26 Darkness 1625: Cattle Raid
Erina instructs her carls to stay together, so as not to be surprised. In the event that these are not random attacks, the sakkar might be guided by, or actually be, more intelligent than mere animals, so it will be a good idea to respect them as such. They should keep their shields shouldered, for the same reason. If they can spot the sakkar, that would be great, but Erina accepts that the whole party is likely going to have to react to the sakkar pouncing on an animal. Naturally, she wears her armor, which stands out, gleaming bronze.
To that end, Erina endeavors to choose the animal in question. She picks out the oldest, weakest herd animal and consoles it. It won't understand her, but maybe her meaning will be conveyed through its spirit.
"Now, o cow, you are old and grey, and the twilight of your life is nigh. Death out of turn stalks your kin. We come to aid you, and to give you a chance to give of yourself for your blood. We ask that you sacrifice yourself for your own and for your descendants."
The cow is already sanctified to Orlanth, but Erina will, nevertheless, sanctify the cow further, preparing it as for a sacrifice without completing the final steps. The animal will serve nobly.
All of this solemn preparation is topped off by a very silly finale: Erina uses a large rope to tie two long branches to each side of the cow and hangs ten pounds of raw meat from the end of each branch. A doubly enticing bait for the sakkar. It also looks ridiculous.
Edit to remove redundancy.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:52, Wed 18 Aug 2021.