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Life on the Ulralian steppes was not an easy task by any means. The environment had little in the way of usable resources. The vast majority of the biome's flora was limited to grasses and shrubs, its fauna typically comprised of goats and various rodents--along with their predators in wolves, foxes and falcons. And of course, there was the most sacred of these animals--the horse, the most prized companion of any Ulralian. Groups of these creatures were few and far between, just as with the humans who lived there. To make it, one had to have strong alliances. Even if one had the skills to survive alone, they would still be at the mercy of other nomadic tribes, who could take what they pleased from a lone straggler... a popular choice when necessities were scarce.
For that reason, Altani did not ride alone. About a dozen others rode alongside her--bandits, just as she was. Rather than be taken from, more often than not, she was the one to take. She had chosen such a life over that of a tent wife, whose tasks would largely have been limited to herding and milking goats, managing homes, and of course, rearing children. It was a boring, listless existence to her, and while she would have had the promise of survival with it, thanks to the promise of alliances and the sharing of goods, she would have also been subject to its drawbacks. A nightly duty to her would-be husband... and expected subservience to any man that managed to be clever or strong enough to take her from him, if she were to survive.
That, she decided, would be left in her own hands rather than that of a man she didn't particularly care for. Many marriages in Ulralia were arranged, for the sake of forming and maintaining tribal alliances. Hers was no exception. But her rejection over such a lifestyle, as well as her loathing for her betrothed, won over filial piety. Her new loyalties lay with the group that she rode with. Suren, who traveled at the head of the formation alongside her, was probably the closest the group had to a leader--he was strangely responsible for a lifelong bandit.
Tegus was the opposite, preferring the company of drink and women to managing anything, but proved himself extremely skilled nonetheless. With Altani, these three made up the core of the group's decisions, while others rode behind them; Qaral, a falconer; Vachir, whose skills in archery rivaled that of Altani's; Jurgen, a formidable swordsman; Berke, a wrestler; Oyugun, a former scholar; Ulaghan, well-rounded in most aspects; Houlun, an excellent rider; Temur, a smith; and finally Arban, the youngest and newest member of their group. This group of a dozen, while certainly not one of the larger forces to roam the steppes, was certainly competent and skilled enough to hold their own. They had raided over a dozen different groups of travelers by that point. With their skill at horsemanship, archery, and combat, even some of the most well-prepared caravans had little choice but to surrender their belongings.
This next one seemed no different, at first. Along with the others, Altani spotted a group of wagons and load animals headed to the northeast. Their pace slowed as they allowed one of the members to gauge what they might be up against, if the final verdict was indeed to raid them.
"Those... steeds... are not of Ulralia," said Oyugun, a seasoned brigand who peered at them in the distance through a looking scope he looted from a Deunic caravan weeks ago. "Never seen anything like them. Though they have four legs, they move differently. Slower, heavier. And a bit larger. They must be foreigners. Deunic or Ayonian, perhaps."
"We should run them down before they have adequate time to prepare," pondered Suren aloud. "Against such creatures, it's hard to say, but the element of surprise has always helped us before."
"Or we could save ourselves a buncha trouble by just threatening 'em. We'll run circles around 'em, they'll get the idea that they can't outrun us," suggested Tegus, glancing sideways to Altani. If she had a plan, then the time to formulate as much and share it would be running thin as they steadily approached.
For that reason, Altani did not ride alone. About a dozen others rode alongside her--bandits, just as she was. Rather than be taken from, more often than not, she was the one to take. She had chosen such a life over that of a tent wife, whose tasks would largely have been limited to herding and milking goats, managing homes, and of course, rearing children. It was a boring, listless existence to her, and while she would have had the promise of survival with it, thanks to the promise of alliances and the sharing of goods, she would have also been subject to its drawbacks. A nightly duty to her would-be husband... and expected subservience to any man that managed to be clever or strong enough to take her from him, if she were to survive.
That, she decided, would be left in her own hands rather than that of a man she didn't particularly care for. Many marriages in Ulralia were arranged, for the sake of forming and maintaining tribal alliances. Hers was no exception. But her rejection over such a lifestyle, as well as her loathing for her betrothed, won over filial piety. Her new loyalties lay with the group that she rode with. Suren, who traveled at the head of the formation alongside her, was probably the closest the group had to a leader--he was strangely responsible for a lifelong bandit.
Tegus was the opposite, preferring the company of drink and women to managing anything, but proved himself extremely skilled nonetheless. With Altani, these three made up the core of the group's decisions, while others rode behind them; Qaral, a falconer; Vachir, whose skills in archery rivaled that of Altani's; Jurgen, a formidable swordsman; Berke, a wrestler; Oyugun, a former scholar; Ulaghan, well-rounded in most aspects; Houlun, an excellent rider; Temur, a smith; and finally Arban, the youngest and newest member of their group. This group of a dozen, while certainly not one of the larger forces to roam the steppes, was certainly competent and skilled enough to hold their own. They had raided over a dozen different groups of travelers by that point. With their skill at horsemanship, archery, and combat, even some of the most well-prepared caravans had little choice but to surrender their belongings.
This next one seemed no different, at first. Along with the others, Altani spotted a group of wagons and load animals headed to the northeast. Their pace slowed as they allowed one of the members to gauge what they might be up against, if the final verdict was indeed to raid them.
"Those... steeds... are not of Ulralia," said Oyugun, a seasoned brigand who peered at them in the distance through a looking scope he looted from a Deunic caravan weeks ago. "Never seen anything like them. Though they have four legs, they move differently. Slower, heavier. And a bit larger. They must be foreigners. Deunic or Ayonian, perhaps."
"We should run them down before they have adequate time to prepare," pondered Suren aloud. "Against such creatures, it's hard to say, but the element of surprise has always helped us before."
"Or we could save ourselves a buncha trouble by just threatening 'em. We'll run circles around 'em, they'll get the idea that they can't outrun us," suggested Tegus, glancing sideways to Altani. If she had a plan, then the time to formulate as much and share it would be running thin as they steadily approached.