Old Hallifax was often in the habit of sending colonists out into the world to expand the city's economic power. Some expeditions thrived, others failed, and still others prospered for a time before collapsing into irrelevance. A rare few of them had an even greater misfortune than that. They lost contact with Hallifax due to some calamity, and were forced to survive as independent states. Those colonies did not desert the virtues of their founders, and they maintained a collective form of government as best they could. Those that survived for long enough found that their culture shifted with the passing of the years, and that time took its toll on their most cherished of all resources, their copies of the Manifesto. Some among them were content to undergo the easy slide into indolence and wickedness, but others resisted the process.

There was a trill named Thailoh who lived in such a colony, high up in the mountains. Generations had passed since the colony had any contact with Hallifax, and all who lived there knew that their customs were degrading in the absence of that contact. Their copies of the Manifesto and their other philosophical texts were riddled with errors, for they had been copied by hand for many years, and their transcriptions accumulated new flaws every time. The people of the colony longed to remain on the path of virtue, and so they resolved to send one of their number forth to brave the perils of the wilderness and make the journey to Hallifax, so that they might receive accurate copies of the Manifesto once again. They chose Thailoh to make the journey, not for any great skill at arms or familiarity with the wilderness, but because they believed that he was the noblest of their number, the least likely to be tempted away from his quest by the luxurious pleasures of the world. Thailoh accepted the task, for although he did not even know the way to Hallifax, he was eager to serve his people as best as he could.

He set out from the colony with hope in his heart and strength in his limbs. He had only the faintest idea of where he was going, so he resolved to climb the highest peak that he could find in the hope that he could catch sight of his goal from upon it. He trudged through snow and ice for several days, and in time he reached a great mountain, which he prepared to climb.

---------

Thailoh had no choice but to climb the mountain, for the winds were fierce and he could not risk injury by taking to the sky. The mountain was steep and cold, and it took many hours for him to reach the peak. After he finally attained his goal, Thailoh looked out upon the world and felt a great sense of disappointment. He saw nothing but clouds and mountains, and so he still did not know how he could travel to Hallifax. He wailed bitter lamentations as he sat down upon a stone to think about how he might proceed.

The stone rattled and growled as soon as he put is weight upon it. That came as a great surprise, and Thailoh quickly jumped up from his seat. He knocked on the stone, and he found that it was hollow. A voice echoed out from it.

"Little friend, little friend, are you a man or a beast?"

"A man," cried Thailoh, "one who has heard of a speaking stone!"

"Nor have you heard of one today," said the voice in the stone, "for you hear a man that is caught in a prison. Open the stone and I shall owe you a great debt, and I swear that I will pay it."

Thailoh ran his fingers over the stone, feeling its cracks and crevices, and found that it would be a trivial thing to open it. The design was cunning, for although anyone could open the stone from the outside, only a man who could shatter solid stone could do so while imprisoned. Thailoh's heart yearned to set the prisoner free, but reason forbade him from liberating a person who had been justly imprisoned. He wondered if justice or folly had put the man in the stone, and so he asked a simple question.

"Tell me, friend, why you are locked in a stone? What force condemned you to that, and for what cause?"

The voice in the stone laughed a laugh that was full of bitterness. It was then silent for a long moment before it saw fit to speak.

"Friend, I am Nako, who used to be called Nako Olami, until my pack cast me aside. I ran with them for years, ever since I was a pup, but they themselves locked me away in this prison. I fought in their battles, not just against the other packs or in raids agsint the lowlanders, but against man and beast alike. None could oppose my spear. My divine spark swelled with power, and great glory was mine. I learned to go without food and sleep, to slaughter our foes without hesitation. I surpassed all others, but they still condemned me. We had long been at war with the Katallami, but at last I found where they made their camp. I came upon them with just fury in my heart, and I bloodied my spear in battle. Their pack was broken, and none among them survived.

My kin called that wrathful, and they thought I had acted wrongly. They were fools. What is the goal of a war, if not the destruction of your enemy? But still they opposed me. I could not fight off my entire pack. They locked me away here, saying that I would remain until I found the peace that would free me. I have counted the days. Twenty years. Does that seem just and proper to you? Free me, and I shall call you my kin, for you would deserve the title far more than those who trapped me here."

The voice sounded quite sincere, and Thailoh saw no reason to condemn a man for winning a war. He opened the stone, and in an instant a loboshigaru jumped out of it. He was gray of fur and long tooth, with a thick pelt and muscles like boulders. He fell to his knees at once before Thailoh, and he asked how he might repay his new brother.

"Tell me," said Thailoh, with great hope in his heart, "do you know the way to Hallifax?"

"Of course!" Nako cried, "It is no easy thing to reach the lowlands, but I know many paths. I shall take you by the quickest. Come! Come!"

They set off in an instant, for Nako had no desire to remain in the place of his imprisonment, and Thailoh had no desire to delay his journey. They marched through the mountains for days, and in time they found themselves at a cave. In that cave there was a passage, and that passage was a road deep down into the bowels of the mountains that could lead them to their goal.

---------

The passage was dark and full of dangers, but Nako's skill at arms was as great as he had claimed, and he fended off the cave-fishers and the stranger creatures of the darkness. They journeyed through the damp darkness for days, until they came upon a chamber that was filed with carved mushrooms. The mushrooms stood as tall as houses, and many chambers had been carved into them, chambers fit for housing people. This was entirely new to Nako, and he left Thailoh alone in the dark to scout ahead for danger. when he returned, Thailoh was gone.

Nako roared with rage when he returned to find that his comrade was missing, and he immediately began to smash every mushroom in sight and scream his friend's name. His rage echoes throughout the chamber, and a soft giggling responded. It was not a laugh of joy, but a laugh of malice and cruelty, and Nako rushed towards the sound with all the haste that he could muster.

He came upon a strange scene. Thailoh was seated upon a throne carved from stone, and a woman was walking in slow circles around him, whispering strange threats to him. She was clearly a fae, for although her form was like that of a mortal woman, her eyes glittered in the darkness with the light of the silver moon, and her voice was like the whispering of a breeze through leaves. Rage ruled over Nako's mind, and he rushed upon the fae woman like a falcon diving upon a dove. He struck her with great force, and she could do nothing but beg for mercy in response.

Nako was not inclined to grant her request, but Thailoh understood that compensation was better than revenge, and he ordered his comrade to stand down. Nako obeyed, and Thailoh calmly asked the woman how she intended to make amends for her actions. She offered to trade her service for her life. Thailoh found the offer pleasing, but he did not yet trust the woman's word. He demanded that she say how she came to live in the darkness, and she obeyed.

"There was a time that I walked in the grace of Maeve, when I danced in Night's grace under the light of Moon. Then there was a feast. I danced with one of cursed Maeve's knights before her very table. He stumbled, he pushed me, and I knocked a glass from the queen's hand. It shattered, and she was filled with wrath. She sent me forth in exile, down into the dark places where that neither Moon nor Night can ever smile upon. I settled here, that I might build a new home. Briel the Builder, that was what they called me, for I forever rejoiced in building on what nature had decreed, and so I have continued to build here. Here I have built, and here do I rule. But what is a queen without a court? So I have only ever demanded that those who wander into my realm pay fealty and serve me. You refused, and you have conquered. So my crown must pass to you, for that is the way of royalty. Will you not take it as your due?"

Thailoh spoke, and his voice was tinted by caution. "I am not king, and so I cannot claim to rule by force. But I can lead you to a better place, if only you will have it. Tell me, was not it not a queen's whim that cast you down here in the first place?"

"It was," she said, "but that is the right of queens, as nature itself has ordained."

"Then we must build on nature, and we must find another way. Swear friendship to us, and if you swear it in good faith we shall take you to Hallifax, and you shall learn of justice from those who have built a better world than nature ever designed."

She swore that oath without any delay, and the trio set off into the darkness in great haste, for none wished to needlessly linger in that miserable place.

----------

The group pressed on for several days, but their food began to run short. They have often passed by illuminated tunnels that boomed with the sounds of civilization, but they had avoided them for the sake of their safety. Though Nako and Briel could go without food, Thailoh could not, and soon he had become so weak that they had no choice but to risk a meeting with those who lived in the darkness. They made their was to a kepheran hive, in the hope that they might beg hospitality and supplies from the shards of Keph. The kephera greeted them as intruders and bound them in silk, but the trio did not resist for fear of offending their hosts. Their captors dragged them before the hive's queen to answer for their crime.

That queen was a repulsive creature, fat with age, reproduction, and indolence. She feasted constantly, she laughed loudly, and she spoke thoughtlessly. Thailoh had hoped to make his case, to plead for help, but he could see in a moment that there would be no help from such a creature. He motioned for silence until the queen noticed their presence, for fear of offending her by speaking out of turn. His precaution came to nothing, for the queen condemned them to death without any thought or hesitation. She simply gave the order and returned to her feast.

Nako had no intention of being executed, nor did Briel see any reason to die in that hive. They both mustered all the strength in their limbs and shattered their bonds as the kephera approached to strike the killing blow. Nako lifted Thailoh up upon his shoulders, for Thailoh did not have the strength to break his bonds. Briel, who was not one to forget a goal, robbed the queen's table of its food. They turned from the hive and they ran.

They fled into the darkness with the full force of a kepheran hive in pursuit. Seeing that they had no hope of victory in battle, they trusted in their feet to carry them to safety. The hive grew ever closer as they ran, for they knew their native tunnels far better than anyone else, and soon the trio feared greatly for their lives. They were on the verge of turning to fight a hopeless battle when Briel saw a nest of cave-fishers in a tunnel nearby. She led her comrades towards it, and she took a piece of meat and threw it to the nest. The cave-fishers awoke and tore into the meat, which could only encourage their appetites to grow. The trio ran, hoping that the cave-fishers would delay the hive.

Though they heard the sound of battle and the screams of dying kephera behind them, they did not stop their flight until they could see light and smell the surface air. They climbed out of the darkness, and only then did they rest.

------

A choice faced the trio before they could set out on their journey again. Nako preferred to lead his comrades to Hallifax by an overland route, thereby avoiding the dangers of storms and shipwrecks upon the sea. Briel preferred to set sail for Hallifax, for she believed that the swiftness of a ship was more than enough to compensate for its dangers. Her argument won the day, for Thailoh desired nothing more than haste, and he knew that traveling by road had its own share of dangers. Nako bowed to his will, and thus the three set out to a little village in the hope of finding a ship that could take them across the sea.

The little village was in disarray when they arrived. People were running through the streets, shouting and wailing with fear. Fishing boats were piled up in heaps upon the docks, as though they had been dragged ashore without concern for anything but speed. The market's stalls were empty. It was as though an army had come down upon the village to raze it to the ground, but there were no enemies to be seen. Nako was confused, and he thought it would be prudent to leave at once rather than risk an unseen danger. Briel was quite inclined to agree with him, and together they urged Thailoh to take his leave of the village and seek passage to Hallifax in some other place. They could not persuade him. Thailoh was filled with a mixture of curiosity and compassion, and he burned to both discover the cause of the disturbance and render whatever aid he could to the village. He went from person to person, inquiring as to the nature of their troubles. Most ignored him, thinking that he was a mad wandered, but a few briefly spoke, and he pieced together a story from their words.

The village's harbor was haunted, that much was clear. Every villager agreed that it was plagued by ghosts. Most among them agreed that the ghosts had come from sailors who drowned when a ship had been wrecked on a nearby reef just a few days ago, but there were a few among them who doubted that story. They instead believed that the ghosts were their own dead from years past, who had arisen from the grave to punish the village for its crimes. Although the two factions disagreed as to the nature of the ghosts, they all agreed that the the haunting had first begun because they had failed to help those who had been shipwrecked near their shores. The ghosts may have been seeking revenge, or they may have been seeking justice, but all agreed that the shipwreck was the cause of their trouble. None among them had the courage to go forth to the wreck and see if there was any way that the wrong could be righted, and so they preferred to leave their homes as quickly as they could and seek new lives elsewhere.

Their plight burdened Thailoh's heart, and he resolved to help them as best he could. He also saw in it a chance to win their friendship and their assistance, and so he made an offer to the villagers. He would rid them of their ghosts, and in return, they would bear him and his comrades over the sea to Hallifax. The villagers readily agreed to his offer, and they offered him the use of a boat to reach the wrecked ship. Thailoh and his comrades set out at once, and soon they found themselves standing on top of a tall ship's shattered remains.

The wind wailed through the cracks in the hull as they descended down into to belly of the ship. It was filled with corpses, and each of those corpses stank of decay. The mute carcasses flopped and leaked fluids as the trio lifted them up from the ship and placed them on top of the hull, but they did it nonetheless so that the corpses could receive their final rites. In the end, forty corpses were stacked by the ship's helm. The trio found no cargo that could be salvaged, nor any letters or personal effects that could be brought to an heir. They found only the dead, and they had to hope that tending to their corpses would be enough to quiet the ghosts. They had only one way to honor the dead, and so they set fire to the entire ship so that it could serve as a funeral pyre. It burned with a green light, and the trio made haste back to the village as it burned, so that they could see if the ghosts were appeased.

They returned to a ghastly scene. The ghosts were running wild through the entire village. They were wailing and screeching and moaning, chasing after the villagers who fled before them with terror in the hearts. They turned their attention towards the trio as soon as they set foot on the dock. Their screams grew louder, and the ghosts charged at the trio with hate in their eyes.

There could be no retreat. Nako stood in front of his comrades, ready to fight with all of his power, but Thailoh begged him not to strike until the ghosts proved beyond all doubt that they wished them harm. He thought that the ghosts might merely be afflicted by the madness of agony, and so he still saw a chance for peace. His comrades and obeyed him, and the trio stood in peace as the ghosts rushed upon them. They were surrounded by wailing specters, but no harm came to them. Thus they stood until the sun had set and risen again. When dawn came, the wailing slowly faded away, and the ghosts faded away with it. Peace was upon the village, and all who lived within it rejoiced to see that the danger had passed.

-------

The sea journey proved to be a mistake. The trio set out on a swift courier ship with a small crew from the village, and they made excellent progress on the first day. The first night was another matter entirely, for the ship was struck by a storm. It was tossed about on high waves as wind and rain battered the rigging. It was only a little ship, built for speed rather than reliability, and it could not withstand the wrath of the storm. The ship broke apart into dozens of pieces, and all who had been aboard it were forced to cling to its shattered remains and hope for the best. The night was long and miserable, and not every member of the crew survived it. Nako, alone among the whole crew, had the strength to swim in the stormy seas. He did all that he could to preserve the lives of the crew, rescuing those who lost their grip on the shattered planks, but he could not save all of them. Those who did live eventually came to rest on a little island in the middle of the sea.

The survivors thought that they were quite fortunate to have landed where they did, for the island had many trees that bore fruit and many springs that gave clean water. Of all the places that they might have been trapped, it seemed to them that they had landed on the most pleasant. The villagers went off into the trees to gather food, but Thailoh did not join them. He alone sat on the shore, bitterly lamenting his fate. He could see no way to leave the island and finish his journey to Hallifax, and it seemed to him that such a thing was a far worse fate than mere death.

It was Briel that offered a solution to his problem. Though she had long since been banished from the court of Maeve, she recalled many of the primitive arts that were practiced there. She remembered how to sing to a tree, that it might grow into a useful shape. She swore that she would be able to grow a new ship for her comrades, though it would take many weeks. The news filled Thailoh's heart with joy, and he bade her begin at once. She readily obeyed, and for a time it seemed that all was well. Only when night fell without the villagers returning from the forest did worry return to him.

Thailoh feared that the villagers were lost in the woods, and he was not inclined to leave them to wander through it. He went forth into the woods with Nako at his side, so that he could see what had become of them. They wandered for several hours before they chanced upon a cluster of little huts. Those huts were filled to the brim with fierce-looking people, painted for war and bearing strong spears. Thailoh saw that they had taken the villagers as captives, and by the collars that they wore he judged that they had been taken as slaves. Nako longed to rush into battle to rescue them, but Thailoh commanded him to wait for the proper moment. He did not think that they could risk a war against the savages until they had a means of escaping the island, for unless all of their foes were killed in battle they would never have any hope of completing their ship in safety. Nako saw the wisdom in that, and so he agreed to bide his time.

And so they waited until the ship was ready. They brought food and messages to the villagers when they could, easing their suffering as best as they could manage without risking exposure. Those weeks were hard for the villagers, but the hope of escape helped them to endure their captivity. At last, Briel managed to complete the ship. It was not a pretty ship, nor was it large one or a strong one, but nothing better could be arranged. It even lacked sails, for although Briel could make a tree grow as she pleased, she could not compel it to weave cloth. It was filled with oars, and so all aboard it would have to trust the strength in their limbs if they were to cross the sea. It was a small offering, but all agreed that employing such a ship was better than enduring a life on the island. All that remained was to liberate the captives.

Even Thailoh saw no reason for peace with those who would strike without provocation and condemn his comrades to slavery. He marched against them with Nako and Briel, bearing a spear that he had crafted from wood and stone. A savage weapon, but sufficient to kill. Nako led his comrades into battle with the force of a hurricane, and many of the natives were cut down and killed. Still, many more stood against them, and the desire for revenge gave way to the desire for survival. They gathered the slaves together, cut off their bonds, and ran for the ship. Their foes pursued them, and they only escape onto their ship and the sea under a rain of stones.

It then seemed that they were safe, and so they stopped to rest and regain their strength. That proved to be an error, for Nako soon saw a fleet of small ships racing towards them. All save for Nako grasped oars and rowed for their lives. He alone stood upon the ship with a spear in his hand, calling upon his foes to flee from his power or to die. Their ships proved to be far swifter than his own, and so he was forced to defend his claim. Their ships were small, and so few could stand against him at one time, but rather they fought him as individuals instead of as an army. That worked in his favor, and Nako thus killed dozens of men that stood against him. In time, they decided that they would rather live than risk their lives for a few paltry captives, and the survivors were put to flight.

The crew did not rest until it finally found its way to land. All among them had spent enough time on the sea to satisfy them for all of their lives, so each decided to continue their journey by land. Nako, Briel, and Thailoh began the long march to Hallifax, while the villagers began the even longer march back to their village. It would be a long road for them, but they all preferred it to a swift journey across the waves.

-----

They did not have to travel far before they saw Hallifax rising above the horizon. They saw its spires shimmering in the sunlight, and although they knew that they had to travel on for a few more days before they reached them, they thought that they could suffer no more misfortunes on the road. One night, the trio made camp near the road, thinking that they were perfectly safe from all harm. When Nako and Briel awoke, they found that Thailoh had vanished in the night. It took them only a moment to decide that he had probably been kidnapped, for Briel knew that is was a trivial thing for anyone to accomplish, and so they set about looking for signs of intruders by their camp. There were no tracks to be seen, but Nako swore that he could smell the scent of strange men upon the wind, and Briel was content to trust in his senses. They followed Nako's nose, and they soon found themselves looking upon a strange scene.

Thailoh was sitting by a fire. His arms were bound, but he did not seem to be the least bit disturbed. He was surrounded by men in ragged clothes who had swords upon their hips. They were clearly brigands, but Thailoh was speaking to them as though they were his friends. Nako's heart urged him to rush upon the brigands at once and end their lives, but his mind commanded him to observe the scene, for it seemed that Thailoh was neither in danger or even inconvenienced. Briel was of a similar mind, for she did not think that Thailoh would be pleased to see a situation resolved by bloodshed when it could still be settled through peaceful discourse. They silently moved closer to the brigands, that they might hear their comrades words and try to make sense of the situation.

"So," said Thailoh, without any hint of malice or wrath in his voice, "you see that your plan can only end with death? They do not know me. Why, then, would they ever pay a ransom for my safe return? You could just as easily place one of your own in chains and bring him up to Hallifax in the hope of getting their gold. Even if I was one of them, surely you know that they would not allow you to escape? They would give you your gold and then take your head in return! I can't say that I endorse this plan at all."

One of the brigands snorted and spoke. "You shouldn't say things like that to people like us. We might decide that it's time to get rid of worthless prisoners. Wouldn't want that, would you?"

"Not at all," cried Thailoh, with his lips curling into a smile, "but I cannot find anything to praise in that plan, either. Friends, friends, you are wasting an opportunity. If you would only stop thinking like criminals, you could profit quite greatly! You have broken the law before, but that is no reason to keep breaking it, especially when you can help yourselves by following it!"

The brigands all muttered and spoke amongst themselves for a moment. They certainly did not see any way to profit by following the law, but the idea had some appeal. When their muttering and murmuring died down, Thailoh took the opportunity to elaborate.

"It is a simple thing. Help me find my comrades, and then come with us to Hallifax. Tell them that you found me on the road, and that you helped me to reach their spires. It would not, technically speaking, be a lie. Present yourselves as heroes who shielded me from the dangers of the road on this last stage of my journey. They will not harm you for that, and they may very well give you a reward. At best, it is far better than you could hope to get from any other plan, and as far as I can see it is the only one that does not end with them killing you for your crimes. You have a choice between certain death and the chance for a reward. That seems like a very easy choice to me, but do think it over and decide for yourselves. I am in no hurry, but I expect that the longer we wait here, the more likely it is that my comrades shall decide that you are enemies and kill you themselves. They could certainly manage it."

It was at that moment that Briel saw an opportunity, and she took it. She began to stomp her feet as loudly as she could, and rattle the branches all around here, gesturing for Nako to do the same. They made a sound like a whole troop of soldiers, and they started to call out Thailoh's name in a multitude of voices. The brigands shuddered and shook with fear, for they thought that an army was coming down to put an end to their crimes. They freed Thailoh from his bonds at once, they commended him for his prudence and his wisdom, and they begged him to honor them with the right to guide him to Hallifax. He readily accepted his offer, and bade them wait for his comrades to find him. Nako and Briel came out from hiding at once when they heard his command. Thailoh laughed with joy to see them. The brigands were shocked to see that they were only two, but when they saw the power in Nako's limbs, and when they saw that Briel was one of the fae, they all decided that it was best to keep the peace rather than to fight against their power.

Thailoh greatly desired to linger in that place for a few hours, so that he could learn about his new companions. His companions refused him for the first time in the entirety of their journey, for they feared that some new calamity might befall them if they did not make haste to their destination. Thailoh saw the wisdom in that, and he consented to go forth to Hallifax with all of the haste that he could muster. They began their march, pausing only when weariness threatened to overcome them. Even then, Nako insisted on remaining awake to watch over his comrades, trusting in the strength of his spirit to keep him strong and alert without resting. They traveled in that way until they reached the city of Hallifax, where they begged for an audience with any administrator who could help them. They had little trouble gaining that audience, for Thailoh told the tale of his journey to any who would listen, and all who heard it were so struck by his sincerity that they trusted every one of his words.

------

Thailoh and his comrades were called before the Board of Directors to give a full account of their journey. The Board praised Thailoh not only for the nobility of his mission, but for his willingness to endure great misfortune in order to carry out his task. He was given several new copies of the Manifesto to bring back to his humble home, but every member of the Board agreed that he and his companions deserved a far greater reward than mere success. The Board swore to reestablish contact between Hallifax and Thailoh's home, so that no journey such as his would ever be required in the future. They likewise gave it favored status among all of their colonial holdings in recognition of its devotion to Collectivism and the courage of its citizen. Thailoh was enormously pleased to hear their decree, but he was even more pleased when they offered him a boon in return for his great service. He asked only for a military escort to guard him on his way home, to ensure that no misfortune could cause him to fail his people during the return journey. His request was readily granted.

The Board then turned its attention to his comrades, for they had greatly distinguished themselves. They offered Nako a place in Hallifax, which he gently refused, saying that he preferred to remain by Thailoh's side rather than live alone in a strange city. The Board commended him for his loyalty, and gave him a great sum of gold so that he could build a new life for himself in the colony. The Board then made the same offer to Briel, both in recognition of her services to Thailoh, and through him to Hallifax, and in fulfillment of Thailoh's promise to her. She likewise refused the offer in favor of returning with Thailoh, for she longed to help build his home into a better and stronger place. The Board then opened the city's coffers to her as well, so that her efforts would not be stymied by poverty. The brigands that had accompanied the trio to Hallifax were given a small sum of gold and sent on their way, for their services were small and few members of the Board doubted that they had once opposed Thailoh's mission.

Finally, they offered Thailoh the opportunity to linger in their city for a few days, that he might see its wonders and understand the full glory of the Collective. He gladly accepted their offer, and he was greatly pleased by what he saw. When the time came, he set forth from the city with his comrades beside him and a military detachment around him and began the long journey back to his home. He made that journey with ease, for none wished to attack the Hallifaxian army. His countrymen showered him with praise upon his return, and they eagerly embraced those who had helped him as their newest comrades.