The Travelers

Sonereal

♫We got the guillotine♫
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Premise: (There's one, but I changed it since).

The Travelers Pilot Episode Part I and II

Season 1

1x01: Joy Bunny
1x02: The Buffalo Creek Authority
1x03: Ode to Joy
1x04x01: Rivermen Blues


The Travelers
PILOT Part 1

[It's night time and the city of Montreal is sleeping tensely except for the remnants of the Iroquois Guard. A great wall surrounds the city and even crosses the river, provided an extra layer of defense. There are troops stationed along the wall. These men are lightly-armored and equipped with little more than a spear and helmet. The troops are tense. The city is nearly surrounded by Indian troops but they won't attack tonight. Camp fires dot the landscape. Guards on the northern portion of the wall can see the powerful Indian war elephants. Times are tough but for now, there's a..."peace". But there is one guy who is....different from the others.]

Sonereal: Why are we here again? :/

Soldier 1: Why would you ask that? We're here to fight for our HOMELAND! :mad::mad:

Sonereal: :lol: Man, have you looked at yourself lately? Look over there! *Pointing to the elephants in the north* They gave us spears that are maybe five-feet long. Very useful I guess. Oh wait! Those elephants have friggin' crossobws on their backs!

Soldier 2: What's going on over here?

Soldier 1: He's being Defeatist.

Sonereal: *shakes head* No I'm not. I'm being realistic.

(The soldiers exchange looks and nod to one another. In a flash, they grab Sonereal by the shoulders and drag him off. Fifteen minutes later, he's sharing a cell with a foreigner.)

Foreigner: Where you from, mate?

Sonereal: Indiana. You?

Foreigner: Indiana? :confused:

Sonereal: America.

Foreigner: .....:confused:

Sonereal: (rubs temple) I'm sorry. It's far far far far away. Where are you from?

Foreigner: Medina!

Sonereal: Medina, eh? How's Medina these days?

Foreigner: I don't know. I haven't been back to the city in years. :confused:

Sonereal: Why not?

Foreigner: I've been traveling the back roads for years now. Exploring the world, if you will. Then I wandered onto Montreal a few years ago around the time the Arab-Iroquois War broke out. Since I arrived at a rather convienant time, I was labeled a spy and have been kept here since. Even though the war's been over for at least a year now. :(

Sonereal: :eek:

Foreigner: *sighs* I want to return to Medina some day but I'm afraid I'll be here until my untimely death and--what are you doing!?

Sonereal: (Crying) That's so sad, bro! Wait a minute....why not break out?

Foreigner: :confused:

Sonereal: The Indians! You do know that the Iroquois are making their last stand in this city, right?

Foreigner: :eek: I knew that the Woodland Empire has been decaying once the Kingdom of Babylon and English Republic started nibbling on the fringes but for the Woodland Empire to be looking in the face of death? Impossible!

Sonereal: Well, it's possible. Since before they threw me in here I was looking at soldiers that couldn't possibly be older than 15 or younger than 60.

Foreigner: :sad: That's a shame....the city is so beautiful. It would be a shame to see it defaced by war. But you said you have an escape plan?

Sonereal: Yes I did. ;) Let me tell you....

(The next day)

6nruz4.jpg

Sonereal: What do you think?

Foreigner: Pretty good except for two points.

Sonereal: :hmm:

Foreigner: There's only one road going to Medina as far as I know...and the Indians are probably on it. Oh, and we're in the military barracks in the middle of the city.

Sonereal: What's the problem? You're just worrying too mu-

(BOOM (?))

Sonereal/Foreigner: What in the hell was that?

(A soldier enters the prison block which only housed the two prisoners)

Soldier 3: You two! We need some men to hold against the Indians. You two just got drafted.

[Several minutes later, the two have been given their standard issue helmet and spear and were fighting off dismounted horsemen scaling ladders to the top of the wall. These attackers were in a terrible position. Armed with only spears, they were slaughtered trying to get onto the wall.]

Sonereal: Haha! Man, how did the Indians do so good against you guys?

Soldier 2: No idea! :lol: I mean, it isn't like these guys-

[His statement was cut off along with the rest of his head. Behind him stood a man in a suit of armor. His metallic boots clanked on the ground and he wielded a hefty blade.]

Indian Knight: (In Hindi) Prepare to die, minion of Sitting Bull!

Iroquois: :confused:

Indian Knight: Ha! Do you think we didn't know it was you Native Americans poisoning are wells for all these centuries?

Soldier 1: We're not the Sioux.

Indian Knight: Wait, what? (Soldier 1 plunges his spears through the Knight's breastplate, killing him. Another Knight quickly dispatched Soldier 1)

Sonereal: (Whispering) Follow me!

[The Foreigner and Sonereal flee the massacre and ran along the wall clockwise and run into another battle scene of Knights slaughtering Iroquois spear men.]

Foreigner: The gate! We must cross the bridge before they reach the gatehouse or else their Knights will storm the city!

Sonereal: But we're trying to leave the city!

Foreigner: Plan's changed. Follow me.


ROLL CREDITS

END PART I
 
Anyone wants to lend their name and/or character to this?
 
The Travelers
PILOT Part 2​

"You never told me your name, guy!" Sonereal yelled. The two men had ran back to the gatehouse, still in Iroquois hands, and descended a staircase and emerged just behind the gate. A fortification was being built across the bridge.

"I'm Lighthearter. You?"

"Sonereal."

"Sounds like the name of an Imperialist."

"Imperialists?"

Lighthearter shakes his head, "No time to explain. Follow me. We have to hide out in the city."

"I'M THE GUY WHO MAKES THE-" A loud creaking sound interrupted Sonereal. The gates were opening and the sound of hundreds of galloping horses matched the growing plumes of dust on the horizon, "Alright-y then." Passing the barricades proved to be difficult. The commandant ordered the two stand and fight. It was a messenger that saved the two.

"Emperor Hiwatha III is going to make a stand with his elite troops in the town center but he requests a few conscripts to cover the edges of his spear walls. You two look perfect for the job!" For the second (or maybe third at this point) time, dumb luck advanced the duo's path. Lighthearter, an Arabian wanderer from Medina, and Sonereal, or Traveler to many, followed the messenger through the city. No wonder the Indians were going to gallop right through the city. The bridge is the only real important chokepoint in the city littered with wide-open streets and marketplaces that have since closed for business during the prolonged siege. There were a few places along the wall where the Iroquois Guard were holding out still against the better-equipped Indian Knights but word spread back to the Indian commanders fast apparently as suddenly, giant arrows (bolts?) starting shredding men along the northern wall west of the river. Catapults starting unleashing rocky death all over the city without any rhyme or reason. The Indians weren't trying to batter down any wall but the wall of resistance.

Occasionally, a boulder would land in the road ahead of the trio, creating a small crater in the ground and some rock shrapnel to harm a citizen unlucky enough to be wandering the street. It was a boulder that broke the leg of the leading messenger.

"Jesus Christ this is terrible!" Lighthearter yelled, "We need to grab Indian gear and steal a horse or two. Do you know how to ride a horse?"

"Of course I do!" Sonereal grinned ear to ear, "I know a lot of things. How are we going to corner not just one, but two Knights? We....or at least you, can't stand toe-to-toe with one."

"Easy. We just need to travel along a wall until we see a body of a Knight. They're not immortal after all," Lighthearter answer, "Let's go down an alley. The buildings make great cover and those conscripts can't hold the bridge for long."

And so, the two made their way through the backalleys of Montreal. Women and children crowded the unsanitary tributaries. It seems that others realized there's safety in cover. Finding bodies was depressingly easy. Finding ones wearing Indian armor was another matter. Getting the armor off of the corpses was a job Sonereal and Lighthearter truly wish they didn't have to contend with. The stench of death made Lighthearter sick to his stomach and the sight of what Indian swords do to unarmored teenagers made Sonereal wince. Minutes seemed to stretch into hours but finally, they were both armored. Bloody. But armored.

The two emerged from the back alleys swiftly with Indian swords and shields in hand. Thankfully, the civilians scattered at the sight. The bombardment seemed to be over anyway.

Clank, clank, clank

"No wonder," Sonereal muttered.

"What's up?" Lighthearter asked.

"Just look for yourself."

Knights on horseback trotted down main street in columns. The battle was over.

A Knight on horseback pulled out of the column and asked them something in Hindi.. Sonereal turned to Lighthearter who nodded and answered, "Bandits attacked us so we showed them whose in charge."

The Knight laughed and switched to English, "Good! Where are your horses?"

Sonereal's head turned every which direction rapidly and then yelled, "Our horses! Stolen!"

"No worries. There's a fresh pack coming in. You know the extras just in case."

"Good! Hopefully I get to see the filthy Iroquois who squandered with my steed!" Lighthearter fumed. Sonereal and the Indian Knight laughed.

"He speaks like an Englishman!" The Knight laughed and then guided his horse back into the column heading towards the city-center.

The duo laughed and followed the column which stopped at the stable now in Indian hands. When the coast was clear, the two men left the city with the setting sun to their backs in Indian armor and on the fine-bred Brantford Manes. Pass the destroyed barricades, pass the river filled with the floating dead and sunken knights, pass the open gates, and pass the mounds of bodies, the the twin horses galloped to the east.

Lighthearter hollered, "We're in luck my new friend."

Sonereal laughed, "How is that?"

"You should know the saying by now. All roads lead to Medina!"

2ywwayu.jpg


ROLL CREDITS
 
The Travelers
Episode 1x01: Joy Bunny​

The Travelers glared at the geyser referred to as "Old Faithful" by the locals. They watch the eruption in dreary silence. The men had tossed their and their horses' armor once they were out of eye shot of the city out of necessity. Why would the Indians wear that armor as hot as it is? A supply wagon probably bought tons of nice, precious water out to the siege forces. No doubt the water came from Buffalo Creek....not Old Faithful.

"Are you sure we can't drink it?" asked Sonereal.

"The water is hot enough to burn the flesh off mortal men. So yes, I wouldn't drink any of it and-you're going to try, aren't you?" Sonereal dismounted and dashed to the geyser before it-

"Doesn't matter now! It'll be nearly an hour before it goes up again," Lighthearter sighed, "Let's get going."

"How much farther is Buffalo Creek?"

"We should arrive by late-evening tomorrow. That isn't very long...." Lighthearter smiled, "There's a lot of water there."

"Well, fine," Sonereal mounted his horse and turned to Lighthearter, "Shall we continue?"

"We shall."

Traveling east, the road seemed to stretch into the horizon forever. Near sundown, they settled down next to the road. They didn't make camp for all they had was literally the clothes on their back and swords in their sheaths. Sonereal's stomach growled.

Lighthearter glared daggers at Sonereal, "When was the last time you ate?"

"Before they put me in jail," he answered sadly. Lighthearter's stomach begun growling, "You?"

"The morning before yesterday I think. They must've decided there's no reason to feed the troops on the day of a battle." Lighthearter rolled his eyes.

"I guess you guys are trying to say you're hungry?"

Sonereal and Lighthearter craned their necks every which way to search for the direction of the youthful male voice. Given how flat this part of the world is, it isn't like the guy could've sneaked up on them.

"Where are you?" yelled Sonereal. A few yards away, a grass-and-dirt covered trapdoor open and a man leapt out with several loaves of bread in hand. The guy was young. Brown hair, early 20s, brown eyes, but definitely not an Indian or Arabian.

"I have more if you two are really hungry."

"An Englishman? The closest English city is Hastings, isn't it? That's a great distance from here," Lighthearter eyed the man suspiciously, "What are you doing here underground?"

"First off, the closest English city is Genesse River but a lot of people make that mistake now since the new government was installed. The Genesse River Authority I believe. No one looks at that name and say it's English but it is now at least. Second of all, don't tell anyone I'm here!" The man scampered off back into his....hole? Lighthearter and Sonereal exchanged looks and shrugged.

They slept in the grass by the road that night with stomachs filled. The next morning, Lighthearter awoke first when the first rays of the sun rising in the east warmed his face and a growling stomach told him he was still hungry. A loaf of bread laid on Sonereal's chest. A new one since the two they had last night were gone. Lighthearter stretched and looked down, a loaf of bread rested on his chest too.

The loaf disappeared in a blink of an eye. After he was finished (Sonereal was still asleep), Lighthearter stomped on the trapdoor several times until the man opened it. What is it?" He asked.

"Sonereal and I thank you for the food. We owe you one Mr.-?"

"Joy Bunny. Or J. Bunny as I'm better known around here."

"Well, we thank ye. Why are you hiding?"

The man sighed, "I owe a loanshark in Buffalo Creek and-" His voice wavered and dropped. His eyes widened and he scrambled back into his hole, shutting the door behind him. From the east were three men on horseback. Their clothes weren't military but their swords glinted in the rising sun.

"Sonereal! Wake up. We got company."

Sonereal catapulted up, causing the loaf of bread to fly off his chest and to land in the road, "Ah man....it's dirty now. What's going on?"

"Get your sword!"

The leading horseman's horse stopped in the road by the travelers on the loaf of bread. The man, an Iroquois, looked down on the men. His teeth were crooked but he spoke impeccable Hindi, "Have you seen a man out here?"

"A man?" Lighthearter shrugged, "Just us two and you three. Why do you ask?"

Another horseman, an Egyptian no less, growled, "I saw three of you! Don't try to trick me!"

The third man, also an Iroquois, turned to the Egyptian, "You Egyptians always claim to see things no one else can. Why didn't you see yourselves being cut up into pieces by every power on the continent?" The Egyptian swore and averted his eyes from everyone's gaze.

"The Iroquois didn't see that they would be divided up between England and India so I suppose its a fair trade," Sonereal simply smiled at his insanely cruel simple statement. The two Iroquois men were dismounted and drawing swords in an instant.

"Where are you from?" asked the leader.

"America."

"Never heard of it," the other man said.

"Probably just some minor nation across the seas."

"Maybe but it hasn't been completely destroyed like....certain nations I can think of."

"You guys should teach him a lesson!" The Egyptian laughed.

The leader thrust his blade at Sonereal who clunkily dodged the move and send his fist crashing into the side of the man's skull. The second Iroquois attacked but Lighthearter moved in to parry the strike and Sonereal took down this man with a punch to his gut. The Egyptian laughed, "See! It isn't funny. Is it!"

The two men stirred on the ground a little and groaned but neither made an attempt to get up. Sonereal drew his blade and pointed it at the Egyptian, "Who sent you?"

"Why do you care, punk?"

Sonereal smiled and stabbed his blade through the ankle of one of the downed Iroquois men who screamed. "He's in Buffalo Creek!"

Lighthearter sighed, "They're looking for J. Bunny."

"Who?" Sonereal asked.

"You know where he is?" asked the Egyptian. A moment later, he tumbled off his horse when an arrow pierced his skull. Lighthearter and Sonereal turned around. J. Bunny climbed out of the hole with his bow now on his back and his quiver of arrows one short.

"Sounds like your in trouble in Buffalo Creek." Lighthearter said. J. Bunny shifted his gaze to his feet and nodded. "Well, you helped us out so we'll help you. Right, Sonereal?"

"Damn straight. Can you ride?"

Joy Bunny's eyes lit up and he chuckled. "Of course I can! What are we going to do about these guys?"

Lighthearter sighed, "This man is about to die but this guy will probably be ok. I don't want to kill him but...." Lighthearter grinned, "Do you have rope in that hole of yours?"

"Sure do."

And so, the trio looted the bodies for any currency the men may have. The arrow was recovered from the head of the Egyptian and all three were tied up and left in the hole with the trapdoor shut. J. Bunny claimed the Egyptian's horse as his own and the three horses trotted east along the road. To Buffalo Creek!

ROLL CREDITS
 
Hmm. Being a brooding longbowman or sailor from england would be fun.

DT
Inter-dimensional Voyager
 
I can be another Traveller, who, maybe, got here by accedent and is looking for the way back? Like in Sliders series :D

Would be nice if it took him some time to actually find the way so the character can live for some time :D Or maybe a inter-universe smuggler :D

Actually you can create two characters - one with my name and one not :P
 
Good. I needed someone to feel a very important part here.

Excellent... (rubs hands together in a very Mr. Burns-esque way)...
 
I changed the premise. In other words, I have a bigger idea for the background story then what I limited myself to at first so I got rid of the 20XX sci-fi bent).
 
The Travelers
Episode 1x02: The Buffalo Creek Authority​

Last time, in The Travelers, Lighthearter and Sonereal had just fled Montreal traveling on the long, empty road to Buffalo Creek. On their way, they meet an eccentric English archer chef named Joy Bunny who is hiding from a mysterious man in Buffalo Creek. J. Bunny fed the two men and in exchange, the Travelers offered their aid to J. Bunny and allowed him to join them on their travels. Now, they have just entered the territory of the Buffalo Creek Authority. They can see the city on the hills overlooking the forest but will spend an evening in the forest. J. Bunny, having served his last loaf of bread, wants to prove to the other two that he's a valuable asset to the party.
------------

The deer didn't notice J. Bunny watching him. J certainly wasn't a professional hunter but he knew how to hide out and perform critical sneak kills and all to do now is take aim and-

CLICK (?)

The deer's head jerked forward and it collapsed to the ground. A man with a crossbow emerged from the bush, kneel beside the deer, slit its throat, and dragged the deer into the bush. J. Bunny swore and yelled at the man, "You stole my kill!" The man turned around and grinned.

"Well, if you want it. Come get it!" The man gestured with his hands his hands that said 'Come get some'. When it looked like J. Bunny wouldn't attack, the Iroquois man nodded. "That's right." He dragged the deer off.

When he returned to camp, Sonereal asked, "Get anything?"

J. Bunny frowned, "No....couldn't find any game."

"Doesn't matter," said Lighthearter. "We'll get something to eat in Buffalo Creek tomorrow."

The three slept the night away and trotted up a hill into town the next day. Buffalo Creek was much smaller than Montreal. The wooden buildings blended into the forest but as the three came closer to the stables, the more dense the streets became and the building materials switched from wooden to stone.

"Are you sure you guys want to go through with this? You could get killed!" Joy Bunny whispered.

"Wouldn't be the third time we got in this situation in the past four days alone," Sonereal replied, "Who is this guy?"

"The Authority Governor."

Lighthearter and Sonereal's jaw dropped. Lighthearter asked, "What did you do? You didn't tell us we would be getting tangled up with the Governor."

"Didn't ask."

"What did you do?"

"I...became friendly with his wife."

Sonereal grinned but Lighthearter facepalmed. "Great. Is he an Indian or Iroquois?"

"Iroquois."

"Why don't we just talk it out?" asked Sonereal.

A man (the hunter!) came out from behind a bush with a shark's grin, "Jon the Bastard? Talking? Ha! The guy does more headbashing than talking."

Sonereal grinned, "Bet I can make him talk."

"Who are you asked?" Lighthearter asked.

"Gruekiller the Hunter of Onondaga. You three?"

"Joy Bunny of Buffalo Creek."

"Lighthearter the Wanderer from Medina."

"Sonereal. The Traveler."

"Nice to meet you three. A lot of guys want to off Jon. A bit brutal many would say. Especially the slaves. We Iroquois hate his guys, don't we Joy Bunny?" Joy Bunny nodded.

"We want to take him down namely to help out our friend here who, for better or for worst, has found himself out of Jon's good grace." Lighthearter sighed, "Sounds like more fighting, doesn't it?"

"Yes," muttered Sonereal. "Traveling with you gets bloodier by the day," he joked.

"I'm with you guys. I want to take this bastard down myself!"

Sonereal glanced at Lighthearter and then said, "How do you know we're going to just kill him?"

"Because I can hear the sound of resignation to violence in your voices," Gruekiller answered.

"A guy like that has a posse. Do you know how many?" asked Lighthearter.

"Around fifteen, twenty tops."

"Damn it!" Sonereal kicked at a tree stump and swore profusely, "There has to be a way!"

"Ay, Traveler, there is. All of you, gather round!" The group huddled around Gruekiller and he told him his plan.



Jon the Bastard looked down right pleased with himself. The Iroquois Empire, born in Onondaga, once stood to be the hegemon of the continent. The English couldn't stand against the proud Iroquois Mohawk Warriors! The Babylonians ceded a few regions to Iroquois. Just don't tell anybody that the only reason that happened was because the Arabian Republic had smashed the Babylonians in Nippur. No! Mighty Babylon kowtowed to the mighty Iroquois.

Then the war with Arabia happened. Thousands died in the war before a white peace broke out. No side gained a significant military victory but after that war, something simply changed.

The Indian Empire decided they wanted a shot at us.

The fields of the East were bloodied by the dreadful war. When the Iroquois was hit with a pretty nasty defeat, India asked the Babylonians to join in on the war. They took back land lost in the past war and allowed the dreaded Indian Army to strike at the Iroquois from Akkad. Then the English Republic took a huge bite out of the Iroquois Empire but it was the Indians that deliver fatal blow after fatal blow, pushing pasts Onondaga and Buffalo Creek. They simply crushed what was left of the empire on Montreal.

The whole time Jon the Bastard had been setting himself up to take power. When the Indians marched in, the military had up and abandoned the city. Still, Jon made a deal with India. In exchange of betting made the Governor of the Buffalo Creek Authority, he gave a list of names of possible rebels in the region including many former political enemies.

Yeah, he made some enemies with the families and people. So what? He had body guards. The kind armed with swords and crossbows. Those guys can beat the local riffraff to the ground. No one dared to get on his wrong side….except Joy Bunny. Oh how he loathed that man! The seducer of his wife (who is now in a shallow grave near the river) fled before justice could've been dealt.

The three men he sent after Joy Bunny haven't returned. Probably went all the way to Montreal and got liquored up. In that case, they probably haven't find him. Jon sighed and propped his feet on the back of an Egyptian debt slave. The Governor's Manor was impressive. The last guy must've had a larger ego than even Jon for he had a makeshift throne room. The room probably still serves its intended purposes for it was now a symbol of decadence. What marked his decadence? The harem of Egyptian slave women? The wealth looted from his political enemies' homes? The Egyptian Jon used as a footrest?

No.

It was the chair on a slightly raised stage that did it. That was a pretty nice touch.

Then the double-door entrance to the room opened and in came a man in a black cloak. A slight chill filled the room and the harem of women stopped their acts and turned to face the man and looked away for even though his features were covered by cloak and hood, his existence felt wrong. Jon, yelled at the man, "How did you get past my guards?"

The man stopped in mid-step and stood still (at attention?). He spoke softly and confidently, "I spared your guards and simply came in unnoticed."

Jon's face flushed with fury, "Spare my guards? HAHA! Pray that they spare your life you insol-" The cloaked man raised his hand violently and a gale of frigid wind blew out the many candles lighting the room and the scantily-clad women fled to a corner. Jon gulped.

"I bring you instructions. A group of men have entered your kingdom. These men do not plan to simply overthrow you. They intend to kill you. One of these men is one who goes by the name 'Joy Bunny'. They will enter the city at noon." The man stated in his impeccable, but unaccented English.

Jon roared, "JOY BUNNY!" He turned to one of his body guards, whose face had gone pale and commanded, "Gather a force and go to town and hunt Bunny and his escorts. Kill them all!" Jon turned back to thank the cloaked man but he was gone.


[Later that day….]

Buffalo Creek didn't have town walls like Montreal. I guess they relied on the forests and river to protect it. Sadly, the Indians marched in unopposed regardless. Gruekiller, the most famous hunter of Buffalo Creek, lead the band of travelers into town. Sonereal's head turned every which direction to get a look at the unique stone and wooden long houses that he heard about during his brief stint in Montreal.

"You've never seen longhouses before, Sonereal? Where are you from?" Gruekiller asked.

"Indiana."

"Never heard of it," Joy Bunny smiled, "Are you from the West?"

"I suppose…."

Before the questioning could continue, Lighthearter halted them, "We're being watched."

Gruekiller's eyes darted to a tree and in a flash, lifted his crossbow and fired. The bolt struck the archer in the tree dead center in the chest and he tumbled out of the tree and landed on the ground. He wasn't dead but he would be soon. Lighthearter and Sonereal drew their blades. Gurekiller whispered while reloading his crossbow, "He knows we're here. I knew I should've noticed no one outside!"

The streets of the city were empty but given they were on the fringes, Gruekiller assumed today was a market day. Sonereal asked, "Where would Jon be at?"

"The Governor's Manor. Follow me1"

The group pushed forward into the heart of the Buffalo Creek Authority.


ROLL CREDITS
 
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