[COR - CH2] The Meeting At Lone Tree

[evancelt]

Rain fell in fine, cold sheets over the Taemric Marshes as Fearghal Wallace stood upon a rocky rise, his cloak plastered tight to his broad shoulders and his breath steaming in the grey dawn light. Born to a proud clan of the Taemric Marches, Fearghal was a striking figure—tall, lean, and grimly determined, his face painted with swirling black and grey patterns both to disguise his identity and to strike fear into his foes. Around him danced the banners of dozens of clans: wolf emblems on brooches and flags that snapped sharply in the wind, reminding all who saw them of the wild hills and mist-shrouded bogs from which they sprang. Though the clans were many and disparate, Fearghal had forged them into a single, restless force, bound by a fierce love of freedom and a growing hatred of Corrington’s distant courts.

For years the Taemric folk had paid taxes and obeyed laws they barely understood, their own elders chafing at the dictates of Belson while Corrington’s authority waned after long wars. Fearghal watched these tensions grow, listening to tales told beside peat fires of ancient chiefs who once drove off invaders and refused tribute. He carried those stories in his heart like a burning brand; he saw in them a path to a new future—a future where the Marches answered only to themselves. Yet to win that future required more than strength of arms and stubborn will. It required weapons, supplies, and allies beyond the marshland’s tangled hills.

In the shadowed hours before sunset, Fearghal’s small retinue—no more than a dozen trusted warriors—made their way south. They crossed the border into the Kingdom of Oleon, a realm at odds with Corrington and wary of its erratic neighbour to the north. Their destination was Lone Tree, a lonely coastal landmark where a single, stunted pine stood against crashing waves and biting wind, the appointed place for secret parley. Here, under the grumble of distant thunder and the cry of seabirds, Fearghal met Oleon’s envoy, a blue-cloaked noble with eyes sharp as flint. The envoy listened as Fearghal spoke of Corrington’s court intrigues, of noble squabbles and weakening defenses, and of the deep unrest in the Taemric marches. In exchange for these secrets, Oleon promised swords, bows, and pikes—tools that might turn whispered rebellion into open revolt.

Yet the meeting tested Fearghal’s resolve. The Oleon envoy—politic and cautious—questioned him about loyalty, about whether the clans could truly unite, and whether fear and fury could last beyond the first clash of steel. Fearghal answered without hesitation: the wolves of the marches were fiercely loyal to their own, and if Corrington’s reach could be broken, they would stand as one. His voice rang out across Lone Tree’s lonely sands, and behind him, his warriors tightened their grips on spear hafts and wrapped glances around painted faces. In that moment, Fearghal was more than a leader; he was a symbol, a living challenge to a crumbling order.

As the sun bled red over the cold sea, the envoy nodded and slipped back into the twilight, the first crates of arms to aid the Taemric cause soon to follow. Fearghal watched the horizon long after the meeting ended, wolf-brooches glinting in the dying light. The road back to his people would be treacherous—Corrington spies and loyalists were sure to be alert—but Fearghal’s heart burned with sudden, fierce hope. The marshes awaited, and with them, the possibility of a rebellion that might reshape the fate of both Corrington and the taemric highlands forever.

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OOC: The Taemric have a rebel leader, Fearghal Wallace!

[Khorne]

Simple but effective build to thicken the plot and add some background to the setting!

I like the figures of the rebels, even though I cannot unsee Pinnochio because of the hat. His torso is a custom one, right?

Also really like the NPU of the tree. Is that a part from the CMF range? The paper background is also very nice, so vintage and evocative of the old Lego catalogues.

[evancelt]

7 hours ago, Khorne said:

Simple but effective build to thicken the plot and add some background to the setting!

I like the figures of the rebels, even though I cannot unsee Pinnochio because of the hat. His torso is a custom one, right?

Also really like the NPU of the tree. Is that a part from the CMF range? The paper background is also very nice, so vintage and evocative of the old Lego catalogues.

Yes, Pinnochio has a custom torso from China :) The tree is pretty goofy, but figured it'd be fun. It's from the new 2025 City advent calendar - the other side of it is decorated like a xmas tree

Here are a couple pictures of the process of making the background:

 

[Khorne]

Haha, nice! Cool to see a behind the scenes. I was checking the original image to see if there were traces of Photoshop, but I figured you made it for real, so it's nice to actually see the WIP . Simple, but very effective!

[evancelt]

2 minutes ago, Khorne said:

Haha, nice! Cool to see a behind the scenes. I was checking the original image to see if there were traces of Photoshop, but I figured you made it for real, so it's nice to actually see the WIP . Simple, but very effective!

It ended up being slightly too narrow so I photoshopped (hackily!) the left and right edges to extend the background a bit 

[Professor Thaum]

Mwahahahahahaha, excellent !

[Ross Fisher]

The vibes are strong, here. Both groups look great. Excited to see more!

[Dutch Thriceman]

Love the use of the paper craft, really hope to pull that of someday too. Don't mind the Pinnochio hat personally.