TVTT SDS Edition - The Heart of SDS
Author: Wil Cambrae
Published: November 3 2021 - Tar Valon Times Blog Link
So there I was sitting sitting in the Wandering Woman enjoying a drink, when this group of loud obnoxious Warders strode in and got a table. It was James, Cynner, Macc, Darian, and even a Jakeb for spice. They ordered drinks and a plate of bbq and more drinks. James started telling stories and enjoying his ale. Getting louder and louder, when Cyn pipes up with a bit of the story and James goes, “Quiet down there I’m trying to tell a story!”
Across the room a fierce looking Shienaran is talking to the bard, gives him some gold to pay for some stories and song, and begins to tell the tale of Aquila the Poor who was Healed by Blue Aes Sedai. “Now that’s when I got the darkfriend in a full nelson and he asked for mercy and I…..”
That’s when the Sheinaran with a top knot grabbed James and gave his a shake. “I just paid 50 flaming gold for a telling of the Karaethon Cycle and I can’t hear a bloody word, you goat-kissing idiot!” said the soldier.
Cyn piped up asking what he and his squad were doing in town. “We’re here for war games you flaming idiots!”
Cyn cracked a laugh, “You play games? We’re warders we do war with our Aes Sedai!”
More insults are exchanged and Uno finally had enough; and the two groups square off. Darian starts to count, “four, six, two, seven, and there’s five of us. I think you should go back to the Borderlands and get another dozen before you face us.”
Ragan gets up and pushes Cyn roughly with a grin. Cyn gets up and punches Ragan in the mouth, and Ragan just spits out a tooth. The mustachioed bard reading the room starts up a lively tune on his pipes as the fight begins. James tussles with Uno, and they but trade blows ending with James being tossed down a bar. Cyn trips Ragan and gives him what for. I enjoy my drink and avoid having it spill when Changu gets thrown into it. “Watch where you’re going man!”
The bar bouncer wades in and starts throwing people out the door; he might have missed a couple times when James and Uno go out the front window into the garbage pile outside. “Blood and Ashes that was fun, let’s go in and do it again!” James nursing a broken nose tells him to calm down a bit and shakes his hand.
Out comes the rest of the Shienaran and SDS bears. Macc shouts as he’s being thrown out of the bar, “I’ll show you how to throw a man out of here!” and jumps out through the window. “I’ve been throwing people outta places since…. before you were born!” Landing with the rest of them. “Y’all fight good and well, what say we become friends and go enjoy some drink elsewhere? Thom you coming, we need some of that fine music of yours.”
"Coming, I just need to write some of this down"
That wasn't the time when I joined SDS, but it was one of many meetings with them that led me to join. — Wil Cambrae
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This is how I imagine SDS meeting friends and making new ones, it's a paraphrase of a scene from an old Burt Reynolds movie Hooper link to YouTube It's an example of how we don't always agree, but if you stand up for what you believe and put forth the effort, you will get respect for that.
