[Mkguild] MKGuild Digest, Vol 149, Issue 2

[Indagare .]

The story so far has a nice pace and good details. Bitt's background is
interesting and it's also going to be interesting to see what happens to
him in the future.

On Sat, Jan 4, 2020 at 8:44 AM <mkguild-request at lists.integral.org> wrote:

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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. New Story Part 1 (cokane8116 at aol.com)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2020 05:25:25 +0000 (UTC)
> From: cokane8116 at aol.com
> To: furry-lit at Lists.Integral.org, mkguild at lists.integral.org,
>         jackthefrilledlizard at gmail.com
> Subject: [Mkguild] New Story Part 1
> Message-ID: <281024736.4312726.1578115525652 at mail.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
>
>
> ?? Here is a story I've been working on for a long time. it has nothing to
> do with Metamor Keep. It is an ongoing project that is set in a Roman
> Empire settings,
>
>
> COOL TITLE Goes here
>
> ????People always ask me ?How did you get involved with Bitilus Aeturitis
> Brachaidhe??A good question. Although I am Clan Brachaidhe I never gave
> much thought tosome long dead ancestor. I must admit that the clan history
> classes I satthrough as a child bored me to no end.???Then I took my family
> on a trip to the middle east. It was the journeyof a lifetime. We got to
> see the many ruins and wonders there. We wereexploring the ruins of an old
> empire fortress when my daughter asked one ofthose questions that parents
> dread. ?Who is Bitt?????Turning to her I found my daughter Jennifer staring
> at a wall on whichwas scratched words obviously put there by some bored
> legionnaire, long ago. MyLatine was a bit rusty but I recognized a fairly
> decent sketch of the ClanFlower emblem and the words ?Bitt was here,? in
> old Latine.???That started it. A quick call home and they emailed me Bitt?s
> biography.I was up all evening reading it and it was fascinating.???When
> home I found about Bitt?s J
>  ournals and eagerly read the onlypublished edition. I found it was over
> 300 years old and sadly lacking. So atrip to the clan fortress was in order
> to see the original papers. I found theywere several THOUSAND pages,
> scrolls, codex?s and pieces of parchment all kepton shelves. One trip
> become two, then four and finally we moved to Senaloca! Istarted organizing
> them all and translating them into modern languages. Thatled to a website
> and several books, then a multivolume set and the TV series.And suddenly I
> was being called THE expert on Bitt and that age. The journalsbrought Bitt
> and his world back to life! It?s given us all a rare glimpse into anage
> long lost. To cities long destroyed and people forgotten. Till now.???Bitt
> was born into a time of great change. Social, political, religiousand
> economic. Everything was changing. For people like Bitt who
> traveledextensively they saw extensive social changes. He saw old things
> crumble andnew ones rise to take their places. He sa
>  w heroes rise to the occasion andvillains who sank to the depths of
> depravity. He saw the past and the future.Living in the ancient world he
> got a glimpse of the modern one.???It?s taken me to all the places he
> visited. I?ve been to the middle eastmany times and made many friends. On
> all those visits I was ably helped by mygood friend Professor Amar Rashid.
> The lion put up with my countless questions.You can imagine our delight
> when we found our families shared an unexpectedconnection.???It?s been a
> wild ride learning about Bitt. I have enjoyed it. I hope youdo too. I know
> Bitt did.???Welcome to the 7th century.???????????Christian Philip
> Brachaid???????????????? Clan Historian
> **********************************
>
> ??? The newest group of recruits was certainly a motley bunch.
> ?? The leopard had the thin, worn look ofsomeone who had to choose between
> the Legion and starving to death. His clothesseemed to be in no better
> shape. Just a battered and worn tunic that hadweathered to a dull gray.
> They?d have to put some extra food into him to add onthe flesh and muscle
> he?d need.???The mongoose had a long, old scar down his muzzle and most his
> left earwas missing. He held himself with an aggressive stance. Probably
> some streetthug who thought he could escape punishment in the Legion. He
> would be aproblem. They?d probably have to knock that attitude out of
> him.???And the dog looked painfully young. An image not helped by his
> wearingclothing that was too large for him. The shirt and pants had the
> look of abattered clothes handed down from an elder sibling. He was
> probably a fourth orfifth son who decided to join the Legion to avoid a
> life of menial labor. Whichwas not a bad idea. It would probably be a few
> years before he reached hisadult size.??? The one
>  who really caught his eye was thefox. The Tod was short ? barely five
> feet tall. It made the Centurion wonderhow the vulpine had passed the
> entrance requirements. He also wondered what anorthern species was doing
> this far south. Still the vulpine looked to be ingood shape. He wasn?t
> excessively fat or starvation thin. Which was not thecase for some of the
> others. He held himself with a calmness that was differentfrom the rest.
> Perhaps this one had seen the elephant already. He would bearwatching.???
> All of the Tiros (recruits) were assembledin a group on the training ground
> in the middle of the castrum. The fortressthat was the home of the 76th
> legion of the empire. It was centrallylocated in the province of Mauritania
> Ceasariensis next to the city of Jerah.The capital of the Imperial
> province.??? This massive fortress was the headquartersof the Legion and
> was the home of Legio Legatus ? Commander of the legion.Although
> vexillationes (detachments) of legionnaires were scatte
>  red all overthe province in small castrum all eventually came here and
> took their ordersfrom here. It was where the bulk of the Legion was
> stationed. This was thelocation where all tiros came to be trained.???
> ?GOOD MORNING!? Thewolf shouted in an overly loud voice. ?I AM CENTURION
> DECIUS BRUCCIUS FERIOLIUS! Of theFifth Cohort, Seventh century, seventy
> sixth legion to who you now belong!???? He pointed at the fox. ?And who are
> you????? ?My name is Bitilus Aeturitis,? the foxanswered.??? ?You?re the
> transfer from the 10th,?the centurion said plainly.??? ?Yes centurion,?
> came the answer.??? ?What are you doing here?? The Wolf askedbluntly.??? ?I
> was assigned here,? Bitilus responded.??? The wolf stepped closer and
> pushed his faceright up into the vulpine?s. ?No.? he said in a surprisingly
> soft tone. ?Whydid the 10th send you across the full length of the empire?
> There isno war going on here. No need for troops from elsewhere.????
> ?Well,? the fox stuttered unsure of what tosay.
>   So he lied. ?How was I supposed to know she was the Governor?s
> niece.???? That got a round of laughter from everyone,including the
> centurion.??? ?I should know better than to hope but Iwill ask anyway,? the
> centurion started. ?Do any of you have any training inhow to handle a
> weapon????? Bitt was still a moment before raising ahand. ?I have been clan
> trained.???? ?In what?? The Centurion asked.??? ?Sword, bow, javelin, spear
> and seax,? thefox explained.??? The centurion looked the fox over for
> amoment.? ?All right. Let?s test you. Graba sword and shield from the
> racks.???? On one side of the field stood a wooden rackwhich held a variety
> of weapons and shields. The fox looked at them for amoment then pick up a
> shield. ?I need a shorter shield,? Bitt commented.??? ?No,? the centurion
> answered. ?The scutumhas been shield of the Legion for centuries. It will
> be good enough for you.???? Bitt didn?t speak but simply held up hisscutum
> and stood at the ready. The only part of the f
>  ox visible was the tip ofhis ears. In order to see he had to hold the
> shield lower. The lower edgealmost dragging on the ground.??? ?We just
> aren?t getting the good recruitsanymore.? The centurion sighed loudly.
> ?Just how did you get into the legion inspite of being so short?????
> ?Personal request of the governor,? was theshort vulpine?s answer.??? ?You
> really pissed off the governor,? thewolf commented with a laugh.??? ?Mom
> and Dad suggested I travel far away,?Bitt commented. ?The governor made
> sure I traveled REALLY far.???? ?I suggest you stay away from the
> localfemales,? A bystander said. ?They use castration as a punishment.????
> The whole group winced reflexively.??? ?I still need a shorter shield,?
> Bittresponded.??? ?All right. I?ll see what I can do.???? ?Try this one,?
> the legionnaire ordered andhanded the fox a different scutum.??? ?Better,?
> Bitt commented. It was better ?slightly. This time in addition to his
> helmet and ears the fox?s eyes peakedout over the rim. T
>  hat was better. A legionnaire didn?t want too much of theirbody being
> exposed in combat.??? ?Let?s see how you fight,? the centurionsaid. ?Then
> we?ll teach you the right way.???? The fox carefully put the scutum
> down,leaning it against the rack. He picked up another shield, this one was
> oval andsmaller. Easier for him to wield. ??? For a weapon he picked up a
> spatha sword witha three-foot-long blade. This was the type of blade most
> of his people used.But experience told Bitt it was too long for him. He put
> it back and picked upone of the short-bladed swords called a gladius. The
> weapon the legions werefamous for. Legionnaires had used it to conquer the
> known world.??? He stepped up to the centurion and took aguarded stance.???
> The Legionnaire studied the vulpine amoment. He held the shield up at the
> correct attitude. Not so high as toneedlessly expose his lower legs or so
> low as to drag the ground. It was alsoheld close to the body and not too
> far out. A common mistake many
>  tiros made.The sword was held at waist level point aimed straight at the
> legionnaire?schest, head or legs.??? A crowd was starting to form of
> Legionnaireswho were off duty and looking for something to break the
> boredom of garrisonlife.??? The fox stood there a moment, trying to sizeup
> his opponent. The sword was short but the shield covered most of his
> bodymaking it hard to hit the wolf.??? Hesidestepped to the right, trying
> to get around that massive shield. The wolfstood in place and simply
> pivoted as the fox moved around him.??? What was clear to the Centurion was
> this foxhad been trained well. Unfortunately, it was not in the way the
> legion fights.??? ?Why are you inthe Legion?? The centurion asked as he
> fended off a lunge by the fox. ?Mostsmaller species like yours go for the
> Exploritori or the Sagittari.???? ?I wanted to be a Legionnaire,?
> Bittexplained proudly. ?Not just an Auxilia. My ancestors were warriors.
> Fighters.???? The Centurion nodded. ?Now that I canbelieve
>  . Show me how you fight with a seax.???? The fox placed his shield back
> where he hadgotten it from and put the sword next to it. He examined all
> the weapons on therack ? wooden copies of real killing tools. ?There?s no
> seax here.???? ?Let me see one,? the Centurion ordered andextended his
> hand.??? Bitt reached behind himself, into the smallof his back. When he
> pulled his hands back he had a weapon in each one.??? ?Let me see one,? the
> Wolf ordered.??? The fox hesitated a moment then placed one,hilt first into
> the Legionnaire?s hand.??? Eachhad a narrow blade some twenty inches long
> with sharp point. They were attachedto hilts made of a fine, polished red
> wood that was just as wide as the blade.What was unusual was there was no
> guard. The piece that separated the hilt fromthe blade.??? ?The blade is
> steel????? ?Yes sir,? the fox replied proudly.?Imported from the east.????
> The weapon was light and well balanced. Theblade was of a high-quality
> metal and was very sharp. This wa
>  s not an openbattlefield weapon. It was meant for personal protection.
> Still, in the righthands it was a deadly weapon.??? ?Use two of the
> training gladius,? he saidas he handed the real weapon back.??? Bitt nodded
> his head. ?Yes sir.? He did aflourish with the blades, spinning them around
> and then tucking the weaponsbehind his back. When he brought his hands out,
> they were empty.?
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