Radomir grips his lance at the mention of Valorian. It was clear what he thought about that bit of rubbish.
Valorian? Alexander smiles, It sounds impressive. We are the Lords and Lady of Stanimir. And apparently, neighbors to your fledgling kingdom. I would love to hear of your settlement. Come, we should make camp and you can tell us all about it. The tall man waves a hand toward the dead creature, While wyverns are poisonous, if you roast them correctly they taste quite good.
A look of uncertainty appears on the man's face. "I have never heard of Stanimir or Voronakholm and we were not aware of any neighbors. Was there a successful group of charter holders in this area? Several months ago, on a survey expedition due south of our capital we discovered the remains of another expedition, their charters still in their bags. We really did not expect to encounter members of a successful kingdom."
Alexander shrugs with a smile, That's rather surprising, but I suppose if you've been busy out in the woods it is understandable. So, how about that fire? The man trots his horse closer. You can tell us all about yourselves, your home, and these charter holders you found. He looks around, How far is your land? It seems like you've been out here a while.
Quite. We have established our capitol at Oleg's fort and have expanded south a west, disposing of the Stag Lord and making treaties with several of the other settlers. If you are representatives, it is only proper we have a chance to establish relations.
As Alexander speaks to the men, Finnegan studies the most dangerous looking of them. If this turned to combat, he wanted to make sure he took that one down first.
The armored man motions to to his group and the half-elf female begins to start up a fire a little ways from the wyvern corpse.
The elf pipes up at the mention of Oleg's. "I've passes through Oleg's a few times in the past, but not since taking a charter. He was a decent enough fellow, fair with his pricing."
The armored man acknowledges his partymate's comment and then answers Alexander. "How far is our land you ask? Well, that would depend. Have you already explored and claimed this area for your kingdom yet? Really though, our closest inhabited area is about a half days ride directly west from us."
"About the charter holders we found, well we found a group of people just laying where they fell in the remains of their campsite. Looked like they had been killed by people rather than wild animals, perhaps bandits or some other lawless scum. We searched them for any identifying items and found a charter tucked under the armor of one of them."
Finnegan studied the gnome. Whether or not they were capable of wielding magic, he decided they were the best target option. The elf would be his other target - he knew well how dangerous a bow could be.
Alexander flashes a disarming smile, Well, we have explored the majority of the Narlmarches. We have quite a few hunters and trappers that roam through the areas we've cleared of dangerous creatures. And pilgrims that travel to an old temple of Erastil. I'm sure, with a little work, we'll be able to clear out a route if any of your citizens are interested in visiting the site. He rests his hand on his swordbelt. And, of course, we'll have to work out a road between our settlements. Some way to establish trade. I'm sure Sir Oleg will be quite pleased to hear that we have others establishing civilization out here in the wild.
Now, I've heard tell of some of my trappers being accosted out here. I assume that's only because you didn't know there were others out here still living? The tall man chuckles, I certainly understand, it's only natural. But, we'll probably want to work out an understanding before that gets ugly. No need for such tension between neighbors, after all. He wavs his hand, indicating the trees around them, How far do your Lords plan on expanding?
Othniel hunkers down in the bush nearby, wondering how long it'll be before he can come out of hiding, with or without drawn blades. If only I had some salted possum... he thinks as he waits.
Radomir dismounts, not wanting to be discourteous. His lord seems to be treating these fellows with respect. But, he keeps tight grip on his glaive, and he's not far from Czernabog. The horse could be a deadly foe in his own right.
The man seems to relax a bit at the mention of Erastil's temple. "An old temple to Erastil you say? Interesting, is that the prevalent faith of your kingdom? Two of my group here happen to worship him." He motions towards the half-elf female and male elf.
"In our capital city, we have builders working on construction of a temple and training complex dedicated to The Inheritor, Iomedae. We expect to see our fair share of pilgrims once it is completed."
"If we disturbed actual trappers who were subjects of your kingdom, then I do apologize. However, we have come across a number of bandits who have claimed to be anything other than what they were. Those last two seemed harmless enough though. So we chose to allow them to leave unharmed. Otherwise, they would have joined the list of undesirables we have had to send on to their final judgement. The sheer amount of bandits and vermin that inhabit these lands is staggering. It is no surprise that they have remained empty of true rulers and decent communities for so long."
"Now, as for how far we are expanding, well, that just depends on how soon we find other borders to bump up against. I'm guessing we won't be going any farther in this direction."
Andrea thinks. Oh nothing wrong will come from this...
These are our lawful borders. Radomir intones darkly from behind his helm.
Indeed, Alexander nods in agreement with Radomir, if you plan to go no further than this, we shouldn't have any disagreements. He dismounts next to the massive knight, Lord Radomir and I staunchly oppose banditry. Perhaps you've heard of the Stag Lord? His men ravaged this forest and the hills that lie to the east. A horrible man, now dead. You'll have to come visit Voronakholm sometime and see what we've done with his old fort. It's quite step up, if I do say so myself.
Iomedae...this could be problematic. Her followers are not known for compromise...or reason.
The smile that plays across Alexander's face do not betray his dark thoughts. We'll have to establish a trade route as soon as feasible. I imagine your people will enjoy visiting an ancient temple of some renown and I know many a citizen of our own lands that would be interested in seeing a cathedral of the Inheritor. We are not necessarily all worshipers of Erastil or Imoedae ourselves, but there is value in any god that brings order to an uncivilized world.
"We will have to inform our King and Queen that they should send a diplomatic envoy to your capital. I am sure that they can find a mutually pleasing agreement regarding trade and travel."
During this conversation, some of the party members begin dragging the wyvern's corpse into the woods and out off the clearing as they begin to set up a camp for the night.
Excellent! He waves for Finnegan and Othniel to join then, Forgive me, we had several men in the woods on the off chance you might be bandits. No offense meant, it's just that...well, you know...out here you can never be too safe. Now, how about that wyvern? He finishes with a charming smile.
Finnegan emerges from his hiding place, strung bow held at his side in a relaxed manner, waiting to see how the Iomedaeans would react to his fiendish heritage.
Order is the ultimate goal of all civilization
Excellent, an accord has been reached. I am sure we will be able to draft up treaties.
Finnegan definitely gets the side-eye from some of the group, but no one actually voices any complaints or takes any actions against him.
The half-elf appears to know the proper way to slice steaks off a wyverns corpse and soon has a bunch cooking over the fire.
The human, who has introduced himself as Adron, invites your group to share the campsite. Though he understands if you have duties elsewhere.
Alexander happily joins the camp and introduces himself and the others. We can handle the particulars later, but for tonight let's enjoy good company. Tell us of the land to the west! I've often wondered what lays beyond the Narlmarches.
Alexander will pass the evening with stories and getting to know the other group. He's cautious about telling them too much about Stanimir (or at least its scope and defenses), but he'll offer stories of their travels and the strange creatures they've encountered.
Andrea introduces herself as well and leftovers are never a worry. She plays up the stability of their realm and the benefits of diplomacy as they made peace with several of the inhabitants.
Othniel leaves the woods, but subtly keeps a weather eye on the strangers, just in case.
Finnegan offers a small smirk at those who side-eye him. He's used to being looked at as a freak or people calling him a devil, and so doesn't let it bother him. He makes sure they know he noticed, though.
Otherwise, he'll quietly sit and remain alert.
During the evening:
The female half-elf, Lyra, is in charge of the campfire and cooking. She is a fairly quiet individual and doesn't have much to say.
The male elf, Evrill, doesn't have much to say either, but that is mainly because he takes a very intricately carved elvish wind instrument from his backpack and plays some elven melodies.
Adron, the armored male, listens intently to your stories and will offer up a few of his own. The earliest stories going back to when the new rulers of the kingdom would travel with them as two of the original charter holders. Since the founding of the kingdom though, they have chosen to remain in the city to watch over its building. He makes no secret of the fact that the rulers are a Holy Knight (paladin) and cleric of Iomedae who met and fell in love during their first year in the forest.
The Gnome female, Vyxa, is open to talking to people, but mainly wants to discuss any magical creature that you have encountered and is curious if your area also had a large amount Fae folk.
The human male in chain shirt, Gavin, openly wears a holy symbol of Iomedae and is open about not being a charter holder, but simply taking his liege's spot in the survey group. He is most curious about the number of religions you have in your kingdom and if any are outlawed.
The female halfling, Arriabella Leafcutter, is definitely the most cheerful seeming and will talk to anyone that wants to about pretty much anything.
Eduard finds the idea of two lawful good rulers falling in love and founding a kingdom to be quaint and humorous and though he won't focus on the issue, he doesn't make any great effort to hide his opinion either.
After that, he'll speak to the gnome, sharing the types of creatures they have encountered, though he withholds any information about lycanthropes. He'll attempt to ask about their kingdom's intelligence network and seek opportunities for coordination.
Alexander will pass the evening with stories, trying to get a sense of these people and who might be valuable in the future (and who might not.)
Andrea addresses Vyxa. We have met some fey, a few who were more than interested in throwing things at us and a few others that we avoided, hopefully you haven't had too many difficulties.
"Fey aren't all so bad if you know how to treat them." Othniel puts in, perhaps helpfully.
Awesome roll. Your opinions of who may become valuable:
Adron - A firm believer in his new kingdom's faith, you think he may become an important military figure in the kingdom.
Gavin - A member of Iomedae's clergy who will only be important if he ever develops a backbone of his own.
Vyxa - Seems like a very competent wizard and could become one of the leading magic users of that kingdom as long as she can maintain her own personal freedom.
Evrill - The elf definitely seems like the wandering type and there is no way to know for sure if he will choose to stick around long enough to become an important figure. Also, he eventually admits to being a follower of Erastil.
Lyra - The half-elf much prefers the wilderness to any city and is a worshiper of Gozreh. If she stays in the new kingdom, she will not be taking any position within the new city, perhaps one keeping an eye on the borders.
Arriabella Leafcutter - The little halfing is obviously a free spirit and likely not suited to any official position. She originally came from a family of trappers that lived in the newly settled kingdom area.
"We've met our fair share of fae around these parts too. Most seemed less than friendly to our group. There was also a small group of centaurs that had to be dealt with."
Centaurs, are they common here? Have you noticed if they were engaging in banditry?
"I can't how common they are here, but the ones we fought had a tendency to carry off some of the young maidens that were settling the nearby lands. Obviously we couldn't allow lawful citizens to just just be carried off for whatever reason, so they had to dealt with and the maidens rescued."
After finishing up cooking the wyvern, Lyra (the half-elf) finds a spot beside Othniel to sit down and eat her dinner. During one of the stories, she will quietly ask him if he has had any issues regarding parentage and how tolerant your kingdom is of all religions.
Interesting. Alexander flashes a charming smile, I certainly hope none of the young woman were harmed. We'll have to keep an eye out for these centaurs. Is there...anything more we should know about them?
"Indeed. If such creatures are roaming and kidnapping people, we must keep an eye out for them. Are they still a problem?"
My goodness, I wonder if they actually do what we think they are doing with them. They are centaurs after all.
After finishing up cooking the wyvern, Lyra (the half-elf) finds a spot beside Othniel to sit down and eat her dinner. During one of the stories, she will quietly ask him if he has had any issues regarding parentage and how tolerant your kingdom is of all religions.
"Oh, not at all. Quite the opposite. My lord Alexander has readily accepted me into the administration of his government. He's quite a tolerant man, generally speaking. Though he follows the Master of the First Vault and I am a worshiper of Nethys, the mage-god, he has never had a bad word to say about my faith. As long as one isn't actively disruptive, they're quite welcome in his land." Othniel says, curious as to her interest. "How about your land" he asks quietly "Is there discrimination there?"
Vyxa seems more comfortable with talking to Alexander, but speaks a bit quietly. "Well, their settlement wasn't entire wiped out. A few escaped deeper into the woods and I even witnessed one being ridden by a girl. There have been no confirmed sightings of the survivors sense then, it's assumed they've fled out of our territory. A couple of the rescued girls were pregnant, if that answers your question on what they were doing."
Lyra continues speaking quietly to Othniel. "It is becoming apparent that certain religions are being preferred above others. There is no official discrimination yet, but having traveled with a few who are now in charge of things and knowing their distaste of half-breeds in general, I worry it may be just a matter of time. Just my bad luck to get a charter with them."
Andrea's eyebrow arches. Just how would that work? They are part horse. In any event, if they are capturing them for rape than this must put an end to this right away.
Alexander's frown is sympathetic, as is his tone, Well, if there's anything we can do for the young woman, do let us know. It's very odd for such a thing to be even possible.
Quietly, Othniel continues his conversation with Lyra. "That sounds...distressing, should things continue apace. We should stay in touch, and if conditions deteriorate over there, I would be happy to speak with Alexander about the possibility of accepting asylum-seekers." he pauses, glancing around furtively, then leans in and almost whispers "Or lending our aid to friends seeking to rid themselves of oppression. One hopes, of course, that it would not come to that."
Vyxa shrugs. "The ones recovered have already been taken care of and returned to their families. If you happen to come across any centaurs entering your land, just keep watch for the women still missing."
"I would appreciate you speaking to him about potential asylum. Hopefully if will not come to anything more drastic."
Andrea finishes eating. Thank you for the information and the meal. We will certainly keep in touch with your group.
After the group saddles up and begins returning, Andrea says. Should we let them deal with the centaurs? If we can deal with it ourselves, we might be able to undercut their support.
Alexander continues with idle conversation until the others are satisfied. Once finished and they're ready to leave he invites them all to join them in Voronakholm at their leisure.
During the ride back he responds to Andrea, Possibly. Let's have the Sootscales keep an eye out for these centaurs. Let them know we're interested in...negotiation.
"If these centaurs are even still around. They may have fled for less civilized areas, to further avoid any contact with other settled areas. Unless they're building up to launch an attack."
"I was able to speak privately at some length to their half-elf, Lyra. It seems there is some religious strife in their land. Reading between the lines, it would seem that their Iomedaeans are not terribly tolerant of other faiths. I mentioned to her that I would speak with you about possible political asylum for the persecuted, my Lord. Should it become necessary, of course."
The neighboring kingdom surveyors will bid your group farewell in the morning as you ride back to your city and they continue on their mission (though in a direction away from you lands for now).
You are all able to ride back to Voronakholm without any disturbances and you give the Sootscale their orders to keep an eye out for centaurs.
You are of course reminded by the visit with the rival surveyors that you yourselves still have more territory to map out.