All He Knew Was Minia

By: Synbios Posted on: March 31, 2014

Below is a stylized account of a incident that occurred during the Y650 city-wide Capture-the-Flag, where a Hashani novice kept the flag in Minia, to the surprise and consternation of nearby Ashtani combatants:

Just barely out of the gnoll prison, and his mind was suddenly afire with the City channel's shouted commands and orders to muster for a great battle, but he moved elsewhere. His mother, bless her soul wherever she was, had left him a gem of wisdom before he went and got himself captured: "Now see here, Raddy, and listen good. Y'gotta stick to what you know, 'fore you goes and tries something new and stupid. Keep yer feet on the ground, b'fore ya stick your head into the clouds."

So he learned all that he could from the first place he found himself in: Minia. He learned and he learned about the complex economy of the valley: kill, sell, get money. Killed pixies, get money from the Imp Lord; killed imps, get money from Pixie Queen. He learned about the hellcats and the kobolds and the pygmies and oh it was all so confusing. Headslam? Kick? Or maybe one of those flails they used to sell in that shop? Maybe do those pointing things that made them all bleeding messily? But learn he did, until he knew most of Minia, and what a feeling of pride did swell in him!

Yells of 'WHERE'S THE FLAG?', 'OCCULTIST SNIPED!' and 'READY? GO GO GO! ENGAGE!' he paid little heed, for he was close to knowing all of Minia, and boy, was he really close. But then, lo and behold, he saw a flag in front of him, mighty and nobly blazoned with the noble blazon of an Owl. This looked really important to the city. Not sure why they like flags, he thought. Reaching forth, he took hold of the flag and pulled it out of the soil(the nearby Ashtani occultist looked positively stunned when he did so) and then...what?

And the city channel exploded. "HE HAS THE FLAG." "BY THE GODS HE HAS THE FLAG!" "PLANT THE FLAG RADAKAIL. PLANT IT!" Plant it? But where? He was more confused than a pixie child who had spun one too many times, more confused than the imp alchemist in one of his alchemical binges, more confused than a hellcat chasing its own tail. Where should he plant it? Desperate, he remembered his mother's advice.

Y'gotta stick to what you know, 'fore you goes and tries something new and stupid. Keep yer feet on the ground, b'fore ya stick your head into the clouds.

Y'gotta stick to what you know, 'fore you goes and tries something new and stupid.

Y'gotta stick to what you know

stick to what you know

That's it! He knew Minia. Maybe the Imps would know what to do with the flag. Or the Pixies. Maybe...maybe even the hellcats might know! Thank you, mother, wherever you are, he muttered, as he set off past the ivy archway. She'll be proud of him, he knew.

So Radakail went to Minia, taking his first steps towards the Ember Tower, dragging the flag behind him, and in that single moment, mighty Ashtan - with all its occultists, monks, serpents and such - found itself powerless against a novice.

All he knew was Minia, and truly, he had learned well.