Olaff spits on the water and wonder if Ahreni actullay listened any of his words before sitting, giving and obviously fake smiles and pointing to the oars.
Olaff, Ahreni, Bevelek and Vankor push off on Aril's Hammer and set sail towards Kalsgard before the caravan is ready to depart.
Spivey catches sight of the four of them leaving and flies down to perch on Ahreni's shoulder, instructing them that she will be traveling with them on their journey to bring the luck of Desna with them. They all get a bit of a headstart as they begin rowing down the Rimeflow river in the foggy waters towards Kalsgard.
Meanewhile at camp, repairs are under way of the broken wagon. Savah would normally assist in this matter, but her arm is badly broken and she is unable to help outside providing verbal guidance. She refuses to allow Relisha to heal her and instead is speaking to Spivey, only to find out she has left on the ship. Instead, she seeks counsel in Helvinius who helps set her arm and make her comfortable.
On the matter of your prisoner, Sandru tries to get him to talk repeatedly, never successful, only to say that "I can't, I can't speak of it!". On the second day he finally manages to convince the man to speak on who sent him, but as soon as the Ulfen opens his mouth to mutter the name the name instantly collapses dead in front of you. No physical wounds are present and Koya informs all that powerful magic must be at play here. On the third day you spot the rather large bird in the sky pacing you once more, following at a far distance.
The gusting wind and cold continue through the night and over the next days, but at least the sun warms you a little while you travel. As you near Kalsgard, the signs of civilization steadily increase - farmsteads, passing traders and guard patrols, fishermen on the river, and the like. Finally, just past mid-morning on the third full day from Skalsbridge, you catch your first glimpse of Kalsgard at the top of a small rise.
For most of you, Kalsgard is positively the largest collection of buildings you have ever seen. Even this far north, it is a metropolis that rivals the more famous southern cities of Cheliax and Taldor. The sprawling mass of homes and halls runs along the southern shore of the Rimeflow's wide mouth. Thousands of white smoke columns rising from chimneys and hundreds of longships and boats moving along the docks attest to the city's many residents. Even miles away, a miasma of smoke, dirt, seawater and filth can be detected. On the horizon beyond is the vast expanse of the Steaming Sea.
Your trip up the river is relatively painless, though you do receive several strange glances from ships that pass by in the distance. No real trouble arises until you pull into port. A young boy sees your ship and runs up to approach and tie you off only to stare wide-eyed at you when he sees who is onboard. He quickly runs off and disappears into a crowd in the shipyards before you are able to get on land. By the time you get Aril's Hammer tied off and set, it's mid-morning.
It's mid-afternoon when you finally approach the city's eastern gate, one of the guards sees you and walks to intercept, waving his hand to have you stop. In rough, stilted Varisian, he says that Varisian caravans are not welcome to enter here, and must go to the Bone quarter, to the south. It takes you another hour to circle the city wall, but eventually you arrive and enter the walls of Kalsgard. The Bone quarter surprises you with the large amount of open fields and space, but it is also obviously a poorer part of the city. Not far from a number of other Varisians, you find a clear space to circle the wagons and set up camp. You quickly take note that the Bone Quarter is not one of the ports and you are on the complete opposite side of the city from where your ship will be coming into port.
When Thanara learns what Ahreni and Olaff did, she is not pleased. She complains for quite some time that it was foolish of them to go off like that.
__________
Thanara insists that Savah come with her to find a healer to cure her injured arm before the damage is too far gone! She begins asking around to any who will listen for a healer.
Shalelu is pissed when she gets back to the caravan to find that Sandru sent Ahreni and Olaff off alone.
She gives him a piece of her mind about how reckless that was, that the whole camp can hear, before storming off to ready the herself to move out. She doesn't even drive the wagon she had been sharing with Ahreni leaving that to someone else. Instead she rides ahead of the group a good distance 'scouting ahead', or at least that is what she tells them all.
She reaches the city ahead of the caravan and doesn't even wait for them to catch up, knowing that this close to town they should be fine. Instead she rides on to head directly to the docks to see if she can't find Ahreni and Olaff.
As they finally tie the boat to the docks and the kid is beyond reach, Olaff turns to the others. "It is a matterr o' time beforre that boy comes back vith bad news... Ve should trry to sell this ship as fast as ve can and get out o' the docks."
"Vhile ve do that, make surre to tell anyone that ve verre attacked by rraiderrs. Ve don't know to vhom this boat belongs to and vhich lies he vill veave, but therre is a common saying in this land that the first storry is the truue... Ve shall paint ourrselves as capable varriorrs and surrvivorrs vho own this ship by the rright o' battle spoils and not as thieves orr murrderrerrs. This is most imporrtant!"
Ahreni nods to Olaff's advice, leaves the brothers to guard the ship and leaps onto the docks. Following her nose she heads straight up the harbor, keeping an eye out for people examining the ship.
After a bout of haggling with a muscular looking Ulfen man, where Ahreni refuses to give an inch throughout the negotiation she eventually shakes hands with him and calls the brothers off the ship in exchange for two large metal bars, one of platinum and one of gold.
"Told him of fight." She explains shortly to Olaff. "Attacked by raiders. Killed them. Claimed ship. He paid for it." She passes him the gold bar, before making the platinum disappear somewhere into her clothing. "Should meet Sandy, in case of trouble."
Clearly relieved, Olaff leaves his position guarding the boat and joins Ahreni and the brothers. "Good. Yes, lets find Sandrru and the otherrs... trry to keep close to each otherr forr Kalsgarrd is huge and ye do not vant to get lost."
He then guides the others to where he believes the caravan is.
Shalelu ties off her horse when she reaches the harbor, knowing it will be quicker to navigate the streets on foot rather than trying to guide the mount around.
After awhile of searching she finally comes across Ahreni and Olaff talking and storms over to the two of them "What in the nine hells were the two of you thinking sailing off like that?"
Olaff raises his hands in a defensive posture. "Vas also against this nonsense... but eitherr I vas comin' vith herr orr Ahrreni vould have come alone, vhich vould have been insane."
Resting his hand on Shalelu's shoulder before passing by her, he continues. "If ye can discover vhy she vanted that, let me know, forr I have no idea..."
As the party regroups, Sandru is visibly relieved to see Ahreni made it in one piece. He boasts "See? Everything was fine." though he had not been so sure himself that the ship was going to make it.
Olaff shares the information they gleaned while waiting for the caravan to arrive. He's noticed a few strange looks and that that shadowy figures in Kalsgard’s criminal underworld have been asking questions about the party: who they are, where they came from, where they are staying, what their business in town is, and so forth. No more information can be gleaned about who is asking the questions, only that the queries are being made.
Thanara finally convinces Savah she needs a healer. After days of pain with a broken arm, she does not fight back and only responds "If you wish it so."
As Olaff walks off Shalelu moves to put herself between the wolf-girl and wherever she was going as she gives her a stern look "You and I need to talk."
Shalelu notices the excessive number of ravens that seem to be following them around as she notes to the others, specifically looking at Olaff "What is up with all the ravens following us around? They seem to be watching us specifically..."
Relisha seems in awe of the huge city. Having never ventured beyond Sandpoint, the idea of so many people living in the same place seems completely overwhelming to her. "So many people," she utters in a small voice as her eyes dart this way and that. She notices the ravens, but the strangeness of the watching flock is subsumed in the sheer number of people, many of whom are watching them.
She pulls her hood up over her head and ensures that her hair is covering her golden eye. Pressing close to Ameiko, she takes comfort in the woman's presence even as she tries to take in the assault on her senses.
"C-can we find a weaponsmith?" she asks nervously. "There's something I'm looking for."
"Of course. I'd also like to track down a guide for the trip over the crown as well as locate this missing blade from my family. " Ameiko says, thinking of what she wants to have done.
Looking to Relisha, she can squeezes her shoulder and says "But let's take care of your weapon first, I can't have my protector ill-equipped to stop me from being secreted away in the night again, can we?"
She asks Olaff what part of Kalsgard would be best to find this weaponsmith and he informs them that the stone quarter is the most south-easterly city district of Kalsgard and that it is famous for the quality of its smiths.
"Well it sounds like we're going to the stone quarter then, shall we?"
Looking to Relisha, she can squeezes her shoulder and says "But let's take care of your weapon first, I can't have my protector ill-equipped to stop me from being secreted away in the night again, can we?"
Relisha's eyes drop to the ground and a flush of shame crosses her face. "Please don't joke about that. I was terrified and I felt so helpless that I couldn't do anything to save you. I still haven't thanked Ahreni and I should have."
Ameiko turns to face Relisha "I'm sorry, Relisha. I had no intention of injuring your feelings. It was not your fault that happened, I know you would never let any harm come to me." she leans forward and kisses the tiefling's right cheek with a warm, soft kiss before pulling back and smiling at her. "Now then, let's finish this shopping so we can get our business done and get out of this place. It's creeping me out for some reason."
Olaff looks up in the sky once Shalelu points the ravens and spits in the ground to avoid some bad luck. "It might be just me being superrstitious, but I and many o' my forrmerr brrotherrs in Blackrraven Hall saw these damnable birrds as bad omens. The vinterr vitches frrom Irrrisen seem to like them a lot and I've even hearrd tales of giant rravens as vell... magical crreturres, prrety smarrt."
"Taking in considerration ve have been spotin' rravens since ve discoverred Ameiko to be the heirr, I say ve should look forr a völva... a seeress. She might help us to discover if these birrds as just birrds orr somethin' else."
Soon after Olaff gives Ameiko and Relisha the directions of the stone quarter, he starts to follow them closely. Upon their inquisitive looks, he explains. "Yeah, I'm goin' vith ye. Forr surre I'm not letting Ameiko alone afterr the last attack... if ye vish, prretend I'm just anotherr unfen varrriorr and parrt of the scenerry."
Once they arrive there and Relisha starts to look for her weapon, Olaff gives some general advice. "This type o' svorrd is not too common arround herre, so ye might not find too many options, but rrememberr that a svorrd is a killin' tool and needs not to be beautiful..." He then points to a particularly beautiful 'scimitar'. "like that one... an obvious fake intended to fool someone, useful only as an ornament."
"... look forr a völva... a seeress."
"Oh, thank you, Olaff," Relisha says, her face turning slightly crimson indicating that that was precisely the weapon she was considering.
Thanara is with Savah finding a healer, which they find, but not the response they want to hear. A rather unpleasant dwarven female explains to them "Donations are required, and it will be more since you aren't active parishioners of our faith in this town."
"One of the acolytes will triage what they can and admit you for long-term care during the day if needed. Magical spells are only perform in the evening before the day has passed, and only as a last resort. Now. If you are still interested, we can get you set up here to be looked at?"
Savah whispers to Thanara "I'm going to punch her with my broken arm. Let me do it. I'll just club her over the head real quick with it."
Thanara elbows Savah and says ”Shhh!”
She then turns back to the woman and asks ”Certainly! Whatever is needed to get her arm working again so she doesn’t have any problems working the smithy!” she says, hoping her being a blacksmith may garner some sympathy.
As Olaff walks off Shalelu moves to put herself between the wolf-girl and wherever she was going as she gives her a stern look "You and I need to talk."
"So you care now?" Ahreni growls, walking right past the ranger. Spivvy sits on her shoulder and looks confusedly between the two women. Despite her protest Ahreni isn't moving quickly enough to get away, although she probably could.
Despite being obviously ill at ease in the city Ahreni is still an astute observer of human behavior and she notices a man following the group. Whispering to Spivvy she ducks away from the group in the next convenient blind-spot and attempts to turn the tables on the stalker while Spivvy goes ahead to warn the group.
Savah wants badly to fold her arm across her chest and even starts to do so before the pain flashes and she winces. "What?! I don't want to be wait all night for a chance to be seen? You're rich! Flash your purse and let's get this taken care of so we can get out of here!"
When Ahreni growls at the ranger, a switch clicks in the lyrakien's head. "OOOOHHHHHH! SHE'S the one!" she says, covering her mouth with her hand.
As Ahreni growls at her and walks past she strides up behind her matching the girls pace "What is that supposed to mean?"
Thanara sighs. ”Ma’am, please? Is there any way we could do something to heal her more quickly? We need to get back to our caravan...”
The woman looks around nervously and lowers her voice "Well alright. We just can't help everyone around here as soon as they walk in, you understand, right? She looks like she's in so much pain though, come along with me."
She leads you to a room off on the side and begins to take a look at Savah's arm. "Alright. If you would kindly make a donation of 25 gold pieces, I could get this taken care in about an hour. That's the best I can do."
"TWENTY-FIVE GOLD PIECES!" Savah exclaims loudly. "THAT'S ROBBERY!"
”That’s totally fine!” Thanara says, giving Savah a pleading look as she hands the coins over.
Thanara makes the "donation" of the required amount and the woman nods satisfied. "Right this way, please." she says, leading the pair back to the rear of the temple where she deposits them in a sparsely furnished ante room with dark stone floors and matching walls. They wait for about twenty minutes before a man barely older than Thanara comes to retrieve them, taking them back and beginning to pepper Savah with questions about her arm.
While Thanara is with Savah to make sure she gets healed, Ahreni is able to capture their "shadow" with some sneaky work and perceptive senses. Staying back as Shalelu and Olaff walk on, she leaps out from behind pile of barrels and grabs a hold a 15 year old Tian boy.
The boy cries out in alarm and begins to panic as the shifter seizes him "Let me go! Help! I didn't do nothing! HELP!"
As Ahreni growls at her and walks past she strides up behind her matching the girls pace "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Not good enough, just wolf girl. Bit of fun! I get it!" Ahreni snaps. "You don't care! She doesn't care! Fine! Leave me alone!"
-------------------------
"Quiet, or I will eat you!" Ahreni growls, her face elongating into its dark muzzle and prominent teeth. With the hand grasping his tunic spouting claws she is a fearsome sight.
"Why you follow us? Who sent you?"
The boy quickly closes his mouth as instructed, not wanting to be eaten. His eyes go wide and he nods silently. He stutters "I-Is this a t-trick? You told me to be quiet? Will you eat me if I answer you?"
"No shouting. Answer questions." Ahreni growls, she hates clever people.
"I w-was h-hired by a hooded man to follow you and leave reports of your movements under a barrel on the river docks. P-please wolf-lady, d-don't eat me! I won't taste good!"
"Show me where." Ahreni commands, "And tell about hooded man. Where meet? Look like?"
She makes a point of sniffing the boy thoroughly before putting him down. "Have scent now. Don't run, or I chase you!"
"Uhm. He looked like a man with a hood. I couldn't see his face, he was hiding it on purpose." he says, looking at her doing something with her face? Was she... sniffing him?
"OH GODS!! Please don't eat my face!" he protests when she starts sniffing him.
"Yeah, yeah. I can show you the barrel! Just let me go, okay? I didn't do anything!"
While you walk to the designated area, the boy explains his name is Kei and that he's from the Jade Quarter, the section of town that is found along the most westerly banks of the Rimeflow River within the city and is home to many Tian migrants, most of whom are from Minkai.
As you arrive he points to an alley and says "There. Right under that-. Hey. That's weird. The barrel is gone. There was one here earlier, I swear it!"
Shaelelu glares at her as she snaps at her "I didn't ever say I didn't care... why do you think you were one of the first people I came to check on both when you disappeared into the mist and then once the fight was over..." She shrugs dismissively "Yeah, the sex, that was a bit of fun. I thought that's all it was to you too, I thought we covered that. Even so, it doesn't mean I don't care."
She pauses for a moment as things start to click "Is that why you've been distant, going off at night for me to sleep alone? WAIT, is that why you had the crazy idea to take the boat off by yourself?" She let's out a deep sigh and shakes her head. Grabbing hold of Ahreni's shoulders she looks the wolf girl in the eyes "You're important to me, not just because of the sex. I... I do care about you." Her cheeks flush a bit and she suddenly steps away, letting go of Ahreni, "It's... it's just complicated alright!"
Through it all, it she hasn't addressed the fact Ahreni implied someone else didn't care. Either she missed that point or is intentionally not addressing it.
Ahreni examines the boy to see if he's telling the truth. If he is she lets him go and tells him. "Stop following. If I see you again..." before baring her teeth to complete the threat.
Spivey conjures a handful of nuts and sits down watching the show. She pops a nut into her mouth and crunches it loudly as she stares on, completely caught up in the drama.
The boy appears to be telling the truth and after Ahreni lets him go, he nods "Of course! Thank you for not eating me!" he says, starting to run away from her. Quickly.
Ahreni makes her way back to the caravan and reports quietly to Sandru about what she discovered.
After Ahreni explains what's going on, Sandru says they should begin looking for their guide and this sort quickly.
As they press on, a beggar on the street behind them holds out a cup. "Change? Change for a blind man?" he asks, rattling a cup with a few coppers in it.
Ameiko drops another copper in with a smile and the man says "Thank you. So kind. You should know they know who you are and are coming for you."
Ameiko's eyes go wide and the beggar turns away from her to others passing on the cobblestone street "Change? Change for a blind man?" he asks, continuing to walk away slowly, shaking his cup.
Thanara looks as stunned as Ameiko. But...if this man knows something...
She heads over to him and drops a gold in. ”What did you mean, sir? Who is coming?”
The beggar turns back to the sorceress and shrugs. "I was given a pair of coppers to say that when a group that smells of boiled cabbage walked past me."
A cursory inspection of sniffing each other reveals that boiled cabbage has been rubbed on Thanara's back, though she has no idea where it came from.
Olaff, who was discussing with Relisha about her training with her new scimitar, turns to the others as the beggar says his piece. "I still believe ve need to look forr a völva... ve need to know vhat is going on beforre even considerrin' vhich guide to hirre!"
Shalelu's keen eyes and slightly taller height allows her to see into the beggars cup as she notes to the others "Whoever paid him, looks like they are from Minkai, the coins were minted there."
"What's a vulva?" Ameiko asks, confused at Olaff. She struggles to pronounce it as good as he can, unable to master that accent properly. "Who needs vulva?
Looking to the ranger, she looks concerned "You think someone from Minkai is after us?" she pauses and corrects herself. "After me?"
Shalelu shrugs as she notes "Seems like it might be. Perhaps when we opened that box for the first time, it alerted them to our presence or something."
Relisha's eyes widen a little at Olaff's words, but she doesn't say anything. When Ameiko asks about a vulva, she frowns a little but leans in to whisper in the woman's ear. Once she's finished she shrugs and sends a dark glare in the Ulfen's direction.
"That's why the spirit within the box said not to open it unless absolutely needed, because they would then be able to detect where it was at," the tiefling adds.
Shaelelu glares at her as she snaps at her "I didn't ever say I didn't care... why do you think you were one of the first people I came to check on both when you disappeared into the mist and then once the fight was over..." She shrugs dismissively "Yeah, the sex, that was a bit of fun. I thought that's all it was to you too, I thought we covered that. Even so, it doesn't mean I don't care."
She pauses for a moment as things start to click "Is that why you've been distant, going off at night for me to sleep alone? WAIT, is that why you had the crazy idea to take the boat off by yourself?" She let's out a deep sigh and shakes her head. Grabbing hold of Ahreni's shoulders she looks the wolf girl in the eyes "You're important to me, not just because of the sex. I... I do care about you." Her cheeks flush a bit and she suddenly steps away, letting go of Ahreni, "It's... it's just complicated alright!"
"It was... fun... Ahreni admits quietly, much of her fury dissipating in the face of Shalelu's honesty. "I care about you. Felt hurt. Alone. Needed space." By now her head is hanging and she's having trouble meeting Shalelu's eyes. "Just... needed space. To be free. People are so hard!"
She reaches out hesitantly for Shalelu's hand and, if allowed, takes it gently. "Am sorry Shalelu. Will not be stupid again." Her mouth twists into her rather endearing lop-sided smile. "Will try, at least!"
As the wolf girls anger dissipates and she reaches for Shalelu's hand, Shae gives her an honest smile and pulls her in close to give her a hug, her face coming right up to Spivey as she finally realizes the little fey has been there the whole time. She glares at Spivey for a moment but as she embraces Ahreni her glare softens and she just rolls her eyes at the fey.
After a moment she steps back "Good, I'm glad you'll try to not pull a stunt like that again. If something is bothering you talk to me or someone, don't just bottle it up... I can tell you from personal experience that doesn't always end well..."
Quickly changing the subject she turns to look for where Olaff had headed and says "We should catch up with Olaff and meet back up with the others." as she begins walking in that direction still holding on to Ahreni's hand.
Shalelu shrugs "Yeah, I get that, but what I don't understand is if we haven't opened the box since then how did they know where to find us or to specifically target Ameiko."
She then looks about at all the damn ravens again as she shouts out at them "Get out of her you blasted birds!" She turns back to the others in frustration and says "Probably something to do with all the damn birds... especially that big one."