Welcome to Gaia! ::

Thera had been making her rounds among the clans. Whispering into various ears of a seminar she was going to hold- One that would focus on how to prolong the life of their prisoners and harvest the most possible FEAR. It would be nothing new or remarkable, but it was to remind horsemen that kill on sight wasn't the best way to draw out the most they could. There would be demos, hands on practice- and the promise of a fresh 'meal'. Thera was determined to make the prisoners last longer than their various predecessors.

A date and location- Twilight upon the next frightday at the water pavilion- the place where they might easily gather and, not have to worry about any new arrivals to the prisons themselves.

Upon the day's arrival, Thera was waiting, two burly looking warriors of her clan standing off to the side next to a large cage, where four filthy, scrawny humans curled up together as far from their captors as possible. One a large woman who was dressed in what looked like a once expensive suit; a tall a lanky man wearing an oversized sports jersey; a young 'pretty' human girl, face stained with tears and dirt, her outfit that spoke of a life that was spent on the road; and finally a child, male, clutching his little man doll. Prey, cattle, Occasionally when one of Thera's assistants move they would shuffle, make a whimper or cry. Sobbing softly was reserved for the young woman.

The weapons master herself was smiling like she'd been given candy, a table with various instruments laid out, forms covered by a black sheet. A hissing and scratching can be heard from a few objects, as well a light buzz. Famine horsemen would recognize the sound as insects, though not to the extent to know exactly which ones.

The pavilion was open enough for many- and if you looked at what was under the table you would notice a large empty basic and many various cups.

The air is heavy with FEAR from the captives, and it draws a primordial hunger. Not yet however, class has yet to begin.

Alva was very often bored of late, after the initial settling in period he had found himself with a dearth of activities, there was of course the usual painting and crafting to be done, but one simply could not do both all day every day. He craved excitement, he always did, the thrill of combat and conflict. His parents had said that his attitude had been unbecoming, far too feisty and War-like for their long-term ideals. He had never grown out of it, and when there was whisperings on the gossip chain of a class which might prove to be interesting, it did not take much to bring him there.

Dressed once again in the clothing of his clan - because they were no longer groveling in tents, subject to the whims of their captors, he made his way to the pavilion and waited patiently for the main lecture to begin, eying the curled and terrified humans with an expressionless interest. As always the internal turmoil of his emotions remained completely out of step with his external self.

He also found himself pleasantly distracted by the hum of insects, Famine had always been one of his favourite clans, they were such interesting and varied creatures, he looked forward to whatever the night's entertainment might be and was especially hopeful that the insects would be involved too.

Alva returned the priestesses nod in kind, because why not? They had to work together to move forward and though he might in the past have given a death horseman nothing more than a blank stare, these were times of effort and respect, their sins were - for the moment - not the sins of their forebears.

He would not harbour resentment this day, only curiosity.

Tucking the pathetic looking book under her arm Nereza made her way towards the pavillion. A class something that would involve learning and of course she would take notes however applying them later may be more difficult in actually doing it then scribbling a diagram. Nevertheless the death priestess would attempt her best.

With the small blue lantern glowing at her waist the mare watched as the other priestess approached the cage before taking out her notebook and slowly drawing the scene before hoping to finish before the began.

Aeron's slight land in the room was a quiet step of shifting feathers and a quiet huff. His arms crossed over his chest as he looked at the small group formed, skirting to the outside.

The death guardian remained stoic, watching with lavender eyes.

Lan might have secretly snuck over to sit by Aeron. Because she could.

Horsemen gathered, Thera grinned sweeping her hand over them in grand gesture. "Welcome. Today I would like to hold a demonstration on of FEAR extraction, and on how to do so while keeping our guests... well enough to last a few sessions, or until a time which they break. " At this, the human began to shuffle, clearly able to understand each word, the faces alone making the FEAR they're providing all the sweeter for later.

"As you're all no doubt aware, we don't always kill, sometimes we capture, if for experiments, for the delight of prolonging our harvest, or just plain fun." One of the humans, child, had begun shaking. "Now-" She turned her head to smile at the boy who yelped like he'd been stung, trying to scoot further into the corner of his fellow humans.

"When we capture a few cattle, we need to use them as long as they remain profitable. That is, until their bodies give out, or their minds end up so broken as they can no longer generate FEAR. To start off, this means we must give them hope of rescue. The idea that they might gain freedom, that they might live is what some might claim to be how they keep fighting us, but really, it is nothing more than an exploit. To hope is to fear the loss of hope- the fear of abandonment, of hopelessness. Hope is the mark of the decent into the fear of the inevitable death. Yet humans are foolish and will hope even when that hope is gone and the reality is very plain. Humans are abysmally stupid in this manner."


She shrugged, pulling off the sheet from the table. Various objects from antiquity to the modern age lay on the table, all crusted with blood, and all very obvious in what they were used for. The appearance of the items drew a panicked scream from the skinnier woman.

"Ah, delicious isn't it? Now, see, let us begin with our first example." Smiling, Thera walked over to the cage, motioning to the skinny woman who was then dragged out by one of Thera's assistants, the woman's scream deafening.
"Oh now this won't do-" Grabbing the woman's chin, there was a loud snap. Letting go, the woman's bottom jaw began to sag as she screamed, if now, from pain and fear. "Setting an example is good. But remember to keep them aware. Sound, sight, smell, touch. Hold her up- yes just like so." The horsewoman's asistants kept the woman standing, pinned while she screamed and struggled.
"If you have one prisoner, you want to reserve death for the last measure. But in a group? Draw it out a bit on the first- let them know their fate." Taking a jar filled with black beetles of various sizes, she undid walked to the woman. "Make sure they can watch and-" Removing the lid, the jar was set atop the woman's head.

And then the show began. They clawed and fed their way down, woman screaming all the while.

Once finished the body went slack, the beetles continued to feast, and when done, fled to the water. Thera and the others didn't seem to mind. Famine horsemen would have recognized them as beetles from a pet hive. They were just going home now. The aids then threw the dead body back with the prisoners, who were sreaming and crying in loud wails.

"True, this doesn't prolong our individual, but it gives them remaining cattle time to process, to dwell. Over time their fear will ripen until they're ready for harvest. This is usually a day or so before the next session. However we're not really to wait and will be for the purposes of this course- be moving right along. Now.. who would like to pick the next victim? Any suggestions as for what to use?"