It had not been easy to get here.
Irrisen was generally a shuttered land, with guards on every border and a paranoid secret police within. The winter shrouded land, ruled by strange witches with an iron fist, was not a welcoming place. The frigid forest, frozen lakes and windswept moors did not attract many from warmer lands outside. Even worse then the harsh landscape, the small, isolated villages were xenophobic with little experience of outsiders.
Still, none of this had stopped Sylvi Sigfusdottir or
Kaito Tachibana. The two friends were driven by a mission more important then mere borders and stronger then weather, even the intense winters of Irrisen.
House Sigfusdottir was in trouble. Years of bad harvests and lost ships were taking their toll on the finances of the once rich noble house. The family line was thin these days, with few of the mighty warriors of old. Rivals were circling, smelling blood. They whispered to Svienn Blood-Eagle, the king of the Linnorm Lands, that House Sigfusdottir was a relic, a artifact of different times, and should be dissolved. Such actions usually ended with the current members languishing as slaves.
Sylvi would have none of that. Instead she turned to old family lore, of millennia ago when her house had holdings in the west. While these lands were lost during the Irrisen invasion, legends maintained riches, her family heirlooms, still resided there. Gaining those would not only gain wealth to buy off the vulture-like money-lenders but would also grant the prestige and honor to drive away the more potent rivals.
Who would second-guess her family if she invaded and plundered Irrisen itself and brought back relics of the glory days?
Her family dismissed her, of course. It was a crazy plan, built on a web of legends and old stories. Not only that, The Land of Endless Snow was a land of danger and deceit. How could Sylvi, a mere woman who had barely left home before, prevail? So, she went alone.
Well, not really alone. Of course Kaito went with her.
Kaito Tachibana had been friends with her for years, although he was from a far less prestigious background. Indeed Sylvi was one of the very few that knew the Tian man was not a Tian at all, but a kitsune. When Sylvi told him of her daring plan, the fox-like creature had taken to it like a duck to water.
So together they had crossed the border and forged through the wintry landscape headed to the one place Sylvi knew for sure. It was an old family estate, marked on an ancient map as a 'hunting lodge'. In lroe it was home to Kejetil the Slayer, a distant ancestor. Sylvi knew little else except that the family relics were supposed to reside here, at least at last record.
So they found themselves at the little village of Atix, huddled by a frozen river. Their destination lay two days travel north, through what apapred to be thick conifer groves. A stop in town was obviously needed, not only for a warm bed and a roof, but also to gather news about the way ahead. What was the forest like? Were there roads? Other inhabitants? Neither of them had any idea.
The pair of friends stood atop a low rocky ridge, facing north. Below them, a snowy winding road lead to a small cluster of houses, nestled close to each other. A simple palisade ran around the town, with crude gates were the road intersected.
The day was cold, of course, like all days in Irrisen. The sky was a featureless gray slab, with no hint of blue. It was a depressing, drab sort of place.
Kaito was in his true form, preferring to have fur when possible in the cold weather. Anyone spotting them now would know they stood out anyway, so there wasn't much point in hiding his form. When they got closer to the village that would change, but for now he could let himself be a kitsune.
He looks over at Sylvi. "So, what's the story?" he asks quietly. "Fur traders? Refugees from another village? Or..."
His muzzle turns upward in a vulpine grin. "Do we try going unnoticed?"
Sylvi didn't answer immediately, temporarily lost in thought. What was the story? That wasn't something she'd given much thought to. Maybe she should have. "If we're going to be coming and going, fur traders would probably be the most believable." She turned to Kaito and returned his smile. "If that doesn't work, I'm sure we'll be able to find an alternate way in."
Kaito nods, then shifts form, his foxlike features swiftly changing to human ones. Then, with a thought, he disguises his Tien features as Ulfen ones, his Kitsune magic making him look much more native to the area.
"So, we're fresh away from home, looking for opportunities, thinking there must be something worth trading for around here--after all, there's trees. Oh, and let's see... I'll be Waylon, and you can be... Parvenah. Got all that?" He grins at his old friend, the excitement of what they were doing sparkling in his eyes.
Sylvi's heart pounds from excitement. "Yeah. Let's go."
'Waylon' and 'Parvenah' head down the ridge, toward the small village. The road is discernible under the snow but barely. The wagon ruts and footprints are faint, and it is obvious few people have come this way since the latest snow.
They reach the town without seeing anyone else, and find the gate open. Such places are usually only sealed at night, to hold out the strange things that dwell in the forests in the Land of Endless Frost.
Both of them pass into the small town, a collection of humble wooden buildings, most of them thatched. Some of the designs remind them of Ulfen towns in their homeland, but poorer and more crudely made.
They see faces peering out of doorways and windows as they enter. Strangers are rare enough to gather a small crowd, and sure enough, a small huddle of children and others soon form behind them. The road leads to a small town square of packed snow, in front of the town hall. The hall is a low wooden building, one of the few with a solid wooden roof. Firelight dances in the windows and smoke rises from two chimneys. A village this small has no real tavern but the hall acts as a social gathering place for locals and outsiders alike.
A heavy-set man in thick brown robes stands in the doorway, looking nervous.
'Waylon' gives the man a nod. "Morning," he says, trying for a respectful but wary tone. "We'll be looking for somewhere to sleep for the night--and before then, for someone to talk fur trading with."
Sylvi decided to let Kaito take the lead on this one watch this man's reaction. She was no good at talking and she didn't want to mess this up.
The man seems to relax somewhat at 'Waylon's' words. Not entirely however, as she stills wrings his hands together, "Fur..fur traders? I...it has been long since we have had merchants here. Please, please, come in."
The mans waves them inside the Hall. It is a long, low building with heavy wooden walls, dark and oppressive. There are long tables set up here, enough to seat the whole town is needed. At one end of the room there is a raised platform, presumably for the local notables to sit.
A roaring fire burns in one of the hearths, throwing dancing shadows on the wall. The heavy-set man waves them to a table and rushes into a back room, calling for food and drink for the guests.
A few interested passer byes stop at the door, peering in at the strangers.
In a few moments, the man comes back, bearing a few plates of food. It isn't very impressive, mostly buttered oatmeal and some simply prepared fish. The man makes quite a show of offering however, along with some pungent ale.
"You...you are Ulfen?" the man asks, staring at both of them.
"Last I checked," 'Waylon' quips, offering a wan smile. "Name's Waylon. This is Parvenah. We've got a few contacts down south that are offering food for furs."
The man looks confused and doesn't laugh at the joke. Looking at the nervous man, Kaito guesses he doesn't get many chance to laugh.
'Um, food for furs. This would be good....from the south. Right." He wrings his hands a bit then says, "I'll go get Ruvon. He is our town's merchant. Maybe he can help you with furs..."
With a bustle the man is off, and out the door in a eye blink. This gives 'Waylon' and 'Parvenah' a moment or two alone.
Sylvi turned to her friend. "Nicely done," she said flatly. "Now what?"
"Now we talk trade, apologize that we're just scouting routes not actually doing the trades right now, and promise to come back," Kaito answers smoothly. "While we're at it we'll talk about the road ahead and what else we might find along the way."
The pair idly talk about their future plans, Kaito being the calmer one. The kitsune was quite used to playing different part and pretending to be someone else. After all, most of his life was spent in a second skin.
They aren't alone long before a lean man steps into the hall. While they both had expected a portly merchant, the usual round faced scribe like man, that is not what Ruvon is.
He looks like a type of man far more at home on a dogsled, eating jerky, then sitting behind a ledger sipping tea. His raw face is scored by sunburn and scars, skin dark beyond average for an local. His crosses the room with an easy grace, loping like a wild animal.
His dark eyes focus on Kaito, while he sits easily.
"So, furs?" he asks bluntly, skipping past any tedious formalities.
Kaito nods. "We're scouting routes. I know some people who can bring food in for furs, so we're looking for places to trade with. What sorts of pelts do you bring in around here?"
The lean man frowns, 'Who? Old Eurvon? I've been telling them fools in Algidheart for years that I have rich furs here but they told me they never wanted mink or ferret."
His eyes turn sharp, 'What's changed?"
'Waylon' shakes his head. "I said we're from the south, not west. Not too far from Dalun, if you must know."
The whipcord lean man rubs his chin, and his stubble sounds like steel wool. "So, furs eh? Are you trapping or just buying? Where have you worked before? You might be some foreign idiots, for all I know."
He leans forward, "I need to know you are competent before I agree to do business."
"I'm buying, she's trapping," 'Waylon' says, nodding at Sylvi. "It's been a good partnership so far, but there's only so much to find in the foothills of the Kodar."
He snorts slightly. "Only so much to find anywhere, I'm starting to think. I don't know why you'd be worried about foreigners here. None of them want to come into Irrisen. What's here that'd be worth the risk?"