The Fruited Plains

[Leandros Solus]

Outside Keldabe, Leandros begins his journey. Bidding farewell to friends and family, he sets off with nothing but whatever weapons and rations he could carry, relying on his survivalist skills to provide everything else. Others may join him on the beginning of his pilgrimage. Along the way, the pilgrims may encounter plains beasts or something that may impede their efforts.

@Painus @Ecclessey @Gian Greydragon @Arclight @Logan @TheMorrigan @Anyone else who wants to join

This was the day.

Long has he anticipated this moment. His pack was light on supplies aside from nutrient bars, skins of water, and a bedroll. The rest of the equipment was whatever he brought on his person. Clad in his usual armor, Leandros did not particularly look like he was about to embark on the most significant journey of his life. Holstered on his person were his twin Quickdraws by his hips and his Violator on the small of his back. His beskad hung loosely from his waist and his lightsaber was cinched beside it, just in case. His rifle was slung across his body and in his hands.

Today was a momentous occasion. He bid farewell to his friends and peers – those who showed up, anyways – and was joined by other pilgrims eager to join him on his quest. There were some he was familiar with, and some he had never met. He knew that, should they all survive this journey, he would certainly get to know them quite well. They were all here for the singular purpose of strengthening their spiritual conviction and atone for their past sins. Leandros was here to atone for losing his armor to the Wrens, among other transgressions. He knew not why the others were here, but he figured their transgressions were of such importance that they felt compelled to journey to one of Mandalore’s mightiest peak.

The trek would be arduous, and many have perished on its path to the top, but those who have completed it have felt attuned to the gods in ways they previously had not felt. He would be remiss to say that he was not excited for the trip, even despite his company. The decision to take this pilgrimage was a combination of wanting to please his Mand’alor, wanting to restore his honor, and wanting the gods to know their self-assumed champion was still fervent in his belief.

Leandros stood still for a bit, waiting to see if any others would arrive to bid him farewell, as well as to meet any of the other pilgrims. This would be tough, so they must rely on each other and their gods for strength.

The first step was to travel across the vast plains to reach the desert, and he did not know what lurked beyond.

 

[Galaar Rau]

There Galaar stood, with what belongings of his that he could carry with him, ready for the trek in search of the lost headquarters of Ha'rangir's Chosen, with his comrade Leandros Solus. He had had sparse interactions with the man, but his ambitions to rebuild the ancient order from the ground up had inspired Galaar to join him on his pilgrimage. He left his farm to be looked after by his cousins, and aging father, essentially giving up his livelihood to pursue this.

Galaar had no idea what the trek would entail, but he came ready, with his usual loadout, a change of clothes, and a set of sleepwear. G1T was to tag along as well, and help them with scouting. Galaar had always been devout, religiously, and despite his colorful language, took his spirituality very seriously, and as luck would have it, Leandros also had brought up his plan to renew the Ha'rangir's Chosen as Galaar had began reading them. Rather than being invited, the hick more or less invited himself to the pilgrimage, with intent to prove his worth to Leandros on the way. Slinging his Shriek Eagle over his shoulder, and holstering his pistols and Cosmowrench, each pistol to a hip, and his wrench and rawl-skin sheathe would be situated further forward on his left hip, bringing it closer to his pelvis.

"Field Marshal Leandros! Iss been'a'minute, sir! Last time I seen you, you was just a Marauder like me. Sorry I keptchu waitin' awn me like 'at, I'on'know who else was coming, but ye got me and Git ta annoy ya ta death," he chided, as he approached and saluted the Field Marshal.

 

[Dane Rodarch]

-Theme-​

Well, he didn't know anyone in the assembly yet, but he knew this was something he had to do. It was a long time coming, his addictions had gotten him through the worst of the guilt, but by the culture of his new people, he had a chance to truly redeem himself. At least in the eyes of the Gods, if not in his own. It was merely two years ago when the pirates he once called 'companions' ordered him to track down his village once more and attempted to slaughter them. It was nearly two years ago that he had claimed Starlight, his greatsword, and regained a fraction of honor. A fraction wasted between booze, spice, and any other concoction he placed in his body. Even now, helmet held at his side and a cigarra in his hand, he craved anything but sobriety. But this wasn't just another walk in the moonlight.

This was a pilgrimage. An honored tradition.

And he would do his utmost to live up to the expectations. To his left stood a tall and dark Asharl Panther, who had followed him and would remain by his side on the journey forward. Salem growled at the two men before him, staring blankly at the group, but he wasn't concerned. She could hardly be left behind, and he would be happy to have the cat along, a new friend for new times.

"Salem, Daab."

The cat simply gave him a look and silenced herself. The feline began to paw the ground in anticipation, and almost started to walk around, but a simple look from Dane caused her to stay still. He didn't know how the others would react to her presence, but he didn't want them to assume she was hostile. He would make the trek in his armor, his blaster rifle slung to his side and greatsword nestled in its crook along the back of the beskar. As far as he was aware, there were no limits to what could be brought along for the journey, so he had packed a decent amount of rations and a few treats for himself. Mainly, spices, but not nearly as much as he usually consumed. Stepping forward, and allowing Salem to follow, he joined the others in the main gaggle, looking around as though to find a familiar face, though he expected to find none. It was one of his first public outings among the other Mando'a, so it made sense. Still, familiarity would have been a bonus in situations such as these. Putting the cigarra to his mouth, he inhaled sharply and grinned as the calm washed over his body, the tobacco entered his lungs, and the entire scene settled in his mind. Dane was as ready as he could ever be.

 

[Leandros Solus]

Leandros looked at those who had arrived thus far, his eyes scanning over them with a placid lack of concern. These would be his pilgrimage companions; a group of people led by their desire to atone and strengthen their spiritual conviction through a difficult journey. He could not be picky, nor did he want to – he enjoyed the company. Truly, he only hoped that the people alongside him were in the journey for the long haul. It would not be easy, he decided after looking over the route. The most pleasant part would be the trek through the environment outside Keldabe. He had done it once before with someone special, though they rode their basilisks and avoided any unpleasantness on the surface.

Galaar, a man whom he had met maybe once or twice, seemed to recognize the Solus banner man quite easily. Not that that was particularly surprising, he figured, but he still found it difficult getting used to widespread recognition. The man seemed excited to greet him and the Field Marshal gave a warm smile from beneath his helmet that Galaar would not see. The man saluted him, strangely enough, and Leandros raised his hand to offer a dismissive wave. ”Good to see you as well,” he began, lowering his hand and resting it on his hip, ”No need to salute, brother, I’m hardly deserving of that.”

He believed what he said; though he held seniority and rank over the pilgrims, he was still just one of them. His role was to help guide his people in and out of battle, yes, but he did not want special accommodations to be afforded to him if he could help it. Saluting was unnecessary, but he understood the intent behind the gesture. ”I’m honored to have you on this trip,” he concluded, patting the man on his shoulder.

He then turned his head to Dane and regarded the man, having never seen him before in his life. The Zabrak had alongside him a large cat companion and, though is growled at him, he showed no signs of fear or apprehension. Having tamed his own dire badger at the young age of thirteen, the Solus man knew the connection between an animal and its master. That, and he was fairly certain that the feline stood no chance against him. He panned his helmeted gaze up to Dane and nodded in greeting, ”Hi.”

Introductions were made, everyone was friends, and there were still some people alongside them that he either already knew or did not think to introduce himself to just yet. They were behind schedule and he wanted to get this show on the road. After saying his final farewells, Leandros turned and began to head off towards the forest that would lead to the plains, officially beginning the pilgrimage.

@TheMorrigan @Gian Greydragon @Ecclessey and anyone else going to tag along

 

[Galaar Rau]

Galaar cracked a wide smile as Leandros addressed him, having not put his helmet on yet, showing off his pearlies. "Likewise, vod," he said before turning to the Zabrak, with intent to walk with him after Leandros. "Ain't seen you around. I like yer cat. M'Name's Galaar, Clan Rau, you?" He said, just striking up conversation. G1T warbled around the three Mandalorians keeping a mechanical eye on his surroundings, and keeping distance from the Panther, as Git could be mistaken easily as a toy, or training Droid. As amusing as it'd be, he didn't need to repair him again. Not on the move like this.

@TheMorrigan @Painus

 

[Dane Rodarch]

Dane watched the exchange as it happened, from the salute to response and likewise back again. It seemed these two were acquainted with each other, though the man hadn't exactly met either of them. He had heard great things about Clan Solus, and many of their members were considered esteemed and brave crusading warriors. Though who was who was always difficult to him, knowing nothing about their specific armors. This one seemed to distinguish him as a Feild Marshall, which meant he could be one of two or three people. From his responses and general companionship, he could still rule out no-one. It was good that they at least knew each other, it meant they likely worked well together. That would be an edge against any of the possible dangers they would encounter on their long walk to salvation. His lips drew in one more puff before he dropped the cigarra and stomped it out with a clean hit. This was hardly the last he'd smoke, so to stave off the inevitable, he placed his helmet on his head and turned to the next man that greeted him. Another human, but that was no surprise.

"Nice to meet you, Galaar. The name's Dane, clan Rodarch. Not too surprising, I don't get out often. Salem doesn't dislike you, so, that's actually pretty impressive. The big guy... well she's not a fan of anything larger than she is."

Salem began to approach the man he greeted with apprehension, pawing at the ground again, and keeping a slight distance away. Her nose perked up towards the droid, probably smelling to see if it was worth eating, then snubbed the nose away when nothing came of it. Salem was relatively used to droids by this time in her life, though she was a young cat, and she'd eventually grow large enough to ride into battle, much like the basilisk war droids. Though one would assume a Mandalorian would prefer a highly armed war droid, it was a simple fact that Asharl Panthers moved faster, where incredible hunters, and probably wouldn't survive drops from orbit. What he had told Galaar was absolutely true, he spent most of his time tinkering with his weapon and much less outside, considering how inebriated he usually was. This was one of the few occasions that he was pretty much completely sober. And... what an experience it was. Life just seemed dull after you've consumed mountains of everything under the sun, had three mental breaks and wound up in a mental ward on Correlia. Ahh, old times, before he joined this warrior clan he now called his own.

@Gian Greydragon @Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

The start of their journey was, for the most part, relatively uneventful. The three marched along through the forest in whatever formation the preferred, though Leandros would likely lead it. It was a temperate day out; there were a few clouds floating around an endless blue sky, the sun was shining, and the temperature was actually pretty pleasant. As far as he was concerned, it was a beautiful day out to walk for hundreds of miles towards a mountain.

The forest itself was nothing particularly fascinating; the range of flora was about as diverse as one would expect and the fauna kept away from the pilgrims for the most part. Insects buzzed around them, but the safety of their armor kept the nastier ones out. Things were going smooth for now, so Leandros let his mind wander while the other two talked.

While he walked, Leandros thought about a lot of things. Mostly the state of the clans, but also of Raz and their time together on Mandalore not too long ago. This little journey would do well to ease his mind on a lot of things, as well as allow him to focus on some others while he was walking. One of those topics included his Mand’alor. His mind was a torrent of unbridled thoughts trying to figure some things out, chief of which was how he felt about her. It was unusual – he never really considered these things until they got together and hung out that day, but now he could not stop thinking about them. Did she know how he felt? Did she feel the same way? Questions such as these ran roughshod through his mind. He shook his head and rotated it to look at the two others with him, finally speaking up.

”So,” he began, ”I don’t know anything about you two. Let’s start with introductions; I’m Leandros.” He slowed down so that the three could walk abreast, hoping to engage them in conversation, otherwise it was going to be a boring journey.

@TheMorrigan @Gian Greydragon

 

[Galaar Rau]

Galaar nodded, and walked alongside Dane for most of the trip, shooting the breeze, and feeding the panther bits of jerky he'd packed up. Being primarily a meat and dairy farmer, he had plenty of it to last them the hike, as he had expected more vod to arrive at the beginning. By the the time Leandros spoke up, Galaar had proven himself a friend to the Panther, and filled in Dane about his rawl skin holster for his cosmowrench, and poncho he wore over his armor.

"Well, sir, I grew up on Concord Dawn, not too far from some-a yer kin - worked with @Koil Solus, and a few others. I helped him shoot down some pirates outside Concord Dawn space. Saw that man shoot the driver dead, and barely damaged the fighter. I towed that home, and cleaned it up, then sold the parts for a chunk of moo-lah. Killed a few Rawl a few days later with 'eem and, I think her name was Reyna. Good folks, them two. But I'm ramblin' now. And a few other vod attacked some Dar'manda in northern Cawncerd, so I helped 'em out with that. Really kriffed 'em up too," he said, reminiscing about the allies he's made in the clan. After his rant, he looked to Dane, and awaited his answer.

@Painus @TheMorrigan

 

[Dane Rodarch]

-Music-​

He could tell that Salem was enjoying herself. Galaar seemed to have brought some meat with him, and the feline was absolutely estatic. She seemed close enough to the man that he might even be able to consider petting her, an odd thought, because of her ferocity. But Dane regularly turned his back, pet, and even occasionally slept beside her. She wasn't tame in the traditional sense, but rather it seemed she just actively chose to listen to Dane. After all, she was found after one of his other clan members panther had little ones, and he managed to adopt and train her from birth. They shared a distinct bond, one he was happy to share, but knew he never truly could. Salem began to gently nuzzle the man's arm as she and Dane listened to his story in response to Leandros. He had heard of the Mandalorian Field Marshall and his campaigns against the Sith. It was an honor.

"Dane Rodarch. I've been spending my time tinkering with blasters for the last little bit. Bit hard to get out, usually too messed up. Before this I guess I was a pirate? Joined the Rodarch clan around two years ago... It's been a time changing and adapting to this culture, but I can't say it hasn't been a good time."

He turned to Leandros as he spoke, leaving out the parts about how he joined up. Pirate? More like slave, in some senses, as they used his addictions to control him. It hadn't been a very welcoming place, what he'd been in and up to the few years prior to joining. The Mandalorians were not so, they did not seek to control one another, but rather to spread their own version of honor through glorious conflict. Something Dane could understand, he was (in his mind) a warrior at heart, a craftsman by trade, and martial artist by study. All three would hopefully aide him in his continual advancement within the Mandalorian custom.

@Gian Greydragon @Painus

 

[Rud Solus]

Of all the things he could afford to come late to, like one of Raz' potlucks where she tries to poison everyone, Rud was getting the distinct feeling that a pilgrimage isn't something you only join halfway through. Defeats the purpose of the long trek. He was in the forest, looking at his NV-5 Personav in order to find the best way through towards the meeting point when suddenly he heard the unmistaken voice of a field marshal he didn't particularly like.

Rud chose the moment Dane Rodarch (@TheMorrigan) was done talking to reveal himself to the trio by stepping from behind a tree. "Rud-" his voice was a layered cake of angry intonations clearly aimed at Leandros (@Painus). "-his-" he pointed towards Lenny, "-former bunkmate."

His chosen words and the way he said them would no doubt raise suspicions among the other two that there was some history between Leandros and Rud. It was that history Rud had come to atone for. "You two even seen a dire badger before?" he asked Galaar and Dane, cutting off any inquiries in why he was there. "Saw some tracks down the road from here earlier-" he nodded towards the direction the trio had been walking. "-don't usually live in the wild around here."

He was hoping they would all understand what that meant. At least, he knew a Solus would know that a tamed badger doesn't leave its master willfully and that meant his master was probably dead, or dying.

@TheMorrigan @Gian Greydragon @Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

Leandros nodded affirmatively to the two men as they spoke, his expression hidden behind his helmet. Galaar was a simple man, and he respected the candor with which he spoke. He was clearly excited for their journey, and Leandros was glad; they needed that kind of energy. As they walked, Leandros remained silent and allowed the two juniors to speak their pieces, interested in their stories. Galaar was acquainted with others of his clan, and he was pretty sure the two of them had fought alongside each other before, though this was their first face-to-face meeting. When he finished his story, Leandros chuckled, nodding along, ”Good to hear you’ve been so active. We’ll need that in the coming days.”

After that, the other man, the Zabrak, spoke and described himself. The man was a pirate, adopted into their culture very recently. That was the beauty of their people – they were not exclusive. So long as one desired to join and was willing to obey the cultural customs, they were welcome with open arms. Beneath his helmet, Leandros grinned slightly and nodded again, ”Welcome to the clans. The gods will approve of this journey you’re taking,” he said, continuing along on the trail. The trip had been relatively uneventful so far, and he was wondering if there would be any issue on the way to the deserts. With any luck, they would avoid the nasties and get on with their lives.

As soon as Dane was done, however, Rud stepped through the woodline. Leandros instinctively reached for his blasters, but, upon seeing his former bunkmate, relaxed and laughed. ”And also my friend,” he added, clearing the air. Rud’s tone was venomous and Leandros would not be having any of that. Not here. Whatever grievances he had with the man would wait until the pilgrimage was complete, he would make sure of that. Still, it was nice to have another join them on the walk.

Rud brought up the issue of a dire badger without a master in the woods and Leandros found himself in a predicament. One, he was oathbound to complete the pilgrimage as soon as he could, but he was also curious about Rud’s claim. Ultimately, it was his decision to pursue the lead or not and, unfortunately, he chose to prioritize their journey. ”We don’t have time to stop,” he said without breaking stride, ”The gods will understand.” He looked at the others with him before stepping it out, quickening the pace. ”And we really ought to hurry.”

@Gian Greydragon

 

[Galaar Rau]

Galaar reacted in similar fashion to Leandros, going for his sidearm as the other Solus broke through the treeline, and began to speak about a Dire Badger without a master. It wouldn't mean much to Galaar, being of Clan Rau, so he shrugged it off, for the most part, and kept walking, though, part of Galaar would wonder what the significance was of the badger.

Galaar picked up the pace, keeping up with Leandros and Dane, taking up the middle, "Here's hope little guy'll follow us," he said, taking a piece of bread and ripping it apart and dropping it piece-by-piece behind him. He hated that the Badger's owner had been killed or wounded, and hated even more that they wouldn't have the time to help, but at the very least, if he could get it to follow them, they could aid him after the pilgrimage; for that was their primary concern at the moment. With that, however, the four Mandalorian warriors made their trek through the woods, and into the deserts of Keldabe, with little other hindrances.

/end thread
@Painus