Azmeritus was kneeling in a corner of his quarters with his scarlet robe pulled down over his shoulders. He was muttering a rhythmic prayer and striking himself sharply with a small cat-of nine-tails, raising welts. A small trickle of blood ran down his back and was lost in the deep red garment. There was a knock at the door.

He pulled up his robe and stood.
"Enter!" he called out.

Chief Acolyte Zaphyr entered and bowed respectfully.
"Holiness, The Gleaners have run into some difficulty," he said quietly.

"What type of difficulty, brother?" the mongoose calmly inquired.

"As you know, father," the weasel began, "we have increased the Gleaner patrols as the day of our vindication approaches and our Lord's hunger increases."

"Yes, as it should be," Azmeritus affirmed.

"The local population has noticed the increased frequency and in response has been watching our Brotherhood with renewed vigor. Whenever a patrol leaves the compound, they rush to warn the village and by the time we arrive, it is deserted."

Azmeritus seated himself and went into deep contemplation. Zaphyr did not speak and stood stock still. After several minutes, the mongoose addressed his servant calmly and slowly.
"It was only a matter of time till this happened, the local stock has become depleted. How is our Lord?"

"There is no need for concern, your holiness, not yet, but only a few villagers are left in our cells."

"Where is the next closest village?" Azmeritus asked.

"On the coast, perhaps a day's journey," Zaphyr replied.

"Sent out three patrols of Gleaners, twenty brothers each. Inform them that they are to proceed to that village. Each patrol will bring back five locals to be honored by our Lord. If they fail to meet their quota, the brothers themselves will have the honor of serving in the villager's place."

A chill ran through Zaphyr's spine.
"Your Holiness?" he asked in disbelief.
The mongoose's pink eyes became very cold and his tone like ice.

"We cannot expect the unbelievers to make sacrifices that we are not willing to make. I should hope it will not be necessary, but if it is...," his voice raised menacingly, "I even more fully expect our brethren to willingly and gratefully serve our Lord in any respect he requires. Do I make myself understood?"

"I understand and I am certain that our brothers will welcome the opportunity to prove their piety," Zaphyr replied.

"Go now," Azmeritus instructed, "and send out the Gleaners immediately."

Bishop Skaar, a human, had led the Gleaners for the Scarlet Brotherhood since they had returned to Xenoth. His purpose was acquire locals for the supplication ritual necessary to fulfill the prophecy of their Lord. He had done his job almost too well, abducting so many unwilling supplicants, that the supply of possible creatures in the immediate area surrounding their compound had dwindled to almost nothing.

He didn't mind traveling the extra distance in the service of Azmeritus and the Brotherhood for he was a true believer. Born Yagun Skaar, in The Lands of Man, deep in the Scythian Desert, to a desert pirate and his stolen wife, he grew up quickly. Dispassionate and cruel, with cold piercing eyes, he soon became the leader of his criminal tribe. It was his own cruelty and arrogance that betrayed him. His men, fearful of his wrath acted preemptively. They subdued him while he slept, bludgeoning and stabbing him countless times and then dumped his body in the merciless desert to rot.

But he was not dead, the smallest spark of life remained. He lay in the scorching heat, mad with pain and despair, awaiting death. Azmeritus found him and had his acolytes tend him, all the while standing over this man who teetered between life and the abyss. He spoke of his Lord, of the Scarlet Brotherhood, and of destiny.

Skaar recovered, but he was changed, his life had purpose. He dedicated himself to Azmeritus and the Scarlet Brotherhood. Now his heart was filled with service, so much so that there was no room for mercy, pity, or empathy. His Gleaners, armed with axes, maces, and snares, swept any poor soul they found, adult, child, or elder into their web and then to cells in the cavern above the waterfall, which they called the Sacred Cathedral.

The three squads of Gleaners, twenty to a squad, were each charged with capturing five supplicants. A 'supplicant' was the name given to any poor soul unfortunate enough to be on their path during these raids. The three squads had traveled together the first day to the more distant fishing villages they intended to harvest.

When they reached the Northern Coast, one squad headed west, the other marched toward the village directly in front of them, and the last headed east. They would meet again in the Brotherhood's compound when their quota was filled and their mission completed.

The squad traveling east was led by Jauba, a sable who held the rank of Prester in the Brotherhood. His uniform was almost identical to that worn by the lower ranking brothers, a modified version of their scarlet cowls, with a short robe to allow better movement. The only indication of his rank was the gold cord wrapped about his waist. The remainder of his squad wore plain black cords instead.

Prester Jauba was focused only on his task, he followed orders without question and with a total absence of curiosity. He had never been interested in the 'why', only in the 'what'. His demeanor was considered ideal by Azmeritus and Bishop Skaar, and he had always fulfilled whatever obligations were placed on his shoulders.

Otto Enscrown was a sea otter. He lived with his sister and niece on the northeast corner of Xenoth just outside the small fishing village of Whalespout. His ancestors had always lived on the forbidden island, long before the enchantment which had transformed it into a giant gulag. His parents had disappeared when he was young. Whether they had been taken or lost, the result had been the same. His sister, Ophelia, took him in when her husband was taken by the Gleaners the previous year.

Otto took it upon himself to care for her and his niece, Odette, in his stead. He had never fully accepted being trapped behind the mystic shield, he was young and hungry for adventure, dreaming of the lands beyond his prison. Often, while fishing the waters of his home, he would swim out to the shield and fruitlessly try to breach its cursed barrier, always to no avail.

This day, Otto took Ophelia and Odette on a picnic to the looming sand dunes behind his home. He had wandered off to pick some sand violets for his niece when the Gleaners found him. After a furious and heroic struggle in which several of the Gleaners were badly hurt, he was finally subdued and restrained by the vastly superior force. Battered, bruised, and defiant, he glared at the impassive face of Prester Jauba, who looked down at him and spoke with contempt.

"Ungrateful beast!" the sable said disdainfully, "You are to be blessed by our lord and you show your gratitude by injuring those who offer you this honor. No matter, undeserving as you are, you have been chosen."

He leaned in until he was inches from the bound otter's face, "Now direct us to your village and we will forgive you your transgression."

Otto lunged forward, driving his head into the sable's stomach, knocking him over. Immediately three of the brothers began to pummel him mercilessly. Jauba recovered and took his time in calling off the attack. Finally when he felt the otter had been sufficiently chastised, he raised his paw, ending the assault.

"I am disappointed," he said calmly wiping the sand from his face, "but it is of little consequence. We will continue forward without your aid and find the additional supplicants we require." He motioned his men and they lifted the battered otter and secured two nooses on short poles around his neck, each pole held by a Scarlet Brother. Pushing Otto forward in front of them, the small force followed him in two columns, heading to the large sand dune from which the otter had come.

Otto stumbled along, feigning greater disability than he had, desperately trying to think of how to stop the Gleaners from discovering his sister and niece on the opposite side of the dune. He looked down at the feet of his captors. They all wore loose sandals, ill-suited to swift pursuit on the loose sands of the towering dune. He shifted his gaze from side to side. The two stoats holding him were sinking a few inches into the sand as they began their upward progression toward the crest of the dune. Each step they took was a struggle as the sand gripped their sandals.

Otto tensed his body, waiting for the right moment. He didn't need to wait long. The guard on his right shifted his balance as the incline of the dune became steeper. As he did, his feet slipped slightly, causing him to loosen his grip on the pole he held securing the otter, in an effort to regain his balance. Otto whipped out with his powerful tail, knocking the feet from under his captor. The stoat fell harshly and the otter dropped to his knees, grabbing the mace in the Brother's sash.

As the remaining stoat tightened his grip on the other pole, Otto lashed out, striking the beast square in the face. The stoats body crashed backward down the dune, striking the advancing columns and causing the first few rows to fall like dominos. Quickly undoing the ropes from his neck, Otto began to dash up the dune.

The Gleaners recovered and eight of them began to chase him up the two hundred foot high mountain of sand. Otto, a lifetime creature of the sea and sand, and lacking any inhibiting footwear, increased his lead. He began shouting at the top of his lungs to warn his family.

"Gleaners!, Gleaners! Run! Run!"

Over the dune, Ophelia heard her brother's panicked warning. She did not hesitate. Grabbing little Odette by the paw, she spoke to her urgently.
"Come on darling, time to run to the sea, they cannot follow us there.!"

"What about uncle Otto?" the little girl protested.

"He'll be fine, you know how fast he is!" Ophelia insisted, as much to convince herself as her daughter.

She began to run towards the sea with Odette at her side. There was only one other shorter dune, about fifty feet high, separating her from the ocean and safety. As she reached the crest, dragging her daughter along, she ventured a look backward. She saw Otto reach the top of the dune behind her. She could tell he saw her and knew he was greatly relieved that they were almost safe. Ophelia saw Otto curl into a ball and allowed himself to roll down the front of the dune. As she watched, she saw the Gleaners, eight of them follow his example and roll down the hill in pursuit. No longer feeling safe, she continued over the crest with Odette in tow.

She looked down toward the ocean and her heart sank. There, apparently waiting for her, was a group of armored and armed knights, ready to cut off her escape. She tried desperately to stop, but the sand gave way and she tumbled forward, her daughter still at her side. When they came to a halt at the bottom of the dune, Ophelia looked up to see she had ended up directly at the feet of the band of heavily armed soldiers.

She began pleading for her daughter's sake immediately.
"Please let my daughter go, take me! She's just a child, I beg you!"

"We're not going to hurt you or your choild," Egbert said extending his paw to help Ophelia up.

The otter maid looked up.
"You're not Gleaners?" she asked timidly.

"Oi don't know what a Gleaner is, miss, but Oi'm pretty sure we're not them."

Ophelia stood and suddenly remembered her brother.
"My brother! He's on the other side of this dune, the Gleaners are trying to capture him. Help him, please...please.

Otto's injuries were beginning to affect him. In the dash between the larger dune and the one shielding the sea, he stumbled several times. Three of the eight Scarlet brothers chasing him had discarded their sandals and were almost upon him.

He reached the bottom of the shorter dune and fell again. The closest Gleaner leapt upon him and held him down while his comrades joined him. The leader of the group raised a short club over his head with the intention of beating the otter to unconsciousness. He raised the weapon over his head as his comrades held the struggling beast down. Suddenly he fell backward, a crossbow shaft sticking from the center of his chest. The remaining Gleaners looked up the dune. Zian stood at the crest, reloading his crossbow. Even as he did so the remainder of Egbert's party including the big mole himself, topped the dune and came rushing down screaming battle cries.

The Gleaners stood momentarily frozen. Reinvigorated, Otto struck out with his tail, knocking two of the beasts holding him to the sand. The rescuers crashed into the stunned hunters and fought with a desperate fury against the larger force.

The Gleaners put up a feeble defense, they were winded from their pursuit of Otto, and soon turned tail and retreated back toward the larger dune. Four of their fellow brothers lay unconscious or dead in the sand. Wilbur was about to pursue the attackers, but Otto restrained him, gasping.
"Dozens...more...over hill," he warned.

"Help him up," Egbert instructed, "lets get out of here."

Winky and Groggs helped Otto up and supported him as everyone headed back up the dune and down toward the beach. Ophelia rushed to her brother and embraced him, weeping. She turned to Eggy.
"Thank you, thank you," she said fighting back her tears.

"We showed dem clowns!" Winky said proudly.

"Yeah, we beat 'em good," Groggs affirmed.

Zian looked up toward the dune.
"Maybe, but her brother says there's more of them, I think we should get out of here."

Ophelia grabbed Odette's paw and began moving up the beach. She called back over her shoulder.

"Come! Follow me, we live not far from here, we will be safe."

"Lets follow her, bois. Wilbur, help our otter friend." With that the rag-tag crew followed the otter-maid down the beach and into the salt marsh where she made her home.

Jauba was furious and confused. There had never been any armed resistance to the Gleaners. Natives ran, natives hid, but they never fought back. These strange warriors must be newcomers, he thought, and now the population here would be warned and head deep into the sheltering swamp. Pursuit would be useless and possibly dangerous. He would have to look for supplicants elsewhere. He turned the Brothers around and began to march inland.

"What about the bodies of our brothers?" his squad leader asked.

"They failed. Let them rot and the gannets eat their flesh." Jauba said coldly. No one objected, the sable was an unforgiving beast.