Topic: The Northern Campaign

Raytheon

Date: 2015-04-11 22:12 EST
Ray woke up early, as always, so he had heard Val enter quietly. His curiosity was piqued, but he would not ask her. What Val did with her free time was her business, not his.

Normally, his dreams of late had been troubled, as if a darkness were closing around him, but last night had been an exception. For he had dreamed of Katya. They had met during his imprisonment with the Aiel, and though he had fallen for the fierce redhead early, she had barely deigned to notice him for months. It had taken time and prodding from some of the Aiel men for Ray to better understand Aiel customs, and that clear indications of reciprocal interest from Katya had been ignored by him due to cultural differences. He smiled wistfully, remembering the way that the desert sun had turned her long hair into fire, a shocking contrast to her bronzed skin. Yet, it had not been meant to be, for she would not leave her clan, and Ray felt obligated to return to Valucia.

Exiting the guest room, Ray realized that all of the past women in his life had somehow ceased to exist in his mind, and the one who stood in front of him now claimed that she was not real. It was maddening.

Raytheon

Date: 2015-04-11 22:28 EST
The knowledge that Val had spent the previous night with Mach, and his suspicions about what had transpired that had brought her home at dawn, did not disappear during the subsequent day. Ray had been honest with Val, too honest perhaps, and he still felt the taste of her lips on his. But his first rule in these matters was that he would not share his love interest with anyone ? not Rion, nor Mach, nobody. This rule was ironclad and without room for compromise. Yet he was still unsure that Val shared that same commitment. Now that he was no longer by her side, he wondered if he was ready to abide by it as well. Thoughts of Katya filled his mind. And somewhere, very distantly in the recesses of his being, he thought he could still feel the bond with Valucia.

He drew forth the letter in his jacket pocket and unfolded the crinkled paper, reading it for the tenth time since it had arrived yesterday evening. Ray,

The shadows are rising and time is not on our side. You have been asked to lead a northern campaign to rally the Aiel clans to our cause. You know as well as I do that nobody else can do this. The campaign leaves in two days, with or without you.

The Last Battle approaches.

Gavin Ray stood silently for several minutes, fingering the paper, torn between his sense of duty to fight in the Last Battle and his newfound desire to remain by Val's side and face down her demons. Finally, he grabbed a pen and wrote quickly, then folded the paper into an envelope and strode out the door to the agreed-upon place where he would leave his answer for Gavin.

Raytheon

Date: 2015-04-12 11:04 EST
Gavin tore open the envelope, his eyes quickly scanning the contents of the letter inside. Gavin,

Meet me at the crossroads north of the city at the break of dawn on Monday.

Ray The man looked up at the group of twelve riders, who sat silently on their horses, waiting expectantly. All wore colored Warder cloaks.

"Demetrius!" Gavin barked. One of the younger riders jolted to attention, long black hair flopping into his eyes. "Ride immediately back to the White Tower." A smile formed on Gavin's face. "Tell them that he has agreed to lead the campaign."

As Demetrius galloped away, Gavin turned to the eleven remaining Warders. "With Ray, we'll be thirteen. May the number bring us luck and success." We'll need it, he thought grimly.

Raytheon

Date: 2015-04-12 15:39 EST
Day 1:

Gavin stroked his head, fingers running over his prickly grey hair, as he scanned the horizon anxiously. The first rays of the sun had already appeared, yet Ray was nowhere to be seen. Just then, a figure appeared in the distance, slowing growing larger until he was able to recognize Ray on his steed.

"You're late," Gavin said. "And you look exhausted."

Ray eyed him, then shifted in his saddle, his glance taking in the other eleven men who would make up their group. He nodded to each one solemnly, getting a murmured greeting or nod in return. As Gavin watched the scene unfold, he felt a mixture of pride and amazement. It was remarkable to think that Ray had been a bright-eyed student of his just a couple of years ago, and now he was leading their group to a rendezvous with the Aiel clans. How much his friend had changed, he marveled, as he studied the firm set of Ray's jaw, the squint lines around his eyes, and the gravity in his hazel eyes. Though he retained his youthful features, Ray's eyes seemed to have aged twenty years.

Ray turned to regard him. "Well??" he asked. "Shall we start the campaign?" At Gavin's silent nod, Ray addressed the rest of the group.

"You all know what is at stake," he said softly, but his voice cut through the silence like a gong calling monks to morning prayer. "You were all chosen specifically for this campaign. I thank you for agreeing to participate." He met each man's gaze. Satisfied with what he saw, he turned his horse northward. "We'll ride hard. Every second counts."

He set off at a quick pace, and the men followed, their steeds kicking up dust as they tore down the road. Gavin initially kept pace with Ray, but then fell back with the rest of the men when Ray showed no interest in conversation.

As they climbed a ridge, Ray paused, glancing over his shoulder. The city of Rhydin was just barely visible. From this vantage point, it seemed calm and peaceful, as if the entire place were asleep. Stay safe, Val. Gavin approached, his mount coming to a halt a couple of meters from Ray.

"What's on your mind?" Gavin asked quietly, his eyes focused on the city below rather than on his friend.

Unfinished business, Ray thought, but he responded, "Nothing." He turned his eyes northward, towards the Aiel clans he hoped to recruit to their cause, towards the enemy that threatened everything he held dear, and towards Katya. Unfinished business indeed.

Raytheon

Date: 2015-04-12 22:52 EST
Day 2:

They had ridden hard, stopping only for a few hours of sleep well after dark, and starting again before dawn broke. Ray worried about the impact of their pace on the steeds, but they had been well trained and carefully selected for their endurance. After a couple of hours on the road, Ray called a halt for breakfast. They moved into a grassy meadow adjacent to the road, each man performing his duty with soldierly efficiency. Soon, the horses were fed and their own food was being ladled into bowls.

Ray glanced idly up the road, as if he half-expected the enemy to rush at them any moment. Yet, as it had been for the past day, the road remained empty except for an occasional trader or small traveling party.

They had finished their breakfast and were loading their bags back onto their horses when one of the Warders gave a shout. Ray rushed over, his gaze following the man's outstretched arm towards the north. He spotted figures on the road, a multitude the size of an army coming around the bend maybe half a kilometer from where they stood. An order was on his lips and his hands reached for his bow, but then he stopped.

"It cannot be?" he whispered. He heard a sharp intake of breath from Gavin and muttered curses from some of the other Warders as the figures came into focus.

It was no army of soldiers, but rather one of refugees ? thousands upon thousands of men, women, and children trudging slowly towards them, their eyes sharing the same dazed, haunted expression.

Raytheon

Date: 2015-04-14 20:03 EST
As the refugees neared their group, Ray stepped out onto the road alone. Slowly, those leading the mass of people came to a stop in front of him. Despite their overwhelming numerical superiority, the fear in their eyes was evident. "I mean you no harm," he reassured them, his voice projecting to those standing in the rows behind the first individuals, who continued to watch him cautiously. "We come from Tar Valon," he said, motioning to his companions, who had lined up alongside the road.

The refugees seemed to relax just slightly, and finally a young woman took a tentative step forward. "Sir" they?" she paused, choking back a sob, and Ray caught sight of the bundle strapped to her back. The tussled hair of a baby peeked out from the top of the blanket, but it was clear from the limp form that the baby was no longer alive.

A white-hot rage filled Ray. "Keep going until you reach Rhydin. Matias, Costan' you will accompany them as far as the city to provide some measure of protection. Coordinate with our contacts there to ensure that a camp is set up to offer them food and lodging, and set up a health station as well." The two Warders began to protest, but Ray cut them off with a stern look. "We'll meet you in the Waste where the Black Rock sept resides.?

He had never referred to the Three-fold Land in that way before, but it now seemed appropriate, given what he had witnessed here. He mounted his horse and urged it forward, not waiting for his companions, who scrambled to follow him. The ranks of refugees opened for them as the eleven riders galloped towards the Waste, fire in their eyes.

Raytheon

Date: 2015-04-14 23:34 EST
Day 4:

By noon on the third day, the snowcaps separating the rest of the world from the Waste came into view, their peaks obscured by grey clouds. The band had encountered a few small groups of raiders the previous day that they dispatched easily, spraying them with arrows until the bandits scattered, leaving fallen companions in their wake. Normally, Ray might have been more judicious about his aim, seeking to injure rather than kill, but he could not shake the image of the dead baby from his mind. In his eyes, every single thug they fought had blood on his hands. Judging from the losses they left in their wake, his men shared his point of view.

Today, as they finally turned away from the north and followed an eastern route, all was silent. It was too quiet, in fact, giving Ray the impression that word had spread about their movements. He felt as if they were being watched as they gained in altitude, picking their way through the foothills until they finally reached the Sharianel Pass that would carry them over the mountain and into the Waste. The thin air made it hard to breathe, and a light snow increased in intensity as they shuffled upwards, each man leaning into his horse's mane in a vain effort to keep warm.

The pass narrowed until they were forced into a single-file line, shoulders and packs scraping against the mountain on the left side, while a thousand-meter drop awaited any misstep on the right. Even the sure-footed horses seemed anxious as their hooves struggled with the icy slush that coated the rocks. As the conditions steadily worsened, Ray ordered the Warders to dismount and lead their horses on foot. A blizzard encircled them, limiting visibility to only a meter or two. At the head of line, Ray was so focused on deciding where to place his next step that it took him a moment to hear the cracking rock. Glancing up, he caught sight of five dark-robed figures for a brief moment, then all hell broke loose.

Raytheon

Date: 2015-04-26 22:48 EST
An avalanche of large stones crashed around them. Ray heard screams, and he ducked a jagged rock that hurtled past his head. Feeling the narrow path crumbling under his feet, he sprang forward. In that same instant, he felt a searing pain jolt through his arm, and he opened his fingers reflexively, releasing the reins. His horse toppled over the ledge, disappearing into the storm. Despite his pain and distress, Ray pushed forward, ducking another rock that tumbled overhead and yelling at his men to seek cover. He heard more screams, and caught sight of Dannon, the youngest of the group at just 20 years old but already the sharpest marksman with the bow, and Jacek, a grizzled veteran with a couple decades of service to Tar Valon, lose their footing under another barrage of stones. "No!" Ray cried as they plunged into the darkness.

He ran ahead, ignoring the falling rocks and collapsing path, too angry to care anymore that the snow obscured his vision to the point where he didn't know if he would touch stone or air with his next step.

He felt the path start to widen and, as he passed underneath an overhang that allowed him to see more than a couple meters, he glanced back to take stock of the situation. Gavin was following close at his heels, and another eight Warders and just three horses joined them moments later under the rim that jutted out just enough to deflect the stones that crashed around them.

"Stay here," Ray ordered. He quickly scaled the mountain, ignoring the splintering pain that shot through his left arm. His companions? alarmed shouts were lost in the wind as he pulled himself upwards. All he could think of was revenge.

After climbing 20 meters or so, Ray reached over his shoulders, pulling out two short spears. His frozen fingers squeezed the shafts so hard that his knuckles cracked and bled. About 10 meters away, he saw the group that had attacked them. There were actually 10 in the group, five wearing the black robes that marked them as Aes Sedai, though they were all men, while the other five appeared to be bodyguards. All of them were looking down, undoubtedly hoping to unleash more havoc on the Warders once they left the relative safety of their temporary refuge.

Ray padded silently across the final stretch of icy rock, grateful for the howling wind and snow that swallowed all sounds, and went straight for the mages. By the time they realized he was among them, Ray was a whirlwind of motion, stabbing and slashing, and the Aes Sedai went down without any resistance. He made even quicker work of the surprised and outmatched bodyguards, driven by a cold fury.

As the corpses lay around him, already turning white as snow dusted them, Ray uttered a brief prayer to the gods for Dannon and Jacek, then stepped out onto the ridge and gave the all-clear sign to his party below.