An Outsider's Observance

[DoS Archive]

From: rosethstle@aol.com (RoseThstle)
Date: 19 Dec 1998 17:37:35 EST

To all appearances, she was an ordinary modern spacer. The usual garb, a pair of tight leather pants that hugged shapely hips and long legs. A mock cotton turtleneck, shoulder length auburn hair. Her hazel eyes held no special luster, her hands were square and muscular from hard work. Her face was attractive, but not uncommonly so. She was chosen for this assignment because her appearance drew little attention and she didn't stand out
in the crowd.

Rose wandered down the stairs to the dueling arena. The thin light of winter sun filtered through the windows at the street level, tiny specks of dust floated lazily in the rays, illuminating a peacefully snoozing cat on a nicked and stained table. The usual inhabitants of the arena were not present, out nursing wounds or perhaps busy preparing for the upcoming Yule celebration. Rose pulled from a small pouch on her belt, a recording device. She
walked noiselessly to a corkboard covered with parchment, vellum and scraps of napkin scribbled with hurried handwriting. One by one she took off the sheets.. piled them together by subject and read each one without hurry. It was a tedious task, most were announcements of duels, upcoming nuptials or the birth of a child. But what pulled her attention the most was a lengthy and tiresome argument over what they called an Overlord.. Barons, Rings and
honor. Accusations and counter-attacks. Name calling, biting sarcasm and poignant cynicism. She sat back after an hour of reading and turned on the recorder.

"The dueling arena, Red Dragon Inn, Rhydin. I found a huge repository of local opinion. It seems that they have found an area of conflict that will not be solved any time soon. In fact the inhabitants find delight in fueling the already raging fire with insults.

"This is the first written evidence of the lack of evolved state. Immaturity and inability to solve conflicts are most evident in this sector. It is doubtful this group could pull together to attack any outside influence."

She turned off the recorder, put it in her pouch. Then carefully, she pinned the pieces of parchment back in place.