Drastic Action

Once the bodies are burned, the group makes their way to the Olmnar tribe. The guards greet their dishevelled and injured states with suspicion, but quickly allow them inside once they notice Sarr'ina and Luca. Jubba had made it fairly well known that they were to be treated with the utmost respect.

The few more seriously injured Sua'jiki are lead to a private shack to rest and heal up while the others deliver the salt to the Olmnar storerooms. Luca and Sarr'ina wait beside the storeroom for Jubba to arrive.

Once the Olmnar chieftain does waddle towards them, he jovially greets them but still holds concern for whether or not either were injured during the recent ambush. It was obvious the man held himself responsible as they were technically within Olmnar territory when it happened, putting at least some degree of blame on them. "My friends, I am sorry that such a fate has befallen you and your fellow tribesman. I promise to use everything in my power to see the perpetrators brought to justice." the obese man says sincerely.

Sarr'ina nods with a smile, seemingly not blaming Jubba in the least, Luca had already shared his suspicions with her and she couldn't help but agree with him.

"We don't blame you at all for the attack, Jubba. But I reckon the tribe responsible will begin getting increasingly more desperate after this, we all know who would be able to gain from eliminating us." Luca states.

Jubba just nods grimly, having probably come to the same conclusion when he first heard about the attack. "Indeed..." he mutters before grinning, "But since you completed your side of the deal even with these recent 'complications', I feel that making this pact with the Sua'jiki would be for both of our benefit."

Sarr'ina smiles at him, "Really? I am sure father and everyone else will be pleased to hear that, Chieftain."

The group continue making small talk after agreeing that Jubba would visit the Sua'jiki tribe to finalise the terms for the pact. There wouldn't be any point agreeing to it if there weren't punishment to the side that fails to uphold their end of it.

And while Luca and Sarr'ina hold quite a deal of influence with their tribe and the Olmnar, they still weren't comfortable with making promises on behalf of Sarr'vuln. Eventually, they were left to rest in the Sua'jiki section of the Olmnar tribe.

The days afterwards quickly passed, the Olmnar tribe began applying subtle sanctions against the Gutizia, giving the excuse that their actions in the past have made them antagonistic to the Olmnar tribesman, and therefore needed to make reparations in order to be able to trade there.

Of course, once presented with this some of the Gutizia tribesmen refused to comply, eventually attacking the Olmnar men when pressed. The few men who attacked were quickly outnumbered and executed, but this event marked a dramatic change in both Olmnar and Gutizia relations.

Elsewhere :

Gaiztoak slumps backwards in his chair as Julnker addresses him, "I can not work if you do not speak to me... Did you, or did you not ambush the Sua'jiki salt bearers?" the man questions.

Julnker had been steadily increasing in confidence the longer he spent in a position of power. Gaiztoak was almost completely incompetent, rash, and uncontrollable. Making decisions based on reflex and emotion than rational thought.

He knew that Gaiztoak couldn't get rid of him anymore, as he'd entrenched himself in the Gutizia tribe. If Gaiztoak were to try anything, they both knew where their peoples loyalties lay.

"I did! They deserved to die for selling what is rightfully ours!" the boy-chief retorts as if it were obvious.

"Then there is nothing I can do to solve this!" Julnker shouts and is about to continue when a messenger steps into the large shack. "Chieftain! The Olmnar has banned us from trading in their village after a battle broke out between our men and theirs!"

Before Gaiztoak is even able to say anything, Julnker gets the first word in, "WHHHAAAAAAAATT!" He exclaims, panic clear in his voice.

"Be quiet!" Gaiztoak angrily retorts, looking at the messenger while ignoring his advisors muttering. "What happened!?"

"The Olmnar wished to force restrictions on us, 'reparations' they called it for our past crimes. Our men disagreed and were butchered when they tried to resist! They sent the survivors back to us with a message; we are not to ever return to Olmnar land."

"We are doomed!" Julnker says in a dull tone, "We will starve with only salt to eat... How could we let this happen!"

"WE? IT WAS ALL YOU! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" Gaiztoak shouts, somehow disregarding the fact that he was the one who acted so domineeringly in the past and sent men to ambush another tribe in Olmnar land.

"YOU ARE A FOOL GAIZTOAK! Who will help us after all the enemies YOU have made!?"

"WE NEED NO HELP! THE GUTIZIA ARE THE STRONGEST, WE WILL SURVIVE, THRIVE, AND CONQUER!"

Julnker upon hearing this just presses his hand against his face and stumble slightly, as if he were about to pass out. "I... I need time to think about the future." he mutters before leaving for his own shack.

"Yes, BEGONE COWARD!" Gaiztoak shouts as the man walks away, dropping into deep thought as he considers his options... Gaiztak wasn't a fool, he knew who was responsible for all of this. The poisoned salt, the other tribes defying them... The Sua'jiki.

He looks to the messenger who was still diligently waiting there, and suddenly gets an idea. A grim smile appears on his face before he smothers it. "You there... I need your assistance with something important."

Gaiztoak's subsequent actions could be called a manner of different things, cruel, sly, desperate, dishonourable... Were most tribes aware of the sort of man Gaiztoak was, they'd have went to war and eliminated him before he could start scheming...

The night they received the dire news, Gaiztoak forced the messenger via threats to his family to poison Julnker in his home. Once the man was dead, Gaiztoak made a big racket which woke up almost everyone in the tribe and charged into the shack, killing the messenger with a swift stab of his 'Mettul' sword.

Afterwards, he drags the messenger's body out and carrying Julnkers as if he were a son he'd just lost. "DAMN IT ALL! TRAITOR!" Gaiztoak shouts, kicking the dead messenger in the stomach while looking around at the tribesman that'd gathered.

"MY PEOPLE! THIS IS THE LAST STRAW!!! THE SUA'JIKI HAVE COMMITTED FAR TOO MANY CRIMES AGAINST US! POISONING MY ADVISOR IN HIS SLEEP, AND ATTEMPTING TO DO THE SAME TO ME!

I SAY NO MORE! I WANT REVENGE! BLOOD FOR BLOOD AGAINST THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED US! WE ARE ON OUR OWN NOW, THE OTHER TRIBES SCHEME AGAINST US, PLOT TO DESTROY EVERYTHING WE STAND FOR!

BUT I WILL LEAD YOU. WE WILL TAKE THE FIGHT AND PUNISH THEM FOR THEIR ACTIONS! ON MY FATHER'S NAME, I WILL SAVE US ALL!" he shouts, and a few tribesmen give shouts of acknowledgement.

Though, most were very, very sceptical of this. The problem against voicing their issues though, is that Julnker, the only person who could potentially reign in Gaiztoak was now dead ... They'd likely be skinned and bled should they reject their chieftain, making most refuse to say anything...

Of course, there were a few people who voiced their concerns, but they were quickly captured and put to work in the salt mines for the 'war effort'. The way Gaiztoak saw it, if they weren't going to fight, they would work to help those fighting.

If only Gaiztoak had noticed the few tribesmen who'd slipped away to avoid the coming disaster. They might have avoided destruction if he had been just a little more perceptive.