The 'Longhouse' is the village's [Hall]. Which is easily the most important building in any village, town, or city. It serves as the root of God's system; without it, the village would become lifeless. It provides [Class] benefits not only to the work of everyone living here but also to the fields we sow and the cattle we care for. As well, it is what allows our [Guard]'s to choose the village as their [Guard Target], which gives them benefits when defending it.
But it also serves as a meeting point for all of us. We usually have at least one all-hands meeting a month to mingle and discuss. Usually, we take the whole day off work to clear everyone's schedule. That is, unless there is an emergency like today.
We've already had our regularly scheduled all-hands this month, so everyone inside the longhouse is on edge. Whispering to one another about what this could be about. Although I am hearing some of them mention it might be because of the inspector's sudden appearance. Which definitely would make sense if I didn't already know what it's actually about.
The longhouse is pretty straightforward in its namesake. It's a long building that is wide open like a barn. No separated rooms other than the one at the back that houses the staircase up to the bell tower above. A large fire pit settled in the middle, surrounded by cobblestone and fixed with a rather fancy metal cooking spit. Nothing is currently cooking, but a small flame has been lit to chase off the encroaching night's chill.
Wooden pews are rowed neatly past the fire pit and face towards the back of the longhouse, where an upraised section of floor is. A simple lectern stands at the front with a few wooden chairs behind it where Mama, Mr. Wyatt, and Thorpe usually sit while either of them speaks. Mr. Wyatt is already sitting in one of those chairs and raises a hand to wave as he spots us entering.
The village has a little over sixty people living here. Most of them are [Farmer]'s of various skills and their families. While the rest are the fair few specialized folk like Gordon, Mrs. Bennet, Margo, and the Guards. The longhouse is already filling up with the lot of them, and more are still filing in.
Mama pulls me along, cutting past others who have yet to take their seats and are still stubbornly standing. But she doesn't mind ever so lightly pushing them aside so that she can get where she needs to be. Which I thought she would have me take a seat at one of the front pews like usual, but instead she pulls me right up on the upraised section and sits me down next to Mr. Wyatt. The heavyset man grins widely and chuckles. "Looks like you're in the hot seat today, Liore." He states in his deep baritone. The man is wearing a dark blue long-sleeved tunic with the sleeves rolled up. His suspenders curving over his rotund belly.
I blanche a bit as I glance towards the crowd of villagers facing us. Making me realize what exactly he meant by 'hot seat'.
Mama lowers herself into the seat next to me and scoots her chair closer. "Not an easy sight to look at, is it? A bit overwhelming. But you get used to it." She assures, patting my knee lightly before she narrows her eyes at the door. "Now, where the hell is that silly man?"
Mr. Wyatt grunts lightly in response, keeping his hairy arms folded over his chest. "Last I saw him, he was giving the other [Guard]s the rundown. Should be here soon." The man tilts his head and glances down at me with one eye. "Speaking of which, is what Auguste said true?"
My brows furrow at the question, looking up to meet his gaze. "You think we're lying?"
I can tell that my emphasis on the 'we're' part makes the man squirm a bit. Wyatt sucks a breath through his teeth and sighs. "No, no. I don't think either of you is lying." He admits as his shoulders slump. "But I do suppose part of me wishes you were."
I frown. The way he says it sounds slightly fearful. I can't blame him at all for that. "I'm sorry...I wish we had better news."
Wyatt looks back down at me and shakes his head. "There is no need to be sorry, darlin. It's good that you have any news at all. At least with this, we might be able to get some help from up top." His face forms into quite a grimace. "'Cause if the Red Line's been broken, the whole region, and our neighboring region, are in some mighty fierce trouble."
The worry in his tone has definitely put me back on edge a bit. I didn't know much at all about the Red Line before I left on the hunting trip, but I certainly got enough of a history lesson about it from Thorpe on our way back. And needless to say, it's pretty bad if what we heard from the archer bandit is true.
Mama suddenly stands up from her seat, leading me to notice that Thorpe has entered the longhouse and is making his way up to us. Now dressed in a white shirt with the collar ties loose. A short sword is still buckled to his belt. His brown hair is nicely swept back as he usually has it, but it seems he's keeping the beard he's been growing over the trip. At least he looks like he's slept some.
But I'm still going to pester him about sleeping more after this, though...
Thorpe steps up onto the raised section with us. Mama moves in to give him a tight hug that he gladly returns. She seems to whisper something to him before he nods as they break away. Mama pats him on the shoulder and takes a seat back down next to me.
Thorpe approaches and lowers to a knee in front of me with a slight groan. Flashing a grin. "Hey there, kiddo. Did you sleep okay?"
I give him a slight nod, finally letting out the breath I didn't notice I was holding. "It was enough for the moment. Will definitely need a lot more. And so will you."
The old man chuckles. "Oh, don't worry. I plan to be as still as a rock the next couple days." He assures before peeking over his shoulder at the crowd. The pews have filled up quite considerably. He gives a low hum. "Looks like that's everybody."
He turns back to me and gives a long-winded sigh. "Time to alarm the masses." The old man stands back up and walks over to the lectern. The villagers start quieting down as he stands in front of it.
Old Guard grips the edges of the book stand on the top of the lectern and looks out over those who gathered. Waiting for the chattering to stop.
I spot Mrs. Bennett and Margo near the front. The blacksmith is staring straight ahead at Thorpe while Margo clings to her side. The blonde seamstress notices me staring and smiles, giving me a light wave.
I smile back and offer a nod. A wave seems like it would be a bit too distracting in my current position. But my eyes catch sight of Teovar sitting next to Gordon, the village [Cook]. The elderly man is looking much better already after likely having slept in an actual bed for once.
Gordon is acting just as jovial as he usually is. Speaking animatedly with the older [Cook]. I'm sure he is enjoying the company. His wife passed on while giving birth to their daughter, Felicia. I played a lot with her when I was younger, but we haven't really spoken in a while. She should be coming of age this year, though, so maybe I should.
BANG BANG BANG
Everyone in the room jumps as Thorpe strikes the lectern with its accompanying gavel. The village's eyes snap to attention, and the room quiets enough to hear the crackle of the fire pit. Old Guard sets the gavel back onto the book stand. "Everyone here? Are we missing anyone?"
"Wife's at home with the baby!"
"Same here! Kids were a bit too fussy."
"Grandpa isn't feeling too well, so he's already in bed."
"Thomas is still in the barn! One of the cattle is giving birth."
A few others called out some excuses for others who couldn't attend. Eventually, Thorpe just raises his hand to quiet them down. "Alright, alright. Those are all valid reasons. But this is a very serious security meeting, and everyone in town needs to be on the same page after tonight. So anyone who isn't here needs to be informed to come see me tomorrow to be given the rundown. Do I make myself clear?"
The wooden floors shake with the resounding agreement of the villagers. And Old Guard gives a satisfied nod. "Alright…now listen up and save questions for the end." He states sternly while flashing his gaze across the gathered villagers.
"As many of you know, Liore and I went on a little hunting trip in the Outer Ardennes." He begins, gesturing towards me briefly. "While we were out there, we encountered a group of a little over a dozen Bandits."
More than a few gasps erupt around the room. Many faces immediately switch to fear. Thorpe raises a hand to quell the sudden whispers. "We are not talking about washed-out mercenaries playing brigand. These guys were actual classified Bandits." Old Guard emphasizes with a few jabs of his finger against the lectern. "Now I won't go into the specifics of what happened afterward. She and I are still coming down from it right now."
The old man takes a breath before continuing. "Obviously, having southern clanners this close to us is not normal and would be cause for concern alone. But that is not our main issue here." Thorpe clears his throat. "To ease your hearts a bit, the group we ran into is all dead. So they are not a threat to us anymore."
That assurance does seem to calm some of them down a bit. But I already know that it won't last long.
"They sacked two villages on the way up here. Not sure yet which those were, but I will try to find out as soon as I can. What I do know is that they were aiming for us next." He admits, giving the crowd a hard stare. "And after interrogating one of them, we learned some information that not only relates to the issues with our crops, but to our communications with the brass, and Llanercost's plague."
Many of the villagers' eyes widen at Old Guard. The occasional mutterings between them cease almost immediately as their full attention focuses on him.
"The short of it is that our problems are deliberate. Someone has been sneaking into our fields regularly and poisoning our soil each year using salt sand. Tainting the fields gradually to make the issue look natural."
One of the [Farmer]'s in the front pews stands up, eyes wide with fright. "Who the hell would do that?"
Thorpe lets out a hard sigh. "From the information we got, it's being done by the Urka clan. And they are doing it to us and every other village in the region, specifically to weaken Llanercost...to eventually invade it."
And that seems to be what breaks the quiet as several people stand from their seats from the shock and begin yelling furious questions at Old Guard. Their voices all meld together loudly. And it doesn't take long before I have to cover my ears.
"THEY HAD TO BE BLUFFING!"
"THERE'S NO WAY THEY'D GET AN ARMY PAST THE RED LINE!"
"YOU CAN'T TRUST A BLEEDIN BANDIT!"
BANG BANG BANG BANG
The shouts are cut off as Thorpe raps the gavel hard against the lectern. "QUIET!" He roars over the gathered, his voice layered with a power that I swear puts real weight on my shoulders. The old man grits his teeth as he glares out at the village. "Sit down and listen!"
The ones who had risen to their feet flinch and grimace at the command, lowering themselves back onto the pews. Old Guard gives them a moment to settle before continuing. "To answer some of your gripes with this information, there is also something else we learned. But I want to preface that I have NOT confirmed this information. The bandits we encountered claimed that they had escaped from the Red Line through the fortress city of Whital." He states, before taking quite a deep breath. "And that they were able to do so because the city had already been sieged by the Urka."
"WHAT!?"
The familiar voice called out from the pews. Everyone's eyes shift over to see Mrs. Bennet standing now with her hands tightly gripped onto the back of the pew in front of her. Her face paled as white as a ghost. Margo clutched tightly to her wife's waist with concern. "Y...you can't be serious..."
Thorpe's eyes widen briefly as if he just remembered something. And his face immediately sours. "Philippa...like I said...I haven't confirmed this at all."
The burly redhead's nose wrinkles furiously. "You say you haven't confirmed it, but you are already telling it as if you believe it! So what is it, Auguste?!" She yells at him. "MY PARENTS ARE STILL THERE! SO DO YOU BELIEVE IT OR NOT!?"