#and the relationship that they have with each other as mutually beneficial arms of imperialism

[francisforever2014]

this is an old article and maybe old news to some but it’s very interesting in terms of examining the history of the us-israel relationship and how they’ve been working together to terrorize people for forever….

[thelastdiadoch]

THE MONGOLS UNDER GENGHIS KHAN TAKE ON CHINA’S NORTHEASTERN JURCHEN (TUNGUSIC JURCHENS WHO WERE SINICIZED) LED JINN DYNASTY

This is an expert from my post “THE MONGOLS AND THE RISE OF GENGHIS KHAN”.

JINN CHINA, 1211–1216 CE

The Jinn dynasty of China was a northern state that rested east of the Yellow River in an area encompassing modern Manchuria, it was founded by boreal forest-dwelling semi-agriculturalists of southeastern Siberia known as the Jurchen (Tungusic people, ancestors of the Manchurians) who overcame the Liao dynasty of the Khitans and supplanted the Northern Song back in 1127 CE. Initially they were shamanists but learned Taoism, revived Confucianism and made Buddhism the state religion. The Jinn were especially skilled in horsemanship but, like the Khitan before them and the Mongols after them, the Jinn grew more Sinicized (though they ardently struggled against this) and attained more of a sedentary lifestyle which weakened the tough warlike nomadic influence they had previously – which resulted in better horsemen. In exchange for this loss the Jinn had walled cities, artillery and the use of gunpowder (they are believed to be the first to use it as a weapon). The Jinn also added over 1,200 miles to the Great Wall as a defense against the Mongols (the Western Xia built 62 miles of wall also).

^ China, 1141 CE. 

As I mentioned earlier, the eastern Jinn dynasty of China was responsible for much of the conflict between the nomads of the north as they pitted them against each other in an attempt to keep them distracted and weakened. If one confederacy gained too much power, the Jinn were right their undermining them by bribing other nomads into rallying against them. A thorn in the side of the Mongols was placed there long ago when the Jinn conspired with the Turkish Tatars against their growing Mongol confederacy under the rule of Khabul (Genghis Khan’s great grandfather) and his successor Ambaghai, the latter of which was taken captive by the Tatars and given to the Jinn who had him nailed to a wooden horse (crucified). 

Ambaghai pled for someone to avenge him and this remained in the minds of the Mongols, when Genghis Khan united the Turco-Mongol hordes he intended to be the man to do just that. These affronts were not solely set in the past as the Jinn continued to periodically invade the steppe where they would capture and enslave Mongol boys and girls. Added to this inherited dislike of the Jinn, he was receiving intel that the Jinn, who had long neglected their northern fortifications, had begun repairing and rebuilding fortresses and walls which indicated that they were preparing to launch an assault on the growing Mongol threat.

Another steppe faction that had an ax to grind with the Jinn were the nomadic Khitans (Mongolian) to their south and east who in the past ruled the lands that the Jinn now resided in, the. The Khitan Liao dynasty (907–1125 CE) of northern China was invaded by the Jurchens (Tungusic peoples) to their northeast in Siberia who eventually conquered and subjugated them. Throughout Jurchen rule the Khitans were known to rebel from time to time and the Great Khan was aware of this. Genghis Khan claimed that he launched this campaign against the Jinn not only to avenge his ancestors but to avenge the Khitans as well as they were both Mongolian. 

In 1208 CE, while the Great Khan was warring with Xi Xia, four high court officials defected to the Mongols and asked him to invade the Jinn. Fearing that this was a trap, Genghis refused. During Genghis’ campaigns against the Jinn he made constant strides to attract the Khitans to his cause by sending commanders like Jebe (’the arrow’) to the northeastern portion of the Jinn Empire where they captured or overthrew Jinn settlements all the while announcing themselves as liberators and promising to restore the Khitans to power. In 1212 CE the Mongols did just that, the Khitans were made Mongol vassals.

^ Osprey – ‘Men-at-Arms’ series, issue 295 – Imperial Chinese Armies (2): 590–1260 ADby CJ Peers and Michael Perry (Illustrator). Plate H: A Liao Council of War. H1: Khitan ordo cavalryman – “The famous Wen Ch’i scroll depicts a party of these ‘barbarians’ in the act of looting a Chinese house. It is thought that the scroll is based on an original of the Sung period, and that the models for figures were Khitan warriors. This man has removed his helmet, showing the soft cap worn underneath. He carries a mace as prescribed in the Liao Shih and illustrated in tomb paintings. Also carried were bows, spears and halberds. Jurchen, and even Mongol heavy cavalry, would have looked very similar. This source shows coats in various shades of brown, and trousers as brown or blue. The Jurchen favored bright colours such as red, yellow and white, and made much use of animal skins and furs. They arranged their hair in a pigtail and, like the later Manchus, imposed this style on their Chinese subjects as a sign of submission. Guards at the Kin (Jinn) court are said to have worn red or blue cuirasses, probably of lacquered leather.” H2: General – “This man is wearing a spectacular suit of gilded armour as depicted in the Wen Ch’i scroll, is obviously as high-ranking officer. On the scroll there are unarmoured figures shown in attendance, carrying pieces of his armour. They may therefore represent the ‘orderlies’ or ‘foragers’ who fought as lightly equipped cavalry in the Liao armies.” H3: Mongolian auxiliary – “A 10th-century painting shows this figure in the entourage of a Mongolian prince. He may be typical of the Mongolian tribesmen who fought for the Liao, or even of some of the Khitan themselves. He is shown as armed only with a sword, but would probably have fought in battle as a mounted archer.”

If these northern threats weren’t enough the Jinn also suffered from floods, locust infestations, droughts and famine which strained their massive population. As the Jinn just began recovering from their wars against the Chinese Song dynasty to the south yet another great famine hit them in 1210 or 1211 CE. When the Mongols invaded Jinn territory they continuously looted and pillaged the already starved rural population of their herds and crops. This caused many to flood towards nearby cities. All of the above mentioned chaotic situations, and the fact that the Mongols purposely herded the Jinn like cattle towards fortified settlements, led to overpopulation (a million refugees), disease outbreaks, food shortages, and in extreme situations like sieges, cannibalism. In turn ineffective leadership and loss of hope within the Jinn Empire led to mass desertion and rebellions while pirates and bandits took advantage of the disorder.

The Mongols were greatly outnumbered by the Jinn as they marched with an army of about 50,000-65,000 Mongols against the Jinn dynasty which had about 53 million people. From this 53 million, about 4 million were Jurchens ruling over a Han Chinese population of over ten times that size. Unhappy with Jurchen rule, many Chinese and Khitans defected to the Mongols, conspired with them and fed them information.

Muslim merchants were no different, the Chinese were known to hike up the prices of their goods but the Mongols confiscated them if they did. Muslim merchants flocked to the Great Khan, presenting him with gifts in the hopes of having gifts rewarded to them in appreciation. Muslim merchants from China to central and southwest Asia prospered under Genghis Khan, and as the Mongols too were in need of goods they could not readily attain or produce, it was a mutually beneficial relationship. The merchants also had in depth information on the geography of the lands that they traversed, the settlements they entered as well as the strengths and weaknesses of their foes.

Back in 1206 CE the Jinn prince attended the kurultai which granted Temujin the title Genghis Khan; here the prince gave off the impression of a dull, solemn, and ineffective man. In 1208 CE, while the Mongols were leading exploratory raids against the Western Xia, Genghis announced that he would no longer pay tribute to the Jinn. The Jinn prince again visited the Mongols and insisted that the Great Khan was obligated to pay it since the Mongols had conquered their previous subjects, the Kerayits under Genghis’ oath father To’oril Ong Qan. In the eyes of the Jinn, the Mongols inherited the debt of tribute but Genghis Khan dismissed their requests. On the prince’s journey back he learned of his father’s (Emperor Zhangzong, reign: 1189–1208 CE) death, he would now inherit the Mongol threat.

Learning of this succession, the Great Khan sent the Jinn a message, “I thought that the emperor of Peking was appointed by Heaven. How can the Jin choose a man like the Prince of Wei as their ruler? He is an imbecile.” In turn the new emperor sent an ambassador asking Genghis in 1210 CE to kowtow (bow) in servitude but he instead turned south (the direction of the Jinn), spat on the ground and further insulted the Jinn prince: “I thought that the ruler of the Middle Kingdom had to come from Heaven. Can he be a person of such weakness as Prince Wei? Why should I kowtow to him?” He then jumped onto his horse and rode north to his base camp. 

Genghis Khan, now about 49 years old, assembled another kurultai in the spring of 1211 CE where he explained his plans and sought the support of his men. The Mongolian Khitans and the Tungusic Jurchens made the mistake of invading and migrating into northern China and abandoning the north. These actions created power vacuums which brought forth more potentially powerful rivals. Genghis Khan, however, planned on maintaining his hold on the Mongolian steppe while adding the lands of the Jinn to his realm. Before launching invasions against the eastern Jinn dynasty, Genghis Khan appointed trusted Mongols to hold the steppe and tasked them with protecting the Mongol army’s rear flank.

^ Mongol (2007). My snapshot.

The Jinn were overconfident and looked down on the Mongol threat, mockingly the Jinn emperor said: “Our empire is like the sea; yours is but a handful of sand, how can we fear you?” To invade Jinn territory he first needed to cross the great Gobi Desert. Since it held very few places to rest and replenish, the Mongols chose the early season of spring so the freshly melted snows could feed their men and horses therefore aiding their passage. 

Upon crossing the desert into Jinn territory Mongols split into two divisions, one was under three of Genghis’ sons which marched westward as to later launch a flank assault against the Jinn. The second division (the main force) which was led by the Great Khan led the main offensive, defeating the Jinn in open combat time and time again. So much so that the most of the Jinn began taking on a defensive strategy, hiding behind their walled and fortified cities which were guarded by massive garrisons and artillery. Despite the Mongol armies being 230 miles apart, these distant forces remained in close contact with one another by means of a rapid and effective system of ‘arrow messengers’ who rode on horseback. If necessary these two Mongol forces could link back together in less than two days’ time. 

Genghis Khan’s main force made it before the capital city of Zhongdu (Peking, Beijing) but was unable to take the city. As winter approached the Mongol hordes returned to the northern border to rest and recuperate. Despite making major strides against the Jinn, the greater majority of settlements and forts were taken back by the Jinn while being rapidly repopulated by China’s massive population. This would happen repeatedly after every withdrawal, year after year, making every invasion the Mongols made redundant as all they achieved would swiftly return to the Jinn by the time their next invasion was launched.

^ Mongol (2007). My snapshot.

This pressured Genghis Khan into employing large scale massacres to reduce repopulation and having his three sons (Jochi, Chagatai and Ogodei), who were nestled on the western flank of the Jinn domain, launch invasions of their own where they kept the pressure on the Jinn while their father rested his forces. Another blow was struck when Yelu Ahai, a Khitan general under Genghis Khan, led a massively successful raid which resulted in the capture of tens of thousands of horses from the Jinn, including the emperor’s prized stud. This one operation alone heavily crippled the Jinn’s cavalry capabilities while arming the Mongols with horses more adept to the conditions of China than their own. Added to this operation, as I mentioned above, Jebe (‘the arrow’) was sent toward the northeastern reaches of Jinn territory (Manchuria) to rally the subjugated Khitans. Jebe led long raids which weakened the Jinn there, encouraging the Khitans into rebelling and declaring independence, therefore robing the Jinn of their main cavalry support.

Fall of Zhongdu, the Jinn capital:

After the eastern Jinn  had previously left the Western Xia to fend for themselves against the Mongols, the Xia were angered and sought revenge by launching invasions of their own into Jinn territory. Under all of these harassments and setbacks, Jinn manpower was diminished to such an extent that in their desperation they pardoned criminals on the condition that they must join the Jinn army. The Jinn also initiated martial law within the capital and armed all male citizens. The Jinn capital city of Zhongdu (Peking, Beijing) had a massive garrison, had a fortified perimeter of thirty miles, three moats, four exterior fortresses (with granaries which connected to the capital via underground tunnels), forty foot high walls armed with nine hundred battle towers, giant siege bows (which fired 9 ft. long arrows a distance of about 1,100 yards (3,300 ft.), traction trebuchets (could throw 55 lb. boulders 218-328 yards (654-984 ft.)), firelances, muzzleloaders and cannons. The siege bows could also launch giant fire arrows while the traction trebuchets could propel large fireballs and ‘Greek Fire’-like naphtha Molotov cocktails.

After Jinn commander Zhi-zhong lost a battle to the Mongols he was forgiven by the emperor. This would prove to be a fatal mistake for the Jinn emperor as Zhi-zhong had him assassinated and placed a puppet on the throne which he could easily manipulate. When the Mongols besieged the Jinn capital of Zhongdu, the usurper (Zhi-zhong) defeated them in two battles despite being sick (the first battle he directed the battle while lying on a bed placed in a cart). After losing a third battle his sickness and fear that the end was near pushed him to send another commander forward to repel the Mongols, threatening him with death if he failed. This deputy lost the battle so in fear he rode back to the city with a small number of troops and beheaded Zhi-zhong before the news reached him. Still the Jinn capital held out.

Tired of Zhongdu’s resistance, Genghis sent his forces to overrun vast territories from Manchuria to the lower Yellow River. Forts, settlements, crops, cotton fields and vineyards were ravaged: “Everywhere north of the Yellow River there could be seen dust and smoke, and the sound of drums rose to heaven. [157]” Human captives were one of the most important things taken by the Mongols. The Mongols were known to use captives in dangerous situations where they’d prefer not to risk their own people. The Mongols placed them as their front ranks to act as meat-shields; the settlements they were besieging would either attack and kill their own brethren or submit to the Mongols.

^ Mongol (2007). My snapshot.

There are stories of besieged inhabitants seeing family members or friends among the Mongol captives. Many settlements and forts fell without resistance. The captives were also made to dig tunnels, move siege engines or towers toward city walls, feed and tend to herds and the Mongols, collect stone and wood for use as artillery ammunition, and build bridges over bodies of water. They also filled in moats and, if the besieged killed them, their bodies would only aid in this endeavor. The number of captives also followed the decimal system; each Mongol warrior had to have ten captives. 

“The worst policy is to attack cities. Attack cities only when there is no alternative, because to prepare big shields and wagons and make ready the necessary arms and equipment require at least three months, and to pile up earthen ramps against the walls requires an additional three months. The general, unable to control his impatience, will order his troops to swarm up the wall like ants, with the result that one third of them will be killed without taking the city. Such is the calamity of attacking cities.” – Art of War by Sun Tzu.

Knowing that the Jinn had taken a defensive strategy of remaining behind their walls, they would not interfere with the Mongol raids and if the Jinn did then their armies would be destroyed. After a yearlong siege in which both sides suffered from disease outbreaks and hunger, the Jinn emperor offered to be a Mongol vassal, to give his daughter (princess) in marriage to Genghis Khan, three thousand camels loaded with loot, three thousand horses, a hundred thousand gold bars, “30,000 cartloads of documents and royal possessions”, the freeing of political prisoners (including over 500 young men, 500 young women and Mongol-allied Khitans) and overwhelmingly vast amounts of silk.

“If we now set our troops in order and send them out to fight, should they again be crushed by the Mongols, they will no doubt scatter and return to their various cities. And, if we rally them against their will, they will turn against us and will no longer be our friends. If you, the Altan Qan, grant permission, let us for the present submit and come to terms with the ruler of the Mongols. If the Mongols agree to withdraw, after their withdrawal we shall there and then take up another different counsel. It is said that the men and geldings of the Mongols find our country unsuitable and fall victim to epidemics. Let us give a princess to their ruler, and to the men in his army let us send out gold, silver, satin and goods in abundance. Who knows whether they will or will not agree to our proposal?’” – The Secret History of the Mongols, 248.

The Jinn emperor took this peaceful break as an opportunity to flee to the easily defendable southern capital of Kaifeng. Genghis Khan took this action as a betrayal and a sign that the treaty was broken so the Mongols again besieged the central capital of Zhongdu. The city faced mass desertions and was starved to the point of the inhabitants resorting to cannibalism. The general of Khitan origin, Shimo Mingan, deserted the city and brought many with him – including some of the greatest minds skilled in the creation of siege engines. The Jinn within Zhongdu assaulted the Mongols with some of the earliest mentions of incendiary and gunpowder weaponry which was learned from the Southern Song dynasty of China whom they had long warred with.

The defense was so desperate that when the Jinn ran out of shot they began using ammunition made of silver and gold. The defenders knew that their fall was inevitable so they opened up their gates to the Mongols. Out of frustration over the great resistance put up and at the Mongol lives lost during this year long siege, the Mongols began sacking the city for the length of a month. The city was ravaged and the populace was massacred. Rape was also prevalent; it is said that sixty thousand virgins killed themselves by jumping off the walls in order to save themselves from being raped. One of the Great Khan’s ministers, Chinqai, climbed a great tower and when he reached the top he fired off arrows in the direction of the four cardinal points (N, E, W, S). Genghis Khan was amused by this act so he granted him all of the properties within the area of the four arrows.

^ Mongol (2007).

There are many instances of writers mentioning seeing white hills which, upon closer examination, were actually piles of human bones. Many areas are also said to have been coated in the fat of decomposing corpses but both of these may be exaggerations. The severity of the slaughter and rapaciousness is blamed on the fact that the capital resisted for so long, settlements known to have resisted or disrespected the Great Khan shared similar fates of massacres, rape and enslavement. Throughout the sieges on Zhongdu (Peking, modern Beijing) the Mongols lost many to starvation, conflict and disease (possibly cholera, dysentery, equine influenza and/or bluetongue) so all of the pent up frustration from these losses was taken out on the defenders. The fall of Zhongdu was a significant symbol of loss to the Jinn; much of their domains north of the Yellow River lost hope and submitted to the Mongols.

Now the Mongols held dominion over much of northern China and had no interest in going westward into Central Asia or the Middle East. They were, however, drawn there by fate it seems. This same fate would lead them into the religiously unstable khanate of Kara Khitay (Turco-Mongols), the militant Khwarezmian Empire (Turco-Persians) of Greater Persia and the very borders of Europe. 

To read up on the early history of the Mongols, check out my post ‘THE MONGOLS AND THE RISE OF GENGHIS KHAN’. In this post I speak about the Mongolian transition from seemingly insignificant tribal confederacies into an empire that was four times the size of Alexander’s and twice the size of the Roman’s. I cover their military tactics, some of their battle formations, armaments, their rapid adaptation of foreign technologies, and their secretive order of bodyguards known as the Keshik. During Genghis Khan’s early reign the Mongols warred against themselves and their fellow steppe neighbors as well as Northern China’s Western Xia dynasty (Tanguts: Tibeto-Burmese) and eastern Jinn dynasty (Tungusic Jurchens who were Sinicized).

Head over to my post, “GENGHIS KHAN, THE STALLION WHO MOUNTS THE WORLD”, to read more about how Genghis Khan was pressured into campaigning out of China toward Central Asia (Kara Khitai Khanate), to Greater Iran (Khwarezmian Empire), to the frontier of Eastern Europe (Medieval Russia and Ukraine) and back to China. I also cover Mongol shamanism and their tolerance of foreign religions, the famed ‘Yam’ pony express, their tactical use of captives and their massive deportation policy.

[tomjopson]

Iron Hands, Iron Skin Ch. 1

rating: t-m

fandom: the elder scrolls V / skyrim

characters: original character, Male Bosmer Dovakhiin, Ghorbash gro-Dushnikh

relationships: Male Dovakhiin/Ghorbash gro-Dushnikh

summary: A retired Orcish legionnaire and a Bosmer in self-exile were an unlikely pair to find themselves wandering the roads of Skyrim, always in search of adventure and gold, but mostly gold. Ghorbash the Iron Hand left his stronghold to join ranks with a mage who was talented but far too cocky for Ghorbash's taste. Theirs was a companionship that worked well, however, with one providing brawn and the other providing wit--or at the very least, successful distractions. What started as an uneasy balance turned to friendship and an even stronger bond as the two found common ground and constant danger. At least life was exciting outside of the stronghold.

notes: multi-chaptered snippets of life on the road for my Bosmer dovakhiin named Kaj and his trusty companion Ghorbash. I’m posting as I write it.

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[Read on Ao3]

Chapter 1: Rabbits

Dawn was breaking over the horizon, the sun’s rose glow casting warmth and light on the mountains in the distance. The swamp—with its nesting mudcrabs, gnarled trees, and bushes of deathbell—lit up with an ethereal mist, the beams of early day reflecting off dust motes and snow flurries in the air. A bird wailed softly in the distance, a crooning prayer to Azura. Everything was calm and beautiful, the swamp isolated from any nearby villages.

It was also fucking freezing.

Ghorbash was used to the chill of mountain air and certainly prided himself as a man who never complained. But why in Malacath’s name his companion wished to leave the warmth and safety of the tavern room—leaving behind a soft bed and good ale—all to be knee deep in murky creekwater digging up mushrooms, Ghorbash could not begin to fathom. He flexed his fingers in his gloves, fighting off the numbness tingling in his knuckles. He sat on a fallen log, damp but sturdy, near the water. He kept his warhammer beside him but otherwise had his arms crossed tight to keep his body heat checked. How Kaj had not frozen his feet off yet was a mystery to the orc.

He stared at Kaj, with his thin tunic and rolled up britches. Kaj’s shoes and cloak lay abandoned by the log Ghorbash claimed, and all that he carried with him was a rucksack tied across his chest and a thin dagger to cut out the plants that he deemed so necessary for his alchemy to wake up in the dark hours of early morning and hike an hour's tromp away from Morthal. Kaj was blessedly silent as he worked. His blonde hair was pushed up over his high forehead, revealing his sharp brow and dark red eyes, narrowed in concentration as his fingers cleanly plucked the plants, roots and all.

Ghorbash appreciated the reprieve from conversation. For all Kaj’s bluster, he talked only to fill the air with noise which annoyed Ghorbash, but—as the orc reminded his companion time and time again—it was also a dangerous habit to have on roads infested with thieves and monsters alike.

Countless times, Ghorbash reprimanded Kaj. You’re going to get us killed. Ambushes miles away can hear us.

Kaj would snort and shake his head. He would throw up a hand, conjuring a small orb of light, declaring how he needn’t worry about ambushes.

For someone who could barely hit a straw dummy with a sword, Kaj certainly liked to throw himself into danger.

You’re a precocious shit.

Precocious? My, what a word.

Ghorbash never bothered to remind Kaj that he had been an Imperial officer. Kaj did not seem the type to care. Once Kaj had convinced Ghorbash to leave his clan at Dushnikh Yal with promises of adventure and coin, Kaj was professional. No prying questions of life in the stronghold or about his brother the chieftain. No wistful musings about past loves or bawdy jokes about nights with whores. No regaling tales about fighting thieves and exploring cursed temple ruins. For as much as he loved to talk, Kaj never lent explanation about his life, why he was so far from Valenwood, or why his magic would occasionally sputter and fail him. He was a mystery, and Ghorbash swore to leave it alone. They had a mutually beneficial system that worked. They found bounties and odd jobs that gave them enough gold to keep food in their bellies while Kaj supplemented whatever meager earnings they had by cozying up to the local alchemist and selling his dubiously marked bottles of potions. They had been traveling together for months now with little to no plans for the future, but it was…pleasant. Ghorbash grew accustomed to life on the road, enjoying the sights and the pulse of bloodlust every time they encountered a troll or ne’er-do-well.

Ghorbash flinched when he heard a loud splash, followed by cursing in a foreign tongue. His good eye snapped up, scanning the waters, a hand quickly curling around the haft of his weapon. Kaj was a distance away, his hand clutching the branch of a tree close to the water as he pulled himself onto the muddy bank. He looked up, noticed Ghorbash ready in his stance, and had enough self-awareness to look embarrassed, the tips of his ears turning pink.

Kaj laughed, sounding shrill before calling out, “I slipped on a rock. I’m fine, I’m fine.”

Ghorbash stared for a moment before he sat back on the log and shook his head. He watched Kaj peel off his soaked tunic to wring out as many drops of water as he could. Kaj shivered noticeably as he readjusted the strap of his rucksack before he jogged over to Ghorbash—an impressive if not embarrassing sight as he needed to jump over logs and splash through several shallow puddles.

Standing before Ghorbash, Kaj happily produced a nirnroot from the bag, holding it up. “I heard it humming before I saw it.”

Ghorbash grunted. “Is that what you risked breaking your neck for?”

“Of course.” Kaj said it like it was obvious. “I never pass up one of these beauties.”

“How many more plants do you need?” Ghorbash asked, fully meaning how much longer they needed to be out there.

Kaj kneeled on the ground and removed everything from the bag, lining the plants out by type. He pursed his lips as he examined each of the piles.

“I need more lichen,” he said, “but I can get those on the way back.”

Kaj stood to hang his shirt from a tree branch before plopping back onto the ground. His shoulders were quaking from shivers, and Ghorbash could see the gooseflesh all up Kaj’s back and arms. He was far too skinny, Ghorbash thought. He could see Kaj’s ribs and the knobs of his spine. Again, Ghorbash could not imagine how Kaj could tolerate the cold. He watched Kaj rub his hands together, from what Ghorbash assumed was an attempt to warm them. Ghorbash blinked, in surprised fascination, when Kaj’s palms started to glow a faint orange. Kaj took one of his feet in hand, pressing his palm flat against the sole before slowly wrapping his fingers around his toes and then sliding his hand up his foot to his calf. He repeated the same motion on his other foot.

Kaj’s carefree use of the arcane was foreign to Ghorbash who was used to the practicality of the wise women of his tribes—shamans who limited themselves to simple alchemy and divination. With Kaj, he treated nature as a plaything, twisting and pulling elements to his fancy. Ghorbash stopped watching once Kaj began the ministrations on his thighs through his pant legs. Ghorbash shrugged the furs off his shoulders, leaving his arms bare save for his chest armor and gloves. He stood and dropped the furs onto Kaj who promptly spluttered, shoving them off to glare at Ghorbash.

“You need them more than I do,” Ghorbash stated. “I’m starting a fire. I want breakfast.”

Kaj frowned, despite pulling the furs tighter around his shoulders. “I can always give you a spark.”

“The last time I let you start the fire, you singed off your eyebrows.”

Kaj scoffed. “Hair grows back.”

Ghorbash pointedly did not look at Kaj as he retrieved the tinder box from his own satchel. He found a clear spot near the mud of the river where pushed aside debris. As he broke sticks off loose limbs lying on the ground—feeling for older wood that wasn’t too damp—he watched Kaj from the corner of his eye. Kaj was taking thin strips of leather, too thin to be salvageable for anything else, and tied them around the bundles of flowers, grass pods, and even around the bulbous mushrooms. Kaj made quick work of it, looping the leather around his fingers and pulling them tight with the grace of an embroiderer.

Ghorbash built a small pyramid of sticks, and with the help of dried leaves and the flint, the bundle began to smoke. Ghorbash waited until the tips of the flames ate through the top of the bundle before leaning back and digging out some of the dried chunks of venison that he and Kaj had been eating for the past fortnight. He noticed the supply was getting low.

“Food,” he grunted at Kaj, not bothering to look before tossing a piece at Kaj.

Kaj caught the meat but not without biting out a curse in that guttural language of his. Ghorbash allowed himself to smile slightly. He was beginning to know all of Kaj’s words even if Kaj refused to translate them for him.

“I wish we had rabbit,” Kaj muttered through a mouthful of the jerky.

“We would have to hunt for that.”

“Hunting would be faster if you would let me paralyze them.”

“I’m not eating anything that you’ve hexed.”

“’Hexed’ isn’t what I would call it—“

“I don’t care. It’s unnatural.”

“Fine. You can keep wasting hours—“

“We wouldn’t be eating right now if I didn’t hunt for us—“

“—sneaking up on elk over and over—“

“You can’t even shoot an arrow straight.”

“—and I will be cooking up a nice rabbit, laughing at you.”

Ghorbash didn't retaliate, focusing instead on chewing the jerky. It was too salty, but the flavor was still rich, melting into his tongue. Rabbit was too pale for his tastes. He watched as Kaj scooted closer to the fire, the color of the flame casting his yellow skin to an even deeper shade. Kaj ate his jerky slowly, breaking small pieces off with his hands before popping them in his mouth and chewing a ridiculous amount of times. His eyes were distant as he stared into the fire—his shivering finally gone. Instead, he kept tapping one of his feet rapidly in the dirt. Kaj’s myriad habits confused Ghorbash, but at least the fool was familiar. He was predictable, despite all his quirks.

Ghorbash mused to himself, thinking back to Dushnikh Yal. Familial ties had drawn him home, but he had found himself missing the companionship of his fellow soldiers in the Imperial army. Oddly, he had felt safer with his brethren-in-arms on the battlefield than he did sleeping in the walls of his tribe’s stronghold. Being the brother of the chief, Ghorbash knew that the members of the clan expected insurgence at any moment especially from the likes of a retired fighter. Neither his brother nor the clan were too stupid to let their guard down completely. All the same, Ghorbash enjoyed being out, no longer feeling eyes on his back at all times.

Things were simpler with Kaj. Things were safer.

His thoughts were interrupted by Kaj belching. Ghorbash closed his eyes, running his tongue across his teeth. Simpler. Yes, simpler. He heard Kaj rustling, and he opened his eyes in time to find Kaj sprawled on his back, his chest bare to the sky and one hand resting on his flat stomach.

“Don’t fall asleep,” Ghorbash said.

“Wasn’t planning to,” Kaj countered. “I just… I just need a breather.”

From what, Ghorbash didn’t bother to ask. They needed to get back on the road soon, he decided. The sun had climbed high into the sky, and they were wasting precious daylight hours. They would have to spend another night in Morthal. No time for hunting, they would just have to buy their food from the tavern. Maybe they would have rabbit.