who are you to name me servant?"

Erinesh said, "I am Yelm and you are my son Shargash. You owe me your loyalty and service. You will destroy my enemies."

I let slip a satisfied grin at the look on Lord Deshekelm's face when Rekesh asked," Who are your enemies, lord?"

Lord Erinesh's voice carried clearly across the square, "House Deshekelm."

"Right," replied Rekesh and he spun about and charged into the crowd of Deshekelm supporters and hangers-on. Screams erupted from the bunch of them and everybody scattered. Shouts of "Run away!", "Get out of my way!" and "Mommy!" echoed through the square while demons and lightning bolts invaded every corner.

Afterwards the priests and surviving nobles of Ganbarri asked Lord Erinesh to become their Tyrant and he was enthroned that afternoon.

The entire eleventh was brought before the new tyrant and thanked for our efforts. We were each given a freshly minted gold wheel - worth 20 lunars - that had Lord Erinesh's likeness on the obverse. We were granted the right to stay in his palace as long as he reigned and were given free access to the city. I suggested that the surviving members of House Deshekelm would make good recruits for the PargAddi - and that would remove them from the city and any threat to Tyrant Erinesh and he agreed. "In thanks to the services provided by the Hunter Corps, I recommend these volunteers to service in the PargAddi."

Then, typically, we were quickly and firmly escorted from the city with," the grateful and boundless thanks of the Tyrant - who's really quite busy, so please move along."

5/22 (Full-1/2)

"There is no reason to tell them that I summoned the worms" - Abby "How many other summoners are there in the regiment who got buggered that day?" - Gresh

We arrived back at the regiment the next afternoon with a coffle of 'volunteers' from Ganbarri - 15 of them.

The regiment was exercising in the camp square, training with real weapons. I saw the medics scurrying across the field slapping poultices here and making stitches there. Then they noticed that we were back.

The entire regiment stopped and glared.

I hoofed it over to the PargAdarch's hut to report.

"I say burn them," Sengeresh was saying as I stepped in.

"That's too easy. Crucifixion is a much better punishment," replied the High Kastori.

"Impaling," piped up the High Irdexmot. "Don't forget the salutary lessons of impaling!"

I remained silent until Sengeresh turned to me. "Kastori Greshvuketh. You have returned." I remained silent in the face of this obvious statement. "And your mission?"

"Successful, and Lord Erinesh sends his thanks to the regiment," I replied.

The PargAdarch looked startled. "Successful? What the… What were your loses?"

"Two. Drubbers, I don't know their names. I never learned their names; some fresh meat that you gave me before I left."

"Only 2? Did you have Imperial help?"

"No," I replied. "There was just the 4th."

"And Lord Erinesh is on the throne?"

"Yep and he sent us 15 new recruits."

The three of them looked quite shocked but I hid my sneer. "New recruits? Please wait outside," the High Kastori said.

I stood outside the hut and watched the regiment watching my boys uneasily for a while. Then I was called back inside.

"Kastori, you have done a good job with your independent command. We are very impressed. This mitigates your punishment. Unfortunately, we didn't expect you to come back so we didn't actually prepare it properly. There is a pile of timber behind the High Kastori's hut. You will take it and build your crucifixes. You will then nail up your men and the High Kastori will nail you up."

"Punishment?" I asked innocently. "For what? We succeeded at our mission."

"But you sent a plague of demons at the regiment that killed 9 of my beaters and sent 24 to the sick wards. You struck out at the men who enacted your punishment - but those men were obeying my orders so you were smashing my teeth in. Because you succeeded at your mission, you will hang on the crosses for 2 days instead of hanging until you die. Those of you that are still alive will be cut down then. That is all."

3/22 (Dying)
So we put up the crucifixes and were nailed up. Verakus used his magic to help us all ease our suffering and we hung there for 2 days while the regiment chucked garbage, feces and stones at us.

On the 2nd day we saw an Imperial delegation ride into camp. They were fancy-boys of some sort, shiny armour, fluttering helmet crests and red cloaks. They were led by one of those dashing types that you love to hate.

On Dying Moon Day we were cut down. Maloven was carried comatose and bleeding heavily to the medics. The High Kastori waved the medics away from me before they could do anything and told me to accompany him to the PargAdarch's hut.

Now my boys and me have put up with a lot and we don't really notice pain anymore. I stood up straight, plucked a couple of slivers out of my nail-holes and strode over to the PargAdarch's hut.

When Sengeresh looked up I told him that I thought burning was better than crucifying. "It brings you closer to Shargash," I told him. As an Alkothi, he agreed that I had a point.

That was when my beaters sauntered by and Abby loudly proclaimed that he thought impaling would have been a more serious punishment. "Crucifying is so easy, all you got to do is hold your arms up for 2 days. Nothing to it."

Sengeresh curled his lip, "you are a disgrace to that uniform. Strip it off now!" I dropped the remnants of my uniform on his floor and he tossed me a package that clanked. "You are no longer a member of the 1st Eleven," he said. "You are now an Adarch in the regiment."

"Who died," I asked him because we already had 6 Adarchs and that was all we got.

"Nobody," he replied. "I've created a 7th position and given it to you in light of your superior performance. Your eleventh has been detached from the 1st Eleven and are now part of the command staff as a special eleventh."

I looked through the pack he had tossed me and found a new uniform, and an Adarch's pin and sash. The kilt was quite a bit longer than I was used to - a sign of my new rank - but I'd have to cut it so that I could still function. Then I came to the realisation that I was now making 10 lunars a week instead of 3.

The PargAdarch told me that we had a new mission. The dashing bloke came in then and looked me up and down.

"I am Reledus Seven of the Spoken Word. The PargAddi have been attached to my command by order of the Hunter Corps for a special mission that I am working on." He told me that he had 4 galleys waiting to carry the regiment to Lakrene - back to brunner-land I thought.

"I have chosen the 4th for an advance party, you will be carried to Urnandel by moonboat. There, you will join a party of pilgrims journeying to Jillaro. Within the band is a dissident called the Cold-Eyed Messiah. Identify him and report to me when you reach Jillaro." He said that he expected the entire regiment to be needed to handle the pilgrims but that my job would be to find this Messiah and make sure that he didn't get away. It seemed that somebody had pissed off the Emperor and we were to show him the errors of his nut-bar ways.

I asked the PargAdarch who the new Kastori for the 4th would be and he told me to decide.

Back in our hut I threw on my new clothes and got my veterans together: Abby, Hagrid, Maloven and Verakus. I told them of the changes and of our new mission. Then I told them that I had the option of promoting somebody to be kastori. "Verakus, you're out as you're the irdexmot. Who wants it?" I asked the rest. "There's 3 lunars a week in it." Abby's eyes gleamed at that but then I added, "and you are responsible for the rest."

"Not me," said Abby.

"Nope," said Maloven.

Hagrid thought for a bit and said that he'd do it.

"Right," I said. "That's that."

2/22 (Black)
In the morning the regiment gathered and the High Irdexmot initiated me into the cult of the Land Waster, a hero of Shargash. All officers belonged and it allowed me to speak to the regimental lare and direct it's magic.

Then I went back to talk to Sengeresh. "I want a 2nd irdexmot in the eleventh," I told him. "Abby," I replied when he asked who.

"Why Abbandinus," he asked.

"He's good, he's loyal and he's tough." The PargAdarch sent me to speak with the Lerakelm Sharptooth, the High Irdexmot.

Lerakelm wasn't impressed. "Trooper Abbandinus? He's trouble." I agreed that he was, but pointed out all that he had done with his demons, particularly killing 9 beaters with tapeworms. "Alright," Lerakelm agreed. "He's in for a trial period. Send him to me and I'll make sure that he's loyal."

When I got back to the hut my beaters were just finishing packing as we were shifting home to the command side on the camp. There was a pile of boys from the 8th lying in front of the hut. "They's a commin ta get us back for them worms," Maloven told me.

I nudged one with my toe. "They never learn," I said. I kicked the body, hard. "Don't fuck with the 4th." My boys laughed at that. "Abby, the High Irdexmot wants to see you. I asked them to make you an irdexmot."

"So, you want to be an irdexmot?" Lerakelm asked Abby.

"Sure, do they get paid more?" he replied.

"Why do you want to be an irdexmot?"

"I want to learn and broaden my knowledge and powers under your command and tutelage." Abby can bullshit pretty damned good when he wants to but this time it had the ring of truth.

"I don't trust you," replied the High Irdexmot. They went back and forth about how Abby caused so much trouble and Abby complained that one's reputation could outgrow one's deeds. Finally Lerakelm told Abby to put his hand on the table. Abby did and Lerakelm cut off the last joint on his pinky finger. Lerakelm swallowed it.

"You are tied to me permanently. Don't fuck me," the High Irdexmot told him. "You are now an irdexmot in the PargAddi. Your pay will be 2 lunars from this day forth and you are outside the normal chain of command. You have the right to get fed before the other men, even if it means feeding on the other men. You have the right to the best quarters and you may ask your kastori for them. Now, get out of my hut."

Sengeresh broke up 2 other elevenths and moved recruits around to replace us in the 1st Eleven.

The eleventh was given 3 new bodies to bring them back up to strength and there were now 12 of us. Me; Hagrid, the kastori; Abbandinus; Barl; Kavlos; Koriniades - back from the medics; Maloven; Upstanding; Verakus; and three recruits. Two of the recruits were ex-Deshekelm troopers - they were very tough but still in shock over being in the regiment.

All in all, I'd call it a good week.

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