-----“The Great Rager has delivered you!” Lovan says in somewhat of a loud voice. “Do you not see how he reaches out and spreads his winds and clouds across the sky? Soon he will show his anger against those who sought to enslave you! For the Great Rager cares not for those who enslave! Freedom is what he seeks! Can anyone hold back the four winds? Can anyone stop the oncoming thunderstorm? Can anyone stop the coming of seasons? Take heart that the Great Rager has seen to favor your release!”
-----Sol can hear the people within the wagons stirring. Many of them, even though they are elderly or too young or weak for battle, seem somewhat entranced by Lovan. Slowly, one by one, many of the people start to jump down from the vehicles and gather to listen closer to him. Those who were following the wagons on foot have already formed a semi-circle around him and Lovan stops to address them further.
-----Without hesitating for a breath, Lovan says with a boisterous tone to his voice, “Not only has the Great Rager reached forth with his clouds to protect us, he has sent one of his Stormbringers to lead you! One who has walked in the ways of the Rager. One who could lead your people to vanquish the evil that threatens your very lives.” With that, Lovan points at Sol, still mounted atop Thunder. The people turn and stare with silent amazement at the Gorian.
-----Sol's first instinct to Lovan's voluminous speech was to once again shout the man down, but as the grizzled priest continued to speak, the Gorian found himself unable, or rather unwilling, to interfere. As Lovan finished stirring the imagination of the refugees, Sol glanced uncomfortably at Jeilin and Dilton before returning his attention to keeping watch on the caravan and for any sign of Garrison.
-----Not trusting himself to reply to what the other follower of the Great Rager had spoken about, the Gorian kept silent.
-----Jeilin, who had put aside her maps and begun praying on the wagon starting at midnight, now smiles and opens her eyes at Lovan and Sol. "Indeed, this wonderful fabric of the world, and of that beyond it, is no less than the word of the gods. One cannot stand against it, as he is of it himself." Taking a deep breath, the priestess then rises and steps down from the wagon, and looks around at the nightscape with a renewed vigor.
-----“There is more to the Great Rager than mere words,” Lovan continues sternly. “Do you not see these clouds over our very heads? Soon they shall cover the entire sky.”
-----Turning and gesturing toward Sol, Lovan says, “On the morrow, if these clouds are still with us, lead us where the enemy lie. Then by the Rager’s Fury, I shall bring the lightning down upon them.”
-----A young boy suddenly steps forward. With a voice that tells his eyes are large with wonder, he looks up at Sol still seated on Thunder and asks, “Could you really lead us to fight the enemy?”
-----A woman quickly runs from the crowd and grabs the boy. She pulls him back to her, however her face is held toward Sol.
-----“Wars,” an old man is heard to say, “hasn’t the world had enough of wars? When will this madness end?” It seems, though, that his opinion is in the minority as another woman’s voice is heard to shush the old man.
-----A few moments later, a woman steps forward, her features undetermined in the darkness. With a bold sound to her voice, she asks Sol, “How would you answer the boy’s question?”
-----Sol, motionless for a few seconds, waged a mental struggle of sorts. His first reaction was quite primal; Lovan's words stirred the Stormbringer’s emotions quite easily. It was only when he looks to the boy who asked the question, and then to his mother who holds him that he realizes there is just no way he will be leading these folk towards any conflict. He would not have these people throw their lives away whilst he held any sway.
-----Sol nudged Thunder into a slow deliberate walk, stopping when rider and mount were next to where Lovan stood. Facing the eager crowd, Sol pointedly answered the old man's rhetorical question, "Yer sentiment is sound, sir, but realistically, th' madness will only end when people like Sintor no longer exist." As the Gorian began to address the boy's concern, his voice raised quite loudly.
-----"Yes, I could indeed lead ye against th' rabble-rousing vermin that plagues these lands. I could take ye int' th thick o' th' fray, introduce ye all t' what it's like t'kill one foe after another. An' after we'd thrown ourselves against th' enemy lines, I'd be leading a battalion of ghosts."
-----Sol paused briefly as he looked across the faces in front of him, letting his point sink in. Then he followed up with, "How many o' ye have had martial training? Anyone can swing a weapon, but it takes a lot more t'do so effectively. How many o' ye have faith so strong that yer patron deity blesses ye with his divine presence?" Here he gestured quickly to both Jeilin and Lovan, before continuing "...How many o' ye can wield magical forces enough t'hurl blasts of fire int' ranks upon ranks o' goblinoids?"
-----The lean warrior's voice softens slightly as he continues, "I don't ask these questions t'belittle any o' ye. Gods, ye've certainly proven yerself brave an' hardy enough t'have made it this far. Either way, a person's worth isn't linked t'their ability t'fight, but as it makes a damn sight o' difference when ye find yerself in th' thick o' it."